Every Monday, I document the happenings of the past week. The original (and still primary) intent is to track my progress in meeting my writing goals. Increasingly, I’ve been discussing more than just writing. For example, I’m a sports nut, so occasionally I’ll throw in a sports tidbit. I may talk about World of Warcraft, do-it-yourself projects, travel, food, or beer and wine. I think potpourri fits very well. *grins*

Writing

Weekly Word Count

My weekly goal is 2,000 words. I use an Excel spreadsheet to track all my work by category (blog post, copyediting work, creative writing) and item. So all I need to do is add up the “words” column and I’m good to go. Blog posts and creative writing count full credit. Copyediting for other writers is counted at ten percent of the starting word count for the document; style sheets for that copyediting will count twenty-five percent. Editing my own work, if and when I get to that point, will count fifty percent of the starting word count. This week’s word count: 3,039.

• Blog Post: “Weekly Wrap-Up: June 14,” 807 words
• Blog Post: “Eight Chrome Extensions I Can’t Live Without,” 1,280 words
• Short Story: “The People,” 952 words. This story will probably be posted here on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Writing Group

Last week, I lamented about the creativity flame flickering. It got rekindled in a pretty big way when some friends and I (kick-started by Breana FullOfAwesome) (yes, that really is her name!) started a Google Wave where we talked about writing, among other things. That has ballooned into at least three Waves now, with writing prompts, short stories, critiquing, and wishful thinking. We start a new Wave each day, and it’s actually a pretty effective chat room, as well. But I think we’re also starting to realize some of the benefits Wave can offer to collaborators. Since we’re constantly egging each other on, it’s hard not to want to write more!

Potpourri

World of Warcraft

With the advent of the Midsummer Fire Festival in-game, I will be working on the last achievement I need to get my first 310-speed mount, the Violet Proto-Drake. With luck, I’ll have it tonight. Otherwise, tomorrow or Thursday.

Sports

FIFA World Cup

Even if you aren’t a sports fan, you’d have to be a real hermit (in which case, you wouldn’t be here!) not to be aware of the World Cup, which began on June 11 and will end on July 11. If nothing else, you’ve surely heard of the vuvuzelas—the plastic horns that are a fixture at South African sporting events. (I remember them, in fact, from my college days, but they weren’t very popular, and were simply called “plastic horns.”)

I’ve been watching as many games as possible, recording the morning matches on my DVR for watching at a more reasonable hour…like, after breakfast. And of course I was glued to the (live) broadcast of the USA–Slovenia game on Friday, which ended in a 2–2 draw after the referee disallowed what would have been the winning goal for the USA side. However, we can still move into the knockout round with a victory over Algeria Wednesday morning, which we should be able to do. However, as Spain found out when they were defeated 1-0 by Switzerland last week, just because you’re a better side doesn’t mean you’ll win.

U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

Of course I watched the Open over the weekend, and enjoyed it immensely. I was really surprised to not see one of the big names—Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els—not assert himself on Sunday (especially after Tiger’s charge on Saturday). Instead, 30-year old Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, the 36-hole leader and in second place at the start of the final round, hung tough to win his first major championship. It was hard not to root for such a likeable, self-effacing young man, and indeed, between him and the Frenchman, Gregory Havret, who finished second, there was a lot to be happy about.

Men’s College World Series

My alma mater, UCLA, is in the CWS for the first time since…well, practically forever. After beating arch-nemesis Cal State–Fullerton earlier in the month to advance, the Bruins recorded their first-ever victory in a CWS game, trouncing Florida 11-3. They play again tonight, and I just hope they can keep the magic flowing!

Happy Anniversary!

To me! And to my bride of 36 years (on Tuesday the 22nd)! To celebrate, I went to our local chocolatier and picked up 36 handmade truffles. That should keep me out of the doghouse until at least, oh, I dunno…Thursday?

To any of you wondering what the secret is to a marriage as long as ours…learn how to say “Yes, dear” and sound like you mean it! *grin*

Weekly Wrap-Up: June 21 is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

Following the lead of my mentor, friend, and exemplar, Tami Moore, this is a weekly article to document progress in meeting my writing goals as described here. I use an Excel spreadsheet to track all my work by category (blog post, copyediting work, creative writing) and item. So all I need to do is add up the “words” column and I’m good to go. This article will be counted, minus the first 150 words. However, it will be counted in the following week’s total. All other blog posts and creative writing count full credit. Copyediting for other writers is counted at ten percent of the starting word count for the document; style sheets for that copyediting will count twenty-five percent. Editing my own work, if and when I get to that point, will count fifty percent of the starting word count.

How Did I Do?

My weekly goal is 2,000 words. This week, despite more than a bit of spring fever – start of baseball season, The Masters, and 60-degree temps in Rapid City – and a marked disinterest in writing anything, I clocked in at 3,250 words, aided by almost 1,400 words written last night between 11 p.m. and midnight.

• “Weekly Wrap-Up: April 2″ — 957
• “Clearing Up the Confusion” — 682
• Feather Path, “The Teacher” — 231 (copyediting)
• Novel — 1,380 words

Spring Fever

On Monday, Major League Baseball’s opening day, I watched my Dodgers fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first of a three-game series. During that game, I called my local cable provider and signed up for MLB Extra Innings, their pay-per-view baseball package. I am hopeful that I’ll see at least a few games called by the inestimable Hall of Fame broadcaster, Vin Scully. I was a bit frustrated, though, that the Angels’ games against the Minnesota Twins (a 6- or 7-hour drive from Sioux Falls, home base of my cable company) were blacked out, despite being played in Angel Stadium. Similarly, the Colorado Rockies’ games – not being played in Denver, mind you – were also blacked out.

