smithma7

How Not to Use Twitter for PR

2011-09-21T13:14:00.006-04:00

Had this conversation today (it started yesterday, but the first response was today... timely!):
This is how you don't use Twitter to talk to your customers or possible customers. Just sayin'.

Also, was there any slander in there on my part? I don't think so. Was just reporting the facts as I witnessed the driver smoking while they drove the food truck by my office. And for the record, I love the food truck concept. I support them.

Drink. Start a Facebook post. Then realize you have a blog entry.

2010-12-17T23:46:00.007-05:00

About half an hour ago I started typing up a Facebook update. As I finished it, I realized, "Shit, this is really a blog entry. Why don't I just copy it, paste it into my blog, add a bit of a preamble, and then post the fucker?"

That being said, let me say this (and a little of that):

I don't remember when I started, but I've been listening to the audio books of Stephen King in chronological order. It's been about 6 months. I think. If you really want to know when I REALLY started, then think on this:

I have a 30 min subway ride, one-way, twice per day.
I listen to the books in the AM (the mikeomearashow.com rules my PMs!)
Occasionally, and by that I mean rarely (really, like once every blue moon), I skip a day, as I might have enjoyed too many liquids the night before.
I've been listening to them in order, King and Bachman titles alike, minus non-fiction, Dark Tower books and comic books/movie scripts.
Based on the above facts and where I currently am (see a couple lines below) you'll be able to figure out when I really started.

I'm currently enjoying "Christine." I'm less than 1/3 of the way and I'm in love. Actually, I was in love with it after maybe 4 chapters. I forgot how good this book is.

I had the same feeling while listening to "The Running Man," and with that one, I had almost forgotten 90% of the story, thanks to Ahnold and Richard Dawson. It's really fucking good. And I use that word with all sincerity.

"Rereading" the books I started reading as an early teen (and I was HOOKED then) is enlightening on so many levels.

Thanks, Pop, for handing me "Firestarter" when I was about 11. Or 12. 13? I really don't remember. All I know is that I've loved horror just about as long as I've loved reading.

Again,

Thanks, Pop.

A Problem Solved: PC to MAC Angst...

2010-12-14T10:57:00.002-05:00

I've always been a PC person but switched to Mac about 2.5 years ago when I started my current gig. It was surprisingly easy to make the switch and I really had no complaints.

Except one:
I missed the "Home" and "End" button functionality. When in Windows and editing a file with multiple lines of text, these buttons will take you to the start or end, respectively, of the line on which the cursor sits. On a Mac, these buttons take you to the start or the end of the file. Bart no like.

Since my switch, I've always hated this. I have a coworker who consistently tells me that the same result can be had by using the up/down arrows on the keyboard. "Works every time," he says. Well, it works every time there is only one line of text, otherwise it just moves the cursor up or down the lines. Not helpful and he still tries to tell me this when I bemoan my fate.

Last Friday, another coworker clued me in, and I'm really surprised that it's taken this long for the information to get to me. So, allow me to elucidate:

When your cursor is on a line of text and you want to jump to the start or end of that particular line, then click CMD+<- or CMD+-> (left arrow, right arrow), respectively. Simple, really, and I'm again surprised that no one told me sooner. Same functionality as the Home and End buttons on a PC.

Genius! Now, I'm back at 100% effectiveness. ;)

I have entered The Zone

2010-07-31T18:51:00.004-04:00

On July 12, 2010, I started the on the Zone diet. I've been doing it 80-90% and since I started I've lost 20# with no more exercise than a little extra walking at work (I sit in front of a computer all day).

I'm now down 60# since the start of the new year. Today I played 18 holes of golf at Patapsco ( and shot a new best of 65) and I WAS NOT TIRED AFTERWARDS. This is nice.

Read The Zone and Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears. I got them at the library and blasted through them in less than 3 weeks. Once you read and understand what's going on, you'll wish you had learned this 15 years ago when the first book was published. The fat will melt off and optimum health will follow.

I always feel like somebody's watching me...

2009-07-09T08:50:00.004-04:00

So I was looking at the Analytics for yesterday's post and there was one hit from the following network:

adobe systems inc.

I'll bet the typo is gone in the next Fireworks update. Just goes to show you, they are listening! It's nice to know, too. Just as long as it's not ~~Big Brother~~. Shhh!

Fireworks CS4 Typo

2009-07-08T09:18:00.005-04:00

It's not a huge deal. Hey, mistakes happen all the time. I'm just surprised to see it happen in an Adobe product, as polished as they like to be and considering how much one has to pay to use the damn things!

I was in the preferences window for Fireworks CS4 (Mac, and at work), just looking around, when I moused over a check box and there it was. I did a double take. I moused over a couple more times to be sure it wasn't me. Nope, not me. There is, indeed, a typo in Fireworks CS4! Ha! I love it.

Did a quick Google search and it looks like I might even be the first to notice. Although, given the number of Geeks in the world, I'd be surprised if I really am the first. Either way, it's kind of like an Easter Egg for me. :)

Take care!

Punishings from Patapsco

2009-03-21T17:36:00.003-04:00

Hello!

It's been a while, but I'm back in the game.

I took some time off after the Druid Hill Open (last November) as I was afflicted with Plantar Fasciitis in both feet, but the left one is the worst. It still hurts, but it's getting better and it isn't as bad as it was at the end of last year.

I played in the Druid Ice Bowl and the Rockburn Ice Bowl/Chili Cook-Off. I didn't make any chili, but the offerings were very good. I look forward to next year's event. Funny story about me and Druid: at the Open in Nov, I lost a disc in a tree on #8. It's a big tree and the trunk splits about 30 feet up making a big "V." My disc is wedged in that "V." At the Ice Bowl, as we approached the 8th tee, I told the others in my group about the tree and how I lost the disc. I then step up to drive, and BAM! the disc lands in a hole about 6 feet below the "V" in the same tree. Lesson learned: don't talk about bad shots before you drive! Funny thing is, both discs are yellow Avenger SS's. I love those. Methinks I'll have to get some more, since it looks like they'll be in the tree for a long time.

Anyway, on to more recent happenings!

The Patapsco Punisher is next weekend and in preparation, I've played the course 3 times in the last 3 weeks. I'm thinking I might even hit it again tomorrow morning for more practice. I've come to notice that my accuracy is improving to the point where I see the line I want the disc to take and when I throw the disc, it follows the line I want. I'm also getting better at threading it throw small gaps in the trees without playing pinball.

Two weeks ago, I met a couple like minded fools at the course and we played a round from the blues. All the pins are in the Punisher layout (everything is in C). We get punished and I walk away with a 96! OUCH!!

Last weekend, I met the Nomads and we played from the reds. I shot a 78 and felt pretty damn good with myself. 15 strokes off the lead, but only 9 from my nemesis! That gap is usually larger. :)

Today, I played a solo round from the blues and shot an 88. Still not great (it should have been lower), but 8 strokes better than my last outing from the blues. The Punisher is 2 rounds, one red, one blue. I hoping to shoot lower than I did last year (88, 85) and get my rating up!

