Operation Balloon Shenanigans

July 19, 2019 Filler

Operation Balloon Shenanigans

The Cast

Date: 071919

FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN

BACKGROUND: This started as a long-winded numbered blog. It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog. Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain. I lack time. So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing. Let’s see who makes the cut. Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness. I feel the need…the need for speed. Let’s turn and burn. Let’s make Aaron Boone proud of some savage hooks.

SETTING: This is written mostly on the Las Vegas flight back to Denver and and put together after work on Friday. And speaking of all of my favorite Top Gun quotes, check what came out this week. Yes. Absolutely off the hook. Can’t wait.

Tom Cruise Drops First Trailer for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ at Comic-Con (Watch)

EVERGREEN: This is the year of the dynamic duo. This is the year of Batman and Robin, with blurry lines separating Batman from Robin. We will have to wait a year for Durant/Irving, but in place are James/Davis, Westbrook/Harden, George/Leonard, and rumors are still swirling about teaming Butler with someone in Miami. It will be interesting to see Durant watch from the sidelines as Irving may or may not implode that team during his absence. Their skills compliment each other well though. James and Davis provide the most fluid match, as you have a perimeter and inside player. James is getting older though. But, Davis was a guard before his massive growth spurt in high school (people forget that), so ball skills for a big man are high here. I still think you will need two basketballs in Houston, but also prepare for a bunch of 15-20 assist games by Westbrook with Harden on the court, although I think Russell’s lack of outside shooting will still harm the way that Houston prefers to play. George and Leonard have the big perimeter players no one will want to defend or be defended by. Giannis and Khris? Kind of. Walker and Kanter? Not the way the Celtics planned it. Griffin and Drummond? Not without two shooters, and Drummond is not that. Lowry and Siakam? Still much to prove from the one year breakout from Siakam. Wall and Beal? No chemistry. Embiid and Simmons? Sure, and they are in the East. Jokic and Murray? I need to see consistency from Murray before calling this a duo. He can go for 50 or 6 in a night. Lillard and McCollum? Still problems in defending length. One way or the other, these duos will give Curry, Thompson, and Green nightmares regardless. Their party is sort of over. And I support this.
NBA: My notes in fluid style as I prefer. Grayson Allen had a technical problem at Duke, and apparently that is carrying over to the NBA. In a Summer League game, he had two flagrant fouls and a technical, and was ejected. In a matter of minutes. Kid has character problems. The Rockets signed Tyson Chandler, and I love the pickup. They needed a leader in the middle who could backup Capela and keep people honest when trying to guard Westbrook and Harden. Ben Simmons was a #1 pick and is talented and then some, but I still get confused how a perimeter player who can’t shoot gets 5 years and $170 million. I think the Warriors keep DeAngelo Russell and have a second unit that horrifies people. Instant offense, and a scary guard rotation once Klay gets healthy. I am not sure why the media is forcing where JR Smith goes as important info. He is a role player, and I am kind of over him. Apparently, Dion Waiters is now shredded, and that impresses me. I view him as a guy who would just party it up in the offseason and his dedication to his body has me impressed. He could be a sub-Robin quality add with Jimmy Butler.
MLB: Four items call out to me. One, this will be the first year the MLB trade deadline has one distinct end date. Typically, the deadline happens, and then August is full of waiver wire deals we fully don’t understand. Now, that is dead thankfully. When the trade deadline ends, it is done. Second, Dwight Gooden sadly had another run-in with the law. Cocaine and DUI are two words that have not left him alone, and it is really sad for me to read about another incident. Third, the Nationals, without Bryce Harper this year, as of July 17^th were 30-12 since May 23^rd. Amazing if you think about it. Fourth, the coolest thing you might not have heard about was the Angels celebrating and honoring their dead teammate, Tyler Skaggs, in a game…and they threw a group NO-HITTER. Just in case you don’t think people might be up there watching us do our thing down here, there is another gray area example. Pretty special stuff.
BRITISH OPEN: Tune in, people. Set your alarm over the weekend. It is not the visual like Augusta, but golf in its purest form. Also, interestingly the British Open is in Ireland, with 1951 being the last time that occurred. Watch the 5^th and 16^th holes and enjoy their fun. I am hoping none of my favorite players win this week, as I forgot to lay my usual longshot and fun bets. Rory started with a 79 on the first day, so he won’t live up to expectations (he cut it close though, going -6 on the second day). David Duval shot a 91 on the first day, and maybe I should give the guy a call to go with me to hack up a course or two. He is close to my city course score. He “tightened” it up on the second day to end up 27 over. JB Holmes finally started a Major optimally, so let’s see if he can get off the best golfers to never win one list. And Tiger is having health problems, high score problems, and maybe we should just reflect on The Masters when rooting for him. Gary Woodland got permission to play golf when his wife is 2 weeks or less from spitting out a baby. Phil fasted until the Open, and now is Slim Phil. Lee Westwood is using the foreign soil to say he is back. Shane Lowry is trying to pull an Andy Murray and win one for his home country…starting strong. One way or the other, this is old style golf. Watch it. The course doesn’t look like Augusta, but it isn’t supposed to. It is golf roots, hard core, weather affected, tall grass inhabiting, GOLF. Wake up early. On their side of the world, this IS The Open. Enjoy.
