Conference @ MindSay 
church
**my open letter to coach Carroll regarding SDSU football**
Dear USC Football Coach Pete Carroll,
I am a huge fan of your success with my hometown USC Trojan football team. You are the awesomest guy to ever coach football - ever - in my opinion - period! From your "competition tuesdays", where players compete against one another at full speed to determine playing time and depth chart position for the upcoming weeks game, to the infamous stunt shenanegans pulled by hollywood megastar Will Farrell's visits at your weekly pratice sessions, simply put, you rock! Your defensive schemes and philosophies have USC's intimidating defense ranked #1 nationwide in all categories this season - an amazing feat!
I just need a small, small favor of you, sir.
I am a San Diego State alumni. Yes, Pete, um - we do have a football program there, well at least I think we do - that is why I am writing you this most urgent of letters. I graduated in 2001, and from the time I started there in 1996 unitl this past season, my beloved Aztecs have posted a win-loss record of 59-93.They finished the 2008 campaign 2-10, the worst record in school history, and have been the recent laughing stock of San Diego, and the Mountian West Conference. Since my days at SDSU, thier sole bowl appearance was in 1998 at the highly touted Las Vegas Bowl, with a 20-13 loss to college football powerhouse North Carolina...(sarcasm kills, doesnt it?).
I know our Aztecs may not share the storied tradition that USC does, or the legacy of Heisman greatness, but Pete, it is a Division 1 football program in gorgeous San Diego man near beaches with bizneaches and all that - the city rocks! Pete, I need you to make a phone call for me...please...oh please....One Mr. Herm Edwards, currently coaching the "NFL's college team" Kansas City Chiefs, could you hit him on his hip please Pete, you still got his # right?
You see, like you Pete, he too is a super energetic, passionate guy who works until exhaustion in all attempts to win the game. You PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!...Well he does too Pete. And like you, he has had moments of sheer genius in his head coaching days in the NFL, but of late, has struggled getting thru to those "set in thier ways" adult players, as you did as coach of the Patriots, before you bolted for greener pastures here in Sunny Southern Cal - where you can get tons of first round picks each year - not one or two, right Pete? And get this Pete, SDSU is his Alma Mater - he played his senior year of football here in the late 70's!
Now Pete, when you took the USC job, the program had reached an all time low in the win percentage column - as has SDSU. It would be fair to say, that you and your enthusiastic style of coaching, and ability to sell the dream to the hearts of student atheletes here in the So Cal area has worked - and turned what had become a mediocre program into arguably THE elite college football program in the nation, right? Well check this out Pete-ster, I believe Herm can have similar effect on local Southern Cal blue chippers at SDSU..or even better, talk to that speedster wideout in Texas or Florida about the San Diego weather, west coast living, gansgter rap, quality of the tr....um....young ladies out here...yes siree Pete, that one works too ya know! But most of all Pete, let Herm know just how cool it feels to be in your 50's and be the most wanted man on a southern Cal college campus. Herm kinda looks like an older version of Ginuwine anyway - dude would pull mad mad freaks as he turns around that SDSU football program!
So all in all Pete, as you go forward, knocking Pac-10 competition into oblivion, and making offenses nationwide look more foolish than Rick Neuheisel, take a moment of time to recruit your old pal Herm Eddie back out to Southern Cal to coach the Aztecs. And dont worry about them posing a threat to your dynasty, it's time for a new So Cal rivalry to brew up since the Bruins Football program is simply laughable, and in Los Angeles - will NEVER be able to compete with USC on any level other than Rose Bowl appearances....USC has played there when it counted more than they have all time damn near. (F-UCLA and the Clippers should pack it up to San Diego if you ask me - the Might-less Bruins of Westwood would be better matched with my Aztecs year in and out, that would make a much better more even rivalry, as would the Clippers matched against the SDSU Basketball team - then they also MIGHT have a chance against a hometown rival... )
Aztecs & Trojans - Fight On 2 Montezuma!
Generic Movie Child, Sadness Ovah.
