I’m sitting here at my computer watching an ESPN special called “The Birth of Big Air” that reminds me of the good old days of BMX. Many who know me don’t know that I used to be big into BMX riding and BMX racing. When I was 13 years old I followed in the footsteps of my then-16 year old brother Kris and got into riding bikes around town, in the yard, and anywhere else where those two wheels and pedals would take us. I was content with just riding around, but Kris took it to the next level when he started going off dirt jumps we had built in the woods and ultimately in the garden (sorry, Mom!). A few months later our family ended up building a complete quarter pipe in our driveway! Yes, in our driveway. It was pretty sweet, and Kris loved it.
Around that time, Kris got into actual BMX racing where kids on 20” wheeled bicycles raced around dirt tracks containing jumps, hills, and the like. After a while of going to racing events and watching my brother excel, I decided to get in on it. I wasn’t nearly as good as my brother, who at one time was ranked #1 in the nation in his age group and class. However, I still wasn’t too bad in my own right; I think it was the year 2000 when I placed 10th in my age group class in the state of Ohio which earned me a trip to the national event held in Columbus, OH every year called the President’s Cup where the top 10 riders in each class in each state come to one of the biggest events of the year, riding for and representing their home states. I did not do too well at the event, but I think one of the two years Kris made it he made the finals but never won anything big.
The President’s Cup may not have been Kris’ best event, but maybe the Grand National in Louisville, KY, may have been. After being ranked #1 in the country in his class, Kris went to the actual national championship event, made it to the main event race, and placed 3rd in the final. The trophy he got, although is shorter than the 6-foot trophies he and I got for qualifying for the President’s Cup, is the most awesome looking trophy ever. If you’ve never seen the collection of BMX racing and freestyle trophies my brother has, you’re missing out. Kris has always been a pioneer of the sport in our area, pushing the limits, helping design the Wooster skate park, and networking with some of the biggest names in the country. Looking back over the past ten years, it’s been fun having a somewhat famous brother whose name (Kris Marcum) can be searched on Google and have every 1st-page result be of him! YouTube is another hot spot for some of his videos, although I think you can find more posted on the sites through a search engine like Google.
With all that aside, it was a fun time of my life when we all were into bikes and having fun doing the stuff we did. Our parents supported us 100% with what was our hobby at the time, as they have always been supportive of anything us brothers have done (there are three of us). When I was in high school I got big into paintball for a while. Some friends from school and I went to play at various parks around the state and eventually competed in paintball tournaments. At Toledo Indoor Paintball we placed 1st in a 3-man rookie tournament, which was probably the highlight of my short-lived career. I still have two guns (paintball “markers”) for sale if anyone is interested. Both shoot well and are well accessorized. Feel free to contact me for any information.
Smile! May God continue to bless you.
July 29, 2010
July 27, 2010
Oreos Without Milk
.. never tasted so good! I am sitting at my computer watching television and eating the rest of a month-old pack of Oreos, but I think I deserve it. I haven’t stopped moving since Monday morning. After working Monday, I went to Triway’s 7-on-7 passing camp against Mansfield Madison. We did very well in the passing scrimmage, looking sharp on offense and holding them pretty well on the defensive end. After that I went straight into town for my softball game. It was the last game of the regular season, so there wasn’t much pressure on either team. It was obvious early as the lesser team (they) came out hot and got on top. We had to fight back the whole game and were actually down four runs going into the top of the last (7th) inning. We rallied, though, and scored four runs to tie the game and held them in the bottom of the 7th. In the top of the 8th inning (extra innings), we scored six runs to take home the victory!
