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.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Friday, December 03, 2010
A very memorable week
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.
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.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Late thoughts
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.
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.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Can I sleep past 3:30 AM for change?
Well, the last 48 hours have been among the craziest of my life. After a phenomenal Thanksgiving meal at Weber Grille (I just finished off the second half of one slice of pumpkin cheesecake), it was home for packing and the Jets Thanksgiving Day victory over Cincinnati. That game ended around 10:45 and then it was straight into bed for me.
I woke up at 3 AM and was gone from the house by 3:30. My intention was to park in Lot G which costs about half the price of the standard remote lot E, which is the lot where the monorail begins. Of course, there are no signs for Lot G. So I took the advantage of time over money and headed into the terminal. I wanted to get there early because I had heard about the security and how finnicky they are getting. And indeed, because I was wearing a metallic belt and the visual scanner detects metal, I got frisked. This security dude in this screechy voice goes "I need to feel two inches inside your waistband all the way around." If they have to do that, fine, but can't I have a little say over who feels inside my pants?
Anyway, I took a 6 AM American Eagle flight and it was a stress-free flight, the plane was half empty. I was pleased because there is so little legroom on those Eagle planes and I needed some space. The woman next to me moved out to another room quickly and I slept the whole 90 minutes. But about halfway through my walk from the plane to ground transportation, I felt a chill run through me. I knew Dad would not be standing there, waiting to pick me up. It just did not seem normal, it was just sad. But there is a future, and there is hope that one day, things will be right again.
Since I was paying extra to park and I had arrived into New Jersey earlier than anticipated, I decided to take the buses up to Paramus. There is an extra fee to the the NJ Transit train out of Newark Airport and it would have cost me about $15 total for the trip. It took a half hour for the 62 bus to arrive, which would take me into downtown Newark. It took another few minutes to get $1 bills, which I needed because these buses don't give change back. Otherwise, a $1.50 bus ride would have cost me $5. No good! After a 30 minute trip, we arrived at Newark Penn Station. It wasn't the most pleasant place to be. While waiting for the 76L to Hackensack, three different people asked me for handouts. One of them asked if I was in college. I don't know, maybe it was the backpack I had on. The trip took us through Newark, Kearny (got a view of the NYC skyline), Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford (got a great shot of the NMS), Carlstadt (spotted an old Krauszer's deli, still offering the coffee and buttered roll for 99 cents), and Wood-Ridge, before hitting Hackensack. What's funny was during the end of the plane ride that morning, I could see the high school with the purple Wood-Ridge logo in the end zone. And then we drove through the town. After an hour and 15 minutes, we hit downtown Hackensack; it must have been around 10:45.
I was waiting for the 751 or 755. The board in the tiny terminal building (2 rows of benches, a concession/ticket stand, and the bathrooms) said the next one of those to the Bergen Town Center would leave around 11:40 and another one after that at 11:45. Well, the 11:40 got delayed until 12:15. It took until 11:50 for the bus to fianlly come. Chances are I could have walked in 40-45 minutes what turned out to be a 15 or 20 minute bus ride. At one point, we were stopped at a red light on Main St. As I looked ahead and to my right, I could see the outside edge of a yellow building. Indeed, it was the Poitin Still, where the Blueshirt Banter viewing party would be going on later that day. I could even seen the white party banner hanging outside, advertising the Rangers legends as well.
So we made a left on Spring Valley and drove 1.5 miles to the Bergen Town Center. I had barely eaten all day so I walked straight into Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. I ordered the Crunchified Philly Burger with hot red cherry peppers, griddled onions, and provolone cheese along with sweet potato fries, and a vanilla shake. I found a spot at one of the three U-shaped bars. They brought out the shake first. The straw was so wide, it could have been used for plumbing pipes. The shake was very thick and had real whipped cream. Had a very intense vanilla flavor too. I'm not a big shake guy, but what the hell, after all that travel, I felt like a treat. Then, the food arrived. The first thing I noticed was the roll. It was a sesame seed bun, not too thick that it would overwhelm the burger, not thin enough that it would get soggy. It was soft, it tasted just perfect. The burger was maybe 1/3 pound, the provolone was totally melted, there were tons of onions and peppers, and quite a few potato chips, which added the crunch. I threw on a little yellow mustard and got going. The meat was very juicy and I could taste with the charred outside that it was cooked on a flat top grill. The chips didn't really have any seasoning on them, but added a nice touch. The fries came with a hint of sea salt and had crisp flavor to them. They came with horseradish homey mustard that I wasn't thrilled with. It tasted too much like dijon, and though I'm not particularly opposed to dijon, it can taste very powerful. I had some of that but I also dipped them in their chipotle ketchup as well. Thankfully, I got a pickle spear as well. All in all, a very good experience, I would recommend BBP.
It felt like I hd been awake forever, but it was still only 12:30, so I had a ton of time to hang out. Since it was Black Friday, there wasn't exactly ample space to walk around, I'm just glad I did not have to drive in the traffic around the mall! This one-level mall is kind of middle class, with one or two fancy places, so at least you don't feel like you need a membership card or parking permit just to walk in the doors. Some malls feel that way to me, especially in the Northeast (Shops at Riverside, Short Hills). Anyway, I walked through Target, Nordstrom Rack, and Century 21 for maybe 45 minutes, but didn't buy anything. I did pick up a couple of Jets bracelets at one of those mall stands though. I passed by a jugglign unicyclist, which was a nice touch for the holiday season. I walked around Whole Foods for a while. They have some things in there that I have never seen other Whole Foods stores before. Juice cups, a full fresh pasta display, and these huge bakery pretzels. Very tempting. I was checking out the seafood section and the man asked if he could get me anything. I said "If I lived in this time zone..." Ah well.
It was only 1:30 by the time I had covered the whole mall. So after a ton of traveling, walking, and waiting, I plopped down in one of the mall chairs, turned on my Ipod, and slept for a good hour. And I was out of it. I'm sure the various people sitting in the other seven chairs in our square got a little chuckle out of it. So I woke up and really felt like a drink. I would have gone for an Arnold Palmer from Starbucks, but they don't have one of those in the BTC. I headed back into Whole Foods and was very happy to find a bottle Tazo Giant Peach tea, one of my favorite drinks in the world. I guzzled it with gusto, headed out the door, and began my 1.5 mile walk east to Poitin Still.
I walked in to this Irish pub, and as soon as I walked in, I saw an oval shaped bar in the middle of the main room, it holds maybe 40 people. I looked to my left and the guys were setting everything up for the live radio show. The Mouth was there with Mrs. Mouth, also there was Costa the Crazy Greek, the Simos clan (Eeeeeeva, Claude, and Peter), and Ricky O. I got a pretty good reception as I walked in, I think people were still surprised I actually showed up. Before long, we had Jon Newman and Stacie, Jimmy S (along with Calamity Jen and Megan), Zach, Jackie Lomba (the Rangers/Hawks fan), Kristen F, Tom, Dave Shapiro, Paul L, Nick Montagena, Frosty and Karen, Coochie Wallie, and later, Pat the Laundry Guy, and even Dancing Larry! And those are just the ones I remember.
I drank a pair of Brooklyn Lagers, which I have to say, seemed to taste different than I remembered them at John's Pizzeria. A little hoppier, I guess. Still enjoyed them. The Rangers alumni of Nick Fotiu (who offered to shake MY hand!!!), Ron Greschner, and Chris Kotsopolous were in attendance and signed autographs for the masses, and for $35 total. We watched some videos of some old hockey fights from the 70's and 80's, back when players could actually hit each other!
We took a ton of pictures with each other and sat down to eat. I had chicken fingers , which were so-so at best. Costa the Crazy Greek has one of the biggest appetites I have ever seen. He wolfed down a Gaelic steak with mushrooms, onions, and Guinness gravy and promptly threw in a slice of cheesecake for good measure. I also sat with Frosty and Karen who are the one of the nicest couples I have ever met. Zach and Newman are quite the characters. Never a dull moment with those two around. Kristen is very cool, but I guess she had a sore throat. Her voice was so deep and husky, it was like talking to Kathleen Turner! And it was nice to meet Jackie too. There is more to her than her Patrick "Kaner" Kane crush and the ALL CAPS TYPING. At the end of the day, she really is neat. I think the best part is these people are not just photos, or voices, or words on a facebook chat. They really feel like actual people to me and that helps to make friendships that much stronger.
