Wow, what a wild twelve hours for us:
1) We book summer travel to Belgium and Greece - HOORAY!
2) After doing that, we realize that thirty minutes worth of helicopters circling our neighborhood is not normal. We finally switch to the news channels to figure out what's going on. Of course, the breaking news out of Japan dominates all major news outlets. (Side note: praying for peace and healing for all those affected by this horrible tragedy)
3) Find out after much online research, that the Sacramento police helicopters are assisting in a perimeter for two armed robbery suspects at a restaurant near our house. Even more wild, Cara and I left that very same restaurant 15-30 minutes before the robbery took place. After about an hour of listening to the police radio and peering out windows, things died down with one of the suspects apprehended and the other believed to have slipped through the perimeter. We can finally sleep.
4) Woke up this morning to beautiful sunshine, but still a bit down over the tragedy unfolding in Japan. But, I had my year-one retention letter waiting for me in my office and I am pretty enthused by my reviews. Definitely feeling pumped to get some quality work done today, then attending a student event tonight before celebrating the start of the weekend with my beautiful wife (and a margarita or two)!!
Showing posts with label by matt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label by matt. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Zags are Back!!
Zag basketball is back and I couldn't be more excited! The team is ranked #12 to start the season and the non-conference schedule delivers lots of tasty match-ups against the nation's best. I'm excited to see how the Zags stack up! If the 117-72 season opening victory is any indication, it could be a special year. Here are three thoughts stemming from the big opening win:
- It looks like the 2010-11 edition of the Zags will be able to score from the perimeter. The post scoring was never in doubt heading into the season, but the Zags drained 13 threes led by Gray and freshman, Monninghoff. If the Zags can keep teams honest on "d" with a decent perimeter game, the offense could be one of the nation's best...easily.
- To sandwich in a complaint amongst all the superlatives from tonight's blowout: the Zags played lousy perimeter defense, in my opinion. Too much collapsing into the paint and giving up open looks, and way, way too much fouls on three point attempts (I think we had four)! Against a stronger shooting opponent, that could be an achilles heel. I do have to point out: all our crashing the paint did was yield a 57-16 rebounding margin (in a word....domination).
- Dower is amazing. I can't believe he's a redshirt freshman. That he comes off the bench only serves to reinforce my excitement about our dominant frontcourt. Wow.
- It looks like the 2010-11 edition of the Zags will be able to score from the perimeter. The post scoring was never in doubt heading into the season, but the Zags drained 13 threes led by Gray and freshman, Monninghoff. If the Zags can keep teams honest on "d" with a decent perimeter game, the offense could be one of the nation's best...easily.
- To sandwich in a complaint amongst all the superlatives from tonight's blowout: the Zags played lousy perimeter defense, in my opinion. Too much collapsing into the paint and giving up open looks, and way, way too much fouls on three point attempts (I think we had four)! Against a stronger shooting opponent, that could be an achilles heel. I do have to point out: all our crashing the paint did was yield a 57-16 rebounding margin (in a word....domination).
- Dower is amazing. I can't believe he's a redshirt freshman. That he comes off the bench only serves to reinforce my excitement about our dominant frontcourt. Wow.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Portland VisionWalk 2010
My brother, mother and I have been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a genetic eye condition that causes limited peripheral and night vision (read more about my RP experience here and here). On October 23rd, Cara and I returned to Portland to participate in the 2010 Oregon VisionWalk, a fundraiser for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Here are some of the highlights:
(1) The walk was held under typical Northwest grey skies, but the forecasted rain held off. In fact, we were even blessed with an occasional sun-break - perfect walking weather! Cara and I are claiming responsibility for bringing the sunny Sacramento weather with us to the Rose City.
(2) Our team, Believing is Seeing was 15 members strong and we were all looking quite fashionable in our bright yellow team t-shirts (which my dad and brother designed together).
