It's been too long since I really let how I feel come out. But now that the New York Mets have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, which they have all but been out of since mid-July, now seems appropriate.
I hadn't been too bad for the last month. I knew they were dead. I knew they couldn't hit, let alone score. And they play so anemically at home, it boggles the mind. But these last two games have absolutely set me off. They lose the first game of this three-game set at home to Philadelphia. That's one thing, Cliff Lee is a great pitcher, I can understand that. But Game 2. Rookie phenom Matt Harvey pitches a phenomenal game. Seven innings, two hits, leaves the game with the lead. In his last innings, he got Chase Utley to ground out before fanning Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz. That would be the last inning Harvey would pitch this season. And the Mets lead 3-2 going into the 9th. It could have been larger had Andres Torres not bounced into a double play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th. But Josh Edgin retires the first two in the top of the 9th. Up comes Utley. Following an eight-pitch at bat, Utley walks. Hello Howard. This guy had been injured half the season. He has barely hit a lefty all year long. Second pitch...BOOM. Slams one off the second deck of the right field stands. 3-2. Sd with a runner on first in the bottom of the 9th, the great David Wright grounds out. Ball game over.
And then last night. The only saving grace for me was I did not listen to or watch one second of this utter abomination. Mets starter Jeremy freaking Hefner does not record a single out. He allows six runs and Collin McHugh comes in and allows two more. 8-0 in the top of the first. I'm seeing this it a tthe gym while running on the treadmill and I'm screaming my head off at the TV! And just to rub it in, the Phillies add seven more in the top of the 9th. Including Josh Edgin surrendering a grand slam to guess who...Howard again. 16-1 final. The Mets are swept for the fourth time in their last five home series.
And I have to hear Hefner crying after the game about how embarrassed he was and how sorry he was. I'm sure he's a swell dude. I'm a compassionate guy, but I am out of any sympathy for this franchise and these incompetent players who have long ago quit on themselves, on their manager, and on their fans.
Being a fan of the Mets since July 8, 2012 has been one of the most miserable fan experiences of my life. Think about these facts.
1) Going into the last game before the All-Star break, which would be a 7-0 loss to the stinky Cubs, the Mets' record was 46-39. And they were right in the middle of the wild card hunt. Since that time, they have gone 20-44! They now have the fifth worst record in the NL, which after this series against Miami, will probably be the fourth-worst.
2) Last night, the Mets failed to exceed three runs for the 16th straight home game, two shy of matching the 1915 Yankees' major league record.
3) In their last 29 home games, the New York Mets boast a record of 4-25
4) The Atlanta Braves have more wins at Citi Field than the Mets do in the second half. One team has played six games there, the other has played 28!
5) In a span of 140 innings at home, they scored more than one run in those innings just one lousy time.
6) The Mets have gone 16 straight home games without scoring more than three runs, which is two games short of the all-time MLB record.
What kind of team loses 16-1 in September? The same outfit that lost 13-0 in August, 11-5 in July, 9-1 in June, 8-0 in May and 18-9 in April. The team where the best players don't lead, the youngsters don't develop, and the manager is helpless to do anything. The result? Our fourth straight irrelevant September, an empty ballpark, and a broken fanbase.
Go Orioles.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Lonely Wednesday night
No more travel till maybe mid-November. Back to the rants.
1) Instead of watching baseball again this year, I'd rather have my nuts pounded flat by a sledgehammer. Even with the Mets being so irrelevant, they still find ways to rip my heart out. And the Yankees sweep a doubleheader. I have to be the biggest idiot for dating a Yankees/Giants fan. It's just not going to end well.
1) Instead of watching baseball again this year, I'd rather have my nuts pounded flat by a sledgehammer. Even with the Mets being so irrelevant, they still find ways to rip my heart out. And the Yankees sweep a doubleheader. I have to be the biggest idiot for dating a Yankees/Giants fan. It's just not going to end well.
2) Should I make the phone call to that condo on 12 Aberdeen Court in Schaumburg? I really have no desire to go there again after all that I was put through. But if someone who I trust believes it can help me grow as a man, maybe I should. But in the moment of decision, I probably wouldn't.
3) Keith Whitley died way too soon. Even if it's been 23 years. God, that man had such a great voice for country music.
4) Two weeks till the Wheaton Academy alumni 5k. I started my training on Monday by running 2.1 miles and 21 minutes. Maybe I can run 2.5 miles on Thursday. But I know this. I ran my first 5k in a little over 29 minutes back in May. I want to see if I can do this one in under 25 minutes.
5) I'm enjoying Willow Creek's series on Proverbs. Two weeks down, and I look forward to seeing what I can learn over the next nine.
Song pick: "The Way It Was" Bee Gees
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Baltimore recap-Part 2
I woke up around 8 on Friday and had a few quick bites of a Balance bar before heading downstairs to the gym. I ran on one of their two ellipticals for about 20 minutes and also did a few bench presses, lat pull downs, and arm work. I hopped back to the lobby and had a solid breakfast of eggs with ham and cheese and a Belgian waffle right off of the iron.
We left around 9:30 and began a mile-long walk northwest to one of Edgar Allan Poe's old homes. We actually passed through the University of Maryland-Baltimore medical school. That's where the first dental college in the world opened back in 18?? So we walked past the university and through a pretty dilapidated neighborhood. It wasn't quite the projects, I never felt concerned about my safety, but I would certainly call it low-income housing. Some broken glass on the streets and a lot of small brick homes connected to one an other. So we found the Poe House and it was a small two-story brick house. Although the website said the house opened at 10, the sign on the door told us otherwise. Hours: 12-6:30. No good!
So with that plan thwarted, we began walking another mile east on Lexington Avenue through the same very poor neighborhood. We passed by vendors selling jewelry And we arrived at Lexington Market, which their sign says is world famous. Before heading to Faidley's, we checked out some of the other food merchants. All I can say is it looked like a flea market for food in the projects. One of the staff saw me wearing my Ring of Honor t-shirt and we chatted for a few minutes about the company. So that was really cool. I did think when he tapped me on the shoulder that he was asking for a handout, but no, that wasn't the case, thankfully.
I still wanted to get a taste of Poe before I left Baltimore, just something besides sports and food. So we located his gravesite at the Westminster Cemetery at the corner of Fayette and Greene Streets, only about three blocks away form the market. His mother-in-law and wife are now buried in the same spot as well. I did not see any ravens around, although I was hoping...
We then walked straight east on Lombard St all the way to the Harbor. On our way, we picked up a deck of pinochle cards at CVS. My father plays this game a lot with Scott and his wife in their house in North Brunswick. We also saw the Phoenix Shot Tower, which at 234 feet, was the tallest structure in the United States until 1846. Nearby was the Holocaust Park. There was even a statue of a soldier down on one knee in a prayer-like position with a little girl standing behind him touching his shoulder. Apparently, Baltimore is erecting statues of Tim Tebow...
We went into the Barnes and Noble at the Harbor and spent a half hour browsing around the board games, books, e-readers, and music. I saw a Mitch Hedberg album, who my dad had never heard of, so I spent most of the next hour cracking Hedberg's classic observational humor and wit. Then we made our second stop at Panera, where I settled for water this time. Yes, I thought about grabbing that pumpkin pie bagel again, but I knew I had to save my appetite for dinner later. But my dad had a Panera card of some type and the cashier told us we could get a free smoothie. Sounded good to me, so I ordered a wildberry. Tasted pretty solid.
