Field of...Death?

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

It's no Madrid. It's no Milan. It's no Manchester. But in Manti - yes, that small town in central Utah - soccer is a matter of life and death.

No, the town's toddlers are not necessarily dribbling balls or flinging headers before they're out of diapers. But they do play soccer at the city cemetery.

"Soccer has grown so much, we just needed a place that we could play," said Michelle Francks, Manti's city treasurer and former director of youth sports, including the Manti Youth Soccer League. "There was part of the cemetery that wasn't platted out yet. It seemed like a good solution, so we decided to put the field there."

Read the rest here.

Did you forget to buy a pumpkin like I did?

Then here's a virtual jack-o-lantern for you to carve instead.

I think I need help.

I spent $569 on soccer crap this weekend at the Eurosport yard sale. Granted, I did get 8 pairs of shoes, one pair of really cool puffy soccer ball slippers, and three shirts, but still. What was I thinking???

At least it wasn't all for one kid.

Talk about having someone by the balls!

From Reuters:

Bulgarian premier league side Litex Lovech have ordered striker Ivelin Popov to get married in the coming year in the hope that it curtail his wild living.

"I accept the order and I promise to do it," said Popov who is a key member of Bulgaria's under-21 squad. "My bosses are right to want such a thing from me because they know my temper."

Popov, a Levski Sofia trainee who turned 19 this week, had an unsuccessful spell at Dutch club Feyenoord before joining Litex last year.

He is known for his countless girlfriends and volatile temper and upset the Litex fans on Friday when he made a gesture towards them after scoring in a 2-1 victory over Rodopa Smolyan.

However, he is promising to curb his volatile temperament and settle down with his current girlfriend.

Not a cat wearing food!

No, thanks to Dooce, this is a *dog* wearing food. The most patient dog ever.

Watch the video.

This is me in a week or two (sniff)

From a Colorado newspaper article:

Reality stepped in midway through the second half late Wednesday afternoon in Denver, and I began to realize I was probably never going to see my son play high school soccer again.

The Tigers were down 3-1 in their first postseason game. Despite all the hope and optimism in the world, the outcome of the game seemed pretty obvious when their opponents knocked in a final goal.

As a senior and captain on the Cañon City Tigers squad, Bobby saw his high school career nearing its end.

What does LDSM stand for?

• Lake District Summer Music (these folks aren't very friendly in my opinion; I wrote to them asking if they had any LDSM t-shirts for sale and they didn't even bother responding.)
• LANDesk Server Management It's kind of freaky that the woman in the picture on this website looks a lot like me. At least we have the same hair color and glasses...
• Linking Science and Decision Making (yawn.)
• Landscape Dynamic Simulation Models (another yawn.)
• Love and Drugs and Sex and Music (yeah, my favorite...)
• and of course, me!

Football Poets

Poems about soccer are here:

it's a site for all football poets, lovers of football and maybe even lovers of (alternative)poetry. We're actively looking to sign more poets and will be delighte to discover unknown's in the lower leagues right on down to the school playground.

Here's my favorite so far: The Referee.

Wasting away again at work...

...while my friends are at the 28th Annual Fantasy Fest in Key West. Sigh. This is the second year in a row I haven't been able to go. I hope to be there again next year, eating cuban cheese toast and arepas off of Duval Street, drinking margaritas and bloody marys at the Green Parrot, frozen drinks of all kinds at the Flying Monkey, and watching old fat semi-naked people of almost every sexual persuasion make fools out of themselves for a week straight (it's a lot more fun than it sounds...)

Watch some Key West webcams here and here. But preferably not while you are at work.

Found Film

So there's this photographer, and he apparently finds old cameras at yard sales and such, and then if there is old film in the camera, he tries to develop it. Then he posts the results on his website.

This camera was found in a box with about ten rolls of film in it, and the pictures that resulted are simply wonderful. It's a shame that the person who took them never got to see them.

Think Before You Pink

Many people like the idea of supporting breast cancer research, but some of the newest products that appear to be helping the cause may not be giving money at all.

Items such as pink-labeled potato chips, paper towels and even Campbell's tomato soup are in the grocery stores and consumers are eager to support the fight against breast cancer.

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal raised questions about some pink ribbon products.

Read the rest here.

(Personally, I wish someone would sell a Pink Ribbon soccer ball. I would buy one for my daughter and I'm sure a lot of other moms would, too.)

The Top 49 Men?

According to AskMen.com, that is.

