Monthly Archives: August 2012

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An inner storm – What should I do?

Hurricane Isaac is wrecking havoc pounding an invasion along the Gulf Coast border but another storm is wrecking havoc within. What should I do?

Her appearance made its own statement when she came in fashionably late flaunting her flashy attire, expensive purse and shoes, making it known she was important and arrogantly demanding preferential treatment. No one seemed to mind.  I didn’t recognize the face but I wondered why a celeb would treat people around her like scum of the earth. The cash register rang in my mind calculating the value of her attire. She styled and profiled her wardrobe then took a seat beside me.  Obvious inconsistencies became more apparent.

The books I read and the people I met had taught me that, “People with real wealth don’t flaunt it.”  They can sit next to you and you would never know who they are. Those with true wealth know how to enjoy life without belittling others around them. Suze Orman says,  ”If it’s on your ass, it’s not an asset.” Apparently, the bank account she wore on her body was not enough to proclaim her status, wealth, and importance. The conversation on her cell phone helped to broadcast that she was the wife of a star ball player. “Don’t you know who I am?”

I sat thinking, “What poor public relations for a celebrity’s wife.” Then she took “dumb blonde” to a whole new level as her conversation forced its way into my ears. “Doesn’t she know that’s illegal?” I thought. “She could be arrested for what she’s doing. Why is she doing it? She doesn’t need the money. ”

She is beautiful, but My God,” I thought, “he’s married to her.”  Come on Guys, I know you can do better than this.  What is the point of chasing a dream, sacrificing years of your life, achieving victory on the field or the court, but risking it all by your associations? In case you don’t know it, “You are associated with whom you associate.”

This lady is risking the pay check that allows her to flaunt her prestige. There goes her temporary/borrowed lifestyle. She obviously doesn’t know it’s against the law, so she probably doesn’t know that ignorance of the law is no excuse. You would have to be real ignorant not to know that this is illegal. I am not talking about a gray area of the law. If she goes down, I hate to say it but you will probably fall with her. At the very least, the negative publicity will pull you down and divorce will probably follow.

I left and didn’t bother to tell her. Now, I sit wondering what should I do?  Maybe I should blog, “You might want to check out your wife’s activities.” If anyone out there reading this blog would like to share, what I should do, feel free to write me at veragilford@yahoo.com.

Most of what we worry about doesn’t happen anyway. I’ll just turn on my television set and let Hurricane Isaac wash away my concern.

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Team USA brings home the Gold

LeBron James adds a Gold Medal to his 2012 NBA Championship and MVP Awards . Kevin Durant walks away with a Gold Medal and the highest number of points, surpassing Spencer Haywood, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan.  Kobe Bryant walks away from his last Olympic game with a Gold Medal and heads back home to align with the newest member of his LA Lakers team, Dewight Howard. Anthony Davis playing in his first Olympics as a recent member of the NBA snatches the final rebound to secure Team USA’s 107-100 win against Spain. Davis adds a Gold Medal to his 2012 NCAA Championship.  Team USA members Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, James Harden, and Russel Westbrook all contribute tremendous athletic ability to bring the Gold back to the USA. This team will go down in history for breaking a world record with the most shots ever scored (156) in an Olympic Men’s Basketball game.

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Team USA heads to Gold

Team USA Men’s Basketball heads for Gold leaving Argentina wondering, “Where’s the beef?”

Spain is celebrating (probably with its delicious whiskey pie) a win over Russia. But come Sunday morning, 10:00 a.m. (NY eastern standard time), the siesta is over and Spain competes against Team USA for the Gold medal in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Watch out for the calm and tranquility that the siesta brings.

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Andy Murray proves, “We Are Not Our Past”

When Andy Murray first stepped out on the court and I saw the shoes, I knew he was a changed man. I smiled thinking, “Unconventional.” It reminded me of the commercial  where the piano falls out the window on the man’s head smashing him to the ground under a pile of wood. After a pause he emerges with a smile on his face saying, “I won again.”

