Tagged

Tagged - there goes my anonymity...

The rules are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Write six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your blog entry is up.

Six Random things:

1. I love going barefoot anywhere
2. Like any true Cardinals fan, I believe the most underappreciated and underrated baseball player of all time was Stan Musial (except by Cardinals fans)
3. My favorite food is a Reuben
4. I have only played golf and gone whitewater rafting once in my life, but I really want to do both again (not at the same time - although that would be an interesting game)
5. I like flowers - I even took a floral arranging class at Purdue (Accounting majors will understand taking classes just for the credits)
6. My favorite novel is East of Eden
7. I have problems counting

Jessica, Matt, Laura, Kate, and Gillian - consider yourselves tagged.

Summer Games

When I was a kid, I remember lots of games my friend Justing and I used to play in the summer. One of our favorites was MacGyver - based on the TV show of the same name. Mostly we would run around the house and backyards and come up with impossible situations to get ourselves into, and then devise ridiculous ways to get out of said situation based on whatever we saw lying around - pine cones, grass, pens, legos, paper, whatever.

We also used to bike to the pool several times a week. I remember when I finally learned how to swim. It felt so good - although I'm not a strong swimmer, I still love being in or on the water. Justin and I went on a scout canoeing trip when we were a little older. Although we were both very enthusiastic, neither of us had very much experience at manuvering a canoe on the creek. We should have rethought things when we headed straight for a fallen tree as soon as we hit the water, but we quickly recovered and charged forward. But we soon fell behind the group (about 12 canoes in all) although our friend George and his dad hung back with us.

As it grew darker we hit another tree that had fallen across part of the creek. It was like a big magnet that pulled us straight towards it. We were quickly pinned underneath it and trying to get ourselves unstuck. George's dad rammed us trying to knock us free, but only succeeded in wedging us further underneath the trunk. By then night had fallen and we were stranded with only one canoe between us. The rest of the group had reached camp by then and were starting to get worried about us (especially my dad who was with them).

We left our unnecessary gear on the bank, and loaded up our canoe with the essential stuff, said a prayer, and headed downstream in the dark. I was lucky enough to be in the middle of the boat, and we sat very low in the water--the lip of the boat was an inch above the river. It felt like an eternity as we made it downstream, but eventually we saw some lanterns and flashlights of the rest of camp and made it safely ashore. Needless to say, Justin and I were split up the next day. In the daylight, some of the others were able to make it back upstream to save the canoe and our gear we left.

Since then, I have managed to become a better canoer (canoeist?). Now I feel in the mood to go!

All-Star

I am watching the All-Star game tonight and it has brought back many memories of the annual Mid-Summer classic. Growing up in the 80's, I always looked forward to two of my favorite players, Ozzie Smith and Ryne Sandberg, start as the NL double-play combination.

The first game I remember watching all the way through was in '87. I watched the whole game through the 9th inning, but, since I was only 10 at the time, my parents made me go to bed afterwards although the game was still a scoreless tie.

When I woke up in the morning, I raced down to check the box score in the paper and the write-up. It was a bittersweet moment as I saw that Tim Raines drove in the winning runs with a triple in the 12th inning. I was happy that the National League won, but Tim Raines was one of my least liked players because he was the main competition for my favorite player, Vince Coleman, in stolen bases.

I remember a few other big moments since then, Bo Jackson's homer, Cal Ripkin winning the MVP, but most of them have been AL highlights. As the game continues tonight, into extra innings, games don't seem as important to me. I think some of the players from my childhood loom larger in legend. It was wonderful to see the introductions with all of the Hall-of-Famers, including Ozzie and Rhyno. And I will tell my children some day about seeing futer Hall-of-Famers Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and especially Albert Pujols.

Raconteuring

Well before I learned what the word meant, I always wanted to be a better raconteur. I love history, and a big part of history is the oral tradition that comes from good stories. I have often wondered in some of the old stories and legends - Beowulf, King Arthur, Gilgamesh - how much truth remains.

Anyway, I'm not much of a raconteur, but I enjoy it - and I hope to become a better one. This blog is the story of my life - past, present, whatever - and other stories I find interesting. They may not come across as that exciting, but sometimes that the fun in it. There is joy orexcitement in every moment, if you know where to look.