BOSCHINY

Something about a Saturday

2012-01-28T21:28:00.004-06:00

I don't know why, but whenever I don't have anything to do on a Saturday night, I feel compelled to blog. It's been watching the NHL All-Star skills competition and then Miracle and listening to the Express game against Cincinnati.

1) I am never playing any more of my music for my mother ever again.

2) Albert Nobbs is one horrible movie. Glenn Close is a great actress, but her performance was like the shining diamond in a filed of cow dung.

3) Brought Firefly sweet tea vodka instead of the Jeremiah Weed. We'll see how they compare...

4) Royal Rumble is Sunday night. If I had to pick my top 5, I go Chris Jericho, Wade Barrett, Undertaker (in a surprise return), Randy Orton, and Sheamus. This is assuming no one competing in another match (ie Cena) are in the Rumble as well.

5) In other matches, I pick Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and a no-contest between Kane and Cena.

6) The cranberry orange walnut bread from Breadsmith is simply one of the best sweets I have ever tasted. The crunch of the nut, the tanginess of the orange, the sweetness of the cranberries. Just great.

7) I wish I could have my goatee back! Maybe there's a way, I don't know.

8) Guess CI and I have taken this thing public!

9) It's a little scary how the years are going past. I'm thinking more of my parents here.

10) One week till hell...

Song pick: "Colder Weather" Zac Brown Band

It's set

2012-01-22T11:38:00.000-06:00

Giants vs Patriots in the Super Bowl. FML.

Utterly miserable

2012-01-15T17:49:00.004-06:00

1) I would bet everything in my possession that the Patriots will win the Super Bowl over the Giants. I am so friggin' upset right now.

2) I officially HATE Big Blue.

3) What happens to the Rangers every time they play in Montreal? It's like Alabama playing a high school team in Tuscaloosa.

4) I never signed up for this. No one makes a conscious, logical, reasonable choice to become a devoted, loyal fan of certain teams because it will lead to a happy life. For the most part, it has led to misery, frustration, and aggravation. Yet, it is like cancer, I cannot get it out of me.

5) I am more and more convinced I will never see any of my teams win a title again and the teams I hate the most (Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Yankees, Giants, Cowboys, Patriots, Bulls, Devils, Flyers) will win at the least every four years. Let's look at the numbers since 1986, shall we.

Exhibit A

Finals/WS/SB tally in my active life time

Hated teams: 30

My teams: 4

Exhibit B

Title tally in my active lifetime

Hated teams: 22

My teams: 1

More travel? Here we go...NOLA! Part 3

2012-01-12T22:27:00.009-06:00

So at 6 AM, we had to wake up. I wanted to stay laying in bed, but those planes don't really wait around. So I packed up most of my stuff, while Nicole and Catherine packed up all of theirs. At 7:30, the cab arrived to take them to the airport. Catherine and I shared a quick goodbye kiss, she got in the car, and I watched it slowly roll down Esplanade St and out of sight.

I headed back upstairs to the tiniest exercise room I've ever seen. I did 10 minutes on both the treadmill and the bike. I had to use the bathroom and it ws at this point I realized there was no toilet paper in the room. I mean, when a maid is cleaning the room, I would think restocking toilet paper should be somewhere on the checklist. I did get some delivered, thankfully! I then showered with my music blasting and the bathroom door wide open. I proceeded to eat the first quarter of the muffuletta and I actually enjoyed it, in spite of the olives.

So I walked down to the river and sat on the bench for maybe an hour while playing music and reading some of Mr. Nee. I then went into the St. Louis Cathedral. Though I'm not Catholic, I was very impressed with the paining on the ceiling as well as the statues. They also display flags of every country that Louisiana has ever been governed by. I said a quick prayer in the prayer room and headed next door to the Cabildo museum. This is basically the building that displays the history of Louisiana. I snuck into the back of a group of high school students and walked through a few rooms with them. I think the highlight for me was the Sala Capitular. This room, which is maybe the size of an average living room, has Napoleon's death mask and is also the site where President Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase and where the Louisana Supreme Court met for 50 years. I also checked out some war memorabilia and a rock 'n roll exhibit.
Right outside in Jackson Square, was a 9-piece band playing some R&B. I sat down at a nearby bench and just enjoyed it for a while. I was getting pretty hungry by now, so I headed back towards the river to the Dumaine St streetcar stop (#3 of 9 stops). I waited no less than 20 minutes. And the annoying part was after 5 minutes, a train passed me going in the opposite direction. So I knew it had two stops to go before it would turn around, pick me up, and take me to the CBD. Yet, the car just wasn't moving. It got so ridiculous, I called the RTA and asked what was going on. Eventually, the car came and I walked into Emeril's at the corner of Julia and Tchoupitoulas just after 12 pm.

It wasn’t very crowded, though I wouldn’t expect that for a weekday lunch. The hostess asked my last name and I told her. That led to both my waiters (although I could have called one “the apprentice”, he looked like he had skipped middle school for the day) calling me Mr. Bartolo. Can’t say I minded that.

They served me two different types of rolls, one at a time. I believe one was made with corn flour and one with sweet potato flour, thought I didn’t hear the waiter very clearly. Both tasted hot and fresh. I knew my appetizer would be BBQ shrimp. For $10, I got five shrimp in a classic brown gravy sprinkled with green onions, accompanied by a petite rosemary biscuit. Great flavor on the shrimp. My only complaint was I didn’t have more biscuits to soak up that sauce. I wasn’t as sure about choosing my entrée. I thought about the chicken and waffles, or just a Creole burger with remoulade and homemade pickles. In the end, I took my waiter’s tip and went with the Andouille crusted drum. Now when I first saw it on the menu, I figured it was a chicken drumstick. So I figured how is a drumstick ever going to fill me? Turns out a drum is actually a redfish. It came on a bed of shoestring potatoes with a Meuniere sauce (Brown butter with lemon and herbs) and summer squash. It was certainly a different lunch for me, but I really enjoyed the crispiness of the potatoes to go with the flaky fish. It was a pretty small portion, but I enjoyed it. I suppose I would order it again. But it was dessert that I came for. For the first time since I visited Vegas with my parents, I got to enjoy a piece of banana cream pie and this piece was all mine! The graham cracker crust, three layers of sliced bananas mixed in pudding, fresh whipped cream, caramel sauce, crisp chocolate shavings, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Eight dollars for a taste of pure heaven.

A happy man, I skipped the streetcar and walked back up Tchoupitoulas and then through Decatur St back to the hotel. This was a street I hadn’t traveled down before and I saw some interesting things. I passed the Jean Lafitte site as well a statue dedicated to the founder of New Orleans. I also saw Tipitina’s, which I hear is a very cool jazz club. Right after I crossed Canal St, I got a text from Catherine. Even though they had checked out earlier and explained to the clerk that I would be leaving later, he did not relay that message on to the women working the following shift. And so they called Catherine’s house thinking she and Nicole didn’t check out because my stuff was still in the room. So I hurried back through the French Market and I made it to the hotel in about 15 minutes. I walked in, turned right to the front desk, and the ladies see me coming, and go “Room Three-Twelve?!” Thankfully, I was able to explain the situation and I left the room for good around 2.

That led to maybe an hour of waiting downstairs for the 3 pm Airport Shuttle without a whole lot for me to do. I walked into Fauborg and jumped on the internet, but I rather would have been on my way. The van arrived about 15 minutes late, but I still got to the airport in plenty of time. I took a smooth 2.5 hour flight back to Chicago, during which I finished the last quarter of my muffuleta along with some Sprite. I guess I arrived at 7:45 pm. Thankfully, it was still about 40 degrees, so the climate change wasn’t too shocking on me. Mom picked me up right after she finished work and we got home at 9. I wish I was back in the creepy room.

More travel? Here we go...NOLA! Part 2

2012-01-12T12:27:00.015-06:00

Thursday was our one full day together in New Orleans. I was up by 7:45, Nicole woke up maybe an hour later, and we got Catherine out of bed around maybe 9:15. I realize I get ready way too quick and I have to have some patience when waiting for ladies to get ready to go anywhere. We were all out the door by maybe 10:20 a.m. I think in those preceeding 2.5 hours, I did some writing, printed some maps out downstairs, and took a quick walk around the block. Our first stop had to be Cafe Du Monde for some beignets and cafe au lait. I guess that was the one thing I treated for. The donuts themselves tasted amazing. They were soft inside and crispy outside and unlike many donuts and beignets that I've had, they didn't taste very heavy. And with all the powdered sugar, that made them taste even better. As for the cafe au lait (half coffee, half hot milk), well, it was so-so, but still a little too bitter for me. So I took Nicole's advice and threw a bunch of the extra powdered sugar along with some of the granulated sugar right into the cup. I'm sure I used a good half cup of sugar! But that was the only way I was going to drink the thing!

We took the streetcar down to Julia St, thought we had to wait 15 minutes for it to come. And we probably could have walked that distance in not much more than 15 minutes anyway! In any event, we checked out the Central Business District with the Civil War Museum and the Lee Circle with a very tall statue of Robert E. Lee. The museum had a lot of old war artifacts. It was basically one big room, wasn't the best, but it was a decent way to kill an hour.

We walked back up Magazine Street because I heard there was some nice places to shop and possibly eat. Well, apparently we were walking in the wrong section, it was mostly businesses and parking lots. Nicole gave up on it a little bit too early (we should have kept going to Canal St)and we turned east down Podyras Street towards the river. So we went shopping at the Riverwalk Marketplace and it was a cool place. The first thing we found was this memorabilia shop with all kinds of unique merchandise like paintings of Republican presidents shooting pool and paintings of Democrat presidents playing poker. They had the sports heritage banners, statues of animals, personalized photos, newspaper clipping collections on different subjects, etc. It was just a cool place to walk around and explore.

We walked around the mall and got a couple of shrimp po' boys at the food court. They weren't the best, it was a food court after all, but it hit the spot. And thank God they came with tartar sauce and not mayonnaise! We checked out some fine souvenir shops and I have to admit I came close to buying a fedora. But in all fairness, when would I really wear it? The girls stopped for some fudge. Of course, Catherine had a thing for the peanut butter/chocolate fudge, what a shock that was...I stopped into a food store and brought a packet of seasoning for BBQ shrimp. I haven't made it yet, but we'll see how they turn out. Of course, buying shrimp isn't exactly cheap either. We also stopped in this retro shop and it had artifacts from the 1900's. Lots of 60's and 80's music gear, old TV show merchandise, Who's on First posters, Hulkamania t-shirts, a Partridge Family bus. It was like stepping into a time machine.

By the middle of the afternoon, we were starting to feel a little bit tired and we took the streetcar back to the hotel. I headed straight into the creepy room, took of my shoes, laid down on the bed, and turned on my Ipod. Within five minutes, Catherine tells me we're heading back out! So it was more shopping, this time in the French Quarter. We stopped at Central Grocery for some muffuletas that we planned to save for dinner. I think by this point, I was on autopilot. We went to Bourbon St and we each drank a hurricane and Nicole and I "sang" Happy Birthday to Catherine. It was okay, it tasted like a twisted Hawaiian Punch, but I preferred the sweetness of the grenade. Now I figured that was about it for the night. Not quite. We walked back to Jackson Square and into Cafe Beignet for another order of beignets! These were bigger than the ones at Cafe Du Monde too. They tasted good, but I noticed they were heavier than the ones we'd had earlier that morning. But I didn't think too much of it at the time. Plus Catherine was giving way too much love to this cat that was hanging around the Cafe patio...

After a few more stops (I can't remember, the hurricane was getting to me a little bit, probably because I drank it so quickly), we got back to room for the Rangers game against Florida. Actually, the hurricane was really getting to Nicole. She said she didn't like it, yet, she kept drinking it too! I would have offered to help. Anyway, we were all on the couch watching the Rangers and I realized about midway through the first period that I was experiencing some bad stomach cramps. During both intermissions, I actually went in my room and laid down, even falling sound asleep during the second break. Eventually, I felt better, but I decided to skip the muffuletta. I felt much better when Gaborik scored in OT to give the Rangers the win. And right after that, we all got to watch the final episode of 24/7. Stellar. I think I shut up the whole time while I listened to the girls gawk over Del Zotto, Lundqvist, and Girardi.

So I really wasn't feeling too great about the whole thing as I went to bed. But for the second straight night, I was blessed with some company in bed. We kissed, went to bed, woke up around 4, and...

More travel? Here we go...NOLA! Part 1

2012-01-07T09:48:00.024-06:00

So I was supposed to fly nonstop from Chicago to New Orleans at 2:25 on Wednesday. Accordingly, I checked in for my flight online 24 hours prior and found out that the 7:00 am flight had been cancelled. Even worse, that was the only one of the three flights that was a large plane and not an American Eagle. So all those passengers wound up on my flight. That resulted in my plane being booked at 65/65. After some quick replanning, I decided to change my schedule. First, I took all of Wednesday off from work instead of just half the day. I woke up at 3:30 am and caught a seat on the 6 AM flight. I was a little disconcerted by the 300-pound woman sitting in front of me who saw fit to lean her seat back before we even took off. But anyway. I did see a Jets fan and offered my sympathies. We were ready to leave the gate, but there was a fuel leak and we had to get a new plane. That delayed us maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. So we had to board a new plane. And as I walked through the first class section, there was Jet guy! I figured they upgraded him to first class out of sympathy. Anyway, I got to Dallas and it just served to shorten my layover, so no problem there. I wolfed down a steak taco and a chicken taco at Urban tacos before boarding the 12:05 plane to New Orleans. There were maybe ten open seats, so it wasn't that hard. And considering I was going to take a 2:30 plane out of Chicago initially, I landed about 3 hours sooner that what I had planned.

As I stepped into the terminal, I had to make sure I wasn't in Detroit. There were mobs of people sporting Univ. of Michigan attire. They had just beaten Virginia Tech in a bowl game the night before. I felt some trepidation as I waited for my bag. Since it was taken at the gate and had to connect to a second light, it just didn't sit well with me. Eventually, it arrived and I headed to the Airport shuttle desk. The lady called me "Honey" at least three times and "Darlin'" I think twice. I sat down right behind the driver's seat and noticed a good-looking athletic blonde sitting across from me. I recognized her from the Dallas flight, she was across from me then. We chatted and I found out she was Rebecca Bennett, and she does news report and podcasts for K-Love Radio. So that led to talks about travel, church, and so on.

Now there were 15 people on the bus and we had no idea who was getting dropped off when. When the driver said "De La Monnie" I pumped my fist and couldn't help but laugh with Rebecca and Gene, an older guy from Iowa who sat between us.

So I arrived at the hotel somewhere around 2:15. Catherine came downstairs and we shared a hug before heading upstairs. This is a really old hotel, doesn't have much size, it's more about the location right on the border of the French Quarter and Fauborg while the Riverfront streetcar line begins less than a block away. I gave Nicole a hug when I saw her too and after I unpacked my stuff, we all headed straight to the French Market. There were tons of t-shirts (Mostly Saints and trashy stuff), records, hats, jewelry, and so on. For my first drink, I went with a rum spiced cider for six bucks. It's a good drink to warm up with, but the rum added a sour taste that I wasn't in love with. We continued to stroll down Decatur St and I saw Cafe Du Monde, St. Luois Cathedral, Jackson Square, the Cabildo, the Presbytere, and the Jackson St Brewery. Still saw loads of Va Tech and Michigan gear. We headed back to Room 312 to clean up.

Around 5:45, we left to walk to Irene's, a very popular Italian restaurant near our hotel. Nicole said she knew where she was going, so I left my maps behind. I shouldn't have. We wound up on Bourbon St and when we asked a cop for directions, he pointed us in the wrong direction. So it was a 6 pm reservation and we arrived maybe 20 minutes late. But the maitre'd and the owner all greeted us warmly, asked our names, and shook our hands. Catherine started with some escargot and one glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I knew I was getting an entree and a dessert, so I opted for iced tea. And the complimentary bruschetta was awesome. Melted mozzarella, fresh tomato sauce, soft and crispy bread. That's the way it should be! I ordered a duck with a raspberry and pancetta glaze with glazed nuts along with a mashed sweet potatoes and fresh spinach. I enjoyed the crisp skin and I also liked that the duck wasn't too greasy. The sweet potato had a very nice rich flavor too. Catherine went with the roast chicken and Nicole took some veal marsala. For dessert, Nicole got bread pudding, Catherine got a chocolate truffle, and I went with a Creole cheesecake with a Grand Marnier glaze. I liked mine, but wasn't exactly blown away.

So we asked for the check and I figured I would have to throw in maybe 40-45 bucks. Our waiter, Rob, informed us that the check was already picked up. It turned out Nicole's mom made the reservation and also picked up the bill. I was kicking myself! I wished I had some Pinot Noir or Merlot! No, just boring iced tea. But in truth, it was a great gesture.

From there, we went over to Bourbon St, it must have been 8:30 by now. Our first stop was the Tropical Isle for a grenade. Catherine had warmed me about this drink, about how potent it was. We split a large one on the rocks. It came in a tall light, green glass that looked like an actual grenade. The recipe is kept secret, but I hear it's a blend of melon liquer, gin, rum, vodka, and grain liquor, all served in equal parts. Amazingly, it tasted very sweet. I could have probably drank another with no problem. I did opt for an Abita Amber beer, a local brew that I enjoyed. At one point, I had to use the men's room. On my way over there I passed by this machine on the wall, it looked like a typical gumball machine. Except there wasn't any candy in this particular machine. I looked at the sign and it said "grenade flavored condoms". Moving on...

Bourbon St has its own dangerous charm to it. There are just things there that can't be found anywhere else. Lots of performers standing totally still, painted from head to toe. One of them was colored totally silver, had a really long beard. And he was sitting prone, looking down, kind of sad I thought. Then I looked again, there was a long purple balloon sticking out from where it shouldn't have been. Just another one of those OMG sights. And I also liked that we could walk by the clubs and hear live blands playing everything from classic rock to blues to country. It's a cool area to be in, thought I think I would pass on Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve.

So we got back to the hotel around 10. I knew I was sleeping in the creepy room. There was room for nothing except a bed, a tiny nightstand, and an old TV hanging from the ceiling. There wasn't even enough space on the floor for me to open my suitcase completely, there wasn't even a lock on the door. And the doors fold open, kind of like a bedroom closet. Not the most ideal situation, but hey, there was a bed at least! I was probably in bed by midnight, though I had some company by around 4 AM...

SOJ

2012-01-01T19:54:00.002-06:00

8-8 finish. Two three game losing streaks. Ten points to make and I'm done with this team for eight months.

1) Mark Sanchez is Browning Nagle with better pieces around him.

2) Eric Smith, goodbye.

3) Wayne Hunter, see above.

4) Brian Schottenheimer, see above and it goes double for him.

5) Matthew Mulligan is the hands down worst tight end I have ever seen.

6) Free agents: Burress (goodbye), Brunell (goodbye), Folk (goodbye), Leonhard (Would give a cheap 1-year deal), O'Connell (goodbye), Pool (goodbye), Pouha (Would bring him back), Strickland (goodbye), Bryan Thomas (Would bring back for a year), Tomlinson (retiring), Rob Turner (OL depth, must bring back-2 years maybe).

7) How can this defense allow a 21 play, 13 minute drive to a Miami offense without Jake Long and Reggie Bush and had Matt Moore, Daniel Thomas, Davone Bess, and Anthony Fasano?

8) I tried to defend Santonio Holmes all season long. After his teammates said he quit today, he is the biggest disgrace for a captain that I can imagine.

9) 43 years and counting for this franchise. 17 for the Rangers (the only title I can remember), 26 for the Mets, 39 for the Knicks. Plus Greg Norman in golf, I'm not going to even start that list.

10) F U to the Giants fans and double to the Patriots.

2011 gone

2011-12-31T22:46:00.002-06:00

So it is now 2012. I'm home form the Chicago Express-Greenville Road Warriors hockey game, won by the Road Warriors in overtime on a very controversial power play goal that literally went through the net and out the other side. Feeling a bit lonely tonight, drinking a pint of Hacker Pschorr. Thought I would reminisce by recalling 10 of my most notable moments from the past 12 months, in no particular order.

1) The Jets second straight run to the AFC title game

2) Catherine and trips

3) Meeting Joe Benigno at Wrigley Field

4) Texas Trip

5) WWE Money In the Bank

6) Car Accident

7) Come Thirsty Sunday morning classes end

8) Betrayal by members of Come Thirsty

9) Time with S. Miller

10) California odyssey

They Go To San Diego

2011-12-25T19:47:00.024-06:00

We wound up arriving at the Argyle steakhouse at the Four Seasons hotel in Carlsbad around 6:30. Some company was having their Christmas party there too, and well, let's just say the walls aren't soundproof. We went with the $99 pre-fixe menu for 2 people and that's the only way I would have eaten at a place this nice. As we sat down, I saw this tiny dish with two powders along with the two tiniest spoons I've ever seen. The two substances were simply salt and pepper. So I could tell right away that this was no ordinary eatery. We started with an included glass of wine each. Then came popovers with a smoky red tomato and roasted pepper and garlic spread. It was amazing. We had a cream of cauliflower soup. For salad, Mom got the iceberg wedge with blue cheese. I got the spinach salad with whole hazelnuts, pears and braised salted bacon. It was hands down the best spinach salad I have ever had. Then again, all I had to do was add bacon!

For entrees, we both had the flat iron steak. Mom had a bleu cheese crust while I had a shallot and red wine sauce. They came with gourmet potato tots (like deep-fried mashed potato) and parmesan jumbo asparagus. They also included a garnish of roasted garlic and roasted tomato. The meat was very tender and the sauce complimented it beautifully. We both ordered sweet potato pound cake with a chantilly whipped cream and we loved it. I wasn't overly comfortable dining in such a fancy restaurant, but I will say Mom picked a fine, fine place. After another 15 minutes of driving, we arrived in Encenitas at David and Jane's place around 8:30. A Stella, some casual conversation, and I was ready for bed!

Day 5 arrived and I awoke early to use the Internet. This thing ran so slow, I think it took 45 minutes to load wfan.com alone. It was just a disaster. Anyway, we left at 10:15 and I had already been awake for three hours. We first went to La Jolla, a bougie coastal town and had breakfast at a place called Brockton Villa for some Coast Toast. Basically, this is like a thicker cut of French toast combined with an orange souffle. With a little bit of their berry preserve spread, it was really good. I would probably return for it, I don't know if it's worth $12 though. And I had a side of thick cut bacon too...There was a guy sitting next to us with his wife. Mom mentioned how nice his hair was, how texturized it was, whatever that term means. But his laugh was so loud and so over the top, people at two tables moved inside just to get away from him. After the guy left, Mom and Jane mentioned to the cute girl server about him. She said "Oh, that's my boyfriend's father." Unreal.

Anyway, right across the street from the BV is a small park and a beach with a ton of large rocks. And the rocks were absolutely overrun by loads of pigeons and seals. I also spotted a stray pelican or two. Throw in 65 degrees and that I was wearing shorts in December, it was a pretty radical departure from life in the Midwest. We then drove south into the Beach towns: Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach. PB has a pretty good nightlife reputation and even a bar with every Chicago sports team's flag flying outside of it. MB, directly south, is a smaller, quieter town while OB is all about surfers and used to be a hippie neighborhood. It's a little more of an off-beat, funky spot now. I wanted to get to Hodad's for a bacon cheeseburger, but...the line was out the door, it would have been so good!

Anyway, we went onto Del Mar, a very affluent beach town before visiting Torrey Pines, first the famous golf course of the name. The South course has hosted the U.S. Open tournament, has an annual tournament every January, and is also the spot Scott Peterson was arrested for killing Laci. Anyway, I brought an orange Greg Norman golf shirt, 45 bucks or so. Just for laughs, I checked the green fees of the South course. For San Diego residents, it costs $61. Not too bad. For non-residents, $183. I was hoping that number was pesos. I mean, it costs three times as much? Crazy, crazy. And then we went to the TP state park and hiked the trails up and downhill for almost three hours before reaching the bottom, leading two walking the beach for a half hour to get back to the car. And we got to the end of the beach just as the sun was setting.

We were all pretty spent, so we drove into Del Mar for happy hour at the Brigantine. I had mentioned I wanted to try some fish tacos, and did I ever. They come in a corn tortilla with fried fish filets, cheddar cheese, ranch, pico de gallo, and cabbage. I squeezed on a little fresh lime and hot sauce and wow! The fish was crispy, the veggies tasted fresh. The combo of ingredients sounds strange, but they marry togetyher just beautifully. A typical order of two costs $9.50; each one at happy hour cost just $2.75. Before it was all over, I wolfed down four and washed them down with a pair of Coronas. Thanks to Dave for picking up the check. I also met Zach (Dave's grandson) and Lauren, his GF.

We went back to the house and put up some lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree. A woman named Anne, who I guess works for American Airlines in San Diego, came over and she and I almost duked it out when she started talking about how great Tom Brady was, althought she could not remember his name. What a shock. By this time, I was half asleep anyway, so I just said a subtle good night and headed into bed.

Day 6, my final full day, Christmas Eve Eve. It was about one place all day long and that was the San Diego Zoo inside Balboa Park. With my height issues, I still wasn't totally comfortable taking the Sky tram to the other side of the park, let alone paying $4 to board it! But we did it anyway and headed straigtht to the Happy Feet 4D theater. polar bears pandas elephants orangutans zebras sloth bear tigers giraffe rhino Lunch turned into an absurd adventure. stuffed polar bear and a mouse pad with maybe 11 animals on it.

We left around 3:30 pm and had about 4+ hours to kill before going to Croce's Jazz Bar in the Gaslamp district. We checked out Seaport Village for some window shopping and cupcakes. We drove up India Street, just north of downtown and west of Balboa Park That six or so block stretch is Little Italy. We somehow found a place to park and walked down the street looking for a place. I had read about this place that blended Brazilian steaks and an Italian steakhouse. I think they should just name the place Heaven’s Restaurant. A bit more than we wanted to spend, so we kept going. Eventually, we found a place and I can’t remember the name. We wound up having a few salads (my second spinach salad inside of a week). I liked that on the menu it advertised that the pizzas were made with bottled water and semolina flour. So we took the bait and split a very nice 12-inch pie, made with prosciutto, artichokes, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

From there, we spent 20 minutes driving around the jammed Gaslamp District searching in vain for a parking spot. I wound up swallowing the figurative shoe polish and paying $10 for a spot in a garage. So we walked about three blocks and arrived at Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar around 7:45. We found two open seats at the bar and was very happy to hear Jim Croce music playing. The restaurant is rather smaller than I expected, but it does have some nice memorabilia. So I walked around for a few minutes and observed some of the rare photos of the late great singer-songwriter and his family.

Since Croce's menu is very fancy and expensive, I just ordered dessert and picked the apple tart with butter pecan ice cream and caramel corn. I had never seen a combo like this. It was an acquired taste, but it made sense. The saltiness and crunch of the corn complemented the sweetness of the ice cream and caramel quite nicely. For $8.00, I don’t think I would order it again though. I saw Jim's widow Ingrid very briefly before she disappeared for the night. Although she walked right by me, sadly, I didn't get to meet her.

A blues band played that evening, a four-piece band and a vocalist. It was pretty cool, and I have to point one thing out and it’s awkward. The vocalist was a black woman, around maybe 60. Her chest was so largely out of proportion to her the rest of her body, that I couldn’t even bear to look at her. We were both pretty worn out, so we called it a night pretty early. There was one pleasant surprise though. When we got our bill, we did not see the $10 per person for the cover charge. So we took off for Encenitas around 9:15; we had been out for maybe 13 hours by that point.

And so then there was Christmas Eve. Day 7. It was about the Jets versus the Giants and what a freaking disaster. We left early in the morning following another unsuccessful attempt to use the internet. I got to the Gaslamp District around 9:20 in the morning. There were a few people walking around town, but it was closer to empty. Mom and Jane went off to Coronado for sightseeing and some shopping. After taking a few pictures of Croce’s and some other sights, I walked south on 5th Avenue to Henry’s. As I opened the door to enter, I couldn’t believe what I saw. There were Jets banners hanging from the ceiling, inflatable Jets dolls, and about 30 Jets fans already there. I think we wound up getting to around 100 people by game time. They even had a special menu for Jets fans. Went with a $5.00 breakfast sandwich and I have to say it felt very strange eating breakfast with football about to start.

I met a few interesting people. Rob, the organizer of the group, is a loud fun-loving Hispanic guy and was very welcoming. A little overly optimistic, but that’s ok. Sergio is the photographer and he looks just like Rex Ryan and he actually dresses like Rex for the games. I’m not saying that’s a good look to be sharing, but that’s the way it is. Todd was the first guy I talked to, pretty big guy, very nice. Colin was a little younger than me, I sat at his table most of the day. Brittney and Melissa are both gorgeous, they came across as legit So Cal socialites and they sat at our table too. Britt actually took off during the second quarter and went shopping, never to be seen again. I think I annoyed Melissa since I stated my dislike for mayonnaise. Well, whatever, it wasn’t the first time. I must say I found Michelle very attractive. She lives in Oceanside and is a Jets fan despite living in California her whole life.

The less said about the game, the better. Just one of the worst regular season losses I have ever seen. The Jets absolutely gave that game away. And to see the cocky Giants fans bragging on the internet…it was just disgusting.

So when it was time to leave, I turned on my Ipod and played some classic Benigno rants. I just walked a few blocks west to Nordstrom’s in a complete stupor. I may have let out a couple of loud groans and yells in the middle of downtown San Diego. I came across three Jets fans I saw at the bar, including a girl named Jen and we hugged. It took Mom and Jane about 15 minutes to find the car. When we stopped at some café for lunch, I passed. They had French Onion soup and split some kind of funky salad with chicken, apples, and some other California-esque ingredients. I did wind up eating some leftover French bread, but whatever.

We got back around 5:00 and I drank a couple of Stellas, I think I had five in three days. And so it was time to go. Around 5:20, we took off north up I-5 for LAX. The 2-hour commute went pretty smooth, we just hit a touch of traffic in Orange County. We got in really early, around maybe 7:00 for an 11:20 flight. With the extra time, we split some chicken nachos at On the Border. And when you run out of beverage for 10 minutes at a Mexican joint, that’s a problem with the staff. Getting the flight turned out to be a very close call, we really didn’t know if we’d make it. If we missed, we would have to wait over six hours for the next one. Thankfully, we got the last two seats on the plane. Since I and everyone else with any common sense was sleeping, the 30 straight minutes of turbulence was not a welcome part of the trip. But we got through it, and landed around 5:15 in Chicago on Christmas morning.

We got home around 7:15 and I unpacked while Mom napped. We managed our way up to Willow Creek Church for the Hybels family service at 10 pm and I’m glad we did because it would have been a shame to not at attend church during all of Christmas weekend. But we went, really enjoyed the service, arrived home for the second time at noon, and collapsed.

LA Invasion

2011-12-25T15:04:00.011-06:00

So following four hours of sleep on Saturday night, we took the four-hour 6:40 flight from O'Hare to LAX. Outside, the temperature must have been around 60 degrees, but it may as well have been 85. Mom picked up our navy blue Nissan Sentra from Fox Rental Cars and there's no doubt we put a few hundred miles on that puppy, maybe close to a thousand.

