Seems like the two most fascinating topics in the news right now are gasoline prices and the arrival of the cicadas.
According to the Tribune, we who live in Northern Illinois could see as many as 5 billion cicadas emerging over the next two weeks. If you haven't heard about these insects, they are flying creatures with red eyes and splendid wings that only appear once every 17 years. They emerge from the ground when they soil hits a certain temperature (around 65 degrees), and the males start singing to attract females, and this singing is loud! It can be as loud as a kitchen blender or food processor and can be heard from 440 yards away! From there, well, they mate, and they lay a new generation of eggs and then both parents die off pretty quickly.
What a life. Kind of like the live fast, die young attitude of insects. But consider it. They live in the soil for all this time and feed on tree roots. In the insect kingdom that has to the closest thing to jail. If I had to live in jail for 17 years and suddenly got released, well, I'd be feeling pretty excited too! Not that my singing would be my first method to get attention
Oh here's the PS from National Geographic.
"Cicadas are said to make good eating because they are low in fat and high in protein. They are considered a delicacy by many people around the world. The European settlers in North America observed the Indians eating them. During the emergence of Brood X cicadas in 1987, a number of people in Cincinnati and Illinois were reported to have tried deep-fried and stir-fried cicadas. There was also talk of cicada pizzas and cicada candy, and local newspapers printed cicada recipes."
I'm always looking to get some protein in my diet. With 5 billion of these around... ah, who am I kidding, that just sounds disgusting.
Well, I'm up way too late right now, aggravated with baseball, and just loaded up on BBQ chips and pretzels. Better hit the bed. Hopefully, the cicadas will not be singing me a lullaby...
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Delgado hits a ground ball...Put it in the books!
Oh baby. That was one of the best wins I can remember in some time. I extend my deepest sympathies to any Cubs fan reading this...
Nothing like hearing Ron Santo whine and moan. I know he's been through a lot with diabetes, he's a done a lot for charities, and I respect that. This is different. I'm tired of hearing him lament over 1969. I'm tired of this talk about him wanting to blow up Shea Stadium when it closes next year. Look, Ronnie. It's been 38 years since your boys choked. Get over it Ron. Or at least stop lamenting about it over the air when I want to hear a baseball game.
Now I have a few other things to talk about. There seems to be an urge for people I know to get married. The funny, and somewhat weird, thing is I know a number of women who have either recently gotten engaged to are are dating guys who look way way older than them. I'm not going to name names, but it's like being around Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall.
I miss Peter Pan peanut butter. Jif just isn't the same.
In the last 3 months, I have killed at least 50 moths in my house.
Surprising stat: One-fourth of all calories Americans consume in a day come from soda/pop.
White Fence Farm has some incredible fried chicken.
A fourth Die Hard movie is coming out? I'm thinking about this like the last Rocky movie, I'm somewhat intrigued, but with low expectations. I don't go to many movies, but chances are I will check it out.
Music pick: "Every Which Way But Loose." Eddie Rabbitt
Thus concludes my most random post ever.
Nothing like hearing Ron Santo whine and moan. I know he's been through a lot with diabetes, he's a done a lot for charities, and I respect that. This is different. I'm tired of hearing him lament over 1969. I'm tired of this talk about him wanting to blow up Shea Stadium when it closes next year. Look, Ronnie. It's been 38 years since your boys choked. Get over it Ron. Or at least stop lamenting about it over the air when I want to hear a baseball game.
Now I have a few other things to talk about. There seems to be an urge for people I know to get married. The funny, and somewhat weird, thing is I know a number of women who have either recently gotten engaged to are are dating guys who look way way older than them. I'm not going to name names, but it's like being around Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall.
I miss Peter Pan peanut butter. Jif just isn't the same.
In the last 3 months, I have killed at least 50 moths in my house.
Surprising stat: One-fourth of all calories Americans consume in a day come from soda/pop.
White Fence Farm has some incredible fried chicken.
A fourth Die Hard movie is coming out? I'm thinking about this like the last Rocky movie, I'm somewhat intrigued, but with low expectations. I don't go to many movies, but chances are I will check it out.
Music pick: "Every Which Way But Loose." Eddie Rabbitt
Thus concludes my most random post ever.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Long week going, big one coming up
Well, I've made it through four days of a tough week, and I feel like I'm in survival mode. Including commute times, I've put in 42 hours at CEC and another 13 at the Daily Herald. Usually, I'm off from the paper on Friday nights, but this won't be the case tomorrow. Chris cancelled our meeting so I'm working tomorrow as well. So just counting Monday through Friday, I'll be working 70 hours. My mother is back to work, so I have extra stuff to do around home, preparing dinner, grocery shopping, more house work, etc. So I've been to the gym once in the last 10 days.
And to tell the truth, I feel like I'm wearing down a little. Now I don't like to admit that. I have one day left before the weekend. And I'm not sure what I'll be doing outside of working out and a few hours at the paper late on Saturday. I'm sure watching the Mets-Brewers will be on the schedule...so there will be no Miller beer for me this weekend!
This will be a huge two weeks for my Mets. 3 games against Milwaukee (the so-called best team in baseball), 4 against the (groan) Cubs, and 3 against the Yankees, before 6 games on the road against the Braves and Marlins. I want 5 out of 7 against the Cubs/Brewers and I'll live with losing 2 against the Yanks, as long as we take two in Atlanta. It's time for us to beat them in a series this year.
The Rangers season ended Sunday in Game 6 in the quarterfinals. Great job by the Broadway Blueshirts, we just lost to a better team.
I had lunch out today, I got a Coke with a lime in it to drink and the lime was floating. That's good news. Next time I'm on a boat and it capsizes, I will reach for a lime. The lime will be my buoy for survival. My life has been saved by the power of citrus.
