Where in the World?

Paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge...

Today's Feature: Joe

Q: Where in the World is Joe?

A: Joe is in Italy.

Warning Sign

The sign is available in a lovely version of a T-shirt.

Aut(umn) of Control

Having our weekly game canceled may lead to desperate catching practice...

Daughter: Dad calls it "preemptive-strike" raking.
Friend: Wouldn't you prefer it if he did that in the backyard instead?

Atone Up

Today is as good of a day as any to remind you to view the "Pre-OBX09 Shopping List." The individual items on the 4-page file (Sun.breakfast+ . Pete’s a Pizza . Keeping it Clean . Staples) don't grow on trees! True, they might grow on tress, but they still hafta be bought in a grocery store & then delivered to OBX.

UPDATE: Staples now includes "ICE CREAM - obviously needs to be purchased in NC...past favorite flavors were mint chip & vanilla."

Week 3: DNP

::Game canceled due to inclement weather::

::Game canceled due to inclement weather::

::Game canceled due to inclement weather::

(DNP = did not play)

WhaT iF: Glamping

Exploring the next (possible) bustle for Sludge.

Name: Glamping

Basics: Organized glamping - glamorous camping - trips feature all of the exposure to the great outdoors as traditional camping trips, but the amenities found at the campsite far exceed anything most campers have ever experienced.

Co-Ed [Y/N]? Yes.

Family-friendly [Y/N]? Yes.

Outdoors [Y/N]? Yes.

Local [Y/N]? No.

Cost [$-$$$$]: $$$

Time Commitment: More than a few hours on a Saturday.

Bye Bye Weekend

During Sludge's bye week, I slept late, then lounged around the house, and then...I watched some TV, and then...I ate chips-&-salsa, and then...I napped...
meanwhile...
Bucci & Meg played @ the 2009 Women's Capital Sectionals in Upperville, VA.

Interwebs = Ult Friz

AOL's Armstrong: Web Content Evolution Coming in 2010 [MediaWk 09.21.09]:

According to Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL, what we've seen to date on the Web, content-wise, is the equivalent of ultimate frisbee.

During a keynote session on Monday (Sept. 21) at the Mixx Conference in New York, Armstrong predicted that over the next decade the Internet will enter a new phase during which the quality of content online will reach the medium's potential. In making that prediction, he alluded to an old highlight from the early days of ESPN when longtime anchor Chris Berman delivered the score in an obscure championship game from an ultimate frisbee event. Of course, since that time, ESPN has become one of the most powerful brands in the world and regularly showcases the top sporting events.

The Web should follow a similar path, believes Armstrong. During his keynote address, he argued that over the past two decades growth on the Internet has been driven by technology that provides users access, followed by the rise of platforms that make navigating the Web easier - i.e. 'the pipes'. Starting in 2010, the Web will see growth coming from "really what is going to come through the pipes," he said. "Content always trails distribution," he added. "When we think about the Internet...we feel like we are in Chris Berman mode." ...

OBX Files

Andrew - the human Doodle - becomes attached to historical files to aid in planning our OBX trip (only 17 days away).

1) Standard "vital records" sheet
+tracks comings/goings, cell phone numbers, and car pooling.
+complete for master listings purposes

2) Jen's master food/staples list
+food shopping list items
+pizzza stones are necessary

Andrew's Advice: Might be good to start stretching and toughening up the bottoms of your feet.

WAiverFC

REMINDER: complete the WAiverFC acknowledging your Saturday liability issues.

Embark

"Well, space is there, and we're going to ... the moon, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, ... we set ... the ... greatest adventure on which [Sludge] has ever embarked. "
-- John F. Kennedy (9/12/1962)

Saturday, October 10 thru ???

Tall Tale

CHarlie recently sent out an electronic mail press release stating Sludge:
1 - will be down one male (Joe) for the next 2 weeks.

2 - should consider replacing Joe now that he is gone & that is what we do when people depart the DC-metro area by adding a male.

In an un(?)-related story...the world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen of Turkey, was recently in NYC being measured by Guinness Book o' WORLecorDs' officials as the world's tallest living man at 8 feet 1 inch.

But can Sutlan cook?

All Things Equinox

May you see the proverbial glass half FALL full & always brown.

Ran Outta Town

Congrats to Gayle for completing the PhilaDistanceR - the premier half marathon in the U.S. for 31 years.

This prestigious race featured bands every mile as she ran through Philadelphia’s most celebrated & historic sites.