The live BB show began at 5 pm and I'm listening back to it now as I type. The first 20 minutes were torture to listen to with all the feedback! Jim's mike sucks! But it got worked out. The highlight had to be the live roll call. We all stood in front of the radio table as Eddie introduced us. I was maybe the fifth guy mentioned. I was floored how loud my ovation was. I was absolutely floored. I also met the Mouth's Dad and a few of his cousins who were sitting in one of the extra rooms down the hall and they were very nice.
The game went very well, with the Rangers getting the 3-0 win and Hank getting back to his winning ways. We left pretty soon after, as the bar had suddenly become overrun by clubbers. I left with Jackie, a Philly fan who I believe named Joe, and one other guy I can't remember. We talked hockey, Chicago vs NY, and all kinds of stuff, on my 45 minute ride to Newark Airport. I gave Jackie a kiss on the cheek, shook hands with da boyz, and headed inside Terminal A around 11:15.
Since I wanted to save $100 (and I only spent about 50 or 60 for the whole day anyway), I avoided the hotels, and just slept on the floor of the terminal. All the chairs were steel and the armrests could not be moved up, so I really had no other choice. I put my backpack next to me, laid on my left side, laid my winter coat under my head and elbows, and then placed my fleece sweatshirt under my hips and back. I lowered my Rangers hat over my face to reduce the lighting, and attempted to grab some shut-eye. Well, the cleaning crew came by. There was one woman driving the zamboni around to clean the floor. I woke up several times and finally around 2:30, I realized I was going to have to wake up. When I woke up, there were suddenly 20 or 30 people in the terminal as well. A lot of them were taking a 5:30 US Air flight to Charlotte. So I checked in for the flight and did some reading for a while. I headed down the escalator towards the security line and that got moving around 3:30.
I listened to a Jim Tomberlin sermon about the splitting of the Israel kingdom and the dangers to community for a while as I waited for the flight. The first piece of bad news came when the standby list appeared on the monitor and I was number 7 out of 7. Didn't feel great about that, but it didn't worry me much. The gate agent called me up to the counter and asked if I was dressed for first class. Translated, that means dress pants and a collared shirt. I had on faded jeans and my gray fleece sweatshirt. I explained it was a one-day trip so I didn't have the room. Her response: "You should have dressed for first class." How kind. So now I know I'm basically bumped. I asked her how the 7:20 flight looked, but I knew there would only be three more flights the rest of the day. She said there were about 10 seats open, but I was at the bottom of the standby list because of my ranking, or lack there of. By now, I started thinking to myself maybe I should take a shuttle to LaGuardia. So everyone boarded and during that time, they called up the Michaels family, which was four of the people on the list ahead of me. That was pretty good, at least the list had been reduced in half. About two minutes later, the agent called me and assigned me to seat 14C. I was quite surprised, in a delightful sort of way.
So I found my seat and as I was about to sit down, I saw the guy behind me had on a Chicago Bears Devin Hester jersey and a NY Yankees hat. What is up with that? Anyway, I sat down in my aisle seat in yet another cramped American Eagle plane. It may have been the same dang plane for all I know. Next to me sat this girl and somehow we struck up a conversation. Her name was Nona. She lives in Manhattan, studies journalism like me, and is planning to live in Beirut for awhile. And she was coming to Chicago for the week because her dad is a doctor and is participating in a major conference. She told me she had been shopping all of Black Friday, grabbed two hours of sleep, and was feeling really tired. For almost all of the 150 minutes of that flight, she twisted and turned all around her seat, just trying to get comfortable. I finally raised the arm rest up and leaned on one "cheek" towards the aisle, just to give her a little room. Then came the pocket slip... I can't say I was disappointed or anything, but with her travels, experience, and sharp wit, she seemed like a really interesting girl.
Finally, the landing gear was dropped and she came back to life. She had mentioned feeling hot, then cold, then hot again. I'm thinking this girl is so high maintenance, yet kind of amusing... And she also mentioned I seemed like a very "by the book" kind of guy. I said that I had mentioned I had slept on the floor of the terminal for 4 hours and she thinks I am "by the book"? Anyway, she had luggage to claim and was waiting for her ride, and the next thing I know, we're talking in the terminal about everything in the world for a full hour. Though I thought she appeared in good shape, she had mentioned she wasn't thrilled with her physical fitness. She just didn't feel disciplined in the gym. I turned her to Hebrews 12:11 and that really seemed to be what she needed. It's just strange how these things just come together sometimes. It can't be coincidence that I got on that plane and sat in that particular seat. Anyway, I helped her reclaim her luggage since we had taken so much time and I helped her unload the two "bodybags" into her friend's car.
Finally, I braved the 20 degree temperatures, got back to my car, and headed to the gym for some cardio and lifting. I went home to unpack and hit the grocery store. After catching up on some computer stuff and watching the beginning of Supercard of Honor 5, I was starting to feel a little bit bored. So I went upstairs around 3 pm to grab a nap in my own bed, which was so welcome after the previous night. And I remember this dream I was having. I was dreaming that I woke up for work at 11 a.m. and played it real casual. But I couldn't get that time out of my mind. 11 p.m. I suddenly woke up and looked at the clock. My red digital display said 11:00 p.m. Right on the dot. My nap lasted eight hours!
As of this moment, it is 2:30 AM and I'm listening back to the live BB show. And I feel like I could stay up all night right now. But I really do need to get my body back on its normal schedule by tonight. This has been one heck of a weekend. And later on, it's the Month of Dec party. To think I may not have even seen the most insane part of the weekend yet!
I woke up at 3 AM and was gone from the house by 3:30. My intention was to park in Lot G which costs about half the price of the standard remote lot E, which is the lot where the monorail begins. Of course, there are no signs for Lot G. So I took the advantage of time over money and headed into the terminal. I wanted to get there early because I had heard about the security and how finnicky they are getting. And indeed, because I was wearing a metallic belt and the visual scanner detects metal, I got frisked. This security dude in this screechy voice goes "I need to feel two inches inside your waistband all the way around." If they have to do that, fine, but can't I have a little say over who feels inside my pants?
Anyway, I took a 6 AM American Eagle flight and it was a stress-free flight, the plane was half empty. I was pleased because there is so little legroom on those Eagle planes and I needed some space. The woman next to me moved out to another room quickly and I slept the whole 90 minutes. But about halfway through my walk from the plane to ground transportation, I felt a chill run through me. I knew Dad would not be standing there, waiting to pick me up. It just did not seem normal, it was just sad. But there is a future, and there is hope that one day, things will be right again.
Since I was paying extra to park and I had arrived into New Jersey earlier than anticipated, I decided to take the buses up to Paramus. There is an extra fee to the the NJ Transit train out of Newark Airport and it would have cost me about $15 total for the trip. It took a half hour for the 62 bus to arrive, which would take me into downtown Newark. It took another few minutes to get $1 bills, which I needed because these buses don't give change back. Otherwise, a $1.50 bus ride would have cost me $5. No good! After a 30 minute trip, we arrived at Newark Penn Station. It wasn't the most pleasant place to be. While waiting for the 76L to Hackensack, three different people asked me for handouts. One of them asked if I was in college. I don't know, maybe it was the backpack I had on. The trip took us through Newark, Kearny (got a view of the NYC skyline), Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford (got a great shot of the NMS), Carlstadt (spotted an old Krauszer's deli, still offering the coffee and buttered roll for 99 cents), and Wood-Ridge, before hitting Hackensack. What's funny was during the end of the plane ride that morning, I could see the high school with the purple Wood-Ridge logo in the end zone. And then we drove through the town. After an hour and 15 minutes, we hit downtown Hackensack; it must have been around 10:45.
