Annnnnnnnd thats a wrap

Hard to believe, but the fall rugby season has come to and end. Its strange, not only for its brevity, but for the fact that it just picks up right where it left off in the spring. The guys finished the season in 4th, so that means they are the 4th seed for the playoffs in the spring.... strange. But, we will be hosting the 2012 Ivy League Rugby Playoffs April 14-15th, so any eager rugby beavers should mark that day on your calendar. With the regular season done, the team packed up a few of the guys at the end of fall break and headed up to Boston for the Ivy League Rugby 7's Tournament. So the fall season we played 15's Rugby, 15 guys per side (duh). There is another form of the game called 7's. This is played with..... thats right you guessed it 7!! This is actually the version of the game that will be an Olympic sport for both the men and the women starting this summer. I have never witnessed a 7's game, and to make thing more interesting, the team has never really practiced for a 7's game. They're plan was to just kind of wing it and hope for the best.

So Friday afternoon all 12 of us piled into the FULL bus for our trip to Boston. When I told Linnea we had a bus for that few people, her response was "Thats what 12 passenger vans are for". It is still hard for me to get used to having a bus, but hey I'm not complaining. The movie selection this week was distinctively more boy-stereotypical. "City of God" Brazilian movie with subtitles about the drug business in a Rio slum. Here's a synopsis for you. Someone gets shot, someone smoking drugs, someone selling drugs, someone gets shot, shot again, shot again, etc etc, all in Portugese. Then some "Die Hard", quick stop at McDonalds halfway so the guys could load up on the "EPIC" McRib, and we were in Boston by around 1030.

Bright and early Saturday we headed to the Irish Cultural Center for the tournament. Pretty nice facility, 3 rugby fields and a Gaelic Football field. Not entirely sure what Gaelic football entails, but we were threatened with firey death if we stepped on the field, so I guess its pretty serious..... Anyways, we had 3 games scheduled for the morning. 7's games are very short, 2 7 minute halfs with a 2 minute half-time, so playing multiple games in a day is more realistic than a full 15's game that takes 80 minutes. Its a very fast paced game, and quite a lot of fun to watch. I encourage anyone who has a chance to see a game either in person or on TV to take advantage.The guys started the day off with a win, and then halfway through game 2 I turned around to find 2 familiar faces:

Brynne and Mama D!! They were awesome enough to drive the few hours, and kept me company the entire day, it was awesome. Minus the fact I spilled Brynne's mocha chai non-fat latte all down my leg within the first minute, it was great being able to spend time with some great people. Just like being back at Maine with softball, except it was a bunch of sweaty guys running around, and spectators smoking cigars and drinking beer on the sidelines. All in all the guys played 5 games, won 3, lost 2 and finished 5th. Not too shabby for a group that had never really practiced 7's formally. At the end of the day, it was time to pack up and head back South (I haven't really ever been able to say that in my life, always seem to be headed back North, anyways.....). Said goodbye to the Davis ladies, thought seriously about stowing away in their trunk, and packed up on the bus. Fairly uneventful drive home, until 3 miles away from campus our bus broke down 5 times. Our awesome bus driver Stan somehow managed to always get her started again, and thankfully we arrived back on campus.

All in all it was a great first rugby season. No ER trips, I never got trampled on the field, and had quite a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to more in the spring. There may be some random travel for me here and there, but looks like everyone's gonna have to put their big girl panties on and deal with my prolonged blogging absence until spring, that means you Mr Majewski and Grandma.......... Until then, happy future fall and winter holidays everyone and see you again in 2012.

Some Ups, some Downs, and some off to the sides

This weekend was a big weekend for a few reasons, some my own and some the teams. First of all the team is going in undefeated, facing the 2 other top teams for an Ivy League Rugby battle royale. Second because we have 2 games in 2 days. This is a daunting task for a sport that's the cardiovascular equivalent to soccer, with the collisions like football. Thirdly for me personally,  we will be staying in Rhode Island Saturday night for our game against Brown on Sunday. Who gets excited for Rhode Island?? Well I do, because it just so happens that a few of my favorite people live there. You're going to have to wait for the surprise until later in the post..... Ok so here we go,  Its all one post, so better get comfy

DAY 1.
The weekend adventure begins waiting in the rain for the bus that's 30 minutes late. Its OK though, because so is half of the team. Once our chariot arrives, we settle in for an awesome 6 hour bus ride. In a matter of moments, a bus full of burly rugby guys turns into a bunch of 13 year old boys, as they argue the cinematic merits of "Hook" vs the Disney Cartoon "Robin Hood" while trying to decide what movie to put in first. 10 minutes later "Major League" is playing. As the only Clevelander on the bus, I felt the need to defend her honor as a few comments about burning rivers were thrown about. Hadn't seen that movie start to finish in a long time, forgot how funny it is. Anyways, the next movie up was some English one only the 3 Brit's on the bus had ever heard of. It was weird so i started reading my book. Momentary pause "The Tender Bar" is a fantastic book. A friend recommended it to me like 5 years ago and I'm just now getting to it, fantastic. Anyways, back to the bus, an hour in the back of the bus stages a coup and goes up stops the movie halfway, words exchanged, grumble grumble grumble, and now were watching "Dodgeball". Boys are strange. We eventually reach our destination, somewhere in Vermont around 11pm. As I'm settling into my awesome Holiday Inn Express bed, it hits me that this is the first overnight roadtrip I've had without Linnea as my roommate. Very strange. Its also very reminiscent of my trips last year, I used to look forward to hotel beds since I was sleeping on a broken futon, I have yet to aquire a real bed in my apartment and per its usual, the air mattress popped again, so I'm quite comfy in a next of blankets on the floor. This bed is heaven, and reminds me that I should really get on getting a real bed. Ahhhh real bed, goodnight all

DAY 2
I walk into the breakfast area and am half expecting to see the softball team. Nope, bunch of rugby boys half awake, asking me if sausage and bacon with extra gravy is a good pre-game meal. I grab some coffee and walk outside, and am hit with the most beautiful New England fall morning. Leaves are changing, crisp in the air and the sun is shining. It really hits me that I miss New England. Its been warm in New Jersey, theres too much traffic and, its NEW JERSEY. As we're loading the bus, all the guys are saying how cold it is. Nancies.... This is what fall is SUPPOSED to feel like! We had a beautiful 30 minute drive through Vermont to get to the field. Dartmouth is unique in the Ivy League in the fact that they treat Rugby like  Varsity sport (Guess winning a National Championship does that for you). So we pulled up to this picturesque facility

This is the field below the clubhouse

Verrrrry nice. Also awesome that they have an Athletic Trainer AND a Physician Assistant!! Good thing, because 5 minutes into the game one of the guys decided to go and break his nose. This isnt him, but this is what he looked like:

His face an indication of how the rest of the day would go, aside from his broken nose, 2 concussions,  and an elbow injury,  ending in the first loss of the season. So dejected, bloody and significantly more rugged looking we packed up and headed to Rhode Island. Quick pool "recovery workout" AKA a bunch of grown men splashing around in the pool like little kids, and then the best part of the weekend for me, look who I found!!!

