David Barish's Blog (17)

Its funny how and when ideas manifest. My wife, a writer, always seems to have epiphanies when she is taking a walk. One of the reasons she doesn't like to use an iPod or other such device is that she doesn't want the music to block her idea well. We all get bright ideas in odd places. I think I had one today... in the bathroom.



I walked in and looked at the mirror while miming a tee shot. I noticed that I have been leading with my… Continue

How long have those little bluetooth doodads been around? I cannot remember when I got my first one. My best guess is about five years ago. I have always been a big "hands free" guy. I have been using a headset at work for at least a dozen years. I cannot imagine yaking on the phone without one. I hate taking calls at home on the regular phone as there is no headset. I will be very efficient when I have to take a call. "Hi, how are you?" "Good,… Continue

I got an e-mail from my oldest daughter today. She sent me this list http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/ The title of her message was "hilarious and sadly true" I did not find the list either amusing or sad. If anything, I found it somewhat artificial but close to home for me- an educated, liberal white boy. I am sure there are lots of white people who would not reasonate with the list. I am sure there are plenty of people of color who would do… Continue

In May I wrote about Success and Failure after competing in the Greater Milwaukee Open. There were positives and negatives at the time. I opted to see the basket as half full and set some modest goals for myself.



This past weekend I played in another of Terry Miller's events, Cold Turkey III. I guess Terry is my muse. Objectively, I played above my rating. Well above it the first round and a half stroke below it the second round. I wrote to a friend that I was disappointed with the… Continue

ooooh. eeeek. Its that scary time of year. The scariest sound is a rattlling chain followed by the soft thunk of plastic on the grass or perhaps the harsh sound of metal with no rattling chains at all. Even scarier? A gorgeous day and the reality of work and regular life. Maybe I will throw at the practice basket tonight when the neighborhood urchins come in search of sugar. That's about it. However, I will get out there over the… Continue

Every year the Chicago Tribune used to publish a cartoon around this time of year entitled, "Injun' Summer" that showed an atumnal moment with burning leaves under a full moon. I always loved that cartoon despite its politically incorrect title and characterizations. Its just that the cartoon made me feel, taste and smell Fall. I have always enjoyed this time of year. Crisp fall air. Cool nights with still warm days. Pumpkins, leaves and, of course, discs. Courses look gorgeous this time of… Continue

Whew! I am back in the office catching up on a week of mail while the better players are getting ready for the finals. I can still picture the majestic pines at Kimble. I can still smell the majestic pines at Kimble. I can still feel the sticky feeling on my non-throwing hand from holding on to trees for balance as I readied an upshot. I can still picture my fellow golfers, Kazuhiko Gomibuchi from Japan struggling with his putting on our difficult last round. Randy Rence from our host town of… Continue

I will not get to Kalamazoo until just before the Players meeting ends. I am going to my brother in law's wedding on the west coast this weekend and then leaving early Sunday morning (to my family's chagrin) to catch a plane for Chicago where my car and my gear will be waiting. I am going to play the courses blind. I have played about a dozen or so holes from the shorts at Osthtemo about a year ago and that's about it. I am not worried. I will read the course book that I expect to get in the… Continue

Most of us grade life on a curve. Success and failure are relative terms. There are no absolute scales. If you earn XXX per year are you a success or failure? That question is often more difficult It depends on who you are and what skills you have and your health and sometimes luck. If you or I earn a million dollars we think we are kings. If Michael Jordan only earns a million dollars he is having a bad year, even in his post professional life. For others money doesn't mean anything and I… Continue

The beautiful cherry blossoms portend the round and tart cherries that will ripen in early July. Those will be harvested and a couple delicous cherry pies will result. If the cherries are neglected and picked too late the birds will get them and leave nothing but pits behind.



The blue skillshot will bear its own fruit this year. Keep tending to putting. Practicing. Practicing some more. I hope the blossoms of my practice will yield… Continue

It finally Spring and its throwin' time. The bulbs are coming up, the trees are just starting to bud, the game is starting to fill in. I took a lesson from local pro, Brett Comincioli, and have plenty of work to do. he has me throwing putters for distance so I can emphasize snap and throw a hyzer that flattens out. Being a puss-arm I have been throwing anhyzer and getting an S curve with more stable discs. I will still have that shot available… Continue

Yukio Mishima wrote a beautiful book called Spring Snow. I read it long ago. It was a story of unrequited love. The book came to mind over the past month as I looked longingly at my disc golf bag. It had been a few weeks since I had ventured out into the tundra with my bag. I recalled days spent with that bag on my back walking through verdant fields and throwing brightly colored circles into the sky. Of course, the second book in that trilogy… Continue

Well, it snowed again last night. Go figure. There has been snow cover for a couple months now and it has not been easy to play disc golf in the Chicago area. Sure, you can play in the snow. However, we have had bitter cold, snow, melt off, ice, more snow, more melt, more cold and a perpetual cycle of nastiness. The population herer has pretty much reached a collective state where we are now emotionally numb. Physical numbness is old news.

Its… Continue

Worlds are a half a year away. I plan to be there. I can close my eyes and see the basket in a Michigan forest. I can feel the sweat dripping from my brow but I have enough concentration to focus on my shot and not on the droplets of sweat...That will be in a couple of seasons. Now its winter. My wife and I drove 300 miles to northern Michigan to go cross country skiing this past week. From the time we crossed the state line I could see nothing…

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Today was the Winter Bike to Work Rally in Chicago. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation sponsors this even to commemorate the anniversary of the coldest day in Chicago history. On January 20, 1985 it was -27. I recall that date. My wife and I walked from our apartment near Wrigley Field to see a movie at the Biograph Theater about a mile and a half away. I don't recall the movie but I know we took a cab back home. We wore pretty much all the clothing…

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Today in my spin class the instructor was featuring the guitarists from the Yardbirds. It made for a great workout. On one long, slow Clapton tune we stayed in the saddle. I had a good amount of resistance. I could feel myself both pushing down and pulling up with each stroke. The tune kept going and required us to get into "the zone" and continue pedaling. I realized that I was channeling the great German racer, Jan Ullrich. Ullrich was a powerful rider who could push huge gears and keep…

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Well there it went...pretty similar to disc golf. It was short, it was in the fairway, it faded a bit early. I guess I will need an upshot to par this post when most bloggers would be putting. Ah, such is life.

Its Winter in these parts. The green wallpaper on this website will look familiar in about six months. Right now, the white space beneath the type is what I am seeing. Yeah, I am still throwing in the winter as I assume are most northern discers who visit this site. I…

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