Brett Lee is my new Shane Warne
Oct/090
… and other short thoughts.
Cricket’s a long game. I like it, I love it, but I can’t just sit down and watch it endlessly. Often I’ll have some manner of distraction in front of the TV, like my laptop.
But when Warney was bowling, he had my undivided attention. It was magic, and always worth it. You constantly felt that something could happen, no matter what the state of the game.
Brett Lee is the closest thing I have at the moment to a replacement for that. It’s a different sort of appeal: less guile, more grace. Always interesting, always dangerous.
I’m watching the end of the Somerset innings… it’s about all I have to blog about.
Not entirely true.
I feel like noting that today was really fun. I didn’t wake up alone. We got work done. I am still pretty good at Rock Band. I ate dark chocolate in front of cricket on the TV. I currently have a cat rubbing her head against my laptop screen.
I am pretty tired though. Also my head hurts a little. The champagne: not such a good idea.
Current plan: Finish Blackadder season four then sleep.
My hair is ridiculous.
I’m generally getting things right at the moment. This is excellent, because it’s never been more important.
XXI
Aug/090
It’s that time of the year again. I amused myself by ticking off things. Last time I’ll brush my teeth as a 20 year old. Last time I’ll try to solve the cryptic crossword. Last homework: PMP. Last meal: Subway (Disappointing). First SMS as a 21 year old: made me smile.
It’s actually pretty crazy how much of the equivalent post from last year I could just copy paste in. Scary, even.
I’d really love to not repeat some of the subsequent posts though.
No one at cricket mentioned the weight loss, but that’s due to both the fact that I’ve actually only returned to where I was at the start of the last season, as well as there not being anyone from last season at training, just new guys and people who I’ve seen since the final anyway.
Losing weight was the race I mentioned in the last post, btw. I had it in my mind that since I was born in 1988 and also it’s about what I got down to last year, that 88kg would be a good weight to be by my birthday. I’m not there yet, but I have more muscle and feel better than I did last year, so it was still pretty win. The trick will be to keep it off this time.
Probably looking at socks again.
Sleeping in is fun
Aug/090
Lying in bed and daydreaming is better.
Yesterday was very, very fun. I finished sending out all* my invitations, and all day my phone was beeping to tell me I had another RSVP. Most of them were yes, even. Most of them also indicated a large degree of positiven feeling towards the creative aspect of the invites. I believe I achieved Win.
I had an assisted win in terms of clothes shopping. I can’t recall ever having been excited about new clothes before (with the exception of the couple of funny t-shirts I’ve ordered online).
I got some work done, even. Thumbnails are win.
At about six last night, I got a call from my friend Luke who’s visiting from Dubai. He’s been over there since the end of school, coming back about once a year. He was in a cafe about five minutes away with another good friend, so I went to hang out with them for a bit. He asked how I was, and I had to say I was excellent. He asked me to explain, and I did… so basically I realised that it’s pretty fun to be me right now. It was also fun to have not really spoken to him for a year, but still be comfortable and have a chat like he’d never left. Win.
I have the best friends. I spent the evening watching the cricket and some Top Gear, eating pizza and drinking pizza with three more friends. Billy Bowden was fail, but ohhh Stuart Clark! England were plundered, which was damned entertaining. Win.
Oh, and maybe the best bit was actually at the gym, when my friend asked me to do his 21st speech. Win. Actually, a joint speech because someone had already asked to do it. And that someone asked to do speeches for I think two other friends, but is going to leading a Christian youth event instead of coming to mine. Ok, I’m a little cut about that.
Also this is somewhat terrifying because – hello, it’s a speech. It has to be awesome, and then I have to give it. I still don’t have a present for him, even.
*Actually, I have one left
Day Four
Jul/090
I feel like trying something different – over by over commentary of the cricket, because it’s not quite interesting enough to watch without doing something as well.
Drinks – Australia 5/526
Flintoff bowls … well, it wasn’t a very memorable over, clearly. I missed most of it.
