Force home. Forcing away! Hammer! Up! Up! What do ya mean it was a pick? Lay out for it Dave! Okay 10 dollars if you understand the sport that these terms are used for. I'm still learning most of the lingo as I go so don't feel bad if you don't. These terms are used in a great game I started this spring/summer called Ultimate Frisbee.

Now this isn't your mom's frisbee game of being on the beach with Frankie Avalon and flipping the disk between two friends. This is in your face, run your underwear off, and toss the disk as hard as you can to the next person. Women and men playing together on a field. Sweating. Calling plays. Causing confusion. Yeah it's a blast.

On a recommendation of a fellow co-worker I signed up to play this summer in the Portland league. I had no idea about what was involved with playing. None whatsoever, except for the throwing the disk part. Nervous, I scanned the Portland Ultimate website (www.portlandultimate.com) for information about strategy and the overall rules. Reading as much as I could before the first game, I was excited and nervous to find out how it all played out on the field.

That first game was an eye opener. First of all, I knew that you did some running while playing. What I didn't know was the amount of field you would cover in any 5 minutes of the game. I could already tell that I'd be burst into shape quickly playing this sport. My team's captain and fellow players were amazing in explaining what to do on the field. Keeping it simple and offering advice on movement and body placement when on offense or defense. Players on the sidelines helping out the team on offense or defense. A pure cheering crowd.

But what struck me as fantastic was the camaraderie that fellow players have for each other. They will play hard and then once the game is over, leave it on the field. A handshake and a beer offering after a game between two players that clashed are not uncommon. Even being the new person to the sport I was amazed that during the post game at a local watering hole in Portland, most players wouldn't ask each other whether you won or lost (it would eventually just come up in conversation) but would wonder if you had a good time or not. It's never about wins or losses but how much fun you had and how much fun you'll have at the post game festivities.

Everyone that I have met during my few weeks in the league has been nothing less than spectacular. Friendly, sociable, and full of knowledge on the game. Got a question about what to do if person A decides to defend you a certain way? You'll get an honest answer as to how to play it. Working on the forehand toss? You'll get a private lesson on the nuances of the forehand toss. (It's not as easy as you would think...) Everyone who has played the sport for a number of years wants to see more people enjoy the sport and get the most out of it. That is why they want to see the new people know the rough basics so that they can spend less time stressing about how to play and just simply enjoy the game.

I encourage everyone to try it out. If you love the outdoors, running a lot, learning a fun, exciting sport then give Ultimate Frisbee a shot. For those in the Portland, Maine area come check out a game. See what I'm talking about first hand. Games are played Monday to Thursday nights at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds in Yarmouth. Friday nights under the lights at Fitzpatrick Stadium, next to Hadlock Field.

Hope to catch you there!

- LewisG

28 going on 29. Heading into a supposed "transition" year in my life. I've met some 29 year olds lately and they all seem to be spending the year evaluating their lives and their interactions. I must have gotten started early cause I was doing that last fall. As some of them progress towards the 30-year barrier they even appear less knowledgeable in their lives than when they started.

Let me explain. Some of them actually do have their shit together. They have discovered a new path or a new way of thinking that has improved them dramatically. However some think that the path that they selected is the only one to follow. As if deterring from the present path they are on will be too dramatic a transition for them. Just keep on this path and all, hopefully, will be well. I used to think this way. And I stress USED to think that way.

Now for those of you who read this blog on occasion have read about ups and downs. Lefts and rights. Random and current issues. All of them could be placed under the same heading or title. The Search!! Most of the stories are a search for happiness and overall pleasant feelings and karma. Both mentally and physically. Physically it's been a no brainer cause I'm too competitive to not want to play sports ECT. So I've got that covered. Mentally, however, it's been more of a chore.

Mentally you deal with all aspects of your life. Professional. Personal. Relationships. Ect. It's finding balance in these to keep your own life from imploding on its own. Relationship wise I should just say was a disaster. Fall to fast and get burned to some extent. Meeting new people that just seem less interesting than holding a conversation with a light pole. Miscommunication with family that turns one against another. Professionally it's been difficult to improve on that situation. The present state of the economy deems it necessary to pork me in the ass every time I look for something better or new. That is where things got better.

