I’m a little worried about the direction the basketball team is going.  Well, not really.  I’m worried about the attitude of one of my players.  He can’t seem to take any criticism and he’s constantly whining about how he isn’t getting the ball.

Anyway, I have been appointed coach, so I’m going to be the one to put my foot down and go “See here!  We play a certain way on this team, and you’ve got to get with the program!  My way or the highway, son!”  Or maybe I can channel Al Pacino.  I should go watch that movie again.  Life is all about inches, right?

Can’t wait for the league to start.  I’m going to lead everybody in points scored!

The basketball team is now nine strong.  We’ve got scorers, shot blockers, defensive minded forwards.  We’ve got jump-shooters, slashers, three point snipers.  We’ve got the ball handling, the offensive talent, and clutch players.  We still don’t have rebounding.

But I am psyched!  This team is going to make some noise up in the tournament next year.  There are players who are going to need a lot of work though, or they’re getting taken off the team.  Just got to be realistic here.  I’ve been made head coach, so I’m going to be the bearer of bad news.  I already have a feel for how the players play, so I think I can make an informed decision now with regards to playing time.

The folks will probably start drawing up plans for the new house before the year ends, and while I have a keen interest in how things should be, I think I’ll stay out of it.  It’s their house, it’s their money, and they’re going to be living in it far longer than I will be, so.. that’s that.  I do have a few requests, the first and foremost being that there be a basketball court.  Got to have someplace where I can ball.

Everything else, I’m taking a hands-off approach.  I don’t mind a small, bare room.  I’ll outfit it with cellular shades and a flat screen and that place will look awesome.  I’m easy like that.

One of my cousins wants to take up culinary arts or something in that line.  He doesn’t really have much of a passion for food, it’s just that he believes that chef work pays a lot.  And I agree.  IF you’re the head chef at some big time restaurant!  I think the world of chefs is way too competitive to just assume you’re going to make a lot of money just because you graduate from a culinary arts course.  It’ll probably take a lot of talent and luck, and those are things you can’t count on.

But you know what, I’ve never been one to meddle in other people’s decisions.  If he wants to go to culinary school, then good for him.  I’m just thinking out loud.

I love T-Mac.  I think he’s possibly one of the most talented players to ever play the game, and one of the most physically gifted.  That’s a deadly combination.  Most people say he milked his injuries, but come on.  The guy wanted to be great, he just had a serious back problem.  It wasn’t very smart of him to keep training blindly, but you can’t fault a guy for wanting to work on his body.  I’d be the last guy to say anything.

Despite all of that though, T-Mac isn’t an NBA player at this point in his career.  I admire the guy wanting to show everybody he can still ball, but he’s got to be realistic.  He’s not going to be helping any teams win games anymore.

Sorry, Tracy, but your time’s done.  It’s a new game now, and you’re just too old and too banged-up.

Lately, I have been making more of an effort to use credit cards that offer some sort of incentive.  For example, some of my credit cards offer me a 2 percent rebate whenever I use them to fill up on gas.  The small stuff like that, it all adds up.  I know I also have a Visa reward card stashed away somewhere around my room.  I’m terrible with keeping stuff like that.

Anyway, I’m just talking about credit cards and whatnot because I’ve decided to finally go out and buy the things I want to buy, laziness be damned.  Let’s just take it one purchase at a time.  Ease myself into it, you know?

That I have Pokemon on my iPhone!  I have never owned a single Pokemon game in my life, and I’ve always been a little jealous of everybody who has, from my old seatmate in grade school maybe 15 years ago, to my younger brother.

And now I finally have it.  I’m not playing as often as I want to be, since I have a lot of things going on, but I play whenever I get the chance.  It’s especially handy when I’m waiting for the GF.

Unfortunately, there are limitations to the ROM on my iPhone.  There will be no trading with other Pokemon players, so there’s no way I can complete the Pokedex.  Either way, I’m happy.  No complaints from me!

I’ve always wondered how I would react if I ever get the chance to play NBA players, particularly the hall of famers like Kobe, Bird, Jordan.  Knowing myself, I’d probably get really physical with them.  I’m sure they’re all stronger and tougher than me, but you can’t take it easy on those guys.  I’m not lifting all that weight to be a pushover.

So I think the key is to be really physical.  Surprise them.  Maybe throw a few elbows.  Michael Jordan had better have signed up with the Blue Cross Blue Shield NC because he’s going to need some sort of health plan after balling with me.

If you have been reading this blog, you should know that I’m pretty obsessed with working out.  Over the past few years, I’ve been trying one workout and one diet after another, and have gotten mixed results.  Lately though, I feel like I’ve finally realized what goal I’m aiming for, both fitness-wise and aesthetic-wise.  The great thing about it?  It’s within reach.

This diet I’m on now is more a lifestyle than anything.  I’m eating the foods I want to eat, and working out maybe 3-4x a week with pretty light weights.  Nothing too intense, all very sustainable.  I’ve also dropped all supplements except for fish oil.  Amazingly, I am leaner than I’ve been in a long time, while completely disregarding the pressure to “eat clean.”  In fact, you’d get a heart attack if you saw all the fat I consume.

In theory, my cholesterol levels should be more or less stable, or even improved by this diet.  I need a blood test just to be sure, but that’s the only reason why I haven’t committed to it for life yet.

People wonder why I’m not obsessed with cars.  That’s because I see cars as a means to an end.  They get you from one place to the other, and that’s that.  I don’t need them to be flashy, or fast, or whatever.  All I want is reliability, durability, and most importantly, air conditioning.

Besides, cars cost a lot of money!  Aside from the initial cost of the car, there’s insurance, maintenance, registration, all that other stuff.  I guess you can look for the cheapest auto insurance out there to save a bit of money, but you can’t penny pinch on maintenance.  And gas!  Gas prices today will just eat you alive!  You’ll be driving to the restaurant but you won’t have enough cash left to pay for the meal!