Marina Del Rey is two neighborhoods north of LAX and I was very surprised how crammed the neighborhood was. I had visions of a quiet town, very touristy, almost like the eastern end of Long Island. It turned out to be filled with strip malls, a lot of traffic, and construction of condos right next door to the Courtyard we were staying at. We got Room 460, the last remaining room. After setting our room up, we decided to head north up to the mountains. The first stop was Brent's Deli in Northridge, a real Jewish deli. The French dip was decent enough, not great. They had great crisp, fresh pickles and I always like a good Dr. Brown's root beer. But I had a #3-corned beef, pastrami, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, Russian dressing, and deli mustard on double-baked rye bread. Excellent sandwich.

We then headed north to Simi Valley to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The drive off RR Blvd to the museum includes flags of every President, which is cool. Lots of audio and video exhibits, some old artifacts from his birthplace, Dixon, IL, a town I know well. I wouldn't call the place a must-see, I would call it good. The highlight was probably the opportunity to step on board a real Air Force One that Reagan flew on for years. We also visited his crypt, located in the Central Garden. And considering how the Republican debates are going and the inadequacy of our current President, I wish we had someone like him leading our country now.

We took a long drive west down the Ventura Highway (And I played the America song of the same name). We got somewhat lost, but found our way to the PCH eventually. The highlight was visiting Malibu during sunset. The mountains just seem to drop revealing houses and a beach road and then the Pacific Ocean. We had dinner at the Reel Inn and had some amazing seafood dinner. I had grilled Cajun snapper, rice, steamed veggies, salad, and a drink, and it only cost me about $16. Mom went with the Cajun orange roughy. And we had a view where we could scope out the PCH and the ocean as the sun set. Just a tremendous restaurant. Thank you Man vs Food Nation. We headed back into MDR through Santa Monica and Venice before shutting down for the night early. I really think I fell asleep by 9:30 at night.

Day 2 was all about Los Angeles. After a solid workout, we began driving northeast into Beverly Hills. We walked through the infamous Beverly Hills Hotel, the site of the cover for the Eagles famous Hotel California album. Of course, I wore my Hotel California t-shirt and it certainly got some laughs from the hotel staff. We then drove down Hollywood Boulevard through the Sunset Strip and past the Troubadour, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, and other famous clubs. We arrived in downtown and saw Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater, and plenty of celebrity impersonators. We probably would have gotten out and explored, had my camera not died. So we headed west two blocks to LaBrea Avenue for Pink's hot dogs. We got three: the Today Show dog (2 hot dogs in one bun, mustard, onions, chili, cheese & guacamole), the Mullholland Drive dog (10 inch stretch dog, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, cheddar cheese & bacon), and I got the Philly dog (dog with Philly steak, American and Swiss cheese, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms). The Today show tasted okay, but the chili and guac combo is just weird to get used to. The Philly was just tremendous. Drank a cream soda for the first time in maybe 20 years! The fries were okay, nothing special. I would certainly return.

We then headed over to the Hollywood Bowl and managed to sneak our way inside and I took some photos. What's so cool is there are no elevators, it's just concrete, stairs, and ramps. I think we spent the next three hours navigating the tight curves and bends around the plush houses in the Hollywood Hills, trying to grasp a decent view of the Hollywood sign. We tried to find Griffith Park, a huge public park in north LA, because I heard that was a good place to see the sign and they also had a great observatory of the city. We had no such luck getting anywhere near there. So I just called it off and asked Mom to drive to Dodger Stadium, that took maybe 10 minutes. I did notice how close together so many great tourist attractions are to each other in LA. For being such a huge city, it really isn't too hard to navigate if you know where you're going. Unless of course you're driving north on the 405, which completely blows regardless of time or day.

We then began heading west and stopped in Hollywood again, this time to check out the Farmer's Market, which was mobbed. The food was set up just like an expanded Quincy Market. There wasn't a type of cuisine that wasn't featured, there were booths for Brazilian, New Orleans, hot sauces, BBQ, sushi, etc. Wound up getting some ice cream just to validate the $1 parking. Peppermint for mom, pumpkin for me. We walked past the market into the outdoor shopping area that featured a Jamaican band and Santa's Village for the novelty feel. The mall itself had A&F, Nordstrom, an 18-cinema theater, Barnes & Noble, etc. And I must admit it was a great opportunity to look at some beautiful ladies.

We really wanted to avoid the freeways back to MDR, so we took a ton of sideroads through neighborhoods we probably should have avoided. There was one stoned jackoff who ran right in front of our car trying to make us stop. I screamed and of course Mom shut right down on me for a few hours. But we did at least drive through Washington St in MDR all the way down to the beach. We wound up eating at Island's, which is a tropical themed burger place. Happy hour let me sip a 22-ounce golden ale for just 3 bucks! We wound up eating some sliders and I was happy my plate included over a dozen pickle chips and I didn't even need to ask for them. We also got a basket of fries for two bucks and my God, there must have been three potatoes worth. We may have finished half the fries between us and they were cooked exactly how a french fry should be. Skin-on, just a little seasoning, and crispy and tender at the same time.

We headed back to the room around 6 and Mom said she was just going to lay down and nap. I knew what that meant. She was about to sleep for at least three hours. We did think of catching a movie at the cinema right across the street, but I knew that wasn't happening, at least not that evening. I headed over by myself, but $11 for a ticket seemed a bit much, especially after buying lunch and gasoline. So instead, I went over to Barnes and Noble and finished reading the Andre the Giant biography till about 9:30.

Day 3 (Tuesday) started with a trip to the Getty Museum, tucked high in the hills of L.A. Mom really wanted to check this place out, so who was I to object? I learned when a museum doesn't charge admission, the first thing to do is check the parking price. Fifteen bucks. anyway, this is a art museum that displays works from the Middle Ages to the present day. The unique designs of Richard Meier's architecture also make the Getty one of the more unique structures I've seen in a long time. I liked walking around the Cactus Garden as well as the spiral-shaped Center Garden.

For specific art work, a few pieces stuck out to me in particular. Jan Brueghel's Sermon on the Mount was so intricate and detailed. Aert van der Neer's Moonlit Landscape uses few colors, but the shading is great. And I like the fiery orange in the nighttime too. Vinent Van Gogh's Irises is one of the most popular works in the entire museum. The colors are very vivid and it's remarkable how Van Gogh weaves and layers each flower.

We spent about five hours at the museum, leaving around 3 pm. We drove down to El Pueblo de Los Angeles; I heard it was a nice historic site with a lot of Mexican heritage. We walked through a street fair where every vendor seemed to either sell blankets, shirts, miniature guitars, or lucha libre masks. Lunch was a pair of burritos from a street vendor, and they really weren't that good. Even the sodas didn't taste good! After that, we walked over to the historic Union Street train station, which is renowned for its blend of architecture styles and that it has been around since 1926.

After debating a few ideas on where to go, we finally took one more shot at Griffith Park. After a few minutes of driving uphill and past the Greek Theater, we did find the observatory, although Mom had no desire to walk to it since we would have had to park at least a half mile away. So I just got out and snapped a few quick shots of the valley and the observatory itself. We drove back to MDR to C&O, an Italian joint. I loved the decor immediately, with a ton of Rat Pack memorabilia and their music playing on the jukebox. Great garlic knots too! Mom and I did see Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. While the storyline intrigued me, I found the film rather raw and graphic. I understood it I guess, but I have never disliked a hero or heroine in a film more than Rooney Mara's character.

Day 4 was our transition day, and as it turned out, one of the most grueling on us physically and on our Sentra as well. I certainly would have liked to spend a full day at the beach playing volleyball, but the temperature never even exceeded 65 degrees. Anyway, we checked out of the hotel and drove back to the Santa Monica Pier and spent a good hour there. I remember thinking that it reminded me of Coney Island with the style of shops, the street musicians, the Ferris Wheel, and shops, and then I realized the guy who designed the Pier actually came from Coney Island. About all it needs now is a Subway station and a minor leagues baseball team. I purchased a beaded necklace, my first souvenir. It was cool walking to the end of the pier looking out at the water while listening to the smooth piano of the live musician. Very relaxing indeed. As I walked back, I did see three or four people practicing volleyball and I was in my jeans, so it bummed me out that I couldn't play. And the other thing was the walking surface by the basketball courts. It looked like a composite court, except the ground gave way beneath me. It was sort of bouncing up and down. I don't know what the surface is called, but it's a pretty neat invention.

We drove north a half hour to Burbank and toured NBC Studios from noon till about 1:15. This was where they film the Tonight Show, Carson Daly, Days of Our Lives, etc. With it being Christmas week, there wasn't a whole lot of action going on in the lot. I got to visit the set of the Tonight Show, unfortunately we couldn't take any photos. After 20 minutes of driving east, we found ourselves in Pasadena. We had lunch at Stonefire Grill, I had a few other places in mind, but I guess I had to respect Mom's wishes to eat healthy. Against my will, granted. Anyway, I had a lunch combo of BBQ tri-tip and lemon garlic chicken with a salad and breadstick with a drink for 9 bucks. It was a steal. Almost no carbs, juicy meat, and no tip to pay. And the kitchen staff seriously threw big chunks of raw garlic on the chicken, so even I had to go easy on eating garlic!

Our plan was to travel the entire PCH from LAX all the way to Carlsbad, where we had a 7 pm dinner reservation. But Mom became infuriated that we traveled northeast when we were heading south later. I just didn't realize time was an issue for her, I thought 5 hours would more than suffice. Well, after some arguments, I got us back to the PCH, unfortunately none of it became picturesque until we hit Long Beach, so that was kind of a wasted hour all in all. Although it would have been nice to stop and spend time in Redondo Beach or maybe Manhattan Beach. One town that stuck out was Huntington Beach, it is just gorgeous.

Atlanta Blue-Day 2

2011-12-05T19:57:00.025-06:00

The alarm woke me up at 7 and I right headed down to the second floor for a workout. It wasn't near the best I've ever experienced; it's really hard to get a good strength workout at a hotel that isn't spectacular. One cable cross machine with no bench. And an elliptical that didn't even have moving arms.

From there, I walked outside, heading west towards the touristy area of downtown. I checked out the Omni Hotel and CNN Tower. Just west of that was the Philips Arena, at the site of the old Omni. Behind the Arena, I could see the Georgia Dome in the distance. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery power as I was about to snap my final photograph of the Atlanta shaped steel arches in front of the Arena. I picked up a Green machine Naked juice when I got back. I pretty much knew that would be about my only chance to eat anything healthy all day.

Mom and I headed out together and made the mile walk west to Centennial Olympic Park. I explored the Olympic Fountain of Rings, the many torches, and the brickwalk. Across Baker Street is Pemberton Place, which houses the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium, the largest indoor aquarium in the entire world. John Pemberton, a Georgia pharmacist, invented Coca-Cola in 1886. We entered the World of Coke at 10 am. There were artifacts from all over the world: bottles from Argentina, Ecuador, etc. Huge bottle openers, advertising signs, clothing, etc. Then came the animated Happyfication theater. I took my picture with the polar bear, which was quite cool. We also saw the bottling plant, the Milestone of refreshment (lots of interactive games, history, and a display of at least 150 Coke beverage can/bottle designs from throughout the last 120 years). I got to trace the classic logo with my finger and it's really hard to make the holes in the a's and o's.

We headed the the second level to the pop culture gallery. There was the Coke couch from Season 4 of American Idol, a kisok to make my own Coke computer-generated art, and a wall dedicated to the failed New Coke experiment from 1985. Then came the 4-D theater, which has the moving seats and blasts of wind and water, and yes, I got wet. Last, but not least, came the tasting room which offers guests a chance to try 60 different beverages from across the globe.

I probably went through at least 20. I has a lemon soda from England, it was marvelous. The Italian soda called Beverly tasted terribly bitter and tasted more like straight alcohol. Definitely my least favorite. The Mozambique ginger ale was really good and relaxing. The Mexican iced tea featured a very robust lemon flavor. I never had Barq's red cream soda before, and I'm typically not a big fan of cream soda, but I really enjoyed this one. And gingerbread coke could very well become a new holiday tradition for me.

The last stop was the gift shop and Mom and I could not agree. It was my money, I brought a sign and I'm still mad I did not buy a glass. She wanted me to get this big empty bottle, which must have been four feet tall, to drop spare change into. Sounded good, but how was I going to get that into an airplane?

Anyway, we walked another half mile north just past Georgia Tech. It was time for some grub. So many people have told me about the Varsity and have recommended it. It is the world's largest drive-thru and one of the most iconic eateries in Georgia. We ordered two Number 1's:a pair of steamed chili dogs with yellow mustard and beanlesss beefy chili. Mom got the fries and I got the rings. I have to say those were the best onion rings I've had since I was in Mount Morris, so that probably goes back ten years. They're cut not too thin, not too thick and the coating on the outside tasted just tremendous. I found the dogs to be very good. I'm not used to chili The addition of chopped onions added an extra layer of flavor that I think made them better. I passed on the soda and a sweet tea for the frosted orange, which tasted like the thickest creamsicle ever. Tremendous! I can only imagine how much better it would be on one of those hot Georgia summer afternoons. But the thickness was insane. It took 45 minutes of walking to finish it off, I do not exaggerate.

We planned to take the 3:30 flight home, but we got to the airport early and took the 2:15. We stepped off the plane into a welcoming December atmosphere of 30 degrees and rain. Of course, the airline misplaced Mom's lost luggage.

All in all, it was a good 36 hours. There are some nice features of Atlanta, but I wouldn't want to spend much time in the heart of the city. I'm just no redneck.

Atlanta Blue-Day 1

2011-12-05T19:02:00.022-06:00

Ever so slowly, I rolled out of bed at 4:45 and we left for O'Hare around 5:40. There wasn't too much traffic on a Sunday morning either, we got to the airport quickly and I navigated my way through the security line in maybe ten minutes. We took the 7:45 flight on American Eagle and this was one of the worst looking airplanes I had ever flown on. I sat down and the inside of my seat had tears in it. There was no armrest in the middle of the two seats and the pilot didn't make it easier. Granted, we were flying through a thick sea of gray clouds for an hour, but the
turbulence was as bad as I ever felt in 10 years. It was so bumpy i asked the flight attendant for a cup of ginger ale on the rocks just to calm my stomach down. And when the pilot landed the plane, he jammed on the brakes like he suddenly realized he had been driving a car on black ice.

So we took a 20-minute ride on the Marta rail north to Peachtree. We got a little lost on Peachtree St, but made our way to the Marriott Courtyard. We couldn't check in because people were still getting ready to leave following the SEC championship game. I was amazed how many people were wearing purple and yellow for LSU. It was like being right in Baton Rouge. We dropped our bags off and started our walk into town.

As we strolled the mile up Peachtree St into midtown, I was amazed how one block evolved into another. One one block, there'd be a Hard Rock Cafe, a Brazilian steakhouse, and an accounting firm. On the next block, there would be homeless people sitting on the lawn overlooking Highway 75. We got to Gladys Knight and Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles for lunch. There were already a dozen people outside by 11:45, so we knew we found a pretty hip spot. The hostess told us the wait would take 35 minutes or less, and that turned into 55 minutes.

Finally, we were seated in the back room. I had a good view of the TV to watch Atlanta vs Houston. We both drank Uptowns, or Arnold Palmers. Huge glasses, that's always a plus. And I was so thirsty at this point, I probably would have felt re-hydrated drinking Nyquil. We started off with some fried green tomatoes, a fine southern appetizer. They had a nice Cajun spice on them and the outside tasted nice and crisp. But the remoulade sauce lacked a lot of flavor and I am a huge remoulade fan. Not this one.

We both ordered the Uncle Ron, which are three-piece fried chicken meals. Three pieces of chicken with two sides. Mom went with squash casserole and a great mac and cheese; I went wit house potatoes (shredded potatoes with peppers, onions, and Creole seasoning) and collard greens. They also came with the fluffiest corn muffins I've ever had. The chicken was incredibly juicy. The breading was nice and crisp, but could have used a touch more spice for my liking, I added a few dashes of hot sauce and that did the trick.

For dessert, we split the sweet potato cheesecake. Just before it came out, our waiter, Claude, asked us the easiest question of all time. "Would you like pecans, whipped cream, and caramel on your cheesecake?" The graham cracker crust tasted smooth ands buttery and not at all overwhelming. The pecans gave a nice crunch and zest, the caramel brought all the flavors together, and well, whipped cream is whipped cream. Just a wonderful dessert.

From there, we took a 45-minute walk southeast up and downhill to the Martin Luther King site. We walked through the Civil Rights Walk of Fame which features many notable Civil Rights figures' footprints. Politicians, athletes, entertainers, businessmen. Hank Aaron, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Stevie Wonder, Ted Turner, Sammy Davis Jr, and probably a lot of names I don't recognize. I am stunned there is no Oprah.
We then walked through the main exhibit featuring audio and video of Dr. King's life and walked outside to a long pool in the middle of a courtyard, for lack of better words. Right in the middle of the pool were the crypts for Dr. King and his wife.

For me, the highlight was visiting the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church, where his father preached, where MLK gave his first sermon, where his funeral was conducted, and where his mother was assassinated in 1974. We walked in and I was asked to remove my Jets hat. After climbing a flight of steps, we headed into the sanctuary. One of Dr. King's sermons was playing. It was very haunting, I sat in the front row and just let his words about family, following God's plan, and justice wash over me for about 15 minutes. Then, we headed downstairs to Fellowship Hall, which showcased an interview with Coretta Scott King as well as the long and storied history of the church, which goes back to 1886.

We didn't really need to stay another 30 minutes to tour the birthplace, so we walked 20 minutes west back to the Courtyard. It was getting close to 3:30 pm and Mom's feet were starting to ache by now, we'd walked 4-5 miles for the day. Quick sidenote. During this stretch, we faced our third of maybe six panhandlers of the day. I tried to ignore this guy, since I figured the less interaction, the better. Well, he was a black guy, around 60, and he started complaining that I didn't like black people. He screamed not all black people are bad. I didn't respond to the man, nothing good was going to come out of doing that. It was pretty comical. And I know you've got beggars in every major city in America. The difference is, in Atlanta, there is nobody else walking on the street than you can use to shield yourself. You HAVE to face these guys, like it or not.

So we hung in the hotel for two hours. I watched football and tracked the end of the Jets' victory in Washington D.C. For the evening, I wanted to travel north to the posh Buckhead neighborhood, but by now it was 5 pm and we knew all the shops were going to close at 6 pm on Sunday night. So we decided to stay local and hit up Ted's Montana Grill. Wanting to spread a little Mets pride, I wore my Jose Reyes jersey. Amazingly, our waiter Larry, is a Mets and Giants fan! He was a very amiable guy, laughing a lot and cracking a ton of jokes. I got some bison chili and a Philly bison burger and fresh-cut fries. So messy, but so good.

Mom decided to head back to the room since she was really cold and tired. I wasn't ready go head back to the room so I hit up Meehan's Public House, a local downtown Irish pub. It wasn't the best place to go. I drank a Bushmills on the rocks and an Innis and Gunn. 16 bucks. Lame. Granted, i would have tried the buttermilk-battered chicken fingers with the ancho BBQ sauce if I wasn't so stuffed. Furthermore, the bar was pretty dead, I guess downtown Atlanta is not the cool neighborhood. Even worse, I got the news Reyes had all but signed with Miami for 6 years and over $100 million. That's when I ordered my next drink. I got back to the room around 10 pm. Catherine and I talked on the phone for an hour and ten minutes. I came back in and Mom was half asleep but she had "To Catch a Predator" on the TV. I have to admit, I got caught up in it and watched the rest of the show till 1 AM, which is when I went to bed.

Sunday St Charles blues

2011-11-20T19:29:00.002-06:00

It's been three weeks since Sunday morning classes ended at First Baptist. I am amazed how isolated I feel.

A Big ROH Weekend

2011-11-16T12:44:00.004-06:00

I'm really looking forward to what direction ROH goes (deeper talent roster) and a big answer comes this weekend. On Friday, ROH returns to Dayton, OH for Survival of the fittest. I have to be honest, I've never done well at predicting these singles matches followed by the 6-corner survival. Although I did correctly pick Eddie Edwards to win last year. Here are my predictions (winners highlighted in bold).

Champions Challenge
Davey Richards & Jay Lethal vs World's Greatest Tag Team

Singles Action
El Generico vs Steve Corino

SOTF Qualifying Matches
Rhett Titus vs. Roderick Strong with Truth Martini

Eddie Edwards vs. "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett

Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The Bravado Brothers

Kenny King vs. Michael Elgin vs. Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Andy "Right Leg" Ridge

Finals
Rhett Titus vs Kenny King vs Jay Briscoe vs Mark Briscoe vs Mike Bennett vs Kyle O' Reilly

Top 3 picks
1) Kenny King
2) Kyle O'Reilly
3) Michael Elgin

I definitely think the winner either comes from the 4-corner survival or the Edwards vs Bennett contests.

And one night later, Ring of Honor's tenth annual Glory By Honor event comes to Chicago. I will, of course, be in attendance, skipping Rangers vs Canadiens and a Willow Creek Church singles event.

ROH World Title Match
Davey Richards vs. El Generico

World Tag Team Title Match
Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas vs. The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus)

Proving Ground Match
World TV Champion Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong with Truth Martini

Tag Team Challenge Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The Young Bucks

Special Challenge Match
"Die Hard" Eddie Edwards vs. Kyle O'Reilly

Singles Action
Jimmy Jacobs with Steve Corino vs. “The Dominant Male” Tommaso Ciampa with The Embassy

Four Corner Survival
Adam Cole vs. “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs. “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett vs. Grizzly Redwood

Better to cut ties

2011-11-14T22:18:00.007-06:00

There are pivotal moments in everybody's social life. It can be a conversation, an event, a happening, whatever, and as that event happens, we know that someone has either become a close friend or that they are drifting away. And then there are times where relationships get severed.

So I wrote one or two angry facebook status updates on the disgrace that the New York Jets put on. And this morning, I get a fb message from my old buddy CB. Now CB and I go back a few a years. I have known him five years this December, to be exact. I've always thought he had a good head on his shoulders. He's organized ultimate frisbee soccer. He's excellent at engaging non-believers in discussions about faith, something that I would like to be better at. He made a significant contribution to my Kentucky missions trip last year as well. And I will not forget any of those things.

But just over a year ago, he started dating MR. And I knew MR for a few months prior, I think it was Memorial Day at the house near Josef's Deli when I met her. We shared a nice conversation that day over a game of bags. I was somewhat interested in her, I'm not going to shy away from that. I had considered asking her out, but she was going to a different church, so I really wasn't able to spend much time with her. And I guess I didn't want to appear too aggressive. So I decided to just be nice whenever she came around.

Next thing I knew, it was Labor Day 2010. The Mets got embarrassed by the Cubs, what else is new? I drove straight from the North Side to the intersection of Fabyan Parkway and 25 in Geneva, which took almost 90 minutes. There was ultimate frisbee soccer and a cookout. Much to my surprise, I found out she and CB had been together for a few weeks. And I guess it never cooled down, even to this day.

I was caught a bit off guard, so I decided to keep my distance from MR, not so much CB. I was still hanging with Chris twice a week, on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. But I didn't understand why MR took a few weeks to accept my friend request on fb; I thought that was strange. CB even confronted me about if I had a problem with their relationship. Now I was just his casual friend, so why he would ask me that, who knows? I told him I just didn't understand the fb delay. I guess that was true, but it wasn't the complete truth.

So, it went on for a year. I didn't really care for the sight of them together, but I dealt with it. And CB and I remained friends, so I thought, while MR was the one person in all of Come Thirsty who acted as if I didn't even exist. And so this past week, I saw 37 engagement photos of them up on fb. I've already ranted on the foolishness of this idea; I'm not going into it again.

Then around 1:30 pm, I get a message from CB that both he and MR have decided to defriend me from fb due to my language on Sunday night. The funny thing is CB confronted me about the last time I wrote anything with profanity back in January. And he ripped into me like I had just committed murder. It's so funny how he didn't respond to anything I wrote in the following ten months. So I find it somewhat amusing that both of them decide to do this to me simultaneously like I'm this pervasive negative influence on society. I'm sure I won't get an invitation to their wedding, but I'd just as soon disinvite myself first.

I am a human being. I feel many different emotions at different times. I'm not scared to express myself. And if someone's expectation of me to be their friend is to live a perfect life, to be a robot void of anger or loneliness or fear, well, I'd just as soon stay away from that type of person. I guess neither of them have ever screwed up in the last year, so what the hey, I guess they must be perfect for each other.

One more wrinkle. CB is coming to Feasting and Fellowship on Wednesday night for the first time in maybe two months. It's the group's 2-year anniversary. I don't really plan to say anything to him outside of the text we will be examining. We'll see what happens.

Jets vs. Patriots live blog

2011-11-13T19:20:00.014-06:00

Was going to drink Sam Adams Oktoberfest tonight, but then I remembered it is brewed in Massachusetts. Brooklyn Pilsner instead...

7:31: Kickoff to McKnight. Takes it to the 32. That crowd is crazy!

7:38: The Jets passing game looked amazing. But the Pats bend, don't break. And Nick Folk blows a 24-yard field goal attempt. Are you kidding me?

7:45: The defense decided not to show up initially. Chad OchoCinco actually made a catch. They do stop New England eventually. But Kyle Wilson drops a sure INT on 3rd down and Gostowski drills a 50-yard field goal. 3-0.

7:56: Drive stalls at midfield Sanchez overthrows a receiver by 50 feet. Terrible punt on top of it. This is looking terrible.

8:01: 53 yards to Ocho Cinco. I am beside myself.

8:03: Field goal. 6-0.

8:08: Sanchez sacked by Andre Carter, who was not even blocked. First quarter over and this is looking like SOJ.

8:13: The Jets convert a 3rd and 17...only to have it overturned on offensive pass interference. That asshole Edelman pulls of a 16-yard punt return. Amazing how bad this is.

8:19: 3 and out and the 3rd INT dropped. The offense better get going and quick.

8:23: Burress with a fine diving catch over the middle for a first down. The offense is showing the ability to move the ball, but if you don't get points...

8:24: The offensive line sucks tonight. Andre Carter looks like Lawrence Taylor.

8:32: Punt down to the 7-yard line. 3 and out. Kerley does nothing with the return. Time to go to work. 7:34 left in the second quarter. Oh BTW, 10-yard penalty on the Jets. Penalties, missed coverages, dropped INT's, the missed field goal. God help us.

8:40: Sacked again. This offense continues to suck against the worst defense in football. Punt to the 8.

8:44: Safety! Jamaal Westerman slams Mr. Overrated in the end zone! 4:44 to go.

8:47: Joe McKnight has no burst whatsoever. The toe is clearly bothering him. Cromartie should return in the second half. Devin McCourty injured his right shoulder and likely will not return. A very thin NE secondary is only getting more vulnerable. But the o-line must protect Sanchez.

8:50: Tomlinson with a big 16-yard run up the middle. Down to the NE 32. 2:30 left in the half.

8:51: Patrick Turner (Who?) 22 yards over the middle. They're at the NE 10! Two-minute warning.

8:54: On 2nd down, Keller catches a pass at the 3. So it's 3rd and goal from the 2. I would run it here. Time out.

8:56: Four WR and Greene. Sanchez in the shotgun and runs it in! TD Jets! 9-6!

9:03: Welker and Gronkowski embarrass the defense. Eric Smith with a hideous 15-yard face mask penalty.

9:07: That fucker Gronkowski. 13-9 New England. I am in a horrible mood right now.

9:29: 3 and out. But Gronkowski could have made that sideline catch though. Jim Leonhard returns this punt...and not for much. I'll be stunned to see McKnight again tonight.

9:32: Jets start on their own 45. Very good field position. Three straight incompletions. WTF.

9:36: David Harris with a huge open field tackle. Joe Fucking McKnight fumbles the punt. They are giving everything away.

Into the cold

2011-11-12T22:35:00.002-06:00

Well the days of the high temperature not reaching 40 have arrived. Let's bullet it today.

1) Whose Facebook is so embarrassing that they post zero for a month and then throw up 37 engagement photos? MR. I understand wedding photos? But who gives a rat's ass about an engagement photo? What makes it distinctive than any other photo in the park, on the beach, or wherever?

2) Jamey Johnson. Awesome singer/songwriter.

3) Sunday morning at First Baptist are over. I went back to Wheaton Bible Church today and it was good to be back. I brought Pastor Bugh's book, "When the Bottom Drops Out" and I'm excited to read it.

4) Mom leaves tomorrow for another tour, this one to exotic Branson, MO. That'll be the last one for a while. Unfortunately, she gets home Thursday night, right at the same time the Jets are playing the Broncos. Yep, I'll be DVR'ing.

5) The Rangers have won six straight games and I am feeling good about that. The new line of Gaborik, Anisimov, and Stepan has been generating a lot of offense. The power play is moving the puck very effectively and scoring at a respectable rate. At least it is not the albatross it has been for the last few years. And Ryan McDonagh looks like he will be a fixture on defense for 10 years. If only Marc Staal was healthy...

6) Went to the Improv last night and saw Chris Porter perform. Kind of a bitter observational comic. A little more blue language than I needed. Some parts were funny, some just weren't. Decent job, just not anyone I'd pay to see. And my ginger peach decaf tea cost 6 bucks! By comparison, I could have had two beers for $8!

7) Grilling Guy Fieri Bloody Mary flank steak from Costco. Should be interesting...

8) Work is moving back to Hoffman Estates next Monday. The shorter commute is certainly good for me, except on Wednesdays. But there is that 12-9 shift that is rearing its very ugly, beastly head. And this job better not turn into a call center...

9) 34 days till Los Angeles. 38 days till San Diego. 54 days till New Orleans.

10) 2:30 till Jets vs Patriots. A win tonight and the Jets claim sole possession of first place in the AFC East. Now is the time!

Oh Those Friday Night Blues

2011-10-29T00:34:00.003-05:00

They get in your shoes and they work to bring you down.

1) 3 of 6 my Sam Adams Octoberfests have been drank. Tomorrow, I may break open the Brooklyn Pilsners...

2) I may need theose beers to get through another Rangers game tomorrow afternoon. Seriously, how can John Tortorella put Erik Christensen on the top line centering Marian Gaborik? EC makes under $1 million and will definitely be gone in a year. Meanwhile, Brad Richards gets signed for 9 years, almost $7 million per season on average, and he gets demoted to the second line. So the top line is Gabby, EC, and Wojtek Wolski. That is without a doubt the softest top line in the history of top lines.

3) Marc Staal, where ae you?

4) I keep digging Jamey Johnson's music. It is very raw, very simple, thought-provoking, and I love that almost every song has some pedal steel! I hope he comes to Chicago soon.

5) Got some trips to research: San Diego, Los Angeles, and New Orleans.

6) I'm very disappointed in Blueshirt Underground holding their next viewing party on December 28th, a Wednesday night between Christmas and New Year's. Flights will be brutal to get and I'm already taking 6 days off of work right before that. That timing just sucks.

7) Mom is off in Destin, Florida for the next week. And this is as quiet as a weekend as I can remember. Nothing too exciting planned for Saturday. Jets off, Bears off, Giants with a likely cupcake against Miami. And the final Come Thirsty Sunday morning lesson. There's something else that sucks.

8) Speaking of the Jets, I think these next four games will determine what kind of season can really have. At Buffalo, New England, at Denver, Buffalo. If they are to have a real shot at the AFC East, they really need to win all three of the division games. Now their bye is this week and most teams have been losing when they have been coming off their bye this season. Furthermore, the Jets have been getting off to terribly slow starts in almost all of their games. So Rex needs to figure out a way to have this team coming out ready to play hard in a hostile environment.