Instead of waiting/hoping for things to turn around professionally and in my relationships I decided to take things into my own hands and take charge. No more hoping things will fall into my lap again. (Sometimes as much as I'd want certain relationships to reoccur.) If I don't improve myself then who will do it for me? I don't make much money where I work anyway to pay someone for that.

So to sum up all this rambling, I've decided to divert my present path and take a new one. See where it leads. A lot of my decisions on my life in the past year have routed me towards a dead end or off a highway overpass. Actually probably around 99% of them have. While on them I'm hoping that they will continue forever. But they don't and, in some cases, I should have known that. Now I'm on a new fresh path. I can see new ways of going. The fresh perspective is good. I can see schooling, knowledge, and more understanding. It's an exciting time I can tell you that!

Now just to get the right classes for the fall and enjoy being a full time student again without any job or hassles to worry about.

Editors Note: In case you were wondering my birthday is July 27th....

- LewisG

Your classic Friday Musings and Mayhem!!

This morning at 9:50AM or so we officially passed into the summer solstice. Now the days begin to get shorter. The weather, hopefully, gets more consistantly warmer and summerlike. So Happy Solstice!! In some countries it has some religious meaning. What it is, I have noooo idea...

Okay from the department of redundancy department: Amanda, music still needs to set the atmosphere and tone. Just a simple fact. And having the soft light like we had, now THAT was what you called "romantic porn lighting". To go for just romantic then go for whiter light. But remember girl, Martha Stewart I'm not...

MY Weekend Picks in Music, Books, and other Cultural Crap...
Movie (if it's raining out...): Minority Report with Tom "Maverick" Cruise. How can you go wrong with Stephen Speilberg directing? You can't..
Music: Dirty Vegas - Dirty Vegas A trio of techno mavens. Great mixes and beats. Their latest video/single, Days Go By, is also on a Mistubishi car commercial. The one with the breakdancing woman.
The White Stripes - The White Stripes If you miss back to basics punk. Here it is...
Book for the Beach: "You Cannot Be Serious" by John McEnroe. Okay I'm a tennis nut so that is why his book is so interesting. Plus all the inside dirt on his marriage to Tatum O'Neal.
Book for the Bathroom: "Worse Case Scenario Series" There are many versions out there that explain what to do in the event of a major emergency, love and sex, cooking, ect... Pure comedy.
Drink: Martini's. Actually anything with a good amount of the sauce in it. It's been one of those weeks....

A quick shout to the people in the Ultimate Frisbee that I have played against, met, and drank with afterwards. I've never met a huge group of more upbeat people. And I look forward to more heckling and defending home against you.

So it's Friday, time to go out and cut loose. See those of you in Maine at the bars, or a club, or in the men's roon, or in the drunk tank...

- LewisG

Okay, I have to thank the three people who sent me job offers the other day. However, exotic dancing for you on a daily basis wouldn't exactly pay the bills. And as for being your cleaning guy, I don't do windows... Just to let you know..

Random occurance last night. I actually had a good time in the Old Port. Normally it's a bunch of drunk, over stimulated, testoterone heads looking for the nearest person to fight. Last night the Old Port was alive with people just happy to be out and about. Drinks were flowing. Things were being lit (insert your own smoking habit here...). Phone numbers were being exchanged. New people were being met. Just a fantastic scene.

There are nights that are preplanned. "We're going here. Then here for a few. Then here for dancing. Then home to pass out." Makes for a boring night out on the town with everything preplanned. It appeared last night everyone was running off the hip. Not caring about what the night brought. Hell I was out there and was only going to have a few tasty Gritty's beers with my teammates from Ultimate Frisbee. But then it developed into an unsuspecting monster that grew and grew. People filled into the brewery. Ideas were tossed around. Some were kept in memory while others were tossed out the window. Martini's? Bump and grind somewhere? Who's having people over afterhours?