The shopping areas on the west side of the harbor looked pretty interesting, so we walked that way. J. Paul's looked like a really intriguing contemporary American restaurant, and I'm sure if we had another meal, we would have headed over there. One of the most interesting shops we saw was McCormick's World of Flavor. This place has only been open one month, but I've never seen an other shop like it. They specialize in spices, sauces, seasonings, etc. They even have some interactive features. In the corner was were two big monitors. I pressed the touch screen and a scent came out from these holes in the top. And I had to guess which spice it was. And the more I got correct, the bigger coupon I got off my purchase. I got 3 out of 4 for 15 percent off. The thing is my spice rack is so loaded anyway, there really wasn't anything I saw that I felt we really needed at home! We headed back to the room around 3 and he began teaching me pinochle. I picked up the rules pretty quickly, it just took some time for me to grasp the strategy, like what card to play when. So I had to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em...
We had a dinner reservation at 6 pm, but we had one more stop to make first. Around 4 pm, we walked to the Renaissance hotel, right across the street from the harbor. I had the chance to meet my father's former boss at Barnes and Noble, named Cary. He was in town along with his family, since his niece was getting married. He now lives in Ann Arbor and he is a very friendly, outgoing guy. I also met his parents, his brother, and one of his sisters. Very nice and fun family to hang around, no doubt about it. I wish I still had that opportunity. I drank a bacardi oak and Coke (ok, it was probably Pepsi, sadly) on happy hour and around 5:30, Dad and I left for Fogo de Chao.
I hadn't been to a Brazilian steakhouse in maybe two years and it had been probably five for him. Even thought Morton's or Capital Grille would have been great choices too, Fogo was a place I really wanted to try. One of the highlights was the attentive, friendly service. Dirty plates quickly get replaced by fresh ones, water glasses stay full, and the manager came by and asked if we were enjoying our experience. Also, I was allowed to try a sample of red wine before actually ordering a glass, which is a huge deal for me. For the salad bar, I loved that they feature several types of olive oils and vinegars, along with a pepper mill. I went heavy on the tomatoes, roasted zucchini, artichoke hearts, and thick-sliced bread. And the sopprasetta and proscuitto are so full of flavor, they can't be skipped. They can go a long way towards converting a vegetarian!
And the meat. Ah, where do I start? I wasn't a fan of the linguica, but I went nuts over everything else. Their pork ribs prove that ribs don't need a sauce to taste amazing. The ribeye was cut really thick, I probably had three pieces. The chicken legs were the biggest surprise for me. They had a little spice, the skin crunched, and the meat was moist as could be. And the steak with garlic, well, it's dang near impossible to top. And I made sure to eat a few fried bananas, especially after eating all that meat. They really helped settle my stomach down.
After it was all over, we were both very glad we had a mile-long walk back to the hotel. The one thing that I thought was really strange was the line outside Pickles pub, which is right next to the Hampton Inn. It's just a little dive across from Camden Yards, but even at 7:30 pm, I swear the line must have been 100 people long for sure.
So, we settled in and without a lot of good options on TV, I turned on Undercover Boss. We found it interesting that the boss was the President of Kendall Jackson wine estates. It was like Mom was haunting us and when I told her about it, she thought it was really funny too. Then, we watched an episode of Two and a Half Men. Dad's not a big fan of it, he's never really been into a lot of comedies, but high school football on ESPN wasn't doing it for me. Then we finished the pinochle game, which I won, albeit with a little coaching from him. I challenged him to one more and beat him handily again. I do like the game, I just don't know who I can play it with.
I fell asleep around midnight and woke up around 6:30 Saturday morning. The light rail to BWI Airport arrived about 20 minutes late, but I still made it with plenty of time to spare for my 9:30 flight. This airport seemed really different than any I had been to. At BWI, the longest line was to check in the luggage, maybe 40 people long. But I found a self-service kiosk in no time and I printed my boarding card. But what really surprised me was that there was no wait for the security line. And then, the terminal was essentially empty. Even though the plane was just about full, I made it on, landed around 10:45 and got home just before noon.
Ring of Honor I-PPV live tonight in Chicago Ridge!
We left around 9:30 and began a mile-long walk northwest to one of Edgar Allan Poe's old homes. We actually passed through the University of Maryland-Baltimore medical school. That's where the first dental college in the world opened back in 18?? So we walked past the university and through a pretty dilapidated neighborhood. It wasn't quite the projects, I never felt concerned about my safety, but I would certainly call it low-income housing. Some broken glass on the streets and a lot of small brick homes connected to one an other. So we found the Poe House and it was a small two-story brick house. Although the website said the house opened at 10, the sign on the door told us otherwise. Hours: 12-6:30. No good!
So with that plan thwarted, we began walking another mile east on Lexington Avenue through the same very poor neighborhood. We passed by vendors selling jewelry And we arrived at Lexington Market, which their sign says is world famous. Before heading to Faidley's, we checked out some of the other food merchants. All I can say is it looked like a flea market for food in the projects. One of the staff saw me wearing my Ring of Honor t-shirt and we chatted for a few minutes about the company. So that was really cool. I did think when he tapped me on the shoulder that he was asking for a handout, but no, that wasn't the case, thankfully.
I still wanted to get a taste of Poe before I left Baltimore, just something besides sports and food. So we located his gravesite at the Westminster Cemetery at the corner of Fayette and Greene Streets, only about three blocks away form the market. His mother-in-law and wife are now buried in the same spot as well. I did not see any ravens around, although I was hoping...
We then walked straight east on Lombard St all the way to the Harbor. On our way, we picked up a deck of pinochle cards at CVS. My father plays this game a lot with Scott and his wife in their house in North Brunswick. We also saw the Phoenix Shot Tower, which at 234 feet, was the tallest structure in the United States until 1846. Nearby was the Holocaust Park. There was even a statue of a soldier down on one knee in a prayer-like position with a little girl standing behind him touching his shoulder. Apparently, Baltimore is erecting statues of Tim Tebow...
We went into the Barnes and Noble at the Harbor and spent a half hour browsing around the board games, books, e-readers, and music. I saw a Mitch Hedberg album, who my dad had never heard of, so I spent most of the next hour cracking Hedberg's classic observational humor and wit. Then we made our second stop at Panera, where I settled for water this time. Yes, I thought about grabbing that pumpkin pie bagel again, but I knew I had to save my appetite for dinner later. But my dad had a Panera card of some type and the cashier told us we could get a free smoothie. Sounded good to me, so I ordered a wildberry. Tasted pretty solid.
The shopping areas on the west side of the harbor looked pretty interesting, so we walked that way. J. Paul's looked like a really intriguing contemporary American restaurant, and I'm sure if we had another meal, we would have headed over there. One of the most interesting shops we saw was McCormick's World of Flavor. This place has only been open one month, but I've never seen an other shop like it. They specialize in spices, sauces, seasonings, etc. They even have some interactive features. In the corner was were two big monitors. I pressed the touch screen and a scent came out from these holes in the top. And I had to guess which spice it was. And the more I got correct, the bigger coupon I got off my purchase. I got 3 out of 4 for 15 percent off. The thing is my spice rack is so loaded anyway, there really wasn't anything I saw that I felt we really needed at home! We headed back to the room around 3 and he began teaching me pinochle. I picked up the rules pretty quickly, it just took some time for me to grasp the strategy, like what card to play when. So I had to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em...
We had a dinner reservation at 6 pm, but we had one more stop to make first. Around 4 pm, we walked to the Renaissance hotel, right across the street from the harbor. I had the chance to meet my father's former boss at Barnes and Noble, named Cary. He was in town along with his family, since his niece was getting married. He now lives in Ann Arbor and he is a very friendly, outgoing guy. I also met his parents, his brother, and one of his sisters. Very nice and fun family to hang around, no doubt about it. I wish I still had that opportunity. I drank a bacardi oak and Coke (ok, it was probably Pepsi, sadly) on happy hour and around 5:30, Dad and I left for Fogo de Chao.
