Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Rules for Halloween.

1) If you are not wearing a costume, you don't get candy. (exception, if you are dragging younger siblings or are a mentor to a younger kid, then it's okay)

2)Don't just wear your costume. Be the costume. There's more candy for high entertainment value.

3) No reaching in the basket that is in my hand and grabbing a handful.

4) Since I have a variety, it's okay to try and find the one you prefer, but at a reasonable pace. It's not the biggest decision of your life.

Now that have stated my rules, I'm a pushover, and I usually don't follow through. Any advice or additional rules?

Who's that Spartan in my tepee?

It's me, It's me!

I'm sure J appreciates me posting this picture. We were the hit a this party that was mostly suburbanites and their kids. Apparently all the kids have seen the Best of Will Ferrell.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Is it 1950? Where's Joseph McCarthy?

So we get emails periodically for different scholarship opportunities, and this one caught my attention because the email made sure to highlight that you had to be a citizen of the US and:

Is this the Joseph McCarthy Scholarship fund? This was a stipulation in the donor's will, so maybe they died in the 50's before communism was viewed as a failed ideology (or at least in my view). I thought about applying and using the evidence that I hate soccer as proof of my capitalist tendencies (there are no such things as ties). Anyway, I just thought this was kind of funny, and I haven't seen language like this and wondered if this was common in the 50's and 60's.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Where's Ralfyves

Like "Where's Waldo" but without the alliteration and with black and white vertical stripes. I think I'm in like 3-4 pictures, one of them is the last one on the first page and is the only one where I'm not way back in the background.

http://flickr.com/photos/8172647@N06/sets/72157602561503956/detail/

Monday, October 22, 2007

It's Official, Rob Loves Goats

I love the fact that despite the fact that I am going to turn 30 in a couple weeks, my friends still find the time to perpetuate a joke from high school on each other. See if you can find out Rob's dirty little secret, now known to the nation. For those of you not in the know, Rob went by Bobby for about all but 4 months of his life, which is of course when we met him. To this day, I think we are the only ones that call him Rob. For whatever reason he decided he liked to chant "Let's go goats" instead of Colts, and obviously this was because of his love of goats...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

This is why dogs bite the hand that feeds them...


So Halloween is coming up, one of J's favorite holidays. So she saw this at Target and had to buy it. Yes, that is Max dressed up as Yoda. I view this as pet abuse and worry about what's going to happen when we have kids (no time soon).

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Blogging...

Okay, so I'm considering doing a blog. I'm not going to go into anything about why or my plans, because I anticipate that they mostly be rants. So I'll just launch into something on my mind...

Simple rules for volleyball (some of these are universal, some are specific to IM and social clubs where there is a huge disparity in talent within teams and between opponents):

1) Always play to win.

You are not allowed to get mad at me for being competitive.

2) Reciprocity: If player A is in the front row and gives a good pass, then player A gets the set.

I never feel as jack up as when I'm about 5 feet behind the 10' line and give a perfect pass and can make a huge approach for the third hit. I feel like I'm jumping an extra foot off the ground and I swing with authority. Setting anyone else is tantamount to treason for the pass I just gave you. (PS, use common sense, if I have to dive or pass it 25' off the net, I'm not going to make it)

3)Feed the Bear: If player A is the stud on the team or has consistently put the ball down all game. Player has the right to receive all (non-forced) sets until they are dug or make a hitting error. If said player is consistently the best swinger, they should be set at every (non-forced) opportunity when the game is on the line.

I don't mean to force the ball if the pass is bad, but if you have an option to go any hitter, I never understand why people don't "feed the bear" if the bear consistently gets you points or puts pressure on the opposing defense. Sometimes setters out-think themselves. Also, setters should decide who the bear is, not the hitters. Sometimes hitters think they are great just by cranking the ball hard, but always right at the defense. When the game is on the line, all you need are points. I don't care if you tip it.

4)One great play deserves a rally: (need a better name) If player A digs the opposing player's huge hit or dives to make a saving play, you must do whatever is necessary to keep the point going.

There is nothing worse than making a great play only to see the rest of the team watch and give up on the play. Sometimes digs are not perfectly passed balls, but that doesn't mean that someone can't keep the ball up. Don't watch me play volleyball and dive around the court, help me out a bit would you?

5) Serve the ball in the court

Okay, so everyone misses a serve no and again, that's fine. But if you have a "hard serve" that you hit in the court <50% of the time, you need a new serve (and I don't care if it is underhanded). You can't just give up serving opportunities.

5a) You are not allowed to miss a serve on game point. End of story.

5b) Unless you played vb regularly (>2 times a week) in recent history, your toss on you serve should not be more than 4-5 feet high. You will not be consistent, and you will blame you toss and not the fact that you have never learned how to play.

5c) If you are seriously outgunned by an opposing team, you are allowed to miss 'serves of aggression' trying to force passing errors. Serves of aggression include serves that are <2 ft out and the opponents are forced to decide whether it is in or out. They do not include serves that hit the net and do not go over, or are clearly out.

6) Drawing blood from an opponent is a good thing.

7) Once it's funny, twice it's silly...: you don't get a third chance.

If you have just shanked two serve returns, you are not allowed to get angry when I overplay you and take the third ball. This is something I've notice college teams do well, if they get really bad results from a formation or attack twice in a roll, then it is scrapped. Bring in a new passer, pinch out a passer, cross you hitters, whatever just don't keep trying the same thing expecting different results (def of insanity).

8) Look at your Opponents: See how they are lined up, who's hitting, where are the weak spots?

There is no reason to set the 5'6" lady swinging against a 6'4" guy when your male hitter is swinging against a female block. See that before the play.

9) I don't set in coed.

Unless you bring me Logan Tom, Misty May, etc... don't ask me to set in a coed league.