(This was supposed to post on Monday. Again, oops.)

We finished up our season yesterday. Second place in Nationals.

And we’re okay with it.

We beat Albany 5-3 in the semi-finals.

Due to a wild card system in the semi-finals, we had to again face Raleigh in the Finals, whom we beat the day before.

This time we lost 12-0.

Our team played hard. Very. But we’re okay – last time, 4th; this time 2nd. It’s all good.

Just wait for next year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now it’s on to Brewfest work for me!

(This should have posted for 11/8. Apparently I didn’t correctly set the auto-publish since I wrote it the night before. Oops.)

So, I think we’ll all agree that I’m old, and that I might actually go a little more “old school” than the rest of you in terms of music. Before a game, I might listen to my guys from Shiver, but I also might pull some Ravel Bolero, or Eduoard Lalo. Or country. Or crazy Static X, Metallica, 80’s, dance, whatever…

I’m okay with it. Music IS My Muse. I wasn’t kidding when I started those posts. (They’ll return this month, starting with this one.)

I was given a copy of the new Michael Buble CD – Crazy Love.

And it’s what I listened to before the games on Saturday.

I give you Michael Buble’s “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” from his new CD “Crazy Love”

Hi, I’m a band dork that is a hard core rugby player. Do you have a problem with that?

Apparently, last night while I was having an oh-so-fun time in the Washington, DC airport, someone was attacked with a pipe ON THE CORNER MY STREET. What?

This is NOT acceptable.

Link for the news report: http://kdka.com/video/?id=64993@kdka.dayport.com

(I’m sorta behind on NaBloPoMo, but believe me, I’ll make up for it.)

I started in the first match today vs. Charleston. Did okay, nothing spectacular. What was spectacular was our 51-5 win.

We then faced Raleigh. Raleigh used to compete in Division I, and have one the Division II National Championships in the past.

We beat them 17-15.

We now advance to the Semi-Finals tomorrow morning at 9am (Houston time. 10am EST) against Albany.

I’ll continue to text/Tweet all of you who I contacted today to update you!!

Thanks for your support!

The Angels were on KDKA news today. See the link below.

http://kdka.com/video/?id=64878@kdka.dayport.com

I’m the awesome one in the green & white jersey…

Wow. I have a lot to do. So this will be short. I’ll post more tomorrow.

Watch KDKA-TV News tomorrow night at 5:30 for a report by Jory Rand. You might catch yours truly in a green & white rugby jersey, navy blue shorts, some awesome black & white striped socks, a winter hat or scrum cap, and my bad-ass boots. Yeah, that’s how I roll. Hawt… Along with the rest of my teammates.

I’m going to go pack now. Later!

Well, sort of. Here’s yesterday’s to-do list… What I accomplished today is crossed off. What I absolutely HAVE to do tomorrow, that’s in red. Things that will be/should be finished up later tonight, they’re blue…

• One more practice. The last practice of the year. Wow. But a news crew is stopping by that practice!! More on that soon…

• Sewing. It HAS to be done. I don’t want to have to take it with me, but it might happen. Sewing makes me happy… So maybe I should just take it… I don’t know… This is something I have to clear with Lili, to be honest.

• Laundry – lots of it. I seem to have enough rugby stuff for two practices or games. That’s it. You’d think by now I’d have a stock-pile of stuff, but I don’t. The one area I’m apparently a true minimalist.

• Also, my socks keep disappearing. I have no idea where they are going, but I have very few socks in rotation suddenly. What the heck?

• After laundry, I need to figure out what the heck I need to take with me for the weekend. Two flights, one light practice, four rugby matches, at least two or three dinners with the team. And who knows what else. I need to review the kagillion emails in my inbox that I’ve been ignoring.

• Packing:
  • The checked bag
    • The checked bag gets most of the clothes, the bad-ass dirty boots and a bunch of other things. First, however, I need to clear it of all the clothes/crap I store in there throughout the season.
  • The carry on
    • The carry on gets the old boots, and enough for one rugby match & a pair of flip flops. God help me if my stuff goes missing.
  • My netbook bag
    • The netbook bag will have said netbook, multiple reading materials (including Candide, which I haven’t manged to finish yet, given everything else,) Brewfest stuff in print that I can work on, and the essential docs required for roster check in before our game: a copy of my birth certificate, my insurance card and my ID.

• Hopefully two, but absolutely ONE chiropractor appointment. Good thing about this season? I didn’t have back pain at all. Bad thing? When I finally started to participate, my back started hating me in FULL FORCE. OMG. It’s not the worst it’s been, but the constant ache is closing in on unbearable.

