The Field of Mt. St. Jean, 8pm, 15 June 1815

Boy, talk about a disaster. On the 26th of March, we played our first 'conference game'. I'd been looking forward to this day because I thought we had a real chance to win the conference - but I was exposed as a terrible coach and our team looked , um, leaderless in the 1-0 loss. We just stunk, and I believe most of that reason was ...me.

One attempted explanation is that I'd spent so much time trying to get the whole program off of the floor this spring, I'd not been able to properly spend enough time on the varsity squad - the one I am head coach of. That's just an attempted explanation - true, but just an attempt. The real reason is that I just didn't apply myself to making this team my team and instead let last years playing decisions stand and the girls make decisions themselves. And it resulted in me not letting me coach my own team.

Bad.

My team is basically last years team back again. Really, only one girl is missing - the rest back. And despite the fact I had very real ideas on how I wanted the team to play and where I wanted the players to play and where some girls should play - inexplicably, I just let last years positions roll. We all figured on the ' lets not change what wasn't broken ' deal - but in fact we were broken. Last years team wasn't actually that good - 6-6-1 record and out of State in the first round - but we didn't see. What I should have done from the beginning was take the team over and style it my way - have some confidence in myself. And I didn't.

So, in this Thursdays game, when things got rough, the team fell apart. I can't describe the feeling of helplessness watching the team fall away from the sidelines. Just terrible. And the other team was so good. That it was only 0-1 testifies to the greatness of our defenders - but boy, we were in disarray. It was the lowest moment ever of my coaching career, and I needed to recover and lead these girls. The next twenty years of soccer @ this school depended on my reaction to what had happened. Again - we were in disarray.

And that's the coaches job to take care of. I let the team fall into this disarray. After the game, the meeting was terrible. Depressing. I knew especially the fault lied with me. I told the girls that what had gone on so far was totally my fault - and I feel this was true. Not a strategy to take the pressure off of my players - rather, it was true. At this point, I couldn't even see a way forward. It was a long bus drive home. A long ride.

Talked to Mom. Registered I was upset. About all. Called Gf. Me glum but not broken. Conversation turned to her hair or something in the second minute. About all. Finally called the top coach of Nek - and this did the trick. He's the guy whose had such a tremendous impact on me - and really it was good I talked to him since he calmed me down and steered me straight. He energized me, and when we hung up - I maybe not knew what to do - but I knew I had the energy to do it. But that call....

I was embarrassed to even voice my faults. But in a wide ranging conversation about things in general and things in soccer, I regained my - well, I didn't give in to defeat in coaching. We went over coaching in general, player decisions, injuries, scheduling games, goalies, formations, conducting practice, etc etc... As it really is my first year of running a program, he laughed and told me what did I expect in my first year? And he told me to use my strenghts. What are my strenghts? He told me when our sophomore teams played a week previously, he was impressed w/ the enormous amount of girls I gotten to come out for the team. He said it was my stenght to inspire people. Inspire people? Really? This is a good thing, and it was good to hear him say it.

Again, although it was heard by my ears, that idea that it was my first year and what did i think took a long time to sink in. Fuck that it was my first year - I wanted it all and I wanted it now. Like I was a kid. But, deep down, I knew he was rite.

Much reflection, called one of my captains, and told her we'd talk to-morrow and get her thoughts straight. I needed to take control, finally, of my own team. Funny, even that - I'd inherited this team, mainly, and failed to make it mine till this point. But in choosing to confer with just one captain - and not directly w/ the other (captain last year before I was coach) was one way in which I moved to take control.

The next nite, Saturday, the captain (Sweeper) and I had an hour monologue where everything I'd planned out I talked out. She wasn't allowed to talk much - it was important to get it all out - and I did. I rambled, new thoughts came to me, I rambled on further, and on and on ...

