5k
5:45 am
NY rye bagel with cream cheese
Arrived at Willow Creek around 7:45 am, went right inside
Ran into Mike, who was volunteering
Corrine gave me a hug, even though we didn't remember each other's names
We chatted for maybe 15 minutes and she gave me her number
Cold enough, so we all waited inside
9-11 minute per mile group
Steady run near Natasha and Maggie
Mom handed my cup on the second water break
sprint uphill
Kept sprinting last half mile
28:45 time
I really feel I could have done it faster!
Coconut pineapple sparkling water
half a tasteless popyseed bagel
A few orange wedge
Anna Mayhew finished first in the 30's female division
Mays comes in 3rd
Drove 45 minutes to Berwyn
got lost walking downtown, trying to find the registration spot
Harlem Expresso
Dan and Sarah
Dan worked at the Daily Herald in the DuPage region
Had three beers at first three pubs
Maybe five beers over the entire afternoon
Never paid for a drink
Magner's Irish Cider, my first and likely last
Some holes were easier than others
Some were straight shots, some looped over, one looked like a skeeball machine
First pub-we were just shooting the breeze, maybe 100 drunks around us
All of a sudden, we heard the dreaded screeching of brakes and a crunch.
Turns out this cop made an illegal left towards Windsor Street where we were and another car ran into the front passenger side. There were no injuries and very little damage to either car. But some of the drunks viewed it as a photo opportunity.
Italian beef sandwich with very good homemade giardinera
Around the fifth bar, we were joined by a group of four women and one guy, who looked like a biker from Raider Nation. One of the women, around 45 and a total cougar, had a coke in one hand and some other small glass in the other. And she was talking and laughing rather loud.
Suzie and I wound uptalking for maybe ten minutes
My friends screamed at me to get her number
For me, it was just having a little fun.
Besides. Ioverheard she has a kid.
Red flag!
Back to Rosen's apartment for some Big Hurt beer
7% alcohol
Tastes like lemon/banana
Saw Suzie again at another bar, I think it was George's
Kissed her on the cheek
Took some flak for my Rangers hat
Cafe Labotte, down the street from Rosen's apartment
Philip Humber perfect game against Seattle
$3.00 pizza bread
Drove straight to Singles Connect at 6 pm
Smaller group this time
Met Matt, a fellow Rangers fan
Corrine, Laurie, Kim, Lib, Mike, Manish, all there
No Brian (my first twin), no Krista-Marie and sadly, no Melissa
Manish and i were wearing almost the same olive green sweater, he became my second twin
William was not, disappointing considering the Coyotes and Blackhawks were playing Game 5 that night.
Bearing fruit message
Went to Lucky Monk, long wait
We left and went straight to Pinstripes
Shell chicken and pasta
I got Anne's chicken, may have been a triple portion
Finally met Mario
50 years old, acts like he's 30
Left at midnight
Home at 12:05
I stayed up and watched Scream 4
In bed at 2 am
Monday, April 23, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Torn
I just hope I'm making a big deal out of the things I should make a big deal out of. And little things that irk me, well I hope I don't take them too far.
I really want it to work. I love CI. The time together is so short, so precious. But between the vulgarity on FB plus the admitted drinking really bothers me. I thought the MDZ and Victor Cruz photos pissed me off. But after this weekend downtown and at Howl at the Moon, and the subsequent trip back to Aurora, something happened I didn't expect, though it had crossed my mind. I'd chalk it up to an isolated instance, or closing a chapter of the past. I don't know if it is or not though.
But I'm committed to CI in NY on some level. I've wanted it for so long. Now I wonder if it's holding me back. And I wonder if I should stay in this and give it time or just get out and be safe but risk being alone again. There's long distance to consider in both cases though. I just know if I break up with CI, she'll be with a new guy within 2 weeks and she'll marry him. I've always been the set-up guy. For me, it'll probably take two years. Guess that's my fear talking.
It's bonding. It's lonely. It's adventurous. It's complicated. It's easy. It's work. It's painful. It's pleasure. It's frustrating. It's exhilarating. It's exciting. It's annoying. It's uplifting. It's aggravating. It's amazing.
God, please guide my steps and grant me the wisdom I so need right now. And let me take action even if I'm afraid to do it.
I really want it to work. I love CI. The time together is so short, so precious. But between the vulgarity on FB plus the admitted drinking really bothers me. I thought the MDZ and Victor Cruz photos pissed me off. But after this weekend downtown and at Howl at the Moon, and the subsequent trip back to Aurora, something happened I didn't expect, though it had crossed my mind. I'd chalk it up to an isolated instance, or closing a chapter of the past. I don't know if it is or not though.
But I'm committed to CI in NY on some level. I've wanted it for so long. Now I wonder if it's holding me back. And I wonder if I should stay in this and give it time or just get out and be safe but risk being alone again. There's long distance to consider in both cases though. I just know if I break up with CI, she'll be with a new guy within 2 weeks and she'll marry him. I've always been the set-up guy. For me, it'll probably take two years. Guess that's my fear talking.