I was waiting for the 751 or 755. The board in the tiny terminal building (2 rows of benches, a concession/ticket stand, and the bathrooms) said the next one of those to the Bergen Town Center would leave around 11:40 and another one after that at 11:45. Well, the 11:40 got delayed until 12:15. It took until 11:50 for the bus to fianlly come. Chances are I could have walked in 40-45 minutes what turned out to be a 15 or 20 minute bus ride. At one point, we were stopped at a red light on Main St. As I looked ahead and to my right, I could see the outside edge of a yellow building. Indeed, it was the Poitin Still, where the Blueshirt Banter viewing party would be going on later that day. I could even seen the white party banner hanging outside, advertising the Rangers legends as well.
So we made a left on Spring Valley and drove 1.5 miles to the Bergen Town Center. I had barely eaten all day so I walked straight into Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. I ordered the Crunchified Philly Burger with hot red cherry peppers, griddled onions, and provolone cheese along with sweet potato fries, and a vanilla shake. I found a spot at one of the three U-shaped bars. They brought out the shake first. The straw was so wide, it could have been used for plumbing pipes. The shake was very thick and had real whipped cream. Had a very intense vanilla flavor too. I'm not a big shake guy, but what the hell, after all that travel, I felt like a treat. Then, the food arrived. The first thing I noticed was the roll. It was a sesame seed bun, not too thick that it would overwhelm the burger, not thin enough that it would get soggy. It was soft, it tasted just perfect. The burger was maybe 1/3 pound, the provolone was totally melted, there were tons of onions and peppers, and quite a few potato chips, which added the crunch. I threw on a little yellow mustard and got going. The meat was very juicy and I could taste with the charred outside that it was cooked on a flat top grill. The chips didn't really have any seasoning on them, but added a nice touch. The fries came with a hint of sea salt and had crisp flavor to them. They came with horseradish homey mustard that I wasn't thrilled with. It tasted too much like dijon, and though I'm not particularly opposed to dijon, it can taste very powerful. I had some of that but I also dipped them in their chipotle ketchup as well. Thankfully, I got a pickle spear as well. All in all, a very good experience, I would recommend BBP.
It felt like I hd been awake forever, but it was still only 12:30, so I had a ton of time to hang out. Since it was Black Friday, there wasn't exactly ample space to walk around, I'm just glad I did not have to drive in the traffic around the mall! This one-level mall is kind of middle class, with one or two fancy places, so at least you don't feel like you need a membership card or parking permit just to walk in the doors. Some malls feel that way to me, especially in the Northeast (Shops at Riverside, Short Hills). Anyway, I walked through Target, Nordstrom Rack, and Century 21 for maybe 45 minutes, but didn't buy anything. I did pick up a couple of Jets bracelets at one of those mall stands though. I passed by a jugglign unicyclist, which was a nice touch for the holiday season. I walked around Whole Foods for a while. They have some things in there that I have never seen other Whole Foods stores before. Juice cups, a full fresh pasta display, and these huge bakery pretzels. Very tempting. I was checking out the seafood section and the man asked if he could get me anything. I said "If I lived in this time zone..." Ah well.
It was only 1:30 by the time I had covered the whole mall. So after a ton of traveling, walking, and waiting, I plopped down in one of the mall chairs, turned on my Ipod, and slept for a good hour. And I was out of it. I'm sure the various people sitting in the other seven chairs in our square got a little chuckle out of it. So I woke up and really felt like a drink. I would have gone for an Arnold Palmer from Starbucks, but they don't have one of those in the BTC. I headed back into Whole Foods and was very happy to find a bottle Tazo Giant Peach tea, one of my favorite drinks in the world. I guzzled it with gusto, headed out the door, and began my 1.5 mile walk east to Poitin Still.
I walked in to this Irish pub, and as soon as I walked in, I saw an oval shaped bar in the middle of the main room, it holds maybe 40 people. I looked to my left and the guys were setting everything up for the live radio show. The Mouth was there with Mrs. Mouth, also there was Costa the Crazy Greek, the Simos clan (Eeeeeeva, Claude, and Peter), and Ricky O. I got a pretty good reception as I walked in, I think people were still surprised I actually showed up. Before long, we had Jon Newman and Stacie, Jimmy S (along with Calamity Jen and Megan), Zach, Jackie Lomba (the Rangers/Hawks fan), Kristen F, Tom, Dave Shapiro, Paul L, Nick Montagena, Frosty and Karen, Coochie Wallie, and later, Pat the Laundry Guy, and even Dancing Larry! And those are just the ones I remember.
I drank a pair of Brooklyn Lagers, which I have to say, seemed to taste different than I remembered them at John's Pizzeria. A little hoppier, I guess. Still enjoyed them. The Rangers alumni of Nick Fotiu (who offered to shake MY hand!!!), Ron Greschner, and Chris Kotsopolous were in attendance and signed autographs for the masses, and for $35 total. We watched some videos of some old hockey fights from the 70's and 80's, back when players could actually hit each other!
We took a ton of pictures with each other and sat down to eat. I had chicken fingers , which were so-so at best. Costa the Crazy Greek has one of the biggest appetites I have ever seen. He wolfed down a Gaelic steak with mushrooms, onions, and Guinness gravy and promptly threw in a slice of cheesecake for good measure. I also sat with Frosty and Karen who are the one of the nicest couples I have ever met. Zach and Newman are quite the characters. Never a dull moment with those two around. Kristen is very cool, but I guess she had a sore throat. Her voice was so deep and husky, it was like talking to Kathleen Turner! And it was nice to meet Jackie too. There is more to her than her Patrick "Kaner" Kane crush and the ALL CAPS TYPING. At the end of the day, she really is neat. I think the best part is these people are not just photos, or voices, or words on a facebook chat. They really feel like actual people to me and that helps to make friendships that much stronger.
The live BB show began at 5 pm and I'm listening back to it now as I type. The first 20 minutes were torture to listen to with all the feedback! Jim's mike sucks! But it got worked out. The highlight had to be the live roll call. We all stood in front of the radio table as Eddie introduced us. I was maybe the fifth guy mentioned. I was floored how loud my ovation was. I was absolutely floored. I also met the Mouth's Dad and a few of his cousins who were sitting in one of the extra rooms down the hall and they were very nice.
The game went very well, with the Rangers getting the 3-0 win and Hank getting back to his winning ways. We left pretty soon after, as the bar had suddenly become overrun by clubbers. I left with Jackie, a Philly fan who I believe named Joe, and one other guy I can't remember. We talked hockey, Chicago vs NY, and all kinds of stuff, on my 45 minute ride to Newark Airport. I gave Jackie a kiss on the cheek, shook hands with da boyz, and headed inside Terminal A around 11:15.
Since I wanted to save $100 (and I only spent about 50 or 60 for the whole day anyway), I avoided the hotels, and just slept on the floor of the terminal. All the chairs were steel and the armrests could not be moved up, so I really had no other choice. I put my backpack next to me, laid on my left side, laid my winter coat under my head and elbows, and then placed my fleece sweatshirt under my hips and back. I lowered my Rangers hat over my face to reduce the lighting, and attempted to grab some shut-eye. Well, the cleaning crew came by. There was one woman driving the zamboni around to clean the floor. I woke up several times and finally around 2:30, I realized I was going to have to wake up. When I woke up, there were suddenly 20 or 30 people in the terminal as well. A lot of them were taking a 5:30 US Air flight to Charlotte. So I checked in for the flight and did some reading for a while. I headed down the escalator towards the security line and that got moving around 3:30.
I listened to a Jim Tomberlin sermon about the splitting of the Israel kingdom and the dangers to community for a while as I waited for the flight. The first piece of bad news came when the standby list appeared on the monitor and I was number 7 out of 7. Didn't feel great about that, but it didn't worry me much. The gate agent called me up to the counter and asked if I was dressed for first class. Translated, that means dress pants and a collared shirt. I had on faded jeans and my gray fleece sweatshirt. I explained it was a one-day trip so I didn't have the room. Her response: "You should have dressed for first class." How kind. So now I know I'm basically bumped. I asked her how the 7:20 flight looked, but I knew there would only be three more flights the rest of the day. She said there were about 10 seats open, but I was at the bottom of the standby list because of my ranking, or lack there of. By now, I started thinking to myself maybe I should take a shuttle to LaGuardia. So everyone boarded and during that time, they called up the Michaels family, which was four of the people on the list ahead of me. That was pretty good, at least the list had been reduced in half. About two minutes later, the agent called me and assigned me to seat 14C. I was quite surprised, in a delightful sort of way.