So, what I'd said, was more or less thusly, but in severely clipped form:

I'd wanted to coach this team so bad last year, and when I finally was named coach, I more or less reverted back to how they played last year. I deferred too much to last years coach (presently in Texas) and to their own wishes. Instead of making the decisions, I'd been too afraid to impose myself and make the changes that I'd wanted. I did not apply myself. I did not put my whole into it. And it wasn't because I was lazy - It was just ..... a failure to put myself out there because of the fear of .... a fear of .... whatever it was ... I wasn't doing a good coaching job at all. I was too afraid to coach. That was the fear.

So - changes had to be made. Mainly, it was me who had to step up and get things done. A long process, but ...

Injuries. I'd been warned that girls get injured much more easily than boys. One of the coaches on Nek told me not to schedule more that 12 games for my team. I listen to everything Pito has to say - but this time I ignored him. The head downtown guy of soccer - he also told me not too many games. But I was in total general manager mood, and loved contacting coaches to get other games going. Soo, I had scheduled 16 games. Sixteen. In a short season,many of the girls get injured, so I was left w/ a weakened team unable to field a squad for a game two days after the meltdown game. So, I had to learn to give the girls some breaks. We canceled that game, and then cancelled another. Horrid to call the coaches and say "Guess what?" But it had to be done.

Also, practice would be shorter. No longer three hour practices - lets have 1.5-2h practices. Day after games we'll have chill practices and not much running around. For the team, a very necessary change.

Positions. The girls insisted on three forward on top, and three midfielders. I wanted two forwards and four in the midfield. This was a Tremendous battle - the girls were convinced that only with three forwards could we score. But there was just no presence in the midfield...so we go w/ the 4-4-2 formation, and not the 4-3-3. A big battle.

There were many other small things - I need to get a mobile phone (I GOT ONE!!!) so i could be in better contact. I would come in early to one period so i would be available sooner for practice after school. I would pay much more attention to the varsity than to the entire program, especially since the whole thing is now underway and I do not need all the pressure to get it off the ground. But the main idea would be that i would actually coach the team now .. not just let inertia take hold.

It was a second good phone call. Both stabilised me. And now the real work of coaching the team began.

june brides

lightning rod

The adults around school have been reacting to me a lot lately. I'm pretty popular @ school - i'm a nice guy and all and work hard and am great with he kids. But lately - maybe its the maturing process of being a coach, maybe the maturing process of being close to getting a fulltime job here finally, or maybe its the terrible insanity that my sleepless fortnite entailed - but I'm getting a noticeable amount of hostile glares from certain people, and loads of love from lots of others.

The love im sure is the success of the soccer program. I don't want to stamp 'success' on it yet, just three games into the season - but people know the work and effort I've put in. Hopefully the principal, of course, but mainly the girls. They know. I've even won over my top assistant coach - he's real excited about it all, when I knew months ago he thought I was a freak for outlining my ideas for the program (he came from a very less intensive coaching background). So now this has spread to the rest of the kids - a lot of kids are coming up to me and id'ng me as 'soccer coach' and not 'substitute' or ;librarian'. funny transition that. The teachers, too. We got on stopping by the game today. Very kool.

But its the glares that funny me the most. Since soccer season has heated up, I've gone into barking mode. Not angry barking, but a coach has to bark. This process has allowed me to take no prisoners in school either. I want the job, and know I have to get tougher in all areas to be a success. A lot of work, me, to be a barker on kids. But ....

And I'm tired of the lazy fucking teachers who just want to drop off their kids in the library and fuck off. Special Ed teachers dump their kids in front of a computer, don't want me to reach if I have a substitute assignment, etc... I'm just a lot different lately, and the lazy ones feel threatened. So, the lazy fuxx - they glare. Don't say hi - despite me now making sure they get sunshine from me when we pass in the halls. Again - I'm no superman, but for sure there is a different thing operating these days. That deep amount of responsibility that I have always fled from - making me such a disaster as a classroom teacher - is now being followed through on.

Fuck them. They fucking suck. Pay attention to these kids, fucks. Just do yr job. Then y won't feel so threatened.

