1) tonight, I had to deal with old issues that I never thought I would have to face again. I wasn't ready when they popped up and I just did my best to ignore them all night. At one time, that now-issue was a hopeful situation. That's just not a part of life I have to deal with anymore and I really don't want to do it now.
2) The San Diego Chargers look ready to soar into December yet again. Then again, it's been 16 years since they played in a Super Bowl and Norv Turner is still their head coach.
3) While I was out of town, Mom cancelled my NHL Center Ice package without asking me. She warned me she might do it just to save some money. But why couldn't she just ask me if I was willing to pay her for that part of the bill? More blatant disrespect in my opinion.
4) Two days till payday. Thank God!
5) I really hope Tuesday is a great night. And yet, because of time and two time zones, I can't let myself get too excited. I feel pretty torn about it.
Song pick: "The Clown" Conway Twitty. I think I've used this one before, but it seems so right.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Can I sleep past 3:30 AM for change?
Well, the last 48 hours have been among the craziest of my life. After a phenomenal Thanksgiving meal at Weber Grille (I just finished off the second half of one slice of pumpkin cheesecake), it was home for packing and the Jets Thanksgiving Day victory over Cincinnati. That game ended around 10:45 and then it was straight into bed for me.
I woke up at 3 AM and was gone from the house by 3:30. My intention was to park in Lot G which costs about half the price of the standard remote lot E, which is the lot where the monorail begins. Of course, there are no signs for Lot G. So I took the advantage of time over money and headed into the terminal. I wanted to get there early because I had heard about the security and how finnicky they are getting. And indeed, because I was wearing a metallic belt and the visual scanner detects metal, I got frisked. This security dude in this screechy voice goes "I need to feel two inches inside your waistband all the way around." If they have to do that, fine, but can't I have a little say over who feels inside my pants?
Anyway, I took a 6 AM American Eagle flight and it was a stress-free flight, the plane was half empty. I was pleased because there is so little legroom on those Eagle planes and I needed some space. The woman next to me moved out to another room quickly and I slept the whole 90 minutes. But about halfway through my walk from the plane to ground transportation, I felt a chill run through me. I knew Dad would not be standing there, waiting to pick me up. It just did not seem normal, it was just sad. But there is a future, and there is hope that one day, things will be right again.
Since I was paying extra to park and I had arrived into New Jersey earlier than anticipated, I decided to take the buses up to Paramus. There is an extra fee to the the NJ Transit train out of Newark Airport and it would have cost me about $15 total for the trip. It took a half hour for the 62 bus to arrive, which would take me into downtown Newark. It took another few minutes to get $1 bills, which I needed because these buses don't give change back. Otherwise, a $1.50 bus ride would have cost me $5. No good! After a 30 minute trip, we arrived at Newark Penn Station. It wasn't the most pleasant place to be. While waiting for the 76L to Hackensack, three different people asked me for handouts. One of them asked if I was in college. I don't know, maybe it was the backpack I had on. The trip took us through Newark, Kearny (got a view of the NYC skyline), Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford (got a great shot of the NMS), Carlstadt (spotted an old Krauszer's deli, still offering the coffee and buttered roll for 99 cents), and Wood-Ridge, before hitting Hackensack. What's funny was during the end of the plane ride that morning, I could see the high school with the purple Wood-Ridge logo in the end zone. And then we drove through the town. After an hour and 15 minutes, we hit downtown Hackensack; it must have been around 10:45.
I was waiting for the 751 or 755. The board in the tiny terminal building (2 rows of benches, a concession/ticket stand, and the bathrooms) said the next one of those to the Bergen Town Center would leave around 11:40 and another one after that at 11:45. Well, the 11:40 got delayed until 12:15. It took until 11:50 for the bus to fianlly come. Chances are I could have walked in 40-45 minutes what turned out to be a 15 or 20 minute bus ride. At one point, we were stopped at a red light on Main St. As I looked ahead and to my right, I could see the outside edge of a yellow building. Indeed, it was the Poitin Still, where the Blueshirt Banter viewing party would be going on later that day. I could even seen the white party banner hanging outside, advertising the Rangers legends as well.
So we made a left on Spring Valley and drove 1.5 miles to the Bergen Town Center. I had barely eaten all day so I walked straight into Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. I ordered the Crunchified Philly Burger with hot red cherry peppers, griddled onions, and provolone cheese along with sweet potato fries, and a vanilla shake. I found a spot at one of the three U-shaped bars. They brought out the shake first. The straw was so wide, it could have been used for plumbing pipes. The shake was very thick and had real whipped cream. Had a very intense vanilla flavor too. I'm not a big shake guy, but what the hell, after all that travel, I felt like a treat. Then, the food arrived. The first thing I noticed was the roll. It was a sesame seed bun, not too thick that it would overwhelm the burger, not thin enough that it would get soggy. It was soft, it tasted just perfect. The burger was maybe 1/3 pound, the provolone was totally melted, there were tons of onions and peppers, and quite a few potato chips, which added the crunch. I threw on a little yellow mustard and got going. The meat was very juicy and I could taste with the charred outside that it was cooked on a flat top grill. The chips didn't really have any seasoning on them, but added a nice touch. The fries came with a hint of sea salt and had crisp flavor to them. They came with horseradish homey mustard that I wasn't thrilled with. It tasted too much like dijon, and though I'm not particularly opposed to dijon, it can taste very powerful. I had some of that but I also dipped them in their chipotle ketchup as well. Thankfully, I got a pickle spear as well. All in all, a very good experience, I would recommend BBP.
It felt like I hd been awake forever, but it was still only 12:30, so I had a ton of time to hang out. Since it was Black Friday, there wasn't exactly ample space to walk around, I'm just glad I did not have to drive in the traffic around the mall! This one-level mall is kind of middle class, with one or two fancy places, so at least you don't feel like you need a membership card or parking permit just to walk in the doors. Some malls feel that way to me, especially in the Northeast (Shops at Riverside, Short Hills). Anyway, I walked through Target, Nordstrom Rack, and Century 21 for maybe 45 minutes, but didn't buy anything. I did pick up a couple of Jets bracelets at one of those mall stands though. I passed by a jugglign unicyclist, which was a nice touch for the holiday season. I walked around Whole Foods for a while. They have some things in there that I have never seen other Whole Foods stores before. Juice cups, a full fresh pasta display, and these huge bakery pretzels. Very tempting. I was checking out the seafood section and the man asked if he could get me anything. I said "If I lived in this time zone..." Ah well.
