Tonight, I was at Yankee Stadium for the last baseball game that will ever be played here. It was a last minute decision and a very expensive one at that, but I'm glad I did it. I will never forget this day and I will be eternally grateful to my best friend Charlie who woke me up this morning and harrassed me until finally convincing me to go. We spent the entire afternoon at the stadium, exploring every square foot of it that we were permitted access to, and a few places we weren't ;-). We got to walk onto the field and stroll through monument park. We stood where our childhood heroes stood, where our father's heroes stood, and their father's heroes too. We got to see some of the greatest ballplayers of all time; Yogi Berra & Whitey Ford of years long past, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera of more recent times, all in one place. We got to salute those who are no longer with us like Joe D., The Mick, Lou Gerhig, Phil Rizzuto, Thurmon Munson and of course The Babe. Afterwards, 'The Captain' Derek Jeter gave a little speech about what it meant to be a Yankee and play in that legendary Stadium, and honored us all, the fans. Then he led the team around the field so we could all get one last look at them as we were all serenaded by Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York. All the while flashbulbs popped and fans roared. It was a surreal night, it was a great night.
No one wanted to leave when it was over. Not the players and not the fans. We all stuck around, some of us for hours.

Oh yeah, there was also a game played. The Yankees won 7-3, and as he has done hundreds of times before Mariano Rivera closed the show with a 1,2,3 9th inning.

Simply Awesome.

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Well today was interesting!

We had our first official preseason game today. It was against a team we won't be seeing in the regular season, which is good. It doesn't give a team a chance to get a sneak preview of what we have in store for them!

The team we played was located in Brooklyn (The Bulldogs), which is also good, since I also live in Brooklyn, and their home field was very close by. Only about a 20 minute drive, thru some of the busiest streets in the city. Unfortunately, my boy Charlie had softball in the morning, and the second game of his double header went into extra innings. Since I was driving us to the game, I got stuck waiting for him. Needless to say, we wound up showing up late for the game. It wasn't a huge deal since it was preseason, and we had planned to have the other QB play the first half. But still, I HATE being late for stuff, especially my Football games.

The game itself was pretty sloppy. It was hot out and both teams looked out of sync. In the second half we got an interception and a good return, and one play later I turned it into a 26 yard TD pass on a nice little slant corner route. That gave us a 7-6 lead. Later on, we drove down to around their 20 and kicked a Field Goal, and on the next drive we hit a big play, a 60 yard TD on a straight Go route. The game ended 17-6, and ugly win for sure...but it sure beats a pretty loss any day of the week!

As for my shoulder, it was hurting pretty bad. Much worse than last week. I'd been doing a series of routines in order to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder for the last 2 months, and then stopped the week leading up to last weeks game. I figured the rest would be good, and didn't want to risk it being sore or "tired". It seemed to work out last week, so I did the same thing this week. It didn't work to as I've been hurting all night. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the Vicodin and Percocet which is how I got through my spring league. I put on some Bio Freeze gel, it's like a ben gay or tiger balm, but I believe it was originally created to treat TMJ aka Lockjaw. It worked well enough that I was able to not require pills tonight... at least not yet.

I also decided that maybe I need to go back to my workout, so I did just that. I started it at around 1:30am, which is weird I know. I finished about 45 minutes ago (about 2:15am). That wore me out and required another coat of Bio Freeze, but hopefully it will help prepare me for next week's game, which is also in Brooklyn, against the Blue Devils. They're a good young team that should be a stiffer test than we had today.





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Apparently Shuni has added a cute little script that emails you when you haven't posted to your blog in a while. And then emails you again...and again. So fine! I'm posting something, now leave me alone...PLEASE!

Since I'm here I may as well write something informative and interesting. Let's see, what's new with me?

Oh yeah, I've decided to test out my shoulder again. For those that don't know, I tore it up pretty bad a few months back. I'm pretty sure I needed surgery, but I've been stalling in the hopes that it heals enough that I can go on without being cut open, at least for a while longer. It was so bad for a while that I couldn't sleep at night without the aid of Vicodin or Percocet. Thankfully that ended, for a while at least.

Anyway, I decided to try a workout routine in order to build strength and flexibility in the muscles around the shoulder, figuring it would help. Since I was done playing ball for a while I thought it was a good a time as any as there wouldn't be any undue strain on it.

Well, this past weekend I finally put it to the test. I was asked to play in an All Star game. For those that don't know, I play Semi-Pro football, and have played it since 1994. Since they were playing all star rules (minimal blitzing)I figured it was the safest game I could play with a helmet on.

It was a hot day, high 90s and humid. But that may have helped! I had a great game and every pass that I threw was right on target with the exception of one that I got hit as I was releasing the ball. I threw 3 TDs and we won 35-7, and the game really wasn't even that close.