I'm Winters. Sometimes. But never Cobb any more.

football au printemps: injuries and confusion and site

Varsity is now 2-1 w/ the win today -v-Gob HS. We'd played them last year in a 'relegation/promotion' game @ the end of the year and won that game rather handily - I think it was 5-2. So I suspected a win this year - but it was harder than I thought'd be. Despite high hopes, we played a terrible and lifeless first half. We had a wind - kind've a big deal @ this level when it whipped that well - but could get nothing done.

It was only some of my fault - this was the last of our games before our ultra important Conference schedule, and we (I) have a lot to work on. I'm glad, however, we got some experience before these ultra games - only seven - come on. These seven games are important because we are presently in the second level of teams and if we win these seven games - or @ least get the most points out of these seven games - we can move into the top conference in the city (The Premier League). It'd be a kool thing to play w/ the giants next year.

We'd played one of these teams already - the 1-2 loss where I'd had my crisis of faith - and played well. But this first half - horrible. Partly it was confusion on where the players were playing. Although most of these kids have been playing together for years, I'm a new coach. Again - I know this is old - I didn't want to reinvent the wheel (so to speak- that wonderful phrase where you can use a cliche but also get away w/ it by this acknowledgement) and mainly used the kids in the same positions. However, there are new kids and injured kids and kids needing playing time - and in the course of the game, especially early on, I'd made some switches and that caused confusion. Mercifully, half time ensued, we all got on the same page, and instantly got better in th second. Seems like I'm saying that MY DECISION MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE - but really that's not the case or even a Hiltsian attempt to make all spotlites shine on him. I did what was needed, but i think the girls just came alive in the second half because they got used to playing - and especially the inspired play of one player in particular. more below.

Generally speaking, our defense was great - it was the offense that troubled. But in the first two minutes of the second half we had two great offensive combinations, and eventually the goals came. One was from a shot off the right winger - she so fast and was able to get around her defender a few times - her goal seemed more of a pass that eluded the goalie. One up, such a relief, and into the wind. The next goal was a killer shot from the left midfielder - funny, I wanted to say one of my favourite players, but they really all are) who scored from distance. We want the girls to take shots when they are open and in range, and presto!

We need to work on many things - spread the ball wide on offense, put it into space so the fast wingers can get to it, get in front of the goal, handle long balls and be quick on the turn - funny (back to Hilts and his role) how my dark clouds have turned into phrases like "put it into space so the fast wingers can get to it, get in front of the goal, handle long balls and be quick on the turn" . Time is short and the team needs direction, and I need to be there for them. And for myself.

There were other good things. The girl who made me mad the other day by not wanting to play on the JV team for one game came to me and asked to play. She's just a kid, and I felt terrible for getting mad @ her - but she did play goalie for the JV. She took the hit for the program. I'm proud of her.

Varsity got an old player back - the girl who has to play on JV because she has nite classes on T-Th and can only make it to the JV games (V. are played first, generally - JV later) was able to play on V for the first time this year because this game was on a Monday. Thursday she'll be back on JV. I'll take her when we can get her, and she'll get experince on JV. She played better on V - surrounded by better players.

The defenders displayed were great. Fantastic. They were strong on the opposing forwards and kept coming up big - especially in the first half. Again and again and again they cut off attacks from the other teams and basically kept our goalmouth free of opposing attacks. Well done beyond belief, and it gives me great hope for the future of the backline. In soccer @ this level, the premium on an organized backline is so great. For now, they inspire me and my faith in the team.

And we got a great player back. Again- one of my favourite players - came back from an injury, and her incredible energy really made a huge difference. A huge difference. She's a wonderful positicve force, and deeply skilled. Small in stature but throwing her body into the play always, her enegry spread to the rest of the team - her play was, I think, the catalyst of victory. 10m ago, when I knew I was to get this team, I wanted to name her as one of the captains. I decided to stay w/ one who was captain last year and one who was obviously the most respected of them all. Then, over the weekend, I revisited this question in my head - and decided not stay still. But now ...... She's just such a positive life force, and now. w/ the difference her play makes ...... maybe ...... I.......should.........