After the softball game I spent two hours talking with David Taylor and Jarrod Snell, which was some very well spent time. Finally a little after 9:30 PM I got some dinner then headed home to take a shower, watch the new episode of Lie To Me (Mondays at 9:00 PM on FOX), and then headed to bed. Tuesday after work I went to the 7-on-7 passing scrimmage between Triway and Wooster @ Wooster High School. I stayed for most of it then headed back for another softball game. This time it was the opener of the double-elimination tournament. We started out hot this time and shut them down most the game. We got out of there in five innings, getting the 12-run run-rule, winning 15-3. As a team, we are starting to come along well, and I think we have a lot of confidence heading into Friday’s tournament game against the team that beat us in the first game of the regular season a few months ago. We’ll see how it goes!
Tomorrow (Wednesday) night after work I was invited to a corn hole and bocce ball get-together, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. I need to mow my yard tomorrow night as well as get some laundry done and then go grocery shopping. I really need groceries! Finally on Thursday I think I’ll be able to relax a little bit. I think I’ll spend that time vacuuming and sweeping my house, which is something else that needs done. Once that’s completed, I’ll have some free time for the first time all week. Once Friday comes around, I’ll be back at it with my softball game at 7:30 PM.
Then sometime Saturday I will probably head on up to the Solon area to see Jennifer. She’s had a very, very tough last ten days or so dog-sitting a dog, Cocoa, that isn’t the most obedient animal ever created. Cocoa has a tendency to bark and bark and bark some more even when nothing is going on, but especially the first ten and last ten minutes after Jenn gets there and before she goes to bed. Earlier this week my better half had to drive fifteen minutes back to her apartment in the middle of the day just to get a few hours of sleep because it was so hard to do so at the dog’s owners’ house. I really feel bad for her and wish I could help her more with the dog (not that she needs help, but maybe I could at least ease her frustrations a bit).
The owners normally take Cocoa on a 30-40 minute walk twice a day, so I was able to help out with that three times this past weekend. We had lots of fun on our walks, though! The dog gave us some exercise, but we also got to check out all the nice houses along the way. No, everyone – we were NOT house shopping. Haha! (There was some confusion earlier this week.) We were just commenting on the houses we passed, our likes, our dislikes, and such. Then on the third walk we went on with the dog, Cocoa finally decided to take a dump, and Jennifer was pumped to pick it up with her Wal-Mart bags.
She has the dog until late this Friday night, and then she is free. I’m sure the first (and only) thing she’ll do when that burden is off is head straight to her apartment and get some sleep. Don’t get me wrong. She has always said how she loves dogs, and she even has another dog-sitting arrangement in a few weeks. She really enjoys it! I just think this one time was a bad time and odd situation for her. But she has and she will make it through, just like the strong woman I have to come to know she is!
Okay, so the Oreos are gone now, and my water bottle is just about empty of the ice water with which I filled it. Another few sips, and I’ll be brushing my teeth and heading to bed. I’ve got to stay up and watch the ending of this Wife Swap episode, though. This show is totally “out there” but keeps my attention at the same time. I know Jennifer watches it a lot, too. Haha! Anyway, that’s all for now.
Smile! May God continue to bless you.
After the softball game I spent two hours talking with David Taylor and Jarrod Snell, which was some very well spent time. Finally a little after 9:30 PM I got some dinner then headed home to take a shower, watch the new episode of Lie To Me (Mondays at 9:00 PM on FOX), and then headed to bed. Tuesday after work I went to the 7-on-7 passing scrimmage between Triway and Wooster @ Wooster High School. I stayed for most of it then headed back for another softball game. This time it was the opener of the double-elimination tournament. We started out hot this time and shut them down most the game. We got out of there in five innings, getting the 12-run run-rule, winning 15-3. As a team, we are starting to come along well, and I think we have a lot of confidence heading into Friday’s tournament game against the team that beat us in the first game of the regular season a few months ago. We’ll see how it goes!
Tomorrow (Wednesday) night after work I was invited to a corn hole and bocce ball get-together, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. I need to mow my yard tomorrow night as well as get some laundry done and then go grocery shopping. I really need groceries! Finally on Thursday I think I’ll be able to relax a little bit. I think I’ll spend that time vacuuming and sweeping my house, which is something else that needs done. Once that’s completed, I’ll have some free time for the first time all week. Once Friday comes around, I’ll be back at it with my softball game at 7:30 PM.
