Remember when I was "that guy" at the gym about a year ago? Ok...maybe it is more frequent than once a year for me, but today was I NOT that guy. There were many "that guys" tonight. Should I say them guys? Those guys? Them there guys? At any rate, I was not that guy. They were that guy. Join me on my journey on the treadmill.
While I was running, there were 3 great games going on. You would think I'm talking about basketball or some sport on TV. Nope. Racquetball. Live. On 3 courts in front of me. Court #1 consisted of 2 dudes, probably mid 20's. They were that guy. Their attire? Let's start with the headband and move all the way down to the short shorts and knee high socks. Yep, you know that guy. In fact you see him sometimes running in a park or downtown. Tonight he (they) was (were) playing each other in a rousing game of racquetball. It was riveting watch them play like they were trying to swat flies. Swing swing swing MISS! Swing swing hit sideways! Swing swing hit the other player! Miss again! Water break! Hilarious.
Scene #2 was slightly more interesting because it was a boyfriend/girlfriend combo. Again, mid 20's. Athletic looking and friendly. I was first thinking that the boyfriend would go easy on his girlfriend, because naturally boys should always beat girls. Well she whopped his A. Had that poor boy running all over the place, whiffing, sweating, hitting himself in the shin because he swung so hard and missed, and so on. After 35 minutes it was game, set, match.
The last court was a solo match. One man vs one man - himself. A little different scene here, a mid 50's guy, sort of short. You might have seen him playing men's league softball or perhaps on the golf course. Poorly dressed. He was playing 2 balls - a blue one, and a red one - at the same time. Just whacking away. Swingswingswingswinghithiththitmissmissmissswing and so on. I don't think he took one single break. It was really impressive. Not sure whether he was waiting for someone to show up to play him or if he was ok going mono e self. Your guess is as good as mine.
Anyway, upstairs I ventured after my run and saw a 20-something attractive woman. She was working ONLY her abs and gluteus maximus. You can only imagine what she was wearing. One word - I-N-A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E. MOVING ON!
Needless to say, not sure how much actual working out I did. Entertainment value was high though, and that made it worth it!
In other news, Ashley is gone now. But this time it is ok - she's home for the WEDDING! That means we are within days folks. 15 to be exact. Not that I'm counting. But I am.
Ok that's all for now. Enjoy your workouts, don't be that guy, and until next time, don't worry about whiffing, sweating, shanking or losing. Don't care what anyone on the treadmills think - just play and have fun!
2.21.2010
The countdown is on, and other things...
Well friends, we are within a month of the Event of the Year. The time has finally come, the journey is nearly over. Actually, it is just beginning. Either way, my (our) excitement is boiling over! And no, I'm not talking about The Masters 2010...you know what I'm talking about - the Casebeer/O'Dea Wedding!!! March 20th can't get here soon enough! Ashley and I have come so far together and it will all be celebrated in 27 short days! Anyway, just had to get that excitement out of my system.
A Rhodes Mckay update....she is doing very well! And of course, cuter than ever. I put a few more pictures up below...check her out! Although she is a little confused thus far...she thinks days are nights, and nights are days, and that means Mom and Dad are getting zero sleep. Rumor has it that can last up to 6 weeks!! I hope not . . .
In other news, I apparently have an ugly jacket. I still will not admit this despite the facts against me. Let me explain. I bought this jacket (its stylish) about 5 years ago...still in great condition, the type of jacket you wear out on the weekend. Suede with silk lining, it's classy. I think its nice! Ashley does not think so. Neither does our friend Molly. Neither do the bouncers at the Crystal Ballroom, or the Asian lady in the elevator on the way down from our apartment. Neither does the cab driver I asked on the way there, or the two random dudes on the street. Neither does my brother (thanks for the backup, jerk!) and neither does ANYONE I ASKED LAST NIGHT. All I needed was one yes to keep me going. All I needed was some confidence and one vote in my direction, but noooooo. Everyone hates the jacket!!! And in return, I hate them all. Just kidding. But seriously people, you need a sense of style like the master of style, Alex Casebeer. Can't wait until the next chance I get to wear it out!!!