• One meeting with UncleCrappy for a good-luck beer tomorrow night. (aka this evening…)
  

• Updating the Angels Chalk Talk Blog… I hate to say it, but I’m scheduling posts between now and when we leave. It HAS to be done, if I want to do anything else on this list.

• Updating the PRFC website to take down mailed out Brewfest ticket orders and switch to Will Call ticket orders.

• Mailing out the remaining ticket orders.

• Getting back to the multiple brewers who suddenly want to attend Brewfest.

Oh, and the brackets stuff? It’s changed. AGAIN.

Seeding:

1. Miami (USA Rugby South)
2. Pittsburgh (MidWest)
3. Albany (Northeast)
4. Raleigh (MidAtlantic)
5. Providence (Northeast)
6. Charleston (USA Rugby South)
7. Maryland Stingers (MidAtlantic)
8. Minneapolis (MidWest)
9. Santa Monica (Southern California)
10. Houston (West)

Pool A: Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Charleston, Houston
Pool B: Miami, Providence, Minneapolis
Pool C: Albany, Maryland, Santa Monica

Saturday

POOL A
Venue: University of Houston

1:00pm – Pittsburgh vs Charleston – Field 1
1:00pm – Raleigh vs Houston – Field 2

3:30pm – 1pm game losers – Field 1
3:30pm – 1 pm game winners – Field 2

POOLS B AND C
Venue: Westland Family YMCA

8:30am – Albany vs Maryland (C)
9:45am – Miami vs Providence (B)
11:00am – Maryland vs Santa Monica (C)

12:45pm – Providence vs Minneapolis (B)
2:00pm – Albany vs Santa Monica (C)
3:15pm – Miami vs Minneapolis (B)

Sunday
Venue: University of Houston

9:00am – Game 11: Pool A #1 vs Pool C #1
9:00am – Game 12: Pool B #1 vs Overall #4
9:00am – Game 13: Overall #9 vs Overall #10

10:30am – Game 14: Overall #7 vs Overall #8
10:30am – Game 15: Overall #5 vs Overall #6

11:30am -Game 16: Loser game 11 vs Loser game 12 (3/4 place)
1:00pm – Game 17: Winner game 11 vs Winner game 12 (Final)

Two days from now, I will be staying at a teammate’s house. I’m happy I’ll have a bunch of girls there to make sure my butt wakes up at an hour I don’t really believe exists.

There is so much to do between now and then:

• One more practice. The last practice of the year. Wow. But a news crew is stopping by that practice!! More on that soon…

• Sewing. It HAS to be done. I don’t want to have to take it with me, but it might happen. Sewing makes me happy… So maybe I should just take it… I don’t know… This is something I have to clear with Lili, to be honest.

• Laundry – lots of it. I seem to have enough rugby stuff for two practices or games. That’s it. You’d think by now I’d have a stock-pile of stuff, but I don’t. The one area I’m apparently a true minimalist.

• Also, my socks keep disappearing. I have no idea where they are going, but I have very few socks in rotation suddenly. What the heck?

• After laundry, I need to figure out what the heck I need to take with me for the weekend. Two flights, one light practice, four rugby matches, at least two or three dinners with the team. And who knows what else. I need to review the kagillion emails in my inbox that I’ve been ignoring.

• Packing:
  • The checked bag
    • The checked bag gets most of the clothes, the bad-ass dirty boots and a bunch of other things. First, however, I need to clear it of all the clothes/crap I store in there throughout the season.
  • The carry on
    • The carry on gets the old boots, and enough for one rugby match & a pair of flip flops. God help me if my stuff goes missing.
  • My netbook bag
    • The netbook bag will have said netbook, multiple reading materials (including Candide, which I haven’t manged to finish yet, given everything else,) Brewfest stuff in print that I can work on, and the essential docs required for roster check in before our game: a copy of my birth certificate, my insurance card and my ID.

• Hopefully two, but absolutely ONE chiropractor appointment. Good thing about this season? I didn’t have back pain at all. Bad thing? When I finally started to participate, my back started hating me in FULL FORCE. OMG. It’s not the worst it’s been, but the constant ache is closing in on unbearable.

• One meeting with UncleCrappy for a good-luck beer tomorrow night.

• Updating the Angels Chalk Talk Blog… I hate to say it, but I’m scheduling posts between now and when we leave. It HAS to be done, if I want to do anything else on this list.