I hadn't been to a Brazilian steakhouse in maybe two years and it had been probably five for him. Even thought Morton's or Capital Grille would have been great choices too, Fogo was a place I really wanted to try. One of the highlights was the attentive, friendly service. Dirty plates quickly get replaced by fresh ones, water glasses stay full, and the manager came by and asked if we were enjoying our experience. Also, I was allowed to try a sample of red wine before actually ordering a glass, which is a huge deal for me. For the salad bar, I loved that they feature several types of olive oils and vinegars, along with a pepper mill. I went heavy on the tomatoes, roasted zucchini, artichoke hearts, and thick-sliced bread. And the sopprasetta and proscuitto are so full of flavor, they can't be skipped. They can go a long way towards converting a vegetarian!
And the meat. Ah, where do I start? I wasn't a fan of the linguica, but I went nuts over everything else. Their pork ribs prove that ribs don't need a sauce to taste amazing. The ribeye was cut really thick, I probably had three pieces. The chicken legs were the biggest surprise for me. They had a little spice, the skin crunched, and the meat was moist as could be. And the steak with garlic, well, it's dang near impossible to top. And I made sure to eat a few fried bananas, especially after eating all that meat. They really helped settle my stomach down.
After it was all over, we were both very glad we had a mile-long walk back to the hotel. The one thing that I thought was really strange was the line outside Pickles pub, which is right next to the Hampton Inn. It's just a little dive across from Camden Yards, but even at 7:30 pm, I swear the line must have been 100 people long for sure.
So, we settled in and without a lot of good options on TV, I turned on Undercover Boss. We found it interesting that the boss was the President of Kendall Jackson wine estates. It was like Mom was haunting us and when I told her about it, she thought it was really funny too. Then, we watched an episode of Two and a Half Men. Dad's not a big fan of it, he's never really been into a lot of comedies, but high school football on ESPN wasn't doing it for me. Then we finished the pinochle game, which I won, albeit with a little coaching from him. I challenged him to one more and beat him handily again. I do like the game, I just don't know who I can play it with.
I fell asleep around midnight and woke up around 6:30 Saturday morning. The light rail to BWI Airport arrived about 20 minutes late, but I still made it with plenty of time to spare for my 9:30 flight. This airport seemed really different than any I had been to. At BWI, the longest line was to check in the luggage, maybe 40 people long. But I found a self-service kiosk in no time and I printed my boarding card. But what really surprised me was that there was no wait for the security line. And then, the terminal was essentially empty. Even though the plane was just about full, I made it on, landed around 10:45 and got home just before noon.
Ring of Honor I-PPV live tonight in Chicago Ridge!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Baltimore recap-Part 1
I clocked out of work at 5 pm, or four hours later than earlier than I normally do on a Wednesday. I headed into the break room and finished off what was left of my salmon and roasted vegetables. I guess I was doing what I could to avoid eating at the airport. I took off from Hoffman Estates around 5:30 and began driving east on I-90 towards Schiller Park. Over the last six months, I've gotten familiar with Blue Sky O'Hare parking and I'm a regular customer of theirs now. Compared to parking my car at the airport, even at remote parking, it only takes me an extra 20-30 minutes of time and I save ten bucks a day. Even for just a weekend trip, that money adds up quickly.
So I got through security pretty fast and almost three hours to kill before my flight. I started walking towards the G concourse and spent a few minutes in the bookstore. But I picked a copy of Sports Illustrated. I had heard there was a very riveting article on several former NFL players, including Jim Mc Mahon, and their issues with concussions and how it has affected not only the lives of the players, but also the women in their lives.
When I was done reading, I looked at my phone and the time was only 6:45. I had no idea how I was going to pass all this free time before my 8:55 flight. But then I saw a sign for Terminals 1 and 2. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that the Chicago Blackhawks bar was located in Terminal 2. I figured this was as good time as any to go, so I headed over. I liked that the centerpiece of the restaurant is the four Stanley Cups. And also I'm glad the restaurant isn't colored completely red and black; it's mostly neutral beige and white, but still has a lot of nice memorabilia like photos and signed sticks. Very classy and fun at the same time, and that's not always easy to pull off.
I found just one empty seat at the bar and grabbed it. I sat right next to the beer taps, which looked frozen, like they had just been sprayed with a Freeze gun. Nice touch there. I ordered the New York burger with American cheese, grilled onions, and pickles on a brioche bun. But in my honor, the bartender told me for the night, they were re-naming it the Ranger burger! And I enjoyed the burger very much, very juicy, great toppings, well melted cheese, and a soft roll that did not get soggy even with all that juice. It came with pretty decent shoestring fries and I ordered a Stella Artois on draft. Now had I known the beer cost $9.69, I might have opted for iced tea instead.
Sitting next to me was a guy from Denver on my left and a guy from Rhode Island on my right. I had brief conversations with them about baseball and we shared some flying stories. Then another guy, maybe 40, strolled in and took a seat three spots down from me. But there was something about him that caught my eye. He was wearing a burnt orange t shirt that said "Serve the World." Underneath that were the letters FBCG. I recognized it instantly as a shirt from my old church in Geneva. I said out loud, "Hey, I have that shirt!“ His name was Tim and we chatted about the church and some different roles we had played there. And like me, he had done the Kentucky trip, albeit he did it a couple years before me.
So I left the bar around 7:15 and walked back to the G concourse in Terminal 3. I wound up getting the last seat in the last row of the plane, 18C. We landed just after midnight. Even though I should have preferred to save the money and take a light rail to downtown, I opted for a cab. And I knew the trains shut down at 12:15 am, that was the only reason really. The ride cost me thirty bucks and the driver dropped me off at the Hampton Inn, which is right across the street from the left field gate at Camden Yards. My father was waiting outside, dressed in plaid sleep pants and a red t-shirt with a pocket in it, which is the style he always seems to wear. Indeed, like he said, he had lost weight. I wish exercise had been involved, but he has monitored his eating and that's a good sign. He has an even more pronounced mullet, which I'm sure would delight Mom (sarcasm). We tried to sleep starting around 1 am, but we chatted about random stuff until maybe 3 am.
The next morning, we woke up around 8:30 and ate a little bit of breakfast down in the lobby. I went with the scrambled eggs and melon. the eggs were actually decent and the melon was good to have for a change since we never have cantaloupe in the house with Mom's allergies. From there, we walked around the Inner harbor, which was a little over half a mile east of the hotel. Since he has a Panera card and felt like some iced team, we stopped there first. I opted for the iced green tea. I was tempted to try a pumpkin pie bagel. They even have a sign hanging there encouraging customers to try the seasonal bagel with their NY cheesecake flavored cream cheese. Not to sound like Jay Leno, but how fat are we getting in this country when we're adding cheesecake into cream cheese?
Then we headed back west to the ballpark. We walked up Eutaw Street, which goes behind the left field wall. The giveaway was free orange Buckle up t-shirts, as in manager Buck Showalter. I saw one guy wearing a shirt that said "Buck the Yankees" but I wasn't about to buy that one. We went over to Boog Powell's BBQ for a couple sandwiches and opted for a beef and a turkey. Once again, I have to say I preferred the turkey, especially with the BBQ sauce all over it. Also, a few former Orioles were signing autographs for the fans. And the only one I recognized was Joe Orsulak. I was hoping Mike Bordick would be there so I could yell at him about stinking it up for the Mets in 2000, but hey, you can't have everything.
The game against Tampa was one of the best I have ever seen live. Probably the craziest moment was the top of the 11th when Rays second baseman Ryan "Ink" Roberts took a swing and went down like he was shot. He had to leave the game with an injured lower leg. But apparently Rays manager Joe Maddon had no position players left on the bench. All of a sudden, the Rays bullpen door swung open and out came Chris Archer, sprinting to the dugout. This guy is a relief pitcher that almost nobody has ever heard of and he had to pinch-hit, facing an 0-2 count. Luis Ayala threw three straight balls and the crowd was really groaning. But, he still got the strikeout looking.
