Posts only one week apart! I must be overachieving. Well, I am 30 minutes from another fantasy hockey draft. A few things to reflect on.
1) Church was remarkable today. Pastor Brian gave a great message on work from Ecclesiastes. In a culture where so many are driven by work, he helped put it into perspective. And he spent some time on the topic of rest and sleep, which I thought was pretty appropriate. Chatted with D for a few minutes afterward too.
2) Went to Rookie's after Come Thirsty for another round of $1 burgers. Great win by the Jets over Tennessee. I was very happy that 12 people from Come Thirsty came. And to that drunken jerk-off in the Briggs jersey who was cheering for the Titans: enjoy your hangover tomorrow morning.
3) Brought 7 CD's at Half Books in Bloomingdale for $21.00. Got Kenny Wayne Shepherd (useless, scratched), two from Highway 101, Dwight Yoakam, Jim Croce (the lesser known stuff), Don MacLean, and Little Texas. Not too bad. I wasn't able to eat at the new Five Guys right by there, but oh well. That time will come...
4) Moving Matt and Court to Glendale Heights went really smooth. But this third floor seemed a lot steeper than the third floor in Peoria. Some of those steps seemed pretty long. They do have a pretty swell spot though.
5) I like having the house alone for 10 days. Time to pre-rank my players...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
ROH and then the week drags
I'll start with the last two days before I get to this past weekend.
1) I need to get more sleep. But when my job ends around 10:30 every night, I want a few minutes to do what I want. And I wind staying up till midnight, allowing me about six hours of sleep. Yet, more often than not, I find myself napping for a few minutes at my desk.
2) And it's not getting any better. I have a fantasy hockey draft at 10 pm on Wednesday. I have to leave at 4:30 the next morning to take Mom to her next tour. That guarantees no more than four hours of sleep.
3) Mom knows how to make some good stuffed shells.
4) Speaking of food, I have a crave for Five Guys right about now. But I've actually been eating better this week. I hope the results start to show soon. I mean, I am trying. Aside from the five double stuff Oreos last night...
5) Downloaded a Keith Whitley record this past week. I guess it says something about me that I'm 38 and use the term "record" instead of album or CD. It's shame he died so young with so much promise and so much talent.
OK, to the weekend
1) Started rough on Saturday morning at the DMV. We got there around 8 am and had to wait behind a few people. Thing was we didn't have much time since Mom had to leave at Elgin to get to the airport to meet up with some some fag fashion designer. Took an hour to do, but we resolved the registration issue with my car. Cost another $64 though.
2) I finally played Shady Oaks in Streamwood. For its length and the fact that it was my first time, I thought I handled it well. I got a 5 on the 744' hole. I did lose my distance driver in the bushes though.
3) Got home around 11 and ordered Guy Fieri tickets for December. After a shower, I did a bunch of stats. I felt myself getting anxious. Around 2 pm I decided to leave. I put on my Jets jersey and cargo cutoffs and drove to Wheaton for a haircut. My stylist was really good, especially during the shampoo. But I found out she was a Minnesota Vikings fan and she started asking me about Brett Favre. I probably didn't make a good impression on her at that point. I think the tip made up for it though.
4) On a whim, I drove to Yorktown Mall for lunch. I hadn't eaten anything all day and I went to Frankie's Deli. They advertised themselves as a real Italian deli, so I figured why not try it. Located right by Carson's Furniture, this place is like a 7-11 Italian convenient store. San Marzano tomatoes, caperberries, wines, frozen pastas, gelato, cheese by the pound, various olive oils and balsamic vinegars. It was a very nice selection for fair prices. I got two jars of sauce, a coke, and an eight-inch Italian sub with salami, capicola, mortadella, provolone, lettuce, tomato, oil, and hot giardinera. The total was about $20, including $4.50 for the sub. I should have added some roasted peppers, but it was really good. It was similar to Jimmy John's in terms of ingredients, but the bread was firmer and crispier and the ingredients just seemed a little fresher. Awesome stuff.
5) Thirty minutes later, I was in Chicago Ridge for the Final Countdown tour. Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness' final appearances for ROH in Chicago. I had my camera, streamers, and toilet paper ready to go. For the last 10 minutes of the drive, I played their entrance themes: "The Final Countdown: and "****ing in the Bushes."
6) Around 5:30, I met Jerome in Rosa's since we did not go to the Bret Hart signing. I had already met him, so I decided to spend my $25 somewhere else. I drank a tasteless coke as he and I caught up. I don't think we'd seen each other since Wrestlemania.
