Back in the saddle

Got back from Wisconsin this morning. Nice X-mas vacation with the relatives: good food as always, a day in Chicago, and always cool to see my aunts and uncles. After getting a few hours of sleep I got up and saw Juno. It had the kid from Arrested Development and I'd heard it was good, but it surpassed my expectations. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments for the audience that were well-mixed with the serious tones as well. I really can't do the film justice with my words.

Got a few pictures from the trip. That's it for now:

Obviously not from the trip; a grad pic with my dad.












Eric playing '500' with my uncle Tom.









It was actually a winter wonderland for a change.









The view outside the pizzeria in Lake Geneva, Wisc.








Hacky sack in Chicago.












In Chicago there was this memorial for servicemen; it ended up being a pigeon-warmer.









I got to try tapas for the first time. They were pretty good.
I just liked the way this one turned out at the tapas bar, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!









Took this one while Eric was yelling at me to give him the camera.












Alex and Uncle Bob at it in chess.

Good times on DVD

So I've been watching Metalocalypse lately on DVD...a friend got it for my birthday/dethday. Anyways it's pretty good, just wish it was a bit funnier consistently. The music on the other hand, is always good. I got the album on sale (now I'm wishing I would have bought the special edition) and it's a great metal album. The drums rock, the bass rocks and the guitars...the guitars rock! No, for real, its damn good metal. My favorite episode so far has to be the one where they awaken the Finnish troll. I love that they are forced to play acoustical instruments.

Anyways, in the episode where Pickles reunites with his former band, Snakes n' Barrels, isn't the guy that gives them the "liquid snake" the guy that, in fact, voiced Liquid Snake in the Metal Gear series? I thought so, but I couldn't find his credits anywhere on IMDB.

Revelations

This morning I drove home to H-town. Not a bad drive - three hours down an empty interstate most of the way. What I've realized is that these drives home from college are way cool in the fact that they allow me to think more clearly than any other point in my day. What else is there to do while driving down a lonely interstate than contemplate any and all things? And I've been doing of that a lot now that I've graduated - what has passed, what is to come, what should be the next step, and those I've met along the way that have played some part in this journey.

Oftentimes if I try to force the issue no answer ever comes, but the free-thinking mode I get in during long drives is almost like a phenomenon. Answers to my questions come when they won't any other times, and problems are put in perspective as I tear across the vast open road. It's hard to explain but I've really come to enjoy these solitary drives.

I start the internship tomorrow, and hopefully will get some sort of schedule in place. I've still got to make time to get back to San Marcos and get the rest of my stuff cleared out.

Fun times

So yesterday was my birthday and today I walked across the stage for graduation. A pretty good two days - got to hang with my brothers and some friends yesterday, then met up with my parents for the graduation. The party was a lot of fun. I really appreciate everyone stopping by.

I'm glad my mom could make it to the commencement; she wasn't so sure yesterday, because our cat got really sick and she wanted to take him to the vet. Luckily they got a friend to do it and she made it.

Got to get packed up and make it down to H-town for my internship; I start Monday. So if anyone needs a place to stay over the spring semester or knows someone who might let me know. I've got my lease here in San Marcos through mid-May.

already tired of it

So yesterday Mike Vick got sentenced: 23 months. A dark day indeed, but am I the only one already tired of this issue? It seems every other discussion on ESPN is about Vick, just orchestrated by a different talking head. If they were bringing up genuinely new topics and points it'd be okay. But it's the same story every time: Will he get a second chance to play? And the answer, no matter whose mouth it's coming out of is 'yes, some team will take a chance on this kid.'"

That's a problem across the board with ESPN. They don't have enough content to warrant all the different outlets they have these days, so the next best (and easiest) thing besides finding new stories is to let a line of experts, critics, former pros, etc. sound off on the same topic. I used to watch Pardon the Interruption all the time; but these days I usually catch Around the Horn first, which makes PTI irrelevant. Why? They have the same basic run-down of stories. There are better uses of my time than getting ten different views (which oftentimes overlap) on one subject...

So I'll find out if I got the internship tomorrow. Good time turnaround. Gives me a chance to list my apartment for sub-lease should I get the job. It'll be unpaid, though. I guessed it would though; a lot of fall/spring internships aren't. But at the same time I'd be able to do night and weekend work for my dad (construction) so it should work out fine. The experience will make it well-worth it.

Here we go

Just burning some time while I wait to leave for an interview. It's for a spring internship at H Texas Magazine, a regional mag for Houston. Here's hoping I get it. Unlike everyone who isn't from Houston, I actually like the place, so it'd be pretty cool if I could work there from the get-go. I'll update when it's over.

