Nighttime

So it's yet again another Saturday evening (well actually, almost Sunday morning). I ended up getting in a little bit of hitting tonight, but for only about 15 mins. The tee kept falling apart and I got tired of putting it back together. So with what little light I had to work with (small porch light on the back of my parent's house) I drug out my throw-back system and started throwing. Mostly I was off target, hit the fence more times than the throw-back thing, but I was starting to get the hang of it. Part of the problem was my inability to see. So I gave up on that and just tossed to ball up into the air and caught it for about an hour. I actually like doing that and have a new game for myself. I throw it up and try to wait until the last possible second to put my glove out to catch it. I'm not sure if this is really teaching me anything but it is a lot of fun.

Then I came back here and played some with the tee I built for indoors and watched 61*. I really like that movie and I'm glad that I own it. Oh I also played some video games, mostly old Atari 2600 games on the PS2. It was a lot of fun and I won a patch from playing Enduro. I love that game. I just wish I had space invaders, that was the best game ever. It turned 25 years old recently.

Now I'm tired and even though part of me thinks it's really pathetic, I think I'm just going to go to bed. I want to get out of here somewhat early tomorrow so I can get in a good hitting session. I hope the weather holds up for me because I feel like I'm getting close to some kind of break-thru and it's going to take some practice to find it.

I was thinking today about all the things I've started and not finished, like learning the guitar and the desk project. What I was really trying to figure out is, what is going to be different this time about baseball that will make it so I don't give up. It helps that I'm going to weekly lessons because that keeps me motivated to show improvement each week. It also helps to have a buddy (C-bob) working along the same goal line. There are some other things in my life right now that I really need to get back to working on and I know that I can get things set back on course.

Ok, I am really tired *yawn* so I am going to sleep. Night everyone!

Hola

Nothing much to say really. Went to the hockey game last night with C-bob and had a pretty good time. There were a couple of fights and the Stars one 6-0, which was cool. It was teddy bear toss night and after they scored their first goal, everyone tossed teddy bears on to the ice. One bear actually landed in my lap but the guy sitting next to C-bob threw it over the glass for me. Oh yea, our seats were rinkside, which is always cool.

Speaking of the guys sitting next to us, they got really drunk. I'm not sure what the deal was but they kept yelling "Go Lancers!" among other things. They were sort of comical in that drunk stupid guy kind of way. They left early though so we moved down a bit and took over their seats too, just to have more room.

After the game we went to Chili's for some food. All was well with the world. Not really sure what I'm going to do this evening but I'll probably just play video games and spend the evening at home. No other plans have come up so that's good enough.

Hung out a bit with Susan this morning. We ended up going to Barnes and sitting on the floor looking through books. Then we had McD's for lunch before hitting Target. After that I had to take some movies back to Hollywood and now I'm sitting here with nothing really to do. I should probably go figure out if I'm going to get any hitting in today, as the sun is getting closer to setting. I have not really been getting any practice in but that's partly due to the weather, which is cold, and partly due to my inability to get out of bed in the morning and go do it. I'll just have to figure out what I need to do to get it done.

Done

I had my phone interview around 2 today and I feel like it went really well. They asked me about my experiences with hardware and software repair, supervision and about lab management. I think I did a fine job of answering the questions. Apparently they have not yet implemented the uni-print system but they are currently looking into it and trying to get switched over. This sounds a lot like what we were going through this summer. They have a magnetic strip print card system at the libraries, which was different than our punch card system.

I talked some about looking for ways to improve a lab and keeping it all well maintained and all that. I mean, you do your best to answer their questions and hope they can get some idea of how capable you are at doing the job. I really feel like I can do this job and I can do it well if given the chance.

Their timeline right now is basically that they have to finish up calling people and go back and review their list. They have to narrow down the list to the canidates they want to interview and then that list has to be approved by HR. Once that's approved, they can schedule interviews. It sounds like that may not happen until early January mainly because the University shuts down for the last week of December. They seem to want to fill this position as soon as possible though, so hopefully I can make it another month or so and find myself employed for the new year.

This being the case then, I really have to think about what I want to do with my remaining free time. I should really make a list of things I want to get done before I have a job. And then work to get those done. It leaves the idea of hitting lessons in a weird kind of limbo though.