Ripened

Sched Updated

As requested (indirectly)...
Sludge's fall schedule has been updated.

The Flick

If you own any T-shirts, you should watch this video & learn "The flick." Amazing!

Process: Lay out; Pinch 1, 2, 3 times, the flick, flop & fold.

Cover Your Cough

As a public service announcement...

Stop the Spread of Germs that Make You & Others Sick!

To help stop the spread of germs,
> Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
> If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands /or/

> “Dracula sneeze” (sneezing into the inside of your elbow).

> Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing
> Wash with soap and water /or/

> Clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner.

Call of Doody

One pickup ends as another pickup begins...

Doody' Calls for Monumental Mess on the Mall [Channel8; 09.10.09]

WASHINGTON - A group of volunteers went on a wild goose chase Thursday on the National Mall, going after the dropping the geese left behind. When duty calls, professional pooper scoopers are ready for anything.

On the National Mall - the mess is monumental. "You see ducks and you don't think about it until all of a sudden you've stepped in a mess," said visitor Fran Olsen.

Runners and joggers say they even avoid certain areas of the reflecting pool because geese and ducks have taken over. "I'm not too big a fan of goose poop," said personal trainer Steve Pazan. Mark Rubin claims to be number one at handling number two. "We're all volunteers here today and we're all happy to do it." ...

Believe the Type

Blog @ Work? Done. . . . Blog for Work? WhaTiF!

Bucci proves BOTH can be done as guest BLOG-tributor for NatGeo's BlogWILD!

The Dr is Finn

A few years back Sludge flung a surprise 50th Bday party for CHarlie. His life & times were celebrated.

Always a card (amusing), Charlie was outfitted his very own special customized cards (poker). The cards were originally meant to be produced by Doctor Finn's (Seattle, WA), however the Washington state floods washed out their business &...our order.

The CHards were then doctored just in time for the party by another company.

All this to say: Dr. Finn's is now back in business!

Fall 2009 Schedule

Fall 2009
Week# : Date : Time : @ Location [updated 09/21/09]
-->Find fields

Week 1: Sept 12: 10am @ N. Bethesda #1

Week 2: Sept 19: BYE

Week 3: Sept 26: 4pm @ Anacostia Park #4

Week 4: Oct 3: 10am @ Montgomery Hills #1

Week 5: Oct 10: BYE to DC (Hi to OBX)

Week 6*: Oct 17: 2pm & 4pm @ Sligo #3
* = 2 games
Week 7*: Oct 24: 2pm & 4pm @ Sligo #3
* = 2 games
Week 8: Oct 31: 4pm @ Anacostia Park #1

:Tournament:
Week 1: TBD
Week 2: TBD

Frysics

FrisBeeFRO
A fun physics based sports game with unnecessary background soundtrack. Throw 5 Frisbees and try to beat the top score. For bonus points land in one of the highlighted bonus areas.

Directions: Mouse-click & hold to pickup the disc, then move mouse forward & release to throw the disc. (like Golden Tee)

Try to aim (?) for the bonus markers.

Once disc lands, pickup disc with a mouse click.

Keep your eye on the wind indicator; the wind can influence the disc flight a great deal.

>>PLAY NOW<<

KWestionable Behavior

The SLUDGEYS always garner a red carpet & plenty of Hennessy. The combination was apparently too much for Kanye West on Sunday. Brian dishes...

Kanye West Asked To Leave VMAs After Rant Against Taylor Swift
West was photographed holding a bottle of Hennessy on VMA red carpet. [MusicTV.com. 9.13.09]

Kanye West was asked to leave Radio City Music Hall not long after he crashed the MTV Video Music Awards stage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video.

The rapper rushed onto the stage and immediately protested Swift's win, saying Beyoncé instead deserved the honor. "I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time," 'Ye proclaimed after he pulled the microphone out of the country star's hands. B looked stunned as she sat by in the audience.

He later apologized quoting David with his patented “I am SOOOOOOooooooooo Sorry!”, for his stunt, explaining he had a "little sippy sippy" before the production.

Prior to Sunday night's show, West was captured by photographers on the red carpet swigging from a bottle of Hennessy.

Week 1: UNtRAVEL

Another season starts & Rob is again on the left coast.

Inauspiciously, this first fall game began short-handed (5:1 vs 5:2) AND short-cleated. By 0-1, Sludge was full strength with our awesome women - Bucci & CLo, wearing Joe’s extra cleats.