Ellie and Brandon!!! Both of thier lovely spouses Adam and Jordan accompanied them as well. It was AWESOME being able to see these guys, one of the best parts of travelling is being able to meet up with people I've met all over the country. Past all of our bedtimes we said goodbye and it was off to another awesome hotel bed.

DAY 3
Day started with another splash in the pool and we were off to Brown University. Sadly, they didnt have a sweet clubhouse like Dartmouth, but a muddy field in the middle of campus. Hopes were high for game 2 of the weekend, but unfortunately loss #2 of the year bookended our trip. No significant injuries though, so that was good. Time to pack up the bus, say goodbye to beautiful New England, and head back south..... The 3.5 hour drive was highlighted by their choices of movies, "Jumanji" and the Disney cartoon "Robin Hood", hitting both Connecticut and NYC traffic and making it home ahead of schedule.

All in all, a bad athletic weekend, but a chance to see some great friends. Now were home for our last 15's game against Columbia this weekend, and then start practicing for a 7's tournament in Boston November 4-5th. Until then, Happy Halloween!!

What the ruck?

Some of you have waited patiently, some not so much, not naming names (ahem grandma and Mr. Majewski......) but the time has finally come. After a few weeks of adjusting to life in Jersey, experiencing some heat waves, a hurricane, and 2 straight weeks of rain its time to start travelling.  After a whopping 3 days of practice, at 7am saturday the rugby team loaded up onto a bus (yes!! A bus!! And I didn't even have to drive!!) and drove the 50 minutes to downtown Philadelphia. I really had no idea what to expect, all I knew was this was going to be the start of a year long adventure.

We de-bussed at a random field in the middle of downtown Philly, which was courtesy of the wettest month in Philly history, essentially a swamp. Providing amusement to onlookers, I trekked across the muck doing my best Sherpa impersonation owing to my short stature and strapped down with a 50lb kit, crutch bag and back pack. The 500 geese occupying the field were less than thrilled by our arrival and they showed their appreciation by crapping all over the field as they flew away, adding a nice lumpy texture to the swamp.Quick warm up, a few thumbs taped and it was time to start. I must admit, I was nervous given the unique position I found myself in  covering a sport in which I had ZERO idea what the hell was going on, and with the chance of decapitation, unconsciousness or ambulance much higher than any sport I've ever covered. Add to that the fact that injury be damned, rugby games are a running clock until the ref stops it. So if someone goes down, I'm expected to wait for the play to clear, run out there and hope the play doesn't come back my direction. When I asked what the protocol is for that situation, it was simply "Duck and Cover and watch out for cleats". Awesome...... However, after the game started I was lucky enough to have one of the guys on the sideline explain the rules/objectives as they were happening which was clutch. This also helped calm me down a little, although worse case scenarios were still dancing in my head. The more I saw of the game, and the more explanation led to actually having a working understanding of the basics, which led me to the realization, "This is actually a really fun sport to watch". Its like a cross between football/soccer/basketball and nothing you've ever seen before. When someone gets tackled the ball is still live, but their teammates form this crazy little wall around them called a "ruck". They then continue to throw the ball until they score, have a turn-over or penalty. When theres a minor penalty or a turn-over, instead of in hockey where theres a face-off, they have whats called a "scrum". I dont know how exactly to describe it, so I'll use visual aids.

Some Scrummage (Its fun to say, try it)

Scrum Video

Essentially they put the ball under a large pile of people. Each side is trying to push their section of the mob over the ball, and kick it back to their scrum half at the back of the pile so he can grab it and throw it. Pretty sure anyone who knows rugby would be dismayed at my grasp of the rules and the attempt to explain them, but hey at least I have a faint idea of whats going on now.

We played 2 games and won both, so that was awesome. I didn't have to avoid any thundering cleats by running on the field that was even awesomer. Quick change of clothes and we were back on the bus. A few minutes after we leave, we stop in the middle of what can best be described as the 'hood or Will Smith's neighborhood from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air "Innnnn west philadelphia born and raised...." Ok I'll stop. 2 of our guys run off the bus into a Quicky Mart and emerge 3 minutes later with, yep you guessed it, 2 cases of frosty cold beverages. Apparently this is tradition, and when one is a club sport, one can do whatever pretty much. So as were leaving the sketchy neighborhood they start into another rugby tradition. Singing songs, verrry interesting songs. I will edit them and say they're about sunshine and kittens and how much they enjoy each others company, and leave you to your imagination to what a group of college male rugby players would sing about while re-hydrating on a bus. ** A note to my father and grandmother who I'm sure are both imagining the worst. It was all in good fun, I only took my top off for a minute and only a few people saw. JK JK JK.... The guys really are great, they're all very friendly and respectful, and are already keeping me entertained.

All in all, a pretty good first outing. I really enjoyed watching the games, and I think I'm going to develop a taste for watching Rugby. As predicted, this was just the start of what can be nothing less than a unique personal and professional adventure, that I'm sure all of you will tune in to hear about. You're going to have to wait a few weeks though, we're home for the next 3 weekends. So perhaps you can whet your appetite by watching a little of the Rugby World Cup thats currently going on in New Zealand.

Back again October 8th for a weekend series against Penn.

Onto the next adventure

As I sit here scratching the Cankle I have thanks to some black fly bites (A goodbye present from Maine, I'm NOT going to miss those) I realize that moving to a new job is a big part of what my life as an Athletic Trainer entails. This blog began as a way to give all 4 of the people in the world who might be interested in what I mean when I say "Im travelling this weekend" a view of what life is like for me during the season, what life as an athletic trainer is like "on the road". Well todays post is going to be about the "other" kind of travelling in my line of work, new job time!!