WIMBLEDON: Although Serena still is the GOAT arguably, and although she now is at her highest ranking since having her child, she has become a little pedestrian in Finals. It is one thing that a quality player like Halep beat her. But, Halep beat her SOUNDLY. Serena didn’t really put up a fight. Now, true, that facing someone who only hits THREE unforced errors will be an uphill battle, but that also means you are not taking the necessary risks on shots to run your opponent side to side. You can’t just hit it well within the lines playing another player who has won a Slam. She didn’t take chances and was sloppy when she did. On the men’s side, Djokovic beat Federer in the longest Wimbledon final in history. This was a big statement from Djokovic. Federer is playing very well, and grass is HIS surface. I admit that I thought Federer would take this one, and then Djokovic would take the hard courts in NYC. Suddenly, Federer is having an “almost” year. He needs to finish the deal. But, in the long run, neither of their legacies would have taken a hit. I am just saying Father Time is also undefeated at Wimbledon also. Federer is getting old.
THIS AND THAT: Stories that caught my eye. Hurricane Barry forced the Mississippi River to its highest height in 70 years, in case you are looking for other things besides the CA earthquakes to tell us the world is ending. Al Pacino said in Heat that you can die walking your doggie, and R. Kelly got arrested during his dog walk, so he can now relate. Maybe they have a movie channel inside prison. He definitely shouldn’t be watching anything with sex in it. A traffic stop, a single one, in Oklahoma yielded an arrest for possession of the following items: guns, whiskey, a rattlesnake, and uranium. In my opinion, that is kind of like hitting for the cycle in baseball. Twenty-One Pilots officially is the most downloaded band of all time apparently. I heard a comedian talking about the Caribbean Life TV show and I was rolling when he talked about how the dude walked into the house and didn’t like the backsplash and that this would never happen in real life. Very true. Charles Levin died this week, and although he had other roles during his career, to me he will always be the crazy bris guy in Seinfeld. I hear people talking about this Joe Rogan podcast with Area 51, and as soon as I figure out how to download a podcast, I might have to check it out. There is a Cats movie coming out? Ugghhh. Game of Thrones got THIRTY-TWO Emmy nominations, and I agree with some dissenters on this. Although I was an addict to the show, I don’t believe it is the highest quality, the writing is questionable, the plots have holes, and think the experts are even sucked into its popularity and then drunk with its quality. It technically has holes all over the place. Give it a couple of special effects and acting awards, and then call it a day. Spread the wealth. Oh, and hilarious that with all of the haters out there, Colin Kaepernick’s ad got an Emmy nomination.
THE FILLERBUSTER: If you have never seen the bands Motet or Galactic, you are missing out, and get on this bandwagon with me. Saw them last week at Red Rocks and it was off the hook. My toe got stepped on during dancing at Motet, so therefore, my toes are now at further levels of ugliness than before, if possible. Ring and wifi thermostat are now installed at my house, along with a new garage door thanks to Lindsey’s dad. So, we have a garage from 1896 with a 2019 door on it. Las Vegas was very, very hot this week for my work trip. Love how the Cosmopolitan has Secret Pizza and GhostDonkey, a random door behind the food court at Block 16 that opens up into a really cool place. Working in Vegas is weird, because both mornings there was a party/festival going on below me in the parking lot…at 8am. I had a walk-in shower, so I don’t care what else was going on. Park MGM was solid, and better than the reviews I read initially. It might not be the fanciest or biggest casino, but I had a great stay and will put Park MGM on my location list of places to stay when there seeing clients. Bavette’s at Park MGM is a fantastic meal. Except for one thing. Monte Carlo used to have a lazy river. I get why you don’t ADD a lazy river, but HOW do you REMOVE a lazy river? Don’t get it. Sounds like a big effort to remove the greatest thing of all time. That would be the lazy river. There was a Microsoft convention in Vegas, and they must be a pretty large company. I went balloon spotting this weekend, and notes are in the bonus reading. I didn’t win Masters tickets in the lottery, so please call me, some friend who did. My wife went to the theater to see Booksmart again. So, this must be her Bourne or Creed movie. Finally, I am reading the latest Dan Brown book. One way or the other, whether you like him or not, he A) educates you while reading and B) can tell a story magically, whether complicated or over the top or not. He has me on this one (Origin).
TWEETS OF THE WEEK