It was only 1:30 by the time I had covered the whole mall. So after a ton of traveling, walking, and waiting, I plopped down in one of the mall chairs, turned on my Ipod, and slept for a good hour. And I was out of it. I'm sure the various people sitting in the other seven chairs in our square got a little chuckle out of it. So I woke up and really felt like a drink. I would have gone for an Arnold Palmer from Starbucks, but they don't have one of those in the BTC. I headed back into Whole Foods and was very happy to find a bottle Tazo Giant Peach tea, one of my favorite drinks in the world. I guzzled it with gusto, headed out the door, and began my 1.5 mile walk east to Poitin Still.
I walked in to this Irish pub, and as soon as I walked in, I saw an oval shaped bar in the middle of the main room, it holds maybe 40 people. I looked to my left and the guys were setting everything up for the live radio show. The Mouth was there with Mrs. Mouth, also there was Costa the Crazy Greek, the Simos clan (Eeeeeeva, Claude, and Peter), and Ricky O. I got a pretty good reception as I walked in, I think people were still surprised I actually showed up. Before long, we had Jon Newman and Stacie, Jimmy S (along with Calamity Jen and Megan), Zach, Jackie Lomba (the Rangers/Hawks fan), Kristen F, Tom, Dave Shapiro, Paul L, Nick Montagena, Frosty and Karen, Coochie Wallie, and later, Pat the Laundry Guy, and even Dancing Larry! And those are just the ones I remember.
I drank a pair of Brooklyn Lagers, which I have to say, seemed to taste different than I remembered them at John's Pizzeria. A little hoppier, I guess. Still enjoyed them. The Rangers alumni of Nick Fotiu (who offered to shake MY hand!!!), Ron Greschner, and Chris Kotsopolous were in attendance and signed autographs for the masses, and for $35 total. We watched some videos of some old hockey fights from the 70's and 80's, back when players could actually hit each other!
We took a ton of pictures with each other and sat down to eat. I had chicken fingers , which were so-so at best. Costa the Crazy Greek has one of the biggest appetites I have ever seen. He wolfed down a Gaelic steak with mushrooms, onions, and Guinness gravy and promptly threw in a slice of cheesecake for good measure. I also sat with Frosty and Karen who are the one of the nicest couples I have ever met. Zach and Newman are quite the characters. Never a dull moment with those two around. Kristen is very cool, but I guess she had a sore throat. Her voice was so deep and husky, it was like talking to Kathleen Turner! And it was nice to meet Jackie too. There is more to her than her Patrick "Kaner" Kane crush and the ALL CAPS TYPING. At the end of the day, she really is neat. I think the best part is these people are not just photos, or voices, or words on a facebook chat. They really feel like actual people to me and that helps to make friendships that much stronger.
The live BB show began at 5 pm and I'm listening back to it now as I type. The first 20 minutes were torture to listen to with all the feedback! Jim's mike sucks! But it got worked out. The highlight had to be the live roll call. We all stood in front of the radio table as Eddie introduced us. I was maybe the fifth guy mentioned. I was floored how loud my ovation was. I was absolutely floored. I also met the Mouth's Dad and a few of his cousins who were sitting in one of the extra rooms down the hall and they were very nice.
The game went very well, with the Rangers getting the 3-0 win and Hank getting back to his winning ways. We left pretty soon after, as the bar had suddenly become overrun by clubbers. I left with Jackie, a Philly fan who I believe named Joe, and one other guy I can't remember. We talked hockey, Chicago vs NY, and all kinds of stuff, on my 45 minute ride to Newark Airport. I gave Jackie a kiss on the cheek, shook hands with da boyz, and headed inside Terminal A around 11:15.
Since I wanted to save $100 (and I only spent about 50 or 60 for the whole day anyway), I avoided the hotels, and just slept on the floor of the terminal. All the chairs were steel and the armrests could not be moved up, so I really had no other choice. I put my backpack next to me, laid on my left side, laid my winter coat under my head and elbows, and then placed my fleece sweatshirt under my hips and back. I lowered my Rangers hat over my face to reduce the lighting, and attempted to grab some shut-eye. Well, the cleaning crew came by. There was one woman driving the zamboni around to clean the floor. I woke up several times and finally around 2:30, I realized I was going to have to wake up. When I woke up, there were suddenly 20 or 30 people in the terminal as well. A lot of them were taking a 5:30 US Air flight to Charlotte. So I checked in for the flight and did some reading for a while. I headed down the escalator towards the security line and that got moving around 3:30.
I listened to a Jim Tomberlin sermon about the splitting of the Israel kingdom and the dangers to community for a while as I waited for the flight. The first piece of bad news came when the standby list appeared on the monitor and I was number 7 out of 7. Didn't feel great about that, but it didn't worry me much. The gate agent called me up to the counter and asked if I was dressed for first class. Translated, that means dress pants and a collared shirt. I had on faded jeans and my gray fleece sweatshirt. I explained it was a one-day trip so I didn't have the room. Her response: "You should have dressed for first class." How kind. So now I know I'm basically bumped. I asked her how the 7:20 flight looked, but I knew there would only be three more flights the rest of the day. She said there were about 10 seats open, but I was at the bottom of the standby list because of my ranking, or lack there of. By now, I started thinking to myself maybe I should take a shuttle to LaGuardia. So everyone boarded and during that time, they called up the Michaels family, which was four of the people on the list ahead of me. That was pretty good, at least the list had been reduced in half. About two minutes later, the agent called me and assigned me to seat 14C. I was quite surprised, in a delightful sort of way.
So I found my seat and as I was about to sit down, I saw the guy behind me had on a Chicago Bears Devin Hester jersey and a NY Yankees hat. What is up with that? Anyway, I sat down in my aisle seat in yet another cramped American Eagle plane. It may have been the same dang plane for all I know. Next to me sat this girl and somehow we struck up a conversation. Her name was Nona. She lives in Manhattan, studies journalism like me, and is planning to live in Beirut for awhile. And she was coming to Chicago for the week because her dad is a doctor and is participating in a major conference. She told me she had been shopping all of Black Friday, grabbed two hours of sleep, and was feeling really tired. For almost all of the 150 minutes of that flight, she twisted and turned all around her seat, just trying to get comfortable. I finally raised the arm rest up and leaned on one "cheek" towards the aisle, just to give her a little room. Then came the pocket slip... I can't say I was disappointed or anything, but with her travels, experience, and sharp wit, she seemed like a really interesting girl.
