Vintage

(Sludge, fall 2000. Anacostia Park; W, DC)

All smiles after another 10-0 season.

Call Y'all

The CALL for Nominations continues.

Dial up the memory banks and send in your nominations for the annual SLUDGEY Awards. All & any nominations welcome!

Trim the Fat

Gobble up plenty of playing time...

> Friday, Nov 27th @ 10am @ The Polo Fields
[25th Annual Turkey Digestive]

> Saturday, Nov 28th - 10 am @ The Polo Fields

Cutting Skills

After excelling in throwing, Daniel now seeks to work on cutting.
Good Luck with carving today, Sludge!

Get With the Program

Pie Before Frisbee

Be thankful for... pilgrims pie. Eating dessert pie = historically accurate way to honor the Frisbee popularity.

Frisbie, a piemaker in Connecticut in the late 1800s, supplied pies to Connecticut retailers and restaurants, including the Yale University campus. Students there learned the empty metal pie pans made excellent throwing discs, and began tossing them to each other outside on the campus lawn.

Fred Morrison's flying disc invention was patented and eventually marketed in 1957 under the name of Pluto Platters.

Students, however, still called the discs, Frisbies, after the pie company name stamped into the bottom of the tin. Recognizing the built in name recognition, the co-founder of Wham-O, Richard Knerr, changed the name to Frisbee. With the spelling slightly altered, "Frisbee" sales soared.

Related Post: History Lesson.

'kitJen' Inspection

Jen invites Sludge to an informal kitchen viewing with guest star architect, contractor, day laborer, electrician, AND plumber Arnie K. The kitchen will be 99% done then and seeks to show off the near completion before baby-in-the-oven (#3) arrives. Drinks & snacks will be served. No need to RSVP, just come on over anytime.

WHEN: Saturday, Dec 12th 4-6pm EST

WHERE: Chez Reilly in T'Park

Leafy Flow

Does your brain see the many moving leaves? The brown leaf shapes against a green background make this look as if the entire group is flowing—making waves if you focus on the picture as a whole.

Bien Venue

Much less hubbub surrounded the strict evaluation process in the search for a proper venue to host SLUDGEYS 2009.

So without much more ado, THE SLOG is happy to announce the 4th Annual SLUDGEY Awards to be held @ the welcoming site of Joe's Urban McMansion.

DATE/Time: TBD Sat, Jan 9th

:Site History:
2006: Georgetown (DC)
2007: Georgetown (DC)
2008: Potomac, Md
2009: MassAveHts (DC)

Where in the World?

Paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge...

Today's Feature: Fishpez

Q: Where in the World are Fishpez?

A: Fishpez are in California.

Hello?

Hi, you've reached the reminder about the CALL for Nominations.

Your institutional memory/perspective is necessary for the annual SLUDGEY Awards to thrive. All & any nominations welcome!

Chair-y Festival

"Where you stand depends on where you sit."
— Nelson Mandela

REMINDER: Sludgefest @ Joe's.

Kid Repellent

Naturally, this hairy resistor will give "HAIR" Repellent a run for its money keeping kids away.

Herbal Armor™ Kids' Insect Repellent

Info: All-natural Herbal Armor Insect Repellent (HAIR) spray is perfect for hard-core enthusiasts who demand effectiveness, but don't want DEET. Unique formula contains five natural essential oils recognized by the EPA as repellents. Protects against mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, flies, ants, black flies and other pesky insects.

Price: $7.00

Winterish Pickup 09

Saturday morning pickup continues & your attendance is always welcomed!

Where @:
(1) Polo Fields
(2) FDR outfields, or
(3) Washington Monument grounds

When: 10:00 am EST

Yes We peliCan

"Today we can say ... brown ... is back."
-- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar

Gov't says brown pelicans are endangered no longer [11.11.09. AP]

WASHINGTON – Much like its death-defying dives for fish, the brown pelican has resurfaced after plummeting to the brink of extinction.

Interior Department officials on Wednesday announced that they were taking the bird off the endangered species list, after a nearly four-decade struggle to keep the brown pelican population afloat.