Let's see, I have 3 lessons left that I have paid for, so that's the 8th, 15th and 22nd. That pretty much leaves me with a few weeks in which I may not be able to go to lessons. Once I have the job secured, I know I will have the money to continue. So really, that leaves the 29th and the 5th because it's possible that I may know for sure about the job by the week after that. That's what I'm going to have to do though. All that was more for my own benefit than anyone else's. It's good to get that information down where I can see it and plan with it.

Christmas Wish

I have been listening to Christmas music tonight and it's put me into a thoughtful mood. It was slightly snowing when I stopped at Walgreen's and it was nice to watch. This post right now, is necessary for me to make, for whatever reason. I have to send this out into the void of space, into the chasm of fate and destiny and see what comes of it.

I have a Christmas Wish this year, but it's nothing that can be wrapped and put under a tree. I don't need gifts this year, I have everything I need and simply spending quality time with my friends and family will be just right. But this still leaves me with one very large Christmas Wish.

What I want for Christmas this year is someone else to share my life with. I want to find that special person with whom my life will be complete. I want to find someone that I can share the holidays with, that I can grow with, that I can love and be loved by. I want someone that wants to spend their free time with me. Someone to go to the grocery store with or just sit around with and be happy that they are near. I want someone that can support me when I need it and get only the same in return. I want to be needed by someone too. What I want, dear void, is to find someone that makes me complete. I know this is a bit cliche and sappy, but it's what I really want, above anything else.

So I send this out into the cosmic atmosphere as a wish and a hope. My Christmas Wish is to finally find my soul mate. Is that too much to ask for?

Stuff

So I ended up at Scheel's today and found a better pair of batting gloves, they actually fit correctly, which is nice. I also found another fielding glove that was on sale and fit well, so I bought it. I really shouldn't go there too often, I keep buying stuff. I really have nothing else to update.

I have my phone interview tomorrow so I have been prepping myself with questions, answering them outloud and all that. I'm totally gonna roxor this interview, I just know it.

Baseball

I realized today that whenever I have any free time (which, is pretty much all the time right now) all I want to think about is baseball. The mechanics, the fundamentals, the game play, the people, everything.. I don't know what it is but seriously, it's really nice to be passionate about something. Everyone should have a passion in life, it makes the days that much better, because you realize, hey, I get to think about my favorite thing in the world today! And no matter what you are doing or where you are, you will always have that to think about and make you smile. At least, that seems to work fine for me.

Yes. I love baseball. It is true.

audio post powered by audblog

Running Out of Title Ideas

I am doing something today that I rarely ever do. I am using my oven! It's really a scary thought but everything seems to be going well and a nice warm lunch will be enjoyed by all. And by all, I mean me. I'm making this baked pot roast with biscuits on top. Ok fine, it's from a box, but it's one step above my normal cooking, which involves throwing a frozen meal in the microwave.

I have class tonight, we didn't have one last week so my mind is having a problem getting back into the idea that I have a class to go to. I haven't been very dedicated to the class in the last few weeks, but Amber is gonna be there so it won't be that terrible. I was planning on having something to share this week, but unless something changes in the near future, it probably won't happen. I think we only have two class session left. I believe Amber and I have decided to continue sharing writing with each other, so the writing thing isn't completely out of my scope right now. I was thinking about writing an essay about finding your dreams and changes you go through in life. Maybe I can find the time to sneak that in before class.

I was planning on going and getting some BB practice in this morning, but I didn't wake up in time. I could probably still sneak over there this afternoon but I really need to see what my class reading is like. This should have been done right away after class two weeks ago, but instead I set my class stuff down on the bookshelf and it hasn't moved since then. I wonder if I will ever take anything from my procrastination for a future event. One would think, having done this every week for the 6 weeks, I would think, hey, if I get this done now, I won't have to worry about it on Wednesday afternoon! Just something for me to work on, I gather.

On the job front: I have a phone interview with UNL on Friday. I really think I can get this job since I have experience in all the things they are hiring for and I'm a pretty nice person. I'm sure they have a lot of applicants with the job market the way it is these days so I have to just stay calm and do my best in the interviewing process. I just keep telling myself, he's only going to ask you questions that you already know the answers to. I need to be prepared and show them that I am the right person for the job. I wonder how many interviews they are planning on doing. They could do one hundred for all I care, I'm going to get that job.

New Bats, Same Old Dreams

Today does not feel at all like what it is, that is to say, it does not at all feel like a Tuesday. Today feels like a free flowing Saturday, full of fun and wonder. Part of the issue with my lack of knowing the days has to do with C-bob taking the day off work. I have very little things in my life right now that give me connections to the days of the week and whether or not C-bob goes to work, seems to be one of them.