Those are the fun nights. The non-sequitor nights that just seem to develop in midair. The nights when I get home, take my dog out, and by the middle of the walk to the tracks I'm left wondering, "Wow. That last shot wasn't a good idea..." The post parties that start slow and build momentum within minutes. (Yes Amanda, upbeat music does help...) The mental debate of whether the brain and feet function in unison to drive home. Oh the joys of the social life.

For as much bitching that I do on here. Last night changed my views a bit. Expecting a decent night and not a Motley Crue style evening, I was happily disappointed. Not only was it a Motley Crue kinda evening but it almost bordered on Guns N' Roses style.

"Welcome to the jungle. We've got fun and games....."

- LewisG

How can one really find a place to work at that can make you excited to go to work every day? Is it a mere impossiblity? Is there always going to be some little thing that really just turns you off from the job or company?

Just trying to improve your stature in a company is tough as it is. With layoffs and cutbacks the norm in the corporate world lately, leaving any set postion is a crap shoot. You could get promoted and find out a month later that you are being cut due to your postion, the newest one, is not necessary any more. Or you could take a leap to another company and see that company miss a round of venture capital funding at the end of the third quarter and fold. Either way you are completely fucked.

Basically it is two options if you are, like me, in a situation like this. One is obvious. Keep the present position you have. Be happy you have a paying job. Drag your ass to work everyday and just deal with the assorted bull shit you see on a daily basis. The second is take the plunge at another company. One that has a decent background and future. One that can excite you and not fold on you in a few months. Of course that company could be a few states away but maybe a full change is needed...

After searching for the past 5 or 6 months for something new and interesting, I have collapsed in a sea of frustration. Not only does the Classified Gods choose NOT to print ads that would coincide with my qualifications, they have also deemed it necessary to make sure no internal advancement at my present place of employment could happen. I have looked in other states and still the same appears. Low pay and more responsiblities. But I will continue the search in hopes that one will appear sooner rather than later. And if it doesn't it's gonna be a looong year....very long...

.....all job offers can be sent to lewisgprod@hotmail.com....

- LewisG

Okay. Another year and another Los Angeles Lakers championship. Three in a row. Another boring four and out series with an over matched Eastern Conference team. This time the whipping boys were the New Jersey Nets. (Who, by the way, ousted my beloved Boston Celtics. Bastards..) Could the games be any less exciting to watch?

Let's face it, for the past three years the Lakers have Shaq and Kobe. The most feared twosome in basketball. I mean who wants or can cover a 7 foot 1 inch giant who weighs over 300 pounds. the guy just gets in the low post, turns and jams. And let's not forget his ballet style feet. He NEVER travels.... And Kobe is just a smooth player. About the only one on the Lakers, along with Rick Fox, that I can respect. He plays the game as it should be, with passion and intensity. And he can score from anywhere.

But another year when the NBA finals finished before the NHL finals. (Game 5 tonight!!) And to be honest, the NHL finals are more entralling and fun to watch than the NBA finals. I could have written something before the game last night and just said, "It's gonna be close until the 4th quarter and then the Lakers will go on a tear and it's over..." Actually you could have said that about all the games. At least in the NHL Finals there has been intreque, hitting, dramatic plays, and more importantly two teams that can compete with each other.

So next year, unless the Celtics take it to the next level, the NBA finals are gonna be passed over. Hell watching Emiril yelling BAM! is more exciting than watching Shaq take five steps before a monster jam. And the last thing I need to see in Phil Jackson, the Lakers coach, with his Zen philosophy giving another championship celebration speech. With one more he takes the lead in most Championships for a coach in NBA history, presently tied with Red Auerbach of my Celtics fame.

Bring back Celtic pride!! We would have lost to them in the Finals but I know our combination of Pierce and Walker would have taken at least two games and the chants down Causeway Street of "Beat LA" would be music to my ears...

- LewisG

World Series. Stanley Cup. Super Bowl. Wimbledon. US Open (golf). World Series of Poker. And now I'm officially in love with the World Cup, the championship of soccer/football.

