Quiet Saturday

1) Well, I can't make Christine's party tonight since I have to work. I think that's five events at her place I haven't been able to attend. I guess I'm consistent, if nothing else.

2) 40 minutes on the elliptical, 50 minutes of lifting, and 30 in the sauna. Felt pretty good after that. Just could have used a masseuse.

3) I have no plans to travel outside the US this year, but I think after putting it off for 10 months, I should finish renewing my passport.

4) I still love seeing Charlie Daniels on that Geico commercial. What a treasure he is.

5) The Lucky Monk is incredible. Tried the Twisted Chicken sandwich last night. Grilled chicken with bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and herb mayo on a long pretzel roll served with house-made fries with kosher salt. One of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten.

6) When I told a 50-year-old guy sitting next to me at the bar that I hadn't been sexually active because it's my choice, he gave me this look that lasted about 10 seconds, but it felt like 10 minutes. His face had a strange mix of disbelief, insanity, and respect. I doubt I will ever change the world, I can only try to be the best me I can. But I'll never be afraid to disagree with anybody.

7) I'm really tired of watching actors smoke cigarettes in movies.

8) Without much else on after the Rangers excellent 3-1 win over the Devils, I turned on "The Bridges of Madison County" on PBS, of all stations. Commercial-free too. Is something wrong with me for really liking it? I don't know, I just heard guys aren't supposed to enjoy this movie. But it's hard to imagine Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep making a bad movie. Well, Meryl tried to salvage "Julie & Julia"...

9) I'm rooting for the Saints, but fully expect the Colts to win. I'm more excited about the Who performing at halftime.

10) My over/under: 2 years...emBARRassing

Perfect timing

Not much audio worth listening to today at work. And my man Benigno is on vacation until next Tuesday. So I have to be a bit more creative. I decided to listen to an Ortberg sermon and I've been slowly going through his first messages at Menlo Park (I still think of New Jersey, not San Francisco) and am up to the 4-part Family series: Hatch em, patch em, match em, dispatch em. And I'm up to match em. He spent that message discussing marriage vs. single life, disposing common myths about marriage, and how to make sense of it all. The best part was when he mentioned how some young couples want to get married so fast within weeks or a few months of knowing each other. And he responded that they have zero idea what they are getting themselves into.

Inevitably, they will tell me the story of some couple who got married after knowing each other just a couple of weeks and are still in love after 50 years. That happens. But people go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive sometimes; it does not mean it is a good choice for transportation.

As the crowd laughed, I wanted to stand in my cube and shout "Amen!" Instead, I just grinned.

A broken record, and the Who is alive

And there is no vinyl involved. Those records are doing just fine. I just wish John was still alive to play bass.

I'd like to thank the Who for accompanying me on my 46-minute cardio workout today. I haven't listened to most of their songs in quite a while. But they're performing at the halftime show at the Super Bowl and I thought I'd turn it on. Of course, I had to stick with my Ipod because every elliptical machine with a TV (10 or so) was taken. Apparently the Fitness Frenzy contest just started at my gym so everyone is trying to get a good start. I guess that's a good thing. Though I think there should be a priority list for members based on how long we've been members...

Anyway, I think of songs like "I Can't Explain" "Bargain", "Eminence Front", and "The Seeker." They remind me of high school and the lyrics Pete Townshend wrote seem to emanate with my experiences of those days. "My Generation" may be the most energetic three minutes in the history of rock and roll. And it is still so relevant to the young disillusioned folks 35 years after it was a hit. And of course, "I Can See For Miles" seems to be a very personal song right now. I have to say this. I really think after the way the Jets season ended, I am more excited for the Who than the game. Onto the the bullet points and these are straight shots.

1) So it is for sure. Fine. I should have known I was being lied to. I just wish I would have known sooner and I would be a lot happier.

2) I pause to thank my co-host John Daly who has now been completely finished. See you in a few days.

3) I really don't know whose management is more incompetent/infuriating/imept: the Mets or the Rangers.

4) Part of me wants to know everything that will happen in my life, another part is glad I ahve no idea. I just hope happiness is part of the deal.

5) I still wish I had the strip of pictures from the night of Rising Above. I know I could find the perfect match for it. That's exactly what it deserves.

6) I tried to forget that deception could be such an powerful undermining of relationships. I just didn't want to think that I would be the victim so many times. It's just really remarkable what I have had to deal with.

That's somebody else's moon tonight
Those are somebody else's stars
They're no longer mine
Cause somewhere tonight
You're in somebody else's arms.