(3) Thanks to all our friends and family for supporting us in this worthwhile cause. Our team raised $4,075 and as a whole, Oregon VisionWalk raised nearly $35,000!
Here are a few more photos to tell the story (in no particular order). Can't wait until next year!
Becca and Mark getting geared up for the walk
About one-third of our AWESOME team:
Cara and her sister, Megan, making sure we all walk our three miles
James and his wife, Ada, before the walk
The extended Hoag family before the walk
Poppy + Becca (and her balloon dog)
Trent was able to snag a lap-long piggy back ride!
Matt and his brother, James, hamming it up for the camera
(1) The walk was held under typical Northwest grey skies, but the forecasted rain held off. In fact, we were even blessed with an occasional sun-break - perfect walking weather! Cara and I are claiming responsibility for bringing the sunny Sacramento weather with us to the Rose City.
(2) Our team, Believing is Seeing was 15 members strong and we were all looking quite fashionable in our bright yellow team t-shirts (which my dad and brother designed together).
(3) Thanks to all our friends and family for supporting us in this worthwhile cause. Our team raised $4,075 and as a whole, Oregon VisionWalk raised nearly $35,000!
Here are a few more photos to tell the story (in no particular order). Can't wait until next year!
Becca and Mark getting geared up for the walk
About one-third of our AWESOME team:
Cara and her sister, Megan, making sure we all walk our three miles
James and his wife, Ada, before the walk
The extended Hoag family before the walk
Poppy + Becca (and her balloon dog)
Trent was able to snag a lap-long piggy back ride!
Matt and his brother, James, hamming it up for the camera
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
MLS Playoff Predictions, Part II
The MLS Playoffs continue tomorrow night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ with the 2nd leg of New York Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes. Here are my predictions for the second leg of these home-and-home ties (home teams are listed first). I also recap how I did in my previous predictions.
New York Red Bulls 2 v 1 San Jose Earthquakes:
I predicted an entertaining 2-2 tie in the first leg and missed the boat. New York (NYRB) scored through Joel Lindpere and pulled out the 1-0 away win to take a slim advantage back home to Red Bull Arena. I should've known better, Joel Lindpere has done nothing but score big goals for New York this season. In leg two, NYRB scores early riding the energy of their first playoff game at the new arena and the return of star DP, Thierry Henry. They ride this early boost to a 2-1 victory and advance 3-1 on the aggregate. (Goals: NY-Henry, Angel | SJ - Wondolowski)
Columbus Crew 1 v 1 Colorado Rapids:
Columbus looked vulnerable in a 1-0 loss in the leg one loss at Colorado and the Rapids should've put at least one more score on the board. Although Mastroeni scored as I predicted, Casey (and others) couldn't put a 2nd ball in the net and now, the series heads to Columbus with the Crew looking to bounce back at home against the hot Rapids. I think the Crew will find the net in this one, but are unable to keep the Rapids forward duo of Casey and Cummings held in check the full 90 minutes. Colorado advances 2-1 on aggregate. (Goals: COLO - Cummings | COLU - Lenhart)
Real Salt Lake 1 v FC Dallas 1:
I got the winner and margin of victory right, but the scoreline wrong. Real Salt Lake (RSL) drew blood first against Dallas, but the Hoops fired back with two straight goals to claim an important 2-1 advantage with a trip to RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium looming. The game was filled with drama as RSL saw their midfield catalyst Javier Morales sent off with a red card. Although, the Hoops also saw a player sent off who will miss the second leg (Atiba Harris), RSL will miss Morales much more. Further, there's word out of Salt Lake that RSL's top offensive threat, Alvaro Saborio may be limited or scratched altogether with a knee injury. Although, RSL has an incredibly deep team AND has been tough to tackle at RSL, I don't think they can muster enough to keep the dangerous Hoops off the scoreboard. Dallas advances 3-2 on aggregate (Goals: FCD - Ferreira | RSL - Johnson).