Then sometime Saturday I will probably head on up to the Solon area to see Jennifer. She’s had a very, very tough last ten days or so dog-sitting a dog, Cocoa, that isn’t the most obedient animal ever created. Cocoa has a tendency to bark and bark and bark some more even when nothing is going on, but especially the first ten and last ten minutes after Jenn gets there and before she goes to bed. Earlier this week my better half had to drive fifteen minutes back to her apartment in the middle of the day just to get a few hours of sleep because it was so hard to do so at the dog’s owners’ house. I really feel bad for her and wish I could help her more with the dog (not that she needs help, but maybe I could at least ease her frustrations a bit).
The owners normally take Cocoa on a 30-40 minute walk twice a day, so I was able to help out with that three times this past weekend. We had lots of fun on our walks, though! The dog gave us some exercise, but we also got to check out all the nice houses along the way. No, everyone – we were NOT house shopping. Haha! (There was some confusion earlier this week.) We were just commenting on the houses we passed, our likes, our dislikes, and such. Then on the third walk we went on with the dog, Cocoa finally decided to take a dump, and Jennifer was pumped to pick it up with her Wal-Mart bags.
She has the dog until late this Friday night, and then she is free. I’m sure the first (and only) thing she’ll do when that burden is off is head straight to her apartment and get some sleep. Don’t get me wrong. She has always said how she loves dogs, and she even has another dog-sitting arrangement in a few weeks. She really enjoys it! I just think this one time was a bad time and odd situation for her. But she has and she will make it through, just like the strong woman I have to come to know she is!
Okay, so the Oreos are gone now, and my water bottle is just about empty of the ice water with which I filled it. Another few sips, and I’ll be brushing my teeth and heading to bed. I’ve got to stay up and watch the ending of this Wife Swap episode, though. This show is totally “out there” but keeps my attention at the same time. I know Jennifer watches it a lot, too. Haha! Anyway, that’s all for now.
Smile! May God continue to bless you.
July 20, 2010
I Missed My Dogs
I never fully appreciated the air conditioning I have at my house until this week when I was dog sitting for my parents. They do not have air conditioning (I should know, I great up in the house for over 20 years). In my house which I've had for almost a year now, the AC has been a popular feature the last few months; but it's always as easy as the touch of a button, and then I'm nice and comfortable. It isn't the same as I sit in my parents' basement typing this blog entry. The dogs are currently upstairs laying down in the kitchen, but it's too hot and muggy to stay up there or outside. Because of that, I've been lounging in the basement the last few days. Don't worry - I'm taking care of the dogs! They've been fed, taken out to go to the restroom more than enough, and been given the attention that every good dog should get. They just came in from eating dinner and hanging out in the yard, so I'm letting them chill upstairs. (I tried to get them to come into the basement with me, but they wanted to go back up. Fine.) I think I'm dog sitting until Thursday. Maybe? I'm not really sure when I stop. I'll probably find out when I'm down here in my parents' basement in a few days and I hear someone walk in the garage door saying "We're home!"
Don't get me wrong. I'm not spending all my time here. That's definitely not the case. I've been waking up early to do stuff with the dogs then stopping by my house to shower and change for work. Then after work I've been stopping by my house to do small chores like laundry or just getting a change of clothes for the night, and then heading over to my parents' to take care of the dogs. Since I'm sleeping here, there's no sense in going back to my house, so I've been hanging out down here all in my lonesome. But it's okay. I love these dogs! And I think they like me, too. It's fun, and don't think I'm complaining. I don't get to spend as much time with them as I would like, so this has been nice to "catch up" with them. Haha!