My favorites:

• 41
• 29
• 22 (just for his quote about his mom)
• 19
• 12
• 10 (the person I'd love to meet most, ever)
• 8 (of course)
• and #1, whom I guessed without peeking!
  

Friday Night Lights Part 2.5

Big win on a big night
CHHS scores early at East Chapel Hill to maintain its place in PAC-6 soccer

By William Elliott Warnock, Sports Editor
CHAPEL HILL -- Tommy Drake had to leave Friday's party early, but he left his calling cards: a goal and his shoes.

Sent off from the Wildcat Stadium pitch after two yellow cards barely five minutes apart, Drake left his iridescent lime green shoes sitting in front of the Chapel Hill bench. In his absence, they bespoke his irritation at being carded, twice, for "conduct degrading the game," and they seemed to be a silent reminder that his goal would stand up.

Read more here...

That's my boy! :)

And one of them is an oceanographer.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 264 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Not My Usual Kind of Tiger

Perhaps I will have to become a Detroit fan, too. What a little cutie.

PSA for all UNC students and that clueless dad in Carrboro who almost let his small child walk in front of a moving car yesterday.

Friday Night Lights Part 2

Note to High School Refs: Y'all pretty much suck for the most part and would be better off handing out smilie faces to snot-nosed toddlers at the Wal-Mart entrance. And it is NOT all about you. Let the kids play, please. Giving a player a second yellow 20 minutes into the game for scoring a sweet goal against his rival high school team, during his senior year, and then getting excited about it, is ridiculous. And you know it. I bet most refs were the kids who got picked last for sports in school.

PS: We WON, and I still feel like this.

I'm so conflicted.

Beautiful face. Hideous hat.

TGIF

And TGFB.

How to Mow Your Lawn So it Looks Like a Soccer Field

Courtesy of SCAG (!?) Power Equipment:

The "stripes" that you see on a lawn or athletic field are caused by light reflecting off the blades of grass. It has not been cut at a different height nor is it a different breed of grass. The "stripes" are made by bending the blades of grass in different directions.

Read more here.

Now if I could only actually GROW some grass on my lawn, I'd be set.

I think the one on the right is mine, actually.

nataliedee.com

What's in my Pandora?

If you also have an account at Pandora, post it in the comments section so I can go check out what you are listening to.

I've been saying this for years.

Goalkeepers are nuts.

Excerpt:
It's said one has to be slightly mad to be a goalkeeper. Because goalkeepers alone can use their hands, teammates expect them to dive among the flying boots to grab the ball. Once there, they run the risk of being hurt.

Duh.

And read what people are saying regarding Petr Cech's fractured skull. Ouch.
(He's pretty cute. Never noticed before...)

One more website to check out: Goalkeepersaredifferent.com

MySpace? Facebook? And now...

...yes, there is actually a CrackSpace. Get your own page today. Or not.

To the person who "bumped" into my blue Xterra in the Subway parking lot in Durham, NC today and did not stop or leave a note:

1. I don't like you very much right now.
2. I hope your vehicle is more screwed up than mine is.
3. Your parents taught you better than that, I'm sure.

Last week in Chapel Hill HS Soccer

"We're feeling pretty good about where we are," CHHS head coach Ron Benson said. "If we stay healthy, we should make the state tournament in good shape, and we could work out a good little run once we get there."

Ranked No. 14 in the N.C. coaches' poll, Chapel Hill has lost only to teams within the state's top five -- then-No. 1 Apex, No. 4 Sanderson and No. 2 Broughton.

Read the whole article here.

Another Calendar for 2007

I might have to buy more than one calendar next year...

A group of Marines and ex-Marines who fought in Iraq-- including two wounded there-- is featured in a beefcake calendar being sold to help wounded veterans.A group of Marines and ex-Marines who fought in Iraq — including two wounded there — is featured in a beefcake calendar being sold to help wounded veterans."

The "America's Heroes" calendar is being sold by Freedom is Not Free, a San Diego-based nonprofit group that helps injured service members and their families with such expenses as travel, mortgage and utility bills and special beds for burn victims.

Breast Cancer Victory

From a great blog I discovered today:

“Although we still need to run some tests, I think it is clear to all of us that we are dealing with breast cancer”

These words came from a man I barely knew, whom I had met just an hour before these words were spoken. This man is my breast cancer doctor. His words shattered my confidence and belief in my own ability to live forever. In a single moment, my life flashed in front of me, my plans for the future were called into question, and the happiness I had begun my day with was suddenly and completely overshadowed by these terrifying words.

Who am I, and why am I telling you my story?