I also enjoyed watching The Masters’ Par-3 tournament on Wednesday, headlined by golf’s Big 3 of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. The highlight was watching Arnie drain a 70-foot downhill putt on the last hole for birdie. It doesn’t get any better than that for an old-school golf fan such as myself. Yesterday, I started watching ESPN’s coverage of the tournament’s first day, and I was excited to see Tom Watson do so well in his opening round, as well as Phil Mickelson. And I was excited for Fred Couples, leading the tournament after the first round with an opening 66: not too bad for a 50-year-old!

But my eyes, as well as most of those in the golf world, were glued to Tiger Woods. I was very happy to see him in such good form after a 144-day layoff, and he hit some beautiful shots. I was fairly certain that he’d be able to put his personal issues aside for a few hours to focus solely on golf; after all, most of us, when doing something we truly love, are able to wall off even the most miserable issues we’re facing, if only for a short period. It was also gratifying to see Woods making an effort to be more open, both with his fellow competitors, and with the fans. I think I saw more smiles and acknowledgements from him in that round than I’ve seen from him in an entire previous golf season.

The thermometer managed to hit 60 again yesterday, albeit briefly, but it appears that spring has finally arrived in the Black Hills (despite the blizzard conditions we endured for a bit on Saturday). Looks like my outdoor projects will get started in another week or two (although the possibility of a spring blizzard is with us through May).

The Novel

The universal cure for writer’s block: Spit on your muse, and just write!

To put it bluntly, it has had me stymied. After easily cranking out over 3,000 words of the rewrite, as documented here last week, I ran into a wall. I’d read what I had, then questioned the plausibility of just about everything I’d written. Finally, on Thursday, I bounced my concerns off a writer friend. Essentially, I was questioning the why and how of my plot; she helped me to answer those questions. Ironically, her answers were the same ones I’d developed and cast away; but coming from an outsider, they sounded much more logical. As a result, I was at least able to write something last night, even if I know it’s fluff. But that’s 1,400 words more than I had at this time yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that.

The point of this bit of babbling, for all you aspiring writers (you who are actually producing already know this), is to have a some kind of support group, whether it’s one person or many, for you to bounce off ideas. Maybe you need to figure out how to introduce a new character. Or maybe you need to be told that you need to introduce a new character. Maybe you, as I did, have questions about how your plot is or should be developing. Get people you trust to be candid, and really listen to what they have to say. And by all means, visit the websites of other writers to gain insight from them.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but all writers suffer, to one degree or another, from writer’s block. The cure is universal: Spit on your muse, and just write!

I’ll have more next week; right now, I have some writing to do.

Weekly Wrap-Up: April 9 is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

Following the lead of my mentor, friend, and exemplar, Tami Moore, this is a weekly article to document progress in meeting my writing goals as described here. I use an Excel spreadsheet to track all my work by category (blog post, copyediting work, creative writing) and item. So all I need to do is add up the “words” column and I’m good to go. This article will be counted, minus the first 150 words. However, it will be counted in the following week’s total. All other blog posts and creative writing count full credit. Copyediting for other writers is counted at ten percent of the starting word count for the document; style sheets for that copyediting will count twenty-five percent. Editing my own work, if and when I get to that point, will count fifty percent of the starting word count.

How Did I Do?

My weekly goal is 2,000 words. This week’s total was a very nice 4,597 words.

• “Weekly Wrap-Up: March 26″ blog post—954
• Novel—2,959
• “The Year So Far” blog post—684

At 16,800 words, March was my most prolific month to date. By comparison, January was 14,980, and February—negatively impacted by my vacation over the first 17 days—was a pedestrian 8,758. Through last Friday, my weekly average is 3,171 words—well ahead of my 2,000 word goal. I’m not displeased.

About the Banner

Earlier this week, I began following Jim C. Hines, a fantasy author whose blog is about more than just writing. Today he announced he is giving away an autographed advance review copy of his forthcoming book, Red Hood’s Revenge. Originally, Jim wanted to ask for donations to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) or a local rape crisis center for a chance to win the book. However, since he believes that may run afoul of Michigan’s charitable gaming laws, all he’s asking is that you email him. Full details are at the banner link as well as the second link in this paragraph.

In his article, Jim cites some statistics about rape that I found both frightening and appalling. For example:

World Health Organization report on Violence Against Women: “In a random sample of 420 women in Toronto, Canada, 40% reported at least one episode of forced sexual intercourse since the age of 16.”

According to its website, RAINN has been labeled by Worth magazine as “One of “America’s 100 Best Charities.” Blythe Danner, one of my favorite actresses of the ’70s and ’80s, is a RAINN sponsor.

Needless to say, I wholly support this endeavor. I’ve been an anti-rape advocate for as long as I can remember, and certainly as far back as my college days, when a coed was raped and murdered in a parking structure just a few hundred yards from my apartment at UCLA. In addition to making a donation to RAINN, I’ll be displaying Jim’s banner in lieu of my usual Amazon and Thesis banners through April 16 (the drawing date). I strongly encourage you to make a tax-free donation to RAINN or a local rape crisis center in your community. One in four is too many. One in ten, or one in a hundred, are too many.

Idle Thoughts

Item: Tiger Woods to return to competitive golf at The Masters next week. Good, and about time. I just hope CBS will focus on the golf, and not the other crap. The tabloids and E! do enough of that. Yes, Tiger made a colossal mess of his personal life; no, we probably don’t know all there is to know. So what? I really don’t give a damn about whether his manager, caddie, or anyone else knew of his affairs. I don’t care about his personal affairs, period. All I want to do is watch him play golf.

