Golf, the Universe, and Everything

America has had itself one hell of a week / month / year / decade... Maybe it's the (failed) writer in me, but I agonized over how to properly articulate this post. I wanted to bring my own personal experiences with racism, but they felt like simple inconveniences compared to what is going on now. I also wanted to point out the hypocrisy of the NFL , but they already called themselves out, albeit years too late (but could have mentioned Colin Kaepernick by name). I also wanted to use clever literary devices to point out the disingenuous representation of the Black Lives Matter movement by those who lean right, but couldn't decide between a hypothetical or disjunctive syllogism. But in the end, I'll just go with recent history. The cynic in me can't help but to think we've been down this road before. Police brutality didn't start with Rodney King , but the global awareness did thanks to the advent of video. This was 1991... We all know how that ended (acqui...

The end of May for the first 19 or so years of my life meant Memorial Day and my birthday (and every now and again, they would be the same day). Then a special lady came into my life and it just so happened that her birthday was only four days away from mine. Over two decades later, through some very detailed planning and interesting timing, we decided to get married on the day between our birthdays. So for one week out of the year, we have both of our birthdays, our wedding anniversary, and a holiday (my eternal thanks for all who died for our freedom). It is without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. Christmas is fun but it is usually cold outside and there's so much holiday stress, shopping, eating, travelling. The same with Thanksgiving although it's usually a little less chilly and even more food. With the last week in May, we usually get great weather, the restaurants are all open (including our favorite anniversary spot, The Purple Patch ), and it's usually a l...

Anyone who has visited our house in the past few years may have noticed a not insignificant hole in the left side of our sidewalk near the stairs. It was home to a family of groundhogs. Over the years I've allowed them to stay due to a combination of being too lazy to get them out myself and all of my attempts to call Critter Control (the professionals) went unanswered or had no follow-up. So finally, after I noticed a few too many cracks in the base of my steps, I decided it was time to evict the little critters. So I called a local professional, The Wacky Bug Man . And like any good local professional, he returned my call the same day. #supportyourlocalbusinesses Long story short he gassed the groundhog lair only to find they were probably out getting some food or visiting some friends (hopefully practicing good social distancing). He filled the lair with rocks and dirt, dug a trench, and put chicken wire in the trench to prevent them from digging back in. He then put down some...

For the past few months, the blog has been more about "The Universe and Everything." Yesterday, it was about golf again. A big shout out to my lovely wife for holding down the fort and giving me the pass to golf for the morning! I even made it back home before noon as per the agreement :). A great day to be out on the course enjoying the weather and the company of good friends. I don't know what I missed more, the golf or the camaraderie... Either way, it was good seeing Clint and Brandon again, both about to embark on new phases of their lives. Brandon about to have a little one of his own very very soon, and Clint making big moves, his house being the biggest! Even though the golf wasn't the greatest, the catching up was indeed the best part. But I would be remiss if I didn't give you the blow by blow. The place: Laurel Hill. Walking up: Now that we are in the Coronavirus reality, some things have definitely changed. Checking in was a breeze, which conside...

Hello Friends, Some exciting news in the world of golf. But first a shout out to my good friend, best man, and godfather of my son and his lovely wife for driving all the way from Washington DC to deliver some delectable confections (Courtesy of the Rose Avenue Bakery ) to the wifey and me for our birthdays / anniversary! Ube Brioche with Ube Butter, Guava Pie, and Passion Fruit Donut (Nom Nom Nom) Honestly the world is a better place with Hino and Donna in it. But somehow everyone else will be about 10 pounds heavier if they keep this up :). So two exciting things things in the world of golf. The Match II featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, a G.O.A.T. and a retired QB. Hopefully it is a lot better than the first match. Maybe Tiger and Phil can learn to loosen up a little bit and have fun instead of treating this like life or death... But you don't have to twist my arm to watch Tiger Woods in action... 3:00 PM, be there or be square! The other exciting thing, the re...

I've basically stopped watching the news. Not that it's all depressing, but there are some stories that just do nothing but raise my blood pressure... Albert Einstein once said, "The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." My main form of news is Twitter, because I still have a random shot of getting some good news and a couple of cute pictures. But every now and again you come across something that just makes you question reality. This week's mindbender, Murder Hornets... You're Honestly Kidding Me! Better known as Asian Giant Hornets, they are the world's largest hornets. These "insects" (little flying monsters) can grow up to two inches long and are capable of slaughtering entire colonies of bees and even killing people. And where have they landed? WASHINGTON EFFING STATE! But just when you thought you were safe on the east coast, guess who's coming to dinner? Can I bring 100,000,000 of my ...