Other than dog sitting, nothing else really exciting is going on. I'm getting over some weird, quickly-developing sickness I've had since Saturday evening when I felt my throat get sore. It progressed Sunday and was joined by a headache and weakness. By Monday the throat was better but was replaced by a runny nose which has had me clutching to a Kleenex box more than usual. All in all, water, Halls, Gatorade, Kleenexes, and a cool basement have helped me not get any worse. I should be better soon. However, I haven't ran for a week now, so I'm afraid of how bad it will be for me when I get back into it during lunch at work.
This coming Sunday is the last week of the regular season for the Lakewood Sunday double-headers softball league. Then we get into the tournament. I was not able to make it this past Sunday because of being sick, but I heard that we did well! I'm excited to join the team again next week to hopefully continue what they started two days ago. My church league team is doing well, too! They came from behind to win on Monday. I'll be joining them next Monday as we play our last regular season game before that league'stournament starts. All the softball is definitely fun! I've had a blast this season just like all the others. However, when it's done, I won't be too disappointed, because it will be football season. Baseball is my favorite sport, but I think the Fall football season is my favorite season! Sure, we may only have a game one night a week, but it's so much fun. Plus, Jennifer said that she'll likely be my partner for the Triway varsity football statistician. That got me pumped since I did it by myself last year. Woo hoo for Jennifer! Thank you!
It's getting dark outside. I better go find the dogs and make sure they're not getting into any trouble. I haven't heard any pans crashing or doors slamming, so I'm thinking things are nice and calm up there as of right now. *Knock on wood* HOpefully by the next time I submit an entry (hopefully at the end of this week), I'll be feeling better. We'll see!
Smile! May God continue to bless you.
July 8, 2010
Lots of Sports, and More Heat
It's hot. Very hot. I can deal with temperatures in the high 80's, and maybe a day in the low 90's; but when we get 3-4 days in a row with temps just a few degrees below 100, I get kind of miserable. Cars' air conditioning units don't see to work well enough or fast enough, houses never seem to get comfortable by bedtime, and outdoor activities become more of a hassle than an enjoyment. But with all that said, everyone is in the same situation. It's not like the weather is uber-hot just for me. Everyone is just as miserable, so I have no reason to complain. I've continued to run at work during lunch, play softball, and do yard work.
Outside of the heat, life has been great. I've been spending a lot of time with my girlfriend on the weekends, including some 4-day holiday weekends and a few camping trips and such. It's been a pleasure! I enjoy spending time with her. She and I joke with her sister that the we spend too much time together, but we really don't. We spent maybe 2-3 days a week together. That's less than half the time. I know people in many relationships that are with each other every day. Some car pool to work. Some stop by every day after work, and others talk on the phone all day during work! We don't do that. We know we have our own separate lives, and we don't let that change who we are or how we handle our relationship. I like how things are doing, and I think she does, too. We both make each other smile, and we enjoy being around each other. I think I'm a better person when I'm around her, and that's something I've always wanted. I'm happy.
In addition to the woman, softball has continued to go on. The church softball league is getting close to its end with the last few weeks of games coming up soon, with 1 makeup game and then the tournament. The Sunday double-header league in Lakewood is also closing in on the end of the season, with a few more regular season games before the tourney begins. It's been fun - both leagues - but I'm ready for them to slow down and for football to begin.
Speaking of football, I cannot wait! Triway High School football starts a week from tonight when they have a 7-on-7 passing scrimmage. I'll be missing that one since Jennifer and I will be attending an Akron Aeros game with some of my co-workers for a celebration of a work-related milestone. But then the next week there's a 7-on-7, and then another the following week. After that, talk starts to heat up about what we saw or didn't see, and then 2-a-days officially start. The week after, scrimmages begin, not only for Triway but for our opponents, as well. I have a load of scrimmages on the schedule which I plan to attend, about half of them being our own and the other half being of our opponents. It's always fun to watch as many teams as possible in the preseason so I can have an idea of what to expect when the season gets here.