It's bonding. It's lonely. It's adventurous. It's complicated. It's easy. It's work. It's painful. It's pleasure. It's frustrating. It's exhilarating. It's exciting. It's annoying. It's uplifting. It's aggravating. It's amazing.
God, please guide my steps and grant me the wisdom I so need right now. And let me take action even if I'm afraid to do it.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Willie Nelson setlist
4/11/2012 Paramount Theater, Aurora, IL
Whiskey River
Still Is Still Moving to Me
Beer For My Horses
Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Night Life
Me and Paul
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Bobby McGee
Georgia On My Mind
Instrumental
Jamabalaya
Hey Good Lookin'
Move It On Over
Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain
Good Hearted Woman
Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground
On the Road Again
Always On My Mind
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Guitar Solo
I Never Cared For You
Anything You Ask Me To
Georgia On a Fast Train
Healing Hands of Time
City of New Orleans
To All the Girls I've Loved Before
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
I'll Fly Away
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
I Saw the Light
Whiskey River
Still Is Still Moving to Me
Beer For My Horses
Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Night Life
Me and Paul
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Bobby McGee
Georgia On My Mind
Instrumental
Jamabalaya
Hey Good Lookin'
Move It On Over
Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain
Good Hearted Woman
Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground
On the Road Again
Always On My Mind
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Guitar Solo
I Never Cared For You
Anything You Ask Me To
Georgia On a Fast Train
Healing Hands of Time
City of New Orleans
To All the Girls I've Loved Before
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
I'll Fly Away
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
I Saw the Light
Friday, April 13, 2012
36 hours in NY...because of free Mets tickets
After having Easter brunch with mom and her friend in Wilmette, they dropped me off at O'Hare around 4 p.m. I was supposed to fly out at 7, so I figured I might have a little time to kill in Terminal 3. But like last time, the planes were delayed around 45 minutes thanks to bad weather in Texas, so after charging my dead phone and camera, I decided to go for an earlier flight. And I wound up getting a seat on the 5:20 flight, which was supposed to leave at 5:50. I like when I go up to the gate agent, explain my situation, and the first question they ask me is if I want an aisle or a window seat.
Since Catherine and her family were at her uncle's for Easter dinner and he lives an hour away, I now had a lot of time to kill. And I hadn't eaten in maybe seven hours. So I planned to grab a burger at Five Guy's or a slice or two at Famiglia. As it turned out, all the restaurants in LaGuardia close at 8:30. When I stepped into the terminal, my cell phone said 8:45. So I sat on the floor of LaGuardia Airport for over an hour and just continued charging my phone and reading Unbroken. Luckily, I remembered my half a Balance bar and the cara cara orange I had tucked away in my backpack. That served as my dinner.
They picked me up around 10:15, with Francis driving the van. Of course, we stepped in the house, and immediately get greeted by those damn cats. That sent me straight to my Claritin stash. I went downstairs and settled in and Catherine soon joined me. Her mom brought me an Easter cupcake and a cup of hot tea, which was very nice of her. Catherine and I watched two episodes of Rangers in 60, victories over the Sabres and Penguins. Then came the long kiss goodnight...
I woke up on Monday around 7 and immediately checked in for my 7:10 flight the following morning. Strange how I arrived one night and the following morning, I was making plans to leave. Such is the life. I watched Boomer and Carton on MSG while surfing a brutally slow Internet. At least I have my privacy with my own bathroom downstairs. So when I was ready, I went upstairs, Catherine was standing there in the kitchen, and...well, the Lin t-shirt didn't go over well with her. But the last time, the girl made me make out with her when she was wearing a Victor Cruz sweatshirt! How evil is that? We left at 8:30, and for once, she was actually ready to go before I was. And I guess I must have been hurrying to get going because when she asked me if I had everything, I then realized I didn't have the game tickets or the battery for my camera.
We each grabbed a breakfast sandwich at the deli next to the M stop and headed to Coney Island. The wind was absolutely howling. We tried walking on the beach and the sand was blowing in our faces. We looked out to sea and saw the ocean water crashing violently against the wooden pier. We walked on the pier and it felt like being surrounded by a cyclone. Maybe that's why the Cyclones baseball team has that name.
We also checked out the Nathan's gift shop, where they had a few good shirts, inclusing a Navy one that pushed the 4th of July contest. We did scarf a hot dog each, well, Catherine actually chose a corn dog. And $3.75 for a dog? Just embarrassing! That said, I may prefer the toppings in Chicago to New York. But for the dog and bun by itself, you cannot beat Nathan's.