What a riot

Quite the night. Farfalle, rotisserie chicken, vodka sauce, apple pie. That's the dinner I made for the guys. OK, props to Whole Foods for the apple pie. That was my third choice for dessert and it proved to be just excellent, especially with some Cool Whip. But moreover, I'm really amazed how deep these Wednesday night Bible studies are getting. It's kind of sad I went three years without having this kind of community in my life apart from the weekends. And to do it with the CT guys is a very cool deal.

And I also experience something very unexpected at tonight's study. It was my first nunchuck lesson and it taught me an important lesson. It comes down to the idea for training for godliness and its lasting value. Character development is not an easy process. It takes time, takes patience, takes learning new skills, takes more than a few mistakes. And as I swung that weapon around trying to keep it moving swiftly and under control, it didn't happen for me very easily. But I wasn't satisfied until I completed my first Figure 8 tonight. That's the same way we have to pursue the character God calls us to pursue.

And I'm very thankful to God that an old tax return was filed and Mom received a refund of $3,100. That's three months of our mortgage. What an exhilarating feeling to receive great news when we really wanted it.

OK, let's move on. You know, the more I read about it, I find I'm feeling two main things: bewildered and amused. So he says the right things and all, and posts it and all that. It just proves to me what I suspected for so long. The truth in this situation is very dark and very clear. I'm only sorry I waited to move on it. but it is better to be this way then the previous way.

Song pick: "Sail On" The Commodores

Part II: AFC Championship recap, the bad

The first half of the game was amazing, as the Jets took a 17-6 lead late in the second quarter. Sanchez threw a great TD bomb to Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith completed a huge pass to Jerricho out of the Tiger formation, the running game was doing ok, not great, and the defense hit Peyton Manning hard early. There were a lot of audible "De-Fense!" chants coming from the Jets fans throughout the first half. But two missed field goals by Jay Feely had me worried. I knew the Jets would need every possible point. And that second kick allowed Manning to start around his own 40 with 2:30 left in the second quarter. Four plays later, the Colts scored and they Jets took a four-point lead into halftime. Despite that lead, I knew they were in huge trouble.

On the two jumbo HD scoreboards, I hated that they only showed Colts replays. Every Jet penalty was shown again in regular speed and slow motion, not one Colt penalty. At halftime, only Colt scoring plays were shown again, nothing from the Jets. It was pathetic and unprofessional. The only thing worse that the stadium operations was the second half. When Dallas Clark caught a TD pass to extend the Colts lead to 27-17 with five minutes left, I knew it was over. The Jets' powerful defense had been beaten. So I left. As I stormed through the concourse, I cursed out loud. And this fat prick with a long, gray beard in a yellow security jacket (he looked like he'd been fired from the Gorton's Fishing company) stops me. He yelled at me about how there was a no-vulgarity process at LOS and threatened to have the police escort me out. Not that I condone profanity, but I am entitled to free speech. He could just have warned me in a respectful manner, but a threat of police action was totally unnecessary. So after assuring him that I was already leaving, I stormed down the stairs and north towards the Marriott. I stomped through the lobby past a bunch of people watching the end of the nightmare and took the elevator down to the parking garage. As I walked through the glass door that led to the card, I began to feel my jacket pocket. I felt a sick chill run through my body. No keys.

I wound up losing them at the tailgate. In the lobby that night, I recognized a few people from the tailgate. I told them what happened, and they asked if they had a certain keychain and I confirmed that they did. I left my cell number with them and just hoped for the best. Problem is I have no idea who took them when they fell out of my jacket. So I will probably never see them again, barring a miracle.

After suffering through a horrible finish to that game, I had to stay in that dump of a town for four more hours. Thank God for Mom. She drove from Chicago in four hours and gave me my extra set of keys. While I waited, I mostly played my I-Pod and prayed to God those four hours would just fly by. They took so long to pass. Every minute seemd to take an hour. the sight of a blue shirt made me want to sneer. Plus, I was in a lot of pain in my neck and ankles from a lot of running fast and also sitting for so long. On the phone, Mom encouraged me to have dinner at the hotel, but I was so depressed and so aggravated, I could barely force down a sip of water.

After Mom's GPS took her through a cornfield somewhere, she got in around 9:45. We took off and I was not stopping for anything. I probably drove 80 mph all the wayto North Avenue and got in around midnight, CST. So that was an 18-hour run. Nine hours of bliss, nine hours of anguish. Had it in me to wolf down some chicken breast with chips and Frontera salsa.

And the kicker? Fifteen minutes before Mom walked into the hotel lobby, for no particular reason, I opened my wallet. My third car key was right there. I completely forgot about it. I'm never telling her about that...

Part I: AFC Championship recap, the good

I finalized my ticket for the big game around 10:30 on Saturday morning. I think for the rest of the day, I had two thoughts prevailing in my head. "I can't believe I'm going to the AFC Championship game" and "I can't freakin' believe my team is playing in it!"