I'll check in next weekend and let you know how things went...

Ciao!

Is it me?

2008-09-18T08:59:00.003-04:00

Quoted from an article in the NYTimes:

Are we really that close to a world in which food functions as a nutrient delivery system

Um... isn't that what food is anyway?

Godspeed to the Timob!

2008-07-21T10:55:00.004-04:00

A friend is starting a big trip today. He's hitting 48 states in an '84 Scirocco. Supposed to take 2 months. Wish I had the time to do that, but I'll have to be happy with a couple of cross country jaunts from the past. I'm making a donation to the trip fund and have tagged 96 $1 bills with my website and another. Maybe I'll get some hits. I'm hoping he can spend 2 in each state, but it seems he's hit Delaware before stopping by my office* in Baltimore, so DE might miss out on my money.

At any rate, it looks to be a cool trip. He's got a laptop with a Verizon wireless device, so he's posting from the road. Some updates can be seen here on the vortex.

Drive safe, Timbo!

*speaking of "my office," I have a new one! I'm no longer working part-time through Kelly Services for Jhpiego. I'm now employeed full-time at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a "Web Specialist." This means I get paid to play with HTML and CSS. I love it when that happens! If I persue my bachelor's at JHU part-time, I go for free! ;D While I enjoyed working at Jhpiego, I love full-time much more. :) And JHSPH looks very nice on the resume!

Patapsco: Snakes ho!

2008-05-07T14:51:00.004-04:00

Hey, I remember this blog!

I played Patapsco today. First time out there in a couple of weeks. Just been too busy during the week and playing elsewhere on the weekends. Nomads and tournaments abound!

Today, though, I shot a 68 from the Reds. One of my best rounds there. Got 2 deuces (5 and 12). But also got a few 5s, so that kind of messed things up. What I really need to do is work on my putting as missing easy putts kind of screws up the score.

After finishing 3, I was walking along the path to 4 and heard a rustle in the leaves. I turned around and saw this guy sitting there looking a little miffed that I interrupted what ever he was doing. I whipped out the cell phone and snapped a pic, him hissing and snapping at me all the while.

Didn't find Mr. Turtle, but haven't really been looking for him. Playing solo, I tend to stay in the game and not sight-see. The only reason I saw the snake is because he drew my attention by lunging at me as I went by and made a noise.

I also think my drive might be coming back as I threw some real nice ones. Now I must work on putting (natch) and shake off the stress of competition as I seem to lose it in tourneys. Last weekend at the Seneca Screamer, I played poorly. Two weekends previous to that I played rather well at the course, so you can see my dilemma. Hopefully, I can get my act together for the Rockville Rumble on the 17th.

Until next time...

ABPT concert photo

2008-03-21T14:46:00.005-04:00

When I saw the trio, I forgot to mention that one of the CGT took a picture from the stage. It can be found here and I can be found in the Floyd shirt. My wife is on the left of me.

The Adrian Belew Power Trio

2008-03-17T09:51:00.006-04:00

Years ago, a friend and I were discussing the concept of Power Trios. At the time, Rush was the only band which we felt embodied this concept. This was long before I listened to Primus or any other trios that I would consider in this light. Friday night, the wife and I went to see the Adrian Belew Power Trio. Let me tell you, the name fits! Even though I have listened to Side Four many times over (mine's autographed :P ) and heard a couple of bootlegs of last year's tour, hearing it all again live with almost the exact same set-list (the only change being the addition of a new song: "E") was a joy to behold. I highly recommend one pick up the CD at Adrian's website. For that matter, you should pick up all the Sides: Side One, Side Two, Side Three, and Side Four. One and Three feature Les Claypool on bass and Danny Carey on drums, Two is all Belew (and my favorite of the Sides), and Four is a Live show with the Power Trio. You can't go wrong with any of them.

On to the show! As I said, my wife went with me. This was more from guilt than anything else, I think, as she said she felt bad for not joining me for RF and the LOCG. I had no problem with that as I knew that music wasn't her cup of tea and while hoping she would enjoy the ABPT show, I was still a bit weary that she might not. My fears were unfounded and she had a great time. So much so, that she asked when they would be returning to our area while on the way home. Yay! Score one for Ade and the Slick kids.

We were third row center for this awesome event. Notice in this first pic (sorry for the crappy cell phone pic) that there are only 2 heads between me and the stage. My ass didn't like it (we were in temporary chairs as opposed to the cushy theater seats) and it let me know, but the rest of me was very happy with our location.

The show opened with the California Guitar Trio. I was excited to hear them and didn't even know they were going to be there until the day before the show. They were awesome and their cover of Echoes by Pink Floyd was spot on. As soon as I heard the first "ping" I thought "Are they going to play Echoes?" Seconds later I knew for sure and enjoyed every second of it for PF was my first love in music. While not 22 minutes long like the original, they still nailed the seagulls in the middle and just sounded awesome. They also did a nice cover of Tubular Bells and towards the end of the song, their soundman jumped onstage to accompany on a melodica. Very cool. The wife wasn't as impressed with these guys as she was with ADPT, but as I said, that's not really her cup of tea.

Soon after the CGT left the stage, the ABPT came on. No introduction, no pomp and circumstance, just the three of them walking on with Adrian bouncing into his "guitar center" taking a quick bow and then jumping right into "Writing on the Wall." This was followed by "Dinosaur" which had a wee comedic moment during the dinosaur sounds: Adrian looks over at Eric (Slick on drums) and says "a baby dinosaur" and then proceeds to make a wee dinosaur sound. They laughed, we laughed, and then they were back in the groove. At one point during the show, I looked over at my wife and said "She's phenomenal!" in reference to Julie (Slick on bass). My wife agreed whole-heartedly. This made me feel good as it was then that I knew she really was enjoying herself and could appreciate the level of musicianship that was involved here.

The other thing I'd like to point out was the level of happiness on stage. It was so refreshing to see a band on stage having the time of their lives doing what they loved to do. All three smiled at one time or another, Adrian being guilty of this on multiple accounts. At one point during a few of his jams, he would be sitting on his stool doing incredible things on his Parker Fly, and he would suddenly look up at the audience and smile a smile that would belie the fact that he was "at work." Simple grins that said "I'm having a blast doing this, I hope you are, too, and by the way, listen to these funny sounds." It was almost a 4 piece when you consider how much a role Humor played. I can't wait to see them again and hope I'm able to.

My only complaint: the ass who sat in the row behind us and was constantly yelling "Woooo" at full volume. During Beat Box Guitar, he must of yelled at least 15 times. It got annoying very fast and at one point it looked as though Adrian was getting tired of it. About halfway through the show I looked over at the ass and he was telling his friend something to the effect of "I don't care if people don't like it, I'm having fun so fuck 'em." One other offense: speaking loudly during the CGT set. Obviously not one who was familiar with the KC style of listening. When you're at a show where everyone is acting like that, I can understand people doing it. However, at this event, everyone stayed in their seats and gave their full attention to the people on stage. Except for this guy. The only sour note on an otherwise wonderful night.

