totallytinab

Dear Golfers,

When speaking about the great game of golf, please do not use golf as a verb.  The Golf Gods will get their revenge and you will be no better than an 18 handicap for the rest of your life. If you want to wear the clothes, walk the walk or ride the cart then please talk the talk.

If I see another bumper sticker or license plate bracket that says  “I’d rather be golfing”  I might just toss a club.  The correct saying should be “I’d rather be playing golf”  You do not “golf” with your buddies, you “play golf” with your buddies. You didn’t “golf 18 holes today,” you “played 18 holes.”

Oh and another thing, PLAY GOLF FASTER!!!

Thanks!

PS

I do think it is OK if you say “I really golfed my ball today” But only if you really did!

I do not like the word choke and think it is one of the most over-used words in sports today.  Did Lebron James choke?  Did the Vancouver Canucks as a team choke?   If you strike out in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and the score tied, did you choke?  Did Rory McIlroy choke at the Masters?  Will someone playing in the US Open this weekend choke?  Maybe.  Maybe the answer is yes or maybe the answer is no.  There is no real way to know.  There are just a lot of people on the sidelines or announcing that think they know what is in someone’s head when most have never had the talent to step into the arena, put it all on the line, give it a go and see what happens.

I have to be honest. I have had opportunity in the past for achievement and not always performed my best.  A few times you might even say I choked.  But a couple of times I did everything I could and it just wasn’t meant to be.  It happens. Sports are tough!  Sometimes there are bad breaks.  Sometimes you wake up and everything is different.  You get out of your routine or something just feels a little off.  Are these things a sign of choking or just stuff that happens when you play a game?  Clearly, I have been nervous and have messed up sometimes.  But if feeling nervous is a sign of choking then how do you explain all of the times I was nervous and was able to perform.  I was almost always nervous before every round I played. Did I choke each time?  Of course not!

No one but the player knows what is really happening out there.  Just because someone doesn’t perform up to the standards we are used to doesn’t mean that they choke.  Superstars are superstars because they make what is really tough look pretty easy.  We love the clutch player.  We love Michael Jordan hitting game winning jumpers or Tiger Woods making a 15 footer on 18 at Torrey Pines to tie for the lead.  But what happens if he misses?  Did he choke? Is he a choker now?  Its seems the only people who are called chokers are the ones right there at the end.  The ones that have gotten to the point where they can hit that clutch shot, make that key save, throw that TD pass or get the game winning hit.  The ones that didn’t make it that far are at home or watching on TV.

I remember someone saying that playing in the last group of a golf tournament was like playing naked.  It was all out there for everyone to see.  So if you are watching the US Open this weekend or watching a baseball game or you watched the Stanley Cup final, before you listen to an announcer talk about choking, think about how hard that person has worked to be in that position.  And maybe they are “choking” But maybe, just maybe what they are doing is really tough and there is only one champion and everyone else goes home.  And the true definition of a winner is someone who is willing to put it all on the line and see what happens even if he might be called a choker.

I have lived in Arizona for more than 20 years.  I moved here originally after my first year on tour.  I tried the Florida thing for a year, but didn’t like the bugs, the humidity, and the wind.  A friend’s parents bought a house at Desert Mountain in North Scottsdale.  I stayed with her for the winter and I was hooked.  It was hard not to be.  I was living in a beautiful house and playing a great golf course with amazing facilities.  I missed and still miss some things about living back East.  There are no UTZ BBQ rippled potato chips here.  There are no pizza subs or snowball stands.  And worse of all there are no steamed crabs!  Our family is there and we miss them but our New York experiment (We left AZ for a short time in 2006) to get us back East didn’t work and as my Mom says, “Arizona suits us”