So on Sunday, I woke up at 5:20 am. I made two large sub sandwiches: salami, capicola, provolone, roasted peppers, and marinated mushrooms on french bread because you can't get semolina in Chicago). Threw plenty of Cherry Coke and Budweiser into the cooler too.

Left the house at 6 am sharp. For three hours, I played WFAN and ESPN radio clips. All in all, the drive took about 3:45. I crossed into the Eastern time zone at Franklin, IN and got into downtown Indianapolis around 10:45 local time. I tried to find the South St tailgate, which was supposed to be next to Lucas Oil Stadium, but every road around the stadium seemed to be moving in one direction. And I had never been to this town before. So I just drove four blocks north to the Marriott hotel and parked underground.

I wolfed down one of the sandwiches and two Buds and walked towards the stadium. I was amazed that I saw so much green as I strolled down Capitol St. For every two Colt jerseys, I saw one Jets jersey. I realized quickly that this was ho-hum for Indy and meant everything for the Jets fans.

On the east side of the stadium, I head loud music. In a small parking lot, I saw a Jets flag flying high on a camopy and about 20-30 people dressed in green. Excited to hang with some Jets fans, which never happens in Chicago, I ran across the street. One of the two girls immediately offered me a beer. I introduced myself to a bunch of people, though we had to shout over the loud music. Everyone seemed impressed I was from Chicago. Almost everyone I met came from the Tri-State area. About half drove in and half flew in. Within two hours of me arriving, the crowd grew to 800-900 people. There were a few Colt cars around us, but they knew to keep their distance.

We played the CBS NFL theme, a ton of fight songs, and I screamed "Empire State of Mind." Well, the chorus anyway. I still haven’t quite got Jay-Z’s lines down yet. And at least 12 J-E-T-S chants! It was great to scream J-E-T-S with other people. I’m used to yelling it alone in rookie's or Real Time and sounding like an idiot. My voice was shot and the game was still two hours off!

Around 12:45 PM, across the street from our tailgate, we saw three buses pull up surrounded by police cars. Everyone around me screamed and then began a mad sprint straight towards the buses. I soon realized it was the Jets players. We stormed them, screaming at the top of our lungs. We kept cheering as the buses drove down the ramp underneath LOS. This was a chance to go to the Super Bowl!

Local news crew from New York interviewed a few of us which was pretty neat. I kept asking people around me “Is this real? Are we really one game away from going to the Super Bowl?” So many smiles and cheers. It was pure energy, jubilation, excitement, and anticipation.

But I have to throw one complaint in. The jackoffs in the Indy police department are obviously not used to fans who actually show passion, energy, and are willing to speak their minds. One guy got thrown against a cop car and was tasered. There was no property damage, there were no fights, or anything like that. And if that's not bad enough, the guy got tasered right in front of his own father. When one other Jets fan said the cops did not have to do that, he got yelled at and was threatened with arrest. Really classy people. I doubt those pusses tasered one Colts fan.

Let's see what else. I met linebacker David Harris’ family. About seven or eight of them. I’m guessing it was his sister who had this hair combo of fuscia, Jet green, and black. Remarkable.

About 1:50, I got ready to go inside. I found myself talking to a few people all wearing #36 jerseys. The mom and daughter asked me if I knew who wore #36. And I was so out of it and my voice was so drained from all the yelling, I said "David Barrett?", who wore that number in the early 2000's. So I blew it with Jim Leonhard’s gorgeous sister.

So I went inside, and found my seat in the 5^th of 21 rows in upper deck on the 20 yard line. The stadium was quite beautiful, with the great views, spacious concourses, and intimate feel. Most of the Jets fans were right at the top of the stadium. So I was surrounded by Colts fans. I have to say the people were decent. But I made sure to high-five every Jets fan who walked up the stairs past my seat. I would think of the 65,000 fans, 10,000 or 12,000 had to be Jets fans.

Jets Chargers live updates

End of first quarter: The best thing right now is San Diego is not clicking. They have used two time outs and gotten called for four penalties. The WR's have done very little against Revis and the Jets secondary. But Antonio Gates has made some catches on 3rd down. He is excellent, I must credit him. I really don't know how he can be stopped. I liked Nate Kaeding missing another playoff field goal.

On offense, the Jets offense has been unable to get a first down on three possession. The Tiger formation has lost yardage both times it was run. And Sanchez has completed 1 of 3 passes for -1 yards. He looks very very nervous.

Second quarter: 7-0 SD. The Jets usually anemic pass rush is getting near Rivers, but they are not hitting him. That must change. They had better score on this possession, because this offense has looked horrible.

Late second quarter: didn't happen. Another punt. The Jets have reached Charger territory twice, but have come up empty both times.