As you loyal readers may (or may not) know, my time in the great white north of Maine came to an end this week, and I am moving to NJ to start working at Princeton. Now moving to new places has kindof become my specialty, my mother likes to refer to me as a nomad and I can see the look on peoples faces when they hear all the times I've moved in the past 6 years. I am small, so the question of "Is she a carnie?" will inevitably cross peoples minds due to the number of moves I have made. Since graduating from Michigan State in 2005 I have called the following places home:

• Eugene, OR 2005-2007
• Vail, CO 2007-2008
• East Lansing, MI (Round 2) 2008-2009
• Hampden, ME (Crappy domestic violence townhouse) 2009-2010
• Old Town, ME (kick ass awesome lakehouse down 2 dirt roads in the boonies) 2010-2011
• Plainsboro, NJ  ("palacial" studio apartment with nothing but an airmattress) Current

Many people question my sanity and/or ability to assimilate into normal society as explanations for the excessive moving, but its simply following where the wind blows me, the fact that I get bored and restless to move on verrrry easily and/or the need to find somewhere new because the 1 year job I had is ending....... On the constant quest for education, work/life experience and the attempt to live as many new places as possible, I cant say I ever couldve predicted where I was going to end up (much to my mothers dismay....) But this experience has been awesome, I have seen so much of the country, and met so many amazing people that I continue to run into no matter where I go. I also like the look on peoples faces when I tell them I lived in Maine. Pretty sure "Maine" in most peoples minds is a figment of the maps imagination that in reality only exists in Canada.

So heres a brief snapshot into what a move looks like. **WARNING** The following may contain graphic descriptions of lack of planning, organization, scheduling and/or  just throwing crap into a car without a detailed packing diagram. Anal retentive neat freaks may experience palpitations, hives and/or the intense urge to organize something or create a binder of some sort. Reader discretion is advised. Ehhh if youre reading this, you know me and none of this comes as a shock to you :)

My departure date was set for 12am on Friday the 15th, due to the fact its a 9hr drive and the leasing office closes at 5, I'd rather leave at midnight than like 4 am, and I figured I'd miss most traffic. The 4 days leading up to departure were filled working soccer, softball and track camps, so I was at work from 7am until 9pm each day. 1 fractured ankle requiring surgery, 1 black fly bite reaction, 1 embarrassing butt rash, and dozens of band-aids later, not too bad of a camp actually, and I got to work on my stellar farmers tan. I told myself I was going to break up the packing process across several days so as not to be a last minute Lucy like I am ALL the time. I did fairly decent, I went through all my clothes and got rid of 4+ bags to donate to Goodwill, and organized the rest into piles to be vacuum packed along with my bedding. I would not have been able to cram all of my life into my CR-V the past 5 years if it wasnt for those SpaceSaver bags, theyre awesome. So the rest of the week after work was either spent going through boxes of crap that have not been unpacked since various stages of my cross country journeys, vacuum packing clothes and grabbing farewell drinks with co-workers. I thought I had done decently on pre-preparing throughout the week, so when it came to last day I figured it'd be smooth sailing. Camps that day were supposed to be done by noon, I figured I'd be off campus by 2, run some errands home by 4, all my packing done by 6 for a few hours of zzzzz's before departure. Hahahahahaha riiiiiiight. Camps finished earlier than scheduled, but as I am trying to clean up and leave, I continue to run into people and start talking. This is a good thing, it was awesome to be able to see and talk to people before I left. Next thing I knew it was 4.... so I haul butt off campus and into Bangor to find a spare tire mounted bike rack, then haul butt back to the lakehouse. When I arrive at 530 I kick it into hyper gear, installing the bike rack, and then start just throwing stuff into my car. Miraculously everything fit, and I still could see out a 6inx6in square of my back window. Now came time to vacuum, and make sure my room was all clean. Once I sat down it was 9. I will admit, I did take a small break to admire one last lakehouse sunset. Maine really is beautiful, as the stream of visitors I had this summer can hopefully attest, and if you have a chance to visit in the summer, take advantage.

Sooooo back inside, I say goodbye to Brandi since shell be sleeping when I leave, and go in and take a 1 hr nap, wake up, shower and hop in the car AHEAD of schedule at 1130pm. And then I realize I forgot to drop my work keys off, so quick stop on campus, then hit up Tim Horton's for a bagel and the first coffee of the drive. It was pretty smooth sailing, stopped 3 times, 1 for gas, 2 for my bladder (thats impressive for me! usually on a 9hr drive it'd be like 7) and refilled the coffee 3 times. Arrived in Princeton, NJ at 8:50am, grabbed another bagel before meeting with the insurance agent. If 1 hour of sleep in over 24 hrs wasnt enough to make me want to fall asleep, listening to that lady go on and on about GOD knows what numbers she was spewing at me was. Then to my apartment to sign my life away, got keys, cranked the AC (it was 99 when I started moving in), unloaded most of what was in the car, blew up the air mattress and took an epic nap before the cable guy showed up to hook up my TV and internet. Overall a pretty smooth, uneventful move. Pretty sure I didnt forget anything, the bike didnt fall off the back, and I didnt fall asleep driving or get lost.

I have been in New Jersey for 48 hours, and it could not be more different than where I've lived the past 2 years. Traffic like crazy (Well anything more than dirt roads and more than 4 cars stopped at a light is heavy traffic in Maine), and people are just not friendly. I learned a life lesson to NEVER go to WalMart here again yesterday. I was run into with carts, cut-off and the strangest moving to a new place moment I've ever had, being hip checked out of the way in the shampoo aisle by a lady with 1 arm. But I look back to all the times I've started new and its always a little rocky to start, and then ends up being good. So I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt New Jersey, you've got some tough acts to follow. As it always has been, sad to leave, I truly enjoyed my time in Maine, and met some amazing people. But its time to look forward, and I am looking forward to the start of work August 1, let the new adventure begin :) As it stands right now, gear up for stories of traveling with the Men's Rugby team. Enjoy what remains of the summer everyone!! And as always, visitors always welcome!!

End of the Year Reflection

So a year of travelling is done, here is the final tally

• Trips to the ER= 0
• Serious season ending injuries i.e fractures, ligament tears, decapitation etc = 0
• States Visited= 6
• States driven through= do confusion and insanity count??
• Times we got lost= only a handful
• Gallons of coffee and diet coke consumed = 3 per day
• Ratio of time spent laughing so hard I cried vs time spent contemplating if anyone would miss a van full of college kids if it "mysteriously" drove into a lake = 1,000,000/1

MVPs of the year

• GPS- Greatest. Christmas. Present. Ever
• iPod Cord- 2nd greatest present ever. High Five Mom and Dad
• Coffee
• Diet Coke
• Sluggles (Thanks Brynne!!)
• Hotel Beds- Hey when you sleep on a broken futon, any real bed is a bonus
• Dill Pickle Sunflower Seeds
• The girls for always finding a way to make me laugh so hard I almost pee

Things I will not miss

• Vans that smell like vomit
• 1 hour of sleep before work starts monday
• Narrowly avoiding getting hit in the face with a foul ball every 3 seconds
• Schlepping my giant 75lb kit through mud, grass, gravel and hotels

Things I will miss

• The team
• The coaches
• The parents
• The looks on peoples faces when I hop out of the drivers seat of the giant van
• The snacks, mmmmmm
• Laughing
• Everything

Thanks for a great year. Hope reading about it was even just a little bit as fun as it was to experience it.

