Pilot's Log

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of July 11, 2013

Breakthrough will probably not arrive wrapped in sweetness and a warm glow, nor is it likely to be catalyzed by a handsome prince or pretty princess. No, Sagittarius. When the breakthrough barges into your life, it may be a bit dingy and dank, and it may be triggered by questionable decisions or weird karma. So in other words, the breakthrough may have resemblances to a breakdown, at least in the beginning. This would actually be a good omen -- a sign that your deliverance is nothing like you imagined it would be, and probably much more interesting.

I'm looking at a busy weekend, between Bazaar at HobbyTown on Saturday and a baseball game quasi-family reunion in Asheville on Sunday. How dingy and dank can July get in this hemisphere?

Today is Wear Your Hockey Jersey Day, so I have my Tampa Bay Lightning shirt on.

Knoxville is getting their second soccer team in their history--The Force. They had another team called The Impact that must have not had much of one because I never heard of it before they had folded. The Force will play in a league that's Fourth Tier--three levels below Major League Soccer, and two levels below the league that's home to FC Tampa Bay (the would-be successors to the Rowdies).

Meanwhile, the indoor football team that was founded as the Topeka Knights and played three seasons in Knoxville as the Tennessee ThunderCats and the Tennessee Riverhawks is being reorganized as...the Johnstown Generals. Yes, they moved out of town, and Knoxville did its best not to miss them, even though in their first year in Knoxville they won their League's championship!

Knoxville seems to hate anybody who isn't the Vols. Their pro baseball team skedaddled to Sevier County because the field in Knoxville was getting decrepid and the city refused to find a new home for them where the fans were.

The Knoxville Hockey team, the Ice Bears, are still going but the press doesn't cover them worth diddly and I doubt they have good attendence because of that. Besides, the Arena isn't such a hot venue itself.

There have been semi-pro football teams in Knoxville over the years, but when football season is going all the press wants to talk about is THE VOLS. Ugh.

But suddenly, I'm becoming a fan of Rugby Sevens--the Olympics version of football_TM. I watched as much of the action from the tournament last week that I could (unfortunately I had to switch off with the golf coverage for Mom) and wish I could see more. While I wouldn't mind if someone came up with an American Pro R7s League, with the state that Soccer is in America, Rugby Sevens would have an even tougher time getting a fandom and support from the powers that be.

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of April 15, 2010

According to Us Weekly, baseball star Alex Rodriguez owns two paintings of himself in which he's portrayed as half-man, half-horse. This is an excellent time for you to be inspired by his example. Gazing at a picture of a mythical centaur who looks like you would speak to your subconscious mind in just the right way. Bypassing your rational ego, that stirring icon would animate and cultivate the wise animal in you. It would stimulate the sweet spot where your physical vitality overlaps your visionary intelligence. Do you know anyone who could Photoshop this powerful image for you?

Could do it myself...but don't need to. In our modest family art collection, we have two black velvet paintings of matadors in action against nasty-looking bulls. I suppose that would have to be the visual metaphor for my own psyche--the human, thinking, civilized side in conflict with the raging, energetic, and implacable beast that is the combination of the gross body and the subconscious. Again, the red/blue dichotomy...there is one painting with the matador in red, and the other matador wears blue, and the poses say different things.

Unfortunately for me I can't bring the pictures out to show you now. I promise to return to this theme in a future Pilot's Log.

...Lipinski Proxy junket.

And it went smoother than the other ones in the past. Still, driving 200 miles round trip wears me out. I hope Bro can arrange somebody else to do it next time.

...and made it back to Ruby Rather Manor in one piece as well.

Funny that it was more stressful than the model show. Yes, there is a reason why I don't bother with fantasy sports.

FP

I have to go to my brother's place on MARCH 24TH to be the Lipinski Proxy again.

PS: To make it kinda worth reading...

You want to know what Hell is for an Idea Man?

Not having the resources to adequately pursue a good idea.

Let me present two ideas that I've had for years but haven't broached outside my own family.

1) I'm not that big a sports fan, but I know a lot of people are. I know there's an appeal to the baseball fantasy training camp phenomenon. But few people actually go out for it because it's very time-intense.

My idea--an attraction that is a ballpark with a day-camp. This would work in a place like Pigeon Forge or Wisconsin Dells where there are mutliple attractions but people are looking for things to do beyond the usual shows and shopping. On a reservation basis, a fan would show up in the morning, be fitted for a uniform, practice, have pictures taken for souvenir trading cards, take a break midday for a meal, and then come back in the evening to actually play a few innings! Filling out the squad (if necessary) would be house pros...athletes affecting the roles of past players (not exactly impersonation or acting, but at least bringing a little fantastic authenticity!).

While the evening game would be nine innings, it could be broken up so, as one example, women playing softball could play the first three innings, then groups of men playing the middle and last three innings. I'd try to arrange it so that every player got at least one at-bat.

The admission for the seats at the game would be cheap (and the concessions as cheap as possible too) to get crowds in to cheer the players. Everything would be done to enhance the fantasy nature of the experience for the players.

2) Almost along the same theme...I got the idea because of the fact that an old WalMart still sits empty in Jeff City. I thought...what better use for that space than to create a video production studio? A little dream factory of sorts. Standardized, modular sets. Some costuming. Some props. A digital library of stock footage available for editing into locally-shot content.

Still, both these ideas are also awfully risky. Getting a "killer app" out of them would be tough. I feel like that guy in the old Twilight Zone who has these off-the-wall ideas and his boss doesn't know what to do with him.

FP