Early third quarter: They are running better, I think Shonn Greene can be an All-Pro back. The Jets took their first possession of the half and finally kicked a field goal, so it's 7-3. Quick 3 and out for San Diego. This is an ugly, sloppy game, which is exactly what the Jets need. And the SD punter's kicks are amazing.

End third quarter: Weatherford punts the ball down to the 2. First play, Jim Leonhard with a huge INT, returns the ball 11 yards to the 16. First time the Jets are in the red zone. And a penalty on SD has moved the ball half the distance to the goal. First down Jets on the SD 7. A TD is essential here. I would look to Dustin Keller...

Early 4th quarter: I CALLED IT! Sanchez rolls out on 3rd down and hits Keller in the back corner of the end zone. 10-7 Jets!

9:40: Chargers get one first down. Mike DeVito sacks Rivers, Bryan Thomas and David Harris with some fierce tackles, capped off by Kerry Rhodes sacking Philip Rivers. And on the punt, Cotch returns the ball 25 yards to the 34. I'm feeling pretty good. I seriously think if they can get a field goal and force SD to score another TD the Jets will win this game.

7:26: To hell with a field goal! Greenie busts it 53 yards! 17-7! It was set up by a clutch 3rd down conversion by J-Co on a 3rd and 4. Could this really be happening? Why did Feely just squib kick? Chargers start at their 45. Terrible.

4:45: Kaeding misses another field goal, this one from 40 yards out! Jets ball! This is gonna freakin' happen!

3:30: San Diego came inches from blocking Weatherford's punt. Luckily, it somehow gets through. I now believe the Jets are meant to win. We are getting a lot of breaks. SD starts at the 32.

3:07: Vincent Jackson makes an amazing catch at the Jets 20. How he kept his feet in bounds and fought off double coverage, I have no idea. But then this jackass kicks the challenge flag! 15 yard penalty on the Chargers.

2:14: OK, SD is now pissed off. Sproles immediately with a 19 yard catch and takes it out of bounds. Four plays later, Rivers runs it in from 1 yard out. 17-14. One TO left for both teams. I'm a little nervous. Still feeling OK. Rhodes with an amazing play to get the sky0-high onside kick at the Charger 38. Enormous!!!

1:009: 4th an 1 on the SD 29. First down and the game is over. Make it, game over. Miss it, Chargers will probably tie the game. I would go for it.

THOMAS JONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes it. Here we come Indy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JETS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J E T S JETS JETS JETS!!!!

Two straight nights?

I guess a lot of emotions leads to me wanting to express myself. I felt tremendous joy today. At Feed My Starving Children, there were 90 of us packing food. About 60 were grade school kids from First Baptist. Our goal was to fill 100 boxes (3600 meals total). We did 104 boxes in one hour and are going to feed 62 kids for one year. After the devastating earthquake, it is that much more important since almost all of Haiti needs the food, not just the orphanages.

I got to work in the warehouse, running and stacking boxes, refilling soy and rice, and scooping ingredients from huge sacks into bins. The cool part was a news crew from Channel 7 ABC was there and they filmed me scooping soy. From my media work, I knew not to look at the camera and the guy filmed just me for 30 solid seconds. Of course, all anyone would really see was my hairnet! I'm recording every ABC news telecast until noon tomorrow. Maybe I will see myself on TV tomorrow?!

I'm glad Court and I got to have dinner by ourselves. I certainly missed Steph, J-Schu, Burnie, and Fish, but a little 1-on-1 time is good too. And Blackie's serves some huge portions. I really enjoyed my Cajun chicken sandwich. I almost got the sandwich with guacamole and honey mustard, but I just don't know how well those two would go together. And we had some really good conversation too.

Andthen there's the Mets. Beltran had microfracture knee surgery and the Mets never knew. Now he will need 12 weeks of recovery time before he can resume baseball activities and will miss the start of the season. What a disaster. It's 2010 and absolutely nothing has changed.

Collin Raye: "But I never knew how quickly I would go from someone you love to someone you used to know."

I am listening to "I Never Go Around Mirrors" for the sixth straight time.

Should have gone out tonight

And watched the Rangers-Devils instead of coming straight home. Because this is turning into one rough evening that should never have happened. I'm not feeling upset or angry, I'm just thinking things should have been different.

I came home to read great news on Facebook posted by a friend of the past. How things change so suddenly. And what I knew what was obvious got spelled out for me. Really, it was like reading a headline. "Conan sucks doing the Tonight Show." And then I checked the mail and found my college alumni magazine, one of the most pointless reads I get. It's like half faculty and student profiles and the other half is the most depressing stories about how screwed up the world is. The only thing worth reading in that thing is the catching up section. Fine quality paper though. Of course I found JA in big huge letters along with Friendly have edited a compilation book on Africa. And the damn thing is on Borders, Amazon, Tower Records. How about going there and staying? And take your memory with you.