Well I hope your Sunday is a great one. Weather is amazing here, and yet here I am blogging at 11am. Time to get out of the house and enjoy NW Portland! Until next time, enjoy this February weather. I just hope it doesn't rain so I can keep wearing the suede jacket!!
A Rhodes Mckay update....she is doing very well! And of course, cuter than ever. I put a few more pictures up below...check her out! Although she is a little confused thus far...she thinks days are nights, and nights are days, and that means Mom and Dad are getting zero sleep. Rumor has it that can last up to 6 weeks!! I hope not . . .
In other news, I apparently have an ugly jacket. I still will not admit this despite the facts against me. Let me explain. I bought this jacket (its stylish) about 5 years ago...still in great condition, the type of jacket you wear out on the weekend. Suede with silk lining, it's classy. I think its nice! Ashley does not think so. Neither does our friend Molly. Neither do the bouncers at the Crystal Ballroom, or the Asian lady in the elevator on the way down from our apartment. Neither does the cab driver I asked on the way there, or the two random dudes on the street. Neither does my brother (thanks for the backup, jerk!) and neither does ANYONE I ASKED LAST NIGHT. All I needed was one yes to keep me going. All I needed was some confidence and one vote in my direction, but noooooo. Everyone hates the jacket!!! And in return, I hate them all. Just kidding. But seriously people, you need a sense of style like the master of style, Alex Casebeer. Can't wait until the next chance I get to wear it out!!!
Well I hope your Sunday is a great one. Weather is amazing here, and yet here I am blogging at 11am. Time to get out of the house and enjoy NW Portland! Until next time, enjoy this February weather. I just hope it doesn't rain so I can keep wearing the suede jacket!!
2.10.2010
I'd like to introduce you to....
....a great story. A story of love, triumph, laughter, tears, and...well, a new life. This was a day that my family will never forget and one that will be treasured forever. This is the story of Blankity Blank Blank. *Editors note: can't reveal the name until the very end, just like my stupid big brother. Yes, he wouldn't tell any of us the name of this baby girl until we met her. So I won't tell you either! Just keep reading...it will be worth it.
9:30am I get a call from my brother saying that Chris' water broke. This was shocking because it was 8 days early, so no one (except for Matthew and Chris probably) was prepared at all. I texted Ashley the good news and waited for the official word to go to the hospital. I wanted to leave immediately, but Matthew said it would be pointless... contractions far apart, no word from the Doc, nothing really to report. Just wait. And wait some more.
I had a hard time focusing at work (do you think any Toyota Service customer cared about my pending uncle-dom?? Nope. They were worried about the stupid recall! Idiots!) I kept texting and wanting to leave but decided to wait and leave around 4PM. I went to lunch and it dawned on me - WE HAVE NO CHAMPAGNE. Quickly I ran into Costco and made an impluse purchase. Dom Perignon it is! I mean come on. When will the 1st grandchild ever be born again?? When will my 1st neice ever be born?
At 7PM still no word from Matthew on what is going on...only things like "We're still waiting to hear from the Doc". Vague. I hate vague. I wanted to hear "Baby will be here 9PM!" Nope. The word from M is have dinner, take your time, it will be a while.
So we eat dinner with Dad and Carrie and head to the waiting room around 9:30PM and are so full of excitement! We want to meet this baby and hold her and be merry....little did we know, this was going to be one long freaking night. We meet my mom and friend Kim and waited. We check emails, play cribbage, read magazines, and wait. For something, anything! Another family comes and meets their new baby before we hear anything! Jealousy sets in.
Finally Matthew comes out and says they are hoping for a 1AM delivery. Sounds good to us, we say. Can't wait! So we wait some more. And get tired. Matthew says "go home, get some rest". We do, and come back at 1:00. But every time I think about how tired and pathetic I feel, I think of Chris. I think of a baby entering the new world and I smile. I realize that my 'troubles' and weariness pale in comparison to Chris. We hear that she starts pushing at 1:47AM. This is great news! The end is near!