5/530
Panesar is in to his second over of the day. No idea why Wing Commander Strauss left it so long to try spin, but it looks like the right option. Monty actually spun one, and beat the bat. Incredible, an English slow bowler with deviation. Haddin late cuts nicely, two off.
5/532
Spin at both ends now – Swann is on. He’s actually an entertaining guy, as I discovered earlier. He tosses one up, Haddin goes for a big shot and misses. Prior takes the bails off for fun more than anything, and asks Billy Doctrove something – where to get the weed, I guess. Clearly not out.
Already into the racial stereotypes!
5/534
Monty continues. Haddin defends a good nut, then gets two through midwicket to bring the lead past 100. Looking very solid, says I. Nearly jinxed it, as he advances and yorks himself.
5/536
Going pretty slowly here. England were really looking for early wickets to limit the damage, Haddin (35) and North (75) have shown no chances so far. Time is an issue with rain forecast; they’ll have to accelerate the scoring to push for the win.
North drives slightly uppishly and gets one. Swann has a big (overly ambitious) shout for LBW against Haddin, then gets him to pop one up off bat and pad, but wide of the short leg. There’s a fair amount of spin in the pitch now… if only we had a spinner in the team. I don’t rate Hauritz much. Actually, I don’t rate any off spinner with human joints, and I am one. I miss Shane.
5/537
The Barmy Army trumpeter has been going all morning, the highlights include the themes of Neighbours, Home and Away and the Flintstones. Yellow Submarine also got a look in – I checked, and it’s one of their favourite songs for the Ashes. You all live in a convict colony, convict colony, convict colony. etc.
They’re entertaining, but I’m glad I’m not sitting near them.
Monty almost spins one between North’s bat and pad, but he keeps it out.
5/541
Swann is looking pretty good right now. Haddin’s played a few quite late… and he does it again, very deliberately. Beautiful late cut for four, first boundary since I started this post actually.
Wing Commander Strauss changes the field: slip, silly point, short leg. Ian Botham is ambitiously suggesting that with the benefit of this large lead, Hauritz will be bowling with four around the bat. Presumably to match the four on the boundary that he needs?
5/545
North advances and clips Monty nicely for one. This is the 161st over, apparently. The second new ball is available, but I’d wager it won’t be seen for a while with these two bowling quite well.
5/550
North smacks a short wide piece of poo from Swann where it deserves. Nice cut shot to beat the deep offside sweeper. He flays a cover drive in the same direction, but can only get one.
The Sky commentators are turning their thoughts to Lords already. Steady on, fellas.
5/555. Good poker hand, that.
North cuts solidly behind point, Panesar jumps as though it wasn’t hit right off the meat of the bat. He’s far too enthusiastic.
5/559
Strauss decides to be a rebellious teenager and take the new ball, against all current popular opinion. Freddie Flintoff to bowl. North moves into the 90s with a bottom edge through third man from an attempted leave. Now he’s cutting for a single to deep point – a fielding position that should be outlawed for fast bowlers with the new ball.
Haddin flays over point in one-day style. This has been the best over for Australia so far, really loving the extra pace and hardness of the new ball.
5/569
Anderson to North: first two on the pads, both tucked away for two. 98 now. The return is wild and deflects off Prior’s gloves to hit North on the head. Possibly rattled, he pushes hard for two to third man on the next, and gets it comfortably because the throw isn’t good. 100 in his first Ashes match to go with 100 on his debut, quality effort. He’ll be in the team for a while.
5/575
Should be the last over before lunch, I think. The clock’s about to tick over to 10PM my time, and 1PM Cardiff time.
Haddin scampers a single to get to 50, there’s a direct hit but the replay shows North is well home.
Flintoff hits North on the gloves, first time that’s happened today. I get the feeling that England’s fortunes depend too much on him – not just today, but for the series.
Lunch! 98 runs in the session, apparently.
5/577 – Haddin 50, North 101.
Experiment concluded: opinions?