I love living in the Arizona desert.  First, the weather here is amazing.  We have over 300 days of sun per year.  And it is warm.  I am a wimp!  The perfect temperature for me is about 90 degrees with very little humidity. People ask how we deal with the hot summers and I am not going to lie, it can be pretty brutal.  But we have pools and air conditioning and for most of the year, the weather is perfect.  I’ll take 110 degrees over 10 degrees any day of the year!  Secondly, we have beautiful landscaping.  It is different from the East but it is still beautiful.  The desert comes alive with different plants blooming at different times of the year.  One week, the prickly pear cactus’ start to flower.  A few weeks later the saguaro’s bloom.  And the mountains are fantastic.  I remember the first time I noticed how the sun setting turned the mountains purple.  I finally knew what the lyrics  “purple mountain majesty” in the song “America the Beautiful” meant.  (Each time I see the mountains turn that shade of purple I can’t help but break into song much to whomever is with me’s chagrin)  There is also plenty to do here.  We are only an hour’s flight to Vegas or LA. The Grand Canyon is a 3-hour drive.  We have the arts, a zoo and botanical gardens.  We have the Phoenix Coyotes and a couple other professional sports teams.  I have discovered good Mexican Food.  There is hiking, year-long outdoor tennis and plenty of great golf courses.  Football and all sporting events come on TV early in the day and are finished in time to go to bed at a decent hour.  We get lots of visitors.  It’s a good place to live.

There are some disadvantages to living here however.  That same beautiful desert is home to snakes, lizards, scorpions, coyotes, javelina, tarantulas, bobcats and mountain lions.   All but a mountain lion have been in our backyard!  Just two days ago as I was about to let Bella outside, a rattlesnake was laying right on our patio. My husband went out with a shovel and after about 10 whacks he  finally tossed  it into the desert. (It was gone the next morning-easy food for another desert dweller)

Here is the little bugger (this picture was taken through the door!)

We had a visitor once at our front door.  I looked outside and a javelina had decided that the rocks by our front door would make a good bed!  If you have never seen a javelina, they look like a wild pig but are actually in the rat family. Normally they travel in packs and have been known to eat small dogs and cats.

Another time when cleaning up from a party, I was moving a couple of pool rafts and discovered a tarantula.  They say they are not poisonous, but they are very hairy and scary so I decide to wait to clean up later!

I guess that is the price we pay for living in such a beautiful place.  Actually we are  living in their world.  We are the ones who took over their habitat and made it our own.  It’s kind of cool to be so close to nature.  I like being out in the desert and hearing the coyotes howl and the owls hoot.  I like looking up at the sky and seeing a million stars and knowing that this world is so much bigger than me. I like living the desert life.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I do not like Reality TV.  In fact it makes me angry.  It’s too easy.  Networks don’t have to think.  The audience doesn’t have to think.  Good shows are taken off of the air after very little time (Terriers)  because of poor ratings and people who want to watch reality TV instead of a well written drama or comedy.  I do not watch American Idol.  I do  not watch The Real Housewives of all cities on the East Coast.  I do not watch Jersey Shore. I do not watch Dancing with the Stars. I do not watch the Bachelor.  I do not watch any of it.

This is a tough time of year for a TV junkie like myself.  All of the shows that I watch have had their season finales.  There are a few summer shows but not many.  There is so little on, I am actually watching the NBA finals.    Even though I like watching TV, I am not into re-runs.  So I have all of theses channels and I can’t find a thing to watch!

During the season though, my DVR is pretty full.  I rarely watch anything live anymore.  Sports are the exception.  I really don’t like to watch a sport that has been taped.  If I care about the result, I am too curious to find out and then watching something that has already happened just doesn’t appeal to me.  So a typical night during the season has me watching a sport and then watching whatever I have on my DVR later in the evening.

Right now my favorite show on TV is The Good Wife.  That show has it all.  I like lawyer shows.  It has friendships, romance, drama and just great acting.  I also really like Parenthood.  It has great characters and really good pertinent story lines.  My other favorites include Modern Family, Glee, Criminal Minds, and Grey’s Anatomy (Yes, I still watch it!)

Mad Men, Nurse Jacki, The Big C, Breaking Bad, Southland, Shameless, In Plain Sight and Entourage are also some of my favorites that air on cable at different times of the year.

When all else fails, I watch Law & Order SUV and all of the different 20/20’s Dateline NBC’s, etc.

I know my list does not include 30 Rock, The Office, NCIS, or Bones.  I have heard good things about these shows but never started watching them.  I may catch them one day on DVD.  The way TV is going that may be my only option.

My husband thinks the iPod is perhaps the great invention of our time.  I think there are others that top it, but it is pretty awesome.  I am old enough to remember records, eight-tracks and tapes.  Downloading a song from iTunes is WAY better!

I don’t have a huge obsession for music like some people, but I do enjoy it.  I always listen when I work out and most times in the car. I will put the iPod on when I am cleaning the house, whipping up some food in the kitchen or just hanging by the pool.

