Dribbling Ink

(I always love art with writing; however, this will be a challenge for my coverage (?) of the OBU Lady Tigers. Since it was a monumental night for OBU head coach Garry Crowder, this will have to suffice.) Ok, as promised, here is the first Dribbling Ink post about the Ouachita Lady Tigers’ basketball team. Before we get into any specifics, I’d like to layout how this will work. After every game I attend, which will mostly be home games, I will write up a quick reaction to all the action. I will break each post into four parts: 1) The Dirty Details , which will list all the essentials in case you aren’t interested in my ramblings; 2) Dribbling Ink’s Recap (let’s call it DI’s Recap), a.k.a. my random, almost-journalistic thoughts on the game; 3) The Wife Update , a quick glimpse of Kasa Cooper’s role in the game; 4) the Dribbling Ink Made-Up Quote of the Game (does DIMUQOTG work?), where I attribute a quote to Coach Crowder that he didn’t say but could, should, or may have said afterwa...

This is largely a precautionary post. I've mentioned that my wife plays for the Ouachita Baptist Lady Tiger basketball team a number of times; however, I wouldn't be surprised if A) you didn't believe me or B) you didn't pay attention. I just wanted to post a quick link (or you can just click on the title of this blog post) to the roster so you can check out the team: http://www.obutigers.com/wbasketball/2008-09roster.asp Anyway, since I'll be around for most of the home games, it seems I should keep a running commentary about the team. I mean, I'm so used to watching sports with the eye of the journalist that sometimes it's hard to just enjoy for pure entertainment value. This way maybe I can satisfy a little of both cravings. Quick OBU Lady Tiger rundown (at least from my limited prospective): Last year, the Lady Tigers had a few internal problems which forced them to clean house of many of their upperclassmen. Therefore, there are only two seniors and thr...

( Caption: So Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as "Joe the Plumber", can't win an election for you. But I bet he can plunge your toliet, right?) A lot of responsibility comes with marriage, such as taking care of your wife when she’s sick like mine is right now. However, to me that’s an easy one. I can make chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate, and Jell-O. The challenging part of being married, for me, is the Tim-Allen home improvement gig. Growing up, my dad took care of all those things: changing the oil in the vehicles, patching holes in the wall, replacing chipped tiles, repairing damaged furniture, and unclogging toilets and sinks. To this day there isn’t a problem that my dad can’t solve. It’s his calling. A fixing-up vision I didn’t inherit. Last week, the toilet in our apartment started acting up, such as not flushing with full velocity and taking a minute to drain and refill. Eventually, it stopped working at all. Oh, if there isn’t anything more inhumane t...

Honestly, maybe I should take up a job as a Ghostbuster. After graduating college and finally getting away from T he Paragould Daily Press --or The Daily Mess , as it's more affectionately known to its readers--I swore to myself that I would never work in the newspaper business again. Heh. Well, you see, desperate times make you do desperate things. I've been looking for a job for over two months, which has included rounds and rounds of interviews and assessments. Therefore, when I saw an opening for a job at The Gurdon Times , I had no choice but to apply. Of course the call came for the interview--heck, I have years of experience, awards, accolades, and an applicable degree. What could go wrong? Besides working for $7.50 an hour at a weekly newspaper in Gurdon, Arkansas. Needless to say, the interview went well--in fact, I'm convinced I know more about the newspaper business than the woman who interviewed me. But let's jump to the point: I didn't get the job. The...

I figured my wife would appreciate this picture. In case some people get worried, this picture was taken at Pumpkin Hollow last year. I just always found it creepy because she looks so pale--and that smile.

Woo, if there's such a thing as a list writer, I'm in. In fact, I'm available for work right away. Maybe I lose all literary credit by writing this blog, but it's sure a lot easier to write in lists than it is in complete thoughts. Since the wife and I are going to Paragould this weekend, here's a list of the best things about going home: 1) Family. 2) Free food. 3) Mom's free, home-cooked food. 4) Four solid hours of driving. Not. 5) Cable. 5a) NFL. 5b) College football. 5c) ESPN. 5d) Nancy Grace--wait, that's my Mom's list. 6) Cousins. Yeah, I know they are family, but they are more friends. That's supposed to be a compliment, but it doesn't seem that way when I read it. Oh well. 7) Sweets. Though Kasa did make some good no-bake, oatmeal cookies this week. 8) Mom-washed laundry. Heh. 9) Living out of a suitcase. Love it. 10) I don't have to worry about not having a job. Peace. Enjoy your weekend if we don't meet here ...

Because I’ve been lazy lately, and there haven’t been any random strangers wandering into the apartment, it’s time to break out another list. Things I’ve learned since I got married: 1) I’ll eat cheese cake with strawberries on top (after years of avoiding this topping, making my mother prepare all food “plain” my entire life, my wife forced me to try it—it’s not so bad). 2) I’ll eat vegetables, namely corn not on the cob, which I’ve never liked before. 3) Supreme pizzas are actually quite tasteful. 4) Being “overqualified” for a job is actually Coachspeak—or maybe Workspeak, in this case—for “Yes, you have a degree, which does make you more formally educated than everyone else that applied; however, your degree is a B.A. in English and we’re not sure that it’s practical in any way to the business environment. Good luck serving up White Chocolate Mochas at Starbucks, hippie.” 5) Eating chicken wasn’t just a childhood fad of mine. It’s a lifetime commitment. 6) I think abo...