Jumat, 21 Juni 2013

Perspective

"Good job Heat.  Not the outcome that I wanted, but easily one of the most competitive NBA Finals that I've ever seen...  #spursfan  #proudofit" -@coachatx-



2013 NBA Finals

My Prediction/Actual Result

Spurs over the Heat in 7 games/Heat in 7 games



Good afternoon everyone.  I'm about to do my second full-scale hoops post in the past 3 days, but before I address the surely somber mood of a South Texas fanbase that nearly watched its basketball team win its fifth NBA Championship in the last 15 years, let me remind everyone to keep things in perspective.     Although I'm about to give a lot of attention to basketball here, I do know what's really important, and what actually matters...  For example, six months ago I was just a couple of hours away from giving someone arguably the most important Christmas card that I have ever written, and the opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to that person for playing a pivotal role in lifting my spirits after my Vegas debacle of last August.  I never had that chance due to a turn of events that was nothing short of stunning, and I'm sure that anyone who is reading this has also been through several trying times of their own.  My point is, don't lose sight of the fact that this is BASKETBALL that we're talking about...

Okay..., having said that, the series between the Heat and the Spurs was everything that I expected.  Last year Miami eliminated the Thunder in five games, and that was an Oklahoma City team that still had James Harden.  Regarding Harden going to the Rockets, I am never going to understand the logic behind that...  Anyway, I anticipated a great series (which I why I wasn't surprised, and actually predicted that it would go the full seven games), and I can't think of any other combination of teams that would have given us a better Finals.  I made the comment before the series began that I wouldn't have bet on this series, because I thought that it would be that close...  I will tell you right now that I won't be watching SportsCenter for a week...  This has become the norm for me when my team comes up short in their quest for a title, and as an adult, I have been fortunate in that my favorite teams have been involved in championship games on several occasions.  The sad thing about that previous statement is that I "lived and died" with my favorite teams' successes or failures much more when I was younger (see the 'perspective' paragraph up above), and my favorites didn't fare quite as well when I was in high school and college.  In my lifetime, the Spurs are 4-1 in the NBA Finals, the Steelers are 6-2 in the Super Bowl, and the Red Sox are 2-2 in the World Series (I didn't "fact-check" those, so let me know if there's a mistake)...  I'm also a Montreal Canadiens fan, but due to the severe lack of NHL coverage that I've experienced since moving to Texas 100 years ago, it's just not the same...  Anyway, when one of my teams loses in a playoff series (and conference championship losses are pretty tough to take also), I usually survive by not watching ESPN for a couple of days.  I also walked for a couple of hours last night just to blow off steam after the game (I've told you before that I do a lot of my serious thinking when I walk), and this was pretty impressive considering that I did 300 situps throughout the course of last night's contest.  And yes, I did watch last night's game (as well as Game 6) in the privacy of my own home.  I have a lot of patience and restraint, but I would have WANTED TO punch somebody if I had to deal with some of the innocuous comments that I surely would have heard...  :)

Okay, so where do we "start?..."  We had a 7 point game last night - that's another made Spurs 3 and 1 missed Heat 3 from being a 1 point game...  Just like in Game 6, there were several opportunities for the Spurs to capitalize on.  As I alluded to briefly in my post on Wednesday, but will touch on in greater detail now, any missed opportunity during the course of the game is just as important as what transpires in the final seconds.  The media (and the public at large) tend to focus so much on what happens at the end of a game, while disregarding what took place throughout the course of the contest.  Let me give you an example of this from when I was coaching:  sometimes kids would be so devastated because they made the final out of the game at the plate, or missed the game-tying/game-winning shot, etc...  I would always point out to them that it wasn't their fault that we lost, and that the whole team missed out on opportunities throughout the course of the game.  "Did you make the only out of the game?"  "Did you miss the only shot of the game?"  This brings me to a couple of points...  First, one person doesn't win or lose a game, and the people who are "LeBron's legacy this or that" today (it's online too - you can't get away from it) - PLEASE...  If you talk about last night's game without mentioning Wade..., or Battier..., or Chalmers..., you're just disrespecting those players.  My second point is that the Spurs missed so many shots last night (I don't even want to look up the number), and had plenty of turnovers, etc..., that if you want to try to pin the game just on Duncan's missed tip-in attempt, or Parker's shooting, or Ginobili's turnovers, or Green's shooting, etc..., it's not just one person.  I saw a few people last night who were blaming the whole Finals on Ginobili, and these were "Spurs fans."  I'm assuming that they just want to disregard Game 5, or send back the last 3 trophies that we won, or even the 3 that cut the lead from 6 to 3 last night...  Don't get me started...  ;)  While on Ginobili, I will continue to enjoy the train of thought that his being fouled in the lane in a ONE POINT GAME late in Game 6 was totally irrelevant and that the non call didn't play a role in the game's outcome...  #yeah  Back to last night, where Green disappeared during the last 2 games (and let's be quick to forget how he CARRIED THE TEAM at times during the first 5 games), Kahwi Leonard played extraordinarily well, especially for a 21-year-old...  I would say without hesitation that the Spurs were pretty much completely gassed last night, and I think that played a part in the decision to give Miami's outside shooters so much room.  It takes a lot of effort to play defense, and the Spurs key players got the majority of the minutes in Game 6.  On the flipside, although Bosh wasn't scoring last night, he did play a key role for the Heat, because you can't just unleash Duncan.  That being said, it was important for somebody else to step up for Miami in addition to James and Wade, which is why the offense from Chalmers (highly disregarded) and Battier was crucial for the Heat.  Anyway, for some of the reasons that I avoid SportsCenter for a week (HE won the series, HE lost the series, etc...), my facebook is also annoying me, and I don't get that from people who are supposed to be fans of a team.  It reminds me of the people who go "shouting from the rooftops" after a divorce or a bad break-up (i.e., let's focus on and broadcast every negative thing that we can think of, but not give any credence to the good...).  Of course, if people avoided this, there might not be any divorces or bad break-ups, right???  ;)  Anyway, without notes, these are just some thoughts off the top of my head.  As for the Spurs, I think that it's extremely likely that this is their last title run (with this core group).  Duncan and Ginobili are approaching the end of their careers, and when they're gone, Parker is going to get A LOT of attention, so that will be something to figure out.  This group was also fortunate to enter and proceed through the playoffs without anyone having to miss games due to injury.  Like I said above in my tweet, good series Heat.  Both teams had numerous opportunities throughout the course of the series to just put their tails between their legs and walk away, but instead we were treated to a heck of a Finals...

Now for some quick "odds and ends" (and I'm sure that Alison will appreciate being called an "odd and end")...  :)  During the course of my two-hour journey last night, I made several laps around the Square, and in addition to the NUMEROUS people asking me, "why aren't you working tonight," I also ran into the "famous" Alison (take THAT Alyssa!)...  :P  This is the same Alison that was the Vice President of the Student Body here at Texas State before graduating in May, and today she embarks to Tucson, Arizona on the first leg of her journey into the "real world."  Something that I realized about Alison last night (it finally "clicked" with me) is that if you see her before or when she sees you, you'll exchange your normal pleasantries, etc...  However, if Alison sees you first, you'll be greeted by a "HEEEEEYYYYY!!!" the second that she spots you...  :)  I want to wish Alison the best of luck as she goes out to the desert to hang out with the Wildcats for a week and a half.  Also, let me wish Belinda good luck as she competes in the Adela Classic tomorrow in Austin (see, I got the ATX in here also, in addition to bodybuilding - this blog covers everything)...  ;)  I would be remiss here if I didn't also mention my friend Leanne, who won't be able to compete tomorrow due to injury, but who has also been working extremely hard to get her first shot on that stage...  #veryproud  :)

Have a great weekend and I'll see you again on Monday!


