Discharged...

As of Monday, I've been discharged from therapy. This means that if I cannot throw soon that there is definate damage in there (shoulder). This scares me because the four times I have thrown have proven ineffective so far. However, I may be expecting too much considering I have not thrown at full-strength in over a year...

...

God, I hate Pinto...

Anyway. I saw "Batman Begins" last week. Fucking awesome. Chris Nolan is genius and besides Christian Bale's Batman voice, the film was excellent. (He really should work on that voice. Make it sound more like emotionally disturbed superhero and less like satan.)

So yeah, that finally allowed me to hang out with Lynn and Erin for the first time this summer. I hear that our plans for Friday night include "Taste"ing. I would welcome that (despite the fact that my stomach looks at itself when I sit down and screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!").

I can't wait to shave... Mmmmmmm. Yesss...

Now Playing: Wolf Parade - "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts"

My Brother the Cautious Trampoline Jumper (& "ICO!")...

Matt was in this weekend and on saturday we were visited by Molly and Steve (among little ones that knew not when to close their mouths). Mostly, we watched Matt play "Ico," a game I will explain in more detail in a moment. After trying to comprehend why kids say such stupid shit, and why some even talk at all, we watched wednesday's volleyball game that Molly brought over. We... kicked ass. It was pretty glorious. We all played really well at one point or another. And for the first time since I've played with them, we won 2 of 3 games. And to top it off... I might be completely physically healthy by week's end. My ankle is almost 100% and my shoulder is ready for testing tomorrow @ therapy. I'm... very happy.

Later... we all (including Matt) went on the fungerous trampoline. Matt had a blast. He did not fall and break like I did my first time, therefore he was more succesful than I. It was cold, wet, and awesome. It was relaxing good time.

Saturday morning was baseball again. We played @ College of Lake County in Grayslake again. We LOST again. Only, this time we were leading much of the time and ended up giving up the game because we don't know how to catch a baseball. This week should mark the improvment of that stat because I will be returning to 2nd base. I went 2-3 with 2 runs and 4 stolen bases. I got on base every time I was up and started to feel a little more confident at the plate because I wasn't concerned in the back of my mind with breaking my bat. I'm telling you, thats gotta be why guy struggle their first year with a wood bat. This was the first game I swung and didn't think about that. But still... I need to get in the field or our infield will continue to just be a HUGE black hole. I know one guy won't fix the whole of the problems, but it will certainly help considering that most of the errors have come from the 2nd base position.

Okay... "Ico."

Wow... This was the best gaming experience since FFVII. I fell in love with this game almost immediately. First off, the graphics are top-notch. The rendering and the physics are unparalelled. The gameplay is fantastic and the bond between the gamer, Ico and the princess is almost tangible.

First thing I noticed was the quality of the sound and how awesome the minimalist score was used. I have a soft-spot for games that give me giant, open spaces that I can roam around in like "Myst" or "FFX," but this one really was great because I never felt overwhelmed or burdened by the challenge, and I was simply running along, trying to get the puzzle figured out. I never once got fed up or frustrated and I was always wanting to know what was around the corner or what was past the next puzzle. Just a beautiful game all around.

AND I BEAT IT! I beat it in one weekend! It was spectacular! Seriously, pick it up. It will not disappoint.

Plans for this week

- Throw a baseball
- Hang out with Erin (poor "groundie")
- Get ahead in both MAT and CIS
- Call Christie and Christina
- Enjoy myself.

Now Playing: Damon & Naomi - "The Earth is Blue"

To Clarify...

Ingrid was not the naked stage crew member I was speaking of on Thanksgiving 2004. Now you know that, you may read on...

10:32 a.m. @ Skokie...

So I think I'm going to attempt volleyball tonight... We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I'm in class right now, and having finished the first test half-an-hour early, I am updating the world on my boring life. (To make it less boring, I will tell you that I misspelled 'boring' as 'broing' a second ago... Man, am I broing.)

I was walking through the halls of the Skokie campus just 10 minutes ago and all these thoughts of Ingrid came fluttering in. Maybe it was that girl I saw sitting at the end of the hall who looked just like her, but I also remembered that she had said she was going to this campus this past spring. I don't know if she is taking summer courses (I imagine she would considering she started a semester late), but she said she wanted to transfer to Hope College sometime soon.

