Help (H-Bomb)

Hi friends. What do you do when you've got the blues and you want to cheer yourself up? Retail therapy...food fest...movie marathon...exercise 'til you drop...vindictive vandalism...rearrange furniture...test drive cars? I'm in a pickle and sure would like to get out. What works for you???

Stalking Skunks (Chris)

Are the animals a threat to endangered birds on Martha's Vineyard?

Could it be any more evident what is happening? So many signs are pointing our way. This is our year. I am not sure if anyone remembers us discussing that it would be only the skunks of Martha’s Vineyard that could prevent us from attaining what many in the sporting world refer to as the most coveted prize in sport.*

Just simply consider the facts that have led us to where we are right now. First the formation of an incredible league that enables our destinies to overlap like the peanut butter and jelly to become one. Then the discovery of a Charlottesville institution, Black Cat Skate Shop, clearly placed on this earth to allow the youth of today the skate wildly and aggressively (although not in parking lots or on certain sidewalks…boooo!). As well the youth of yesterday (and the day before) to protect and accentuation of our legs (below the knee of course) with tube socks and wristbands (thanks again Andy and Lisa!). And now, the skunks in Martha’s Vineyard are truly the final sign needed. We are undefeated much like our wonderful aromatically-gifted varmint friends, and like them…we are being stalked. Each and every Sunday we bond together and form a cohesive unit similar to the residue from that bumper sticker that was cool when you bought it, pretty cool when you put it on your car, and now, after much deliberation, has served its purpose and spread the good word but must make room for others. Its last stubborn adhesive substance fails to relinquish its place on the bumper despite all the dirt festival parking lot dust and winter salt, and that is us, we have been on the brink but fail to turn our spot on the undefeated bumper of life over to another team.

Now that Pluto has been voted out, I feel that all the other red rubber balls in the sky are making up for it and aligning to provide GMYLM the wonderful fortune to pull out another one run victory against a worthy opponent. The meteoric pace of the pitching rivaled that of a vacationing skunk in Martha’s Vineyard however each member of our family went to their happy place and made things happen both at the plate and in the field. Lunch Money will again call the cafeteria into order next Sunday and hopefully, when the recess bell rings, our pockets will be jangling!

be well

*Some may feel that context may be necessary for this comment. The panel discussion was discussing adult, co-ed games played with a red rubber ball in Charlottesville, Virginia, however the author felt the context neither aided nor detracted from the meaning of the statement within the text.

Photo Caption Winner Announced (The Lott)

There were some superb entries for The Daily Lott's Photo Caption Contest (Sept 5th). True, true. There weren't that many, however, and so I have decided to skip the finalist stage and proceed straight to the big, BIG announcement. Hold your breath no longer! The moment all two of you have been waiting for has arrived. Drum roll please... The winner of the The Daily Lott's Photo Caption Contest is... Thane for his caption "Let's see...do I jump first, and then straddle the broom, or do I get on the broom first and then push off?"

Yay Thane! Here he is celebrating with his lovely bride Carol. Enjoy the surplus social capital this tremendous win will no doubt bring to you!

A big Lottie Dottie thank you to Thane, 2skinnypros, and Thane's alter ego, Cuchulainn, for their fantastic entries.

Manhattan Short Film Festival (H-Bomb)

I just got home from the 9th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival, which was presented by the Virginia Film Society at Vinegar Hill Theater. "The most creative short films in the world, judged by the cinema-going public throughout the world." Out of 487 entries from 39 countries, there were 12 finalists. Those 12 potent stories are going to be churning away in my head for a good while.

My favorites were Last Night from Ireland about a couple's broken marriage and the cruelties they inflict upon each other, Cigarette Box from Poland about how easily we can betray another person without comprehending what we're doing and how that inadvertent or irresponsible act can shape whom we become, Without Seeing from Spain, about the transformative power of service dogs and the love they bring into our lives, and Mowing The Lawn from the United Kingdom about fear, anxiety, reaching your goal and then realizing you had what you wanted all along. Well, maybe that's not what they were about to anyone but me.