Sludge’s 9 players showed solid skills with a modified scatter graph offense & moving the disc with fast precision. The longer the field, the better the O. On D, Sludge’s zone excelled except for SnacP’s expertly exercised hucks. Notably around 4-4, Nigel executed a cross-field hammered to MattHew for a score.

Sludge took half @ 8-6. The 2009 first-half debut of CHarlie was indeed welcoming as we received the pull to start the second half. The svelte Sludge added one more point (9-6) before SP’s “O” line & their distinct “D” line started getting hungry. Joe shed his winter hat layer by 9-9.

By the 4th quarter, Sludge’s judgment seemed impaired with untimely drops, non-sanctioned hucks and an ongoing catty regulatory tiff. [Traveling: The thrower must establish a pivot at the appropriate spot on the field and may not change that pivot until the throw is released. Failure to do so is a travel and results in a stoppage of play and a check. The continuation rule [XVI.G] applies. 1. The thrower must keep all or part of the pivot in contact with a single spot on the field. If the thrower loses contact with the appropriate spot, the thrower has traveled...]

Our potentially traveling feet should not overshadow a well challenged defeat at the hands of an ampled team.

Loss 11-15.

WhaT iF: Decoupage

Exploring the next (possible) bustle for Sludge.

Name: Decoupage

Basics: The creative art of assembling, pasting & varnishing paper cutouts for decorating objects.

Co-Ed [Y/N]? Yes.

Family-friendly [Y/N]? Yes.

Outdoors [Y/N]? Not really.

Local [Y/N]? Sure.

Cost [$-$$$$]: $$

Time Commitment: Unlimited; based on your imagination.

Where in the World?

Paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge...

Today's Feature: Rob

Q: Where in the World is Rob?

A: Rob is @ a 30th High School Reunion (Cali).

Do the Waive

Before the season begins, remember to complete the WAiverFC acknowledging your liability issues to be paperless.

Sandsational

If I can bring my magic sand apparatus, sand castles @ OBX may be shamed. Worth a complete viewing...

Schedule Update

"...You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one..."
-- John Lennon

Another Sludge season starts this weekend!
When: Saturday, September 12th @ 10am EDT
Field: North Bethesda Middle School
8935 Bradmoor Street, Bethesda [Map Link]

Fuming

Frisbee Injuries are Funny [NtW 9.6.09]

HAMPTON, Ga. – The first reaction when the NASCAR community heard that Carl Edwards had broken his foot was surprise. And concern. Then the circumstances kicked in.

Edwards spends his time outside his No. 99 Ford on crutches. Inside it, he insists he’s, well, not exactly fine, but capable of
competing in tonight’s Pep Boys Auto 500.

Now, of course, everyone is a comedian. Other drivers yell, “Hey, Carl, how about a game of Frisbee?”

One of Edwards’ teammates, Greg Biffle, said, “I was talking to Matt (Kenseth) or Jamie (McMurray) and I said, ‘At least he could say he was playing rugby or football or scaling a mountain or something,’ but playing Frisbee?’ It’s fun to joke about, I guess.”

No one doubts Edwards. Who would make up a story about the injury occurring while throwing a Frisbee with friends? Almost anything – being bucked off a horse, a pickup game of basketball or a hunting accident – would play better than a game of Frisbee. Yes, Edwards is sheepish.

“I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I want to go play Frisbee,” he says. “I don’t want to go play Frisbee right now.

“Frisbee is not four letters, but it’s an ‘F’ word, for sure.”

Cognito

There's been a whole lotta recent chatter - individual people talking (verbally using words to communicate) to other individuals - about Sludge nearing their last (ultimate frisbee)season.

True /or/ False, these conversations aren't meant as a blame game, nor a witch hunt. Rather, it's merely a necessary topic to address the inevitable. Reform, "change," "improvement" - whatever you label it, whatever you shall internalize it as - should be embraced.

The wonderful beauty of Sludge is we are family. Win/loss, in/outta town, retired/playing, whatevs. Let's continue to continue...

Let it B

Let it BE known...Sludge has been officially assigned to the 'B League - Competitive - Experienced League Players' (formerly known as "B League").

The fall 2009 schedule is not yet ready for a hyped-up release date of 09.09.09.

Apt Appt

A good first step as you prepare for your OBX trip:
Add an appointment starting on Saturday, Ocotber 10th.

