Thursday, August 31, 2006

The Mebane Striker

I often wonder if our kids know how truly lucky they are.

On our club teams, we are usually the "poorest" family on the team. I'm not sure if my kids know that but I think sometimes they can tell. But we manage to hold our own.

Living where we do makes it a lot easier to find the resources and training we need to develop a good soccer player. Sometimes when we are driving through the middle of BFE, I pause and ask my kids, how would you like to live here? Usually they are pretty much horrified. I stop and think about how much I complain about not having anyone to carpool with, and then think about how it would have been if I had lived in Moncure, or Mebane, or anywhere else in NC where I couldn't have gotten my kid to a halfway-decent club to play without a huge amount of effort (and gas.)

About 5 years ago my husband and I went in as partners on a tiny business in Mebane, NC. For some reason our children were afraid we were going to leave Chapel Hell and move to this teeny little town. We decided to play along and tell our then-12-year old son that he would have to change soccer clubs. We even went so far as to make him up a T-shirt that said "Mebane Striker."

He was concerned when he saw the shirt. "They forgot the 'S', " he said.

"No," we assured him. "You're it. You're the only kid who plays soccer in Mebane. You're the Mebane Striker."

"I hate you both," he said, not for the last time.

I guess he got over it.

Please undo THIS curse...

The Red Sox are having a really tough time these days. First Papi has an irregular heartbeat, now this.

Please pray that Jon Lester is OK. He's only 22.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

The REAL reason I was at the Got Milk website...




Looking for these yummy photos.

Chocolate Milk beats Gatorade? Ewww...

From the Got Milk website:

There’s good news for parents just in time for the start of soccer season. Since researchers at Indiana University found that chocolate milk beat out other sports drinks hands down when it came to helping athletes recover from intense workouts — sports nutritionists nationwide have gone back-to-basics to recommend it to their athletes.

What can be next, chocolate-flavored Gatorade?


Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I Have No Comment on This One.

British amateur team The Fighting Cocks announced they are seeking the services of a goalkeeper, and the lucky person would have the fortune of being their 14th in the past year.

Poor boys.

Just wait till they see our 2007 scores...

The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years, a decline that the exam's owner, the College Board, said was partly due to some students taking the newly lengthened test only once instead of twice.

Be a Cool Parent


Surprise your children by knowing that the new Method Man CD (called "4:21 The Day After) comes out today.

I know this because older son asked me for $15 this morning to go buy it at lunchtime. Not because I was eagerly anticipating its release. Though I'm sure I'll be hearing it this evening. Repeatedly. Through the bedroom walls.

Now if you want to be REALLY cool, be able to name at least 5 members of the Wu Tang Clan.
(Head start: Method Man is one of them.)

What's up with my ads?

OK, why are my Google ads not running again? I don't have any prohibited content (that I can tell.) I have text. I have content. Why are they running PSA's? Is it because of the "Katrina anniversary"? Haven't we all heard almost enough about that?

I wonder if it's the YouTube videos making the ads disappear. Anyone had any experience with that?

Mr. Google! Put my ads back, please! (It's not like anyone actually ever clicks on them, so you're safe there!)
*****
Update 11am: Thank you, Mr. Google. I missed my ads!
*****
Update 10 pm: Never mind, they're gone again. Google is so flaky.

Winnie the Pooh Now!

Eeyore as Kurtz is classic. This is one of the more bizarre (and clever) YouTube videos I have seen yet.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Future Hotties


My boy and his buddy KB go to ODP Nationals in Dallas, March 2006 (their 88 team ended up as National Co-Champs due to a rainout...)

Moms are Cool

The best thing I've read this morning (and I've been up for 25 minutes so far...)

For some bizarre reason today's Moms seem to think they are the first generation of hipster mothers and just can't get over the fact that they're Mommies and cool too (or at least think they're cool), as if that's never ever been done before.

Thanks to Tearfree over at Reject the Koolaid for that truism.