The bird now prevalent across Florida, the Gulf and Pacific coasts and the Caribbean was declared an endangered species in 1970, after its population — much like those of the bald eagle and peregrine falcon — was decimated by the use of the pesticide DDT. The chemical, consumed when the pelican ate tainted fish, caused it to lay eggs with shells so thin they broke during incubation.

The pelican's recovery is largely due to a 1972 ban on DDT, coupled with efforts by states and conservation groups to protect its nesting sites and monitor its population, Interior Department officials said.

"Today we can say the brown pelican is back," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in a conference call with reporters in Washington. "Once again, we see healthy flocks of these graceful birds flying over our shores. The brown pelican is endangered no longer." ...

Join the Movement

Andrew couldn't hold it in any longer...
World Toilet Day is tomorrow.

At exactly noon on 11/19, gather your family, friends, classmates, colleagues & everyone you know to squat in public for minutes totalling the number 1, not number 2, in support of World Toilet Day. This drives home the point "where would you go?" & how people without toilets are forced to go in public places.


SQUAT : a pose that 2.5 billion people do everyday due to lack of proper sanitation. Join people around the world in raising awareness to their plight by SQUATTING in public for ONE MINUTE.

Airing It Out

The STREET named after the seed that has no business atop hamburger buns first aired on 11/11/69. Celebrating its 40th season of the S St series, it has been inspiring and educating children. Yet must reach 50 - like Barbie - before zzzzzipping up a brown hoodie.

In case "C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E" is the Word of the Day, this no-zip, brown "hatie" is available...

Sesame St Brown Adjustable Cap

Info: This distressed brown adjustable baseball cap has a 123 Sesame Street sign logo patch on the front, and one on the left side.

Price: $18.00

Call for Noms 09

Call for Nominations - SLUDGEYS 2009

Submit your nominations (anecdotes/fabrications) within calendar year '09, factoring in the spring season + fall season, to the Awards Committee in these likely areas:

NEW! Best OBX Moment Award
Criteria: A memorable time at our happy, sandy place.

Biggest Best Brown Movement Award
Criteria: No criterion. Go with your gut.

Best/Most Offensive Play on Offense (Individual)
Criteria: Scoring is a big part of offense, but that’s not the only criterion for receipt of this award. In any particular game or period of a game, did someone exhibit mad throwing skills? Or incredible catching talent?? Or great cutting proficiencies? Overall common sense on offense?

Best/Most Offensive Play on Offense (Group)
Criteria: Which Sludge group play best put up the numbers en route to Sludge’s total score in a particularly impressive game?

Best/Most Defensive Play on Defense (Individual)
Criteria: “Our best defense is a good offense,” does not justify America’s military, so that pre-emptive crap doesn’t have a place here. The best play by an individual, which was most responsible for Sludge’s defensive success in a particular game.

Best/Most Defensive Play on Defense (Group)
Criteria: The best group play that was most responsible for keeping the opponent from scoring.

Most Entertaining Point/Moment (on the field or sidelines)
Criteria: A moment or point, in or near the game, that resulted in laughing, crying, blushing, delirium, and/or throwing up.

Spirit of the Game Award (on the field)
Criteria: By the book, “Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship.… In Ultimate, the honor system works…” blah, blah, blah.

Best Spirit of the Game Award (off the field)
Criteria: Karma; following the Golden Rule; by the Law, not getting arrested.

Best World Peace Award
Criteria: Best moment of someone walking away when they really wanted to punch the opponent.

Most Improved/Worsened Award
Criteria: Did someone nicely recover from an injury? Basically, did someone smartly slow down the worsening process?

Best Fashion Award (on the field)
Criteria: Best fashion statement that displayed stunning presentation, style, attitude, and wonderful overall appearance to supplement the standard issue brown t-shirt. Otherwise known as the Chris ‘wolfie’ Wolfson Award in honor of C’w’W’s wolf winter hat.

Best Food Offering Award
Criteria: Best edible offering based on taste, creativity, and appearance at either a game, Sludgefest, OBX, or pickup. Otherwise known as the ‘Bruce’ Award in honor of his delicious oatmeal cookies.

Best Story About ‘the Bestest’ Play Award (Fiction)
Criteria: Awarded to the author of the best work of fiction about ultimate, injury, family or whatever.

