hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. synonyms: hopefulness, confidence, buoyancy, cheer, positiveness, positive attitude
That was the island on which we took up residence last season. The Isle of Optimism. Seaweed and rocks covered the path to the beach. The beer wasn't always as cold as it should be. The bartender was too drunk to pour by 2:30 on a few Sundays. All in all, it was still a refreshing and exhilarating experience. A new hope. And damn, it's great just to feel the sun shining on your face. A reprieve from the cold, dark place we toiled in for so many years. For decades we could walk down streets, cut through littered alleys, and still never find the beach. Now, when we squint through the binoculars, we can see a ship departing a beautiful island in the distance. It's sails waving softly, trees moving with the rhythm of the wind behind a well-groomed beach.
Could we make the voyage and claim this island as our own? It seemed impossible a year before, but as the season came winding to an end and time passed, hope was changing to confidence, confidence to near certainty.
par·a·dise
noun: paradise; plural noun: paradises
an ideal or idyllic place or state. synonyms: Utopia, fairyland, Shangri-La, heaven, idyll, nirvana
This is no mirage in the distance. Captain Dorsey sets the sextant down, grabs the wheel and says "time to go". He was ready to make the voyage. New shipmates were young, strong and ready to take on any storm. We pack the cargo, stuff the ship with humanity and push away from shore. Next stop: Paradise Island.
This isn't some place we're waiting to go. We're there NOW. "Hope springs eternal" has been replaced with great expectations. There will be waves that crash on the shores a little harder than expected, there will be a tropical storm or two that tests our resolve and preparation. But success is a journey and embracing the journey is the paradise within itself.
We will take up residence, enjoy the sunshine and cold drinks, lay on the beach and soak up the sun. We'll hunker down when need be, we'll learn a few lessons about island life. There may be a few Sundays when the cocktails are a little watered down, the bartender may even be too drunk to pour on a day or two (dude is a lush). But, barring disaster, we will make this island our own. We deserve it, we've waited our whole lives for it.
I look out through my beach house villa and see a few dipping their toes in the water, still a little apprehensive. "How did we get here?" "Do we really deserve to live this life?"
Yes. Yes we do. Jump in... Dive in and swim. Wash away the past, "the past don't matter". Yes, we are awaiting the Great Island Party. The day all ships dock at shore and we finish a season with the ultimate celebration, that unconditional joy of a journey well traveled.
That day is in the future. But paradise? Paradise is NOW.
As tribute to the dawg that caught first glimpse of the Isle of Optimism, before most of us dared to dream... I’ll end with this ...
Dang bro ... thats a mic drop post right there .....
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo
- We made it through TC with no significant injuries sans Hunt who isn’t eligible til week 10 ...
- Loved what i saw out of Freddie and the staff in TC ... Freddie is a leader of men ... MG’s article is just more proof ... FREDDIE IS MORE THAN READY ....
- barring injuries ... buckle in dawgs .. this is gonna be FUN!!!!!
Cap ... were open for business brother ... que the music ....
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Cap, I see we have Revenge on the menu this year. How will we be serving that?
Revenge is a dish best served cold, from what I hear. It will be served while the blood of our vanquished foes runs deep in the sand and their are bones ground to dust under our cleats.
Seriously, though, we do not use the R-word, since Michigan made it such a joke last year on their tour.
We will serve it any way the Dawgs want.
How does a league celebrating its 100th season only recognize the 53 most recent championships?
The island receded toward the horizon, as a cold current slowly parted the battered survivor and the safety of dry land. Clinging desperately to the driftwood, his mind drifted back to that August, and the travel brochure that had seduced his vacation money from him.
He shook his head slowly with a sad, wry grin and said to himself: "Just my luck. I should have known..."
That's when he felt something bump his leg.
He quickly turns to see a body floating in the never.
"FATE??"
Fate rolls over on his raft and raises on all fours in a dazed delirium. He breathes like a rabid dawg until the moonlight shines on the stranger's face.
"Clemdawg? Is that you??"
"You survived!"
"Yes Clem, I think we all survived, well... most. It's not as bad as it seemed."
"Well, it's pretty damned bad dawg. You know what burns my britches?..."
"HOLD ON!" Fate holds his dripping cell phone towards the moon. "I'm getting reception, me must be close to shore... I've got a message."
Originally Posted By: PortlandDawg
I sent this to Diam, he didn't respond... "Diam...I think the ferry to the island is sinking in the harbor. The Tiki bar’s kitchen is on fire. The toilets at the resort are backing up and the septic tank is leaking into the pool. I never took the ride over to the island. To those trapped there...thoughts and prayers."
Fate shakes his head in disgust.
"You know what burns my britches? We knew better." Clem chuckles. "I should have never listened to you. You and your buddy, with your grandiose delusions --'build it and they will come'-- you didn't build any damn thing. And that brochure?? I have half a mind..."