My name is Sylvie. I am an ordinary 36 year old Canadian woman. I am the mother of three teenagers. I own my own business and my home is my office. After 12 years of being a single mom, I am getting married in a few days, to the man who is my soulmate, The One I have been waiting for my entire life. Until today, my future was bright and full of incredible promise. And now, I face an uncertain and frightening future.

I have been diagnosed with breast cancer…

Google Ads Weirdness Again.

How on earth does anything I've written/posted here lately make an ad for "Jesus Camp" show up on my blog?? I can't even click on it myself to see what "Jesus Camp" is...I think I miss the "cat urine" ads now. Or the the ones for Greatful Dead tshirts.

As soon as I have the time (I have to do both my mom's and my family's taxes today, because I'm the worst procrastinator, ever) I'm writing a really long, really bizarre post with as many obscure words in it as possible, words like eggplant, primatene mist, or schizothemia (which I think I am suffering from) just to see what the Google gods will pull out and stick in my ads.

In the meantime somebody find out what "Jesus Camp" is all about and get back to me.

Today's Results

93 Triangle FC Navy girls won 3-0 over SCSA. And an added plus was that I got to drive to Charlotte and back in NASCAR race traffic. Lucky me.

Someone please explain NASCAR to me, because I just don't get it.

This Girl Can SING.

Go to YouTube, right now, and listen to Esmee Denters. She's an 18 year old from the Netherlands and she is an AMAZING singer. My kids and I sat thru most of her videos last night and were very impressed. As far as I can tell, she's not a professional singer or anything--but she should be.

I Hear You, Jacy!

Jacy over at Reject the Koolaid on the heartbreak of watching your kids grow up:

"No thanks, Mom, I am too old for this now."

My 12 year old daughter hasn't done this to me yet, but my 17 year old and 15 year old sons break my heart daily.

Back to Being Shallow.

Cosmo's monthly "Guy Without His Shirt."

I think January is my favorite.

(and what happened to March???)

Cory played for our local minor league team the Durham Bulls in 1999-2000.

Something My Son and His Friends Might Do

...if we were actually allowed to HAVE drive-thrus in Chapel Hill, that is...

Top Ten Yankee Excuses for LOSING

From David Letterman, of course:

Top Ten New York Yankees Excuses:

10. Wanted Columbus Day off to get to all the sales

9. Thought series was best 6 out of 11

8. We've already missed the first three episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" -- enough is enough

7. Thought Joe Torre told us to give 10 percent

6. Players distracted by erotic text messages from Mark Foley

5. Shouldn't have switched to the cheaper generic steroids

4. Clubhouse caterer replaced E. coli-tainted spinach with E. coli-tainted lettuce

3. Uh, global warming?

2. More focused on how they're going to get by on a lousy $16 million a year

1. What's the point? North Korea's gonna nuke us at any moment

Kanye the Muppet

The best Kanye West remix, ever.

Don't Drink and Click!

From the New York Times:

Stephen Kenny remembers being in high spirits one evening after imbibing "one martini or maybe three" on his way home from work. He was in such a good mood, in fact, that he decided to get his girlfriend a present.

"I logged on to this luxury jewelry Web site and I bought her a pair of $1,500 earrings--or what I thought were $1,500 earrings," said Kenny, who works at an intellectual property law firm in Burlington, Vt. "Maybe my vision was blurred or I just missed a decimal point, but they turned out to be $15,000."

We're Getting a Cool New Neighbor...

...and he's not exactly Mr. Rogers!

Lewis Black buys Chapel Hill condo.

Baseball Mom Sees the Light

Reading her recent "Soccer is Cold" post made me miss "little kid" or "bumblebee" soccer SOOOOO much...

Orange You Glad I Showed You This?

Because I Miss the Kitty Litter Ads

"Cat Head Theatre" does Hamlet:

For The Firefox Fans

Firefox 2.0 (pre-release) is available for download.

The Coolest Origami Film You'll See Today

From the film's website:

Fast Film is an animated homage to motion pictures, hand-made by folding 65,000 print outs of film frames into three dimensional objects.

A woman is abducted and a man comes to her rescue, but during their escape they find themselves in the enemy’s secret headquarters. This classic plot conceals an hommage to action movies. In 14 minutes, Fast Film (a play on words, English fast and German fast, meaning “almost”) provides a tour de force through film history, from its silent beginnings to present-day Hollywood. The filmmakers printed out some 65,000 individual images from 300 films, folded them into paper objects, arranged them in complex tableaux, and then brought them to life with an animation camera in a two-year production process.