As good as I felt during the game though, I knew the real test would follow. On the ride home my shoulder hurt a bit, but not enough to require pain meds. After a shower and food, it felt a bit better. And when I went to bed I was fine. The next day my entire body was sore, but that was just regular soreness from playing in the heat and for the first time in months. While not anywhere near 100%, the shoulder did pass it's first test. And since I played so well, a number of teams have contacted me about playing. So another test appears to be on the horizon. Matter of fact, I may be playing a game this coming Sunday. Wish me luck!

Test #2 will probably be more difficult, but I feel up to the challenge.

I'll let you know how it goes.

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Hmph, apparently my Embarrassing Host Pictures series of posts is not garnering the response I had hoped for. Perhaps I overestimated the fun factor. I may have to consider cancelling the series if there isn't any improvement.



[ 1 comment ] ( 6 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3.2 / 11 )

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It's been a while since I last posted an embarrassing picture of one of our Hosts. Enjoy!





This one was taken at a bar in Jersey. The place was very dark and the original picture was mostly just a black blur. Thanks and much love to Hoshi for cleaning it up enough to see our buddy about to puke after drinking way too much!

Oh and feel free to take a guess at who it is! Anyone who was there that night should NOT spoil it for everyone else.

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Yes, it's true!

The other night I met up with Esrom and Hoshi and we hung out, drank a little, had a decent tex-mex dinner and most importantly...played Guitar Hero!

And we played...and played...and played. For about 4 hours. It was a lot of fun, especially since I'm only just learning how to play and it was only like my 3rd time. Esrom is pretty good at it, which makes sense since she also plays a REAL guitar quite well.

I think, we are going to have to have it at Shore Leave this year. Yes indeed. I have all 4 of the GH games, and I'm sure we will have others who play it attending, so we should have a few "guitars" for multiplayer battles and cooperative gaming.

I think it's gonna rule!

[ 5 comments ] ( 31 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 14 )

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The Return of Embarrassing Host Photos! With a twist!

This is just toooooo funny to pass up. I'm sorry bud, but it's my civic duty to post this.







Write Your Own Caption!

Funniest one wins a prize. Oh...and you have to also know which FSF Host this is.

I am the Judge!

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A few weeks ago I had to step in and take over the Host Training program due to out Training Director needing a LOA. We were way behind at the time I stepped in and had 4 people in the queue. I decided to enlist some help and found two very qualified people I could work with, but before getting them set up, I decided to get the trainees started so they wouldn't have to wait any longer. Well, things have gone better than I expected and 2 of the 4 have already completed their training and have been hired! It was a pain at first, but once I got the process rolling, it wasn't so bad. Now, I just have to get my two buddies started so we have a full "Training Staff". I think in the long run this will be an improvement for the program, not just from the perspective of having backups in case someone needs time off, but also as a way to keep more Hosts involved in the non simming aspects of the group and as a way to lessen the workload when we do have a number of trainees in the pipeline.

Woohoo!

[ add comment ]   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3.1 / 14 )

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Heh...I got a couple of those annoying "You Haven't Used Your Blog In This Many Months" emails. So I guess I better post here before it gets closed down. Damn Shuni and his efficiency!

Anyway, I may as well update you guys on the stuff from my last post back in July. My life is still very hectic, but a few of the issues have been resolved. Yeah I know, I'm a tease for not saying more but

On the FSF Front, I have been able to make up for Shore Leave to an extent. I went out with Lowell, Enki, Ku and Esrom for a night of barhopping. It was a lot of fun and no one lost an eye.

Then a few weeks ago I met up with Enki, Ku and Esrom at a bar Enki was helping DJ at. Again we had fun, even though lowell pussed out on us like a punk. The best part though, was that Enki had a "Falk Moment", winning the night's lampshade award. He got wasted and had to be tended to like a sick baby. I have some pictures that I have to post. Again though...no one lost an eye. Maybe next time!

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It's been a while since I've posted so here is a little update.

It's been a pretty bad last couple of weeks. A few things happened that caused me to miss out on Shore Leave this year, which really sucked because I had been planning it for a year. Unfortunately, real life kicked my ass pretty good on a few fronts and the combination of events was just too much to overcome. I feel bad for the people who went and were expecting me there. I hope I can make it up to them.

Ugh, ever wish you could go back in time and undo something? I sure as hell do.

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Wow, no comments on Falk's pic?

*taps screen* Is this thing on?

Guess I'll have to make next month's pic more entertaining.

[ 1 comment ] ( 6 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3.2 / 26 )

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And here he is just moments later! And no, the picture isn't messed up, that is actually HIM that is all blurry !



Seems Falk had an "Allergic Reaction" to the Rum.

Right...