9) Smithtown, Beirut, Denver, Middle Village, there seems to be a pattern with certain people who live in these respective places. Maybe it's just safer for me when the girl is far away.

10) Dang, it's already 1:15 in the morning. better get back to the gym tomorrow after three days away. Maybe I'll even go on Sunday afternoon for a change.

It's been at least six months since I've done this...

Song pick: "Another Lonely Song" Tammy Wynette

The demise of Sunday morning

2011-10-16T16:37:00.006-05:00

So in 2 weeks, Come Thirsty will no longer meet on Sunday mornings. It is very bittersweet for me. I have been attending this young adult singles group at First Baptist Church of Geneva since November of 2006. And between attendance becoming sporadic, people's circumstances changing, and the shift with the leadership at Aboveground, the powers that be felt a change was best. At least our mid-week groups are not going away. I really hope this will necessitate the increase in social events; we've only had two since April.

Fringe/Social event attenders
Vanessa
Brooke
Laura E

Moved
The ex
Fish
Jacquie
Nathan
Chuck (Still does Wednesday nights)

Quit
Matt/Christine
Emily
Lisa

Guy issues
Amanda

Engaged
Chris/Meghan (though they do come on Sundays)
Alex/Amy

Married
Becky
Laura M, not C
Jackie
Ben/Vickie
Theresa
Court/Christine
Stephanie/Daniel
Allison/Chris

Active
A-Bar
Matt
J-Schu
Keith

NHL Predictions

2011-10-10T21:10:00.002-05:00

Atlantic Division
2. Pittsburgh
4. Philadelphia
7. NY Rangers
New Jersey
NY Islanders

Northeast Division
3. Boston
6. Buffalo
8. Montreal
Toronto
Ottawa

Southeast Division
1. Washington
5. Tampa Bay
Carolina
Winnipeg
Florida

Central Division
2. Chicago
5. Detroit
7. Nashville
Columbus
St. Louis

Northwest Division
1. Vancouver
8. Calgary
Minnesota
Colorado
Edmonton

Pacific Division
3. San Jose
4. Anaheim
6. Los Angeles
Phoenix
Dallas

Eastern Conference Finals
Washington over Buffalo

Western Conference Finals
Chicago over San Jose

Stanley Cup Finals
Washington over Chicago

It's only a game

2011-09-25T20:32:00.001-05:00

Anyone who actually says this shit has teams that actually win for them. So for those of you who say it to us whose teams suck, save your voice.

Miserable Sunday night

2011-09-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

The following post is being written under the influence of Jeremiah Weed with a slight assistance to Danny Jack.

1) Lil Roar? What kind of Facebook name is that?

2) Alicia is very cool. Funny, cool, and all, but two issues. 13 years with another guy and anti-faith. Pass!

3) A hideous loss today. The Jets got absolutely manhandled. They better beat Baltimore or New England. Nothing less than 5-2 going into the bye is acceptable.

4) Meaty Legend in the oven. I could use it. With extra garlic...

5) $19 and looking at your ATM card. Amen, Alonzo Bodden.

2 weeks of procrastination

2011-09-24T23:36:00.001-05:00

I think I've tried to write a post three times over the last two weeks but have just had no desire to finish. Let's go for it tonight.

1) Mom left this morning for her first of two tours over the next three weeks. I believe this one goes to NY state and Philly, I'm not quite sure.

2) Mom and I did spend a good weekend together in the city. We ate lunch at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. This was the second time we had been to this unique eatery in located in Wicker Park, not far from DePaul University. We passed on the pizza pot pies, mainly because I can't get into the taste of brick cheese. But we certainly got that huge Mediterranean bread. And that Italian Fest salad was absolutely enormous and we actually ordered the smaller size. It had iceberg lettuce, smoked ham, Italian cappicola, provolone and Swiss cheeses, Italian sausage, meatballs, Genoa salami, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, green peppers, anchovies, tomatoes, olives, whole pepperoncini, sliced fresh mushrooms, whole pickled mushrooms, cucumbers, pickled red pimento peppers, chopped green onions...covered with freshly grated Romano cheese. And served with homemade sour cream garlic, sweet 'n sour poppyseed, and Italian dressings. Doesn't it look gorgeous?

3) My car is over at Royal Coach getting repaired. When this new bumper is installed, my car will be fixed. That just leaves my court date next month and I pray the judge will have sympathy for me. I really have no idea what to expect.

4) Went to Sportclips for a haircut and this was the first time that I had a manager cut my hair and I must say, the difference stunned me. Essentially, Colleen looked at my head, noticed how it grew, and gave me a great looking cut on the first try. And the feeling was amazing when she shampooed my scalp and massaged my head with the hot steamed towel draped over my face. She really knew how to use her fingers, which relieved so much tension.

5) Stopped by the library today to drop off a book and CD. Somehow, I found myself drifting through the music book section. and i checked out a Bee Gees documentary as well as a biography on Buck Owens. When I arrived home, I immediately watched the DVD. What was so good about it was that Barry, Robin, and Maurice provided almost all of the narration during the two hours. I hope one day I will get to see Barry and Robin perform live in concert.

6) Friday night group is up and running again. It's nice to have a few new faces there in addition to the core four (myself included). I hope they will stick it out into April, unlike a lot of the last attendees.

7) I have to bust out the space heater in the basement yet again. It's September 24 and it will probably be running through April.

8) I do have Skype and I think I've had four conversations on it in six months, three of them with one person. I guess it's worth, but Skype feels like that shirt in my closet I notice on occasion and think about trying on, but I almost never wear it.

9) One day, I don't want anything to do with dating. The next day, I feel really lonely. Then again, is it possible to solve the issue of loneliness without a significant other?

10) I am worried about Come Thirsty. So many people in the group are engaged now or already married. I'm getting scared that this is going to turn into a married couples group. I do not need that feeling frustration and, maybe even, inadequacy. I want to have fun with my friends. But so many of them have new priorities now. I don't want to lose friends all over again. Then again, to quote Billy Joel, "life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again."

NFL Predictions

2011-09-08T11:53:00.009-05:00

AFC East
1. c-New England 12-4
2. x-NY Jets 10-6
3. Miami 8-8
4. Buffalo 5-11

AFC North
1. y-Pittsburgh 11-5
2. x-Baltimore 9-7
3. Cleveland 8-8
4. Cincinnati 2-14

AFC South
1. y-Houston 11-5
2. Indianapolis 6-10
3. Tennessee 6-10
4. Jacksonville 5-11

AFC West
1. b-San Diego 12-4
2. Kansas City 9-7
3. Denver 6-10
4. Oakland 6-10

NFC East
1. y-Philadelphia 11-5
2. x-Dallas 9-7
3. NY Giants 7-9
4. Washington 6-10

NFC North
1. c-Green Bay 13-3
2. Detroit 9-7
3. Minnesota 8-8
4. Chicago 8-8

NFC South
1. b-New Orleans 12-4
2. x-Atlanta 12-4
3. Tampa Bay 5-11
4. Carolina 3-13

NFC West
1. y-St. Louis 10-6
2. Arizona 9-7
3. San Francisco 6-10
4. Seattle 5-11

AFC Playoffs
Baltimore over Pittsburgh
NY Jets over Houston

New England over Baltimore
San Diego over NY Jets

San Diego over New England

NFC Playoffs
Atlanta over St. Louis
Philadelphia over Dallas

Green Bay over Atlanta
New Orleans over Philadelphia

Green Bay over New Orleans

Super Bowl
Green Bay over San Diego

MVP
Aaron Rodgers

Coach
Sean Payton

The last few days

2011-09-04T20:18:00.001-05:00

I'd been thinking how blase a lot of my days seem to feel. Wake up, drive, work, drive, gym, home, eat, TV, internet, bed. Well since Thursday, that has been far from the case.

Had my first car accident in at least 4 years Thursday night. I was in downtown Schaumburg, trying to leave Lou Malnati's by turning left onto Roselle Road going south. Well, that was the first time I ever attempted to make that turn. And I will never attempt it again. I got the citation. I was fortunate in two respects: one, only the front bumper was damaged and it was already scratched to begin with. Two, there were no injuries.

It probably took me until Saturday to get past it. I guess I was pretty shaken all of Friday. Didn't really speak too much, my smiles were few. I still have to deal with a court date on six weeks. I just hope the other people in the car will not show up. If I'm fortunate, maybe I can get the ticket dropped. I can only hope.

But enough of depressing topics. Eight days ago, Come Thirsty finally had its first social event since Nathan left us last April. God, it had been way too long. The position of Social Coordinator evolves faster than Yankee managers before Joe Torre. But we did some grilling and played some bags at the Means house. I brought over two hot Italian links from Whole Foods. That was probably the best benefit of working that Saturday shift was that I only had to drive three minutes to Whole Foods. We also went over to J-Schu's new house and ate some wedding cake. I noticed a lot of her furniture, tables and chairs, had scripture verses on it, and it looked very classy. There must have been 12-14 of us or so there over the course of the evening. By the end of the evening, it was myself, Chris, Allison, Jenny, Matt, and Dave the wordy roommate. We played a board game called "The Game of Things" for two hours, till it was maybe 12:30 in the morning. And I polished off maybe 6 beers over the course of the evening, a little more than my share. But we had a great time. we really need to do these events much more often.

Mom and I did get to spend a pretty good Saturday together. Thanks to some long freight train interruptions, it got off to an inauspicious start. But we got through it and worked our way up to Kenosha and Frank's Diner. I just wasn't in a pizza mood, even though Mom wanted lunch. And even though Max and Benny's came up, I really felt like hitting Frank's. I wanted Mom to check it out, I just figured she would like the sharp wit of the servers and the ambience of the tiny dining car. We hit a lot of traffic once we hit Wisconsin, I think the total drive must have taken 2.5 hours. And even when we got to Kenosha, there was a car show right on 58th Street, the very road where the diner is. But we worked our way through it and found two seats at the bar. It's funny, I've been to Frank's three times now, and every time I get the same exact seat, right by the griddle. The temperature in the place is very hot and the pace goes very fast in there with so little space, but going there is a lot of fun. Mom and I each ordered garbage plates, of course, mine had jalapenos. But we set next to this couple from Deerfield, maybe in their 50's. We recommended a few restaurants to each other and then a true gift came to us. they ordered a cinnamon roll and split it into four equal pieces. Mom and I each enjoyed a quarter of gooey goodness. Now I had bacon and sausage with my plate and here's where they do it right. If you order one meat as opposed to two, they don't give you the same amount of meat and split the amounts in half. No, you get double the amount of meat. 25 bucks for that much food

It was 1 pm by now, so we headed straight to Mukwanago. The Elegant Farmer is just this little barn at an intersection in rural Wisconsin with a small market inside. But what a selection! Popcorn, pancake mix, tons of produce, cheeses, Cider baked ham, deli meats, pickles, sauces, sweet breads, fruit crisps, cookies, muffins, and of course, the pies. They are the home of the apple pie baked in a brown paper bag. I first saw this pie on the Food Network maybe two years ago. Then, Mom mentioned it last Monday after she read a book that mentioned it and we made the trip. I have to say the trip was completely worth the drive. I got a 4-inch apple and 4-inch mixed berry pie. The apple pie didn't even make it through the night. I have never had a pie crust with such a rich texture first of all. It was filled with tons of apples, both sweet and tart. But the top crust is what puts this pie literally over the top. It tastes just like a sugar cookie. For five dollars, it is easily one of the top three desserts I have ever had.

We left around 3 pm and got gas in Wisconsin, where it's about 30 cents cheaper than where we live. Unfortunately, I also had to use the men's room inside. I should have been suspicious when the door was locked with a guy waiting outside for ten minutes. Then, that guy took five or six minutes himself. Something was certainly not kosher behind that old wooden door. It turns out some douchebag schmuck took a crap right in the urinal. It was so sick, I wanted to bathe in a tub filled with Lysol. Just guessing it will be hard to get that memory out of my head. Anyway, we stopped at Trader Joe's for some more food shopping. Then, it was off to Willow Creek for Saturday night church service. Lincoln Brewster led worship and the concert really rocked. Now I didn't know the guy, but he used to play lead guitar with Steve Perry, the former lead singer of Journey. I think the songs I remember best will be "God You Reign" and "Everlasting God."

So Labor Day is tomorrow. I picked up hours at work, there was really no reason not to. I mean, think about it, outside of family events, what really happens on Labor Day? But next weekend looks absolutely loaded. Friday night: First group at Doc Babb's. Saturday: Festival of the Vine, Dragon Gate USA. Sunday: 9/11 service at Willow Creek, and the first weekend of football, capped off by Cowboys at Jets on Sunday night.

Just coming on the end of August…

2011-08-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Whenever we’re in that August 15-August 1 date range, I listen to “Waiting in the Weeds” by the Eagles almost every day. Kind of like listening to the Bee Gees “First of May” every...September 15.

Thanks to Q for inviting me to Cardinals-Cubs in Wrigley Field. Last Sunday night. The only player I reacted to was that scumbag Yadier Molina and I booed him vociferously. Of course, he hit two home runs. But this is the first game I have seen the Cubs lose at home in maybe 5 years. So the law of averages is catching up. The same law had better start catching up for the Mets record in that ballpark.

Before the game, we went to Cheesie’s, about three blocks south of Wrigley. This place specializes in making unique grilled cheese sandwiches. I had the monthly special, the Rocky Balboa. It was American, provolone, and Cheese Whiz along with Philly steak, sautéed mushrooms, and sautéed onions inside two thick pieces of sourdough bread. It was a great sandwich, though I could have used more steak. And the fries were pretty mediocre, I should have gone with sweet potato instead. I did like the Gold Peak iced tea dispenser however.

New York gets hit with the 6.0 earthquake on Tuesday and now Hurricane Irene is going to hit Saturday night. 100 mph winds running through the entire Eastern seaboard.

At long last, Come Thirsty has a social event on Saturday night. We used to do it once every month or two. It’s been four months and that is way too long.

Vanessa is such a sweet, interesting girl. But she’s almost too quiet and elusive. I know I am pretty intense, and to be fair, I don’t know if she can handle it. I don’t know if I really fit in with the whole Midwest mentality sometimes.

How in the world did I stop growing hair in the lower left part of my goatee? I need freakin’ Rogaine for my face!

I love ROH, but right now, I need something to really get me super excited about it again. A new star, a new feud, more shows, just something. Maybe Punk in WWE is overshadowing it a little bit.

Upcoming books: Countdown to Lockdown by Mick Foley and Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton

I am so ready for hockey season to begin.

Hangover Sunday

2011-08-14T15:11:00.002-05:00

My eyes are weighing on me, but I'm hanging in there pretty well. Debating if I will go to Dwayne's house to watch Summer Slam or go to the Wood Dale Prairie festival. Probably depends on the weather.

1) Got 6 of 8 matches correct for the ROH show. Davey vs Roderick was awesome, as to be expected. The sleek, new look of the ring and guardrails was tremendous, the lighting looked incredibly professional, and the crowd was hot. Then came the audio issues and unexpected 10-15 minute delays between matches. Taping ended at 12:15 am which was just crazy.

2) Heartbreaking softball loss in the quarterfinals, 13-12. Season over. I batted 3-for-4, scored twice, drove in three, and made two catches, though I missed a dive in the first inning. But I did single and score to lead off the seventh inning when we were down by two. The mental mistakes were a joke. Runners on first and second, two outs, down by one, 5th place hitter coming up. Ground ball to the shortstop. With the muddy infield, he can't field it, so he just traps hit deep in the hole. And our ingenious captain breaks for home. And he's thrown out by three steps. It was a horrible way to lose. We gave them run after run after run.

NYC Part 2

2011-08-12T23:43:00.005-05:00

So I woke up and her mom went to get us all breakfast from the local bagel joint. I had a fine sandwich and met Francis and his girlfriend, Lauren. I didn't need to see the guy wearing a Cubs hat though! Especially when he's a Yankees fan. Catherine and I left at 9 for a long day in the city.

We took a five minute walk to the Middle Village subway station, the last stop on the M line. I must say, it must be pretty cool to live so close to public transportation. And the hour long Metra rail to Chicago does not count, at least not compared to this.

We walked Christ the King, where she went to high school. While we were sitting on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, we shared our first daytime kiss. The heat was really getting intense. And the weather was getting warm also...Anyway, I digress. We took the M, L, and some other line to Brooklyn Heights, where St. Francis College is. So I finally got to see where Dad went to school.

We stopped at Tim Horton's/Nathan's/Pizza Hut/KFC. Catherine got her customary iced coffee. More than anything, I needed water, but I passed. We then did something I always wanted to do in New York, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. There isn't much room either way, but man, those bicyclists ride in their lane like they own the whole thing! I got some great views of Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty. After we passed the halfway point, there was a huge film crew taking half the bridge. From what I could gather, they were preparing shoot another one of those Geico ads. Guess I have to keep my eyes open for that one.

We walked over to the South Street Seaport. There was a crew preparing a stage for a concert and a lot of boats going in and out, kind of like Navy Pier. I really appreciate the $1.00 Dasanis, especially after so much walking! But of course, we had to stop in the Yankees Clubhouse store. Catherine almost forgot her camera in there, but thankfully, we recovered it. I was just happy to grab some A/C. We went in the "mall" area and I brought a couple of magnets designed to look like New York subway lines. We also brought a few caps at Lids, she got a Brooklyn Dodgers and a Guinness hat while I got a sweet Jets hat. It's mostly black and green, but the design of the colors make the hat look really fashionable. The other place we checked out was the Christmas store. We saw lots of ornaments and decorations. Some were even sports-themed. Catherine was a little agitated that they had Islanders merchandise, but no Rangers. I pointed out they didn't have any Knicks stuff either, so maybe it was a MSG thing.

We took another train up to Greenwich Village, where her grandmother lives. We rang her doorbell, not knowing if she'd answer, since she was preparing to leave for a month-long trip to Italy that very afternoon. Well, she was there. And so were her uncle, aunt, and two ten-year-old twin cousins, Michael and Gabriella. Sadly, they're all Yankee fans. But at least I felt accepted when I said I was a Rangers fan.

Now this is one of those old school residence buildings. the apartment was on the fifth floor and there is no elevator. All I could think was how brutal it must to be move in and out of there. But the apartment amazed me. It made my grandparents old Brooklyn residence look like a Victorian mansion. Three tiny bedrooms, a kitchen that would fit in most of today's bathrooms and a bathroom that was so small, I could not even extend my arms. I'm certainly not complaining about it, but considering how large a "single-family home" is nowadays (three levels, three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, two-car garage, etc), I can't imagine a family of four staying in a apartment so small without constantly annoying each other.

I did manage to get a beautiful slice of pizza from Pizza Box, a local Greenwich joint. Oh it was so perfect! I also drank a small glass of cherry-flavored seltzer. I think nobody drinks seltzer except New Yorkers who are 60 years old and up. And I can understand why. Put it this way, I prefer cherry Coke to cherry seltzer.

We didn't have too much time to spend in the Village so we took some subway line to the NHL Store. I have to say first, I give Catherine all the props, that she knows these lines inside and out. Anyway back to the store. There was one rack with just Rangers and Blackhawks jerseys. It was like that rack was meant just for Catherine to explore! I didn't purchase anything, I had already spent like $50 already. I still want one of those Rangers Heritage jerseys though! But it's true, we all want what we can't have, don't we?

There was a street festival going on right outside too. The smoothie bar looked particularly inviting. But we walked northeast, past Radio City Music Hall and NBC Studios to Rockefeller Plaza. This was actually the same area I walked through with Mom and Dad last August. I have to admit, it made me feel a little melancholy. We found Tri-Tip Grill. We spent about $12 each and I have to say we made a good choice. I had a solid 6-ounce tri-tip sandwich with au jus and caramelized onions. The beef was very tender, a little peppery for sure. But I added some BBQ sauce and that really helped to balance out the flavors much better. The fries with BBQ sauce tasted really good too.

It was around 3 pm by now so we headed towards Yankee Stadium. We got to walk through Times Square first though. I wish I could retrace the subway lines but there is no way I can do that. I know we got on the 4 eventually. And there were a few couples making out on the train too. When we arrived, the first game of the doubleheader was in the 8th inning and the Yankees led by a large margin. We went over to the Dugout and had a couple of beers. There was one drunk douche who was standing/leaning in the middle of the floor. He was holding a full bottle of Coors Light and I saw him drop it. It landed on the side, so half the beer poured out. He picked it up, only to immediately drop it again. Here's the deal, if you're too drunk to hold onto the beer bottle, it's probably time to call it a night. I also remember there was a group of folk near us, three guys and a girl. I have no idea who knew who. But they were talking Giants and Jets and the girl, who was incredibly wasted, saw my Jets hat and called me Mark Sanchez, her boyfriend. I left that one alone.

So we had to stand outside the stadium for 45 minutes in 90 degree heat, while we waited for the doors to open for the nightcap. We got in and headed straight to the Yankee Museum in right field. A wall of autographs, a wall with a baseball signed of almost every Yankee, displays for every World Series ring, displays for Lou Gehrig, George Steinbrenner, and Hispanic ballplayers.

We went into the Steiner store just to see what memorabilia was available. Games, uniforms, lineup cards, bats, there was some cool stuff. Right outside was the fresh lemonade stand and I happily gulped one down. I mean, the cheapest beer I could find cost $9.00. Out here, I can buy a 12-pack of MGD or Budweiser for $9.00 if I want. By the time we got to the Stadium, my feet were throbbing from so much walking, I just had to sit.

We sat in the upper deck right field stands, about halfway up, a pretty good spot. The Orioles threatened to score in the top of the first inning, but failed. The Yankees? Well, by the time they were done with the first inning, they were leading 12-0. the one inning alone lasted an entire hour. They wound up winning 17-3. And during the inning, Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer, giving the Nationals all the runs they would need against the Mets. I cursed him out. Apparently, that did not go over so well.

I said nothing for a good three hours. It wasn't that the Yankees were winning. The game was boring, I was exhausted, and I felt very uneasy that my 20's were all but over. We left in the eighth inning and it took a good hour and fifteen minutes to get home. We had to wait on the platform for at least ten minutes for the 4 train, which made about 15 stops before we got off. I guess it was 11 pm when we got back to Middle Village. And Nicole was waiting for us in her car, I guess he had been waiting for over an hour. Her first words I heard her say..."I gotta pee so bad."

We all went inside and chatted with Catherine's mom for about a half hour. But in truth, I was ready to settle down in the basement. I started packing, used the Internet and drank Yuengling beer for the first time in my life. I wound up having two, it was so good. Shame we can't get that beer in Illinois. Meanwhile, she took a shower and came downstairs in a Corona tank top and athletic shorts. It was good.

And so the morning arrived. It was my birthday. Number 30. July 31, 2011. We got up around 5:30 and I got the 7:10 plane out. How I made it to church, softball, and dinner at ZaZa's and didn't completely pass out, I have no idea. My eyes were half open the entire day.

ROH Taping tomorrow

2011-08-12T21:31:00.002-05:00

Well, tomorrow night, Ring of Honor holds their first TV taping for the Sinclair Broadcast network. I am seriously pumped up for this show, though it will likely mark the last appearance of the Kings of Wrestling in ROH before they head to WWE. My picks are in bold.

ROH World Title Match
Davey Richards defends vs. Roderick Strong with Truth Martini

World Tag Team Title Match
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) with Shane Hagadorn

World TV Title Match
El Generico defends vs. Jay Lethal

Grudge Tag Team Match
Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express

“Defy or Deny” Rematch
Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin with Truth Martini

Tag Team Challenge Match
Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Bravado Brothers

Singles Action
Jimmy Jacobs with Steve Corino vs. “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett with Brutal Bob

Singles Action
Tommaso Ciampa with The Embassy vs. Andy “Right Leg” Ridge

NYC Part 1

2011-08-01T23:28:00.008-05:00

It has been two weeks since this trip happened and I don't know if I have the patience to write the whole 36 hours out. But here goes.

I left work at 4 and was planning to take a 6:40 flight from O'Hare to LaGuardia. I got there in time for a flight scheduled 90 minutes prior. I got on the plane with no problem and even got to sit in first class. But while I had been riding the Monorail to the terminal, Catherine texted me that there were heavy storms in New York. When I checked the flight board, I saw the later flights were delayed, but mine looked fine.

Well, we got on the plane and we wound up sitting on the runway for two hours. But I will say, if you're sitting on an airplane and not going anywhere, it's better to be sitting in first class. We were served drinks and hot roasted nuts.

We took off around 7:30. For dinner, I had a subpar chicken breast, salad, sweet potatoes, and the hardest, most in edible roll of all time. I mean, really, if I can't eat a roll, it has to stink. And it did. The two glasses of red wine made the flight much smoother, I must say.

During the flight in, we actually flew right over top of Yankee Stadium and a game was going on. But the coolest thing was seeing lightning flash in the nighttime sky. Down below were the lights of New York City. And up above shone these streaks of glowing light. It was quite a sight to see from 25,000 feet in the air.

We arrived at LaGuardia around 10 p.m. I turned on my phone and discovered to my aggravation that Nnamdi Asomugah signed with Philadelphia and not the Jets. Anyway, I could see Catherine from 50 yards away, right outside security. I pretended not to notice her and walked right by, before smiling, and giving her a huge hug. We hopped a cab for a 20-minute ride back to her house in Middle Village.

All I can say about the house is this. The main level is filled with cat artifacts and the basement looks like a shrine to the Yankees. Her dad was nice enough to get a few hero sandwiches for us to munch on. I had half a meatball sandwich and half an eggplant parmesan sandwich. Just that Italian bread by itself had that unique, earthy New York taste that just cannot be duplicated anyplace else. Despite having dinner already, I made room for them. I met her parents and unfortunately, two cats. Anyway, her mom reminds me of some of my relatives with the thick NY accent. Her dad was pretty cool too. I brought all of them Carole's cookies and they wiped them all out with total ease.

But within about a half hour, my eyes started to water and my nose began running. Despite the warnings that you should take no more than one Claritin every 24 hours, I took two maybe three hours apart. So we settled in the basement and she showed me her old Rangers videos. We popped in Marek Malik's shootout and Mark Messier's retirement. Actually, to be honest, we didn't spend all our time watching the videos...That took till about 2 in the morning. I fell asleep around 2:30 and slept on the couch very soundly. I must say I was quite startled when the alarm for 7 am rang.

30

2011-08-01T22:51:00.002-05:00

First full day with a 3 in front of my age. I'll have to post about my vacation maybe when I am in a good mood. Right now, I could not be more miserable.

1) Only the fucking Mets can do this. Two straight days. Losing in the 9th inning. Two outs. Home run to tie the game. And they lose the game in the next inning thanks to horseshit fundamentals, especially from Daniel Murphy. He has a very good bat and the baseball IQ of frozen yogurt. And to top tonight's disaster off, Catherine goes to the game tonight, sits in the left field stands, and gets Mike Stanton's grand slam ball. I want that ball so I can blow up the motherfucker.

2) Hundreds of dollars spent today on tires. And Royal Coach wants to charge me $800 to fix the scratch underneath my right headlight. Eight hundred for that? Kiss my arse.

3) The Nassau Coliseum bill did not pass. So the Islanders will likely move in four years. I'm not happy and I'm not sad. I'm for anything that will help the NHL grow and the Rangers win. And this was a great rivalry, but both teams haven't been good at the same time in 18 years. And no longer will the Isles just give effort just when they play the Rangers. Soon, they will be just another team on the schedule.

4) How was Dwight Yoakam not at least nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Sling Blade?

5) NFL free agency is a week old. Jets keep Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, Eric Smith, Wayne Hunter, and Nick Folk. They add Plaxico Burress at wide receiver and Donald Strickland at CB. They lose Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith, Jason Taylor, Steve Weatherford, Kellen Clemens, Drew Coleman, and Brodney Pool. I still want to see them keep Shaun Ellis and James Ighedibo. Maybe Tony Richardson at fullback if there is space. And of course, the failure to get Naamdi Asomugha, who, along with Darrelle Revis, would have given the Jets the greatest pair of cornerbacks in the history of football. But he goes to Philly. Still no legitimate pass rusher. All six draft picks are signed. It's a decent offseason. Not great. I'm not feeling too good, considering the improvements New England (Haynesworth, Ocho Cinco) and Miami (Bush) made, but who really knows.

6) Nice to have a Blu-Ray player.

7) Thanks to ZaZa's for their sausage appetizer and carrot cake. Nothing short of amazing.

8) Gym is closed for two weeks. Really ticks me off.

9) The Florida State Fair is serving a cheeseburger topped with a scoop of deep fried ice cream. The "reasoning" behind that idea was putting the milkshake right on the burger.

10) Could go for some Jack Daniels about now.

Money In the Bank

2011-07-16T22:02:00.002-05:00

July 17, 2011. Rosemont, Illinois. The All State Arena. WWE presents Money in the Bank.

Outside of Wrestlemania, this is the biggest PPV I can remember in years. I am thrilled that I am able to attend. CM Punk has brought WWE mainstream media attention I never expected it to receive. As Punk said himself, the only time the company receives this type of attention is when somebody dies.

Punk challenges John Cena for the WWE title. Punk's contract ends on July 17 and he has promised to leave the company after the show as the WWE Champion, just like he threatened to leave ROH as their world champion back in 2005. Also, if Punk wins, Vince McMahon has guaranteed he will fire John Cena. If Cena wins, we riot.

I have ran through a lot of scenarios in my head. I certainly don't expect to leave the arena with Punk as the champion. And we've seen Cena get fired before, and he returned seven days later so that's a bunch of bull. My guess is one of the winners of the ladder matches will cash in their contracts on the spot.

A few other things.
1) Whiskey shrimp at the Shanty is amazingly good.
2) Waiting for ROH to schedule some more shows already...
3) Thanks CP for blowing me off at VV tonight. Get your arthritic ass back to Seattle.
4) Five Guys? Gene and Jude's? Kuma's? Where shall I go?
5) I fell asleep writing this! My second nap of the day. I get it, I'm going to bed now.

Frisbee recap

2011-07-02T16:30:00.003-05:00

First of all, can the Geneva Park District at least spray the field with the white lines so we actually have legit dimensions? If they're not going to unlock the soccer goals, that's one thing. I can understand that. Although they are a little hard to steal. But it is kind of important to have clear, uniform guidelines so the game is fair and less open to controversy.

As for how I played, well, my legs and feet are just not what they were. Now the circumstances were not exactly advantageous for me. We played 4-on-4 in 90 degree heat and I forgot my water bottle. It was me, Joe, Joey, and Paul against Bald John, Karl, Aaron, and the new guy whose name I can't remember. We lost 10-9 and the one game took 90 minutes. I did score six goals, including one from behind midfield, giving me seven points. Plus I assisted on another. I also had one steal on defense. But all in all, my energy just wasn't there.

Dallas-Days 2 & 3

2011-06-26T20:42:00.009-05:00

I woke up and went straight to the substandard gym. I think they had a stepper, treadmill, a floor mat, and a weight machine that you can only do about three exercises on. But breakfast got good when I saw the Texas-shaped waffle iron. that with some scrambled eggs and cranberry juice made it a good start.

My first stop was south Dallas at the the corner of Industrial and Cadiz, the former home of the Dallas Sportatorium. It's nothing but a grass field now; there's not even a marking to commemorate that this is where some of the bet pro wrestling ever took place. God bless the Von Erichs.