Funny, I don't even care. Some people get rewarded differently than others. And some people are cursed in other areas. I only wish I knew the reasons for all of it. I guess this is my question. Why is it almost every time I get optimistic about the future does it get smashed? Whether by me or someone else? And to the few friends I have who are engaged, good luck. I hope you never have to go through what I've seen those close to me go through.

So it's all come to this. It's Tuesday night, I have to work, and I'm playing country music and hanging with Miller. The newspaper agate may not look too clean tomorrow. I just hope one day I figure out my place in this whole labyrinth. Because right now, I don't feel like I have one. And God help me, I'm 18 months from turning 30.

But tomorrow will come. Till then, BJ is on the speakers. Hey won't you play another somebody done somebody wrong song.

Two hours...

Until the Jets begin their 2010 postseason against the Bengals. I'm very excited as evidenced by my two Jets bracelets, Pennington jersey, and Jets license plate frame.

The weather is going to be very cold and windy and both these teams pride themselves on running the football. So it will likely be low-scoring. The Bengals have the superior quarterback, although the Jets counter with the best defense in football and unarguably, the best cover CB in Darrelle Revis. Man, if this defense just had a pure pass rusher. I think behind that great offensive line, Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene will run better for the Jets than Cedric Benson will for Cincinnati. That will allow Jay Feely to kick a few field goals and that will be key. The most important thing is the Jets (Greene and Sanchez, especially) cannot turn the football over. This has been their undoing in so many of their losses and they cannot win in the playoffs if they continue to do that. Suffice to say, I expect this game to go down to the last possession and the Jets will pull it out.

Now I will not be home. I will be watching at Rookie's, because I believe Mom will be home this afternoon. And I would like to spare her of feeling my emotions and instead share them with 100 strange strangers. Of course, road rage then enters the situation...

Song pick: "Can I See You Tonight" Tanya Tucker

Christmas Vacation: Day 3

The third and final full day was spent in New York City. We woke up around 7:30 and I could have slept another two hours. Maybe that's because it took two hours for me to fall asleep. It just takes me so long to fall asleep on a mattress I'm not used to. It's like I have to date mattresses for a night or two to find out which ones I'm compatible with. I guess this was just a weekend fling.

We headed to the Metuchen train station and Mom and I had to stop for some good bagels. We both got sandwiches, mine with sausage and Mom's with bacon. And it was so refreshing to see the eggs get cooked on a flat grill. Every place I've been to in Chicago, they pour the egg from a carton into a Tupperware, and microwave the thing up. On a poppy bagel along with gooey, melting American cheese, this sandwich just tasted so real for a change.

So after a 40 minute train ride into Penn Station, we took three subways up to 86th St in Manhattan. From there, we walked five blocks in a steady rain to the Guggenheim museum on the Upper East Side. As we approached the building, we realized what we were in for. The line was already at least 150 people out the door, not moving at all, and the museum had already been open 20 minutes.

After 15 minutes or so of not moving, Mom came up with a brainstorm. She walked around the corner toward the main entrance and got us into another line and there were only about 20 people ahead of us. So we thought we were in good shape. We had no way of knowing, but we were standing in the line for pre-paid and members admissions. Nobody told anyone in line that there were separate lines, but when we reached the fromt, we were were told we would have to go back in the GA line. We all thought their approach was very unprofessional and inconsiderate. Not willing to wait another hour, we decided to take off. So we walked down 5th Avenue, the Museum Mile, and found the Met Museum of Art. I'm not the biggest art guy, but I thought it was neat. We explored Egyptian artifacts, South American gold, and Midieval armors. I particularly liked the American paintings gallery from the 1700's and 1800's as well as the Roman and Greek sculptures. There were some cool works in the Modern section, particularly the "5" painting. Paul Klee's works also caught my eye. We wound up spending two hours in the building. As we walked out, we barely had room to move. Seems the Mets was the place to be.