BoysIIMen, microphone cords and goodbyes

"At the ennnnnnddddd of the roaaadddddddd!" That song has been stuck in my head and I suppose it is appropriate. This is going to be  long one, so just bear with me.

 So I know I have been less than diligent in documenting the end of the year, apologies. It was a whirlwind few weeks full of the usual softball fields, softball dirt, driving a van full of giant toddlers, diet cokes and hours upon hours on the highway. The season came to a very abrupt, very sad ending last weekend.

I knew this day was coming, it always does. In this profession, as in life I have gotten used to saying goodbye, starting over. Never gets easier, but it has allowed me to meet and know so many amazing people, and each new beginning is another chance to continue to meet people. However, as many of the 2 readers of this blog know...... This has been an interesting year. I have spent the majority of it not knowing when that goodbye was coming, how I was going to leave, would I know it was the last time I would see people?
A few weeks ago when the possibility of me remaining at Maine was gone, I accepted a position at Princeton University. I am currently sitting in the Panera in Princeton, its graduation weekend, so there are many many very smart people walking around in very very fancy academic regalia. Lots of seersucker pants and Polo (Erin you would LOVE it here :) ) I am making this stop on my annual summer sabbatical to Ohio/Michigan to find a place to live. I left the beautiful lakehouse yesterday, and I had expected to return after my midwest trip and be able to enjoy one last Maine summer with her and Brandi. But as I continue to learn, life has other plans. Linnea is moving to Wisconsin, and will be leaving while I am still at home. Linnea has been more than a roommate, more a lifemate, as we spend every minute together on road trips, I am constantly escaping to sit in the papazon chair in her office, and then when we became official roommates in September. It was an abrupt goodbye I was not expecting, but thats how it goes.

Coming into this weekend was going to be rough for me regardless, being my last home game and possibly the last time to see not only the team play, but the many parents who I have been so fortunate to have met over the past 2 years. We needed to win 2/3 to advance to the conference tournament, and playing at home against the last place team made this seem like a reachable feat. After winning the first game, spirits were high only to be dampened by a loss in game 2 on Saturday. It was then time for the end of the year banquet, I was braced for an emotional evening. It all started well, dinner was good and then several of my greatest fear were realized. One of the parents called me up in front of the room to give me a gift, say nice things about me, give me a hug,  and make me talk. Now 2 loyal readers, you know all of those things make me panic, and I avoid at all costs. But this particular parent is a 4th grade teacher, and she gives pretty mean looks so I obeyed. I tried to convey my honest appreciation and gratitude not only for the gift, but for everything all of them have meant to me all in as short of time as possible so I could go hide in my chair. As I was walking away from the podium, my sandal got caught in the microphone cord and gravity prevailed. I ate crap in front of a room of 75 people. As if falling wasn't bad enough, the cord managed to knock the podium over, in addition to the jersey cases the coach presents to the seniors. Im sure the video of this will end up on YouTube sometime in the near future, but I suppose it was a lighthearted way for me to exit.

Sunday was senior day, hopes were high, people were still laughing at me, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. But it was not meant to be, and we lost, ending the career of 4 of the seniors and the season for the rest of the team. It was a very emotional day, but all things must come to an end. This marks the beginning of a tough few months for me as I essentially will be saying goodbye to people who have been a part of my life the past 2 years every day. I have truly enjoyed my time in Maine, my time with the softball team. There have been times I've been tempted to light the van on fire and roll it down a hill, or just drive home without them (I'm told this is how parents feel sometimes..... Thanks for not smothering me with a pillow mom and dad) but I am really going to miss them.  But enough mushy mushy, its time to try and find somewhere to live, then head back to the motherland. Ohio and Michigan here I come

rain and mud

Today was a crappy, rainy, muddy day. Doubleheader started at 1, first game started well but we ended up losing 6-5. It was off and on sprinkling, raining the entire game and by the end it was essentially a mudswamp. So the awesomeness of sports that is rain delays.... we waited around until 5pm to give the mudpit more time to get muddy, it continued to rain, so hey lets start the game. Mud, Mud and more Mud, rain, rain, rain. Another loss. The only good thing I can say is it wasn't cold thank goodness. So with more rain in the forecast, we plan to finish the last game of the series tomorrow at 11. But knowing our luck and the fact we have a 9hour bus ride to get home after, we'll probably push it back a few hours to watch it continue to rain....

back on the road

Well after a blissful 2 weeks of no travelling, we hit the road today for Binghampton, NY. Never heard of it?? Ya me either. Google tells me its in western NY, just above PA and its going to take 9hours to get there. Our trip was supposed to begin at 2pm on Friday, but due to weather in the western part of middle of nowhere, our games got pushed back to Sunday/Monday, with a departure time of 12pm Saturday. Ohhhh joy, this means I get the pleasure of covering spring football practice on Friday AND Saturday morning.

So I leave the comfort of the futon bright and early this morning, planning for a quick stop at Tim Horton's for a bagel in time to arrive at 7am. All is going as planned until I pull away from the drive-thru. As I hit the button to roll my window up BANG. I look around to see what had run into my car, but soon realize that bang was something snapping inside my drivers side door as I watch my window slide down. Awesome, its 7am, 35 degrees, impending rain, we're about to leave on a 2 day road trip and my window won't roll up. Insert many choice expletives here....... I get to work and putting my tiny fingers and hands to good use, try to reach inside and grab the window to see if I can at least get it up. Insert even more choice expletives providing bewilderment and entertainment to the football coaches in the parking lot. So greasy fingers, and a raging temper I storm into the Athletic Training Room and throw a bagel at poor Ryan. But the universe decided to play nice, and the quicky auto repair place up the street opens at 730 and they said I could drop it off and they'd at least get the window up. So after dealing with 30 whiny, sore football players (Ive come to learn that many of them are frightened of me, and on days like today, I can see why), I dropped the car off at VIP Auto Services. I figured it wouldn't be ready until at least Monday, but at 11am I got a call "Its all fixed" YAY!!! "Its going to be $300" expletive expletive expletive. But hey, gotta do what you gotta do, and I don't think riding around with duct tape and a garbage bag for a window was going to do much for my street cred. Just add it to the list of things my car needs, new windshield, new brakes, new tires, something jiggling somewhere in the underbelly (damn dirt roads).