Sunday, August 27, 2006

What a Weekend!

Baby LDSM's (aka EDSP) team won their division (in overtime) in the Furniture City Classic today. Way to go, girls! Photo coming soon.

In other news, TFC 88 Navy boys won both of their Region III Premier League games in Greenville, SC this weekend (does that make them SC State Champs now?)

And we got in a visit to Clemson on the side this afternoon. I like going there; it's a pretty campus. Official visit scheduled for September 8 (when the team plays UNC, ironically.)

The LDSM mobile has many, many miles on it. But, hey, gas is less than $2.50 in SC.

I'm tired.

Friday, August 25, 2006

The "Not-Hotties," Part II: Baseball

Maxim lists the 12 "Fattest, Slobbiest" guys in Baseball. Two Red Sox pitchers make the list.

Update: my husband says I need to count Babe Ruth as a Red Sox pitcher, so make that three fatties for the Boston bullpen.

Where Did the Summer Go?


Public school starts today (yeah, on a Friday...) here in Chapel Hell. This is my last year with three in public school, and probably our last year at Chapel Hill High. Carrboro High School is supposed to open up next fall, and I, for one, won't miss the 20-minute drive when one of the kids misses the bus.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Tom Green vs Soccer Parent Hooligans

This is probably a few years old, but I just saw it today. Very funny. Probably NSFW (some language.)

Monday, August 21, 2006

MLS "Kids" on Parents' Payroll

Oh great, you mean it NEVER stops?

Economics 101 is a tough lesson for young MLS players:
Low pay means getting financial help from mom and dad and living on the cheap to make ends meet.

A related story: Low-Cost League.

The Soccer War

"Kashmir: The Soccer War"

Kevin Sites writes about kicking a ball around with teens in violence-striken Kashmir. Good stuff.

Homeless World Cup



According to the website:
77% of players involved in the 2005 Homeless World Cup have changed their lives forever.

The 2005 Homeless World Cup has produced staggering changes in the lives of the players who contributed to such a memorable tournament:

38% (80 players) have regular employment
40% (85 players) have improved their housing situation
12 players now make their living partly from football as coaches or players with professional and semi-professional teams.

The 2006 Homeless World Cup will be held in Cape Town, SA in September.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

So this is why the helicopters were buzzing my house all night.

Missing 4-Year-Old Boy Found In Orange County.

You do NOT want to hear helicopters flying right over your house over and over again at 4am, any day of the week. Trust me. Especially when you don't know why.

I am very glad they found the little guy, though.

Friday, August 18, 2006

In honor of the Yankees-Red Sox series starting today...


...a picture of Gabe Kapler's tush. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Edit: I guess I jinxed the Sox with this picture; they played like "ass."

Thursday, August 17, 2006

First there was MySpace...

...then Facebook, Scrapbook, etc.

On a whim, my son typed a word into his web browser yesterday.

Yep, it exists:

Assbook.

(Probably NSFW.)

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

High School Players to Watch

What a coincidence! I'm going to watch him play in a few minutes! :)
Chapel Hill vs. Durham Academy, 7 pm. Wish us luck!


Update: final score 3-1, the boy with one goal and two assists. Nice!

"Gabe Kapler Tried To Kill My Family."

(I saw that game. I don't think he did it on purpose.)

Here's the follow-up.

Poor Dad. Poor Gabe.

Denis Leary, Mel Gibson, and the Red Sox

And Gabe Kapler, too!

Click here. PS, NESN sucks for making YouTube remove the original video I had posted.

I'm in Beta!


(I switched over to the new Beta version of Blogger. See any difference? Me neither, yet. Though it did eat my old template, at first.)

Captain Kasey



Teammates pick Kasey Keller as Moenchengladbach captain.

"I'm honored and very happy, but it doesn't make a big difference for me — I've always spoken my mind anyhow," Keller said.

A man after my own heart.




Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Tiger Woods, Soccer Dad?

