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
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