Then with the rain pouring down, we hitched a cab to take us to Pig Heaven, which is a pretty well-known Chinese restaurant. Dad had been there maybe ten years prior. This place is apparently known for Peking duck and BBQ pork butt. Not tofu. The place was essentially empty at 2 p.m. but it certainly wasn't because of the quality. It was a tiny little place with maybe 12 tables, though I think there was more space around a curtain that was closed off at that time. We ordered fried shrimp rolls and pork dumplings to start and they were gone in minutes. The shrimp rolls came with a hoisin/Asian BBQ sauce that had a little smoke and sweetness to it. It was quite unique. We then got General Tso's chicken, one of my favorites. The meat was tender, crisp, and very spicy and came served with bell peppers. I think I made a good call suggesting that one. We all agreed had to get duck, but we went with the cheaper Cantonese roast duck option which was $16 as opposed to the $36 Peking duck. The meat came pre-sliced in small chunks. The meat was incredibly flavorful and juicy and the skin was very crisp. I have not eaten much duck in my life, but that was the way it should be cooked. We also got BBQ spareribs, which were loaded with meat and had a sweet Asian BBQ sauce. Excellent stuff. I also ordered crisp pan fried noodles with meats and veggies with the brown sauce you spoon over the noodles. The sauce was remarkable and big chunks of broccoli, onion, mushroom, etc. were a great complement for the meat. Unfortunately, they don't serve fortune cookies. And with fresh pineapple costing $5.50, we took a pass on dessert.

So then with the rain not letting up, we took a cab from 86th and 2nd to 31st and 7th (Penn Station). I got a good laugh when we passed right by a huge Turkish restaurant and I had to think about J-Schu. We took a 2:55 train back and a mom with four kids sat down right next to me. She had pizza slices for each of them and was doing her best to give them out, but mroe than that, just keep them under control. I hope those kids have a dad that they know.

So we went home and watched Julie and Julia. Yeah, it was a cute little story that Mom might to be able to use on her bus tours where the clientele is all over 60 years old. And Meryl Streep is just a tremendous actress, no question about it. But I was bored for most of the film. For a movie that advertises itself as a comedy, the one and only time I laughed was when they showed an old SNL parody of Julia Child slicing her hand open and the blood spilling everywhere. All over the poultry, all over the cutting boards, all over her clothes.

Not wanting to go out again, we ordered some LaRosa's pizzam which was phenomenal as always. Mom was breaking down how she liked it a lot, but she wanted just a little more crunch in the crust as opposed to chew. I argues that Chicgao doesn't know the first thing about shew in a pizza crust. Because the fact is whether you order thin crust or deep dish, you're biting into a hard crust.

Got the pizza delivered just in time for the beginning of the Rangers-Islanders game at the Garden. I was thrilled when the Blueshirts tied the game in the final minute and disgusted when Okposo won it with a fluke in overtime. It was 9:45 at this point and I knew I'd be waking up around 3:00 AM to head to the airport. So I retired to the bedroom.

Well, sleep did not come easily again. And this was the first night I did not read a book or play my Ipod. And though there is always some noise around Dad's neighborhood, the outside distractions on this night just never seemed to go away. Ambulances and fire trucks seemed to flying right outside our window all night long. After a ton of tossing and turning, I think I fell sound asleep somewhere around 11. Unfortunately, I woke up at least four times between 11 and 3:30 a.m. and kept checking the clock. I think I saw 1:15, 2:10, 2:45. It was a pretty tough night.

But we woke up and got to the airport around 4:15 AM. We made it onto the 6:25 flight without a problem, and got into Chicago by 8, thanks to a good tailwind. Then came a visit to Wheaton Bible Church (saw a ton of old friends) there and finally, we made it home around 11:30 and unpacked. Then Week 16 of the NFL was set to kick off...

Christmas Vacation: Day 2

And so Christmas Day arrived. We woke up and played three games of Rummikub. Mom won all three. And I love how she acts all surprised when she wins. She knows what she's doing the whole time. The wild cards always seem to fall right into her hands. Luck may have something to do with it. But I doubt it.

So we grabbed breakfast at Skylark Diner, featured on DDD. Mom got one of my favorites, the banana fosters waffle. I went with pumpkin pancakes with sausage. I was quite impressed Dad went with just sausage and a toasted bagel with jelly. I wound up eating half the waffle, but gave Mom one of my two pancakes. Throw in the fresh OJ, and that was an outstanding way to start the day. But with a special dinner coming later that night, I was just hoping I hadn't overeaten.

I noticed the roads were a little bit crowded for Christmas. Very few places were open, but people still seemed to have somewhere to go. We left for the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA around 2 PM, taking Rt 78 about 75 minutes west. Christmas in a casino. Bethlehem, is a town filled with steel mills, and I was wondering how a hotel/casino got in there. The hotel is not done and there is very little shopping available right now; I found out those and other amenities, like loft apartments and a performing arts center, are coming later on. But we walked into the casino and I was struck by a few things. The casino reminded me of Vegas in terms of the machines, but there was much more room to walk around. The Cobalt and Infusion bars in the middle radiated with ice blue and lava red light, respectively. The ceiling has a very industrial look to it, it reminds me of a fancy warehouse, if such a thing could possibly exist. And it was one large rectangular-shaped room with the restaurants located on the outside against the walls. I also liked there were non-smoking sections as well. One whiff of one dude's cigar and I was ready to run for the hills.