7) We waited outside online with Rocco and Q came out eventually. Of the building, that is. I was very happy to find out about the But 3 DVD's, get 2 free deal. So I averaged $12 per show. I met Jerome's friend Chris from Sacramento who came with his girlfriend, Tammy. I ran into Duane, Pac Man, Mud Ball, and a few other regulars.
8) We had to walk around a curtain to get to our section. And who did we find working on his laptop? Ring announcer Bobby Cruise, native of Boston, MA. We shook hands. As I was about to keep walking, he goes "Tomorrow, it's game on bitch!" I made sure not to call him anything. But I told him I had a good feeling, but was not cocky about it. It was cool. But even cooler come Sunday around 3:15...
9) 5 random show highlights:
A) Six Man Mayhem. I think Skullcrusher Rasche Brown can be a star in this company.
B) Nigel's farewell speech. Great stories, very heartfelt.
C) Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Rave The dog collar match was violent and intense. We had a 24-pack of toilet paper and passed it throughout the section. The sight of that white paper flying up and then streaking down is so cool. The bloodshed was outrageous. And they brawled through the crowd, including right by us. That was just the right time for intermission.
D) Colt Cabana vs. Claudio Castagnoli. Heeey! Booom! Those alternating chants are so dumb, but my oh my, they are fun.
E) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries. Needless to say, I will miss Dragon a lot. In his final attempt to win the world title for a second time, the super brainbuster finished him off. He gave a good speech. By the time he began speaking, I was already on line to get his autograph as well as Nigel's. They were both very gracious and very kind.
10) Here's a PS. After the second match, Cruise explained the had to change tapes. So he drops his ring announcer voice and puts on his New England accent. He starts talking about the Chciago Bears and the jerseys he sees then fans wearing in the crowd. Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher, etc. I'm wondering, with my Chad jersey on, where this is going? I look to my right. All my friends start looking and pointing at me and these excited smiles come across their faces, like they had just hit puberty. Then, Crusie goes" But did I see someone wearing a J (dramatic pause) Cutler jesey?" When he said Jay, I swore he was going to say J-E-T-S and call me out in front of 1300 people. Instead, he made fun of one guy in the corner of the building. He said the only thing worse than that jersey would be a TNA shirt. I was very relieved he did not go after me, because I really don't know how I would have reacted. Besides, he had the microphone.
11) The after-party at Rosa's. I had both Chad Pennington XXL Jets jerseys wrapped and ready for Adam Pearce and Brent Albright. After we ordered our traditional double decker cheese pizza (thanks again for covering the whole bill, Chris!), Jerome told me to give them their gifts. So I did. They were stunned I actually brought them anything. But they did seem pretty thankful. We posed for a few photos and they did wear the jerseys the entire night. And thank God because Pearce (the Packers fan) had a Favre Vikings jersey on. What a weasel.
12) Attenders: Pearce, Albright, Edwards, Dark City Fight Club, Briscoes, Aries, Nigel, two jobbers, and for a brief moment: Necro Butcher. It was very strange not seeing Roderick Strong though. Drinking his beers and eating his broccoli.
13) So the next thing I know, Tammy puts her arms around me and asks me to buy her a drink. This was an interesting situation. She was pretty well hammered and her boyfriend was right there too. But he didn't seem to care, so I went along with it. And when a 55-year old blonde tried to start talking to me at the bar, well, that was a little too obvious. I guess she needed a five-minute break form her husband or whoever that jabroni was with her.
14) Karaoke highlights:
A) Mark Briscoe singing "The Gambler"
B) Jerome and I backing up Q on some song I don't know, but was a tribute to Bryan and Nigel. We were the most awkward backups in history.
C) Eddie Edwards blasting some high notes. Also a Boston guy, he was very classy with me about the Jets-Pats. We both agrees Bobby was a dick.
D) Pearce and some chick named Sarah doing "Picture." They took a few stellar shots at Aries and Nigel in that one.
E) The Briscoes singing Boot Scootin' Boogie. that's where I broke out my line dancing/hoe down skills. Actually, they were more like moves, I can't count them as skills.
15) Left about 2:10 and got in around 3 a.m. And true to form, I was in church by 10:30 but my voice was still somewhere around Oak Brook.
Song pick: "I Never Go Around Mirrors" Keith Whitley
1) I need to get more sleep. But when my job ends around 10:30 every night, I want a few minutes to do what I want. And I wind staying up till midnight, allowing me about six hours of sleep. Yet, more often than not, I find myself napping for a few minutes at my desk.