We drove into the West End, which is a declining area, but still a nice small urban section of town. I certainly didn't expect to see the Heart Attack Grill there, I thought the only one was in Arizona. But it was a little too early to eat, so we checked out some museums. We went into the
Old Red Museum before taking the tour of the JFK Museum, which is inside the The Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy. Thanks to mom working with AA, we got 2-for-1 admission. Pretty stellar get. But we got our headphones and took the audio tour, it took me about an hour to go through it. As we were walking across the street to our car, Mom couldn't find her keys. Now while we had been waiting in the admission line, she asked me to go put change in the parking meter. Well, I never opened the car; I just changed a dollar for four quarters in the gift shop. I insisted as gently and firmly as I could that I gave them back. I knew there was a $200.00 fine for losing the rental car key. And we had to get to Plano quickly. I ran around the corner to check if I had left the keys in the car. Then I heard a voice..."I have them." Thankfully, they were in Mom's purse the whole time.

Thus, we began the 30 minute drive north to Plano. As we drove up the road, we noticed the area getting more plush and more sophisticated. It was pretty east to spot the Cruz house, it was the only one with a University of Wisconsin flag waving in the front yard. So I went inside, and was immediately greeted by their blonde goodle, Piper. Very handsome dog, and I'm guessing slightly spoiled too. Not as much as hogan, but hey... I also met Robert, Gavin, and Ian. We headed straight to Chuy's for some Mexican food.

The A/C was a welcome change from the 90 degree heat that day. We got a round corner booth and the chips and salsa came quickly. But Robert also ordered some cheese dip. I thought why would we want cheese. Little did I know what was coming. The waiter proceeded to bring out two bowls of melted nacho cheese topped with bits of tomato, avocado, red onion, and ground beef. We mixed them all in and as I started dipping the chips in and eating them, I knew I was not going to have much room for my actual meal!

That meal was the Comida Deluxe. It was a huge plate with two crisp tostadas dipped in queso, a sirloin taco, two chicken flautas, Tex-Mex chicken enchiladas, rice, beans, and guacamole. Very very good Mexican food, especially for a chain restaurant, certainly better than On the Border. I somehow finished everything except the rice. I especially enjoyed the flautas and the taco. We headed back to their home and Gavin and Ian took me upstairs and they showed me their Wii system and began playing the WWE game. I didn't get to see the end of the match, since we had to go. Ian even asked me when I was going to come back. That was a good feeling. It was a really good visit and I hope I get to see them sooner rather than later.

We drove back to the hotel. While Mom slept inside, I tanned for 90 minutes in 90 degree heat by the pool. After a shower, we got ready for downtown Fort Worth. It's much more of a Western-feeling town than Dallas, which is more cosmopolitan. We drove past a water garden where there was live music going on. Couldn't park though so we kept going. I was disappointed we did not see the Oak Ridge Boys perform, but Mom wasn't interested in dropping $40 per ticket. I would have gladly paid for mine. I would have liked to have heard some live music at some point.

So we headed north of downtown towards the Stockyards. we parked at Billy Bob's and had dinner at Cattlemen's Steak House, which has been around over 70 years. Had a great T-bone and baked potato. What really made this meal unique was the tray of toppings for the potato. There was a ramekin of sour cream, which I had no need for. But then, there was a silver, three-pronged tray of cheddar cheese, green onions, and bacon bits. It's almost like they were telling me "Put all the bacon on your potato that you want!" It was an excellent meal.

We then did some window shopping but I didn't make a purchase at the end. Oh, I would have liked to purchase a cowboy hat or boots, but in all honesty, how many times a year am I going to wear them in Chicago, considering I don't line dance. Two at the most?

So we headed back and I wasn't quite ready to turn in. So I took the car and drove around for 20 minutes. Wasn't exactly sure of my bearings. Another car nearly turned left into me as I was turning right. And we had no insurance. Good thing we got away with that one! I decided to not spend any cash and was feeling really full by about 9:30, so I called someone.

I chatted with the Queen of Queens for two hours straight, during which time, I went back to the hotel and hung in the stairwell for at least an hour. It was too hot to sit outside. I finally went inside around 11:00. I flipped the dials and watched Cool Runnings on HBO till 1 AM and went to bed.

We woke up at 6 and we headed to Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, which is about a 40-minute drive south. Seemed we just kept driving south all weekend. There were 1,200 people there or so in attendance, maybe 25 of us were white! The service lasted about two hours, with at least 30 minutes of music alone. Lois Evans did ask the first-timers to stand up and I was ok doing that. Probably shook at least 15 hands after that.

Then Tony Evans came up for the message. He talked about why men are needed in the church. He talked about that men think of church a lot like a prostate exam. It can save your life, but it's a bit invasive and you just want to put it off as long as possible. He talked about the need for spiritual parenting, especially when it comes to male role models. He used an analogy of the master tape vs the copy. The copy needs to have everything that's on the master tape. Likewise, if Jesus Christ is going to be my master, I need to emulate him as much as I can. I loved when Tony talked about how much he loved New York. The bright lights of Times Square. He talked about the good-looking dummies in the store windows that are designed to get you off the street. The Men at Work sign, the starfish.

So we left and headed straight to DFW. We knew we wouldn't make it in time for the early flight to Northwest Arkansas. So we had three hours to kill. We grabbed lunch and maybe I should have had something more unique. But hey at this eatery, called Reata, they had a works burger. Now I'm talking about cheese, grilled onion, guacamole, tomatoes, bacon. It's kind of hard for me to say no to that! The chopped salad at the beginning was a nice start, however.

We connected through NW Arkansas, and I think this was my first time visiting Arkansas. Now we had just come from DFW, one the most plush, luxurious airports in the United States. Then we go to NWA. This was without a doubt the most prudent airport I've ever seen. The entire terminal, both upstairs and downstairs, consists of the following: a bar (as in only a bar), a countertop grill, two restrooms, a magazine stand (as in four small stands that look like the kiosks you would see in the middle of a mall), and ten gates. It was like going from Buckingham Palace to a tent. Nothing wrong with a tent, but I was just looking for something to do or watch or explore.

Well, we sat in that airport for about an hour and took an American Eagle plane. We landed at 5:50 and got in the door around 7:05. Solid A- trip.

Dallas-Day 1

2011-06-26T19:40:00.013-05:00

I believe I was awake by 3:30 AM. We took a 6:15 flight to St. Louis, since the Chicago to Dallas flights looked quite tight. It was only a 42 minute flight to the Lou. We get off the plane and I thought I was in a bus terminal. They have the moving walkway right in the middle of the concourse. Unfortunately, that leaves very little room for people. We were standing in line waiting to board and other people were getting off a plane and we had to move out of their way as they wheeled their luggage through. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most uncomfortable airports I have ever been in.

Thankfully, I dressed up in Dockers black pants and my green and black Jets golf shirt, which allowed me a spot on the plane. We landed in Dallas and boarded a bus to the Rental Car Center, about a nine-minute drive. I don't think I remembered how immense the entire DFW airport is. We got our car from Alamo, and I liked that it included Bose speakers. Bottom line, we just needed A/C and we would have been happy right there.

The drive to the Marriott TownHill Suites in Irving was only about ten minutes east. It was a very standard hotel, nothing too fancy at all. We had a kitchen, which we didn't utilize at all. Unfortunately, I had to go to the building with the front desk to get ice or a drink. Our room wasn't exactly spacious. I slept on a pullout couch, which I have no real problem with. Of course, it wound up six inches away from the end of Mom's bed. So privacy was non-existent. But the room served its purpose.

After getting settled in by about 10:30, we headed southeast on 114 towards downtown Dallas for some grub. There's not exactly much to downtown Dallas, the areas that tend to be crowded are the surrounding towns and the far north end. As we approached downtown, we fought some heavy traffic, so we turned off the road two exits early. I had my GPS, which is not always reliable, especially outside of Illinois. We made a right, when we should have gone left on two different occasions. But we found Commerce Street and took that through the heart of downtown into what looked like a lower-middle class type area with a lot of local dives and car shops. We ended up at Twisted Root Burger, which I watched on DDD many months earlier.

It almost felt like a garage inside with a lot of old-school ads and funny posters. Very distinctive atmosphere. Mom and I each ordered a burger (mine with pepper jack, green chiles, guac, and bacon; Mom's was blue cheese and mushrooms). They had some unique drinks such as watermelon sweet tea and cranberry root beer. I chose the latter and I really liked the touch of acidity from the berry flavor. When we got to the tables, there were three homemade sauce toppings: horseradish dijon, Ancho-chipotle ketchup, and Quincy's granddad's BBQ. The mustard was OK, I'm not a big fan of dijon anyway, it's too overpowering for me. But I loved the BBQ sauce, it was a great blend of tanginess and spice. Now, I never eat ketcup, but if I had no other condiment to use ever again, and I had the ancho ketchup, that would be cool with me. I loved the spice, which nullified the sweetness that I don't like in regular ketchups. I dipped my sweet potato chips in the ketchup a lot. The onion strings got a nice dose of the BBQ.

When the food is ready, they call your name. Actually, it's not your actual name. You get a card with a random celebrity on it. My order name was Little Boy Blue. So when they called on the loudspeaker to come blow my horn, I knew our food was ready. I liked that there were four pickle jars that we could pick from: dill, bread 'n butter, spicy, and atomic. The dill were nice, but I liked that little bit of cayenne pepper in the spicy pickles. Oh yeah, the burger! The meat was increduibly moist, but when you use a 77/23 blend, it had better be juicy. The chile and guacamole complemented each other well and I definitely think my addition of the bacon added some needed crunch. I would absolutely eat at Twisted Root Burger again.

We drove back to the hotel and I let Mom get some rest while I put on my Nick Mangold jersey and headed to Arlington for the Cowboys Stadium VIP Tour. I took 161 south to 30 west. 161 was actually under construction and my GPS did not have the updated roads, so I was a little unsure about where I was going. Thankfully, once I saw the sign for 30, I knew i was okay.

I arrived outside the Pro Shop and took a few photos of the Tom Lamdry statue. There were about 40 or 50 of us on the tour. We began the tour in the 200 level at the 50 yard line in the club suites. Glenn was our tour guide. He's a classic Texas guy. 60-something, slow to speak, good humor, and pretty approachable. We sat in the suites as Glenn taught us about the history of the stadium, facts and figures, etc. We saw through Jerry Jones' private suite, the American Airlines Club, a few of the art murals, the locker rooms of both the Cowboys cheerleaders and players, the Post game room, and the Miller Lite Club, which surrounds the players entrance to the field. But the probable highlight was walking down the tunnel and onto the field. I got to run a few patterns, throw a few passes, and catch a few footballs. I probably would have stayed longer, but I knew I had to head back to Irving. I stopped to get a koozie and I eventually found my car (all those white cars in Texas look alike to me).

Mom and Torri were chatting in the lobby. After a quick greeting, I went back to the room and changed into my Mets gear. We began the drive to Olenjack's Grill, which is just west of the Six Flags/Sports complex in Arlington. What intrigued me was that this place advertised itself as "perfect for foodies craving culinary creations with a tasty twist." My kind of place, wouldn't you say?

We started with two appetizers; cornmeal-crusted oysters and tequila and brown sugar glazed shrimp. Each oyster came on its own silver spoon with a chorizo and bacon relish and a touch of avocado puree. Very solid opener. The shrimp tasted very sweet and came on top of a relish of roasted corn and jicama.

Mom and Torri both had ahi tuna steak salads with an orange vinigarette. as for me, I went a little different. I chose the espresso spice-rubbed bbq ribs, that tasted incredibly tender. My two sides were veggie slaw and grits. I left just a little bit of the grits left, but somehow I ate the entire slab of ribs. We didn't even have room for dessert.

Then it was off to the baseball game. I was high-fiving every Mets fan I could find, I certainly saw a few hundred. Torri was nice enough to buy me a Sunset Wheat and I was amazed to see Leinenkugel beer from Wisconsin at a stadium in Texas. That crisp beer hit the spot, as the sun went down, it must have still been 85 degrees for sure.

As for the game, well, it was more of the same old, same old. After the Mets failed to score in the top of the first, Ian Kinsler leads off and lines a shot to left center. Jason Bay dives towards his left and the ball deflects off of his glove and into center field, where Angel Pagan overruns it, and he falls to the ground. One batter into the bottom of the first, I knew it was over. And next thing you know, Adrian Beltre drills a 2-run homer for a 3-0 Texas lead. The Rangers went on to win 8-1. By the way, and Manny Acosta sucks, he can get out of New York right now.

I didn't even feel like eating during the game. I even passed on the bacon-wrapped hot dog. So around the fifth inning, I tried my first ZeigenBock, a local Texas amber ale. It's darker in color, but still tastes light and refreshing, I enjoyed it. I like it more than Shiner Bock since it does not taste quite as hoppy.

With the game totally out of reach, I walked around the upper concourse and took a lot of pictures. There was a great sunset and I captured some fine shots of the outside of Cowboys Stadium, Six Flags, and the lawns and lakes around the ballpark.

One of the strangest sounds I heard was the "Let's Go Rangers" outside of Madison Square Garden. When I hear the chant, I'm used to hearing it sound tough, passionate, boisterous, aggressive, and very loud. Not this time. And it was led by six shirtless kids around eight and nine years old. Sounded like a chorus of Cutters. I tried to teach them "Hen-rik," but that didn't seem to work.

That's a weekend-Part 2

2011-06-22T23:30:00.007-05:00

I woke her up around 6:30 and finally told her what I had planned for two weeks and what we were doing downtown that afternoon. We'll get to that soon. So I started making my cinnamon-strawberry French toast. We had breakfast with mom and got ready to head downtown.

We were halfway down Whittington Course, when she realized she left her jacket in the house, so we went back to grab it. So we got to Geneva, parked, and were waiting on the platform. The train was two minutes away. I casually asked her where her jacket was. She sprinted back to the garage to get her jacket. While she was in the garage, I saw the light. The light of the oncoming train.

Thankfully, she made it and we headed to Ogilvie Station. The train arrived 25 minutes late, so we walked quickly to the corner of Michigan and Wacker. As we were heading north on Michigan, I happened to see a Chicago Blackhawks Team Store. It wasn't planned, but let's just say it worked out very conveniently in my favor.

We took the 90-minute Architecture river tour. When I purchased the tickets, I don't think I realized that different companies do these tours. This one seemed a little bit different than the two I had taken before. First, it was much more educational, while the guide offered plenty of historical facts on the city and buildings, she really incorporated a lot of information about architects and the history of architecture. I learned that a lot more riverwalks exist in Chicago than I ever knew. The only down note was we did not go onto Lake Michigan; we focused more on covering the entire Chicago River.

So after a 90-minute ride, where Catherine took at least 100 photos, we went straight to the Blackhawks store. I waited for her to browse for over 30 minutes. That was one thing to deal with, considering my appetite was growing. I knew she was excited, so I understood. But what made it really annoying was the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup celebration was being televised while we were in there. At the end, she came away with four programs and a pair of Stanley Cup pucks for her and Nicole.

We were really getting hungry by this point, so we started walking east to Navy Pier. I was on the lookout for the free trolley ride, but it never came. So after getting a little lost, we found Illinois St and I recognized the AMC theater that I was at with Nona seven months earlier. Once i saw that, I knew where to go. We thought about Harry Caray's Tavern or Bubba Gump shrimp, but the lines were just way too long, over an hour of waiting. Jimmy Buffet's Margheritaville appeared to be open, but we found out the customers sitting at the bar were just family and friends of the staff and that it was a soft opening. The restaurant did not open to the public for another two days. So that was a disappointment. Finally, we went with Capi's Italian Kitchen, which was like a counter service eatery. I knew it wouldn't be the greatest quality of food, but we were ready for almost anything by this point.

I liked at that at the drink station, there were pepper mills, and jugs of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the taking. We started with some decent breadsticks and salad. Catherine got an Italian sandwich that I would never have gone near since it had regular ham on it. I had a rigatoni dish with ground country sausage, mushrooms, and a dark red sauce. It was a nice-sized lunch portion; it filled me up just enough. Had we stopped there, I would have felt the place was pretty average, but not worth returning to, especially with all the other options at Navy Pier.

Then came dessert time. I can't remember which of us noticed it first. But when we saw the dessert selections, the idea of zeppole homemade Italian doughnuts appealed to me. We ordered them and the waiter actually brought them out when were about halfway through our main courses. The golf ball sized dougnuts came in a brown paper bag with plenty of powdered sugar. After about 10 minutes, I took one out. It was still hot and I bit in. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and a perfect blend of fried sugar and fresh taste. We got a ramekin of honey for a buck extra, but the truth is, the honey was completely unnecessary. Why distract from such a marvelous flavor?

We strolled to the end of the pier where there is now a beer garden. We passed by a series of fun house mirrors and we took plenty of photos. We started to head back toward Ogilvie since it was around 4 p.m. and Catherine was a little tired from so much walking. We headed back north on the LSD (Lake Shore Drive) walkway up to Monroe St. We sat down a few times to rest. We headed west from there, and i did get lost a time or two, but we eventually found our way back.
I don't remember which street corner it was on, but we had stopped when she suddenly laid her head on my shoulder, and I could only react by kissing her hair.

We caught the 5:40 train home and within five minutes of leaving the station, she fell asleep again. We arrived in Geneva and headed straight to Graham's. I knew that would satisfy her craving for peanut butter and chocolate. As she explored the shelves of homemade chocolate indulgences, I had a feeling dinner was already taken care of. She had a peanut butter chocolate chip shake and brought home chocolate covered bacon, peanut butter cups, and one or two other treats. Me? Coconut almond ice cream in a waffle cone. Yep, that was a fine dinner.

We tried sitting outside, but a huge swarm of mosquitoes kept following us, so we sat in the car. I played some more John and Suzyn clips and that got us both laughing hard. The comedy and the shake seemed to instill some energy into her. OK, maybe the sleep helped a little. We went back home and headed into the basement, where I played some more clips. We pulled our chairs next to each other, and as we continued to laugh to the point that our stomachs ached, I think that was when we started to realize how much we were going to miss each other. I just know the next hour or so went by really quick...

I woke her up the next morning at 3:45, dropped her off at O'Hare around 4:45, got back home around 5:30, and slept until 9:15. Made it to group on time at least...

That's a weekend-Part 1

2011-06-22T23:09:00.007-05:00

Well, we'd been waiting four weeks, it seemed like four months. Catherine arrived right on time from LGA, around 9:15. We drove to Elmhurst to grab breakfast at Egg Harbor. I learned she has a thing for grits. I did get her hooked on the orange-strawberry juice. I went with a scrambler and bacon, she went with a waffle and bacon.

The heat was already rising as we began heading east down the Eisenhower freeway and I planned to unveil my first surprise: the United Center. As we approached Exit 28A, she saw the brown sign. As she realized I was turning right off 290, she started jumping in her seat and letting out this squealing noise. Yeah, I guess she was pretty excited! I think this was where she took her first 50 photos.

Then we headed up Ashland Rd to the North Side. We parked two miles away in my free zone and began the walk southeast to Wrigley Field. We passed three Yankee fans, one of whom asked her in a total Bronx accent, "What you doing with a Mets fan?"

So it was Andrew Cashner bobblehead day. I declined mine. Catherine led me right down the first base line for autographs. It turned into me holding her bags while she unsuccessfully tried to get autographs from Joe Girardi and A-Rod. Didn't mind it much though.

We sat halfway up the 500 section down the right field side. We sat next to this farmer dude from Iowa that tried to keep chatting with Catherine. This despite his wife was sitting next to him. This guy had a Cub shirt on and still had the nerve to ask if the shortstop plays between second and third base. He asked if any baseball players make six figures per year. I mean, if you're going to wear a shirt like that, you have to know something basic about baseball.

Our road curse continued as the Cubs beat the Yankees 3-1. And true to form, the Yankees rallied to win the next two days and I'm convinced it's all because we were not there. I liked when Catherine freaked out when Girardi pinch-hit Andruw Jones in the seventh inning for Freddy Garcia. We began the 90 minute drive home, stopping for some Gino's East first. We were really hungry so we went with some spinach artichoke dip to start off. I guess that filled us up a little more than we planned. I could only eat one slice of a medium supreme pizza! And I can wipe out three slices of a large in my sleep.

I could tell she was getting tired so we decided to head straight home. I put on Airplane! but she fell asleep 20 minutes before the end of the film. Then again, she had been awake for around 21 hours, so I guess I can understand that!

Softball recap

2011-06-19T17:57:00.002-05:00

Well, I didn't play Saturday's make-up game and I think it showed. We won Game 3 against Bethany Lutheran while I was out. So I came back for Game 4 against the other FBCG squad. Being that it was Father's Day, they had 9 players; we only had 8.

I led off and played left field, we had only three outfielders. I believe I made three. At bat, I hit four grounders to the left side of the field. I did beat two of them out and scored twice. They scored in the bottom of the first when our right fielder dropped a very easy fly ball. We broke out with 4-run innings in the fourth and sixth. they made it 4-2 in the fifth inning and it would have been more if SS Steve didn't make an awesome play on a ground ball to his left. We cut the game in the bottom of the 6th when we were up 8-2. They got a few guys on, but there were two very close plays at third base that their coach called them safe on. Both those guys came in. But with the bases cleared and two down, a grounder to short ended the game, with us coming out on top 8-7.

So we're 3-1. Unfortunately, I have to miss two weeks. We have a doubleheader next weekend and I will be in Dallas. The following weekend is July 4. I feel pretty good about the team, we are showing some signs of hitting. And the defense looks solid, eh, well, except for Grant.

Free weekday, free thinking

2011-06-08T22:32:00.003-05:00

1) Love the hot weather we've been having the last few days. Been able to do something I enjoy like running outside, playing a few rounds of disc golf, tanning, and just walking outside without a jacket on.

2) I don't want to think I have seasonal affective disorder, but I feel so much more alive in the warm weather. Who knows?

3) Got tomorrow off, and it is supposed to rain. I'm thinking of hitting Top Golf tomorrow. Thank you Groupon for saving me $30.

4) I cannot believe how many of my fellow Rangers fans are rooting for Boston over Vancouver.I don't want to hear this BS about rooting for the American team or the Original 6. The city is Boston!

5) I used a coffee BBQ rub to flavor my strip steaks last Sunday night. The coffee added a nice smoky flavor to the meat. It wasn't my favorite seasoning, but it worked very well.

6) Was in the middle of typing #6 when the power got knocked out. It really is something else how many more natural disasters and horrific storms seem to be pounding our country. New Orleans, Tuscaloosa, California, Oklahoma, Nashville.

7) Franics Chan writes some of the most challenging words I have ever read in "Crazy Love".

8) What is it with me and women? One of my best girl friends has been in a relationship for 3 weeks now. No wonder I haven't heard from her. It really aggravates me how people will get into a relationship and just forget that you ever exist.

9) Had a great conversation with a girl last night. She's a Christian, loves pro wrestling and hockey, and is funny and clever and really sweet. And mighty pretty too. We chatted on facebook for 45 minutes and it went well. I get home tonight and find she just got into a relationship. FML.

9a) Was I easy to deceive? You were so easy to believe.

10) The girl just chatted me up again...What is the deal here?!

Frisbee, Round 2

2011-06-03T20:31:00.002-05:00

Game notes

More people, more bugs.
13 total
Three goals, two assists in two games
Delivered a shoulderblock off a steal
Tried to take a long shot quickly in the second game
Chastised by everybody
Scored the game winner from the corner into the lower left side of the goal
Took off at 7:15

90 and sad?

2011-05-30T18:45:00.002-05:00

It seems like for six months I have been just craving 90 degree weather. So after a horribly cold week, and clouds and rain through most of Saturday and Sunday, the midwest was treated to 90 degrees and sun with next to no clouds on Memorial Day. I worked from 8-2 for time and a half. Of course, little did I know how Mother Nature would choose to play her hand.

I drove 10 minutes to Top Golf in Wood Dale. I had a Groupon for my card and I was ready to do something outside for a change, especially in hot weather. I walk in and the guy tells me I will have to wait at least 90 minutes. I took off. I didn't have my disc golf bag packed either. And the weather was too hot that I did not want to go to the closed off, confined, dungeon-esque gym. So I drove home 40 minutes and it felt like 3 hours. I felt big after the pizza and beer escapade the previous night; I just felt so ugly.

I tried to tan outside and I found myself getting angry at the trees for blocking the sun! So I headed back inside and I can't really remember the next two hours. I decided to head to the kitchen and barbecue the chicken I had marinating overnight in the fridge. Opened the stainless steel doors, no chicken. Wasn't in a tupperware container, it wasn't in the freezer. Finally, I walked outside and checked the grill. I opened the cover up and sure enough, eight various-sized chunks of charcoal are laying on the rack. Even worse, Mom left the gas on too.

And what says a Memorial Day BBQ like leftover spaghetti and meatballs?

One more round of misery

2011-05-26T17:38:00.004-05:00

For the fourth straight time I attend a Mets series on the road, the same outcome ensues. They win the game I do not attend and lose both games that I do attend. My all time record for Mets vs. Cubs at that dump, Wrigley Field, is, I believe, 2-16. More 2 mile walks up north. They are starting to feel like I am walking the green mile.

I had a great time before the first game in Merkle's. Julie and Nick were there along with a few other irregulars. Jason and Norman were neat dudes. Meredith seemed to be pretty cool and I found Kim kind of attractive. She was with Jeff though, they say they're friends. Of course, once again, I was the only suburbanite there. I drank two Great Lakes beers and the owner brought us all grape bombs, grape vodka and Red Bull.

I stumbled my way to my seat, as I best as I remember. The wind turned on once I went inside, it was blowing straight in at 20 MPH. I immediately regretted not wearing a coat. Thanks to some embarrassing defensive Mets miscues, Jon Niese walks, and bloop hits, the Bubs made the score 5-1 in the second inning. As always, I hang around until the top of the sixth and caught the bus back to DeVry University.

But while stewing in the concourse behind home plate, one of the few good things from these two days happened around the third inning. I saw Joe Benigno. I walked up to him and producer Ernie Acosta and thanked them for the entertainment. I mentioned to Joe about all the Jets fans at Rebel during the season. And he goes "Bro, don't even get me started about football. I'm pissed off. Bro, I'm pissed off." I shook his hand again and let him and Ernie go.

Today, I started off with lunch at Hot Doug's. amazingly, I was the first one in line. Did the bacon cheeseburger sausage with Coke BBQ sauce and maple cheddar cheese. It was good stuff, I just don't like cheese inside the sausage. for sausage 2, I went with a three-chili wild boar sausage with chili-garlic mayo, raw milk cheddar spread, and crispy fried onions. First of all, put crispy onions on any food and it instantly tastes delicious. And the two sauces blended well, I just had to wipe off some of the mayo. And I really liked the chili powders inside the boar, I really like the taste of that meat. Fries were hot and fresh as always!

So I parked on Berteau Street around 11:15 am, knowing I had to be back by 5 p.m. to move my car. I walked the two miles in a cold wind, though the rain had let up by this point. I followed Julie and Nick inside Merkle's and there were already a couple of Mets fans inside. We BS'd for almost two hours and it was good, not quite as good as Thursday though. this time, I drank an Allabash from Maine and was given not one, but TWO grape bombs! I wish I had them during the game.

The stands were empty. Maybe 15,000 people, but I know there were rows that were completely empty. Cubs fans are not showing up now, they are no better than the Mets fans who don't go to Citi Field. Jose Reyes scored on a double and two Cubs errors for a 1-0 Mets lead which was great. But with the wind and cold, I really thought R.A. Dickey would have trouble with his knuckleball. And the Cubs got some hits off him. But Fukudome grounded the ball to first and Dickey collapsed while running to cover the bag. And he was done. Pedro Beato came in and retired Starlin Castro to retire the side. Little did I know, everything would go to shit in the next inning. Of course, Carlos Pena had no issues drilling a two-run homer to give Chicago the lead. Two runs later and I knew it was probably over. It was.

The Mets did rally to make it 4-2 when Josh Thole, somehow, dripped an RBI single to left-center. With the tying runs on base, Carlos Beltran struck out, part of his 0-for-5 performance. After the Cubs make it 6-2 the next inning, I was gone. One more horrible series in the freezing confines.

Will bake cakes later.

Game 1 Recap

2011-05-23T20:16:00.002-05:00

After getting rained out on Opening Day, we opened the season against Riverside Community Church. I liked that we are no longer wearing t-shirts. These are maroon jerseys with white striping on the side. I guess my tan won't be so full this year since I have to leave the sleeves on!

George, from last season, set the lineup since Steve was out of town. I batted second and started in left field. The quality of play early on proved we could use an exhibition game. During the first two innings, there were four double plays, two by each team, thanks to poor baserunning.

I walked and scored in the bottom of the first. On my next at-bat, I dropped a fly ball in between the SS, 2B and CF and would score. In the fourth, I grounded a single up the middle, though I hit the ball off the end of the bat. On my fourth at-bat, I hit a solid grounder up the middle, but it was turned for a force play. I also made three catches in the field, nothing was hit too hard.

We won 12-0 by slaughter rule, but since we decided to play it out, the actual final score was 13-2. Now, we have two weeks off until Game 2.

May 19

2011-05-20T00:19:00.006-05:00

Up at 3:15 AM
6 AM flight
Sat next to two women wearing blindfolds while they slept
I talked to the gate agent and she said the flight looked good.
Somehow, I started smiling
As I stood online to hop a cab, I was still smiling
Got dropped off by the right field gate
I found Catherine right by the players entrance
RA Dickey autographed my ticket
Apple right near the subway entrance
Bases in the parking lot
8,000 kids arrive
Mets Hall of Fame with plaques, broadcaster highlights, World Series rings, game used equipment, etc.
They did a tremendous job putting it together, I just wish there were more great memories.
Weather Education Day
Mr. G and Laura Church
Boring as hell
All the kids gathered on the third base side
No BP
Disappointing, we had three or four sections to ourselves and we wanted to catch some home run balls.
Gave her the peanut butter and chocolate combo cookie from Carole's. Little did I know she would wipe 3/4 of it out within 20 minutes
Mama's of Corona
Italian special with salami, peppered ham, homemade mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and marinated mushrooms
Cascarino's Grandma pizza, which is like a margherita pizza
Caesar's Club, I can understand why stands are so empty, especially when it's cold outside. This place is gorgeous
Sushi, pizza, rotisseries, a gorgeous bar with exotic spirits, especially whiskeys and Latin rums
Comfortable sofas
Great photos of Arthur Ashe Stadium
Second row of Left Field
Jason Pridie tosses a ball to Catherine
Dillon Gee
No-hitter through five
Livan Hernandez breaks it up
Justin Turner's RBI single proved the difference
Held on for a 1-0 victory
We walked around the Mets team store for about a half hour before heading towards the right field corner and McFadden's
Women dancing on bars
Could not have a conversation
Sat outside
At 5:30, it was time to go
Long embrace
Got a little emotional as the car pulled away.
$20 as opposed to $11 for a taxi
Two flights left
Standby list
36 of 42
They told me the flights looked full
26 of 32
Only 15 standbys in the lobby
#24 almost got on
Last flight
6 of 16
We all got called together
Seat belt issues, Strap stuck behind the seat and other seat
Jazz music
Home at 11 pm

Opinions, Sterotyping, Tolerance

2011-05-14T20:39:00.007-05:00

I am realizing more and more how hard it is to state an opinion if it does not reflect the mass populous of American culture. It doesn't matter if I insult someone or not, jump on someone or not, belittle someone or not. Just having the opinion and expressing it seems to be a horrible act.