It may be hard to believe it has been 11 years since Federer and Nadal faced each other at #Wimbledon

Just as hard to believe: How they have dominated the sport as long as they have with 38 Slams between them.

by @howardfendrich >> https://t.co/Gi5Ihb4lNU pic.twitter.com/CLKfqfVGxG
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) July 12, 2019

Damian Lillard on Accountability

“I make sure that I’m on time to the gym. I get there early. I make sure I’m the most coachable. That shows I am accountable for myself, now I can hold other guys accountable.”

🎂Happy Birthday @Dame_Lillard
🎥 @Eastbay pic.twitter.com/jGiC91n3sI
— Jaycob Ammerman (@Jammer2233) July 15, 2019

Between Me and My Mind, a film about Trey, will make its nationwide theatrical debut TONIGHT. Find a movie theater near you: https://t.co/Eu0SMiSuMq pic.twitter.com/pcu29DFUhh
— Trey Anastasio (@treyanastasio) July 17, 2019

9.NFL: Baker Mayfield apparently had to bother his future wife constantly on Instagram to get a date. He evidently kept closing and opening his account for months to try and get noticed. Not only did an invitation for a date before the Georgia game (although it surprises me he wasn’t focused just on Georgia that week) get accepted, but they moved in like a week later. Now, they are married. I feel you, Baker. I got dismissed after a pizza shop pick-up attempt with my wife, and had to get lucky with a mutual friend introduction before our love stuck.
10.COLLEGE FOOTBALL: I hadn’t put together this fact until I read it the other day. NO Big 12 football team has one even ONE college football playoff game. They better get on it. Slackers. One thing to get there, but you need to finish, or at least start to finish the deal at some point, or those broken defenses allegedly WILL be crucified by critics.

(not sure why the numbers get screwed up-and not smart enough to fix in a pretty way)

ALTERNATE CATEGORIES

THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
TRAVEL
THIS WEEK’S LIST
MY NUMBERS
GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
LIFEGUARD ENTRY
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NHL

The theme? The spontaneous trip to Steamboat to meet with Lindsey’s brother and wife. Oh. And call signs. I was Moose. It rhymes with Goose.

That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. Remember two things. First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf. Second, if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.

11.OPTIONAL READING: Balloon Shenanigans

We had to pick up our Mission Impossible directions and walkie talkie on way up to campsite. Coordinates and everything.
Camping with Drew and Gini make you realize all the things semi-campers forget.
We forgot Smores, so we roasted watermelon for some odd reason.
The objective of this trip was seeing balloons, and although we decided to just camp instead of go into town, I now am on the record for owing Linds a balloon glow at night next time.
We also didn’t do Strawberry Park due to Operation Balloon Shenanigans, meaning we need to go up again soon, as we are hot springs experts.
One round of hitting golf balls, one round of corn hole, one round of frisbee, one round of shooting guns. I can’t hit the broad side of a barn. I am definitely not Jason Bourne.
We brought along deviled egg potato salad, and I am not sure how I haven’t sought out that combo before.
These balloons better be cool, as I would be missing the live match of Djokovic-Federer.
It was. Worth it.
The busiest Wendy’s in the world might be in Silverthorne, and since those were the first good fries I have had in a decade from Wendy’s, maybe that is why.
Just enough rain to cool off, but not enough to ruin trip.
And then we got one rainbow. And then we got a second one. Not sure if I have ever seen a double one end to end at same time.
How Drew and Gini find these spots is amazing, but I guess also we live in Colorado, where there will always be cool, awesome spots around every turn.
Drew pulled out an awning from his truck, and I expect to be purchasing the ARP Awning very soon. Coolest thing ever.
We had an axe competition to see who could slice a golf ball down the center. Proud to say I got it on our last shot.
My 4Runner is awesome, but Drew’s is camping tricked-out.
I need to buy a head lantern for our next camping trip.
Talk about amazing stuff. FM Light Sons is a store in Steamboat Springs. We literally saw a sign every half mile for the entire way in. Lot of signs.
The balloons were sick, and here are some photos. It is a THING, people. You need to go see this epic event.