Item: Baseball season gets underway this week. Looking forward to this season, hopeful that my Dodgers can again win the NL West and maybe get all the way to the World Series this year. Of course, they have the very messy divorce case of their owner to deal with, which probably will only be a distraction when they’re asked about it by idiots in the media. As long as they are getting paid, why should the players and coaches care about their boss’s personal life? (Answer to rhetorical question: They shouldn’t.)

Item: Rams figure to take former Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford with first pick in NFL draft. The draft takes place on April 24 (Thursday night in prime time: a really, really dumb call, NFL!); the Rams will have a private workout with Bradford on April 21. However, unless he breaks a leg (or an arm) during that workout, he figures to be a slam dunk (to mix sports metaphors) to go #1. Mark Bulger has done a fine job since replacing Kurt Warner, but he’s gotten pretty beat up the past couple years. However, I’m hopeful he can do a lot to bring Bradford along as an able replacement next year or in 2012 (assuming, of course, there’s a 2011 season).

Item: Raiding in WoW is becoming more of a pain. Odd that I would say that this week: For the first time in months, we were able to do a 25-person raid more than one night this week. In fact, all three nights saw us in 25-man raids! Tuesday and Wednesday we were in ICC, and Wednesday night we scored a guild-first kill of Festergut-25. Last night we were short of healers and a tank (as well as some key DPS) so we headed into ToC-25, to get some of our lesser-geared folks both some 25-person raid experience and possibly some loot. We only got as far as killing Jaraxxus, but we did upgrade a few people.

So why is it a pain? Because it’s becoming more like work: We’re generally short on healers (and no way we could get the seven or eight recommended for Lady Dreamwalker), and we don’t often have more than two tanks, so we’re generally asking one of our top melee DPS to switch to an off-spec as second or third tank. For myself, I’d much rather progress on 25-man content than 10-man, but even when we run 10-mans, if we can’t get a second group going, that means a dozen or more are left out. More and more, I wonder if I’ll make it to Cataclysm.

Item: Spring in South Dakota is a love-hate season. On Monday and Tuesday, our temperatures were in the 70s. Yesterday it rained early in the morning and late in the afternoon (when I was outside at the grill, smoking some baby-back ribs). This morning, I woke to a blizzard. (blizzard [n.] – when it snows sideways) Mother Nature seems to be suffering a 90-day PMS cycle this time of year.

Weekly Wrap-Up: April 2 is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

That pride has been there, subdued—almost hidden—for many years. You only need to hear the words to their national anthem to know it:¹

True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

And from the French lyrics:

Thy history is an epic
Of the most brilliant exploits.

Yesterday, that growing pride burst forth in full bloom. Sixty thousand fans in Vancouver’s Canada Hockey Place were certainly proud, as the best hockey game in the last thirty years went to sudden-victory overtime after a plucky American team–not even considered a threat for any medal, by many experts–pulled their goalkeeper with 80 seconds remaining in the contest. Almost unbelievably, that strategy paid off after the most explosive American scorer of the Olympic tournament, Zach Parise (himself the son of a former National Hockey League player, J. P. Parise—a Canadian) scored the improbable tying goal with only 24.4 seconds remaining in the third and final period of regulation play.

And a little over seven minutes into the 20-minute extra period, the newest superstar in Canadian hockey (even before the Olympic Games!), Sidney Crosby, took a desperation pass from a teammate and fired in the direction of the American goal. With Destiny guiding the puck, it went under the pads of the most outstanding player of the Olympic tourney, American goalie Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. An impossible shot, impossible to defend…and suddenly Canada had won the Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey.

I can only imagine the pure joy among the Canadians, but I think I can imagine it fairly well: I remember very clearly when the US “Miracle on Ice” occurred at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY. A scruffy, scrappy bunch of college kids, barely out of their teens, beat the Soviet hockey juggernaut that had been playing together longer than some of the American players had been out of diapers. The gold medal game against an outstanding team from Finland two nights later was an anticlimax. (In fact, many Americans incorrectly believe the game against the USSR was the gold medal game.) I’d have given a lot to have been in Vancouver last night, if for no other reason than to drink a lot of beer!

That pride, together with the uniquely Canadian ability to not take themselves too seriously (we Americans could learn a lot from our northern neighbors on that score!) was also quite evident throughout the closing ceremonies last night. “We know you peed in the snow!” and “Hello, I’m Bill” and “Hello, I’m Mike.” I couldn’t tell behind Michael J. Fox’s glasses, but I have no doubt that Mr. Shatner was a bit teary-eyed, and deservedly so. In fact, if there was a dry Canadian eye in the house, I can only suspect a medical condition. Hell, I was choking up!

Canada’s uncharacteristic Olympic goal was to “Own the Podium”: Garner more medals than any other country. Uncharacteristic, because Canada is not a “me first” or “Canada first” society. (The sometimes-fractious relationship between native French speakers and native English speakers is a testament to that.) However, I believe (and hope) Canadian nationalism is busting out all over. Canada and its people have much to be proud of, and I don’t think national pride (not jingoism) is a sin at all. Let the record show that while Canada finished third in overall medal count, they not only owned the Gold podium, they set a record for gold medals in a Winter Olympics. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer people.

Canadians are self-effacing and polite, even apologetic, almost to a fault. One of my best friends is a Canadian guild-mate. I once thought that her thanking guildies for helping in a dungeon run or with a quest was a character flaw, especially when she’d thank them when we started, a couple times through the run, and a couple more times afterwards. But no more: I know now that she is simply one embodiment of her national character, and I like and admire her the more for it.