Sean Avery, a very controversial New York Ranger who likes to live in the public eye, decided to publicly support the campaign for gay marriage in New York State. He is one of the first pro athletes to take that stand. Now this is not about whether Avery supported the correct side or not; I'm not going to go there. The topic is a very hot button and will probably remain so for a long time. But a lot of my FB friends who are Rangers fans wrote that they support it. Amy did, which I knew she would, since she has a few gay friends in Colorado. A few other people responded favorably to her post. But a few people talked about "antiquated religious views" and ripped the preachers and "Bible belt types" for being oppressive and out of touch.

Since I am a human being and I have a voice, I decided to make mine known. I don't appreciate being stereotyped at all. So I wrote that and I also said I supported the sports agent who tweeted that he disagreed with Avery's stance. I expected a little criticism, but I was hoping my thoughts would at least be respected. And I get ripped. I got this long diatribe from my friend saying things like "I know gay couples who are doing better than straight couples" and "If I jumped on you every time I disagreed with something you wrote, you would hear from me a lot."

I wrote back and said I didn't intend to jump on anyone and I never insulted anyone. But I felt I had been insulted along with all people who believe what I believe. Now by contrast, I don't assume that all atheists/agnostics are evil people. I believe they are just wrong. By the way, not every religion can be correct! And about Point #1, I'm sure there are alcoholics who are happier than sober, depressed people. That doesn't make getting drunk on a frequent basis a good idea.

That brings me to the issue of tolerance. American culture teaches us to tolerate everybody and what they believe. The idea is that society will grant each individual the opportunity to experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without the burdens imposed by bias, discrimination or societal condemnation. Supposedly, eliminating these barriers will result in the advancement of mankind, both personally and communally. We will be happy, healthy, and live in peace and harmony.

The problem with the religion of tolerance is that, by definition, the boundaries of society become blurred and ambiguous; there can be no absolute truth. Rules once applicable to everyone now apply to no one. Topics once thought taboo are open for exploration in the name of tolerance.

Here's what I want my friends who disagree with me to know. As a Christian, I believe I am to love all people (yes it's hard), but just because I disagree with someone doesn't mean I hate them. And I certainly won't give into the messages this culture bombards me with just to avoid arguments.

So many people want to be friends of the world. Sure, there are numerous benefits to be attained by being of the world. I can attain pleasure, wealth, power and glory if I'm willing to play the game. But make no mistake about it, being of the world makes me an enemy of God.

So many people choose to believe that entrance into heaven is based on works, i.e. whether they are “good” or not. The good in their minds is a good based upon the perception of good acts outweighing bad acts. There are also a number of people who adhere to the idea of tolerance and the belief that tolerance is a universal concept that applies today and in the future.

I know this: God crated the world and he created human beings. His laws do not change over time. God is loving, kind and merciful. Throughout the Bible, God demonstrates patience, love, and care for mankind, desiring that none of us perish, but that we would all be saved through grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. However, God has another side. He is also holy, righteous and just. There will be a judgment. And God won't be so tolerant then. That judgment will be final and we won't be able to appeal. And despite what one may hope for, tolerating everything will not be a factor.

I Like Inge

2011-05-14T08:47:00.007-05:00

Haven't felt very compelled to write recently. I guess it's one of those bullet days. Let's have at it.

1) The Queen of Queens. Things have been getting pretty crazy with CI and myself. We're texting tons and talking literally every day. I don't know why, but the women I tend get along well with always live at least 1,000 miles away. I am hoping this one can go somewhere.

2) Was very happy on Thursday to get treated to Chipotle by my boss. Our whole team of 14 people got treated and we had 50 minutes of pure fun. I drove Haziq and Chad over to Woodfield Mall, about 2 minutes away. And I had my burrito with rice, pintos, barbacoa, tomatillo salsa, chili-corn salsa, cheese, and guacamole. Of course, with plenty of lime wedges and the smoked green Tabasco sauce as well.

3) After we got home, Kyle said that was his first time ever eating at Chipotle. None of us could believe it. Later, I overheard him say to Haziq that he should get a plaque. Now it was around 4 pm, so I had an hour to go and Thursday is typically a slow day for me anyway. So with some extra time available and most of my team on their way home, I opened up Microsoft Publisher and went to work. I designed a certificate commemorating his first visit, complete with Chipotle logos, a picture of a half-eaten burrito, and every person's name on our team. He showed it to the whole team and everyone got a kick out of it; it was a pretty good feeling for me.

3) After seven months away from the grass fields at the corner of 25 and Fabyan in north Batavia, we resumed playing ultimate frisbee soccer. The heat was pretty intense, maybe 80 degrees or so. Eight guys showed up: me and Burns ewere the only ones from CT. Dan was a newcomer, while both Joes, John, Frank, and Ben Jeffrey showed up as well. We played two games, both going to a final goal. In the first game, I forced a turnover near the sideline and fired the disc into the mesh, sealing a Game 1 win. We drew new teams for Game 2, and I assisted on Dan's winning goal. I scored five times in the games, including one from midfield. It was good to get back out there. But I know another thing. I seriously need to up my cardio workouts! I was gassed, I think almost everyone was after a solid hour. I will be out this week, but I'm excited to play as the summer goes on.

4) The weather was just insane on Friday. I walked into the office and the temperature outside was around 80 degrees. Mostly sunny, a few little white clouds scattered here and there. I walked out at 5 and the temperature had plummeted to around 50 degrees with gray skies, and a cold breeze blowing.

5) So I left work and headed to group in Glen Ellyn. At the end, I got the sad news that Craig is moving to San Diego for a new pharmaceutical job. He was an asset to our Friday group for years, always sparking the group with a discussion point. Granted, sometimes those points took 20 minutes. But we'll miss him, he won't be easily replaced.

6) So I headed home, got a couple of Scooby's hot dogs on the way. I headed to the basement for the No Name radio show, which Jim and Eddie were hosting, with the intent of the show revolving around anything except hockey. So for the first 20 minutes, we discussed old school pro wrestling, which of course, I was up for. And someone mentioned how many of them had died. Then Eddie was about to go on a rant about Barbara Walters and how she needs to leave The View.

Then someone wrote in the chat that Derek Boogaard had died. It was Friday the 13th, I thought it was a rib. But I checked Twitter and saw the tweet had come from Mike Russo, a reporter from the St. Paul Tribune. Slowly it sunk in that the news was real. 28 years old and one of the toughest men to ever play in the NHL was dead.

Last year, Glen Sather signed Boogaard to a ridiculous 4-year, $7 million deal. He only played 22 games for the Rangers before sitting out the rest of the year due to concussion issues. He didn't seem to play a huge role in the future, mostly as a bench player with too a high a salary cap hit. But supposedly, he was motivated to come back and have a great sophomore season with the Rangers. And now he's gone. It doesn't devastate me from a Rangers perspective. It's just sad that 28-year old guy died so suddenly. Nice of the Bruins to have a moment of silence before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the Boogie Man. I am interested to see what the Rangers will do for him on Opening Night.

7) Bob Chinn's is known for their seafood, but their garlic rolls are pure bliss. I hope in heaven I can eat tons of garlic and have it not affect my breath...

8) Softball season is supposed to start tomorrow and of course, rain is in the forecast. Steve, Daren, the other Steve, Clay, Tim, we seem to have about half our team returning. And we will play 10 games instead of 9, which is great. The league has shrunk from 24 teams down to 13, which is substantial, but at least everyone gets to make the playoffs, which will start in August.

9) I signed up for annual membership to work out at the Norris Center. At the end of the day, it's cheap and it's two minutes from home. Those are the real advantages. But the workouts are very average, in terms of weight equipment and I can't control the TV's in the cardio rooms. But they do have a dry sauna (it actually gets hot unlike in South Barrington) and a whirlpool! That is one nice way to relax! And so I am alone on a Saturday night.

10) But there are things to look forward to. May 19. Citi Field. Catherine.

11) The New York Mets are just maddening. Infuriating. Winning streak followed by a losing streak. The good stuff: Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Jason Isringhausen, and Ike Davis. A slight nod to Justin Turner and Jason Pridie. The bad stuff: Jason Bay, Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, the entire bench, injuries to Ike Davis, Pedro Beato, and Chris Young, the lack of attendance, the lack of respect, the inevitable trading of Reyes and Beltran, and being in last place.

12) Ring of Honor returns to Chicago Ridge next Saturday night. Supercard of Honor 6. Will have to write a preview of that as the days draw near.

Sat Morning Fever

2011-04-23T12:11:00.004-05:00

1) I wish I had more Rangers fans around me. Had my first phone conversation with one who lives in Queens last night. We FB chatted for an hour and talked on the phone for 90 minutes. Why are women i connect with always living at least 1,000 miles away?

2) The Knicks are a joke. 3-0 down to Boston. Their biggest home game in at least 10 years and they trail 22-5 before your rear end hits the seat. Disgraceful.

3) Mom is gone to the Rhine River for 10 days. I have to spend Easter alone.

4) Good Friday service was amazing. Guy came and led us through a traditional Passover meal. Everyone got a kit with crackers, grape juice box, horseradish, parsley, and applesauce. Very informative, very impactful. The cool part was at the end when Pastor Bill said they didn't expect the service to be so crowded. We had to sing the last verse of Amazing Grace on our way out!

5) Feel like another sandwich...and sweet tea vodka

Rangers Game 5 tracking

2011-04-23T12:09:00.005-05:00

So the Rangers trail Washington 3-1 in the first round. And that loss in Game 4 was one of the worst defeats I have seen any of my teams suffer. Blowing a 3-0 lead in the third period at home and losing in overtime. But it is a new day.

This worked against the Devils so I will try it again. The Rangers head to Washington DC with their season on the verge of ending. I will blog the game as it unfolds.

2:23: One fan with "Can You Hear Me Now" card. How creative...

2:26: Well, I'm not encouraged. Boyle, Avery, and Prust had a great first shift and in the four minutes since the Caps have peppered Hank with shots.

2:29: Rangers have blocked seven shots in the first six minutes. In other words, they are not controlling the puck.

2:30: A fucking bullshit power play. The Capital was falling when McCabe grabbed him. And then they score when there should have been goalie interference. I'm done. Absolutely done.

Heart Attack-Rangers style

2011-04-09T11:31:00.013-05:00

The New York Rangers are clinging to their playoff lives. Not too long ago, they were seven points up on a playoff spot. But Buffalo and Carolina kept winning while the Rangers lost Ryan Callahan and played like horseshit in a 3-0 loss at home to the stinky Atlanta Thrashers.

Here's the bottom line. The Rangers are about to face off against the New Jersey Devils in just a matter of minutes. The Carolina Hurricanes take on Tampa Bay at home tonight. The Rangers and Canes are tied in the standings with 91 points. Carolina owns the tiebreaker so the Rangers need to gain a point. If they lose in regulation, they are done. If they only gain one point, Carolina must lose in regulation. If they win, Tampa HAS to be beat Carolina.

I do not feel good about these odds. Missing the playoffs would be an absolute disgrace. Not because the Rangers are so talented, they're not. And they work hard most of the time. But their goal scoring is so inconsistent. Six goals in one game, three goals over the next three games. They should be better than Tampa, better than Buffalo, maybe better than Montreal. And they can beat any team in this fucking league, they have proved that time after time.

I am happy Chris Drury is back from knee surgery, though I don't see why Erik Christensen is playing and Sean Avery is scratched. Isn't his energy what this team needs against the Devils and their goalie? As for Matt Gilroy playing over Steve Eminger, whatever. Both will be history after this season anyway.

11:40: Faceoff time. This crowd better bring it today. Not to mention the players.

11:43: 1-0 New Jersey. Kovalchuck. Unfuckingbelievable 11:45: Drury ties it! His first shift back and it's his first goal of the season! Holy crap! The Maaaaaaa-rty chants are deafening.

11:52 Pretty back and forth now and I love that crowd.

11:56 Halfway through the first period. I like this defense working in the offensive zone. The forecheck is working well. Against that young Jersey defense, the Rangers need to impose their will. Hits count: Rangers 10, Devils 2

12:08 Brodeur robs Fedotenko. Boyle is really palying hard. He will get a significant raise next season. No penalties to this point. Three minutes left.

12:11 That no good motherfucker Kovalchuk again. 2-1.

12:36: Well, I had to restart the computer and missed Wolski tie the score at 2-2. Grab that lead!

12:38: First penalty, coincidental minors, 4-on-4. Watching Kovalchuk close.

12:46: Rangers continue to block shots, Boyle with a sliding block. Both teams playing with a lot of physicality. Neither seems be able to get the edge over another.

12:49: Ryan McDonagh! His first career goal over Marty's shoulder. It's 3-2 Rangers!

12:55: Rangers continue to press hard on the Devils. They really seem on the verge of taking this game over.

12:59: The Prust is a must! 4-2! Now the Devils are trying to goad the Rangers. The Devils are hitting, trying to get the Rangers to retaliate. The Rangers have not been short handed today and the refs don't seem eager to blow the whistle. I have a good feeling about this game. The one later tonight...

1:05: The second period is over. 20 minutes remaining. The Rangers have continue to play assertive hockey and not let the Devils control possession.

1:33: No real action in this period and that's probably good. Six minutes down.

1:37: 5 shots on goal over the first 9 minutes between both teams. Still no power plays at all.

1:40: On a 2-on-1, Anisimov finds Prospal, who deposits the puck over Marty's right shoulder into the net. 5-2, nine minutes left. You can put this in the books! 1:43: Rangers fans start a "Let's Go Lightning!" chant. Awesome!

1:49: Another TV timeout. Four minutes and counting... 1:53: Two minutes to go...Drury still out there skating.

1:55: And it's a 5-2 final. They did their job today. Time for the Blueshirt Off Our Backs ceremony.

Carolina has won 8 of 10 and one of those losses was in overtime to Buffalo, of all teams. For the next seven hours, I am the biggest Tampa Bay Lightning fan in the state of Illinois, maybe in the entire Central time zone! For everyone I will see at Game Night tonight, forgive me if I am totally distracted the entire time...

Rediscovering Keith Whitley

2011-04-09T10:08:00.005-05:00

Turn Me To Love
A Hard Act To Follow
I Think I Want My Rib Back
Miami, My Amy
Ten Feet Away
Homecoming '63
Hard Livin'
Would These Arms Be In Your Way?
Some Old Side Road
I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
Don't Close Your Eyes
When You Say Nothing At All
I'm No Stranger To The Rain
Lucky Dog
I Never Go Around Mirrors
It's All Coming Back To Me Now
I Wonder Do You Think of Me
A Day In the Life Of a Fool
It Ain't Nothin'
I'm Over You
Till a Tear Becomes a Rose
Between An Old Memory and Me
Brotherly Love Kentucky Bluebird
That's Where I Want To Take Our Love
Going Home

Thanks for the great music Keith. Country music could sure use one like you now. Yet, there were very few like you, before or since. 1955-1989

Mets season preview-Part 2

2011-03-31T20:54:00.009-05:00

Catchers
I like that Josh Thole, a solid left-handed contact hitter, will get the bulk of the playing time. Don't know much about his defense though. I liked Ronny Paulino as this year's Henry Blanco, a right-handed platoon, except this guy seems to always have some kind of issue. Whether it's his visa keeping him out of Florida or stomach pains or blood issues. I'm sure he'll get in there eventually.

Infielders
Ike Davis is a young first baseman and has the most raw power of anyone on the team. He plays excellent defense too, the one thing I need to see from him is at least a .265 average. He struck out way too many times last season and that can't keep going on.
After a 4-way battle that kept dragging on, Rule 5 acquisition Brad Eamus is the starting second baseman over Justin Turner, Luis Hernandez, and thankfully, Luis Castillo. Like Thole, Eamus is a patient hitter who focuses on getting on-base. I like the change in philosophy. Because there have been too many times over the last few years I would see these all-or-nothing strikeout-prone free swingers in the Met lineup. Fernando Tatis, Damion Easley, Ramon Castro, and Jeff Francoeur all come to mind.
Jose Reyes is one of my favorite Mets, but I am all but resigned that this will be his last season in Flushing. His contract expires this year and he will reportedly seek Carl Crawford-type money, around $100 million. The Mets simply cannot afford that kind of contract.
David Wright, the face of the franchise. I think we know what this guy provides. Solid, yet streaky offense, and mediocre defense. Make him foul a few pitches off, then throw an outside slider. Works every time.

Outfielders
Very early in spring training, Carlos Beltran volunteered to move to right field from center. That should have been a warning sign that his surgically-"repaired" knees were not right. He only played in two major league spring training games and he certainly isn't well enough to play every day. But this is his contract year, so he has to be motivated for one big season. He can still mash the ball, the question is can his legs hold up?
As the news came early this week that Beltran would be ready for Opening Day, the same day, Jason Bay felt a tweak in his ribcage and has been put on the DL. After a terrible first half of 2010 and a concussion terminating his season early, I really believed Bay needed a fast start to get the fans behind him. With this injury, this could derail his progress.
Angel Pagan emerged as a true bright spot last season. He never got injured and showed almost no signs of the fundamental errors that seemed to plague his career for ages. His speed and knack for key hits make him an ideal center fielder for this team. I do question Collins hitting him fifth, he should bat second, Bay or no Bay.

Bench
Two years ago, Mets fans were insisting Daniel Murphy had to start. And he does possess a solid major-league bat. The problem is he simply cannot play defense. His best positions are first and third base and those will be occupied for at least five years. I like him as a lefty bat off the bench. How sad it is it that in 2009, his 12 home runs led the Mets?
Chin-Lung Hu is not much more than a defensive replacement. Something tells me we will see more of him starting than we will want to. That could come from Eamus not playing well or Reyes getting traded/injured.
I was thrilled when Alderson signed Scott Hairston as a free agent. And he has batted .345 with five home runs in the spring. I think he will emerge as a pretty key part of this team.
How many times did Mets fans see Willie Harris kill them, whether it was a stolen base or more likely, a huge catch. And Omar Minaya constantly refused to sign him. Looking at his spring stats, the three homers aside, I like that he took 12 walks and has an OBP of almost .400.
Lucas Duda should be starting the second and third games in Miami. He is likely only around until Bay returns. He has a lot of raw power, but it seemingly took him 25 AB's to get his first base hit last season. I see him as a Wily Mo Pena or Craig Brazell, a career Triple-A slugger who likely will not hit well enough against major-league hurlers.

Philadelphia has a lot of injury issues right now with Brown, Utley, and Lidge all out. And Rollins and Ibanez are quickly aging. But they still boast four aces. And everyone seems to be licking Atlanta's boots. Let them. I absolutely don't see the Mets making the playoffs but I can see them hanging in the race for the first half like they did last year. But even if that happens, there is this black cloud hanging, that Alderson could trade Reyes if he concludes he won't be able to re-sign the team's spark, soul, and energy. Since there are so many question marks, and only so many can go the right way, I will say the Mets win 79 games and finish 4th in the NL East.

Mets season preview-Part 1

2011-03-31T19:23:00.009-05:00

This offseason has been one of doubt, turmoil, and pessimism for all of us who love the New York Mets. The Wilpons may owe 1 billion dollars due to the Bernie Madoff fraud, leaving the team with almost no money to make any moves. The biggest players the Mets acquired were probably Chris Young, Willie Harris, and Scott Hairston. And with the team's level of play continuing to deteriorate over the last three years, the fans have spoken by choosing to stay away from CitiField. As of today, the Mets have sold just 600,000 tickets.

However, they have an experienced new GM in Sandy Alderson who hired the fiery Terry Collins as the team's new manager. Collins has not managed since 2002, but I think his aggressive temperament will be a welcome change from Art Howe, Willie Randolph, and Jerry Manuel, all of whom displayed passive personalities.

Starting pitching
The biggest blow is Johan Santana rehabbing from a torn capsule in his shoulder. He is not expected to return to the Mets until July and in all fairness, this is such a unique injury that I would not be surprised to see him not take the mound once this year if the Mets happen to fall out of the race early on.
So Mike Pelfrey has been appointed the No. 1 starter, by default. He showed signs of brilliance last season, but went through a few stretches where he looked completely disheveled. He's really more of a No. 3.
Jon Niese is a talented young lefty who could emerge as the team's top pitcher. He did tire in the second half of last season, so I think he will be physically and mentally prepared to start 30 games this year.
R.A. Dickey, what can you say that hasn't already been said? The knuckleballer emerged from obscurity to become a star at 36 years of age. He won't take the league by surprise this year, but with his unique harder knuckler, I think he can improve on his 11 wins from last season.
As for Chris Young, the former All-Star in San Diego, I am very intrigued. He has dealt with a rash of injuries over the last three years, allowing the Mets to sign him for cheap. He pitched to a 1.50 ERA in spring training, so that's very encouraging. I have to wonder how long he will hold up.
And Chris Capuano didn't pitch in 2008 or 2009, but at least he was very solid before that. I don't know what to really expect, but he, like Young, has posted respectable March numbers. Then again, that is merely March.
With Dillon Gee, Pat Misch, and Jenrry Mejia waiting in the minors, this staff is not great, but it is deep. The problem is Florida, Atlanta, and especially Philadelphia all feature at least one legitimate
ace starting pitcher.

Bullpen
Closer Frankie Rodriguez hasn't allowed a run all spring. One catch: he a clause where he will make $17.5 million if he finishes 55 games. Anyone with a brain knows the Mets will do anything to keep him from making that money.
Bobby Parnell will get the first shot at pitching the eighth inning. He has an overpowering fastball, but has never really been able to command a secondary pitch, the slider. If he can do that, the Mets will feature a potent 1-2 punch.
Tim Byrdak replaces Pedro Feliciano as the lefty specialist. He beat out four other guys, let's see how he does against the Ryan Howards, the Jason Heywards, and the Brian McCanns.
Taylor Buchholz could probably challenge Parnell for the setup role if he is fully healthy and commanding that terrific curveball. He has pitched effectively this spring.
Blaine Boyer is an ex-Brave who came to camp with a minor-league deal and won a spot. At 29, he can still throw hard, I can see him grabbing a prominent role.
Pedro Beato, a Brooklyn native, was acquired in the Rule 5 draft from Baltimore. I imagine he'll start out pitching in the 6th and 7th innings in low-pressure spots and that will determine whether he gets more meaningful work or disappears completely.
D.J. Carrasco appears to have the long relief role, but his ERA is over 5 this spring. Not too excited over him, let's see what he does.

I think Jason Isringhausen will definitely see some time if one of the latter three falter. Taylor Tankersley and Mike O'Connor are two lefties who will pitch in Triple-A along with Japanese righty Ryota Igarashi, who I hope to never see anywhere near a Mets uniform ever again. This bullpen could emerge as a great strength for the Mets, it's just that so many of these guys are unknowns.

Free Thursday

2011-03-24T08:42:00.003-05:00

So I will be working Saturday morning. And some people seem surprised I chose to take Thursday off instead of Friday. Well I did it for two main reasons. One, it's one less day I have to dress up this week. Two, I far prefer having a break right in the middle of the week as opposed to at the end.

I am going to relish this day. I got to sleep two hours later than I normally would. And I'm very happy to see that my large tax refund has come in from the government. Of course, 3/4 of that goes straight to bills...

Will hang with Dayna and having lunch at Prime, my second time there. Last time, I went with the BLT&A burger, sans the mayo of course. I think this time, it'll be the Drunken Bull Burger, a Kobe patty with crispy prosciutto, sauteed mushrooms, and onions, and bleu cheese (which will be replaced by Swiss cheese) served on a grilled pretzel roll. Maybe a Bananas Foster shake to go with?

The Rangers have won 7 of their last 8 games. I am absolutely thrilled with how this team is playing. And they won their last two games without Marc Staal! But Marian Gaborik is scoring goals, Henrik Lundqvist's level of goaltending has continued to get better (he has recorded a league-high 10 shutouts), and that line of Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Artem Anisimov is playing so cohesively, even better than they did at the start of the season.

In all likelihood, they will play Washington or Philadelphia in the first round, with an outside chance of Boston if they can pass Montreal and grab sixth place. I think I will take my chances with Washington, a team that never plays well when the pressure is high, whose goaltending is still questionable, and a team that the Rangers have won 3 of 4 games against this season.

Song pick: "That Loving You Feeling Again" Roy Orbison and Emmylou Harris

CT Word association

2011-03-21T06:19:00.005-05:00

Initials given to protect the guilty

ABo-Never a dull moment
AWa-Just one more girl that is leaving over some douche of a guy?
BJe-Heck of a guy. Solid leader, will be a solid father
CHo-Need a break from the video lessons
ESn-Shame you chose to end it
KG-Keep looking, don't get discouraged
JRe-Vitality
JSc-Bright spirit
LRi-Really growing, the Dominican mission trip sounds like it will be incredible
MDe-Both our baseball teams will stink
MRi-What are you thinking about?
NTr-You will be missed

Dorian Gray

2011-03-12T17:45:00.006-06:00

I seem to have an affinity for old music, movies, and a lot of historical information. So, I woke up this morning around 7 and after making an egg white omelette, I headed downstairs to the basement. Must have just turned 7:30. So I turned the TV on and started flipping through the dials. On TCM, I saw "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

Now I had not seen this film, but I knew of it. Get Smart had done an episode based on the idea of aging, except Dorian Gray was a lethal paint instead of a man's name.

Gray is a wealthy, young, British aristocrat. While posing for a painting by his friend Basil, Dorian meets Basil's friend Lord Henry Wotton. He is cynical and witty, and explains to a naive Dorian that the only life worth living is one dedicated entirely to pleasure. After Wotton convinces Dorian that youth and beauty will bring him everything he desires, in front of an ancient Egyptian statue, Dorian openly wishes that his portrait could age instead of him.

"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."

That final sentence. As time goes on, Dorian notices that while he doesn't age, the photo, which now hangs in his private study, does. Over the years, the painting of the young Dorian had warped into that of a hideous, demon-like creature, to reflect Dorian's sins. I'm not going to summarize the rest of the movie, but I want to point out a few things I realized while watching this movie, and more specifically, the life of Dorian Gray.

1) Dorian became more and more paranoid about his photo being discovered by anyone. He held the only key to the study and anytime one of his servants became suspicious of his youthful appearance, he would fire them.

2) By striving for earthly happiness, Dorian took all his sins upon himself. And as he looked into the picture over 20 years, he was able to see it.

3) I realize more and more how much impact I can have on other people. Dorian's desire for constant pleasure and selfish ambition ultimately resulted in pain, anguish, and even death for him, his friends, and female companions.

This is not exactly a fun movie to watch, but it is a very unique, compelling story and deals with the harsh reality of sin and consequence. And perhaps our culture could learn a little from this movie 66 years after it was made.

After a sad morning, thank you Rangers

2011-03-06T14:13:00.007-06:00

I am not one to discuss dating on here, because it usually would get me in trouble. But since the guilty and I have no mutual friends, I'll make an exception.

I met this girl on E-harmony. We went through all the silly communication stages and we started e-mailing for about a week. We had two phone conversations, probably totalling three hours. We laughed a lot, seemed to have a lot of similar interests. We agreed to meet for the first time on Saturday at Tom and Eddie's for lunch.

I was really excited all morning. I just had a very good feeling about how we had been connecting, plus it didn't hurt that I thought she was cute. This is all I need to say about our time together. It was 1:45 when she arrived. I looked at my watch and it's suddenly 5:15. Those 3.5 hours absolutely blazed by. So we walked outside and the snow was falling. We shared a big hug goodbye and went our separate ways. I believe I was courteous and respectful. We seemed to have a great time. I drove away feeling pretty good.

Then this morning, she left for softball spring training in Arizona. So I texted her right before church began, saying have a safe flight, thanks for yesterday, all the nice stuff I figured a considerate guy would do.

After church got out one hour later, a text alert popped up on my Blackberry. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect it to be a Dear John text.

I could barely speak. And I didn't speak for nearly all of Come Thirsty. I may have fought back a tear or two. I know I only knew her for one week, but I really felt there was something there. I have had that gut feeling maybe two other times in my life.

I passed on the Fermi Lab tour and went straight home. I just needed to be alone, was not feeling very social. On the counter, I found the 75 cents in change from Tom and Eddie's. Here's what I have learned about this whole single life thing. The freedom feels great. The isolation stings.

So I arrived home, tried in vain to unclog the shower, and turned on the Rangers-Flyers game from the Garden. Ryan Callahan scores the first of his seven goals inside the first minute and the rout was on. They beat Philly to every loose puck, they hit, they passed, they skated. It was just a tremendous performance and that MSG crowd ate it up! A 7-0 whitewashing of the top-seeded Flyers on home ice. It took five games, but the Rangers finally beat Philly in the 2010-11 season. And memo to the Rangers brass, the NHL, or whoever it has to be: I want the white jerseys worn at home for the rest of the season!

12 days!

2011-03-04T21:26:00.002-06:00

So I dropped Mom off at the Westin hotel in Itasca this morning. She has a 12-day bus tour to Palm Springs. This is her first tour since November, so it is overdue for us to spend a little time apart. They are traveling through St. Louis, Amarillo TX (And the Big Texan steakhouse!), Oklahoma City, and Albuquerque before hitting California.

That required waking up at 5 am for a 6:30 dropoff. The office is only a few minutes away, so I arrived at 6:45 with over an hour to go before I could start working. I went down to the cafe and ate some of my banana pudding and slept. I did my 8-5 thing and was happy to find out I will get a nearly $1,000 raise.

I could have stopped for dinner, I was thinking about a sandwich at Potbelly's, but I passed. Instead, I fought off the rain and hit Starbucks for a chai tea. Group was very mixed. Why that one person has a problem with me, I don't understand.

After so much time out of the house, 14 hours to be exact, I went home. I wanted to stop by Wheaton Academy to check out the Warriors and their shot at winning a regional title, but I was just gassed. They won anyway! Finally, a title of some sort for that program. Now they play Crane, who the Trib ranked as No. 19 in Chicagoland. Sounds like quite the challenge. But it's time for WA to to do something big in the IHSA playoffs.

Other thoughts:

1) I am so excited to meet someone tomorrow. I really think there might be something here. Really, I do.

2) Four weeks till the Mets open up! Despite the likely mediocre season that will unfold, I am really starting to get excited. Why oh why?

3) Wow, the Rangers won a game. Yippee. Beat Philadelphia for the first time on Sunday and I will be impressed. Ottawa is putrid anyway.

4) Banana pudding always gets the love.

5) Tied to the whipping post! Thank you Allman Brothers Band!

And So It Goes (not a happy rant)

2011-03-04T13:52:00.002-06:00

And so will you soon I suppose.

KP's photo is up. Some red-headed douche got selected. I mean, that is pathetic.

2 close casual friends with me, 1 elevated existence, and Jack and Danny seem to pop every now and then.

And SP, 43 mutuals. E (minus one bottom line) off. Your loss, not mine. You wouldn't know a geunine man if he looked you in the eye and screamed it and waved a banner hanging off a damn helicopter saying "I AM GENUINE!"

The other SP, formerly of Geneva, LIAR! "I'm with him, I'm not, I'm breaking up, oh, I'm not sure right now..." Forget you, if I may keep it clean! I wish Sam Kinison was still alive to rip you a new one on the phone in front of 20,000 people!

Mr. Murphy, your thoughts???

