#beer-leaguers

[beerselfie]

#Repost @hoop_n_hops LET'S G⚾️ ASTR⚾️S!!!! Today's game 3 of the ALCS. To celebrate I'm pregaming with @txleaguerbrew Leaguer IPA! Gotta love when your clothes match your beer! Talk about a juice explosion! Brewed with Motueka, Nugget, & Sabro hops. Grapefruit on the nose and tropical flavors throughout! This is one BREWtiful beer, very well balanced too! Perfect for game day! ALLLLREADY time to #LevelUp baby! Let's get this win for Space City! LET'S G⚾️ ASTR⚾️S!!!! . . . #hoopnhops #texasleaguerbrewery #leaguer #spacecity #letsgoastros #hophead #craftnotcrap #crafttastic #craftbeer #craftbeerlife #beersofinstagram #beers #brews #beer #brew #daydrinking #liquidgold #beerporn #thirstworldproblems #delicious #igbeers #beernerd #beersnob #beeradvocate #beerselfie #beerstagram  #juicebomb #hopsyndicate https://www.instagram.com/p/CkCN5E8PeeQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[floydsglasses]

𝙄𝙩𝙨 11 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙨

( I was like half asleep making these)

Bradley if being a naval pilot didn't work out for him he would have joined up to be a major leaguer

Natasha hates horses, she went saddle backing one time as a kid, got bucked off scarred her for life

Javy is always snacking on something, it calms him to have something to chew on (proof Hard Deck Bar scene)

Rueben is the one to ask where is a good place to eat, he has taste and will tell which place is worth trying and which is a skip

Mickey has those little car tree smell things, he likes the strawberry smells because it reminds him of his grandparents

Bob has only ever gotten into one physical fight his entire life, he was in Middle School and was still a quiet kid then, his friend was being beaten up so he stepped in fucked the kid up so bad people looked at him like he was hurt them next (Allah Perks of Being a Wallflower type beat)

Jake is the kind of person who says he isn't picky about his food and yet he will still not let his food touch certain ones

Bob collects Funkos, only ones from like movies he actually enjoys and if had the money would go to conventions

Javy or Bradley, was a lifeguard at a public pool when they were teenagers, and they had little girls trying to "get their attention" like if you know you know they found it amusing

Natasha is a health nut, like she will not leave her local whole foods with out checking every fruit or product she bought without weighting them.

Rueben when he was a kid growing up in Georgia ( he gives me those vibes) he would always sneak out to a park at night watching planes take off from the nearby air force base, inspiring him to join up.

Mickey is a total sports fanatic, like tailgates and front row tickets, he is there and will desperately try to get his friends into game (much like real life)

Javy has the best taste in clothes, like the best style out of the daggers, doesn't matter if he is in sweats and a plain jersey he still has charisma falling from him

Jake was never properly taught how to do certain manly things from his dad like change a tire or check his own oil, so he taught himself how to.

Bradley after losing his dad, he would sneak into his closet and take Goose's bomber jacket, sometimes falling asleep with it in his bed, Carole eventually gave it to him when he was old enough. He wore it out that he had to retire it, never selling it though

Mickey can't shoot whiskey, doesn't matter how much someone tries to get him to do it he can't stand the taste, however tequila and beer he is good with

Rueben is a secret F1 Fan, and secretly checks the stats if he is on a detachment with his phone.

Bob when he was a kid would go to a dude ranch as a kid, and he can still ride a horse better then anyone in his family

Natasha is a great cook, and food is her love language of sorts, recommending what would be better for her friends/partners

Jake used to be artsy when he was a kid, but he grew out of it when his dad took his picture off the fridge even after his mom said not too

Bradley can't really swim well, he can stand shallow water or pools but like lakes and stuff is a no go

Javy was a swimmer in college, he would have gone to the Olympics if not for his love for the navy and his mom encouraging him to chase his dreams

(okay like I said I was half asleep making this so if they don't make much sense then oh well)

[acheronist]

great lakes slang that warms my heart for no reason: ripping a dart.

like yeah. fuck yeah. absolutely no way anyone around here is Stepping Out For A Cigarette To Calm Their Nerves🚬😌 like nahhh baby you're gonna go stand outside in the busted ass driveway and rip a dart while realizing it's gonna rain later. you and your buddies fall out of the dive at 2am and go rip some fucken darts in a dirty damp alley while giggling the whole time. the only beer leaguer that can score on your team is out behind the rink ripping darts like a chimney during period breaks and you ask him when the hell are you gonna stop rippin' em you stupid dumb idiot and he says i'll stop smokin' em when I stop scorin' em and you dont know if he means goals or cigarettes..... like there really is a sense of urgency and undertones of 'ope gotta get my self harm done before i can get back to whatever the hell i was doing 15 minutes ago' about it which i find very delightful

[loserdudes]

spill the tea she's always felt off to me but I've never been able to piece together why

back in 2019 when the then nwhl started their first season without any team usa or hockey canada players hilary knight felt the need to comment about it and say