Canyon bows out of tournament with close loss

Final day ends with Judson as River City Classic champs

By Chris Boehm
The Herald-Zeitung

Like a broken record, Canyon’s final action in the River City Classic transpired in much the same way it began.
The Cougars (2-8) lost 49-36 to Lee (8-6) in their opening game Saturday, after the first half ended tied at 22 points apiece. Canyon closed out the day with a 38-30 loss to Judson (12-4), the eventual tournament champion after the team finished 4-0 during the weekend.
In the fourth quarter against Judson, Canyon failed to capitalize on free throws by Dustin Foerster that brought the Cougars within two points, a day after falling short against Boerne Friday night.
“We feel like we’re right there,” coach Kenny Rotzler said after the loss to Judson (RECORD). “We played well in spurts. We just weren’t able to put a complete game together.”
Foerster entered the game early in the fourth quarter with the Rockets up 26-21. The senior quickly produced, hitting three of four free throws in a span of 27 seconds.
The first two free throw attempts came after he grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back by Judson’s Chris Wacker, who is listed at 6-foot-6.
“He’s a strong kid and he did great against a bigger guy,” Rotzler said. “He also did a good job running through (Judson’s) screen on the defensive end.”
But after Foerster’s free throws Judson ran away with the game, going on a 9-3 run in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Judson pushed the lead to 10, with 2:14 left in the game, following a fast break field goal that started with a turnover by Canyon’s Sean Dailey.
Canyon managed to stay close despite zero points from Dailey, who led the team with 18 Friday night. The senior scored eight against Lee but could not find his shot in the second game Saturday.
“I think he’s legs might have been a little tired,” Rotzler said. “We don’t have a really consistent scorer right now. We’re missing that guy that averages 18 or 20 a game and that’s part of being an inexperienced team.”
Junior Chris Kues scored a team-high 11 points to go with one steal and a rebound. Junior Ryan Mead added seven points and nine rebounds.
Canyon recorded 13 turnovers against heavy pressure from the Judson full-court attack, just a night after giving up 19 against Boerne.
Rotzler said he thought the turnover total was the lowest of the season.
“We’re just going to get better,” he said. “Our guards don’t have a lot of experience against the pressure and teams know that. And we don’t have a great press ourselves, so it’s hard to duplicate that in practice.”
Canyon got its last points on a three-pointer by junior Michael Berry, who hit an off-balance shot in an attempt to draw a foul for a four-point play. The loss ended up being the Cougars’ closest of the tournament, after winning the River City Classic a year ago.
Only two players remain from that varsity squad, and Rotzler said the 0-3 mark at the tourney didn’t reflect his opinions on the new group.
“You always want wins instead of losses but regardless, I felt we took steps forward,” he said. “And these aren’t the games that matter. It’s the one’s in (District) 26-4A that count.”
The Cougars have two games left before starting district play Dec. 18 at Steele: Monday versus Lanier and Friday against San Antonio Southwest.
“We’re doing some things well, but there’s still things we need to improve on,” Rotzler said.

NEW BRAUNFELS

New Braunfels coach Chris Dial had a different take on his team’s 0-3 outing at the River City Classic.
The Unicorns closed out the tournament with a pair of losses: a 68-50 decision against Boerne before falling Saturday night 62-42 against San Antonio Lee (8-6).
“At 0-3 we could have played a lot better,” Dial said. “We’ve just got to learn from our mistakes and get better.”
New Braunfels now gets ready to host San Marcos Tuesday before starting the Harlandale Tournament Thursday.
The two dates mark the team’s last preparation before District 26-4A play starts Dec. 18 against Clemens at home, and Dial’s goal before that time is simple.
“We need to get healthy,” the coach said.
The Unicorns missed the play of junior Reese Dahse in games three through four of the River City Classic, after the guard went down with a high ankle sprain against Judson Thursday.
Dahse led the team with 10 points in that game, and in his absence Saturday the Unicorns were paced by post Ryan Grote (12) against Boerne and guard Will Henry (16) in the Lee game.
“He’ll probably be out at least until district starts,” Dial said of Dahse. “That’s a big blow. But we’ve got guys that can step up and play well and they’re going to have to do that.”
New Braunfels pulled within six points late in the third quarter before Lee ran away with the game on the play of sophomore Paul Garnica, who scored 34 points and shot 5-of-9 from the three-point line.
“We made a good run but we put ourselves in too big of a hole in the first half,” Dial said. “If we played better in the first half and made that run, we’re up by 10 instead of down by six.”
Early in the third quarter New Braunfels trailed 35-21, but went on a 12-4 run that started with a lay-up by junior Joel Dyer. The Unicorns got the score to 39-33 after free throws by Henry, but Martin Schmidt hit a two and Josh Santiago nailed a three-pointer to put Lee up 43-33 at the end of the third quarter.