Recently, Kat has been given more responsibility in our 25-man raid. At first she was hesitant, but she’s come out of her shell, and is, dare I say, proud of the part she’s playing in our mounting success as a guild. But even when she’s directing our ranged combatants in raids, she is unfailingly polite: Every single order she gives ends with a very clear “Thank you!”

So, Canada, be proud! You’ve earned the right to be, and not just because of a hockey game, or a wonderful two-week Olympic party, but because you are a wonderful people, in a wonderful country, and we Americans are blessed to be able to call you “neighbor.”

O Canada, we stand and clap for thee!

O, Canada! is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

Television Coverage

• FIRE JOE BUCK. He’s not a great baseball announcer, but he’s worse at football. I realize I may be the only person in the country who feels this way: A Twitter search for #firejoebuck came back empty. Troy Aikman, on the other hand, is a great analyst. I may be prejudiced, since we’re both UCLA graduates.
• SCRAP CLETUS. Cletus (or Cleatus) is the idiotic dancing robot featured on FOX. What the hell is the point? Amazingly, this idiotic construct is available as a freaking action figure! Sorry, no link to that; consider it my way of removing temptation.
• I’m noticing a trend here, so let me just get it out there right now. Note to Roger Goodell: Fire Fox Sports.
• While you’re at it, Commissioner, how about enfranchising the vast majority of NFL fans who do NOT have DirectTV. Just a thought.
• ESPN, just thought you might like to know: "NFL Gameday" is starting to show its age. I love Chris Berman, but I’m getting really tired of his sad efforts to mimic John Facenda. It’s not even campy anymore. Incidentally, quarterback is the most important position in the game. WHY is there no QB on the Gameday set? (No, do NOT bring back Joe Theisman!) By the way, most of the people reading this never saw Mike Ditka coach a game in the NFL. I’m just sayin’…
• Dan Fouts and Brian Billick are arguably the best analysts in the game today, along with Aikman. In fact, Fouts can give Aikman a run for his money, and the perspective of a respected coach like Billick is pretty refreshing.
• Peyton Manning is the best pitchman in the game. Peyton plus little brother Eli: Unstoppable.
• Best commercials: The CBS and Fox spots for NCIS/NCIS: Los Angeles and Bones, respectively, if for no other reason than to remind us the new season starts this week.
• Worst commercials: All the rest. I can’t wait for Tuesday so we won’t be inundated with ads for the Wolverine movie. Dishonorable Mention: Valvoline. Worst Product (I know it isn’t brand-new): Bud Light Lime. Anyone who calls that "beer" should be shot. Often.

Football Notes

Living where I do, I get "local" games, plus the late "national" game (assuming it’s not a "local" team). For us, "local" means Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and maybe the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately for me, I’m not a fan of any of those teams. I realize that’s my bad luck, but I can’t convince my wife to move to Missouri for the NFL season (I am an unabashed Rams and Chiefs fan). If we moved to San Diego, I’d quickly convert to being a fan of the Chargers, but only when they wear powder blue.

So on Sunday, I was privileged to watch the Broncos at Cincinnati, and the Vikings at Cleveland. I guess if I lived in Ohio, I’d have seen the same games. I picked the Bengals and Vikes. My feeling with the Broncos was, Carson Palmer (Bengals QB) would be able to overcome Kyle Orton and the Broncos. The Browns have been a model of ineptitude since before they were moved to Baltimore; the current reincarnation hasn’t been impressive. And say what you will, but Brett Favre is still Brett Favre. Brady Quinn isn’t.

The biggest "Oh WOW!" play of the day was the Denver touchdown with 11 seconds left. Having no rooting interest in either team, I can only imagine how sick the Cincy fans must be after that pass was tipped, caught and run in. On the other hand, if Cincy had taken advantage of (a) the onside kick they recovered to start the game or (b) not blown a chip-shot field goal early on, they might not have been in that position in the first place.

The Vikes-Browns game was pretty boring for much of the game, but eventually, you had the feeling (well, I did, anyway) that sooner or later, Favre and Adrian Peterson would get it together. They did, with the expected outcome. I’m still not ready to give the Vikings a free pass to the Super Bowl, or even to the playoffs. Can you imagine a 12-4 team not making the playoffs? While I doubt that will happen, it seems a lot more likely in the NFC Central than it does in the NFC East.

Speaking of the overhyped NFC East… As I write this, there are 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter of the Giants – Redskins game. It’s 17-7 Giants, and the only reason it’s that close is because the Giants got suckered on a fake field goal just before the half (just one reason the G-Men will NOT be in the Super Bowl, by the way). Why FOX thought this would be the premier game on Sunday is beyond me. Folks, the Redskins are the worst team, by far, in the NFC East. In fact, I daresay they would be better than third in the NFC Worst West! Coincidentally, the other two late games today are games involving all four NFC West teams: St. Louis at Seattle, and San Francisco at Arizona. Both of these games are more compelling than the "national" game.

Tonight’s Green Bay – Chicago game should be a barn-burner. Two excellent young quarterbacks get a chance to walk the talk. I’ll be rooting for the Packers, because Aaron Rogers hasn’t claimed to have a better arm than either Bart Starr or Brett Favre. No, I’m not a Jay Cutler fan.

Finally, the Monday night games. As is usual the past couple years, we get a kickoff double-header. Why, oh why does one of these games always have the gawdawful Oakland Raiders? In Major League Baseball when ownership no longer has the interests of the sport at heart (see Schott, Marge), the commissioner steps in. Al Davis is ruining a once-proud franchise. The Raiders, however, are no longer hated, or feared. They are simply to be pitied. That’s the late game; the early game will be a blowout of the Bills by Tom Brady and the Patriots. I suspect Bill Belichick will want to prove that Brady is 100 percent. 