2:47...still pushing. We are worried. And tired. 3:15, pushing. 3:45 I am sleeping on a hard floor, Dad is fighting fatigue. We think of Chris and perk up. And almost cry. 90 minutes of pushing?? Can't they do something?
I get a great idea to download some iPhone games at about 4am....this keeps us entertained for about 20 minutes (highlighted by my dad giggling at "Paper Toss", and then cussing it out because he couldn't make the damn paper into the waste basket!). We go back to worrying, because Chris has now hit the 3.5 hour mark of pushing. It seems inhumane to us. Finally, Kim (the birthing coach) comes out and gives us bad news. She has to go into surgery to have a C Section. This is devastating for a myriad of reasons. We thought, Why couldn't they have done this 4 hours ago? Why did she have to go thru all of this pain and frustration when this could have been done a while ago? On the other hand, that means that the end really is in sight. That means the nameless baby is almost here!
Or so we thought. Matthew tells us to go home, you will not be able to see the baby until about 10AM. Surgery, along with recovery, moving rooms and a bit of rest means we all have to keep waiting. But we oblige and leave the hospital, frustrated and sad. But hopefully that everything will go ok. We think of Chris...the pain medication, the effort, the pushing, the tears, the fighting for her daughter's life. It is almost overwhelming and we all dream of the moment when we can meet baby blank. So we head to Ashley and I's apartment to get a few hours of sleep.
And a few it is! We sleep from 6:30 to 8:42, when my dad calls because he can't sleep. Let's get coffee and some food, he says. Ok, we're all awake too. But suddenly I hear my phone do the text thing that it does and read: She's here! 7:55am! 7lb 9oz and beautiful like her mother. We scream and throw our clothes on! Can we come now? No, we have to wait until 11 to meet her.
Naturally, we get to the hospital at 10 hoping to maybe break some rules to see her early. Matthew comes out to meet us. More bad news. Chris is having a terrible time recovering and we have to keep waiting. What is the baby's name, for crying out loud?? You'll have to wait, he says. My dad offers him $300 to tell us, and he declines. IDIOT! I offer to hogtie him and beat it out of him...he declines that as well.
So we wait. And wait. I get some wedding planning done. Carrie and Dad cancel work meetings. Ashley declines sub jobs. We wait. We worry. We can't wait to meet blankity blank blank baby blank blank!!!!!!!
My dad says, "This baby is stubborn, just like her dad!" My mom says, "She is patient, just like her mom". I say, "She will be beautiful. Just like her uncle".
Matthew texts us: move to floor 4, it is time! I look at the clock: 1:17PM. I first got the call 32 hours ago. It has been a long day. We watched as 3 other families met their babies, natural delivery and all. We saw the same guy who fell off his chair in the waiting room and kept snorting meet his twin granddaughters. We saw another grandma in the waiting room come and go and go...and yet we didn't even know my neice's name!!!!!
2:15. Matthew comes to the waiting room. Are you ready, he asks? My dad says, No let me finish my magazine artic-OF COURSE WE ARE READY!!!!!!. So we march back to room 462 begging for the name. We go to 462 forgetting how tired we once were and tired Chris actually is and realize we are going to meet a baby girl who has just entered this world!
We are introduced to a beautiful, calm baby whos voice simply squeaks. She opens her eyes, squeaks again. Matthew can't keep his eyes of her. Neither can we! She is perfect. She has fingernails! She has a head full of beautiful black hair! She is healthy, and we are relieved. Chris is REALLY relived.
We are all smiling and happy and finally, Matthew and Chris say together...Meet Rhodes McKay Casebeer.
9:30am I get a call from my brother saying that Chris' water broke. This was shocking because it was 8 days early, so no one (except for Matthew and Chris probably) was prepared at all. I texted Ashley the good news and waited for the official word to go to the hospital. I wanted to leave immediately, but Matthew said it would be pointless... contractions far apart, no word from the Doc, nothing really to report. Just wait. And wait some more.