Canyon Cougars boys' basketball

I'm going to start posting my newspaper and whatever else articles in my blog. Here is the first: a recap of Canyon High School boys' basketball tonight, which will run in tomorrow's Herald-Zeitung.

By Chris Boehm
The Herald-Zeitung

NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS - The Canyon Cougars may not have come away with a win Friday night, but it sure felt like it.
The Cougars (2-6) led early in the second quarter against Boerne, and stayed within striking distance most of the night before falling 58-48 in their first game of the River City Classic.
Canyon coach Kenny Rotzler was proud of the team’s effort coming off a 19-point loss to Austin High Tuesday night.
“This was the best we’ve played so far,” Rotzler said. “I felt we took a step forward.”
The Cougars trailed 36-48 with 6:10 left in the game, but put together a 9-0 run to get within three points.
Junior forward Chris Kues hit a pair of free throws after being fouled on drive to start the rally at the 5:52 mark. Canyon stole the Greyhounds’ inbound pass moments later, and Kues hit a wide-open inside shot off a quick pass from senior post Dustin Foerster.
Ryan Mead added a lay-up off another steal to make it 48-42, then senior forward Sean Dailey nailed a three-pointer from the corner with 4:05 left in the game. Dailey hit multiple key threes in the game, and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, one block and one assist.
“He did really well shooting for us,” Rotzler said. “I feel he can become our go-to guy.”
Dailey said he was comfortable shooting Friday night and felt the team as whole played well offensively.
Canyon picks up tournament action today against Lee (7-5) at 10 a.m. and Judson (10-4) at 2:30 p.m.
“We need to do the same thing on offense,” Dailey said of the upcoming games. “We moved the ball around and didn’t take stupid shots (Friday).”
Mead finished second offensively for the Cougars, totaling 11 points, two assists and one steal. Kues notched 10 points and two blocks.
Turnovers against Boerne’s full-court press did Canyon in; the team gave the ball up 19 times on the night.
“We did a better job against the pressure but we still turned it over too many times and they know that,” Rotzler said. “You can’t give up 20 offensive possessions and expect to beat teams.”
The Greyhounds were led by senior Robert Moore, who scored a game-high 27 points despite being held to eight in the first half. The Cougars’ zone defense was successful most of the night at frustrating Moore, who missed his only shot from the outside.
“We did a pretty good job against him,” Rotzler said. “He has great body control and knows how to make contact and get old-fashioned three-point plays.”
The three-point deficit was the closest Canyon would get in the fourth quarter. Following Dailey’s three, Moore hit a pair of free throws, the first of nine straight points he scored for the Greyhounds.
“In the fourth quarter we had to stretch our defense and (Moore) got some good looks and made some great plays,” Rotzler said.
Canyon led early in the game, after two Mead steals led to quick baskets. Boerne tied the game at eight points apiece on three-pointer from Isaac Evans, which Dailey responded to with his own three.
“Getting the early lead was important,” Rotzler said. “After that our guys could say ‘hey, we can play against this team.’”
Boerne led 14-11 after one quarter, but Canyon tied the score once again to open the period, on a three by junior Wes Rhodes. Boerne would go on to build a six-point lead before Canyon closed it to 22-24 on a three by Kues. A Daniel Rogers three-pointer put Boerne back up by five, with the first half ending on a one-armed, full-court heave by Dailey that almost went in as the buzzer sounded.

I'm done!

Yesterday my last projects were due, and I just finished up editing a story for my Advanced Reporting class. Whew! I'm finally done, not just with this semester but my bachelor's degree as well. All that's left is to walk Dec. 14, a day after my birthday, no less!

Wrapped up a pretty cool semester. I learned a lot in my multimedia and web design classes. If you get a chance check out the Multimedia Journalism class's work at Bobcat Living.

It's going to be a hectic week. Interview for a Houston magazine spring internship Monday, last day at work for the Zeitung Wednesday, birthday and then graduation. Probably attend a couple parties as well, including my own. On top of that my bro's best friend is coming home from Iraq Dec. 13; he and I share the same b-day so that's a pretty big day all around.

Everything's going good. I even cleaned my apartment today. All kinds of productive, I know.

Got a basketball game in to cover tonight, then a couple tomorrow. Looking forward to watching the Packers on Sunday with the family in Houston. I think it'll be the first Green Bay game I've gotten to see in about three weeks.