I've been meaning to write lately, just so some of you know that I'm still alive ... I will get right on it.

Ok, guess I'll get on it now ...

1.  I'm still working where I was working before ... recently had to take a pay cut because of "the economy."  I'm starting to kinda sorta look for a new gig, but right now there's not a whole lot of opportunity.  To balance out the cut though, the company did up my insurance coverage, so that helps out ... mainly because of ...

2.  Fractured knee cap with bone fragments swimming in the joint.  Doctor is waiting a month to see if it heals on it's own.  They gave me a special type of brace to wear and some pain killers.  I rarely wear the brace and pain killers don't work.  I honestly doubt his treatment will work, seeing as I'm still working and still ...

3.  Playing soccer: I love it, and I have such a great time with it.  Shockers F.C. is where it's at baby.  We're finishing up our second season of play and will embark on our third shortly after.  People at the arena we play at are taking notice of our team and have said that we're the most entertaining team to watch.  Plus, a team with the Shocker on their jersey can't be lame. 

4.  Dating life: Don't ask me ... I can't figure it out.

Everyone here has had a dream about what they wanted to do when they grew up right?  Well, for me, one of my dreams was to play for the Dallas Sidekicks.  For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about ... until 2004, the Sidekicks were a professional indoor soccer team right here in the metroplex.  They won four championships (second only to the Cowboys) and always put on one hell of a show. 

The closest I ever got to playing for them was attending a practice session and participating in a shoot-around with the guys, and working on the radio broadcasts during their last season in existence, which was a personal highlight and topped my list of soccer experiences.  Needless to say though, I never got to live out my dream of playing for the Sidekicks.

But, recently I did get to do something that I would almost consider to be just as special.  I got to play for a Semi-Pro team for a night.  I was asked to play for the Texas Outlaws reserve team at Arena Athletics this past Saturday night.  The Texas Outlaws is a new professional indoor soccer team that just started play in October, and the reserve squad plays in a semi-pro league.

I was so excited when I was asked to play for them because it was always my dream to play professional soccer.  I don't know if I ever would have been able to, but this experience showed me that with more training, I may very well could.  The night before the game I was jumping up and down with excitement, but I was very nervous at the same time.

I kept asking myself questions. Would I play well?  Would I make an ass out of myself?  Will I get worn out too quickly?  Will I suck?  My mind was racing all night, and I'm sure Nick found it amusing to some degree. 

The day of the game I was stuck at work for 8 hours, which wasn't cool because I was pretty tired afterwards.  All I could think about though was getting to the arena and getting on that pitch for the game against the DFW Tornadoes.

Now, I'm a fan of the Tornadoes, because I know a few of the guys that play for that team.  Two of them actually played for the Sidekicks and I know how good they are.  Another guy is a B.A.M.F. by the name of Dom and he's not afraid to get real physical with you if you piss him off.  He's always exciting to watch, so I was anxious to play against him.

I showed up to the arena and suited up, which I got to wear my regular jersey number (7).  That was cool because it would have felt weird playing with any other number.  When I walked onto the field for warm-ups and player introductions, I heard a few people screaming my name.  That was the coolest feeling in the world.  I didn't show my appreciation at the time because I was focusing so hard on the task at hand. 

But to those of you who were there and cheered for me, thank you very much, I love you for that, you're awesome!!!

I made it through warm-ups without sucking, which was huge for me since I had never played with these guys before.  During player intros and the national anthem I just looked out into the crowd and soaked in everything going on around me.  For once in my life I felt like I was a somebody, not much of a somebody, but somebody nonetheless. 

During the game itself, at first I found myself a tad overwhelmed with the pace of the game and the level of intensity it's played at.  I normally play recreational indoor soccer, so the stakes aren't that high.  Here, the stakes were a lot higher.  I'm used to playing a zone defense, and this team preferred to play a man defense, which I didn't realize until my second shift on the field. 

In the first quarter, I did manage to dispossess a couple of the players from the other team, and knocked Dom to the turf.  When I realized I did that to him, I figured he'd come back at me and throw and elbow or something.  But, he didn't, mainly because he ran into me hoping to draw a foul and I turned my shoulder toward him so it was a nice and legal hit. 

My touches on the ball weren't the worst, but they weren't the best either.  I miscalculated the speed of the ball on the turf and my passes weren't  crisp enough in the first quarter.  In the second quarter though, I slowed my brain down, found my rhythm and started playing much better. 

From there, I was good.  I stole the ball a couple more times and even had a great pass that led to a shot on goal.  I fed a guy right to the left corner of the field, he didn't do much with it, but at least I tried to set him up. 

The Texas Outlaw reserves lost 7-0, but I can say that none of the goals came when I was on the field.  I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin.  It sucks that we lost, but I was just happy to have the experience.

I was happy with the fact that I didn't embarrass myself out on the field, and I managed to hold my own against guys that before the game I thought were way above my skill level.  Afterward I had to ask the people that came out to see me about my performance, because they know the game and what I'm capable of.  They assured me I played well, and these people don't lie to me.  I felt good about my performance, which is a rare occurance.

