could be a happy holidays after all

here's a little recap of my life since Friday...

my mother, sister, and I decided to do Christmas on Friday as my sister would be spending the holiday on call for work. i got some good things, but i more enjoyed the looks of disbelief on the faces of my mother and sister when they opened what i got them. i enjoy when i stun them with actual good gifts that they know actually cost money. we had a really nice dinner, some good wine, and as someone who absolutely hates the fucking holidays, i might have actually enjoyed myself.

so on Saturday it was a noon game for the Dayton Flyers. with not knowing if Kevin Dillard was going to play or not, my hopes weren't high for this game. luckily, he played and did incredibly well for someone who couldn't walk 2 days earlier. a huge win over a Murray State team that had won 16 straight road games and 37 of their last 40 games in total. i really hope this was the game that drives them to a huge season in conference and a trip to the big dance.

spent the rest of Saturday listening to some of the music i got for Christmas. i also wrote 3 poems. typed those up today and i think i may have a winner or two in there. i'll submit them sometime early in 2013.

my Sunday started off with Manchester United. i was hoping for all 3 points but i knew, deep down, that a draw in this game was a real possibility. i wouldn't have minded the 1-1 game if they didn't have so many damn chances to actually win it. fuck. lead is still 4 points. next game is on boxing day.

next, the NFL and my fantasy league playoffs. 1 final and 1 semi-final. it's funny, the semi-final that i was a huge favorite in i lost by less than 10 points. i really wanted to win that league (it's full of other poets), but hopefully i'll do well in the 3rd place game. that would be an improvement from 7th place last year. as for the other game, nothing like being the underdog, watching your bench do incredibly well, watching the Sunday night game just knowing you lost and sure enough, you win by 8 points. holy shit. didn't expect that at all. my 4th NFL Fantasy Championship. and the biggest stunner of all, won it with Tony Romo being my quarterback. talk about fucking stressful.

fast forward to today when my contributor copy of Nerve Cowboy shows up. of course, there were also credit card bills from Christmas, but i have some time for those. i love being in Nerve Cowboy. one of the best zines around.

plus, i got a little editing job that even pays. it's a job for a friend, but i get to set my own hours and pay. good thing she's a good egg or i'd be tempted to fuck someone over. not that i would actually do that, but the temptation surely would exist.

i hope everyone has a great next couple of days and end this year the way you want to.

music today:

Jamey Johnson - Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran
B.B. King - Blues Summit

"Poverty can teach lessons that privilege cannot." - Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 - Dec. 24, 2012)

it had to end sometime

i was on such a good roll. the writing was going well. the sports teams have been winning, causing me not to miss the NHL as much as i thought i would, and then...

1 point losses fucking suck. no way around it. i would much rather watch a team i'm rooting for get beat by 50 and know there was no way possible they could have won than endure what i did last night. Dayton was asleep for most of the first half until a furious rally to cut the lead to 2. a little back and forth in the second half, even getting the lead until, for some fucking unknown reason, they completely forgot how to beat a 2-3 zone. now, as someone who has known basketball 101 since i was 10, this was horrific to watch. even worse, it went on for almost 10 minutes. fuck me. needless to say, when their best player goes out injured with 4 minutes left (Kevin Dillard), i pretty much gave up hope. they staged another rally until the final shot, down by 1, and no one decides they were going to be the one to step up. so, the 2 last second prayers weren't answered and i get to mumble for the next 7 hours; if they would have done this, done that, no wonder people think i'm insane.

so after some awful sleep, thank you mother nature, i wake up this morning to see Manchester United has drawn Real Madrid in Champions League play. horrible news. only sliver of hope is the second leg is at home. but, that will be surreal seeing CR7 in something other than Manchester red on that pitch.

add in the coming storm, winds supposedly strong enough to knock out the power, my aching back, and the usual holiday blues... what a fucking shit storm all at once.

on the good side, did have a line come to me last night that i believe may spark a fury of writing in the coming days. i would mention it here but i know some fucker would steal it.

thoughts and prayers to my friend in California. hopefully, your health scares will be over soon.

and speaking of California, a thank you to Luis Berriozabal for the poems. much appreciated.

music today:

Disturbed - Asylum
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind
The Breeders - Last Splash

"Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire." - Patti Smith

after a good weekend

i was going to do this blog post a few hours ago but my "high speed" internet (wink, wink) shit the bed once again. supposedly someone will be out here on Wednesday to "fix" the problem. so, once again Frontier Communications, thank you for the bullshit.

i'd like to welcome RvP into the Manchester United immortals after this weekend. go win the league and the Champions League and you will never be forgotten. and if you City fans ever wonder why i've always thought of you as worthless pieces of shit, the blood running down Rio's face should always be exhibit a. may the 6 points quickly become 15 and the world can forget about the blue turds.

won 2 of my 3 fantasy football matches. would have won 3 but my dumb ass didn't start the Patriots TE. that cost me, but that team still won the division. next week, the playoffs.

thanks to those of you who have let me know that my Christmas gifts arrived. after the week i've had with the post office, good to know miracles still exist.

my sister's last gift arrived so now it's all about deciding do i wrap the presents with the comics or the obituaries. decisions, decisions.

looks like the Yankees will be getting older in the next few days. there are times when i wonder why i bother.

thankfully, the Dayton Flyers have turned the season around pronto and things are looking promising once again. as i stated in the preseason, this team goes as far as Kevin Dillard takes it. thankfully, he's now understanding that as well.

looking forward to the 12/12/12 concert coming up. always good when i can just sit back and listen to music for hours and hours. torn if i should get the Rolling Stones PPV on the weekend. i've seen them live before (with Beck) and i'm not convinced this is really the last tour. but still, it's the Stones...

enjoyed the final 4 on the Voice. i'll be completely shocked if someone from team Blake doesn't win again after the performances earlier.

enough of my ramblings. hope this finds everyone well.

music today:

Hammock - Departure Songs Sampler
The Civil Wars - Live at Eddie's Attic
Brooke Annibale - Silence Worth Breaking

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci

after a few midday beers

went to the red and blue game today at the University of Dayton. some quick observations, defense looks much better this year, the freshman look like they may contribute, but honestly, this team goes as far as Kevin Dillard takes it.

after that, got home to see that Manchester United won, 4-2. nice to see Wayne Rooney was feeling good enough today to score for both teams.

that didn't put me in the greatest of moods as Ohio State was losing at that time. add on that their best player was taken to the hospital and i figured this was a lost cause. cut to the touchdown with 3 seconds left and the 2 point conversion to tie it up at 22 and i was pretty much going ape shit. Ohio State wins in overtime 29-22. definitely a game they had no business winning. i love those. makes the alcohol that much better.

bought the cd of a local band tonight. check them out at http://humancannonball.bandcamp.com/.

long day of NFL games tomorrow, so i have no clue if i make it to Saturday Night Live, let alone Austin City Limits or Ring of Honor tonight. fuck, i'm getting old.

music today:

Red Wanting Blue - Live at City Winery

"Every artist was first an amateur." - Ralph Waldo Emerson