First Scrimmage of the Season

Good morning! It is snowy, rainy, and misty in the northeast. Fortunately, Mother Nature stopped at 1 inch in our region. I can still see the grass and now the driveway has been plowed by the landscaper. Sadly, I never contracted him to do the work, but hey.....I am going to enjoy this until I get the bill....then I will pay it. I would love this plowing if I did not just pay $300.00 to have the snow blower fixed. No complaints. I have a money tree, don't you?

Ok, on to the big guy and his scrimmage last night. We got the call at 12:30 am. In a moment of brilliance, I put the phone by dad's head before I went to bed. Therefore, dad picked up the early morning call and I listened to the update.

Before the scrimmage, the Czar had a two hour mental meeting with a guest appearance by the women's volleyball coach. This coach has won 7 national championships. Yes, that is 7 more than the Czar has won.....the coach proceeded to contradict everything the Czar has uttered as performance enhancers for the past year. The guys just sat back, listened, and smirked a bit.

Then the Czar pulled out a clip of Navy Seals to show how bonded they were as a team. What happened to the rugby team's dance fest from yesterday's post? Now we are on to the Seals who eat, sleep, and live and die for each other. We are comparing ourselves with the Seals? Nice.



Based on the last two mental sessions, the Czar wants a team that kills the enemy and dances with one another. Great mental image.....I definitely have to pull out the boxed wine for this season.

On to the scrimmage....there were numerous cameras following the Czar around during practice. I guess he might have his own local (cable based) television show. Although, I cannot be sure.

The lefty was on the mound for 4 innings....no walks, 6 K's, three weak hits.....slider and change up are on.

When asked what the Czar thought, the big guy said "nothing. he was too busy talking to cameras."

How about the pitching coach?

He was upset about a low ball that was supposed to be high. OK. The catcher who was not his regular guy lied and told the coach that he sent a high signal when he gave a low. In other words, this catcher did not back him up. So much for Navy Seal camaraderie, right?

When I spoke to the lefty this morning, I focused on other things such as correcting errors and looking at what he did right rather than on the Czar and his hatred of him. yeah, it seems that the Czar is not only indifferent to his number 1, but wants to see him not succeed so that he can say "I told you so. You're nothing."

However, say these words to the big guy and he will prove you wrong. The Czar thinks that he is an ego maniac, which is not far from the truth. But, I submit to you, that he needs to have a healthy dose of ego to make it through the twists and turns of his chosen profession. In other words, if he was a meek and mannered guy, he would be twisting pretzels in a kiosk in the mall.

What the Czar does not know is that he can turn it off when he is off the field. As the big guy says: "I am arrogant, but humble enough to admit it." As far as I am concerned, I get it. leave him alone to perform at the level that he can and stop with the mind games. OK?

"nuff said....

I am off to the gym. It is time to work out the muscles.....

By the way, we were laughing as I kept reminding the kid what a great movie this would make. I foresee John Goodman as the Czar....who would play him?

The big guy wants Bradley Cooper, but sadly, BC is too old for this movie. Perhaps BC can play dad or Coach T (who is now working for his dad after spending ten years in the minors). Me? At first, I said Cameron Diaz with a dark wig but my son (whose birthday is coming up and seems to be expecting some neat stuff :-)) claims Sandra Bullock is a better choice....ahh shucks....

Off I go....

peace!

Perfect Dog Day 1.0

Good morning! I have not posted for a few days for a few reasons. The biggest reason was that our BP Grandpop was rushed to the hospital. When BP Pop is in, so are we. In fact, within 40 minutes of his admission, the rest of the siblings were standing next to the folks offering support and humor. Even in stressful situations, we find ways to crack each other up. After 24 hours, he was released and brought home to hang out with BP Grandmom and Betty. OK, Pop, let's make this the last for a few months. Right?

On to the perfect dogs...NOT! What the heck! I watched the first part of the video 8 times. Then it came time to work with the pups. Tink took one and I took the other. We separated them to minimize distractions. I took the quieter male to train thinking that this would be a breeze. Yep, I had the tools, my $100.00 DVD , leash, and collar. We are ready to go. Come on, little fella.....here we go...come to momma....walk with me....