L.A. Galaxy 1 v 3 Seattle Sounders FC:
Okay, so I'm officially a Seattle "homer" and I was a wreck on this prediction. L.A. Galaxy scored on a wonder goal from Buddle and their defense stymied and stifled the Sounders all night. Although Seattle controlled the ball well in the first half, they began to get frustrated and inpatient in the second half and couldn't muster any sustained possession to crack the tough L.A. defense. Now, the tie heads to the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, with the Sounders needing to score to stay alive. Seattle's lethal wings, Zakuani and Nyassi, were held mostly in check and they need to show up Sunday or the Sounders will find their sophomore MLS season come to a disappointing end in SoCal. I'm gonna continue to be a "homer" and predict that Zakuani and the Sounders offense wakes up just in time to advance to the Western conference finals. Seattle wins 3-1 and advances 3-2 on aggregate (Goals: SEA - Zakuani, Nyassi, Nkufo | LA - Buddle)
Note: Although I was WAY off target with my 3-1 prediction in leg one for Seattle, I've got confidence my Sounders will deliver in leg two. And if not, I can take solace in the fact that my Spurs dominated the reigning European Champions, Inter Milan, 3-1 on an incredible night at White Hart Lane. Gareth Bale (my favorite Spurs player) is a beast. An absolute beast. I can't say it enough. Beast, Beast, Beast. Seriously, click on each of the previous "BEAST" links to read all about how he dominated Inter and their right back, Maicon, whom many deem to be the world's greatest right back. I'm gonna say it once more: BEAST.
So, yeah, I may have a bit of a man crush on this Welsh phenom.
Happy Footballing!
New York Red Bulls 2 v 1 San Jose Earthquakes:
I predicted an entertaining 2-2 tie in the first leg and missed the boat. New York (NYRB) scored through Joel Lindpere and pulled out the 1-0 away win to take a slim advantage back home to Red Bull Arena. I should've known better, Joel Lindpere has done nothing but score big goals for New York this season. In leg two, NYRB scores early riding the energy of their first playoff game at the new arena and the return of star DP, Thierry Henry. They ride this early boost to a 2-1 victory and advance 3-1 on the aggregate. (Goals: NY-Henry, Angel | SJ - Wondolowski)
Columbus Crew 1 v 1 Colorado Rapids:
Columbus looked vulnerable in a 1-0 loss in the leg one loss at Colorado and the Rapids should've put at least one more score on the board. Although Mastroeni scored as I predicted, Casey (and others) couldn't put a 2nd ball in the net and now, the series heads to Columbus with the Crew looking to bounce back at home against the hot Rapids. I think the Crew will find the net in this one, but are unable to keep the Rapids forward duo of Casey and Cummings held in check the full 90 minutes. Colorado advances 2-1 on aggregate. (Goals: COLO - Cummings | COLU - Lenhart)
Real Salt Lake 1 v FC Dallas 1:
I got the winner and margin of victory right, but the scoreline wrong. Real Salt Lake (RSL) drew blood first against Dallas, but the Hoops fired back with two straight goals to claim an important 2-1 advantage with a trip to RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium looming. The game was filled with drama as RSL saw their midfield catalyst Javier Morales sent off with a red card. Although, the Hoops also saw a player sent off who will miss the second leg (Atiba Harris), RSL will miss Morales much more. Further, there's word out of Salt Lake that RSL's top offensive threat, Alvaro Saborio may be limited or scratched altogether with a knee injury. Although, RSL has an incredibly deep team AND has been tough to tackle at RSL, I don't think they can muster enough to keep the dangerous Hoops off the scoreboard. Dallas advances 3-2 on aggregate (Goals: FCD - Ferreira | RSL - Johnson).
