Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category
Sean called to invite me over, “The Vikings are playing the Bears on ESPN tonight. Do you want to come over?” he asked. It sounded like a good idea. Sean had an ulterior motive. I had his iPod Touch. I had upgraded the OS to 3.0.1. Sean wanted it back, and bad. Once Suzanne found out I was coming over, she decided to invite Paul out on a date. They left shortly after I arrived. I heated up the leftover pizza from Old Chicago.
After supper Sean started playing with Tim, it devolved into wrestling, also known as ‘roughhousing’. I tried to break it up but neither boy was interested in taking my advice. It is certainly natural for two brothers to start wrestling or fighting. (At one point Sean and Tim were Indian Leg Wrestling.) I kept my eye on them so no one got hurt and the house stayed in one piece. Interesting that Tim is almost as aggressive as Sean. What surprised me was how quickly Clare threw herself in the mix. She may only be two years old but that doesn’t stop her from joining in the fun.
I remember why I stopped watching “This Week” on ABC. They have maniacs for guests; the Republican’s aren’t much better than the Democrats. I catch myself yelling at the television set like a nut job.
I told Bob, “There is nothing to eat in the house. Come early and we can go for pizza.” Bob was early but it was still after 2 PM before we got to Godfathers. I ordered a Golden Crust for a change. I rented “Inglourious Basterds” on Bob’s recommendation. (B+) ” we’re gonna be doin’ one thing and one thing only… killin’ Nazis.”
Then we watched the Vikings lose to the Panthers. The Vikings didn’t play well at all.
Sean called this morning, “Clare has a request. She wants to play outside so dress warm.”
Char decided to invite Dorothy and Bob Nelson over for Thanksgiving. I think this is the first time we’ve had company outside the family for Thanksgiving. Sean, Tim and Clare enjoy seeing Bob but soon split up. Tim played video games on my computer. Sean loaded songs onto his iPod, and Clare was underfoot in the kitchen. Paul carved the turkey and Dorothy brought some Norwegian treats. After the turkey dinner: Paul, Sean, Clare, Bob, and myself watched the football game. Sean brought out the football, and roughhousing ensued.
Craig and Bob: Best Friends
I’ve been tired and run down lately. I thought it was time to start running again. I hope to run three times a week. It’s hard to schedule a run. It makes the most sense to run in the morning. Historically I have zero energy in the morning but lately I’ve noticed I’ve become more alert in morning. I thought I would give it a try. I was actually excited this morning. I’m not interested in running fast or far, just enough to get the heart rate up and improve my oxygen update. It was 20 degrees this morning, but once I start moving it will be fine. I was listening to “Pride and Prejudice” on my iPod. This is much better than music. The book forces more concentration from me, which distracts me from the discomfort of running. I have the version read by Jenny Agutter. She reads each of the many characters in different voices. I quite like it. I need a map to keep the characters straight. Early Thanksgiving morning- there is little traffic. I’m running in the neighborhood to the east where everything is pretty residential. I didn’t measure the distance but it must be close to a mile and a half. A good distance as I ran out of steam by the time I got home.
Saturday (11/28) It is 28 degrees this morning but humid. I made some adjustments. I put on lounge pants under my warm up pants and wore mittens. The lounge pants worked well, but the mittens were too hot. My knees were sore from the last run so I added two Ace Knee Braces. This helped a lot. I also took one aspirin and a glass of water before I run. I take the cell phone in case I drop dead. I ran slightly faster and ended up having to walk half a block at the halfway point to catch my breath.
Sunday (11/29) Two days in a row wasn’t my plan but I was curious how my body would react. I exchanged the mittens for gloves- it is still 30 degrees outside. I ran the other way around and had to walk half a block twice. I was pleased with this first week of runs, but worry I will lose interest. [I did]
I was surprised to find all my joints felt better than they have in years. I don’t know if it is the exercise, the aspirin or both.
Vic Teigen Fong Fan
I made the mistake of telling Sean on Monday that Victor was having a football party tonight. In his mind he imagined some stunning soirée with lots of food, friends, and action. I told him it was just Victor and I watching the 49er game. He assumed I was lying.
All during the week he planned and tried to weasel an invitation. As it was I had invited myself over to Victor’s. Vic was not planning any sort of party. I told Sean, “You can watch the game on the NFL Channel at home. And I won’t have to take you home during the 3rd quarter.”
This didn’t detour Sean, he got permission to stay up until 10:30 and talked me into taking him along. Suzanne dropped Sean off after school. Sean work on his homework: he was the CEO of a wind generator company and had to describe the geography of the area and why basing his company in Fargo was a good idea. I corrected some spelling. I wanted to rewrite the paper but felt it was better to leave it as is- written by a seventh grader.