As Emerson, Lake, and Palmer never said, "Welcome back my friends, to the quarantine that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, stay inside, stay inside!" Been a little while since I last wrote. I should write more but trying to spend more time with the family and do more around the house, just short of requiring trips to Home Depot or Lowes. But for some levity, here are some light hearted anecdotes: My mother-in-law, in addition to being really good at injecting epi-pens, is addicted to QVC shopping... For years and years she has been shopping and overwhelming her husband and daughters with the merchandise. The stuff also has a habit of piling up in her closets, basement, and garage. But I will admit, she did hit it out of the park with a few items that came in handy during a quarantine. Phone Soap . No, it's not actually soap for your phone, but an UV Light Phone Sanitizer and charger. She bought this for us at least two years ago and it basically ga...

Hello my friends and Happy Good Friday! Another week at home and another entry in the official (B)log book. In addition to Good Friday, it was supposed to be Cut Day at the Masters... We'll just have to wait until November. Until then, I'll have my net in the backyard. Sadly over the past few days there have been really annoying stiff winds that kept me inside doing my drills. Hopefully my swing plane has flattened out and my tempo has improved (not likely, but I can dream!) But for the week in review: 1) Currently Binging: Hyena . After wifey and I finished watching the second season of  Kingdom , we followed the actor who played one of my favorite characters (The Crown Prince) and we land in a totally different kind of series. Inside the world of high-powered lawyers and the high-profile clients they defend. Twists, turns, and agendas around every corner. Very compelling and worth the watch. Must like subtitles... 2) The End of an Era: After almost 10 years, I fin...

Been a busy week to say the least. The powers that be seem to have hit a stride with telework or maybe just overloading us to see how much we can handle... Work / life balance becomes very interesting when you're never more than 100 feet away from your work station... So  But for the week in review: 1) Rest in peace Bill Withers... Ain't no sunshine now that you're gone... He left behind some iconic music. Thank you! 2) Brian Kemp. You may remember (or not) that this man was elected the governor of Georgia after being the Secretary of State of Georgia and thus being in charge of overseeing the election that he somehow won... But voter suppression aside, the main reason for this is the unbelievable comments he made on April 2nd . After finally issuing a statewide stay-at-home order,  Kemp justified his decision by saying he only now was “finding out that this virus is now transmitting before people see signs.” Here are some facts: A) Brian Kemp is the governor of Ge...

I've been to Costco hundreds of times but nothing prepared me for my trip to Costco today. The crushing reality of the pandemic has slowly started to set in. 1) When I drove by the front, there was no line. By the time I parked and ran to the front, there were 4 people in line. About two minutes later, the line was nearly around the building (timing is everything). 2) Everyone in line was at least 6 feet apart, marked by posts. 3) There were employees on walkie talkies monitoring the number of people entering and exiting and keeping the numbers constant. 4) When I finally entered, I had a freshly cleaned cart issued to me. 5) Walking around the inside, it was just a different vibe. It just felt tense. There were no greetings, no socializing, people trying to maintain the proper distance, and just had tunnel vision to the things they needed. Also, it was quiet... Like only 100 or so people in the store at one time quiet... But I appreciate all the efforts. 6) There was n...

There is a saying, "men can never win arguments with women because men need their arguments to make sense." The day came for the golf tournament and I was excited. Well, not exactly a tournament, more like an outing. And even the outing portion was cancelled but they left some tee times open and Joe got us a foursome. But, as the news of Coronavirus got worse, my wife got more and more concerned. I tried to placate her with good solid facts about golf: 1) Golf is the perfect social distancing sport. The average hole is at least 350 yards long and 50 yards wide. Plenty of space to keep six little feet apart. 2) The clubhouse was closed off so no need to run into anyone 3) No 19th hole (I don't drink anyway) and only cold food was available to go (doesn't matter, I had my own snacks and water) 4) I was going to walk (no need to share a cart) 5) No touching of the flag and the cup was raised so you don't all have to reach in the cup 6) We all have our o...

In my 40+ years on earth, I've said some pretty stupid things, some mean things, some funny things, some touching things, and some downright wrong things. One particular time sticks out for me. I was in college, sophomore year (or second year to all you UVA students) and we were ready to take our first test in Mass and Energy Balances, the first class all Chemical Engineering undergrads have to take. I learned from the older students in the major that the professor, Dr. Conger, graded on a curve. So, in a more arrogant and bombastic version of me (still basically a teenager), I tell the rest of the class while we're waiting in the hallway to go into the exam, "Guys, I know only half of you actually want to be engineers and a even smaller percent of you actually want to be chemical engineers, so I want you all to forgo any partial credit you may get answering a question partially and just fail completely. You need to "take one for the team" and lower the aver...