If I’m still fired up on Tuesday, I may list my top 10 or 12 teams after Week 1. If I do, I suspect there will be at least three AFC teams before any NFC team is listed, and perhaps four or five.

Any other NFL fans out there? Tell me where you disagree (or heck, stroke my ego and tell me where you agree!). Just in case I pick up some new readers: Keep your comments nice. Flagrant fouls will be penalized by disqualification.

Some Observations on the New NFL Season is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

About 3 minutes ago, I was reading Darren Rowse’s latest update at ProBlogger. While my blogging empire isn’t as expansive as Darren’s doesn’t exist, I dimly recalled stating this was going to be a more personal blog. Maybe, just maybe, I should start writing some of those more personal posts. So on a lazy Labor Day (happy holiday to my American and Canadian readers!), I think I’ll do just that.

The Blog

A few weeks ago, I undertook a significant redesign, and, in the process, I learned quite a bit more about the Thesis theme I use. I’m quite satisfied with the look of the site now, but of course, I’m an inveterate tweaker. Sometimes, the tiniest changes give me the greatest pleasure. For example, I’m very happy with how the subscription area looks now.

Speaking of subscriptions, I should note the Aerie turned two a few weeks ago (August 17, to be precise).  So for you numbers oriented people, here’s what two years (and a few weeks) of blogging have generated:

• 366 posts (not counting this one)
• 13 categories (down from a LOT more, when I was blogging exclusively about World of Warcraft)
• 284 tags (up a LOT, since I converted a lot of WoW categories to tags; I may further refine those soon)
• 2,063 comments (thank you!)
• 9,292 spam comments caught by Akismet
• Roughly 100 spam attempts per day blocked by Bad Behavior ¹
• ~800 RSS subscribers ²
• ~360 Twitter followers ³

The spam got so bad a couple weeks ago, I finally started blocking IP addresses via my .htaccess file; since then, I think the Bad Behavior numbers have jumped up a lot, but the number of comments I’ve actually had to delete via Akismet has dropped by a roughly corresponding number.

World of Warcraft

Yep, still playing, as evidenced by the WoW page here. (The link is in the top level menu.) Quite a few new achievements being reported, including finally getting Osprey credit for Stratholme! (I was there again to finish up my Argent Dawn rep, for the Argent Crusader title.)

In July, we were running 25-mans regularly, but some drama caused by one jerk (yeah, I said it) caused most of the Oroborus members to leave our merger with Closed. My friends and I stayed in Closed, and at least we’re getting some 10-man stuff done (which, sadly, is more than The Oroborus is doing at the moment), but we’re really disappointed not to be running 25-man Ulduar and ToC.

Right now, we’re stuck on Mimiron in Ulduar, and the Faction Champions in 10-man ToC. (I don’t think we’ve downed Freya yet, either.) The Faction Champions fight sucks. In fact, I could probably devote an entire rant to how much I hate that fight and the concepts behind it. Suffice to say, there a LOT of reasons I don’t like PvP, and almost every single one of them is embodied in that fight.

So that’s where Osprey is. Oh…I also bought another 24 mounts, so he could get his Albino Drake. Why? Because I could! 

Kestrel has run some Naxx-25 and gotten a few pieces of gear, so he’s doing okay. Falken, my level 80 rogue, got into Heroic Gundrak twice this weekend, as well as Drak’Tharon Keep once, and got some nice legs out of the former on Sunday. He’s my jewelcrafter, and has started to get back in the money making business. I’m holding steady at 10K gold, down from around 14K, but much of that loss is due to buy materials for crafting and selling.

I’ve also been playing my Druid, Owlhawk, and have him up to level 36. More recently, my second rogue, Talons, has been getting some playing time. Since he’s my enchanter, I thought it might be good to get him to 80 before the expansion.

Almost forgot: Yesterday, I finally respecced Osprey’s off-spec from Discipline, which I used once about a week after dual-specs came out, to Shadow. I then did the Tournament dailies, in his Holy gear. In fact, I haven’t even re-glyphed him for Shadow yet. (By the way, thanks to the bubblicious one for her Shadow spec, which I shamelessly copied. (She was the only person I could recall, at the moment, who has a SPriest.)

So, let me just say: Playing Shadow is so damned easy, it should be considered an exploit. I mean, SERIOUSLY! As Holy, I can kill anything; I have no problem soloing any Northrend content. It just takes a while to kill stuff. As Shadow, undergeared, unenchanted, unglyphed (Prayer of Healing?) and ungemmed (okay, I do have some Int & SP ‘chants and gems, but my +Hit is 86, alright?), my DoTs were killing stuff before I could initiate a second Mind Sear. Redonkulous!

Workshop Renovation

We’ve lived in our house for 21 years. In that time, I’ve always had some kind of work bench in the garage, but over the years, accumulated junk has rendered access to that corner pretty much impossible. In mid-August, my son Bryan and I built a garden shed for Mrs. Kestrel, and she was able to move some of said junk (okay, maybe that stuff wasn’t junk) from the garage. We had an understanding that once her shed was up, I would be able to clean out the garage and reestablish my workshop.

I intend to do a more in-depth post in a week or so (with before and after pics!), but suffice to say, except for one storage unit on order from Sears, the project is about 95 percent done. I still need to complete some organization of tools, but we moved a few large trash bins of stuff out of the garage and reorganized much of the rest. Huge props to Mrs. K for her help in going through all the cra…stuff in the garage, and helping with moving larger pieces of gear. We can still park both cars in there (something we never sacrifice is the ability to keep the vehicles out of the elements!), and I can actually get to all of my tools without fear of having a ton of junk burying me alive.