• Updating the PRFC website to take down mailed out Brewfest ticket orders and switch to Will Call ticket orders.

• Mailing out the remaining ticket orders.

• Getting back to the multiple brewers who suddenly want to attend Brewfest.

Yeah, looks like a fun two days, doesn’t it?

This blog, however, will be updated daily, even if it’s to tell you I’m alive. Facebook? Don’t count on it. Twitter? Well, I have my phone, but at this point, don’t expect much there either except for updates on Saturday and Sunday when I can.

By the way, I can’t remember if I’ve said it lately or not, but I felt in the Spring that I finally got the game. Somewhere between then and this season, I lost it. I don’t know what happened…. I plan to think about & write about it in the next few days, but IT’S BACK PEOPLE.

But, after the last three practices and how I see myself reacting to what my teammates do? For the most part, it’s back… I have a few things to work on, but I’m seeing things the way I did in the Spring.

That? Makes me so happy. And so ready for this weekend. We’re so ready, My Angels and I.

Bonus NaBloPoMo post… The games for this weekend. Commence the freak out, y’all…. Only kidding. The Angels have it. Locked. Down.

I will post here, there and everywhere as soon as I can. Best I can tell you now is be on Twitter-watch. That will be easiest for me. Unless you are Lili or someone else not on Twitter, then I’ll text you.

The 2009 DII Women’s Nationals game info has been posted… Here’s what we’re dealing with:

Seeding:

1. Miami (USA Rugby South)
2. Pittsburgh (MidWest)
3. Albany (Northeast)
4. Raleigh (MidAtlantic)
5. Providence (Northeast)
6. Charleston (USA Rugby South)
7. Maryland Stingers (MidAtlantic)
8. Minneapolis (MidWest)
9. Santa Monica (Southern California)
10. Houston (West)

Pool A: Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Charleston, Houston
Pool B: Miami, Providence, Minneapolis
Pool C: Albany, Maryland, Santa Monica

Saturday

12:15pm – Game 1: Pittsburgh vs Charleston (A)
12:30pm – Game 2: Miami vs Providence (B)
12:30pm – Game 3: Albany vs Maryland Stingers (C)

1:30pm – Game 4: Raleigh vs Houston (A)

2:30pm – Game 5: Maryland Stingers  vs Santa Monica (C)
2:30pm – Game 6: Providence vs Minneapolis (B)
2:45pm – Game 7: Winner game 1 vs game Winner 4 (A)

4:00pm – Game 8: Loser game 1 vs game Loser 4 (A)
4:30pm – Game 9: South #1 vs MidWest #2 (B)
4:30pm – Game 10: Northeast #1 vs SoCal #1 (C)

Sunday
9:00am – Game 11: Pool A #1 vs Pool C #1
9:00am – Game 12: Pool B #1 vs Overall #4
9:00am – Game 13: Overall #9 vs Overall #10

10:30am – Game 14: Overall #7 vs Overall #8
10:30am – Game 15: Overall #5 vs Overall #6

11:30am -Game 16: Loser game 11 vs Loser game 12 (3/4 place)
1:00pm – Game 17: Winner game 11 vs Winner game 12 (Final)

GO ANGELS!!

Ok. On Friday I mentioned that it was still too early to enter freak-out mode for Houston.

Well, it’s almost time. Tomorrow will be spent fixing something that kinda went bad on me & needs to be done NOW! Yikes…

Then it’s two practices, two days & one semi-free evening to get my ducks in a row. I managed to make a packing list, but I’ll modify it and get things together on Wednesday. Hopefully it won’t take too long.

And then it’s a 6:11am flight on Friday. Yes, six eleven AM. And how great am I at waking up early & making those early flights? I’m a big failure. So to counteract my inability to wake up, I’m going to crash at a teammate’s house the night before the flight. This teammate lives 10 minutes from the airport and has graciously offered up her house to the team. Whoo. Thank you!

I’m checking one bag, the day-glo yellow rugby bag. All because of my big, bad-ass boots. Personally, I love my boots and see nothing wrong with them:

However, according to Woycheck & Shireman, they are terrifying, lethal weapons.  Heh. We’re all entitled to our opinions. They may be wrong, but they’re entitled to their opinion.

So I’ll be checking the bag & my boots. And since I’m literally terrified to check bags? I’ll be taking a carry on which will hold my falling-apart old boots, and enough clothing for one rugby match. Let’s hope that’s a fall back plan.