The World Cup, played every 4 years, is being held in Korea and Japan to the thrills and chills of the soccer world. (I keep wondering if I should call it football, or maybe European Football.) Never before have I've seen a packed house completely dressed the same, chanting their country's football cheer, and watching every play like it was a fast break in the NBA Finals. The passion the players and fans have for the game is astounding.

In the US our major sports are broken up by commercial breaks to generate revenue for the television stations, movie clips on the big screen in the arena, and other sights and sounds to keep us just distracted long enough until play continues. Not football. Television and play continuously. Did I mention the fans are still going nuts?

Now granted unless you have played football and know all the nuances of the game, like the striker and offsides, the game seems slow and boring. We like our sport teams that are on offense to move everytime forward and not backwards. But that is the beauty of football. The patience these players have looking for that one blank spot up field to lead a player in. Just pure smoothness.

I've managed to watch a few games during this year's World Cup. Thankfully they show them live. At 2 fucking AM in the morning. But hey I'm not getting much sleep so... And I find myself on the edge of my seat every time a cross pass is done for a header or a penalty kick is called. I'm cheering with the fans. Pounding my feet with every beat of the drum from the stands.

I gotta admit that the game is do damn compelling due to the fact there is no slowdown in play and little scoring. When a goal does occur you let it all out just like the announcers. "GOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!" The stadium begins to rock. The home team's fans, adorned in red, begin bouncing rythmically in unison. Picture 30,000 people just going up and down. Makes the wave look really boring. The player who scored is diving in the corner. His teammates screaming behind him. My dog is staring at me cause it's 3:30 in the morning and I'm jumping up and down like a lunatic.

Just for fun... "GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!"

- LewisG

Birthdays. Marking you're entrance into this world. Reminding you of your age every year. Cards from family and relatives sent from around the world. Presents, less as you get older, sometimes creep into the equation. Basically it's a celebration day. My grandmother just had her's this past weekend. Birthday #91. And does it loose it's drawing power after all those years? Not in her eyes.

This past Saturday I ventured down the asphalt highway towards Boston to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. On the way down I tried to remember the things that I got or made for her birthday. Other than all the cards that were purchased, signed and sealed. There were so many pins, pictures painted as a kid, and good deeds like cleaning her car. I mean what can you get a 91 year old for her birthday that she hasn't seen or received already? It was a definite dilemma if you ask me. But a cute gift from Sweden and a nice card was planted on the passenger seat just awaiting to be ripped open.

Upon entering into the palacial nursing home apartment, she was already up and standing. Dressed in her newest and greatest outfit for my arrival. Her eyes lit up upons seeing me. And even feigned surprise when I handed her the birthday present. "Oh you really didn't need to..." She would say. And complain, quietly mind you, that I shouldn't have spent much money on her... But you know in the back of her mind she was giddy as a five year old at getting a birthday present.

At dinner, she didn't do much talking (which is unusual for her..). Just sat silently watching the sailboats go in and out of Hingham harbor. Completely inhaling a lobster roll (one of her favorites..) and making sure that I ate everything I could off the table. (Yes, to this day she still thinks I don't eat enough...I need a bigger belly I think..) And the cutest moment of the day was when our waitress brought over the birthday cheese cake with a candle on it. Even though she was full from her large dinner, she smiled at her kryptonite. Peering up through her rose colored framed glasses, she murmured, "You always knew my weaknesses." And smiled that grandmother smile that makes your heart just crumble. The cake was gone in 3 minutes...

But the best present, in her eyes, was the mere presense of myself on her birthday. I could forget about all the rest of the year. Just make sure that the birthday visit happens. I guarantee it will make her day.

Happy 39th birthday Grams.....

- LewisG

Random Observations from the Random Mind...

Lying in bed last night. Listening to the quiet dripping of rain on my window. Hearing my cat, Marmalade (hey, he's orange...), pur like a fiend about a foot from my face. So cozy and comfortable in the sheets. Then, without provication or movement from me, he decides to punch me in the face. My cat, obviously looking for more attention, keeps it up. Now he decides that if he licks my eyes long enough I'll give him more attention. Now if a cat has ever tried to lick you it's cute for the first two then after that it's like sandpaper. So needless to say, Marm was sleeping in the living room last night...