And then there was the top of the 13th. The Orioles loaded the bases with nobody out and we figured it was all over. Maddon played five infielders with just two outfielders and Robert Andino grounded into a force play at home. Matt Wieters pinch-hit and struck out. Then on a 3-2 count, Nate McLouth also struck out. We left after the 13th since we had a dinner reservation. We should have waited just one more inning. At the end, the game lasted 14 innings. Baltimore won it when Manny Machado's single to left field eluded a diving Matt Joyce, scoring Adam Jones. And the Orioles took sole possession of first place in the AL East and clinched their first winning season since 1997.
We cleaned up and walked one mile east, just past the harbor to Little Italy. I had heard of Sabatino's, mostly from Jim Cornette. It's located in an old house in the neighborhood which consists almost entirely of either old townhomes or Italian restaurants located in old townhomes, within walking distance of the Harbor. We sat down and I was so ready to place the drink order. I gulped down glasses of water and iced tea. They brought us a basket of thick Italian bread, which was good, but i would have liked a little but firmer crust. I definitely wanted to try the Bookmaker salad, since I'd heard this was really good. It came in a wooden bowl and it had the ingredients of a pretty standard house salad: iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, etc. But the additions with the Bookmaker put it over the top. This had shrimp, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, and a hard boiled egg. The house dressing tasted like a creamy garlic with a ton of grated Parmesan cheese. I certainly did like it, but I would have liked a few more ingredients like artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, etc. We were delighted with the mussels marinara appetizer. My father remarked that the sauce reminded him of Brooklyn. And I have to agree, their gravy tastes bright and has a great tomato and garlic flavor, especially after I dipped the bread in it. My one issue was the mussels were a little smaller in size than I was hoping. but they still tasted very tender.
For main courses, I chose the baked rigatoni with a side of sausage. The waitress asked me if I wanted the sausage baked in with the pasta. But I said no, just so my father could have a taste of it. The pasta was alright, but tasted too cheesy for me between the mozzarella and provolone. My solution was to take the leftover marinara from the mussels and add it in; that made the dish much more enjoyable to eat. I really liked the sausage, I was able to cut it with a fork. Two very tender, very juicy thick links. My father ordered the shrimp Juan, which was shrimp sauteed with lemon, garlic, and white wine and served over a bed of linguine. I tried one of the shrimp and it tasted like a good Francese. I wouldn't order it myself, but it was okay. He also got a side of meatballs. They were a nice tennis ball-size and I could really taste the herbs and garlic inside. But I still preferred the taste of the sausage. And the staff was very friendly and courteous. We were greeted warmly by the gentleman host and my father's issue with butter and cheese were handled by our server and the kitchen accordingly. All in all, I think I would return, but I would have to change the ordering up.
For dessert, we stopped by Vacarro's bakery, only a block away from Sabatino's. They had about 15 flavors of gelato and a couple of different Italian pastries. We opted for four of their mini-cannolis, which were filled to order and we took them back to the room. We continued playing Uno for another hour or so while playing a ton of WFAN clips. Finally, we crashed at midnight.
So I got through security pretty fast and almost three hours to kill before my flight. I started walking towards the G concourse and spent a few minutes in the bookstore. But I picked a copy of Sports Illustrated. I had heard there was a very riveting article on several former NFL players, including Jim Mc Mahon, and their issues with concussions and how it has affected not only the lives of the players, but also the women in their lives.
When I was done reading, I looked at my phone and the time was only 6:45. I had no idea how I was going to pass all this free time before my 8:55 flight. But then I saw a sign for Terminals 1 and 2. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that the Chicago Blackhawks bar was located in Terminal 2. I figured this was as good time as any to go, so I headed over. I liked that the centerpiece of the restaurant is the four Stanley Cups. And also I'm glad the restaurant isn't colored completely red and black; it's mostly neutral beige and white, but still has a lot of nice memorabilia like photos and signed sticks. Very classy and fun at the same time, and that's not always easy to pull off.
I found just one empty seat at the bar and grabbed it. I sat right next to the beer taps, which looked frozen, like they had just been sprayed with a Freeze gun. Nice touch there. I ordered the New York burger with American cheese, grilled onions, and pickles on a brioche bun. But in my honor, the bartender told me for the night, they were re-naming it the Ranger burger! And I enjoyed the burger very much, very juicy, great toppings, well melted cheese, and a soft roll that did not get soggy even with all that juice. It came with pretty decent shoestring fries and I ordered a Stella Artois on draft. Now had I known the beer cost $9.69, I might have opted for iced tea instead.
Sitting next to me was a guy from Denver on my left and a guy from Rhode Island on my right. I had brief conversations with them about baseball and we shared some flying stories. Then another guy, maybe 40, strolled in and took a seat three spots down from me. But there was something about him that caught my eye. He was wearing a burnt orange t shirt that said "Serve the World." Underneath that were the letters FBCG. I recognized it instantly as a shirt from my old church in Geneva. I said out loud, "Hey, I have that shirt!“ His name was Tim and we chatted about the church and some different roles we had played there. And like me, he had done the Kentucky trip, albeit he did it a couple years before me.
So I left the bar around 7:15 and walked back to the G concourse in Terminal 3. I wound up getting the last seat in the last row of the plane, 18C. We landed just after midnight. Even though I should have preferred to save the money and take a light rail to downtown, I opted for a cab. And I knew the trains shut down at 12:15 am, that was the only reason really. The ride cost me thirty bucks and the driver dropped me off at the Hampton Inn, which is right across the street from the left field gate at Camden Yards. My father was waiting outside, dressed in plaid sleep pants and a red t-shirt with a pocket in it, which is the style he always seems to wear. Indeed, like he said, he had lost weight. I wish exercise had been involved, but he has monitored his eating and that's a good sign. He has an even more pronounced mullet, which I'm sure would delight Mom (sarcasm). We tried to sleep starting around 1 am, but we chatted about random stuff until maybe 3 am.
The next morning, we woke up around 8:30 and ate a little bit of breakfast down in the lobby. I went with the scrambled eggs and melon. the eggs were actually decent and the melon was good to have for a change since we never have cantaloupe in the house with Mom's allergies. From there, we walked around the Inner harbor, which was a little over half a mile east of the hotel. Since he has a Panera card and felt like some iced team, we stopped there first. I opted for the iced green tea. I was tempted to try a pumpkin pie bagel. They even have a sign hanging there encouraging customers to try the seasonal bagel with their NY cheesecake flavored cream cheese. Not to sound like Jay Leno, but how fat are we getting in this country when we're adding cheesecake into cream cheese?
Then we headed back west to the ballpark. We walked up Eutaw Street, which goes behind the left field wall. The giveaway was free orange Buckle up t-shirts, as in manager Buck Showalter. I saw one guy wearing a shirt that said "Buck the Yankees" but I wasn't about to buy that one. We went over to Boog Powell's BBQ for a couple sandwiches and opted for a beef and a turkey. Once again, I have to say I preferred the turkey, especially with the BBQ sauce all over it. Also, a few former Orioles were signing autographs for the fans. And the only one I recognized was Joe Orsulak. I was hoping Mike Bordick would be there so I could yell at him about stinking it up for the Mets in 2000, but hey, you can't have everything.
The game against Tampa was one of the best I have ever seen live. Probably the craziest moment was the top of the 11th when Rays second baseman Ryan "Ink" Roberts took a swing and went down like he was shot. He had to leave the game with an injured lower leg. But apparently Rays manager Joe Maddon had no position players left on the bench. All of a sudden, the Rays bullpen door swung open and out came Chris Archer, sprinting to the dugout. This guy is a relief pitcher that almost nobody has ever heard of and he had to pinch-hit, facing an 0-2 count. Luis Ayala threw three straight balls and the crowd was really groaning. But, he still got the strikeout looking.
