i've been oddly busy of late. it's odd because the season is over, so i'm theoretically off nights. busy because that's how its been.

season ended last thursday, september 8.
nights since then:
thursday: celebratory beer with our hitting coach and treem
friday: driving home
saturday: out with gurs and emdub, post cats
sunday: home by nine, but tired tired tired
monday: out with the intern, who paid on his last night in town. woof.
tuesday: currently writing

so, among the highlights:

the cats played well enough to win, which is good enough. tyrell sutton is fantastic. (although he fumbled and tripped on back-to-back second [first?] quarter carries.) did you realize that this team received a vote in the coaches poll this week? it's not much (it's nothing, in fact), but it's nice that somebody noticed this fine 2-0 cats team.

i am absolutely furious ("pierre bernard's recliner of rage" furious) that this weekend's game isn't on tv anywhere. i would think that a matchup of power conferences, in which one of the teams is ranked, could find a spot somewhere. but, alas, it can't, and i'll be relying on my 720 radio connection. hope for the best, because it's not always strong. and, because i'm 'that guy,' i'll probably head to the car to listen if my apartment radio can't pick it up. nerd!

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as i mentioned, i was absolutely beat by the time i got home on sunday night. took about 25 minutes to load my mom's 700 pounds worth of groceries (thanks mom!) - mostly produce which needs to be eaten by the weekend, and also some well-frozen meat - then sat down to watch football. then the boy called, and i listened for 15 minutes, and then i said 'dude, i'm totally tired. i gotta go.' and then i probably rambled about how i was tired for 20 more minutes.

i was absolutely beat because good times were had on saturday night. low-key, mostly. large, large mexican dinner that left me ill. jesus and mary chain and high lifes and espresso at mike's. the greatest juke box in the world at simon's, i think. (seriously! . . . new porno's "use it," (2005) followed by gbv's "exit flagger," (2003 compilation) followed by the decemberists' "the engine driver" (2005) followed by the "we're having a party. please come!" song by jawbreaker, followed by another 2005 release. i couldn't even find room for spoon. or arcade fire. incredible.)

i also realized what an iowan i had become when i was shocked (shocked!) to discover that a high life and a 7-and-7 and a soco and coke came to $13.50. because, as i type this, i realize that that's not even a bad price. sigh.

and then i ate a lot of pizza while watching the bears be terrible (and sensing that nemo's fantasy tards were destroying my fantasy destroyers) and then, about 430, my mom made more food. so i had eaten about 25 pounds of food on the drive home, stopped for coffee at the halfway point (paid my $1.59 completely in change), and was still ready to sleep.

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i was validated on thursday night when, while drinking with our hitting coach, it was apparent that he put some stock in my opinions. like, he thinks i sort of know what i'm talking about. which is reassuring, and maybe the first time i've truly thought that someone else thought that to be the case.

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company softball starts tomorrow. better said, "myself and a few coworkers and some former coworkers who are in the area as well as their wives/girlfriends so that we have the requisite four girls to legally play co-ed recreational" softball starts tomorrow. we'll start with a doubleheader, because the club was in action during the scheduled opener last week. (i'm not sure how long it runs, but it will be cold by the time we're done.)

we got together and played catch and took some bp today. it was oddly incredibly fun. and it looks like i've nailed down the leadoff spot, which could spell doom for our club. because i'm not much of a hitter. (never had much power, probably because i was never - after the age of four - strong, and also because i'm not good at swinging hard. and when i try to swing hard and elevate the ball, i popped to third.) it also looks like they'll put me at third base. although i think i was fantastic in the outfield, and would love to find myself in center. i ran pretty legitimately well, and made a few shoestring type catches.

i think i'll have full reports on a weekly basis. calculate batting average and everything. not to the dave nemo level, but close. or maybe not.

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it's interesting to me that michael browne is already fair game for comedy. letterman's top ten was "questions on the fema director application," and conan had a fantastic "get the hell out of here browne" song performed by the bald band member. i'm finally going to get around to reading the newsweek account of the tragedy tonight.

in fact, now.

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p.s. - i'd like to ramble less in these posts, a la gurs, but i've determined that it's not a possibility. i can't boil down my life to hilariously pithy two-paragraph vignettes. even though i pretty much do nothing.