So Hannah invited me to go with her, Katie and the gang up to a little seasonal corn-maze country park type thing. It's not just a corn maze, it's more like Farmer John's carnival, so I fit right in! So I skipped out on the advanced class and ran home, threw some pork and beans in the microwave and had a shower. I got some good, warm clothes together and ran up to thanksgiving point.
Dad was kind enough to warn me that the freeway was completely jammed south of AF, so I went up purple turtle road and across the highland highway...which took a little longer than I expected. Furthermore, I didn't have any idea where the corn maze was. By some form of universal luck or divine intervention, I didn't have to search long to find a cornfield, and where there's a field, there's a maze. There was construction on all sides so I couldn't figure out how to get in, so I parked over by the theater, and then tried to wander through the gardens to get back there. Construction. So I tried behind the stores. Construction. Finally I just hopped the fence and called it good.
I was now a half-hour late and I had no idea where they were, how many were there, what they were wearing, what they were doing, or how I would find them. I didn't have my cell phone with me. I was getting worried that this wasn't going to work out. If I couldn't find them, I would wander around like an idiot hating life for an hour...which I did -_-'
I searched the maze and found nothing, so I searched the other maze and only managed to come close to someone whose scream reminded me of Katie, but that's about it. I bypassed the maze walls to search out in the open. Nothing. On my way back into the maze, I was following these black-clad strangers. Now, had seen the beret (sorry Hannah, I don't know how to do accents), I would have recognized them emediately on that basis alone, however, I was allerted to their identity by quite another thing: The Sent of a Woman.
Horrible Movie! Never Watch it!
(jk, it's actually great. everybody should watch it)
I've become accostomed to Hannah's distinct sent. I'm not sure what about her gives it off, but, though it is subtle, it is VERY distinct. It's that hair; it MUST be! State dependant emotional memory tells me to associate that smell with kindness, so my opinion is biased. Of course it's a pleasant scent to me.
That's as much time as I'm going to spend describing that; it makes me sound like a stalker...or a lone wolf, which is kick@$$
Lol. It just hyperlinked kick@$$
Anyway, I followed them closely for about a hundred yards, and it would have been quicker if I had reacted fast enough to shush her. But I got some 'glopage', so I have nothing to complain about.
We spent a good hour-and-a-half in that stupid maze. I'm not really sure where it lets out, but let's just say everybody has the breaking point at which they will use the cheater paths...EVERYBODY!
But it was fun hanging out with my female friends, with enough male-presence to play off of each other and each other's humor, and little enough that I didn't fade, at which point I might be inclined to just leave.
After we left the maze, we shot some pumpkins at cows with old WWI PSI-asapted artillary cannons, lost my jacket and Hannah's umbrella (which spawned some humore I don't think she appreciated ^_^;;;), and even played tetherball. I was content to let the others brave the hellian-infested inflatable bowels of ElDiablo, but I ended up going in, because there was no way to get Hannah to go in without me. Admitedly I'm never comfortable in those situations, and even though this was a fairly mellow beast, I still feel sick...mind you, that may be more because of Hannah's noctophobia...noirphobia...lumaphillia...whatever the latin for it is. It really does eat at me pretty harshly to see a girl like that, and much more so because of what this one means to me. I was fully prepared to turn back and hit the last emergency exit, if lucy-fir hadn't told us that we were already at the end. That makes me sick to my stomach just to think about, partially because I understand the terror that psychological apprehensions can cause. I'm glad she was alright, but I still wish...
Anyway, it was a fun night. We topped it off with a trip over to Ice Burg...the dork one at the Chevron. We met the other Katie there and just hung out for a good hour discussing Super Heros, TV shows, our mud-stained appearel...bathrooms, randomly...
The only thing that night was missing was a bonfire, some ACTUAL farm animals (the dude-ranch scene just doesn't do it), and a working John Deere. They had one, but it was more of a decoration.
Anyway, caffiene high ovaah, and I need to read scriptures before bedtime. Plus, I've got a blackbelt class in a few hours, where in I will likely be teaching Chang Hon Forms, Jung Do sword routines, and more stuff of the Hyung variety. Who knows, I may actually even LEARN something too! (That's not sarcasm. I really am excited whenever I learn something new, because so much of my time is spent teaching, rather than learning. I like to learn!