[ 4 comments ] ( 16 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 37 )

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Due to the overwhelming response I've received (all positive...well almost all), I am thinking about doing a monthly thing featuring an embarassing photo of FSF Command, and maybe some Hosts as well (since there are only so many in FSF Command, and many won't send me embarassing pics).

What do you guys think? Post a comment and let me know. I already know what next month's picture will be. *eg*

(HINT: It's the person sprawled out on the floor, in the post below)

[ 4 comments ] ( 15 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3.2 / 26 )

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Catchy name for a post eh? I thought so. And so did you since you're here looking. Well I don't want to disappoint you so here!



Yes, that IS Margo's Butt. I should know since I took that picture myself. If you look real close, you might be able to see another FSF Host and Fleet Command member lying on the ground at her feet.

Guess who it is, and I'll reward all of you with another humorous picture!

[ 10 comments ] ( 58 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3.3 / 36 )

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Ok, it's been two months of self imposed exile from my blog. I've decided to give it one last chance. Besides, I have some stuff I want to post!

I went to Reno again for the trade show and also got to meet one of the long time Stargazers who also happens to be a great person. So I want to write about that, and post some of the pics we took.

Also, I want to post a few embarrassing shots of a number of individuals. Mostly for comedic value, but also to remind everyone that Shore Leave is coming around again! And I'd love to have an even larger FSF turnout than last year.

Plus, I just want to rant a little

Stay Tuned!

[ 1 comment ] ( 9 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3.2 / 39 )

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This is probably going to be my last post to this blog. I am just fed up with losing posts. The latest incident just took place a few minutes ago. I wrote a huge post recapping the super bowl and when I tried to preview, it just disappeared. I'm sorry, I really enjoy posting here and reading what other people write but I won't deal with it anymore. I've spent hours writing posts here and they are gone, most notably my Shore Leave posts.

Maybe one day I will return, when these issues are resolved. Happy blogging everyone.

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Bah, work has been crazy the last couple of weeks, so I haven't really had a chance to stay on top of this Blog thing, which kinda sucks.

Anyway, I wound up going 9-1 for the playoffs this year, with my only loss coming in the NFC Championship game. I figured it would be a close game, I couldn't believe that the Saints would turn the ball over so many times, or that they would put Frank Thomas back on the field to get burned time and time again. Both things happened, and the Bears defense has carried them to the Superbowl!

This matchup is very interesting in it's contrasts. You have one of the top quarterbacks of this generation in Peyton Manning going up against the great Chicago Bears defense. On the other side of the ball, the much maligned Rex Grossman is facing the consistently inconsistent Colts defense which has gotten a huge boost from Safety Bob Sanders, who returned for the playoffs after being out for the last 3 months due to injury.

My gut keeps telling me the Colts are going to win this, and that in large part is because I WANT them to win. I want to see Manning shut everyone up and play great. Plus, watching the Colts offense when its clicking is just so much fun. The Bears on the other hand, are kind of boring on offense. Grossman is NOT accurate, and their gameplan is basically "Run the ball and don't let Rex lose the game for us". They take about 5 or 6 shots downfield with long passes, but besides that it's painful to watch for me. Defensively of course, they are much better. They are aggressive ballhawks who try to force a turnover on every play. Brian Urlacher is one of the best MLBs in the game, and a true leader. The Bears also have an edge in the return game with Devin Hester, a rookie from Miami who scored 6 TDs between Kickoff, Punt and Missed FG returns. He could be an X-Factor. Both teams have good kickers in Vinatieri and Gould, but the Colts get the edge there since Vinatieri has the experience in the clutch.

The old axiom has always been "Defense Wins Championships", and that could definitely be the case. If the Bears D dominates, then I think they will win easily in a blowout. If they can't force turnovers though, then I pick the Colts in a close game. The 7 point spread from Vegas is totally out of control, the ONLY way the Colts cover is if Rex implodes, and I just don't see the Bears coaches allowing that to happen. He will manage the game, like Trent Dilfer and not take chances. Or so the Bears hope. The Bears D is too good to let Manning have a big day, so that will keep the game close. If they get the turnovers though, look out...the Bears will win by 20 or more.

Honestly, I think the first quarter will tell you what kind of game this will be. If the Bears force early turnovers, the route will be on and the Colts will become one dimensional, forcing more interception and sack opportunities for the Bears. If they don't, then I think the game will take on the look of an old style prize fight, with the teams slugging it out to the end. I am HOPING for that type of game, and in the spirit of that hope I pick the Colts in a close game.

I apologize in advance to my good friends in Chicago who will no doubt hate me if this prediction is correct. I like Chicago, I just like the Colts more. And on the plus side...if the Bears come out and crush the Colts, you will be able to throw it in my face!