                    

                        




Kamis, 20 Juni 2013

I Remember The First Time (22)

"Don't ever worry about labeling yourself - people will always come up with plenty of labels for you..." -@Scdavis24- (via twitter)

"According to these ghost hunting shows, every house in Ireland is a castle..."
-@BaldyLockzz- (via twitter)

"I wish men were nicer to women that have their children..." -@heatherjs- (via twitter)

"My life coach is pizza..." -@TheNastiestB- (via twitter)

"Your face will always tell me the truth, even if your mouth lies..."
-@Cass_Sniperess- (via twitter)



I remember the first time that my vacation was over...  Good morning everyone.  Since I left my job a week ago Saturday, my main areas of focus have been losing weight and trying to get my sleep schedule right (I'll get to those more in a second)...  Last night I started filling out my first job application, and I have an idea that this "newly inspired me" will at least be actively looking for bigger and better jobs (if not filling out applications for them) for the rest of my life...

I remember the first time that the situps, the walking, and the dieting started to pay off...  Over the coming weekend, I am likely to pass the 10-pound mark for weight lost since May 18th.  Now my blogging friend Grrouchie (link over to the right) can seemingly lose this much weight in his sleep (VERY IMPRESSED with your progress Grrouch), but for me it's been quite an accomplishment...  ;)

I remember the first time that Coach made situps and math fun...  Okay, I crunched a few numbers for you.  I told you recently that when I started doing situps while watching t.v., they would be in sets of 25 every 15 minutes.  This lasted for about four days, until the reps became too annoying because I was bothered by doing them so often.  I felt fine doing 25 situps, so I bumped the number up to 50 per set.  I am now doing the sets of 50 situps every 30 minutes, and although it feels like I'm actually accomplishing something, I still feel okay.  I have done 300 situps each of the past 2 nights, and here's my little math lesson for you:  Even if a person only does 300 situps 5 nights a week for 50 weeks (taking off 2 days per week, and 2 weeks per year), that still comes out to 75,000 situps in a year...  Accordingly, doing 200 situps for 5 nights a week for 50 weeks will give you a total of 50,000 situps for the year.  This is definitely something that I am going to try to develop into becoming a habit...  ;)

I remember the first time that I sent a tweet to a t.v. station...  I did the majority of my situps last night during the Stanley Cup Final, during a Game 4 that the Blackhawks won 6-5 in overtime.  I didn't see the game-winning goal however, because KXAN, the NBC station out of Austin, WENT TO A NEWS PROMO DURING LIVE ACTION, and when they returned to the game telecast about a minute later, the Blackhawks were already celebrating...  I LOVE spending hours of my time invested in something without getting to see it to its conclusion...  The tweet that I sent to KXAN you ask:  "BRILLIANT job on the hockey coverage - are you SERIOUS?!  Show your news promos at some other time than during LIVE ACTION..."  Surprisingly, they haven't responded, and yeah, I wasn't happy...  :O
 

I remember the first time that I had the worst time in getting my sleep straightened out...  Honestly people, there were workweeks where I had three days off and had better luck sleeping at night than I have over the past dozen or so evenings.  I did manage to sleep for more than 10 hours during the past 24, and I finally got the number of those during darkness up to over 5 - WOO HOO!!!  :)  As I write this, I'm wondering if you even get eight hours of sleep per day.  I have run into so many people in my life who tell me that they get by on 5, 6, etc... hours of sleep, and I don't know how they do it.  While I was coaching, I almost never got eight hours of sleep in a single night, but I almost always made up for that by CRASHING on Sunday...

I remember the first time that someone saw me "working out..."  Since the weather became nice again in San Marcos, America, I have been getting out and walking as much as possible.  Invariably, almost any night that I worked over my last two weeks, someone would tell me that they saw me out "running" or "working out..." This makes me smile because in my younger years (and remember, I'm 100 years old now, though not really) I completed 3 marathons, a half-marathon, and would routinely go out jogging 3-5 times a week.  I honestly find walking to be easy and relaxing (it's where I get a lot of my thinking done, that "walker's high" ya know...).  :)

I remember the first time that tubers made the blog...  So it's about 10:50 p.m. last Friday, and I'm walking by Bikini Hill on my way to the Square (and don't worry about me, I actually took part in enjoying the Square last Saturday).  After having blogged several times about how there's a river that runs through our beautiful little college campus here, it did my heart good to see 2 female tubers walking their tubes up Bikini Hill and to their car..., at TEN-FIFTY at night...  :)  Actually, the university routinely organizes "midnight floats" here.  How do people go to school anywhere else???  :)

I remember the first time that it was ten minutes later...  So now it's 11:00 p.m. last Friday night, and I'm walking down University Drive, which runs right in front of campus (what an aptly-named street)...  ANYWAY, about ten bicycles come FLYING DOWN THE STREET in my direction, where I'm on the sidewalk to their right.  Then one of these cyclists reaches out, offering me a "high-five."  I decline, and then another one of these cyclists does the same, with me again declining.  Now if you've read the blog for any length of time, you know that I'm not averse to high-fives, handshakes, fistbumps, hugs, etc..., BUT at the moment, I've got my Droid (music) in one hand, and my poker chips (shocking) in the other.  Also, I'm not too keen about having my ARM RIPPED OFF by these guys, or about the prospect of possibly pulling one of them OFF OF THEIR BIKES...  I mean, have you ever been on the receiving end of that "too hard" high-five (or handshake, or fistbump)?  Have a nice bike ride guys, but no thanks...

I remember the first time that Game 7 was tonight...  I may be forgetting a series somewhere, but off the top of my head, this is the most competitive NBA Finals that I can remember since 2005.  I was working as a chip runner at the World Series of Poker during these finals, and this was the ONE NIGHT that I went into work late (my shifts had normally been running from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m..., ummmm..., whenever...), when I stayed home for a few extra hours, watching the Spurs beat the Pistons in a very competitive seventh game.  The Heat are favored by six points tonight (at the moment).  I have no read on how this game is going to go.  The Spurs gave so much effort last game, and had so many chances, but our outside shooting was nowhere near what it had been.  The Heat should be stoked tonight at home, but Chalmers had an uncharacteristically high-scoring Finals game on Tuesday, and Wade has that iffy knee (to go with Parker's iffy leg, to go with, to go with...).  This is why I have NEVER..., EVER... bet on sports...  ;)

Have a great day, enjoy Game 7 tonight, and celebrate safely, no matter which side you're on...  ;)  See ya tomorrow!
    


Rabu, 19 Juni 2013

One More To Go...

"In related news, Kleenex sales have skyrocketed in the San Antonio area..."
-A.J. Davidson- (via facebook)

"@coachatx.  How ya doing?  What a tough loss.  Worse choke of all time?"
-@Robvegaspoker- (via twitter)



Good morning everyone.  I'm going to keep today's post short and sweet (relatively speaking)...  :)  Above is what I woke up to this morning after watching one of the most hotly contested basketball games that I've ever seen.  WONDERFUL...  (And I use your word quite a bit Kelley)...  In case you missed last night's basketball game (well, then you're probably lost if you're here reading this blog), the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-100 in overtime in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, knotting the series at 3-3, and forcing a seventh and deciding game that will be played in Miami tomorrow night.  You may have noticed that I changed the colors of the blog today in honor of my Spurs.  I also included a little bit of gold since it is the NBA Finals...  ;)

How did you respond to the status and the tweet that are shown above Coach?  Well, let me start by saying that I have no issues with either A.J. or Rob (other than the fact that they're Mavericks and Lakers fans, respectively)...  ;)  In response to A.J.'s status, I commented, "In other news, the Dallas area has an abundance of Kleenex since they didn't play in any meaningful games..."  In response to Rob (who has a blog listed in the links on the right), I tweeted, "I'm fine.  I'm sure that you're talking about the officials, choking on their whistles???"  Rob and I ended up trading tweets for about the next twenty minutes, and I'll touch on those in the following paragraph(s).

