UVA Basketball

Yesterday Rob and I spent the day in Charlottesville with friends eating at places like LittleJohn's and St. Maarten's and watching UVA basketball.  The only other college basketball game I have ever attended was an exhibition game last year at Syracuse.  Up until that point, I didn't understand why people were so into March Madness.  Now I know better, but I just don't have the time to watch it all.

In some ways this game was much like the one we watched at Syracuse, the same colors were in the stands, Rob was there, and our understanding of the game going in was pretty much the same as last time.  The colors actually threw me for a loop and I had to concentrate more on the chants to make sure I wasn't saying, "Let's Go Orange" instead of "Let's go Wahoos".  The Diehl's were kind enough to explain some of the rules and happenings on the court we did not quite get. That was kind of nice and I feel slightly less ignorant about the game.

What was probably the biggest difference was that UVA was playing Virginia Tech, their rivals.  I haven't been to a UVA/Tech game of anything before or for that matter, any other game where a team was playing a rival.  It's a different game atmosphere, but at least this one wasn't hostile.  :P  There were fans cheering loudly on both sides, but thankfully, not to much hater chants.  It was a close game and neither team was really doing their best which probably aided in keeping the game close.  I have been told this is not normal and most times UVA doesn't play this well.  I was thankful for the way it turned out though.

In a perfect world, I would like to get to a game or two every now and then, but my general apathy about sports will probably stand in my way.  Honestly, a better bet is if friends decide they want to do and suggest we go with them.  :)  Maybe I will start by just trying to watch some basketball on TV.  That might be an easier for now. 

Enjoying Winter CNY Style

The holidays are over and the invitations are out, now that we have a little free time on our hands, we have been trying to get out and experience the CNY winter we have been having for the last 2 months. There's a lot to do if you don't mind being bundled up and playing in the snow.

Last weekend we were lucky enough to get out and snowshoe around Beaver Lake Nature Center which I haven't done in forever. Thankfully it's a skill that comes pretty naturally, however I would say, running in snowshoes is not a wise choice. We spent a few hours with Josh and Anne trudging around the lake and enjoying hot cider after. Fresh air does wonders for the body. Even if it's 30 degree fresh air. :)

This weekend we actually got out to the slopes at Labrador Mountain for the first time this season. Skiing here is a LOT different than the last few places we have skied. For one, we didn't need to take an air plane or sit in the car for 9+ hours. The other was the fact that it was a one day trip, not 3 or 4. This meant that when the legs started to feel it, we would call it a day and go home. When you are in Colorado, you suck up that pain and enjoy the wonderful skiing experience that is the West and have fun. You can regain feeling in your legs later. :P

We managed to stay upright most of the day and had a pretty good time. We started on the "bunny" hill and migrated over to the 3 person chair lift after a few runs. Even though it recently got pretty warm around here, the skiing was still pretty good. It's not powder, but it's not a sheet of ice and it's not granulated slushie mix either so not prime conditions, but definitely ski-able.

I actually learned to ski on this very hill on a learn to ski day in high school. I think I went about 3 times in high school and then maybe once or twice in college. The most skiing I ever did was the years I lived in DC with the trips in CO and up to PA. I really enjoy it, but it costs $$ for the lift ticket and I can never justify a season pass because too many other things are always going on. Maybe next year it what I always tell myself and this year is no different. :)

If we get really ambitious, to continue our outdoor experiences in CNY, we might hit up the Clinton Square Outdoor Ice Skating Rink next weekend. It's going to be one of our last "free" weekends until after the wedding. That's ok with us because it means we will be partying and carrying on in the meantime!

We Are The Champions!

Last week was sadly, my last softball game of the season. I mean have only been playing since the sometime in April. Somehow, I don't think the sarcasm is really translated that well. It was fun, but seriously way too long of a season. If you will all remember the post that documented the start of it and note the date.

We had playoffs the week before last to determine who would go to the sudden death match, I mean the championship game the following week. Well we managed to pull that together and win so we got to play the last game.

To be fair, it was a really close game, they scored 3 runs, we scored 3 runs kind of deal. So it was neck and neck until the 6th inning where we scored plenty, leaving the score at 15-11 to start the 7th and final inning. They tried their hardest, but with 2 outs and a guy at bat that couldn't hit a fair ball to save his life, the championship was at hand! (Otherwise my title for this blog entry would be highly misleading.) At his last strike, I had ball in hand and we were declared Division C League Champions for 2007! *Enter Queen Music*

I guess the deal is we get plaques or something stating how awesome we are to put in our cube. That's a plus, I will have proof of it as soon as they are made. I had a pretty good team and I guess since I survived softball season I am allowed to go out to lunch with them now. Neat. I must have scored some amount of cool points to manage that status. It was probably when the dude stepped on my foot with his cleat at home plate while I tagged him out that did it.