So I found my seat and as I was about to sit down, I saw the guy behind me had on a Chicago Bears Devin Hester jersey and a NY Yankees hat. What is up with that? Anyway, I sat down in my aisle seat in yet another cramped American Eagle plane. It may have been the same dang plane for all I know. Next to me sat this girl and somehow we struck up a conversation. Her name was Nona. She lives in Manhattan, studies journalism like me, and is planning to live in Beirut for awhile. And she was coming to Chicago for the week because her dad is a doctor and is participating in a major conference. She told me she had been shopping all of Black Friday, grabbed two hours of sleep, and was feeling really tired. For almost all of the 150 minutes of that flight, she twisted and turned all around her seat, just trying to get comfortable. I finally raised the arm rest up and leaned on one "cheek" towards the aisle, just to give her a little room. Then came the pocket slip... I can't say I was disappointed or anything, but with her travels, experience, and sharp wit, she seemed like a really interesting girl.
Finally, the landing gear was dropped and she came back to life. She had mentioned feeling hot, then cold, then hot again. I'm thinking this girl is so high maintenance, yet kind of amusing... And she also mentioned I seemed like a very "by the book" kind of guy. I said that I had mentioned I had slept on the floor of the terminal for 4 hours and she thinks I am "by the book"? Anyway, she had luggage to claim and was waiting for her ride, and the next thing I know, we're talking in the terminal about everything in the world for a full hour. Though I thought she appeared in good shape, she had mentioned she wasn't thrilled with her physical fitness. She just didn't feel disciplined in the gym. I turned her to Hebrews 12:11 and that really seemed to be what she needed. It's just strange how these things just come together sometimes. It can't be coincidence that I got on that plane and sat in that particular seat. Anyway, I helped her reclaim her luggage since we had taken so much time and I helped her unload the two "bodybags" into her friend's car.
Finally, I braved the 20 degree temperatures, got back to my car, and headed to the gym for some cardio and lifting. I went home to unpack and hit the grocery store. After catching up on some computer stuff and watching the beginning of Supercard of Honor 5, I was starting to feel a little bit bored. So I went upstairs around 3 pm to grab a nap in my own bed, which was so welcome after the previous night. And I remember this dream I was having. I was dreaming that I woke up for work at 11 a.m. and played it real casual. But I couldn't get that time out of my mind. 11 p.m. I suddenly woke up and looked at the clock. My red digital display said 11:00 p.m. Right on the dot. My nap lasted eight hours!
As of this moment, it is 2:30 AM and I'm listening back to the live BB show. And I feel like I could stay up all night right now. But I really do need to get my body back on its normal schedule by tonight. This has been one heck of a weekend. And later on, it's the Month of Dec party. To think I may not have even seen the most insane part of the weekend yet!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Twisted
That CT conversation may have been one of the most kind, yet absolutely awkward of my life. I'm trying to value them, but they get more and more difficult as time goes by.
I feel tonight I should have a lot to say. I think that right now I'm typing not because I'm inspired by a thought, by a person, or anything like that, but because it's my duty. That doesn't seem like the most organic method.
1) I have given up on the Jets twice in two weeks. Each time they have won in the last 15 seconds. Either I am a fool and need to learn my lesson or I should keep walking away towards the end of a game.
2) Nevertheless, the Jets are tied for the league lead in wins. I love Santonio Holmes and David Harris, am starting to seriously believe in Mark Sanchez, and hate how this defense continues to regress. Although I think I saw something no homo sapien has ever reported. And I think I was mentally stable at the time. I had to count my fingers, blink a few times, breathe deeply in and out. But did I see Vernon Gholston actually touch a quarterback?
3) And that damn Peyton Manning would have given us first place all by our lonesome if not for a horrible INT at the end of the game in Foxboro. I guess the Jets will just have to take care of this themselves.
4) The Mets have hired Terry Collins as their new manager. I am not excited about it. But I will give it time. The big question is what will Sandy, JP, and Paul do in terms of player personnel in a season where they have so little money to spend and there are seemingly so few quality free agents available.
5) Ellen gave her faith story in church today, speaking about our time in Kentucky. She referenced me. She said that on the trip she was a little uncomfortable that the next youngest person was almost twice her age. After the service, I told her that I appreciate she included the word "almost".
6) Rookie's Godfather pizza is one of the best I have ever had. Sausage, roast beef, onion, tomato, and hot giardinare.
7) Three days of work this week. I am really excited for Thanksgiving. We'll be going back to Weber Grille. Unlike 2 years ago when I did this, I hope I won't have the flu that day.
8) Hackensack, I can't wait...9) I thank Pastor Brian for teaching us today that there is a significant difference between feeling thankful and giving thanks. Also, perhaps our praise and worship is not complete if we have not thanked God for a blessing we have received.
10) I am 0-for-5 in typing the word h-a-v-e correctly in this post...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Mindy, Evanston and a deli
So I take off from work around 4 p.m. and begin the drive down 90, then north on 294 for a few minutes, before a long drive east on Dempster. For dinner, I thought about Flat Top Grill, or a local Asian place (Evanston is littered with those). Maybe Tommy Nevin's, a local Irish pub. But on Mom's recommendation, I went with Kauffman's deli in Skokie. Since Skokie is a very Jewish town and has a famous bakery, it seemed like a good idea. I went with the the NJ bypass special, a double decker loaded with hot pastrami and corned beef and I added Swiss cheese and brown mustard on caraway rye bread. But they have four different cuts of corned beef, a fattier cut and two leaner cuts, something I had never seen before. And good job by the staff, throwing in free pickle spears. The only thing missing was cans of Dr. Brown's soda. Most Jewish delis carry them. I remember at Harold's, Katz's, or on the 86th St in Brooklyn, Dad would always go with the diet black cherry, I was fine with root beer. In his case, I went with Coke and BBQ chips.
The sandwich wasn't as huge as I thought it might be, so I finished it pretty easily. I liked the grainy mustard as well as there being several slices of cheese. The meat was very juicy, not too much seasoning, so I added some black pepper.
As I was eating at this tiny countertop in the bakery section of the deli, this woman comes from behind the bakery and places something wrapped in plastic next to me. I thanked her and took a look as she walked away. It was a brownie, so since I'm no chocolate guy, I took it to go. As I scoured the numerous shelves in the bakery, I noticed this golden brown twisting stick. I asked what it was and they told me it was a puff pastry, I can't remember the exact name. But they gave me one for free and I enjoyed it. Of course, I walked out with a dozen bagels as well! Just a shame they had already run out of rye bagels.
So then I headed 5 miles east into Evanston. I parked in a Jewel Osco, and there aren't many space to grab, about a block down the street from SPACE. I thought it was pretty cool that the Jewel Osco had a Whole Foods right across the street from it. So since I hadn't spent much time in Evanston before, I walked north on Chicago Ave and around the city for about a half hour. I was struck by how much it felt like a major city. A lot of high-rise buildings, fancy restaurants, a lot of very unique architecture. The gothic look of many of the churches caught my eye as well. It felt like Boston, to an extent. It was just a bit nippy out, I did have to tuck my hands inside my Jets jacket.
Eventually, I walked back into the building that includes SPACE as well as the Union pizzeria. The place was already mobbed and I spotted 2 empty seats out of 30 at the U-shaped bar. Well, one empty seat, some corporate dude had one reserved for his laptop. I don't know, maybe the computer had been overworked and it needed a rest, whatever. So I took a seat, next to this one woman, who immediately offered me a slice of her Neapolitan pizza, which included shrimp, pineapple, cilantro, and jalapenos. I can handle spicy, but these peppers were really hot! I felt the burn for at least five minutes after just that one slice! And this girl was from Texas, so I guess she is used to that kind of thing.