But after a stressful morning full of broken car parts, expletives, yelling at football players and freezing my butt off outside, it was time to depart. Not too bad of a drive, watched a few movies, saw Shrek 4 for the first time, pretty funny, did some reading and then we were here. So 2 games tomorrow against the Binghampton Bearcats....

Pink Stink

Boston weekend wrapped up on a much better note than it started. Since we actually knew where we were going, driving to the field did not give me any chest pain, the weather was beautiful for new england in april, sunny and 40-45, and best part of all the girls won both games. Taking 2 out of 3 game from the conferences perennially toughest team was awesome, and they did it in style winning 8-2 and 6-1. Santa Clete brought brownies which of course were a hit, and the bag of candy my mom gave us fueled our drive home, along with a  a new game I had never heard of, called Pink Stink, I'll do my best to explain..... Someone comes up with 2 words who's synonyms rhyme, and the other people have to guess what they are. For example ROSE & ODOR. The answer would be PINK and STINK. Quite addictive and entertaining when stuck in a van for multiple hours. We arrived back in Orono around 10pm, returned the vans and I was home by 1115pm, early night!!!

Blissfully, we are home for the next 2 weekends, this makes me so happy I could cry. Maine will not give up easily though, it is STILL snowing. If we have to drive to New York because our field is covered in snow I might explode. So send all your good weather thoughts up north.

Have a great week and bring on spring weather!!!!

Boston likes to toy with my blood pressure

Would you believe that a 3 hour drive south would change from this winter wonderland to a NORMAL april day? We left Maine about 45 minutes later than expected because our rental vans were stuck in the snow. Then part of the highway was shut down, so we took a 45 minute detour through the sticks (It actually does get boonier than where I live) Arrival time at the hotel 1:30pm, game time 4:00. One of the vans got lost, because Boston is ridiculous, between 1 ways,  rotaries, split level bridges and crazy Masshole drivers, todays driving was an adventure. Met my parents at the hotel and then we departed at about 2:15pm, and what should've been a 20 minute commute...... lets just say we finally showed up at the field at 2:50. It is quite different to have a school, let alone a softball field in the middle of a huge city. Much different than what I'm used to.

Game was a close 3-2 loss, hopefully we fare better today. After the game the team left for a dinner at one of the girls parent's house, and I left with my parents to meet my cousin at the Barking Crab in downtown Boston. Pretty cool little patio seafood restaurant right on Boston Harbor. Parents enjoyed some seafood that you can't really get in Ohio, and gave me the stink eye for ordering a chicken sandwich. I live in Maine..... seafood is pretty easy to come by. Headed back to the hotel, and I must admit, it makes my chest hurt from driving through it but downtown Boston is very pretty at night.

Doubleheader starting at noon today, then back to the hopefully-now-thawed-and-snow-free-frozen tundra.

Think Summer

Thanks to that lovely meteorological wench called a Nor'Easter, this is how Friday morning started, some light snow flurries. By 2pm we already had near 6", so our drive to Boston in 12 passenger vans was postponed until today (Although you guys will miss out on a  blog that would've been detailing my anxiety attack while driving a giant van in a snowstorm through downtown Boston) So we had a light practice, and then I made my way down the back bumpkin dirt roads to my house, which of course had not been plowed, to arrive at the lakehouse who's driveway ALSO hadn't been plowed. So I had to shovel out a parking spot in the 12" we got. Have I mentioned our landlord owns a plow and is supposed to take care of this stuff? Ehh, anyways, get into the house to discover we have no power. Which at first seems like a minor inconvenience until we realize this means no heat, and no way to cook food. So as any rational person would do, we packed up and headed to the bar. Watched the last few innings of the RedSox opening day and had a pretty darn good dinner of mac&cheese and some gearheads. Our power still not restored, I made my way back to the gym where I spent the night in the doctor's office. I now know what homeless people who squat in buildings feel like as they spend all their time avoiding detection. I almost made it through in perfect ninja fashion, but at 3am I scared the crap out of a janitor collecting trash. Thankfully he laughed and just walked away as opposed to calling the cops and having me arrested for vagrancy.

Soooooo back to softball, we are now leaving at 8:30 this morning to play a single game at 3pm in Boston. My parents are coming out for this one, so I'm sure they're adventurousness will be rewarded with getting lost driving in Boston and freezing cold weather to sit through. Stay tuned, today could be an adventure

Dammit March, go away!!!

In contrast to the 13 hrs each way we traveled this weekend,  today we traveled 6 minutes each way to play in-town "rival" D3 Husson University. The weather is continuing to tease us, 30 and windy yesterday, and a big Nor'Easter headed towards us Friday, Maine is fighting like heck to hold on to winter and not let April bring us nice weather. Maine has made me realize March may be the longest, nastiest month of the year (Except for Erin's Birthday :) ) But today was decent, 45 nice sun and only mild wind. Game was a sloooowwww moving 7-0 win, very uneventful. Packed up the vans to head back north, but its a long 3 mile journey that one should not embark on with an empty stomach. So being the responsible adults we are, we took the kids to get ice cream before we headed back, the deliciousness that is Gifford's. My mint chocolate chip cone was amazing. The kids seemed happy too, although there were comments about how it was good, but not as good as Jeremiah's. Yes he haunts us still.

So an off day tomorrow, then headed down to Beantown for a series against Boston University. Hopefully just in time to run right into the Nor'Easter. Onward we go.....

Sweep

Well we finished up our weekend with another W, sweeping UMBC to start conference play 3-0. The weather played nice and we were able to get the game in, so quick change and headed back on the bus for the 13hr drive. The drive back was uneventful, just long. Arrived on campus at 245 this morning.

Should be a quick turnaround, have a game this Wednesday against D3 Husson University here in Bangor and then off to Boston against the dreaded Boston University Bulldogs this weekend. Have a great week everyone!

2-0

First day of conference play down, and we are 2-0. The girls played really well today, first game our pitcher kicked some butt with a 2 hit, no walk, 1 run game (only run was a solo homerun). Second game they came from behind twice to win in the 7th inning. Apparently some of the UMBC girls had friended a few of our girls on facebook and started talking trash, so they were pretty motivated and happy to win. We wrap the series up today with 1 game at 11. It may get pushed back since the field collects frost at night and develops mucky spots apparently. So were sitting in the hotel waiting for word as to when were leaving.

All in all a great day for the girls, but otherwise uneventful. 1 more game then back on the bus and headed back to the great white north.

Yay!! A Bus!!!