I'm still the statistician for the football team, which is something I really enjoy doing. However, as of right now, I still don't have anyone committed to help me with the job. A few years ago when I started, I had a partner on Friday nights, something which is preferred and almost necessary to get the job done correctly. However, all last year I did it by myself. I still did a pretty good job, in my opinion, but I'm always willing to take a partner. I've extended one offer already, and I hope that person takes it. But if not, I'm sure I'll be able to find someone else; but even if I don't, I can do it by myself again. Stats are fun to do, and that's another part of the season I look forward to.
As I sit here in my basement on my laptop watching TV and typing my blog, all I hear about is Lebron's decision at 9:00 PM on ESPN as to where he will play basketball next year. Everyone has their opinions, but nobody knows for sure. There's the "mots logical" choice, the "most sentimental" choice, and the "best" choice. What he goes with is totally up to him, obviously. I'm not going to fret it too much. If he doesn't stay, then Cleveland goes back to what we normally expect. If he stays, then great! Either way, it'll be over in just a few hours. Woo hoo!
Smile! May God continue to bless you.
Outside of the heat, life has been great. I've been spending a lot of time with my girlfriend on the weekends, including some 4-day holiday weekends and a few camping trips and such. It's been a pleasure! I enjoy spending time with her. She and I joke with her sister that the we spend too much time together, but we really don't. We spent maybe 2-3 days a week together. That's less than half the time. I know people in many relationships that are with each other every day. Some car pool to work. Some stop by every day after work, and others talk on the phone all day during work! We don't do that. We know we have our own separate lives, and we don't let that change who we are or how we handle our relationship. I like how things are doing, and I think she does, too. We both make each other smile, and we enjoy being around each other. I think I'm a better person when I'm around her, and that's something I've always wanted. I'm happy.
In addition to the woman, softball has continued to go on. The church softball league is getting close to its end with the last few weeks of games coming up soon, with 1 makeup game and then the tournament. The Sunday double-header league in Lakewood is also closing in on the end of the season, with a few more regular season games before the tourney begins. It's been fun - both leagues - but I'm ready for them to slow down and for football to begin.
Speaking of football, I cannot wait! Triway High School football starts a week from tonight when they have a 7-on-7 passing scrimmage. I'll be missing that one since Jennifer and I will be attending an Akron Aeros game with some of my co-workers for a celebration of a work-related milestone. But then the next week there's a 7-on-7, and then another the following week. After that, talk starts to heat up about what we saw or didn't see, and then 2-a-days officially start. The week after, scrimmages begin, not only for Triway but for our opponents, as well. I have a load of scrimmages on the schedule which I plan to attend, about half of them being our own and the other half being of our opponents. It's always fun to watch as many teams as possible in the preseason so I can have an idea of what to expect when the season gets here.
I'm still the statistician for the football team, which is something I really enjoy doing. However, as of right now, I still don't have anyone committed to help me with the job. A few years ago when I started, I had a partner on Friday nights, something which is preferred and almost necessary to get the job done correctly. However, all last year I did it by myself. I still did a pretty good job, in my opinion, but I'm always willing to take a partner. I've extended one offer already, and I hope that person takes it. But if not, I'm sure I'll be able to find someone else; but even if I don't, I can do it by myself again. Stats are fun to do, and that's another part of the season I look forward to.
As I sit here in my basement on my laptop watching TV and typing my blog, all I hear about is Lebron's decision at 9:00 PM on ESPN as to where he will play basketball next year. Everyone has their opinions, but nobody knows for sure. There's the "mots logical" choice, the "most sentimental" choice, and the "best" choice. What he goes with is totally up to him, obviously. I'm not going to fret it too much. If he doesn't stay, then Cleveland goes back to what we normally expect. If he stays, then great! Either way, it'll be over in just a few hours. Woo hoo!
Smile! May God continue to bless you.
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