So we chatted for maybe 45 minutes about work, my Kentucky trip, her kid, heat in Texas vs Illinois, etc. I guess she's an occupational therapist and is in town for 10 days for a conference. Around 7, I got in line for the show. I got a GA ticket, and got a spot off to the side about 8 feet from the stage. I chatted with a few couples around me, most of whom had never seen Mindy Smith perform live. Unlike the show in DeKalb, where she had a full band, she did this show alone, with just an acoustic guitar.
Set list
1. Out Loud
2. What Went Wrong
3. Highs and Lows
4. Raggedy Ann
5. Hurricane
6. Love Lost
7. If I Didn't Know Any Better
8. What Love Can Do
9. One Moment More
10. Tennessee
11. Fighting For It All
12. Jolene
14. Santa Will Find You
15. Long Island Shores
16. Come to Jesus
There were plenty of guitar tuning issues, but whatever. The best part was one drunk in the back calling for "Jolene." Mindy mutters "Ugh, I have to sing about that bitch again!" For songs, I was hoping, but didn't expect to hear "Surface" and I didn't.
I would have liked to have stayed and chatted with her again, but with 200 people packing the room, I felt the night had lasted long enough. I took off at 10:45 and got in home just before midnight.
The sandwich wasn't as huge as I thought it might be, so I finished it pretty easily. I liked the grainy mustard as well as there being several slices of cheese. The meat was very juicy, not too much seasoning, so I added some black pepper.
As I was eating at this tiny countertop in the bakery section of the deli, this woman comes from behind the bakery and places something wrapped in plastic next to me. I thanked her and took a look as she walked away. It was a brownie, so since I'm no chocolate guy, I took it to go. As I scoured the numerous shelves in the bakery, I noticed this golden brown twisting stick. I asked what it was and they told me it was a puff pastry, I can't remember the exact name. But they gave me one for free and I enjoyed it. Of course, I walked out with a dozen bagels as well! Just a shame they had already run out of rye bagels.
So then I headed 5 miles east into Evanston. I parked in a Jewel Osco, and there aren't many space to grab, about a block down the street from SPACE. I thought it was pretty cool that the Jewel Osco had a Whole Foods right across the street from it. So since I hadn't spent much time in Evanston before, I walked north on Chicago Ave and around the city for about a half hour. I was struck by how much it felt like a major city. A lot of high-rise buildings, fancy restaurants, a lot of very unique architecture. The gothic look of many of the churches caught my eye as well. It felt like Boston, to an extent. It was just a bit nippy out, I did have to tuck my hands inside my Jets jacket.
Eventually, I walked back into the building that includes SPACE as well as the Union pizzeria. The place was already mobbed and I spotted 2 empty seats out of 30 at the U-shaped bar. Well, one empty seat, some corporate dude had one reserved for his laptop. I don't know, maybe the computer had been overworked and it needed a rest, whatever. So I took a seat, next to this one woman, who immediately offered me a slice of her Neapolitan pizza, which included shrimp, pineapple, cilantro, and jalapenos. I can handle spicy, but these peppers were really hot! I felt the burn for at least five minutes after just that one slice! And this girl was from Texas, so I guess she is used to that kind of thing.
So we chatted for maybe 45 minutes about work, my Kentucky trip, her kid, heat in Texas vs Illinois, etc. I guess she's an occupational therapist and is in town for 10 days for a conference. Around 7, I got in line for the show. I got a GA ticket, and got a spot off to the side about 8 feet from the stage. I chatted with a few couples around me, most of whom had never seen Mindy Smith perform live. Unlike the show in DeKalb, where she had a full band, she did this show alone, with just an acoustic guitar.
Set list
1. Out Loud
2. What Went Wrong
3. Highs and Lows
4. Raggedy Ann
5. Hurricane
6. Love Lost
7. If I Didn't Know Any Better
8. What Love Can Do
9. One Moment More
10. Tennessee
11. Fighting For It All
12. Jolene
Encore
13. Ahead of Myself14. Santa Will Find You
15. Long Island Shores
16. Come to Jesus
There were plenty of guitar tuning issues, but whatever. The best part was one drunk in the back calling for "Jolene." Mindy mutters "Ugh, I have to sing about that bitch again!" For songs, I was hoping, but didn't expect to hear "Surface" and I didn't.
I would have liked to have stayed and chatted with her again, but with 200 people packing the room, I felt the night had lasted long enough. I took off at 10:45 and got in home just before midnight.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Top Rex Ryan Quotes
After a tough loss to Washington (Rangers drop to 2-5-1 in MSG), I watched the 30-minute Rex Ryan SFX special on the NFL Network. It captured many of Rex' best lines from the sidelines, encompassing just over a season and a half. Here is my dirty dozen list, dirty, because the censors are off, and dozen, because I just cannot narrow this down to just ten.
12. This is gonna be a fun one. Rock 'em, sock 'em robots today
11. But he (Mulligan) can keep whippin' his ass in the backfield, right?
10. He (Kaeding) already missed two. Three strikes homeboy and you're out. He missed it! He missed it! He missed! Yeah!
9. Norv, I'm the opposite. I blow up, you slim down.
8. We know we've got a great defense. We believe in our philosophy of ground 'n' pound.
7. Time out! Time out! That's a long sprint for me. I gotta get my damn track shoes on!
6. They can't hit our fuckin' quarterback like that! That's fuckin bullshit! Number 33!
5. I called that time out! Next time, I'll stand right on top of you.
4. Bam! That's Jet football! That's Jets football baby! Way to go Shonn!
3. We're going for it! We're going for it! We're going for it! Win the game right here!
2. That's the game! That's the fuckin' game! That's New York Jets football! That's New York Jets football!
1. Play like Jets, we'll kick their ass and go onto the Super Bowl!
12. This is gonna be a fun one. Rock 'em, sock 'em robots today
11. But he (Mulligan) can keep whippin' his ass in the backfield, right?
10. He (Kaeding) already missed two. Three strikes homeboy and you're out. He missed it! He missed it! He missed! Yeah!
9. Norv, I'm the opposite. I blow up, you slim down.
8. We know we've got a great defense. We believe in our philosophy of ground 'n' pound.
7. Time out! Time out! That's a long sprint for me. I gotta get my damn track shoes on!
6. They can't hit our fuckin' quarterback like that! That's fuckin bullshit! Number 33!
5. I called that time out! Next time, I'll stand right on top of you.
4. Bam! That's Jet football! That's Jets football baby! Way to go Shonn!
3. We're going for it! We're going for it! We're going for it! Win the game right here!
2. That's the game! That's the fuckin' game! That's New York Jets football! That's New York Jets football!
1. Play like Jets, we'll kick their ass and go onto the Super Bowl!
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Breathing again
Today's Jets game was one of the wildest, craziest, heart-pounding days I have spent. And the Jets have given me a lot of games like that this season, not to mention over the last 20 years. The difference is I can't recall a Jets team with this kind of resolve and resilience that finds ways to win games that they don't deserve to.
I was driving in the car and found out there that the Lions found the end zone on their first drive. The Jets got called on three penalites, extending the drive over and over again. Already I'm going insane. And the Jets offense was still sputtering just like last week as they would punt on their first four possessions. They did get the ball in the red zone in the second quarter, but thanks to Sanchez fumbling the 3rd down snap, they had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
On their next possession, they started on their own 25 with 1:50 remaining. First play, Damian Woody gets schooled by Avril and Sanchez gets sacked. Loss of nine! Tomlinson gets 10 yards back on a run, setting up 3rd and 9. Sanchez, protected very well in the shotgun, unleashes a bomb down the left sideline. Braylon Edwards has a step on the D-back, Alphonso Smith, for what seems like five minutes. The ball finally falls down into his arms and he walks into the end zone. The Jets take a 10-7 lead into halftime and I am feeling good. the Lions had outplayed the Jet for 28 of 30 minutes, but I felt the Jets had awoke from their slumber and now were ready to seize control.