Colts: 31
Bears: 27

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Wow, it was a close call but I wound up going 4-0 this weekend with my playoff picks! The Bears had me nervous and the Pats had me to the point where I had already accepted their loss, before Brady stepped out of the phone booth and saved the day, with a lot of help from some boneheaded Chargers.

I will give a more detailed game by game analysis later in the week, as well as my picks for the Conference Championship games. Until then, have fun!

[ 1 comment ] ( 4 views )   |  [ 0 trackbacks ]   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 64 )

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1) Patriots at Chargers

This is in my opinion the game where the visitor has the best chance to win. The Pats are coming off a sub par season for them, but once again here they are 2 games from another Superbowl. Tom Brady is THE big game QB and I consider him the best in the league. Defensively they are always difficult to beat with their schemes and tough as nails players. The Chargers are the best all around team in the NFL with the best player in Ladanian Tomlinson. They also have one of the best defensive players in Shawn Merriman.

I just can't see a way that a "Rookie" (he's been in the league for 3 years, but this is his first season as a starter) is going to beat a Bill Belicek defense. He will be confused by the looks, coverages and blitzes. He is a kid, so will take chances and make mistakes if those become turnovers San Diego is in big trouble. On top of that the Chargers coach, Marty Schottenheimer, makes Peyton Manning look like a postseason superstar. He always has great regular seasons but always gets too conservative when it counts and appears to play more 'not to lose' then playing to win. The only thing that bothers me is that the Pats don't have mister automatic, Adam Vinatieri kicking those clutch FGs.

I believe in Brady! I think the Pats will rough up Rivers and limit LT. They should win a relatively close game, as long as they don't require a last second FG to win it.


2) Seahawks at Bears

Bears have an awesome defense that has been hurting as of late due to injuries and off the field issues. They have the best special teams and lead the league in TDs scored by defense and special teams. The big question mark is their QB. Rex Grossman can be great, or he can be horrible. If this game depends on him...Chicago has no shot. The Seahawks are decimated in their secondary and should have lost last week, if not for the butterfingers of Tony Romo. But they do have Shawn Alexander, a gret Running Back recovering from a broken foot. He could go off for a big game and carry Seattle, but I don't expect that.

The Bears are just too strong, and the Seahawks too banged up. The only chance Seattle has is to keep it close and wait for Grossman to hand them the game. Otherwise, I see Chicago winning big.



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The playoff matchups are interesting this year, and the games should all be close and fun to watch. Here are my breakdowns and picks.

1) Colts at Ravens

This is a tough one to pick. The Colts are obvious underdogs due to their porous defense, Peyton's history of playoff collapses and being on the road. The Ravens have a great defense and a rejuvenated offense with Steve McNair at QB. The game will come down to the running game. Whichever team can run it effectively will win. I don't expect Manning to have a great game, he is just too nervous during the playoffs and often outthinks himself. The Ravens won't win passing either because the Colts play a cover 2 umbrella coverage that keeps everything in front of them. Running the ball and turnovers will determine this outcome.

I like Manning and hope he can finally stop choking in the playoffs. I pick the Colts in a tight game.

2) Eagles at Saints

The Saints are flying high with Drew Brees at the helm and Reggie Bush providing a spark. The Eagles have Jeff Garcia filling in admirably for Donovan McNabb and the always dangerous Brian Westbrook running and catching the ball. The Eagles will be without Lito Shephard, their pro bowl caliber Cornerback, so I expect them to blitz more in order to protect that side from being exploited. The Saints defense is underrated and pretty good. The home crowd will be going nuts as they see the Saints resurgence as a symbol of hope for hurricane ravaged New Orleans.

I expect the Saints to come out firing and maybe make some early mistakes. But I think they will outclass the Eagles and Jeff "Cindarella" Garcia will turn into a pumpkin.The game will be close only if the Saints have some early game jitters. Otherwise they should roll to a convincing win. At least a two score margin.

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back.

What did you think I was going to say?


I've been dealing with some excruciating pain and stiffness in my lower back this past week. Worst I've had in years. For most of the week it's been so bad that I've limited my movement to a minimum during the day. Thankfully the job I'm on this week hasn't required too much climbing, and what little of it there was, my partner handled.

Yeah, this one was another football related injury. We played this past Sunday morning and I guess I didn't stretch enough, or I just overdid things. It was very cold out and I was already recovering from another injury (strained ribcage), which may have also played a part. Playing both sides of the ball may have also contributed, as I not only played my usual position of QB, but also played CB (cornerback) this week.

During our first defensive series I knew something was wrong. I felt pain on the left side of my lower back from my spine to about halfway around my waist. There are some dense muscles there and I guess that is what I strained. After that series I let the coach know that I was in pain and might have to be pulled out, but that I would try to muddle through. He was obviously concerned.