After a 2 week hiatus, we are back in the saddle. Our bus (this doesn't happen often) left campus at 10am this morning, and we arrived in Baltimore at 11:30pm. Although 13 hrs on a bus sounds not so much fun, it was actually a good trip. First of all, WE don't have to drive, double bonus. We watched some movies, The Social Network (I was disappointed), Despicable Me and I Love You Man. I didnt watch the last one, I decided to start my new book, John Krakauer's book about Pat Tillman "Where Men Win Glory" So far pretty interesting. In addition to movies and books, one of our players is quite a gifted musician, she sang and played her guitar for a while, it was awesome. These are the things that you cant do in a van......
So as we finally reach our destination, unpack the bus, wearily make our way to the room, I am so excited to take my contacts out and put on my pajama pants and crawl into bed. I unzip my duffel bag to discover that in my impeccable attention to detail, I have forgotten to pack any pants or shorts besides the khakis I am wearing and a 2nd pair of khakis........ FAIL.  So my choices limited to sleeping with no pants on or in the pants I've been wearing all day, you can all guess that I went with option B. On the sleeping comfort scale I'd say they rank far lower than pajama pants, but much more comfortable than jeans and WAYYYY better than no pants at all.
So me and my best friend Khaki pants are in for the long haul this weekend, off we go for our first conference weekend against the UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Retrievers. Doubler header today, and a single game tomorrow.

"you're f@$*ing with me right?"

That phrase was uttered by every member of the team including myself yesterday, when we heard that due to field conditions our doubleheader at Wagner tomorrow was cancelled, and we aren't having any practice this weekend. It is that amazing of news that no one believed it and thought that they were being tricked. But no, somehow the softball gods have smiled upon us and an amazing gift has been bestowed upon us, 2 days off!!!!!! So as I write this, I'm sitting at home, in sweatpants, drinking coffee, LOVING that I'm not standing in our indoor facility for a 3 hour practice, then loading vans up for a 9 hour drive to Staten Island, NY. 

So off I go to enjoy an amazing 2 whole days off, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON!!! Write that down because it will NEVER happen again in my career.

Have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Back to reality

After 18 days and 21 games, our spring break trip officially came to an end as we arrived onto campus at 4:07am this morning. Although I'm going to miss coffee on the beach, the sun and my skin not freezing off the minute I step outside, pretty much everyone on the trip is in agreement that its time to go home.

Daylight savings, that evil wench, made our wake-up an hour earlier, so we left the hotel at 7am, but we all knew it was a lie and was really 6.....  then headed to the field and split a doubleheader. It was 2pm and our flight wasn't until 8 so we had an overabundance of downtime. Grabbed lunch at Dickey's, a bbq chain the team discovered in Texas last year, then packed up and headed to the airport. Said a tearful (literally, it smelled that bad) goodbye to the VomVan, and then discovered that our 8pm flight had been delayed until 930. After 5 eye gougingly boring hours sitting in RDU International Airport, we arrived in Boston. Picked up, you guessed it, 12 passenger vans that thankfully smelled like new car, not vomit and drove the 3.5 hours up to Orono. I grabbed a quick hour nap on a treatment table, then started a new work week.

All in all a good trip. No trips to the ER, no vomiting, no serious injuries and no fist fights. I dont think you can ask for anything better after cramming 24 women into very cramped quarters for 18 days.

So now a few days of practice before heading to Staten Island, NY this weekend for a double header vs Wagner.

0, P, [ Just because I can :)

I'm typing this on a BRANDNEW keyboard courtesy of the Apple Genuises and I'm beyond pumped. It is sooooo nice to not have to lug around an external keyboard to use my laptop anymore. As anyone whos talked to me about computers knows, I am a Mac devotee and have vowed to never own anything but, and yesterday solidified that stance. Thursday I took my MacBook to the Apple store and explained how suddenly a few months ago my 0, P, [ and enter keys stopped working. The guy told me that it was due to a wiring failure in that particular part of the keyboard, and since my computer was 4+ yrs old, it was out of warranty. BUT since the bottom corner where my hand rests when i use the track pad had a small crack in it, I would get a whole new keyboard and faceplate FREE, even though that crack had nothing to do with the issue. I got an email the next day saying it was ready, I walked in gave them my name, they brought my computer back out to me, checked me out on their fancy little iphones and I was on my way 10 minutes later. I cannot stress to anyone enough how awesome owning a Mac is, when its time for a new comp consider switching, its 100% worth the price difference. Ok enough gushing about Mac......

First game of the NC State tournament did not go well at all, bad bad bad loss. But on a happier note, my news shoes are a hit. I've had at least a dozen random strangers tell me they like them, including the 80 year old woman who was cleaning the bathroom at the stadium. And they make my legs look ohhhh so tan (I was the only person in the entire state of NC wearing shorts yesterday because it was 50 degrees) Perhaps my new kick ass shoes will bring us a win tomorrow.

Pea Wiggle, downtime and rain delays

As much as a refer to my athletes as overgrown toddlers, they always keep me entertained, and in some cases educated. Today at breakfast, we were sitting around talking nonsense as most of their conversations are, and one of them whipped out a term I had never heard before. Tuna Pea Wiggle. Having grown up with a "there is no refusing to try any food" rule with a parent who eats pickled pigs feet, chicken gizzards, and bone marrow on toast......., and countless hours watching the Food Network, hearing a food dish I didn't recognize doesn't happen very often, so today I learned something. Apparently its a common dish for northern New England and is basically tuna casserole sauce over saltines. I think I'm actually going to try and make it once we get home, A: to see how its tastes and B: being able to say "I'm making wiggle". 
After breakfast we had several hours of down time since our game got moved back to 7pm due to rain, so I walked over to the mall to drop my laptop off to get fixed, keeping my fingers crossed that the Mac Geniuses can allow me to use the P, 0 and enter keys again. I also splurged and got 2 new pairs of tennis shoes, verrrrry exciting.
Then we loaded up into the vomit van, and drove the 1.5 hours to East Carolina in the pouring rain..... It continued to rain, and rain, and rain for the next 3 hours, which caused the game to be moved back to 815.  It was like Christmas come early for the girls when the other team had pizzas delivered to help pass the time waiting in the dugouts. The simple things in life I guess. FINALLY the game started, and it went super quick, the girls played well but unfortunately we lost 2-0.
Tomorrow were off to NC State, so hopefully it brings some wins and a fully functional laptop :)

Slowly inching our way back north......