"It's a glorified beer league to me," said Knight, who won a scoring title with the NWHL's Boston Pride before moving on to the CHWL. "It's serving a purpose but it's not elite talented players that are playing at a high level."

not only was this just plain demeaning and insulting to those who were playing in the nwhl at the time (who were actually getting paid to play, unlike those in the pwhpa) it is extra shitty to those hilary knight played with and against during her time in the nwhl. jillian dempsey (boston pride teammate)(obviously) is not a beer league player. kaleigh fratkin who she played against in the nwhl is not a beer league player. both incredibly talented players playing at a high level but because they're not playing with hilary they are beer leaguers

her crying like a baby never did anything to make the nhl step in (her/the pwhpa's first end goal and the main reason they hated the nwhl, their existence meant the nhl would not get involved) and just continued to further spread misinformation on what the nwhl/phf was. she was one of the few in the pwhpa who could afford to continue doing hockey full time even without a league. the fact of the matter is a lot of the non-national team players that were in the pwhpa missed out on vital years of playing organized, competitive hockey and are just straight up not as good as those that played in the phf for the last four years. hilary never had to worry about that

at the end of the day she's just a bitch with rancid vibes who doesn't seem to care about her peers just herself

[hockeybabbler]

A Eulogy for a Terrible Place

Let me tell you about my rink.

Highland Ice Arena opened on December 14, 1962 and was a family business from the day it opened to the day it closed on October 15, 2022. It was, without a doubt, the second-worst rink I ever skated. Certainly Highland was the worst rink that was open year-round - the only ice I've been on of lower quality was a holiday rink at Seattle Center before the Key became Climate Pledge that was only open November through January, about the size of a Basketball half-court, and "resurfaced" only once per day after close and without the benefit of a Zamboni.

Highland was a step above that. But only just. Walking in the front door was like stepping back into the 90's. A look to your right, and you'd see their little pro shop, the NHL merchandise within slightly yellowed with age and using logos now featured on Reverse Retro jerseys. The rubber flooring was chipped and cracking, and hadn't been replaced in ages. Your walk to the rink was always dangerous because the mats rippled and waved in spots, creating tripping hazards. Looking up to the rafters, you could see the accumulated dinge, dust, and puck marks that the decades had built up.

And then there was the ice itself. Because their Zamboni drivers didn't turn off their water in the corners, there was a noticeable slope up and down when you skated laps. I think pebbled curling surfaces might have smoother ice. The roof leaked, necessitating buckets on the ice on more than one occasion. I once saw a ref attempt to repair a divot with a green plastic watering can. You had to be careful when you went to the benches, whether going through the gate or over the boards - there were a few spots where there were no mats, leaving exposed metal plates where the boards slotted in. There was also a smaller, second rink, which felt claustrophobic due to the walls directly on all sides of the rink, which was where stick n' puck normally was, the sound of pucks hitting the walls explosive in the enclosed space.

There were two locker rooms. One downstairs, where you'd expect it, behind the benches. One was upstairs. Yes, upstairs. If you used that locker room, you had to tramp down the stairs in your full gear, through the lobby, then out onto the ice. And that one was the nicer looking locker room of the two, likely because it was a later addition. The one downstairs legitimately looked like a scene in a prison movie, and not a nice one. There was a toilet in the middle of that locker room with no stall walls around it. Once, a beer league teammate said they found a turd in one of the showers, and I fully believe them. I once met another local beer leaguer who said they refused to use the locker rooms there, instead just changing in the lobby, which honestly sounds like a better idea than using either locker room.

Please don’t get it twisted: I am not shitting on the place. That was done for me, by an anonymous person in their locker room showers. No. I loved this rink. It was my rink. It may not have been the rink where I learned to skate (shoutout to the Vallco Rink, now known as the Cupertino Ice Center), nor was it the rink where I first really fell in love with the feel of ice beneath my blades (Sprinker Recreation Center, you were way too far away but it was worth the drive every time), but it was home for me from when I first moved into Seattle proper until it closed. It was where I forged an unbreakable bond with a friend who is now more like family (hey Jed!) and where I decided that it was past time for me to actually play the damn game of hockey. The place where I learned to play. Where I would nudge Jed at almost every song during public skate and say, "THIS IS MY JAM!" Where I would pet Ollie the rink dog during Zamboni breaks.

It was terrible, yeah. But it was home, and I loved it. Unfortunately, the disrepair of the rink was too much to handle. Apparently the boiler room was far from the fire code, and while it was owned by the original family, the fire marshal allowed it to be grandfathered in. Selling the rink would require the new owners to repair and retrofit it, a task with a price tag that exceeded the property's total value. So it makes sense that when Highland was sold, it was sold to developers who would tear down the rink and build up something new, something that suited their dreams and not those of the previous owners.