From there, we rode the D train to Macy's. While Catherine got her paycheck and somehow convinced her boss that she really had to study for a test on Thursday night, I racewalked through the cellar, trying to find an outlet. This ridiculous camera battery literally needs to be charged for every ten photos I take. Thankfully, I did manage to sneak in a quick charge while I pretended to be looking at the Cuininarts and the Soda Streams. I did like the 30 percent off Dasani water that she got with the employee discount. We walked over to Chase, right outside Madison Square Garden, where she desposited the check (Hello, direct deposit?). In the Garden lobby, there were tables promoting the Beard-A-Thon. Ah, the old days when I could still grow one...
With a good amount of time to kill, I'm sad to say we went to Cosby's. She made an absolutely ridiculous purchase by getting a Team USA jersey. It wasn't even a cool looking one either. The navy blue looked more like black to me. She brought the blank jersey for $80 and is getting the lettering and numbers added for $50 more. I know that's not too expensive for a hockey jersey, but I don't get the logic of it. And then she's talking to me about the more stitch colors, the more expensive the lettering is, and I seriously wanted to scream. It just sounded so ridiculous. Oh and I don't need to hear her whining about how left out she feels that she can't afford playoff tickets. I live in the Central freaking time zone. Who's the one who should feel left out?! OK, enough ranting.
Anyway, we walked nine blocks to Times Square and checked out the new NFL Shop. This store is only going to exist for maybe a month and it's there to celebrate the draft in two weeks and Nike taking over for Reebok as the official apparel provider for the NFL. We saw quite a lot of memorabilia, but there were some pretty surprising features. One of the best was the Lombardi Trophy, probably the closest I'll ever get to it. There was also a case of Super Bowl rings and a draft podium where we could don the new official draft hats and have our pictures taken. We also displays for Sirius Radio, where Adam Schein was hosting a live show, new jerseys for each team, and game balls, for over $200 each. As Suzyn Waldman would say, they were special balls!
I brought a pair of Jets mesh shorts for $38 and they're a little longer than what I would normally wear, but I like the black with the green Jets letters going down the side. They look really cool. Maybe I would have liked the Jets couch too, but that would have been a little hard to get on an airplane.
I didn't know Catherine's stomach was bothering her, but we still went to Shake Shack, since I was long overdue to try this place out. And even at 3 pm on a Monday, the line went out the door and halfway down the block. I ordered a Double shackburger with cheese, fries, and a Jelly's last donut. I thought I was getting a shake, but it was more like a cup of ice cream. This thing had vanilla custard, strawberry preserves, cinnamon sugar, and a Doughnut Plant donut. Need I say more? A cup of frozen custard with a donut as one of the mix-ins...The burger was juicy, the potato roll soft, and I liked the ratio of mat to bread to toppings. I liked the crinkle cut fries, although a little salty for my taste. The custard tasted like a combo of strawberry jam, vanilla ice cream, and a glazed donut. Of course, Catherine found a way to eat half of it and more than a few fries. So I pulled my tray away from her a few times...
All of a sudden, she seemed re-energized, go figure! So we walked to the Times Square station to board the S train. This shuttle that only runs between Times Square and Grand Central has been decorated in Rangers colors, both inside and out. We took the crowded ride and had to wait for people to get off to snap our photos! From Grand Central, we took the 7 train west two stops back to Times Square and it became an Express train. Catherine should seriously write the manual on navigating the NYC subway!
So we arrived at Citi Field around 4:15 and we stood outside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda for maybe 45 minutes until the gates opened. I brought a $5 program/scorecard (not too bad!) and headed straight into the team store, where I got a blue Mets adjustable cap for $18. And since it's not made of wool, it won't bake my head during the hot summer months! I feel pretty good about that one. We went to into the right field stands for batting practice. The Mets were just finishing up, I think only Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada hit. For Washington, Adam LaRoche hit some deep ones, but no balls came near us. Even the Nationals players in the outfield didn't throw any loose balls our way.
After about 40 minutes, I grew bored and walked upstairs to Blue Smoke for a pulled pork sandwich. I liked the pork, it was pretty moist and had a smoky spice to it. The brioche roll was quality too. My only disappointment is I could have used some BBQ sauce on it. Eventually, Catherine walked into the RF corner for Mama's and I got a Shock Top Belgian White, a beer I'd never had that's from St. Louis. Ten bucks, which may sound like a lot, but it isn't bad considering a Budweiser bottle costs $8.50. I enjoyed the beer, it had the characteristics of a Blue Moon, just without the pronounced orange flavor. It may have had a little lemon to balance the flavor out. I would drink it again.
So last time we were at Citi Field, Mr. P or whoever he is was doing a weather ay for kids. this time, we had Taiwanese Heritage Night. There was this Asian choir singing something and then these fancy costumed dancers strutting around in center field. I thought the sausages racing in Milwaukee was corny...I had no idea.
The stadium looks much better with the blue wall in the outfield. More Met-esque. To me, Citi Field cannot have enough orange and blue. We sat in 506, about halfway down the first place line, in the third row. Right in front of us sat four Jews. They had the weird little hats and even a huge hatbox for the sombrero or whatever it is. Since the four seats to my left were empty, they just put the box next to me. Some of the Taiwanese contingent sat two rows in front of us. And next to their right was some guy who I think was Hispanic and drunk. I remember him because he didn't seem to know that we're allowed to use the stairs. So he balanced himself on the front rail and balanced himself down five seats to the aisle. He looked like when the Undertaker walks the top rope when he executes Old School.
