Two Week Recap

Wow.  Why am I being such a bad blogger lately?  Sure...I've been busy with the puppy and other things going on.  But surely that should just mean that I have more to write about, right??  Hm.

Okay...so here's a brief, two week recap, as best as I can remember it.

1.  Social: 

• I held a Super Bowl party!  Unfortunately, Shawn was out of town that day (I'll explain that in a minute...), and he took the camera with him, so the only pictures I have access to are what friends posted on Facebook.  We had a great time, though!  A couple friends came over early to help wear out the puppy before the game started.  But he actually stayed out for pretty much the entire first quarter, and he did really good with all the new people!  Those same couple friends stayed late and played MarioKart with me until Shawn came home.
• The day before the Super Bowl, I helped our friends Emil and Kristin pack all their things because they moved to Detroit.  I was very sad to see them go, and I already miss them.  They were some of the first people we became friends with here!

2.  Puppy:

• Satchel is growing like a weed!  We think he's gained about 4 more pounds since we had him at the vet a couple weeks ago for his shots...based on our super-accurate weighing method of holding him while we stand on the scale, we think he's about 20 pounds now.
• He's doing a good job at his PetSmart puppy training class.  He is always super excited to play with the other puppies in the class...and he's learning some things, too.  :-)  We're still working on most of the commands, but he has "sit" pretty good.  I somehow managed to teach him "come" one night while Shawn was at rugby practice, and we're currently working on "lay down," "leave it," and "fetch." 

3.  Rugby:

• Shawn is technically in pre-season right now, but he's been training hard, hoping for the opportunity to play Super League.
• On Super Bowl Sunday, Shawn got to fly down to Santa Monica, California, to play with the Super League team!  And his team won, 28-8!  He had a great day, despite the fact that he missed out on my awesome Super Bowl party.  :-)
• The season should be getting into full swing within the next few weeks, so hopefully we'll have some good weather on Saturdays coming up!

4.  Jobs:

• Shawn has been super busy at work.  He's actually been working 6 days a week for the last few weeks, which stinks for both of us.  But I'm proud of him for working so hard!
• My job is going pretty well.  My course load has lightened recently because I'm starting to mentor some new teachers.  I'm enjoying that aspect of the job!

That's us in a nutshell these days!  Once again, I promise to try to do a better job of updating the blog on a regular basis.

Bad Blogger!

Wow...I've really been slacking with the blog posts lately! If anyone actually still reads this regularly...sorry about that. We've had a lot going on, frankly. Let's see if I can quickly catch up.

More than a week ago (October 17), Shawn played an awesome rugby match. He was named "Man of the Match" (basically the MVP of the game) and he even scored a try! In rugby lingo, that's basically a touchdown. And for the position that Shawn plays, that's fairly uncommon. I would liken it to a Linebacker scoring a touchdown. It's certainly not impossible, but it's not something you see every game. In fact, until that game, I'd never seen Shawn score a touchdown in a "regular" game of rugby! (I saw him score once in a 7s tournament.) I was on camera duty that afternoon, but his scoring play was on the other end of the pitch, so I didn't get a picture.

Things are moving along with the house. We've finally gotten all the doors re-hung (after taking them down to be painted), the outlet covers back on, and the stairwell railings reattached (again, after painting). Shawn picked the color for his "Man Room" and bought paint last weekend...now we just need to start painting. (He picked #2, by the way.)

This past Saturday, we invited a bunch of people over for a "Housewarming/Birthday(s) Party." We had a lot of fun! It's really nice to actually have room to have a bunch of people over, and I'm already looking forward to doing it again. We had way too much food, so I've been eating the leftovers all week. I bought Tostitos and salsa and pretzels. I made a tray of carrots, celery sticks, and strawberries, and we had also apple slices. I made a Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip, which was super yummy! I also made Cinnamon Chips, which were awesome alone or in the fruit dip. For more sweets, I baked a pan of brownies (nothing special...just from a box), and I also baked a loaf of banana bread. Don't worry...I didn't forget the meat. :) I made super easy crockpot meatballs, and I also made these really good bacon-wrapped-turkey-bites. Sadly, I took almost no pictures at our party. Our friend Thuy made us a housewarming cake...isn't it cute? :)

And finally, in other big news...I've gone full-time with my online teaching job! Technically, I made the move to full-time two weeks ago. However, neither my boss nor I knew that until last Wednesday, since HR didn't bother telling either of us that the paperwork had been processed. I also still don't have my company computer or my VOIP phone, so I'm not yet able to take on a few of the new responsibilities that come with being full-time (and that will more easily allow me to actually work 40 hours a week). I'll admit that I'm not super thrilled that I don't get some of the "normal" perks of being a full-time teacher (I only get 5 vacation days the first year, plus 7 or so paid holidays), but it should be an interesting experience.

