Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Random Thoughts 9/9/2009

Fact: I love free breakroom donuts more than I fear catching H1N1 Swine Flu from germs left on those donuts by unwashed coworkers.

Fact: In the last 3 years, I have seen a doctor on 3 different occasions for soccer-related injuries (broken finger, bruised ribs, sprained ankle). Today, I had to tell a doctor I injured myself while painting lines on a soccer field.

Fact: I cut my thumbnail in half, right down the middle, on a sharp metal protrusion from the paint sprayer. That could be the worst soccer-related injury I've ever had.

Fact: The idea of losing my thumbnail (which is a when, not if, scenario) is probably going to keep me awake at night.

Fact: I'm coaching two soccer teams this year. One, a U12 girls' team with 10 and 11 year old pre-teens. The other, a U6 team filled with kids aged 4-1/2 to 5. This is the first week where both are practicing. I'm not too concerned about which one is worse. I'm more concerned with the over/under on how long my sanity holds out.

Fact: Soccer moms FTW.

Fact: "Leverage" could be one of my 3 favorite current TV shows (on TNT). This is not helping my unhealthy obsession with Gina Bellman, who could be one of the greatest things ever created in New Zealand.

17 comments:

  1. She's up against Rachel Hunter and the Britten V1000. Fair contest I think.

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  2. "I cut my thumbnail in half, right down the middle, on a sharp metal protrusion from the paint sprayer"

    Fuckin Ow!

    Hope it heals up - that sheila ain't to bad at all!

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  3. That does sound sore. Heal soon.

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  4. Yikes, Ow man ow. But if you do lose it, may I suggest a long, red "Lee Press On" as a substitution? It could be your signature look.

    And do you follow this dude's blog? He writes for "Leverage".

    http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/09/question-post-for-leverage-208-lost.html

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  5. Ah, but the reward will be watching those kids play the game-and little kids playing soccer is a live version of foosball.

    Not always great talent, but great enthusiasm!

    That thumbnail's probably going to go. Ouch! There's always suing the manufacturer for pain and suffering-unless you missed the sticker that clearly stated 'WARNING-This sharp end may slice your thumb'.

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  6. Yobbo, I guess Peter Jackson isn't in that cut? But you're right, that is a good contest. Rachel is the girl you want to do dirty things to, but Gina has an intellectual quality that makes you want to grow old with her.

    Lerm, I'm told it takes 2 months for a new nail to grow in. This is more of an inconvenience than anything, and it only hurts when I type. And texting will be almost impossible.

    Lou, thanks!

    Heidi, I will hit Wal-Mart at lunch and look at Lee press-on-nails. I wonder if they have the press-on-limbs too. And I checked out that blog, thanks for the tip.

    YD, it's like herding cats. And there may have been such a warning notice, but it was covered in paint.

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  7. There is nothing more entertaining than 5-year-olds playing soccer.

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  8. You have obviously never seen 5 year olds play ice hockey. Nor have you ever seen a demolition derby.

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  9. But I agree, after those two, 5 year olds playing soccer is high entertainment.

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  10. I had a similar thing happen to the nail of one of my big toes when it was hit by something flying up from the road when I was biking (and yes, I was wearing boots): it was pretty painful for a couple of days, but after that it was more of a matter of inconvenience (and slight squeamishness) than anything else.

    I think it took about a month to drop off, by which time the new one was already growing, and it had ceased to be a problem. Just take care you don’t bang it on anything and you’ll be okay.

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  11. 5yr olds are still at that stage when they all want to follow the ball like a cloud of rampaging vikings yeah? The intricacies of positional play and passing to someone else in a better position than you aren't so easy to get across - but then again that's why they pay you the big bucks...

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  12. I love little kids sports, but I could never coach. Is patience something that just comes to you after becoming a parent? I'm pretty sure I would muzzle them if they got out of hand.

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  13. Its the parents who need muzzling...

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  14. Yobbo, absolutely, we are told specifically not to coach positioning and space, because their microscopic brains can't handle that. Instead, it's all about ball control, foot-eye coordination, things like that. Even though it's a team sport, we're teaching individual skills.

    My older daughter, at U6, once made a cross-field pass to a teammate who then scored, and her coach acted as though it was a Pele bicycle kick. Because, for U6, it may as well have been. Fortunately, the parents are cool, but not quite as hot as I was hoping.

    Indy, patience is hard to come by, I had more of it years ago. My best tool that I use is indifference. I don't let it get to me when one of my players dribbles out of bounds and keeps going. If he leaves my field, he becomes his mom's problem, I simply coach the 7 who chose to stay.

    Simon, that's good to hear, about the new nail growing in underneath. I hope it's better and stronger than the old one.

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  15. My son now plays for his high school second XI and it's always entertaining and even quite skilled on occasion though I really miss those games when he first started at just under 4 - that was pure pleasure to watch.

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  16. Least it wasn't the finger you use for Green Bay Packers fans.

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  17. Lou, as someone who is knowledgeable of the game and can appreciate the skill, it would be great to see my kids playing at that competitive level, even if it is the second XI and not the first, but I agree, there is something magical about seeing their very first go at it, with an unknown amount of potential in front of you, and in my case, being the very first soccer coach all of these kids have ever had.

    Nat, trust me, leprosy could make that finger fall off and I would still find a way to stick it to Packers fans.

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