"Let me hear the men clap that are loyal to their women. Truthfully. Stop. You lyin' motherf***ers, stop. Stop, stop, stop. Kiss my ass. There ain't no such thing as a loyal man. You lyin' motherf***ers, stop it. The only reason you clapped is because your woman sitting next to you right now. When I asked that question, she looked at you like..." "You gonna put your hands togetha?"

"No loyal men. All men f*** other women. We are low by nature and have to do it. We are men. All men do it. We have to do it. We are men. It is a man thing. Men must conquer and find as much as they can get. Do not think for two seconds you're the only one your man is f***in'! He is a man and has to conquer women. I see a lot of women sitting out there going 'Not my man.' Yes your man too! Your man too! If he not here with you tonight, he f*** in somebody!"

"All women have skeletons in their closets. Some of the women got cemeteries in their closet. You open the door and ravens and shit fly out!"

Thank you Eddie!

I make this trip once every couple years. Went Fishing, passed by Church, stopped by the Butcher, and passed through the Hills. No vacancies. I think Jack just came back and he needs attention. I'll meet that request.

Till Saturday...

Behind the back

2011-03-04T13:13:00.000-06:00

Billy Crystal's character in "When Harry Met Sally" was absolutely right. I realize more and more how men and women cannot be friends. The sex factor, whether it happens or not, is indeed always going to get in the way. I figured that one out today.

Even if the sex doesn't come into play, all it takes is one person finding a relationship. Just like that, the friendship dies. Specifically, if it's the woman who finds someone. She finds a guy and all of a sudden, she can't have a conversation with any other guy in her spare time. Even a conversation with a guy at work becomes awkward. It's like the guy has surveillance on her 24/7. If it's the guy who gets into the relationship, we don't give a shit. We'll keep talking with every girl we know, hell, we might even try to do it more often just to appease our own egos.

I was always the setup guy for marriage. There are at least four, possibly five, women who I went out with at least once and they married the next guy they dated. Now, in a span of two days, two women who I hung out with on a semi-regular basis suddenly find themselves in relationships! What that means for me, I have no idea. It is somewhat amusing.

But whatever. There is a shot. I really hope tomorrow works. For all my bravado and whatever confidence I feel like I have discovered in the last couple of months, I am a bit nervous. I hope she likes me.

Brief moment of downtime

2011-02-26T14:24:00.003-06:00

1. We have yet more snow on the ground! I mean, it is just ridiculous. It may still be February, but we have really seen enough. I'm ready for some upper 40's for a change.

2. Made quite a few purchases this weekend. Brought a hi-def webcam at Target for just 30 bucks, I think it's a pretty good deal. I like Logitech products, they seem pretty reliable and easy to use. Come our next Skype chat, I hope Miss Nona likes looking at me.

3. Went to see "The Grace Card" last night, a movie that has received very little promotion, probably due to the Christian nature of it. But as a film, I thought it was a compelling story and the actors were pretty solid. I'm sure most non-Christians who see it will sneer at the spiritual message, but that's their deal. I think it is a solid pick to see. I do wonder why the women get all the clever lines to say and the guys are mainly jerks. Maybe that's just the way the world is!

4. After Dec headed home, Jacquie and I grabbed dinner at Wok n' Fire. Thank you St. Charles for 25 percent off. We started with some coconut shrimp with an orange-chili marmalade type of sauce. Five skewers of golden shrimp came out stacked high surrounding, the ramekin of sauce. Great crunch to the shrimp, but it was just a standard coconut shrimp with a little curry for kicks. The sauce made it good though. Jacqui had some kind of curry bowl and I went with Bangkok garlic pepper stir-fry with steak and fried rice. I enjoyed it a lot, but I think I would prefer the Szechwan.

5. I slept till 8:30 this morning, knowing I have a long night in front of me. I grabbed a workout, my second to last at South Barrington Club. I went over to Bally's and between the concrete floor and dirty locker room, I knew I wasn't joining. So I hit Xsport fitness in South Barrington and I liked the facilities a lot. They had every machine I would want, plus a few things I had never seen before. Ab machines and some sort of bell I can't recall the name of. The locker room was nice, but I think it's lame they can't have soap or deodorant. After a lot of hesitating, I signed up for 30 days for 20 bucks. In all fairness, I would have hesitated anywhere. When you've paid nothing for your gym membership for four years, the thought of spending money at a gym makes your palms sweat just a little. But the general manager is cute and is from Geneva. That was probably my deciding factor...No, the bottom line is I get what I pay for at a gym. I think if I have to spend ten extra dollars a month, for a better workout, it is worth it.

6. Got home and found out the Rangers traded for defenseman Bryan McCabe. All they gave up was a third-round draft pick and Tim Kennedy, who never even sniffed the big club. I think for the rest of the year, it is an excellent pick up. A booming shot, size, a good hitter, and a veteran presence on a young defense, I think the Rangers are a more formidable team as the NHL season winds down. Certainly, I give them a better chance to win a round in the playoffs.

7. The Mets lose yet again to Atlanta. Nice to see they are already in mid-season form.

8. The Knicks sucked last night. How can they lose twice in one season to the Cleveland Cavaliers? They let other teams score more frequently than Paris Hilton on a weekend binge. Let the Carmelo bust talks begin...

9. After a year of searching for the file, I was finally able to download the American Wolves entrance theme music. Every time I hear it, I can't help but bop my head up and down, walk a little faster, and scowl. It so pumps me up!

10. Leaving for Chicago Ridge in just one hour. Ring of Honor's 9th Anniversary show. Gonna be awesome!

Can creativity emerge from boredom?

2011-02-19T19:08:00.003-06:00

Not totally sure if it can, but I'll take my chances that something will come from this post.

1) This week at work was one of the more challenging ones I have faced in some time. It wasn't one huge thing, it was all these little issues that kept popping up. It felt like a bunch of little gnats gnawing away at my flesh. Monitor resolution, computer viruses, sudden trainings, webex seminars, the reports taking a long time to load, finding out of my best friends is leaving the team. Just a lot of stuff that wasn't desirable.

2) Good to see Amber for the first time in almost 18 months. I waited for 30 minutes at CPK as she finished up work. The conversation started slow, but got better as the night went on. And I must say...the new spinach/artichoke pizza is a stellar addition to the menu.

3) Found a spot in a spot on Friday afternoon. I hope it's not a big deal.

4) I am so ready for Ring of Honor's 9th Anniversary show next Saturday night. I have been feeling bothered that this show doesn't seem to be getting promoted very well. But announcer Dave Prazak was just interviewed on Jonathan Hood's radio show on ESPN 1000 AM. That is nothing short of awesome. I would love to see 1,000 people for this internet PPV show.

5) So Borders and Giordano's have both filed for bankruptcy. Both these places are in the same strip mall that is five minutes from my house. And across from those stores is the Charlestowne Mall, which houses the Sears that will be going out of business this spring. Yep, I would say the St. Charles economy is not exactly thriving right now.

6) But that economy may get some help this week. Restaurant Week runs from Wednesday though Sunday. 25 percent off 30 restaurants. I'm not sure where I will go, but I would like to try a new spot. Maybe a Thai place...

7) Thank you Mom for that 25 dollar gift card to Jiffy Lube. Between my oil change, air filter, and new wipers, my total bill would have exceeded 100 bucks. But hey! I still get my coupon for my free minnow car wash at Jaws, saving me three dollars.

8) I saw True Grit. It's not often we see Westerns made nowadays. All in all, I thought it was good. Hailee Steinfeld did a tremendous job as the young girl, hell-bent on avenging her father's murder. As for Jeff Bridges, it feels like his character in Crazy Heart just changed jobs from musician to sheriff. The setting was fine, the story compelled me, the music was ok. I would recommend it.

9) My free South Barrington Club gym membership has nine days remaining on it. Still wagering what my best option is going forward...

10) I cannot keep watching these hour-long hot dog specials. I'm leaving for Scooby's in a few minutes!

Reminisicing tonight

2011-02-12T19:42:00.003-06:00

I had to post this whole song with Valentine's Day. Thank you Bill LaBounty and Beckie Foster for writing it and thank you Steve Wariner for recording it.

The Weekend

Couple of days isn't a very long time
Why can't I just walk away, I used to be good at goodbyes...
Out on the water...under the stars...
I let the moonlight play a trick on my heart

You had some fun for the weekend
But I'll be in love for the rest of my life
You took me out to the deep end
And I fell right over I didn't think twice
I finally got something worth keeping
And if I can't have you tonight....
At least I had the weekend

The radio plays the sound of the waves rolling in
the smell of the night sure can get under your skin
Just for a moment...I held you too close
Now I'm all out of time and I don't want to let go

How much can happen in a night or two?
I guess its all depending on your point of view....

You had some fun for the weekend girl
But I'll be in love for the rest of my life
You took me out to the deep end
And I fell right over I didn't think twice
Finally got something worth keeping
And if I can't have you tonight
At least I had the weekend...

Wekeend update

2011-01-30T16:11:00.005-06:00

Well, there's no real topic that is really jumping out to me right now. But the Rangers are 40 minutes from facing off against Montreal in the Bell Centre (God help us!). So let's recap this week.

1) That blizzard was some of the most treacherous weather I have ever seen. It really started to pick up in the middle of Tuesday. My 45 minute drive home took an hour, 15 minutes. Now even though the airports had closed, Woodfield Mall had closed, and so on, I just had a feeling we would have to come into work. The only way I would not have expected to come in was if the power had gone out. I woke up at 6, showered and dressed. I called Mike and he said we didn't have to go in. I had no idea where he was getting his information from. Earlier that morning, he had written on FB that he was going in. Apparently Keith contacted him and said we weren't going in. But I needed more than that. So I decided to text Keith as soon as we hung up. Well we winded down the call and just as I was about to press the end button, Keith calls. We indeed had the day off. Off went the khaki pants and on went the sweats.

2) The work week all in all felt quiet. The office is nice. I could deal with the changes if it wasn't for the extra 30-40 minutes of driving I have to do every day.

3) My meal out this week was a Kobe burger with cheese, shrooms, and caramelized onions. The chef apparently figured I wanted it rare. The damn thing was still pink inside. Against my better judgment, I finished the burger and just hoped my stomach would hold up. Thankfully, I'm fine.

4) The Knicks are frauds. They may even miss the playoffs. Even if they sign Carmelo Anthony or trade for him, I am convinced they can only go so far with Mike D'Antoni as their head coach. Between running an 8-9 man rotation, keeping certain players in the doghours for way too long, and the lack of defensive system, I just do not believe in this coach. They may reach the Eastern Conference finals one year or two years, but that dream of a championship will remain elusive.

5) How are there still commercials running for the Sobakawa pillow?

6) I have to find out where this Al's Italian Beef in the either Carol Stream or Glendale Heights is located...

7) Oh yeah, football. Good luck Green Bay. I am anything but excited. This isn't football, it;s a spectacle. I mean, do we need a freakin' red carpet show leading into the Super Bowl?

8) After four straight putrid Ranger power plays where they total two lovely shots, that prick Gomez scores the first goal for Montreal. It never changes.

This post is finished.

#700

2011-01-29T01:39:00.002-06:00

So this is post number 700. I just didn't have it in me to post after the Jets blew another AFC Championship game. After two days where I felt numb, I started to come out my haze. But, I find the best thing is to think about the game as little as possible. So it is almost 2 am and I just got home from a great time out. Macaroni Grill, Whole Foods, a $1.75 movie. Time to brainstorm.

1) I feel pretty good about the New York Rangers. 6th place in the East. I really like that this is a team. It's not a group of imports who are wearing the jersey. This is a group of players working together and playing together. My two hopes for the second half: A functioning power play and good health. And I can't wait to see Ryan Callahan back on the ice!

2) This is looking like a dead weekend. Not exactly looking forward to the NHL All-Star Game. But Henry Cloud will be speaking at Willow Creek, I may go check it out.

3) The elevator traffic at work is driving me crazy! Traveling from the lower level to the eighth floor this morning, we made five stops!

4) The cafeteria did have a weekly fish taco bar on Thursday. Shrimp, tilapia, and cod sauteed together. And I think there were six or seven toppings. I may just go for that next week.

5) Went to the gym four straight days. Feeling pretty good about that. Feeling pretty disappointed that I have to hunt for a new gym and pay for it in the next few weeks.

6) I am pumped up for St. Charles Restaurant Week! 25 percent off every eatery in the city for five days. Every one except Francesca's it seems. I definitely plan to take advantage of it!

7) I really want to remember God's presence better as each day goes along. Seriously.

8) Excited to eat my Carole's cookie tomorrow might. Oatmeal raisin with pecans. Stellar!

9) Pumped to hear Joe and Evan will be traveling to Chicago in May for Mets vs Cubs. Just when I had promised myself I would go to just one game and not get excited...

10) Four weekends till ROH's 9th Anniverary show in Chicago Ridge. I am so ready for this show!

Song pick: "Beg, Steal, Borrow" Ray LaMontagne

Championship weekend!

2011-01-21T21:03:00.004-06:00

We are 44 hours away from the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers kicking off the AFC Championship game. Right now, I know the Jets have a chance to win. Obviously, that is where my heart is. But my logic has me leaning towards Pittsburgh. I really don't feel like writing a huge preview so I will write three things that will likely happen depending on the outcome of the game.

The Jets will win if...

1) ...they rush for at least 100 yards. Pittsburgh has as good a run defense as there is in football; they allowed 63 rushing yards per game and 100 yards total twice all year. One of them was against the Jets, when Troy Polamalu did not play. But the Jets o-line has to block that front seven of Keisel, Hampton, Hood, Timmons, Farrior, Harrison, and Woodley. Not expecting 10 yards or any long runs, but Greene and LT need to pick up a good 4-5 yards per run.

2) ...Mark Sanchez keeps them in the game early. In both of these playoff wins, Sanchez has throw inaccurately in the first quarter. If he misses a few passes, that's one thing, but he cannot turn the ball over. The Steelers secondary is shaky and if the Jets can protect Sanchez, I think a quick start can play a major role.

3) ...Rashad Mendenhall does not turn the corner. In Week 15, Mendenhall ran for 99 yards on the Jets and he gained most of his yards when he ran outside the tackles. The Jets have to limit that.

The Jets will lose if...
1) ...the Steelers secondary receivers beat the Jets DB's. Sanders, Brown, and Miller have to be watched by, I would guess, Coleman, Cole, Lowery, and Pool. The Jets covered the Patriot receivers exceptionally well last weekend and they need to do a great job again.

2) ...they don't knock Ben Roethlisberger down. Unlike Manning and Brady, Big Ben seems to thrive on getting hit. So when the Jets hit the 345-pound girl beater, they better hit him flush and knock him down.

3) Nick Folk attempts a kick longer than 25 yards. I pray if it comes down to him kicking in the 4th quarter that he is kicking to the north end zone.

And I get to pick Danielle up and drive her in, that should be quite a trip!

OK, I am going with my heart. Jets 23, Steelers 17. The Lamar Hunt trophy is coming to NYC!

Live game blog-second half

2011-01-16T17:05:00.003-06:00

5:19: 2nd and 2, they stop Woodhead. On 3rd down and 1, DeVito and Pouha explode into the o-line and Harris and Scott stop BJGE short. At least four Jets fought their way into the backfield on that run!

5:32: After two first downs (Edelman is making some plays), Brady airs one out to Tate, but it's incomplete. On 2nd down, Calvin Pace with a tremendous pass rush as he belts Brady's elbow. Ball comes lose, but Pats recover. No matter, Jets force the punt. Thankfully Cromartie let this one bounce. Jets will start from their own 25. I really feel one more touchdown could really start to put it away.

5:41: A lot of ground and pound on that last drive. And the running game looked great. But they start going to the pass and it falls short. And another terrible punt. The Jets are giving the Patriots every opportunity to win this game.

5:47: This is what I'm talking about. Gronkowksi for 37 and now Branch catches his first ball to covert a 3rd and 12 and finds him again for 16. Time out Jets. I am scared.

5:52: Fucking Crumpler TD, 2-pointer works. 14-11. The offense, and especially their maligned coordinator, has to decide if they want a damn shot at the Super Bowl.

5:58: Cotchery wants a Super Bowl! A 58 yard run following the sideline catch. And on 3rd and 4 from the 7, a perfect fade pass that Santonio Holmes makes an amazing falling catch on. That was the response this team needed! 21-11 with 13:00 to go.

6:07: Second Pats fumble that they recovered. Opportunities lost. Ok, another third down for the Pats. How is Darrelle Revis giving up completions to Branch all of a sudden? 6 minutes and counting.

6:13: Sacked Brady five times. The Pats had 3rd down just now and Brady had to double clutch five times before throwing an incomplete pass over the middle in the direction of Mr. Woodcock. 4th and 13 from the Jets 34 coming up. This is so damn close...

6:16: Branch drops it! Jets take over! Holy crap!

6:22: Three runs and a punt. And Edelman returns it all the way to the Jets 40. Time to be scared again. Three first downs on three plays. They are playing it safe and it is failing.

6:30: The d forces two incompletions and then Coleman takes Welker down for no gain off a swing pass. The Pats try to get the field goal off, but the two minute warning comes first. Two time outs left for each team.

6:31: The field goal is good. 21-14. I wonder if they would consider trying an onside kick.

6:33: They onside kick in the middle Cromartie picks it up! He takes it down the sideline all the way to the Pat 25!

6:41: Been to busy celebrating. Greene takes it off the edge into the end zone and the Jets are gonna fucking win! 28-14.

6:42: Deion Branch catches one in the end zone for 13 yards with 25 seconds left. 28-21. Onside kick coming again.

6:44: Eric Smith falls on it, and the Jets can take a knee. Jets win!!!!!!

6:59: This is the second round but it is as meaningful a win for any of my teams since the Mets won the pennant and maybe moreso. Maybe the most meaningful since the Rangers won it all. It is that important. Pittsburgh, here we come...

Live game blog-first half

2011-01-16T15:31:00.009-06:00

The last time I did this was the victory in San Diego. It worked, I'm doing it again.

3:32: Teams on the field. Not feeling good about Brad Smith's injury keeping him inactive. And if they want to establish the run, why bench John Connor, your young rookie fullback?

3:45: Despite a big first down pass to Cotchery that got the ball into Pat territory, that would be it. Sanchez with a bad overthrow on 3rd down and they have to punt.

3:52: Pats driving and I'm terrified. And Harris with a HUGE INT on MR BRADY! Of course, the offense goes nowhere. And Folk misses a layup.

4:05: Pats drive all the way down, thanks to a huge Alge Crumpler reception. Cromartie can't even cover a 400-pound tight end. Ellis sacks Brady on 3rd down, but Shayne Graham shows Nick Folk how to kick a field goal. 3-0 down, 1:12 left in the first.

4:15: First quarter over, Cro with a great kick return, Jets with a first down after a 3rd and 5 conversion. Cotchery again.

4:17: And the drive dies again. Mark Sanchez had Dustin Keller on a post pattern and threw too far ahead. This guy cannot complete a pass over 15 yards. He looks as bad as he did in Indy. At least Chad had poise.

4:21: The blitz is working GREAT! Coleman demolishes Brady and third down and another punt is forced. The Jets are going to start just inside midfield. They really need to establish some offensive momentum.

4:26: Sanchez with an amazing sideline pass to Braylon Edwards for 37 yards. That converted a third down, Jets are on the NE 8. And two plays later, Tomlinson makes a great over-the-shoulder catch, and takes in a 4-yard TD! 7-3 Jets!

4:33: Another 3 and out! Always nice to see Woodcock get eaten up for a negative play. 7:30 remaining.

4:45: LT drops the wildcat snap. I never want to see it again. And the Pats get called on pass interference, which extends the drive. The pace of the game is nice and slow, just how the Jets want it. Another 3rd and 4 following two Greene runs. Holmes makes a 5-yard catch that Belichick challenges. But the ball never hit the ground, and the drive keeps going on with 5:45 left. But it dies. Braylon Edwards knocking a pass away from Santonio Holmes, seems someone ran the wrong route. And Weatherford punts another ball into the end zone. The kickers have been terrible this game.

4:54: Pats get a 1st down, but have to punt yet again. Gronk has no idea where he is. On the fake punt, Chung drops the ball! Jets take over on the NE 37. And Tomlinson immediately runs 17 yards to the 20! This is amazing!

4:57: Another 3rd down! And Braylon Edwards takes two Pro Bowlers, McCourty and Chung, to the cleaners! 15 yards for the touchdown! 14-3 with 33 seconds left in the half!

5:03: Mankins with a personal foul, preventing any chance at a field goal. It is halftime now. I know the game is a long way from over. But this first half went as well as could be expected. The fans are mad, the Pats offense has no rhythm. And the Jets are grounding and pounding.

More Sat night random musings

2011-01-15T20:37:00.002-06:00

1) I should not have brought that Gino's East meaty legend pizza. It's really good! I don't know if I can go back to the spinach pizza now...

2) I was sick basically all week, the second time in less than two months. And I used two sick days within a month after not using any for two years. I hate doing that. And I would really like to get rid of this nagging cough.

3) Got to the gym today for just the second time in 11 days. The running wasn't easy, what else is new? But I felt pretty good about my lifting, especially my shoulder and leg workouts.

4) As much as I would like to see a hockey game in Montreal, it will never be a Rangers game. Something ridiculously bad always happens when the Rangers go there.

5) And so I have worked my last day in Hoffman Estates. Didn't shed any tears as I walked away, but I know I will miss the shorter commutes and the days when the gym was not an expense.

6) Can the Mets sign Chris Young already?!

7) I'm just waiting for 40 degrees...

8) Pumping myself up...Trying not to get too worked up, but this is special...Never know when it will come again.

9) Where ya at, T-Rich!

10) I hope she'll still want me by the time we finally see each other.

Thoughts going in

2011-01-15T19:33:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is the game. It is probably the biggest game the New York Jets have played since I have been alive, even though it is a divisional round game. But it is in New England and against the team I hate the most in football, the Patriots.

Every preview I hear basically says that the Jets have next to no shot at winning this game because they remember 45-3, because of the great Patriot offense and that the anointed one hasn't thrown an interception in 300 attempts. People don't seem to remember he threw five passes in the Packers game where a ball hit a Green Bay defender right in the hands and fell harmlessly to the turf. So that little streak is bogus. And more people seem to be interested in talks trash better as opposed to breaking down the individual matchups. Last I checked we don't get points for throwing the best verbal barbs.

Obviously for the Jets to win, a few things have to go right. The first is Mark Sanchez playing cool and calm throughout. I have no doubt that the offensive line will protect him against the Patriots defensive line. But Bill Belichick is excellent at scheming and will do everything possible to keep the second-year QB uncomfortable. So what I want to see from Sanchez is completing those quick slant passes. Know when to run with the ball like he did on that drive in Indy last week. But with 1 TD and 7 INT's in his two previous visits to Gillette Stadium, he'd better figure it out quickly.

The second thing is defensive coverage on the Pat tight ends, Gronkowski and Hernandez, as well as Woodhead/Woodcock, or whatever Joe Theismann called him. The Jets linebackers are excellent at tackling but not at pass coverage and this is where many teams have exploited them for most of the season. Now last time, the Jets had only been without captain Jim Leonhard for three days. Now there are no excuses. This is on safeties Brodney Pool, James Ihedigbo, Eric Smith, and Dwight Lowery. And this especially goes on third down.

Third, as simplistic as it sounds, it matters that much more: turnovers. As much as I despise them, New England turned the ball over ten times this season and that is impressive. When the Jets beat New England in Week 2, they forced three Patriot turnovers. I think plus-one is absolutely necessary.

Fourth, a good start. The Jets are notoriously slow starters and if they fall behind by more than ten points, I don't think they can come back. They need to keep running the ball against this inexperienced defense and not force Sanchez to throw deep.

I never envisioned the Jets holding Indianapolis to just 1 TD last week, but they did. They played a "bend, don't break" defense and they Jets were able to score just enough points to win the game. And Adam Vinatieri made three field goals indeed. This week, it's Shayne Graham and it's outdoors. I'll take my chances with field goal attempts all night long. I think if the Jets limit New England to two TD's and three FG attempts, I would take it. So the question is, can the Jets offense play well enough to win this one. I know they have the talent. But will they execute?

Five Jets who need to play huge (Besides the obvious)

1) Jason Taylor/Calvin Pace
2) Brodney Pool
3) Santonio Holmes
4) Shonn Greene
5) The entire defensive line

Pick: Jets 27, Patriots 20

A blur of jubilation!

2011-01-09T14:01:00.005-06:00

I am sitting at my desk on a Sunday afternoon thinking I should probably take a nap.

I have to admit that even on Tuesday morning, when I was buying the tickets for Saturday night's AFC wild card game between the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, it felt weird. The memories of last year's disappointing defeat in the championship game still stung in my noggin. But when Jerome offered to go with me and split expenses, I thought it seemed like a good idea.

After hearing Joe and Evan's opening monologue on WFAN, I left home at 9:20 and hit no traffic on my hour-long journey to Chicago. I picked Jerome up at the Wellington subway stop and drove around the corner to Oakdale St to Carl's apartment to retrieve my Jets hat that I had left at Rebel bar weeks earlier. Then we headed down 90-E to 65-S for 3.5 hours of driving to Indianapolis. I did not plan to stop at all during that entire trip. As we approached Lafayette, Jerome mentioned he wanted to try Chik-Fil-A for grub. I wasn't sure how to take it, maybe I was a little disappointed. I wanted to try Shapiro's deli in Indy and their peppered beef deli sandwich I saw on the Food Network. But certainly we could do worse than Chik-Fil-A, so I agreed. I wolfed down a spicy deluxe with extra pickles and waffle fries, though it took 10 minutes to get my food! Maybe it was my Nick Mangold jersey and they decided to screw with me...

We got to downtown and the temperature was around 27 degrees, so we ruled out outdoor tailgating. For 20 bucks, we parked on Meridian St, two blocks east of the stadium and walked to Claddagh, the same Irish pub I have 15 minutes from my house. When we walked inside, were a little surprised to find 50 Jets fans already partying and drinking. Now it was only 2:30, about six hours before kickoff!

We manged to find a little room and started chatting with folks. I met a guy named Jason and imagine my surprise when he told me he lives in west Aurora. When I told him I lived 20 minutes away, we both stared at each other as if to say "We live this close together and we met in Indy of all places?" I met a group of 7 or 8 people from Long Island. I met a really cool and funny girl named Robin. One older guy tried to set me up with a Chicago girl from that group named Christine. Despite the Jets apparel she was wearing, apparently, she's also a Cowboys and Cubs fan. I couldn't quite grasp that combination of three teams. I even recognized a few people from last year's tailgate like Al, who looks like Steve Somers after a weekend of heavy drinking. I met another couple where the husband is a Jets fan and the wife is a Colts fan. A guy named Adam Ramirez brought me a Fat Tire beer to accompany the Smithwick's and three Bass's I had already poured down my throat.

Jerome actually mentioned how he noticed how so many Jets fans had made their presence felt in the town and had basically taken the bar over. Said he was impressed with us. I know he would not say that just to say it, he would not BS me, so I was pretty proud of that and proud of my fellow Jets fans. He took off around 6 for the stadium. I kept chatting with a lot of guys and we screamed "J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets" at least a dozen times. I think I was already hoarse by the time I left Claddagh around 7.

With five beers in me, and not sure which way to walk, I followed the crowds and somehow stumbled to the stadium. I found my spot in the 15th row of section 632, in the southeast corner. The stadium was showing the final moments of the Seahawks victory over the Saints and the Colts fans' applause was quite loud when Seattle secured the upset. Guess they are still a little upset about the last Super Bowl, I can certainly understand that. Rex Ryan came out ahead of the Jets players and he was booed rather loudly as he rumbled across the field towards the Jets sideline.

I would describe my honest feeling going in to this game as a mixture of excitement, hope, and nervousness, with a touch of dread. I knew the Jets could give the banged up Colts a better game than they did last year. And the passing attack is far better than it was with the addition of Santonio Holmes. But with the Jets defense not playing not as well as it used to, that kept me feeling cautious.

The first half went pretty slow. The first eight possessions were all punts. I was more than fine with a low scoring game, except I knew how quickly the Colts could strike and I knew the Jets would have to get going at some point. Mark Sanchez was overthrowing most of his receivers and I was not feeling good about him at all.

Then with 5:30 left in the half, Peyton Manning finds Pierre Garcon crossing over the middle of the field, and hits him in stride for a 57 yard TD. 7-0. Was uneasy, but I knew the Jets were getting the ball to start the second half, so I was just hoping for a score before halftime. And they drove the field well as Santonio Holmes caught two passes for 29 yards. But three straight times, Sanchez overthrew Dustin Keller, the last one getting intercepted.

When the first half concluded, I headed to the outside concourse and called Amy. I wasn't thrilled, but I knew the game wasn't over. More than anything, I was frustrated with the Jet offense's inability to get anything going. Bless her heart, she calmed me down a little, but I decided to stay in the concourse and watch the game from there instead of from my seat. Going into third quarter, I was happy to be within a score, but I knew the Jets could not afford to fall much farther behind. They had to make a statement on their opening drive and that's exactly what they did. Antonio Cromartie with a 40 yard kick return. Ten plays, 63 yards, 5 minutes, finished off by a LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard TD run. 7-7. The Colts come right back with nine plays that lead to an Adam Vinateri field goal, and the Colts led 10-7. But I noticed that the Jets seems to be playing more and more physical. I think everyone in the stadium knew the Colts would not pull away late like last year. This would be a struggle.

And then the Jets began the ultimate drive of the game. 17 plays over 10 minutes, capped off by Tomlinson's second 1-yard score. With ten minutes left, the Jets led by 4. Using their bend-don't break-defense, the Jets allowed two 3rd down conversions, before finally getting a stop on their 14. Vinatieri came in for a chip shot field goal and the score was 14-13 Jets.

So with 4:37, the Jets needed two first downs for the win. Two Shonn Greene runs set up 3rd and 5. On that play, Mark Sanchez rolled to his right and found Holmes all alone and he dropped the ball. That was a huge blow to me. A great opportunity that had been wasted. So Steve Weatherford punts, but after he kicked the ball away, one of the Colts players ran into him and basically throws him to the ground. Roughing the kicker, automatic first down for the Jets. I was floored. Two runs set up another 3rd and 5. From their own 35, Sanchez unleashes a bomb down the right sideline. Braylon Edwards had a step on the DB, but the ball was overthrown. A lot of people hated that play call. It was a great chance to put the game away, it just didn't work. So I will not blame Schotty for the call, because it should have worked and it almost did.

I went back up the stairs to my seat and got my jacket. With 2:36 and from their own 20, Manning goes to work. He finds Jacob Tamme on two straight plays for a pair of first downs. I headed back downstairs, I was feeling unlucky standing there. So it was back to the concourse. A 12-yard pass to Blair White put the ball in field goal range. Up 1 point and with that kicker, I am feeling very queasy by now. But the defense did hold up and that set up a 50-yard field goal attempt with just one minute on the clock. He drilled it and it probably would have been good from 70 yards. 16-14 Colts.

When Vinatieri made the kick, I was upset. But I honestly felt if the Jets could get a good kick return, they could win. They were driving the ball very effectively in the second half and they had all their timeouts. Cromartie takes the ball from the end zone all the way out to the 46. So basically, the Jets needed to pick up 20 or so yards over 45 seconds for a reasonable attempt, albeit from a somewhat unreliable kicker in Nick Folk. Braylon Edwards caught a 9 yard pass over the middle, and Holmes caught another one near the sideline for an 11 yard gain, putting the Jets on the Indy 34. Tomlinson ran for two and Indy inexplicably calls their final timeout with 29 seconds left. Even Peyton Manning was shown on the sideline looking completely baffled with his hands up in the air. The next play shows why Rex Ryan is so different than Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rich Kotite, Al Groh, etc. and so many other Jets coaches who couldn't get the job done well enough. He not only coaches to win, he knows when to take a chance. Sanchez throws deep and Braylon Edwards makes a tumbling sideline catch for 18 yards.