But there were also bad moments. One of the captains was injured. She has a wealth of talent and superior ball skills - but also missed most of last year because of injuries. One thing I've noticed about girls players v. boy players is the stunning amount of injuries @ this level among girls. Last year half the team was out @ some point or other. I mean, ER beyond belief. The positive life force I wrote about in the above para. was injured and this was her first game back in the season. Her injury, however, was a non soccer injury and I'm not so worried about her. But every game, some muscle gets twitched or a back strained - and the cumulative effect is scary. I do not want to be left w/ a bunch of injured kids and have to play JV in State.

But - we have stuff to work on, I have some good ideas, and am Looking forward to Thursday. And - I got upwards of 6h sleep last nite - yes, work up @ 5am - but FELL BACK ALSEEP. Not a classically great nites slep,but I haven't been more rested in a fortnites plus.

stinking...

Across the board, we all loved this one

I woulndt've bought the shirt, of course

My St. Patricks was all about oggling green clad sluttily dressed women.

Here's an alternative Euro version of St. Patick's.

College fun

Not an attempt to offend a girl I used to kiss full on the mouth

There is a blogger out there who I used to kiss full on the mouth. Longtime ago, never a big deal for either of us, never in too deep, and I think we were pretty good for each other (as in getting over other people) in the short time we both hung out and kissed full on the mouth. I have good feelings for her, y know it's kool, and I like that I still see her around. She's only one of two (a secret lover only Vito knows about - you need to keep quiet on that - remember what happened when I told GF about the possible job and swore her to secrecy and she immediately told Darwina who told you who told bro in law who ............)

I nicknamed her after a German battlecruiser, simply because @ the time I linked her blog to mine I happened to have German battlecruisers on my mind - I was comparing the NS-1 Peter Strasser to the Seydiltz. However, the other battlecruiser I named her blog after could quite possibly be taken as a kiss off.

No. Just Hilts is wierd and although maybe only Big Man could appreciate it, Hilts is gonna push stupid military stuff everywhere and laugh himself (and Big Man).

So, here's another way of making fun of myself , but fearful of making fun of other people - including the blogger who I used to kiss full on the mouth - I am warning in advance - I'm just mocking myself.

So...

I'm sorry that ¡securityout! has turned into the type of blog lately that only concerns itself about my soccer teams. (Here's the digg). i sorta compare myself to the young parents who were wilde once, but now blog about their children and their garden. And their tv shows and books.

See - I think it's funny, and you think it's offensive. Luckily she doesn't read my blog.

But- in the spirit of unfinished business (huh? what kind of a segway is that?), here's stuff I just finished ... about my children ....

the SSIP

congress

Football au printemps:Techinal Director

Just read a good comment from Gallo. Must admit that after my crisis of faith Thursday nite - in the dark hours, and me now running two straight weeks of insomnia (I'd average it out to 4.5 h of sleep a nite, and no nite in the last fortnite w/ more than 5.5h/nite - even on weekends - it's stunning and so unexpected that this has manifested itself), the team itself came after me - like they'd read the post, and they haven't - with full eyes telling me they needed me as coach. I'd woken up Friday - 4h of sleep - w/ that Winters feeling that officers lead and rite now I need to lead. i am th adult, and no more whining and crying to myself and securityout readers (it was a real tough post to write). So I lead.

Rosters

Finally got the roster situation settled. Each game we are supposed to have eligibility rosters of kids who can actually play legally. It's, um, not that big a deal in non conference games - but deadly serious in conference and city and state playoff games. The problem is that our AD is seriously overworked, and has a hard time updating our roster. We were missing a few names last weeks games, but this finally got most of them on for this week. Some names were still not on the sophomore teams rosters, but that was ok - the kids were legal, just on a different roster (still stuck on JV roster). But our pressing problem was that all CPS teams have ONE roster for their teams - but us. We have separate V and JV rosters. For me - until the solution surfaced - this was terrible, because I am constantly raising specific kids for specificc purposes between the rosters, For example, one girl is a senior and has played for 4 years - but to graduate, she has to take a T-TH nite class - there's no way she can make it to the Varsity games. So i offered her a good solution - drive to our game after class and play on the JV squad (which play rite after the VAr. game ends). This will allow her to practice and be in shape - and when we play on days other than T- TH or over break - she's back on varsity. I also need to develop next years players - one of Napoleons maxims was that "Men are lead by baubles" - so in select games, I raise to varsity - if no JV game - those girls I know will be w/ me next year. They get to claim they are varsity, if only for a bit - and get a taste of the VASTLY faster game in the upper level.

Again, the normal CPS thing is to have one sheet w/ all V/JV players on it, and I take my biro beforehand and 'line out' th girls who are on JV and not eligible for my game. The JV coah lines out on his roster those girls playing varsity. It's a simple system and allows me great flexibility to make personnel decisions minutes before the opening whistle. But with our TWO separate rosters, this presented a problem - until a meeting w/ the Ad and an email to the CPS soccer head downtown. The solution is perfect - just staple both rosters to-gether and consider them as one. I will be able to line out who is to be JV rite before the game, as all other coaches have that luxury.

There are still roster questions - but on the V and JV level, they are about over.

Goaliegoaliegoalie.

I just wanted her to play goalie on the JV for one game - one game - because the JV goalie works on Mondays ( I know I know, but its a fact of life in city sports programs), but like last year - and the year before - she pouted and walked away from the game. One game - one game - and pouting terribly. She has a history of this behaviour, but this is the first time it's manifested itself this year.

It's somewhat of an important thing, because all of varsity goalies - we have three - want to be field players. The best goalies I don't want in the goal - she is a superior field player and would be missed in that context. She mite have to lend a hand from time to time in the nets, but she's needed on the field. The next choice also wants to play in the field. She's been a somewhat different case - I hesitate to use the word difficult, so I used different - but has really stepped up this year. She REALLY wants to play the field - and is a plus for us there - but realises that we kinda need her in the nets a lot. I will use her as much as I can on the field - but in big games, she mite be stuck in goal.

And then our third choice. To be fair to her, she never wanted to be goalie - way back before I existed, some one asked her to be and it stuck w/ her. She was my JV goalie last year, although there was a lot of hemming and hawing about it. So my plan was to use her in one half and the other goalie in the other half. This probably would have worked fine - but our next game is on a Monday - so no goalie for the JV. I thought it would be a good solution to have her drop down to JV for one game TO HELP OUT - but instead she FREAKED OUT. Thursday she was with us @ Marquette Park, but wandered away. I was kind disgusted w/ her behaviour, and have decided to let the varsity captains figger out a solution. We'll see. But now JV will have to have an unpracticed goalie in the JV game on Monday.

And I can't shake the feeling that our loss on Thursday - a last minute bouncing ball over the second choice goalie - mite have been played differently by the pouting goalie - because if she hadn't walked away from us and refused to play, she would have had the net in the second half.

Looking for leadership

So, @ division, after waking up and feeling the leadrship gene back in me, I went and got both cptains out of class for a little bit for a discussion- a short discussion. I wanted their thoughts on other players, positions, and sub patterns. In many ways, my team is an inherited team, so I make sure that I got their opinions on these questions - I'm not gonna radically redo positions when these girls have been playing to-gether. I expressed my fears to them - well, not really, like you readers know - but I asked for more of their imput on field personnal situations so I can be a better coach - and it was good. Tomorrow I will do the same thing - call them out of class and then form up a line up for the game. This will allow me to ponder on it all day - which will be good for me. We talked about the goalie situation. I informd them that I and the coach who handles the money have agreed that if they fund raise $100, we'll pay for 1/2 of their uniforms (we issue them uni's , but we get them back. If they ant thier name and number on them, then they gotta pay for it themselves). We watched the division 'news' program - in which the team is always noted (I write up our press releases - and yes as I get more used to them, they will get more securityout like) Then I sent them back to class.