There were several others that I really liked and only a few that didn't do anything for me. All in all, it was a strong, unsettling festival that's got me thinking about relationships, regrets, courage, and cowardice. You know, regular Tuesday night stuff. Geez.

Getting a Kick Out of Kickball (H-Bomb)

Kickball is all the rage, don't ya know? Check out this recent New York Times article, Getting a Kick Out of Kickball.

Jenny Jenn, who can I turn to? Derrick and the Dominos sure knows! (Chris)

A few words on today's unreal upsetting upset (three u's, triple word score). Kickball is not just for sunday brunch anymore kids, we have a whooping fun house of fractures, breaks and season ending knockout punches. Whether it was the amazing bone-density defying catches of Jenn (no offense Holly), canvasing the infield like a multi-limbed panther, snaring all red, bouncy matter that seemed out of place. Or maybe it was Holly's one bone-density exceeding, nine and a half finger snare like a hungry frog to a fly. Or may it be Heather, lacing up her spikes for an amazing debut at pitching, resembling more the pace and movement of a seasoned "dirty pitcher" than a trembling novice. Or may it be Eric taking one for the team by setting up courageously in the key to draw an offensive charging call to no avail. Or may it be the blazing speed demonstrated by Jayme, resembling more the cornering and speed of a multi-million dollar formula one car than a weekend warrior, eventual world kickball champion she is. GMYLM again demonstrated a composure sure to further the rumor of blood icing before games because my friends in kickball land, GMYLM again provides drama of a magnitude C'ville has not seen before (let alone that this is the inaugural season, I was never very 'strong' in math). However, the golden (red) rubber ball hat/crown goes undoubtedly to Jenny for her late inning heroics. A near exasperated GMYLM bench with tears in their eyes yet the wind in their hearts turned their collectively sun burnt faces to the heavens and uttered the phrase that would eventually redefine kickball history on this planet..."who can we turn to?" The answer came from above and like the sound of fresh snow under foot rounding the bases in winter league of years gone by...867-5309...jenny by gosh, jenny that's who we can turn to! And Jenny we turned to and as she turned first base, tears in HER eyes, a smile on her face and wristites to the sky she uttered, "your damn right that's my lunch money!" Until we meet again...GMYLM is 2-0 and growing.

Eric & Holly, pre-fractures:

Editor's Note: Chris is co-captain of GMYLM and a guest writer for The Daily Lott.

Weekly Recap (H-Bomb)

Sorry for the hiatus. It's been a busy week so please excuse the long post. Last Sunday was our first Kickball game. We gathered early, donned our team tube socks, wristies and t-shirts for the very first time, read the rules, strategized - sort of, hooted & hollered, and ran around the park looking intimidating. Ah, the sweet anticipation!


The ball was softer than we'd practiced with so it was harder to kick into the outfield and harder to pass. We had expected to score a good bit more than we did with lots of long drives by our star players, but the soft ball kept most of the plays in the infield. We ended the game at the bottom of the sixth 5-4 with a tremendous catch by Holly, our pitcher and co-captain. Up went the cheer, "Thanks For The Lunch Money!"

The Charlottesville Podcasting Network did a terrific job of covering GIVE ME YOUR LUNCH MONEY's season opening win. Check out their podcast Kickball league kicks off operations of new Charlottesville club.

On Monday, Jayme and Derek invited me over to a small dinner party at their place with Kyra, Eric, and Brett. What a great night we had! The "peasant stew" Jayme created was scrumptious. Brett was full of funny stories. He brought Freckles the Wonder Dog with him and she fit right in with Beaker, Milo, and The Lott. Good times!

