[insert random clever title here]

To whom it may concern,

Two weeks in at new job. So far, so good. Definitely some intrigue of a few different varieties already. Some I could probably talk about if anyone is so inclined to hear...others, I'll keep to myself. [chuckle]

For this last week of October, I wore a pink ribbon pinned to my shirt each day. Took some flak for it, but I don't care. Pink t-shirt on Thursday night, too. Look, evidence...

Our home crowd at the High School game was clad in pink and pretty raucous for a 62-0 win to end the regular season. Players wore blue unis with pink numbers [and names] for the occasion, too. Pretty sweet.

Bulldogs head into the playoffs having outscored their opponents 473-36 in nine regular season games. Impressive.

However, I will miss the Regional game here at home on Tuesday vs. Ness City, due to working late. Dang it.

I don't really have a whole lot to say in this blog [go figure], but wanted to post something since I haven't since starting the new job. Also, it gave me incentive to change my layout off the the pink backdrop.

Note: People [ahem, girl(s)] who think they're going to get on my good side while badmouthing friends of mine... I think not.


Upcoming: Basketball league in Hutchinson starting next Sunday. Pretty pumped for that. Should be interesting.


Not much else to say at the moment. This one was pretty short. Maybe next time I'll have more to say. I need to try and blog on weekends, now that I'm working weekdays. Here's hoping!

Let me know what you think of the layout. It's kind of bland, but it occurred to me that maybe I've been too flashy in the past. Need to tone it down a bit. Any thoughts?

Happy Halloween.

Derrick, out.

Books and Booze...r.

Yet another book update: Just finished Bleachers by John Grisham. This one took less than a full day. For a Wikipedia book review, [click here].

Good [albeit quick] story about a former High School football player who reluctantly returns home to attend a memorial of sorts for his former coach. The player has to fight off the bad memories and remind himself of the good ones, while attempting to finally move on.

That now makes 5 books in 19 days. 1,483 total pages.

Next selection: Hothouse Orchid - Stuart Woods

My favorite author. Haven't read any of his stuff in quite awhile. I'll have to make a list of the books of his I've read, but I imagine the count would be somewhere near 40. He's good. This one, 294 pages.



Other notes:
- Bulls agree to deal with Utah Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer.

- Word on LeBron James' decision to come tomorrow night at 8 PM on ESPN. It's a big deal.


- Happy Birthday to my gramps.


That was quick,
Derrick

Pomp, circumstance and some other stuff.

Pomp and Circumstance...

My last main group of college friends (Freshmen when I was a Senior) graduated this weekend.

Also, the first group of kids I coached (as 8th graders) graduate High School tomorrow.


Some of you don't know this, some have forgotten, but...I did not attend my High School graduation. It made for major gossip in a town of 600/class of 29. But it wasn't a big deal to me then and it isn't now. College was another story. My college graduation was a proud day for me. Regardless, I'm happy for all my friends who are and will be walking the stage this weekend.

Other news:

- I get to see (and meet) my favorite singer, James Otto live on Wednesday the 26th in Wichita. Hooray!

- I will have a lovely lady right there with me. Double hooray!
- Cubs still suck. Nothing new there. Negative-two hoorays!
- LeBron to the Bulls? Word is, it could be legit. See?

[Derrick just fainted; he'll be back shortly]

...sorry about that.
- One semi-promising job (if you can call it that) prospect. Details next week. Maybe.
- One coaching spot I'd really like has separated itself from the generic pack. Not that that means anything...

Pretty Prairie High School, class of 2003
Wichita State University, class of 2007--B.A., English

Derrick

Between Twitter and a liar.

I am not a fan of Twitter. You are more than welcome to try and change my mind; I will be optimistic. Again. If anyone out there is on Twitter and knows much about it, please explain to me how it's different than a simple Facebook status update. Because so far, that--and the fact that people follow celebs to try and feel cool--are the only things I know about it.

That said, I'm giving it another try in an effort to get my blog a little more circulation and may even post a status--err, tweet, from time to time. So if you're on Twitter, feel free to follow me on there. Otherwise, it could take me awhile to find you (trying to avoid stalkerish tone). I've provided a link to the right of this blog. I'll post links to this site on there and vice versa. In a related note: I love circular logic!



Annoying news: Came across Stephanie's wedding website the other night. Oops. Curiosity killed the dumb guy, too, as further research proved that Stephanie and her soon-to-be husband were actually dating during the time she was still talking to me about getting back together, saying she still loved me, and so on. I knew it was probably soon after--had no idea the time frames actually overlapped. How trifling is that?! As I told a dear friend earlier this evening, I honestly don't care. Don't miss the girl a bit, but...what motivates a girl to be such a bold-faced liar is beyond me. [Sigh] Oh well...

And girls, before you say anything--trust me, I know you're not all like that. I'm not the kind to lump you all together; no worries!

Here's where I take the high road, and quietly wish them well. And I do.