Sports

The baseball pennant races are in full swing, and my beloved Dodgers are clinging to what once seemed an insurmountable lead in the NL West. As the LA Times noted today, the team really needs an identity. While Manny Ramirez is seen by many as the face of the franchise, I see him more as a hired gun. I appreciate his contributions (not including his 50-game suspension earlier in the season), but it seems he did a lot more at the end of last season than he’s done this year.

The Dodgers really need a clubhouse leader to emerge, to energize the team and point them to the postseason. Joe Torre’s done a fantastic job as manager since arriving in Los Angeles, and I hope he stays several more years. But the real work gets done on the field, and it seems to me it’s been a long time since the Dodgers have had a galvanizing force on the field. I thought catcher Russell Martin might be that force, but apparently that isn’t the case. Except for Manny, the Dodgers are generally a faceless team, and faceless teams don’t win World Series.

College football kicked off this weekend, and I spent all of Saturday with the television on one game or another. Kudos to BYU for knocking off Oklahoma; I thought they could do it and it was nice to see my hunch proved right. I also caught the last quarter of UCLA’s season opener against San Diego State. The Bruins looked pretty good, considering how they imploded after their season-opening upset of Tennessee last year. We play Tennessee again next Saturday, and while I expect we’ll get beat, the Vols better not be complacent.⁴

I’m hopeful UCLA will improve on last year’s 4-8 debacle, and end up in a bowl game at season’s end. Doubt they’ll play in January, but on or after Christmas Day would be nice. I look forward to watching the game from Kauai!

Next weekend (well, Thursday), the NFL season starts. I don’t have much hope that the Kansas City Chiefs will be significantly better than last year: Their offensive line is pretty, well, offensive. However, I think there’s a chance the St. Louis Rams could shake things up a bit in the NFC West. That said, I’m picking them to lose to Seattle on Sunday, but I expect the game to be close.

I’m not a fan of either of the more popular teams here in South Dakota: the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos don’t have much hope of surpassing the San Diego Chargers (my choice for the Super Bowl), and I don’t think they’ll even be in contention for a wildcard spot. The Vikes, on the other hand, have Super Bowl aspirations with Bret Favre at quarterback. However, both Green Bay and Chicago will have a lot to say about who wins the NFC Central. If nothing else, that race should be an exciting one, which is good, since those are the games I’m most likely to see on Sundays.

Finally, our minor league hockey team here in Rapid City is about to start its second season. Bryan and I went to a game in December when he was here for Christmas, and I think I’ll try to get to a couple games this season. Might even get Mrs. K to come along! 

Personal

Mrs K is leaving at oh-dark-thirty Wednesday to visit her best friend in San Jose; she’ll be gone for 10 or 12 days. When she gets back, we’ll be going to see "Mamma Mia!" in a touring production here in town. Mrs K saw the London production several years ago, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the movie version last summer. Yes, we’re ABBA fans, but then, we’re old enough to be!

I’m continuing to work on lowering my weight, but the traveling and then all the company we’ve had this summer has compromised that a bit. However, I’m down 11 pounds from when I consciously started working on it in April. With daily weighing, as well as knowing when I abuse my diet, I’m confident I won’t gain that back. At some point, I want to devote a more in-depth post to this; right now, I just want to acknowledge there are several blogging friends out there who have inspired me, and I will definitely recognize them in that upcoming article.

It looks like we’ll be heading down to the St. Louis area in late October (Halloween is the target date, right now). And last night I was informed our route will take us through Des Moines this time, so Mrs K can visit a large quilting festival there. I’ve no idea what I’ll do that morning. Any Iowans want to meet up in Des Moines for a couple hours around the 28th?

Finally, as I hinted above, we’re going to celebrate Christmas in Kauai this year with the family. We’ve already paid a deposit on a large house to rent for 10 days, and our tentative plans are to leave here on the 21st, then fly back on New Year’s Eve, getting home about midday on January 1. Mrs K’s brother and his wife will also join us after Christmas for a few days. Alie is already pretty excited about that (I think because she gets to see both of her uncles again; Uncle Bryan is almost as silly as Grandpa!).

So…for not having much to say, I’m glad I was able to squeeze it into such a small article! *snicker*  As always, I’m interested in your thoughts: Feel free to share in the Comments!

The State of the Kestrel and of the Aerie is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

Almost every golf fan in the world recognizes the photo above. It’s the famous Ben Hogan Bridge, crossing Rae’s Creek from the 12th fairway to the 12th green at historic Augusta National Golf Club, perennial home of one of the four “Grand Slam” golf tournaments each year, The Masters.

I’m a big fan of golf, having inherited my love of the game from my dad. Growing up, my hero (and Dad’s) was Arnold Palmer. Jack Nicklaus was the devil (my view of him having changed considerably over the past 40 years or so), and Gary Player was “the little guy in black.”

As time went on, the likes of Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and Payne Stewart became my heroes. More recently, I’ve become an unabashed Tiger fan (Woods, not Detroit). I used to play golf, and someday hope to take up the game again.

The Majors

In the meantime,I settle myself in for four weekends each spring and summer, to bask in the glory of the game’s four major championships: The Masters, always held at Augusta National the first full week of April; the United States Open, with its last round on Father’s Day each year; The Open Championship (a.k.a. The British Open, outside the UK), competed on the weekend of the third Friday in July; and the PGA Championship, usually contested four weeks after The Open Championship.

