Summer activities

This weekend I went to Twin Lakes, WI for a bachelor party - Danny Parkin being the bachelor. We went to a lake because his buddy owns property there and its an inexpensive means to gather 17 dudes to be loud and party. Aside from an accidental 911 call (not made by me) and drinking too much with not enough food in the stomach (done by me), I had a blast. I didn't really anticipate getting into the water because Saturday was September 26 - and we were in Wisconsin, not Hawaii - so I thought this would pretty much be off the agenda. That was until one of the crazy bastards decided to water ski back to the house from breakfast. Breakfast was across the lake, so we took the boat, so that is how he was able to ski home. He nailed it and it looked fun - and he didn't die of hypothermia.

After we returned to the house from said breakfast, the owner, organizer, and best man wanted to go wakeboarding. I had been wakeboarding a few times in the past, but not for about 6 or 7 years or so. As it turns out, its like riding a bike. I was the first to go (out of 3) and after 2 or 3 failed attempts to get up, I finally did and I was cruising. The hardest part is starting off because you're just there buoying in the water waiting for the boat to go. Then when it starts you have to pull yourself up to plane and hold on, while moving forward and resisting the water. While up, I rode around for a while, not really doing anything fancy, just riding. I had three runs and each time I did try to get fancy I ate it and swallowed a few pints of water. Believe it or not, that was actually a lot of fun! I watched as the other 2 guys did their thing, and that was pretty much the end of the wakeboarding, but I talked about it the rest of the trip and would have gone again.

I really can't wait to do that again next summer (even though this time it technically was autumn and not summer). It is so similar to snowboarding that I can do it in the "off-season" and vice versa, so I get a similar exercise all year round. I don't really classify either of these two as "sports", so I won't use that term, but they are intense and I'm so glad I participated this weekend.

Also, this weekend, the Cardinals clinched the NL Central... woo hoo! The first team to clinch their division this season. It is exciting as a Cardinals living in Chicago to have the birds in the playoffs for a few reasons: 1) I get to make fun of Cubs fans more relentlessly than during the regular season, 2) It's still baseball season for me, and 3) I get to watch my team on TV (tbs and hopefully FOX) more often than the regular season since the playoff games are nationally televised. Wainwright is a stud and I hope he wins the Cy Young - he deserves it for clinching under his win, amongst other things. Carp is close behind and that makes that even more exciting. Albert Pujols is also the leading contender for NL MVP by a long stride. These factors make me very hopeful for a nice run through the playoffs, no matter how far they get. I am still a little wary about the whole Smoltz starting/Franklin closing situation.... Maybe LaRussa doesn't want to show all of his cards - I guess we'll see.