Well, shoot!

 So, I haven't blogged in a few days cause my laptop is on the edge of dying.  Therefore, I'm writing this on my music laptop that I use for games.

 I'm sure some folks are asking, how do you know that your laptop is on the edge of dying?  Well, when you can't keep it running for more than five minutes, it doesn't take much to figure it out.

 Over the last couple of days, I've done some heavy research and put together a solid HP computer.  The same size as my old laptop (17") and will be smoking fast.  The hard drive is a 1TB SATA, 16GB of RAM and I went a little big time as I got a backlit keyboard, with the numeric keypad (after having it for so long, and as many spreadsheets as I do, I won't have a keyboard without it).

 While waiting for the new laptop, which by the way had great discount of over $130, I won't be uploading any videos for the new channel. Which honestly, is a good thing.  I went down to the Gaslamp Quarter this past Saturday to do what was supposed to be going up tomorrow.  I was waking up and down Fifth Ave, not bothering anyone that was dining, from 8:30p until 11:00p and got TWO folks to actually answer the question (What is your most unique talent?).

 Going in, I thought that with drunk folks and a simple question, it could be an interesting episode.  Now, I'm not even sure that I will release the episode.  I might go back down and try and get more people.

 This weeks question is, "Mayo or Mustard? and Why?"  I am going to a bonfire with a group that I'm in on Facebook.  I'll be asking the question there to see if I can't get some answers.  I'll also be going to Balboa Park on Sunday and try and get some more folks there.

 In other things, I've begun golfing again.  I'm going in the same way that I did when I first began golfing,  Going to executive courses to sort of dial in my irons and wedges.  Then mixing in full courses to get the driver and woods out of the bag.  Back on the 19th I went to Pine Glenn at Sycuan.  For the first time, I got back to back pars!

 I was supposed to go tomorrow (Wednesday, March 3) but since there is a 70-90% chance of rain while we were going to be golfing the three-some has decided to rearrange and go on Monday the 8th at 11a.

 So, now while we wait for the new laptop, I'll practice my golf game and work a game or two.  Speaking of which, the reason (besides money) why I didn't golf last week, I worked eight games in six days.  It would've been 11 in 10 days but a soccer match and a basketball game were cancelled due to the opposition catching the virus.  I had a really good hang out session with a couple of co-workers after the game last Tuesday.  The highlight of that eight game stretch was being able to step in and do the senior day activities and starting lineups on Saturday for the Men's Basketball team. 

NASCAR, Soccer and some YouTube learning

Ah.... one of my favorite days on the Sports calendar was this past Sunday.  #DAYTONA500 Day.  It took awhile, like 8-9 hours, because of a FIVE hour rain delay.  Duh, it is February....  Michael McDowell was the first to cross the finish line for his first Daytona 500 victory.  Some good and bad news comes along with this win.

The bad is that he will not be able to use the car ever again.  I say ever again cause next year NASCAR goes to a new style of car.  One of the perks (depending on your point of view) is that the winning car of the 500 goes into the Daytona museum for an entire year.  He gets the car back on the Saturday prior to the next Daytona 500.

The good news is that he has already qualified for the "Chase for the Cup."  So he doesn't have anything to really worry about until September.  That is when the playoffs begin.  All the winners of the 26 races that lead up to the playoffs and then some wildcards based on points.  The top 16 in the season long points battle qualify for the playoffs.

Tuesday saw another soccer match on the schedule.  It was the season opener for the men's soccer team.  The match against California Baptist University (cbu (that is how they stylize their school initials)) out of Riverside was scheduled for March, but was moved up.  Prior to the match, I swung by Gaglione Brothers in the Sports Arena area.

For those that have never heard or (gasp) never had them before... they are DELICIOUS!!!!  They primarily specialized in Philadelphia Cheesesteaks.  I had the mushroom cheesesteak without onions.  I took the sandwich and stopped by a 7-Eleven that is between the restaurant and USD to get a beverage.

I got to the press box and enjoyed the sandwich prior to the match, but not prior to getting yelled at for eating in the press box.

The match was rather easy, with one exception.  Live stats was having a hard time staying current.  It would not update the time when I inputted different fouls or corner kicks.  Heck, it didn't even update on a few of the goals that were scored.  USD ended up losing 4-1.

Today, I went to the chiropractor, like I do every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  It was a pretty normal adjustment... except for the neck.  He really went deep on that part of my body.  After I got my adjustment, it was time for lunch.  Mom and I went to Firehouse Subs.

On the way home the Matriarch of the family had me stop at my LEAST favorite store in the World. Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I hate that store, most of this hatred stems from my early days as a security guard.  A post that was assigned to me was the very store that we went to, the Mission Valley Center location.  It is a story for another time.

Once we got home, I watched the ending to one of my favorite movies "Rounders."

At the conclusion of the movie, I loaded up the USD softball game that was being played.  Not good news for the Toreros.  They began the season 0-2.  They will be back in action when I'm on stats on Saturday in a doubleheader against Grand Canyon University.

I finished the night by watching some YouTube videos on how to get better at editing.  I've picked up a few tidbits so hopefully, the videos for San Diego Street Talk will be getting better.  Speaking of San Diego Street Talk (now available on YouTube here) I will be out shooting our next episode tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 18) on the Embarcaderro between the Star of India and the Midway between 12:30p and 3 or 4p.  I will also be in the Gaslamp Quarter on Saturday night after the USD Soccer match to record for episode 3.

For those that are wondering, I have already set out a shooting schedule (hopefully things get opened up this Summer) through September (which will get us to about the episode 25-30 range).

Until next time my friends, Adios.

Yikes.... that was tough, but we are one day closer to the DAYTONA 500

 Greetings,

So I worked my first USD Soccer match today.  My initial reaction is OY! or YIKES! if this was a regular season, it could be long.... But this is a short season, so it might not be that bad.

From my not very educated knowledge of collegiate soccer is they need more speed!  The Toreros are lacking in that aspect of the sport.

Now, as for my purpose at the match.  I was learning how to do the stats.  I had never stated soccer before.  Yes, of all the sports that I've done stats for, I've never (prior to today) done soccer.  In retrospect, it is very appropriate that today is Lunar New Year.  So I started a new journey at the beginning of a new year!

I picked up the program very quickly as it is not that hard to figure out.  Once I got home from the match, I texted a good friend that is an SID at a local university and asked him why hadn't told me how easy stating soccer was?  His response was "Hahaha. Easiest of all." Yeah, it is.  In just a month on March 20th, I'll be doing the hardest of all the stat programs, Football.

On the journey home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things for the weekend.  I got a couple of salads, some strawberries and blueberries, some sunflower seeds (cause what's a salad without them?) and both fried and grilled chicken for the weekend.

Once I got everything ironed out after dinner, I recalculated and formatted my hockey power ranking sheets.  With all of the COVID rescheduled games, I needed to reformat the spreadsheets.

Now, I am getting ready to go to bed.  When I wake up in the morning, it will be time to go work a pair of NAIA Basketball games as the San Diego Christian College Hawks host William Jessop University.  The Warriors will invade the Kroc Center tomorrow (later today) with a 10:30a women's game, followed by a men's game.

If you are looking for me on Sunday, it won't be hard to find me.  Look in the living room, it is not Valentine's Day as many think.  It is DAYTONA 500 Day!  Along with Singles Awareness Day.

On Tuesday, it is looking like I'll do my first men's soccer game.

Off to bed to get ready for the final two games of the week.  It's been almost like "normal" times this week.  Six games across six days and a trip up to Burbank for good measure.