Now dinner was supposed to be at Emeril's Chophouse. I was very excited to go. But Dad wanted prime rib and the only place to get it was at an Irish pub. So we went there, and while I enjoyed my leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, and asparagus, it felt like a good meal that I could get in other places.

But I did get to Burgers and More, Emeril's other eatery in the Sands, for dessert. Mom and Dad were already stuffed, so they got coffee. I ordered a bananas foster shake. The shake came out nice and thick with a strong banana flavor. Excellent. Not sure if there was any rum in there, but...

Oh and I lost $40 playing poker in 20 minutes.

On the ride up, I played Christmas music. Going home, it was a lot more 80's and 90's music that Dad likes. For Mom, I did do a pretty soulful rendition of "Tired of Being Alone." Maybe I will do it publicly one day...

Then came more board games. Sequence" Mom won three, Dad one won, and I somehow won one, though the game went right down to the last card. Pulling that off was like a tooth extraction. We played one more game of Phase 10 and I finished so far behind Mom (what a shock!), it was scary. To close it off, I played "I'm a Loser" by the Beatles. It got a pretty good laugh. I wasn't that upset, but my lack of luck became ridiculous after a while.

We closed the night with all of us watching two episodes of "Law and Order-Criminal Intent." It was Dad's first time watching the show and I think he has another show that he will soon be hooked on.

Christmas Vacation: Day 1

Before I start writing about Christmas, I want to throw in an intro, a preamble of sorts. The day before Christmas Eve had enough adventure of its own. Half a day at work. A fun CEC holiday party where the bowling got cut off way too soon. Thanks Pinstripes. then again, I had bowled six 9's in nine frames, so I wasn't exactly lighting the alley on fire. Driving through a blizzard to get to the gym. Driving through a blizzard to get to Portillo's for some charbroiled chicken. Driving through a blizzard to get to Matt and Court's place. And driving through a ton of ice to get home so I could work another night for the newspaper.

For Christmas Eve, I woke up around 10 a.m. And it was kind of a lazy morning, but before I could make any plans, we wound up changing our flight plans. Instead of leaving Friday morning, we took off Thursday afternoon around 1 p.m. The bad thing was we had to cancel our service at Willow Creek Church. I was not happy about it, but I kind of understood if it helped us get out of Chicago easier. With so many weather problems around the country, that kind of issue cannot be ignored. So our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:10. We boarded, left the gate, and headed towards the runway. Then all of a sudden, we were not moving. Thanks to a failed heating gauge, we stayed on the plane. Around 3:30, they took us back to the gate and we got off the plane. The thing is the flight was going to JFK, which has a lot of international flights. So unlike us, most people were in serious danger of missing their connecting flights. I would guess about 30 people got off the plane and rebooked. They put us on another plane and that left around 4:40. Now we hadn't eaten all day, so we upgraded to first class. Turned out there was no catering on the new flight. So I loaded up on Coke and hot roasted nuts. Oh, and sitting across from me was R&B singer Keyshia Cole. I found that info out later, as I had no idea who she was. She was just very quiet. Anyway, we arrived in New York around 8 p.m. tired and hungry.

Dad picked us up and we drove to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. We drove down Ocean Avenue past Rollin' Roaster (one of my favorite places in the world) for Randazzo's Clam Bar. This is a classic, little Italian place that serves tons of great seafood and they also serve beer and wine in plastic cups. Dad used to go there with his friends back when he was a kid, I guess through the 1960's and early 70's. We loaded up on baked clams and fried calamari to start. I then enjoyed a delicious dish of linguini with lobster sauce. The lobster was cut into tiny chunks and the tomato sauce had just a hint of spice. A great pasta dish for $18.00. The flavor of Mom's shrimp francese was remarkable though. Dad went with the spice as he ordered the Seafood Fra Diavolo. We left around 9:30 and got in around 10:30. We played one game of Phase 10 and Mom, who had never played the game, naturally whipped Dad and I into submission. Bedtime at 11:45.

Now it's win and in

I woke up at 2 am. and my first thought was not excitement about the Jets' daunting task of beat the undefeated Colts in Indianapolis. After landing in Chicago around 8 am and attending Wheaton Bible Church, and unpacking I headed over to Rookie's. From 12:45 on, I watched intently as every 12:00 game went the Jets way. New England hammered Jacksonville, the Texans held on to beat Miami, and Pittsburgh edged Baltimore. So at this point, destiny had fallen right into the anxious arms of Gang Green. I knew the Jets would make the playoffs if they won both of their remaining two games. But if they lost one, they were done; either Miami or Pittsburgh will pass them since they play each other next week.