So...yeah! I think that's pretty much it for us these days. Oh yeah, and my birthday was yesterday. It kind of snuck up on us, so we didn't really make a big deal out of it. Shawn and I went out to dinner at one of our current favorite restaurants for pizza and a few games of pool. It was a good night. :)

Nice Weekend!

As I posted yesterday, I had a wonderfully relaxing Saturday at home while Shawn was off playing in a rugby tournament. Once he got home, we both headed off to downtown Seattle.

Shawn spent his evening with the ruggers. I'm not exactly sure what all went on; I simply know that the team held a Kangaroo Court and then went out together afterwards. If you're not familiar with the tradition of Kangaroo Courts in the sporting world, here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia article:
For example, many Major League Baseball teams have a kangaroo court to punish players for errors and other mistakes on the field, as well as for being late for a game/practice, not wearing proper attire to road games, or having a messy locker in the clubhouse. Fines are allotted, and at the end of the year, the money collected is given to charity. The organization may also use the money for a team party at the end of the season.[2]
This type of kangaroo court is common in Rugby Union teams and clubs in the western world where fines are given at the end of a tour or season. The fines are dealt with either by forfeits or tasks. This usually entails large amounts of alcohol as punishment.
In 1975, the Cleveland Indians of the American League had a Kangaroo Court where players were fined one dollar for silly offenses [3], and the New York Yankees players have held several such mock "courts" in their clubhouse throughout the team's history.

Considering the article excerpt mentions Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians, and the rugby tradition, I figured it was fitting to include it here. :)

While Shawn was busy with this, I got to have a girls' night! I thought ahead and contacted two other girls whose boyfriends play rugby with Shawn. Since all three of us would've otherwise spent the evening at home alone, we decided to go out together. We met up first at an Irish pub close to where the boys were starting their evening. We then went out to dinner at Gordon Biersch, where I had a very yummy pulled pork sandwich. It was also in a part of Seattle that I'd never been to before, and to which I'll definitely need to return! It's a huge complex called Pacific Place, and according to their website, it is THE place in Seattle for fashion, food, and film.

After dinner, the three of us went and saw Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It was rather cheesy and predictable, but I did laugh out loud a number of times. And frankly, I got to spend 100 minutes watching Matthew McConaughey. Although I probably would've appreciated it more if I hadn't spent $10.50 to see it, there are worse things I could've done with my evening.

From what I can tell, Shawn had a good time with the ruggers Saturday night, and I had a great time with the girls. We're already starting to plan our next girls' night out. :)

And as for today...it's been nice and lazy. :) We slept in and went to a late Mass. Afterwards, we headed toward the mall, where Shawn took his suit to get altered. We just bought him this suit a year ago, but he's lost so much weight in that time that Men's Wearhouse has to take in his pants 7 inches at the waist! It'll be done just in time for the End of Season Rugby Banquet that we'll be going to next weekend. We've been spending the rest of the afternoon just hanging around the apartment, watching baseball, reading, making dinner (beef stew in the crock pot), and playing video games (that would be Shawn). Hard to believe that today is the last day of May already!

Super League!

Obviously, the sport of rugby isn't as big in the U.S. as it is in other countries around the world. But it is bigger than you may realize. After meeting Shawn, I decided a few years ago that rugby is like its own secret society. It exists pretty much under the radar, but once you know it's there, it seems to be everywhere. And once you're "in" the society, you also realize that rugby has its own sayings, traditions, jokes, and even songs. But those are for a different post. :)

In the U.S., men's rugby is divided into various divisions, and those divisions are more or less based on level of ability. It's kind of like Varsity and JV divisions in high school sports. The "lowest" level in the U.S. is Division III. Then there's Division II, which is what Shawn's team in Denver plays in. Then there's Division I, which is what Shawn has been playing most of this season here in Seattle. Above that is the Super League. The only rugby above the level of Super League in the U.S. is the national team, the USA Eagles, so Super League rugby is pretty much the closest you can get to playing professional rugby in the United States. There are currently 18 Super League teams scattered around the U.S., and they travel each week to play each other.