The Jets let the clock run to three seconds and take their final timeout. And in comes Nick Folk. This kicker has taken a lot of abuse from Jets fans who never wanted to lose Jay Feely. I felt differently. I liked Feely, but I never got over those two missed field goal in Indy last year. Especially the second one, which propelled the Colts TD drive late in the first half from which the Jets never recovered. I held hands with two other Jets fans. The snap from Ton Purdum was good, Weatherford held the ball in place. And Folk drilled the ball right in between the uprights as the clock read 0:00. The Jets had won 17-16.

I jumped and screamed, with some restraint, and extended my arms out like wings and "flew" through the concourse just like Holmes does when he scores. I ran up to every person wearing green I could find and hugged them. That game was so exhilarating and that much more so, considering last year's disappointment. I even took pictures of people with the field and scoreboard in the background. But this was probably the most obnoxious that I got. I looked around me and saw the "All In" signs that the Colts fans had been waving the whole game. So several times I screamed "All in is now All OVAHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Jerome and I decided to wait a while before leaving to let the traffic dissipate a little. We went back to Claddagh, which by now, was twice as busy as it had been when we left. There were about 20 of us trying to fight our way inside at the same time. Together, we started chanting "ALL IN, ALL IN, ALL IN!" I was surprised to see a lot of Colts fans inside, even more than there were before the game. We each had a beer (I threw in a 5-hour energy) and took off around midnight.

We drove four hours, stopping just once for gasoline and a Dasani. I dropped Jerome off on the west side around 2:20 am. I pushed on, stumbled through the front door off my home in St. Charles at 3:15 am and passed out in bed wearing my long johns and my green Play like a Jet! t-shirt. Nothing could have been more appropriate.

Reflections

2010-12-31T18:35:00.006-06:00

I have gone back through my posts from this year to remind myself of what has happened to me over that period of time. My last full year of my life in my 20's, it has been one to remember.

January
My first thought has to be the Jets playoff run. I was home for the first-round win over Cincinnati and again for that amazing victory over the Chargers. Then, I made the fateful decision to drive to Indianapolis for the AFC title game. I had so much fun at that Jets tailgate and during the first half. Then came the second half and the realization I had lost my keys. Mom drove 4 hours with my other set. Got home around 11:30, I should have been home by 6:30. Also found out the girl who I thought might be the love of my life is doing work for Africa with her husband and has a kid now. FBCG also did Feed My Starving Children following the Haiti earthquake and Court and I had dinner at Blackie's afterwards. Their burgers are gi-normousreally good. And of course, Court wound up on ABC news that night!

February
First time I made dinner at F and F. Pasta with vodka sauce and Costco shredded rotisserie chicken, apple pie for dessert. Found the Lucky Monk restaurant and it's less than two minutes from work. Dealing with aggravation of being lied to and deceived in a long relationship, that took a little time. Last time I ever saw Sarah at Friday night group. And now I never will again. She seemed like a special girl. Spent a weekend in Myrtle Beach with Mom as she scouted for her future bus tours and I got to go back to our old home in Raleigh. Not much has changed there.

March
My first time following Blueshirt Banter radio live. I quickly carved out my group of online friends: Eva, Zach, Newman, Frosty, Robbie, Claude, etc. Saw Donald Miller speak at Willow Creek, he was tremendous. Jose Reyes' thyroid problems. My first taste of Bushmill's came at the Muldoon's tavern on St. Patrick's Day. The bitch came back to CT for one day with her geeky husband, and thankfully, I have not seen her since. Watched Wrestlemania with the ROH guys. Undertaker-Shawn Michaels was just tremendous, the rest of the card I would call decent.

April
Picked up a new boss at work and SBI-Landover to go with my other three schools in Manhattan, Garden City, and White Plains. Had my first pulled pork sandwich at Honky Tonk BBQ and it was tremendous. Drank my first Konig Pilsner too. Watched The Big Bang from Charlotte where Christopher Daniels returned, Davey Richards won an excellent match over Kenny King, and Tyler Black retained the World title over Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. Watched the Rangers keep their season alive in an amazing win at the Garden against Philly, only to no-show and lose in a shootout in Philly the following day, knocking them out of the playoffs. Picked up several Greg Norman shirts at the closing outlet store in Huntley. Went to the ROH show where Cabana and Generico won a sick street fight over Corino and Steen. Was voted the second best ROH match of the whole year! Afterwards, at Rosa's, I sang Friends in Low Places, including the third verse. It was dedicated to the one I never loved! My hopes for the Mets were high, they won 9 of 10 games at home. Ate at Prime in Elgin for the first time and thought it was good, I have not returned since. Felt a very strong call to quit my night job at the Good Friday service at Willow Creek. The following month, I did. Seven years and it's over.

May
At work, I began the long, arduous process of converting FFELP loans to direct. That lasted through the whole summer. Brought this cool bookshelf, it looks like a big black slanted ladder. Nice to have a contemporary looking piece of furniture. Started softball season. 3 FBCG teams of the 24. One with my teammates from last year, one with all my friends, and I'm on the other one. We had a decent run I guess, would have been nice if we had people come more consistently though. Ended the month with my Memorial Day trip to Milwaukee and Madison. Saw the Mets lose twice (Screw you Corey Hart), but enjoyed the lakefront, local pubs, Brady Street, and museums. Visited Nef, Karen, and the family. Had a great breakfast at the Machine Shed (apple cider syrup rocks!) and got back to Geneva in time for church. Brought the group a cinnamon roll too. It was big enough for ten people.

June
Discovered a great recipe for roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Watched the White Sox beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field amongst a very bored atmosphere. Did have pizza at Piece afterwards though! I love that clam/bacon combo so much. Started playing ultimate frisbee soccer on Thursday nights in Geneva, and that went on almost every week into late September. Attended a couple of festivals: Blues on the Fox, Swedish Days, to name a few. The lively R&B music. I still remember that blue dress and the dancing.... Anyway. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup and I will say I felt good for them. Probably moreso because they beat Philadelphia. I'm proud of myself that I actually wrote that on Facebook because I showed I can feel good for other people when their teams win, albeit in certain situations. Watched the amazing Nexus invasion on RAW and was annoyed when Bryan Danielson got fired later that week for choking out ring announcer Justin Roberts with his pink tie.

July
Naperville Ribfest may have been the best one ever, despite the radical new layout. Los Lonely Boys and Charlie Daniels in concert. Ate my first, and probably last, deep-fried Twinkie. Went to the gym two days later, and I had literally gained five pounds. Two weeks later, I went on the retreat to Michigan at Amy's house. Developed a crush on one of the girls I had never met but of course her boyfriend was there. Went tubing on the lake for the first time and absolutely loved it. Beach volleyball, worship times, setting off Roman candles, Court and Christine getting engaged. Went to ROH's Salvation show, Tyler Black and Kevin Steen had a really good title match. Sang "Afternoon Delight" at Rosa's (the female part). Necro Butcher sang "My Way" and it was phenomenal. Later that month, watched Death Before Dishonor from Toronto online, which featured ROH's best match of the year as Tyler Black retained the title against Davey Richards.

August
Listened to "Whipping Post" by the Allmans for the first time and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. SH got engaged, one more bites the dust. Got a nasty virus on my computer, cost 90 dollars to get it removed. But the guy at McAfee did a great job and it worked flawlessly. Decided to go to Kentucky for an October mission trip and raised all the necessary money inside of a week. Finally gave in and went to the dermatologist and got three prescriptions that I am still on. Saw Dad for the only time this year. Mom and I visited although our first preference was Montreal. Ate one of JG Mellon's amazing cheeseburgers, walked 5th Avenue, shopped in bougie Short Hills, listened to music at Dad's place all night, went to church at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and brought back 18 bagels.

Early September
Insanity. Dealt with Dad's problems, this was the month everything seemed to deteriorate in his life. Watched two terrible Mets losses in Wrigley Field on Labor Day weekend. After the second disaster, went straight to Ultimate frisbee soccer. There, I found out MR was with one of my best friends. The only good thing was I scored five goals and I'm surprised I did that since I played so aggressively. Went home from that and got as drunk as I ever have. I felt the effects two days later. Was thrilled on Labor Day when Darrelle Revis signed his contract with the Jets.

Late September
The CT retreat to Muskegon, MI. The knitting bumper sticker, Qwelf, my first tennis match in 15 years, mini golf in the rain, indoor volleyball, the prayer tower, Catchphrase, Logan's roadhouse, an amazing church, a little more tennis with Carl. But that weekend, I missed Festival of the Vine, a Kentucky trip meeting, and an ROH I-PPV. Jets smash the Patriots at home and that same night, I went to see Night of Champions with Q and saw Daniel Bryan win the US title and Randy Orton win the WWE title. Sat right behind the ring announcers. I still have the chair I sat in and it's right here in my basement. Little did I know that was the last day I would speak to my father for about seven weeks.

October
Added three more schools and started working on the new PDC team. Thankfully, the Mets were done by the time this month rolled around. The three previous months were torture. Gave my testimony to the boys at at F and F. Made homemade Chinese food to go with it. Discovered Ray Charles "Modern Sounds in C and W" and re-discovered the Mavericks and the Remingtons music as well. The Rangers season began and it was hard not being able to talk to Dad about it. Still is. Correctly predicted the Giants to win the World Series at the start of the playoffs, my NF predictions, not as good. Went to Court and Christine's wedding and had my first date with Jacquie that same night at Urban Grille. We really became close for a while and I think we still are. I knew work was moving to Schaumburg but then I learned I would lose my free gym membership. Did not make me happy. And of course, my mission trip to Kentucky. Six people on the crew, six tremendous days. The day after I got back, I went to Rebel, a bar in Wrigleyville where Jets fans started meeting to watch games. It was so good watching the games in community instead of alone. The hour drive is a challenge though.

November
This was a Jets month. Insane victories over Detroit, Cleveland, Houston and an easy one over Cincinnati. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to think they were the best team in the NFL. Saw Mindy Smith perform live in Evanston. Had a huge sandwich at Kaufman's Deli in Skokie first though. Chatted with a visiting 40-something lady in the very nice pizzeria/bar before the show and enjoyed the concert tremendously. Mom and I had a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner at Weber Grille. And of course, I flew to New Jersey for the Blueshirt Banter viewing party. Ate at Bobby Flay's burger palace. Met so many awesome people at Poitin Still and just had a very fun night. Although sleeping on the hard floor of Newark Airport wasn't exactly pleasurable. And of course, the next morning, I met Nona on the plane to Chicago. And I came so close to missing the flight!

December
A great opening week and most of it was spent downtown. A ton of fun at ComedySportz, the lame movie, dinners, the hotel lounge, singing Last Christmas, the Miracle Mile. And wishing there was more time, but learning to accept it. Tried Smashburger, wasn't too thrilled with it. Got more than a little pissed at the Rangers getting wasted by the Avalanche in November, although I did somehow get invited to to the UC for a Hawks-Avalanche game. Mom and I were fortunate to spend Christmas in Orlando, FL. Watched Final Battle, and it was amazing. Davey Richards just missed winning the title from Roderick and El Generico and Kevin Steen's year-long feud finally climaxed and Generico won the Fight Without Honor, forcing Steen to leave ROH. Started to talking to someone in Boulder and I am amazed how close our connection has become. Nicole came home from Jerualem and we had dinner at Outback.

What I Have Learned
1) It is so tough to travel your own road, one that American culture just doesn't agree with. But I'd rather do it my way than how people around me say I should. I have to know why I live the way I live.
2) Whoever decided we should keep our spiritual beliefs to ourselves does not make sense.
3) Betrayal hurts. Forgiveness can be harder than I ever imagined.
4) Jealousy is still a challenge for me.
5) Message boards can be great for meeting people, the lack of accountability is their downfall.
6) I am happy I discovered the Allman Brothers Band, Miles Davis and Johnny Hartmann jazz, and Lee Roy Parnell.
7) Salsa can be made with jicama and cucumber. It's weird, but it works pretty well.
8) Switching cell phone carriers three times in two months can be a hassle.
9) I have more friends who love me than I knew.
10) God can't be fooled.

This week

2010-12-31T18:25:00.002-06:00

If nothing else, I can say with happiness that I feel like I am living a life instead of just letting it happen. It's like that week following Thanksgiving. Little did I know that since Monday night began, I would spend 18 hours on the telephone and 18 hours sleeping. Granted, my energy level has not been at its highest. Yet, I wouldn't change any of it. What I have been doing defies common sense, reasoning, and logic. And it seems to make all the sense in the world. But no matter what happens, I will maintain my faith.

Colorado, how I long to visit you now. 11.5 years have passed since my one and only visit. I feel like the time is right. Would be nice if I could sneak whitewater rafting in the agenda, but that may be too lofty a hope.

I have also hit the gym four of five days this week, which feels awesome after not being able to go for nearly a week. 90 minutes total on the elliptical, 18 minutes of running, plenty of lifting, and even 20 minutes in the sauna. I have two more months left in that gym. Thanks CEC. I'm waiting for my raise...

Song pick: Christmas has been over for a week, but still, I'll throw out "Dominick the Donkey" by Lou Monte

Very little left to say

2010-12-26T16:17:00.004-06:00

I have to remind myself. It was never my choice to root for the teams (the 4 pillars of pain) and athletes (eg Greg Norman) I root for. It just happened that way. I don't know why I care so much, but I do. And now it's too late to stop. It is like being trapped in prison without a key and running into the bars over and over trying to knock them down, just hoping the hopelessness will finally be broken. One championship in my lifetime and no opportunity to play for a title since 2000.

Now I understand what happened today. So the Jets made the playoffs. Great. It means nothing to me. I've seen this team make the playoffs. Last year's team had resolve, it had character, it had bravado. I see very little of that. This defense could not stop a high school team. This 38-34 loss to the Chicago Bears was just one more embarrassment in a season that has had more twists and turns than the Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios. And I don't see a team that has a run in them anymore. They may very well beat Kansas City on the road in the opening round. If they do, all it secures is another ass-whipping in New England. And I would rather miss the playoffs than see that. Too late.

It never changes. We are the Same Old Jets.

DC is not even worth a second thought. Why LM settled for that, I will never know. The self-appointed judge and jury and he has not seen me for four years. I really find it funny, I do. It's sad.

Orlando, Part 3

2010-12-26T00:21:00.006-06:00

I grabbed eight more hours of sleep. Breakfast was amazing again: rye toast, bacon, pineapple spears, and FRESH orange juice. I was spoiled and I have to say, I almost felt a little guilty. I'm really not that hard to please, I was worried Mom may have told Mark and Marianne that I was. We left around 10:30 and drove to the corner of Sand Hill and Turkey Hill to Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. I have heard Joe Benigno talk about this place on WFAN for months and this was my only demand for the trip. To eat this pizza. We walked in as they opened at 11:30 and the first thing I noticed was the lighting was rather dark. They had big screen TV's with the NFL network and ESPN on, but this felt more like a restaurant as opposed to a pizza parlor or a sports bar. I really wanted to try their roasted chicken wings, but it was straight to the pizza. Mom and I each ordered 10-inch lunch pizzas to split, one Eggplant Marino and another with sausage and mushroom. The EM was just layer off eggplant with sauce and Romano cheese. As I took my first bite, I loved the crunch of the crust as well as the zestiness of the tomato sauce. The Romano added a nice texture; I think the only thing that could have made it better was some mozzarella cheese. The sausage and mushrooms were a very good combo as well. I would not call this the greatest pizza ever, that's still John's, but if this was my go-to pizza, I would be a happy guy.

M and M took us to Universal Studios and we began our odyssey through the first of two theme parks, the Isle of Adventure. Within a few minutes, I saw people drinking beers, and I quickly figured out this park was more adult-oriented than the Magic Kingdom. Mom really wanted to check the new Harry Potter section, so I went with it. But that was on the other side of the park, so we had a few places to check out first. We passed through the Marvel Comics section without really stopping. Then came Toon Lagoon, and since I am all about water rides, this was my spot! I just wish the temperature was 75 or 80 degrees instead of 65, just cold enough to make the water uncomfortable. I did convince Mom to try Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, a tube river rapids ride. After the first sharp turn, we were totally soaked! And I don't think we got dry for at least two hours.

From there, came the Jurassic Park section. We wanted to do this Pteranodon Flyers ride, kind of a low roller-coaster over Camp Jurassic. 60 minute wait, I passed and ran around the camp, which is like a jungle gym with cargo nets, slides, and tight passages. It brought out the little kid in me, I really liked it. Mom, well, she was ready to move on. Found a good spot to take a photo, with a T-Rex lurking right above my head. We headed to the Wizarding World, which hosts Harry Potter. I was amazed at the huge castle that looked so real. The whole thing felt like an old English village. The Mom wanted to do was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the section's signature attraction. It's located inside Hogwart's Castle and it took 30 minutes to get through the line. While we were waiting, we talked with a mom and cute daughter from Virginia. But Mom and I decided to go as single riders, which moved us way up in the line and probably reduced our waiting time by 20 minutes. We stored our coats in lockers and headed in. this thing is a motion simulator, I guess it takes guests through scenes inspired by the Potter books and films. It felt like were were flying, it moved us so fast and violently, I could not tell what was real and what was a video image. It was quite the thrill, but I have to say this is not good for anyone with motion sickness. I was ok, but my stomach felt a little queasy for the next hour or so. We maneuvered our way out of a very busy "Pottersville" as I call it. Then came the Sinbad stunt show at the Lost Continent. This was a 30-minute live-stunt show that was funny and visually appealing at the same time. And some pyros provided a couple of sonic booms as well!

We hustled through Dr. Seuss and over to the second park, Universal Orlando. We headed through Production Central (no TNA tapings) over to the Christmas Village. Mom wanted a snack and when I asked her for input as to what she wanted, she gave me the same answer I must have heard a few dozen times. "Whatever you want." I'm just trying to be considerate, I don't want to just get my way. Anyway, we checked out some blown glass and fried oreos (I did not get them, I have limits) and checked out the New York section. I was very impressed that they replicated the Guggenheim as well as the Public library. There were even some apartment buildings that reminded me of Brooklyn. We were waiting for a Blues Brothers show, but we decided to check out the San Francisco/Amity section instead.

Then came one of the most memorable moments of the trip. We went into an attraction called Disaster! This attraction puts guests in the middle of a new Disaster movie called Mutha Nature. It's made by fictional company Disaster Studios and Christopher Walken plays director, Frank Kincaid. At the beginning, Lonnie, the spunky guide picked seven people to "star" in the upcoming film. At one point, she said she needed a "nice grandmotherly type who liked gardening." And she picked my mother. And I know for a fact she has no grandkids! The rest of us were in the cast, playing train passengers and of all people, the Rock, plays our hero! So the seven cast members filmed their scenes in front of us, we did our train scene, and then we watched the trailer. All the way, I was waiting for my mom and she did not show up. After they announced the title of the movie right at the end, it cut to a scene of mom gardening in this huge hat. She was smiling and waving and all of a sudden, she was blown up. We all burst out laughing so hard!

Then, we checked out the Jaws! ride. While waiting in line, it became that the people standing in front did not believe in taking showers. Anyway, it was a pretty good river ride filled with towering fire, the ominous theme, plenty of boat rocking, and an appearance from the Great White himself! One thing about Amity bugged me. there was a Nathan's hot dog stand, probably the best digs in the US. They were offering Chicago-style Nathan's hot dogs. I am not opposed to a Chicago dog, but to make it with the quintessential NY dog is just embarrassing. It's like serving Carolina mustard sauce on Texas BBQ brisket. For the next half hour, we checked out the Christmas parade and headed through the Hollywood section. They had so many attractions from Grover to Shrek to the Simpsons, to a huge football, to Uncle Sam. There was a really huge blast of confetti that was really cool. Stunningly, almost no references to Christ. So while the feeling was very happy, it did not feel like with Christmas without a church service or a mention of Jesus for me.

I would have loved dinner at Emeril's Orlando. I would have gone nuts for Tchoup Chop, Emeril's restaurant at the nearby Royal Pacific hotel. But I'm realistic. Mom went with Margaritaville. She decided on nachos for an appetizer, I wasn't in the mood to split them, and we had a fight. I am allowed to disagree and I'm more than willing to compromise. Just didn't want them. I had fish tacos while she had a portobella mushroom sandwich. Oh, and I drank a Banana Rama. I think we both realized we needed a bit of space so I headed off to check out the other attractions of City Walk. At NBA City, I compared my hands to over a dozen NBA legends. Without question, Patrick Ewing had the most massive hands. I could barely reach most of the second set of knuckles! There is also the world's largest Hard Rock Cafe. Besides featuring tons of memorabilia, they have these five interactive touch screens where guests can click on various clothes, guitars, accessories, etc and learn about the artist and the history of the artifact. In the gift shop, there was a British gal who walked up to me and happily said "Helloooo, puppet!" Not too familiar with the jargon, but I smiled and said hello back. I guess that's what they do there to sound hip...

I met a few people outside Bob Marley's and we took each other's pictures by the Bob Marley statue. I call that photo "Marley and Me." I went back to Margaritaville for another drink (this one frozen) and some disappointing key lime pie. There was a pretty girl standing on those high stilts wearing a green Santa's helper outfit making balloon animals for the kids. I didn't notice her until I heard a pop about three feet behind me. I jumped in my seat! I just listened to some music, but it wasn't a place for me to have any real conversation so I sent out a bunch of Christmas texts. Individual ones with names, not mass texts, which are lame.

I headed down from the bar and saw a street dance party going on. There was a DJ spinning records and an MC basically running the show. I know I'm not a great dancer, but after walking around parks and all, I was ready to cut loose and shout a little. So I did the electric slide and Cuban cha-cha and I had a great time. We formed conga lines and then they held a dance contest that I enjoyed watching. There were even two guys walking on those high stilts that somehow, were really dancing well on them. Just a tremendous time. We got picked up by M and M around 8:30 and suffice to say, as soon as the car ride began, I was ready to be alone again. When we got home, I played ball with Lilly for a few minutes till she was tired. Daisy just can't run anymore. When I went upstairs, I tried to find some Christmas programming. I saw the last hour of Wonderful Life, and caught some of White Christmas and a Michael McDonald concert. I think around 12:30, I hit the sack.

We made the 11:30 am plane on Saturday with ease. I spent mot of the flight trying to teach Mom Sudoku, which was not easy. She is so smart, but she just could not concentrate well. I guess I understand since she is so preoccupied. I coached her through it the best I could, showed her some new techniques, and we got 2 of the 3 puzzles done. Of course, I made a roast beef sandwich to take on the plane! And some of Marianne's homemade cinnamon coated pecans!

Orlando, Day 2

2010-12-25T23:18:00.003-06:00

I went to bed around 1:30 am Thursday morning and slept till about 9. Felt pretty good waking up to sunshine and 60 degrees. The four of us left for the Magic Kingdom around 10 am and took a ferry from the parking lot over to the entrance. M and M took care of our tickets (Mark is a bus driver for Disney) and Mom and headed down Main St. USA. There was a huge Christmas tree surrounded by toy soldiers in the middle and the traffic leading towards the castle was crazy. I liked seeing the holly hanging high above the street as we walked towards the castle. As we approached, I could see a show on the castle steps and that my faves, Donald Duck and Goofy were in it. Got a glimpse of Peter Pan and a few others.

Our first stop was Adventure Land, and keeping with family tradition, our first stop was the Tiki Room. I think I forgot that Gilbert Gottfried is the voice of Iago, the rogue bird. It was weird hearing that voice not telling dirty jokes. Then, we hit Frontierland. I would have tried Splash Mountain, but it was 50 degrees, and Mom had no interest in water. I really wanted to try the Big Thunder Railroad. But even with the fastpass, we would have had a 5-hour wait! I was not going for that. So, we settled for the Country Bear Jamboree, which was a nice little show. Then, came Liberty Square where we grabbed lunch and this New England style chicken and fish restaurant. Then, we headed to the Hall of Presidents, which my have been my favorite part. I remember doing this with Kristin back in 1998, but it was still great. I could see the figure of Abraham Lincoln making realistic body movements, even blinking his eyes! It's amazing what some people can do to enhance these shows.

I wasn't too excited about visiting Tomorrow Land, but we went anyway. I wanted to do the Speedway, that was an hour wait I decided against. Besides, I knew it was a controlled form of racing anyway. We went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, which was a kid-oriented animated comedy show. There were some decent laughs, not my cup of tea. Mom wanted to see Stich's Great Escape, a dark alien encounter. I thought we had done it before, but that was Alein Encounter, which I found out closed in 2003. This version featured a far less scary alien, so it was nothing I could not handle. At one point, the "warden" shouted for the audience to "Step Lively!" All I could think about was Tom Coughlin! Then, I checked out Disney's Carousel of Progress, a timeline of technological and lifestyle changes throughout the 20th century. And now I can't stop thinking about that sing that the characters sang at least five times, "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow!"

Mom and I headed back towards Main St and took the Walt Disney railroad around the park. By this time it was around 4:30, and we were ready to head out. We hopped the monorail, heading towards the Polynesian resort and took a 30-40 minute bus trip to Downtown Disney in Lake Buena Vista. When translated, that means Lake of Good Microsoft Windows products... As we stepped off the bus, the sun was setting and the temperature dropped to around 50 degrees. The chill was setting in. We were both pretty hungry, and since I wanted to try something new, I suggested Bongo's Cuban Cafe, which is owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan. They had a big, bright Christmas tree right in front and I liked that all the barstools were decorated to look like real bongo drums. I wanted a Cuban sandwich, but they're only available during lunch hours. Would have at least liked a Cubano slider option or something like that. I was disappointed with that, so it was time for Plan B. For an app, we split these deep-fried pork bites, which are served with grilled onions. The pork was cut into thick chunks with a very light breading. I enjoyed the succulent taste of the meat and the onions served as a decent complement. By the way, between chicken nuggets, fried fish, french fries, funnel cake, fried pork, and fried bananas, I think I ate more fried food in one day than I have since I was eating fried chicken and onion rings at the old White House in Dixon, IL.

I then ordered a roasted half chicken with lemon, garlic, wine, and a light tomato broth, alongside black beans and rice and fried plantains. the chicken was moist, though I felt the flavor was a little too delicate. I really enjoyed the sides, they reminded me of eating in Ecuador back in the day. Mom had a nice skirt steak with chimmichurri sauce. We were hoping for a thicker steak, but I liked the garlicky flavor of the chimmi. All in all, I enjoyed trying something different, but I think I would only return for a lunch or an appetizer.

We walked around Disney, trying to stay semi-warm. Neither of us had jacket, and I just had a long-sleeve T and cargo shorts on. We went to Ghiardelli, where Mom ordered a sea salt hot chocolate, which she called one of the best hot drinks she had ever had. Of course, being that this place is a chocolate haven, the only option for me was boring hot tea. I passed. We passed by Legoland and saw these awesome sculptures. They had a 30-foot tall Lego dragon in the pond that looked out over the tourists. We passed by Planet Hollywood, which has the Jenny boat used in the movie Forrest Gump.

We got picked up by M and M around 7:30 p.m. and headed back to Winter Garden. Got home just in time for the third period of the Rangers-Lightning game and after quick hugs to Lilly and Daisy, I headed straight upstairs to my room and turned the TV on. Unfortunately, the Rangers fell in an 11-round shootout. Even though they played well without Del Zotto, Callahan, and Gaborik, I was not pleased at all. Except to brush my teeth, I did not leave my bedroom the entire night. I mostly watched the Jeff Dunham Christmas show on Comedy Central. Read a little of the Mickey Mantle biography and headed to sleep around 1 a.m.

Orlando, Day 1

2010-12-25T20:37:00.003-06:00

So I left work at 4 pm and Mom showed up shortly afterwards to pick me up and we headed down 90-east towards O'Hare. The security line took about an hour to get through and I headed towards the Garrett's stand to by some popcorn for Mark and Marianne. A one-gallon tin Of Chicago mix cost $31! And a gallon is a lot less than it sounds. Mom encouraged me to go back and exchange it for a large bag, after some slight begging and pleading, I managed to come back with large bag of Chicago mix and a small bag of cashew caramel crisp.

We weren't feeling too good about our chances to make the 7 pm flight, even though I was dressed to fly first class. Turns out, we barely made it and we were separated. As we took off, I looked out towards downtown Chicago from my window seat. I was impressed by the incredible brightness of the lights of the city. I could never really appreciate it in the daytime. I sat next to a single cropdusting farmer from Fargo, originally from Milwaukee. We have different backgrounds to be sure, but we had a pretty good chat about places we've been, football, Christmas in America, etc. Didn't exchange numbers with him like I did with someone the last time I flew...

Anyway, with no dinner in coach, I wound snacking on the corn and that was all I ate for about 11 hours. The flight didn't take too long, I spent most of it working on the Sudoku puzzles. Got the first two, and almost aced the Diabolical. So we got landed around 11 p.m. and with a shortage of workers in Orlando, we had to wait 20 minutes at the baggage claim for our luggage to show up. Not the most enjoyable wait. Then, our hosts, Mark and Marianne picked us up for our 45 minute drive northwest to their home in Winter Garden. I rarely spoke, I was pretty worn down from a long day of work and flying.

We got to their home and we were immediately greeted by Daisy and Lilly, their two dogs. Lilly is a little brown and white cavalier who is very spoiled, loves her own spot on the couch, and belly rubs. Daisy is a 12-year-old golden retriever who put Hogan in his place 4 years ago when he and Mom visited. He was sniffing her just a little too closely. Now, she is dealing with some arthritis and isn't walking to well. And she sheds like crazy! M and M offered me a late-night meal, Boar's Head roast beef with horseradish on rye bread. I wolfed it right down.

I like these types of weeks, Smashburger review

2010-12-16T20:02:00.001-06:00

This is the type where I have Wednesday off from work, allowing for a nice break in the middle of the week. I've been writing a few restaurant reviews on Yelp lately. I'll repost the one I wrote for Smashburger.

We've had a run of new burger joints hit the suburbs lately from Five Guy's to Meatheads to Tom and Eddie's and now Smashburger. I made sure to visit opening weekend and I was looking forward to it.

At 6 pm on Saturday, the place was mobbed. The staff did a very efficient job helping people with their orders and guiding us to the limited number of seats. Credit to them.

I picked the big burger with cheddar and a bunch of veggies (plus jalapenos!) on the classic egg bun. I liked the softness of the bun, it wasn't anything special, so maybe I should have gone with the pretzel ala Kuma's. But it comes down to the meat. And I really wasn't thrilled. It was very flat, obviously cooked on a flat top. I just prefer a thicker burger with the juice coming out of it. This burger was just flat and wide and that allowed the other toppings to take over the taste. Decent flavor, but honestly, it was just that, decent.

Jacquie got the haystack fried onions as a side and we weren't too thrilled with those either. Most of them were just soggy. If you're going to serve onion rings, well, crispness is number one!
The star was the sweet potato smashfries. Thin sweet potatoes are always good for me, but with the rosemary, garlic, and sea salt, they had that little extra pop that made them memorable. I just wish they gave us more!

