18 czerwca 2005
Geek Game Night
I went over to Eric Lybeck's last night to play Machiavelli with him and his brother and sister. I had Venice and was doing really well until I lost my capitol to Milanese treachery. I probably could have won if I had invaded Naples early, but instead I was trying to set up for an invasion of Florence for aesthetic reasons. I was attacking everyone, because I could get away with it since I figured Venice is relatively safe.
So, a I had a country that was safe from normal attack, I thought I could attack with impunity, I alienated every possible ally, someone attacked by biggest city through non-normal means and I spent my time attacking a country that didn't threaten me. Hmm...
The Revs play DC United today. One match between the two teams earlier this year turned into a 4-3 goalfest. The next one though was 1-0. Freddy Adu will be with the US Youth team, so he won't be there. Probably for the best. The last time he played against the Revs, Piotr Nowak took him out of the game because of lackluster performance. He pouted on the bench the rest of the game and apparently caused trouble in the locker room later.
I guess I need to give the kid a break, he is fifteen. This is how a fifteen year old would act if a high school coach pulled him out. Then again, I keep hearing how much poise the kid has, and how "adult" he is. So, do I give him a break, or do I judge him the way I judge any adult who makes in a month what I do in a year? Which is it?
I want this guy to do well. I don't think he's the next Pelé, maybe the next Carlos Valderrama? The funniest thing I've heard about him is Tony Kornheiser trying to suggest to Nowak that he start every game. Kornheiser hates soccer, and knows about as much about the sport as I do about NASCAR. In the past, he has ranted on his radio show that ESPN shouldn't even show soccer. Now, the man wants to give coaching advice to a guy that has played in the Bundesliga.
Marshall Leonard will be questionable for the game due to an injury that the MLS Game Preview refers to as "osteitis pubis." I only have a vague idea what that might mean. I think Leonard's weekend is ruined. Mine is ruined just reading about it.
Derby tonight! Iron Curtain versus Furious Truckstop Waitresses! FTW will be without Fisti Cuffs, which will disappoint Bryan O'Neal. Well...it disappoints me too. Fisti has been a major scoring threat, but in the past Iron Curtain has been disorganized and their jammers have lacked the speed of FTW's. But, they have new skaters I haven't seen before. Could be interesting...actually...it always is.
I got my accordion back from the Chicago Store yesterday. Yeah, you all say, "Ted has an accordion?" I got it several years ago when Alice Hazard had my family help her clean out a storage shed that her father, Bill, owned. She said I could take anything. I found this accordion. It's a 16 button, which means it is made for people who are learning (it's a Soprani, for those who keep up with the brands). They don't make 16 button accordions anymore, the standard learner's model is now a 12 button. The keys are falling apart, but they had a hard time finding any way to replace them, since this model hasn't been made in decades.
I took it home and pulled out a Yardbirds fake-book I have. I thought it would be perfect, since the whole deal with a fake-book is a melody line plus some chords. Yeah, I could do that. No dice. The two-octave keyboard was inadequate to play the melodies and, of course, I only had buttons for major chords. Geez.
Trouble with the accordion is, if you are not any good at it, nobody wants to be within half a mile of you when you play it. There is a similar problem with the violin. Since I don't live alone, this cuts down on time to learn the thing. When I first started playing guitar, people didn't mind being around for that. Accordion...well...
I usually am afraid to go into Chicago Store. The place can be rather intimidating. They have many professional musicians, not all of them from Tucson, who come down there to get instruments and gear. Unfortunately, some of the staff is so used to dealing with the pros that they can be rather short and patronizing with the rest of us.
The guy I dealt with was a fellow named Moses Gonzales. Not only was Mr. Gonzales very knowledgeable, but he was also very friendly. He even photocopied a diagram for the buttons for me (it has been hard for me to find one since the 16 buttons aren't made anymore). Yes, he also tried to tell me what accordion to buy after I have mastered this one, but he really wasn't pushy.
At work, they have me out of the classroom and back to tutoring. Not that I didn't enjoy being a classroom instructor, but I really didn't feel like I was good at it. The man they put in there to replace me is a fellow that worked at Rincon High School as a special ed instructor, specializing in kids that were very emotionally disturbed and often violent. He made sure to tell the kids that at his last job he was allowed to restrain his students. He'll do okay.
