modified

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 03 Apr 2009 21:39

I haven't played in forever. I haven't even posted on modified in a long time. My ankle pain won't go away. The doctor said it would go away in a couple weeks, but it still hurts. Maybe I'm landing weird, or maybe I just have weak ankles. I don't think that's entirely why I haven't been playing though. I feel like I have no free time anymore. And all the free time I have is taken by music or reading or something else. Looking back on my time spent playing footbag, it seems more like a phase to me. Something I got involved in out of boredom and loneliness and the inability to fit in. I don't want it to be just a phase, but it seems like that's all it really is. Last year I played almost every single day for like 2 or 3 (sometimes more) hours. I feel like this year I've barely played at all. Maybe if I would've played more I could've been really good. It's sad to think that this is going to be the first and consequently the last year that my highschool footbag club will have existed. It's also sad to think that I wasted so much time on this sport, but then again, I didn't really have much going for me. I've never really had any good friends. I don't know if I'm entirely comfortable with other people at all. I'm not very cordial, especially when it comes to meeting people. I have a lot of defense mechanisms that I'm completely aware of, but I can't get rid of. No, I don't always want to say hi to people or shake their hand or make small talk (I seriously hate small talk). I can't put on a fake smile and pretend to be happy. I can't even put on a smile when I am happy sometimes. I'm not afraid of people exploiting me, or stabbing me in the back or something. I think I'm more afraid of people thinking I'm on the same level as them. Not in a stuck up sort of way, but I feel like being picked on a lot as a kid, I built a lot of walls to make sure that I would never do anything stupid again, and if I did, I could cover for it. And it doesn't even phase me anymore, it just happens.

I don't know if I'll continue playing footbag or not. It's weird. When I first started, I envisioned myself as being one of the best. Now I'm not even sure if I'll be any good ever. It'd be a shame to throw away all that skill. All that money. All those people I met. All the potential I had. All the potential I still have.

I'm still amazed at the power of writing. When I first decided that I should write in this footblog again, I wasn't even sure of whether or not it was worth it, or what I would even write about. Then I ended up doing yet another weird psycho-analysis things about my life and my past and blah blah blah. It's almost like everything's there, and I just don't realize it until I start writing or typing or doing something solid and recordable. How weird.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 04 Apr 2009 03:15

We'll be here to chill and kick if you decide to.

About life and people and small talk and junk: I think that will sort itself out more in a few years.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 06 Apr 2009 12:42

After thinking about it for awhile, I think I can put my finger on it. I think I exhausted myself of footbag. I watched so many videos, played so many days out of the year, spent a lot of time stitching... the list goes on. I remember last year I used to get chills thinking about going home to play footbag. I really just think I grew tired of it, and I lost the joy behind why I originally started playing. This has probably happens to everyone, but I think I was just under a lot of other stress from everything, and just threw the towel in. Whenever the time comes around again, and I know it will, I'll start back up and start kicking again. Next time I'll come in with more of a realistic approach to the game and maybe I'll have more fun within different boundaries.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 12 Apr 2009 21:27

I've been playing more, recently. Mostly atws. My atws suck. Especially my weak side. I have a hard time balancing, especially on my right leg for some reason. My ankle still hurts from inside stuff/clippers. So maybe I need to start doing ankle exercises or something. Because I doubt I'm still injured, I just think I need some extra strength.

I wrote some new songs.
http://www.myspace.com/grantmooney

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 19 May 2009 19:41

Tomorrow's the last day of school. The Kaneland Footbag Club has seen its last days. It's almost like as the club came to an end, so did my enthusiasm towards the sport. I really can't believe a year has passed by me this fast. I knew it would happen. Maybe I felt that if I was aware that it would go by fast that maybe I could cherish my time more and time would magically slow down for me, but it happened just the opposite. I feel like a week ago I was still on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. I can even remember what I wore on my first day of school this year. Christmas must have been yesterday. It had to have been. I've only been working at Jewel for a short period of time, right? Then I'm going to quit and be done with it? It's not even realistic feeling anymore, I feel like I'm in some kind of book or videogame or movie. Tomorrow really is just an excuse away. It may be just a silly lyric from a silly song, but I can't help but feel it's dead on. Footbag has changed from being one of the most important things in my life to sitting in the closet collecting dust. I used to sit in school and watch the clocks waiting to go home ASAP so I could play more footbag. I couldn't stop reading modified for about a year and a half straight. I would read rules for every contest over and over and over again. I had and still have nearly one hundred videos on my computer of people playing footbag. I used to finish a session then go back downstairs an hour later and play some more. I never made a new video. I never became a strong guiltless player. I never hit triple around the world, and I know I could've hit it if I would've given it time and patience. I didn't lose or forget my dreams, I woke up. But I feel like I've woken up to a nightmare. I have a thousand more thoughts right now, but I feel like there's some kind of mental blockage going on. I might continue on with this later.