We had an odd little relationship (the few months it existed) where she would push my patience with her to the point where she would have to apologize and tell me she does it to see if I'll stick around with her. I did, and then she stopped calling. Its very similar to the shit that Steve pulls everyday. Only he doesn't apologize. He will irritate me to no end for no apparent reason, and when I call him out on it, he shrugs it off and says 'thats how we are.'

"WE'RE MARRIED." I heard him say last night interrupting a comment I was making about the way we work.

Nonetheless, Ingrid Iiiiiiii just realized is a name you know nothing of. Well, actually, you do know of her, just not by name. I mentioned her in this post towards the bottom. She had a small role as the "sound girl" in "American Dughter" and we didn't really start talking until the run actually started and then we hung out a lot towards the end of the run. Things kinda snowballed between us and I saw myself getting involved with her...

...

As usual, the only problem was that the girl didn't. She abruptly ended communication and I was left at a loss because all signs pointed in an opposite direction from where I saw things. I still talk to some of her friends, but she never really returned any of my messages, so things just... ended.

She really was special to me. No, not in the 'I'm going to pine for her' way, but she was the first girl I got involved with post-Erin, and that was huge for me... Well... it would be huge for me if I weren't such a fucking eunuch... Sorry...

When she came to 'Midsummers' and saw me and Travis afterwards, she leaped into his arms and acted as though she had been waiting for that moment for months. Travis is a guy who she was, at best, mildly warm towards. So what happened when she saw me? A fadeaway-jerk hug... Man, I hate those. I ask myself if I could see a scenario in which we could begin hanging out again. My answer to that is that it would depend heavily on our mutual friends. If I were to hang out with her again, it would have to be because Joe (not E.J. because that just isn't his style) wanted us to patch things up. Joe and Ingrid were like sisters, so I can only assume they still talk. Nonetheless, I'll talk to Joe soon enough.

Anyway... Yeah, so Ingrid flew into my head and it was momentarily painful.

...

Wait. What?

Now Playing: Hmph... Wow. Nothing.

I'm Back...

After yet another long bout with "No Internet Syndrome," and two hour-long phone calls...

"I'M BACK."

I actually went to the Cubs vs Red Sox game!

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On Sunday... Fuckers couldn't sweep one for the little guy??!! NO! Instead, I've got phone calls, text messages, IMs, and death letters being dropped on me from friends, family and physical therapists saying that I definitively "suck."

Not cool, guys.

In other words, my anle has taken on what looks to be a permanent odd shape despite the pain subsiding more and more each day. My shoulder has kind of hit a plateau of sorts. I think this has to do with the fact that I was taken off the anti-inflamitories. I really hope that my not getting an MRI wasn't a mistake because if these six weeks were for nothing, I will destroy 49% of my home with my bare hands.

Now Playing: Erland Oye - "No Train to Stockholm"

Heard in the Distance? A Child Crying...

mstan59: i feel bad on days when i should update my blog, yet have neither the will or creative juices to do so...
SwingsterR: i feel the same way
SwingsterR: its like bloggers remorse
mstan59: whoa. i just ended a sentence with three words that end in 'o'
mstan59: i guess thats more common than i think
SwingsterR: hahah yea you did
mstan59: DEAR BLOG. ENDED SENTENCE WITH THREE WORDS THAT EN....

Now Playing: The Go! Team - "Bottle Rocket"

SUMMER BEGINS!

...and by that, I mean that my summer semester has begun. I just finished the interim semester last thursday and now I have begun what appears to be the world's most boring class. This is going to be a long summer...

More updates to come, but my break is over.

Now Playing: Drone of Mr. Ogg

SBC Should Be Ashamed...

They have made me internetless for the last time...

...

But I'm back. Things have indeed happened since Wednesday.

Wednesday

Took the final for my interim MAT course. I did pretty well.
Had therapy and started lifting more free weights and now my arms are not only getting full range of motion painfree, but they are now pretty becoming somewhat toned. Still white though.

Volleyball hadn't even started and I hurt myself again. Grade 1 ankle sprain... Fuck. Since I was looking down when I did it, the psychological impact of seeing the bottom of my foot did about the same amount of damage as the sprain. I watched our team get beat up again, but had a good time being a cheerleader... "YEAAAAAAAH BABY!"

Erin then called (for the first time in... forever) literally right before I was about to hang out with... *dun dun dun!* CHRISTINA (Kwi-teen-nah) Its good to know she was not dead or around Khalil when I saw her. That was awesome to see... Unlike DP being a whining piglet. "Kingdom of Heaven" was really nice. Ridley Scott finally does something good. It had been so long ("Gladiator" was... shall we say, not).