Best Excuse for Missing a Game Award (Fiction or Non-fiction)
Criteria: Quality of research and writing are major considerations in the judging of this award, as are insight and originality.

#1 Fan Award
Criteria: Any one, any one, at all that attends Sludge game(s) without stealing playing time from us. Cheering is not necessarily required.

Best Sludge Addition Award
Criteria: Open to purchases, offspring, significant others &/or pickups added in the year 2009.

Best Captain Award
Criteria: Best bearded person with the initials CH who reminds us that following is a lot easier than leading.

Thanksgiving

CLo thought we'd enjoy that Frisbee, while not yet in the Olympics, is slowly making its way into the curriculum. Thank you, Sludge, for helping my children excel in school.

From Daniel's (illustrated) "Report Card" narrative:
"Pictured [below], Daniel displays excellent Frisbee-throwing form and technique."

100% Agreed.

Going JOguE

Sludgefest dinner to celebrate Sludgyness!

When: Saturday, Nov 21 @ 5 pm

Where: @ Joe's still-new place

Info: Early enough for 'Sludge, the Next Generation' to come & enjoy mac-n-cheese. Joe'll prepare the dinner & asks you RSVP with your choice to bring an appetizer, dessert or refreshments. BYOChair as he hasn’t gotten too far with furnishing. (Poker optional).

Away tWEed Go

Andrew tally ho's your interest in the 1st Semi-Annual Tweed Bicycle Ride - an event that "mentions biking & old people so he naturally thought of Sludge."

When: Sunday, Nov 15 @ 11am EST

Where: Meet @ 8th + H Sts NE, Wash, DC

Epidermis may prefer the LYCRA Bike Ride > the coarse, unfinished wollen fabric pedalthon.

Un-believable-related:

'Ida' Prefer Clear Skies

The remnants of Hurricane Ida, now a potent Nor'easter, will go down in the record books as a historic storm for southeast Virginia. DC-metro region remains soggy. Time to towel off!

Foglia Print Dishtowel [C&B]

Info: Natural brown leaf silhouettes are printed in autumn's rich palette on white cotton to striking graphic effect.

Price: $3.95

Related towel post: Big But

Crude

These pointed ads certainly make a point, as did our non-toxic Sludge performance last Saturday.

Chevron Chevwrong is involved in two separate projects in the tar sands, the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP) and the Ells River Project. Chevron holds a 20% interest in the AOSP, a mining development 60% owned and operated by Royal Dutch Shell.

In Canada, the toxic burden on communities near the tar sands is already enormous. In addition to direct human exposure, oil contamination in the local watershed has led to arsenic in moose meat – a dietary staple for First Nations peoples – up to 33 times acceptable levels. Drinking water has also been contaminated.

The Giving Back Tree

Frisbees + trees are regular cartoon muse, except for Shel Silverstein.

Do Over: Fall Season 2009

Week 1: Loss 11-15 (0-1)

Week 2: No game (0-1)

Week 3: DNP (0-1)

Week 4: Win 15-12 (1-1)

Week 5: No game (0-0)

Week 6: DNP (1-1)

Week 7: Win 10-6 + DNP (2-1)

Week 8: Win 15-10 (3-1)

Tourney: Loss 5-12 + Win 11-6 + Win 13-7 + Win 12-10 (6-2)

All In

Drinking Problem

After coffee, on Saturday morning...

Before tequila shots, on Saturday evening...

Someone's got some 'splainin' to do!

Way More Advanced than Beer Pong

Frisbeer

::Rules::
There are a number of variations on the rules of the game. Detailed below are the most common guidelines; however, you may chose to modify them to your liking:
First you need two posts or pipes roughly to the chest in height and spaced a decent frisbee toss apart stuck squarely in to the ground.
Next, place an empty beer bottle on the top of each pole. (You can improvise some other object as long as both poles get the same object for fairness.)
Each team of two players stands next to one pole, facing each other. Each player must be holding an open beer for the duration of the game, including while throwing and/or catching the frisbee. (This is known as the “Beer-in-Hand Rule”.)