Nice....

Not nice....



Hey, get up.....

Hey, this is not the way it is seen in the video...

Cut it out...



Don't bare your teeth to me....


Come on...please.....please....




Come on...let's get out of phase 1.....

We have 49 more commands to learn....

Please....pretty please....

@$*U%SJI(*&&(%O)

Done. I am done for today.....

And that is how it went....we are still in phase one.....Command 1 is still on the table because they refuse to cooperate. That's right. Who is the pack leader? Uh, obviously it is not me.

Although, I have to say, I am NOT giving up. This afternoon, we are starting again. And again....And again.....Although, I feel like I am hurting their spirit, but the DVD guy says: "No, the dog will thank you for training him."



Thank me, hmmmm...with flowers? Licks? A half eaten bone?

The reality is that I cannot move through the commands until they master the first. How long is this going to take as I drag the little guy across the floor with the leash? He sits down, then lies down, then ignores me...then I have to tug a bit....then tug again....then drag....He removes unaffected by my pleas and requests.....I am on the floor....I am making eye contact....I beg....but cannot offer a treat according to the video. Dang! I have to do this right...or do I?



If I offer a treat, he will follow me to the moon and back. But the DVD guy says "no treats".

Dang...double dang...triple dang.....


Time to open the boxed wine again. it has been collecting dust on the shelf for months. It might be a Merlot Moment again.....

How is the big lefty? Well, he has a scrimmage or bullpen or something like that today. So, he prepares the night before with Chinese food and a Jeremy Lin video. The food and Jeremy Lin are unrelated although I see a correlation, he does not.

And so, Jeremy inspires him as the food fortifies him. We will see if Jeremy and King or Kung Pao chicken work.

He called to share some more of the last mental training. Apparently there is a successful rugby team somewhere in the world. Before each game, the team dances together. Then they play and win their rugby match. Do they dance again after the match on top of the bodies of the defeated team? I am not sure, but let me tell you one or two things...

Dancing as a team will not improve performance. I believe excellence comes from practice, fundamentals,
 a commitment to excellence, and not doing the hokey pokey or Bunny Hop with the outfielders. How about dancing the Alley Cat? Remember that one? I recall dancing that one at weddings when I was a kid....perhaps I should share this new insight with my over 40 tennis team. The Ally Cat can bring back our youth. As we think young, we forget about our creaking knees, backs, and sore elbows....I like it. Perhaps the Czar is on to something.....

Gotta roll and mentally prepare for my dog training.

peace

Perfect Dog Day 1

Good morning! What a beautiful day in the northeast. There is no ice on the road unlike the past few mornings. In other words, it is safe to go out today without sliding down the side walk.



It is particularly important for us that the weather is good because today begins the first day of the Perfect Dog Training. That's right. I did not hire Cesar Milan the dog whisperer. I bought the Perfect Dog video with accessories. The guy in the video guarantees success or my money back ($100.00). As I watched the infomercial (don't judge me...you can mock me, though), I was amazed at the success of the training, so naturally, I bought it.



It arrived this weekend and I opened the box. That was phase 1. Then I looked at the DVD case....reading it....I began to perspire.....6 hours of dog training video to watch before beginning the process. Huh? Six hours? What about my ADD? OK, I don't have ADD but I do have a short attention span and like to move on to different things during the day. To sit before my computer for 6+ hours seems like torture to me. Perhaps this is part of the owner's training....If I can make it through the training, then I will not stop until the dogs are 'perfect'.



And so, on Sunday, I took the wrapper off the DVD. Another goal accomplished. As I peered into the opened case, I could see two DVDs. Ok, maybe this is why the training is $100.00. Two videos seem like they might be worth the expenses.

On to Monday, after work, Tink and I sat down to watch some of the videos. After seeing that the training has over fifty commands, I made an executive decision to watch the first three commands. Although during the introduction, the trainer mentioned that training should begin when the dogs are three months old. Oops.....Yet, he also said not to worry because a person can teach old dogs new tricks. Fine, I will go with that notion.



