Random Thoughts: August 2020 Edition

When I was in High School my least favorite class was Physical Education.  It was so hard getting an "A" in that class!!!  And one of my least favorite segments was badminton.  Maybe it was the quality of the birdies, but they never flew right.  -_-;;  Pickleball is gaining popularity in Utah.  Don't know how long the sport has been around, but there are community pickleball courts popping up here and there, and people are always playing.  It's hard getting an open court in the afternoon/evening.

So I went onto Amazon and found out there are several sport travel nets that can be purchased that don't need to be staked into the ground.  They're free standing.  You can play a few games with these nets such as pickelball, badminton, and volleyball.  I got one of these nets.  Recently bought a pickelball set and some birdies for a badminton set I got over a decade ago.  Last weekend I set it all up and honestly had a lot of fun!  Didn't play with any rules, and didn't keep track of points.  It was fun hitting the balls and birdies back and forth.  Maybe badminton is the sort of sport one needs to grow into. :P  Pickelball is pretty fun, too.

With that said I actually took a tennis class when I was a kid.  Wasn't too bad!  Wasn't all that great, either!  But it was fun, and I enjoyed going to the lessons.  My favorite memory, though, has nothing to do with tennis.  When my group did well our teacher awarded us with cans of Pepsi.  So now whenever I drink Pepsi I think of tennis.  (I prefer Coke, but like both).  But it's funny how the taste of Pepsi always brings me back to when I was a kid, hot Summer heat, hitting tennis balls, and finishing the afternoon with the ice cold drink.

My car is thirteen years old.  It's been a good, dear little car.  Dependable.  Kept my family safe when a tire blew while traveling 80 miles an hour in the middle of the Utah desert.  It's now starting to show its age.  A few days ago it struggled to start.  This has now happened a few times. Maybe it's the starter.  Maybe it's the battery, which I haven't had to replace once all these years, so it's probably that.  Hopefully.  Cars baffle me.  It's now just a maintenance game.  I'm lucky to have it, so counting my blessings.  It's been a good little car. 

Went on a drive with my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt a couple days ago.  We decided to explore Midway a little more this time.  The city reminds me of a super miniature Solvang, since there's a Scandinavian theme with some of the buildings and art.  We wandered down streets and ended up in this residential neighborhood with the most interesting homes.  Many of these homes had murals and dutch style painted embellishments.  They were honestly really cool, and something I've never seen before.  Some of the murals were really amazing.

I'm missing travel so much I'm honestly romanticizing airports, including layovers.  Layovers are no fun, trying to nap in uncomfortable seats by the gate, but I'm actually missing airports and layovers.  How weird is that?  I don't miss flying in the cramped coach section, because I always end up with the middle seat.  Packed sardines in the sky.  I think I'm missing the wonder of going places.

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday!! :D

Nostalgic Over Cracker Jack

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

A few years ago I found myself sitting at a long table in Bunratty Castle, Ireland, enjoying a classic medieval feast.  Far more classier than the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas.  Clearly more authentic as this was a real Castle built in the 15th century.  We were entertained with music and jests, eating under candle light.  Truly a wonderful night.

At some point a man was invited to the front of the room to sing.  He didn't want to sing, so, very cheekily, he decided to lead everyone in a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game!"  The room was loud, full to the brim with two tour groups from America.  Ours from Utah and another from the East Coast.  New Jersey, I think.  We belted out the song, loudly punctuating "root, root, root!"  We were all surrounded by history in beautiful Ireland, and what got the room excited?  Baseball.  Nostalgia.  Classic Americana.  And in that song we mention Cracker Jack.

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was written in 1908.  Cracker Jack, the delicious American goodie filled with caramelized popcorn and peanuts, goes back to 1896.  But what I remember growing up were the toys.  The popcorn was fun and all, but I ate Cracker Jack for the prizes.

I have a distinct memory of visiting Angel Stadium in Anaheim as a kid.  No idea how many times I went, but my Grandpa A would get tickets for the game and once or twice, maybe more, gave them to my Mom.  The stadium was so big!  And we were at the top.  In my hands was a box of Cracker Jack.  

Toys in Cracker Jack boxes were always the best, the surprise fun, even though they were small.  At least once I got a ring!  And I remember enjoying the rub on tattoos when they were included.

I have fond memories of Baseball and Cracker Jack.  When I was a kid I remember seeing the Angel Stadium sign, the giant red A with a halo, and wanting to see a game as we drove by around town or visiting my Grandparents.  Angel Stadium is also just down the road from Disneyland.  It's just a happy little memory.

Now Cracker Jack doesn't have a toy.  Toys in Cracker Jack boxes started in 1912, but by 2016 the "toys" become digital codes for app games.  Not the same.

Still, I'll always remember those fun days in the sun watching baseball while eating Cracker Jack.  Such good times.

 

I'm so glad I'm not into BYU Football

I'm so glad I'm not into BYU Football.

BYU's my alma mater.  It was a stressful good time.  But while attending I never went to a football game, though that's all that seemed to be spoken of on campus.  Football, football, football.  (Kinda having a Brandy Bunch moment.)

I wasn't into Football in High school as well.  Only went to two games in which I worked on drawing homework at one game and got to help film for the local TV station at the other.  Turns out I really enjoy football when I have to keep the ball in frame, especially while it's soaring through the air.  Actually, that was a lot of fun.  The only BYU game I attended I didn't see, because I was volunteering at concessions helping to raise money for the Boy Scouts.

The whole BYU VS U of U game seems to be the ONLY game that maters in these parts.  I'm so out of the loop I didn't even know it was happening until I heard the radio dude last Thursday warn about evening traffic due to the game.  Avoid Provo.  Done.