And then there was the top of the 13th. The Orioles loaded the bases with nobody out and we figured it was all over. Maddon played five infielders with just two outfielders and Robert Andino grounded into a force play at home. Matt Wieters pinch-hit and struck out. Then on a 3-2 count, Nate McLouth also struck out. We left after the 13th since we had a dinner reservation. We should have waited just one more inning. At the end, the game lasted 14 innings. Baltimore won it when Manny Machado's single to left field eluded a diving Matt Joyce, scoring Adam Jones. And the Orioles took sole possession of first place in the AL East and clinched their first winning season since 1997.
We cleaned up and walked one mile east, just past the harbor to Little Italy. I had heard of Sabatino's, mostly from Jim Cornette. It's located in an old house in the neighborhood which consists almost entirely of either old townhomes or Italian restaurants located in old townhomes, within walking distance of the Harbor. We sat down and I was so ready to place the drink order. I gulped down glasses of water and iced tea. They brought us a basket of thick Italian bread, which was good, but i would have liked a little but firmer crust. I definitely wanted to try the Bookmaker salad, since I'd heard this was really good. It came in a wooden bowl and it had the ingredients of a pretty standard house salad: iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, etc. But the additions with the Bookmaker put it over the top. This had shrimp, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, and a hard boiled egg. The house dressing tasted like a creamy garlic with a ton of grated Parmesan cheese. I certainly did like it, but I would have liked a few more ingredients like artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, etc. We were delighted with the mussels marinara appetizer. My father remarked that the sauce reminded him of Brooklyn. And I have to agree, their gravy tastes bright and has a great tomato and garlic flavor, especially after I dipped the bread in it. My one issue was the mussels were a little smaller in size than I was hoping. but they still tasted very tender.
For main courses, I chose the baked rigatoni with a side of sausage. The waitress asked me if I wanted the sausage baked in with the pasta. But I said no, just so my father could have a taste of it. The pasta was alright, but tasted too cheesy for me between the mozzarella and provolone. My solution was to take the leftover marinara from the mussels and add it in; that made the dish much more enjoyable to eat. I really liked the sausage, I was able to cut it with a fork. Two very tender, very juicy thick links. My father ordered the shrimp Juan, which was shrimp sauteed with lemon, garlic, and white wine and served over a bed of linguine. I tried one of the shrimp and it tasted like a good Francese. I wouldn't order it myself, but it was okay. He also got a side of meatballs. They were a nice tennis ball-size and I could really taste the herbs and garlic inside. But I still preferred the taste of the sausage. And the staff was very friendly and courteous. We were greeted warmly by the gentleman host and my father's issue with butter and cheese were handled by our server and the kitchen accordingly. All in all, I think I would return, but I would have to change the ordering up.
For dessert, we stopped by Vacarro's bakery, only a block away from Sabatino's. They had about 15 flavors of gelato and a couple of different Italian pastries. We opted for four of their mini-cannolis, which were filled to order and we took them back to the room. We continued playing Uno for another hour or so while playing a ton of WFAN clips. Finally, we crashed at midnight.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Michigan Retreat 2012 Part 2
The scuba group (Luke, Melissa, Jason, and Clarissa) had left around 6 in the morning...Fil had another amazing breakfast in store for us on Sunday...butterscotch oatmeal...crepes with toppings ranging from apple pie filling to nutella to bananas...more bacon and turkey bacon...girls slept in...the four guys ate and we got tired of waiting...we decided to just drive down to the beach...old guy watching parking lot, sitting in a golf cart...gave us a ride...asked if we were here for the wedding...four swans on the lake...plenty of geese...we got a little lost...walked past two black squirrels, a retreat center, over the bridge of a river...got back at 11:30.
The girls were already inside, waiting for us...we left for Glen Haven...I rode with Bill, Laina, and Manish...could not find my sunglasses and the sun was blinding...B, L, and M took a bike ride...I hung with Natalie, Fil, Mike, and Andrea...checked out the "Aloha" an old small fishing boat that was used 100 years ago...went into the cannery...old boats and rescued boats...we walked half a mile to the Maritime Museum...old boathouse...lookout point in the shape of a cross...blacksmith barn...guy made a bear head out of just pounding hot iron with an anvil...air and coal heat the oven.
Five of us crammed into the convertible...Mike drove, Fil was in the passenger seat...Natalie sat in back on the far right, Andrea was in the middle, I sat behind Mike...I scooted up to give the girls some more room...the driver's door was open...I moved my hand up on the open frame to prop myself up on the arm rest...as I raised myself up, I felt the three middle fingers of my left hand crunch...Mike had slammed the car door on my hand...
My middle finger immediately started to bleed...I could at least bend my fingers so I knew nothing was broken...during the ten minute drive, I just tried to keep my hand still and flat...I stormed out of the car and into our condo where Melissa and Jason were standing by the sink...rushed right past them and turned on the kitchen sink..."Adam, is everything okay?" Melissa asked..."No" I said firmly, and without emotion...I ran my hand under the coldest water I could for a few minutes.
We watched the first half of "Warrior"...drove to Traverse City around 5 with Mike, Bill, and Laina...we talked about dating, babies, Wheaton connections, financial aid...Laina said I was evil since I'm a cog in the financial aid wheel...I talked about how when a guy loves a girl, it's way to go above and beyond and to do the little things for them...Laina asked "Is Andrea one of them?"...we got there in 30 minutes or so.
At the site of the cruise, Andrea bought this dark gray T-shirt that said Traverse City on it...I got some brochures for mom...We boarded the schooner...I got to help raise the sails...Sampled four beers from Short's...their beers are not available outside of Northern Michigan...my favorite was the Nicie Spicy, a seasonal wheat beer...they brought maybe 18 pizzas on board...all of them were pepperoni...I'm sure the vegetarians in the group were overjoyed...Andrea doesn't eat red meat, so she picked it off...I guess she had to look for the slices with the least amount of meat on them...I ate nine slices...they also had a couple of veggie trays...maybe the most boring party food in the world.
The orange and purple sunset framing the picturesque shorelines was a sight to behold...two hours...I mostly kept to myself...I wanted to take in the sounds, sights, and smells...I talked with a couple from Grand Rapids and they mentioned Moomer's Ice Cream...I remembered that one of my brochures I had picked up was just for Moomer's...so I suggested to the group that we pass on the bonfire and head for ice cream instead...drove 15 minutes west from downtown Traverse City...backroads...total darkness....Manish asked "Adam, where are you taking us?"...I admit I was feeling a bit nervous...I did not want to screw this up...all of a sudden, we could see light beckoning...we drove to where E Long Lake Rd dead ends and we could see the barn right across the street from the dead end...
They have their own dairy, so I figured the quality was going to be good...and for an even better sign, the line was out the door at 9 pm on a Sunday...forty people in line and barely a space to park...as I took my place in the back of the line, I noticed the distinct aroma of waffle cones...sign of an ice cream place that cares about the ingredients it uses...tried the cherry cheesecake...it was pretty good, although I wasn't sure I wanted a couple of scoops with such large chunks of cherry...went with the regular sized cinnamon in a waffle cone...amazingly fresh taste...One of the best waffle cones ever, it was really thick, unlike what Cold Stone serves...Went back home...finished "Warrior"...Said goodbye to Jason and Melissa...they were leaving early the next morning to visit their families in Michigan...in bed at 1 am.