Well our time in Florida came to an end, and we are now in Raleigh, NC until Sunday when we fly back to the frozen tundra of reality called Maine in March...... We packed up and left our kick ass beach houses yesterday morning at 4am, and amazingly everyone was packed and ready to go on time. A few quick flights later, and we arrived at the legit prettiest airport terminal I have ever seen, and I've been to my fair share of airports. If you ever have a chance to fly through Raleigh-Durham, do it. Its amazing. We picked up some more giant vans (mine smells like vomit and air freshener that they tried to cover up the vomit smell), and off we went to our hotel. Its right across the street from a really nice mall, so I took advantage and got some new work pants from Old Navy, and today I'm going to go get my computer fixed at the Apple store. A few months ago the Enter, P, 0, [ keys stopped working, so I'm currently typing on a seperate USB keyboard. Why have you not gotten this fixed sooner you ask? Because I live in Maine and the closest Apple store is 2.5 hours away.

Game at 5pm at East Carolina today, unless it gets rained out, then who knows what well do with the rest of our day. Go BlackBears

Ooooooh a pretty shell!!!

So apologies on no post yesterday, we got up at 430am to drive 2 hours away for a double header so I was otherwise occupied. The past 2 days have been good, we've won 3-4 games so that does wonders for morale. The only bloggable event of today was one of discovery. So after we got back to the houses, it was just in time to see the sunset, so a few of us walked down to the beach where per usual it was gorgeous. One of the freshman decided to hang out a little longer looking for shells. She came back with 2 unknown shells in her hand, unknowingly both still inhabited by pretty perturbed live creatures....... 1 was just a huge mussel and the other we werent really sure about, so we placed it on the kitchen counter. Burgundy decided to pick it up to see what it would do and then the craziest spiky, tongue appendage came out and started flailing around. She in a moment of calmness I would not have had given what she was holding in her hand, put it on the kitchen counter. The tongue spike then manages amongst our screams to flip itself over. After several more rounds of screaming, and picking it up to see if it will do it again, we of course Googled it to discover that she had brought us home our very own Florida Fighting Conch. Sadly the video I took with my phone is the wrong format to share, but of course I found some on YouTube. Just substitute the beach for our kitchen counter and add screaming in the background and its pretty well captured the moment. Flipping and Holy S&*T.  For sure a moment none of us will ever forget, and will cause us to see those pretty seashells a little differently....... Tomorrow is our last scheduled off day of the trip, so heres to some more sun (hopefully less sunburns) and enjoying the fact that were not in Maine :)

Off Day

I woke up yesterday, and very quietly made my way down stairs since it was 630 and all the college kids werent anywhere close to awake, made my way across the street to grab some coffee and a donut, and then sat down to enjoy this beautiful view to start my day. Aside from almost being jumped by the bird gang that wanted my donut, it was awesome. I spent an hour just chilling, did some reading and enjoying the morning beach calm. Then I headed back to the house, to discover that quite a few of the girls were up, and they wanted to go to the beach, so I headed back. We saw a sand sculpture and were inspired to create this.

I must admit, I had a heck of a lot of fun, I cant remember the last time I built something in the sand. Our creative energy stimulated for the day (and my bladder of course acting like the needy whiny child that it is) we headed back to the house again. After some food, beach adventure #3 began, but was short lived. The wind had picked up, and I cant tell if the red on my face and fronts of my legs is sunburn or sandblast.  So back to the house to do exciting things, laundry and grade finals. It was quiet because everyone was out exploring and enjoying the sun. The excitement for the day was me attempting how to play rummy, and failing miserably. But I think I know the rules now, so watch out next time....... All in all a great day off.

Headed to play Western Michigan today for a doubleheader, lets see if we can turn things around!! If you're interested, follow the games on Twitter

Ocean!!!!

Unfortunately, we lost our last game of the UCF Tournament, even more unfortunately it was to michigan, ugh. But such is life. So we packed up at the hotel, and grabbed a quick lunch before heading to Clearwater. We had another blast from my undergrad past and stopped at Pita Pit, where my food decision making was again lauded. We still had some time to kill since we couldn't check into our houses until 430, so we debated on how to spend it............ ummm no we didn't, we scarfed down lunch so we'd have to time to go to Jeremiah's again. I had a strawberry lemon gelati this time, still think red raspberry was the best but still sooo tasty. So we said a tearful goodbye to Jeremiah and headed down I4 to Clearwater Beach. I was not prepared for the traffic, wow. Living in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road for the past almost year, outside of the exact opposite of a bustling metropolis has it perks, AKA no traffic. We FINALLY got over the damn Clearwater Beach Bridge, and made it to our condos, but I tell ya, driving a huge bus/van through busy people and car traffic is NOT what I call fun. However, we were rewarded. Our 3 condos are a 4 minute walk to the beach and this is the view from our rooftop patio (Be jealous Northerners). So we watched the sunset last night, and I watched the sunrise this morning. Pretty frickin cool for 2 reasons; A: Im usually already at work before and after both of those occurrences and B: Its 0 degrees at home, I dont even think the sun wants to watch itself rise and set in that. Then we had some pizza at the houses for dinner, and then the freshman all squealed and chitterchatted while watching the Oscars. That was my cue for bedtime.....

Today is our first day off, some of the girls are going to Harry Potter world ( no im not going) Busch Gardens, or around Clearwater/Tampa with thier parents. My plan is to hang out at the house, do some laundry, grade some finals and enjoy some sunshine and beach hopefully. Ive gotta keep working on this awesome farmer's watch tan I've got going.

I Heart Florida

So another day comes and goes, and I tell ya, Im lovin me some sunshine state. We lost both of our games yesterday, but hey the weather was to die for.......... Were playing better, its still only the 7th time weve played on a full field so were still working out some of the rust. But seriously, the weather is amazing. Warm and sunny during the day, with the most amazing summer breeze at night. After the games we drove down to Davenport (about 50min away) to have a BBQ at one of our players former summer coaches summer houses, say that 5 times fast. It was great, just hanging out, the smell of BBQ on a warm summer night breeze. All that was missing was the smell of sparklers and hose water and I wouldve been in my childhood summer. After the BBQ, I packed the toddlers back in my huge 12 passenger van and drove back to Orlando. I had been talking up this gelati business alllllll day, and Im pretty sure everyone thought I was crazy. It was late, they had had a long day and some of them asked if we could just go back to the hotel, ohhhhhh nooooo were going. We pull up into a strip mall full of bars, and nestled between a bunch of drunk college kids is Jeremiah's. I can only imagine what people think when they see a huge van pulling up, 10 girls piling out, and then seeing ME hop out of the drivers seat. Annnnyways,  I ordered a red raspberry gelati and let the girls taste it......... The looks on thier faces at first bite was classic. They then trampled over each other to order, a banana, a mango, and like 5 cookies and cream. My judgement on places to eat was deemed certifiable and they stated they will NEVER dispute me again. The convo over breakfast this morning was gelati, and were of course going to stop on our way out of Orlando. So Erin and Kyle, the UMaine Softball Team thanks you for sharing with us Jeremiah's light, our lives will never be the same. Its #3 on the list of most delicious things i have tasted.