I continued and played the entire game, though in visible discomfort. It helped that I was constantly playing because it kept the muscles warm. While there was a lot of pain, I didn't notice much of a loss of mobility, so I kept playing. If it's just pain I can play thru it, but if it was going to restrict me from being able to do my job, I would have pulled myself out.

In the end, we won 48-8. We completely dominated them. After the game I went to Charlie's and we sat in the jacuzzi for over an hour. That helped, or so I thought. But once I got home and relaxed all of the muscles tightened up and the real pain began. I could barely move and considered not going into work for the next few days. The thing is, I rarely miss work, it's some sort of obsession I guess, if I can move I can work!

Anyway, as the week went along the pain has subsided gradually. Between some rest and the heating pad I have a little more mobility and a little less pain. I just don't think I will be back to normal by this Sunday (tomorrow), and we have another game. I already informed the coach that I will be there, but unless there is a major improvement, I'll just be a spectator. I just hope that we are beating up on our next opponent, otherwise I will be tempted to play.

Getting old sucks.


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Well tonight was a strange night on the Stargazer...

We had probably our lowest turnout in years, like 9 people. We had a lot of people out sick and at least 3 with computer issues. Funny how that happens a week after a great turnout eh?

Anyway the sim was puttering along nicely when BAM!!!! It became a disturbing image of the horrors of war as one side (the side we were allied with) used a devastating weapon that butchered our enemy within moments. The reaction was what I expected, the Gazer characters were appalled. That's good, since I don't think a Federation Officer would take pleasure in such brutality, even if the victims Romulans that were responsible for a lot of misery and were shooting at us!

I can't wait to see how the characters involved will react on After Dark over the coming week. Should be interesting.

Hmmm, now that I think about it...I do wonder if the choice of plot and some of our twists and turns are in any way related to the current state of affairs regarding the War in Iraq. It's very possible, even though I definitely did not set out to make any kind of statement in that regard. Maybe it's just some kind of subconscious reaction to all of the madness going on in that part of the world over the last few years.

It's something to think about I guess.

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Ugh, I felt like someone tore out my intestines watching the game end the way it did. The media appointed savior of the Parcells Cowboys, Tony Romo...dropped the ball as he was placing it for the game winning field goal(more like an extra point). Just dropped it! He almost turned the flub into a great game winning play, but he was tackled just short of the first down and touchdown. So, the Cowboys lose a heartbreaker of a game that they should have won, even though they really didn't deserve it. Not that it was all his fault, they couldn't convert on 3rd and inches earlier, they had two fumbles by receivers, one resulting in a safety and subsequent TD. It was right there, and the savior choked.

Let's face it, they aren't a very good team. They just happen to be in a very mediocre Conference. Offensive Line stinks, quarterback is exciting but not too smart with the ball, when he isn't fumbling it (9 fumbles in the last 3 games, to go along with like 5 or 6 interceptions). No running game, and Terrell Owens. The most overrated player in the NFL, league leader in dropped passes, excuses and people thrown under the bus. He's a poison that isn't even in the top 5 at his position. I can't wait till he is gone. Defensively, they aren't much better although they played ok for most of the game last night. The biggest problem is their secondary, especially Roy Williams the Safety. He is a perrenial Pro Bowler, but can't cover for crap. All they did was throw to whomever they saw him lined up against, and they never missed. If TO is the most overrated Offensive player, Williams is the most overrated defensively. Add Mike Vanderjagt to the mix and Jerry Jones hit the trifecta. Great job...

God I long for the days of Jimmy Johnson patrolling those sidelines. Yeah, another of Jones's genius decisions. Idiot.


As they always say; "Maybe next year."



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Last night we held the first Gazer sim of the new year and it pretty much kicked @$$. Lots of action as the climactic battle with Trelvyn's forces has begun.

Attendance was strong and we've picked up two new players who joined the sim last night, rounding out the Medical Department. One is a former Gazer department head who has returned after a couple of years. The other is someone Duke brought by who simmed in FSF a few years ago. Both played well and will be strong additions to the game. The last month or two we've been fortunate and picked up 4 or 5 very good players who are also very dedicated. 2007 looks like it may be one of the best for the sim considering the crew we have right now. I really look forward to seeing what they can do every Wednesday!

I've been thinking about trying some more "spec-ops" type missions this year. Usually I try to limit the amount of battle type sims and concentrate more on character development and problem solving RPs since the crew has always been so strong that it doesn't seem fair to simply hold battle sims every week. But, it's been a while since we've seen a lot of "action" and the Gazers seem to be enjoying the recent challenges, so I'll try to figure out some missions with more opportunity for conflict, without making it a weekly bloodfest. Maybe something where there will be "decision points", pivotal moments where someone has a choice; one leading to conflict another being a peaceful resolution, etc. We've done stuff like that before both here and on the Stennis, with great success. Needless to say, most times whether by accident or design, the choices have led to battle. It's just a variation of what I do now anyway, laying out a framework and reacting to the actions of the players. It's fun, and it shows them that every choice they make will have consequences, sometimes tragic ones.