Knowing I can hang with them has me thinking about continuing my training and actually trying out for the team next year.  Who knows, maybe I can work toward living out my dream, just with another team.

This experience is now at the top of my list of soccer moments.


Right after that game, I had my normal Saturday night rec game.  The players from my team that saw me play said I did well and I appreciated their support.  The guys from the Outlaws that heard I was playing again that night were not envious of me at all.  In the lockerroom they noticed I was keeping my shinguards on, and when I said what was up, they all had that sigh of "That Sucks."  During my rec game though, I almost was yellow carded for discent, as I started yelling at a referee about what I felt was a bad call.  After the third time I said his call was bullshit and dropped the f-bomb, he reached in his pocket for the card.  Needless to say I backed off a little bit, but still disagreed with his call, I did get to voice my opionion.  Two-Tone was able to clearly hear what I said from the stands, which tells you how loud I was.  My team lost, and I went 0-2 on the night.  But I had a blast and would love to do it again sometime.



GC VERSION:  I PLAYED SEMI-PROFESSIONAL SOCCER ONE NIGHT AND IT KICKED ASS!!! 

Torie posted this on Myspace, and I thought it was so great that I would share it with all of you.

Stupid People

    Stupid people pretty much rule the world. It is full of them, and they are an unavoidable part of life, we just have to deal with them. There are many types of stupid people and if you look closely you may even see them in your own life. There are the ones who live to screw up. This type is the mid-level stupid. They are the individuals that you find in exactly the same place they were. Stupid people do not learn like you or I. They are comfortable with their (stupid) ways and don't grow to become smart people.  Then there is the low-level stupid class: these people are not detrimental with their unintelligent approach to life. "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~ Benjamin Franklin. I realize that there are varying degrees of intelligence in this world and although I am not the smartest; I am also not a moron like so many.  Idiots are revealed when philosophy is studied and impluses to argue and debate is present. Idiots simply want to try and prove that they are not; let's see how should I put this; STUPID. I really hate how everyone thinks they are an expert on everything because they googled it, or read something on Wikipedia. In order to have any type of actual intelligent opinion on any issue it takes more than one article; it also takes understanding of the opposing end; you must have some type of factual basis behind your own opinion or to defeat the counterpoint. I find myself around people who like an idea because it sounds good. Sure there's nothing wrong with accepting something until you try and convince other people to believe in your idea; and the only answer you have to offer is …because... Also there is nothing wrong with the people who have enough intelligence to just make up their own facts. Then we have the high-level stupid people, such as mass murderers: Ted Bundy, Osama, Jeffrey Dahmer, David Koresh, Hitler, Charles Manson and Albert Fish (the real-life model for "Hannibel the Cannibal." Enough said.'

Stupid people often come from other stupid people, just like smart people come from smart people. We will call the stupid person X, so when X mixes with X you, natrually you get X, another stupid person. To avoid this, stupid people should have sex with animals that are dumber than they are, if it's too hard to find one, I guess a smarter animal would be OK.  I know your thinking, "What if a stupid person and a smart person mix?"  Well...lets make the smart person + and the stupid person is still X. Now when + combines with X you get an impossible answer- so now the result is a deformed mutant freak.  This retarded, yet charismatic freak then runs for president and fucks everything up.  OK?

SMART

Adjective

1. intelligent and shrewd

2. quick and witty in speech:

3. characterized by quickness and ease in learning

INTELLIGENT

Adjective

1.mentally quick and original; bright, sharp

2. Consistent with reason and intellect; rational

3.having an alert mind; perceptive, informed, clever, wise, rapid understanding

Stupid

Adjective

1. lacking in common sense or intelligence

2. trivial, silly, or childish 

3. unable to think clearly; dazed 

RETARDED

Adjective

1: slowed the growth or development of

2: cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate

3: occurring or developing later than desired or expected; delayed

IMMATURE

Adjective

1. not fully grown or developed

2. lacking wisdom, insight, or stability because of youth

3. emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish

Let's talk about maturity since the meaning is right above. Maturity is many things; it is the ability to resist the urge for immediate satisifaction and look for the strategy  that will pay off later. A trait of adolescents is "I want it now," while adults can wait.  Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle differences without violence or destruction; he can face ugliness, frustration, discomfort and overcome obsticles. He knows he can't have everything his way every time and knows when to compromise.  Maturity is being big enough to say, "I was wrong."  It is also the ability to make a decision and stand by it, if you constantly change jobs, change friends, and change mates I will say you are immature.  Maturity is the art of living with that which we cannot change, the courage to change what should, and the wisdom to know the difference. Maturity is the ability to live up to your responsibilities and keeping your word. Dependability is a quality of integrity. Unfortunately, the world is filled with people whose ethics and moral values are lost.  I call those people FUCKTARDS; a fucktard is not a stupid person, it is a person that works at a level way below their capability. To call them retarded would be an insult to the people that are truly handicapped. Fucktard is a good word for so many people; with a combination of fucker and retarded it describes so many people I deal with. A fucktard's main goal is to be incompetent, they will destroy things, and ask the same question 30 times. A fucktard does not have what it takes to be retarded, they have no drive. The only thing they are good at is not being good.  So next time someone asks "How do you put paper in the printer." you will realize that person is not a fucker, and is not retarded, but a FUCKTARD. Who are the fucktards you deal with daily? "I see dumbasses." They are everywhere. They don't know they are stupid. They see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe. They do not see things as they are but see them as they want them to be.  If a person picks their nose and then looks at the booger, they're stupid. If a person looks up stupid in the dictionary, they're stupid. If a person fails to answer "Education" on a resume, they are obviously stupid. If a person looks in the toilet to see how big their shit was, they are stupid. If a person writes "ok" where it says "Do not write in this space" they are really stupid. If a person sticks a chicken pot pie in their ear, they are beyond stupid. Hey you; yeah, you. I really want to tell you something. You're a fucking idiot. Yeah, stop laughing, because I'm serious. Do you listen to yourself talk? Does that makes you want to kill yourself? Because it makes me want to, No, not listen, but kill you. Why; .because you're a fucking idiot. Do you see that rock over there? It is smarter than you are, and does not central nervous system, brain, or any form of life and it's still smarter than you are. Can you comprehend the effect of being dumber than an inanimate object? It's not good. I could pick up that rock and throw it at your head and you would become smarter. Not because a blow to the head, but because the rock's intelligence would just rub off on you. That's how much of a fucking idiot you are. I'm amazed with you, except for the exact opposite of that, and do you know why I'm not impressed? It's because you're a fucking idiot.  So, have you seen any good on TV? Oh, but of course you have. Do you know how I know this? Because everything on TV is a piece of shit. And you're a piece of shit. And you're the smelliest of all the pieces of shit. Seriously, how do you live with yourself? Oh wait, sorry, we're getting off topic; you're the fucking idiot here, not TV. Did you really just ask me who my favorite celebrity couple was? If I had a gun right now, I would pull it out and shoot myself in the head. I would shoot you, but you don't have a brain, so it doesn't matter. Hey, I just got a totally awesome idea! Why don't you pursue an acting career and move to Hollywood! Yea super idea. You would definitely do well. Not really, you would fail after two weeks and resort to prostitution to support your methamphetamine addiction. And why would that happen to you? Wait for it…. Because; you're a fucking idiot! Smell that? While you were crying, I took a dump on your foot. Gross huh? I decided to take a dump on your foot because you paid enough for those shoes to support a middle to lower class family for a month. Do you have a soul? Or is it just a black hole that completely envelopes all conscience thought and rationale until you are nothing but a meaningless shell of a human. I'm guessing the latter of the two. Again, I know this because your sunglasses are worth more than a unicorn horn encrusted with diamonds. And you have no idea of this. Because you're an idiot. A really big idiot. Maybe even a retarded idiot. Now, I'm not usually this mean to people. There is just something about you that makes me go insane. The point is that you're a fucking idiot.

Q: How do you get a retard to commit suicide?
A: Put a knife in his hand and ask him "Who's Special?"

So please next time there are stupid people around just give them something sharp and repeat;  "Who's Special?" "Who's Special?" "Who's Special?" "Who's Special?"

That's right, the T-Mobile G1 with Google!  I feel so connected for the first time in my life with the technology.

Wear a Manchester United jersey to a Texas Rangers game? 

That's right, I did that ... the Rangers suck, and we all know that Manchester United is the greatest football club in the world!

LIFE: Other than that, there ain't much to report other than I recently received the official notarized divorce papers.  That means that I'm officially back to being single.  I have been out there meeting people, but it's tough from time to time.  I have met someone though that I really dig.  She's really cool, but we're just talking at the moment.  I'm in no rush to get to anywhere with anything.

WORK is still work, and I'm doing plenty of it.  Luckily I have a day off or two coming up, so I'm excited.  The holidays are coming up soon, so getting time off to recharge is something I'm going to be looking to do before too long.  I may burn up my vacation hours the week before the holiday blackout period just to get that rest.

SOCCER just got a whole lot better.  We played our second game of the season tonight, and we WON!!!  Not only did we win, but we came from behind to do it!  And, get ready for this ... I SCORED A GOAL!!!  That's right, my team's captain decided to switch things up and I got to play some midfielder.  I took three shots on goal tonight, one went in and bounced out and they didn't call it in, another if it had dropped two more inches would have landed perfectly in the upper 90 of the goal.  But the one that went in was great!  That's my first goal of the season, and hopefully the first of many more.

I grew up playing defender, so scoring was never my objective, and this season I really wanted to concentrate on developing into a more all-around player.  I think I'm on that path.  I also have been playing a little bit of goalie.  Tonight I let one shot by me, but it was one that was just a tad out of my reach.