2) And it's not getting any better. I have a fantasy hockey draft at 10 pm on Wednesday. I have to leave at 4:30 the next morning to take Mom to her next tour. That guarantees no more than four hours of sleep.
3) Mom knows how to make some good stuffed shells.
4) Speaking of food, I have a crave for Five Guys right about now. But I've actually been eating better this week. I hope the results start to show soon. I mean, I am trying. Aside from the five double stuff Oreos last night...
5) Downloaded a Keith Whitley record this past week. I guess it says something about me that I'm 38 and use the term "record" instead of album or CD. It's shame he died so young with so much promise and so much talent.
OK, to the weekend
1) Started rough on Saturday morning at the DMV. We got there around 8 am and had to wait behind a few people. Thing was we didn't have much time since Mom had to leave at Elgin to get to the airport to meet up with some some fag fashion designer. Took an hour to do, but we resolved the registration issue with my car. Cost another $64 though.
2) I finally played Shady Oaks in Streamwood. For its length and the fact that it was my first time, I thought I handled it well. I got a 5 on the 744' hole. I did lose my distance driver in the bushes though.
3) Got home around 11 and ordered Guy Fieri tickets for December. After a shower, I did a bunch of stats. I felt myself getting anxious. Around 2 pm I decided to leave. I put on my Jets jersey and cargo cutoffs and drove to Wheaton for a haircut. My stylist was really good, especially during the shampoo. But I found out she was a Minnesota Vikings fan and she started asking me about Brett Favre. I probably didn't make a good impression on her at that point. I think the tip made up for it though.
4) On a whim, I drove to Yorktown Mall for lunch. I hadn't eaten anything all day and I went to Frankie's Deli. They advertised themselves as a real Italian deli, so I figured why not try it. Located right by Carson's Furniture, this place is like a 7-11 Italian convenient store. San Marzano tomatoes, caperberries, wines, frozen pastas, gelato, cheese by the pound, various olive oils and balsamic vinegars. It was a very nice selection for fair prices. I got two jars of sauce, a coke, and an eight-inch Italian sub with salami, capicola, mortadella, provolone, lettuce, tomato, oil, and hot giardinera. The total was about $20, including $4.50 for the sub. I should have added some roasted peppers, but it was really good. It was similar to Jimmy John's in terms of ingredients, but the bread was firmer and crispier and the ingredients just seemed a little fresher. Awesome stuff.
5) Thirty minutes later, I was in Chicago Ridge for the Final Countdown tour. Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness' final appearances for ROH in Chicago. I had my camera, streamers, and toilet paper ready to go. For the last 10 minutes of the drive, I played their entrance themes: "The Final Countdown: and "****ing in the Bushes."
6) Around 5:30, I met Jerome in Rosa's since we did not go to the Bret Hart signing. I had already met him, so I decided to spend my $25 somewhere else. I drank a tasteless coke as he and I caught up. I don't think we'd seen each other since Wrestlemania.
7) We waited outside online with Rocco and Q came out eventually. Of the building, that is. I was very happy to find out about the But 3 DVD's, get 2 free deal. So I averaged $12 per show. I met Jerome's friend Chris from Sacramento who came with his girlfriend, Tammy. I ran into Duane, Pac Man, Mud Ball, and a few other regulars.
8) We had to walk around a curtain to get to our section. And who did we find working on his laptop? Ring announcer Bobby Cruise, native of Boston, MA. We shook hands. As I was about to keep walking, he goes "Tomorrow, it's game on bitch!" I made sure not to call him anything. But I told him I had a good feeling, but was not cocky about it. It was cool. But even cooler come Sunday around 3:15...
9) 5 random show highlights:
A) Six Man Mayhem. I think Skullcrusher Rasche Brown can be a star in this company.
B) Nigel's farewell speech. Great stories, very heartfelt.
C) Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Rave The dog collar match was violent and intense. We had a 24-pack of toilet paper and passed it throughout the section. The sight of that white paper flying up and then streaking down is so cool. The bloodshed was outrageous. And they brawled through the crowd, including right by us. That was just the right time for intermission.
D) Colt Cabana vs. Claudio Castagnoli. Heeey! Booom! Those alternating chants are so dumb, but my oh my, they are fun.
E) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries. Needless to say, I will miss Dragon a lot. In his final attempt to win the world title for a second time, the super brainbuster finished him off. He gave a good speech. By the time he began speaking, I was already on line to get his autograph as well as Nigel's. They were both very gracious and very kind.