Let's go to the second half. On the fourth play of the drive, Edwards catches a short pass, but safety Louis Delmas rips the ball right out of his hands. That's the third time that has happened in two weeks to a Jet WR. The Lions march right down the field and Matthew Stafford sneaks the ball in from the 1-yard line and the Lions lead. But with Jason Hanson, their kicker, injured, the rookie sensation defensive tackle N. "I will not attempt to spell his first name" Suh comes into kick. He doinks it off the right upright and that one missed point would prove pivotal.
The Jets take the ball back and a 13-yard run by Tomlinson gets wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on Wayne Hunter. Just 1 of 11 Jets penalties. But Sanchez comes back, immediately finding Holmes for a 21-yard gain. Laterin the drive, a 17-yard pass to Dustin Keller, who after not catching a pass in the first half, would emerge more and more as the game wore on. But a long bomb would be intercepted on the 1. Essentially, that's a great punt. Down three points, I was not torn up over that one. Each team would punt and then the Lions go on a drive that I thought would put the game away. On a 3rd and 6, Nate Burleson caught a 36-yard pass. A pass interference call on Eric Smith put the ball on the Jets 1, instead of a 3rd and 5 on the 28. Stafford throws a short TD pass to Burleson and it was 20-10 Detroit with 12 minutes left. The Jets then get one first down before having to punt and Detroit took over from their own 8 with under 7 minutes remaining in the game. I am full of despair, but I know a few things about the Lions. They are gritty and they play hard. But this team has not learned to close game out yet. They are not mature enough to win these tight games.
On 2nd and 11, Stafford scrambles and gets dragged down from behind by Bryan Thomas. Immediately, Stafford clutched his right shoulder. He had to leave the game and Drew Stanton took his place. Te Jets forced the 3 and out, leaving them just 4:30 to score at least 10 points. And here is where Mark Sanchez took over. Cotchery for 18, Keller for 6, LDT for 6, Keller leaping for a big gain of 25, putting the ball on the Lions 6. LDT runs for 5 and Sanchez takes it in and it's 20-17. Of course, it was too close a call and the refs let 20 critical seconds run off the clock.
With one TO and the 2-minute warning, the Jets kicked off, which I agreed with. They could not let the Lions get a first down, but I felt pretty good they wouldn't. First play: Jhavid Best loses two on a run and then on 2nd down, gains 6. So after the 2-minute warning and the Jets out of timeouts, it's 3rd and 6. And Coach Jim Schwartz calls a play action fake with a backup QB. the ball is passed too low and the fullback can't hold on. The Jets are saved 30 huge seconds.
So with 1:40, the Jets start on their own 22. Two plays gain just one yard. And Sanchez hits Keller for 11 yards and a huge first down. A pass to LDT for 11, and then came a pass to LDT that gained just one. But here's the second place the Lions shot themselves. Their veteran linebacker Julian Peterson drills LDT well out of bounds. This one was too obvious to not call. A 15-yard penalty and the Jets have the ball on the Detroit 28, well within field goal range. Two runs gain 10 yards and in comes Folk with five seconds left to kick the tying field goal. The snap was off, but Steve Weatherford recovered and Folk drilled it through from 36 yards. Overtime!
With the Lions missing a QB and kicker, this seemed too easy. When the Jets won the toss, I knew it wasn't a given, but I could not see them losing it now. From the Jets 32, Sanchez finds Holmes AGAIN! for a 52 yard gain. LDT ran twice and then Folk, who is known for kicking longer field goals better than short ones, ran onto the field again. From 30 yards out, he drilled it down the middle and I am celebrating.
But wait! Flag on the field! Nah, it's ok, it was a personal foul on Detroit, the field goal was good, and the Jets had secured an improbable 23-20 win in the Motor City.
The Jets had no right winning this game. They played great for about 10 of 60 minutes in regulation. And Detroit had some injuries and also made some stupid decisions, by coaching staff and players alike. But they did win. They are now 6-2, and if they can learn to stop taking stupid penalties and maybe if the offensive coordinator can not call such predictable game plans, this team can do something very special.
And these referees were beyond putrid. I think of the personal foul on Shaun Ellis where he hit Stafford while he was still in bounds, that cost the Jets 15 yards.
All in all, I feel good. I feel relieved. I thank Cleveland for spanking New England. Now we're coming to Cleveland to beat them. Wish I could be there too...
I was driving in the car and found out there that the Lions found the end zone on their first drive. The Jets got called on three penalites, extending the drive over and over again. Already I'm going insane. And the Jets offense was still sputtering just like last week as they would punt on their first four possessions. They did get the ball in the red zone in the second quarter, but thanks to Sanchez fumbling the 3rd down snap, they had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
On their next possession, they started on their own 25 with 1:50 remaining. First play, Damian Woody gets schooled by Avril and Sanchez gets sacked. Loss of nine! Tomlinson gets 10 yards back on a run, setting up 3rd and 9. Sanchez, protected very well in the shotgun, unleashes a bomb down the left sideline. Braylon Edwards has a step on the D-back, Alphonso Smith, for what seems like five minutes. The ball finally falls down into his arms and he walks into the end zone. The Jets take a 10-7 lead into halftime and I am feeling good. the Lions had outplayed the Jet for 28 of 30 minutes, but I felt the Jets had awoke from their slumber and now were ready to seize control.
Let's go to the second half. On the fourth play of the drive, Edwards catches a short pass, but safety Louis Delmas rips the ball right out of his hands. That's the third time that has happened in two weeks to a Jet WR. The Lions march right down the field and Matthew Stafford sneaks the ball in from the 1-yard line and the Lions lead. But with Jason Hanson, their kicker, injured, the rookie sensation defensive tackle N. "I will not attempt to spell his first name" Suh comes into kick. He doinks it off the right upright and that one missed point would prove pivotal.
The Jets take the ball back and a 13-yard run by Tomlinson gets wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on Wayne Hunter. Just 1 of 11 Jets penalties. But Sanchez comes back, immediately finding Holmes for a 21-yard gain. Laterin the drive, a 17-yard pass to Dustin Keller, who after not catching a pass in the first half, would emerge more and more as the game wore on. But a long bomb would be intercepted on the 1. Essentially, that's a great punt. Down three points, I was not torn up over that one. Each team would punt and then the Lions go on a drive that I thought would put the game away. On a 3rd and 6, Nate Burleson caught a 36-yard pass. A pass interference call on Eric Smith put the ball on the Jets 1, instead of a 3rd and 5 on the 28. Stafford throws a short TD pass to Burleson and it was 20-10 Detroit with 12 minutes left. The Jets then get one first down before having to punt and Detroit took over from their own 8 with under 7 minutes remaining in the game. I am full of despair, but I know a few things about the Lions. They are gritty and they play hard. But this team has not learned to close game out yet. They are not mature enough to win these tight games.
On 2nd and 11, Stafford scrambles and gets dragged down from behind by Bryan Thomas. Immediately, Stafford clutched his right shoulder. He had to leave the game and Drew Stanton took his place. Te Jets forced the 3 and out, leaving them just 4:30 to score at least 10 points. And here is where Mark Sanchez took over. Cotchery for 18, Keller for 6, LDT for 6, Keller leaping for a big gain of 25, putting the ball on the Lions 6. LDT runs for 5 and Sanchez takes it in and it's 20-17. Of course, it was too close a call and the refs let 20 critical seconds run off the clock.
With one TO and the 2-minute warning, the Jets kicked off, which I agreed with. They could not let the Lions get a first down, but I felt pretty good they wouldn't. First play: Jhavid Best loses two on a run and then on 2nd down, gains 6. So after the 2-minute warning and the Jets out of timeouts, it's 3rd and 6. And Coach Jim Schwartz calls a play action fake with a backup QB. the ball is passed too low and the fullback can't hold on. The Jets are saved 30 huge seconds.
So with 1:40, the Jets start on their own 22. Two plays gain just one yard. And Sanchez hits Keller for 11 yards and a huge first down. A pass to LDT for 11, and then came a pass to LDT that gained just one. But here's the second place the Lions shot themselves. Their veteran linebacker Julian Peterson drills LDT well out of bounds. This one was too obvious to not call. A 15-yard penalty and the Jets have the ball on the Detroit 28, well within field goal range. Two runs gain 10 yards and in comes Folk with five seconds left to kick the tying field goal. The snap was off, but Steve Weatherford recovered and Folk drilled it through from 36 yards. Overtime!