Safety Thirst: BPA

...All Points Bulletin ...
TO: Hydraters via SIGG
RE: BPA

It was Nalgene in April 2008; now SIGG...

SIGG Aluminum Drinking Bottles Contain BPA [CBS 09.03.09]

The outside may be metal, but until last year, SIGG bottles contained plastic liners with small amounts of BPA, a chemical some studies suggest may have adverse effects on human health.

If you're filling up a SIGG product at home, here's how to make sure it's your safest bet. On the outside, the two bottles look pretty much the same, but on the inside, the colors are different. Last year's models with trace amounts of BPA are copper in color; this year's EcoCare liner is putty-colored.

If you have a SIGG bottle that's more than a year old and you don't want to spend money for a replacement bottle, SIGG is offering to swap your old one for a new one through the end of October.

Moon Bounce!!!

The band [! ! !] with this year's OBX anthem is playing Saturday Sept 5th in DC.

Where: Black Cat

Price: $16 Advance / $18 Day Of Show

Brailley Cool

As an elementary skool student, I dreamt of becoming a scientist & inventing an auto the blind could drive. What a ridiculous idea compared to this toy-echnological breakthrough...

Beeping Frisbee

Soft Foam Frisbee - Which Beeps at All Times

There's nothing quite as fun as burning off some steam in a wide-open field or inside the school gym. ...you'll be delighted at how our Beeping Frisbee makes it possible for blind players to join in the game!

This one-of-a-kind toy for all ages is 7.5" in diameter & 1.5" thick. In the center is a Velcro-sealed compartment which securely holds the beeping module in place. By simply ripping open the flap and flicking a switch, you can turn on the "beeper", which is loud enough to comfortably hear - but not so loud that it'll produce confusing echoes or disturb sighted players. And since the Frisbee is made of light-weight plastic-covered foam, it's nice and easy to throw - and it offers enough protection to keep the beeper beeping for a long time.

You'll be amazed at how blind kids can finally play all those catch and toss games with our Beeping Frisbee. Basically, our Beeping Frisbee really levels the playing field, so to speak!

Price: $14.95

Tri in Très, MI

Literally, it’s the most untraditional triathlon format ever -- each tri-event (swim, bike, run) is performed in a river.

Actually, Meg completed her first triathlon at the 17th Annual Three Rivers (Michigan) Triathlon on Aug 22nd. Très Bien!

At least one person will be ready for the upcoming fall season.

Oh No, Oh I

Russ alerts us to some I-popping news...

Phys Ed: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise? [nyt 9.1.09]

Several years ago, David Nieman set out to study racers at the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile test of human stamina held annually in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The race directors had asked Nieman, a well-regarded physiologist and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the N.C. Research Campus, to look at the stresses that the race places on the bodies of participants. Nieman and the race authorities had anticipated that the rigorous distance and altitude would affect runners’ immune systems and muscles, and they did. But one of Nieman’s other findings surprised everyone.

After looking at racers’ blood work, he determined that some of the ultramarathoners were supplying their own physiological stress, in tablet form. Those runners who’d popped over-the-counter ibuprofen pills before and during the race displayed significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response afterward than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen (Vitamin-I) users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream...

One of the most common reasons cited by the triathletes in Brazil was “pain prevention.” Similarly, when the Western States runners were polled, most told the researchers that “they thought ibuprofen would get them through the pain and discomfort of the race,” Nieman says, “and would prevent soreness afterward.” But the latest research into the physiological effects of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs suggests that the drugs in fact, have the opposite effect. In a number of studies conducted both in the field and in human performance laboratories in recent years, NSAIDs did not lessen people’s perception of pain during activity or decrease muscle soreness later...

When, then, are ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory painkillers justified? “When you have inflammation and pain from an acute injury,” Warden says. “In that situation, NSAIDs are very effective.” But to take them “before every workout or match is a mistake.”

Uniflage

A major league sports team clearly rips off a fashion tip from a wise co-ed recreational sports team.

The Padres' annual camouflage game, conceived in 2000, is a tribute to San Diego's large military community. Sludge's "uniforms" date back to 1998 & honor our frugalness

Over ten years! Who still owns & wears their original-issued brown shirt?

Must Be...A Mistake

NOT the "MOON" scene you should expect starting on Saturday October 10th; less chickens & more candles @ OBX.

Do Over: August 2009

Catch up on last month's noteworthy posts you may have missed...

Sludge Visits the White House

Big Shadow at High Noon

Hops in your Step

Caffeinated by Plastic