Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Softball Observations, Hipster Church, and Family Vacation

Well, the ResCov softball team took another one on the chin yesterday losing 11-1 (they might have had 12) to Belen. There are a few observations I have about my softball playing:
1. I cannot help but slide if a play is going to be close; I simply cannot help it. Yesterday, I was on second with a runner on first, and a ball was hit softly to the third base side of the infield. As I barreled toward third, I thought, "Don't slide; it's not worth it. Don't slide; it's not worth it. Don't slide; it will hurt like a mother now and every time you shower for a week." Yet, as I got closer to the base, this chant became progressively overtaken by that competitive little devil on my other shoulder yelling, "SLIDE! It's going to be close! SLIDE! You don't want to lose, do you? SLIDE! SLIDE! SLIDE!," until I had no choice but to slide. I was safe, but it still wasn't worth it.
2. I think I'm at an okay level of competitiveness in that I care about the game during the game but I will not: a) yell at umpires or competitors/teammates, b) hurt someone else to be safe or make a play, c) care about the game or relive it after it is over. At least these are all the things I'm telling myself.
3. I should just pull the ball. Most of the time when I attempt to place the ball I end up over thinking and not getting solid contact. It's better to "grip and rip."
4. My ERA is about 10.5 right now, but my on-base percentage is excellent.
5. I have officially talked about church league softball too much on my blog.

Well, in an attempt to get under my skin (which he usually succeeds at), my brother sent me a link for a church named "Hipster Church." I think the name is obviously gimmicky, but what I don't like even more is the marketing attempt that promotes "free admission" and tries to get on the hipster bandwagon. Furthermore, I don't think the name or the church will most likely have the staying power it should intend since it is so tied to a specific cultural label (and one that most would not want to associate with, as it is usually used pejoratively). For instance, I think First Flapper Church shut down sometime in the mid-3os and Hippie Community Church also didn't last too far beyond 1975.

Next Monday I leave for a weeklong family vacation to Dolan Springs, Arizona. We (and by "we" I mean "my parents") rented a house there and will be making excursions to Vegas, the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Zion Nation Park, and Flagstaff, Arizona. It should be a pretty great time. Too bad we can't all pile in the station wagon/conversion van/minivan and trek to our destination like we did in the old days. Just thinking about those days can simultaneously incite nostalgia and anger towards my siblings.

I compulsively check to see if the mail has come. I don't know why I'm so excited to see a box full of junk mail, bills, and the occasional book, but I am.

Okay, now I need to do bulletins and such for this week and next week. WOO!

2 comments:

  1. We could sit in the back of the station wagon and pretend our feet are windshield wipers on the back window!

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  2. don't worry, the church of rock is still going strong.
    http://www.churchoftherock.ca/faq

    hawk and i talked about going here once:
    http://www.scumoftheearth.net/SOTEC/Welcome.html
    but then we realized he might accidentally have his face meet a hipster's face.

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