Well played, Ade, et al.

Patapsco and Heritage Farm Park

2008-03-12T17:02:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, it was so nice I decided to play 2 rounds of golf: one at Patapsco around noon and the other at Heritage Farm Park (Walkersville) around 3:30. While I didn't throw my best, I certainly didn't throw my worst either.

At Patapsco, I ended up shooting 84 from the longs. Had I known before hand that I would be shooting both rounds of the Patapsco Punisher from the shorts (I'm in the bronze category), I would have played from those. I need the practice from them as I usually play the longs. I think I'll try to get a short round in tomorrow. Highlights? Nothing spectacular. I had an awesome drive on 13 that would have made for a nice approach, but since I went wide of the mando, I couldn't use it. I didn't even get a 3 on any holes: nine 4s, seven 5s (one was OB: on 13), one 6 and one 7. I really need to improve my game on this course if I plan to finish decently at the Punisher on the 30th. Looks like I have 2 weeks to try to accomplish this. I'm going to try for at least 2 rounds each week from the shorts, if not more.

After Patapsco, I went home, saw the chilluns fresh from school and then headed to Walkersville. I shot a 65 there, but it should have been lower. If I hadn't gone OB on #4, gotten the 5 on #2, and knocked some 4s down to 3s, then it would have been a great round. As it stands, I finished 2 strokes higher than I did there last week. No Birdies either. I ended with ten 3s, six 4s, one 5 and one 6 (the OB on #4). E showed up while I was finishing #5 and by the time I was on 11, he was one hole behind me. He joined me on 13 and we finished our rounds together. Really nice guy and I hope I convinced him to give Patapsco a try as he hasn't played it yet.

So, as stated earlier, not my best day, but certainly not my worst. I will be posting more rounds in the future as I plan to play more and enter more tourneys.

Rockburn: First impressions

2008-03-07T15:23:00.004-05:00

So, last Sunday, the day after my horrible round at Patapsco, I went out to Rockburn to get a round in before I play there this next Sunday in the MD Monthly for March. I met O and N there and they graciously let me tag along for a round. I got a nice tour of the course from O and got to see how it should be played. I can tell you it shouldn't be played like I played it as I finished the round with 80. Eesh. At least I won't be hitting it as a virgin this Sunday.

Also, I joined the PDGA as an Am. My first sanctioned tourney will be the Patapsco Punisher at the end of the month. Let's hope I finish better than I did when I played the Ice Bowl (96! ouch!!) and get a decent rating. But to do that, I'll have to avoid 7s and 11s, and I don't have a problem with that! The recent practice has helped though and I think I've found a friend with the Archangel. I've got 2 weeks or so before the PP, so I plan to get in at least 4 rounds at P-tap before I get Punished.

Heritage Farm Park

2008-03-07T15:16:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a round, so I hit Heritage Farm Park or as I refer to it: Walkersville (well, that's where it is!). I'm liking this course more than I did when I first saw it last year (without playing it). I agree that the front 9 is more interesting and the back 9 more forgiving (wide open).

I didn't shoot anything spectacular, but finished at +9 (pro pars: all 3s) or -9 (AM pars). Either way, I was happy given that this was my second round there. The first was a best disc round with E (he lives there ) back in Feb for an Ice Bowl, so I really didn't get a chance to see what I could do on my own.

Highlight: Deuced 6 by going over the OB. Hit the ground to right of pin and the disc spun around it leaving me an easy 10' putt.

Anti-highlight: went waaayyy OB on 3. Still got a 4, tho.

I forget where I got what (scorecard is in the trunk of my car) but I ended up with one 2, ten 3s, four 4s, and three 5s. I could have avoided a lot of the higher numbers if I was better at putting. Damn my nice layups! They've ruined me for long putts. I also skipped 19 as it's still mostly under water/mud.

In conclusion, I think I've found an "easy" home course to balance the terror that is Patapsco. (They're about equidistant from me.) It's nice to have a local course to give me back some confidence after being Punished at Patapsco. I also found I like my new Archangel that I got at a recent tourney.

Speaking of Patapsco, I played a round with RR last Saturday. I was keeping track of my scores on my cell phone, but at some point I realized that I had forgotten to enter one of the holes. By this time, I had been throwing crap, so I gave up on keeping score for myself. RR threw better than I, but it's all about the practice. I think HFP will help me work on my drives as there aren't as many trees to foul things up ten feet from the tee, like P-tap does.

Middletown, Walkersville, and Druid Hill: Tournies!

2008-02-23T20:47:00.004-05:00

So I played in 2 more tournaments last weekend, one of which was an Ice Bowl.

On Saturday, the 16th, I played in an Ice Bowl that took place on 2 different courses: Middletown and Walkersville. It was pairs, favorite disc, which is similar to best disc except that we could throw from the lie we liked best as opposed to picking the best lie and then both of us throwing from there. The first round was at Middletown and it was a nice course. Cold, but nice. My partner for this round designed the course at Walkersville, which was where the second round took place. For that round, I had a new partner (we all did). This guy's home course was Walkersville, so it helped to have him with me as I had never played it. For that matter, I hadn't played Middletown before either.

At any rate, at the end of the day I was tied for second to last. NOT LAST! The best part, besides the free lunch ;), was the last hole: I made an awesome putt for a birdie. Made me happy. I also picked up a Maryland Tag from Sharky: #92.

The next day, Sunday, I played in the second MD Monthly at Druid Hill. This was a singles event, so I had to carry my own ass: no partner to help. The first round was from the shorts (metals) and I didn't do too badly. Some pars, too many bogies, and one very nice birdie on #1. The second round was from the longs (woods) and I did worse: no birdies and one double bogey. Eeesh. In the end, though, I was not last, nor second from last. I finished 4th from last! Yay me. Moving on up. This was also a Tag Match, so I gave up my tag in hopes of getting a lower one. NOT! Ended up with #93. At least it was only one back.

This week, I think I'm going to blow $40 and join the PDGA as an AM. And there's a tourney at Seneca tomorrow, but the weather's been crap and things are slightly frozen over. I'm not sure if I'll play, but I want to. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Buh!

Patapsco and Burke: The Glutton is Back!

2008-02-12T10:26:00.001-05:00

Hello to everyone who doesn't read this blog and I think that covers EVERYONE. :)

I'm back! I haven't posted much as this was mainly a blog about my adventures playing disc golf and I haven't played in a few months. Well, I played 2, yes 2!, rounds this last weekend. Not only that, but I also played in my first 2 tourneys evar!