My goals are as such:
1. They are not allowed to whine and bark like Diva did. My beloved Diva was a diva and considered herself the pack leader. This was definitely our fault.
2. The entire family knows the program and abides by the process of training or be banished from hanging out with the pups.
3. They must be housebroken.


Aside from these goals, I can eliminate the other 47 commands on the video such as safe boating, safe hiking, neutering, and sharing bones. I am fine with not sharing the bones. Unlike the dogs, I don't want to chew on hard substances since they break my teeth.



And so, the goals for today will be to sit, down, and stay. If last night's behavior is indicative of how successful we are going to be, then I am doomed. The little girl kept jumping out of the play pen, so I placed her into the crate. For the next hour, she howled and cried. Was I affected? Sure. But if I want the Perfect Dog, I cannot give in to her need to be the pack leader. After all, according to the expert, the dogs don't want to be the pack leaders. They want us to assume that responsibility. Hmmmm....OK, got it....I am the pack leader...I am the pack leader....I am the pack leader....Sheesh....it seems like I am being patterned as opposed to the dogs. I wonder if this is the goal. Perhaps we change our behaviors and the dogs change theirs.

Maybe I figured it out. Maybe not. But I am ready. So are the dogs. They seem content in waking me up before sunrise every day. Let's squash that one and make that goal four for the day.

Off to watch commands 1-3 again. This time I will take notes.


peace!

Uh oh

Another quick post since I have tennis this morning and have to straighten the house before the cleaning ladies show up. That's right. I clean before they clean. Give me a break. They already know that I am a slob. No need to  confirm it on their facebook pages as they take selfies in front of my dirt.

On to big lefty....yesterday, he was busted in the locker room by a team mate. The entire team knows that he has been banned from his Pitching Doc work outs. They know that he will be punted into the outfield by the Czar as he is cut from the team. Yet, he continues to do what he thinks is right in a clandestine manner.


Therefore, on a Sunday night, the evening before a day off, he walked into the locker room thinking that no one else would show up. As his stuff was on the floor, the team mate walked in and started an inquisition like CSI university.....

When the big guy denied everything, the team mate looked at him square in the eye and said: "I know what you are doing...the Texas stuff...I don't care...but I know...there is no way that you could go from 85 mph to 90 without doing this....get rid of the stuff, some of the coaches are on their way in...."

Whew. This guy has the lefty's back and will not say anything. He will keep his mouth shut. His parting words were: "I won't say a word, since I prefer you pitching at 90 than 85." And he departed.

OK, this was a close one. Other guys would have turned him in. Others would have wanted to join him. But he cannot run the risk, therefore, he says nothing and has been discrete for the past two years. On Saturday, he threw 75 pitches and his arm remained strong without pain whereas the other pitchers are either shut down or icing. Hawk has been shut down for 'tendonitis'. You remember tendonitis, right? When the big kid was shut down for it by team doctors, it turned out to be something much worse and therefore he needed surgery.

This poses another dilemma. He knows that the docs have been wrong with their diagnoses. They make them without X-Rays or MRIs based upon physical findings. if they are going to shut a guy down, then take him to the MRI machine and get a definitive diagnosis. We know this because we lived it. I was not satisfied with the team docs, so we went on our own for answers and got them....in Delaware and Florida.

And so, we creep toward the start of the season on Valentine's Day weekend. This should be an interesting year. Got to get the car checked out for my road trips. Gotta run...

Peace!

And the Oscar goes to....

Good rainy morning. It is sloppy and muddy out there. The roads have iced up and are closed for another few hours. I definitely need the wellies and ice skates today when I walk the pups....For now, they are quiet and sleepy...hopefully they will sleep until the sun comes out.

Last night, I received a late call from the big lefty who was in his favorite store, WalMart buying his Epson salts. "Mom, I just got back from the movies and saw American Sniper. It was amazing."



"I heard that it was disturbing."

"Yes, but Bradley Cooper was awesome and so was the movie."