Thank God, it's 3.5 weeks left until my vacation.
Music pick: "Just to Satisfy You" Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
And to tell the truth, I feel like I'm wearing down a little. Now I don't like to admit that. I have one day left before the weekend. And I'm not sure what I'll be doing outside of working out and a few hours at the paper late on Saturday. I'm sure watching the Mets-Brewers will be on the schedule...so there will be no Miller beer for me this weekend!
This will be a huge two weeks for my Mets. 3 games against Milwaukee (the so-called best team in baseball), 4 against the (groan) Cubs, and 3 against the Yankees, before 6 games on the road against the Braves and Marlins. I want 5 out of 7 against the Cubs/Brewers and I'll live with losing 2 against the Yanks, as long as we take two in Atlanta. It's time for us to beat them in a series this year.
The Rangers season ended Sunday in Game 6 in the quarterfinals. Great job by the Broadway Blueshirts, we just lost to a better team.
I had lunch out today, I got a Coke with a lime in it to drink and the lime was floating. That's good news. Next time I'm on a boat and it capsizes, I will reach for a lime. The lime will be my buoy for survival. My life has been saved by the power of citrus.
Thank God, it's 3.5 weeks left until my vacation.
Music pick: "Just to Satisfy You" Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
One of those nights
after 12 hours of working where I just pop in an ROH DVD, and load on crackers and peanut butter. Now what's running through my mind.
1) Why is Peter Pan peanut butter still not back on the shelf? How long does it take to get the bad jars off the shelf and make some good peanut butter? I can only take Jif for so long!
2) Republic of Tea's ginger peach iced tea is one of the best drinks I've ever had.
3) I'm thinking more and more that no matter how good advice is, it seems to mean a lot more when it comes from someone you respect.
4) How's this for a kick in the pants. Mom was supposed to go back to work Tuesday after 18 months of being out. Well, the powers that be failed to tell her that with new security codes, she had to have her fingerprints taken and it takes several days for it to be confirmed. So she has three or four extra days off.
5) If someone shows you compassion when you're in a tough situation, whether you want it or not, don't blow them off.
6) My June vacation can't come fast enough.
7) Has Larry King ever been on TV without wearing suspenders?
8) I go to the library to rent CD's as well as books. But looking for the CD's can be rough. 2/3 of the music is classical and opera. I can appreciate most types of music, but this seems a little out of hand. It's like calling a computer help line and talking to an operator who speaks English you can understand.
9) I was in Home Depot in the gardening section and I saw a product that was designed to water plants that were hard to reach. Now who would make their plants hard to reach? Doesn't that seem mean? Is someone keeping a wager on whether their tulips will last through the weekend?
10) Last, but not least, Ring of Honor debuts on pay-per view on July 1! Yes! Well, then again, I don't have PPV access at home. If anyone's house has PPV.....please?
1) Why is Peter Pan peanut butter still not back on the shelf? How long does it take to get the bad jars off the shelf and make some good peanut butter? I can only take Jif for so long!
2) Republic of Tea's ginger peach iced tea is one of the best drinks I've ever had.
3) I'm thinking more and more that no matter how good advice is, it seems to mean a lot more when it comes from someone you respect.
4) How's this for a kick in the pants. Mom was supposed to go back to work Tuesday after 18 months of being out. Well, the powers that be failed to tell her that with new security codes, she had to have her fingerprints taken and it takes several days for it to be confirmed. So she has three or four extra days off.
5) If someone shows you compassion when you're in a tough situation, whether you want it or not, don't blow them off.
6) My June vacation can't come fast enough.
7) Has Larry King ever been on TV without wearing suspenders?
8) I go to the library to rent CD's as well as books. But looking for the CD's can be rough. 2/3 of the music is classical and opera. I can appreciate most types of music, but this seems a little out of hand. It's like calling a computer help line and talking to an operator who speaks English you can understand.
9) I was in Home Depot in the gardening section and I saw a product that was designed to water plants that were hard to reach. Now who would make their plants hard to reach? Doesn't that seem mean? Is someone keeping a wager on whether their tulips will last through the weekend?
10) Last, but not least, Ring of Honor debuts on pay-per view on July 1! Yes! Well, then again, I don't have PPV access at home. If anyone's house has PPV.....please?
The drama builds
Well, I'm feeling pretty good. The New York Rangers have battled their way back and have tied the Eastern Conference semifinals against the best team in hockey, the Buffalo Sabres, at 2-2. Plenty of people (Sabres fans and the media) have complained about the goal that wasn't ruled a goal that the Sabres scored with 13 seconds left in game 4 that would have tied the score. Well, there have been at least six calls like that which have gone the Sabres way in the playoffs. One was bound to go against them.
Bottom line: these have been great games. After a terrible showing in game 1, the Rangers realized they could not win an with all-out attack style agsint the speedy, deep Buffalo team. So they adjusted their strategy and roster to improve their defense and it has paid dividends. The last three games have been close and Game 5 on Friday should be too. Now the Rangers need to beat Buffalo in their building.
And it amazes me how many people in this country refuse to watch hockey. And I'm especially targeting Chicago with that statement. How any human being with a functioning brain can consider playoff basketball more exciting than playoff hockey, I will never know.
Bottom line: these have been great games. After a terrible showing in game 1, the Rangers realized they could not win an with all-out attack style agsint the speedy, deep Buffalo team. So they adjusted their strategy and roster to improve their defense and it has paid dividends. The last three games have been close and Game 5 on Friday should be too. Now the Rangers need to beat Buffalo in their building.
And it amazes me how many people in this country refuse to watch hockey. And I'm especially targeting Chicago with that statement. How any human being with a functioning brain can consider playoff basketball more exciting than playoff hockey, I will never know.
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