It's hard for me to wrap my head around the incredible loss I feel at having just lost this physical place at the same time that I am losing a virtual space which it is no hyperbole for me to say changed the trajectory of my life. That friend who became family, Jed, was a mutual follow of mine on Twitter before we happened to run into each other at a public skate at Highland. They realized it was me because I'd tweeted a picture of the rink. Jed is far from the only real friend I made on Twitter. Some helped me fundraise to get me to finish my degree. Some helped me when I was leaving my marriage, both financially and emotionally. They helped me to navigate the weird space of the quarantine, of pregnancy, of becoming a mother. They stayed through my terrible puns and shared my doodles and encouraged me to keep making things even when I thought my work wasn't worth sharing with anyone.

Twitter was and is, objectively, a terrible place. Instead of leaks from the ceiling you had random nobodies getting into your business. Instead of a turd in the shower, you might find a horrific RT on your timeline that you wish you could unsee. But like Highland Ice it was my home for a time, and I hope you'll forgive me for taking this metaphor a bit literally as it was my homepage on my personal desktop's browser. The moments of joy I found there sustained me through some incredibly tough times, and much like Highland Ice, I fear we may never see anything quite like it again.

Better options exist, both for ice rinks and for social media sites. They're just going to miss some of the old charm, and maybe that's for the better.

[catbirdseat]

in a different, fairer universe, andrew harris would've been in a different hall of fame

He skates for conditioning. He stepped in as a ringer for a beer league team just a week after winning they grey cup. He reffed for beer leaguers in Winnipeg. He started playing for a seniors AA hockey team the year he retired. In his TSN doc from 5 years ago, he explicitly says racism, poverty, and his abusive stepdad were the reasons he stopped playing, but even today this guy fucking loves hockey. Some days, I think he loves it more than football. He's had one of the greatest careers in Canadian football, but I think about this what if from time to time.

[cavefilllingcorporation]

Solinia Joins the Heroes League

The lieutenant sighed as he looked at the woman on the opposite side of his desk. He was tired of dealing with her at this point.

“For the last time, you cannot join the Heroes League.”

Unfortunately, this woman, whose name was apparently Solinia, wouldn’t take no for answer. She slammed the beer bottle in her hand on the table, which fortunately didn’t shatter despite how hard she hit the desk.

“I am a very capable warrior! I’m the best swordfighter in this camp and can beat any one of your troops! I’m not half bad with spell casting either.”

“I still cannot allow you to join us. Only heroes can join the League.”

The woman then gave a smirk and replied coldly:

“Heroes huh? Like the guy who murdered his girlfriend? Or the guy who destabilized his entire nation? Thieves, murderers, terrorists, those are your heroes?”

The lieutenant was taken aback from hearing this, but before he responded, his expression was met by a sarcastic voice, only slightly tainted by the tipsiness of alcohol.

“What? You think I wouldn’t have picked up some things here and there?”

She then leaned back on the desk.

“So, are you going to let me in? Or are you going to let me tell everybody I know about the truth of their precious ‘Heroes’”.

Crap. This wasn’t one of her normal rambling messes. This was calculated, planned even. He would have never considered this coming from her. Wait, what if those ramblings weren’t actually normal. This could have all been a plan to lure him into this false sense of security! He had to act fast! He immediately reached down to his pistol, but she leaned closer before his hand could even reach his holster.

“You going to shoot me? Too much of a coward to accept the truth? I want to see you try big boy. You don’t have the guts.”

She was right, even if she wasn’t in the perfect position to retaliate before he could unload the weapon, he didn’t have the heart to shoot a civilian. He wasn’t a criminal; he wasn’t a leaguer; he was just a penpusher who had a talent of organizing military camps. But he couldn’t let her join the league. That would be all sorts of trouble… for the league. Maybe he could get away if…

“Well… I can’t let you join the League. The entire point of the league is redemption, these people are fighting for the chance to right their wrongs. I can’t let an innocent risk her life for nothing. Be-besides, you can just join the Corporation. We’re always hiring. Besides, you might even be able to work with the League. I’m an employee myself you know…” He stammered, trying and failing to sound somewhat confident in his answer.

The woman however just laughed, getting off the desk and starting to wander around the room while she started rambling.

“No… you don’t understand. I don’t deserve… anything. I was supposed to protect these people, protect them from everything… but I was a coward, a fool. I should have been there to guard them, but all I did was fail them. I failed everyone, I failed the nation, I failed.”

Her face, displaying sorrowful, self-deprecating laughter, turned solemn after finishing that sentence, as if remembering something painful. The lieutenantjust didn’t understand. Protector? Like the Sun Guardian? That didn’t make sense. The Sun Guardian was their client, and retired with a king’s fortune. Sure, it was just a crate, but a crate full of the most expensive gemstones. It was more valuable than normal crates. Before he could try and to reason with her though, as he thought he had the opportunity, she turned back, getting closer to the desk, but not as close to his face as last time.

“Which is why I will not ask again. Put. Me. Into. The. League.”

She then put her hand into her pocket, and started to pull out a green scroll; A DOOMSDAY SCROLL! SHE WAS CRAZY! That thing could blow up like half the camp! Ok, not literally, but it was still enough to bring both of them to kingdom come!