After his homework, Sean wanted to throw the football around. I over inflated my Steve Young ‘Wheaties’ Football and we went into the front yard. Over inflated so it hurts when you catch it. We served French toast and bacon for supper. I stopped the main Library downtown. I called Victor at home. Victor was ready for us with candy and ice cream. The game was a let down. Neither the Bears nor the 49ers were playing very well. The 49ers held on to a 10-6 lead. Cutler threw 5 interceptions and the Bears defense was just bad enough to hold the 49ers weak offense down. The end of the game was exciting. The Bears drove down the field and looked ready to score a last second touchdown and win the game. Cutler threw an interception instead. Sean had a good time at the football party and my Niners won again.
Sunday (11/15) Sean and I call back and forth during the Viking victory over the Lions. We both enjoy watching the game and commenting on our favorite players. Sean admires Peterson and I like Rice.
Suzanne asked if I would pick up Tim and take him to dance class. No problem. In the parking lot I arrived a few minutes before Suzanne. Clare was excited to see me. She must believe that all the action in her little universe takes place at St Joseph. On the third floor, Suzanne waited for Sean while I waited for Tim. Today was the school’s Halloween party. Tim was dressed as a Norwegian Viking. Sean was dressed in an Adrian Peterson jersey: a Minnesota Viking. I asked Tim about his day- he had a couple long classes, in math he was learning about the order math is done in: Parentheses, Powers, Multiplication, Addition. Tim and I picked up Ray who had a meeting at the church. Gasper’s School of Dance is in the neighborhood. I dropped off Ray with his sample fixture and took Tim over to Gasper’s. Suzanne had three checks: one for tuition, one for a fundraiser, and one for tickets. Suzanne told me they have comfortable sofas, “you can stay and read if you’d like.” I brought a book, my reading glasses and my iPod. The hour went quickly although I was getting a headache. The manager was asking Tim about his Halloween party at school. I ignored everyone and just read. Mothers and fathers brought in their daughters for dance. I only saw one other little boy. When Tim was done, I called home. Dad wasn’t home and had not called. I forgot to ask his schedule before I dropped him off. As he was across the street I thought he might walk over, but instead, I found him in the First Lutheran office, he had just called Char. I called Suzanne; she said, “We’re having leftovers.” Tim decided to eat Char’s homemade tacos- very good.
Suzanne offered up her Bison tickets, which I wasn’t sure I wanted. I changed my mind when Bob said he thought you could bring a camera without any issues. I found the same on the Fargodome’s rules and regulations page. Victor’s nephew Chris Teigen was getting married in Canby, MN. Even mom had a wedding, but dad was game. Dad and I picked up Sean and headed for the Fargodome. I climbed to the top of the seating to photograph the dome. Back on Row B I photographed some of the game. The Bison stayed in the game but were getting beat up. It was very exciting for a couple quarters. By the third quarter the rude* fans behind us shut up. By the fourth quarter the crowd started leaving, the University of Northern Iowa piled on and build up a commanding 42 to 27 victory. (Gobison.com)
*Rude fans are those that scream at the opposing team, the refs, and even our own team- obviously they can’t be heard on the field- drowned out by the roar of the crowd, instead their comments are only heard by those unfortunate bastards sitting in front of them- namely me. I really wanted to tell them to shut up, but I figured I’m outnumbered. At one point UNI scored right in front of us. The player was jumping up and down with emotion. The rude fans started screaming at the ref, “Taunting, taunting, call taunting.” To which I added, “Said the Kettle.” I thought this punch line was funny but it was obvious lost on these drunken bozos.
Sean, Ray, and I stayed to the bitter end. Bitter too was the walk back to the van. The wind was blowing and it was cold out. Dad was walking slow. I offered to get the van and pick him up but he was content to walk slow in cold.
I was cleaning the garage when Suzanne called, “Clare locked me out of the house and I can’t find my key.”
By the time I got to her house, Suzanne had talked Clare into unlocking the door.
“Unlock the door honey.”
“Okay mommy. I can’t reach.”
“Stand on your diapers.”
“Okay mommy. It won’t turn.”
“Turn it the other way honey.”
“Okay mommy. It’s hard.”
“Keep trying. You have to turn it hard.”
click
Suzanne Smiles Over Cake
Paul made a turkey dinner for Suzanne’s birthday. Unfortunately she had a bad hotdog at the NDSU Bison football game and wasn’t feeling well for much of the meal. For dessert Paul made a German Chocolate cake. It looked really good, but I handed my slice to Sean. I didn’t want to risk the chocolate triggering another daylong headache. Suzanne was in good spirits blowing out the candles, opening her gifts and reading the cards.
