A Better Life

I just saw an ad pop up for Dunkin' Turbo, which led me to think about how much I enjoy the taste of coffee, sweetened and with cream, or "half and half," which is what my grandmother always had, and moreover how much I like the idea of coffee, which then reminded me of a thought that has been popping into my head a great deal the past few years, at least.

I look at where I am now, and I look at the decisions I have made along the way, and I realize, or maybe I should say I conclude, that many of those decisions were a waste given where I have ended up.  I don't drink, and for the most part I have been a nondrinker all of my adult life.  I don't smoke, I may average a cigar a year for the past twenty years, although last year may have brought the average up a bit.  I have stayed away from red meat to a large extent and dairy products as well.  I have, until the last couple of years, been a consistent runner, some would say obsessive runner, not that I was a "runner," but I did run consistently 5 or 6 times a week no matter where I was, and what I was doing.  I would run in Central Park at 9:30 at night because it was near the hotel and that was the only time I had.  I would run up and down the hallway of hotels and through the stairwells if the weather was too bad to run outside.  I have always had water with me and stayed hydrated.  I have tried to "graze" in order to keep my body happy and my materialism where it should be.

I have spent the majority of my adult life trying to live a "better" or "cleaner" life.  I have also spent the better part of my adult life trying to be there for others, and yet somehow I look at where I am now, and where my body is now and I have to ask why??!!

I can't say that I wish I had done all the things I stayed away from, or that I was a totally different person, but it does seem that I have done a lot of these things because I thought them the "right" thing to do, or the healthy way to be, or in some cases because I do not view the alternative as an "acceptable" way to be, but I have to ask "where has it gotten me?"

It has been forty four years of trying to stay on the right path, and two years of allowing myself to slide, at least slide by my standards, no running because of a knee, and more junk food in two years than the twenty before, and all of why I had been making those "life choices" is gone, some never happened.  Fitness level is gone.  Health is not good.  Relationship, or relationships, gone.  It just has to make one ask why?  Or at least it does me.

I look in the mirror now and I am old and fat and out of shape and I start to wonder if I didn't miss something along the way.  Maybe I should have had more "fun" and worried less about trying to be "perfect."  I don't even know right now what I actually believe the answer to be, although I do know that I change my mind a lot.  The reality is that I just felt like rambling.

Thank you again for getting this far with me.

You Heard It Here First - Take Four - MCLA Division 1 2010 Playoff Seeding

Michigan

Colorado State

BYU
Chapman
Minn-Duluth

Michigan State

Arizona State
Oregon
Florida State

Boston College

Virginia Tech

Cal Poly

Simon Fraser

Colorado

Texas

Illinois

When looking at National Tournament field and seedings I am looking at overall body of work, head to head comparisons, not necessarily match-ups, but comparisons, and weighting second half of season, or "what have you done lately," more than early work for lots of reasons.

The last couple of weeks have been wild to say the least.  I had said to watch out for Simon Fraser after they beat Cal Poly, for which Cal Poly paid dearly in the polls, well Simon Fraser has now beaten ASU by a touchdown, and Oregon by two.  Anyone still think it was because Cal Poly is not as good.  Simon Fraser has a ton of losses this year, six to be exact, five of those are to current top five teams, and the sixth...to Colorado.  Oh by the way, Colorado beat Michigan this week, it is amazing what a hot goaltender and some poor shooting will do in this game.

OK, so I have put Simon Fraser in given that it seems whatever issues they were having early in the year they have straightened out, and I have put Colorado in because even though I am not a huge fan of mid-season coaching changes, especially at this level, this seems to have had the desired affect.

I am also leaving Illinois in because when you look at their year versus Lindenwood, both from the GRLC, it is hard to figure out why Illinois has not been ranked until now and why Lindenwood is ranked seven spots above Illinois, but that will sort itself out in the next two weeks.  All the evidence seems to point to Illinois being the better team, and in fact I would watch the Lindenwood - Indiana score this weekend as that game is at Indiana, another Big Ten School that is much improved.

To stay with that comment for a minute, look at the Big Ten this year, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, all very much improved, with the exception I guess of Michigan who had no way to improve essentially.

Regardless the seedings, if the tournament was next week I would be on my way to Colorado as we speak because I think this is going to be one very balanced and fun field to watch!!

Thank you again for getting this far with me.

Its Simple

For as long as he has been playing golf I have liked Tiger Woods, and for just as long, or longer, I have disliked Phil Mickleson.  I have come to realize that the reason that each of these things is true is simple, and the same.

Aside from the fact that Tiger is a cool nickname, and Lefty is a name you can't trust, Tiger expects to win every golf match he ever enters, is never satisfied with his game if he doesn't win, and most often is dissatisfied when he does, and Phil is always happy.  Phil has never been dissatisfied with his play.  All those times that Phil came in second, choked down the stretch, his response was always the same, "I hit the ball well," "I played my best," "I am happy with my result."  Tiger takes months off, does not putt well on Thursday, has an OK Friday and Saturday, and had no idea where the ball was going off the tee on Sunday and winds up in 4th place 4 shots behind Phil, and calls his Masters return "unsatisfactory."

The whole golfing world, not to mention 80 % of those polled on ESPN, said that if Tiger finished in the top 10 this was a huge success, and Tiger responds by saying this weekend was "unsatisfactory, I came here to win."

Maybe Tiger should run for President??!!  He has the brains, the pride, the desire to be the best and now the scandal.  Just a thought.

Thank you again for getting this far with me.