Have you seen my...

It's been a long travel week for me and I am just getting past Wednesday. For some reason I keep experiencing major malfunctions as each day happens. The week started out great on Sunday with the two championship wins. Then I hopped on a plane and it went down hill.

1. Flight from Houston to Virginia delayed by 2 hours, making my arrival time in Va 12:45 AM on Sunday night. My meeting the next day is at 8 AM.
   
2. As I am dreading the fact that I need to iron my dress shirts the next morning, I realize an important fact: I left all my dress shirts at home. All I have is the t-shirt on my back after coaching and playing soccer all day.
3. 2 AM: I pull into a Wal-Mart in northern Va looking to buy a new wardrobe. Closed.
4. 2:30 AM: I go to bed.
5. 5:30 AM: Wake up and go back to Wal-Mart which opens at 6 AM. Successfully buy wardrobe which I now have to iron the folded shirt lines out of.
6. Tuesday night: Drive from VA to Trenton.
7. Wednesday morning: Start to shave but have to stop...left my shaving cream in Va.
8. Wednesday night: Leaving the office....but can't.
   
9. Have you seen my rental car keys?

Needless to say. I'm a little tired these days but I decided to break my silence and play my tiny violin. There is not much left to lose tomorrow (knock on wood).

State Tournament Update 2

We did it. A 3-0 victory in the finals today. We have successfully won the state championship 2 years in a row. I'm not sure what to say about the game...the guys played well and for some periods were simply dominant. The other team definitely had heart and played to the final whistle. Beyond our seemingly standard 5 minute opening slump (gotta fix that), I felt we had the game under control. Our road to the cup mirrored last year. We played the exact same teams in the quarters and the semi's. We played a weaker team than what we faced in the previous two games in the final (also mirroring last year). It was the same 3-0 victory to win it all. I think it takes a lot of character to repeat a title against some of the competition we faced this weekend. I am proud of the team.

After the water bucket over the head, the trophy ceremony, and the team photo, Carlee and I raced back to Lafayette to play in the final game of the co-ed season. Winner of that game would win the league. We rolled up at halftime and our team was up 1-0. In the second half we went down 2-1. The heat was brutal. We fought back to 2-2. With about 45 seconds left our center mid hit a shot from almost no angle into the far corner, giving the adult team the title with a 3-2 victory.

Two championships in one day. Correction. Two repeat championships in one day - both teams successfully defended their title. After the co-ed game, I raced off the airport. I pity the poor soul sitting next to the sweaty coach/center-mid on the flight to Houston and then DC.

P.S. With the state cup in hand we head to regionals on June 8th-10th. Next stop Tampa. Let the preparation begin.

State Tournament Update 1

My U-16 team played the state quarterfinals this afternoon against the same team we beat last year in the quarters. It's never easy to repeat. It is even tougher to repeat when the first step on the road is a team looking out for revenge. We gave up a penalty kick 5 minutes in but our goalie made an awesome save. 2 minutes later we were down 1-0. Things were looking a little bleak but we fought through it and tied it back up. Eventually we slipped in the winner from the left mid spot. A 2-1 victory that left us exhausted and with the semi's 3 hours away.

In the semifinals we played the exact same team we played in the semi's last year, except for the fact that in the interim they combined teams with their rival to make a better run at the cup. Less than 10 minutes in and we were down 1-0 again. We fought back again and tied it up. Eventually, we slipped in the winner from the left mid spot.

Both game winning goals were from players coming off the bench. Depth is key. Character is huge. We clearly have a target on our back and we just came back from two 1 goal deficits against 2 of the best teams in the state to advance to the title game.

The final is tomorrow and I think we are ready to finish what we started.

It's just one of those weeks...

I know I am having a tough week based on one simple statistic: the number of emails flagged for follow-up in my inbox.

Andrew Bird: Plasticities

I've become a big fan of Andrew Bird over the last few months. He's a Northwestern grad with a bachelor's degree in violin performance. Besides vocals, he plays the violin, whistling, guitar and the glockenspiel. Check out his performance on Letterman and decide if you agree with me. I think the this song is great and it is on this past January's monthly mix, The Whiskey's Waiting. He has continued to make each subsequent mix this year thus far.

we'll fight we'll fight
we'll fight for your music halls
and dying cities

they'll fight they'll fight
they'll fight for your neural walls
and plasticities
and precious territory

MFLS Week 4 Results

I am confident that I rocked the house and am now beating Carlee. Unfortunately I cannot prove that because MFLS has been down all day. Damn them.

Be Careful What Advice You Take