Things will work out…

So, I’ve gone on about going home and visiting old friends. I’m so glad to get to see people, by the way. I’ve only got THREE free days to see people, one of which has been reserved for a group of several.

There isn’t a common denominator to the group – or, there wasn’t. I guess it leaned heavily toward being comprised of a school that I went to for two years. No big deal.

Slowly though, people were added and the gathering expanded to something not so manageable. People, seemingly belonging to this “group”, that I didn’t really care for were invited and RSVPed. Eventually, there were people I had never met on the list. -wow – I need to clarify that I did ask people to bring their +1’s. I wanted to find out more about my friends and their partners are part of who they are now.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that people wanted to go out and hang together. That just wasn’t what I had in mind for reuniting with some of my old mates. A couple of hours just isn’t long enough to work a crowd of thirty or so, while absorbing all of the info on what my pals have been up to for about twenty years. ha! But, that was/is my mission…

People who understand my situation see that these people can get together any day of the year. I don’t have that opportunity or luxury. I live on the other side of the globe and this is my only face-time chance. It’s super important to me – now! No need to give a reason.

I’ve now sent out individual notes to specific people, asking them to meet me earlier. It will give us a chance to meet in a more laid-back, intimate group. The people who matter the most to me will get my full attention. Everybody seems to truly appreciate the idea and my motives behind it.

Let’s just hope this goes off without a hitch. I’m sure it will be great. It gives me a chance to see who I really need to see, and then sneak away if things start to get uncomfortable as more people arrive. I just don’t have time for false b.s. – no time to waste on it. We got this! Yay!

Wish me luck.

Sheldon Cooper Quotes 11/29/09

“A fear of heights is illogical. A fear of falling, on the other hand, is prudent and evolutionary.”

Sheldon Cooper Quote 11/27/09

“What part of an inverse tangent function approaching an asymptote don’t you understand?”

I’m thankful…

I’m sad. Today is a day that I should be giving thanks for all of my gifts & ‘blessings’. Don’t get me wrong, because I am so thankful for so many things. Unfortunately, today the strings of my heart are being tugged back to my home in the US. It’s been enough to make me cry.

The two previous years we were in Australia and Singapore, so the day passed with hardly any notice. What amazing distractions – definitely something to be thankful for! Not just the distraction, but the opportunity to spend 2 holidays in 2 countries… wow!

This year, sadly, it’s just a normal day. Well, no football, no turkey, no side dishes, no family, no cooking, no anything that is the superficial sign of the holiday. I mean the representative things we have or do to mark the day. I have food for my stomach, and that is something for which to be thankful.

I’ve been trying to connect with my mom for a few days, but the difference in hours is just too much to overcome sometimes. However, I’m going home in a couple of weeks and will get to spend time with her then. That is something for which I should be thankful.

I guess you see a pattern here… I know I see it. Just know that it’s still hard. Next year I will be home for Thanksgiving. THAT is something to be thankful for certain!!

Word for 11/24/09

enswell or end-swell – noun ~
***An enswell (sometimes called an “end-swell”) is a small piece of metal used by a second, corner or cutman to apply pressure to an injury to reduce swelling. An enswell may be solid metal (usually stainless steel) and kept cool within icewater, or may be constructed with a hollow chamber to hold water and pre-frozen or filled with ice. Proper use of the enswell is to apply light pressure and hold the tissue in normal position, as the cold slightly constricts the capillaries to reduce ancillary swelling. Excessive pressure, or attempts to “iron out” a bruise, will only damage tissue further and exacerbate the bruise or contusion.

Sheldon Cooper Quote 11/24/09

“I bought these Star Wars sheets but they turned out to be much too stimulating to be compatible with a good night’s sleep. I don’t like the way Darth Vader stares at me.”

UFC 106 FANTASTIC!!!

When I saw the card, I got excited. Every matchup looked like it had potential. I haven’t looked forward to an entire UFC card for as long as I can remember. It lived up to and surpassed my expectations! Well worth watching more than once.

So, my picks (wishes) were as follows:
Main Card
(YES!) Little “Nog” vs Luiz Cane ~ I took Rogerio. It would be the perfect way for him to enter the UFC.
(YES!) Amir Sadollah vs Phil Baroni ~ AMIR all the way!!! I freaking hate Baroni. I just can’t get started. Wanted to see Amir get a good win after TUF 7.
(no…) Anthony Johnson vs Josh Koscheck ~ Let’s get ready to “Rumble”! Man, Kos has changed too much over the years and has delivered many sub-par performances. Following his eye surgery, Johnson deserves a good showing.
(YES!) Forrest Griffin vs Tito Ortiz ~ Tito has been a bitch… funny to see him back. Forrest FTW!!!
Under Card
(no…) Grove vs Rosholt ~ Rosholt… I’m sick of Kendall Grove thinking he’s the shit.
(no…) Ben Saunders vs Marcus Davis ~ Marcus Davis! I just can’t get behind Killa B – what a dork. He just has this “thing” about him. Marcus Davis always puts forth a good effort, has a great history, and just seems cool.
Thiavo vs Volkmann and other fights… meh, who cares. (Just my opinion, sure there are fans pulling for some of those guys.)

