Not Making the Cut

Man does it suck when you try out for a team and you don't make it. I've been on both sides of this situation and neither is fun. As a coach, you hate to dash a kids dreams and as a player, being told you aren't wanted just sucks. Recently, I've had to make the rounds of summer youth lacrosse teams and I have to say, the coaches -- most of them, recent college lacrosse players couldn't be more arrogant in their disposition and the way they approach these tryouts. I've heard everything from, "don't email me or call me to ask if your child has made the team," to "we'll let you know," and the real kicker, no reponse at all. They just post on their websites who made the cut. The same is true in other sports -- baseball and football have their own sense of craziness, but for a sport breaking into the big leagues, it is a real shame to witness uncaring and unprofessionalism from these young coaches and recent athletes. We deal with all sorts of rejection over the course of our lives -- sports, jobs, relationships. I just wish I had the power to make it all hurt less.

Fall Running Playlist

 Here is my fall running playlist:

Young the Giant/ Cough Syrup

Foo Fighters/Walk

Gaslight Anthem/American Slang

Queens of the Stone Age/ 3’s and 7’s

Two Door Cinema Club/Something Good Can Work

Arcade Fire/Keep Car Running

Airborne Toxic Event/All I Ever Wanted

Silversun Pickups/Lazy Eye

Neon Indian/Polish Girl

XX/Islands

Foo Fighters/ These Days

Broken belts/The High Road

Surfer Blood/Swim

BRMC/We Are All in love

Keane/Spirituality

Kings of Leon/California Walking

Strokes/Taken For a Fool

Peter Bjorn and John/Second Chance

Mute Math/Spotlight

Two Door Cinema Club/What You Know

Happy listening guys.

Stay in the Fight

When is the right time to make a change and what are the motivating factors in envisioning that change? When is it ok to make that dangerous leap forward and to let go of what is comfortable?

Several times over the past few months I have thought of changes in my professional and personal life. I work in an industry undergoing significant change. As a man in my late forties who has invested his entire career in this one industry -- I am challenged to figure out where I fit in to this changing landscape. Do I stay? Do I retrain? What is my value? Are my skills transferrable to another industry? And if so, what do I need to do to stay marketable?

This past weekend, UFC fighter Matt Hughes was defeated at the end of the first round with a TKO. He fought hard and strong but took one shot that proved an opening to a foul-mouthed opponent who rightfully took full advantage. I love Hughes (have posted about my fascination with his humility, drive and heat) and was sorry to see him lose. In the post-fight analyses everyone commented time and time again that it was time for Matt to retire before he hurt himself and that as a young fighter, he could have rebounded from a shot like that. Fans and detractors have been discussing his retirement for quite some time now. Critics complain that by him not retiring, he is blocking possible advancement for younger, possible more talented fighters and thereby denying their chance for visibility and advancement. His willfullness and drive were traits that gave him multiple championships -- so what was once a strength, is now being perceived as ego-driven and a negative.

When is Matt's time to let go? Who is driving that decision -- the marketplace (people love to watch him fight). Why can't Matt drive that process?

To some degree he has. He now owns a gym,  lucrative spokesperson contracts and now trains other fighters. But even in his post-fight remarks, he refused to acknoweldge retirement. Good for you man.

I can see the parallels in my own life - though considerably less painful:) I love my job (usually); I love long distance running; I love alternqative music. My age gives me a different perpective on these interests and now, a different set of challenges. But I want to make them on my own call and stay in the fight and learn and enjoy and share at my leisure. Yet, in the past few weeks, have been reminded that with age, comes some attitudes towards continuing to do the things I love and the uphill battles the choice to stay in the lane puts in front of me...

I hope I have the fight and fire to keep the battles in check and continue to derive pleasure from them. And I hope Matt does as well.

Weight Training HELP

Guys, so many of you know that I have been training for a fall marathon (actually it is happening in just a few weeks) so am well into my running training plan. Last weekend I hit my first of three 20 mile runs so I feel like I am almost there. But here's the rub -- I have not lost any weight and in fact, have gained weight since my last run. And I don't mean a few pound -- I mean enough to go up a suit size and pant size. FUCK.