Finally, the landing gear was dropped and she came back to life. She had mentioned feeling hot, then cold, then hot again. I'm thinking this girl is so high maintenance, yet kind of amusing... And she also mentioned I seemed like a very "by the book" kind of guy. I said that I had mentioned I had slept on the floor of the terminal for 4 hours and she thinks I am "by the book"? Anyway, she had luggage to claim and was waiting for her ride, and the next thing I know, we're talking in the terminal about everything in the world for a full hour. Though I thought she appeared in good shape, she had mentioned she wasn't thrilled with her physical fitness. She just didn't feel disciplined in the gym. I turned her to Hebrews 12:11 and that really seemed to be what she needed. It's just strange how these things just come together sometimes. It can't be coincidence that I got on that plane and sat in that particular seat. Anyway, I helped her reclaim her luggage since we had taken so much time and I helped her unload the two "bodybags" into her friend's car.
Finally, I braved the 20 degree temperatures, got back to my car, and headed to the gym for some cardio and lifting. I went home to unpack and hit the grocery store. After catching up on some computer stuff and watching the beginning of Supercard of Honor 5, I was starting to feel a little bit bored. So I went upstairs around 3 pm to grab a nap in my own bed, which was so welcome after the previous night. And I remember this dream I was having. I was dreaming that I woke up for work at 11 a.m. and played it real casual. But I couldn't get that time out of my mind. 11 p.m. I suddenly woke up and looked at the clock. My red digital display said 11:00 p.m. Right on the dot. My nap lasted eight hours!
As of this moment, it is 2:30 AM and I'm listening back to the live BB show. And I feel like I could stay up all night right now. But I really do need to get my body back on its normal schedule by tonight. This has been one heck of a weekend. And later on, it's the Month of Dec party. To think I may not have even seen the most insane part of the weekend yet!
I woke up at 3 AM and was gone from the house by 3:30. My intention was to park in Lot G which costs about half the price of the standard remote lot E, which is the lot where the monorail begins. Of course, there are no signs for Lot G. So I took the advantage of time over money and headed into the terminal. I wanted to get there early because I had heard about the security and how finnicky they are getting. And indeed, because I was wearing a metallic belt and the visual scanner detects metal, I got frisked. This security dude in this screechy voice goes "I need to feel two inches inside your waistband all the way around." If they have to do that, fine, but can't I have a little say over who feels inside my pants?
Anyway, I took a 6 AM American Eagle flight and it was a stress-free flight, the plane was half empty. I was pleased because there is so little legroom on those Eagle planes and I needed some space. The woman next to me moved out to another room quickly and I slept the whole 90 minutes. But about halfway through my walk from the plane to ground transportation, I felt a chill run through me. I knew Dad would not be standing there, waiting to pick me up. It just did not seem normal, it was just sad. But there is a future, and there is hope that one day, things will be right again.
Since I was paying extra to park and I had arrived into New Jersey earlier than anticipated, I decided to take the buses up to Paramus. There is an extra fee to the the NJ Transit train out of Newark Airport and it would have cost me about $15 total for the trip. It took a half hour for the 62 bus to arrive, which would take me into downtown Newark. It took another few minutes to get $1 bills, which I needed because these buses don't give change back. Otherwise, a $1.50 bus ride would have cost me $5. No good! After a 30 minute trip, we arrived at Newark Penn Station. It wasn't the most pleasant place to be. While waiting for the 76L to Hackensack, three different people asked me for handouts. One of them asked if I was in college. I don't know, maybe it was the backpack I had on. The trip took us through Newark, Kearny (got a view of the NYC skyline), Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford (got a great shot of the NMS), Carlstadt (spotted an old Krauszer's deli, still offering the coffee and buttered roll for 99 cents), and Wood-Ridge, before hitting Hackensack. What's funny was during the end of the plane ride that morning, I could see the high school with the purple Wood-Ridge logo in the end zone. And then we drove through the town. After an hour and 15 minutes, we hit downtown Hackensack; it must have been around 10:45.
I was waiting for the 751 or 755. The board in the tiny terminal building (2 rows of benches, a concession/ticket stand, and the bathrooms) said the next one of those to the Bergen Town Center would leave around 11:40 and another one after that at 11:45. Well, the 11:40 got delayed until 12:15. It took until 11:50 for the bus to fianlly come. Chances are I could have walked in 40-45 minutes what turned out to be a 15 or 20 minute bus ride. At one point, we were stopped at a red light on Main St. As I looked ahead and to my right, I could see the outside edge of a yellow building. Indeed, it was the Poitin Still, where the Blueshirt Banter viewing party would be going on later that day. I could even seen the white party banner hanging outside, advertising the Rangers legends as well.
So we made a left on Spring Valley and drove 1.5 miles to the Bergen Town Center. I had barely eaten all day so I walked straight into Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. I ordered the Crunchified Philly Burger with hot red cherry peppers, griddled onions, and provolone cheese along with sweet potato fries, and a vanilla shake. I found a spot at one of the three U-shaped bars. They brought out the shake first. The straw was so wide, it could have been used for plumbing pipes. The shake was very thick and had real whipped cream. Had a very intense vanilla flavor too. I'm not a big shake guy, but what the hell, after all that travel, I felt like a treat. Then, the food arrived. The first thing I noticed was the roll. It was a sesame seed bun, not too thick that it would overwhelm the burger, not thin enough that it would get soggy. It was soft, it tasted just perfect. The burger was maybe 1/3 pound, the provolone was totally melted, there were tons of onions and peppers, and quite a few potato chips, which added the crunch. I threw on a little yellow mustard and got going. The meat was very juicy and I could taste with the charred outside that it was cooked on a flat top grill. The chips didn't really have any seasoning on them, but added a nice touch. The fries came with a hint of sea salt and had crisp flavor to them. They came with horseradish homey mustard that I wasn't thrilled with. It tasted too much like dijon, and though I'm not particularly opposed to dijon, it can taste very powerful. I had some of that but I also dipped them in their chipotle ketchup as well. Thankfully, I got a pickle spear as well. All in all, a very good experience, I would recommend BBP.