I had a hard time focusing at work (do you think any Toyota Service customer cared about my pending uncle-dom?? Nope. They were worried about the stupid recall! Idiots!) I kept texting and wanting to leave but decided to wait and leave around 4PM. I went to lunch and it dawned on me - WE HAVE NO CHAMPAGNE. Quickly I ran into Costco and made an impluse purchase. Dom Perignon it is! I mean come on. When will the 1st grandchild ever be born again?? When will my 1st neice ever be born?
At 7PM still no word from Matthew on what is going on...only things like "We're still waiting to hear from the Doc". Vague. I hate vague. I wanted to hear "Baby will be here 9PM!" Nope. The word from M is have dinner, take your time, it will be a while.
So we eat dinner with Dad and Carrie and head to the waiting room around 9:30PM and are so full of excitement! We want to meet this baby and hold her and be merry....little did we know, this was going to be one long freaking night. We meet my mom and friend Kim and waited. We check emails, play cribbage, read magazines, and wait. For something, anything! Another family comes and meets their new baby before we hear anything! Jealousy sets in.
Finally Matthew comes out and says they are hoping for a 1AM delivery. Sounds good to us, we say. Can't wait! So we wait some more. And get tired. Matthew says "go home, get some rest". We do, and come back at 1:00. But every time I think about how tired and pathetic I feel, I think of Chris. I think of a baby entering the new world and I smile. I realize that my 'troubles' and weariness pale in comparison to Chris. We hear that she starts pushing at 1:47AM. This is great news! The end is near!
2:47...still pushing. We are worried. And tired. 3:15, pushing. 3:45 I am sleeping on a hard floor, Dad is fighting fatigue. We think of Chris and perk up. And almost cry. 90 minutes of pushing?? Can't they do something?
I get a great idea to download some iPhone games at about 4am....this keeps us entertained for about 20 minutes (highlighted by my dad giggling at "Paper Toss", and then cussing it out because he couldn't make the damn paper into the waste basket!). We go back to worrying, because Chris has now hit the 3.5 hour mark of pushing. It seems inhumane to us. Finally, Kim (the birthing coach) comes out and gives us bad news. She has to go into surgery to have a C Section. This is devastating for a myriad of reasons. We thought, Why couldn't they have done this 4 hours ago? Why did she have to go thru all of this pain and frustration when this could have been done a while ago? On the other hand, that means that the end really is in sight. That means the nameless baby is almost here!
Or so we thought. Matthew tells us to go home, you will not be able to see the baby until about 10AM. Surgery, along with recovery, moving rooms and a bit of rest means we all have to keep waiting. But we oblige and leave the hospital, frustrated and sad. But hopefully that everything will go ok. We think of Chris...the pain medication, the effort, the pushing, the tears, the fighting for her daughter's life. It is almost overwhelming and we all dream of the moment when we can meet baby blank. So we head to Ashley and I's apartment to get a few hours of sleep.
And a few it is! We sleep from 6:30 to 8:42, when my dad calls because he can't sleep. Let's get coffee and some food, he says. Ok, we're all awake too. But suddenly I hear my phone do the text thing that it does and read: She's here! 7:55am! 7lb 9oz and beautiful like her mother. We scream and throw our clothes on! Can we come now? No, we have to wait until 11 to meet her.
Naturally, we get to the hospital at 10 hoping to maybe break some rules to see her early. Matthew comes out to meet us. More bad news. Chris is having a terrible time recovering and we have to keep waiting. What is the baby's name, for crying out loud?? You'll have to wait, he says. My dad offers him $300 to tell us, and he declines. IDIOT! I offer to hogtie him and beat it out of him...he declines that as well.
So we wait. And wait. I get some wedding planning done. Carrie and Dad cancel work meetings. Ashley declines sub jobs. We wait. We worry. We can't wait to meet blankity blank blank baby blank blank!!!!!!!
My dad says, "This baby is stubborn, just like her dad!" My mom says, "She is patient, just like her mom". I say, "She will be beautiful. Just like her uncle".
Matthew texts us: move to floor 4, it is time! I look at the clock: 1:17PM. I first got the call 32 hours ago. It has been a long day. We watched as 3 other families met their babies, natural delivery and all. We saw the same guy who fell off his chair in the waiting room and kept snorting meet his twin granddaughters. We saw another grandma in the waiting room come and go and go...and yet we didn't even know my neice's name!!!!!