Reid · Post by **Reid** » 25 May 2009 07:34

Play!!! and read some of The Tin Drum by GÃ¼nter Grass

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 27 May 2009 21:44

I tried playing a couple days ago, but quickly gave up. It was a mixture of not being able to do consecutive kicks and having bugs fly in my face. I'm going to try playing again tomorrow.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 31 May 2009 11:39

God I'm so out of shape. I'm pretty sure everything is still there, I'm just less consistent. I worked on atws and inside stalls, and did a couple short, bad strings. I'd say give it about two weeks of playing really hard until I'm back to where I was.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 01 Jun 2009 11:49

I played even longer today. I had to stop out of exhaustion. I just got to a point where my legs wouldn't work. I almost got level 8 triforce, which would have been my highest level, had I gotten the last two. I'm like, visibly shaking right now I'm so tired.

I've also started working out again. Not like I have in the past, where I'd try and keep structured records of everything I had done to the point of severe boredom. This time I just walked 10 minutes on my treadmill, did 10 pushups, 5 situps, and 3 pullups. I figure if I just do a little everyday than it will be easier to transition into lifting actual weights, rather than forcing myself to do 80 pounds of 4 reps times whatever set with a blah blah blah minute break inbetween. I can worry about that later.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 08 Jun 2009 20:18

I played hard today. I finally broke through the laziness bubble, and had a semi-decent session. I worked on basics more, and also did a little work on stepping and quantum. I also kind of considered my style for the first time, as far as trick selection. I'm not so interested in shuffle-type moves anymore. I'm kind of interested in Lon Smith's style, especially the spins and the torques. I'm not so much a fan of ducks and dives, but I really like the spinny-stuff. I just think it would be well worth my time and interest to kind of specialize in my own style and type of play rather than just try and try and try to get really really good. Because that one didn't work for me so much. It also gives me kind of a new outlook and a new purpose to play. Before, I was struggling to find a reason to keep shreddin, but maybe I've finally found one that's within reach, I guess. So maybe I'll play with that idea for a little while longer and see where it takes me.

I move to Chicago on August 23rd.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 09 Jun 2009 07:37

Wheeee I'm actually excited to play today!

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 09 Jun 2009 10:15

gMoney wrote:I move to Chicago on August 23rd.

Where??

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 09 Jun 2009 12:17

Oh yeah. I don't know if I mentioned this. Maybe I did, I dunno. I'm going to college down at UIC.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 10 Jun 2009 10:55

ahhh yeah!

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 11 Jun 2009 13:13

hylites for today

-gyro butterfly, BS
-muted alternating clipper x13
-29 alternating knee bumps

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 16 Jun 2009 20:05

I had UIC orientation the past two days. Whoopeee. Too much to actually recapture and write down, but overall I think I'm really going to like the school.

After we were supposed to leave orientation today, my dad called and was like "I'll be there in an hour!" which is usually how long it takes just to drive to Chicago from where we live. So I was lucky enough to spend money on a cab then a train ticket. Fortunately enough though, I got to stop by Reckless Records again (I think it was my second time there) and spend $70 on cds. Yay. The cd's I got were:

-Depeche Mode, Sounds of the Universe (this one costed the most, because it had a bonus DVD)
-Air, Moon Safari
-The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic and Electric Version.
-Explosions in the Sky, The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place

I'm really happy with all the purchases, despite throwing down a lot of money. Thank god I got some of them used though. The Depeche Mode cd was definately the one that made the price soar, but I think it was worth it. I'm slowly getting over my downloading phase. Maybe not though. It's good to listen to a couple cds and get to know an artist before you start purchasing their stuff. I'm glad I downloaded 3 White Stripes albums. They suck. Where people get hooked is on their singles, but the rest is absolute fluffy shit. "I want to be the boy to warm your mothers heart." Fuck that. I like the artists who are consistent, but also open to change. I wouldn't spend a dime on a White Stripes cd. So I figure that when I want to get into a new artist, I'll download some stuff first and see what I think, then start to buy their cds/vinyls. That's basically what I've been doing anyway, but I guess why not expand on it. Plus I'm helping to keep record stores in business. They've got some really good shit in Reckless. Like, seriously, theres such little bad stuff in there. The selection isn't all too huge, which is disheartening to someone who is trying to find stuff like the Aeroplane Flies High box set (damn you, Pumpkins, and your hard-to-find box sets) and certain singles/b-sides and such. And I don't know if I want to be giving all my money away to Amazon and such, especially with the more expensive stuff. I found MSI's first cd, "Tight" on sale on amazon for like $200. That's a really rare cd, but I don't think it's worth it to spend that mugh money on something like that. So I guess I'll just have to keep shopping around.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 18 Jun 2009 12:58

You don't have the aeroplane box set? Actually I got a CD for a bday gift before that box set came out and it had most of the songs on there b4 the box set was released.

I need to listen to some more air. I like surfing on a rocket.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 27 Jun 2009 17:41

I rewrote and rerecorded an old song I wrote awhile ago, called "Justice Man." It's the first song on the player. Yes, it is a joke.

http://www.myspace.com/grantmooney

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 07 Jul 2009 12:36

i'm still sore from this weekend. i feel like i played really well on saturday though, for as little practice as i've been doing. i did bad sunday, but the area wasn't so great to shred. not only were we cramped for space, but it was all muddy. i wrote a new electronic song today.

http://www.myspace.com/grantmooney

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 21 Jul 2009 09:48

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUgTCIe6-Z8[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wm06ZuaYSk[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_8RfIw4X6c[/youtube]

sadly, my camera ran out of memory, and i didn't get the rest of the songs. but whatever.

g$