So I went .500 on the event for my picks. I got my two most important wins right – Amir and Forrest!! Those were two guys that I really wanted to pull out a win.

**Sadollah/Baroni started as I expected.
However, I didn’t expect Baroni to look like he’d been through a meat shredder. SAH-WEET!! Man, Amir looked good throughout the three rounds. His conditioning was primo and he just looked very much improved.

Loved his front kicks to the face and solar plexus of Baroni. hehe His time in Holland, studying Muay-Thai, looks like it paid off in spades. Also, everything he threw – which included the kitchen sink! – had so much power… punches, elbows, knees, kicks (body, thigh, head, face, shin), all of it!!

I was sorry that it goes in as a decision, but that just allowed more time to watch the destruction of Phil Baroni.

**Griffin/Ortiz had the makings of a second battle from the beginning.
Before I say anything else… How could you NOT love someone who walks in to Chumbawumba?? lol Love you Forrest!
Getting back to it – Tito went in saying he was 100%, never felt better, never had a better training camp, etc. Even his training partners said he’d never been better… All of this was, of course, until he lost. The crowd booed when he started giving excuses while Rogan did his post-fight interview. What a bitch.

Several times Forrest was taken down, but did an amazing job from the bottom. He used butterflies, submission attempts, and sprung up smashingly! I was super impressed that Tito was virtually nullified. At times, it even looked like he was going to take Tito down rather than stay in the clench. Surprisingly, Tito pulled away from that, putting them back into a striking match.

Tito landed some impressive high kicks in response to the repeated kicks by Griffin. I also appreciated his open palm ear strikes at the end of the first round. That shit can hurt!

The BEST was the front kick to the face by Forrest that sent Tito’s mouthpiece flying! Well, it was kinda nice when Forrest swept Tito and administered some fantastic GnP!!! Then, in the third round, Forrest just beat the hell out of Tito in every way. “Forrest Griffin is beating Tito Ortis up in this round.” – Joe Rogan

Some judge was smoking crack… Trowbridge (?)29-28 Ortiz (?WTF?) as compared to Lester Griffin (no relation) scored it 30-27 Griffin and Rosales 29-28 Griffin. There is NO WAY that this should go down as a split decision fight. Bullshit! But even further… How does one judge give all three rounds to Forrest and another judge give two rounds to Tito?? Stupid. See scoring regulations in another one of my posts on here…

**If you were watching Noguiera /Cane fight… ‘nuf said! Cane was running from Little Nog, bringing back memories of what’s his name running from Nate Quarry. (Yes, I know who… but refuse to give him publicity.) Great finish, great KO!

**So that I don’t get booed myself, Ben Saunders earned his win clearly… He was the first person to KO Marcus Davis, I believe. Nice knees. I still prefer Marcus Davis.

**Although the bout got “Fight of the Night” honors, I’m not in the mood to be bothered with Josh “the faker” Koscheck. Hate to even mention his name. I’m really sorry that Anthony “Rumble” Johnson wasn’t able to get a win out of that one. The kid really has potential! If only he could make weight every time, and with ease…

AJ is a good-sized welter-weight, but the cut is too much for him I think. He needs to make a decision to commit to welter-weight, thus cutting his “walking weight” down to around 185 lbs. He currently walks around at 210 pounds – 40 pound cut! – are you kidding me? I think he could benefit from staying IN the weight class at 6’2” with a MASSIVE 78” reach. That said, with his size, he’s still bigger than many (?most) of the 185ers if he would fight in the middleweight division. Good luck AJ!!

All in all it was brilliant!!! Let’s see the UFC match or top this card… The sooner the better.

Funny for 11/23/09

UK Fans vs U of L Fans

Some of us U.K. fans amuse ourselves by scaring every Louisville fan we see strutting down the street with that obnoxious cardinal on their shirt and/or hat. We swerve our vehicles as if to hit them, and swerve back just missing them (not that I condone such an act – of course not!).

One day, while driving down the road with my wife, I saw a priest walking. I thought I would do a good deed, so I pulled over and asked the priest, “Where are you going, Father?”

“I’m going to say Mass about 2 miles down the road,” replied the priest .

“Climb in, Father. I’ll give you a lift.”

The priest climbed into the rear passenger seat, and we continued down the road.

Suddenly, I saw a Louisville fan walking down the road, with that irritating U of L shirt on, and I instinctively swerved as if to hit him. But, as usual, swerved back into the road just in time.

Even though I was certain that I had missed the guy, I still heard a loud thud. Not understanding where the noise came from, I glanced in my mirrors, but still didn’t see anything.

I then remembered the priest. I turned to him and said, “Sorry Father, I almost hit that Louisville fan.”

“That’s OK,” replied the priest, “I got him with the door!”

GO CATS!

Word for 11/23/09

Vulture Capalist – noun ~
***A businessman who is looking to buy companies at giveaway prices, as opposed to venture capitalists.

Example:
“It’s well known that the business is having major problems paying its bills, so I guess it won’t be long before the vulture capitalists start circling.”

Tell me about it!!!