Watch it on YouTube:

Weekend Soccer Scores

88 Triangle FC boys tied the center ref 88 CASL elite 1-1 at WRAL in Raleigh on Saturday in Region III Premiere league play.

93 Triangle FC Navy girls had the weekend off due to the cancellation of their tournament in Richmond.

The Stinkees are out of the playoffs

...and it couldn't happen to a more deserving team.

Apex Fire is Close to Home

One girl on my daughter's team can't go back into her home yet. Apparently the fire is still burning even though it's been raining all day here.


Apex fire continues to burn.

Scary. We drive past this area at least once a week. I hope everyone comes out of this OK, including all the pets that people needed to leave behind when they evacuated.

Major League Soccer to sell ad space on jerseys

By Jon Weinbach, The Wall Street Journal

Major League Soccer doesn't have the talent, tradition or TV ratings of more storied American sports leagues. But starting next spring, MLS will be the first major team sports league in the U.S. to showcase ads where viewers can't miss them: on the fronts of player jerseys.

Read the rest here.

OK, LDSM readers--which companies would be good sponsors for the MLS? I like this one, myself.

Lemmings Not Actually Suicidal!

(I swear I remember seeing this movie in grade school. Shows how old I am.)

In 1958 Disney released a movie called "White Wilderness"; an epic documentary that took nine photographers three years to make. During this movie was rare footage of a lemming migration and lemmings throwing themselves off cliffs to drown in the sea. This is how everyone first learned the strange and anomalous way lemmings deal with their own population control.

Except that it was total bullshit. Fiction, if you will. But even today you will hear it from people and even read it as a matter of "fact" in books. Even the expression "like lemmings to the sea" was born from it. A "lemming" became slang for someone who would blindly follow someone else no matter what, even if it was an incredibly stupid thing to do, against all common sense, against self preservation.

Read about how Disney lied here... and here.

(This post comes about because I tend to use the term "being a lemming" a lot and I've noticed recently that many younger folks don't know what a lemming is, other than a character in an old video game.)

I'm Gonna Be the Worst Empty Nester Ever

Great (old) song, first time I had seen the video:



I have almost a year 'till my oldest leaves for college and I don't know what I'm going to do when that happens...

OK Now I Have an Excuse

Humor's Sexual Side:
A woman who deploys a male sense of humor—one that's aggressive or competitive—is a turnoff to men.

Read the explanation from Psychology Today here.

Talk About Expensive Youth Soccer...

Beckham to coach Pitt and Jolie's son

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- David Beckham, in a new role as children's soccer coach, plans to take on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's adopted son Maddox as his first pupil in Los Angeles.

The Dove Self-Esteem Film

Everyone with a young daughter should watch this film. Touching stuff. It explores the way a girl's self-esteem can be affected by mothers, mentors, and friends.

For the Little Ones

Free Halloween coloring pages. These are really nice; my four year old nephew loves them!

Shop for the Cure!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we're proud to support the cause! How can you help fight this disease, which strikes 1 in 8 women annually? Go shopping! Every time you buy pink ribbon products, you’re supporting the search for a cure. So look for the pink ribbon logo on your favorite foods, makeup, sporting goods, kitchenware, and more. This year’s hottest pink ribbon products are hitting the shelves now, and we’ve got the top 10 right here!

My kid in the paper again

From the Chapel Hill News, October 1:
Anyone who thinks Friday Night Lights applies only to Texas high school football ought to visit a soccer game between Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill.

Permian and Plano have nothing on the Wildcats and Tigers when it comes to intensity.

Case in point: Friday night's 3-3, double-overtime tie at Chapel Hill.

Read the rest here...

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Please visit Pink for October, too. I'm Pink for October. I was already pink, but, hey...

Pick Up Line at random gas station today

Attractive Harley Davidson biker guy in front of me in line, holding lottery ticket, while I am waiting to buy my diet soda, somewhere at a gas station in Bufu, South Carolina:

"I hope I won a million bucks last night so I can take you with me."

Kids' Soccer Scores from this weekend

Fresh from the all-too-frequent trip down I-85, I bring you the results of my kids' games this past weekend. I know y'all were waiting for this :)

93 TFC Navy Girls 5, 93 TUSA Silver 0. Girls go to 5-0 on the Fall Season, yay!

88 TFC Navy Boys 0, ATL Fire 1 in Region III Premiere League play.

Also 88 TFC Navy Boys 2, Cobb Chiefs 2.

(And the 91 kid is celebrating his something-like-700th weekend in a row without having to play a damn soccer game.)

Another New Favorite Blog

Indexed. Here's a sample: