Vagabond/Journeylad

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/startribune/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=141486284

If I Could Save Time in a Bottle

I bet that it'd be harder than ketchup to get out of there.

Speaking of time, not necessarily in a bottle, it turns out I haven't blogged since the end of November, which means I missed out on the entire NCAAs-thing and probably some other stuff that I've already forgotten. Now it's almost 2010 and I'm not in the mood for a "Best of" list, or any damned resolutions, or even something blatantly libelous. Actually, come to think of it, something blatantly libelous would be kinda fun.

But first:

***

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
Till Eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

***

Hmmm. I had planned on having some fun with this lyric, but Jim's dead, which lends the danged thing just enough poignancy that my heart just isn't in it. Reminds me of 1970-something. I'm working for the YMCA's Rent-A-Kid program and some family has optimistically set me up scraping the paint off their storm windows. I last a day, maybe two, before they tell me "Maybe this just isn't for you." Jim was singing on the radio while I was failing miserably, there on that family's screen porch, the poorest excuse for a handykid the world would ever know. Who knew that I was in the middle of a metaphor for my life? Not I. I thought I was earning enough money to buy some golf balls or something.

Should have gone with "Junkyard Dog".

Happy 2010.

Three things

Here are three things from my week of volleyball, stuff that nudged its way into my consciousness. I won't pretend that they are profound, or even worth the time you will spend reading them, but I'm humble that way. They probably are profound and worth your time. I'll leave that to future generations to determine, the ones who will be writing all about me and lamenting about how poorly you all treated me.

*Conference tournaments are inherently stupid in their own right, but when the #1 seed is not rewarded with the home court advantage, they are downright criminal.

*TV networks should do everything in their power to insure they are not placing their main camera behind the up ref. When they do this, it just shows remarkable incompetence -- or proof that they don't give a fig about what they are televising, probably the more likely reason.

*Mary Slinger is terrific. Maggie Mac is too, but everyone knows that.

What I've learned (so far this week)

The Pac 10 uses five different brands of volleyballs. I learned this from Karch and Paul during the Oregon-Oregon State match, and I subsequently asked Volley Talk if it were true. Apparently it is. Money, of course, is behind it all.

Mikasa and Spalding, however, are not in on this action.

That's it. I knew everything else.


Best wishes to TheSantaBarbarian.

My top 30 (again) + a few more (again)

Not proud of this list, but here it is.

1--Penn State 24-0
2--Texas 18-0
3--Washington 19-2
4--Iowa State 19-3
5--Hawaii 20-2
6--Illinois 18-3
7--UCLA 18-6
8--Nebraska 16-6
9--Stanford 15-6
10--Oregon 15-5
11--Kentucky 22-2
12--California 13-8
13--Minnesota 17-7
14--Michigan 19-6
15--Florida 18-3
16--USC 15-8
17--Florida State 21-2
18--Arizona 16-6
19--LSU 18-5
20--Baylor 19-5
21--Texas A&M 14-6
22--Washington State 16-6
23--St. Mary's 16-4
24--Notre Dame 16-4
25--UCSB 18-5
26--Ohio State 18-7
27--Northern Iowa 22-2
28--St. Louis 17-6
29--Colorado State 18-4
30--LBSU 14-6

HM--Dayton 21-3; Florida International 24-2; Ohio 19-5; Oklahoma 15-7; San Diego 15-5; Tennessee 17-6; UC Irvine 17-6

It's almost Friday

You may be wondering where I've been, maybe not. You may be thinking the Brook Dieter news has sent me scurrying for my bunker, maybe not. You may be listening to Barry Manilow and downing one peach daquiri after another -- and I'm guessing that's probably the most likely scenario.

I admit I haven't much felt like blogging. One likes to think everyone is happy as clams on the team one follows and when one finds out there's some lobstery activities going on, why it can be irksome. So, yes, I've been irked some.

But what can you do? You suffer those slings and arrows or you choose another sport, hoping that outrageous fortune hasn't discovered cross country yet.

Anyhow. Things are bound to get better, right? After all, it's Penn State in Happy Valley tomorrow night. How bad could that be?

My top 30 + a few more

I've changed my mind about a few things over the last couple of weeks and have just submitted the following to RichKern.com. Also of little interest to most everyone, this afternoon I went to see "A Serious Man", watched the last 10 minutes or so of the Vikings near-collapse, put together an IKEA table/puzzle for my mother, and then watched the first installment of the Monty Python documentary on IFC this evening.

Send your complaints to Ron.


1 Penn State (20-0)
2 Texas (14-0)
3 Washington (17-1) -- Huskies are looking more and more vulnerable as the weeks go by.
4 Hawaii (16-2) -- we won't know enough about this team until the NCAAs, as usual.
5 Iowa State (15-3) -- huge test v. the Huskers this week.
6 Illinois (14-3) -- inconsistency is still a problem, but they now have wins over both Minnesota and Michigan.
7 Oregon (14-3)
8 Stanford (12-5)
9 Nebraska (14-4) -- Werth hitting her stride and the Huskers may be hitting theirs.
10 Minnesota (15-5) -- still have to prove they can beat a top 10 team. Iowa State is it, so far.
11 Michigan (17-4) -- first match with Minnesota this weekend, at Williams Arena.
12 UCLA (14-6)
13 Kentucky (19-1)
14 California (10-7) -- biggest disappointment of the season, so far, for me.
15 Florida (14-3) -- unless it's the Gators instead.
16 Arizona (15-3)
17 Florida State (17-2)
18 USC (13-6) -- shouldn't this team be better than they are?
19 Texas A&M (13-4) -- big wins over Nebraska and Baylor.
20 LSU (15-4)
21 Baylor (17-4) -- sliding a bit. They need to dig in.
22 St. Mary's (12-4) -- loss to San Diego means the WCC doesn't have a power this year?
23 UCI (16-3)
24 LBSU (12-5)
25 Washington State (15-4) -- has to be THE surprise team of the year.
26 UCSB (14-5) -- up and down.
27 Colorado State (16-3) -- may be much better than this, but MWC still looks down for 2009.
28 San Diego (12-4)
29 Notre Dame (13-4) -- another team that may be better than this ranking.
30 St. Louis (13-6) -- tough loss to Dayton.
HM Dayton (18-2)
HM Florida International (19-2)
HM Ohio (16-4)
HM UNI (18-2)