Oh, I guess there was a game too. Mike Pelfrey made his first start of the season against Edwin Jackson. Somehow, his habit of licking his hands stuck in our minds. Since I was keeping score, one of us got the tremendous idea to keep a lick count. So the plan was I would track the box score, Catherine would count hand licks, and I would keep tally marks. Pelf pitched into the sixth inning, threw just under 100 pitches, and my final lick count was 293, as I announced to my Jewish friends.
Probably the most annoying part was the noise meters that kept popping up on the scoreboard. The meters must have come on at least 20 times. I made noise by yelling "No more meters!" It was really cool to see Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his first career home run, a 2-run shot to right field that tied the game. I hope this kid becomes a mainstay for the Mets. And Murphy won the game with a walk-off single in the 9th that I captured on video. I chanted "First place!" on the way out! It was a really exhilarating feeling. But this is the Mets. We had no idea that during that game, David Wright broke his pinkie while diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Only the Mets.
So we left and took the 7 train to 69th St where Ellen picked us up. We were really freezing so we were especially grateful for a warm car and a short trip home. This time, I asked for the hot tea! And once I started drinking it, there ws no stopping me! There was still a little homemade cheesecake left, so I wolfed that down too. No graham cracker crust, thank God. Catherine came downstairs and I could tell she was really weary. We made it through one episode of "Building a Champion" and couldn't make it to Part 2. We shared a few kisses, but I knew it wasn't going to get too intense.
And so it was a 5 am wake up. She got up at 5:15 to see me off. The feeling in that basement was a little melancholy. But at least I was able to make it there. It was a total gift. The car picked me up around 5:40 am and once again, I had to say goodbye to my girl and to New York.
Since Catherine and her family were at her uncle's for Easter dinner and he lives an hour away, I now had a lot of time to kill. And I hadn't eaten in maybe seven hours. So I planned to grab a burger at Five Guy's or a slice or two at Famiglia. As it turned out, all the restaurants in LaGuardia close at 8:30. When I stepped into the terminal, my cell phone said 8:45. So I sat on the floor of LaGuardia Airport for over an hour and just continued charging my phone and reading Unbroken. Luckily, I remembered my half a Balance bar and the cara cara orange I had tucked away in my backpack. That served as my dinner.
They picked me up around 10:15, with Francis driving the van. Of course, we stepped in the house, and immediately get greeted by those damn cats. That sent me straight to my Claritin stash. I went downstairs and settled in and Catherine soon joined me. Her mom brought me an Easter cupcake and a cup of hot tea, which was very nice of her. Catherine and I watched two episodes of Rangers in 60, victories over the Sabres and Penguins. Then came the long kiss goodnight...
I woke up on Monday around 7 and immediately checked in for my 7:10 flight the following morning. Strange how I arrived one night and the following morning, I was making plans to leave. Such is the life. I watched Boomer and Carton on MSG while surfing a brutally slow Internet. At least I have my privacy with my own bathroom downstairs. So when I was ready, I went upstairs, Catherine was standing there in the kitchen, and...well, the Lin t-shirt didn't go over well with her. But the last time, the girl made me make out with her when she was wearing a Victor Cruz sweatshirt! How evil is that? We left at 8:30, and for once, she was actually ready to go before I was. And I guess I must have been hurrying to get going because when she asked me if I had everything, I then realized I didn't have the game tickets or the battery for my camera.
We each grabbed a breakfast sandwich at the deli next to the M stop and headed to Coney Island. The wind was absolutely howling. We tried walking on the beach and the sand was blowing in our faces. We looked out to sea and saw the ocean water crashing violently against the wooden pier. We walked on the pier and it felt like being surrounded by a cyclone. Maybe that's why the Cyclones baseball team has that name.
We also checked out the Nathan's gift shop, where they had a few good shirts, inclusing a Navy one that pushed the 4th of July contest. We did scarf a hot dog each, well, Catherine actually chose a corn dog. And $3.75 for a dog? Just embarrassing! That said, I may prefer the toppings in Chicago to New York. But for the dog and bun by itself, you cannot beat Nathan's.
From there, we rode the D train to Macy's. While Catherine got her paycheck and somehow convinced her boss that she really had to study for a test on Thursday night, I racewalked through the cellar, trying to find an outlet. This ridiculous camera battery literally needs to be charged for every ten photos I take. Thankfully, I did manage to sneak in a quick charge while I pretended to be looking at the Cuininarts and the Soda Streams. I did like the 30 percent off Dasani water that she got with the employee discount. We walked over to Chase, right outside Madison Square Garden, where she desposited the check (Hello, direct deposit?). In the Garden lobby, there were tables promoting the Beard-A-Thon. Ah, the old days when I could still grow one...