The first one was on Saturday at Patapsco. It was their annual Ice-Bowl (winter DG to raise money for the Food Bank) and I had to play. I just had to. I'd been itching to play and to enjoy being Patapsco's bitch once again. I finished Dead Last. Woot! And for the record, Patapsco was in Full Punishment Mode: all pins in "C" position.

Wait, I can explain! Started on 13 (shotgun start) and got a 7. Not good, but it was the first hole and the first time I'd thrown a disc in 4 months or more. I figured things would get better as I warmed up. Things did not go that way initially. On 15, I got an 11. Yes, an 11! The pin was sitting at the top of a steep hill (I swear it was like a 45 angle) and my 4th or 5th shot (my putt) missed. Upon hitting the ground, the disc flipped on edge and took off down the hill. All the way to the bottom and almost in the river! 4 strokes later, I was back near the top. I think the worst part of this mini-adventure was that I could still see the pin from where the disc stopped but there was no way I'd be able to get it up there without eating some strokes.

Finally, on 7, whose C position is like 3 miles past the A position, I got an 8. If I had gotten 4's on those 3 holes, I would have ended up with an 80 instead of my 94. But on the plus side, I made a noob happy as I kept him from being last. ;) That won't happen again, E! I can promise that.

At the end of the day, I realized a couple things:

Being out of shape and practice does not help my game (d'uh!)
Holes 1 and 2 do not have it in for me. (More below on this one)
I was so sore it felt like I had been hit by a car. (Need to remedy this)

For holes 1 and 2 (I got a 4 and 3 respectively), I came to realize that they are indeed easier than I thought. The major factor in me sucking on those holes is that I'M NOT WARMED UP when I usually play them. Hence my horrible scores on the holes normally. I mean, I PARRED 2 in it's C position. That really told me something. So, I apologize to 1 and 2 for hating them when it was my fault all along.

The next day...
I drove down to Burke Lake and played in their Ice-Bowl with my buddy Alex. It was a "bring your own partner, best disc" match. We were to play 2 rounds: one from the longs and the second from the shorts.

The first round went OK. I think we played more of my throws than Alex's, but that's not the point. We (Team Boozer) had fun and we didn't come in last. :) Although I can't find the results online yet, I know this because we were 1 stroke ahead of one of the two teams we played with. I had a couple awesome drives, but still came to realize I need to get out more and practice a few things.

After lunch, we came back to the park and there were trees down and really bad winds. Due to this, the second round was canceled for safety concerns. No problem. The last place I want to be in high winds is in the woods with dead shit waiting to fall.

It was a good day, non the less, as we had a good time, and lots of money and food was raised for the food bank.

I also got 2 new discs (one from each IB).

So, that was the extent of my weekend and it's nice to know that playing in 40 degree weather ain't that bad. Just need to keep moving and stay warm.

Off topic, my brother was in the Letterman audience last Friday. Here he is:

Movie sighting...

2007-11-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

I saw a movie being filmed. It's called He's Just Not That Into You. There's big names in it. I didn't see any this morning on the way to work, at lunch, or on the way home. While I am a movie geek, I just wasn't interested in acting like one. In fact, if it weren't for what I saw on the way home, I wouldn't even mention it here.

I walk past this place twice a day (on the days that I work) and I couldn't tell you the name of it nor the exact location by name. However, I can tell you that it isn't named "City Supper Club." (I think that's what it said. The pic turned out a bit blurry and I last thought about it 2 hours ago.) Upon seeing this signage and noticing that it had cables running down the wall to a temporary (huge) power outlet, I knew it to be a prop. Therefor I snapped a pic of it. Just for me. (and you)

BTW, if you hit that imdb link up there, it says this movie is in "post-production." I was under the assumption that that meant they were done filming. Apparently, they're not.

Adrian Belew... we're waiting for you!

2007-11-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

The wife agreed to attend this one (she wasn't interested in the LCG), so I'm very happy. We'll be waiting for you, Belew, in the center of the 3rd row, in Harrisburg, PA. March 14th can't come fast enough, in my opinion.

We're Late For Class

2007-11-19T16:28:00.000-05:00

Said by many, I'm sure, but you must go listen to these guys: We're Late for Class.

4 of 10 Crafties identified...

2007-11-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

3 from Zum:

Shinkuro Matsuura (Japan) wins the award for "the one who looks like they're having the most fun on stage." (It was fun watching him play and I was able to wish him well before the RHoS show.)
Luciano Pietrafesa (Argentina)
Fumihito Hatano (Japan)

1 from the Seattle Guitar Circle:

Curt Golden (the apparent leader of the currently touring LCG as he took his cues from RF and all others from him; sits opposite RF on stage @ front right corner)

Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists, Take 2

2007-11-01T12:56:00.002-04:00

So, last night I drove out to Ram's Head on Stage in Annapolis. While I had a great time at Monday's performance and loved every note I heard, I was hoping I wouldn't be treated to a duplicate performance. I was not and this made a happy evening even better.

The layout was the same as Monday night, with RF on the far left facing center stage. His rack, the Solar Voyager, to his right, pedals and such arrayed in front of him, the LCG starts to his left and arcs to the front right area of the stage. And I had the honor of sitting next to "Mr. Vonnegut," who reminded me I needed a wee bit of the McClellan 12.

On Monday, I was far too excited to listen as carefully as I did last night, and I was rewarded for my efforts. I was surprised to hear Flying. I recognized it almost immediately* and it made me laugh. I couldn't have been happier. There were other musical surprises as well, but this is the one I remember the most.

The only fly in the ointment imo, and mind you it was a wee fly, was the crowd was not as aware of what was expected of them from RF and Co. as the Birchmere audience. This group was far too eager to applaud at the briefest of pauses in the music; the LCG did not let this deter them from continuing and usually the applause died rather quickly. There was also someone who talked a few times a bit too loudly during the silences, but he was politely but firmly asked to "Please be quiet" by someone near him and he did for the remainder of the evening.

These disturbances were minor enough to not ruin the evening. I had another great night listening to some incredible music that I will remember for the rest of my life.

The final thing I'll mention: while waiting for the room to open pre-show, two older guys came in (hell, average age for the crowd, I felt a wee bit young at 39 :P) to pick up their tix from will call. One had a really nice camera slung over a shoulder. Looked expensive. Long story short, he had no clue as to the performer's preferences regarding photography. I had to laugh at that as I found it incredible that there's still people out there who don't know this about RF. GET A CLUE PEOPLE!! Along that train of thought ("wtf?"), why were people arriving 40 minutes after the show began?

Regardless, thank you, again!, Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists for another wonderful experience. I shall never forget it.

*- I couldn't remember the name at the time, but as soon as I got in my car, I booted up the iPod and found it. When they were playing it, I almost felt like singing along... la la la la lalala. Thanks again!.

Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists

2007-10-30T19:05:00.000-04:00

First off: Wow!

Having never been to see RF and the LCG, I was a little apprehensive. Although I own an LCG cd and a Soundscapes cd, I was still unsure of what to expect. I think a lot of this apprehensiveness was brought on by the fact that my concert-buddy for the evening was a good friend of mine who had almost no experience with any Frippian projeKCts. I had subjected him to early KC in the past, but I don't think it took. Hell, I was turned on to KC 20+ years ago and years had passed before I ventured out from the cassette my Uncle had given me. But taking a veritable Fripp virgin was interesting. Especially since he passed on the offers to have a listen to cds beforehand.

The Birchmere was also new to me. From the website I was thinking "beer hall" but that turned out to be just the front room. The room for the performance was more like a banquet hall with a low stage on one side. We had tables, wait staff, and food! It was quite a change from the clubs, arenas, etc. that I am used to. It reminded me of the Cabaret Lounge of the Love Boat. Except with long dinner tables.

Upon entering the room from the bar, I stood looking around thinking of seating; a Quarter came up to me and told me where RF would be sitting and that there were seats available just to the side with a view. Off I went. I found seats 15 feet from the stool. Unfortunately, RF's back was to us the whole performance, so no views of his hands at work. This was acceptable as my ticket for the Ram's Head performance is more centrally located and given RF's placement, I should have a good view tomorrow night. Last night was open seating.

The performance was everything I expected and more. I heard things I recognized from my LCG cd, but most of it was new to me. The KC and Mission: at the end were very nice. And while I was fairly certain that we would be hearing Soundscapes and the LCG, I did not expect to find them offered together. This was an unexpected treat and I enjoyed it. My only real disappointment of the evening was that it was so short. I was hoping for at least another hour, but as I mentioned, I'll be getting 2 more hours tomorrow night so I can deal.

I did see someone take a picture mid-performance, but this person was standing against the back wall with the venue's sound board operator in an area that one would assume to be employees-only, so I assumed she was "official" and did not say anything. Thankfully, she didn't use the flash!

Thank you RF and the LCG for a wonderful evening. In 24 hours, I will be enjoying it again.

Patapsco, worst round ever!

2007-09-25T18:13:00.000-04:00

At least I think it is. I shot 18 over the other day. Eesh.

I had not played since the round I played with EB when I returned his disc. I think 9 days since my last then. Below, I present to sets of numbers: the first being the round with EB (I think) and the second being the round from last Sunday morning. Both at Patapsco, natch!

The Return of the Disc Round:

Bogey, 4
Double bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Birdie, 3
Bogey, 5
Double bogey, 6
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 4
Bogey, 4
Double bogey, 6
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Double bogey, 6
Bogey, 5

Definitely not a great round: 42 up front and 42 out back. 8freakin4!!! Ouch.

Sunday's round:

Bogey, 4
Double bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 6
Double bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 4
Double bogey, 5
Triple bogey! 7
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5

That one sucked as well: 46 up front and 45 out back for 91. Now that I see the totals, definitely my worst round. At least it wasn't from the reds!

Ah well, I'll hit it again Thursday morning I think and I'm considering heading down to Seneca this weekend to check out a tourney. Not play in, just check out. See what all the hub bubs about and maybe get some new plastic.

Patapsco, 3 days of #s

2007-09-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

OK, so I played Patapsco yet again last week. 3 times, to be sure. I'm going to list them all in this post as I don't want to add 3 posts, I'm lazy, and blah blah blah... Anyway, in round A, I broke 80! Not great in the big scheme of things, but in my wee world, it makes me happy.

Round A:

Bogey, 4
Triple bogey, 6
Par, 4
Double bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 4
Par, 4
Par, 4
Par, 3
Par, 5
Double bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 3
Double bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 4
Birdie, 3

Only one Birdie there, but look at that string of Pars! 40 on the front, and 37 on the back for.... 77! I do believe this be a new low for me on the Blues. Only a few strokes higher than my lowest from the Reds. 72 or less shouldn't be too far away. I hope.

Round B:

Bogey, 4
Triple bogey, 6
Bogey, 5
Double bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 3
Birdie, 4
Bogey, 4
Par, 4
Par, 3
Bogey, 4
Double bogey, 6
Bogey, 5
Par, 4

#2 is really pissing me off. 43 up front and 37 out back for a total of 80.

Round C:

Double bogey, 5
Triple bogey, 6
Double bogey, 6
Double bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 4
Double bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 4
Par, 3
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Birdie, 3

43 up front and 36 out back for 79. Broke 80 again, but just didn't feel like I was playing well. 18 was great tho. Nice long drive and in the short grass for once! Forehanded an approach that landed about 3' from the pin. Birdie was a "gimme!" ;) I need more of those.

Anyway, I had decided to take a few days off from playing and rest up a bit. Don't want to overdue it and make things worse. It rained yesterday, so this decision was well met. Today, I received a call from the guy who's disc I found last week on #18 (Round A). Since I'm off tomorrow and he drives thru my town daily, he's going to stop by and pick it up. Hopefully we'll both have time and will go play a round at P.

Patapsco, 3rd time in 3 days

2007-09-04T09:50:00.001-04:00

I played Patapsco again on Sunday. Nothing spectacular to report. Much the same as before. The numbers:

Bogey, 4
Triple bogey, 6
Double bogey, 6
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Birdie, 3
Double bogey, 6
Par, 3
Par, 5
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 3
Double bogey, 5
Double bogey, 5
Double bogey, 6
Par, 4
Birdie, 3

While I did have a couple decent holes and it was nice to end with a Birdie (really a par, if all are played as 3), the numbers shout that I am not on top of my game.

43 (+10) up front! 38 (+5) out back. 81 (+15) for the course. Certainly not my best effort. I can tell you a lot of this is avoidable, I just need to practice. Hopefully, I'll be playing again on Thursday with my brother. We were chatting online last night and I think I've convinced him to come up for a round, seeing as he's unemployed and has the time.

Patapsco, more pros!

2007-09-01T18:22:00.000-04:00

So today I wasn't planning on playing a round, although it was a thought in the back of my mind. Around 10:30am, I checked the MD forums and someone had put out the challenge: any course before 3. I tossed out Patapsco @ noon and it was game on!

I arrived a wee bit late, but that was due to an accident on 26. Upon arrival, I met O and G. On our way to the first tee, we meet W. W's been playing for 20 years I'm told and I should watch him play. I'm glad to hear this as an opportunity to learn is upon me. We set off and I didn't embarrass myself too badly. :) W made an awesome shot on 3 and walked away with a deuce. I had never seen such an incredible shot in person.

My numbers:

Bogey, 4
Quad..@#$*^%$, 7
Par, 4
Double bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Double bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Par, 4

43 (+10) on the front 9 and 39 (+5) on the back 9 for a total of 82 (+15) shots.
Not my best, but I did the same on the front 9 yesterday. The game will come together. I will break 72 before my birthday. That means I need to shave 10 strokes off my game in one month. Hopefully, I can achieve this goal.

I might play a round tomorrow and another Monday. We shall see what awaits me.