With the Lions missing a QB and kicker, this seemed too easy. When the Jets won the toss, I knew it wasn't a given, but I could not see them losing it now. From the Jets 32, Sanchez finds Holmes AGAIN! for a 52 yard gain. LDT ran twice and then Folk, who is known for kicking longer field goals better than short ones, ran onto the field again. From 30 yards out, he drilled it down the middle and I am celebrating.
But wait! Flag on the field! Nah, it's ok, it was a personal foul on Detroit, the field goal was good, and the Jets had secured an improbable 23-20 win in the Motor City.
The Jets had no right winning this game. They played great for about 10 of 60 minutes in regulation. And Detroit had some injuries and also made some stupid decisions, by coaching staff and players alike. But they did win. They are now 6-2, and if they can learn to stop taking stupid penalties and maybe if the offensive coordinator can not call such predictable game plans, this team can do something very special.
And these referees were beyond putrid. I think of the personal foul on Shaun Ellis where he hit Stafford while he was still in bounds, that cost the Jets 15 yards.
All in all, I feel good. I feel relieved. I thank Cleveland for spanking New England. Now we're coming to Cleveland to beat them. Wish I could be there too...
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Seriously pissed off
I was so excited for this game against Green Bay. With no Jets game last week, I was looking forward to this game that much more. The Packers had no defensive linemen to speak of. Half the team is on injured reserve. And they cannot run the football. I said as long as the Jets didn't play dumb, they would win. That meant keep the penalties down and don't turn the football over. The bottom line is this:
Penalties: GB 3-15, Jets 7-55.
Turnovers: GB 0, Jets 3.
Dropped passes: Jets: 200 and 198 of those were by the normally sure-handed Jerricho Cotchery. Not to mention this pivotal moment. First possession of the second half. The Jets were starting to play better and better despite not putting any points up. Now it's 3rd and 7. Mark Sanchez spots Santonio Holmes running a short cross route. There are no defenders in the picture. If he catches this, it's a 15 yard gain. It's a first down at the very least. The ball hits him right in the hands and bounces off to the turf. An absolute back-breaking drop by Santonio Holmes. The Jets punt.
Next possession, Cotchery has his one good play of the game. A 49-yard pass play puts the ball on the GB 28. First down, Shonn Greene runs for 8 yards. Then he runs for 5 more, getting a first down in the GB red zone. But oh no, holding on Nick Mangold! So it's now 2nd and 12 and Sanchez throws two incomplete passes. Nick Folk shanks the field goal wide right. The Jets continue to trail 3-0 and they would never get so close again in the game.
Norm Hitzges taught me well when he said that yards gained is for suckers. The total count: GB 236, Jets 360. What does that say? One, the Jets had terrible field position the whole game; two, they could not sustain a drive against a depleted defense; three, they turned the ball over.
Oh, and it was Come Thirsty's annual get-together at Rookie's. Ten of us there. What a mistake that was.
The next 4 games are at Detroit, at Cleveland, Houston, and Cincinnati on Thanksgiving night. Nothing less than 4-0 in those games will be acceptable.
Penalties: GB 3-15, Jets 7-55.
Turnovers: GB 0, Jets 3.
Dropped passes: Jets: 200 and 198 of those were by the normally sure-handed Jerricho Cotchery. Not to mention this pivotal moment. First possession of the second half. The Jets were starting to play better and better despite not putting any points up. Now it's 3rd and 7. Mark Sanchez spots Santonio Holmes running a short cross route. There are no defenders in the picture. If he catches this, it's a 15 yard gain. It's a first down at the very least. The ball hits him right in the hands and bounces off to the turf. An absolute back-breaking drop by Santonio Holmes. The Jets punt.
Next possession, Cotchery has his one good play of the game. A 49-yard pass play puts the ball on the GB 28. First down, Shonn Greene runs for 8 yards. Then he runs for 5 more, getting a first down in the GB red zone. But oh no, holding on Nick Mangold! So it's now 2nd and 12 and Sanchez throws two incomplete passes. Nick Folk shanks the field goal wide right. The Jets continue to trail 3-0 and they would never get so close again in the game.
Norm Hitzges taught me well when he said that yards gained is for suckers. The total count: GB 236, Jets 360. What does that say? One, the Jets had terrible field position the whole game; two, they could not sustain a drive against a depleted defense; three, they turned the ball over.
Oh, and it was Come Thirsty's annual get-together at Rookie's. Ten of us there. What a mistake that was.
The next 4 games are at Detroit, at Cleveland, Houston, and Cincinnati on Thanksgiving night. Nothing less than 4-0 in those games will be acceptable.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Early Saturday morning
I went from lamenting a painful Rangers loss to suddenly wondering where the next four hours drifted to. So finally, I am downstairs for the first time since getting home from work and I don't feel ready to go to sleep. So later on, will be a Saturday where I really don't have too many set plans. Library, post office, leaf-blowing, gym, not a whole lot else. Although I am quite excited for the evening and not because it is Halloween.
I guess the old refrigerator in the garage doesn't quite seal shut all the way. The outside evening temperature has now plummeted into the 40's and now, all of a sudden, the drinks in there are cold enough to drink when I remove them from the fridge. No 20 minutes in the freezer! I guess that's one benefit of cold weather.
Arrived at the potluck lunch at work today about an hour and ten minutes after it began. Miraculously, I grabbed the last piece of Popeye's fried chicken. Now that I think about it, I'm glad there was only one piece there or I probably would have gone nuts.
I guess when I am in a daze, paying the bills doesn't seem quite so annoying. And just like that, goodbye to 60 percent of my take-home pay!
Somehow, I feel like writing the most random crap right now!
Sandy Alderson, congratulations. Good luck. You will need it.
Sunday afternoon should be quite an occasion. No Bears, leaving everyone around here to focus on my 5-1 Jets vs. the Green Bay Packers. And Come Thirsty will be making our annual pilgrimage to Rookie's for the games. I just wish I had more Green Gear for my peeps...
5 songs I've mentioned in the blog before, but I've listened to since 1 A.M.:
5) "If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else" Bee Gees
4) "I Don't Know Where To Start" Eddie Rabbitt
3) "A Tender Lie" Restless Heart
2) "The Weekend" Steve Wariner
1) "Drinkin' Me Lonely" Chris Young
I guess the old refrigerator in the garage doesn't quite seal shut all the way. The outside evening temperature has now plummeted into the 40's and now, all of a sudden, the drinks in there are cold enough to drink when I remove them from the fridge. No 20 minutes in the freezer! I guess that's one benefit of cold weather.
Arrived at the potluck lunch at work today about an hour and ten minutes after it began. Miraculously, I grabbed the last piece of Popeye's fried chicken. Now that I think about it, I'm glad there was only one piece there or I probably would have gone nuts.
I guess when I am in a daze, paying the bills doesn't seem quite so annoying. And just like that, goodbye to 60 percent of my take-home pay!
Somehow, I feel like writing the most random crap right now!
Sandy Alderson, congratulations. Good luck. You will need it.
Sunday afternoon should be quite an occasion. No Bears, leaving everyone around here to focus on my 5-1 Jets vs. the Green Bay Packers. And Come Thirsty will be making our annual pilgrimage to Rookie's for the games. I just wish I had more Green Gear for my peeps...
5 songs I've mentioned in the blog before, but I've listened to since 1 A.M.:
5) "If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else" Bee Gees
4) "I Don't Know Where To Start" Eddie Rabbitt
3) "A Tender Lie" Restless Heart
2) "The Weekend" Steve Wariner
1) "Drinkin' Me Lonely" Chris Young
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thank you
Life just seems to keep changing. And at 12:40 on Sunday morning, I think I should put some of it down here.
1) I'll start with a negative. Work is becoming more and more frustrating. The Trevose campus is so high-maintenance, they send me between 5 and 10 activities. There were some weeks that I didn't get 10 activities in a week from four combined campuses.