Can you tell I'm excited about the 2007 Stargazer season?

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Just testing out the time options thingy since mine is off by like 3 hours.

***EDIT*** It's working now!

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Wow, it's been months since I've posted here. Many months, though not nearly as many as it seems since a whole slew of posts were wiped out by a hackers a few months back. Including my major Shore Leave posts where I chonicled the adventures of a group of FSFers in Baltimore where we attended the annual Sci-Fi convention and indulged in all types of craziness. Great posts with lots of accompanying pictures. Ugh, hackers suck.

After the posts were wiped out I basically stopped blogging. But now I will reconsider this decision and maybe even try to replace some of the missing posts, or at least the Shore Leave ones. I can also give a summary of what has gone on in my life since since June, which has been substantial.

Football, Relationships, Travel, Family, Simming, FSF...all kinds of changes in almost every aspect of my life. Most good some bad, and even a little ugly! ;)

Stay Tuned!

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Wow, it's been weeks since I've last posted. This is like the second long gap between posts, so I guess the novelty of the Blog is wearing off for me. I figured that would happen...Get all into it for a few weeks, then it tapers off. Oh well, I'll try to post more consistently, but I can't make any promises.

The last few weeks have been hectic. Work's been a pain in the butt, lots of OT. Which means a good amount of extra $$$$, but less time for other stuff, like rest!

FSF stuff has been hectic too. There was a new sim admission, Deep Space 9. It's a good sim with good Hosts, but there were some issues. The vote was very close, but it was admitted. Now we have a new game! Woohoo! There is also some talk of more games coming into FSF over the next couple of months.

Stargazer has been kicking ass, as usual. After Dark saw a bit of a drop off in posts, but with the holiday and a few people having personal issues, I don't expect it to last long. The Chat sim has been great though, and we've been running almost 2 hours for the last couple of months. We have also picked up a couple more good players, one a Host, another a former Host who is also one of the original Gazers. We've also picked up someone new to the FSF, so we've got a nice mix of additions.

With the new sim DS9 running at the same time as us, and its setting being a Space Station, I'm thinking about a joint sim. I don't know why, but I just like the idea of doing joint sims every once in a while. I mentioned it to the new Host, Icon, and he seemed excited about the idea. We'll probably wait until after this plot, and see where his plot is, before doing it. I'd also still like to have the SFMC: Angels of Death Marines come and visit us. They would fit in nicely with the current plot, and it would be cool. Besides that it should help them get more exposure, and will increase the AD activity short term. I gotta speak to Omni and Margo about that again.

Oh! I am also thinking about starting another game, an Open Sim. Actually, I am more than thinking about it, it's already in the works and will probably be launching on Wednesday June 21, at 8:30pm EST. I guess I have to start advertising it soon, so I'll get right on that.

I also want to incorporate some more training stuff into this sim, so new hosts, and trainees can gain practical experience in things like the attendance and generating Sim Report in the Staff Tools. I've already discussed it with Starla, who loves the idea, and Shuni who says its definitely doable from his end. I can't wait.

What else....eh...I'll end here and if I have anything more, I'll just post it in a new entry. Some time this year...

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Eh, it was nice out today and I haven't really done much around the house due to feeling so crappy the last week, so I figured it was time to do some work outside. I picked up a nice table and chair set for the front porch. Now I can sit out there and hang out, have my coffee and read the paper...and smoke! I don't smoke in the house, and used just stand out back when I needed a nicotine fix.

I have these three HUGE bush type things just past my front porch. They are nice, a medium green and once a year they burst with these little white and yellow flowers. It's really pretty for the two weeks that they are in bloom. The only problem is that this only happens once a year, and it's followed by a growth spurt. The bushes just explode in a huge mass and keep growing. On top of that, last summer it seemed to attract a lot of flies, which gets really annoying if I am sitting out front. So I figured I would grab my shears and cut the bushes back some. Then go looking for something to replace them during the week. Once I picked something I would have dug out the current ones, and dropped in whatever I chose. Sounded like a good plan and it was...until my bud Charlie dropped by.