It felt like I hd been awake forever, but it was still only 12:30, so I had a ton of time to hang out. Since it was Black Friday, there wasn't exactly ample space to walk around, I'm just glad I did not have to drive in the traffic around the mall! This one-level mall is kind of middle class, with one or two fancy places, so at least you don't feel like you need a membership card or parking permit just to walk in the doors. Some malls feel that way to me, especially in the Northeast (Shops at Riverside, Short Hills). Anyway, I walked through Target, Nordstrom Rack, and Century 21 for maybe 45 minutes, but didn't buy anything. I did pick up a couple of Jets bracelets at one of those mall stands though. I passed by a jugglign unicyclist, which was a nice touch for the holiday season. I walked around Whole Foods for a while. They have some things in there that I have never seen other Whole Foods stores before. Juice cups, a full fresh pasta display, and these huge bakery pretzels. Very tempting. I was checking out the seafood section and the man asked if he could get me anything. I said "If I lived in this time zone..." Ah well.
It was only 1:30 by the time I had covered the whole mall. So after a ton of traveling, walking, and waiting, I plopped down in one of the mall chairs, turned on my Ipod, and slept for a good hour. And I was out of it. I'm sure the various people sitting in the other seven chairs in our square got a little chuckle out of it. So I woke up and really felt like a drink. I would have gone for an Arnold Palmer from Starbucks, but they don't have one of those in the BTC. I headed back into Whole Foods and was very happy to find a bottle Tazo Giant Peach tea, one of my favorite drinks in the world. I guzzled it with gusto, headed out the door, and began my 1.5 mile walk east to Poitin Still.
I walked in to this Irish pub, and as soon as I walked in, I saw an oval shaped bar in the middle of the main room, it holds maybe 40 people. I looked to my left and the guys were setting everything up for the live radio show. The Mouth was there with Mrs. Mouth, also there was Costa the Crazy Greek, the Simos clan (Eeeeeeva, Claude, and Peter), and Ricky O. I got a pretty good reception as I walked in, I think people were still surprised I actually showed up. Before long, we had Jon Newman and Stacie, Jimmy S (along with Calamity Jen and Megan), Zach, Jackie Lomba (the Rangers/Hawks fan), Kristen F, Tom, Dave Shapiro, Paul L, Nick Montagena, Frosty and Karen, Coochie Wallie, and later, Pat the Laundry Guy, and even Dancing Larry! And those are just the ones I remember.
I drank a pair of Brooklyn Lagers, which I have to say, seemed to taste different than I remembered them at John's Pizzeria. A little hoppier, I guess. Still enjoyed them. The Rangers alumni of Nick Fotiu (who offered to shake MY hand!!!), Ron Greschner, and Chris Kotsopolous were in attendance and signed autographs for the masses, and for $35 total. We watched some videos of some old hockey fights from the 70's and 80's, back when players could actually hit each other!
We took a ton of pictures with each other and sat down to eat. I had chicken fingers , which were so-so at best. Costa the Crazy Greek has one of the biggest appetites I have ever seen. He wolfed down a Gaelic steak with mushrooms, onions, and Guinness gravy and promptly threw in a slice of cheesecake for good measure. I also sat with Frosty and Karen who are the one of the nicest couples I have ever met. Zach and Newman are quite the characters. Never a dull moment with those two around. Kristen is very cool, but I guess she had a sore throat. Her voice was so deep and husky, it was like talking to Kathleen Turner! And it was nice to meet Jackie too. There is more to her than her Patrick "Kaner" Kane crush and the ALL CAPS TYPING. At the end of the day, she really is neat. I think the best part is these people are not just photos, or voices, or words on a facebook chat. They really feel like actual people to me and that helps to make friendships that much stronger.
The live BB show began at 5 pm and I'm listening back to it now as I type. The first 20 minutes were torture to listen to with all the feedback! Jim's mike sucks! But it got worked out. The highlight had to be the live roll call. We all stood in front of the radio table as Eddie introduced us. I was maybe the fifth guy mentioned. I was floored how loud my ovation was. I was absolutely floored. I also met the Mouth's Dad and a few of his cousins who were sitting in one of the extra rooms down the hall and they were very nice.
The game went very well, with the Rangers getting the 3-0 win and Hank getting back to his winning ways. We left pretty soon after, as the bar had suddenly become overrun by clubbers. I left with Jackie, a Philly fan who I believe named Joe, and one other guy I can't remember. We talked hockey, Chicago vs NY, and all kinds of stuff, on my 45 minute ride to Newark Airport. I gave Jackie a kiss on the cheek, shook hands with da boyz, and headed inside Terminal A around 11:15.
Since I wanted to save $100 (and I only spent about 50 or 60 for the whole day anyway), I avoided the hotels, and just slept on the floor of the terminal. All the chairs were steel and the armrests could not be moved up, so I really had no other choice. I put my backpack next to me, laid on my left side, laid my winter coat under my head and elbows, and then placed my fleece sweatshirt under my hips and back. I lowered my Rangers hat over my face to reduce the lighting, and attempted to grab some shut-eye. Well, the cleaning crew came by. There was one woman driving the zamboni around to clean the floor. I woke up several times and finally around 2:30, I realized I was going to have to wake up. When I woke up, there were suddenly 20 or 30 people in the terminal as well. A lot of them were taking a 5:30 US Air flight to Charlotte. So I checked in for the flight and did some reading for a while. I headed down the escalator towards the security line and that got moving around 3:30.
I listened to a Jim Tomberlin sermon about the splitting of the Israel kingdom and the dangers to community for a while as I waited for the flight. The first piece of bad news came when the standby list appeared on the monitor and I was number 7 out of 7. Didn't feel great about that, but it didn't worry me much. The gate agent called me up to the counter and asked if I was dressed for first class. Translated, that means dress pants and a collared shirt. I had on faded jeans and my gray fleece sweatshirt. I explained it was a one-day trip so I didn't have the room. Her response: "You should have dressed for first class." How kind. So now I know I'm basically bumped. I asked her how the 7:20 flight looked, but I knew there would only be three more flights the rest of the day. She said there were about 10 seats open, but I was at the bottom of the standby list because of my ranking, or lack there of. By now, I started thinking to myself maybe I should take a shuttle to LaGuardia. So everyone boarded and during that time, they called up the Michaels family, which was four of the people on the list ahead of me. That was pretty good, at least the list had been reduced in half. About two minutes later, the agent called me and assigned me to seat 14C. I was quite surprised, in a delightful sort of way.