I would believe that BC was amazing because every movie that I have seen him in, he has been pretty good. In fact, he should win the Oscar. How do I know that when I have not seen any other nominated movie? I actually don't, but I like him, so he should win. Isn't that enough for the voters? His production company should use this as they campaign for his victory: "BC has been endorsed by BP mom..." Yep, they will all take my opinion into consideration when completing the ballot. He is a shoo-in....or is it 'shoe-in'?

Now, this American Sniper movie is in direct contrast to the movies that I normally see with Wildcat and anyone else who wants to join me. This morning, having taken the pups out when they started to whine, I turned on the television, which I normally do not do. My morning routine is to read the newspaper on my Samsung tablet with my coffee as the dogs eats their Greenies (a delicious dog bone). Since my tablet is being fixed, I am at a loss as to what people do in the morning when sipping their coffee. So, I turned the news on.....however, the news was not on the television. The movie Beethoven's Second was on the channel.



Normally, I do not watch much television, let alone a dog movie, but something about this movie drew me in (don't judge until you hear the plot...it was quite intricate).

When I started to watch the movie, a brother and sister had stolen 4 puppies (Beethoven's, naturally) from a mean man and woman who had stolen Beethoven's girl friend (another St Bernard). Apparently, the mean man and woman were going to drown the puppies (YIKES! This is a thriller and a kid's movie). The kids hid the dogs in the basement for several weeks from their parents until the beans were spilled and the father had a melt down. Somehow, the kids managed to convince the dad to let them have the puppies until they were old enough to give them away to a worthy family. The dad, looking at 18 sets of doe-eyes (including Bonnie Hunt's) reluctantly allowed them to take care of the pups until the dogs were given away....sure. Even I can see through this one. They are going to have these 5 dogs forever...

Or are they?

That's right. They needed another hour to fill in the movie and somehow Beethoven had to rescue his girl friend, Missy, from the mean man and woman. Moving through the next hour of cuteness, I was spellbound as Beethoven managed to save the father,  Missy, and his 4 babies and win the burger eating contest at the county fair at the same time. Talk about Oscar-caliber performances. My vote goes to the dog who played Beethoven. I laughed, cried, and did not move from the television set until all were safe and happy.



All of this is in direct contrast to Bradley Cooper, who has been nominated for his performance as a guy who can use a gun with precision and kill the bad guys. On the other hand, Beethoven did not need a gun, and got the bad guys with his teeth, slobber, and wits.

Beethoven versus Cooper....hmmm...this is a toughie....who should win the Oscar? This is too difficult to call. Glad that I do not belong to the Academy. I will let you decide. Click on the link to take you to B-2's movie trailer......Now check out American Sniper's movie trailer. Tough call, right?

On to other news....it is BP Grandpop's 88th birthday party. We will gather at Dr G's house after the ice on the road melts. I have always admired BPG, but now, after his fractured hip, I admire him more. There seems to be a rule of thumb that when an elderly person breaks a hip, they rapidly deteriote. Well, did anyone share this news with Pop? Nope.

He has gone from wheelchair to walker to cane in a few months. Nothing has gotten him down as he continues to rehab and gain more strength. He is someone to admire as his grit and determination are currently in overdrive. When he is not working on his strength, he is saying his prayers and entertaining the family. He's quite a guy and someone who has never let life get him down. Now, he is definitely Oscar-worthy as he shows us how to act  in life.

With that said, it is time to check the roads.

Peace! 

Friday night mental toughness

Hi! I am down to the last two papers and cannot get motivated to grade them. I know...then I will be completely done...I know...what the heck? Can't get moving....Actually, I scheduled a massage today with the gift card that I got two years ago. I forgot about it then waited to treat myself after this last crazy six months....but I can't go until I finish the papers. Otherwise, it would not be a treat. Right? I am  such a head case. When I made the appointment, I was offered a masseuse named Darren. Darren? That's a guy, right? Where's Ingrid, a tall, muscular Swedish woman?

Darren sounded like he was a puppy. I do not want to be given a massage by someone who is my son's age. That would be the ultimate ikk factor. Ew. Right?

And so, I selected Tiffany. Yep. Tiffany. She is probably in her early 20's and she is going to have her hands full with my wiggly muscles.....OK, once a upon a time, I was cut, lean, and muscular. At this writing, I am a shade bit doughy. This should be relaxing....uh huh.....