As I sat surrounded by Packers and Broncos fans, I had no reason to feel confident. The Jets had lost a horrible game the previous week. The offense was sputtering, though the Indy defense was vulnerable. But most of all, I felt as long as the game was close, the Colts starters would remain in the game. On their second possession, the Colts drove 54 yards in four minutes. They converted a 4th and 1, thanks to a tripping penalty on Bart Scott. Two plays later, Addai busts up the middle for 21 yards, touchdown Colts. But on the PAT, Bryan Thomas blocks the kick and it's only a 6-0 deficit. That proved to be a big play. Despite the TD, the Jets were still playing hard.

The Jets then get first downs and have the ball on the Indy 45. They then do a reverse to David Clowney that loses 14 yards! The Jets punt and Indy gets the ball to the Jets 4. But the defense holds them and Adam Vinatieri kicks a short field goal.

Now the Jets offense had done nothing to this point. But the one good thing is they were not turning the ball over. As the second quarter went on, the Jets began to run the ball better. And that came once Shone Greene entered the game. A 21-yard run by the Iowa rookie led to a 35-yard Jay Feely field goal late in the first half. Unfortunately the drive was limited when Dwight Freeney sacked Mark Sanchez for a 10-yard loss. And no one was blocking the great defensive end. Amazingly, it was not the last time Freeney would rush Sanchez without a blocker to impede him.

I guarantee no Jets fan could have imagined what would happen on the opening kickoff of the second half. Brad Smith, can run, but he is no speed demon. He takes the ball and streaks down the right sideline and the Jets are leading 10-9!. The Colts take the ball and thanks to some shoddy tackling, Donald Brown extends the lead to 15-10, as they missed the two-point conversion. They would not have needed those two points if they made the earlier PAT.

After the Jets punt, Indy takes the ball on their own 10. And out goes Peyton Manning, the best QB I have ever seen. In comes rookie Curtis Painter. Out go Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne.
And I cannot thank Colts coach Jim Caldwell enough. The D forces a 3 and out. Greene picks up 16 yards on two carries and the drive stalls, Jets punt.

And then comes the play of the game. Painter drops back to pass from his own 20. Calvin Pace, rushing against a backup tight end, whacks Painter's right arm and the ball pops loose. Mike Devito knocks it forward and Marques Douglas falls on the ball in the end zone. I had been very quiet most of the game. But by now, I am pumping my fists Jets score and following the two-point reception by Dustin Keller, they lead 18-15!

The D forces yet another 3 and out and the offense gets the ball with excellent field position at the Indy 45. They get one first down, but have to settle for another field goal. The scoring is good, but I'm getting aggravated that this offense still cannot score a TD. The D gets another 3 and out (the 4th straight possession Indy has not picked up a first down) as the Indy fans are booing mercilessly. And their boos are directed right at their coach for yanking the starters.

The Jets then run a six-minute drive highlighted by a 29-yard run by TJ that takes the pigskin to the 1. TJ runs it in on third down, Braylon catches the two-pointer, 29-15. After Painter completed two passes, Dwight Lowery picks him off with four minutes left and that was essentially the end.

Now it comes down to one game. One task. One mission. The Jets have to beat the AFC North champion Bengals at home next week. A win clinches a playoff berth and first round game against either New England or Cincinnati. Coach Rex Ryan, I salute you.

41 years and counting

I willl try to be positive.

1) I believe in Rex Ryan

2) Kerry Rhodes played his best game of the season.

3) Darrelle Revis is the best CB in football.

4) Braylon Edwards did not drop a pass.

Now, let me count the ways why I want to die right now after this 10-7 embarrassment of a loss to the stinky Falcons that officially kills any hopes the Jets had to make the playoffs this year.

1. Three missed field goals that were completely makable: a block, a horrible hold, and wide right.

2. Jim Leonhard dropping an interception that would have been returned for a TD

3. Lito Sheppard dropping an interception

4. Darrelle Revis dropping an interception on the last drive

5. Alan Faneca's incomprehensible personal foul

6. The defense ignoring Tony Gonzalez on a game-deciding 4th and goal.

7. This defense had not allowed a TD in 34 possessions. Streak over. Terminated. They're a great defense unless the game is on the line with under three minutes to go. That said, they are not to blame for this loss.

8. A putrid 2-minute drive after blowing the lead where they couldn't even get the ball to their own 40 yard line.

9. Mark Sanchez with another abysmal three-interception performance

10. Brian Schottenheimer has no clue how or when to call offensive plays.

11. Jacksonville and Miami lost and the Jets would have moved past them in the playoff standings.

So another season is dead. The future may be bright. But the fact remains. I have one day in the sun in my life: June 14, 1994 and that is it! That's it! The rest has been teases and garbage. It's another lost season.