So why am I explaining all this? Because for the last two weeks of the season, Shawn got to play with the Super League team! He actually started each of the last two games and played all 80 minutes. The Seattle Rugby Club (Div I and II) and the Old Puget Sound Beach Rugby Club (Super League) recently decided to partner, which basically means that they train together and the guys have a better chance of moving up to a higher level when they make personal improvements. Over the last year and a half, Shawn has worked really hard to get into better shape and to improve as a player. I'm very proud of him for working so hard and getting to play with the Super League team! He's already looking forward to and getting ready for next season. :)

Here are some pics from Saturday's game. Shawn was wearing #2...see if you can find him in each picture!

Rugby Photos

This past weekend, I actually remembered to bring the camera to Shawn's rugby match. I did take a few photos, and I also actually used the video function on the camera. Unfortunately, it's fairly difficult to get good shots when the game is going on, and it's especially difficult to manage to get a picture of Shawn actually playing. But I figured I'd post a few.

This is a picture of a scrum. Shawn's team is the one on the right...in the white and green jerseys. Shawn is actually in this scrum, but you can't see him in the photo. He's on the other side, in the front row.

This is a lineout. It's how the ball is put back into play after it goes out of bounds. Shawn is in this picture. I'm not sure if you'll be able to see him, but his back is to the camera. He's wearing number 3, and he's helping to lift the guy in the white jersey.

And finally, this is just a shot of regular play. One of Shawn's teammates has the ball.

As I mentioned before, I did attempt to use the video function to record a little bit of the game, but it's hard to really get a good view of what's going on, especially when they're on the other side of the pitch. But here's the best video that I was able to come up with from last Saturday.

Thursday Thirteen #5

Thursday Thirteen!

For today's Thursday Thirteen, I'm going to tell you 13 Facts about Rugby. This is a sport that I'd never seen until I met Shawn, and now I love to watch it. So here are some bits of information about the game itself...I'll save the "cultural" details for some other post. :)

1. History of the game: If you really want to learn a lot about the history of rugby, click here for the Wikipedia article. However, most ruggers (aka - rugby players) will tell you that it all started with William Webb Ellis. At Rugby School in England, there is a stone that "commemorates William Webb Ellis who, with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the rugby game." This supposedly happened in 1823.

2. "Varieties" of rugby: The "regular" game of rugby is actually Rugby Union. However, there is Rugby League, which has a slightly different set of rules. There is also 7's Rugby, which is a much shorter game (7 minute halves) played with fewer players (7 on each team). You will also occasionally find 10's rugby, although Shawn tells me that it's typically reserved for social tournaments. The rest of this list is referring to rugby union.

3. The playing field: First of all, in rugby, it's called a "pitch." (That's actually the same for soccer, too.) From goal line to goal line, the pitch must be no more than 100 meters. The width needs to be no more than 70 meters. The goal posts (similar to American football) are 5.6 meters wide, and the bar is 3 meters above the ground.

4. Scoring: Think of a touchdown in football. It's the same basic concept here, except that the player who is in control of the ball must literally touch it down in the "try zone" in order to score. This is called a "try," and it's worth 5 points.

5. Points After Try: When a try is scored, the team gets to kick for extra points. However, unlike football, the ball is not automatically placed in front of the goal posts. The ball placement is determined by the location of the try. If the kick is good, it is worth 2 points.

6. Penalty Kicks: Sometimes, when a team commits a penalty, the other team is awarded a penalty kick. This is basically like a field goal in American football, and it is worth 3 points if it's good.

7. Positions and Numbers: There are 15 players for each team on the field during play. Each player wears a jersey with a number that corresponds to the position that he is playing. #1 - Prop; #2 - Hooker; #3 - Prop; #4 and #5 - Lock; #6 and #7 - Flanker; #8 - Number 8 (brilliant, isn't it?); #9 - Scrum half; #10 - Fly half; #11 - Wing; #12 and #13 - Center; #14 - Wing; #15 - Fullback. This shows how the players typically line up for a scrum. 8. Game length: A typically game is played in two, 40-minute halves. The game clock really doesn't stop running, with the rare exception of a very serious injury that needs to be attended to. The play itself only stops when the ball goes out of bounds, or if a penalty is committed.

9. Scrum: When the play stops because of a penalty, a scrum usually takes place. This is where the "pack" (#1-#8) of each team creates a fairly solid huddle. The packs then crouch down and at the signal from the ref, the front row of each pack begins to use their head/neck/shoulders to push on the other team's pack. The ball is put into the scrum from the side, and the players use their feet to get possession of the ball and then pass it back towards the rest of their teammates. This explains why Shawn (who plays in the front row) has had stitches across his eyebrows more than once. This is a scrum.
10. Lineout: If the ball goes out of bounds, a scrum is not used to restart play. Instead, there is a lineout. It's complicated, but basically, the team who should get the ball has a player throw the ball back in bounds. However, either team can catch the ball and retain possession. So, the teams line up parrallel with each other. When the ball is thrown (ideally, rather high in the air), the teams will lift a player (or two, depending on strategy) so that he can catch it. This is a lineout.