What are your thoughts on the game Coach?  Well, for starters, I predicted that the series would go the full seven games, and I took the Spurs to win it.  Since Rob and I had the twitter discussion this morning, let me say here that he also expected a close series, and that he gave Miami a slight edge.  As for last night, the Spurs had their chances to win the game.  Obviously, in a game that went to overtime and was eventually decided by only three points, you can point to almost any missed shot, missed free throw, bad call, non-call, etc... as being huge.  The play that stands out in my mind, the instance when I fear that the championship slipped through the Spurs fingers (for last night) took place at the end of regulation when LeBron James missed on the 3-point attempt with 27 seconds left to go.  Three Spurs went up with each other fighting for the rebound, which resulted in the ball being tipped to a Heat player (Miller?) who passed the ball back out to James, who this time ended up hitting the shot, closing the gap to 2 points.  Ginobili and Leonard (who played very well last night) each missed a free throw down the stretch that would have been big.  Again, the Spurs had their chances...  The most frustrating part of the game for me was that in spite of these specific instances (and these instances are just a few of MANY - for example, there were poor calls the whole game, both ways, numerous missed shots, etc...), Ginobili was fouled in the lane driving to the hoop with the Spurs only down one point, and the referees ate their whistles.  Not long afterward, Danny Green was fouled shooting a game-tying three-pointer, and nothing was called.  Despite what Jeff Van Gundy said during last night's telecast, a foul isn't only a foul during the first 46 minutes of the game.  I PROMISE YOU that nowhere in the rulebook is that stated.  Officials, if you see a foul, CALL IT...  If Ginobili gets the call on his foul, he's shooting twice from the line, down by a point, with just seconds to go in the game.

Anyway, back to my chat with my friend Rob, I tried to pin him down on this being the worst choke of all time, because I have watched A LOT of sports, and the Spurs had to come back very late in the game to even take the five point lead.  Then he added that it was the worst coaching job ever, which also got me going.  "All time" and "ever" are pretty broad statements, which was the crux of our discussion.  Rob ended up quoting Magic Johnson and giving me a link to some San Antonio columnist (I never clicked it Rob).  I'm saying this to Rob's credit, because when I tried to pin him down on "ALL TIME" and "EVER," he ended up telling me that he was using hyperbole...  For those of you who aren't my friends on facebook or followers of my twitter account (shame on you), Magic Johnson gave the Spurs "no chance of winning" after Game 4, and I would NEVER use him as a source for ANYTHING now...  :)  Anyway, the idea of the "old team" that many considered a "big underdog" (has Vegas ever favored the Spurs in this series?) somehow pulling the biggest choke job EVER made me shake my head.  It's a good thing that I have some Kleenex, right?  ;)

Enough of that.  As a Spurs fan, I'll be rooting til the very end tomorrow night, whether the Spurs win, lose, tie, it gets rained out..., whatever...  Ask people who really know me how prone I am to giving up...  :)  By the way, I'm watching ESPN's 'First Take' right now, and they can take away Steve Javie's mircophone when they take Magic's also...  #goodnessgracious  The Spurs will get to keep this revamped blog look until July 1st, win or lose, and then it's changing...  :P

I hope that you have a great day, and that you will be treated to another overtime game in the Stanley Cup Final.  The overtime is a lot more fun in the hockey than it is in the baskeball...  ;)  Have a good one!
  

    


Selasa, 18 Juni 2013

Could You? (22)

"Decide what makes you happy and fight for it..." -via Jade Monahan- (via facebook)

"It's amazing I've been able to stay above water in #FantasyBaseball with David Price, Bryce Harper, Ian Kinsler, and Jose Reyes all on the DL..." -@AMAAS- (via twitter)

"One smile can start a friendship.  One word can end a fight.  One look can save a relationship.  One person can change your life..." -@BestTextMsgs- (via twitter)

"The Heat are going to lose tonight..." -@texasguy04- (via twitter)

"It's better to look back on life and say, "I can't believe I did that," than to look back and say, I wish I did that"..." -@thechrismyzter- (via twitter)



Could you tell me about the new feature that you added to your blog today Coach?  Good morning everyone.  There is now a search window over to the right (I haven't been able to figure out how to label it) that allows you to search for words that are included in every single blog entry that I've made (I tested it earlier by typing in 'Ginobili'...).  ;)  I know someone named Alyssa who should have HOURS OF FUN with this...  :)

Could you make up your mind?  I've decided that this five posts per week schedule is only going to be valid through the month of June (sorry Miletus).  HOWEVER, I will still post 4 times per week starting in July, instead of scaling it all the way back to 3 entries...

Could you let us know what you neglected yesterday?  I meant to include that fantasy baseball tweet that's shown above in yesterday's entry.  And HE THINKS that he's having problems with his fantasy team...  :)  Click on a few of my recent Monday entries Andrew...  :(

Could you tell us about another famous UT Twitter follower that you've picked up?  The UT-Austin Albino Squirrel is now following me in Twitterland...  In the first of SEVERAL posts that I'm sure to mention the squirrels at UT in the coming months, well..., you can follow this on Twitter by going to @AlbinoSquirrel5.  While working at UT-Austin, I saw this squirrel on numerous occasions, and I'm SO STOKED that I found him on Twitter...  :)  The squirrels at UT will actually APPROACH YOU for food instead of scampering away, and I'm talking about almost attacking you, even if you don't have food...  :)

Could you give me my money back?  I watched Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final last night (a Bruins victory over the Blackhawks - Boston now leads the series 2-1), and the game DID NOT go to overtime...  I want a refund...

Could you FIGHT for my chicken wrap?  I walked over to McDonald's on Father's Day (I spent Sunday with my Dad at the bar that he has worked at for almost 34 years), and the wrap was among the things that I ordered.  I was honestly waiting very patiently, and the wrap was the only item that wasn't ready.  As the cashier is standing at the row of obstacles separating him from the kitchen, he starts POUNDING HIS FIST on the handle of the refrigerator door as he's looking back, wondering what is taking the cooks so long to come up with the wrap.  His impatience was inspiring...  :)

Could you miss me?  I've visited my old workplace several times during the past week during walks around San Marcos, America, and I actually went there on Saturday night just to see how the other half lives...  :)  It was then that I was told by one of my former coworkers and friends that I'm a "legend..."  Evidently, one of the customers that approached this friend of mine asked, "Where's that man that's always here?  He's a LEGEND..., with the knee braces..., and the poker chips..."  I don't even know what to say...  :)

Could you tell me what's going on?  Speaking of customers, I had a chat with my friend Tim on Saturday night.  A loyal customer and a good guy, Tim also played a little bit of football for my alma mater here at Texas State over the past few years (quarterback, wide receiver..., the glamour positions, you know)...  ;)  Oh, and congratulations on earning your diploma Tim!  :)  Anyway, when I told Tim that Texas State and UT don't share any home football dates this fall (which is great for both schools), the topic of last fall's Bobcat home game against Texas Tech came up.  The Tech game was the first to be played in the expanded 30,000 seat stadium here, and Tim told me that as the team bus approached the stadium, there was tailgating taking place almost as far out as I-35 (the Valero station), and that the players on the bus were just looking at each other in DISBELIEF...  The previous capacity of the stadium was about 15,000, which pretty much forced people to park and tailgate ALL OVER TOWN for that game, which was a sellout at 30,000...

Could you get yourself in the proper frame of mind?  That tweet above from @texasguy04, well..., I like the way you think!  Go Spurs Go!  ;)

Have a great day, enjoy Game 6 of the Finals tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow!

















Senin, 17 Juni 2013

The SECOND I Knew About Manu...

"Stay positive and think clean..." -@BuckyGodbolt- (via twitter)

"You can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets..."
-Arnold Schwarzenegger- (via Leanne Calderon/facebook)

"Prediction:  Look for Ginobili to show up tonight..." -@coachatx- (via twitter)



Good afternoon everyone.  We have a lot to get to today, so let's get started...  I want to start by giving a shoutout to Bucky Godbolt.  Coach Godbolt is a former Longhorn football coach and is the host of the 'Buck On Sports' show on 1300 AM from 6am - 9am daily in the ATX.  You can follow Coach Godbolt on Twitter at the address shown above with his tweet, the very tweet that he sent to me when he decided that in addition to following 286 of his closest friends, he would also follow ME on Twitter...  Don't look now, but my little blog is about to BLOW UP..., 200..., 300 years..., tops...  ;)  Seriously, tune into Coach Godbolt's show for your morning commute.  All you need to do is read his welcoming quote to know that he's a solid guy...