And thanks go out to the other guys (they shot 65, 51, and 63!!) for showing me what can be done at Patapsco and for letting me play with them. It was a pleasure to meet them and I hope to see them again.

Patapsco: A New Achievement

2007-09-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

Achievement? Yes, indeed! On yesterday's round, I got my first eagle! I got a par 5 in 3. It felt nice. This was on #11 at Patapsco. The numbers:

Double bogey, 5
Triple!! bogey, 6
Double bogey, 6
Bogey, 4
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 4
Par, 3
Eagle!!!!!, 3
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 3
Double Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5

43 (+10) for the front and 36 (+2) on the back for a total of 79 (+12) strokes. Actually, another first: my lowest from the blues so far.

I don't even want to think about playing all holes as 3s yet!

Damn you, Adrian Belew!

2007-08-29T10:44:00.000-04:00

Not. I really have no desire to damn Adrian. Only to thank him and buy him a lemondrop martini. I think that's the drink. The reason: I purchased Side Two last week and I haven't been able to let a day go by without listening to it. I once even followed the advice at the end and listened to it again!

A little background on my musical tastes/needs/requirements: I love music. I love good music. I love well orchestrated music. This last one is important to me. When I consider buying a CD, it's usually not a random act. I do so deliberately. On those rare occasions I have bought one at random, I have usually been screwed. How so? Well, most of the CDs I own are by artists that I enjoy and therefor I enjoy everything on the CD. When I buy without discrimination, then I end up with CDs where I like one or two songs and feel the rest is crap. I don't like that feeling. I also like listening to my CDs in their entirety, which makes this point even more valid. How can I enjoy a CD if I don't like 90% of it? Everyone understand?

So, I bought Side Two. 1) The music is incredible. Given what Adrian has done with King Crimson, I was not surprised that I would enjoy his solo work. I WAS flabbergasted at the fact that EVERY track on Side Two is a stunner. 2) The organization of the CD, the order of the tracks, the spaces in between... all work together on this piece. So much so, that I have yet to listen to any one song by itself. I don't know if I can. As a whole, this CD is powerful and I love it.

So, Adrian, in closing, thank you, thank you, and keep up the good work! I can't wait to purchase more!

Patapsco: 8th hole

2007-08-28T18:03:00.000-04:00

This is the short tee for 8 at Patapsco. The basket is there, one just need look hard and follow these clues: Find the road going across the image towards the top. It's just before the green stuff in the far background. Follow the path from the tee straight out and one can see a fuzzy gray thing just before the road. That's the tee. I birdied this once from the blues. The pin is also 50' below the tees. A great hole and one of the reasons I love this course.

This shot was with a cell phone. I hope to bring the digi-cam out one day, maybe even with a tripod, and get some nice shots.

Patapsco, back with the blues...

2007-08-26T20:11:00.000-04:00

Well, I hit Patapsco from the blues today. Another stellar round.

Not.

While I had some very nice drives, it seems I really need to continue working on the rest of my game. You don't think so? Check out the stats:

Kid picked up my second shot, but put it back where it was for me. Bogey, 4
Ouch. OUCH! (*$#@@ Triple Bogey, 6
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Double Bogey, 6
This is definitely the first time parred from the blues, if not ever. Par! 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Par, 3
Should have Birdied this one. Par, 5
This shouldn't be here either: Double Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5

The totals: +8, +6 for +14 (ouch) in 41, 40 for 81 strokes. I need to shave 10 strokes off my game before my birthday (Oct 2). And that's from the blues!

I have a knack it seems for coming up way short on approaches. I think there's a reason for that. At least, one that I can name: today, I used 2 discs: the XS I found, and the Roc that was given to me by P. Neither was suitable for me to use for approaches. Too long. I need to bring a shorter disc for that stuff.

Today, I also started throwing the extra disc on drives and approaches. I played through a group of 4 (2 were noobs) on 4 (great drive there, btw) and saw no one else. Since I was pretty much alone and not holding anyone up, I took practice throws. Tried some sidearms. That's going to require a lot of work. Keep throwing them too high.

Finally, I need to work on uphill drives because mine are killing me. On 2 and 16, I keep hitting ground near the red tees. I can't tell you how much that bites my nads!

Burke: with Katie

2007-08-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

I've been slacking a bit. I played Burke last Thursday with my sister, Kate, but haven't gotten around to posting the results. Not that anyone cares. I don't think anyone's reading this but me. But anyway...

My sister turned 22 on Wednesday and we played 18 at Burke on Thursday. Here's the results:

I don't know how I managed to do this: Double Bogey, 5
I think one of my best drives on this hole. Birdie, 2
Bogey, 4
Par, 3
Par, 3
Par, 3
Par, 4
Birdie, 3
Birdie, 3
Par, 3
Birdie, 3
Par, 3
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 3
Double Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 4
Birdie, 3

Basically, I shot par on the front and back 9s: 30, 32 for a total of 62 strokes. I would be so happy to have that from the blues at Patapsco. My sister ended with 5 over, which is pretty good considering she hasn't played but a few times, and most of those with object holes instead of baskets.

I hope to play more with Kate, and my brother, and it's nice to see them both develop an initial interest in the game without my involvement.

Burke Lake: An old friend...

2007-08-20T10:25:00.000-04:00

On Sat, I had a chance to go see a Redskins pre-season game against the Steelers. A friend of mine in NoVA was able to get tickets, so I headed his way. Since he lives just a hop, skip, and a jump from Burke Lake, I headed down a wee bit early and we played a round with his GF.

Before we get to the numbers, I just want to talk a bit about BL. I really enjoy this course. It was my first and will always have a place in my heart even though it's no longer my home course. It's a short 18 in the woods and on the weekends can be a very crowded place. Being short, it lends itself to the newb player and allowed for me to learn the game without massively bad scores in the beginning. It also taught me about pinball. And hating trees. And made it so that when I now play courses that are out in the open and sculpted like ball golf courses, I feel out of place. "Where are the trees?" I jokingly told the guys at Druid Hill last week that one of the reasons I was throwing poorly was that the "wide open spaces confuse and frighten me." (Think "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer") Of course, it wasn't true, I was just looking for excuses.

The Burke numbers:

I should have parred this one but... Bogey, 4
Par, 3
Par, 3
Par, 3
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 2
Par, 4
Par, 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 3
Birdie, 3
I don't even remember how I did this, but I think it was from missing a simple putt. Double Bogey, 5
Par, 3
Birdie, 3
Double Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 4

Par: 62
Me: 63

+1 for the round. Not bad, but should have been better. I shouldn't have any double bogeys up there, but I do and I'm not proud. But, I'm not unhappy with the round. Which brings up another thing I love about this course, it's not hard to beat and always leaves me feeling happy.

Ah well... I think I'll be hitting it again later this week. My sister and I have scheduled to play a round on Thursday. Hopefully it will happen. "You play?" I ask her when she shows an interest in joining me. "I'll kick yer ass!" she responds. Game on, sis, game on.

