Cascadia's Push Toward Playoffs

(Cascadia Cup)

To those of you not located in the PNW probably view MLS as a marginal league, at best. I'm not saying there aren't fans of MLS anywhere else. I know there are other teams around the league that see amazing support and have no trouble selling tickets. I also know a lot of the sports media take great pleasure in marginalizing soccer as a sport and barely acknowledging if at all. However, in the PNW an MLS is huge.

The Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps have no issue with selling tickets or getting attention. Matches between any of three sell out immediately, and if you want to buy a ticket second hand, get ready to pay for it. It also creates an amazing atmosphere.

The season started with all three teams at the top of the Western Conference standings, but its been a long season. The Timbers have fallen off the pace as of right now, currently clinging to the final playoff spot, which is an all too familiar position the last few years. Should be a wild finish to the season yet again, especially if all three teams make it.

Meet the Father of the Century

(Travis Nielsen)

Travis Nielsen and family were just chilling in their backyard on Vancouver Island when a freaking cougar decided his two-year-old looked delicious and decided to take a bite. This guy sees his daughter in the jaws of a cougar and what does he do? He goes after it with his fists. He doesn't look for a shovel or any type of weapon, just hauls off and punches the thing. Ok, a father sees their child in distress and acts right away, that makes sense, but the chilling part is the cougar stuck around. It even tried to get around him to get his daughter again. He just stood his ground and shouted it down until it ran and hid. 

Now I know the cougar was acting on its instinct, its a wild animal. But as Joe Rogan likes to say "I'm on team people." Especially when team people doesn't even have to use a weapon. Travis Nielsen also acted on instinct and is a certified bad ass. 

Lets Hit Vegas, in 2022

I get wanting to hammer out a schedule far in advance. You want to secure a scarce resource or a reservation at a popular restaurant, or resort even. I feel like College Football is going a little overboard with that. I recently saw how Oregon has signed on to play BYU...in 2022. That is seven years from now, seven! Ok, Oregon wants to lock down a name opponent, that is relatively close so ticket sales are assured, but a lot can happen in seven years.

Coming from the state of Michigan it would have been unheard of seven years ago for a top recruit from anywhere choosing Michigan State over the Wolverines. But in the last seven years its happened a ton. Mainly because Michigan went from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke and were a non-factor for high school recruits, mainly because seven years in college football is an eternity. 

Think about it, these kids start coming up on college coaches radar Freshman year of high school at the earliest. They will usually make a decision in their junior year. That is three years. I am sure they watched football when they were in elementary school and middle school, but other than memorable plays/games you think they can recall who was the best team in the Big Ten in 2008? They know who has been good over the last three to four years, and the big names (Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.). Who knows what can and will happen in the next seven years to BYU.

Kam Returns

Kam Chancellor is back! For the record I am not a Seahawks fan by any means. However, I find myself gravitating to liking players more than liking teams these days. I am not sure if thats from 31 years of being in an abusive relationship with the Detroit Lions, or after being in the working world I sympathize with these guys a lot more than I did. If someone came along and offered me four times the money I am currently making to do the same job somewhere else, I would not have to think to hard about it, and I am not even getting my body and brain destroyed.

I like watching Kam work, the guy is a beast. Plus he makes that whole defensive backfield work. After two straight weeks I would not be surprised if it comes out that Pete Carroll gave Kam his house to come back. Aaron Rodgers is one thing, but the St Louis Rams made the Seahawks defense look weak. Do work Kam!

Rollin' Down Highway 41

(Sydney from The Gap)

I have mentioned in previous posts my long history with road trips, which will play a part in this, but this is more about travel in general. By the time I was 14 I had been to quite a few states, and into Canada a few times. Although a foreign country, Canada is very similar to the US. I like to say the only difference between southern Ontario and northern Michigan are the license plates. However, when you're younger its pretty cool to go to a place with different money and everything is posted in English and French. However, it wasn't until the summer of 1998 that I truly experienced a unique travel experience. 

When I was in middle school we had a new student one year: Yotaro Mori. He was from Japan and his father had been transferred over for work. I was lucky enough to become friends with Yotaro and we spent a lot of time golfing and showing him around Michigan. Unfortunately after one year, Yotaro and his parents moved back to Japan. The next summer, he invited myself and another friend of ours to Japan. So, at 14 I got on a flight to Tokyo and it was incredible.

Everything was different. Sure there were similar companies and I recognized the shape of signs, but the wording was completely foreign. This was so far from everything I had ever seen in my life, and I loved it. Each meal was new, each location was new, they even drove on the other side of the road. 

I will say this was all made possible because of our hosts. Yotaro and his parents took us out to a spa-resort in the region of Mt Fuji, which in itself was amazing. Mrs. Mori was a trained chef and created some amazing homemade meals, as well as took us on a bus tour of downtown Tokyo. I still remember a lot of what I did on that trip, and will carry it with me always. 

Ever since that trip though, I have always approached each trip with a want to explore. Whenever I travel I rarely schedule anything. I have places I want to see and things I want to try, but my main goal is exploring. I would rather spend a day wandering around the city finding restaurants, cafes, bars and shops on my own. If I am going to Paris I am definitely seeing the Eiffel Tower, but I am not scheduling out my day. I have enough schedules to keep track of when I am not on vacation.

Some of my best times were had just wandering around (similar to a Walkabout, but with more purpose). I found my favorite pub in Sydney and Cairns Australia that way, and some of the best places I have eaten in Vancouver and New Zealand. But travel also energizes and inspires me.  When I travel somewhere I am constantly looking at things, especially when I travel overseas.