“OK OK I’m doing it I’m doing it!”

He then quickly pulled out a laptop and started writing an email to the Hero League office.

“Solinia Darkbringer wishes to join the Heroes League. She is the best warrior with a blade and proficient in local spell scroll combat, and she could be a great asset to the team.”

After confirming to the woman that the email was sent, she was semi-content, but he tried assuring her that this was the way things were done. She then left in a huff. As soon as she left, the lieutenant sighed in relief, before adding a rely to his own email:

“Please disregard my last email. It was sent in duress as Solinia Darkbringer was threatening me with a Doomsday scroll. Please confiscate the scroll and any other weapons she may have and deal with her appropriately.”

He would definitely get in trouble, maybe even demoted, but she wasn’t joining. Sure, he technically had the ability to do so, but he was only supposed to use those powers in emergencies, and most certainly wasn’t supposed to do it like with her. Thank goodness for corporate bureaucracy!

That was when he got an email back almost immediately. He absentmindedly clicked on the email, thinking it was the general or something. However, the email was very short, and only contained three words.

LĘ̷̺͎̘̼̜̩̤̩̫̣̫̦͂̾̑̈͗͗͂̈͌̄̍͒͆̀̀Ţ̷̖̰̠͇̤͉̰͉̱̯̗͐͛̑̿͑̽̂̀͑̆̔̊͜.̵̛̘̪̈̃̍̑̆̃̏̚ ̷̢̛͍͙̜̳̜͕̑̓͋̀̂H̵͚̖͇̯͎̙͖̲̫͚̠̝̻͔͋̄͌̃̽͌͊̑̇̽̚E̵͍̥̔͂̄̽̈́͗́̑̊̊̈́͌́R̨̧̰̪̹̯͎̻͉͕̀̔͊̇̚̕͜͜͝.̶̨̢̧͍̖͚̝̥͉̮̬̬̬̖̌̈̔̋̇͠ ̶̨̤̥̖͈̗͚̘͇͎̬͗͗͋̎̐̒̂̓͐̎͑̇͛̚͠ͅͅI̴̢̛͕̫̖̫̮̭̋̉̉̇̋͊N.̶̧̳̖̪̗̪̗̙͎̤̒͌͐̃̎̇̈́̈́͜

The words weren’t just read. They echoed in his head like some higher power, like an eldritch being’s voice booming in his ears. He then checked the sender. It was an investor. A founding investor. THAT Investor. HIM.

At that moment the lieutenant’s heart gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor. He would he rescued, and when he recovered, he would end up with no memories of the traumatizing incident. Thus Solinia joined the Heroes League as she wished, with nobody the wiser on how she managed to infiltrate their ranks.

[ladylooch]

born and raised in toronto and let me tell you.. the hockey boys are INSANE. even the beer league ones who can barely skate. think they’re the shit

omg Canadian would be even more insane....

The beer leaguers here in Minnesota are wild too. All these high school has beens that are trying to drill guys heads through the glass on a Sunday night. Like BRO we all have to go to work tomorrow!

And the FLEX of yeah I play beer league hockey. Is... mind blowing. But also why is it so hot too.... 👀🤣 ( hi, it's me. I'm the problem its meeee)

[colleenmurphy]

"Who's the blonde bookworm lookin' Ivy Leaguer?"

Was what Colleen heard all night as she tended bar at the Gaelic Club. Her mother was over in Forest Lake picking up an order or two and Col was left with the rush of weekend drinkers. She had seen a glimpse of blonde hair once or twice but the barroom was so crowded she could barely keep her thoughts straight. Checking the clock on the wall, eleven on the dot and it was closing time. She finished wiping down the bar and cashing out customers at the bar before ringing the large brass bell to the left of the bar. The juke kicked over and one of the new LPs came on, Col had requested more updated stuff so Little Feat filled the room. Squaring up with the rest of the patrons she wished them all a good evening before the last one, a blonde booking young man about her age, reached for his wallet. Wind blustered in as the last of the paid up customers walked out. She wouldn't be surprised if she got a phone call from her mother saying she was staying over with Aunt Eileen at Granny's place. Hopefully she'd had the sense to check the backseat, Col had packed her an emergency pantry bag as well as an overnight bag just incase.

"You must be the new guy back in town. Welcome to the Gaelic Club."

Startled blue eyes studied her shyly from behind a floppy curtain of blonde bang.

"It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Greg Goddard."

The dark haired woman's face lit up much like the Christmas tree in the corner.

"You're Professor Goddard's son! He's told me so much about you."

Greg held out the totaled amount of his bill and she held up her hand and shook her head.

"You visit here for free. Club rules, brought to you by the owners of this fine establishment."

He'd heard from his father that Jimmy Murphy, Minnie's husband and Col's father had passed away some years ago, half the reason why Minnie worked as a cleaner for his father, that Minnie had taken over and then in recent years the place had passed hands yet again.