Other news:
- The Cubs won today! It was the Home Opener. Exciting game.
- Judging a High School forensics meet tomorrow. Absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Should be fun, although I'm a little nervous. Those poor kids...

Quote of the day:
"Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind." - Austin O'Malley

Do the right thing,
Derrick

I love this game.

I love basketball. Have since before I can remember. I wasn't born with hoards of athletic ability, but a passion for the game I'll put up against anyone's.

As a kid, I'd shovel a foot of snow off the court to shoot in below-zero temps.

As a teenager, I skipped breakfast to shoot before school. I hid in the locker room after practice until everyone left, and snuck back into the gym for another couple hours of shooting--in the dark. I skipped class--a lot--to sneak away to the gym.

I even loved practice. I begged for two-a-days in High School. I loved four-hour practices in college.

When other kids were at parties or out on dates--I was on the court.

It's a beautiful game.

Whether it's a peach basket and a broom in a tiny, quiet gymnasium or two nylon nets 94 feet apart in a raucous arena--a there's a certain peace and tranquility that comes with being between those lines.

First ever basketball court--Springfield College, 1891

U.S. Airways Center; home of NBA's Phoenix Suns, built in 1992 (101 years later).


I'm ready to be a Head Coach. I'm a student of the game, and learning more by the day. Most importantly, I know enough to know that I'll never know it all. Many coaches feel they have nothing left to learn--and that's when they get beat.

Players will enjoy playing for me. Not only do I carry a passion for the game, but I make it simple and fun. Too many coaches complicate things by over-coaching.

It's an easy game. Intricate schemes, techniques and designs are essential, but at the end of the day, my offensive philosophy is simple--and something past players have heard me say often:

"Just go score." -- Too simple? Hogwash. Whether it's a fade-away J from the elbow, a tip-in put-back in traffic, or a tomahawk dunk on the break, a basket is a basket [see also: peach basket vs. nylon net].

So just go score. Get the ball in the hoop, go lock up on D...then do it again.

I digress...

Basketball feeds my soul. I go to it when I need to exercise, when I need to vent. I go to it when I need to think, need to cry, need to breathe.

I go to it in times of joy and times of sorrow--
I loved it yesterday; I'll love it tomorrow.

It's always been there for me, and I love it.
Always have, always will.

Just go score,
Derrick

Here's a quarter; can I get 3 more?

It hit me the other day. I'm almost 25 years old. A quarter of a century. Here are some thoughts I have about this:

I always wanted to be married by 25. As I have just 56 days to accomplish this, let's go ahead and chalk that up to being an unsuccessful dream. Clearly, it's time to change the goal. 27? 28? Yikes, I could be in trouble.

"Derrick, you have plenty of time..." Blah blah, hibbety jibbety.

A moment occurred last night at the High School basketball game in Pretty Prairie that made me want a daughter. I seem to have these moments more and more lately. Something about a little girl sharing a laugh with her dad--who is just two years older than I--causes me to be overcome with a mixture of hope and jealousy.

Here's a sad, yet powerful song that I've always loved. Enjoy.



I didn't set as many New Year's resolutions as I probably should have--I usually go through a stage every few months where I attempt to better myself by doing certain things. So I'll work on it for my birthday. While I was unprepared to do it at New Year's, one thing I plan to do is cut out all pop-drinking on my birthday. Ahem, March 6. I do love pop, so it is tough, but one thing I'm very proud of about myself is my willpower. So I have no doubts about my ability to do it. I will not drink pop for a year, at least.
My record: 1 year, 2 months, 3 weeks, 3 days. (Dec 10, 2007-Mar 6, 2009).

I think it would be awesome to live to 100. I hope I'm only a fourth of the way through. I am already thoroughly convinced that I will not die of an illness of any kind. I'm never sick even a little bit--most of you hate me because of this. So unless the Big Guy decides to throw some irony my way (entirely plausible), I'm relatively certain my demise will come from old age, or an accident of some sort. Just a theory I have.

Other monotony:

- I had an entire blog written last night about the recent epidemic in collegiate football, with coaches losing jobs due to alleged misconduct toward players. Erased because I know few if any of my normal readers would have even cared. Short version: Big whoop. If you can't handle it, don't play. Sissies.

- Still haven't figured out how to put background music on my blog (as opposed to inserting video clips, etc). I'm hoping to figure that out soon, so y'all will have some regular background tunes to accompany your reading. If anyone knows how, or has some song suggestions, send them my way. Or if you'd prefer not having any...?

- I may not blog again until I finish my current book. Unless of course I come up with something more meaningful to say than what I've written lately. I've lagged behind a bit lately and am still only on page 93. Hopefully in the next week or so, I can knock out a much more substantial chunk of the book.

- NFL playoffs start today. My team went 7-9 and didn't make the playoffs, but it's still exciting stuff. If nothing else, something to get me closer to baseball season.

Do the right thing,
Derrick

Warning: If you read this, you'll learn something new...