Speaking of solid guys, let's segue to my favorite basketball player, Manu Ginobili.  Yesterday my facebook friends and Twitter followers were treated to a rare occurrence, and that was me hitting on the one prediction that I'll get right in my lifetime...  ;)  There had been a lot of talk about Manu's performance in the first four games of the NBA Finals, and then yesterday I heard the pregame analysts talking about how Ginobili had answered an interview question leading up to last night's tipoff.  In response to a question about his play, Manu said that he was getting sick of doing rehab for his injuries, and that this might be his last year, etc, etc...  As the analysts dogged him, they also mentioned that he was going to be in the starting lineup for last night's game.  At that moment, I instantly knew that Ginobili would show up for last night's game (and I shared the good news with my facebook friends and Twitter followers)...  :)  I didn't know that he was going to go for 24 points and 10 boards specifically, but when have you EVER heard Manu crying about his career in that manner, ESPECIALLY during the NBA Finals?  I'm positive that all of that was for Miami's benefit, and as the Spurs relentlessly pushed the pace last night with Manu hustling and scoring and making precision passes, I was all smiles...  :)  I wonder if the Heat really believed that Ginobili was just going to give up and whimper and whine as he walked away from his stellar basketball career...      

Speaking of the Spurs (as I continue to segue), I had an interesting conversation with my friend Steve (and a few others) before he attended Game 5 last night.  Steve has been a Spurs season ticket holder since 2006, and he gave me a collectible 2013 NBA Finals lapel pin before he left for the AT&T Center (a "lucky pin" if we win the title)...  ;)  I was curious if there were many season ticket holders who were selling their seats for the Finals, and when I asked Steve if he was seeing any different people around him than he had during the regular season, "EVERY GAME" was his response...  :)  I was also told yesterday that courtside seats at the AT&T Center have been going in the neighborhood of $5,000.00 - $6,000.00 for games during the Finals, and that the cheapest seats in the building have been selling for $300.00 - $400.00.

Speaking of championship playoff series (here on segue day), Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final will faceoff tonight in Boston at 7:00 p.m. CST.  In case you haven't been following the "ice soccer" (courtesy of my friend Denney), my wishes have been answered as the first two games of the Final have gone to OVERTIME!  :)  The first game went to THREE overtimes as a matter of fact...  The Bruins and the Blackhawks are currently tied at a game apiece, and although you already "know" that the Bruins will take the series in six games (having read it here), watch anyway because they'll appreciate it...  ;)


And now for my fantasy baseball teams (and GET READY, you're not going to believe this...):


League 1 (25 entry fee - 1st place/125, 2nd place/25)

1)  DraftDodgers                                   75.50 (2 weeks in a row at the top)
2)  Neshanic                                        71.00 (still hanging around the top)
3)  Rocky Roto                                     58.00 (moves up to 3rd this week)
8)  The View From Bikini Hill                  43.50 (NOT last, NOT 9th, but 8TH!!!)  :)


League 2 (40 entry fee - 1st place/300, 2nd place/50)

1)  Breaking Bats                                 83.00 (the 80's are impressive...)
2)  4troublemakers                                68.00 (the race for 2nd/3rd is close...)
3)  Loons XXIV                                      65.00 (see, told ya...)
6)  The Bikini Hill Bobcats                     48.00 (focus on League 1 improvement...)


League 3 (40 entry fee - 1st place/300, 2nd place/50)

1)  Mad Men                                        68.50 (still my most competitive league)
2)  Nappy Heads                                  68.00 (see, told ya...)
3)  jonnylove7                                       63.00 (see, still told ya...)
6)  The Bikini Hill Nine                          53.00 (again, focus on League 1 improvement)


In disabled list news, The View From Bikini Hill had 1 new player going to the DL this week, while 3 came off of the list (FUN team to manage, let me tell you)...  The Bikini Hill Nine only has two players on the DL, and my pitching staff is SO DEEP on that team.  I'm happy that they're in my competitive league currently, because they have a shot...  My Bikini Hill Nine pitching staff:  Starters this week - Kershaw, Kimbrel, Colon, Arroyo, Scherzer, Lincecum, Jim Johnson, Corbin, and Strasburg; Bench this week - Lynn, Weaver, Medlen, C.J. Wilson.  The team does have pitching...

Have a great day and I'll see you again tomorrow (MAYBE not with so much sports Miletus)...  ;)



 


                                



        



Minggu, 16 Juni 2013

Stripes and Sunshine Yellow Skater Skirt !


   On this beautiful bright sunny day I deemed it perfect to pick cheery colours for my Outfit Post : Orange and Yellow. I paired a deep Orange Shirt with Black horizontal stripes and my Sunshine Yellow Skater Skirt.
I wore my new Blue Mirrored Sunnies ,my Jimmy Choo Black Weaved Ankle High Heels with a Neon Yellow Orange Trim and a Snakeskin Texture Box Bag in orange, green and black. I accessorised with a Multi Coloured Stone and Gold Statement Neckpiece and a multi-coloured Cuff Bracelet.
  Stripes continue to reign in the current fashion scene and I absolutely am obsessed with the trend too and love this horizontal striped shirt.
  One of my other favourite Summer trends is the Skater Skirt- the flared mini high-waisted skirt ,that has become a fashion staple.The style has a trademark cut, it basically comes in fitted at the waistline and then skims over the hips and thighs in the way of a full circle skirt. The length of the skirt is typically designed to fall mid-thigh and it’s splendid for those who love to show off some legs.The Skater Skirt is fierce, sassy, chic, and flirty all gift-wrapped into one adorable high wasted mini. If you love twirling around in a dress/skirt, the skater dress will be the ultimate twirl-inducing dress.
 
 
 

The Birth of the Skater Skirt
  It was somewhere in those kitsch & funky ’80′s, when – skating fashion was pretty huge, hence the name of the skirt, inspired by the skating dancers’ styles. I’ve always thought those ice-dancers were the most beautiful and ethereal thing ever, and it’s probably that image that we keep going back to, with the Skater Skirt Trend in 2013 – a sort of multifaceted femininity or careless playful innocent girl, who loves to play dress-up. 
 
Figure Flattering Skater Skirt
  This little skirt is probably the most flattering item in your closet regardless of your body type. It adds curves where there’re not, it hides them if it’s the case, creates long legs due to its high waist and mini cut.
The cut of the skirt is perfect for just about any body shapes. If you’re apple-shaped, you can rock the trend. If you’re pear-shaped, you too can look good in it too! For hourglass-shaped gals, you’d be a fan for life as the skater dress will hug you gently around your curves making you look ultra feminine. The high waist at the top and loose flared fit on the bottom creates the illusion of a slimmer waistline and slimmer hips.

 
 
 

  I adore this stunning statement neckpiece with multi coloured stones and gold ,that really makes the look pop. 
  I also accessorised with this Multi coloured Metal Cuff Bracelet and carried this super sleek Snakeskin Texture Box Bag. With the year of the snake finally here, it's time to add a dose of edginess and daring to your wardrobe with snakeskin. Currently taking over runways, this exotic reptile print has sparked a new trend .
 

  My look was perfectly rounded off with my Jimmy Choo Black Weaved Ankle High Heels with a Neon Yellow Orange Trim.

