The Year Thus Far

I've been kind of down on myself several different times over the course of the year, either because I'm not sure what I want, I think I'm tricking myself into be happy, or I feel like I haven't accomplished anything and have no accomplishments planned for the immediate future. On top of that, I feel like I don't really fit in a lot of situations, places, demographics, or groups of people where I either used to fit in or I currently feel like I should fit it.

It's all over-thinking.

I've done some cool things this year.

• I was positively appraised at work this year and received a nice raise.
• I was in a play that received great reviews. I played a key role. It took lots of effort, time, and energy, and I learned a lot about myself and theater.
  
• I went to Europe with three of my best friends. We planned and paid for it ourselves.
• I was sent to California for professional training and I visited San Francisco and the surrounding area for a week in June.
  
• I was invited to seven weddings and was able to attend six of them.
• I was the best man in one of those weddings, which saw me and friends of the groom boat all over the Chesapeake Bay in late July.
  
• I developed and hosted an olympics of faux-sports that I'd created over the past few years. The winners received medals and trophies that were specially made for the event and participants wore shirts that were designed for the event, as well. I made registration and score-keeping software for it. I built goals for Beotch ball out of lumber.
• I went to more Phillies games than I ever have before, and I went to most of them with my Dad, which was incredible. As a direct result of my increased fan support (obviously), the Phillies qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
• I got my band back together for "one last rock show." We'll try again in a couple more years.

So, while in some respects that doesn't really change the attitude for 2007 from one of being in a "holding pattern," it does point out some really cool things that I've participated in or accomplished. My first full year out of school is nearly over and it hasn't been as lame a ride as I thought it was.

Who knew?

So it's still October (OCK-TOH-BURR!!), but looking forward to 2008 has me realizing that I want to build upon the things I did in 2007 and do it more aggressively and more purposefully. I want to actually feel the way I do about this year about 2008... without having to stop and reflect and save myself from feeling lame.

Make it a big year.

Phillies Climb Factor

I've been tracking the Phillies' chances of making the post season with a little figure that's based solely on the number of games they are behind the division leader or the wild card leader and how many games are remaining.

Factor = GB / GR * 10

This is just like the slope of a mathematical graph (times ten). It calculates the number of games they must climb (the required rise) over the number of remaining games in their season (the run). I multiply it by ten so it looks nicer.

After last night's 10-inning walk-off hit by Ryan Howard over the Rockies, the Phillies have pulled within 1.5 games of the San Diego Padres for the wild card with 20 games to go, a factor of 0.7500. This is the best factor they've had since August 30th following their four-game sweep of the Mets (that factor was 0.6667) when they were two games behind the Padres and the Mets.

It's a fun stat, because it's arbitrarily low at the beginning of the season: no matter how many games behind you are, you have over a hundred left to make up the difference. As the season winds down, there much less space in which to improve, so the factor is somewhat drastically affected even by days you stay even in GB.

I think the factor works this way: Under 1.0000 and you've plenty of chance of making it happen (something like being only a half game back with six to play). From 1.000 to 2.500 is less likely (two games back with eight to play would most likely be a challenge). Higher than that is unlikely (just too far back with too little time).

Here's a chart of the Phillies' factor from Aug 21 through yesterday:




Let's hope they can make something great happen.

Ketchup can be so sexy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FYQKsf3WA




A commercial credit! Huzzah!

Written by Rich. Directed by Rich, Taylor, John. Edited by Taylor.

Good times had on a boat

Good times had on a boat. Or in an innertube hanging behind a boat.

txt0r

Conversation in text with one Harland Westgate:

HT @ 3:32pm: The priest marrying us is on Shark Week right now!

CA @ 3:33pm: What!? You're being married by a shark!?

HT @ 3:38pm: Apparently, he helped pull a kid out of the water during an attack at Virginia Beach, but the shark had already ripped part of the kid's leg off; he died later.

CA @ 3:40pm: Holy crap! I give this priest my blessing.

HT @ 3:42pm: I have a new respect for Msr. Hart - he & the kid's dad were pulling the kid out while the shark was still clamped on the kid's leg.

That's all well and good. And then over an hour later:

HT @ 4:59pm: By the way, your initial response was hilarious - Amy and I were cracking up.

CA @ 5:05pm: Glad to hear it. And I will be glad to shake this man's hand in a few days.

Always nice to be of service.