Laugh In

The slick glacial conditions have receded, so no more chuckles at the expense of pedestrians' plight. Polar Bears, though - LOL!

> Fulfill the World Laughter Pledge [every Saturday @ 9am]
==Unrelated to Saturday's 10am pickup.

> Wait until Monday
==Directly related to how predictions played out from Sunday's frisbee football game.

prediXLIII

The matchup of NFL's Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, February 1st, 2009 pits the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Chicago, St. Louis, Phx Arizona Cardinals.

Let the PREDICTIONS begin...
(Enter your picks in Comments)
1. Who wins the game - Steelers or Cards?
2. What's the final score??
+ include your name +

History of Predictions: 2007 . 2008

Pack It Up

Whether trying to outrun the weather /or/ fuel the SLOG's regular travel watch, here's some travel advice:

Sustainable Suitcase: Three (Small) Things to Pack for Healthy, Green Travel [sustainablahg]

Plotting a mid-winter travel escape? While discussion on “green travel” tends to focus on the “where” you’re going remember you can add a sustainable twist to any trip anywhere with a dash of pre-planning. Focus on the process – the what you’re doing & how you’re doing it – wherever you go and green up any destination.

Here are 3 things that always land in my family’s suitcase. Lightweight and small, these items are easy to pack and offer multiple uses throughout the trip:
1. Something to Chase
Pack one small piece of sports gear that gets you moving, such as a Frisbee, foam football or hacky sack.
2. “Mess Kit” for Eating
3. Canvas Bag

Inaug Hangover

Many readers responded positively to last week's frisbee-less event on the Nat'l Mall, but also brought to my attention existing artwork by Sludge's resident artist. So, in honor of magneticonic image by Andrew...

mOXie

Just when saying 'Happy New Year' was gettin' stale, the Chinese New Year eggrolls in. Happy Year of the sOX!

Nian Gao
The Chinese believe it's imperative to have the right food to start off the CNY & the sweet rice cake is a must. Most popular in eastern China because its pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year". Painstakingly prepared by grinding rice into powdered form, then steamed with brown sugar for more than 15 hours so as to achieve the caramelized brown color, these cakes are fried with batter & are best eaten piping hot.

Easy As _ _ _

PIE...[Frisbie] Pie /or/ 1-2-3.

Because on this day (1/23) in 1957, machines at the Wham-O toy company roll out the first batch of their aerodynamic plastic discs--now known to millions of fans all over the world as Frisbees.

The story & video (1:01) of the Frisbee (history.com) began in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in 1871. Students from nearby universities would throw the empty pie tins to each other, yelling "Frisbie!" as they let go. In 1948, Walter Fredrick Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the disc called the "Flying Saucer" that could fly further and more accurately than the tin pie plates. After splitting with Franscioni, Morrison made an improved model in 1955 and sold it to the new toy company Wham-O as the "Pluto Platter"--an attempt to cash in on the public craze over space and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).

....

High school students in Maplewood, New Jersey, invented Ultimate Frisbee, a cross between football, soccer and basketball, in 1967. In the 1970s, Headrick himself invented Frisbee Golf, in which discs are tossed into metal baskets; there are now hundreds of courses in the U.S., with millions of devotees. There is also Freestyle Frisbee, with choreographed routines set to music and multiple discs in play, and various Frisbee competitions for both humans and dogs--the best natural Frisbee players.

Sludge Boat

Sludge, exciting and new

Come aboard, we're expecting you

Sludge, life's sweetest reward

Let it flow, it floats back to you...

NYC to christen `sludge boat' (January 21, 2009)

NEW YORK - New York City officials will christen the newest addition to the municipal harbor fleet on Thursday -a 2,100-ton sludge boat named the Red Hook.

They'll use a bottle of water instead of champagne for the ceremony. The boat has a tank that can carry 1.2 million gallons of water sewage. It will make the rounds of the city's 14 wastewater treatment plants, collecting sewage for further processing into dry fertilizer used in New York and other states. It has a crew of six.

Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla says it's one of three sludge boats used by the city. It replaces the Owl Head, a craft that was retired in 2007 after 50 years of service.

Bootifully Duranged

Durango Boot ("Durango") is a non-contact competitive sport which uses a frisbee & is very much similar to Ultimate. The game got its name from the very first place where it was played – Durango, CO; ‘boot’ was added because the players used boots as field markers, hence the name Durango Boot.

How to Play:
Two teams play the game and they need 2 cones which are set very close together. Each team is usually composed of three players. The game starts by flipping the disc and the teams choose heads or tails; the winner will start their offense.

One of the objectives of the players is to be able to get a position where they can knock-over the cone. If a certain player is not able to complete their throw (or when it has already reached stall count #6, there will be a turnover. The other team’s aim at this point will be to take the Frisbee to a zone called ‘take-back’ so that their opponent will not be able to make a score. The teams should be able to achieve 3 points in order to win. The series usually consists of three games.

At present, the rules of Durango have variations but the original rules are still intact. Amendments were made and there are also some exceptions. Some of the rules are as follows:

1. Each team should only have one cone. Nalgene bottles are usually used in the game. In order to score, any of the players should be able to tip or knock-over the bottle or cone. You can do this by throwing the Frisbee to the bottle or cone, or by simply tipping it over while holding the disc.

2. Traveling calls are made for players who put down their hands attempting to knock-over the bottle or cone but the possession is still maintained.

3. The zone ‘take-back’ was replaced by the half-field line. The teams should be able to cross the line so that they can make a score. This line is marked by a boot or shoe.

4. Hammer throws can be executed by a player of a certain team wherein they will attempt to knock-over the cone on the other side of the field. The team will receive a bonus point is they are successful with the throw but if not, the Frisbee or disc will be given to the other team.

HOPE

Image inspired by Shepard Fairey's iconic poster.

Field Trip

!!!THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!

Due to a happening in DC, the location for regularly scheduled Saturday pickup has MOVED!!!

WHERE: Gravelly Point (Arlington, VA; just north of DCA)

!!!THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!

In Awe

Weekend & Holiday pickup are happily disrupted the next few days as INAUGURATION MANIA takesover. Prepare yourself:

Local: Metro/WMATA Inauguration Day Plans

Federal: Maps of Road Closures

DC Govt: Traveling by Bicycle

Inaugural Committee: List of Scheduled Events

Congressional: Watch the Swearing-in Ceremony Online

Sox Alive

I *guarantee* you will never lose these extra long stylish brown socks in the dryer. N!e!v!e!r!

SmartWool's The Park collection is designed to give our younger customers an all-purpose winter sock based around fun graphics. These full-cushioned socks offer all the performance features of SmartWool next-to-skin while keeping your feet light to help you fly higher.

Sock Height (out of 9 choices): Over the Calf

Sock Cushion: Medium Cush

Color: Earth/Ocean (brown + blue) Sizes: M & L

Price: $20.95 (from dealer)

Out with the Rob, In with the New

A barky welcome to Ellie's adopted sister -- cute & little Sophie!

Weight: 8 lbs

From: Northeast of Annapolis, Md.

Notable Comments:
"It's amazing how much trouble [Sophie] can get into in under 6 seconds."
"Trying to teach a puppy to "hold it" is tough."
"My hands are raw from nips & being in and out of soap & water so many times a day."


MJ (& Mark) gratefully welcome hints on "crate training" and house-training, if anyone has recent experience...hell, they'd even be thrilled with hints that are based on long-ago experience, too!

Book Review

If, if, if you're not reading the SLOG, here's something else; it really is "something else!" in addition to being some thing else published about Ultimate.

Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man
by Pasquale Anthony Leonardo

Paperback: 144 pages

Publisher: Breakaway Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2007)

Product Description
Some say that Ultimate is the most misunderstood team flying disc field running sport on the planet. Most people think it's Frisbee football played barefoot and without boundaries. Those people are wrong. Ultimate is a sport played by 824,000 people a year in North America--more than korfball, lawn darts, lacrosse, and curling combined. Ultimate is so popular that it even has rules that are sometimes followed. This book will provide you with complete and total knowledge of the Ultimate game.

