Poetic hair

Source: www.farzadonline.com

A massive loss

When I was a kid, I used to collect stamps like many kids in that age. My father used to visit a stamp shop on his way from work and buy me the latest stamps as well as a few 'old' stamps occasionally. I vaguely remember some of those stamps commemorating certain occasions and being very colorful and beautifully and artistically drawn. As an organized kid that I was, I used to write the purchase price of those stamps - which were very little compared to today's costs - on small notes as I arranged them in the albums very carefully using tweezers. I guess I was hoping to sell those stamps to a hefty price later and make fortune out of it! I remember keeping those albums among my books in the library but the collection didn't grow that big as my father stopped the supply since he and I somehow lost interest in the years. I believe I had at least two albums which I kept in my library, one had a thick orange cover and the other which was smaller with a green cover. During a period of time, before or maybe after I moved out, I forgot about my little yet extremely valuable stamp collection. My negligence resulted in my dear collection being 'unattended' and needless to say, being lost in some mysterious process. Rumor has it that someone 'gave' it to somebody...just like that! Reminding myself about this loss makes my blood and tears boil up and it burns in the deepest corners of my body and soul. I can not possibly describe how much heartache it has caused as I look back, so I save my breath. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it is gone now and dropping tears of regret in the size of oceans can not repair the damage done by such a massive loss.

Sigh...deepest sigh!

On every street

I dedicate this song to some people that I know (they know exactly who they are!) whom I 'kinda' miss with no particular reason.

Words: Mark Knopfler

There's gotta be a record of you someplace
You gotta be on somebody's books
The lowdown - a picture of your face
Your injured looks
The sacred and profane
The pleasure and the pain
Somewhere your fingerprints remain concrete
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street

A ladykiller - regulation tattoo
Silver spurs on his heels
Says - what can I tell you, as I'm standing next to you
She threw herself under my wheels
Oh it's a dangerous road
And a hazardous load
And the fireworks over liberty explode in the heat
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street

A three-chord symphony crashes into space
The moon is hanging upside down
I don't know why it is I'm still on the case
It's a ravenous town
And you still refuse to be traced
Seems to me such a waste
And every victory has a taste that's bittersweet
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street

Is it over?

Someone said:" It ain't over till it's over!" That is indeed so true. but on the down side, of course it is f-ing over! My beloved LFC will not make it to the forth place in the league, the team currently residing on that place has already a 6 points lead, so despite all the efforts and hopes and tears and sweats, we are not going to make to Champions League next year. Better to focus 100% now on the Europa league title, the only possible chance of winning some silverware and end this drought. This league, however not so prestigious as CL, is damn serious - in my opinion - after the semis.

The question that has been daunting everyone, given the poor performance of this season which I'm sure has had its own reasons, is "Should he (Rafa) stay or should he go?" I would very much like him to stay but honestly, it is a bit hard to neglect the failure of this and last season and his costly mistakes in the run...pffff, je ne sais plus...encore!

Wise men said

Source: imgur.com

Differences of baseball and basketball

The baseball season has started, that is the majors and so on. I kicked off my practice last Tuesday which was surprisingly good in the first part despite the fact that we threw in a sandy parking lot. I ended up inevitably with cramps in almost everywhere but it was OK. All in all, it sure feels good to pick up your glove (which I should 'maintain' with lotion) and play some catch. The bad thing is, due to laziness and bad winter, my throwing skills have not evolved much since last and 'the same issues' remain. Anyway, I thought it would be good occasion to write this post down, which was standing in line for long.

When I first started playing baseball, I was inevitably comparing this new sport with basketball which I had played in many years. The differences, as opposed to what I had written a while ago, while being quite obvious e.g. the game tempo to say the least, are significant. For instance, in baseball, you have different gear for different positions. You have catcher's gear i.e. face mask/helmet, mitt (catcher's gloves), knee and leg guards, chest protector to start with. Then you have different gloves: 1st baseman glove, infielder's glove, pitcher's glove, outfielder's glove and batting gloves. Although one might claim that there are very little or no differences between pitcher and infielder (2nd, SS and 3rd)'s glove, I am sure that there are plenty out there who would argue that. In basketball, there are not much of gears for players. I mean except for shoes - that might differ from position to position, something which I personally don't buy - there are only wrist or headbands which any player can use if they wish to, but it's not necessary. In baseball, you may also need additional gear to be able to perform better or maintain your equipments, things like gloves lotions, tar for batting, glove mate (to protect you palms), sunglasses, cups and batting helmets (very important protection gear), sliding shorts and etc. In basketball, gears of such nature, if existing, don't have much of a significance.

Some other differences in terminology:

Baseball: uniforms, Basketball: jersey and shorts
Baseball: cleat, Basketball: sneakers
Baseball: umpire, Basketball: referees
Baseball: dugout, Basketball: bench
Baseball: manager, Basketball: head coach
Baseball: field, Basketball: court

This is what I have off the top of my head for the time being. I probably had more differences in mind when I first thought of this but it's gone now, maybe I come back to it later, we'll see...