It's been awhile

Been very busy these last few months. Work has been good, we just let go a couple of Instructional Designers from my team. They just couldn't deal with the manager.

So the flag football is going well pretty different. This is my first time coaching football to kids. I played HS and some college football and when i was in the Navy i played 10 yrs of flag football. So i thought it would be nice to "volunteer" as a coach at the YMCA for the NFL youth Flag Football plus my step son who is a monster. 14 y/o 225 at 5'11". I just don't know why he didn't play tackle, anyway that is another story. So before the season began I was begged by the YMCA athletic director that they needed another head coach for the U15 team,well i couldn't say no and thats when the soap opera began. I thought it was going to cool coaching 13-14-15 y/olds about flag football.So i drew up about 20 plays nothing complex, besides it was 5-on-5. Bought a wrist band so the QB can call the plays, built a playbook, outline the practices the whole thing. I felt i was orgnanized. So i get the kids for the first practice and I had a few that towered over 6ft tall. Kids that was 14/15! So we got dubbed the team to beat. So the second practice we started calling plays, well i did..."strong right-in motion fly-out-curl in -post corner" Boy did i get a strange look from these kids. it was funny. The kids came up with a team name...Oakleaf Gators, of all the team names. I wondered why they didnt like my team name...Oakleaf Buckeyes.

First game two weeks ago.. we lost to our rival 28-21. They had three safeties on us. Our defense was really good that day 4 INTs two returned for a TD. Everyone played that day. Total of 8 players that day. i thought it was a very good game I even busted my ass on the sideline running with one of the players after he had intercepted the ball and returned for a TD. Anway practice began Monday and the soap opera continued. A couple of parents were a little concern about playing time for their sons. One parent asked me how come i didnt put his son at QB in the game.Well i didnt tell him what was on my mind of course so i had to put it a different way. it seems every kid wants to come in and QB. I can't please everyone

The second game. we were at full strength, 10 players. Our regular QB was back in town. The kids were fired up and confident. they told me "NO SAFETIES" today adn that we are going undefeated the rest of the way. The team we were playing was small. The short story we lost 19-6. 90% was my fault this time. We had to travel to the other YMCA in the county for this game. So when we got there, there was no refs for the game. I come to find out that they were all relaxing near the picnic table. So i strolled over there and asked the refs are we going to start today or wait till the next game. Fisrt mistake on me. They said sure we will be there in a sec. Then the refs came and asked for a pen to keep score. My first thought refs not organized. So it was 6-0 at half time and were losing due to A LOT of dropped balls. I thought we would get the ball after halftime since we deferred, oh no it doesn't work this way at this YMCA. Then i asked the ref are you guys in High School? Sure enough they both were and then he started to argue with me about what does that have to do with it. I responded to say its just a question. But he still started to jack his jaw. So i asked him are you going to ref the game or jack your jaw to me. Then thats when the laundry started to fall all over the field. The team ended up with five flags, the refs were calling everything. We couldn't win that day, we ended up losing to a weaker team 19-6. At one point of the game the refs asked my team what was the score of the game. I am just glad we don't have to go there anymore the rest of our games are home and besides all the teams make the playoffs. So post -season counts.

Well practice is today and i am sure to be braced for the parents.

 

Posted by DefiantGray @ 11:01 am EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments

What a work week

I finally published a web course after numerous nick picky bullshit from the the SMEs. Once i got it published and posted to"Blackboard", my manager comes around and says, hey  I got another one for ya. So much for the hand shake or pat on the back, just here you go. I would like a day to do just piddly work around the office, but thats ok.

Anyway went to the doctors this past week to get my ticker checked out. I went because my wife said so. She doesn't want to be alone raising our little daughter. Well it turns out the doc said i need to handle pressure or stress at work a little better. Well i guess he was right, it has been stressful for me, buying  a brand new house, the new baby, my project, softball, coaching flag football, Ohio State football and of the course the ex-wife. I will set up a routine for me to add a little more cardio to my life.

Now i can get back with the clan buddies and hit up some customs nights to get the andreline pumping again. My stepson has gotten really good at playing Halo 2, I think he is up into the 30s, anyway me and him  will be riding down to Orlando in January for some Pro-league gaming tournament. I thought a little step-father to step-son bonding would help us out and score some points with the wife. My step-son is 14, so he will get a kick out of it playing in the tournament.

The wife's birthday is next week. Yeah I got her something. We are big Journey fans, so i got us floor seats to see Def Leppard and Journey. Oh yeah I scored major kudos for that one.

One last thing would some please inform the Michigan "campus cuties" section that the beach is closed for Spring Break in Florida.

Posted by DefiantGray @ 12:10 pm EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

Nice weekend

I work in the mortgage business as an instructional designer building courses for clients. Well our client from Wash D.C. area came down to J-ville to buy the whole design team lunch. Talk about being pampered. We were up on the top floor of the Modis building(see pic below) and we were wine and dine for such a great job. Talk about the money this company had, they even brought their whole team down to meet face to face with the developers to wine and dine together. I was impress with the whole shindig, it was a millionaire's club where they took us to lunch.

Saturday was wings and beer at the "Ohio State Southern Campus" (BW3s). Gotta love college football. However my ass was hurting after watching football from 12 hours straight. Great games on the tube.Now tonight heading on down the Alltel stadium to watch the Steelers/Jags game. I might have a sick day tomorrow.

 

GO BUCKS! O-H-I-O

Posted by DefiantGray @ 11:21 am EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

Shopping for the baby....Daddy style

My wife said "NO way in hell am I getting those!" Thought it was hilarious that she sent these.

 

 

 

oops how did that get in here

Posted by DefiantGray @ 9:06 am EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

hUMp Day

I come to find out that corporate world is amazing sometimes with the deadlines put onto projects. I was used to deadlines in the military. Of course military deadlines are different compared to corporate. Operational readiness to a project going live. Civilians telling me that they will get around to you when they can. I understand people have other thing s to do. And i try to be very professional about the situations here in the corporate world, try not to bark orders like in the military or cuss like a sailor, to me that is flipping the switch off in the work place.  My current project that i am working on is very simple to me, creat a wed-based training course. Cool got the website up and running, recorded all the audio, the captivate movies, and documents. Just when you think, you developed an awesome product, the SME(Subject Matter Expert), quotes a favorite Lee Corso lyric "Not so fast my friend." She has some nick pick things about the movies and the website. I don't know why she couldn't review them two weeks ago when i said, "you need to look at this." Anyway she has put the project behind two weeks. I know now i will be working late the next several days trying to get the website to go live, there goes my clan night tonight with my buddies. I guess that is why it's called Mature Rage.

Anyway played a little softball last night with the MEN. We had a good game, up 9-6 going into the final inning and thats when mistakes start to happen. You start looking at just getting 3 and out.  Well it turned out to be 4 runs scored by their bottom of their line up before we got our chance totie it up. Yep we did, 10-10 going into the 8th, and once again mistakes happen. You know where to find the weak spots on a mens softball team, its always the guy in right field. Sure enough their top of the line pegged him for 5 runs. Well we ended up losing 15-10. Our first game went the same way, lost 13-12 in the last inning. I rather get blown out to play those tight games.

On a side note. I am heading to the doctor's today at the request of my wife. I have been complaining of pressure in my chest for the last couple of days. I don't know what it could be, but i don't have any chest pains or pains in the arm. My wife said she needs me around to help raise my daughter. So i have to get it checked. I dont have any family history of heart disease, jsut curious what could be causing this pressure. I'll post tomorrow on the outcome.

My Little Angel, Ciara

 

Posted by DefiantGray @ 7:55 am EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments