ShutterSpeed

Blogging from Washington, D.C. tonight during a brief break from my trip with Honor Flight of Wyoming.

Wow…

Still nothing…

Simply put, wow.

Since I woke up at 4 a.m., I’ve been on the go, getting my butt kicked. Carrying gear and shooting and squatting and eating various processed meats has taken a toll on me. And I’m a fit (not really,  but I was a decade ago) mid-20-something! No big deal really. Who wouldn’t be beat? Well, just to name a few for the sake of an example, the 100-plus WWII vets who are traveling alongside me.

These guys are machines. Their era made men out of them from day one and circumstances from within said era made them legendary. Even 50 years after the prime of their life ended, these guys are still tough as a grizzly bear wearing a kevlar vest. Does it hurt to push the pace like someone a third of their age? I’m sure it’s possible. Do they complain? Hell no.

Why ? They’ve seen worse days and they aren’t going to let a little knee pain or drowsiness set them back. That’s left solely for me and my Pokemon-playing self.

No more for now. 210 words is all these gummy worm fingers can hack out for now.

No, no, no… That is not a frame from outer space. Rather, it is a shot from atop a ladder on a gym floor. I know, I’m a tease. For a minute, the people of south east Asia had reason to worry about a giant small child wreaking havoc on their landscape.

Anyway, I’d like to meet the guy who said, “It’s a small world after all” or “What a small world!” etc., etc.

Today I got a glimpse into the vast make up of the world. Inside a small gym, in a small town on the high plains of Wyoming, an enormous map of a single continent was on display. We’re talking the size of an airport runway. In fact, I think some of the smaller islands north of Papua New Guinea are actually bigger on said map than in reality — I’m looking at you Nepononong.

As I was saying, I would like to meet the guy who called this place small and simply disagree. This planet is huge. I’ve never been anywhere bigger than the Earth, so I would suggest not calling it small. That is, until you visit Jupiter… If that happens, call it whatever you want. If not, stick with this — It’s an enormous world after all.

(continue reading…)

For a minute there, I wanted to brag about my degree from Wyoming. Sadly, the most important factor in earning a degree at a major university (a bad mother of a football team) eluded me and the ‘Pokes lost to super power Texas.

Much like earlier today when I pulled a move of uber machismo and tapped my brother out like an NES controller, Texas flexed their muscle and proved why they are in the national top 5. The Cowboys fought hard on pure adrenaline and kept a close score entering halftime — 13 Texas, 10 Wyoming. But in the second half, Heisman front runner Colt McCoy put on the big boy pants and proceeded to spank Wyoming for 28 second half points.

Not that Wyoming isn’t good (they are much improved), but Texas is a monster. It was a case of Goliath against David with the swine flu . On another, more complete day, the Cowboys might have pulled the improbable. Sadly, it was left to the Bible and not reality on this day.

Overall, my prediction of the ‘Pokes has changed. I’m not going back on my word, rather, I am editing in light of new information. I have the Cowboys slated for five wins. You heard it here months after someone else probably said it, five wins.

Hopefully, the ‘Pokes reverse their fortune and win some games down the road and my brother does not.

Thanks for looking.

In my 20-plus years of living in Wyoming, I cannot remember a more heralded coach to assume the reigns of the ‘Pokes than one Dave Christensen.

The boy wizard of offense from Missouri (aka Missoura in some regions) brought a bag of tricks unlike those of the up-the-middle-one-yard-at-a-time approach by his predecessor… old what’s his name? Not coming to me right now.

Anyway, Wyoming opened said bag of trickery against Division I-AA opponent Weber State on Saturday, though it was less than magical. The Cowboys won, mind you, but it was hard-fought for three quarters and even at the very end when the game looked to be out of reach.

After the game, coach Christensen told his players to sing “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” and to do it loud because, “wins aren’t easy.”

They certainly aren’t and Wyoming knows it.

They will face two Big 12 opponents, three in-conference top-25 teams and a couple solid mid-level programs including Colorado State. From what I saw Saturday, and for the past couple years out of these players, I don’t expect the Cowboys to upend anyone they shouldn’t beat (e.g. Texas, Utah, TCU or BYU), but they may have a shot to beat some others like Florida Atlantic or Big 12 small fry Colorado.

Overall, I predict a 4-7 season. This based solely on the Harry Potter factor(s), which are the tricks and magic contained within Christensen’s play calling.

So despite the fact that the first six letters of his name spell the name of another leader of men, and the fact that he will face great adversity, let’s hope that Christensen is not crucified for not remaining unbeaten in’09.

Thanks for looking.

East High reached an East low on Friday night.

After a thrilling opening weekend 42-28 loss at Green River, the T-Birds looked to avenge the defeat against Sheridan. Unfortunately for the Eastsiders, Sheridan was looking to settle the score after their own opening weekend loss at the hands of Kelly Walsh.

In the first quarter, Sheridan cruised behind quarterback Dan Zemski to a 21-0 lead. East made an effort to get back into the game and closed the gap to 21-7 on a touchdown reception by Jordan Williams.

That lasted all of… well, not very long.

Sheridan cruised to a blowout like a set of Firestone radial ATX tires — they exploded. By half, the black and blue really looked black and blue as they trailed the pride of Sheridan County 49-7.

Though East lost (56-21), the fans remained steadfast in their cheers and chants. That is certainly better than having batteries thrown from the bleachers in the face of defeat (don’t get any ideas).

East should recover. There are times when teams don’t put everything together and tonight was that night. Behind a sophomore quarterback and a rather young set of skill players, the T-Birds will not go quietly in the remainder of the season.

Thanks for looking.