I'm a pretty open cat, if you know me. Finding a secret on me is like finding a needle made from hay in...well, you know--a haystack.

But I decided to dig deep and come up with some things that some folks may not know about me. I do this every-so-often, and figured I was due. Some of these things are quite embarrassing--but alas...

- In 2nd grade, I wanted to be a preacher when I grew up.

- I'd had a long day at school and basketball practice the day before my grandfather died--so I told my mom I'd pass on visiting him in the hospital. Doctors assured us his condition wasn't serious, and he'd be fine. No worries, I figured--I'd see him in a few days. He passed away in the middle of the night. My decision that day still bothers me sometimes.

- My first kiss was approximately 6 weeks before my 18th birthday.

- I would marry (______) today, if she let me.

- I had this High School classmate--real cool chica. I've said occasionally for years (almost always to myself) that I definitely wouldn't mind marrying a girl exactly like her someday. I can't think of anyone who knows (guessing aside) who I'm referring to.

- If I don't have a kid before December 19, 2014--I will consider myself a major disappointment.

- The first episode of SportsCenter I ever recall watching was on November 7, 1991. It remains the most memorable thing I've ever seen on ESPN. I couldn't actually find an ESPN clip--they appear to be stingy with their rights--but here's one from CNN. It's 9:56 long, but you'll get the idea very shortly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSfy4AhDDnw

- I did not go to my High School graduation. People insisted I'd regret it, but truth be told, I often even forget that I didn't go. My college graduation was much more important to me. I went to that one--almost entirely for my mom.

- I absolutely love Pretty Prairie, KS. There, I said it.


- I love to sing. Almost exclusively in my car. Primarily along with various country songs, but not that part's not exclusive. I'm convinced I'm pretty okay at it, too.

- I was 100% comfortable with my weight until 2005. My college basketball coach (Jones, not Trimmell--Trimmell was too busy being a good person, and winning games to ever demean his players) made several comments about it. Even resorted to cheap name-calling. To this day, I am self-conscious about my weight because of that man. I think about it at least a dozen times a day.

- I have never been in a relationship with anyone on Facebook. I've also never had a girlfriend in the summertime. Or the fall, now that I think about it. More specifically, never between June-October. Whoa...

One last one that I'm borrowing from a flick (gee, guess which one), but I always liked it, and it holds true for me, too...

- "I could be fun, if you want. I could be pensive, uhh...smart, superstitious, brave? And I, uhh--I can be light on my feet. I could be whatever you want. You just tell me what you want, and I'm gonna be that for you."

"You're dumb."

- "I could be that."

Do the right thing,
Derrick

I'll make it.

Day 13: Complete

Morning session: 6.09 miles
Evening session: 8.56 miles
Total distance: 14.65 miles

Milestone reached: Halfway Point, 150-mile mark

Tonight's run was probably the most grueling I've had this month. It wasn't quite the longest, but I maintained a more consistent pace for a longer period of time than I've done yet. Not to mention reaching the halfway point of my goal during mile 1 of my evening run. My pace is back over (barely) 12-miles per day again, but with rodeo fast approaching, there's a chance I may not get in my 10 miles every day. We'll see...

...not to mention my soreness, and recent struggles to get myself up as early in the mornings--especially after today's tough runs. Yikes. *sigh*

Positive note 1: The day's total mileage was the highest I've had so far, though I'm determined to reach 15+ miles at least once.

Positive note 2: I saw another acceptable drop in weight tonight. Having pop tarts for dinner probably aided that, too. ;)

Watched Hoosiers earlier today. Classic. Makes me want to lace 'em up every time.

Sometimes I genuinely feel like I am Jimmy Chitwood. Seriously.


Basketball movie number 3 on tap: He Got Game

I watched this movie the night before every single game my Senior year of High School. Translation: at least 25 times in a 4 month span. Even during tournament week, when we played 3 straight nights, and 6 nights out of 7. I'd get home around 1 AM after a game, and throw it in. Some unnecessary--sometimes graphic--scenes in there for some of you kids, but I love it, as a whole. Especially the 1-on-1 scene with his pops toward the end.

If you have 5 minutes, check it out. If you haven't seen the flick, and/or aren't into hoops, this will mean nothing to you. But this scene speaks to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtKi9SCEJK4

Final thoughts:

--As I approached the corner of a section (what we call it in the country) this morning, I came upon a loose cow. Cow sees me (running toward it), pauses for a second, runs back across the dirt road, and jumps over the fence--where it belonged. Yes, a cow. Yes, it jumped. Coolest thing I've seen in awhile. :)

--Got an e-mail from my best friend in the wide world today, Amanda Lee Walker. Yay!!
Hi, Amanda ;)

Nice to know she's still alive, and I'll probably write her a longer e-mail than she'll care for tomorrow. *chuckles*

Raccoon, Amanda. Very raccoon. :)
(she knows what it means)

D, out.