So Labor Day was our last morning...Fil did pancakes with Shocktop Belgian ale beer...sausage patties, much to Natalie 's chagrin...eggs with tomatoes...I finished off the OJ with pulp...left around 10:45...five minutes in, Mike said we had to turn back because he couldn't find his cell phone...it was under his seat...so that cost us 15 minutes...M-22 Store in downtown Glen Arbor...gear with M-22 and they also have wine tasting...I didn't get anything, I just didn't want to spend $25.00 on another shirt....on a personal level, a very strange situation is developing...feels like three guys want one girl...actually, I take that back. Luke doesn't give a shit about Andrea. He just cares about stroking his damn ego, nothing more, nothing less. But if she could have any interest in a guy who's so full of himself, I can't see that ending well...in reality, I don't think I want to date Andrea...she seems quiet, likes art, doesn't eat meat. I'm not saying these are bad things, I just don't know if they're compatible with my lifestyle...to quote Chris Rock, I'm in the friend zone!
While we were driving down the west coast of Michigan on Route 31, I played "Stay Gone" by Jimmy Wayne...hadn't listened to this song in a couple of months...it reminded me of how I'm really starting to feel about Jean the deserter...lines like "All my tears have been cried" really seem fitting right now...pictures in front of dinosaurs and in this little teepee in Empire, MI...Manistee looked like it had a nice downtown, even though the population is only about 6,500 people...Green Acres stand...peach cider, maybe a half a dozen varieties of honey...Mike got five pounds of blueberries...I thought about getting a small pie or some muffins, but I passed...eight bucks for an individual pie was just more than I was willing to pay.
I just didn't speak after the first hour except when I was giving driving directions...I just didn't feel like talking...part of it was I wanted some time to myself for a change...another part of me wondered if I had really made a good contribution to the group...not that I was a deterrent, but I hope I'm more than just a finger injury and an ice cream parlor...or maybe it's just my own old fears of being rejected and deserted again...I slept for maybe 20 minutes two different times...we didn't stop for lunch, so I all I ate between breakfast and dinner at home was half a bag of trail mix and five pistachios...we arrived at Luke's place around 6:15 and I got home right at 7 pm.
As I type this in my basement, it's nice to finally have some time to myself...it'll feel good to sleep in my bed tonight.
The girls were already inside, waiting for us...we left for Glen Haven...I rode with Bill, Laina, and Manish...could not find my sunglasses and the sun was blinding...B, L, and M took a bike ride...I hung with Natalie, Fil, Mike, and Andrea...checked out the "Aloha" an old small fishing boat that was used 100 years ago...went into the cannery...old boats and rescued boats...we walked half a mile to the Maritime Museum...old boathouse...lookout point in the shape of a cross...blacksmith barn...guy made a bear head out of just pounding hot iron with an anvil...air and coal heat the oven.
Five of us crammed into the convertible...Mike drove, Fil was in the passenger seat...Natalie sat in back on the far right, Andrea was in the middle, I sat behind Mike...I scooted up to give the girls some more room...the driver's door was open...I moved my hand up on the open frame to prop myself up on the arm rest...as I raised myself up, I felt the three middle fingers of my left hand crunch...Mike had slammed the car door on my hand...
My middle finger immediately started to bleed...I could at least bend my fingers so I knew nothing was broken...during the ten minute drive, I just tried to keep my hand still and flat...I stormed out of the car and into our condo where Melissa and Jason were standing by the sink...rushed right past them and turned on the kitchen sink..."Adam, is everything okay?" Melissa asked..."No" I said firmly, and without emotion...I ran my hand under the coldest water I could for a few minutes.
We watched the first half of "Warrior"...drove to Traverse City around 5 with Mike, Bill, and Laina...we talked about dating, babies, Wheaton connections, financial aid...Laina said I was evil since I'm a cog in the financial aid wheel...I talked about how when a guy loves a girl, it's way to go above and beyond and to do the little things for them...Laina asked "Is Andrea one of them?"...we got there in 30 minutes or so.
At the site of the cruise, Andrea bought this dark gray T-shirt that said Traverse City on it...I got some brochures for mom...We boarded the schooner...I got to help raise the sails...Sampled four beers from Short's...their beers are not available outside of Northern Michigan...my favorite was the Nicie Spicy, a seasonal wheat beer...they brought maybe 18 pizzas on board...all of them were pepperoni...I'm sure the vegetarians in the group were overjoyed...Andrea doesn't eat red meat, so she picked it off...I guess she had to look for the slices with the least amount of meat on them...I ate nine slices...they also had a couple of veggie trays...maybe the most boring party food in the world.
The orange and purple sunset framing the picturesque shorelines was a sight to behold...two hours...I mostly kept to myself...I wanted to take in the sounds, sights, and smells...I talked with a couple from Grand Rapids and they mentioned Moomer's Ice Cream...I remembered that one of my brochures I had picked up was just for Moomer's...so I suggested to the group that we pass on the bonfire and head for ice cream instead...drove 15 minutes west from downtown Traverse City...backroads...total darkness....Manish asked "Adam, where are you taking us?"...I admit I was feeling a bit nervous...I did not want to screw this up...all of a sudden, we could see light beckoning...we drove to where E Long Lake Rd dead ends and we could see the barn right across the street from the dead end...
They have their own dairy, so I figured the quality was going to be good...and for an even better sign, the line was out the door at 9 pm on a Sunday...forty people in line and barely a space to park...as I took my place in the back of the line, I noticed the distinct aroma of waffle cones...sign of an ice cream place that cares about the ingredients it uses...tried the cherry cheesecake...it was pretty good, although I wasn't sure I wanted a couple of scoops with such large chunks of cherry...went with the regular sized cinnamon in a waffle cone...amazingly fresh taste...One of the best waffle cones ever, it was really thick, unlike what Cold Stone serves...Went back home...finished "Warrior"...Said goodbye to Jason and Melissa...they were leaving early the next morning to visit their families in Michigan...in bed at 1 am.
So Labor Day was our last morning...Fil did pancakes with Shocktop Belgian ale beer...sausage patties, much to Natalie 's chagrin...eggs with tomatoes...I finished off the OJ with pulp...left around 10:45...five minutes in, Mike said we had to turn back because he couldn't find his cell phone...it was under his seat...so that cost us 15 minutes...M-22 Store in downtown Glen Arbor...gear with M-22 and they also have wine tasting...I didn't get anything, I just didn't want to spend $25.00 on another shirt....on a personal level, a very strange situation is developing...feels like three guys want one girl...actually, I take that back. Luke doesn't give a shit about Andrea. He just cares about stroking his damn ego, nothing more, nothing less. But if she could have any interest in a guy who's so full of himself, I can't see that ending well...in reality, I don't think I want to date Andrea...she seems quiet, likes art, doesn't eat meat. I'm not saying these are bad things, I just don't know if they're compatible with my lifestyle...to quote Chris Rock, I'm in the friend zone!
While we were driving down the west coast of Michigan on Route 31, I played "Stay Gone" by Jimmy Wayne...hadn't listened to this song in a couple of months...it reminded me of how I'm really starting to feel about Jean the deserter...lines like "All my tears have been cried" really seem fitting right now...pictures in front of dinosaurs and in this little teepee in Empire, MI...Manistee looked like it had a nice downtown, even though the population is only about 6,500 people...Green Acres stand...peach cider, maybe a half a dozen varieties of honey...Mike got five pounds of blueberries...I thought about getting a small pie or some muffins, but I passed...eight bucks for an individual pie was just more than I was willing to pay.
I just didn't speak after the first hour except when I was giving driving directions...I just didn't feel like talking...part of it was I wanted some time to myself for a change...another part of me wondered if I had really made a good contribution to the group...not that I was a deterrent, but I hope I'm more than just a finger injury and an ice cream parlor...or maybe it's just my own old fears of being rejected and deserted again...I slept for maybe 20 minutes two different times...we didn't stop for lunch, so I all I ate between breakfast and dinner at home was half a bag of trail mix and five pistachios...we arrived at Luke's place around 6:15 and I got home right at 7 pm.