With a good amount of time to kill, I'm sad to say we went to Cosby's. She made an absolutely ridiculous purchase by getting a Team USA jersey. It wasn't even a cool looking one either. The navy blue looked more like black to me. She brought the blank jersey for $80 and is getting the lettering and numbers added for $50 more. I know that's not too expensive for a hockey jersey, but I don't get the logic of it. And then she's talking to me about the more stitch colors, the more expensive the lettering is, and I seriously wanted to scream. It just sounded so ridiculous. Oh and I don't need to hear her whining about how left out she feels that she can't afford playoff tickets. I live in the Central freaking time zone. Who's the one who should feel left out?! OK, enough ranting.
Anyway, we walked nine blocks to Times Square and checked out the new NFL Shop. This store is only going to exist for maybe a month and it's there to celebrate the draft in two weeks and Nike taking over for Reebok as the official apparel provider for the NFL. We saw quite a lot of memorabilia, but there were some pretty surprising features. One of the best was the Lombardi Trophy, probably the closest I'll ever get to it. There was also a case of Super Bowl rings and a draft podium where we could don the new official draft hats and have our pictures taken. We also displays for Sirius Radio, where Adam Schein was hosting a live show, new jerseys for each team, and game balls, for over $200 each. As Suzyn Waldman would say, they were special balls!
I brought a pair of Jets mesh shorts for $38 and they're a little longer than what I would normally wear, but I like the black with the green Jets letters going down the side. They look really cool. Maybe I would have liked the Jets couch too, but that would have been a little hard to get on an airplane.
I didn't know Catherine's stomach was bothering her, but we still went to Shake Shack, since I was long overdue to try this place out. And even at 3 pm on a Monday, the line went out the door and halfway down the block. I ordered a Double shackburger with cheese, fries, and a Jelly's last donut. I thought I was getting a shake, but it was more like a cup of ice cream. This thing had vanilla custard, strawberry preserves, cinnamon sugar, and a Doughnut Plant donut. Need I say more? A cup of frozen custard with a donut as one of the mix-ins...The burger was juicy, the potato roll soft, and I liked the ratio of mat to bread to toppings. I liked the crinkle cut fries, although a little salty for my taste. The custard tasted like a combo of strawberry jam, vanilla ice cream, and a glazed donut. Of course, Catherine found a way to eat half of it and more than a few fries. So I pulled my tray away from her a few times...
All of a sudden, she seemed re-energized, go figure! So we walked to the Times Square station to board the S train. This shuttle that only runs between Times Square and Grand Central has been decorated in Rangers colors, both inside and out. We took the crowded ride and had to wait for people to get off to snap our photos! From Grand Central, we took the 7 train west two stops back to Times Square and it became an Express train. Catherine should seriously write the manual on navigating the NYC subway!
So we arrived at Citi Field around 4:15 and we stood outside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda for maybe 45 minutes until the gates opened. I brought a $5 program/scorecard (not too bad!) and headed straight into the team store, where I got a blue Mets adjustable cap for $18. And since it's not made of wool, it won't bake my head during the hot summer months! I feel pretty good about that one. We went to into the right field stands for batting practice. The Mets were just finishing up, I think only Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada hit. For Washington, Adam LaRoche hit some deep ones, but no balls came near us. Even the Nationals players in the outfield didn't throw any loose balls our way.
After about 40 minutes, I grew bored and walked upstairs to Blue Smoke for a pulled pork sandwich. I liked the pork, it was pretty moist and had a smoky spice to it. The brioche roll was quality too. My only disappointment is I could have used some BBQ sauce on it. Eventually, Catherine walked into the RF corner for Mama's and I got a Shock Top Belgian White, a beer I'd never had that's from St. Louis. Ten bucks, which may sound like a lot, but it isn't bad considering a Budweiser bottle costs $8.50. I enjoyed the beer, it had the characteristics of a Blue Moon, just without the pronounced orange flavor. It may have had a little lemon to balance the flavor out. I would drink it again.
So last time we were at Citi Field, Mr. P or whoever he is was doing a weather ay for kids. this time, we had Taiwanese Heritage Night. There was this Asian choir singing something and then these fancy costumed dancers strutting around in center field. I thought the sausages racing in Milwaukee was corny...I had no idea.
The stadium looks much better with the blue wall in the outfield. More Met-esque. To me, Citi Field cannot have enough orange and blue. We sat in 506, about halfway down the first place line, in the third row. Right in front of us sat four Jews. They had the weird little hats and even a huge hatbox for the sombrero or whatever it is. Since the four seats to my left were empty, they just put the box next to me. Some of the Taiwanese contingent sat two rows in front of us. And next to their right was some guy who I think was Hispanic and drunk. I remember him because he didn't seem to know that we're allowed to use the stairs. So he balanced himself on the front rail and balanced himself down five seats to the aisle. He looked like when the Undertaker walks the top rope when he executes Old School.