Book Includes:
> The Eight Ultimate Player Types
> The 42 Most Common Nicknames
> 28 Near-Useless Throws on the Field
> How to Name Your Ultimate Team
> Where to Play Ultimate Without Being Mocked
> How to Score at an Ultimate Party
> Useful Playing Tips from Experts of the Game

List Price: $14.00 (print); $5.99 (kindle)

Where in the World?

Continuing "Where in the World" paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge.

Today's Feature: Gayle & David.

Q: Where in the World are Gayle & David?

A: Gayle & David are in L.A..

Browning

Ten days into the 0-NineEW year &
the SLOG started on New Year's resolutions spiced up the color scheme!

Enjoy your newly tinted top-of-page NavBar:

I Rev You

Ten ways to rev up your relationship in 2009 (Daily Herald; 01/01/09)
Using any or all of these New Year's Resolutions can make 2009 an even sweeter one for you & your partner...

10. Exercise together (i.e. Ultimate Frisbee)
9. Cook (i.e. Yummy snacks for an ulty game)
8. Have fun together (see below)

This New Year's Resolution is a fun one to fulfill. Relationships are not all work and no play. Take the time to have some fun with your partner by playing games or taking up a new hobby together. Throw a Frisbee around, stay indoors & play card games, join a softball team together, take cooking lessons, golf lessons or dancing lessons...or online games. You'll not only learn something new, but you'll have fun with your partner at the same time!

7. Give something up (i.e. Hammer! up in the air)
6. Surprises (i.e. Hammer?!)
5. Listening (i.e. I hear there's a regular pickup game on the weekend)
4. Fewer arguments (Why did you hammer?)
3. Compliments (i.e. Nice hammer!)
2. Dates (i.e. 10am Saturday; Polo Fields)
1. Do something (i.e. P/U)

Where in the World?

Continuing "Where in the World" paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge.

Today's Feature: Fishpez.

Q: Where in the World were Fishpez?

A: Fishpez were in Costa Rica.

Sit & Fetch

Additional proof why (animated) dogs are better...

+ Frisbee Dawg +
Left hold-click on the skater dog to power your jump; time your jump for a chomp on green balls & brownish flying discs. Position by dragging the dogboard.
*Watch for grenades & spikey discs*

Scrub Up

Just like Rob, [scrubs] moved. Unlike Mr. Going-to-California, this hilarious sitcom can (again) be seen weekly.

Tune in...

channel: abc
when: 9PM
day: Tuesday (tonite)

Crushing News

While in St. Augustine, Fla. (enjoying 70 degree temps), the New Year's Eve wind storm resulted in a big dead tree from Andrew's neighbor's yard to create some damage. The tree landed on poor Diego (car) & did some house damage, but most damage was to the car (below).


Andrew's abode is still without power, but do have hot water & are escaping to work/school for warmth. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the kids/we are making an adventure out of it; but the kids are crushed their favorite car is out of commission for a few weeks and bundling up under 10 blankets at night to sleep will get old fast. Notice that the WAFC sticker on the back of the car is in tact:


After further investigation, the "neighbor's tree" had arbor relatives rooted in Seneca Creek. And this 'crushing event' was obvious futuristic payback to the Sludge gang who scheduled a "hit," disguised as discgolf, on trees.

Go, Rob. Go!

Holey Sunday

After a nite of being clothed, fed & gamed, this first weekend in '09 saw a Sludge 8some hit the discgolf course @ Seneca Creek. Rob, Jen, David, Brian, Gayle, MattHew, MicHael & Joe tossed colorful discs into trees, creeks & sometimes the chains.

Robapalooza(!) continued where the 8some ate some & celebrated with some booza @ an off-scheduled location -DogFish Head.

Happy Oh-Nine

May you have a pros9erous & healthy
New Y2e0a0r9!