"Who owns the place now?"

He asked in a soft careful voice that surprised her. Greg was genuinely interested in what she had to tell him. That was a first for the men in this town.

"You're looking at her. I'm not sure if you were asked if you wanted anything to go with your beer."

"No I wasn't but in the barmaid's defense she was quite busy."

Another small easy smile that made her eyes light up. He could look at her forever. She turned and quickly dished up some sort of something from the crockpot plugged into the outlet on the back counter. A thick slice of buttered brown bread, a dish of steaming Irish stew and a small bowl of bread and butter pudding appeared before him as if she'd waved a magic wand.

"I've got to pay you for this.."

"No, you bought enough beer to entitle you to three of those. Would you like to take some home? For your dad or something?"

'Good save, Murphy.'

She thought to herself as she wiped down the liquor bottles and then went about locking the safe and the register. The Rolling Stones had been replaced by Bad Finger's Baby Blue, one of Col's favorites.

"I think he'd love that."

Came Greg's reply as he sat himself down to eat. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was until he smelled the food in front of him. She went about sweeping and moving chairs. Outside the winter storm that the weather station was ranting and raving about finally hit the town of Sloughbridge. He ended up giving her a ride home to her mother's place on Wanderer Hill, to get the generator running. They were neighbors after all only a two minute walk up the corner to the left and the start of the Goddard estate was seen, marked by it's wrought iron gate guarded by marble lions. Slowly over the course of the winter Gregory made himself a staple at the Gaelic Club each Thursday evening, to pick up supper for his father was what he told the other patrons, who got quite friendly with when they realized he wasn't a snob and he realized that they weren't going to lay him out on the tiles. No, that came later one night after closing and Colleen introduced him to the wonders of marijuana. Their courtship blossomed over that long dark winter and in the spring new love was brightly in bloom.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 10.27

Holidays

Big Bang Day (London, UK)

Boxer Shorts Day

Černová Tragedy Day (Slovakia)

Cliche Day

Crack-Nut Night (a.k.a. Nut-Crack Night)

Cranky Co-Workers Day

Dress Purple Day (Ontario)

Etiquette Day

Good Bear Day

Heliotrope Day (French Republic)

Infantry Day (India)

International Be More Toddy Day (UK)

International Day of Text Corrections

International Mentoring Day

International Panda Day

International Religious Freedom Day

Kashmir Black Day (Pakistan)

Mishinden (Mouse Feastday; Bulgaria)

National Black Cat Day (UK)

National Civics Day

National Day of Action Against Antisemitism

National Electricity Day (Indonesia)

National Henry C. Ramos Day

National Hostage Awareness Day

National Mentoring Day

National Tell a Story Day (Scotland)

Navy Day (unofficial) [also 10.13]

New York Subway Day

Occupational Therapy Day

Radio Broadcast License Day

Read for The Record

Scanderberg Commemoration Day

Sylvia Plath Day

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (UN)

World Occupational Therapy Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

American Beer Day

National American Beer Day

National Cheese Toastie Day (UK)

National Potato Day [also 8.19]

Sandwich Day

4th & Last Friday in October

Bring Your Jack-O-Lantern to Work Day [Last Friday before Halloween]

Education Communication Day [Last Friday]

Frankenstein Friday [Last Friday]

Global Champagne Day [4th Friday]

International Champagne Day [4th Friday]

Mokosh Day (Ukraine) [Last Friday]

National Bandanna Day (Australia) [Last Friday]

National BETA Founder’s Day [4th Friday]

National Breadstick Day [Last Friday]

Nevada Day (Nevada) [Last Friday]

Red Friday [Friday of Last Full Week]

World Lemur Day [Last Friday]

World Teachers’ Day (Australia) [Last Friday]

Independence Days

Mount Henadas (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Saint Vincent & Grenadines (from UK, 1979)

Soda (a.k.a. Bicarbonate of Soda; Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Suverska (Declared; 2013) [unrecognized]

Wyvern (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abbán (Christian; Saint)

Abraham the Poor (Christian; Saint)

Buffon (Positivist; Saint)

Clam Sauce Day (Pastafarian)

Diwali, Day 4 (Hindu, Jain, Sikh), a.k.a. ... 

Day of Cowdung (Krishna)

Day of Oxen

Day of Self (Newar)

Gobardhan Puja (Krishna)

Goru Puja

Goru Tihar

Mha Puja (Newar)

Elesbaan (Christian; Saint)

Festival of the Conspiracies (Church of the SubGenius)

Frumentius (Roman Catholic Church)

Gaudiosus of Naples (Christian; Saint)

Kaleb of Axum (Christian; Saint)

Lee Krasner (Artology)

Mary Moser (Artology)

Mice Wedding Day (Pagan)

Namatius (a.k.a. Namace; Christian; Saint)

Nekhebet’s Day (Pagan)

Oran of Iona (Christian; Saint)

Quackers (Muppetism)

Roy Lichtenstein (Artology)

Silly Walks Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [50 of 57]