Oh, I guess there was a game too. Mike Pelfrey made his first start of the season against Edwin Jackson. Somehow, his habit of licking his hands stuck in our minds. Since I was keeping score, one of us got the tremendous idea to keep a lick count. So the plan was I would track the box score, Catherine would count hand licks, and I would keep tally marks. Pelf pitched into the sixth inning, threw just under 100 pitches, and my final lick count was 293, as I announced to my Jewish friends.
Probably the most annoying part was the noise meters that kept popping up on the scoreboard. The meters must have come on at least 20 times. I made noise by yelling "No more meters!" It was really cool to see Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his first career home run, a 2-run shot to right field that tied the game. I hope this kid becomes a mainstay for the Mets. And Murphy won the game with a walk-off single in the 9th that I captured on video. I chanted "First place!" on the way out! It was a really exhilarating feeling. But this is the Mets. We had no idea that during that game, David Wright broke his pinkie while diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Only the Mets.
So we left and took the 7 train to 69th St where Ellen picked us up. We were really freezing so we were especially grateful for a warm car and a short trip home. This time, I asked for the hot tea! And once I started drinking it, there ws no stopping me! There was still a little homemade cheesecake left, so I wolfed that down too. No graham cracker crust, thank God. Catherine came downstairs and I could tell she was really weary. We made it through one episode of "Building a Champion" and couldn't make it to Part 2. We shared a few kisses, but I knew it wasn't going to get too intense.
And so it was a 5 am wake up. She got up at 5:15 to see me off. The feeling in that basement was a little melancholy. But at least I was able to make it there. It was a total gift. The car picked me up around 5:40 am and once again, I had to say goodbye to my girl and to New York.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
MLB predictions
American League
East
y-NY Yankees
x-Tampa Bay
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore
Central
z-Detroit
Cleveland
Minnesota
Kansas City
Chicago
West
y-Anaheim
x-Texas
Oakland
Seattle
National League
East
z-Philadelphia
x-Florida
Washington
Atlanta
NY Mets
Central
y-Cincinnati
x-Milwaukee
St. Louis
Chicago
Pittsburgh
Houston
West
y-San Francisco
Los Angeles
Arizona
Colorado
San Diego
AL Playoffs
Tampa Bay over Texas
Detroit over Tampa Bay
Anaheim over NY Yankees
Anaheim over Detroit
NL Playoffs
Florida over Milwaukee
Philadelphia over Florida
San Francisco over Cincinnati
San Francisco over Philadelphia
World Series
Anaheim over San Francisco
East
y-NY Yankees
x-Tampa Bay
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore
Central
z-Detroit
Cleveland
Minnesota
Kansas City
Chicago
West
y-Anaheim
x-Texas
Oakland
Seattle
National League
East
z-Philadelphia
x-Florida
Washington
Atlanta
NY Mets
Central
y-Cincinnati
x-Milwaukee
St. Louis
Chicago
Pittsburgh
Houston
West
y-San Francisco
Los Angeles
Arizona
Colorado
San Diego
AL Playoffs
Tampa Bay over Texas
Detroit over Tampa Bay
Anaheim over NY Yankees
Anaheim over Detroit
NL Playoffs
Florida over Milwaukee
Philadelphia over Florida
San Francisco over Cincinnati
San Francisco over Philadelphia
World Series
Anaheim over San Francisco
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
I don't get it.
I was so happy tonight when the Rangers beat the Flyers to clinch the top seed in the Easter Conference. My banner had at least 30 likes on Facebook, more than I ever received about anything ever. Such a rush of exhilaration. Of course, the depleted Knicks blew a game to Indiana and that brings out all the Knicks-haters too. Including my girlfriend.
"F*** the Knicks and their LINjuries." I really can't believe I am with a girl who would say that about one of my teams and that player. A devout Christian who has overcome so many odds to make the Knicks, become a city-wide and global sensation, only to tear the meniscus in his knee and be forced to the sidelines. And she writes that publicly. It is so immature and rude and she doesn't even care about basketball. She became bitter at the Knicks when they traded Patrick Ewing. Yeah, I hated it too. But for her to have this kind of venom...I cannot fathom that kind of mentality.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Long, tiring weekend!
Thank the good Lord I don't have to to start work until 10 am tomorrow! This has been one of the quickest and most physically draining weekends I can remember in a long time. Still, my spirit is high.
From work on Friday, I headed 20 minutes east to Fox and Hound. I needed a way to watch the Rangers game anyway (screw you NHL Network!) And it was also Darek's last day working at CEC, so about 30 of us gathered to say goodbye. I liked the free pizza, wings, and chips/salsa. Even bad pizza tastes decent when it's complimentary! I stayed for two periods, a game the Rangers won and got home around 8:45. No big deal. Let's just run through this via timeline, inserting notes as necessary.