11. Moving the ball forward: A player can hold the ball and run with it. A player can also choose to kick the ball forward. However, a player cannot pass the ball forward. At any time, he can choose to pass the ball to a teammate. This is perfectly legal, as long as the ball is thrown behind him. Oh, and if he drops the ball, he can pick it up again, as long as the ball didn't go forward when it bounced. If that happens, it's called a knock on, and there will be a scrum (with the other team putting the ball in).

12. Being tackled: If the player is tackled, the play does not stop. The other team, of course, would like to take the ball from him and run. However, the player is allowed one motion after being tackled, and if he's smart, he'll use that motion to place the ball behind him...close to his team, and away from the other team. This is when a ruck typically takes place...but frankly, it's hard to explain and this thing is too long already. :)

13. Uniforms and protection: A rugby player will wear his team's jersey, rugby shorts (typically rather short, frankly), socks pulled up to his knees (and usually tied to stay in place), and rugby cleats. For the most part, that's it. Unlike American football, ruggers don't wear pads. Occasionally, some of the players will wear very thin protective padding on their shoulders/chests. A few players (normally the locks) will wear a scrum cap, which has a slight bit of padding...but this is to protect their ears in a scrum. It's definitely not a helmet.

So there you go! Everything you need to know in order to watch and understand the game of rugby....or at least, it's enough to get you started. :)

Weekend Update

This was a very lazy weekend for the Shannons. On Friday, I met up with a couple friends at Ivar's for a couple hours. The salmon cakes were really good. :) After coming home, we made dinner (Shawn grilled the chicken while I made the potatoes and veggies), and then we pretty much hung out on the couch and watched TV. Shawn's a big fan of Battlestar Galactica, so that was the main event for the night.

On Saturday, Shawn had rugby practice. We thought it was just going to be a morning practice, but it turns out that the coaches decided that the guys should have a three and a half hour practice followed by a game against the guys from University of Washington. I think it was really an effort at team bonding and recruiting (getting the guys from UW to be interested in coming to play with the Seattle team after they graduate college), which was fine. I just wasn't expecting Shawn to be gone until 4:45! While he was gone, though, I managed to finish reading The Stand, and I started reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. I also took a walk around the lake, did a little cleaning...that kind of thing. Then we went out to dinner last night (for Boston's pizza...very yummy!) and we got a really stupid movie from the Red Box at the grocery store. While "watching" the movie, I also beat Shawn twice at Carcassonne. :)

Today, we slept in and then went to church. We finally finished taking down our Christmas decorations this afternoon! Then we more or less watched the Super Bowl and ate a bunch of junk food. :) I also registered to take both of the tests that I need to pass in order to finish getting my WA teaching certification, so I was at least able to get through quite a few things from Thursday's To-Do List. So it was a pretty relaxing weekend, and yet we were able to get some things accomplished.

Rugby and Rocks

Last Saturday, Shawn and I drove from Seattle up to British Columbia so that Shawn could play rugby. It was the first time I'd been in Canada in years, and I'd never been to BC. We've agreed that we'll have to go back soon. The games were played in a small town called Delta, and it was only about 10 miles north of the border. We could see Vancouver from across the fields, though.

I'll admit that it felt a little strange to watch Shawn playing for a different team. This should be fun, though. It's a long explanation, but basically, this team plays for a harder/better division than Shawn's team back in Denver. It will definitely mean more travel to games, since some of their games are against Canadian teams. We've been told that they always play one game each season up in some town in British Columbia that's a 5 hour drive north of the border (in addition to the 2 hours it takes to get to the border). What's especially fun, though, is that this team does play a game in Denver every year, too, so we'll definitely have to travel with the team for that game! (Shawn's wearing #1, by the way.)

We flew back to Colorado on Sunday and didn't do much on Monday. On Tuesday, we decided to go rock climbing. We went up to Eldorado Canyon. We didn't get much actual climbing in, so we're actually hoping to go again on Sunday afternoon. The picture I'm including isn't the rock we climbed this time, but we have climbed it before. And it was the inspiration for the groom's cake at our wedding. :)