Druid Hill: A new title begining!

2007-08-17T18:58:00.000-04:00

Yes. It's true. I've finally met another MD course: Druid Hill in Scenic Baltimore. Right by the zoo.

Via a various virtual message board, I found someone intent on playing today @ 3. When going to a new course, I prefer a guided tour. ;) I showed up and met P, G, and R; three very nice guys who were kind enough to let me schlep along with them. One was a pro! er.... Pro! They all played like pros compared to me. But I had fun and didn't do too poorly.

We played 21 holes. I know we started with #1, but after 4, we cut into the woods for 3 "X" holes, then went back to the main course. I didn't pay attention to actual #s on the holes, just what I shot, so the #s below might not correspond to the proper hole #.

Bogey, 4
Double Bogey, 5
Double Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 4
Double Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Par, 3!
Bogey, 4
Par, 3!
Bogey, 4
Par, 3!
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 4
Double Bogey, 5
Double Bogey, 5

For some reason, I stopped keeping track at that point. I think there were a couple par 4s in the end, but I don't recall where or if I even marked them correctly. ;) I was mostly there to play a round, meet some MD players, and as ever: practice. Need more of it, btw. ;P I'm happy I made 3 pars.

Oh, and I'm not adding them today. You can do that. I'm beat! But I will add a link to an older map I know of online. I don't think it includes the 9 X holes. One last thing about Druid Hill, it's the home of Thursday Night Triples, 2 hours before sunset.

Patapsco, The Glutton Returns

2007-08-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

Getting tired of the "Patapsco,..." titles? I am a little bit and thought about stopping today, but I like being able to just scan and know what a given article is about from the first word of the title. How does this title relate to today's tale of woe?

Well, I played another round today. That makes 5 in 9 days. Still feeling tired but in the long run I'm sure this will be good for me, two-fold: my game and my overall health. Probably about 2 miles of walking per round. I need better shoes!

The results (from the blues, natch!):

Bogey, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Par, 4
Double Bogey, 6
Bogey, 5
Birdie!!!!, 3
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 4
Birdie!!!, 4
Double Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Bogey, 4
Double Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Double Bogey, 6
Bogey, 5

Not the best round by far, but I wasn't necessarily trying my hardest. Today was more about getting out, getting exercise, and still working on my drive. Most of the crap above was my own fault and could have been avoided had I brought my A game and gave it 110%.

The totals: 40, 42 (82) Baaaad! Hopefully that will be my worst and I'll never be there again.

Something else to be noted: I took some practice drives with a sidearm throw. Trying some techniques I learned online that are completely different from the way I'm used to throwing sidearm. Had some very promising results and I'm hoping that I can incorporate that throw into my game soon. I actually did use it twice today for approaches that needed it and did them fairly well.

Patapsco, the pain!

2007-08-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

Well, ok, Patapsco isn't painful. What is painful is the day after playing when I've been playing a round every 2 days for a week. Yes, this is the end of that week and I'm a bit sore. My right bicep especially. I played 72 holes of disc golf this week. 18 on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. All at Patapsco. 3 from the red tees, 1 from the blues. BTW, I'm phasing the reds out of my game unless someone else requests them. From here on out, Mikey's got the blues, baby!

Saturday's round (8/11/07):

Double Bogey, 5
Double Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 3
Par, 4
Double Bogey, 6
Par, 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 4
Par, 3
Birdie, 4
Bogey, 4
Birdie, 3
Par, 3
Bogey, 4
Double Bogey, 6
Par, 4
Par, 4

That's the round. The totals:

+7 (+5, +2) in 73 strokes (38, 35). I should have been lower, but I wasn't necessarily trying to beat my best. I was trying, but I was also working as a tour guide. My friend, Alex, and his gf, Vicky, were visiting and had not played Patapsco before. Therefor, I was showing them around and just playing casually. I promise to play better next time! And from the blues, too!

The Quit

2007-08-09T14:58:00.000-04:00

100 days, 14 hours, 58 minutes and 46 seconds smoke free.
2012 cigarettes not smoked.
$450.00 and 15 days, 8 hours of my life saved.
My quit date: 5/1/2007

I like the looks of that. (so much that I had to come back and bold those numbers!)

Patapsco, a first!

2007-08-09T13:59:00.000-04:00

Much as I wish I could say that I finally broke even at Patapsco, I can't.

What I can say is that I did achieve a first today: I played from the blue tees for the first time. For any course. I didn't do too badly either. One thing I noticed: on a number of the holes, the blue tees offered a better start than the reds. Fewer obstacles. At any rate, I don't remember much standing out, but here's the numbers:

Started this with a great drive that actually went farther than my average from the reds. Why? Fewer trees to deal with. Double bogey, 5
This one went to hell straight out of my hand. Quadruple bogey(!!!), 7 (ouch!)
Par(!), 4
Bad drive behind the bushes on the left. Triple bogey :(, 6
Par, 4
Bogey, 5
Par, 4
I love this hole! Behind a tree, 30' from the pin on my 2nd shot. Par, 4
Liking this one too when I don't mess it up! Par, 4
Easy peasy when it's in the A position. Par, 3
Birdie, as usual, 4
Still working on this one, Double Bogey, 5
Par, 4
Par, 4
Bogey, 4
Bogey, 5
Bogey, 5
Par, 4

All in all, not bad, if I say so myself. The first time I played Patapsco, I threw +16 from the reds. From the blues today I threw +14 (+10, +4) with 81 strokes (43, 38). Plenty of room for improvement, and I'm up for the challenge. I will beat this course, from the blues, some day. Hopefully this year!

A storm was coming in as I hit the back 9. Thunder sounded while putting 11. "Bring it on!" I yelled*, "You're not scarin' me off!" It continued rumbling on and off. On 17, I heard the first drops sprinkling the trees above me. Walking out of the woods to the 18th tee, I felt those few drops. A light sprinkle. I drove. As I was approaching my final shot on 18, I heard the rain hitting the trees and approaching fast. I scooped up the disc, putted it in (about 6'), grabbed it and headed into the woods. The storm was here and I was done.

* I do that sometimes when no one's looking.

Patapsco, an addiction

2007-08-07T18:00:00.000-04:00

I played it again today. Only 2 days since my last round. I'm sure I'll feel a bit sore tomorrow. Wish I was in better shape, but smoking cigs for 20 years will do that. I'm sure the rest of the unhealthy lifestyle didn't help, but it's all changing. May 31, 2007 was my last day as a smoker and I'm playing a lot of disc golf. I know that if I was still smoking, Patapsco would be killing me!