A good example is Australia and New Zealand. A lot of what they have is familiar, whether its the exact same or very similar. However, when you look closer you realize the differences, some good, some bad. Either way, discovering the methods and thought-processes used across the globe always makes me more creative and more open to trying new approaches to my day-to-day tasks, both in my professional and personal life.  

Walkabouts

I first heard the term “walkabout” when I watched the Crocodile Dundee movies as a child. Back then, I had zero clue what it meant. All I knew is this guy with the funny accent was humorous and there was some good action. Also, Carl Winslow was in the movies so it had to be good right? Fast forward about 12 years and I was on a plane to the homeland of Mick Dundee, and it forever changed me.

One of the ongoing themes that will organically emerge in this blog is my undying love for Australia. I have been there three times (5 weeks, 15 months, and 7 months), and consider it my second home. I was enchanted by tales from my brother who had visited four years prior to my first stint, and I was immediately infatuated when I arrived. The people, the land, the attitude, and so many more things, make Australia hold a special place in my life. However, for this entry, I will focus on the namesake of Mr. Dundee's fictional hometown of “Walkabout Creek.”


From the movies I had gathered a walkabout was a long walk/journey/trip into the wilderness. Later I realized its more of a spiritual journey, to find oneself, usually after a life-altering event or if someone feels their life is stagnant or in need of a change. However, as I found out, as it is a term in Australia, when you show up as the American, they aren't too keen on you using their terms and then explaining “Nah, its cool, I picked it up watching Crocodile Dundee.”


While there I experienced my own version of a walkabout. During my 15 month stint, which was technically for grad school (at least thats what my parents believed), I lived the Macquarie University Village. It was a 200 unit apartment complex with 5-bedroom apartments, filled with students from all over the world. However, very few Australians lived there. For instance, I did my undergrad at Grand Valley State University in the western part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Two of my neighbors in grad school were from GVSU. I was lucky enough to have a roommate named Marlow.


Now I will ignore Marlow's less than admirable traits, and focus on the fact he was, and remains, a real life Australian. He also introduced me to many more real life Australians, a lot I still speak with today, and miss dearly (ok, enough with the sappy stuff). While the apartment complex emptied during the summers, a few of us stragglers stuck around. It was myself, Marlow, Timmy, EJ and Monica most of the time, with a few stragglers. Every now and then we'd get bored and go “walkies.”

(Myself, EJ, and Marlow after a costume party, I hope)

It was usually just to find a party, or beers, or girls, or anything other than sitting around one of our apartments doing nothing. Rarely would it result in any great discovery or insane story, but they were some fun times, I can assure you.


I began to institute “walkies” when I returned from Australia, to some pretty great results. As I started to move around for work they began to take a different tone. When I got to Minnesota I used them as a way to get to know my neighborhood. I would set out (assuming it was not -35 and snowing) in a particular direction, but always keeping my bearing on home, and just wander around. If a restaurant, bar or shop looked interesting I would go in, but there was never a set agenda, or path.


These days I go on 3-4 each week. Whether its during my lunch break at work, or if I have an hour or so on the weekends, I find its the perfect opportunity to either clear my head, or when I've had to make a big decision. Before every move I have always taken a long walkabout. Its good to get away from everything and really weigh the decision, or just bask in silence every now and then. While I am not going on an 18 month walkabout like Mick, I highly recommend it every now and then if you can find the time. If you have a lot of time, maybe an 18 month long one wouldn't be bad either.

Sweet, Sweet Potatoes

I always had misconceptions about sweet potatoes. I was always under the impression that yams and sweet potatoes are the same thing. I am sure it started with Thanksgiving, where yams, heavily garnished with sugar and marshmallows, are a staple at most tables. A lot of the time, they are referred to as sweet potatoes, and I was never very fond of them. Not so much they weren't tasty, its just a member of the potatoes family slathered in sugar doesn't mesh well with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy in my experience.


In my research for healthy foods over the last few years, I kept seeing sweet potatoes pop-up. I was confused, but then realized “Well I know little to nothing about healthy eating, so why not,” so I thought I would give them another chance. I had been eating a couple of different varieties of potatoes with breakfast as it was, so why not make it healthier, or at least try?


Sweet potatoes are awesome. I eat them almost every morning now (“recipe” below) in what my coworker dubbed my “Shame Slurry.” They are a perfect substitute for Idaho, Russet or red skin potatoes. Plus, I learned the obvious, they are not as sweet as yams, and therefore mix much better with more savory ingredients and foods.


My staple breakfast is typically this:


-3/4 cup diced sweet potatoes
-diced onions
-diced green bell pepper
-broccoli
-chopped mushrooms
-3 egg whites, 1 yolk


There really is no exact amounts I follow. I dice sweet potatoes until I have roughly ¾ of a cup, and start those first in the pan, just below medium heat (4 on my stove) with some coconut oil. The sweet potatoes need the most time, so I dice the vegetables while those get a head start. Personally I get tired of mushrooms quick, but you can use most any veggies, and sometimes I will even use fresh jalapenos. Again, not much of an exact science, and I dice about a half cup of each. Once I put those in the pan (while stirring occasionally) I start the eggs. I put the 3 egg whites and 1 yolk in a glass and mix. Once the sweet potatoes and vegetables are slightly browned, I make a circle in the middle and dump the eggs in. You can add some cheese at the very end, I will add a little feta, but its not the healthiest, as well as some Frank's Red Hot sauce.



I love this breakfast and rarely get tired of it as the only two staples are sweet potatoes and the eggs. When I get sick of a certain combination, I will switch it up the next visit to the grocery store. Its also great if you use a little cheese to bond it together and put it on a toasted bagel. I have also used ground beef (lean of course) or turkey meat in addition to everything else, and it might even be more magical.