Just not dumb stuff. Like groundfighting...or math.
Anyway, peace out.
I fell in love with Chicago, definitely. I got off the plane, and it was all I could do to not bend to the ground and kiss it, the way I'll do when I finally get to Eretz Yisrael, or maybe the next time I get to New York.
I fell in love with the sailor who was on standby while I sat and knitted, waiting 5 hours for my friends to show up. I know that's really shallow, and I've neeeeeeeeeever been 'man in uniform' crazy, but I couldn't look away from this gentlemen. I really think it could have worked out between us :).
I fell in love with our hotel room. It was bigger (and nicer) than my house.
I fell more in love with Val, Dan, Em, Veronica, Bree, and Symone. I am so blessed to have these people in my life. Next year, I feel like C.I.P. will not be as intimate, since we're doubling in size. Even though it's a great group of people joining, I can't help but thank my lucky stars that this trip was with the original bunch.
I fell more in love with Anne Marie for having us over and making us dinner. After not getting to really eat the whole weekend, she was her usual amazing chef/baker and we all ate like GODS. And their apartment is gorgeous, and David remembered me (which is important, in my mind). We miss them SO much. I love that I can look at Bree and Anne Marie and not see a neon, flashing sign overhead that says PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR! Instead, I see FRIEND! or AMAZING PERSON! or MENTOR!. Feelings like that make me feel like all the money I spent at NYU was worth more. I could have gone to a million different schools, but I wouldn't have this.
I fell more in love with Natlija. Natlija is Anne Marie and David's 5 (a week away from 6) year old daughter. I cannot believe how tall she got, or how smart she is. I mean, when we got there, she sat us all down on the floor in the living room to give us a presentation. Most little kids who do that will present a sillly dance, or sing a song. Do you know what Natalija presented? A TRI-FOLD SCIENCE BOARD, ON WHICH SHE HAD A SCIENTIFIC QUERY. She actually posed the question, "Which kind of gum lasts the longest?" and then did a hypothesis, trials (2 for each kind of gum, to make sure), a summary of her results.... did I mention she's 5!?!? And she presented to a room full of elementary school teachers. We were all FLOOOOOOOOOORED. She also gave lessons about being 'FANCY'. For instance, yellow is plain, but gold is FANCY. Leather is plain, but patten leather is FANCY. Glasses are plain, but sunglasses are FANCY. She also labeled EVERYTHING we ate, or ate with. I'm sure she got SOME help spelling the word 'knives', but on her own, she was able to spell 'Veronica'. The only help she got was we told her it was verOnica.
At dinner, she decided I was her favorite, so she smushed onto the table with me to eat. And I tricked her into eating her vegetables AND I taught her a math word. I think Anne Marie was proud (she was our math teacher at NYU). I taught Natalija about estimation, and then I asked her to estimate how many bites it would take to eat her salad. She actually got the salad, and the cornbread guesses right, and was one off on the black beans.
I fell in love with the bartender at the club we wound up at. I truly feel that would have worked out better than the sailor would have. I mean, he blew me a kiss (mainly because I signed him 'thank you' after he gave me my water, and it SORTA looks like I blew him a kiss, but when I went back for a refill, he blew me one...and that's the only part of the story that matters ;)). It could have been PERFECT. w00t.
I fell in love with conferences. My group did soooo well, and we had a big turn out considering that in the 2 other sessions, there were some big name people. I also got over my fear of public speaking just enough to participate in discussions in 2 of the different break outs (there were only 4, ours included and I HAD to speak at that one!). I thought what I was saying was really obvious, but apparently, it wasn't. Bree made a huge deal out of it. She said she was proud of me. That means a lot. I think it was good that I shared. I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable fully talking in a group like that, but I think I'm slowly starting to trust myself more. To believe that I'm not an idiot who has nothing of substance to say. During Edwin's NYCoRE presentation about the Camouflagged book, I was able to point something out I noticed, and it started this long conversation, and I got really happy that it started from something I said. I generated it. I know not EVERYTHING I say is going to be that good, or cause that much talk, but this did. Even though I don't think I did that much for my actual presentation, I did help. I WAS part of this.
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