Ohhhhh i forgot were here to play softball. Last game of the UCF tournament awaits, UMaine vs the evil skunkbears of that OTHER Michigan university. 11am, here we go!!!!

Jeremiah you magical frog........

Well our first day in Florida has come and gone and I would consider it a pretty decent day. Split the day with 1 win and 1 loss, 2nd game wasn't our best outing, but its still early in the season. Weather was GORGEOUS at between 75-80, partly sunny with a light breeze. I will 100% agree with Erin that this is in fact, where Ohio summer comes to spend winter.

The best part of today though was without a doubt the food. Jimmy Johns for lunch, which to many people wouldnt be a big deal, but since it comprised I would roughly estimate 30-40% of all meals I consumed while at MSU, was quite a delicious nostalgic trip back. This was then followed by a kick ass burrito from Chipotle shared with my favorite Floridians, Erin, Kyle and the dogs. After hanging out with the Myers' for a few hours, it was time to drop me back off at the hotel before I turned to a pumpkin, but not before a stop at Jeremiah's Ice. Now, i have heard Erin talk about how awesome this place is, im pretty sure she even devoted an entire blog to how awesome it was. Im not gonna lie, I was not convinced that some little hut with a frog on it was going to be as good as she claimed. So I tried a cherry gelati, and my life will never be the same. UN FRICKIN BELIEVEABLE!!!! So good in fact that i willingly (well with minimal fight) posed in front of the sign with her like cheesy tourists. So I will go on record, No Erin I did not believe you, and you were right. Anyone who is in the Orlando area MUST go to Jeremiah's Ice and get a gelati.

Off to day 2, games at 9am and 1pm, where noone better need anything because I will be busy dreaming of gelatis....................

Florida

Well we left zero degrees in Maine and arrived to a beautiful 75 degrees in Tampa. Very smooth travel day, saw the Geico guy and a Yankees world series ring on the plane, pretty cool. The girls stayed busy during our layover playing cards, surprisingly no fights, no blood, and no shrieking.


Now were grabbing breakfast in the hotel before we head off to today's games. Then if scheduling permits, hanging out w Erin!! Go Blackbears!

Weekend 1 in the books

Sorry for the delay, but the past few days have been a little busy. The girls picked up win #2 on Sunday, and then we headed back to really cold and really windy Maine. Picked up our 15 passenger van in Portland at 1130pm and made it back to campus around 2am. Took a 2 hour nap on the physician exam table (more comfortable than you'd think) and then up for 530 football conditioning. Amazingly our travel was smooth and uncomplicated, but I'm still waiting for the universe to have the last laugh, I'm sure at some point something crazy will happen.

So practice at 6am today, then pack for our big spring break trip. We leave at 7am tomorrow morning and wont be returning back to Maine until 4am Monday March 14th. But it should be a great trip, (hopefully) good weather, enjoy some time away from the frozen tundra and of course see my favorite Floridian, Erin. Florida here we come!

Day 2 is in the books and we made it out with our first win, a loss, and some pretty sunburned necks and a few mosquito bites. The win was great cause duh, it's a win, but also because a kid who spent not joking at least 2 hours a day 7 days a week from september to may with me (lucky girl) busting her ass rehabbing from knee and shoulder reconstructive surgeries, had her first hit as a collegiate athlete. A 3 run home run. It was amazing, but short lived. Another injury plagued kid who had just started to crack the starting line up injured her ankle. It's a pretty good sprain, hopefully the X-rays we get upon our return are negative, but she's out at least 2-3 weeks. That's how it goes though. Game 2 of the day was another loss to #16 in the country louisiana Lafayette but a much better showing than day 1.

And since the schedule around here is sleep, eat, softball, eat, repeat, we went to dinner. A little hole in the wall sports bar with some pretty good fried food, but I'm pretty sure that's the only way to fix food down here, as evidenced by a physicians office and fried food restaurant next to each other on every corner. Waiting for the check we sat around and laughed at all the crazy funny stuff that happened last year, which was pretty much everyday. And then to solidify me feeling like a mother of several overgrown toddlers, I stopped my minivan at TCBY to stop the crying about how they never get to eat ice cream.

Happy fed toddlers back at the hotel, handed out some more drugs, ice bags and then off to bed. Day 3 is sure to be a doozy, 10am game, 4 pm flight and estimated return to Maine at approximately 3 am just in time to start work at 5 am for football workouts. Off to the field, go blackbears!

Hallelujah, the sun!

Well the first 2 games were tough losses; the first we were run ruled by Lousiana-Lafayette 11-0 in 5 innings, and the second we lost 6-4 after taking a 4-3 lead into the 7th inning. Thankfully the only services I provided were some bitching high fives, some prewrap and my fruit ninja iPod touch game. This is what provided almost 2 hours of entertainment between our games. I of course got smoked, but tomorrow is another day.

Besides the losses on the field and in fruit ninja, the weather was beautiful, sunny and 75, reminder us mainers that there IS a sun, and how wonderful a sunburn feels in February. The people down here are also as friendly as advertised, and ought so chatty. I was stopped by at least 6 people just walking in to the field, asking how our trip was and if we were enjoying the weather. "no, this sunny and 75 is terrible. I prefer my skin to freeze off my body the minute I open the door". The game announcer was also quite entertaining, but also reminded us that the south is a different world. Between innings he made the following comments over the sound system; "funny they're called the blackbears, cause they're all white" and "I think I saw a Blackbear this morning, but it was just the black guy that lives across the street". Were for sure well below the mason Dixon line.

Well We have 2 more games today, so hopefully the outcome is a little better. Now time to finish my coffee and hand out some advil

Kickoff

So I've decided to join the world of blogging, and figured I would try to share and document what "traveling" is for me in my line of work. So I'm hoping to share what is one of the most chaotic, stressful but ultimately one of the most enjoyable parts of my job; Travelling around the country with a college softball team.
The 2011 softball season has officially begun. We left Maine in 2 groups at 4am and 645am yesterday, one group out of Portland and my group out of Bangor. Splitting into 2 groups was as most logical rational people would conclude, was due to an inability to find 22 seats on one flight. However we were informed by a man in the Bangor airport that this was actually in case we crashed, then at least some of the team could keep playing. ...... Annnnyways, after stops in Detroit and Memphis, we arrived safely and rather uneventfully here in Lafayette, LA. Picked up our rental cars, quick hotel check in, nice dinner and then back to the hotel to pass out. All in all probably the smoothest travel day I've ever had with this team, but Im sure the universe will make up for it somehow. Games today at 130 &630, go blackbears!