Actual Polish Content: I have heard of a strange website called Crying, While Eating. The webmaster is named Casimir Nozkowski. I don't think he is part of the new Great Race, Polish-Mexican, though.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
So, a I had a country that was safe from normal attack, I thought I could attack with impunity, I alienated every possible ally, someone attacked by biggest city through non-normal means and I spent my time attacking a country that didn't threaten me. Hmm...
The Revs play DC United today. One match between the two teams earlier this year turned into a 4-3 goalfest. The next one though was 1-0. Freddy Adu will be with the US Youth team, so he won't be there. Probably for the best. The last time he played against the Revs, Piotr Nowak took him out of the game because of lackluster performance. He pouted on the bench the rest of the game and apparently caused trouble in the locker room later.I guess I need to give the kid a break, he is fifteen. This is how a fifteen year old would act if a high school coach pulled him out. Then again, I keep hearing how much poise the kid has, and how "adult" he is. So, do I give him a break, or do I judge him the way I judge any adult who makes in a month what I do in a year? Which is it?I want this guy to do well. I don't think he's the next Pelé, maybe the next Carlos Valderrama? The funniest thing I've heard about him is Tony Kornheiser trying to suggest to Nowak that he start every game. Kornheiser hates soccer, and knows about as much about the sport as I do about NASCAR. In the past, he has ranted on his radio show that ESPN shouldn't even show soccer. Now, the man wants to give coaching advice to a guy that has played in the Bundesliga.
Marshall Leonard will be questionable for the game due to an injury that the MLS Game Preview refers to as "osteitis pubis." I only have a vague idea what that might mean. I think Leonard's weekend is ruined. Mine is ruined just reading about it.
Derby tonight! Iron Curtain versus Furious Truckstop Waitresses! FTW will be without Fisti Cuffs, which will disappoint Bryan O'Neal. Well...it disappoints me too. Fisti has been a major scoring threat, but in the past Iron Curtain has been disorganized and their jammers have lacked the speed of FTW's. But, they have new skaters I haven't seen before. Could be interesting...actually...it always is.I got my accordion back from the Chicago Store yesterday. Yeah, you all say, "Ted has an accordion?" I got it several years ago when Alice Hazard had my family help her clean out a storage shed that her father, Bill, owned. She said I could take anything. I found this accordion. It's a 16 button, which means it is made for people who are learning (it's a Soprani, for those who keep up with the brands). They don't make 16 button accordions anymore, the standard learner's model is now a 12 button. The keys are falling apart, but they had a hard time finding any way to replace them, since this model hasn't been made in decades.
I took it home and pulled out a Yardbirds fake-book I have. I thought it would be perfect, since the whole deal with a fake-book is a melody line plus some chords. Yeah, I could do that. No dice. The two-octave keyboard was inadequate to play the melodies and, of course, I only had buttons for major chords. Geez.
Trouble with the accordion is, if you are not any good at it, nobody wants to be within half a mile of you when you play it. There is a similar problem with the violin. Since I don't live alone, this cuts down on time to learn the thing. When I first started playing guitar, people didn't mind being around for that. Accordion...well...
I usually am afraid to go into Chicago Store. The place can be rather intimidating. They have many professional musicians, not all of them from Tucson, who come down there to get instruments and gear. Unfortunately, some of the staff is so used to dealing with the pros that they can be rather short and patronizing with the rest of us.
The guy I dealt with was a fellow named Moses Gonzales. Not only was Mr. Gonzales very knowledgeable, but he was also very friendly. He even photocopied a diagram for the buttons for me (it has been hard for me to find one since the 16 buttons aren't made anymore). Yes, he also tried to tell me what accordion to buy after I have mastered this one, but he really wasn't pushy.
At work, they have me out of the classroom and back to tutoring. Not that I didn't enjoy being a classroom instructor, but I really didn't feel like I was good at it. The man they put in there to replace me is a fellow that worked at Rincon High School as a special ed instructor, specializing in kids that were very emotionally disturbed and often violent. He made sure to tell the kids that at his last job he was allowed to restrain his students. He'll do okay.
Actual Polish Content: I have heard of a strange website called Crying, While Eating. The webmaster is named Casimir Nozkowski. I don't think he is part of the new Great Race, Polish-Mexican, though.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