I had a general physical recently and my doctor told me that my added weight was equivelant to carrying around a 3 year old child. Now granted, I am 6'5", so I carry it well, but damn -- I need to shed this weight. HELP!

I need to get back to lifitng (hate) and I need to do more of my workouts in the morning -- tough with the fall and winter approaching. Any advice guys?

I want to be able to shower in the backyard without the Department of Public Works mistakenly shooting me thinking a big bear has invaded town. Any help would be most welcome.

Beach Time

I need one more week of beach time. I swear, I'll embrace fall, just give me 30 minutes of floating on my back in the ocean. Love the pic in this position.

Getting Hosed in FFootball

I know it is early in the season, but damn, hate to be second to last in my fantasy football league. To be fair, last year I had Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning and the Packers defence so I didn't do too badly. This year, I had a business dinner on the night of the draft so I had to go with an auto pick and ended up with Matt Stafford of the Lions as my QB and the Giants as my defensive line. With all of the injuries already on the Giants -- I am hurting big time. And you have to laugh when you get a total tool as a QB.

The Way It Will Be

I lost you awhile ago

But still I don't know why

I can't say your name

Without a crow flying by

Gotta watch my back now

That you turned me around

Got me walking backwards

Into my hometown

Throw me a rope

On the rolling tide

What did you want it to be?

You said it's him or me

The way you made it

That's the way it will be

It was seven years on the burning shore

With gatling guns and paint

Working the lowlands door-to-door

Like a Latter Day Saint

Then you turn me out

At the top of the stairs

You took all the glory

That you just couldn't share

I've never been so disabused

Never been so mad

I've never been served anything

That tasted so bad

You might need a friend

Any day now, any day

Oh my brother, be careful

You are drifting away

Throw me a rope

On the rolling tide

What did you want it to be?

You said it's him or me

The way you made it

That's the way it will be

The way you made it

That's the way it will be

Special shout out to JP in Lexington for the recommendation of Gillian Welch. Listened to this song, The Way It Will Be on my long run this weekend -- her amazing lyrics and incredible voice. Thanks man.

We The Animals

The one problem with books that are touted as being "brilliant" "a gift" "a miracle" by authors whom you respect and admire is that it sets a pretty high bar -- I start the book execting to love it. Which is the case with We The Animals by Justin Torres. Favorable quotes, impressive tour listing, full page review in the New York Times -- I was pretty psyched. The book did not entirely disappoint. It is well written, the characters are well conceived and the author brought you very quickly into his fold.

But he had to -- one of my complaints is that I'd be pretty hard-pressed to call this a novel -- more like a novella -- at one hundred and forty-four pages so Torres didn't have a ton of time to draw me in. Additionally the way the author changed the pace, voice and timing in the last fifteen pages of the work was jarring and unrealized and I wonder if his editor shouldn't be taken to the toolshed for either rushing Torres to finish the book, or not pushing back hard enough on the author with this obvous misstep.

He is a good writer and I look forwad to reading his next work, but I am afraid I don't agree with all of the hype surrounding its publication.

Fall Catch up

Work and work travel have kept me swamped the past few weeks. Was served as a race director for a 9/11 memorial run which was awesome but man was it time consuming.

Finally finished Geraldine Brook's Caleb's Crossing which I really enjoyed. She wrote March based on the long absent father character in Little Women and won the Pullitzer for fiction that year. It was a good read but not pehnomenal and I was a little curious how they could give her a Pulitzer for a novel based on characters that are classics in American literature. In anycase, Caleb's Crossing is about the first Native American to attend Harvard College in 1665. The language is beautful and evocative and the work gives a more modern perspective of race, gender and religious issues and prejudice in the colonial period. Nice character development and if youa re planning on spending time at Martha's Vineyard, it is a good regional read.

Happy fall is here -- it is the time of the year I enjoy reading the most.

Good weekend all.

Aftermath of Irene

While much of the news world has moved on from Hurrican Irene, many are still reeling from the aftermath. Amazing how many friends are still without power and heartbreaking to hear of the small businesses that will likely close their doors and lay-offs in rural towns already socked with high unemployment. Let's hope everyone can rebuild these beautiful communities.