Wednesday, February 28, 2024

After the falls

One month ago, I decided against driving an hour plus to a course out of state and played the nearest one to my apartment. After my final drive on the third time through the nine, I decided to walk the shorter sidehill path around a pond and on a cement part, the shoe lost traction and I fell on my right leg that buckled under me. After 30 nervous seconds collecting myself, was happy leg supported weight and I went home.

I tried to work the day after and ended up taking the Tuesday off where my doctor confirmed no broken bones, told me I was lucky that was the case, and wrote a note allowing me to take the rest of the week off work which as usual, was thrown out. I realized there was no way I could play the one round event the following weekend.

A couple weeks later, the trauma from the fall was gone but everything still did not feel what has become the "normal". I realized that with the fall the Tuesday before Thanksgiving where two days later I had one of the best rounds of my life with a bruise covering 1/3 of my left foot, and another one at work in December, there is a pattern. 

Though I could still throw a golf disc mostly well continuing the success from late 2023, the legs were really unhappy during and especially after. Actually had a coworker show concern to my supervisor about me after watching me get out of the car on the way back from my last one round event. My doctor more directly last month told me what I should do and not do.

Her biggest concern was the scale. I am 12 pounds heavier than I was in November and am at my highest point which is way above what I consider the heaviest I should play tournament disc golf. Between the stress from work and the injuries and knowing I am still playing real well, not eating responsibly made sense but no one is forcing me to do what I did.

The body is also responding to my eating. Problems in late 2023 can be attributed to Waffle House, company luncheons, and unexpected mushrooms but those in 2024 are not. On the average, once per week have ended up with bloating, cramps, continuous gas, and/or multiple bathroom trips after paying $10-20 for ready made food at various places. One of those occasions I was very fortunate I was twenty feet from a grocery store bathroom when it kicked in.

Since not eating at those places has led to weight loss, there is a second reason to avoid those places and this will be tested to, in, and from Minnesota next week which is why I don't want to be counted on to volunteer for anything in case the body says "no" up there and there is a need to stay in the hotel room.

Last Sunday, I did not play a desired two round event and there are multiple ones with current or upcoming registration that I can't do at this time since I am not confident that I can not only finish the event but be able to function the following day.

Two of the following three Sundays have a one round event which I feel comfortable playing since I was ok following a club round a few weeks ago but won't register for a two or more round event until my legs and mostly weight recovers from the previous 3-4 months of neglect.

I am registered for a two round event in early April which is the weekend before I would register for the world's and it would be unfair for me and potential other MA55+ players at the world's to register unless my situation significantly improves by then.

Friday, February 23, 2024

The Swift and the Furious

Other than seeing people throw golf discs, the largest topic of videos I've seen on Facebook involve one specific musician be it past interviews, interactions with fans, reactions from fans, concert footage, or at the NFL Championship Game playing a game involving herself by chugging a beer upon seeing herself on the video board.

The grade school version of me who had a unique combination of being born on the 13th and having a bad luck cartoon character with all eight letters of the last name almost in the same order really would have appreciated someone that famous flaunting 13 as their lucky number and find the non concert clips enjoyable knowing her opinion of the man who attempted to overthrow the government is the same as mine. 

The music and on stage are something different. Though I understand the point of view of the songs, there is very little for me to relate and the on stage performances remind me of the ones in the late 20th century featuring people who in my mind replaced the music I enjoyed.

Many of the replies remind me of how I used to feel about people like Madonna and Janet Jackson with how ignorant and hateful they are while criticizing everything they did off stage as well as on.

Today, I am well aware that her music is not for me and I am ok with it and if people want to spend a couple thousand dollars to watch her on stage, that is their choice and they will likely enjoy it. Even the person who has the most tracks on my Spotify play list has stated he is his own target audience.

Personally, I find money others spent on the Eras Tour more useful to charter a bus and get my daughter to co drive it to watch people whose name are on my contact list perform music and afterwards drink alcohol and if things go exceptionally well... nah.

Monday, February 5, 2024

Non championship sports part 1 continued.

In part due to questionable coaching decisions, the Detroit Lions recently lost an opportunity to make their first Super Bowl and continued their streak of being the only one of 23 teams that have played all the past 58 seasons to not make it to the game.

How I determined the mathematical odds of that happening: I figured out the probability of the Lions not winning the NFL Championship each season from 1966 to 1969 and of not winning the NFC Championship each season from 1970 to 2023 and multiplied them.

Due to addition of more teams and division realignments, the odds of the Lions from 1970 through 1994 (except for 1982) were not reflective the number of NFC teams since the NFC Central had a different number of teams than the NFC West and or NFC East.

After crunching the numbers, the odds of Detroit failing to make the Super Bowl for 58 consecutive years is 57.6-1.