12/7/13, 10:40 pm

Day one of Luke 2.0 has gone pretty well if I may say so.  I did a mile and a half on the elliptical today...This wasn’t planned.  At no point in my rebirth did I anticipate any sort of exercise…

I’m sitting here staring at the same building as always across the parking lot outside and thanking the lord that I never got serious about hunting in my youth.  I’m not sure what possesses grown men to go out and sit in the cold and wait for game to walk by in sub-zero temperatures, but I am sure that it isn’t for me.  I’ve been perfectly content with sitting inside where it’s warm and watching college football all day.

And what a day of college football it’s been!  I knew Mizzou and Auburn would take it to a shootout, but I did not think that one would beat the other by 19 points.  That was a gambling loss on my part today, as I am sure it was with lots of others around the country.  I quote Dr. Hunter S. Thompson often, and as a master gambler he wrote more than once that it is silly to bet with your heart.  Even though I am no Mizzou diehard, some part of me wanted to see them pull it out today...And I am the guy that once egged on a good friend and Mizzou alum to go on an obscene tirade on why his alma was so great in the middle of a family pizza parlor by saying how much I thought they sucked at everything.  That was a fun day full of beers.  Brooks Demijian, Todd Bauer, and Matthew M. Terry can attest.

Michigan State pulled the upset and changed my luck on a dime in the process.  It could be a pretty lucrative night with all the small bets I’ve placed.  Fresno State is trucking along nicely and Damian Lilliard just went nails on a three spot to put the Blazers within two with just under four minutes to go...They probably won’t clear the 5 ½ on the spread, but we can still hit the teaser bet if New Mexico State follows suit against Gonzaga, but that’s neither here nor there...Not looking like the Blazers are gonna pull it off as of press time.  Fuck me.

Oh well.  That’s why we don’t place large bets here in the Schnake/Wright residence...Hold on, wait!!!  Lilliard hits another tray with 1.9 seconds left!!!  Holy shit, people!!!  This kid is a dynamo.  If you haven’t heard of him then you need to stop what you are doing and go look him up right at this very moment...As of press time Monta Ellis just sealed it for the Mavs at the buzzer.  Fuck him and his no-defense playing self.  It’s amazing how much more exciting these games are when you have a few dollars invested in them.

The Blazers are a team that I have a softspot for.  The city of Portland rivals St. Louis Cardinals fans when it comes to supporting the Blazers.  Growing up here that impresses me.  Quite possibly the greatest sports book ever written was about a season spent with the Trail Blazers.  The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam is a classic of nonfiction, period.  Nevermind sports.  The man paints a picture that can’t be matched short of going there yourself and seeing it all in person.  That’s the mark of a great journalist.  He was a master.

How’s all this for stream of consciousness writing?  It feels good to get thoughts on the page.  If you’re reading then bear with me.  Just like the guitar, I’ve gotta practice to get really good...But that’s the goal.  Nighty night.