Nope...because soccer isn't "physical" enough for him.

Anyone else think this is really ironic?

I can't wait till he has kids, and his son wants to be a ballet dancer or, better yet, hates all physical activity.

Like you can DECIDE what sport your kid will play.

Oh...wait. Tiger's dad did just that, didn't he?

Never mind.

Good New Bad News!

Bad News Hughes finally has a new blog post, after more than a month of dormancy (is that a word?) Not as funny as the last one, but still worth a read.

As always, my standard warning: don't read if you're easily (or even moderately) offended by anything. DO read if you want a good laugh. ESPECIALLY read if you're from a dysfunctional broken family and want to see if his was worse. DON'T comment here about the bad or non-PC language he uses. I warned you. So there.
I've never seen Burnt Offerings, by the way, and I think I'm scared to, now. Plus I don't have Netflix.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Soccermom Music

Over on MySpace, I found a band named Soccermom.

They're described as "New Wave/Punk/Surf." Click on the link and listen for yourself. (When I was there earlier today only one of the song links worked.)




Sunday, August 13, 2006

Triangle FC vs DC United U-17


Photos from my son's game today, taken by Jarrett over at TriSoccerFan. (Disregard the crazy woman in the sunglasses.)

Friday, August 11, 2006

Bye, Bye Beckham!

Beckham dropped from England team.


Maybe it was those sex texts.

Baby Mix Me a Drink


(Where were these books when MY kids were little? Huh?)

"Teach your toddler how to fix you a martini, make you a hangover-cure breakfast, change the oil in your car and apply for a home equity loan.

Sound too good to be true?

Not to illustrator and humorist Lisa Brown..."



(you can actually buy the books here.)



Thursday, August 10, 2006

It's Ketchup Thursday!


(I have no idea what that means, I just ran out of clever blog post titles. A long time ago.)

Anyway...
Heinz is letting people create their own ketchup (and mustard) bottles now. I don't know why I think this is cool, but I do.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

It's Sheffield Wednesday!


Jarrett over at Triangle Soccer Fanatics (see my blogroll) had some nice photos from the Sheffield Wednesday vs USL All-Stars game on July 19 at SAS published in the Sheffield Wednesday Official Matchday Programme. This is one of them, and his name is Deon Burton. I remember seeing him at the match, and he was even hotter in person.

This is a match at which I volunteered to work and subsequently got hit in the head with a stray ball, which my children got to see on FSN, much to their great amusement. Of course it was DVR-ed, so they would watch it over and over.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Tommy and the Tigers


Article in the Chapel Hill News about my son's high school team, with an amusing comment by Coach Benson.
(Most of the high school games Tommy missed last year were due to injury, not attending college showcase tournaments, which are generally held over holiday weekends.) Anyway, I'm looking forward to the start of his last high school season. The years really have flown by.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Starving My Children Too.

White Trash Mom: Starving My Children.
Apparently I'm not the only one who has "nothing to eat, Mom" in their house, even though our pantry is usually full.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Things I Wish I Had Said to My Kids

Dooce is always good for a laugh-out-loud read. I especially liked how her husband talks to their young daughter.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Sex Texts with Becks?

That's just fun to try to say three times fast.

But here's the story behind it. I saw the picture and all I have to say is, is he SERIOUS? Yuk.

Jeez, I hope my husband doesn't see this or it would be ours...

Red Sox down the drain.

Personally, I'd rather sit on this.

At least it's not a headbutt...

Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello will not discipline Thomas Gravesen and Robinho despite their fist fight at the team's preseason training camp.

(Looks more like a bitch-slapping match to me...)

Why would he have to make up a girlfriend?

Ronaldinho's girlfriend is apparently imaginary.

Weird.

Beer back on top. Cheers!

Americans are drinking alcohol more often, and beer is back on top as the beverage of choice, according to a new Gallup Poll.

Read more here...

(I have my own theories about why we're drinking more, and it has something to do with the White House. But that's just me.)