Premieres

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (Novel; 1928)

The Americanization of Emily (Film; 1964)

Andersonville, by MacKinlay Kantor (Historical Novel; 1955)

Back to Black, by Amy Winehouse (Album; 2006)

Barbara Broadcast (Adult Film; 1977)

Buddy the Woodsman (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Come See About Me, recorded by The Supremes (Song; 1964)

Crocodile Rock, by Elton John (Song; 1972)

Don't Give Up, by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush (Song; 1986)

Foyle’s War (UK TV Series; 2002)

Fun with Mr. Future (Disney Cartoon; 1982)

The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan (Novel; 2009) [Wheel of Time #12]

Godzilla (Film; 1954)

The High King, by Lloyd Alexander [Chronicles of Prydain #5]

Jesus Christ Superstar (Soundtrack Album; 1970)

The Last Ship, by Sting (Musical Play; 2014)

Leaving Las Vegas (Film; 1995)

Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (WB Animated Film; 2014)

The Matrix Revolutions (Film; 2003)

The Moonspinners, by Mary Stewart (Novel; 1962)

National Velvet, by Enid Bagnold (Novel; 1935)

1989, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2014)

1999, by Prince (Album; 1982)

Rebel Without a Cause (Film; 1955)

Rescue Squad Mater (Pixar Cartoon; 2008)

Romeo + Juliet (Film; 1996)

Skylarking by XTC (Album; 1986)

Stand By Me, recorded by Ben E. King (Song; 1960)

Waiting for the Barbarians, J.M. Coetzee (Novel; 1980)

Wideo Wabbit (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

You Bet Your Life (Radio Series; 1947)

Today’s Name Days

Christa, Sabina, Wolfhard (Austria)

Nestor (Bulgaria)

Bartol, Florijan, Gordan, Namat (Croatia)

Šarlota, Zoe (Czech Republic)

Sem (Denmark)

Eila, Eili, Häili, Hälli, Heili (Estonia)

Hellä, Helle, Helli, Hellin (Finland)

Emeline (France)

Christa, Sabina, Stefan, Wolfhard (Germany)

Louppos, Nestor (Greece)

Szabina (Hungary)

Delia, Fiorenzo (Italy)

Irita, Lilita, Lita (Latvia)

Ramojus, Sabina, Tautmilė, Vincas, Vincentas (Lithuania)

Sture, Sturla (Norway)

Frumencjusz, Iwona, Sabina, Siestrzemił, Wincenty (Poland)

Dimitrie (Romania)

Sabína (Slovakia)

Bartolomé, Florencio, Sabina, Vicente (Spain)

Sabina (Sweden)

Nestor (Ukraine)

Cale, Caleb, Feodor, Isaac, Isaak, Issac, Izaac, Kaleb, Ted, Teddy, Teodor, Theodora Theodore (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 300 of 2024; 65 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 43 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Gort (Ivy) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 13 (Wu-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 12 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 12 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 30 Shù; Nineday [30 of 30]

Julian: 14 October 2023

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 20 Descartes (11th Month) [Buffon]

Runic Half Month: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 34 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 4 of 29)

Calendar Changes

Hagal (Hailstone) [Half-Month 21 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 11.10)

[brookston]

Holidays 10.27

Holidays

Big Bang Day (London, UK)

Boxer Shorts Day

Černová Tragedy Day (Slovakia)

Cliche Day

Crack-Nut Night (a.k.a. Nut-Crack Night)

Cranky Co-Workers Day

Dress Purple Day (Ontario)

Etiquette Day

Good Bear Day

Heliotrope Day (French Republic)

Infantry Day (India)

International Be More Toddy Day (UK)

International Day of Text Corrections

International Mentoring Day

International Panda Day

International Religious Freedom Day

Kashmir Black Day (Pakistan)

Mishinden (Mouse Feastday; Bulgaria)

National Black Cat Day (UK)

National Civics Day

National Day of Action Against Antisemitism

National Electricity Day (Indonesia)

National Henry C. Ramos Day

National Hostage Awareness Day

National Mentoring Day

National Tell a Story Day (Scotland)

Navy Day (unofficial) [also 10.13]

New York Subway Day

Occupational Therapy Day

Radio Broadcast License Day

Read for The Record

Scanderberg Commemoration Day

Sylvia Plath Day

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (UN)

World Occupational Therapy Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

American Beer Day

National American Beer Day

National Cheese Toastie Day (UK)

National Potato Day [also 8.19]

Sandwich Day

4th & Last Friday in October

Bring Your Jack-O-Lantern to Work Day [Last Friday before Halloween]

Education Communication Day [Last Friday]

Frankenstein Friday [Last Friday]

Global Champagne Day [4th Friday]

International Champagne Day [4th Friday]

Mokosh Day (Ukraine) [Last Friday]

National Bandanna Day (Australia) [Last Friday]

National BETA Founder’s Day [4th Friday]

National Breadstick Day [Last Friday]

Nevada Day (Nevada) [Last Friday]

Red Friday [Friday of Last Full Week]

World Lemur Day [Last Friday]

World Teachers’ Day (Australia) [Last Friday]

Independence Days

Mount Henadas (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Saint Vincent & Grenadines (from UK, 1979)

Soda (a.k.a. Bicarbonate of Soda; Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Suverska (Declared; 2013) [unrecognized]

Wyvern (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abbán (Christian; Saint)

Abraham the Poor (Christian; Saint)

Buffon (Positivist; Saint)

Clam Sauce Day (Pastafarian)

Diwali, Day 4 (Hindu, Jain, Sikh), a.k.a. ... 