10) Here's a PS. After the second match, Cruise explained the had to change tapes. So he drops his ring announcer voice and puts on his New England accent. He starts talking about the Chciago Bears and the jerseys he sees then fans wearing in the crowd. Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher, etc. I'm wondering, with my Chad jersey on, where this is going? I look to my right. All my friends start looking and pointing at me and these excited smiles come across their faces, like they had just hit puberty. Then, Crusie goes" But did I see someone wearing a J (dramatic pause) Cutler jesey?" When he said Jay, I swore he was going to say J-E-T-S and call me out in front of 1300 people. Instead, he made fun of one guy in the corner of the building. He said the only thing worse than that jersey would be a TNA shirt. I was very relieved he did not go after me, because I really don't know how I would have reacted. Besides, he had the microphone.
11) The after-party at Rosa's. I had both Chad Pennington XXL Jets jerseys wrapped and ready for Adam Pearce and Brent Albright. After we ordered our traditional double decker cheese pizza (thanks again for covering the whole bill, Chris!), Jerome told me to give them their gifts. So I did. They were stunned I actually brought them anything. But they did seem pretty thankful. We posed for a few photos and they did wear the jerseys the entire night. And thank God because Pearce (the Packers fan) had a Favre Vikings jersey on. What a weasel.
12) Attenders: Pearce, Albright, Edwards, Dark City Fight Club, Briscoes, Aries, Nigel, two jobbers, and for a brief moment: Necro Butcher. It was very strange not seeing Roderick Strong though. Drinking his beers and eating his broccoli.
13) So the next thing I know, Tammy puts her arms around me and asks me to buy her a drink. This was an interesting situation. She was pretty well hammered and her boyfriend was right there too. But he didn't seem to care, so I went along with it. And when a 55-year old blonde tried to start talking to me at the bar, well, that was a little too obvious. I guess she needed a five-minute break form her husband or whoever that jabroni was with her.
14) Karaoke highlights:
A) Mark Briscoe singing "The Gambler"
B) Jerome and I backing up Q on some song I don't know, but was a tribute to Bryan and Nigel. We were the most awkward backups in history.
C) Eddie Edwards blasting some high notes. Also a Boston guy, he was very classy with me about the Jets-Pats. We both agrees Bobby was a dick.
D) Pearce and some chick named Sarah doing "Picture." They took a few stellar shots at Aries and Nigel in that one.
E) The Briscoes singing Boot Scootin' Boogie. that's where I broke out my line dancing/hoe down skills. Actually, they were more like moves, I can't count them as skills.
15) Left about 2:10 and got in around 3 a.m. And true to form, I was in church by 10:30 but my voice was still somewhere around Oak Brook.
Song pick: "I Never Go Around Mirrors" Keith Whitley
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Fall sneaks up
Let's see. 75 degree days. Electric blanket is on my bed. Turning on the space heater in my basement. Football has begun. Rangers in training camp. I am working nights. Yep, fall is here.
1) Sunday went like this: Four eggs with guac for breakfast, church (starting a series on Ecclesiastes), Come Thirsty (smaller crowd), Real Time (Jets win!), Festival of the Vine, mini-golf and Muldoon's with Derek. Outstanding day. I wish someone was there though. All in all, it could not have been much better.
2) Breaking it down, CT has to end at a reasonable time. 12:00 and that was long enough. Real Time is a very nice bar, but the food is just too expensive. So I was happy to see their $1.25 slider football special. Two cheeseburgers, one turkey burger, and two BBQ porks and iced tea cost me $6.25. I guess the iced tea was free! And I probably drank five of them, so I came out the winner in that one.
3) My booth was surrounded by Lions fans. So with the Jets hammering the Texans, I was definitely the loudest one in my section. And I am quite excited about this aggressive, attacking defense. I have never in 20 years seen the Jets play D like this. If the offense can just protect the ball and get in the end zone maybe twice a game, this could be a fun season. And I must say I am excited by Mr. Mark Sanchez.
4) After getting washed out last year, the Festival returned to downtown Geneva. I heard about 2/3 of the Stingrays show and they were excellent as always. The keyboard player was not there though, so I couldn't hear "Light My Fire." For food, I had the egg roll/fried rice from Gen Hoe, the Cuban sandwich from Urban Grille, and an apple cobbler with maple-honey ice cream from some place. I was hoping for the Urban Grille banana cream pie but they decided to pack up and leave with 90 minutes remaining before closing time. No good! No good! But the cobbler was more than fine. Oh, and I had four different wines, two red, two white. And as I pretty much expected, my companion did not show up.