So I found my seat and as I was about to sit down, I saw the guy behind me had on a Chicago Bears Devin Hester jersey and a NY Yankees hat. What is up with that? Anyway, I sat down in my aisle seat in yet another cramped American Eagle plane. It may have been the same dang plane for all I know. Next to me sat this girl and somehow we struck up a conversation. Her name was Nona. She lives in Manhattan, studies journalism like me, and is planning to live in Beirut for awhile. And she was coming to Chicago for the week because her dad is a doctor and is participating in a major conference. She told me she had been shopping all of Black Friday, grabbed two hours of sleep, and was feeling really tired. For almost all of the 150 minutes of that flight, she twisted and turned all around her seat, just trying to get comfortable. I finally raised the arm rest up and leaned on one "cheek" towards the aisle, just to give her a little room. Then came the pocket slip... I can't say I was disappointed or anything, but with her travels, experience, and sharp wit, she seemed like a really interesting girl.
Finally, the landing gear was dropped and she came back to life. She had mentioned feeling hot, then cold, then hot again. I'm thinking this girl is so high maintenance, yet kind of amusing... And she also mentioned I seemed like a very "by the book" kind of guy. I said that I had mentioned I had slept on the floor of the terminal for 4 hours and she thinks I am "by the book"? Anyway, she had luggage to claim and was waiting for her ride, and the next thing I know, we're talking in the terminal about everything in the world for a full hour. Though I thought she appeared in good shape, she had mentioned she wasn't thrilled with her physical fitness. She just didn't feel disciplined in the gym. I turned her to Hebrews 12:11 and that really seemed to be what she needed. It's just strange how these things just come together sometimes. It can't be coincidence that I got on that plane and sat in that particular seat. Anyway, I helped her reclaim her luggage since we had taken so much time and I helped her unload the two "bodybags" into her friend's car.
Finally, I braved the 20 degree temperatures, got back to my car, and headed to the gym for some cardio and lifting. I went home to unpack and hit the grocery store. After catching up on some computer stuff and watching the beginning of Supercard of Honor 5, I was starting to feel a little bit bored. So I went upstairs around 3 pm to grab a nap in my own bed, which was so welcome after the previous night. And I remember this dream I was having. I was dreaming that I woke up for work at 11 a.m. and played it real casual. But I couldn't get that time out of my mind. 11 p.m. I suddenly woke up and looked at the clock. My red digital display said 11:00 p.m. Right on the dot. My nap lasted eight hours!
As of this moment, it is 2:30 AM and I'm listening back to the live BB show. And I feel like I could stay up all night right now. But I really do need to get my body back on its normal schedule by tonight. This has been one heck of a weekend. And later on, it's the Month of Dec party. To think I may not have even seen the most insane part of the weekend yet!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Twisted
That CT conversation may have been one of the most kind, yet absolutely awkward of my life. I'm trying to value them, but they get more and more difficult as time goes by.
I feel tonight I should have a lot to say. I think that right now I'm typing not because I'm inspired by a thought, by a person, or anything like that, but because it's my duty. That doesn't seem like the most organic method.
1) I have given up on the Jets twice in two weeks. Each time they have won in the last 15 seconds. Either I am a fool and need to learn my lesson or I should keep walking away towards the end of a game.
2) Nevertheless, the Jets are tied for the league lead in wins. I love Santonio Holmes and David Harris, am starting to seriously believe in Mark Sanchez, and hate how this defense continues to regress. Although I think I saw something no homo sapien has ever reported. And I think I was mentally stable at the time. I had to count my fingers, blink a few times, breathe deeply in and out. But did I see Vernon Gholston actually touch a quarterback?
3) And that damn Peyton Manning would have given us first place all by our lonesome if not for a horrible INT at the end of the game in Foxboro. I guess the Jets will just have to take care of this themselves.
4) The Mets have hired Terry Collins as their new manager. I am not excited about it. But I will give it time. The big question is what will Sandy, JP, and Paul do in terms of player personnel in a season where they have so little money to spend and there are seemingly so few quality free agents available.
5) Ellen gave her faith story in church today, speaking about our time in Kentucky. She referenced me. She said that on the trip she was a little uncomfortable that the next youngest person was almost twice her age. After the service, I told her that I appreciate she included the word "almost".
6) Rookie's Godfather pizza is one of the best I have ever had. Sausage, roast beef, onion, tomato, and hot giardinare.
7) Three days of work this week. I am really excited for Thanksgiving. We'll be going back to Weber Grille. Unlike 2 years ago when I did this, I hope I won't have the flu that day.
8) Hackensack, I can't wait...9) I thank Pastor Brian for teaching us today that there is a significant difference between feeling thankful and giving thanks. Also, perhaps our praise and worship is not complete if we have not thanked God for a blessing we have received.
10) I am 0-for-5 in typing the word h-a-v-e correctly in this post...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Mindy, Evanston and a deli
So I take off from work around 4 p.m. and begin the drive down 90, then north on 294 for a few minutes, before a long drive east on Dempster. For dinner, I thought about Flat Top Grill, or a local Asian place (Evanston is littered with those). Maybe Tommy Nevin's, a local Irish pub. But on Mom's recommendation, I went with Kauffman's deli in Skokie. Since Skokie is a very Jewish town and has a famous bakery, it seemed like a good idea. I went with the the NJ bypass special, a double decker loaded with hot pastrami and corned beef and I added Swiss cheese and brown mustard on caraway rye bread. But they have four different cuts of corned beef, a fattier cut and two leaner cuts, something I had never seen before. And good job by the staff, throwing in free pickle spears. The only thing missing was cans of Dr. Brown's soda. Most Jewish delis carry them. I remember at Harold's, Katz's, or on the 86th St in Brooklyn, Dad would always go with the diet black cherry, I was fine with root beer. In his case, I went with Coke and BBQ chips.
The sandwich wasn't as huge as I thought it might be, so I finished it pretty easily. I liked the grainy mustard as well as there being several slices of cheese. The meat was very juicy, not too much seasoning, so I added some black pepper.
As I was eating at this tiny countertop in the bakery section of the deli, this woman comes from behind the bakery and places something wrapped in plastic next to me. I thanked her and took a look as she walked away. It was a brownie, so since I'm no chocolate guy, I took it to go. As I scoured the numerous shelves in the bakery, I noticed this golden brown twisting stick. I asked what it was and they told me it was a puff pastry, I can't remember the exact name. But they gave me one for free and I enjoyed it. Of course, I walked out with a dozen bagels as well! Just a shame they had already run out of rye bagels.