Saturday
6:45: Woke up
7:00: Had a rye bagel and three strips of bacon for breakfast
7:45: Left the house
8:45: Purchased the new Lionel Richie album at Wal-Mart in Rolling Meadows
9:00: Arrived at Mays' house in Prospect Heights
9:15 Left the house with Mike and Melissa for downtown Chicago
10:15: Arrived at State/Randolph, former location of Borders, to install Mays' window exhibit of paintings
We had nine people total: Mays, Melissa, Mike, Joe, Maggie, Anne, Natalie, and Albert. My early work consisted of scraping paint off windows, taping the 20-foot high side windows with some kind of paper, and measuring and cutting large paper to create half-sheets that would eventually become the backdrops of each painting. Basically, I rolled out the paper on the floor, measured it, and cut it. So it took a lot of standing, walking, bending, and jumping over the sheets. Maggie and Natalie told me we needed 16. So I did 16 and then Melissa explained to me that they needed 16 total sheets. And each one I was cutting was just a half sheet. So I then had to make another 16! Plenty of 80's music in the background too.
1:45: Lunch from Jimmy John's
2:15 Resume working
It must have been right before lunch time when we started to hang the paintings. But Joe had to make these wire hooks to insert into the screws of the windowsills. He was the only one who could do it and we had to do this for eight windows. And the last two paintings had to be hung in front of the display case, where there was just 23 inches of space between the windows and the wall. So setting up ladders was incredibly hard in those tight spaces.
3:00: Albert leaves
3:30: Mike and Melissa leave
4:30: 15-minute Starbucks break. Caramel apple cider
5:00: Maggie and I install the black vinyl paper in the front doors behind the "Reflect" logo that creates a sleek background.
6:30: Anne leaves
8:00-12:00: We are all struggling to keep going. My feet start to ache.
8:30: Maggie leaves
10:00: We bolt two paintings together and hang them as one since they refuse to hang properly in the window.
10:30: We have two paintings left and now have to install two more, but both of these are behind the display case.
12:00: We hang the last painting, the heaviest one of all.
12:30: We finish cleaning and head back to the burbs.
12:50: We arrive at Mays' house, I leave five minutes later.
1:50: I arrive back at home in St. Charles, almost 18 hours after I first left.
3:00: Bedtime
Keep in mind, at Joe's urging, we skipped dinner. Besides lunch, I was working off of three granola bars, 3 or 4 bottles of water, and a few handfuls of carrot sticks and celery stalks. Mays had e-mailed us that we would finish around 6 or 7. I didn't think that was realistic, but I figured we'd be gone by 9. Little did I know I wouldn't even have an opportunity to grab dinner on the way home! I really wanted to try a Marco Polo from Tony Sacco's Coal-Fired pizza. Ah well...
So I woke up around 8:45 and this was one of those mornings I had no trouble going to an 11:15 service. Shane Farmer gave a good talk on Palm Sunday. I said my hellos and headed back home 1:15. Oh, I had to stop to buy ten 50-lb blocks of water salt. So I had the fun of loading that into the cart, wheeling it to may car, loading each block into my car, driving it home, and then taking each block out of my car, then down the stairs, and into the basement. That's a great workout right there!
So then I settled into watch the Penguins vs Flyers game I had DVR'd. I never expected Philly to score six goals, but they did. And with the 6-4 Flyers win, the magic number for the Rangers to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is just 1 and each team has three games left, including a head-to-head on Thursday.
I left again around 4:45 for a 45-minute drive to Berwyn and the Wrestlemania party at the Jew's house. Workonko (that prick who doens't want to play mini-golf with me), Q, Jerome, Mangold, were there as well. And as soon as Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds, Q's mood was totally ruined. All in all, the card was ok, but I would have to call it mediocre. Punk vs Jericho, HHH vs Undertaker were fine matches, but nothing I'm going to really remember ten years from now. I think with HHH-Undertaker, they didn't utilize the Cell as much as I thought they might. The Rock's victory over John Cena was really good. The two music acts before each introduction were totally unnecessary. The music took ten minutes total and I'm amazed they couldn't give that time to their World Heavyweight Championship match!
I left that madhouse around 10:15, got home just after 11, and settled into watch the Rangers vs Bruins game that I had DVR'd. Yeah, the Blueshirts lost the chance to clinch the top seed at home as they fell 2-1. Big deal. This was a one-goal loss to the No. 2 seed in the conference that they had beaten all three times this season. It wasn't the best effort I've seen from them, but it doesn't really worry me. All it means is they likely won't clinch at home. I don't care if they clinch it in the Roman Coliseum. They're going to be the No. 1 seed. At this point, all I care about in these last three regular season games is that they stay healthy and come out ready to play in Game 1 on April 11.
Bed at 12:30 am. Back to work we go.
From work on Friday, I headed 20 minutes east to Fox and Hound. I needed a way to watch the Rangers game anyway (screw you NHL Network!) And it was also Darek's last day working at CEC, so about 30 of us gathered to say goodbye. I liked the free pizza, wings, and chips/salsa. Even bad pizza tastes decent when it's complimentary! I stayed for two periods, a game the Rangers won and got home around 8:45. No big deal. Let's just run through this via timeline, inserting notes as necessary.