2:15. Matthew comes to the waiting room. Are you ready, he asks? My dad says, No let me finish my magazine artic-OF COURSE WE ARE READY!!!!!!. So we march back to room 462 begging for the name. We go to 462 forgetting how tired we once were and tired Chris actually is and realize we are going to meet a baby girl who has just entered this world!
We are introduced to a beautiful, calm baby whos voice simply squeaks. She opens her eyes, squeaks again. Matthew can't keep his eyes of her. Neither can we! She is perfect. She has fingernails! She has a head full of beautiful black hair! She is healthy, and we are relieved. Chris is REALLY relived.
We are all smiling and happy and finally, Matthew and Chris say together...Meet Rhodes McKay Casebeer.
12.24.2009
Another Christmas in the books
You did it folks. You made it thru another Christmas! Did you remember that is was about Jesus and the Holy Spirit and not so much about presents and food? I had to keep reminding myself throughout the day. Never the less, Christmas 2009 is in the books. And another success it was. Except I was missing one thing...well, one person.
Ashley. She was in Georgia for the holidays, so that was not too much fun for us. However, the only positive (for her) was that she was able to avoid the inevitable: Casebeer Christmas Poems. The longstanding tradition on the Casebeer side is buying a $50 gift for the person who's name you draw out of a hat at Thanksgiving and then writing a poem for that person to be read in front of everyone at Christmas. It never fails - I put off writing mine until Christmas Eve last night and this year was no different. I, along with brother and sister-in-law, were all up last writing our poems only to realize that my brother and I drew each other. The result of a few gin n tonics and some brainpower resulted in an epic dual poem read together, banter style. However, top prize in 2009 went to Scott Casebeer, who did a lively rendition of Santa Claus is coming to town for my Grandpa Dick.
But now that Christmas is over, it's time to look forward. Time to end this decade in style and begin next decade with a bang! When Ashley gets back, we'll be moving her in to our new downtown apartment, awaiting the arrival of the first Casebeer Granddaughter (not ours, stop freaking out), and getting MARRIED. And this is all in the first 3 months of the year!! I can only imagine what the rest of the decade will bring.
Other future highlights include combined family holidays, lots of travleing back and forth to from Oregon to Georgia, and Georgia to Oregon, the Oregon Ducks embrassing the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 1st, hopefully some a few fun trips, and figuring out married life! I am excited. I hope you are too!
What about you? What are you looking forward to? Do you have any goals? Any dreams? What are you going to change, if anything, in 2010?
I have goals and dreams and changes to make...stick around and you'll hear them! Until next time, have a great rest of 2009 and let's make 2010 a great year!
Ashley. She was in Georgia for the holidays, so that was not too much fun for us. However, the only positive (for her) was that she was able to avoid the inevitable: Casebeer Christmas Poems. The longstanding tradition on the Casebeer side is buying a $50 gift for the person who's name you draw out of a hat at Thanksgiving and then writing a poem for that person to be read in front of everyone at Christmas. It never fails - I put off writing mine until Christmas Eve last night and this year was no different. I, along with brother and sister-in-law, were all up last writing our poems only to realize that my brother and I drew each other. The result of a few gin n tonics and some brainpower resulted in an epic dual poem read together, banter style. However, top prize in 2009 went to Scott Casebeer, who did a lively rendition of Santa Claus is coming to town for my Grandpa Dick.
But now that Christmas is over, it's time to look forward. Time to end this decade in style and begin next decade with a bang! When Ashley gets back, we'll be moving her in to our new downtown apartment, awaiting the arrival of the first Casebeer Granddaughter (not ours, stop freaking out), and getting MARRIED. And this is all in the first 3 months of the year!! I can only imagine what the rest of the decade will bring.
Other future highlights include combined family holidays, lots of travleing back and forth to from Oregon to Georgia, and Georgia to Oregon, the Oregon Ducks embrassing the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 1st, hopefully some a few fun trips, and figuring out married life! I am excited. I hope you are too!