HOOK MY LOOK
~ Orange & Black Horizontal Striped Shirt - ZARA
~ Yellow Skater Skirt - FOREVER 21
~ Black Weaved Ankle High Heels with a Neon Yellow Orange Trim - JIMMY CHOO
~ Statement Neckpiece with multi coloured stones and gold - DIVA
~ Multi coloured Metal Cuff Bracelet - DIVA
~ Snakeskin Texture Box Bag  - H&M
~ Blue Mirrored Sunnies - RAYBAN
 
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Jumat, 14 Juni 2013

The Silver Lining

"My signature move is walking sexy down the street until I have everyone's attention, then tripping over a pebble and face planting... -@SweetestSarcasm- (via twitter)

"Best of three now.  Let's get it.  I can't wait for Sunday..." -@mchalmers15- (via twitter)

"When someone appears in your dreams, it means that person misses you..."
-@MostSecretFacts- (via twitter)

"It's easier to come on here after a win.  Still more work to be done..." -@m33m- (via twitter)

"Paintball sounds like fun because you get to hurt people in the name of art..."
-@iheartgunts- (via twitter)



Good afternoon everyone.  The heart of today's post will revisit my Las Vegas break-in back at the end of August, highlighting the silver lining of that unexpected situation.  Let me touch on some other things really quickly, and then we'll get to that.

First, you may have noticed that above I posted two tweets from players (Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller) who are members of the Miami Heat (I also retweeted these on Twitter).  This might seem strange to you since I'm a Spurs fan.  However, since I recently posted a facebook quote and a tweet here that weren't exactly pro-Heat, I thought that I'd give them their day.  Of course I'm going to notify them that I used their tweets (which I always do), while letting them know that I'm a Spurs fan...  ;)  This segues in several directions...  Today I changed my Twitter handle to @coachatx (you can always find this at the top of this page).  I wanted to line up my handle with my new Twitter bio and my new blog name.  I'm not living in the desert, so I don't see the point of @desertcoach being my handle.  Back to the Heat and the Spurs, I did expect a very close series (a seven-game series is what I predicted), and the series is now tied.  What I did not expect is for the games to play out in the way that they have.  I pretty much expected that each and every game of the series would be similar to the first game - a close game, wire-to-wire.  Now we are left with basically a best-of-three series, with the next game being played on Sunday in San Antonio, followed by a Tuesday tilt in Miami.  A seventh game (if necessary) would take place in Miami on Thursday.  In a non-related (but very important) story, remember that Dave Smith (Memphis Mojo) will be participating in Event 26 (the $1,000.00 Seniors No-Limit Hold 'Em event) of the World Series of Poker, which begins today.  Please send him your good karma...

Okay, now for the silver lining of my Las Vegas break-in.  To give you a quick recap, I moved to Las Vegas at the end of last July, packing everything that I could into my Montero Sport, before making a one-way trip from San Marcos, America to the desert.  After spending about ten days with the very gracious Carmel Josephine, I moved into a pay-by-the-week apartment that was in the same neighborhood that I lived in when I was in Las Vegas before.  The neighborhood is in a low-income area, but I never had any problems there before, and it's close to the Strip.  Well, at 1:00 a.m. on the Thursday night/Friday morning heading into Labor Day Weekend, I returned home from playing poker to find that my front door had been kicked in.  In spite of the fact that everything that I owned was in that apartment, all that was taken was three pairs of windpants and my Droid charger (yeah, I know...).  I agree with the police that the thief (thieves?) was probably spooked, especially since it was obvious that closet doors and drawers that I had left closed were now open.  During the hour and a half that the police spent investigating, I decided that I was going to move back to San Marcos.  I figured that it was probably not a good idea to just stay where I was, giving the criminal(s) another chance to get the rest of my stuff.  Like I said, this happened on the front end of Labor Day Weekend, and it would have been expensive to find another place to stay with such short notice.  I was also still looking for a job at this point in time, which played a major role in my decision.  After the police left, I spent the rest of the night repacking my things (which didn't take long), and at 7:00 a.m PST (9:00 a.m. CST) I made some phone calls to San Marcos, America.  First I called my friend Ollie, asking him what he thought about the prospects of me getting a job when I returned to town.  Ollie is the same friend who hired me on the spot at the Texas Music Theater a few summers ago when I told him about my inability to get back into teaching and coaching in the tough economy (and yes, the last couple of years of my life have just been STELLAR...).  Anyway, Ollie said that he would speak to Sean for me, who ended up hiring me at Harper's/Slackers/The Veranda, where I had worked "spot shifts" during the previous year.  Actually, the Veranda (the bar on the roof - yes, upstairs, and not in the basement) was not open at this point, but would be opening in the middle of September (two weeks later).  Then I called my friend Lindsey, who was the manager of my apartment complex the year before.  As fast as San Marcos is growing (the fastest-growing large city in the U.S., remember?), I didn't know if there would be any available apartments anywhere in town.  Lindsey actually oversees two complexes, and this is how the conversation went (and this is a story that I have told SEVERAL TIMES during the past year):

Lindsey:  "Well, we don't have any units available at your old complex, but we still have two units at the other complex.  Now these are two-bedrooms, but we can lock a bedroom, and rent it to you as a one-bedroom..."

Me:  (OBVIOUSLY THINKING, 'well that's incredibly nice...')  "That's great, but I won't be there until about..., 4:00 in the morning tomorrow???" (remember, this is the Friday morning of Labor Day Weekend, and even if I did make the 20-plus hour drive straight through, the office would be closed until Tuesday, while I would be arriving very early on Saturday morning)...

Lindsey:  "That's okay.  I'll just leave the door unlocked, and leave the keys and the parking permit in the apartment, and I'll see you on Tuesday morning..."

Me:  (OBVIOUSLY THINKING, 'well that's incredibly nice...')  "Thank you Lindsey..."  :)


Like I said, it's been an incredibly rough past couple of years for me, but you have to look for the silver linings...  Have a great Father's Day Weekend, and I'll see you again on Monday!






                        





Kamis, 13 Juni 2013

I Remember The First Time (21)

"If there is such a thing as the right side of the bed, I've never woke up on it..."
 -@WideOpen357- (via twitter)

"Sometimes, we have to fight for what we love and care about.  Other times, we have to find the strength to let go of the things we love most..." -@DearJohnFilm- (via twitter)

"Dunkin Donuts now has a bacon breakfast sandwich on a glazed donut...  this is big."
-@spencepascuzzi- (via twitter)

"Don't allow your wounds to crush you...  allow them to strengthen you..."
-@MikeDavis_1- (via twitter)

"This isn't actually overtime.  The Bruins and Hawks are just going to make up for every period of hockey missed during the lockout..." -@PensNation_Ken-



I remember the first time that I got exactly what I wished for...  So if you've been following the blog for the last month, you know that I LOVE multiple overtime playoff games in the NHL.  Last night, it's the first game of the Stanley Cup Final (I evidently used an incorrect word - 'Finals' - on facebook and Twitter throughout the night last night...), and the Blackhawks and Bruins went to TRIPLE OVERTIME.  Not only that, but they went LATE into triple overtime.  I believe that the game was the fifth-longest in the HISTORY of the Stanley Cup Final (c'mon guys, it's FINALS...).  Anyway, great game to watch (and the Blackhawks eventually won 4-3, in case you missed it).

I remember the first time that I almost got my sleep right...  Okay, so I went to bed at 1:00 a.m. last night (early this morning), and I woke up at 4:30 a.m.  I took another shot at it at 9:00 a.m., and woke up again at 1:30 p.m.  I'm SO CLOSE...  :)

I remember the first time that I told you about one of my dreams...  Okay, that would have been in the entry 'Rattlesnakes and Dreams,' but when I just woke back up at 1:30 p.m., I remembered my dream, so here you go...  I was on the West Campus of Texas State (and evidently younger than 100 years old, because I was on a meal plan).  Well, my meal plan had actually run out (I believe that they use 'Bobcat Bucks' now, but 100 years ago, you could prepay for your meals for the whole semester).  I don't know if you can still do this, but prepaying for your meals for the whole semester in the cafeteria-style setting they were implementing allowed you to eat all-that-you-could-eat...  Good times...  :P  ANYWAY, I'm talking to the guy about getting meals for the last week (and I'm REALLY HUNGRY as I'm doing this).  He takes me into an office located just off of the cafeteria, where I find out that it will cost me $90.00 to eat for the second week of December (the last week of the semester).  Well, that's too much for me, and some other people (like three) come into the office, so I make my way out, but I grab two pieces of baked chicken before leaving the dining hall.  As I exit, walking down the sidewalk which takes you past where the Student Rec. Center is now located, I'm peeling the skin from the chicken and tossing it away, all while eating the chicken in a way that my body is shielding my eating of the chicken from the view of anyone who might be watching from the dining hall (evidently I'm very James Bond-like when I'm stealing poultry in my dreams)...  :P  In totally unrelated news, it just started POURING here in San Marcos, America...