Saturday
6:45: Woke up
7:00: Had a rye bagel and three strips of bacon for breakfast
7:45: Left the house
8:45: Purchased the new Lionel Richie album at Wal-Mart in Rolling Meadows
9:00: Arrived at Mays' house in Prospect Heights
9:15 Left the house with Mike and Melissa for downtown Chicago
10:15: Arrived at State/Randolph, former location of Borders, to install Mays' window exhibit of paintings
We had nine people total: Mays, Melissa, Mike, Joe, Maggie, Anne, Natalie, and Albert. My early work consisted of scraping paint off windows, taping the 20-foot high side windows with some kind of paper, and measuring and cutting large paper to create half-sheets that would eventually become the backdrops of each painting. Basically, I rolled out the paper on the floor, measured it, and cut it. So it took a lot of standing, walking, bending, and jumping over the sheets. Maggie and Natalie told me we needed 16. So I did 16 and then Melissa explained to me that they needed 16 total sheets. And each one I was cutting was just a half sheet. So I then had to make another 16! Plenty of 80's music in the background too.
1:45: Lunch from Jimmy John's
2:15 Resume working
It must have been right before lunch time when we started to hang the paintings. But Joe had to make these wire hooks to insert into the screws of the windowsills. He was the only one who could do it and we had to do this for eight windows. And the last two paintings had to be hung in front of the display case, where there was just 23 inches of space between the windows and the wall. So setting up ladders was incredibly hard in those tight spaces.
3:00: Albert leaves
3:30: Mike and Melissa leave
4:30: 15-minute Starbucks break. Caramel apple cider
5:00: Maggie and I install the black vinyl paper in the front doors behind the "Reflect" logo that creates a sleek background.
6:30: Anne leaves
8:00-12:00: We are all struggling to keep going. My feet start to ache.
8:30: Maggie leaves
10:00: We bolt two paintings together and hang them as one since they refuse to hang properly in the window.
10:30: We have two paintings left and now have to install two more, but both of these are behind the display case.
12:00: We hang the last painting, the heaviest one of all.
12:30: We finish cleaning and head back to the burbs.
12:50: We arrive at Mays' house, I leave five minutes later.
1:50: I arrive back at home in St. Charles, almost 18 hours after I first left.
3:00: Bedtime
Keep in mind, at Joe's urging, we skipped dinner. Besides lunch, I was working off of three granola bars, 3 or 4 bottles of water, and a few handfuls of carrot sticks and celery stalks. Mays had e-mailed us that we would finish around 6 or 7. I didn't think that was realistic, but I figured we'd be gone by 9. Little did I know I wouldn't even have an opportunity to grab dinner on the way home! I really wanted to try a Marco Polo from Tony Sacco's Coal-Fired pizza. Ah well...
So I woke up around 8:45 and this was one of those mornings I had no trouble going to an 11:15 service. Shane Farmer gave a good talk on Palm Sunday. I said my hellos and headed back home 1:15. Oh, I had to stop to buy ten 50-lb blocks of water salt. So I had the fun of loading that into the cart, wheeling it to may car, loading each block into my car, driving it home, and then taking each block out of my car, then down the stairs, and into the basement. That's a great workout right there!
So then I settled into watch the Penguins vs Flyers game I had DVR'd. I never expected Philly to score six goals, but they did. And with the 6-4 Flyers win, the magic number for the Rangers to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is just 1 and each team has three games left, including a head-to-head on Thursday.
I left again around 4:45 for a 45-minute drive to Berwyn and the Wrestlemania party at the Jew's house. Workonko (that prick who doens't want to play mini-golf with me), Q, Jerome, Mangold, were there as well. And as soon as Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds, Q's mood was totally ruined. All in all, the card was ok, but I would have to call it mediocre. Punk vs Jericho, HHH vs Undertaker were fine matches, but nothing I'm going to really remember ten years from now. I think with HHH-Undertaker, they didn't utilize the Cell as much as I thought they might. The Rock's victory over John Cena was really good. The two music acts before each introduction were totally unnecessary. The music took ten minutes total and I'm amazed they couldn't give that time to their World Heavyweight Championship match!
I left that madhouse around 10:15, got home just after 11, and settled into watch the Rangers vs Bruins game that I had DVR'd. Yeah, the Blueshirts lost the chance to clinch the top seed at home as they fell 2-1. Big deal. This was a one-goal loss to the No. 2 seed in the conference that they had beaten all three times this season. It wasn't the best effort I've seen from them, but it doesn't really worry me. All it means is they likely won't clinch at home. I don't care if they clinch it in the Roman Coliseum. They're going to be the No. 1 seed. At this point, all I care about in these last three regular season games is that they stay healthy and come out ready to play in Game 1 on April 11.
Bed at 12:30 am. Back to work we go.
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