Day of Cowdung (Krishna)

Day of Oxen

Day of Self (Newar)

Gobardhan Puja (Krishna)

Goru Puja

Goru Tihar

Mha Puja (Newar)

Elesbaan (Christian; Saint)

Festival of the Conspiracies (Church of the SubGenius)

Frumentius (Roman Catholic Church)

Gaudiosus of Naples (Christian; Saint)

Kaleb of Axum (Christian; Saint)

Lee Krasner (Artology)

Mary Moser (Artology)

Mice Wedding Day (Pagan)

Namatius (a.k.a. Namace; Christian; Saint)

Nekhebet’s Day (Pagan)

Oran of Iona (Christian; Saint)

Quackers (Muppetism)

Roy Lichtenstein (Artology)

Silly Walks Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [50 of 57]

Premieres

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (Novel; 1928)

The Americanization of Emily (Film; 1964)

Andersonville, by MacKinlay Kantor (Historical Novel; 1955)

Back to Black, by Amy Winehouse (Album; 2006)

Barbara Broadcast (Adult Film; 1977)

Buddy the Woodsman (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Come See About Me, recorded by The Supremes (Song; 1964)

Crocodile Rock, by Elton John (Song; 1972)

Don't Give Up, by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush (Song; 1986)

Foyle’s War (UK TV Series; 2002)

Fun with Mr. Future (Disney Cartoon; 1982)

The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan (Novel; 2009) [Wheel of Time #12]

Godzilla (Film; 1954)

The High King, by Lloyd Alexander [Chronicles of Prydain #5]

Jesus Christ Superstar (Soundtrack Album; 1970)

The Last Ship, by Sting (Musical Play; 2014)

Leaving Las Vegas (Film; 1995)

Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (WB Animated Film; 2014)

The Matrix Revolutions (Film; 2003)

The Moonspinners, by Mary Stewart (Novel; 1962)

National Velvet, by Enid Bagnold (Novel; 1935)

1989, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2014)

1999, by Prince (Album; 1982)

Rebel Without a Cause (Film; 1955)

Rescue Squad Mater (Pixar Cartoon; 2008)

Romeo + Juliet (Film; 1996)

Skylarking by XTC (Album; 1986)

Stand By Me, recorded by Ben E. King (Song; 1960)

Waiting for the Barbarians, J.M. Coetzee (Novel; 1980)

Wideo Wabbit (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

You Bet Your Life (Radio Series; 1947)

Today’s Name Days

Christa, Sabina, Wolfhard (Austria)

Nestor (Bulgaria)

Bartol, Florijan, Gordan, Namat (Croatia)

Šarlota, Zoe (Czech Republic)

Sem (Denmark)

Eila, Eili, Häili, Hälli, Heili (Estonia)

Hellä, Helle, Helli, Hellin (Finland)

Emeline (France)

Christa, Sabina, Stefan, Wolfhard (Germany)

Louppos, Nestor (Greece)

Szabina (Hungary)

Delia, Fiorenzo (Italy)

Irita, Lilita, Lita (Latvia)

Ramojus, Sabina, Tautmilė, Vincas, Vincentas (Lithuania)

Sture, Sturla (Norway)

Frumencjusz, Iwona, Sabina, Siestrzemił, Wincenty (Poland)

Dimitrie (Romania)

Sabína (Slovakia)

Bartolomé, Florencio, Sabina, Vicente (Spain)

Sabina (Sweden)

Nestor (Ukraine)

Cale, Caleb, Feodor, Isaac, Isaak, Issac, Izaac, Kaleb, Ted, Teddy, Teodor, Theodora Theodore (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 300 of 2024; 65 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 43 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Gort (Ivy) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 13 (Wu-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 12 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 12 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 30 Shù; Nineday [30 of 30]

Julian: 14 October 2023

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 20 Descartes (11th Month) [Buffon]

Runic Half Month: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 34 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 4 of 29)

Calendar Changes

Hagal (Hailstone) [Half-Month 21 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 11.10)

[delsaber]

Nothing says timely quite like returning to YouTube to LP a game the rest of the internet already LP'd five years ago! One run a day, every weekday, until we get it right. Plus I'm a middle-aged beer leaguer of a video games player. That's a gimmick, right? Committed to the bit over here.

[James May voice] Likecommentsubscribe.

[barclaygoodrow]

Kakko stops on the boards like a goddamn beer leaguer.