So this afternoon we went to the park and hit, played catch and generally did the baseball thing. That was until mother nature decided it would be much better if it were raining. As dedicated as we are to the training, it was cold and we were wet, so we came home. I'm really working on learning to relax and just enjoy learning to hit and play a sport. It's really no fun to be doing something if you are so frustrated or mad that you can barely concentrate on the task at hand. That happened to me on Saturday and a bit last night. I have to learn some relaxation techniques and put them into practice.

Most of all I need to stay realistic. This is something I am trying to learn to do. If I already knew how to do it, I wouldn't even need to be taking lessons, right? The whole point of learning something new is to get out there and really go at it. Practice and practice and keep working because no matter how much better I get, there will always be ways to get even better. It's all about hitting levels. Starting at the lowest level you just work your way up, bit by bit until you have to set the level higher and keep going. The goal is to not reach the top as fast as possible, but rather to reach the top as best as possible. At least that's my take on this whole thing. It's only December 2nd, there's a long way to go from here and I have nothing but time to get there.

I have also found a new bat to want and hope for. It's the Louisville Slugger CB304 Deuce. It's pricey but it's supposed to be the strongest aluminum bat on the market. This is the newer version for 2004. I also need to think about getting a new glove. The glove I have now is great for messing around and playing catch, but I think it may be too large for when it comes to actual game play, depending on my position. It's 12 1/2 in glove and really, if I want to be playing middle infield, something smaller would be better. I have to start trying on different gloves and seeing if I can find what I am looking for. Hopefully that job thing will pan out and I will have the money for this stuff soon enough. I also could use a new pair of batting gloves, but I'm really not sure I'm going to find anything that will fit the way I want. I basically need a size Adult XS, but I can't find any to buy anywhere. Such is life though, right?

Alright, enough about baseball for now. I hope you are all doing well and all that jazz. Peace.

World's Greatest

"The World's Greatest"

I am a mountain
I am a tall tree
Ohhh, I am a swift wind
Sweepin' the country
I am a river
Down in the valley
Ohhh, I am a vision
And I can see clearly
If anybody asks u who I am
Just stand up tall look 'em in the face and say

[Chorus]
I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that mountain peak up high
Hey, I made it
I'm the worlds greatest
And I'm that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it mmm
I'm the world's greatest

I am a giant
I am an eagle
I am a lion
Down in the jungle
I am a marchin' band
I am the people
I am a helpin' hand
And I am a hero
If anybody asks u who I am
Just stand up tall look 'em in the Face and say

[Chorus]
I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that mountain peak up high
I made it
I'm the worlds greatest
And I'm that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it
I'm the world's greatest

Hitting Lesson #3

My arm fixed itself and I went to my third lesson tonight and it was both good and bad.

The instructors decided that C-bob and I needed to do this competition thing by earning points based on hits and what not. Anyway, it just didn't seem like much fun and I'd rather not do that. C-bob and I have talked about this and I think we have come up with a good plan.

So we started out on the tees and that went pretty well near the end. I feel like I have the mechanics down and all that now. We then moved to hitting live pitches, easy pitches really, but still live and that was almost overwhelming. I don't know, I guess I wasn't prepared to do that this week so it took me a bit by surprise. I know I have to learn to do it but I didn't quite feel ready yet in some ways. But it's over now and I can only get better. I couldn't hit well off the tee to start and I can now, so I will conquer this too. Next week will be so rad.

audio post powered by audblog

Job Hunt

So do any of you out there want to give me a job? *big cheesy smile*

I find it really hard to get motivated to actually get a job. I apply and hear nothing. Not even rejection letters, just simply nothing. You send your resume and applications out and hope to hear back, and weeks and months go by and nothing. You call, you email, you leave messages but apparently these people are too busy to get back to you about something you find extremely important.

I know I have avenues to go down that I'm not ready to try yet. Push come to shove, I will go there but for right now I just want to crawl into bed and avoid looking at a newspaper or job website. I don't know, I'm just having problems finding something I want to do. When I do find something, I apply and don't hear back. It's really frustrating.

Oh well, I guess I should just keep trying, never give up, blah blah blah. Whatever. I want lunch now.

Thought

Setting the fire is the easy part; it's how you maintain, control and use it that truly matters.