The last time that I had a massage (about 6 years ago), I started to cough. I was breathing so deep that my lungs went into spasm since they are not accustomed to receiving oxygen at the bases. Normally, I breathe quickly and only fill half of the capacity. Anyway, I want to shower before I go....and grade those last two papers, so I have to be brief.....

I spoke with the big lefty today who gave me the run down for the day...class....break...class....bullpen....60 pitches....quick dinner...7:30 pm mental session.

What?

Yep, 7:30 on a Friday evening while in college, the entire team and staff have to sit for two hours listening to the Czar pontificate about the importance of keeping your focus and being mentally tough...while deep breathing, of course. Sheesh.....Two hours.....

Yesterday, while the kid was pitching, the pitching coach had the team stand around him to yell in his ears and scream as he threw. The point of the exercise was to throw him off and distract him. Guess what? He was not distracted and kept a razor-like focus and hit his marks. Impressive.....

Perhaps, this ability to concentrate can be attributed to these mental sessions. Then again, maybe not...after all, this pitcher is one dedicated guy and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. So, a little chaos is not exactly a problem for him. After living in the dorms and house of mold, he has the ability to turn things on and off. How do I know? Well, he can certainly turn my voice off with a wink of his eye....did you get the car inspected? Did you pay your rent? Is there fresh oil in the car...don't drink and drive...study...go to church....
He probably hears "blah, blah, blah, blah, coming out of my mouth."


 Oh well, it's his loss. I told him my pin number to my debit card that he doesn't remember hearing...
Gotta go and finish....

Peace!~

Nothing tastes better than a win....except Skittles, perhaps?

Good morning! I am 98.8% done with my grades and am so excited that I could eat a sleeve of Girl Scout thin mint cookies....but I won't.



Yesterday, I lamented that my time is almost over as BP mom in the university setting. I guess that I was complaining. Was it Dr. Seuss that said "Don't cry that it is over; smile that it happened."?

Or was it Nelson Mandela?


No, Mandela said: "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies." This is actually one of my favorite quotes. There is something about this wisdom that I like.

On to college.....yesterday the big guy called and reported about his session with the psychologist. I only wish that I could see this doc since he is so down to earth and gets it. He really gets it. They spoke about the kid's labile emotions and tactics on how to handle them.  it seems that the doc is also a great proponent of deep breathing. I have to try it sometime. Breathe...in and out....don't hold it! Try again...in and out....I have to practice.

He also spoke about the strength trainer and how the coaches will not listen to him. Then doc said something important. No, not breathe....but "get over yourself. The coaches are not going to make changes based on one guy's ideas." Touch`e.

We had a few laughs over the session and they made plans to see each other once a week until the end of the season. I could not be happier, because I make a terrible counselor. When someone comes to me crying, I land up crying with them. Empathy? Maybe....although it smears the mascara that took me 5 seconds to apply.

And so, today he is happy and laughing as we also chatted about the team's propensity for drinking. Actually, the guys are quite good at it. On Wednesday nights, they go to a bar that has a special on 'bombs'. A bomb special drink is a shot of hard liquor in a red bull. The guy then chugs it and gets wasted immediately. I think that this would make my heart stop. A shot of hard liquor coupled with an energy drink would definitely explode in my body, therefore it is appropriately named.


I asked him about the drink and he replied that he never had it because he follows the tenets of a great sports philosopher, Tom Brady. Yep, Tom Brady. You may have heard of him not in your  history books but in the sports pages. TB is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and my kid has admitted to a man-crush on the guy. You see....TB does not drink. He says: "I never had a beer that tasted better than a win." Oh dude, you know my son so well....it is all about his sport and winning is everything as is physical recovery. And liquor slows down the recovery process. Again....this is good stuff. I might develop a BPmom crush on TB. After all, he is making it rain cash in his home with his work ethic, dedication to excellence, and attention to detail.

With that said, I gotta finish the last 1.2% of my grading then I will be free...well sort of...free to work on my next project....

Peace!