So then I headed 5 miles east into Evanston. I parked in a Jewel Osco, and there aren't many space to grab, about a block down the street from SPACE. I thought it was pretty cool that the Jewel Osco had a Whole Foods right across the street from it. So since I hadn't spent much time in Evanston before, I walked north on Chicago Ave and around the city for about a half hour. I was struck by how much it felt like a major city. A lot of high-rise buildings, fancy restaurants, a lot of very unique architecture. The gothic look of many of the churches caught my eye as well. It felt like Boston, to an extent. It was just a bit nippy out, I did have to tuck my hands inside my Jets jacket.
Eventually, I walked back into the building that includes SPACE as well as the Union pizzeria. The place was already mobbed and I spotted 2 empty seats out of 30 at the U-shaped bar. Well, one empty seat, some corporate dude had one reserved for his laptop. I don't know, maybe the computer had been overworked and it needed a rest, whatever. So I took a seat, next to this one woman, who immediately offered me a slice of her Neapolitan pizza, which included shrimp, pineapple, cilantro, and jalapenos. I can handle spicy, but these peppers were really hot! I felt the burn for at least five minutes after just that one slice! And this girl was from Texas, so I guess she is used to that kind of thing.
So we chatted for maybe 45 minutes about work, my Kentucky trip, her kid, heat in Texas vs Illinois, etc. I guess she's an occupational therapist and is in town for 10 days for a conference. Around 7, I got in line for the show. I got a GA ticket, and got a spot off to the side about 8 feet from the stage. I chatted with a few couples around me, most of whom had never seen Mindy Smith perform live. Unlike the show in DeKalb, where she had a full band, she did this show alone, with just an acoustic guitar.
Set list
1. Out Loud
2. What Went Wrong
3. Highs and Lows
4. Raggedy Ann
5. Hurricane
6. Love Lost
7. If I Didn't Know Any Better
8. What Love Can Do
9. One Moment More
10. Tennessee
11. Fighting For It All
12. Jolene
14. Santa Will Find You
15. Long Island Shores
16. Come to Jesus
There were plenty of guitar tuning issues, but whatever. The best part was one drunk in the back calling for "Jolene." Mindy mutters "Ugh, I have to sing about that bitch again!" For songs, I was hoping, but didn't expect to hear "Surface" and I didn't.
I would have liked to have stayed and chatted with her again, but with 200 people packing the room, I felt the night had lasted long enough. I took off at 10:45 and got in home just before midnight.
The sandwich wasn't as huge as I thought it might be, so I finished it pretty easily. I liked the grainy mustard as well as there being several slices of cheese. The meat was very juicy, not too much seasoning, so I added some black pepper.
As I was eating at this tiny countertop in the bakery section of the deli, this woman comes from behind the bakery and places something wrapped in plastic next to me. I thanked her and took a look as she walked away. It was a brownie, so since I'm no chocolate guy, I took it to go. As I scoured the numerous shelves in the bakery, I noticed this golden brown twisting stick. I asked what it was and they told me it was a puff pastry, I can't remember the exact name. But they gave me one for free and I enjoyed it. Of course, I walked out with a dozen bagels as well! Just a shame they had already run out of rye bagels.
So then I headed 5 miles east into Evanston. I parked in a Jewel Osco, and there aren't many space to grab, about a block down the street from SPACE. I thought it was pretty cool that the Jewel Osco had a Whole Foods right across the street from it. So since I hadn't spent much time in Evanston before, I walked north on Chicago Ave and around the city for about a half hour. I was struck by how much it felt like a major city. A lot of high-rise buildings, fancy restaurants, a lot of very unique architecture. The gothic look of many of the churches caught my eye as well. It felt like Boston, to an extent. It was just a bit nippy out, I did have to tuck my hands inside my Jets jacket.
Eventually, I walked back into the building that includes SPACE as well as the Union pizzeria. The place was already mobbed and I spotted 2 empty seats out of 30 at the U-shaped bar. Well, one empty seat, some corporate dude had one reserved for his laptop. I don't know, maybe the computer had been overworked and it needed a rest, whatever. So I took a seat, next to this one woman, who immediately offered me a slice of her Neapolitan pizza, which included shrimp, pineapple, cilantro, and jalapenos. I can handle spicy, but these peppers were really hot! I felt the burn for at least five minutes after just that one slice! And this girl was from Texas, so I guess she is used to that kind of thing.
So we chatted for maybe 45 minutes about work, my Kentucky trip, her kid, heat in Texas vs Illinois, etc. I guess she's an occupational therapist and is in town for 10 days for a conference. Around 7, I got in line for the show. I got a GA ticket, and got a spot off to the side about 8 feet from the stage. I chatted with a few couples around me, most of whom had never seen Mindy Smith perform live. Unlike the show in DeKalb, where she had a full band, she did this show alone, with just an acoustic guitar.
Set list
1. Out Loud
2. What Went Wrong
3. Highs and Lows
4. Raggedy Ann
5. Hurricane
6. Love Lost
7. If I Didn't Know Any Better
8. What Love Can Do
9. One Moment More
10. Tennessee
11. Fighting For It All
12. Jolene
Encore
13. Ahead of Myself14. Santa Will Find You
15. Long Island Shores
16. Come to Jesus
There were plenty of guitar tuning issues, but whatever. The best part was one drunk in the back calling for "Jolene." Mindy mutters "Ugh, I have to sing about that bitch again!" For songs, I was hoping, but didn't expect to hear "Surface" and I didn't.
I would have liked to have stayed and chatted with her again, but with 200 people packing the room, I felt the night had lasted long enough. I took off at 10:45 and got in home just before midnight.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Top Rex Ryan Quotes
After a tough loss to Washington (Rangers drop to 2-5-1 in MSG), I watched the 30-minute Rex Ryan SFX special on the NFL Network. It captured many of Rex' best lines from the sidelines, encompassing just over a season and a half. Here is my dirty dozen list, dirty, because the censors are off, and dozen, because I just cannot narrow this down to just ten.