I remember the first time that I updated you on my workout regimen...  Okay, so last night as I watched the hockey game, I ended up doing 275 situps.  I thought that I would keep track so that you would have some idea as to how many I knocked out doing 25 of them every 15 minutes.  I actually only ended up doing them until the start of the second overtime, and twice during that time period (start of the game through the start of the second overtime), I missed a set (for whatever reason)...

I remember the first time that someone sounded like they were from San Marcos, America...  With a river running right through campus, the water is a very big part of life here at Texas State (and don't worry UT - I'll be writing stories involving you soon enough...).  Anyway, at work last week, I heard the following from one of our regular customers:  "I haven't been on the river this WHOLE YEAR!..."  Keep in mind that this statement was made on JUNE 7TH, leaving our friend only almost all of June, July, AND August (and September, and honestly most of October also) to enjoy the river...  :)

I remember the first time that I wondered, "WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT IDIOT ON THE MOTORCYCLE DOING?!"...  Like I said, I woke up at 4:30 this morning, so I decided to go do some grocery shopping.  Well, I ran into a train (just past Strahan, and approaching the Bobcat softball and baseball fields, for those of you keeping score at home)...  Heaven knows that I'm going to miss the trains...  Anyway, I'm first in line waiting for the train to pass.  Actually, I'm the only one on my side of the tracks who is waiting for the train to pass, when I see this motorcycle approaching in my rearview mirror.  But this bike doesn't pull up behind me - NO, it starts to PASS ME on my right!  As I stated above, I was pretty much, "WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS IDIOT DOING?!"  Then the motorcycle stops on my passenger side (it's a nice night, and my windows are already rolled down), and I hear something in the ballpark of, "why are you still up?"  At this point I realize that it's MY FRIEND Chris, who I worked with last year at the Texas Music Theater...  Of course I recounted everything that I just typed above to him as my stress level immediately plummeted...  :)

I remember the first time that a story had a happy ending...  So my friend and recent spring semester graduate Natalie (yes, the famous Natalie, as opposed to the non-famous Alyssa - HEY Alyssa...) had a job interview recently.  Shortly after completing the interview, Natalie told a few of her friends that an ambulance showed up, because she KILLED the interview.  NOTE:  I've heard this story a few times now, and I haven't told Natalie that if she "killed" the interview, it probably would have been more appropriate if a hearse had shown up (what is an ambulance going to do for a dead interview?, but I digress...).  :P  ANYWAY, it turns out that one of these friends who heard Natalie's story actually works for the company, and they passed the ambulance story UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND... (Cue the ominous music - DUN DUN DUNNN...).  WELL..., before Natalie takes part in a second interview over the phone, with the regional boss of the complnay, she receives an e-mail advising her to have an AMBULANCE ON STANDBY for the phone interview...  :)  (I'm hearing the song, "That's What Friends Are For..." in my head right now...).  This e-mail came to Natalie from a guy who is just under the regional boss for the company, one who heard the ambulance line from a coworker..., who heard it from Natalie's friend...  :)  To quote Natalie, all of this was "extremely embarrassing and hilarious when it happened," but Natalie was offered the job the day after the phone interview with the regional boss...  :)  Congratulations Natalie!

On that note, I hope that all of you have a great day, and I'll see you again tomorrow!
    

  





Rabu, 12 Juni 2013

Stanley Cup and Cheesecake 2013 – Cup Finals Edition

As you might suspect, my heart isn't super-into this one...after the colossal turd the Pens laid in the ECF, the last thing I was all excited about doing was a Cup Finals illo for another team. Still, a trip to Heroes Con over the weekend salved the wound a good bit, so I managed to get my shit together enough to finish out the postseason here.

anyway...

Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks

If I'm being completely honest, I really would've been scared of a matchup with Chicago had the Pens advanced that far. They've been top dog all season, and they don't seem to play with the mental fragility Pittsburgh does. Boston will no doubt give them a harder fight, and a harder series, but in the end, I think the Blackhawks will solve Tukkaa Rask and score enough goals to win.

And besides, what's the alternative? Don't forget, Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is one of the main reasons we had to suffer through the lockout...do you really want to live in a world where such a man gets to lift the Stanley Cup over his head for the second time in three years? Ain't NOBODY got time for that. Blackhawks in six.



The Roof In The Basement

"This dude once asked me what reciprocity was...  The entire concept was so foreign to this fool, he'd never even heard the word before..." -Jessica Johnson- (via facebook)

"One subpar game - okay, everyone has an off night.  But THREE in a row?!  Yet another example as to why LeBron shouldn't be compared to Jordan..." -Eric Keller- (via facebook)

"Snow boots and shorts are not a fashion statement - it's more of a mental health statement..."
-@Up2Long- (via twitter)

"Birdman looks like if meth was a person..." -@kumailn- (via twitter)

"Sometimes all a girl wants is for you to fight for her attention..."
-@taking_a_CRIPE- (via twitter)



Good afternoon everyone.  I'm happy to say that I've got my sleep completely under control now.  I went to bed at 2:00 a.m., woke up at 5:30 a.m., and have not gone back to sleep...  UGGHHH...  I'm hoping to publish this and then take a quick nap before tonight's Stanley Cup faceoff at 7:00 p.m.  While we're on the subject of sports, do not mistake the quotes that I included above as overconfidence on my part that the Spurs have the trophy wrapped up.  I'll remind you here that I predicted the series to go the full seven games, and I think that it's far from over.  Throw in a Tony Parker hamstring injury, just to make things interesting - WONDERFUL... (<<< Kelley word).  However, I do think that Keller's statement about people who try comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan is completely accurate, and the Birdman quote made me laugh immediately, because it seemed to make sense...  :)  Now don't get me wrong about the series - I would LOVE to see the Spurs win it in five games (just to win it, PERIOD).  I've said before that I do my very best to keep personal bias out of my predictions, and I don't want the series to go back to Miami just so I'll have the chance to get my prediction "exactly right..."

My current plan for the blog is to make an entry every weekday.  I'm not promising anything, except that it's more difficult for me to make posts on the weekends, and there seems to be less interest, which is understandable.  I know that I'm far less inclined to make Saturday or Sunday posts once the football starts anyway, plus I plan on using that time to roam around the ATX or San Marcos, America trying to find something else interesting to write about...  ;)


As promised, I still have some "leftover" work stories to give you, so let's take a moment to do that...  Last weekend in the hallway on the way up to the Veranda, a girl made a comment that was impossible not to laugh at:  "I remember when you had to throw somebody out - it was the best day of my life!"  Yeah...  :)  Also last weekend, when I was in Slackers monitoring the early traffic that was heading up to the Veranda, some of our customers were mistakenly walking up the staircase inside of our shot bar, thinking that was the way to go.  This is how one of those interactions played out:

Me:  (Motioning to the customers)  "The roof is this way..."
Customer:  "Upstairs?"
Me:  (Nodding my head 'yes', as I thought to myself, "No, the roof in the BASEMENT...")