I guess my love of music started when I was little and my dad would play music on our record player in the basement.  I remember show tunes like Bye Bye Birdie and A Chorus Line.  He also liked Gladys Knight and the Pips.  My older brother and sister liked music as well.  This was the 70’s and classic rock was king.  I learned to like STYX, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Heart.  I once asked my sister, who is 6 years older than me and used to look a little like Pat Benatar, what a rock concert was like.  She left out a few of the gory details but proceeded to do an air guitar routine I will never forget!  I also remember buying my first record. I bought The Eagle’s “Hotel California” and I paid for it with my very own money.  That album is still makes my all-time greatest list.

These days all it takes is a simple download and you can have any song in a matter of seconds.  When you travel, you don’t have to decide which CDs to take.  You just need to make sure you have your charger.  And my iPod is iPod of the year. I think what makes it so great is my wide variety of musical tastes. I have downloaded all different genres. I have Alternative, Punk, a few Children’s songs, a few Dance Songs, Easy Listening, Folk, Inspirational, R&B, Soul, Rap, Raggae, Heavy Metal, Country, Rock and Broadway.  I like everything from Eminem to Barry Manilow, from Bruce Springsteen to The Black Eyed Peas, from Meatloaf to Mary Chapin Carpenter, from Janis Joplin to Jason Mraz.  I like it all.

I do have favorites of course.  I still love classic rock of the 70’s.  Counting Crows’ “August and Everything After” is probably my favorite album. I can not carry a tune at all but I sing out loud and proud with the iPod of the Year.  (Sorry if you have heard me)

I am addicted to Mahjong tiles.  I have not yet been to the doctor for this condition, but all of the signs are there.  I think about Mahjong when I wake in the morning.  I play a game before I do anything else.  I am thinking of Mahjong tiles as I write this blog and actually have played 4 games since I started typing.

My addiction started innocently enough.  I used to play Bejeweled.  Before that it was Spider Solitaire.  They say that’s how addictions start.  At first its just a little innocent experimentation and then the addiction grows. More addicting games follow and before you know it, your day revolves around trying to play that next game.

I play a few different versions of Mahjong tiles.  I started with the regular game but that wasn’t enough for me, so when I need an extra rush, I play Mahjong connect.  The games are really easy to get.  The internet has everything you need to feed your addiction.

I’d call myself a functioning addict.  So far, I haven’t missed any important appointments or events.  I can get myself ready in the morning.  I am starting work again soon though and friends are worried how my work might be affected.  I do know that I am not yet ready to kick the habit.  I love that feeling of solving a puzzle.  I love the noise when I make a connection. However, I am starting to feel some of the side affects.  My eyes get blurry.  I look up and I wonder where the last hour has gone.  But I am determined to solve every puzzle and to finally get to that illusive level 12 on Mahjong Connect. I will not quit until I get there!

If you or anyone close to you are suffering from this type of addiction, I am planning on starting a support group that will be meeting weekly at a local bar.  Please call 1-800-getadamnlife for more information.

The other day a friend remarked about how often I go to the movies.  It is true.  I love going to the movies.  The reasons are many.  First and foremost, I have a lot of time on my hands, especially lately.  The two hours spent in the theater and the drive time fills up part of my day and I am getting a little bored being at home.  I also really like popcorn.  I always go to the same theater chain because of a sweet deal they have.  At the beginning of each year, I buy a t-shirt and a plastic cup.  Then each time I go to the movies, I get a free popcorn and a $1 soda refill.  The deal pays for itself in about 3 movies.  Brilliant!  My favorite time to go is during the day.  I like the late-morning or early afternoon shows.  The fewer people in the theater the better.  People can be annoying.  They text, chat to their friends, chew too loudly, sit too close.  I want to lose myself in the experience.  I want to escape.

I like all kinds of movies.  Rotten Tomatoes has a cool feature where you can rate the movies you’ve seen, write a short review and then share this review with your Facebook friends.  This brings out the inner Roger Ebert in me as I have always thought it would be pretty cool to be a movie critic.  So here is my list in no particular order of movies that I give at least 5 stars and 2 thumbs up:

Shawshank Redemption-probably my all time favorite
The King’s Speech
The Fighter
The Tillman Story
The Kid’s Are Alright
The Social Network
ET
40-Year Old Virgin
Knocked Up
No Country for Old Men
Juno
Slumdog Millionaire
Gran Torino
When Harry Met Sally
The Blind Side
Crazy Heart
The Hangover
Precious
Inglorious Basterds
The Departed
Garden State
Little Miss Sunshine
Crash
Schindler’s List
The Silence of the Lambs
Saving Private Ryan
Forest Gump
Life is Beautiful
Million Dollar Baby
Brian’s Song
Caddyshack
Good Will Hunting
Dead Poet’s Society
The American President
Dave
Rocky
The Sixth Sense
Dead Man Walking
Leaving Las Vegas
Thelma & Louise
Top Gun
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
Animal House
The Goodbye Girl
Philadelphia
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Million Dollar Baby

I am sure this list is missing a few of my favorites, but I think it reflects the fact that my love of movies started a little later.  You can see that I am not into Science Fiction or Horror.  I mostly like a feel good story. I also like dramas and movies that make me think.  I want to be entertained.  I want to like the characters or hate them but I want to care one way or the other.  I want to think about the movie as I drive home.  I wait until after a see a movie to read its reviews and then I decide whether I agree with them or not.

So I will see you at the movies.   Just remember to turn off your cell phones and stop talking to your friends.  Its time for me to escape!

I used to think differently about tattoos.  I wondered why people would put something permanent on their bodies. I saw them on tough guys at my gym.  I saw them on Harley dudes.  It seemed like you needed to be “bad” to have a tattoo.  I am not sure when it happened but all of a sudden tattoos are everywhere.(Google says up to 25% of Americans are tatted up)  Seemingly every professional athlete has one.  The college campuses are filled with students that have them. The moms at the park have them. Now even I have one-yes me!

My sister was the one who always wanted a tattoo. We went to England years ago and she got a Henna tattoo and loved it. So as she turned 50 last year she was ready. She came to visit last November and she suggested we get them together. She had some ideas about what she wanted, but I had no idea what to put permanently on my body. She wanted to somehow honor our Dad (who had 2 tats of his own from his time in the army) and honor her religion. But what was I going to get? Was I really going to do this? In the back of my mind, I kind of always wanted to get a tattoo. I thought it was so unlike me. I wanted to be a ” rebel” and just shock the hell out of people. Goody Two Shoes Tina would never get a tattoo. The thought of it appealed to me, but I didn’t want to be too crazy. I knew I would put it somewhere not too visible-I am a goody two-shoes after all! I decided on the Life is Good guy. Life is Good is kind of my motto, I like what it stands for and the positive message it brings.

The next step was to find a tattoo parlor. I asked a friend and at her suggestion found a great place. I was very impressed with their professionalism. These guys are true artists.  I had to make an appointment and give a deposit. When we arrived, my sister didn’t quite like what the artist had drawn so she asked him to change it. Five minutes later it was perfect and we were ready to go. My sister went first but made me promise not to chicken out. She said it hurt but wasn’t too bad. I was next. The guy told me he  had told friends he was “tattooing a smiley face” on a girl today. i thought that was pretty funny! My tattoo only took about 15 minutes, but it was 15 minutes of serious pain! Man, did it hurt! I have a whole new respect of the pain that people go through. Ouch!  When we were finished we were given instructions on how to care for our tattoos. Like I said-very professional.

My Tattoo-"Life is Good"

Some people have remarked that they think its ironic that I got a “Life is Good” tattoo on my neck and then 2 months later, I broke my neck. I like to look at it the opposite. Maybe because of my tattoo, I can walk today. Maybe that philosophy saved me. I know that I like my tattoo and I have no regrets. I think he’s cute. I like having a smiley face on me. I see it in the mirror and it makes me smile.

I love the weather.  I know that sounds funny.  The weather is what it is and there is nothing we can do to change or affect it.  But I love the weather.   I watch the Weather Channel.  I check weather.com. several times each day.  I have the weather forecasts for other cities saved.  I check my hometown of Baltimore’s weather.  I check the weather at a friend of mine’s house in Minnesota. I check the weather at my brother-in law’s house in New Jersey.   The 10-day forecast is my favorite.  I like to see what’s going to happen with the weather even though we all know it is subject to change. It is sometimes not even that accurate.  I have called that friend in Minnesota and said “Wow, you are having some wild weather there”  She responds by saying “What do you mean?  It’s beautiful here!” (This doesn’t happen often.  We all know the weather in Minnesota leaves a little to be desired!)