12. This is gonna be a fun one. Rock 'em, sock 'em robots today
11. But he (Mulligan) can keep whippin' his ass in the backfield, right?
10. He (Kaeding) already missed two. Three strikes homeboy and you're out. He missed it! He missed it! He missed! Yeah!
9. Norv, I'm the opposite. I blow up, you slim down.
8. We know we've got a great defense. We believe in our philosophy of ground 'n' pound.
7. Time out! Time out! That's a long sprint for me. I gotta get my damn track shoes on!
6. They can't hit our fuckin' quarterback like that! That's fuckin bullshit! Number 33!
5. I called that time out! Next time, I'll stand right on top of you.
4. Bam! That's Jet football! That's Jets football baby! Way to go Shonn!
3. We're going for it! We're going for it! We're going for it! Win the game right here!
2. That's the game! That's the fuckin' game! That's New York Jets football! That's New York Jets football!
1. Play like Jets, we'll kick their ass and go onto the Super Bowl!
12. This is gonna be a fun one. Rock 'em, sock 'em robots today
11. But he (Mulligan) can keep whippin' his ass in the backfield, right?
10. He (Kaeding) already missed two. Three strikes homeboy and you're out. He missed it! He missed it! He missed! Yeah!
9. Norv, I'm the opposite. I blow up, you slim down.
8. We know we've got a great defense. We believe in our philosophy of ground 'n' pound.
7. Time out! Time out! That's a long sprint for me. I gotta get my damn track shoes on!
6. They can't hit our fuckin' quarterback like that! That's fuckin bullshit! Number 33!
5. I called that time out! Next time, I'll stand right on top of you.
4. Bam! That's Jet football! That's Jets football baby! Way to go Shonn!
3. We're going for it! We're going for it! We're going for it! Win the game right here!
2. That's the game! That's the fuckin' game! That's New York Jets football! That's New York Jets football!
1. Play like Jets, we'll kick their ass and go onto the Super Bowl!
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Breathing again
Today's Jets game was one of the wildest, craziest, heart-pounding days I have spent. And the Jets have given me a lot of games like that this season, not to mention over the last 20 years. The difference is I can't recall a Jets team with this kind of resolve and resilience that finds ways to win games that they don't deserve to.
I was driving in the car and found out there that the Lions found the end zone on their first drive. The Jets got called on three penalites, extending the drive over and over again. Already I'm going insane. And the Jets offense was still sputtering just like last week as they would punt on their first four possessions. They did get the ball in the red zone in the second quarter, but thanks to Sanchez fumbling the 3rd down snap, they had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
On their next possession, they started on their own 25 with 1:50 remaining. First play, Damian Woody gets schooled by Avril and Sanchez gets sacked. Loss of nine! Tomlinson gets 10 yards back on a run, setting up 3rd and 9. Sanchez, protected very well in the shotgun, unleashes a bomb down the left sideline. Braylon Edwards has a step on the D-back, Alphonso Smith, for what seems like five minutes. The ball finally falls down into his arms and he walks into the end zone. The Jets take a 10-7 lead into halftime and I am feeling good. the Lions had outplayed the Jet for 28 of 30 minutes, but I felt the Jets had awoke from their slumber and now were ready to seize control.
Let's go to the second half. On the fourth play of the drive, Edwards catches a short pass, but safety Louis Delmas rips the ball right out of his hands. That's the third time that has happened in two weeks to a Jet WR. The Lions march right down the field and Matthew Stafford sneaks the ball in from the 1-yard line and the Lions lead. But with Jason Hanson, their kicker, injured, the rookie sensation defensive tackle N. "I will not attempt to spell his first name" Suh comes into kick. He doinks it off the right upright and that one missed point would prove pivotal.
The Jets take the ball back and a 13-yard run by Tomlinson gets wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on Wayne Hunter. Just 1 of 11 Jets penalties. But Sanchez comes back, immediately finding Holmes for a 21-yard gain. Laterin the drive, a 17-yard pass to Dustin Keller, who after not catching a pass in the first half, would emerge more and more as the game wore on. But a long bomb would be intercepted on the 1. Essentially, that's a great punt. Down three points, I was not torn up over that one. Each team would punt and then the Lions go on a drive that I thought would put the game away. On a 3rd and 6, Nate Burleson caught a 36-yard pass. A pass interference call on Eric Smith put the ball on the Jets 1, instead of a 3rd and 5 on the 28. Stafford throws a short TD pass to Burleson and it was 20-10 Detroit with 12 minutes left. The Jets then get one first down before having to punt and Detroit took over from their own 8 with under 7 minutes remaining in the game. I am full of despair, but I know a few things about the Lions. They are gritty and they play hard. But this team has not learned to close game out yet. They are not mature enough to win these tight games.
On 2nd and 11, Stafford scrambles and gets dragged down from behind by Bryan Thomas. Immediately, Stafford clutched his right shoulder. He had to leave the game and Drew Stanton took his place. Te Jets forced the 3 and out, leaving them just 4:30 to score at least 10 points. And here is where Mark Sanchez took over. Cotchery for 18, Keller for 6, LDT for 6, Keller leaping for a big gain of 25, putting the ball on the Lions 6. LDT runs for 5 and Sanchez takes it in and it's 20-17. Of course, it was too close a call and the refs let 20 critical seconds run off the clock.
With one TO and the 2-minute warning, the Jets kicked off, which I agreed with. They could not let the Lions get a first down, but I felt pretty good they wouldn't. First play: Jhavid Best loses two on a run and then on 2nd down, gains 6. So after the 2-minute warning and the Jets out of timeouts, it's 3rd and 6. And Coach Jim Schwartz calls a play action fake with a backup QB. the ball is passed too low and the fullback can't hold on. The Jets are saved 30 huge seconds.
So with 1:40, the Jets start on their own 22. Two plays gain just one yard. And Sanchez hits Keller for 11 yards and a huge first down. A pass to LDT for 11, and then came a pass to LDT that gained just one. But here's the second place the Lions shot themselves. Their veteran linebacker Julian Peterson drills LDT well out of bounds. This one was too obvious to not call. A 15-yard penalty and the Jets have the ball on the Detroit 28, well within field goal range. Two runs gain 10 yards and in comes Folk with five seconds left to kick the tying field goal. The snap was off, but Steve Weatherford recovered and Folk drilled it through from 36 yards. Overtime!
