Of Games and People

I am a little behind on writing about some great events in my life that are worth writing about, but I will try to post them in chronological order and maybe throw in a rant or review in the middle :)

This event happened the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the form of the Turkey Triples Tournament. I had the opportunity to play in a triples disc golf tournament. If you are unfamiliar with idea of triples, it is basically three players using their throws for one group score. There are variations on how you can attain your score. In this tournament, the first round was "three-headed monster," in which each team member must contribute 6 of the total 18 drives, and for the holes that a team member contributes their drive, their other two teammates continue to play out the hole.

The second round was played as "best shot" which is exactly how it sounds. All of the team mates get to throw something for every shot, and the team picks which one they like best to get an overall best score.

As fun as this event sounds, (and as hard as I tried) there ended up being only one women's team at the event. (Actually, there ended up being a total of six women at the tournament, the other three were all part of different men's teams). My team consisted of Amber Cochran, Jackie Heider and me. We called ourselves Team Girl Squad and we competed with the Advanced Men. (Sadly, I was the only teammate who could appreciate Strongbad's cartoon!)

Our first round we set our goal to playing the coarse at par (54 total strokes, par=3 at each hole). We played most of the course at 2 over, but saved some of the difficult holes for the end where our focus and energy also dwindled, and ended up with a score of +6.

After getting some food and getting warmed up on that foggy day, we came back to play the best shot round at 2 under par! I can lay claim to 2 of the birdies (Birdie is one under par for the hole, so a 2) and the other 2 birdies I contributed a decent putt and a good drive.

The day proved to be very exciting for me, it was the first time I had ever birdied hole 15, and I hadn't played a round of disc golf since the event I ran on Halloween. More than just having fun at the event, I learned some things too. I feel like I have a very strong mindset, and have a lot of self-confidence in general. During those two rounds of disc golf, I learned that I have limited myself with how well I can play that disc golf course at Willamette Park. In my head, I really didn't think my team could play better than par. What helped me see these limitations I had put on myself, was playing with Amber. She is an up and coming disc golfer, and has a generally positive attitude towards disc golf. She helped me remember the attitude that I used to have playing that course, that one day I really could play every hole there really well. Why not? It's not like my drives haven't been getting farther and my putting range hasn't been getting longer. If I got nothing else from that tournament, it was well worth it.

Alas, that was not all I learned that day. For a long time I had been struggling with one certain relationship that seems to follow me like a shadow. Just before this event, some changes were made and I was still unsure that my decision was the right one. Now I know it was. At this event I got to see the many friends I have made over the years through disc golf. There are so many people that I know, and people that actually are happy to see me and what to know all that I have been up to since we last spoke. I have come to realize that it is really nice to be around people who want to see you. It's probably close to whether anyone reads your blog. I mean, take a look at this one, super long, should I read it? Well, I genuinely want to know what is going on in her life and what insight she can bring into mine, why not? Thanks for caring and I apologize for the length!

Youtube & Fashion

So I got online originally to write a blog about one of the 3 or so ideas that have been rumbling around in my head waiting to find their way on here, but instead I got on Youtube.com, and watch a lot of videos on how to do make-up and other fashion tips. This girl is adorable, you should check her out. She also has some great costume ideas, Heidi originally sent me the "How to be ninja" one right before Halloween.

Here is her link:


Enjoy!!

Update

Hello friends.

I haven't written anything for a really long time, and I miss it! I'm a woman of too many interests, which is the main problem. Another problem is I have my blog linked to facebook, and I'm not sure I want to maintain that link. There are a lot of people who view my facebook and less, potentially closer friends who view my blog. Although it is the internet, so everything is essentially public anyway, right?

So be you my friend on facebook or of my blog, please leave me a comment of your opinion on whether or not I should keep up this link. I will start writing more.

Thank you for your thoughts!!

Split Personality?

Hello friends! Today I had quite the terrible round of disc golf. I can't say that going into it was so bad, I was excited to work on that anhyzer that Dion was helping me with to improve my drive.

When I got to the course, I was excited to see that there weren't very many people around. I got to throw a few drives on 1 and 2, but by then there was already some guys right behind me. I let them play through, and threw more drives on 4, only to realize there were some guys behind me again, except these guys were newbies with regular frizbees. I don't know what it is about people who play disc golf who really don't know what they're doing, but some how they always seem to play faster than me and not get the hint when I'm trying to let them play through.

Once I realized these guys weren't going to get the hint, I just decided I'd forget throwing tons of drives and just try to play real fast and get ahead of these guys. For some reason, I was super annoyed by these particular frisbee throwers, and I began playing absolutely awful.

Something that I have learned in my studies of Exercise Science (now finished with that degree, woohoo!) is that when you learn something new, you usually have a shift of getting worse and then all of a sudden you get better than you were originally. I find it interesting that I get the opportunity to taste that awesomeness with those first few throws, and then when I try them on my own... look out! The other annoying thing about learning something new is that it seems to tweak everything else that is related to that skill. All of my other throws are not doing well at all, and it's not like I can just go back to how I was throwing before.

With all of that going on in my round, (not to mention only one par!!!) I was not so happy. I hate the mood I get in too, it's horrible! The funny thing is, I had to confront those frisbee players behind me, who were indeed, very nice. Made some jokes about playing catch and they of course were in wonder about my huge disc golf bag I carry around. Then I finished 18, and saw that there was a girl putting on the practice basket. I of course have to go over to her and give her a flyer to promote Women's Weekends at Willamette, so I forget my round and put on a happy face. It was pretty exciting, because she actually had heard of WW@W, and had a flyer before, so maybe she'll actually come to one and there will be new girls playing Willamette on Saturdays.

Moral of the story: No matter how frustrated you are, make sure you can keep it to yourself, or be able to fake a good attitude to everyone else around you!

Shavonne, Siobhan, whatever....

I am very excited to announce that I have finished reading the Twilight Series, I finished reading Breaking Dawn late last night. Although I did not love the books, or care too much for the way Stephanie Meyers writes, I really enjoyed some of the characters she created. After all, she gave a vampire the same name as me! Siobhan!

As you may notice, it is not spelled the same, but Siobhan is the Gaelic version of my name (or Irish version if you prefer). The vampire named Siobhan was pretty cool, the leader of the Irish coven and had the suspected power of things turning out the way she thinks they should. Very unique.

Reading this name made me think of the last time someone brought this Gaelic spelling to my attention. Of all places to hear about alternate spellings, I last heard about it at my last belt test in October. Yeah, that's right, my brown belt test! The big test I had been practicing months for, the test where sparring is included, and the test where I would have to work with students going for higher level belts than mine. This was one of the big tests that happen twice a year at Aurora Martial Arts. Once you become an advanced student (promoting to brown belt and above), you can only move on to the next belt rank at one of these tests. The other important aspect of this kind of test, is that my instructor, Mr. Donadio, not only has his black belt instructors at the test, but invites other high ranking black belts to oversee the test. Most always this includes Mr. John Sepulveda, a highly revered 9th degree black belt in American Kenpo.

So it was this last October, and I got through the much anticipated belt test still in one piece. The class was lined up to bow out and end the test, but Mr. Sepulveda gave us some closing words about how the test went. After he got through the aspects he wished to discuss about our test, he started to turn us over to Mr. Donadio to bow us out, but right before he did, he remembered he had one more thing to say. He looked at me in the back line and asked, "Shavonne, do know where your name originates from? If you are interested in the Gaelic spelling of your name, you should email me and I'll let you know." After that we were dismissed. Talk about a weird place to learn about your name!

So if you see the spelling of Siobhan, you now know how to pronounce it:)

Twilight Movie Review

One of my least creative titles. As predicted, this is a review for the movie Twilight. This review will talk about any surprises it holds for those who have not seen it, and will also discuss some differences found in the book.

So, my overall opinion of this movie is: pretty good. I read the book first, like the weekend before seeing the movie, and when I first saw it, all I could do was compare it to the book (even though I tried so hard not to) and feel a little disappointed in the depiction of Edward. I have since seen the movie a second time, and that viewing was a whole lot more enjoyable. I noticed things I hadn't noticed before, small details that make a good movie great.

First, I should tell you, that I did not love the book Twilight. I loved the idea of it (a love story that includes a vampire, what's not to love?) and I also really loved the first half of the book. The second half wasn't as exciting, I didn't like the way Edward and Bella had "playful" squabbles. It was annoying. Bella got really annoying.

But this review is about the movie, not the book. I will start with the things I did not like about the movie. First, I have to talk about Edward. I knew that the Edward that Hollywood would create could never equal the one created in my head. After all, he's supposed to be my dream guy, and who knows what he looks like? Aside from that, I didn't really like the make-up for Edward during most of the first half of the movie. It made him look really scary and not really beautiful and colorless. It made me think that the actor wasn't that good-looking, but as the movie progressed and there was less make-up, he really is good-looking, and makes a very good Edward.

My other gripe about Edward is that he seemed more shy in the movie than elegant. In the book he was described as being from another time, he was overly polite and spoke in a more old-fashioned way. He didn't really seem that way in the movie, just sort of shy and afraid of what was happening.

Since I am on the topic of looks, the evil vampires were not quite as evil as I imagined. Then again, my mind has more power to make something scary than Hollywood does. James looked like a good-looking punk, not really the ruffian killer I had imagined. The evil vampires were alright, just not as menacing as I was hoping for.

Another downer on this movie was some very cheesy lines, and not all the fault of the movie, some were taken straight from the book. I especially hated when Edward was describing what Bella's blood was like to him. In the book he used a few analogies before he got to the ridiculous "You're like my own personal brand of Heroine." If they were going to take just one analogy, my pick would have been the alcoholic with the scotch, not the heroine. The description of the alcoholic was much more elegant, which probably helped me think that the movie version of Edward was not so elegant.

Along with some cheesy lines, I have to poke some fun at his running scenes. It looked funny. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I definitely think it could have been better. Also the scene where the Cullens were killing James, that part was pretty ridiculous too. Just strange. Not elegant. Not my version of a vampire.

Now on to the things I liked about the movie. I really, really liked Bella. I can't describe how much I don't like her in the book. In the movie, she was a klutz but not so much that it made you get annoyed with her. She has a much stronger character in the movie, which is very conflicting in the book. She was prettier in the movie too, and that's got to be a plus.

Because of this good Bella, I like her relationship with Edward better. It seemed more real, like they could actually have a relationship, like he might actually be attracted to someone like her. Bella has a strong character, and that made her a little bit closer to having an equal relationship with Edward. So the silly squabbles, weren't squabbles, they were legitimate. I think you get the point.

I also really liked how some of the characters changed. Take Eric, for example. He was just some nerd in the book that I didn't really care about. In the movie, he was funny and some of the needed comic relief for such a serious romantic story. The same goes with Bella's dad, Charlie. I liked him better too. He seemed to act more like a dad and also add to the humor.

Another interesting thing I liked, was that there was a ethnic diversity to the cast. I imagined everyone white, as would be easy to do, this story takes place in a small town in Washington which is not far from here, where most people probably are white European decedents. It was nice to see a good variety in the cast.

Did anyone else notice Edward catch the apple in his hands, just like the cover of the book? That picture has absolutely no significance in the book, I thought it was really awesome that it was incorporated into the movie. Very artistic.

The last couple of things I'll mention don't really have much to do with regular movie topics, but I still enjoyed them! First, the music. I was very excited to hear a song from Muse for the baseball game scene. (That also reminds me, I loved how Alice pitched, so pretty!) The other thing, an OSU graduate helped work on the set design, and part of the movie was filmed in Oregon. I bet you saw Multnomah Falls.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie, and wouldn't be opposed to seeing it again. Please feel free to give comments on your thoughts about this movie, or my opinions of it!

One Disc Therapy

Last week, Wednesday I believe it was, I knew I would have a lot of free time and decided to make plans to play a round of disc golf (you know, wear the appropriate clothing, bring discs, etc.). I'm not sure what set my mood off that day, but I was in a really irritating mood. One of those where you're mad at everything and don't want to do anything else but sit there and be miserable.

I drove around a bit, made a stop at the Co-op and browsed through their discs and finally found myself at Willamette Park. I sat in my car for a while just staring at the expanse in front of me, contemplating whether I really felt like playing or not.

I got out of my car, and grabbed one disc from my trunk: my cool-colored star Eagle that hasn't been thrown much. I threw the disc a couple of times in the grassy area that is not the the disc golf course, kind of "practicing" my mid-range throw. I decided I did want to play some of the course, maybe not a whole round, and so I proceeded to tee pad 1 (still with just my Eagle).

The first few holes were awful as far as scoring goes, and I remember thinking "I probably should stop throwing right now, I'm only going to create bad habits," but I kept playing. It felt really good to release some of that bad energy I was storing up inside me.

Somewhere around hole 4 or 5 I started feeling happier and thus playing a little better. It is also at about this point in the course where some of the switch-backing begins and the fairways mesh between holes. I threw a drive on 5 with my lovely Eagle, not a great drive, but not a terrible drive either. The guy playing in front of me with his bag full of discs (he didn't have quad straps, so I guess not that hard core) complimented my good form. I'm pretty sure he thought he was just complimenting a newbie-one-discer, but it could have had to do with me being female. I suppose he could have just been complimenting my good form because it was good form.

A couple of holes after that a group of 3 were waiting at the tee to let me play through. They were all pretty inexperienced, (or just didn't throw far) and were just out for an enjoyable time with each other.

I teed off in front of them, secretly wanting to be impressive, and I threw a good drive. They joked around about trying to make me nervous and how it seemed to have no effect. I guess I did impress them.

The rest of the round went ok, I had some really great holes, and some not-so-great. By the end of the round I was happy and thinking about my disc golf game, not what was annoying me before.

I finished my one disc round and grabbed my putters so I could keep goofing around. A group of about 4 college-aged boys (probably freshman, I mistook them for high schoolers) were getting ready to tee off on 1. They asked me I was going to play alone and invited me to join them and offer any tips because they are all new. I wasn't about to attempt a round with my 2 putters, so I went and got my bag - that really impressed them!

I played an enjoyable few holes with them, they were really easy to impress. They thought it was cool that I even knew someone who has over 200 discs or that I knew someone who has thrown an ace.

So what started out as an outlet for me to get into a better mood, turned out to be a sneaky way to fish for compliments and feel really good about something. If you ever see me in a bad mood, tell me to try one disc therapy.