Friday was a conditioning day. Our 'Chief Financial Officer' runs them, and I let the girls go afte that. I really wanted to work w/ the sophmores, and thiswas a good solution. I met the varsity as they were resting, and the (one of the) captain and another player expressed fear that I was spending too much time w/ the young girls. I told them that there will be times - when they are conditioning - that I will not be there, and that I will spend other time w/ the young girls on a sparse case by case basis (I realise now that mite not totally be the case - I have to be VERY careful). I addresses the varsity during their meeting, just a bit. But this issue - me feeling confident in myself in being a good field coach (not just the Technical Director of the program) was mollified a lot.

Funny - Saturday nite, afte the NCAA's and the Bulls and the Fire games were all over - I took my practice books, notebooks, and a pen to Keegans to kick back and plan out some practices w/ a few Black Velvets. Sure, there was three drinks - but their were also assured practice plans for the week ahead addressing issuse that I think we need to work on.

So, as a coach, my confidence is back. It needed to be. Our team plans on doing great things.

Football au printemps :Us 1, Them 2, Me 0

It's taken so much to get all of this to-gether - so much work, and now towering worry about everything - and this was a game where we all looked forward to - and it wasn't the loss that killed me. We played well - i'd say it was 54% us and 46% them in terms of carrying the play - it was somethig else.

For me, it was the feeling that I can only go so far in helping the team get better. And I fear @ this point - despite all my much touted 'experince ' @ this school and that school - that my soccer expertise runs out when it reaches the high school varsity level - a high level- and it goes no further. I know full well that if Pito and crew were runnigng the show @ this school - fuck they'd be in the highest level.

My worth as an actual field runs out @ some point - and I think today - despite all the good I have done for this team/program - and I have done real and demonstratable good, yes I know- I can help barely any further. My expertise just runs out.

The girls are just greater experts than I am. Really, they know bette than I. At every other program I've been @, there have been strong soccer people running the show and me just helping out. I get the feeling that the same is true here -except that the girls themselves are the strong soccer people - and my role is to just help out.

Don't get me wrong - I'm totally respected by them, and I full feel the appreciation for what I have done for them. True is the phrase that in the history of my school, there has never ever been anyone pushing socce the way I have. But when I arrived @ the game - running late as I had a 10th period to cover and after I'd let the Varsity take cars to make sure they'd gotten there on time - they'd already decided on a starting line up themselves. This is a crew that hads been to-gether for four years and are very close - and it's like they sense that they don't want me to fuck up what they've got.

And again - don't get me wrong - they really appreciate, respect, like, and all those other things me - but ......

On the JV level, I'm actually a great coach. Really good. I love teaching the game to the younger kids. I look @ our younger kids and smile always thinking of the Love we had on our JV team I coached last year and what a good job I did. I'm excited because I am also helping coach our sophmore teams. But I really fear that I have reached a level. And what am I to do? I want to do great things - great things - and ......

This is a tough thing for me. I get so much love - from the teachers, the administrators, the students, other coaches ... my players... but I feel that .... it's just kinda tough.

And the fact we lost today doesn't affect this. If we'd won 2-1, I'd still be feeling these feelings. After doing so much good for the program, the girls, the team - I still need to find my way.

Btw, they scored two fluke goals, and we hit the crossbar and shot just wide again and again and again. Lek HS was very lucky to beat us today. I hope we meet them again in the city or state playoffs. We'll win then. And hopefully, I can contribute in some way.

Final note. One of my favourite kids lost her father yesterday. I figured she'd miss the game, but the girl showed up to help her cope. She's so young to have lost her father. And I'm glad that she chose us to help her cope with her grief.

Football au printemps: Us 4/ Them 0

Dateline Marquette Park:

Bizarre rushes, running around loking for this or that cheque, waiting for tyhe bus, the opposing coach calling saying "whghere are you" despite the fact that the game had been scheduled for 4.30pm- NOT 4pm - we played, finally, our first game. Look @ that score.

Exhausted beyond believf, I slept rite away - from 10.45 to 2 am - then awoke till about 4am w/ more worries and thoughts and .... Gf has always said I think too much. I seriously started to think 'maybe I should get some sleeping pills: but then ....... do I really wanna do that?

No.