All in all, I thought it was an ok place, but I think there are better options if you just want a good burger. I will probably return to try one of their chicken sandwiches, and I will be sure to get those sweet potato fries.

Finished

2010-12-11T10:31:00.002-06:00

I am done with this season.

This offense cannot manage one TD against Miami at home. The offensive line can suddenly no longer block. The quarterback is not worth shit. Brian Schottenheimer sucks at play calling, he can get his worthless ass out the door. The special teams sucked. Santonio Holmes did his best Justin McCairens impression, dropping a sure TD in the corner of the end zone when he ws wide open. The defense did what they could to keep the team in the game. It wasn't enough.

The worst part is this team may still make the playoffs. But losses in Pittsburgh and Chicago are inevitable. Maybe they'll win against a 3 or so win Buffalo and grab the 6 seed. But no more. They will go to San Diego or Indy and get the fuck beat out of them.

I have only two things left to hope for. The Patriots plane crashing or the lockout starting now.

Disgusted

2010-12-06T22:33:00.003-06:00

45-3. Utter humiliation.

Maybe I should blame my father for ever exposing me to sports. He took me to Shea Stadium instead of Yankee Stadium, passed on his love of the Rangers, and somehow I twisted myself into rooting for that disgusting, despicable franchise that wears green. I'm not even going to say their name, they don't deserve to be mentioned.

And all these scumbags on Facebook rubbing it in. One of the worst night in the history of sports. Even the Giants fans are doing this. Seriously, I may start rooting for the Eagles now in the NFC.
And to think those assholes in Boston have 7 draft picks next year in the first four rounds. They are only getting better. I am convinced I am cursed like cancer and that I will never see a title until I am on Social Security. Assuming I even live that long. I have not had a team in the finals in 11 years and have not seen a title in 17. Who in life did I piss off to be so cursed? The only harder sports life would be living in Cleveland.

A very memorable week

2010-12-03T00:33:00.013-06:00

As work has gotten crazier and crazier this week, the nights have been more and more wonderful. But now it's over. Nona is back in New York City as of last night. Let's recap.

Tuesday
1. Woke up for work at 5 AM, an hour early, and left two hours sooner than normal, at 3 PM
2. The traffic moved pretty smoothly, except for the merge past O'Hare
3. Took an hour, 15 minutes
4. Never driven in the loop before, I got a bit nervous
5. Went through State and Michigan, I was struck by the bright lights and the massive amounts of shoppers and commuters.
6. I waited outside Barnes and Noble for about ten minutes
7. I picked her up and we headed north towards Wacker Drive
8. I missed the parking lot and the valet system didn't begin for another 20 minutes.
9. We walked into Catch 35 around 6:50.
10. We realized we disagree on food preferences
11. I don't like ketchup, chocolate, candy, and Indian food
12. She doesn't like pork and nuts
13. Started with Asian seared scallops and she let me devour most of the hot sourdough bread
14. She had blackened salmon; I expected tuna steak, not sashimi
15. Not great fried rice, lacked seasoning and flavor
16. Split key lime pie for dessert
17. The conversation had that interview feel, I guess that's what happens with two journalists
18. Discussed family, travel, love, marriage
18. She loved talking with Paxson, our waiter
19. I knew this girl was anything but boring
20. We had a freezing cold nine block walk/run to the AMC theater
21. After climbing two flights of stairs, we were there. But 23 bucks for two tickets???
22. We showed each other photos, she had a ton of her nephew
23. We saw Love and Other Drugs, felt a bit pornographic
24. Nothing against sex in movies, but it felt pushed and shoved in in for no real reason. Felt lazy
25. Toured Wacker Drive, before pulling into Hilton
26. Mark, the valet guy, holds car up to midnight
27. Hung in the lounge for about an hour
28. They had bougie peanuts, plus the ones with the wasabi peanuts
29. $3.00 for a Coke bottle, $3.25 for a small water bottle
30. She asked me to come over again Thursday, and that was extraordinary because I knew that would be her last night
31. Took more photos, including a few by the fireplace
32. Small hug goodbye, but it's not a great idea to hug when you have a shopping bag in your hands
33. Took 10 minutes to figure my way out of the city, even though Congress Parkway is only three or so blocks north of the hotel
34. I felt good about the night, I was just happy I would get to see her again

Thursday
35. Left at 4 instead of 3, it only took an hour to get in
36. For the second straight time, she texted me to tell me how starrrving she was.
37. For the first time ever, I drove up the long Ohio St ramp into the Loop.
38. The view of the city from that close is amazing with a lot of red and green lights on the Merchandise Mart and Hancock Tower.
39. Parked on the street, it only cost me six bucks! Much better than the $20 I spent Tuesday
40. We chose the Cheesecake Factory, which is at the base of the Hancock Tower and next to the Water Tower Place, so it's a happening part of town.
41. I had to walk past Ditka's, and dang, I wanted da pork chop!
42. I waited for a few minutes inside and it turns out, she was at the bar and I never noticed
43. She was so giddy, I think it's just her nature. I'd like to think she was happy to see me
44. This time, Chad was our waiter and I just remember they talked for a solid two straight minutes. I couldn't get a word in, yet all I could do was smile
45. We split the crab and artichoke dip. She mentioned the calories, but as the winter approaches, it just puts me in the mood for hearty food. IMO, hearty is really a nice way of saying fattening
46. I ordered that Cajun Jambalaya, she had the blackened chicken sandwich
47. I laughed when she asked for a side of onion rings with the fries as well as two pieces of fudge cake to go. I guess she didn't know the size of their desserts!
48. Since I don't eat chocolate, that eliminated 80% of the cheesecake options for me. Plus, the desserts there are just too sweet anyway. We split a piece of banana cheesecake, which was kind of dull. It needed some caramel, or some nuts, or something.
49. We talked about complimenting at one point. She said I wasn't good at it, which I disagreed with. I explained since we only had so much time, I felt uneasy doing it. I didn't want to come on too strong or anything
50. I mentioned to her that I thought she was very special and I didn't want to be some guy that quickly drifted in and out of her life. As much as she has traveled, it was a concern of mine. She kind of brushed it off, said it wasn't really a concern, I don't know if she really got what I was saying
51. She had to run into Filene's for a few, so with the time on the meter about to expire, I waited in the car for her, about a block away
52. That took about 15 minutes of waiting. I held off three people who wanted that spot on Rush and Chestnut
53. I turned on some Christmas music. We drove up the LSD and towards the northern part of Clark St. It had a very suburban feel with a lot of little shops, but it was still very busy. She oohed and aahed at so many of those stores, especially some of the Christmas displays
54. But I had a plan. 2-for-1 Thursday at ComedySportz. I had never been, but I love improv comedy, so I thought it would be good
55. What I didn't expect was to be placed in the front row, one table over from the center! I ordered her a Diet Coke
56. There were a ton of high school kids sitting in the "bleachers" so they made the most noise. there were also a dozen or so law students in the front on the left side
57. In the first game, Ref Kate came right up to me and asked what I liked to do on a day off. I said I liked the gym so the performers rapped a song about me going to the gym. It went on for a good two minutes and they mentioned things like my stylish clothes, that she was my girlfriend (which was a little awkward, but cool), etc.
58. They played an elimination game of some type and every time a performer made a mistake, we all had to clap twice and say "Outta here." Little did anyone know, I was yelling it Gary Cohen style for those rare Mets home runs!
59. She mentioned avocados and three of the performers, plus a girl from the audience made up a love song about avocados, one word at a time
60. At another point, she went back with Israel, while the audience came up with suggestions for "5 things", the hardest game at ComedySportz
61. After that game came halftime, and she mentioned how much fun she was having. that made me feel good. I was too
62. I remember jokes about beards made of chocolate milk
63. I loved the game where we came up with random lines and the performers had to randomly incorporate all of them into the scene. My contribution was the movie line "Heeeeeeeere's Johnnyyyyyyy!" She texted that to me later too
64. The show ended around 9:45 and I knew she had to be back at the Hilton relatively soon to pack. So we cruised down the LSD and the Magnificent Mile.
65. She kept mentioning how beautiful the city was. She took a ton of pictures. I just wanted that mile to last for days
66. We left the car with Mark again and walked inside the hotel
67. She showed me this huge Christmas tree in the Hilton. It almost reached the ceiling of the ballroom, I can't begin to guess how tall it was
68. We took more pictures, threw some pennies in the fountain, and headed back to the lobby
69. I hated to say goodbye, I dreaded it. But i knew our time was limited from the beginning
70. She thanked me for everything and the things I told her about discipline and God
71. I told her she was wonderful and I knew she was going to do something very special. I just want to be around when she does it
72. We embraced for a good 10 seconds, and I gently kissed her cheek
73. Then it was back to my car and a trip down Congress Parkway, 290, 88, 355, and 64 to home
74. I'll admit as I played "The Weekend" and "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" several times each, I had to wipe a tear away

How I Feel Now

75. She is an amazing woman. I remember her bright smile, her perkiness, her wit, her energy, her independent nature, yet she had such a youthful exuberance
76. I feel like I have been meeting a lot of the same types of girls over and over. Not bad, but you kind of get used to the same stories and experiences. She is not like that at all
77. I hope I see her again
78. I don't know what will happen, as she is leaving for Beirut in the next few weeks
79. But then again, she could be anywhere
80. I hope she took me with her

Song lyrics:
There is only one song I can think of. "The Weekend" by Steve Wariner

Just for a moment, I held you too close.
Now I'm all out of time and I don't want to let go.
How much can happen in a night or two?
I guess it's all depending on your point of view.

Late thoughts

2010-11-28T21:39:00.003-06:00

1) tonight, I had to deal with old issues that I never thought I would have to face again. I wasn't ready when they popped up and I just did my best to ignore them all night. At one time, that now-issue was a hopeful situation. That's just not a part of life I have to deal with anymore and I really don't want to do it now.

2) The San Diego Chargers look ready to soar into December yet again. Then again, it's been 16 years since they played in a Super Bowl and Norv Turner is still their head coach.

3) While I was out of town, Mom cancelled my NHL Center Ice package without asking me. She warned me she might do it just to save some money. But why couldn't she just ask me if I was willing to pay her for that part of the bill? More blatant disrespect in my opinion.

4) Two days till payday. Thank God!

5) I really hope Tuesday is a great night. And yet, because of time and two time zones, I can't let myself get too excited. I feel pretty torn about it.

Song pick: "The Clown" Conway Twitty. I think I've used this one before, but it seems so right.

Can I sleep past 3:30 AM for change?

2010-11-27T13:14:00.004-06:00

Well, the last 48 hours have been among the craziest of my life. After a phenomenal Thanksgiving meal at Weber Grille (I just finished off the second half of one slice of pumpkin cheesecake), it was home for packing and the Jets Thanksgiving Day victory over Cincinnati. That game ended around 10:45 and then it was straight into bed for me.

I woke up at 3 AM and was gone from the house by 3:30. My intention was to park in Lot G which costs about half the price of the standard remote lot E, which is the lot where the monorail begins. Of course, there are no signs for Lot G. So I took the advantage of time over money and headed into the terminal. I wanted to get there early because I had heard about the security and how finnicky they are getting. And indeed, because I was wearing a metallic belt and the visual scanner detects metal, I got frisked. This security dude in this screechy voice goes "I need to feel two inches inside your waistband all the way around." If they have to do that, fine, but can't I have a little say over who feels inside my pants?

Anyway, I took a 6 AM American Eagle flight and it was a stress-free flight, the plane was half empty. I was pleased because there is so little legroom on those Eagle planes and I needed some space. The woman next to me moved out to another room quickly and I slept the whole 90 minutes. But about halfway through my walk from the plane to ground transportation, I felt a chill run through me. I knew Dad would not be standing there, waiting to pick me up. It just did not seem normal, it was just sad. But there is a future, and there is hope that one day, things will be right again.

Since I was paying extra to park and I had arrived into New Jersey earlier than anticipated, I decided to take the buses up to Paramus. There is an extra fee to the the NJ Transit train out of Newark Airport and it would have cost me about $15 total for the trip. It took a half hour for the 62 bus to arrive, which would take me into downtown Newark. It took another few minutes to get $1 bills, which I needed because these buses don't give change back. Otherwise, a $1.50 bus ride would have cost me $5. No good! After a 30 minute trip, we arrived at Newark Penn Station. It wasn't the most pleasant place to be. While waiting for the 76L to Hackensack, three different people asked me for handouts. One of them asked if I was in college. I don't know, maybe it was the backpack I had on. The trip took us through Newark, Kearny (got a view of the NYC skyline), Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford (got a great shot of the NMS), Carlstadt (spotted an old Krauszer's deli, still offering the coffee and buttered roll for 99 cents), and Wood-Ridge, before hitting Hackensack. What's funny was during the end of the plane ride that morning, I could see the high school with the purple Wood-Ridge logo in the end zone. And then we drove through the town. After an hour and 15 minutes, we hit downtown Hackensack; it must have been around 10:45.

I was waiting for the 751 or 755. The board in the tiny terminal building (2 rows of benches, a concession/ticket stand, and the bathrooms) said the next one of those to the Bergen Town Center would leave around 11:40 and another one after that at 11:45. Well, the 11:40 got delayed until 12:15. It took until 11:50 for the bus to fianlly come. Chances are I could have walked in 40-45 minutes what turned out to be a 15 or 20 minute bus ride. At one point, we were stopped at a red light on Main St. As I looked ahead and to my right, I could see the outside edge of a yellow building. Indeed, it was the Poitin Still, where the Blueshirt Banter viewing party would be going on later that day. I could even seen the white party banner hanging outside, advertising the Rangers legends as well.

So we made a left on Spring Valley and drove 1.5 miles to the Bergen Town Center. I had barely eaten all day so I walked straight into Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. I ordered the Crunchified Philly Burger with hot red cherry peppers, griddled onions, and provolone cheese along with sweet potato fries, and a vanilla shake. I found a spot at one of the three U-shaped bars. They brought out the shake first. The straw was so wide, it could have been used for plumbing pipes. The shake was very thick and had real whipped cream. Had a very intense vanilla flavor too. I'm not a big shake guy, but what the hell, after all that travel, I felt like a treat. Then, the food arrived. The first thing I noticed was the roll. It was a sesame seed bun, not too thick that it would overwhelm the burger, not thin enough that it would get soggy. It was soft, it tasted just perfect. The burger was maybe 1/3 pound, the provolone was totally melted, there were tons of onions and peppers, and quite a few potato chips, which added the crunch. I threw on a little yellow mustard and got going. The meat was very juicy and I could taste with the charred outside that it was cooked on a flat top grill. The chips didn't really have any seasoning on them, but added a nice touch. The fries came with a hint of sea salt and had crisp flavor to them. They came with horseradish homey mustard that I wasn't thrilled with. It tasted too much like dijon, and though I'm not particularly opposed to dijon, it can taste very powerful. I had some of that but I also dipped them in their chipotle ketchup as well. Thankfully, I got a pickle spear as well. All in all, a very good experience, I would recommend BBP.

It felt like I hd been awake forever, but it was still only 12:30, so I had a ton of time to hang out. Since it was Black Friday, there wasn't exactly ample space to walk around, I'm just glad I did not have to drive in the traffic around the mall! This one-level mall is kind of middle class, with one or two fancy places, so at least you don't feel like you need a membership card or parking permit just to walk in the doors. Some malls feel that way to me, especially in the Northeast (Shops at Riverside, Short Hills). Anyway, I walked through Target, Nordstrom Rack, and Century 21 for maybe 45 minutes, but didn't buy anything. I did pick up a couple of Jets bracelets at one of those mall stands though. I passed by a jugglign unicyclist, which was a nice touch for the holiday season. I walked around Whole Foods for a while. They have some things in there that I have never seen other Whole Foods stores before. Juice cups, a full fresh pasta display, and these huge bakery pretzels. Very tempting. I was checking out the seafood section and the man asked if he could get me anything. I said "If I lived in this time zone..." Ah well.

It was only 1:30 by the time I had covered the whole mall. So after a ton of traveling, walking, and waiting, I plopped down in one of the mall chairs, turned on my Ipod, and slept for a good hour. And I was out of it. I'm sure the various people sitting in the other seven chairs in our square got a little chuckle out of it. So I woke up and really felt like a drink. I would have gone for an Arnold Palmer from Starbucks, but they don't have one of those in the BTC. I headed back into Whole Foods and was very happy to find a bottle Tazo Giant Peach tea, one of my favorite drinks in the world. I guzzled it with gusto, headed out the door, and began my 1.5 mile walk east to Poitin Still.

I walked in to this Irish pub, and as soon as I walked in, I saw an oval shaped bar in the middle of the main room, it holds maybe 40 people. I looked to my left and the guys were setting everything up for the live radio show. The Mouth was there with Mrs. Mouth, also there was Costa the Crazy Greek, the Simos clan (Eeeeeeva, Claude, and Peter), and Ricky O. I got a pretty good reception as I walked in, I think people were still surprised I actually showed up. Before long, we had Jon Newman and Stacie, Jimmy S (along with Calamity Jen and Megan), Zach, Jackie Lomba (the Rangers/Hawks fan), Kristen F, Tom, Dave Shapiro, Paul L, Nick Montagena, Frosty and Karen, Coochie Wallie, and later, Pat the Laundry Guy, and even Dancing Larry! And those are just the ones I remember.

I drank a pair of Brooklyn Lagers, which I have to say, seemed to taste different than I remembered them at John's Pizzeria. A little hoppier, I guess. Still enjoyed them. The Rangers alumni of Nick Fotiu (who offered to shake MY hand!!!), Ron Greschner, and Chris Kotsopolous were in attendance and signed autographs for the masses, and for $35 total. We watched some videos of some old hockey fights from the 70's and 80's, back when players could actually hit each other!

We took a ton of pictures with each other and sat down to eat. I had chicken fingers , which were so-so at best. Costa the Crazy Greek has one of the biggest appetites I have ever seen. He wolfed down a Gaelic steak with mushrooms, onions, and Guinness gravy and promptly threw in a slice of cheesecake for good measure. I also sat with Frosty and Karen who are the one of the nicest couples I have ever met. Zach and Newman are quite the characters. Never a dull moment with those two around. Kristen is very cool, but I guess she had a sore throat. Her voice was so deep and husky, it was like talking to Kathleen Turner! And it was nice to meet Jackie too. There is more to her than her Patrick "Kaner" Kane crush and the ALL CAPS TYPING. At the end of the day, she really is neat. I think the best part is these people are not just photos, or voices, or words on a facebook chat. They really feel like actual people to me and that helps to make friendships that much stronger.

The live BB show began at 5 pm and I'm listening back to it now as I type. The first 20 minutes were torture to listen to with all the feedback! Jim's mike sucks! But it got worked out. The highlight had to be the live roll call. We all stood in front of the radio table as Eddie introduced us. I was maybe the fifth guy mentioned. I was floored how loud my ovation was. I was absolutely floored. I also met the Mouth's Dad and a few of his cousins who were sitting in one of the extra rooms down the hall and they were very nice.

The game went very well, with the Rangers getting the 3-0 win and Hank getting back to his winning ways. We left pretty soon after, as the bar had suddenly become overrun by clubbers. I left with Jackie, a Philly fan who I believe named Joe, and one other guy I can't remember. We talked hockey, Chicago vs NY, and all kinds of stuff, on my 45 minute ride to Newark Airport. I gave Jackie a kiss on the cheek, shook hands with da boyz, and headed inside Terminal A around 11:15.

Since I wanted to save $100 (and I only spent about 50 or 60 for the whole day anyway), I avoided the hotels, and just slept on the floor of the terminal. All the chairs were steel and the armrests could not be moved up, so I really had no other choice. I put my backpack next to me, laid on my left side, laid my winter coat under my head and elbows, and then placed my fleece sweatshirt under my hips and back. I lowered my Rangers hat over my face to reduce the lighting, and attempted to grab some shut-eye. Well, the cleaning crew came by. There was one woman driving the zamboni around to clean the floor. I woke up several times and finally around 2:30, I realized I was going to have to wake up. When I woke up, there were suddenly 20 or 30 people in the terminal as well. A lot of them were taking a 5:30 US Air flight to Charlotte. So I checked in for the flight and did some reading for a while. I headed down the escalator towards the security line and that got moving around 3:30.

I listened to a Jim Tomberlin sermon about the splitting of the Israel kingdom and the dangers to community for a while as I waited for the flight. The first piece of bad news came when the standby list appeared on the monitor and I was number 7 out of 7. Didn't feel great about that, but it didn't worry me much. The gate agent called me up to the counter and asked if I was dressed for first class. Translated, that means dress pants and a collared shirt. I had on faded jeans and my gray fleece sweatshirt. I explained it was a one-day trip so I didn't have the room. Her response: "You should have dressed for first class." How kind. So now I know I'm basically bumped. I asked her how the 7:20 flight looked, but I knew there would only be three more flights the rest of the day. She said there were about 10 seats open, but I was at the bottom of the standby list because of my ranking, or lack there of. By now, I started thinking to myself maybe I should take a shuttle to LaGuardia. So everyone boarded and during that time, they called up the Michaels family, which was four of the people on the list ahead of me. That was pretty good, at least the list had been reduced in half. About two minutes later, the agent called me and assigned me to seat 14C. I was quite surprised, in a delightful sort of way.

So I found my seat and as I was about to sit down, I saw the guy behind me had on a Chicago Bears Devin Hester jersey and a NY Yankees hat. What is up with that? Anyway, I sat down in my aisle seat in yet another cramped American Eagle plane. It may have been the same dang plane for all I know. Next to me sat this girl and somehow we struck up a conversation. Her name was Nona. She lives in Manhattan, studies journalism like me, and is planning to live in Beirut for awhile. And she was coming to Chicago for the week because her dad is a doctor and is participating in a major conference. She told me she had been shopping all of Black Friday, grabbed two hours of sleep, and was feeling really tired. For almost all of the 150 minutes of that flight, she twisted and turned all around her seat, just trying to get comfortable. I finally raised the arm rest up and leaned on one "cheek" towards the aisle, just to give her a little room. Then came the pocket slip... I can't say I was disappointed or anything, but with her travels, experience, and sharp wit, she seemed like a really interesting girl.

Finally, the landing gear was dropped and she came back to life. She had mentioned feeling hot, then cold, then hot again. I'm thinking this girl is so high maintenance, yet kind of amusing... And she also mentioned I seemed like a very "by the book" kind of guy. I said that I had mentioned I had slept on the floor of the terminal for 4 hours and she thinks I am "by the book"? Anyway, she had luggage to claim and was waiting for her ride, and the next thing I know, we're talking in the terminal about everything in the world for a full hour. Though I thought she appeared in good shape, she had mentioned she wasn't thrilled with her physical fitness. She just didn't feel disciplined in the gym. I turned her to Hebrews 12:11 and that really seemed to be what she needed. It's just strange how these things just come together sometimes. It can't be coincidence that I got on that plane and sat in that particular seat. Anyway, I helped her reclaim her luggage since we had taken so much time and I helped her unload the two "bodybags" into her friend's car.

Finally, I braved the 20 degree temperatures, got back to my car, and headed to the gym for some cardio and lifting. I went home to unpack and hit the grocery store. After catching up on some computer stuff and watching the beginning of Supercard of Honor 5, I was starting to feel a little bit bored. So I went upstairs around 3 pm to grab a nap in my own bed, which was so welcome after the previous night. And I remember this dream I was having. I was dreaming that I woke up for work at 11 a.m. and played it real casual. But I couldn't get that time out of my mind. 11 p.m. I suddenly woke up and looked at the clock. My red digital display said 11:00 p.m. Right on the dot. My nap lasted eight hours!

As of this moment, it is 2:30 AM and I'm listening back to the live BB show. And I feel like I could stay up all night right now. But I really do need to get my body back on its normal schedule by tonight. This has been one heck of a weekend. And later on, it's the Month of Dec party. To think I may not have even seen the most insane part of the weekend yet!

Twisted

2010-11-16T21:32:00.005-06:00

That CT conversation may have been one of the most kind, yet absolutely awkward of my life. I'm trying to value them, but they get more and more difficult as time goes by.

I feel tonight I should have a lot to say. I think that right now I'm typing not because I'm inspired by a thought, by a person, or anything like that, but because it's my duty. That doesn't seem like the most organic method.

1) I have given up on the Jets twice in two weeks. Each time they have won in the last 15 seconds. Either I am a fool and need to learn my lesson or I should keep walking away towards the end of a game.

2) Nevertheless, the Jets are tied for the league lead in wins. I love Santonio Holmes and David Harris, am starting to seriously believe in Mark Sanchez, and hate how this defense continues to regress. Although I think I saw something no homo sapien has ever reported. And I think I was mentally stable at the time. I had to count my fingers, blink a few times, breathe deeply in and out. But did I see Vernon Gholston actually touch a quarterback?

3) And that damn Peyton Manning would have given us first place all by our lonesome if not for a horrible INT at the end of the game in Foxboro. I guess the Jets will just have to take care of this themselves.

4) The Mets have hired Terry Collins as their new manager. I am not excited about it. But I will give it time. The big question is what will Sandy, JP, and Paul do in terms of player personnel in a season where they have so little money to spend and there are seemingly so few quality free agents available.

5) Ellen gave her faith story in church today, speaking about our time in Kentucky. She referenced me. She said that on the trip she was a little uncomfortable that the next youngest person was almost twice her age. After the service, I told her that I appreciate she included the word "almost".

6) Rookie's Godfather pizza is one of the best I have ever had. Sausage, roast beef, onion, tomato, and hot giardinare.

7) Three days of work this week. I am really excited for Thanksgiving. We'll be going back to Weber Grille. Unlike 2 years ago when I did this, I hope I won't have the flu that day.

8) Hackensack, I can't wait...

9) I thank Pastor Brian for teaching us today that there is a significant difference between feeling thankful and giving thanks. Also, perhaps our praise and worship is not complete if we have not thanked God for a blessing we have received.

10) I am 0-for-5 in typing the word h-a-v-e correctly in this post...

Mindy, Evanston and a deli

2010-11-13T09:19:00.005-06:00

So I take off from work around 4 p.m. and begin the drive down 90, then north on 294 for a few minutes, before a long drive east on Dempster. For dinner, I thought about Flat Top Grill, or a local Asian place (Evanston is littered with those). Maybe Tommy Nevin's, a local Irish pub. But on Mom's recommendation, I went with Kauffman's deli in Skokie. Since Skokie is a very Jewish town and has a famous bakery, it seemed like a good idea. I went with the the NJ bypass special, a double decker loaded with hot pastrami and corned beef and I added Swiss cheese and brown mustard on caraway rye bread. But they have four different cuts of corned beef, a fattier cut and two leaner cuts, something I had never seen before. And good job by the staff, throwing in free pickle spears. The only thing missing was cans of Dr. Brown's soda. Most Jewish delis carry them. I remember at Harold's, Katz's, or on the 86th St in Brooklyn, Dad would always go with the diet black cherry, I was fine with root beer. In his case, I went with Coke and BBQ chips.

The sandwich wasn't as huge as I thought it might be, so I finished it pretty easily. I liked the grainy mustard as well as there being several slices of cheese. The meat was very juicy, not too much seasoning, so I added some black pepper.

As I was eating at this tiny countertop in the bakery section of the deli, this woman comes from behind the bakery and places something wrapped in plastic next to me. I thanked her and took a look as she walked away. It was a brownie, so since I'm no chocolate guy, I took it to go. As I scoured the numerous shelves in the bakery, I noticed this golden brown twisting stick. I asked what it was and they told me it was a puff pastry, I can't remember the exact name. But they gave me one for free and I enjoyed it. Of course, I walked out with a dozen bagels as well! Just a shame they had already run out of rye bagels.

So then I headed 5 miles east into Evanston. I parked in a Jewel Osco, and there aren't many space to grab, about a block down the street from SPACE. I thought it was pretty cool that the Jewel Osco had a Whole Foods right across the street from it. So since I hadn't spent much time in Evanston before, I walked north on Chicago Ave and around the city for about a half hour. I was struck by how much it felt like a major city. A lot of high-rise buildings, fancy restaurants, a lot of very unique architecture. The gothic look of many of the churches caught my eye as well. It felt like Boston, to an extent. It was just a bit nippy out, I did have to tuck my hands inside my Jets jacket.

Eventually, I walked back into the building that includes SPACE as well as the Union pizzeria. The place was already mobbed and I spotted 2 empty seats out of 30 at the U-shaped bar. Well, one empty seat, some corporate dude had one reserved for his laptop. I don't know, maybe the computer had been overworked and it needed a rest, whatever. So I took a seat, next to this one woman, who immediately offered me a slice of her Neapolitan pizza, which included shrimp, pineapple, cilantro, and jalapenos. I can handle spicy, but these peppers were really hot! I felt the burn for at least five minutes after just that one slice! And this girl was from Texas, so I guess she is used to that kind of thing.

So we chatted for maybe 45 minutes about work, my Kentucky trip, her kid, heat in Texas vs Illinois, etc. I guess she's an occupational therapist and is in town for 10 days for a conference. Around 7, I got in line for the show. I got a GA ticket, and got a spot off to the side about 8 feet from the stage. I chatted with a few couples around me, most of whom had never seen Mindy Smith perform live. Unlike the show in DeKalb, where she had a full band, she did this show alone, with just an acoustic guitar.

Set list
1. Out Loud
2. What Went Wrong
3. Highs and Lows
4. Raggedy Ann
5. Hurricane
6. Love Lost
7. If I Didn't Know Any Better
8. What Love Can Do
9. One Moment More
10. Tennessee
11. Fighting For It All
12. Jolene

Encore

13. Ahead of Myself
14. Santa Will Find You
15. Long Island Shores
16. Come to Jesus

There were plenty of guitar tuning issues, but whatever. The best part was one drunk in the back calling for "Jolene." Mindy mutters "Ugh, I have to sing about that bitch again!" For songs, I was hoping, but didn't expect to hear "Surface" and I didn't.

I would have liked to have stayed and chatted with her again, but with 200 people packing the room, I felt the night had lasted long enough. I took off at 10:45 and got in home just before midnight.

Top Rex Ryan Quotes

2010-11-09T21:31:00.011-06:00

After a tough loss to Washington (Rangers drop to 2-5-1 in MSG), I watched the 30-minute Rex Ryan SFX special on the NFL Network. It captured many of Rex' best lines from the sidelines, encompassing just over a season and a half. Here is my dirty dozen list, dirty, because the censors are off, and dozen, because I just cannot narrow this down to just ten.

12. This is gonna be a fun one. Rock 'em, sock 'em robots today

11. But he (Mulligan) can keep whippin' his ass in the backfield, right?

10. He (Kaeding) already missed two. Three strikes homeboy and you're out. He missed it! He missed it! He missed! Yeah!

9. Norv, I'm the opposite. I blow up, you slim down.

8. We know we've got a great defense. We believe in our philosophy of ground 'n' pound.

7. Time out! Time out! That's a long sprint for me. I gotta get my damn track shoes on!

6. They can't hit our fuckin' quarterback like that! That's fuckin bullshit! Number 33!

5. I called that time out! Next time, I'll stand right on top of you.

4. Bam! That's Jet football! That's Jets football baby! Way to go Shonn!

3. We're going for it! We're going for it! We're going for it! Win the game right here!

2. That's the game! That's the fuckin' game! That's New York Jets football! That's New York Jets football!

1. Play like Jets, we'll kick their ass and go onto the Super Bowl!