It was a replay of the 2012 Wimbledon a month ago, Roger Federer # 1 seed versus Andy Murray # 8 seed, playing at Wimbledon only this time they are playing in the London Summer 2012 Olympics Men’s Tennis Gold Metal Match.

Murray starts out trying too hard with a lot of tension. He is down 30-15. Lighten up Murray. He’s running good but his first serve is off until the end of game 1 when Murray gains focus. Murray’s  first serve of the first game is well executed and has good placement. He wins game 1. In game 2 Federer ace’s Murray and pulls him wide from the far edge of the ad court then back to the outer edge of the duce court but Murray runs. The shoes say it all, “See Andy run.”  In game 3, Murray’s first serve is off but he has quick reflexes running the wide angles with ease getting to the ball. A good first serve and his mental game help him to win. At duce in game 4, Federer aces but Murray is quick and nearly gets to the ball.  In Game 5 Murray’s first serve is off but he puts good ball placement on his second serve. In Game 6 Murray is up 3 games to 2 and leading 15-30 with Federer serving. All of a sudden Murray’s past starts catching up with him. Federer is at the net and forces Murray to run in for a drop-shot close to the net. Murray gets to the ball but hits a “gentlemanly”  ball straight towards Federer’s body. The shot has little energy. The shot is inconsistent with Murray’s culture, pulling his energy. Murray loses that point in disgust but he stays in the game. The game has moved on to the next shot but Murray is still in the past. He lobs to Federer and hesitates thinking he has won the point. “Hey Murray, get back in the game, its Federer’s point.”  Advantage Federer. Murray’s past (See my earlier blog) is still haunting him as he misses 2 cross court shots. Both times Federer is standing in Murray’s line of the ball. That, “Nice guy discord” is going on in Murray’s head causing a mis-stroke and slow reflexes. Advantage Federer.  “Earth to Andy, Earth to Andy.” In Game 7, Andy Murray’s shoes respond to the call. They get heavy, grounding him back down to earth, pulling him out of his head.  Murray is up 2 games (2-4).  He goes deep within and comes out with a Sharapova type grunt. That ball goes over  the net and places perfectly. Even after Federer’s backhand return comes flying back, Murray aces to win the game and take a 2-5 lead then goes on to win the first set.

In game 1 of the 2nd set, Federer drops a ball close to the net but Murray’s legs are light and moves in with incredible speed. Murray takes a 0-2 lead in the 2nd set. But the energy that it took Murray to win the last game has taken a toll and Murray double faults, still worn out from that last play. The shoes ground Murray again. He goes to the net and plays Federer’s game, jumping, diving, reaching with good peripheral vision.  Then Murray gets distracted by his past again, four break points - Murray hesitates as though the point is won. Maybe Federer will not get to the ball in time, but he does. Advantage Federer. Murray’s serve brings the score back to duce. Murray sees Federer’s return coming back across the net, Murray’s shoes say “Run, Murray run,”  but Murray’s head hesitates again and Murray does not get to the ball in time. Advantage Federer. Twelve minutes on this point with Murray like the Sancofa Bird, his head looking backward but his feet facing forward.  Murray is winning, up 2 games in the 2nd set, but he keeps giving up, “Ready, not ready, ready…” With Advantage and serving, Murray gives up an easy point. “I can, I can’t, I will, I won’t.”  Suddenly running wide to get to a ball, Murray’s head connects with his shoes, “I will win, I will win.” He scrambles to get low under the ball and wins the point. That gives him the confidence to place a first serve and finish this game off. Up 0-3 Murray is playing harder, all-the-while the voices in his head are challenging,  trying to torment him, “I told you that you could not win… So what you won…”  Game 4 of the 2nd set is going in Federer’s favor, but the voices in Murray’s head begin to change as he guts it out with determination, ”I can win, I can win.” Murray battles the dark forces inside him. They wait down a dark alley with a pocket knife but Murray is smart enough not to go down that road.  Advantage Murray on Federer’s serve. Again, Advantage Murray on Federer’s serve. As Murray begins to take control of his energy and his thoughts, luck  appears to show up on his side. Federer double faults giving Murray the game. Federer’s ball hits Federer  lightly in the head and that seems to turn on a light-bulb. Federer starts to play a head game. From far wide to the net,  challenging Murray’s speed. “Let’s see how fast you are.” Murray can’t get there. That sends Murray back into his head. he misses his next serve. “Second serve.”  Murray’s serve is long. Federer takes a 15-30 lead.  Murray’s shoes offer some energy to his head. Murray serves with confidence and authority to take the lead 40-30 and then the game.

Federer aces. Then a second ace. Murray roars with restraint. “Quiet please,” but Murray continues to lunge right and run left. More parts of his body join in to cheer, Murray, Murray. It gets into his head and he continues to win.  Murray proudly wears the flag on his arm as he hits his fastest serve pulling Federer off-balance. Murray goes for it again. Ace. “Yeah,” every cell of his body is cheering now and pushing against that door he could never open.  Murray kicks the door in to win Gold with an Ace.  “We in now.”

Murray wins for all of us who battle against our past. Those little voices that adamantly try to keep us from achieving… until one day we dominate.

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London Summer Olympics 2012 – Team USA Men’s Basketball

Team USA Men’s Basketball breaks the world record for the highest score ever in an Olympic basketball game winning against Nigeria 156-73. Nigeria was emerging into its first olympics men’s basketball competition. Down 83 in this Olympic competition, Nigeria still walked away a winner emerging as the next eleven economies due to its gushing oil reserves.

Leaving Nigeria with an 83 point lead, Team USA was ready to get the party started. Facing Lithuania, Team USA was nearly caught off-guard. LeBron James changed into his superman outfit adding 9 of 20 points in the last four minutes allowing Team USA to squeeze out a 99-94 win.  Lithuania is known for its extremes with weather ranging from minus 45 to 99 F,  hurricane-force storms, blizzards, droughts and floods. They know how to weather a storm.

Facing Argentina, Team USA was ready for the above-the-belt plays but not the below-the-belt play. Team USA walked away with a 126-97 lead and a jab below the belt from Argentina. ”If we can’t win the game, we’ll win the fight.”

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USA Flies Over Tunisia in Men’s Basketball – London Summer Olympics 2012

With 5:36 minutes remaining in the second quarter of the USA v Tunisia,  men’s basketball game, LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat gives definition to the term, “triathlete,” with his right arm extended up over his head stretching like a swimmer as he brings the ball through the air splashing to the rim, while his legs and feet keep moving through the air like a runner on land, all this, while he elevates to the rim with his body accelerating forward like a biker cycling to the finish line. Defying gravity, LeBron goes flying past his Tunisian defender. The men’s USA basketball team never looks back, beating Tunisia 110-63.

With 5 for 5, Anthony Davis, Jr., with the New Orléans Saints makes an impressive dunk bringing his winning charm from Kentucky’s victory in the 2012 NCAA Championship earlier this year. The USA is well represented in the London 2012 Summer Olympics Mens Basketball with Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, Jr. from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul from the LA Clippers, Kobe Bryant from the LA Lakers, Andrew Iguodala from the Philadelphia 76ers, Deron Williams from the Brooklyn Nets, Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks, and Coach Michael Krzyzewski from Duke.

My mind keeps seeing LeBron’s dunk but cannot find the answer to the how. Giving it more thought, now, I know why LeBron was able to elevate with such bounce.  He was not attached to the “i” in winning. When you are too attached to winning it keeps you earth-bound.  I recalled LeBron’s impressive behind-the-back pass to Kevin Durant allowing Durant to score when LeBron could have very well gone on to make that basket also (46-33). Great players like LeBron not only play well, they also make their team look good.