Hello to my only follower, haha!!!!  So...I'm back at the fire station, I left the PIO position to return to engine company life.  It was a necessary move so I could do shift trades in order to go up north to care for my Mom.  She is sick with bone cancer and will need the help of me and my brothers.
It's good to be back, but the real truth is, I could retire right now and just travel, or coach football in Europe, or surf in Central America, or............

The heaviness of life sometimes is too great to bear, or so it seems.

Holy Smokes, it has been something like three years since I posted on here, good thing nobody reads this...haha!!!

My Crazy Life.....for damn sure!!!  Football season is once again over, my middle son Joey played on the Camarillo High School Junior Varsity this season and started at Strong Side Cornerback and was also their Long Snapper.  He had a banner season with only two passes completed against him.

My son Noah's team, Camarillo Cougars J1 Black went undefeated at 11-0 and won their Division Championship outright.  He had an amazing season too, started at Strong Side Defensive End and rotated in and out at Full Back.  Noah is a beast, he runs kids over and hits like a Mack Truck.

Our Cougars went to Las Vegas over Thanksgiving and played in a National Championship tournament (not sure where they got that title) and they defeated the number 1 ranked team in their first game, 7-6.
They moved directly to the finals where they lost to a team, from all places, Simi Valley.  This team is known for their very unsportmanslike play and their coaches are less than honorable in their methods.
We lost to them, but it didn't matter, we had an amazing season.
I was the Offensive Coordinator this season and taught these 11 and 12 year old boys HS Varsity level football and they learned it and played it with great skill and with amazing success.  It was a very rewarding year to say the least.

As for life, well.......it has been a roller coaster ride to say the least.  My wife and I were separated for most of 2011, got back together and split up again this year.  It looks like another divorce is coming my way.  It makes me sad too, I really don't want this at all.

My Mom has bone cancer and the prognosis doesn't look very good.  Apparently this form is always fatal, but slow growing, though she does have it in several places in her body.  So, this will probably be an upleasant year coming up.  I have stepped down from my Commander position with the Sea Cadets and will return to the line from my staff position at work.   I will need to do shift trades so I can pile up days off to go help take care of Mom, her husband and their ranch.

There is so much more to tell...but I will save that for my next posting. 

I wish everyone a joyous Holiday Season and a very Merry Christmas.

Season is over

Santa Paula walloped my team 30-6 with all of those thirty points being scored in the first quarter.  We just could not get uncorked.  Multiple interceptions by SP stifled our offense and our defense was as porous as a sponge.  Oh well, we finished at 5-5 and made it to the semis with that record and I am happy with that.

Tomorrow is the last game of the season for my oldest son's team at Camarillo High.  They play their cross town rival Rio Mesa High and many of his friends go there....so it should be a fun game to watch.  One of Josh's best motorcycle riding buddies starts at running back and linebacker, so they well definitely be seeing each other on the field.  Report to follow.

HOT November

It's November third and it was Ninety Three freaking degrees here today....YUCK!!!

This Saturday my team plays in the semis.....we are ranked fourth and we play the number one seed, Santa Paula.  We played them and lost earlier in the season, but we held them scoreless for almost three full quarters...it wasn't a walkover for them.  I'm optimistic that we can beat them, but we have to have everyone perform at their very best.  Wish us luck.....more to follow

Life as we know it......

Life in the Swindle home is BUSY!!!!  All three of my boys play football...as I have reported here on occasion, haha.  The youth team I coach has our first playoff game this Saturday...against a team we have already beaten in the regular season.  But, I never underestimate and opponent and with the prospect of rain the night before...the field could be the equalizer!!!

Okay, I am going to start bragging out loud here....my youngest son is an actor....a for real on TV and movies actor.  He has done commercials and an independent film and is in the running for some parts in BIG movies and he just landed a gig on NFL Gameday doing a spoof skit as the guys doing their run down on teams and games that day.....it will air this Sunday...so we are excited!!!  It is rather apropos that he is on this....he is the starting middle linebacker on his youth team....so there you go!!

My oldest son has been doing really well this season on his HS football team too...he is a first string wide out and a second string Safety.  I know he will continue to do really well if he stays with football...he has speed, great hands and a natural smartness for the game that can't be taught.  Plus, he is growing like a weed and I suspect by the time he is a Senior he should be of a size that would interest colleges...I hope, I hope, I hope!!!

Football mania

Last Thursday my oldest son's Frosh team from Camarillo High travelled to Oak Park and whooped up on the Eagles.  Josh had several rocking solo tackles on kick offs......it was fun to watch him get down field, shed the blocks and make the hits!!!

Saturday my J2Gold team travelled to Apollo High to play the Simi team...we won 40 to 22.  As Defensive Coordinator for our team I was able to start some kids that don't normally play lots.  Simi has a losing record and so I was able to put in kids that are second string and play them lots and lots.  They rose to the occasion too.  One boy I started at corner back had six solo tackles, a couple of blocked passes and one interception.
My boy Joey had a couple of sweet passes he caught and one interception.  At Safety I had the smallest kid on our team and he had several solo tackles and an interception too.....so it was a really great day for the kids and they had a ton of fun in the win.  We even had a kid who normally only plays noseguard play at fullback and he scored a TD!!!!

This coming weekend we play the first place team....but I think if we play to our potential..we can beat them.  The boys will have to really keep up the intensity and their desire to win, but I know they have it in them.

Also, my youngest son filmed an AT&T commercial this week...he was one of the principals.  It is a kid and his Dad at a football game and should be out soon....so of course we are crazy excited!!!

It never rains in California

Well.....not quite true....it's been raining for a couple of days now.  Not a big down pour mind you, it is after SoCal, but still...it has been wet.  And....I'm loving it!!!  Our football fields are soggy and this weekend's games should be a hoot.  We need to relish the wetness while we can....October can be notoriously hot and dry and with an early wet down and cool temps....I feel we are probably in for some dry east winds and heat soon.....UGH!!!!
Freshman football tomorrow....Camarillo at Oak Park....should be a fun one!!