Fate interrupts "Diam? Have you seen Diam??"
"Pfffftttt... nobody has seen him. MIA. If he was smart, he ran off with Cap. I saw Cap packing all the liquor and taking it to his pontoon before the storm came in... Flashed me a scornful look and didn't even offer me a last call."
Clem goes on barking about the sham as the sun begins to rise. Soon they can see the safety of the shore grow larger. "I told you guys, no infrastructure! What in the world made you think..."
His voice dims in Fate's mind as the motion continues... back and forth... back and forth. It still rings in his mind like yesterday. It stings, but it always stings, the itch you can't scratch, patiently waiting for a remedy. Back and forth, back and forth, he watches his hands in motion as he readies his vessel. He sees eternity in the lines on his hands, so long ago the dream began, it always mutates to nightmare. But he wants to go back and see what remains. He wants to go back to the Isle. 'Is there ever a right time?' he reminds himself of all the pain of the past and shakes it off with a smile.
Just then he hears the shuffle, the shuffle of sand breaks through the sound of soft waves and distant seagulls...
He sees hope in Clem's eyes and prays he's not mistaking it for desperation. He's reminded of his own words from the past. 'Success is a journey and embracing the journey is the paradise within itself.'
Fate squints and smiles "Is it time?"
"It's time, my friend... LETS GOOOOOOOOOoooooooo!"
They wander down the shoreline as they discuss the obvious. The supplies, the necessities, the patience required. And a plan, a real plan... and why it will be different this time.
Wanted to recommend a favorite drink I survived on a Caribbean cruise to our Tiki menu. It was called a Goombay Smash. My barkeep kept giggling while about eight liquors went in it. Deadly drinkology. Just what is needed to watch this group. Salud!
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
INGREDIENTS Ice cubes 6 tablespoons pineapple juice 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup Malibu rum or other coconut-flavored rum 2 tablespoons light rum 2 tablespoons gold rum 2 tablespoons dark rum 2 pineapple wedges 2 orange slices
RECIPE PREPARATION Fill cocktail shaker with ice; add pineapple juice, orange juice, and all rum. Cover and shake until very cold. Fill 2 short glasses with ice. Strain cocktail mixture over, dividing equally. Garnish with pineapple wedges and orange slices.
Wow! We found the third pitcher was much easier than the first two. Great stuff!
I was shown scanned drink they mixed with, a can of local stuff called Goombay, which is where I assume the name came from, though it wasn't alcoholic as far as I know. Barkeep said it was like our Hawaiian punch, sweet and fruity.
I will need a few of these my closest friends. Great ride for the boat trip over with a pitcher of these. PS Thanks for the recipe! No wonder the bar keep was giggling. SMH PSS I also know he added some tequila. Like that is excessive. LOLetc.
Last edited by Bard Dawg; 10/25/2008:25 PM.
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
This has been one of the most interesting seasons of Browns football I've ever witnessed. Fresh drama and shifting ground on a weekly basis.
I think what's been most fun about all of this:
In a season impacted by SARS/CoV2, the overall quality of play has been what we've always known... so it's not like this upstart Browns team is winning games based on fluke personnel matchups, 'good' CoVid luck, and substandard play by the opposition. This team has actually won these 10 games. 10 EARNED victories.
Last year, I heard the hype, but didn't see a reason to believe. Freddie Kitchens as HC just smelled waaaay too much like the pot Haslam had always been cooking since he bought the restaurant. By the 2nd qtr. of last season, I could smell the tainted well water that was being used to boil the soup stock at 76 Groza... and I readied myself for "The Ol' Familyah."
This season has looked, sounded, smelled- and developed different- from the very beginning (see my post in the CLE/NYG 'Postgame Thoughts' thread).
For me, Diam's 'Island of Optimism' isn't defined by reaching the 2020 playoffs. It isn't defined by the offhand chance that lightning strikes- and the Browns actually hoist a Lombardi this year. My definition of Diam's island has always- always been the establishment of a team culture that promotes professionalism and excellence from decade to decade- not season to season.
I want the CLE Browns dynasties of the 50's/60's. I want Elves to replace PIT and BAL as the perennial AFCN playoff favorite.
This year seems to be establishing the beginnings of that personality. I'm all about that, yo.
I want a permanent residence, paid-in-full on this island. I've earned it as my retirement home, from years of paying dues. I don't want some fast-evaporating scam-azz time share.
_________
I have my financial agent on speed dial.
If I like what I see: 1. between now and the end of the Browns' season (whenever that is-) 2. in this year's offseason
...I'll be calling him up to liquidate some assets for a Real Estate purchase.
Hopefully, optimistically, and hesitantly yours,
Clemdawg.