It will truly be a challenge finding things to write about now...  ;)


I have, slowly but surely, embarked on my exercise program.  As I tweeted last night (my twitter address is at the top of the page), if you want to make any television program go by a little bit faster, do 25 situps every 15 minutes while you're watching it.  I plan on doing this again while I watch the hockey game tonight, and hopefully I'll be tired enough to fall asleep sometime around midnight.  I am an extremely motivated person right now, and it's my hope that you'll be reading a lot of positive things in this blog in the months to come...

Speaking of positive things, Zach Greinke, my favorite fantasy pitcher, was involved in another brawl last night...  MERP... (<<< Alyssa word).  To his credit, when Greinke got hit in the head by a pitch while batting (don't you love that pitchers have to bat in the National League???), he stood there and DID NOT charge the mound, or anybody for that matter (although a brawl ensued anyway, as a result of earlier hostilities that occurred in the Dodgers game against the Diamondbacks).  I just see the day coming where one of my fantasy teams has as many players on the disabled list as it does in the starting lineup...

On that note, I hope that you have a great day, and I'll see you again tomorrow!
      







    





Selasa, 11 Juni 2013

Tropical Print & Polka Dotted Retro Bikini in Thailand's Tropical Paradise!

   On my recent vacation to Sunny Thailand's beautiful island of Phuket, I stayed in this beautiful  Beach Resort, which was surrounded by acres of stunning gardens and lush green foliage, resembling a Tropical Forest. I had a relaxed time by the swimming pool, basking in the sun and sipping cocktails.
  I wore my favourite High Waisted Polka Dotted Bikini and a Tropical Print Shirt Dress over it. I accessorised my look with long green and gold feather earrings and some coloured hand beads and bangles and wore my comfy White Strappy Wedges.
  I absolutely love the high waisted bikini trend, I adore the Retro Vibe of it. It's injects a slight vintage feel into otherwise modern swimwear.
  I am also obsessed with one of Spring 2013′s hottest trends; Tropical Prints! This season fashion has taken a trip to the tropics with bright eclectic prints propping up everywhere.
The easy, breezy tropical print trend definitely puts you in the mood to take a beach getaway and so was absolutely fitting for my Thailand Beach Vacation. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Perks of the High Waist Bikini Trend
    The high-waist bikini bottom offers women who love to wear a two-piece; but the option to have a bit more coverage in the midsection. It also channels the 1950′s glamour and pinup girls such as Marilyn Monroe.
High waisted bottoms give extra coverage to the midriff allowing for this sexy, slimming torso high waist trend to be pulled off effortlessly; just ensure the swimsuit fits flawlessly with your shape. The high waist bottom compliments most top half styles including halter neck, bandeau and underwired so this is a look you can get really versatile. Don’t be afraid to bring out your inner goddess and prepare to bring your pin up style to the table. 
 
Styling Tips for Tropical prints
   The Tropical prints and flowers might be bold, but the Styling Tips are easy:
For a more subtle look pair printed tops or bottoms with simple minimal pieces.
For a bolder look, add neon or gold accessories for an extra fun pop! Besides your on vacation anyways right? Bring out your inner starlet!
 




 
 
   Accessorised my Vacation Chic look with green and gold Feather Earrings to add to the exotic appeal of the island, some colourful Arm Candy to match the Tropical print of the Shirt Dress and my favourite Sunnies from Aldo. 
 
 
  
HOOK MY LOOK 
 
~ High Waisted Black Polka Dotted Bikini - TOPSHOP
~ Tropical Print Shirt Dress - NEXT
~ Green Feather & Gold Earrings - DIVA
~ Coloured Hand Beads & Bangles - ALDO
~ Sunnies - ALDO
~ White Strappy Wedges - ALDO
  
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Could You? (21)/Stanley Cup

"Is it really necessary for you to clap along to the Fraggle Rock theme song every single time? -My dog, probably-" -@okaymachado- (via twitter)

"Keep on dreaming, even if it breaks your heart..." -@niles_melissa- (via twitter)

"Every time I think of going back to school for my doctorate, I just read other people's tweets who are in school, and then go back to sleep..." -@DanaDavidson- (via twitter)



Could you do yourself a big favor and get your sleep right Coach?  You'll love this...  So last night, after having stayed awake until 6:00 a.m. on Sunday night/Monday morning, I stayed awake until 9:30 this morning...  YEAH...  Hopefully I can stay awake now without taking a nap for the next ten hours - if I can do that, I should be okay.  I don't know about you, but normally an hour of sleep keeps me awake for two hours (much like the "normal" 8 hours of sleep keeps people going for 16 hours)...  Well, I slept from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., so that should keep me going until just after midnight, and THEN, if I can just manage to crash through the night...  :)  It's becoming vital that I straighten it out now, because every waking moment in my near future will be focused on how I can make the most out of living in Austin, Texas (more people who can help me to do that are awake during the day than at 4:00 in the morning is where I'm going with that)...

Could you think about hard enough that you might finally "get it" Coach?  Okay, so I'm walking through the Texas State campus to go to the Square yesterday, and I pass the 'Paws N Go' store located just off of the Quad.  I have walked by this store SEVERAL TIMES, but this time it occurred to me:  "Paws N Go, as in, pause to buy something, and then go...  Is that how they meant it?..."  I don't know if I've been so dense that I FINALLY had this "REVELATION," or if I'M THE CLEVER ONE, and no one else has EVER read that into it, including the creator(s)...  Yeah, I've probably been that dense...

Could you give us one of those cold, hard, facts of life kind of quotes from an unexpected source Coach?  Colleen, who is one of my friends and a former coworker, is one of the sweetest sounding, most unassuming sources for the words that you're about to read.  I honestly don't remember what we were talking about (and I may have just walked up on this conversation at closing) when I heard the words, "If you don't have common sense, then you deserve it..." come from Colleen's mouth...  Like I said, I don't remember the context, but let me give you an example of a situation where I believe that this would apply:  As I was waiting  at an intersection (the bottom of North LBJ) to cross the street onto campus a few days ago, there was a pause before the second car in line moved after the light turned green, and when I looked over, I saw that the driver was flanked to two dogs in the front seat, AND that her delay in moving forward was caused by her texting, which she CONTINUED TO DO as she made her way through the light, and onto the construction heavy Sessom Drive...  Now if she were to get into an accident, reference Colleen's quote above, right???  I swear, you have to be SO CAREFUL AND ALERT...

Could you be more outgoing Coach?  Yeah..., RIGHT???  :)  I was enjoying the air conditioning in Slackers at work a few nights ago when I got into a conversation with one of our customers.  After a few minutes, Katie stated, "You're cool.  You don't talk in the hall..."  HUH?!  :P  As I tried my best to respond to her like she wasn't crazy (I probably failed), I asked Katie, "WHAT are you talking about?  I ALWAYS talk to people who stop and want to talk..."  And then she said, "I asked for your name, and all you said was, 'Coach'..."  (She played the part of me in a mocking voice also, saying... "COACH...")  ;)  And then I looked at her as if to say (while I actually said it of course), "yeah..., that's what you asked me!"  :)  It was nice meeting you Katie, and when you speak of me..., please speak kindly...  :P

Could you make a prediction for us Coach?  I PREDICT that if I had a DOLLAR for every time that somebody refers to me at Harper's/Slackers/The Veranda between now and the end of the year, that I could move to Las Vegas and live off of that money for a year, and that the amount would be at least $20,000.00 (for those of you who are math impaired, that means that it is my belief that I will be referenced at least 20,000 times between now and the end of 2013).  Now this reference could simply be 'Coach', or it could be, "where is that one hundred year-old guy that used to work here?", or it could be, "yeah, the guy with the blog..., the most NON-WRITING GUY that ever had a blog...," or "that poker chip guy," or "that sports illiterate dude..."  ANYTHING along those lines is what I'm saying - just ANY REFERENCE to me, by ANYONE...  TWENTY-THOUSAND TIMES...  I feel bad for my former coworkers...  ;)


Could you stop stalling, and give us your prediction for the Stanley Cup Finals?  Okay..., but first, let's look at my predictions for the last round:

My Prediction/Actual Result

Blackhawks over the Kings in 5 games/Blackhawks in 5 games (OF COURSE!)  ;)
Penguins over the Bruins in 5 games/Bruins in 4 games (UH OH...)  :O

WELL..., let me tell you what I've been thinking..., what my train of thought has been..., as I've continued to pick against the Bruins in the later rounds.  I VIVIDLY REMEMBER Boston being down two goals to the Maple Leafs REALLY LATE in that game, that seventh game, and have held it against them.  I held it against them as they were about to face a Rangers team that had an exciting series win over the Capitals, and again against a Penguins team that had just been CRUISING through the playoffs...  At this point I'm starting to think that I should have viewed that Bruins comeback much like the Red Sox turnaround against the Yankees when they were down 3 games to 0 in 2004...  The Rangers looked SICK against the B's, ESPECIALLY in Game 3 at home, when the "GARDEN CROWD" was virtually nonexistent...  The Pens offense was virtually nonexistent in this last series...