With the Lions missing a QB and kicker, this seemed too easy. When the Jets won the toss, I knew it wasn't a given, but I could not see them losing it now. From the Jets 32, Sanchez finds Holmes AGAIN! for a 52 yard gain. LDT ran twice and then Folk, who is known for kicking longer field goals better than short ones, ran onto the field again. From 30 yards out, he drilled it down the middle and I am celebrating.
But wait! Flag on the field! Nah, it's ok, it was a personal foul on Detroit, the field goal was good, and the Jets had secured an improbable 23-20 win in the Motor City.
The Jets had no right winning this game. They played great for about 10 of 60 minutes in regulation. And Detroit had some injuries and also made some stupid decisions, by coaching staff and players alike. But they did win. They are now 6-2, and if they can learn to stop taking stupid penalties and maybe if the offensive coordinator can not call such predictable game plans, this team can do something very special.
And these referees were beyond putrid. I think of the personal foul on Shaun Ellis where he hit Stafford while he was still in bounds, that cost the Jets 15 yards.
All in all, I feel good. I feel relieved. I thank Cleveland for spanking New England. Now we're coming to Cleveland to beat them. Wish I could be there too...
I was driving in the car and found out there that the Lions found the end zone on their first drive. The Jets got called on three penalites, extending the drive over and over again. Already I'm going insane. And the Jets offense was still sputtering just like last week as they would punt on their first four possessions. They did get the ball in the red zone in the second quarter, but thanks to Sanchez fumbling the 3rd down snap, they had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
On their next possession, they started on their own 25 with 1:50 remaining. First play, Damian Woody gets schooled by Avril and Sanchez gets sacked. Loss of nine! Tomlinson gets 10 yards back on a run, setting up 3rd and 9. Sanchez, protected very well in the shotgun, unleashes a bomb down the left sideline. Braylon Edwards has a step on the D-back, Alphonso Smith, for what seems like five minutes. The ball finally falls down into his arms and he walks into the end zone. The Jets take a 10-7 lead into halftime and I am feeling good. the Lions had outplayed the Jet for 28 of 30 minutes, but I felt the Jets had awoke from their slumber and now were ready to seize control.
Let's go to the second half. On the fourth play of the drive, Edwards catches a short pass, but safety Louis Delmas rips the ball right out of his hands. That's the third time that has happened in two weeks to a Jet WR. The Lions march right down the field and Matthew Stafford sneaks the ball in from the 1-yard line and the Lions lead. But with Jason Hanson, their kicker, injured, the rookie sensation defensive tackle N. "I will not attempt to spell his first name" Suh comes into kick. He doinks it off the right upright and that one missed point would prove pivotal.
The Jets take the ball back and a 13-yard run by Tomlinson gets wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on Wayne Hunter. Just 1 of 11 Jets penalties. But Sanchez comes back, immediately finding Holmes for a 21-yard gain. Laterin the drive, a 17-yard pass to Dustin Keller, who after not catching a pass in the first half, would emerge more and more as the game wore on. But a long bomb would be intercepted on the 1. Essentially, that's a great punt. Down three points, I was not torn up over that one. Each team would punt and then the Lions go on a drive that I thought would put the game away. On a 3rd and 6, Nate Burleson caught a 36-yard pass. A pass interference call on Eric Smith put the ball on the Jets 1, instead of a 3rd and 5 on the 28. Stafford throws a short TD pass to Burleson and it was 20-10 Detroit with 12 minutes left. The Jets then get one first down before having to punt and Detroit took over from their own 8 with under 7 minutes remaining in the game. I am full of despair, but I know a few things about the Lions. They are gritty and they play hard. But this team has not learned to close game out yet. They are not mature enough to win these tight games.
On 2nd and 11, Stafford scrambles and gets dragged down from behind by Bryan Thomas. Immediately, Stafford clutched his right shoulder. He had to leave the game and Drew Stanton took his place. Te Jets forced the 3 and out, leaving them just 4:30 to score at least 10 points. And here is where Mark Sanchez took over. Cotchery for 18, Keller for 6, LDT for 6, Keller leaping for a big gain of 25, putting the ball on the Lions 6. LDT runs for 5 and Sanchez takes it in and it's 20-17. Of course, it was too close a call and the refs let 20 critical seconds run off the clock.
With one TO and the 2-minute warning, the Jets kicked off, which I agreed with. They could not let the Lions get a first down, but I felt pretty good they wouldn't. First play: Jhavid Best loses two on a run and then on 2nd down, gains 6. So after the 2-minute warning and the Jets out of timeouts, it's 3rd and 6. And Coach Jim Schwartz calls a play action fake with a backup QB. the ball is passed too low and the fullback can't hold on. The Jets are saved 30 huge seconds.
So with 1:40, the Jets start on their own 22. Two plays gain just one yard. And Sanchez hits Keller for 11 yards and a huge first down. A pass to LDT for 11, and then came a pass to LDT that gained just one. But here's the second place the Lions shot themselves. Their veteran linebacker Julian Peterson drills LDT well out of bounds. This one was too obvious to not call. A 15-yard penalty and the Jets have the ball on the Detroit 28, well within field goal range. Two runs gain 10 yards and in comes Folk with five seconds left to kick the tying field goal. The snap was off, but Steve Weatherford recovered and Folk drilled it through from 36 yards. Overtime!
With the Lions missing a QB and kicker, this seemed too easy. When the Jets won the toss, I knew it wasn't a given, but I could not see them losing it now. From the Jets 32, Sanchez finds Holmes AGAIN! for a 52 yard gain. LDT ran twice and then Folk, who is known for kicking longer field goals better than short ones, ran onto the field again. From 30 yards out, he drilled it down the middle and I am celebrating.
But wait! Flag on the field! Nah, it's ok, it was a personal foul on Detroit, the field goal was good, and the Jets had secured an improbable 23-20 win in the Motor City.
The Jets had no right winning this game. They played great for about 10 of 60 minutes in regulation. And Detroit had some injuries and also made some stupid decisions, by coaching staff and players alike. But they did win. They are now 6-2, and if they can learn to stop taking stupid penalties and maybe if the offensive coordinator can not call such predictable game plans, this team can do something very special.
And these referees were beyond putrid. I think of the personal foul on Shaun Ellis where he hit Stafford while he was still in bounds, that cost the Jets 15 yards.
All in all, I feel good. I feel relieved. I thank Cleveland for spanking New England. Now we're coming to Cleveland to beat them. Wish I could be there too...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)