I honestly don't know what I am going to do on Wednesday nights anymore. I have been bowling or playing softball since February. I think I might just put my feet up and watch TV. Who am I kidding? I have a costume to make!!

Softball Winning Streak

It's been a while since I posted something to do with softball. We are still playing. The last two games have been played in 100+ degree heat. Not the best weather for playing, but it's not rain. That postponed the season by an additional two weeks in a row. The softball season end date is now the last weekend in September before playoffs.

We have finished the "regular season" which is where we play all 12 teams. The "league season" has now begun. It should be no surprise to you that my team is in the bottom of the three leagues. The plus side is we are at the top of the bottom league which gives us something to strive for. We have one team that we are having a hard time beating, but overall we don't care that much. We are still mostly concerned with happy hour after the game.

Even after all my fumbles, my team still lets me play. Last week I managed to pull a nice out by throwing to first. But that was after I let two balls past me at second, one with lifting my foot up as it came toward me.

Overall, I have learned a lot this season, but it's hard to say if I will want to play again. It takes a lot of freaken commitment to do this. We started April 11th and it won't finish till sometime late September early October. Yeah it's only once a week, but for 6 months it's a lot.

Swing and a Miss

My first softball practice was tonight. First softball practice in what may very well be 10 years. I did little to no preparation for this, including putting off finding a glove until yesterday. Thank you Amanda for the use of yours.

This was an interesting practice. We did the normal ball tossing then fielding and hitting the ball, but there were a good number of people there who weren't going to be playing with us tomorrow night. They were using us to help practice for a March of Dimes game Saturday. To be quite honest, I have no idea who is really on my team. I think I know about 3 other people besides the coach. I guess tomorrow I will see who shows up.

What's good to know is I apparently retained nothing from my days in middle school. I couldn't catch a ball to save my life after the initial warm ups were done. Pop fly to wherever I was and I would miss it by inches. If I sneezed I am sure I would have caught at least half of them. And! Just as a tip in case anyone was wondering, your big toe is no substitute for your glove. I tried it. Twice. Ouch.

I am pretty sure my arm is going to turn to mush at some point. The ringing through my hands and up through my arms tells me I didn't hit the ball right. Sometimes it was good and sometimes it felt as though someone shocked my arm. I am sure I will pick up on how to hit. Investing in a bat and going to a batting cage might help. I am not sure I want to put that much effort in.

In any event, I have 5-6 months of making myself look like a freaken retarded monkey out on the field. At bat... well I can't say that will be any different. Maybe I will get the star for most improved.

Split Happens

As some of you may know, I was in a bowling league with people from work for the last 8 weeks. It's been fun and the group has been a lot of fun to hang out with. They mostly consist of people right out of college. That being said, it's a good bunch to have fun with. Tonight was the bowl off for the championship. Sad to say my team did not place in the top 3, but snagged 4th place. I have learned a lot from this experience and I thought I would share with you what I now know.

One - Bowl really crappy at least the first two weeks. This is what they refer to as "sandbagging". Sure, people might call you on it, but you can always retort you have an excellent learning curve. Sandbagging will cause your handicap to go up and thus your overall score will be higher once you bowl at your normal average. I bowled my best games the first few weeks, so I was of no help to myself or my team. Lesson learned.

Two - I believe booze help game scores. Again, during the first two weeks I bowled really well and this was while I was drinking a pitcher of beer and bowling better than I should. I gave up beer soon thereafter for Lent and that has only lead to lower scores throughout the season. To prove this point, I have bought amaretto sours the last two weeks and my scores went back up slightly. It is not as effective as beer, but it's what I could have. I believe this is enough of a scientific study to prove my point.

Three - Bowling Etiquette. Some leagues take this more seriously than say... our league full of almost not completely immature guys. Generally you don't go up to bowl when someone in the lane immediately to your left or right is bowling. That's the big one. Well, some teams prefer it if you aren't any where near the wood while they are bowling and may throw a stink about it like a two year old. Just be aware, you may be bowling next to some really anal people.

Overall it was a fun experience and if they do it again in the fall I am totally going to sign up for it. I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of different people, most of whom are petty cool and nice. It's helped a lot getting settled here. And I will be able to drink beer while playing by then. Let the good times roll!