Thursday

Found out that my interim class did not actually kick my ass like I thought. In fact, I got a good ol' solid C. Y'know what, thats damn good for me in a math class. I'm proud. Besides, I'm also out of Oakton in 7 weeks. Wow. Two years of Oakton. It will certainly be strange to start somewhere new and not be there anymore... But I will leave that for a post later this summer. Three A's and a B for the spring '05 semester. Aced both the honors courses and did much better than originally expected in the NSC course.

Celebrated Kippie's 20th @ Semah... Steve actually helped celebrate and for the first time since hanging out with him, he looked out of place. This is not a bad thing by any means. It was just nice to see him sit back and relax for once rather than be the life of the party. Again, that came out sounding bad when it really is good. Anyway, this is where I saw Michael, Cecelia, and Martin for the first time in two years. Not that we ever hung out in HS or anything, but it was a small school. I almost didn't recognize Cecelia and I totally looked like a jackass when I said it aloud. Jerk.

Kippie is scaring me. From where I'm looking, we have gotten closer that I had originally thought we would. But now I'm reluctant to get any closer because I'm afraid it may end up in pain. *FYI... For you casual readers, this is not a romance I'm talking about* I'm torn between talking and not talking right now. I want to help her, but I don't know how I can. Maybe the reason it was so hard for me to make friends was this exact reason. Wanting to help in times of need, but the fear of not being able to? Because if I can't, what good am I? Nonetheless... I'm worried.

Friday

Woke up @ 9am to the sound of Pinkie's voice announcing his arrival. Wanted to fall back to sleep, but couldn't. This should have been my much needed day of rest, but it was infact the worst day ever... And by ever, I mean this week. Went to get my paycheck @ around noonish. It wasn't in yet. Fuck! Oh well. Drove to Morton Grove for nothing. Went to get something from K&L and sign up for a class since my then-nonfunctional computer was... well... nonfunctional. Went to therapy @ 1:30 and was worked the hardest since starting therapy three weeks ago. But I felt great afterwards because I went to hang out with Steve with an ice bag on my shoulder all wrapped up looking like something resembling an athlete. I also got this really great treatment for my then-black ankle where they put my foot in this wrap with holes in the top where they insert this tube. The tube is connected to a generator or cooling machine or something which, when on, injected freezing liquid into the wrap and pulsated, thereby massaging and icing my ankle. All the while, I was giddily smiling because it was JUST TOO WEIRD.

THEN... Decided to get my pay check... FO' REAL. And on the way there was pulled over by Officer Dawdy of the Villiage of Niles Police Department... Limey bastards who have nothing better to do than tell me they can't be everywhere at everytime. "To protect and to bullshit." I had asked her why it was okay to pull a guy like me, with a good driving record, over, yet shit heads who go 80 down Harlem and nearly kill me everyday are never stopped. Yep. "Can't be everywhere at everytime." But they can certainly be there when red cars with visor-wearing drivers are out there recklessly travelling at speeds of 5-10 mph over the speed limit! I'm going to take the CTA once at Columbia and still get pulled over, I swear. So, if you want to see a Blue Line train get pulled over, come on over to Chicago this fall.

Later... I was at Molly's on the trampoline playing cards and reflecting on weird vibes from Steve all night. I got a strange call from Kippie and I don't mind telling you I was beginning to feel inadequate to help her. However, the fact that my advice was falling on somewhat of a deaf ear didn't help. But still, she is in pain and again, I can't do anything...

Saturday

Woke up @ 6:30 and had to go to Oakton... for baseball... Rebels baseball ofcourse. However, going on advice from my therapist, I did not suit up. Once again, my presence (or lack thereof) in the field was felt as our second basemen made 4 or 5 errors in two games against a team that was not terribly great. Steve had a line-smash single in the second game though. That was nice! I'll be back in the batting order next week and back on the field on defense in maybe three weeks.

I felt sick after napping the rest of the day, again. So I almost called off going to Kelly's graduation party, but she is too sweet, so I pulled myself together and headed over to Molly's. I walk in the door to Molly's smiling face and a group of their family already talking about me (due to being in Kelly's film, which debuted that night before I came). Good people. I hung out, chatted and played cards til about 11:15 and went home to see the Cubs finish off the Padres tonight 11-5.

...

Wow. I'm terribly sorry.

Now Playing: M83 - "Slowly"