Sports!

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Sports! I went to my first football game today. (To be clear, I was in the marching band in high school and attended every home game. I do not recall looking at the field.) My 7th grade friend is on the team! I really wanted to see him do the things. That might be him in the picture, about to throw the ball. Or not. I lost him all the time. He had on one white sock and one black sock, which helped, but I still lost him.

Football seems dumb. I learned the rules by playing one of those little handheld video games (there were dots on a screen and you had to run 10 blips in 4 turns. That is what I know about football) on the bus to church camp. People always complain that baseball is slow, but I thought football was kinda slow.

Tweeeet. One guy runs sideways, somebody does something with the ball, everyone crashes and falls down, tweeet, go back and talk, then do it again. It’s probably fun to do – except for that crash part. Well, to be honest, the first time one of the green guys got the ball and started running and one of the guys on our team was trying to get him, I had a VERY visceral response of GET HIM – just launch yourself on him and smash him into the ground.

I should never play or coach a sport.

Anyway, it was really great to be outside on a gorgeous afternoon (feeling pretty much better from the covid shot after only ONE day – personal best!) and doing a new thing.

We went to see Jens Lindemann at Crooners Supper Club after the footballing. He was terrific. He had a pickup band that was very good, but the sound guy must think LOUD is better (it was only when the soloists played in the mics – most of the time it was fine) (man, I am picky, aren’t I?). Jens had a clip-on mic and sounded terrific. Like WOW terrific. I’m going to attach a picture of him playing his blue piccolo (“made out of crushed sapphires”). He was playing the clarinet part of Rhapsody in Blue, and it was really a cool arrangement (by Matt Catingub, who was conducting). As good as Jens is with a trumpet, he might be even better with a microphone – very, very funny and interesting. He kept leaving the stage (for a variety of reasons) and he would come back and stand right by us. He kept talking to Keith. During the last piece he came back and said he forgot his Bb trumpet back by us and that was going to be a problem…Teehee.