I think about what it would be like to be Jim Cantore. He is the well-known Weather Channel anchor. He stands in the eye of the storm wearing his Weather Channel gear.  Sometimes he can barely stand up but he is out there and he is doing his job. I don’t have a great understanding of high pressure systems and why storms form and why it can be 100 degrees one day and 75 the next. People joke that it must be a great job because you get to be wrong 70% of the time.  I think it would be pretty cool to try to predict such an unpredictable thing.

I remember when I retired from the LPGA and wondering if I would still love the weather.  After all, when I played, my living depended on the weather.  I needed to know if the wind was going to  be 5-10 out of the west or 10-20 from the north.  I needed to know that we had 30% chance of thunderstorms or that fog was likely until noon.  I needed to know that .08 inches of rain had fallen the previous night. I wanted to know the high temperature for the day. This was all very important information to prepare me for my round.  I may not be able to reach that par 5 in two if the wind was out of the north. (I could never reach a par 5 in two, but still!)  I might be able to hold my 7-wood better if a little extra rain had fallen. Should I carry a rain suit, bring extra sweaters, or an umbrella? I remember sitting in many locker rooms during rain delays with the Weather Channel on the TV telling us if and when would get back out on the course. It was important back then.

So I do still love the weather.  I like to know what the day might bring.  I want to be prepared. I want to know of I need a jacket or if I should wear pants or shorts.  Plus, you never know when you might meet someone and have to start a conversation. What a better way than: “Can you believe the weather we’ve been having?”

Hi there!  My name is Bella and I am a guest blogger for my mommy, Tina.  She said I could write about what it’s a like to live a dog’s life.  I am not really sure what she meant by that so I just looked at her with my big brown eyes and wagged my tail and she seemed satisfied.

I have been living with Mommy and Daddy since October of 2009.  I was born in Prescott, AZ and Daddy drove me to my new house when I was 6 weeks old.  I was a little bit scared but mostly excited about living in a big house with 2 people who seemed pretty excited too!  They told me that they used to have a yellow labrador named Rosey who had died in December of 2008.  She was 14 years old and they were really sad so it took them a little while until they felt ready to get me. There are pictures of her everywhere in our house so she will always be remembered.  She seemed pretty cool.

I love these sticks!

Life with Mommy and Daddy is awesome!  A typical day starts when I whine in my crate to wake them up.  Usually Mommy lets me out and I greet her by jumping on her which she doesn’t seem to like.  I am just so excited  that I can’t help myself!  I always have to sit before I go outside to show how well-mannered I am. After I do my business, and I sit to come back in, I get to eat! I follow Mommy to the garage where she fills my bowl. I then have to sit until Mommy says “take it” and then I usually eat my breakfast in about 15 seconds.  I think my record is 9 seconds.  I am just so hungry that I can’t help myself and the food is so good! After I eat, I am ready for my walk. I have to wait though until Mommy types on her computer. I am usually pretty patient but sometimes I get a little antsy. If I see a shoe or a dish towel, I like to take it to try to get her attention. I get yelled at but I don’t mind since I accomplished my goal of getting her attention. When she walks into kitchen and pulls out my leash I can hardly contain myself. I jump and bark and am so ready to go! They have this pokey collar because I tend to pull Mommy when we walk. Once the collar and leash are on we are on are way, Mommy lets me carry the leash in my mouth for a little while but eventually she grabs it. I like to smell and look around when I walk. Mommy talks to me and it is just the best part of my whole day. When we get home, I always go swimming. I love the pool. It’s so hot here and the water feels so good. Mommy throws a ball into the pool and I like to swim to get it. I also like to dry myself off by rolling on my back in the grass. We stay outside for a little while. Mommy likes to read her book and I like to lay next to her to relax. Once we go back inside I am ready to rest. Mommy types more on her computer. I end up resting most of the day and then around 5:00 I am ready for some dinner! I know my dinner time isn’t until 7:00, but you can’t blame a girl for trying!

I love swimming!

So I guess that’s my life.  Mommy and Daddy really love me and I love them too.  I get fed well.  I get to go into the world and smell everything.  I am excited to start each day. All I want to do is play.  I am happy when I get attention but am fine just laying my head down on Mommy’s lap and taking a nap. It’s a shame more humans can’t be like dogs. From what I hear on our TV, there are a lot of bad things out there. But that’s OK. You can wake up each day as excited as me and be ready to take on anyone or anything. Appreciate what you have and enjoy all things big and small. That’s what I try to do. And I live a pretty good life!