Of these, the PGA is my least favorite; somehow, I just don’t view it on the same level as the other three. It’s the only major championship Arnold Palmer never won; perhaps that is why I don’t regard it quite as highly as I do the others. The US Open is easily my favorite, probably in part because it is our National Championship. The British is captivating because it is so often contested on links courses that are unlike almost anything played in the US, and obviously because the history and traditions of The Open are so much a part of the fabric of golf.

But The Masters, the only major championship for men or ladies contested over the same course each year, is easily the most beautiful golf tournament in the world. The magic of television probably does nothing to hurt that image, but one can’t argue with the gorgeous scenes presented all week to a worldwide viewing audience. And indeed, Augusta National in early spring, with azaleas and dogwood in full bloom, the stately magnolias in full leaf, the fairways and greens perfectly manicured, and always the perfect shade of green, is a perfectly blended masterpiece of beauty and color.

Prologue

This weekend, The Masters was contested once again, and unlike the past two years, Mother Nature didn’t take a sabbatical. Instead of wind, rain, and cold, she obliged with lots of sun, enough wind to keep things interesting, and only one overnight rain (Friday night), which helped to make the weekend one of the more memorable in the 75 years The Masters has been contested.

The biggest question entering the tournament was about Tiger Woods. Immediately after his dramatic and heroic victory over Rocco Mediate in last June’s US Open (in which he played all four rounds, an 18-hole playoff on Monday, and a sudden-death 19th hole after that with a stress fracture in his left leg), he had surgery to repair his left knee and was inactive for over 8 months. Two weeks before The Masters, though, he won his first tournament since surgery by coming from five strokes back in the final round of the CA Open to win with a dramatic 18-foot birdie on the final hole.

So could Tiger be considered a favorite? Should he be considered the favorite? Virtually everyone agreed Tiger would be a factor, and many (myself included) were willing to pick Woods against the field. But there were a lot of other contenders: Geoff Ogilvy had won twice in this young season; Phil Mickelson was poised to take over as golf’s #1 player with a victory; 54-year-old Greg Norman, invigorated by his superb showing in last year’s British Open and his marriage to Chris Evert, had worked hard on his game to see if he could repeat the magic—and exorcise a few Masters demons along the way. And of course, there were the young guns, teenagers and twenty-somethings from around the world, all shooting for that green jacket, emblematic of a Masters champion.

For the second year in a row, I was fortunate enough to be able to watch not only all four rounds of television coverage, starting Thursday afternoon, but Wednesday’s 9-hole par-3 tournament as well. It’s a fun, fairly informal tournament, where golfers bring their families (including youngsters who stand a foot shorter than their fathers’ putters). Chrissie caddied for The Shark, and his hole-in-one on #6 was a thrill for everyone.

Golf’s Big Three of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player—the men who unquestionably put their mark on the world game and made it much of what it is today—were grouped together. And I admit to more than a few shivers as Player, on the last hole after putting his first shot in the water, hit again from the tee for a beautiful hole-in-one.

This would also be the last year for Player as a competitor, after a record 52 appearances at Augusta. Fuzzy Zoeller, the 1979 champion, and last player to win The Masters in his first appearance, also announced this would be his final year of competition. I freely admit to misty vision and a lump in my throat as each of these wonderful ambassadors of the game made their final walks up the 18th fairway to enthusiastic and heartfelt standing ovations.

The Tournament

As the tournament proper got underway on Thursday, the cold and wind of Tuesday (which saw many players forego practice rounds, since the conditions would be much different 48 hours later) was just a memory. The day was made for scoring, and scoring well: Chad Campbell started his round with five straight birdies, a tournament record, and helped to put him at the top of the leader board at the end of the day. On Friday, the young American Andrew Kim made 11 birdies, although bogies and double-bogies kept him off page 1 of the leader board.

Tiger, on the other hand, was either spraying drives or lipping putts, and going into the weekend, found himself eight strokes back of the leaders, the aforementioned Campbell and 48-year-old Kenny Perry, the hero of September’s victorious US Ryder Cup team. Perry was vying to become the oldest major championship winner ever, and his solid game and unflappable demeanor certainly made him a force no one could discount.

Saturday, or “Moving Day,” was another day for scoring. With overnight showers having softened up the greens a bit, they were much more receptive to longer approaches. There was, however, very little actual movement. Woods was able to improve a couple strokes to par, finishing the day in a huge gaggle at 4-under-par, including his rival Phil Mickelson. The 2007 US Open Champion, Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, moved up to tie Perry for the tournament lead at minus–11. Campbell dropped back a stroke to minus-9, ending up being paired on Sunday with 2003 US Open Champion Jim Furyk at 8-under.

So the final pairing on Sunday included Perry and Cabrera, with Campbell and Furyk just ahead of them. By coincidence, and based on the order in which their Saturday scores were posted, Woods and Mickelson found themselves paired in the 19th group (out of 25). At minus–4, they were seven strokes back of the co-leaders, but certainly not an insurmountable lead for the two best players in the world.

However, there didn’t appear to be any quit in the leaders: Perry started with 11 straight pars; Campbell and Cabrera stayed within 2 strokes through those eleven holes. In fact, Cabrera held the lead by himself after a birdie on the third, but gave back two strokes with bogies on 4 and 5.

In the meantime, Mickelson put on a classic charge, with six birdies on the front nine, including four in a row on 5 through 8, to make the turn at minus–10 and in a tie with Campbell and Cabrera, a stroke behind Perry. Woods made up two strokes on the front, and was only four strokes back at the turn. Mickelson put his tee shot in the water at 12, and the double bogey dropped him to minus–8, only a stroke ahead of Woods.