Charlie is a lot like me, except to the extreme. He is uber-hyper and a bit more agressive. So, he pulls up and sees me working, and of course wants to help out, instead of just standing there. He asks for the shears and dove right in. When he heard my plan he looked at me and grinned. "Why Wait?" He said. In less than 15 minutes those three bushes were not only cut back, but pulled out. It took about another 10 minutes to break them up enough to fit into 5 huge garbage bags. So now I have a 3x6 plot of empty ground there, waiting for whatever I choose to plant. If I would have tried to do that myself, it would have taken somewhere in the neighborhood of two hours just to get the bushes out. Then again, I would have taken my time, and tried to keep things neat. Not Chucky...he waded in like a bull in a china shop. It's nice to have nutty friends sometimes, entertaining too.

With that done, I swept all around the house, then hosed everything down, then put the garbage out. Now everything looks nice and neat and it only took a couple of hours. Of course it's raining again, but if it stops soon, I am gonna go out back and clean up around the old deck. I need to do that so I can start getting ready for my big project for the spring.

I want to put a new deck out in the backyard, and a pool. The deck will encompass the entire yard, and wrap around the pool. It will be LIKE having an inground pool, without the extra expense, and with a more homey feel to it. It'll also be prettier this way. I want to be able to walk right out only the deck from the kitchen. Have a little area for a table and chairs, and the grill. Then, a few steps up, and the pool will be there, surrounded by the deck. The pool is going to take up most of the yard, I'm figuring on getting an oval, maybe something along the lines of 14 x 20. It won't be huge, but it will be plenty enough for me and my little house. It'll be nice to have, and I figure to host a lot of parties there over the summer. I'll let you guys know how things progress with it, and when it's done, I'll post pics.

Anyway...that's been my day so far.

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JOE rocks. He's one of my buds and he puts up with a lot from me. I pick on him a lot, and tease him. All in good fun, and he knows that, but still. Besides that, we vent to each other a lot when other people just piss us off. We also discuss a lot of issues that are important to FSF, sims and even real life. Like that time he was having ED problems...oh forget I said that.

He does a great job running Epsilon, and is always working on websites and guides and rules and anything else. He is crazy like that. He's also extremely anal retentive...NO! I don't mean that way! Get your minds out of the gutter.

He's a real family guy too, loves his wife and kids and is always talking about them. Though I do worry about his Dew addiction...I think it contributes to that problem I didn't mention earlier.

I don't think anyone in FSF could really say a bad word about Joe. He's pretty cool.


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Well, I am finally feeling a bit better. The Doctor thinks I had some kind of infection. Either sinus or respiratory. He gave me some Zithro and sent me on my way. Going back to work tomorrow, so my little vacation is almost over. Woohoo for work!

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I was right...

I'm home sick today, but it could have been worse. Usually I continue to go to work until I just about collapse. This time, I took some preventive measures and self medicated yesterday and took today off. Spent most of the day in bed...well in couch really. And I have a doctor's appointment in about 90 minutes. I figure I should be up and around in another couple of days. Woohoo!

What this means is that I will have more time to do stuff here on my computer. I'm gonna work on a few little projects like some FSF Housecleaning, and some work on getting our Open Sims Program running again. So...this week won't be a total loss.

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Blah...

I'm here at work taking a little break, having just completed my first job of the day. It's a crappy day with lots of rain. To make matters worse I think I am coming down with something. I haven't really felt 'right' since about Friday. Mostly just a feeling of being run down, so I took it easy for most of the weekend and got a lot of rest. I was feeling better until last night, when my throat started to hurt. Today it feels worse and on top of that my head feels 'swimmy'. Like I am not fully awake and alert. Usually this is a precursor to being sick. I rarely take time off of work, and muddle through days like this. Usually I feel better after a few days, but every once in a while it just gets worse until I an knocked on my @$$ for a week. This feels like one of those times. It's been about 2 years since I have really been sick, so I am due.

If I don't feel better in the morning I think I am gonna take a few days off to get better.

Ugh, I hate being sick.

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I just want to take a minute to wish all of the Moms out there a Happy Mother's Day.

You ladies all rock!

To everyone else:

Make sure to tell your mom how much she means to you, and how much you love and appreciate her!

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Let's see, I believe we left off with the Knights at a very respectable 4-2, including a great win over the FDNY, and a sloppy mudbowl loss to the Ravens. Our last two games were against powerhouse teams in the Mariners and Bandits.

Brooklyn Mariners

This game was one that I honestly did not expect to win. My goal was for us to just be within striking distance in the 4th quarter. The Mariners are far and away the greatest franchise in the hsitory of Semi-Pro ball, and the top team in the tri-state area. They are awesome. When we broke down tape of their previous games, I tried to find some weakness, something that would at least give our offense the illusion of a fighting chance against these guys, and I came up with nothing. They are like the Borg on Defense! LOL. No really though, they are awesome and it was looking to be a very long night for us.

The game itself turned out to be a real slugfest. Both defenses were playing great, and neither offense could get comfortable. They scored once on a quick slant that our Corner jumped on, and missed the tackle. The Receiver made the catch and walked the last 30 yards into the endzone untouched. Their other score came on a trick play on 4th and goal from about out 20 yard line. They pulled a flea-flicker and their QB just tossed it up for grabs. Our corner had position, and was waiting for the ball to come down like an outfielder (BIG MISTAKE!). The Mariner receiver came back, hit our guy in the back, then grabbed the ball for a real cheap TD. Of course, no flag from the ref for Offensive Pass Interference...but that is what happens when you play the Mariners.

Now, here we are down 14-0 at the half against the best team around. Perfect time for us to pack it in. But our guys played tough, and did not allow them another real scoring opportunity the rest of the game. As a matter of fact, the defense picked off 2 passes and returned them both for touchdowns....only to have them BOTH called back for illegal blocks. On Offense we ran a WR screen and it worked perfectly with my buddy "Speedy" taking it 60 yards for the score. But wait a second...is that another yellow flag!? Yes it was...a THIRD touchdown was called back by the refs for some kind of illegal block.

Our sideline was going crazy, our coaches were going crazy, hundreds of fans were going crazy, even a large number of Mariner fans were yelling about us getting ripped off. It was disgusting, it really way. The next day, when we reviewed the tape we saw one play that was questionable, and in that one it appeared that the Mariner player turned his back into our guy in an effort to get the call. The other two plays, we could find nothing that was illegal on our side. Pathetic.

Regardless, we had to finish up the game, and we did. We lost by 14-0 but we felt we won the game. We dominated them physically, and even they admitted that we played a much better game. But that is what happens when you are a GREAT team, you find ways to win the tough games. Even if it sometimes is the result of poor or biased officiating.


Bronx Bandits

This was another game against a top area team. The Bandits have won, or played for their league championship ion each of the last 5 years. While they do not have the history of the Mariners, they are working hard to get to that level. I would rank them as the second or third best team in the area.

This game was tough mostly due to many of our guys not being there. We were missing 3 of our starting 5 offensive linemen, and a number of starters on defense, including our heart and soul MLB Malcolm who was out with a knee injury.

This game we did better offensively, but had some key mental mistakes in the red zone. At one point our QB (the other one, not me!) had an easy first down and possibly a TD, but instead chose to throw into double coverage, resulting in an interception in the back of the end zone. I don't know what he was thinking, but it was the kind of mistake that would most definitely come back to haunt us. We did score two TDs, but we missed both conversions. One was a perfect pass to our Tight End, and he just vapor locked, and dropped it. That single play wound up being the difference in the game as we lost 14-12.

Defensively we were great as usual, and gave up only two big plays. Both were trick plays by the Bandits number one player. He ran a Wide Receiver end around (reverse) and took them to the house both times.

Once again, we had a defensive score wiped away by a phantom penalty. Another interception returned for a TD, and yet another yellow flag that we could find no cause for when we checked the tape. I am not one to whine, but it's kind of ridiculous for one team to have 5 touchdowns taken away over a course of 3 games. On the flip side, no TDs were taken away from any team we played against in the 8 games this season. It sucks.

Anyway, we lost a real close one to end our season at 4-4. While we all felt we deserved better, we must also take some responsiblity for the losses. The games we lost were were not prepared for, we did not practice enough. The last 4 weeks we never had enough guys to have a full practice, and it showed. Our lack of cohesion and rhythm on Offense was a direct result of not having enough practice time. If you look at the games where we worked hard during the week, you see a much different result. Maybe next year the guys will take that to heart and make it their business to show up to every practice.

But only if they want to win.

Even with the BS from the refs, and my personal issues with some questionable decisions by the coaching staff, I have to say that I had a great time. I got to play ball with friends I haven't seen in years, and I was able to prove to myself that I could still perform at a high level. On top of that I got a victory over the FDNY team that has always been one of the best. I was also approached by the coaches of 4 teams that wanted me to come play for them during the regular season. It was gratifying to say the least. I haven't made a decision yet, but I am seriously considering two of the teams. I am planning to take a couple of weeks off to recuperate and reflect. Then if I feel strong enough to go through a full season, I will contact the teams I am most interested in. If not, then I will just wait until next February and play with the Knights again. I of course, will let you guys know what I decide.

Time will tell....



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Wow...it's been about two weeks since I last posted here, about that but I've been really busy. I haven't been online much at all as of late, mostly thanks to work and my other activities going on. I guess I'll try to catch up over the next few days, this post was just to let everyone know that I am still alive.



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Hmph, I am having some issues with the blog preferences. If I want to add an entry I have to scroll down for about a mile past the list of every post I have ever made...it's annoying. I tried changing it in my Prefs, but no change. I wonder if its a bug, or something that can't be changed...or maybe just maybe it's something that Shunio can fix.

I have to go ask him.


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