As I type this in my basement, it's nice to finally have some time to myself...it'll feel good to sleep in my bed tonight.
Michigan Retreat 2012 Part 1
I've put off doing these posts for two weeks. So I'll do it shorthand form and see how that comes out. I just feel like switching it up.
I left home around 9 am and made it to Luke's home in southeast Naperville around 9:45...had trouble finding his house, I passed by Andrea...I found 1300 and walked in...it wasn't Luke's house...it belonged to an old guy with a dark gray beard...wanted to sell us his house, like she and I were a couple or something...that'll be the day...eventually we figured it out...Mike arrived around 10:30...we packed Luke's Jeep as tight as it could be...we left at 10:45.
Andrea bought along a bag of Trader Joe's pistachios....pretty solid snack...Was a little nervous talking to her...we played the game of Never...Luke napped and woke up an hour later...immediately, we took pictures in front of the castle at the Dutch Village in Holland...Mike's unhealthy obsession with Michigan blueberries...lunch at Panera outside Muskegon...my job was to be the navigator...6.5 hour drive total...got into Glen Arbor around 6:30...same time as Jason and Melissa...Jason has a baby-sized baby blue BMW convertible.
There's one condo for the six guys, one for the four girls/married couple who was coming later...very little space in our condo...six guys, 1 bathroom, 1 bedroom, 1 sofa...unpacked and went to Downtown Glen Arbor...Dinner at Boone Dock's...brown sugar walnut salmon...good, but too sweet....bland wild rice...added the tartar sauce, just to give it some flavor...$30...On TV, White Sox were playing the Tigers in a huge series...it was strange hearing the crowd cheer for Detroit.
While were were at dinner, Manish, Clarissa, Fil, and Natalie arrived...we all shared a few drinks at our place...I stayed with Stella and Budweiser...girls condo had the jacuzzi and more modern furniture...we had the flat screen TV and an actual kitchen...we had an oven, they just had a microwave, a two-burner range, and the refrigerator was about the size of a hotel mini-bar...watched "The Fall"...one weird, crazy movie...Mike's commentary...great cinematography...Clarissa falls asleep on couch, her head resting on Manish's lap...Manish's head is bent straight back...gave us a full view of his Adam's Apple...great photo-op...I slept alone on pullout couch...Fil slept on cot in entry way...Mike and Manish in bed...Luke and Jason on the porch.
Fil was in charge of breakfast...Alton Brown's "Overnight cinnamon rolls"...two different grits, one with parmesan and one with brown sugar...Eggs...bacon...turkey bacon...orange juice with or without pulp...kayaking...rocking quadruple chair...ping pong with Mike...mini basketball with a ball that had no air in it...me and Fil in a double...$20 each...portaged four times...usually we were in the lead...very shallow river...stuck in the sand so many times...Manish and Natalie kept tipping over into the river...round gray metal tunnel...we were supposed to portage, but we went for it and loved it...it was so cool, we decided to portage the kayak back to the previous spot and paddle down again...I caught this one on video...Manish was now in a solo kayak...he wound up sideways, or perpendicular to the path of the tunnel...he flipped over and the boat slid upside down straight down the tunnel...Manish followed soon after...it was hysterical and scary at the same time...his elbow and knee got bruised up, but he was fine...three hour ride...Luke attached his kayak to Natalie's with a life jacket.
When we returned, we saw that Bill and Laina arrived...lunch time...Clarissa, Melissa, and Jason left to go get their gear for scuba diving...the rest of us went to the dunes...visitors center in Empire...I rode with Bill, Lainia, and Mike...Laina asked Manish and I if Luke was gay...fashion photographer, bright shirt, weird accent...she was so embarrassed, because she felt he was judging him...But Luke is so easy to make fun of, we loved it...we did not let her live that down for at least the next half hour...the guy is such an egotist and it really bothers us...
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes...Lake Michigan overlook...the highest point at Lake Michigan...looking straight down into some of the bluest water imaginable...I've been all over this country, but this view was just phenomenal...Dune climb...Luke, Manish, and I climbed up and almost made it to the other side of the shore...very tiring...I did a hard sprint down past the rest of the group, including a face-first tumble...ride in Jason's convertible with Mike driving, Natalie in the passenger seat, and Andrea next to me...her spiral curled blonder hair blew in my face...sweetly stinging my cheek...she looked so gorgeous with her hair flopping in the warm Michigan wind...Luke had been sitting on top of the car, snapping photos....so I did the same...we got in around 7...I was completely covered with sand, especially my hair and back... I finally took my first shower of the trip...had that beginning of a sunburn stiff feel to my face and shoulders.
Got Catherine's idiotic texts about the Yankees struggles against Baltimore...they always win anyway and that's why it's so ridiculous when I see Yankee fans whining over one regular season game...8 pm, we had to decide...dinner or winery...feeling brutally trapped in this relationship...and I don't want to care about these things that should be insignificant, even though I know I do...I went outside just for some quiet time...just needed some alone time...Melissa and Natalie joined me...Melissa broke the news that she and Matt weren't dating anymore...I never saw it coming...I think they made it three days longer than the deserter and I did...I said I was sorry and I genuinely was...Natalie may have drank too much...wineries were all closed.
Back to Boone Docks...Queen of Couture boutique...I took Andrea's photo in front of the sign....30 minute wait outside for the 12 of us...went into the candy store...out of blueberry vanilla ice cream...the buzzer went off, signaling that our table was ready...I went to find Natalie and Melissa...I found them and we began walking back towards the restaurant...pinky swear I wouldn't tell...that wouldn't be hard, I didn't know anything anyway!...cougar walks right by the three of us...she looked right at me and in a very seductive and flirtatious way, she looked right at me and said "Bye!"...Sounded more like "Ba-hai"...maybe it was a drunk "Hi!"...who knows...sat right near the bluegrass band...each member must have been at least 70 years old..."Boris The Spider"..."Margheritaville"...chicken fingers and Boone docks salad with dried cherries and walnuts...I like contrast of the sweet local cherries and the crunch of the nuts...24 oz Oberon beer tasted perfect...fingers were nice sized...decent breading...mild BBQ sauce...so mild, i would call it wimpy...opted for the honey mustard...$30 again...Clarissa sings "I'll Fly Away" with the band...watched college football on the TV...Alabama slaughtered Michigan...we went back home and we were all basically exhausted...watched Eddie Izzard stand-up on X-Box...English cross-dresser...a little more religious humor than I cared to hear...I think I laughed twice in 45 minutes...went to bed.
I left home around 9 am and made it to Luke's home in southeast Naperville around 9:45...had trouble finding his house, I passed by Andrea...I found 1300 and walked in...it wasn't Luke's house...it belonged to an old guy with a dark gray beard...wanted to sell us his house, like she and I were a couple or something...that'll be the day...eventually we figured it out...Mike arrived around 10:30...we packed Luke's Jeep as tight as it could be...we left at 10:45.
Andrea bought along a bag of Trader Joe's pistachios....pretty solid snack...Was a little nervous talking to her...we played the game of Never...Luke napped and woke up an hour later...immediately, we took pictures in front of the castle at the Dutch Village in Holland...Mike's unhealthy obsession with Michigan blueberries...lunch at Panera outside Muskegon...my job was to be the navigator...6.5 hour drive total...got into Glen Arbor around 6:30...same time as Jason and Melissa...Jason has a baby-sized baby blue BMW convertible.