Like the Imperial Japanese marines/ Army in WW2, I will work the work of Life raggedlooking, and 'shower/I need a vash" when I can.

To-morrow is another game. But - seriously - the tide of paperwork that NEEDS to get done is starting to receed, a game is under our belts ( they loooked so good - so good - so good) and coach Hilts has now meat behind all his pretty words.

We, y'know ... got it done.

Afrika Korps

Afrika Korps

South Side Irish Parade

Since I'm in the midst of the SLEEPLESSNESS crisis, I actually went to the Southside Irish Parade this year. Lived in this hood since 1991, and this is only the second time I've went. The weather was glorious - in the +60's. I'd been awake since 6 am - since the parade starts @ noon and I'm usually waking @ noon, I never go. But this year....

So - a third of a million obnoxious drunk people running through the neighbourhood. I love it and want to go again next year. I live 1.25m away from where the parade runs past 111th, and even that distance away people are trying to find parking places so they can walk that distance. It really is a kool thing for th neighbourhood - I just love the incredible energy electrifying everything around here. Plus, for once, people actually come here from all over - I'm really used to going to the North Side or the Loop or wherever to do things. It's fun to have the whole neighbourhood looking like it was after the Sox had won the Series in '05 and the people had taken over the streets. Since it was such nice weather, the whole day had Mt. Greenwood in a festive mood.

The Irish thing is whatever. Obv. I like being Irish, but in America there is a strange fascination w/ all things Irish. It really is treated like they are the golden race or something. Being of Irish descent myself (passported and all), I'm a little bit - no, a lot of bit - embarrassed by the attention paid to things Irish. Strange thing. But of course - if there is a little bit'o pretty to be gotten out of it, then of course I'll start talking the blarney. I'm not stupid. But still- strange thing. Often I run.

Oh, yes. The real attraction of the parade. The green sluts. Of the third of a million the parade - all dressed in green - half of them had to be women. That makes 170,000 women. Cut off the kids and the old ladies, that leaves say - 100,000. Cut out the hags and the nags and whatever else - that leaves us 50,000. So: 50,000 women, drunk many of them, dressed as slutty as possible in green. I really love it. I have to plan to go next year.

Congressmen and the Congressman

LFP's big birthday party @ Cork and Kerry to finalize the friday nite of rushed and impportant things to get done. School, rosters, meetings, then dropping off paperwork @ kids houses - gotta get it in, no matter what.

Went home, ate dribbles, and then out to the b-day bash. Mrs. LFP had rented the party room of Cork and Kerry for the bash, and it was huge. 200 -250 people showed up - and there were notable people missing. Open bar - drank one beer, then switched to soda so I didn't feel like shit. Worked.

I knew barely anybody when i got there. Searched out LFP, talkd a bit, but he had 249 others to chat up, so I switched to Mr. B, an old neighbourhood guy who works w/ LFP. Thn I sat around for 45m talking to no one and watching the Hawks and college baskets on the large screen TV's.

Finally, the wildest person who ever lived - you think JAcob is wilde? - arived. Keener - who has slowed a bit, to be sure - never the less was lifting people up, kissing people, being loud, and mounting the stage to sing in the microphones. Tis guy......

The cavalry arrived finally. BCD, Big Man, and BCD's latest stripper girlfriend arrived. It was good to see them. I was able to chat the rest of the night w/ frenz. I hadn't seen Big Man in a long time, and it was good to try to catch up/ go back. BCD was in fine style - the new boisterous stripper (we liked her a lot and she was easy to talk to ), the roll of cash (He took his roll out to pay for something and I immediately grabbed his hand to see - yes, hundreds....), the usual late arrival.

One man who ran for Congress in our district in 2006 was there. I'd helped out his campaign because a good buddy was running it (and BCD and LFP suggested it) and had a lot of fun. He lost, but it was a kool experience. Iwas hesitent ot say hello, since he really didn't kno me - but when those guys arrived, he was there with us. Finally I summed up the courage to say "Hello Mr. ____, I'm Virgil Hilts". He said "Good to meet you" and then "Haven't I met you before?" , and when I told him I'd worked on his campaign, he smiled large and gave me a hug. I though that was kinda kool.