Tanning booths are turning into wierd S&M places. Upon going to one I was told to stand there and hold onto the handles in the upper corners. Granted it helps you in getting a tan under your arms but I was consistantly wondering if a leather clad, whip carrying woman was gonna come in and make me her bitch.... Hey, you're locked into a small little room with your eyes closed for 5 - 10 minutes...the mind wanders ya know!!

I've found my next fun summer sport. Ultimate Frisbee. Plenty of running and strategy. More strategy once you learn plays and what people are yelling for you to do. And not only that but it is gonna whip me right into shape in a quick fashion. Now to figure out the forearm throw and I'll be golden as a handler....Go Team Dry Dock!! And please no team sing a longs...unless we're at the bar after the game and we've all had a few....

Now that I'm back in the states it's great to see everyone again. Now just to get them all our for drinks this weekend... I wonder if they still all own phones.....

- LewisG

A personal note to Eric and Johanna in Stockholm...

Thanks for all the great times we had together during my stay at your luxurious estates in Backvagen. Loved all your warm hospitality and laughs.

...and thanks for the Penelope Cruz look alike... ;o)

Lewis

Hey guess what? I'm baaack... And not necessarily in the physcial sense either, although that is true that I am back in America, but more in a mental state that I have been sorely missing for the past few months. Some of it I recognized before the trip and some I had no idea about. Strange what being in a completely alternate world/country can do for you...

What did I learn on this trip? One: How to quickly recouperate from a hangover. Which comes in handy when you are in the crazy world of Sweden. Two: There is a lot more to life than what is located in whatever bubble you have created for yourself. (Yes I'll elaborate and bore you with the details later in this blog...) And Three: No matter what can occur in your life, both the good and bad, a good friend is all you need to slap the shit out of you to wake you up to reality...

SO! Hangovers. Not too much of a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but a good European coffee (which is WAAAYYY more powerful than American coffee) and a brisk cold shower work wonders. Also having a large Rotweiler staying at the same apartment with you helps and the fact he loooves attention...

Part two, the bubble situation. When I got off the plane in Stockholm/Arlanda airport, it finally dawned on me that I was out of my bubble that had kept me somewhat sane in Maine. All these people had no idea of how the bubble affected me. Nor did they care. Any insecurities I had wouldn't be a factor on my trip. By the time I had cleared customs in Arlanda and was working my way to my friends car I was beyond loose for the first time in a few years. It was almost like starting with a fresh slate in the new area. New people wouldn't know of me (unless Eric had discussed me before my arrival) and my insecurities until I mentioned them. Which I didn't. You see, for me being in a bubble is like keeping everyone at an arm's distance until the time, setting, temperature, and four moons were in perfect alignment with each other so that I could discuss things. Over there, with the bubble now hovering somewhere over the Atlantic, I was vibrant and really more "in your face" than before. I learned/re-learned basically to open up and damn the consequences. I could strike up a conversation with a beautiful Swedish woman at a bar, cafe, or museum (and yes gentlemen, they are all stunningly beautiful and mostly blonde...) without feeling insecure about anything. Hell you could look in their eyes and tell that they may feel insecure about something with themselves while speaking with me. (and boy do they look adorable when they do...whew)

As I exited the plane it was now up to me to burst the bubble if it rears it's ugly head again. Be more like myself on a consistant basis. Don't hold back anything. If you do the bubble reforms and becomes tighter and tighter. Allow people to enter the inner sanctum of my life (if you dare in some places I'm sure) and work actively on my own insecurities to make myself more, well, secure...

You ever feel like you know you were destined for big and bright things in your life? Maybe it's some of the smaller things that create the one big thing. And I may have just discoverd one of those little things...

As for Part 3...well, to be honest it just came out when I was writing. More of a spur of the moment, stream of conscious thing. I saw Eric just enjoying all that was around him. Readying himself for the next phase of his life. As I have been doing. I think we're both ready and willing to find and take that next step in our lives.

- LewisG