As for the Blackhawks..., well..., I've had them in every series so far (and I'm 10-4 through 3 rounds of the NHL playoffs to this point).  The Hawks were down 3 games to 1 against the Red Wings, and it really did look as if there was no way that they were going to beat Detroit at that point, as well as the Wings were playing (a commentator's thoughts, which I had to agree with)...  Of course Chicago came back, and then they beat the defending champion Kings in five games - sometimes I'm right...  ;)

Now the NHL utilizes a 2-2-1-1-1 format as opposed to the NBA's 2-3-2 format to determine who is hosting each game of the series.  The Blackhawks have home-ice advantage entering this series, but the Bruins have STIFLED their last two opponents, so I'm sorry Lightning, and I hate to jinx you Pete (and Bruins fans everywhere, including my friends up in New England), but I'm predicting...

Bruins over the Blackhawks in 6 games


I hope that all of you have a great evening of basketball (Spurs vs. the Heat - 8:00 p.m. CST - ABC) and I'll see you again tomorrow!
  










  




Senin, 10 Juni 2013

The Next Chapter...

"Woman are all best friends at 2:00 a.m. in the bathroom at the bar..."
-@cuckoo_cachu- (via twitter)

"Ever noticed that life lets you win every now and again..., just to keep you interested..." -@P8NT4R- (via twitter)

"My new diet started off really well this morning until I got hungry..."
-@Matty_Lombardo- (via twitter)

"Looking over your shoulder only detracts from accomplishing the task ahead..."
-@MarcusOreally- (via twitter)



Good evening everyone.  I apologize for the very late Monday night post, but I have some good news for you (or likely VERY BAD NEWS if you enjoy reading quality writing)...  :)  I plan on posting more frequently in the near future, and if I don't post daily, it will be almost daily...  Today I realized that I have a backlog of things to say and more time to say them...  The next chapter in my life has begun as my last day working at Harper's/Slackers/The Veranda was on Saturday, and as you can tell, I haven't straightened out my sleep schedule yet - this post would have already been published if I was sleeping in the realm of normal people, and not on vampire time...  I added John Lackey (Red Sox/pitcher) to one of my fantasy teams today, and I woke up from an early evening nap (double segue - sleep schedule and fantasy baseball) in time to see the Sox bullpen blow a win for him (this surprises NO ONE by now, I know)...  As a matter of fact, let's get the fantasy baseball out of the way right now...


League 1 (25 entry fee - 1st place/125, 2nd place/25)

1)  DraftDodgers                                   73.50 (new leader in this league)
2)  Neshanic                                        73.00 (my belief system is crushed now) :P
3)  Shazzam                                        59.50 (just ahead of a logjam of teams)
9)  The View From Bikini Hill                  39.00 (amazed I even have 39 points)


League 2 (40 entry fee - 1st place/300, 2nd place/50)

1)  Breaking Bats                                 83.00 (impressive lead)
2)  4troublemakers                               69.00 (leading the next group)
3)  Loons XXIV                                     67.50 (reaching for second)
6)  The Bikini Hill Bobcats                    49.50 (had a pretty rough week)

League 3 (40 entry fee - 1st place/300, 2nd place/50)

1)  jonnylove7                                      66.50 (tenuous lead in my most competitive league)
2)  Nappy Heads                                  65.50 (again, my belief system is crushed) :P
3)  Mad Men                                        62.50 (my favorite show, hanging tough)
5)  The Bikini Hill Nine                          55.50 (my best chance to get my money back)
5)  Pittsburg Crawfords                         55.50 (1 of 6 teams within 11 points of 1st place)

Okay, so The View From Bikini Hill has NINE PLAYERS on the disabled list now, and as I'm fact-checking right now, I see that Jedd Gyorko (who is still in starting lineup) was placed on the DL today.  IF I WAS TRYING to pick the players that I thought would get injured, I couldn't hit a number this high!!!  As long as you're laughing, it's okay though - I'm here for your entertainment...  ;)  #courtjester  The Bikini Hill Bobcats, by comparison, only have five players on the DL.  The Bikini Hill Nine only lists four players on the DL, which probably explains the success of that team.  OH, and The View From Bikini Hill is the team that I added Lackey to, the team who suffered through the Red Sox squandering the SIX RUNS that they scored in the FIRST INNING (on a related note, Alex Cobb is NOT a starter for ANY of my teams, so that's a tough break for someone out there)...  ;)


As I said, I have a myriad of subjects to write about, and I will get to them in due time.  There are some of them that I can't put off until later however.  First of all, I want to give a shoutout to all of my friends at Harper's/Slackers/The Veranda.  As I wrote in my three weeks notice (yes, an extra week - I'm a visionary, I know...), it was a great group of people to work with.  I was also told that I'm welcome back anytime, and I THINK that was meant as just more than as a paying customer...  ;)  Seriously, great group of people to work with, and a lot of great customers...  Thank you...

Next, Amy, Mo, and Raymond get special shoutouts for getting me some of the FOOD that I listed in my "going away food wish list" post (the entry wasn't actually titled that, so don't look for it under that name)...  Mo brought me 2 bags of Haribo Gummy Bears (is it completely horrible that 1 of the bags has disappeared already?), and her friend Amy brought me a bag of Snyder's of Hanover 'Hot Buffalo Wing' pretzel pieces... I know that I requested Gardetto's, but Amy said that she couldn't find them.  HOWEVER, this little bag of pretzels (only half-eaten) has a code on it which enables me to get 14 issues of Sports Illustrated for $1.00.  It's a damn shame that I don't like sports, huh?...  ;)  And as we waited for our establishment to get busy on Saturday night, Raymond ordered some PIZZA from Papa John's!!!  I woke up really early (4:00 p.m.) for my 8:00 p.m. shift on Saturday night, so the pizza was a LIFE SAVER...

And then there's ELLEN...  :)  This girl is the proof that I'm one hundred years old...  Back in my second year of teaching and coaching, and my first at a new school (a hundred years ago, of course), I coached with Ellen's dad and taught with Ellen's mom.  Chris and Paula were nice enough to let me stay at their house on Friday nights so that I didn't have to make the half-hour drive back to Dallas, followed by the quick turnaround on Saturday mornings to be back in town by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings when I was coaching football.  Well, Ellen was born during that fall (during the best month of the year by the way, and that has nothing to do with the fact that my birthday is in October also), and for some unexplained reason, this little girl likes me...  I actually had a few photographs of Ellen as a youngster included among the myriad of pictures that I would display on or near my desk in my classrooms as I moved on to other schools, and was asked several times if she was my daughter.  Of course my response was always along the lines of, "a girl that pretty..., MY CHILD???  C'mon..."  ;)  Well, Ellen graduated from high school on Saturday (a year early I might add - overachiever...), and did so as the VALEDICTORIAN OF HER CLASS, and I'm very proud to give her a paragraph in my blog as she moves on to the next chapter in her life also.  Congratulations Ellen - I'm SO PROUD of you!!!  :)

I hope that all of you have a great day and I'll see you again on Tuesday (which is probably today)...  :)