Thursday we had a Kickball happy hour at Wild Wings attended by a good portion of our team and friends. Derek's brother Ray has been in town visiting since Tuesday and we schooled him in the finer points of the schoolyard game which somehow hasn't made its way to Ireland.


On Saturday afternoon Phoebe gave me a tour of her "Charlottesville Towers" apartment with its completely new kitchen, bathroom, and bamboo flooring. Soapstone counter, copper breakfast bar, tiled bathroom floor & walls, it's all beautiful. What a tremendous amount of work. Way to go Phoebe! I finally got to meet Paco the bunny who proved to be a difficult photo model, but so damn adorable. He's litter box trained and has quite the inquisitive, determined personality.


On Saturday evening Jane and I headed out to Old Trail Golf Club for the Boys & Girls Club Cycling Challenge team dinner and silent auction. The Challengers were there, all excited to complete the ride they've been training for the past five months. A short documentary about The Challengers was screened and I think it's also going to be aired on NBC 29's new sister station CW 29. By the end of the evening it was clear that my friends Jane, Karissa, Shawn, and Lisa would all be doing the metric century the next morning - starting at 7am. I was only up for the half metric century and not really that enthused to do it, so I decided to spend the next morning playing kickball instead of sweating it uphill for 31 miles. Hey, I haven't been on the bike since August 12th - cut me some slack! Afterwards, the word from Jane was that it was superb, albeit very hilly, and should grow into a fantastic annual event.

Stay tuned for Chris Brena's impassioned guest blog posting about today's extraordinary kickball game. It's not every day that two players end up at MJH with fractures and the cops get called to break up the opposing team's repeated attempts to bludgeon each other to death. We thought for awhile there that our only chance of winning was the other team's likely forfeiture, but no! The win was ours rightfully with some terrific late-in-the-game scoring and defensive play. A hearty GMYLM cheer to our injured brethren, Holly & Eric, and to Derek for rushing them off to urgent care!

Looking for suggestions: Do you know which C'ville restaurants offer Sunday brunch and can seat a group of 10 or more sweaty kickballers?

Thanks For The Lunch Money (H-Bomb)

News and photos from our season opening kickball win last Sunday are coming soon to The Daily Lott. For now, here's a pic of The Lott sporting her team colors.

Puppy Power (The Lott)

When Heather or I get down, I like to take us out for a nice walk along the river. It helps calm the nerves and focus the energy on the future. Pretty soon things start looking up. Napping after a walk really helps too.

Just keep on truckin'. That's my motto.

"Jesus Power" optional with certain Belmont models.

Before & After (H-Bomb)

Before:

After:

Sad.

Photo Caption Contest (The Lott)

From time to time, I will post a photo in need of a caption. You, the blog reader & friend, submit a caption, I choose the finalists and post them for your review, and you vote for your favorite. Simple! You can make your submission by clicking on the "comments" link under the photo. Have at it!

With A Little Help From My Friends (H-Bomb)

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Mm, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.

What a week! (The Lott)

Oh, the week I've had. Since last you heard from me I had to entertain the maintenance staff. I mean, someone had to do it, right?

I kept getting shooed out of the brand new server room while water poured from the ceiling. What's the big deal? The water tasted great to me!

This crowd left me in the car (can you believe it!?!) while they celebrated Derek's birthday at Riverside. Yeah, yeah, happy smurfday.

See that left over double bacon cheeseburger Jayme is hoarding. I got none of it. Not a bite!

Thank goodness I'm petite (for being such a big dog) or we all wouldn't have squeezed into Heather's old Honda.

And all day long these two fuss and coo at me and make me roll over for belly rubs.

It's enough to tucker out a little baby dog. [I'd like to point out for the record that the hair on my feet has not been trimmed in ages. Hello, traction!]

But Friday night finally came and I rallied. What dog wouldn't do party tricks in Jayme's kitchen? Did you see the size of those roasts she was searing?!

Ah, the perfect end to a crazy week. Snuggling on the sofa.