Stardate: 2020-03-22 (Thought it might be good to have a date) Finally caught up to posting at the end of the night instead of the morning after.  Pretty full day for a Sunday.  My lovely wife braved the socially distant crowds and went to the grocery store (soy milk!!) Had a great four-way chat with my mom, sister and wife on Facetime, without realizing that such a thing was possible! Did the See 10, Do 10, Send 10 challenge (pushups!). Check out my instagram feed (entaroadun) Yum! Made a pretty awesome Instant Pot chili. I did not have tomato paste and briefly considered the 1.5 mile walk to Food Lion but just used good old fashioned tomato sauce and it worked out just fine. #displayadaptability Had another swing evaluation. My tempo sucks but this time I have video! Off to work tomorrow and my 27 step commute. I will say I don't miss my old commute, but I do miss the water cooler conversations and the random team leader / group dire...

First a solemn rest in piece to Kenny Rogers. Every time I step up to a poker table, I'll always think of "The Gambler." "Every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser and the best you can hope for, is to die in your sleep." On the Fantasy Front, a bittersweet week for the Eagles. We release Malcolm Jenkins and he signs with the Saints (don't they have enough talent?) and Nelson Agholor signs with the Raiders. Ryan Weiss said it best. " Nelson Agholor has one of the most difficult legacies to explain in Philly. He spent 5 years with the Eagles. 4 of those he was one of the biggest headaches ever. But that one year it all came together he made it all worth it. Thank you Nelly!" On the Golf Front I finally got the practice net up and the Sherman Hybrid and Iron Teaching Studio is open for business. Open for Business! One golfer at a time with proper social distancing... No advertising budget necessary, everytime someone hits a bad ...

One of the many benefits of teleworking is when you log off for the weekend, your commute home is very short... Even shorter if you're already dressed for the weekend! Which will involve a whole lot of staying in, watching my son and watching a lot of Netflix with the wifey. As for the most disturbing news of the day, I'm at a loss on who to be more mad at, Senator Richard Burr for using his position to make himself a buttload of money (illegally no less). Or the teenagers jackholes who filmed themselves coughing on produce at a grocery store... Basically they watched the YouTube video another set of jackholes in a grocery store who filmed themselves opening an ice cream container, licking it, and putting it back in the freezer and said, "Hold my Beer." We need to bring back public flogging... Put that on a YouTube video and disseminate it around middle and high schools. WHY STOP AT FLOGGING MOLLY!! In golf news I did not get to set up the backyard driving ...

What passes for an eventful day in these times. Took the whole family out to drop off supplies (very carefully) to my in-laws. I think it did their hearts good to see Carson, even though it was from six feet away. Oh the cruelty of social distancing... Also snuck a good walk around the block with the family as well. 72 degrees!! The home gym is now in full operational mode, complete with weights, kettlebells, medicine balls, and of course, wipes!! It gets sweaty down in the basement! Now we need a name for it. The lab? The cave? The pit? We have at least a month to think about it... Wife has had multiple workouts down there and I had my first one yesterday. If I manage to lose weight and gain muscle, bye bye gym membership!! In golf news, the practice net is about to go up in the backyard and I will hit actual golf balls for the first time this month... Did I mention it is the 20th??? I'll have a full report by tomorrow morning on "The State of the Swing." Six days...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Considering this is my second post of the year, I'm way behind on my resolution to post more. But thanks to a certain pandemic, I will definitely have more time to write, or at least more time to spend in front of a computer at home that can open Blogger... If there has ever been a year where a rewind or fast forward button was needed, this is that year... So many terrible things (and a couple of good things) have happened since the year began that it would completely fill this blog entry (and March isn't even over yet!). But Wikipedia has done all the hard work:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020 When 9/11 hit, at least we had sports to get our minds off the madness, anger, fear, and trepidation. With the Coronavirus, there are no sports to get our minds off the crushing reality of the pandemic. But admittedly, it is rather entertaining to watch ESPN scramble to fill the airwaves with sports content when no new games are taking place. ESPN is t...

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer said it best: "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside!" Welcome to the New Year! Ordinarily this is the day where I outline a bunch of New Year's Resolutions that are bound to fail by mid-February, but I'm going to do this differently. This year's Mantra, "Strive for Progress, not Perfection." Thank you Ed Mylett and Marie Forleo ! So for all my goals / resolutions this year, as long as I make progress towards them, I will be satisfied. The goal is to be better than yesterday... So, the list of goals for the year: 1) More Family Time Spend more quality time with my family and less time with unfruitful activities. Basically be better with time in general! Leave for work on time, leave work on time, waste less time on video games & excess social media, to have more time for my wife and son! 2) Eat Better Less fast food, more whole foods...