On to the round! (After reading a local dg forum, I decided to change the way I post my rounds, plus the last post was a book!) (Also, I score each hole as it's marked, but the unmarked ones I score as 3s. :/ )

Bogey, 4 strokes
this started off with an off drive into the woods (easy on this one) and followed with more crap, including a missed putt! Triple bogey, 6
shook off the crap and Parred the one, 4
a late release led to a Bogey, 4
Par, 4
Played almost like 2, crap followed by crap. Another Triple bogey! 7
was in the A position so I Birdied this one, 3
a phenomenal drive that left me 25' from the pin behind a tree. And it was with my midrange MRX! Birdie, 3
A beautiful drive followed by some crappy approaches. Bogey, 5
Hell of a drive that put me 10' from the pin. Birdie, 2
First 3 shots were off, but had decent distance. Should have birdied. Par, 5
Same as last one, but with bushes! Double bogey, 5
Almost over the side, but Par, 4
Birdie, 3
Bogey, 4
Par, 4
Par, 4
Par, 4

That last few were fairly uneventful. Nothing really stood out. I've learned on 17 that even if the drive goes off to the left and down the hill, if you still get distance with it you can salvage it.

Not bad, even though it adds to +8 (+7, +1) with 75 strokes (40, 35).
Last weeks score in this format +4 (+3, +1) with 71 strokes (36, 35).
I'd hate to see how my first round at Patapsco, earlier this year, breaks down. +16 at least.

Time for a database!

I think I'm getting closer to a regular perfect drive. ha!

Patapsco, a map!

2007-08-05T18:15:00.000-04:00

I found this map of Patapsco online. It is very accurate and I recommend bringing one to anyone playing there for the first time. I did my first time (printed in color and then "laminated" with scotch tape). Ended up playing with a couple other guys who had been there at least 3 times before. Turns out they needed a map, too! There were 2 holes they didn't even know existed. "Guess we've only been playing 16 holes here."

Patapsco, parts I and II

2007-08-05T17:12:00.000-04:00

I know in my last post I said I'd talk about the last time I played Patapsco. Well, today I went out and played it again, so I'll mention both.

The round previous to today was ok. I don't remember any specific moments of awesomeness, but I shot 5 over par in the end. Tied my personal best there. My first round at Patapsco was earlier this year, in May IIRC, and I finished at 16 over. I've been fighting this course since, but in the spirit of competition, not in anger, so I've been able to improve my game there. Immensely! The length of my drives, after studying and applying some basic techniques to my game, has grown and I'm out driving my old stuff with bad drives. The good drives now are ridiculous as will be seen below.

Today's round was great. Finished at 4 over par, a new personal best at Patapsco. <golf clap /> Thanks. I also kept notes on what I shot per hole instead of just adding in my head and remembering the final outcome. I figure this way, I can keep track of where I need to improve or where my game falls apart.*

I got bogies on the first two holes. +2! A great start! Really. I usually get double bogies on those holes. Of the 10 or so rounds played at Patapsco this year, this is the second bogey I've gotten on 1. The rest were doubles. :/ I parred the 3rd hole, even though it was in the C position and finished 4 with another bogey. Grrr, now at +3.

Birdie on 5! Even though my drive left me on the road alongside the fairway, I still birdied 5! Feeling good I headed to the 6th tee. Crap right out of the gate. Crap followed crap and I finished 6 with a double bogey. 7's tee shot was phenomenal. It was one of those moments where as soon as it leaves your hand, you know it's going to be a stunner of a shot. Blew me away. Since no one was around, I pointed at the result and said "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a drive." It was beautiful. Birdied 7.

On 8, one that can easily go bad, I threw the exact same drive as 7. Straight as could be and it landed 3 feet past the pin about 15 feet to the left. I hit the basket on my 2nd shot. Finished with a birdie. 9 was another bummer. Started with a great drive that then hit a tree. One foot to the left and I would have been money. Crap followed crap... Bogey on 9. Finished the front 9 at: 3 over par. Not bad. Still on a high, I went to the back 9.

When I had started, there was a group of 6 on 5. When I hit the 10th tee, they were just finishing teeing off there. They asked if I wanted to play through. It was very tempting, but I said "I would but it seems that when I do my game goes to hell." They laughed, I said I was a patient guy, they played on.

I'll be a bit brief as nothing really stood out on the back 9 like they did on the front. Parred 10. Birdied 11. One of my favorites, it's a par 5 that is wide open. No trees, just grass. I can be on the green in 3 easy and I've hit the basket on eagle shots a couple of times. I've also screwed myself on it a few times. It's easy to do. 12, 13, and 14 were all pars.

15 looked like it went ot hell right from the get go. I salvaged a little of it and ended with a bogey. Bogey on 16 as well. 17's drive started hellish but took a great deflection off a tree that pushed t across the fairway and farther along. Ended up parring it. Parred 18 as well.

Like I said, the back 9 wasn't as eventful as the front. Played it well, but I usually do. It's the front 9 that always kills me, and that's mainly the first 2 holes!

I'm going to try to get in another round Tuesday morning, depending on weather and chores. While few, working part-time has its perks. And then next weekend, my friend and his gf are coming up to play Patapsco for the first time. This is the friend that got me started on playing regularly and we used to play quite often at Burke and Pohick parks when I lived in northern VA. That was 5 years ago. Since then, we've played Burke and Seneca (a beautiful course), but this year is my first year out in 2 years. Nice to play again, especially since I'm playing better.

Parting thought... On 15, I waited for the 6some ahead of me to clear the hole. After finishing they had to walk partway back along the fairway to the 16th tee. After they cleared 15, I threw my driver and watched in horror as it shot about 15 feet above the heads and off into the woods. As I walked off after uttering a mild expletive, I heard someone in the 5some behind me say "Golf just isn't fun unless you're a mediocre player." Or something to that effect. I can see his point, but it would be nice to nail every shot, every time. But I can settle for days like today. As long as I have more of them.

*- My friend, Alex, says he plays for fun and isn't necessarily interested in working hard to improve his game. It's a hobby. I feel the same way: it is a hobby and I play for fun. I also play for the exercise, but that's besides the point. While playing for fun, I intend to improve my game as much as I can. I like beating the courses!

first blog post evar!

2007-08-04T00:18:00.001-04:00

Will some one read this? I don't know and I don't care. I just thought I'd start ~~whining~~ writing about my disc golf exploits and anything else that catches my eye. Is it shiny? I'm easily distracted by shiny objects. (not really, but it makes a great excuse whenever I'm late: "Sorry, I was on my way when I was distracted by a shiny object.")

Why am I doing this? Well, after reading Adrian Belew's Elephant Blog, I've become inspired to waste bandwidth and the time of no one (Who's gonna read this crap???). For a little while, I've also been toying with the idea of keeping track of my disc golf scores, improvements, etc., so here I am. If you're lucky and I stop being lazy, I might even blog about my Scirocco and my attempts to make it go.

Oh, I also saw The Simpsons Movie. Go see it. Good stuff. And this coming from someone who's been a fan since the beginning and has been bored with them for at least 5 years.

Next blog: My last round at my home course: Patapsco Valley State Park in Eldersburg, MD.