[themeathead]

So, I did a thing...

TL; DR I got lit up like a Christmas Tree this weekend and LOVED IT.

So, I did a thing this weekend.

I did a wild and crazy, possibly injurious, thing this weekend.

I did a thing no sane person of my age (42), height (5’ 8” – yeah, yeah I know, leave me with my delusions), weight (more than is healthy), skill level (negligible), and fitness level (round is a shape, right?) should EVER do.

What was that thing, you might ask?

Well, if you’ve been following ANY of my other social media accounts you will have seen the pictures and you’ll already know. For those of you that aren’t – yeah, I did the National Lacrosse League Combine.

I KNOW, RIGHT?

I have always wanted to play in the NLL. Since watching my first game at Maple Leaf Gardens in the 90s through to today, I have wanted to step onto that floor and hear my name announced and then play a game. I know there are a LOT of things that are stacked against me. Specifically age, height, weight, fitness, skills, or incredible lack thereof, and an inability to cradle and run at the same time. That didn’t stop me, however. As I realized early in my Fann Cup career that being a runner wasn’t for me, I turned to the twine. Again, all of the things stacked against me were still there, but I worked at it. This summer between May 7, 2017 and the Combine I faced over 1,000 shots playing in three different leagues, and a tournament or two. Against my better judgement, but firmly convinced no one in the NLL offices was incompetent enough to let a beer league goalie slip through, one fine night in July I submitted my name and a $150USD payment to the National Lacrosse League to participate in their 2017 Combine at the TRAC in Oakville, ON. I listed my “qualifications” and other information on the application form, and sent the payment from my local pub. Yes, you read that right. Whilst sitting with a frosty BEvERage by my right hand I clicked “Send Money” on PayPal, and that was it. The die was cast.

The only thing to do from there was to wait for the inevitable rejection letter that was to come. So I waited. And waited. And waited.

Until in mid-August it hit me – I’m not actually getting a rejection letter.

I’m going to have to actually do this thing, like do this thing. I’m going to be putting my abused carcass on the goal line vs. a whole bunch of Jr. A and B, Sr. A and B, college and other players who are looking to crack an NLL roster, and all because I was sure that I’d get a rejection letter and could back out if I wanted to…talk about all time backfires. So, yeah, the realization hits me when I get the combine schedule in the mail and the form greeting email from Brian Lemon at the NLL. Do I still have the cardio? 30m, 5km, and a heart rate under 160 on the elliptical says I do. Do I have the balls to do this? Well, seeing as it’s done, apparently I’ve got a pair of brass clangers the size of cantaloupes.

SO September 16 dawns bright, I hit the elliptical for a quick 5km at 10, then get breakfast and carb load. Come 5pm, I’m rolling up to the TRAC with another player from Reno, NV. There’s 71 athletes ther and then there’s me, one of the shortest people at the combine by a large margin, and one of the oldest by at LEAST a decade checking in, getting my combine wristband, pinnie number, and a LOT of strange looks.

So, physical testing was first. Yeah, THAT was fun. I did as well as I expected on that on, and by as well as I expected, I mean I finished DEAD LAST. Slowest 40 yard dash (6.143s – 72/72). Slowest 300m shuttle (1:25 – T71/72) Slow Agility Weave (14.779s – 71/72) Slowest Pro Agility 5-10-5 (6.4s – 72/72) Short broad jump (6’1” – 71/72) Short seated medicine ball toss (16’7” – T-57/72) Pitiful vertical (18.5” – 70/72). The one surprise was the shot where I was clocked at 51mph (67/72), but even still, I finished dead last in goalies, dead last in the entire Combine. As expected. I list these not as a “Hey, pity me, I’m out of shape” sort of thing and definitely NOT as a “See how AWESOME I AM?” kind of thing, but more as a “Here’s where I started, how much better than me would you have done?” kind of thing.

But that’s really not what the goalies are there for, right? We are there to play. How quickly we can weave in and out of flags cradling a ball means diddly. It’s a situation that we would never have to deal with. Same goes for the pro agility 5-10-5 or the shuttle run. The 40yd might count in getting off the floor, but thank God that didn’t come up in the scrimmage…long story short, I got 27m of floor time. We changed goalies on the fly, and I let in 2 goals on 4 shots in 7 minutes in the 3rd quarter, and 6 goals in the 4th. I mean I got TORCHED and loved EVERY SECOND OF IT. It was like shooting fish in a barrel for these guys. Here’s a stumble-bum 42 year old and he’s putting himself up against dudes that have been playing at some of the highest levels in the sport – what I think was gonna happen? But man…it was glorious. And I’m sad to say it’ll probably never happen again, but I’m glad I did it.

Final haul for the weekend – 1 StringKing head, one Combine t-shirt, 1 NLL Combine jersey (black), assorted muscle and joint strains and soreness, and a story that, along with $7, will get me a pint.

[bluesundayss]

Reminder: blocking slap shots fucking hurt and will leave a mark!