#291 Fore-get It!

This week I participated in two golf outings in three days.  I am not a golfer.  Monday I went to a golf outing in Michigan for work.  My foursome included a co-worker, a work colleague and a college golf coach.  I rode with the golf coach and broke the news to him that I didn't golf.  Everyone was super nice and patient with me, and I was pleasantly surprised that I actually hit the ball fairly decent.  I had some whifs here and there, but had some great shots off the tee and some good puts.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful course.  The foursome was fun too.  Overall a really great day. 

Fast forward to Wednesday, where I golfed in Kokomo for a fundraiser.  This time I was paired with the wife of the course pro (who plays about twice a week), and a mother/daughter (the mom lives in the golf course community and golfs every day; the daughter played college golf).  Again, I told them I didn't golf, but that I just played Monday and did pretty well.  (Why did I do that???!!)  I proceeded to stink up the course.  I sucked.  It was horrible.  If I would have played this way Monday I would have chalked it up to not being a golfer.  But after one good day I (mistakenly) thought I would have another good day.  Apparently this is not how golf works.  I still had a great day and had fun.  The best shot of the day?  At one point we were off to the side about 40 yards from the green.  Everyone agreed we had enough room to hit.  I hit the ball and instead of it going straight, the ball shot out to the side, ricocheted off a bench about 20 feet away and then hit a tree behind us (among other things).  The pro’s wife said, “I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”    

Needless to say, I won't be golfing again any time soon.

#290 Love/Hate

I recently posted about my first tennis league win, so will now describe my first league loss.  And what a loss it was.  I was previously undefeated at 3-0.  Then came Ann.  I was told after the match that she is an experienced player.  All I know is that she was consistent and hit some awesome lobs.  I was consistent too - in hitting the ball long.  And wide.  The match felt closer than what the numbers reflect (0-6, 1-6).  We got to deuce a lot.  I lost some games while at 30-40.  I'd like to think maybe I could have beat her if I'd not made so many mistakes.  I would at least have made it a closer match. 

Afterward, as I was going to apologize for not giving her a better match, she told me that she enjoyed playing against me.  She didn't want to say anything during the match to give me any encouragement, but she said my ground strokes and serves were really good and at times she was barely getting the ball back.  (I did ace her twice with my serves!)  That made me feel a tiny bit better.  Not much though.  I hate getting smoked!   

#289 Dear John

My boss’ last day was today.  John and I have worked together for 11 years.  He and his family are moving to Michigan – well, his wife has been there since late last year so he and the kids are now moving to Michigan.  I have been in major denial until this past Tuesday when another staff member left and I started crying, not so much for him (although I will miss him too) but for the realization that, yes, John really is leaving in two days.  I know we will keep in touch, but it will take a while for me to not feel sad when I turn around to talk to him and realize once again he’s not there anymore.  He is a very special person and is a man of integrity who puts a high value on faith and family.  I have been blessed to know him and work with him all these years.  This is a great opportunity for him and his family and I am very happy for them, but at the same time I will miss his presence every day. 

#288 Hell on Heels

Heeled boots, that is.  Last Friday Lori, Megan and I went to the Miranda Lambert concert at the Klipsch Music Center (formerly Verizon Wireless, formerly Deer Creek).  A friend of a friend was kind enough to help us out with tickets and we got to go backstage for a meet and greet before the show.  They took the pictures and we were instructed to keep our phones/cameras put away.  Miranda could sign one item per person. 

The openers were Jarrod Niemann and Chris Young.  Miranda is a spitfire and puts on a great show.  Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley came out during the Miranda portion and they did some Pistol Annie songs.  We sat about eight rows back and  had a great time! 

Toward the end of the show the man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked how tall I was.  He was 6'3" and said that people usually have to move to see around him at a concert, but he's never had to move to see around anyone else.  We had a nice exchange about our height and had a good laugh. 

Before Miranda came on I ran to the bathroom to make a quick pit stop and stood in the shorter port-a potty line (around eight people vs. the longer 50 people bathroom line).  I was almost to the front when two girls walked up, one visibly drunk.  She was asking people if she could cut in line.  I thought the girl in front of me was going to let her cut and I said out loud, "I mind, but that's just me."  She ended up not letting her cut and who knows if anyone else behind me did.  The more sober girl knew someone behind me and said, "It's not her fault...she was over-served."  Excuse me??!  I spoke out loud again and said, "Well, she drank it so I think it is her fault."  I do not feel sorry for someone who drinks too much and then can't wait to use the toilet.  You should have thought of that before you got so drunk you could barely walk.  During and after the show I saw several people getting sick.  The girl in front of us.  A girl a few rows behind us.  People on the concourse getting sick in the plants.  I kept looking down while walking out to avoid stepping in anything. 

One last thing - we bought Legacy Parking passes - TOTALLY worth it.  We were out in five minutes. 

#287 Game, Set, Match

Last week I played my very first tennis league match.  I have been playing once a week for about a year.  This summer I took a leap and joined a 3.0 league.  Our team plays two singles and three doubles matches each week.  Best of three sets.  Last week I played singles. 

I had a bad start and found myself down 0-3.  I even served first so she broke me twice.  Crap!!  After settling down I made my triumphant comeback and won the first set 6-4.  ("Ok, I can do this.")  The second set went much better and I won 6-3 (should have been 6-2).  My opponent was good - quick, hit to my backhand a lot and she did have one great lob that hit the back line when I went to the net.  I hope to minimize my errors this week and concentrate on not double-faulting as much also.  For my height, I would like to have a better serve overall and am working on that also. 

The team went 3-2 for the night.  Last week we swept but I was unable to play. 

 

#286 Adventures In Haircutting

Last week Megan and I went to a beauty school for haircuts.  The person who usually cuts our hair cannot cut it until around September and we were in dire need of trims.  We both had different people and sat a couple chairs apart.  I soon realized it would take longer than usual and kept reminding myself they are learning.  My cut took about an hour and it turned out really nice.  The students have help available and someone does come by to check out the cut when they are done.  I would go again.  Megan's cut took about the same time, but she got hers styled, which took another hour.  Paul met us there and he was obviously done a lot sooner.  He waited so we could eat afterward.  Poor guy waited for two hours total!  After 1/2 an hour of Megan's styling, I walked back there and said, "Megan!  This isn't prom!"  Her hair did look nice but next time, NO styling.  The best part?  We each paid $8 for a cut (and style).  I highly recommend it!