The year I graduated from BYU is one of the last times BYU won against U of U.  The school was so over joyous that a group of students pantomimed the winning play during the graduation ceremony.  Everyone screamed and cheered!  I laughed as I ate a free mint chocolate brownie.  They were having fun.  That's good.

I didn't even know BYU lost to U of U these last eight years!  Last Thursday eight losses turned to nine!

30-12.  U of U won with 30 points.  A nasty thunder storm moved through the valley that night.  I wondered how the game was going, but didn't think beyond that and headed to bed.  Turns out the game was paused for an hour and finished up past midnight after the storm finished raging.

I don't know.  I don't know why I'm just not into sports.  Tried getting into soccer, but found it rather boring.  It's literally possible for no team to score a point in 90 minutes, everyone just running back and forth getting flagged or whatever.

What it comes down to is that I just want the best team to win.  If the winning team played the better, ethical game showing true talent and strategy, they deserve to win.  I can't be mad over that.  And if the team I'm suppose to cheer for rightfully loses, that's how it is.  They deserve it.  Work harder and smarter.  I do admire the strength and resilience displayed by those who play sports, but I just can't get behind a team. 

Maybe I just don't like blind loyalty.  And I don't want to be told who I must be loyal towards.

Funny enough, a few days later I'm still seeing BYU/U of U football memes on Facebook, mainly bashing BYU.  I have friends on both sides of the aisle.  Hope they enjoyed the game.  Maybe one of these years I'll actually go to one.
 

This Girl Can

#ThisGirlCan isn't just the slogan for Sports England, inspiring all women to become physically active without feeling judged or insecure, but it's my new mantra, thanks to watching this new video released January 12, 2015.

"This Girl Can celebrates the women who are doing their thing no matter how they do it, how they look or even how sweaty they get. They’re here to inspire us to wiggle, jiggle, move and prove that judgement is a barrier that can be overcome. #thisgirlcan" from their YouTube channel This Girl Can.

It may seem silly to some, but I completely relate.  I haven't been shy about my need to lose weight, but I haven't expressed how it's been going to the gym as of late.  I've been to a couple Zumba classes recently, but before this the last time I attended a class was 40 pounds ago.  I've been self conscious.  I've been hard on myself.  I can feel the extra 40 pounds as I exercise.  And I avoid looking in the mirror.

Goodness, how foolish this thinking is!!  Yeah, I've got a lot of work to do, but this is a process!  And I don't want a quick fix, or get caught up in "lose 8 pounds this week" schemes.

I want a permanent life change.

Women come in all shapes and sizes, and we are all beautiful.

The next time I'm in a Zumba class I'm going to wiggle, jiggle, and be proud of the steps I'm taking towards long term health.

Getting Into the Fifa World Cup Spirit, from a Nerds Point of View

 I'm a bit of a nerd.

For the longest time I thought I was more geek then nerd (I know many people think they're about the same, but this isn't the blog post for that), but after conversations with my family I've realized I was in nerd-denial.

I am a nerd.

Bona fide.  100%.  Classic textbook.

In short, if I had a choice of going to a sports game vs. spending several hours in a library or bookstore, I'd choose the books.

(Unless it's baseball, in that case bring on the hot dogs and Cracker Jacks.)

That being said, I've been trying to branch out a little.  See if I might like sports beyond the Olympics, Ice Skating, or occasional minor league baseball game, so I picked a sport to try a couple months ago, Soccer, thanks to the Real Salt Lake team who are quite popular here.

It's interesting, but I'm not quite hooked yet.  As far as I can tell people run back and forth trying to make a single point.  2 points in a professional game is really good.  Just running back and forth.  (You can fast forward a game and get the gist.)  I know!!  Not giving the experience what it's worth!  Not giving soccer a true try.

I've heard that seeing a game in person is a lot better then watching it on TV.  That's surely the case for baseball.  I want to catch at least one live Real Salt Lake game this season before making my assessment on soccer, then I'll try out another sport.  Salt Lake Jazz?  Maybe.

(I just Googled "Salt Lake Jazz" to add a link, but discovered a Jazz music festival in Salt Lake this July instead.  I love jazz.)

Anyway, enter the Fifa World Cup!

I've watched most of the games so far.  Accomplishment.  (Granted, some of the games were fast forwarded, but I did go back to watch goals and referee calls.)

When I wrote on Twitter, "Just finished watching the #WorldCup2014 game between Brazil and Croatia. Congrats to Brazil. Still thinking about that yellow card . . ." a few days ago, my brother Steven wrote:

"Still shocked that you are still watching..."

Then Robbie wrote: "Impressed."

Come on, this isn't any stranger then my Dad getting into NASCAR!

Though, gotta admit, watching cars spin off the track is pretty fun.

But I was suddenly reminded of this picture.

Place: Bee's baseball game in Salt Lake.

What: Robbie and Michael playing their Nintendo DS's instead of watching, and being quite proud of the fact.

When: Many moons ago, aka years.

I asked Robbie yesterday if he wanted to watch the Argentina team, and he declined!  Choosing to watch a Star Trek marathon instead!  (It did make me nostalgic over Star Trek Voyager, and a realization that I should watch all of Deep Space Nine.)

That being said, I am actually enjoying the World Cup.  Fast forwarding aside.

The game between The Netherlands and Spain was really good.  Sad Japan lost their game.  Happy Argentina won theirs.

And the USA game is about to start!  They're playing Ghana.  (I'll be watching that tonight.)

June 22nd is Portugal

June 26 is Germany.

So far the jury's still out, but I'm giving Soccer a fair chance, and learning a little something along the way :0)