What about you? What are you looking forward to? Do you have any goals? Any dreams? What are you going to change, if anything, in 2010?
I have goals and dreams and changes to make...stick around and you'll hear them! Until next time, have a great rest of 2009 and let's make 2010 a great year!
12.18.2009
Time for some Top 3's
I just feel like making lists tonight. I am currently at work, with nothing to do really. My mind is wandering...from this to that...and I figured I'd write some of it down for you! So please enjoy my lastest installment of Top 3's!
Top 3 Cars Sold:
- Camry Hybrid
- 2010 Prius
- Avalon
Top 3 SUV's sold:
- Platinum Sequoia
- Limited Tundra
- Used Lexus rX 450h (hybrid)
Top 3 Favorite Beers:
- Mirror Pond Pale Ale
- Hopworks Organic Ale
- McMenamin's Ruby Ale
Top 3 Favorite Christmas movies:
- Christmas Vacation
- Home Alone 1/2 (I cheated, I know)
- Die Hard 2
Top 3 most interesting people met so far in Portland:
- John Stipan (creator of JellyBath. LOOK IT UP!!! www.jellybath.com)
- Tim Crane (now a friend, dinner mate, and Duck fan)
- Chris Rich (former salesperson at Broadway, slash professional glass blower! www.chrisrichstudios.com)
Top 3 restaurants so far in Portland (look them up, go there now):
- 50 Plates (Pearl)
- Clarklewis (East Waterfront)
- Belly (NE Portland)
Top 3 Days since "the move":
- Civil War...duh
- Finding Ashley's and my first marriage housing!! Move in date: Jan 5.
- My first day off, going to the coast with Ash. A great day!
Top 3 Events of the year:
- Keith Urban!!
- Blazers vs Suns thriller
- Thanksgiving with the Casebeer's
Top 3 things I'm looking forward to:
- Wedding
- Honeymoon
- Wedding
Top 3 Favorite Christmas Artists this year:
- James Taylor
- Diana Krall
- Harry Connick Jr
I think I'm topped off. Also, its time to go home. Until next time, top off your beers and have a great night! The next blog will be MUCH more interesting, I promise. But YOU NEED TO GIVE ME IDEAS!!! Thank you. Annnnd good night.
Top 3 Cars Sold:
- Camry Hybrid
- 2010 Prius
- Avalon
Top 3 SUV's sold:
- Platinum Sequoia
- Limited Tundra
- Used Lexus rX 450h (hybrid)
Top 3 Favorite Beers:
- Mirror Pond Pale Ale
- Hopworks Organic Ale
- McMenamin's Ruby Ale
Top 3 Favorite Christmas movies:
- Christmas Vacation
- Home Alone 1/2 (I cheated, I know)
- Die Hard 2
Top 3 most interesting people met so far in Portland:
- John Stipan (creator of JellyBath. LOOK IT UP!!! www.jellybath.com)
- Tim Crane (now a friend, dinner mate, and Duck fan)
- Chris Rich (former salesperson at Broadway, slash professional glass blower! www.chrisrichstudios.com)
Top 3 restaurants so far in Portland (look them up, go there now):
- 50 Plates (Pearl)
- Clarklewis (East Waterfront)
- Belly (NE Portland)
Top 3 Days since "the move":
- Civil War...duh
- Finding Ashley's and my first marriage housing!! Move in date: Jan 5.
- My first day off, going to the coast with Ash. A great day!
Top 3 Events of the year:
- Keith Urban!!
- Blazers vs Suns thriller
- Thanksgiving with the Casebeer's
Top 3 things I'm looking forward to:
- Wedding
- Honeymoon
- Wedding
Top 3 Favorite Christmas Artists this year:
- James Taylor
- Diana Krall
- Harry Connick Jr
I think I'm topped off. Also, its time to go home. Until next time, top off your beers and have a great night! The next blog will be MUCH more interesting, I promise. But YOU NEED TO GIVE ME IDEAS!!! Thank you. Annnnd good night.
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