Less social media time.
More offline activity, including reading, creating, learning.
It’s for my own good. For my own sanity.
Weekend Goals?
Did:
Played some table top baseball.
Painted Blood Bowl lizardman miniatures.
Built LEGO van/caravan set.
Replaced Keurig machine with larger capacity Keurig machine.
Didn’t:
Work on Lunchtime D&D campaign.
Do a dry run of a podcast, unless you count the 1-hour phone conversation that I had with my mystery co-host.
Start watching The Man in the High Castle, Season 2.
@30
1997: I became a NASCAR fan, all because it was a quiet Sunday in February, with no football or baseball or hockey. I wasn’t a basketball or soccer fan at that time.
I came across the Daytona 500 on CBS, and figured that this was as good a time as any to watch a race. I never had in the past, I had only followed Indy Car racing on and off since I was a kid.
I picked the first and maybe only driver who had a web address on the back of his firesuit: www.jeffgordon.com
He went on to win the race, and NASCAR and Jeff Gordon gained a new fan.
2017: the new format for races are, in my opinion, a joke. 3 stages per race, each with a ‘winner’ and points assigned, with bonus points for playoff purposes for the winners.
NASCAR has changed their format more times than I can remember, since the creation of the Chase for the Cup. I don’t recall IndyCar or F1 changing as frequently or drastically, if at all.
Jeff Gordon retired 2 years ago, at the end of the 2015 season. I watched very few races in the past few seasons, and with both Gordon and Tony Stewart (retired last season) out of racing, along with the revamped points system I think I’m done with NASCAR.
Jinx?
Day Off
For MLKJr day, I went to go see Rogue One, for my 5th time.
I think I cried a bit more than I had before, because of the ending. It’s the first time I’ve seen the film after Carrie Fisher passed away.
After the movie I treated myself to some ice cream, and then picked up some Doctor Who blu-rays from Best Buy, and some groceries from Lucky’s.
In between those two shopping excursions, I met up with my sister Jen, who gave me a couple of gifts from Hawaii for myself and Dad.
Once I got home I settled in to watch the Warriors kick the Cav’s asses in a 126-91 game.
Right now I’m blogging while I endure a slight headache.
How was your day?
Baseball Begins?
I think the 2017 season started for me when the 2016 season ended. I just didn’t realize it until just now.
I’m a sports fan. I love the beginning of each season of whatever sport it is at the moment, from football to hockey to soccer.
But baseball… it never stops. Even before I started playing table top sports again back in 2014, I’d always have some kind of baseball game on one of my game consoles, and play a game or two, shortly after the season ended. I’d monitor what was going on with the Giants and Mets during the Winter Meetings.
And right now, I’m watching MLB Network, having started with a show about the first Hall of Fame class in 1939, then a round table show about this year’s Hall of Fame candidates (Tom Verducci is still a jerk), and now watching a show about Mike Piazza.
Piazza started his career as a Dodger, so of course I hated him. Him being a Dodger *catcher* made me hate him more.
*glares at Mike Scioscia*
When he became a Met, I still hated him. Until that day we were gaming at Glenn’s house while a NASCAR race was on. Jeff Gordon was back deep in the pack, and I said that if he won the race, I’d start rooting for Mike Piazza as a Met. Gordon went on to win, and I reluctantly started rooting for Piazza.
Then came the Clemens beaning. I was never a big fan of Rocket Roger, so when he hit Piazza in the head, and then later threw a shard of a bat at him in the World Series, I became a huge Piazza fan.
What truly cemented me as a fan was September 21, 2001. The home run Piazza hit against the Braves. They just showed it on TV, and I got chills and started crying again. It was one of the best moments I’ve experienced as a baseball fan.
I say ‘one of’ because, as I had that epiphany that I mentioned at the start of this, so too do I realize that there will never be one ‘best’ moment as a fan.
- watching a rookie named Dwight Gooden pitch in his first All-Star Game
- all the milestone home runs Barry Bonds hit, many of them in person
- Willie McCovey’s last game, sitting with my grandpa
- the last out of the 2010 World Series
- Johan Santana pitching the first Mets no-hitter
- attending World Series games with my long-time childhood friend
- having my aunt take me out of school to attend Opening Day with her and my grandpa
- the Sunday doubleheaders with the family, in General Admission, Section 28
- attending the first Star Wars Day at AT&T Park with my nephew
The list goes on and on.
I’ve seen so many ‘best moments’, and will probably see more in the seasons to come.
Repost: Friday Randomness
This is the longest I’ve gone without a calendar hanging up in my office, or at home. That’s what I get for ordering them online, instead of picking them up from the calendar shop at the mall.
* * *
Still trying to figure out what to do with the microphones.
Yes, plural.
Podcasting is the leading choice, I just have to figure out what the content will be. It would probably be something monthly, as I don’t think I’d have time to do a weekly thing.
Or I can just use them to talk to people online.
* * *
At lunch I thought about how often and for whom I would post another of those “The 50s” entries like the one from yesterday. First of I want to say that you shouldn’t feel offended/insulted if I don’t have enough material to write something on your 50th. I may simply had forgotten, or hadn’t had time to come up with something interesting. That’s on me, not you.
* * *
Vlogging.
Never did keep up with that. I should, in case I never get the podcast thing off the ground.
* * *
Not sure why I’m so jazzed about wanting to play role-playing games again, as in pencil-and-paper, face-to-face, not online.
* * *
6 days into the new year, and no table top sports games played. I need to fix that. Soon. Tonight.
I also need to get off my butt and start up the lunchtime D&D campaign again. It’s ONLY been a YEAR since I was supposed to come up with something. Ah well.
* * *
And then there’s my camera and photography. I bought a new lens to experiment with static close up shots of stuff, and I haven’t really done anything in regards to that.
Gotta change that.
* * *
For the first time in years, neither football team that I follow are in the playoffs.
My weekends are free and clear. Though I’ll probably end up watching the Super Bowl.
* * *
Pizza and cupcakes. Those are my only requirements so far for my birthday.
Chase 2016
Even with my favorite driver retired, I still have a tiny bit of interest in NASCAR. Especially since my ‘retired’ driver drove in a few races this year.
With Tony Stewart retiring, and the possibility of Dale Jr. stepping away (though he may be cleared in December), I really am out of drivers who I root for.
My pick for the championship?
Jimmie Johnson.
As much as I actually rooted against him over the years, I figure if anyone should match Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty’s record, why not a Hendrick Motorsports driver?
And I would love to see Chase Elliott get the #24 in victory lane.
Big Game
Technically, I don’t have a dog in this fight. Never have, as I’m not an alumni of either school.
It’s been argued that I should root for Cal, because it’s part of a public university system, like SFSU/CSU, versus the private university that is Stanford. But I’ve never embraced that aspect.
I’ve been to more Cal Bears games (2?) than Stanford Cardinal games (1).
Stanford was the first college that I remember wanting to attend, all because it had the same school colors as the high school that I ended up attending.
Stanford is where John Elway went to school. I saw him in that one lone football game that I went to, vs. Ohio State. The game is available on YouTube.
And no offense to Gamma Gamma chapter, but I always felt more comfortable with Zeta chapter whenever I attended Alpha Phi Omega events at either school.
I’ve always liked the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band over the Cal Band.
So, like I have for as long as I can remember, today I root for Stanford.
All right now.