L.A. Galaxy 1 v 3 Seattle Sounders FC:
Okay, so I'm officially a Seattle "homer" and I was a wreck on this prediction. L.A. Galaxy scored on a wonder goal from Buddle and their defense stymied and stifled the Sounders all night. Although Seattle controlled the ball well in the first half, they began to get frustrated and inpatient in the second half and couldn't muster any sustained possession to crack the tough L.A. defense. Now, the tie heads to the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, with the Sounders needing to score to stay alive. Seattle's lethal wings, Zakuani and Nyassi, were held mostly in check and they need to show up Sunday or the Sounders will find their sophomore MLS season come to a disappointing end in SoCal. I'm gonna continue to be a "homer" and predict that Zakuani and the Sounders offense wakes up just in time to advance to the Western conference finals. Seattle wins 3-1 and advances 3-2 on aggregate (Goals: SEA - Zakuani, Nyassi, Nkufo | LA - Buddle)
Note: Although I was WAY off target with my 3-1 prediction in leg one for Seattle, I've got confidence my Sounders will deliver in leg two. And if not, I can take solace in the fact that my Spurs dominated the reigning European Champions, Inter Milan, 3-1 on an incredible night at White Hart Lane. Gareth Bale (my favorite Spurs player) is a beast. An absolute beast. I can't say it enough. Beast, Beast, Beast. Seriously, click on each of the previous "BEAST" links to read all about how he dominated Inter and their right back, Maicon, whom many deem to be the world's greatest right back. I'm gonna say it once more: BEAST.
So, yeah, I may have a bit of a man crush on this Welsh phenom.
Happy Footballing!
It's Matt-man!!
Hey y'all! It's Matt-man checking in with my first post on the new blog: THE HOAG LIFE! Ya dig?
I know Cara and I are going to enjoy sharing a blog and this should be more fun for our readers too. Why you ask? Well, our combined blogging powers should ensure more CONSISTENT posting about (1) the random adventures we encounter during our lives, (2) the interesting thoughts and ponderings we stumble across, (3) our opinions and editorials on the interests and current events that strike our fancy, and (4) anything else that crosses our mind that we deem to be blog-worthy. Now, doesn't that sound like fun?
Bear in mind, anything that shows up on The Hoag Life must pass a rigorous blog-worthiness litmus test by our scrutinizing editor-in-chief, Bounce. What does that mean? Our blog is guaranteed good, clean fun. So, find that button to make our blog a favorite, add it to your Google reader feed, and enjoy the ride.
With that said, I'm making it a November resolution to post a handful of times each week, so I have fresh, interesting content coming for all of our loyal readers out there. If the blog is void of my musings, I'm blaming Bounce for rejecting all of my content! But, that wouldn't happen. I'm an accountant, so exciting, blog-worthy adventures, experiences, thoughts, musings, editorials, etc. are my middle name. And here you thought my middle name started with an "L".
Cheers,
Matt
I know Cara and I are going to enjoy sharing a blog and this should be more fun for our readers too. Why you ask? Well, our combined blogging powers should ensure more CONSISTENT posting about (1) the random adventures we encounter during our lives, (2) the interesting thoughts and ponderings we stumble across, (3) our opinions and editorials on the interests and current events that strike our fancy, and (4) anything else that crosses our mind that we deem to be blog-worthy. Now, doesn't that sound like fun?
Bear in mind, anything that shows up on The Hoag Life must pass a rigorous blog-worthiness litmus test by our scrutinizing editor-in-chief, Bounce. What does that mean? Our blog is guaranteed good, clean fun. So, find that button to make our blog a favorite, add it to your Google reader feed, and enjoy the ride.
With that said, I'm making it a November resolution to post a handful of times each week, so I have fresh, interesting content coming for all of our loyal readers out there. If the blog is void of my musings, I'm blaming Bounce for rejecting all of my content! But, that wouldn't happen. I'm an accountant, so exciting, blog-worthy adventures, experiences, thoughts, musings, editorials, etc. are my middle name. And here you thought my middle name started with an "L".
Cheers,
Matt
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