On 13, both players made birdie, but Mickelson missed an eagle putt by an inch after getting a perfect read from Woods. Afterwards, Phil said he simply didn’t trust himself on that shot. After matching pars at 14, Phil and Tiger both birdied the par-5 15th hole. At the time, that put Mickelson in second place, a stroke behind Perry, with Woods in third.

 At the par-3 16th, Tiger made another birdie, while Phil settled for a par. In the meantime, Perry was making his 11th par, still one shot in front of Campbell, Mickelson and Woods and two ahead of Cabrera. Furyk, after dropping to 9-under on the 8th hole, made double-bogey 6 on the next, and wasn’t able to get closer than minus–8 on the inward half of the course, finally finishing at 7-under.

So as Tiger and Phil approached the 17th tee, they were tied at minus–10. Perry was about to make his first birdie at the par-3 12th, considered the most difficult par-3 in the world, with a magnificent tee shot that settled to less than two feet from the cup. Woods bogeyed 17; Mickelson made par. At 18, Woods again shot a 5, his third bogey there in four rounds. Mickelson likewise shot 5, ending his Masters at minus–9, and was the “leader in the clubhouse.” And while he conceded that the leaders were very unlikely to drop back that far, he also said, “But I’m going to hang around!”

Unquestionably, the battle between Woods and Mickelson was a classic, and had they also been fighting for the lead, would have made this one of the most memorable Masters ever. Still, one has to marvel at the ability of Perry, Cabrera and Campbell to maintain their composure and continue to score well, despite the huge roars in front of them as Tiger and Phil posted all those red numbers.

But this Masters was far from over. Campbell bogeyed 11, but recovered with birdies at 12 and 13. After Perry’s birdie at 12, he was a stroke up on Campbell, playing a hole ahead, and three strokes clear of Cabrera, his fellow competitor.

Cabrera birdied 13 as Perry made par. In the meantime, Campbell parred 14. Campbell birdied 15, pulling even with Perry after the final pairing matched pars on 14. Campbell made another birdie at 15 while Perry and Cabrera watched from the fairway. The final pair then went on to birdie 15 themselves. As they approached the par-3 16th tee, Cabrera was at minus–11, Campbell at minus–12, and Perry at minus–13.

Campbell made par at 16, but Cabrera and Campbell each made a 2. Perry was two strokes ahead, with two holes remaining. Campbell parred the last two to finish at 12-under for the tournament. At 17, Cabrera made his par, but suddenly Perry’s swing betrayed him, and he shot a bogey-5. At 18, Perry chipped onto the green and had a 12-footer for a par to win the tournament, but he left it an inch outside. When Cabrera made his par, all three men headed to the 18th tee for a sudden death playoff.

The Playoff

On the first hole of the playoff, Cabrera looked dead off the tee: Hitting into the pine straw, he appeared to be stymied behind a huge tree. Hitting a 4-iron, he banged his ball off another tree, where it ricocheted into the fairway, less than 120 yards from the green. A pitch and a putt gave him his par. Perry also made par, despite a wayward drive, but Campbell succumbed to a poor third shot from a greenside bunker, and was unable to convert the up-and-down.

So in lengthening early-evening shadows, Perry and Cabrera moved to the 10th tee. None of the earlier seven Masters playoffs had gone longer than the second extra hole, and this one was to be no exception. Still shaky, Perry hit his second shot to the left of the green, then didn’t hit a very good wedge. He had a tough par putt which was just wide, while El Pato converted his par into a green jacket and his second major championship.

Epilogue

Kenny Perry was extremely gracious in defeat, despite the massive disappointment of giving away the championship. He didn’t realize his dream, but he’s still a Masters hero. And Angel Cabrera validated his US Open Championship against perhaps the toughest field in golf, when 13 of the top 15 players in the world were on Sunday’s first 15 positions at the start of the round.

The magic of the Masters was definitely back on Sunday; in fact, throughout the week, favorable pin placements, wonderful weather, and great play made The Masters once again, one of the premier events in all of sport.

I can’t wait for June at Bethpage Black!

The Masters is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

For the past 50 years, I’ve been a die-hard Dodgers fan. Since 1961, my earnest hope for every baseball season is a Freeway World Series between the Dodgers and the Angels, my "second team." This year is a great opportunity for that to happen.

I remember hearing parts of the ’59 World Series against the White Sox (we won, 4 games to 2) on the school playground at recess. I can remember listening to the first regular-season Angels game on KMPC-710 radio. I recall Maury Wills’ historic chase for the single-season stolen base record in ’62, and the heartbreaking 1-game playoff to the Giants at the end of that year. But in ’63, we came back to sweep the Yankees.

In ’65, Koufax and Drysdale beat the Twins, 4-2, but the next year, we were humiliated by the Orioles. Nine years later, it was the Oakland A’s who put the hurt on the Dodgers, and in ’77 and ’78, Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson and the Yankees slapped us around. But we got our revenge with a 4-0 sweep in ’81. And who can forget Kirk Gibson’s heroic homerun against the A’s in ’88 as Orel "Bulldog" Hershiser led the club to a 4-1 World Series victory?

Since then, things have been more than a little grim for the Boys in Blue in the postseason, but right now, everything is even.

So what are your memories of our National Pastime? Favorite teams, players, plays, games? (In the first game I ever saw in person, the Giants behind Juan Marichal beat Claude Osteen, 6-1, thanks in part to a homerun by Willie Mays.) Share your memories with us!

And speaking of memories, see if this song brings some back: Terry Cashman’s "Talkin’ Baseball (Willie, Mickey and the Duke)."

Talkin’ Baseball: A New Poll, and Some Memories is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie