A game, a ride, and a plug for my local burrito joint
Well, aren't I just the laziest blogger ever. More than a week goes by with nary a post from yours truly. And now that I get around to posting, I'm going to ride the coattails of another blogger friend. Lazy, indeed.
Anyway, my weekend was good. Friday night, my friend CB invited me to go see a Swarm LaCrosse game in St Paul. Now those who know me might wonder why I'd go to a LaCrosse game, since generally I'd rather gouge both my eyes out with a rusty spoon than watch spectator sports. But since I really knew very little about LaCrosse, I thought it might be a fun learning experience. And it was, to a degree.
The game is super energetic, fast paced, and the players demonstrate a crazy amount of skill. The goal (or net or whatever) is very small, relative to other "goal" games like hockey, soccer, water polo, etc. So the players really need to have good aim to thread a shot past the goalie (under his legs, over his shoulder, etc.) The goalie's body blocks a large portion of the goal while simply standing still. It's also a fairly physical game, with a tons of contact as players jockey for position. Moves like behind-the-back shots and passes add to the excitement. Like I say, those players have skills.
The atmosphere in the Xcel Center was kind of annoying though. I've never been to a game where they play (heavy metal) music during almost the entire game. And I don't mean just during timeouts or after goals are scored - I mean they pump the music the *entire* game, whether the ball is in play or not. It's almost as if they're trying to create a colliseum-type atmosphere ... I kept waiting for trapdoors to open and chained lions to jump out of the floor. Way too much stimulation in that environment - I was on sensory overload. (Then again, I'm the guy who got annoyed in college when the roommates would have the TV and stereo on at the same time - it was just too much sensory stimulation for me. Anyway...) But at the same time, by the end of the game I was bored despite the overload. Oh well - I've come to accept that spectator sports aren't my gig - that's why I'm so active myself.
Saturday, had plans to ride with DC in the morning, but the rain had us pinned down, watching (the radar) and hoping it would clear up for most of the day. Finally, it was 3pm, and with no end to the rain in sight, we postponed the ride until Sunday. But this gave me a chance to do some work around the house, including putting new rubber on my old Cervelo road bike and get it ready to sell (I'll be posting photos and description up here soon, don't you worry!)
Sunday, the weather was great and DC and I were on the road by mid-morning. For a ride description, I'll refer you to DC's post since she's posted way ahead of me. But I'll add that while I outclimbed her on some of the hills, she was hauling ass on the flats and gave me a run for my money. And by the end of the ride, I was pretty much spent, while she was still energized - go figure!
I remembered to bring money so I could stop at Burrito Loco on the way home, and they were kind enough to let me park my bike inside while I ate, since I didn't have my Ulock on me. I don't think they'd let me do that at Chipotle, and at Loco you get chips and salsa for free with your burrito. Plus, it's a regular occurance at Loco to have your burrito burst open when they're trying to wrap it - they don't skip on the fillings, that's for sure. So if you're in the mood for a burrito, forget about Chipotle and head immediately to Loco instead - you won't regret it!
Sunday evening was spent with a date hanging out at the outdoor bars at St Anthony Main. And what a gorgeous night! The decks weren't too crowded, and the view over the river was great. I haven't spent much time hanging at St Anthony Main, but it's now on my short list of great summer hang-out spots.
Anyway, my weekend was good. Friday night, my friend CB invited me to go see a Swarm LaCrosse game in St Paul. Now those who know me might wonder why I'd go to a LaCrosse game, since generally I'd rather gouge both my eyes out with a rusty spoon than watch spectator sports. But since I really knew very little about LaCrosse, I thought it might be a fun learning experience. And it was, to a degree.
The game is super energetic, fast paced, and the players demonstrate a crazy amount of skill. The goal (or net or whatever) is very small, relative to other "goal" games like hockey, soccer, water polo, etc. So the players really need to have good aim to thread a shot past the goalie (under his legs, over his shoulder, etc.) The goalie's body blocks a large portion of the goal while simply standing still. It's also a fairly physical game, with a tons of contact as players jockey for position. Moves like behind-the-back shots and passes add to the excitement. Like I say, those players have skills.
The atmosphere in the Xcel Center was kind of annoying though. I've never been to a game where they play (heavy metal) music during almost the entire game. And I don't mean just during timeouts or after goals are scored - I mean they pump the music the *entire* game, whether the ball is in play or not. It's almost as if they're trying to create a colliseum-type atmosphere ... I kept waiting for trapdoors to open and chained lions to jump out of the floor. Way too much stimulation in that environment - I was on sensory overload. (Then again, I'm the guy who got annoyed in college when the roommates would have the TV and stereo on at the same time - it was just too much sensory stimulation for me. Anyway...) But at the same time, by the end of the game I was bored despite the overload. Oh well - I've come to accept that spectator sports aren't my gig - that's why I'm so active myself.
Saturday, had plans to ride with DC in the morning, but the rain had us pinned down, watching (the radar) and hoping it would clear up for most of the day. Finally, it was 3pm, and with no end to the rain in sight, we postponed the ride until Sunday. But this gave me a chance to do some work around the house, including putting new rubber on my old Cervelo road bike and get it ready to sell (I'll be posting photos and description up here soon, don't you worry!)
Sunday, the weather was great and DC and I were on the road by mid-morning. For a ride description, I'll refer you to DC's post since she's posted way ahead of me. But I'll add that while I outclimbed her on some of the hills, she was hauling ass on the flats and gave me a run for my money. And by the end of the ride, I was pretty much spent, while she was still energized - go figure!
I remembered to bring money so I could stop at Burrito Loco on the way home, and they were kind enough to let me park my bike inside while I ate, since I didn't have my Ulock on me. I don't think they'd let me do that at Chipotle, and at Loco you get chips and salsa for free with your burrito. Plus, it's a regular occurance at Loco to have your burrito burst open when they're trying to wrap it - they don't skip on the fillings, that's for sure. So if you're in the mood for a burrito, forget about Chipotle and head immediately to Loco instead - you won't regret it!
Sunday evening was spent with a date hanging out at the outdoor bars at St Anthony Main. And what a gorgeous night! The decks weren't too crowded, and the view over the river was great. I haven't spent much time hanging at St Anthony Main, but it's now on my short list of great summer hang-out spots.
posted by equipoise at 8:29 PM
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