There's one condo for the six guys, one for the four girls/married couple who was coming later...very little space in our condo...six guys, 1 bathroom, 1 bedroom, 1 sofa...unpacked and went to Downtown Glen Arbor...Dinner at Boone Dock's...brown sugar walnut salmon...good, but too sweet....bland wild rice...added the tartar sauce, just to give it some flavor...$30...On TV, White Sox were playing the Tigers in a huge series...it was strange hearing the crowd cheer for Detroit.
While were were at dinner, Manish, Clarissa, Fil, and Natalie arrived...we all shared a few drinks at our place...I stayed with Stella and Budweiser...girls condo had the jacuzzi and more modern furniture...we had the flat screen TV and an actual kitchen...we had an oven, they just had a microwave, a two-burner range, and the refrigerator was about the size of a hotel mini-bar...watched "The Fall"...one weird, crazy movie...Mike's commentary...great cinematography...Clarissa falls asleep on couch, her head resting on Manish's lap...Manish's head is bent straight back...gave us a full view of his Adam's Apple...great photo-op...I slept alone on pullout couch...Fil slept on cot in entry way...Mike and Manish in bed...Luke and Jason on the porch.
Fil was in charge of breakfast...Alton Brown's "Overnight cinnamon rolls"...two different grits, one with parmesan and one with brown sugar...Eggs...bacon...turkey bacon...orange juice with or without pulp...kayaking...rocking quadruple chair...ping pong with Mike...mini basketball with a ball that had no air in it...me and Fil in a double...$20 each...portaged four times...usually we were in the lead...very shallow river...stuck in the sand so many times...Manish and Natalie kept tipping over into the river...round gray metal tunnel...we were supposed to portage, but we went for it and loved it...it was so cool, we decided to portage the kayak back to the previous spot and paddle down again...I caught this one on video...Manish was now in a solo kayak...he wound up sideways, or perpendicular to the path of the tunnel...he flipped over and the boat slid upside down straight down the tunnel...Manish followed soon after...it was hysterical and scary at the same time...his elbow and knee got bruised up, but he was fine...three hour ride...Luke attached his kayak to Natalie's with a life jacket.
When we returned, we saw that Bill and Laina arrived...lunch time...Clarissa, Melissa, and Jason left to go get their gear for scuba diving...the rest of us went to the dunes...visitors center in Empire...I rode with Bill, Lainia, and Mike...Laina asked Manish and I if Luke was gay...fashion photographer, bright shirt, weird accent...she was so embarrassed, because she felt he was judging him...But Luke is so easy to make fun of, we loved it...we did not let her live that down for at least the next half hour...the guy is such an egotist and it really bothers us...
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes...Lake Michigan overlook...the highest point at Lake Michigan...looking straight down into some of the bluest water imaginable...I've been all over this country, but this view was just phenomenal...Dune climb...Luke, Manish, and I climbed up and almost made it to the other side of the shore...very tiring...I did a hard sprint down past the rest of the group, including a face-first tumble...ride in Jason's convertible with Mike driving, Natalie in the passenger seat, and Andrea next to me...her spiral curled blonder hair blew in my face...sweetly stinging my cheek...she looked so gorgeous with her hair flopping in the warm Michigan wind...Luke had been sitting on top of the car, snapping photos....so I did the same...we got in around 7...I was completely covered with sand, especially my hair and back... I finally took my first shower of the trip...had that beginning of a sunburn stiff feel to my face and shoulders.
Got Catherine's idiotic texts about the Yankees struggles against Baltimore...they always win anyway and that's why it's so ridiculous when I see Yankee fans whining over one regular season game...8 pm, we had to decide...dinner or winery...feeling brutally trapped in this relationship...and I don't want to care about these things that should be insignificant, even though I know I do...I went outside just for some quiet time...just needed some alone time...Melissa and Natalie joined me...Melissa broke the news that she and Matt weren't dating anymore...I never saw it coming...I think they made it three days longer than the deserter and I did...I said I was sorry and I genuinely was...Natalie may have drank too much...wineries were all closed.
Back to Boone Docks...Queen of Couture boutique...I took Andrea's photo in front of the sign....30 minute wait outside for the 12 of us...went into the candy store...out of blueberry vanilla ice cream...the buzzer went off, signaling that our table was ready...I went to find Natalie and Melissa...I found them and we began walking back towards the restaurant...pinky swear I wouldn't tell...that wouldn't be hard, I didn't know anything anyway!...cougar walks right by the three of us...she looked right at me and in a very seductive and flirtatious way, she looked right at me and said "Bye!"...Sounded more like "Ba-hai"...maybe it was a drunk "Hi!"...who knows...sat right near the bluegrass band...each member must have been at least 70 years old..."Boris The Spider"..."Margheritaville"...chicken fingers and Boone docks salad with dried cherries and walnuts...I like contrast of the sweet local cherries and the crunch of the nuts...24 oz Oberon beer tasted perfect...fingers were nice sized...decent breading...mild BBQ sauce...so mild, i would call it wimpy...opted for the honey mustard...$30 again...Clarissa sings "I'll Fly Away" with the band...watched college football on the TV...Alabama slaughtered Michigan...we went back home and we were all basically exhausted...watched Eddie Izzard stand-up on X-Box...English cross-dresser...a little more religious humor than I cared to hear...I think I laughed twice in 45 minutes...went to bed.
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Sympathy
1) I'm supposed to have sympathy for the Yankees because the umpire screwed up the call at first base? Catherine, spare me your profane rants and whining. I'm a very understanding and empathetic guy, but if you're a Yankees/Giants fan, don't whine that you got screwed and that you have it so bad. You're spoiled rotten enough already.
2) Good times at the Festival of the Vine. I don't particularly care for white wine, but I like the Beringer Moscato very much. It tasted mildly sweet and a bit of a peach flavor to it. Not bad. I also had the Be Riseling (bright and refreshing), Stone Cellars Cabernet (spicy, not a big fan), Penfolds Koonunga Shiraz (blueberry flavor, with a little spice), St. Jean Sonoma Pinot Noir (Raspberry and cinnamon, enjoyable).
3) Larry Jones, go screw yourself. you had a good career. Now get the hell out of my life
4) Mom at her 40th high school reunion. That's a scary thought. 40 years. I'm not even up to my 15th year reunion of high school And I don't even know if I'm going to attend my ten year college reunion next year. But I digress. I just hope she makes some friends out there.
5) Jets start tomorrow. Let's kick some Buffalo ass! J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!
Friday, September 07, 2012
O!
1) I must admit I am getting some perverse pleasure at watching the Orioles beat the Yankees. That eighth inning last night was one of the most amazing I have ever seen.
2) Four days until I go to Baltimore. And I'm going to see my father for the first time in three years. It's strange, but I really don't have a ton of emotions heading into it. Maybe that's going to change in the next few days, we'll see.
3) Food stops planned for Baltimore: Boog Powell's BBQ at Camden Yards, Sabatino's, Vacarro's Italian Pastries, Chap's Pit Beef, Faidley's Crab Cakes. Full details to follow.
4) Looks like rain tonight. So I guess I'm going to postpone my Festival of the Vine visit until Saturday night after work.
5) Finally brought new blades for my electric razor. I was supposed to change them after 12 months; I think I waited almost three years.
2) Four days until I go to Baltimore. And I'm going to see my father for the first time in three years. It's strange, but I really don't have a ton of emotions heading into it. Maybe that's going to change in the next few days, we'll see.
3) Food stops planned for Baltimore: Boog Powell's BBQ at Camden Yards, Sabatino's, Vacarro's Italian Pastries, Chap's Pit Beef, Faidley's Crab Cakes. Full details to follow.
4) Looks like rain tonight. So I guess I'm going to postpone my Festival of the Vine visit until Saturday night after work.
5) Finally brought new blades for my electric razor. I was supposed to change them after 12 months; I think I waited almost three years.
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