It was a Friday, so when LFP drove his girl (Don't worry, he's still w/ his other stripped girlfriend, and maybe another or two I dunno about) back to her car, solidly tired Big Man and I left and went home.

Got in, lites out w/in a minute.

Football au printemps:Pito and the Crew

After the terrible rush to get paper-werkes beyond belief in - I raced in the Strasser to an important meeting near Comiskey Park to insure that we get even more paper-werke in to headquarters. This registered our school so we could have a team in the Freshmen League. By dint of hard marching, the cliche goes, and for the first time ever - my school has freshman team in girls soccer.

It was one of my goals. And yes, being an officer - a, uh, well, I'll declare because I know it - second lieutenant, say - involves getting these things done. I've been earning my bars. And it looks good for the school as well - only 12 other schools have a freshman team. And now us.

But I'm greedy. I don't want one team - I want two. I'm sure that maybe I have undertaken too much, but i want it really bad. One other school - a school even bigger than mine - has two teams. It's not competition with this school- it is simply the desire to provide a team for 20 more girls. My experiences coaching have been so positive, it's impossible for me not to want that when I can do it.

But we'll see. The meeting I went to basically was like a town meeting w/ voting. We met to set up the schedule - which teams were in what division (13 teams all to-gether, unless we get another --which'd make it 14-- in two divisions). We also set ground rules, and voted for it. "Ok, what if weather comes in and halts a game after ... say 25m .... should we consider that an official game?" "ok" "Yes" Hilts : "Well, doesn't 30m sound better - that makes it over the half way mark of the game (Soph/ Fresh League games last only 55m)?" "ok, is everyone in favour of a game being official after 30 instead of 25? Ok , 30m it is"

And it was nice to hang w/ Pito again. We coached to-gether @ Nek - the program w/ the biggest influence on me - and it's always great to hang w/ any of them. We had a good time - while the meeting went on, we were really like HS students laughing and making cracks and etc... I really miss that program, but life goes on. What I'm trying to create @ my school hopefully will have the same atmosphere.

We'll see.

Since the meeting was nar Comiskey, I picked up few tix - a single ticket to the 8th of April (it's too cold said she), and two for a day in Mai.

Football au printemps:Deadlines own Jessie Owens

Shocking day of running around and working and running around. Simply put - we had to get enough bodies on our three rosters to have three teams ready and alive- this being my first year running the show, it was kinda messy. They had to have two forms signed by their parents, and then the physical signed, stamped, and signed again. Some of the girls - rsponsible as hell - had it all. Others had this little dribble but not that - that but not the other - or .... nothing. So, w/ the help of the three other coaches, we assembled it all and delivered it to the AD - just in the nick of time. I woulda really looked like a fuckup if it didn't come off, and am glad ... PHEWWWWW - it went down.

But - it as all I did all day. Run here, run there, and be really quick w/ everyone. Real quick and short. My rep here is, of course, of a nice friendly guy who has time for most people. Suddenly I'm snappin' jessie owens, running from here to there, hurdles, sorry not nows, etc etc etc. I was given a pass by most, but am chuckled by the fact that people here HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS SIDE OF ME. Hopefully it won't come out often ... but it mite.

I depended a lot on the other coaches - all three came up big in getting helping me roster up and get it done. Basically, the JV coach ran practice, bless him, and it all went well. It was good to get this shit in - remember, this is the week of my 5am wake up and I can't go back to sleep craziness - all week this (5am wake up and I can't go back to sleep craziness) happened -all week - worrying about ... well, @ this point, worrying that this day went well. Since we now have three official rosters, I can relax somewhat a bit - but justa bit. My real calm time will come sometime around 1 April, when we get to play on our regular practice field instead of using gyms and catchascatchcan time @ our outdoor park rite outside school. Till then .. headaches a bit ... but lessoned.

Friday was deeply chaotic and hectic. But it got done. Maybe not w/ style, but again - I got it done.