Choose the throwing order/turn order. Teams should alternate turns throwing and defending, each team getting one throw at a time. A team may only score when throwing, and when one team is throwing the other team is ‘defending’. In order to count, all throws must be deamed “catchable”, and the thrower must not step in front of their pole.

The objective of the game is to knock the beer bottle off the opposing team’s pole either by direct hit, hitting the pole, or just tripping up your drunken opponents. The defenders aim is to prevent the bottle from hitting the ground while at the same time catching the frisbee, and not spilling any beer. Defenders cannot attempt to prevent the frisbee from striking the pole or bottle. One throw at a time, one team at a time, alternating teams and players. Wash, rinse, repeat.

::Points::Games are played to 21 points.

1 point – Failure to catch the frisbee, but only if it hits the bottle.
1 point – Failure to catch the bottle.
1 point – Spilled drink, regardless of defense/offense.

Loser finishes their drink.

More frisBeer...

Tourney Recap

:Game 1:
Down 1 player, Sludge started the first game 0-1 with an assessed point. Rachel, Rob, Charlie, MicHael, Nigel, Andrew, Chris & Joe were present. Sludge’s 5:1 zoned well early to take a lead and were eagerly happy to be playing. Joe found Rachel on a long huck near the end zone, while Nigel hammered to a circus-y MicHael.

At 2-5 Christy was dropped off & so were brown’s catching skills. On the D-side, Sludge’s defensive indifference made Absintheminded’s O look better. More Sludge appeared quicker than points scored; trailing 4-8, 4-11, & eventually a 5-12 loss (capped due to +5 point differential 20 mins before start of next game).

MattHew arrived to Anacostia Park fresh from an oil change-via-Lk Frfx to rid Game 1’s engine trouble. After this game, Sludge did not lose.

:Game 2:
Next up was the #1 seed Walk o’ Shame – a team 10 years younger & faster, but certainly not better looking, than Sludge. “Right where we want them!” as one 40+ Sludger curmudgeon’d.

On point #1 Charlie began the beatdown by jumping high for the D & then slinging one for Nigel to layout for. That’s how we stroll! 2-0.

Sludge’s zone ran ‘Walk’ down with no crossing signs by CHris and Christy; hucks were staunchly contested by Andrew. 5-2.

By 8-5, the entire Reilly family energized brown in the 2nd half. 9-5.

At 10-5, WoS decided to play 4:3/forced us to play 4:2. Sludge shamed their strategic move by outplaying them and pushed the final lunge to 11-6.

Win 11-6 (capped due to +5 point differential 20 mins before start of next game).

:Game 3:
Sludge’s tough zone D by Russ & Joe carried over to the next game and brOwn kept flowing with the wind. D created O, O created Oh My’s. The first half ended with a Rob "bookend" (getting the D, then scoring the point). 8-2.

“We could still...” SHUSH!

8-5. Gulp! Longer cuts prevailed to regain first half glory & pushed it to 11-5. Finally, a convincing win 13-7 (capped due to +5 point differential 20 mins before start of next game).

:Game 4:
Sludge waited an hour while Andrew, MicHael left along with Jen Keller and Griffin. Rob was a little gimpy, & Matthew's ribcage was starting to tighten up after a close encounter of the flying kind with Paul Bunyan of the #1 seed earlier...

Sludge took a commanding 5-1 lead against MonkeyWrench before they started cranking back. Fortunately, when they caught up @ 9-9 and then 10-10, brown was able to pull-up enough fl-O-w to finish with 2 more points.

Win 12-10.

++++

CH sums it up...Overall, 3-1 record and beat the #1 seed in the pool while playing at least ten total points a person down, while remaining in our happy place with lovely weather to boot, it was another good day to be brown. Christy played every point for 3.5 games and Rachel played every point all day so THANKS to the two of them. Due to the 3-way tiebreaker on point differential, we may not advance.

Where in the World?

Paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge...

Today's Feature: Bucci

Q: Where in the World is Bucci?

A: Bucci was in Banff ...hanging with Dean Karnazes

Lost in Translation

Leaves are losing their leaves. The hot tub lost its heat. And, Sludge lost* more games than won.
*= 1 game + 3 weather cancellations

All in (f)all, a 3-1 record entering Saturday's 4 games.

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die."
-- Edward "Ted" Kennedy (1932-2009)

Milestone: 800

One hundred posts ago this simple joke wouldn't have been (as) relevant...

Q: What did the O (zero) say to the 8 (eight)?

A: "Nice belt."

Sun Day on Saturday

The weather forecast looks good for our scheduled time in the sun. Seasonally, the axial tilt is in our favor; yet the sun still shines bright.

A Guide To Summer Sun Protection [NYer. 8.10.09]

SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrosauna’s SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.

SPF 12—Great for practical jokes, if your idea of funny is
making someone think they are protected from the sun’s seriously powerful & harmful rays when they’re actually not.

SPF 30—Perfect for driving all night through a rainstorm.

SPF 200—The truth is, most people are never going to need the level of protection this lotion provides. Recently indicted? Not a problem. Being hunted by a pack of rogue genetically mutated polar bears? Have a sandwich. Take a nap. Seriously, make yourself a sandwich, then go take a nap, because there is nothing out there that you have to worry about ever again. The nightmare is over. ...

Probable Problem Probity

As a follow-up to the probable mathatiousness, there is now a cool graph to help visually answer the question "Same /or/ Different?"

>>>Apparently this shows how much better off you are with 'same' for each value of unfairness in the frisbee.

Where in the World?

Paying homage to the worldly mobility of Sludge...

Today's Feature: Brian

Q: Where in the World is Brian?

A: Brian is in San Fran.

Fristree

"They just lose their leaves. They keep all that other stuff."

WhaT iF: Zumba

Exploring the next (possible) bustle for Sludge.

Name: Zumba

Basics: Zumba fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms & easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life! In the past years, the Zumba® program has become nothing short of a revolution, spreading like wildfire, & positioning itself as the single most influential movement in the industry of fitness. Ditch the workout; join the party!

Co-Ed [Y/N]? Yes.

Family-friendly [Y/N]? Yes.

Outdoors [Y/N]? No.

Local [Y/N]? Yes.

Cost [$-$$$$]: $$ (gym membership may be required)

Time Commitment: About 1 hour.

Tourney Time

When: Saturday, Nov 7th @ Anacostia Park; Fields #1 & #2

FOUR games at: 9:30am; 11am; 12:30pm & 3:30pm [bye @ 2pm]
(Games to 15 if you can)

Raindate (guess): Sunday, Nov 8th

Playoff Date (in case of advancement): Saturday, Nov 21st

Name Recognition

No flying disc product for this "f(R)isbee" candidate might be political suicide.

Related political post: Intern Season

Week 8: Very 'Scorey'

Andrew recaps...
On a gloomy Halloween afternoon, Sludge made a rare visit to the windy shores of Anacostia to take on Huckin Justice. Instead of featuring (elderly) members of the Supreme Court, the opponents were young, talented folk & included cookie monster, a penguin, a cheetah, and other assorted characters. No amount of costuming, however, could hide the fact that both teams were short on players to meet the legally-mandated 5-2 format, so the game began as a 6-vs.-Six match.

Following a score to tie the game at 2 all, both teams were able to field 7 players the rest of the way. As has become Sludge's newest tradition, the women played savage the entire game. Zone D kept the HJs mostly in check for the rest of the first half and the usual, good-enough O (wind tested & perfected at OBX) resulted in a 8-4 lead for Sludge.

During the break, someone invoked Christy and mentioned something about Sludge frequently losing the lead after halftime. On this day, Sludge (like the Oregon Ducks or NC) would not be denied. The second half featured ho-hum point blocks from Russ, end-to-end hucks for scores delivered by the usually-restrained Joe and Charlie, plus other, mostly-good play from brown. Not even the arrival of rain, the finding of occasional weakeness in the defense, Andrew's short-lived crankiness, and the removal of the constraining costumes could change the final verdict. Sludge sprinted to a 10-5 lead and were treated with a late-October victory. Win 15-10.

Do Over: October 2009

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

Ultimapple

Ka-Boom on the Moon

Letterman Investigation

Commander in Beef