5) So it was around 5:30 when I walked to my car when Derek called. Next thing I know, I drove to Wheaton. With wine in my system. Last time we hung out, he beat me pretty good in bowling. Of course, this was Wheaton Bowl where they don't have any balls that weight less than 35 pounds. I had the upper hand in mini-golf, I took him down by nine strokes. Then, we headed to Muldoon's to watch the first half of Bears-Packers. There were about 30 Bears fans in the bar and they were pretty crazy. With each interception by Jay Cutler, they only got more aggravated. It was a very ugly game. We talked about some guy issues, the whole thing. Left there around 10 pm and finally made it home. Back to the 12 hour work day.
6) The Peoria move went very well. 2.5 hours each way. I was very pleased the whole unloading process took under one hour. And the drive home was cool. I went through a lot of towns I had only heard about: Chillicothe, Serena, Newark, and Yorkville, for instance.
7) The New York Mets cannot score a run off Pedro Martinez in CBP over eight innings. God, please numb me.
8) Terrestrial radio continues to digress by the week. Or is it the music of today that is just plain lousy? I try to watch my spending, but man alive, XM radio is getting more appealing.
9) I am very ready for the locker rooms at the health club to be finished with the remodeling process. A steam room and a working sauna would be welcome additions...
10) Four days till The Final Countdown: I will really miss Bryan and Nigel.
Song pick: "When Love and Hate Collide" Def Leppard
1) Sunday went like this: Four eggs with guac for breakfast, church (starting a series on Ecclesiastes), Come Thirsty (smaller crowd), Real Time (Jets win!), Festival of the Vine, mini-golf and Muldoon's with Derek. Outstanding day. I wish someone was there though. All in all, it could not have been much better.
2) Breaking it down, CT has to end at a reasonable time. 12:00 and that was long enough. Real Time is a very nice bar, but the food is just too expensive. So I was happy to see their $1.25 slider football special. Two cheeseburgers, one turkey burger, and two BBQ porks and iced tea cost me $6.25. I guess the iced tea was free! And I probably drank five of them, so I came out the winner in that one.
3) My booth was surrounded by Lions fans. So with the Jets hammering the Texans, I was definitely the loudest one in my section. And I am quite excited about this aggressive, attacking defense. I have never in 20 years seen the Jets play D like this. If the offense can just protect the ball and get in the end zone maybe twice a game, this could be a fun season. And I must say I am excited by Mr. Mark Sanchez.
4) After getting washed out last year, the Festival returned to downtown Geneva. I heard about 2/3 of the Stingrays show and they were excellent as always. The keyboard player was not there though, so I couldn't hear "Light My Fire." For food, I had the egg roll/fried rice from Gen Hoe, the Cuban sandwich from Urban Grille, and an apple cobbler with maple-honey ice cream from some place. I was hoping for the Urban Grille banana cream pie but they decided to pack up and leave with 90 minutes remaining before closing time. No good! No good! But the cobbler was more than fine. Oh, and I had four different wines, two red, two white. And as I pretty much expected, my companion did not show up.
5) So it was around 5:30 when I walked to my car when Derek called. Next thing I know, I drove to Wheaton. With wine in my system. Last time we hung out, he beat me pretty good in bowling. Of course, this was Wheaton Bowl where they don't have any balls that weight less than 35 pounds. I had the upper hand in mini-golf, I took him down by nine strokes. Then, we headed to Muldoon's to watch the first half of Bears-Packers. There were about 30 Bears fans in the bar and they were pretty crazy. With each interception by Jay Cutler, they only got more aggravated. It was a very ugly game. We talked about some guy issues, the whole thing. Left there around 10 pm and finally made it home. Back to the 12 hour work day.
6) The Peoria move went very well. 2.5 hours each way. I was very pleased the whole unloading process took under one hour. And the drive home was cool. I went through a lot of towns I had only heard about: Chillicothe, Serena, Newark, and Yorkville, for instance.
7) The New York Mets cannot score a run off Pedro Martinez in CBP over eight innings. God, please numb me.
8) Terrestrial radio continues to digress by the week. Or is it the music of today that is just plain lousy? I try to watch my spending, but man alive, XM radio is getting more appealing.
9) I am very ready for the locker rooms at the health club to be finished with the remodeling process. A steam room and a working sauna would be welcome additions...
10) Four days till The Final Countdown: I will really miss Bryan and Nigel.
Song pick: "When Love and Hate Collide" Def Leppard
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