Malcolm Gladwell Questions My Choice of Profession

"Being a professional is doing your job even on the days you don't feel like doing it." — David Halberstam

Yeah, I'm back. I know I haven't posted in this thing since ... what was it, June? Jeez ... and so I don't really know if anyone still reads it (not that there were many to begin with, but those who did were certainly appreciated). But I came upon the above quote in an exchange of e-mails between Blink author Malcolm Gladwell and sportswriter Bill Simmons over on ESPN.com's Page 2, and now I can't get it out of my head.

Gladwell raises the point in his e-mails that, if you truly love what you're doing, you should be doing it all the time, whether you're getting paid to or not. He contends that this is why most professional athletes train like madmen during the offseason — or the lack of such drive is why some, like Eddy Curry, always come into training camp overweight — and most writers keep diaries or blogs or do some type of freelance work on the side.

It occurred to me that I used to do that sort of thing here, and for some reason, I fell off. So I'm reviving this blog. It may wind up being only a vain attempt to convince myself that I love writing enough to keep doing it. It may be the vehicle to help me realize I don't like writing as much as I purport to, so maybe I should get into another field. It may do neither, but at least I can say that I tried.

I don't know what I'm going to write about, but I hope it won't devolve into some drole recounting of daily events in my life, if only because I have found that my life can be pretty dull at times. Trust me. Perhaps it take on some focus, some unifying theme, like soccer or politics or wrestling or or music or something. But that will come in due course.

In the meantime, I will, as Matthew Good put it in "Symbolistic White Walls," sit here and think of meaningful things to say.

And I will curse Malcolm Gladwell for thrusting this identity crisis on me. Thanks a lot, jerk.

No News is Good News ...

... or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Okay, so I haven't posted in about two weeks. But that's not to say things haven't been happening in my life.

First off, the cuts around my eye from that soccer ball have cleared up nicely. All that remains is a small scar under my eyebrow where my glasses caught me the worst. That was the cut I thought I might need stitches in. So that's all good.

I took a day off on Monday, making this past weekend a three-day-er. So Monday I went up to Calgary. The main purpose of the trip was to see WWE RAW with Brody, and as it turned out, that's about all I had time to do. Well, that's not quite true ... I also wanted to try and find my old soccer team. They were supposed to be playing on Monday night, but by the time I got to the field they were already finished and gone. I tried a few of the bars in the immediate area, but came up emptyhanded. That was a bummer.

After a rather uneasy and restless sleep at the Calgary Youth Hostel, I headed up to Edmonton on Tuesday to visit my brother Ryan and see WWE SmackDown!. I also got to meet Ryan's girlfriend, Winnie, who he has been going out with for like three or four years, but I had only ever talked to on the phone briefly. Winnie even came to the wrestling with us, and while I'm sure she didn't quite enjoy it as much as Ryan or I did, that was certainly nice of her to put up with us. :)

Wednesday morning, Ryan was up at 5 a.m., and his apartment is kind of small, so he really couldn't avoid waking me up as well. I knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep, so I got up, got going, and was on the road at 7 a.m. I did stop for a few ticks in Calgary on the way back, stopping into The Reflector to see Ivar, but other than that it was a pretty uneventful drive home.

I would post photos of the wrasslin' shows, but I was deathly afraid that arena security would confiscate my camera, and when it cost upwards of $1,500 and I need it for work, that probably wasn't an option.

But here's something to feast your eyes upon in the meantime: a logo I did up for the World Arena Football League, a fantasy arena football league I'm part of. I rather like it myself.

Get Your Dork On

Yes, I am a dork.

I know it. I realize it. I'm comfortable with it.

Let me give you an example: After Edmonton was awarded a new National Lacrosse League franchise, they announced they would have contests for the team name, logo, etc. I came up with a concept and sent it in.

I hadn't heard anything about this in a couple of days, so last night I surfed on over to edmontonprolacrosse.com, where they have now posted several of the logos ideas they received. I scroll down a bit, and what do I see? My Edmonton Rush concept.

I let out an audible yelp.

Thank goodness I was home alone at the time.

Injury Update

First, there was the punt I blocked with my face while playing football in junior high school gym class.

Now this.

I was out playing soccer on Sunday afternoon. We had just gotten started, and I was playing centre halfback. The ball went in to our keeper, and I went back into the 18-yard box make sure he corraled it without incident. As I saw him gain control, I turned to head back upfield. I expected the keeper to hang onto the ball for a few seconds then give it a boot.

He didn't.

He one-timed it. The ball came up off his foot and smacked me right on the side of my face, which resulted in this:



It wouldn't have been so bad, except for the fact I was wearing my glasses. It's because of those I have the cut under my eyebrow and the scrape by my temple.

The knock to the head, combined with having to wear an old pair of glasses, sort of konoked me loopy for a day or so. I guess the technical term is punch-drunk. But I'm getting over it now. Luckily, no stitches were needed, and I could still count backwards from 100 by sevens, so I guess I don't have a concussion either.

But I guess it's a sign ... don't play centre halfback anymore.

New Concept

Over on Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Community, they run a few fantasy leagues, and I recently was awarded an expansion franchise for next season in the World Arena Football League. So, this being on a sports logo message board, the next logical step was come up with a logo and uniforms.

So, without further adieu, I give you the Seattle Shockwave:
PRIMARY

WORDMARK

UNIFORMS