(resident cynic/realist... and witness to the Browns' last championship)
While I certainly agree with you, I think it goes even deeper with Bernie than that. I've never seen anyone broadcast a game that had the ability to breakdown a defense or an offense and explain in basic terms so that everyone watching or listening to the game can understand it. It's like watching a biologist dissecting a frog and explaining it to a group of seventh graders in a manner where everyone aces the test.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
"Another new guy, eh?" The grizzled vet shakes his head with a smile as he wraps the line around the cleat.
"Hey, when you add two new ferries, you have to add two new captains, right? Simple math -- supply and demand, eh? I think he just knows everyone's excited."
The instant the ramp stretches to solid ground, the mass clatter of feet pound it, and the crowd pours through like a pre-Covid Black Friday sale. They split in different directions, most of them first-timers on the isle and excited to see what's here. Many are looking confused as they look for the sign... ahhh, there it is -- Clemdawg Condo Sales. Hope rises in their eyes. It will soon fade to black, the first-phase condos are sold out and Clemdawg has his spot on the beach.
It's easy to see the organization wasn't ready for this, but at least it's not another exercise in futility, quite the opposite...
Last year, lack of infrastructure meant the damned thing wasn't built right -- no attention to detail. This year -- plans were made, plans were changed, all maps were obsolete as quick as they were made. Dark clouds down the stretch had many staring at the sky, screaming... "Why this? Why again??" Yet the organization powered through. As time passed, the odds seemed stacked higher and higher, yet they persevered.
And here they are, the believers. Their feet hit the sand and they stare in a wide-eyed wonder. So early to the Isle that some of the bathrooms aren't ready, so early that some roads aren't really roads yet. So early to an island, that for all it's allure, is not really a paradise at all, at least not yet. It's a little rough around the edges, certainly not a finished product. Most of the beauty can be found in the grand transition... and how quickly it happened. For those that have waited so long -- the Isle is just right, and no one seems to care that it's not yet finished.
So now it's being embraced as paradise. It's not just sand beneath your feet, it's a vacation for the mind. A chance to dream again. And a reminder, that success is a journey and embracing the journey is the paradise within itself.
If this is your way of life, it's because this is the blood that courses through your veins. If this brown sand and these orange sunsets are more than something that flirts with your senses... then this is your nirvana, this is your paradise, this is your day in the sun. Enjoy it, next storm may come tomorrow... but then again, it could be blue skies and a cool breeze for a long time to come.
Jump in with both feet. Dive in headlong. Feel the rush. Close your eyes and dream, anything is possible when you dream... Just ask that kid from Texas.
"Another new guy, eh?" The grizzled vet shakes his head with a smile as he wraps the line around the cleat.
"Hey, when you add two new ferries, you have to add two new captains, right? Simple math -- supply and demand, eh? I think he just knows everyone's excited."
The instant the ramp stretches to solid ground, the mass clatter of feet pound it, and the crowd pours through like a pre-Covid Black Friday sale. They split in different directions, most of them first-timers on the isle and excited to see what's here. Many are looking confused as they look for the sign... ahhh, there it is -- Clemdawg Condo Sales. Hope rises in their eyes. It will soon fade to black, the first-phase condos are sold out and Clemdawg has his spot on the beach.
It's easy to see the organization wasn't ready for this, but at least it's not another exercise in futility, quite the opposite...
Last year, lack of infrastructure meant the damned thing wasn't built right -- no attention to detail. This year -- plans were made, plans were changed, all maps were obsolete as quick as they were made. Dark clouds down the stretch had many staring at the sky, screaming... "Why this? Why again??" Yet the organization powered through. As time passed, the odds seemed stacked higher and higher, yet they persevered.
And here they are, the believers. Their feet hit the sand and they stare in a wide-eyed wonder. So early to the Isle that some of the bathrooms aren't ready, so early that some roads aren't really roads yet. So early to an island, that for all it's allure, is not really a paradise at all, at least not yet. It's a little rough around the edges, certainly not a finished product. Most of the beauty can be found in the grand transition... and how quickly it happened. For those that have waited so long -- the Isle is just right, and no one seems to care that it's not yet finished.
So now it's being embraced as paradise. It's not just sand beneath your feet, it's a vacation for the mind. A chance to dream again. And a reminder, that success is a journey and embracing the journey is the paradise within itself.
If this is your way of life, it's because this is the blood that courses through your veins. If this brown sand and these orange sunsets are more than something that flirts with your senses... then this is your nirvana, this is your paradise, this is your day in the sun. Enjoy it, next storm may come tomorrow... but then again, it could be blue skies and a cool breeze for a long time to come.
Jump in with both feet. Dive in headlong. Feel the rush. Close your eyes and dream, anything is possible when you dream... Just ask that kid from Texas.
I am quoting this post verbatim, because all Dawgs need to recognize Game when a wordsmith drops it in their laps. Take the time to read this. You'll be glad you did.
*edit*
Dawgs- wtf is Diam? Why is he not here for this moment? It was his island, after all.
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