2) And our upcoming move to Schaumburg just continues to rankle me more and more. All the fridges and microwaves will be in the basement. A little inconvenience is one thing. But now we're going to lose our gym memberships. One of the best aspects of CEC was the complimentary memberships at the South Barrington Club. Now they're gone. But this real estate guy said he did research and said that 35 employees use the gym. That is complete nonsense. BS, to be more blunt. I'd like to find out what parameters were used to reach 35 people. And throw in the additional 12 miles of driving each day and this move is going to cost me money. I don't care about the flat screens, or that it's a green building, or we have plush sofas in the chat rooms. How do those help me to become a better worker?
3) OK, moving on. It feels strange, but I am glad God put someone in my life at this time. It's just crazy.
4) The Phillies lose! No matter who wins the World Series, a 40-year plus drought will end. No matter who wins, it's all good. My initial pick: Giants over Rangers in 7
5) Rangers have won two straight against two solid Eastern Conference squads. A win tonight against New Jersey would be remarkable. I do wonder if Torts will start Henrik or Biron in goal though.
6) Tomorrow will be stress-free; the Jets are off. Like Rex said, I want to lead the league in wins! And we're 5-1! Green Bay, bring it!
7) I am disappointed, yet content that I will not travel to any Jets games this season. I would have liked to though. But sometimes we have to sacrifice certain things. Maybe I can enjoy two other things, instead of just this one.
8) It looks like I will make it to Pointin Still in Hackensack for the Rangers viewing party on Black Friday, as long as the planes are flying. The only challenge is getting from the bar back to Newark Airport; I'm hoping someone at the party will bring me back. I really don't want to spend the cash on a cab or on a hotel. I just wish I could bring Dad and stay with him. He would have had fun there.
9) The crowd at Rebel last Sunday was amazing. 15 or so of us watched the Jets beat the Broncos in a back and forth contest with a crazy finish. From Jay Jay to Josh to Carl to Danielle to Laura to Terry to Erik to John to a few others I can't remember, their emotions run as crazy as mine do. And to scream J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets with a crowd after each TD, man it is such an amazing rush of adrenaline.
10) I am glad for the chance to reconnect with old friends, and to think it was someone I have not seen in over 10 years.
11) Mindy Smith's "Surface" is such an amazing recording. I may go see her perform live in Evanston.
12) Song lyrics for the night, credit to Willie Nelson:
How's your new love? I hope he's doing fine.
I heard you told him that you'd love him till the end of time.
Now that's the same thing that you told me.
Seems like just the other day.
Ain't it funny how time slips away?
1) I'll start with a negative. Work is becoming more and more frustrating. The Trevose campus is so high-maintenance, they send me between 5 and 10 activities. There were some weeks that I didn't get 10 activities in a week from four combined campuses.
2) And our upcoming move to Schaumburg just continues to rankle me more and more. All the fridges and microwaves will be in the basement. A little inconvenience is one thing. But now we're going to lose our gym memberships. One of the best aspects of CEC was the complimentary memberships at the South Barrington Club. Now they're gone. But this real estate guy said he did research and said that 35 employees use the gym. That is complete nonsense. BS, to be more blunt. I'd like to find out what parameters were used to reach 35 people. And throw in the additional 12 miles of driving each day and this move is going to cost me money. I don't care about the flat screens, or that it's a green building, or we have plush sofas in the chat rooms. How do those help me to become a better worker?
3) OK, moving on. It feels strange, but I am glad God put someone in my life at this time. It's just crazy.
4) The Phillies lose! No matter who wins the World Series, a 40-year plus drought will end. No matter who wins, it's all good. My initial pick: Giants over Rangers in 7
5) Rangers have won two straight against two solid Eastern Conference squads. A win tonight against New Jersey would be remarkable. I do wonder if Torts will start Henrik or Biron in goal though.
6) Tomorrow will be stress-free; the Jets are off. Like Rex said, I want to lead the league in wins! And we're 5-1! Green Bay, bring it!
7) I am disappointed, yet content that I will not travel to any Jets games this season. I would have liked to though. But sometimes we have to sacrifice certain things. Maybe I can enjoy two other things, instead of just this one.
8) It looks like I will make it to Pointin Still in Hackensack for the Rangers viewing party on Black Friday, as long as the planes are flying. The only challenge is getting from the bar back to Newark Airport; I'm hoping someone at the party will bring me back. I really don't want to spend the cash on a cab or on a hotel. I just wish I could bring Dad and stay with him. He would have had fun there.
9) The crowd at Rebel last Sunday was amazing. 15 or so of us watched the Jets beat the Broncos in a back and forth contest with a crazy finish. From Jay Jay to Josh to Carl to Danielle to Laura to Terry to Erik to John to a few others I can't remember, their emotions run as crazy as mine do. And to scream J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets with a crowd after each TD, man it is such an amazing rush of adrenaline.
10) I am glad for the chance to reconnect with old friends, and to think it was someone I have not seen in over 10 years.
11) Mindy Smith's "Surface" is such an amazing recording. I may go see her perform live in Evanston.
12) Song lyrics for the night, credit to Willie Nelson:
How's your new love? I hope he's doing fine.
I heard you told him that you'd love him till the end of time.
Now that's the same thing that you told me.
Seems like just the other day.
Ain't it funny how time slips away?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Kentucky, Day 6
So we woke up for the final time in Kentucky on Friday, the 15th. Had an apple for breakfast along with my first bowl of Rice Krispies in maybe ten years. I usually don't eat cereal because it's carbs and isn't feeling, but I enjoyed it for a change. Then after finishing Philippians 4, Mike handed out pieces of notebook paper to everyone, including Jane, who was there to see us off. We all passed our paper around the table to each other and then we had to write something we liked about that person. Then we had to read them off. Midway through the reading, the J-Crew came in. They asked what we were doing and when Barry suggested they do the same thing for each other, Jimmy asked "You got a postage stamp?" And Jim continued teasing Ellen playfully, his dry sense of humor really reminds me of my uncle, as I told him later.
We took off around 8:45 and I drove Barry and Carolyn up to Cincinnati, about a 2 hour trip. We went to the Creation Museum, which is organized by Answers in Genesis. They basically believe the universe and life originated 6,000 years ago and that the Great Flood was what wiped out the dinosaurs. Though I certainly believe in the Genesis account, I don't know about the universe originating 6,000 years ago. I suppose it is possible.
This place is basically in the middle of nowhere (Petersburg, KY) off 275 on the Kentucky/Ohio border. It's a decent size, one-level building and as we walked towards it from the back of the parking lot, I noticed a lot of states on the license plates of the other cars. Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, etc. We immediately ate at Noah's Cafe, where I expected them to serve two of every animal. But was not the case. Instead, I drank one more Ale 81 and had my first taste of Cincy-style chili. I did a 4-way, which is pasta, chili, cheddar, and onion. I dashed it up with some hot sauce and I really enjoyed it. It was a little sweet and spicy and the flavors blended together very nicely.
I'm glad for the extra money we raised, that allowed us to get in for free instead of paying 20 bucks. We went through the walk-thru for about 2 hours and it was a combination planetarium/ theater/art museum. It breaks down the 7 C's as they call them, Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation. I liked the dinosaur pit and the Noah's Ark displays; the human corruption displays were a little rough to see.
We left the museum around 2:45 and I had a long talk with Mike about our family situations. I realize there really is no such thing as a normal family nowadays. After Ellen woke up from her 28th nap, we had fun doing some Mad Libs. We then stopped in Lafayette, IN for Chik-Fil-A and I became a quick fan of their spicy deluxe sandwich.
Barry and Carolyn drove me the rest of the way, which was about 3 hours or so. They really are a great couple, been married I think for around 35 years or so, and I'm glad I got to see an example of a very good marriage. Got home at 8:45 and headed straight downstairs to the laundry. Mom would be proud.
So right now, it is Saturday morning and here a few thoughts.
1) I think I was ready to get back into the swing of things at home, but only to an extent. Now that I'm back in this house right now, something just does not feel right about it. Maybe it's me.
2) The opportunity to serve is such a great thing. But maybe I can look for ways to serve my friends, my co-workers, maybe even my Mom, though it may hurt.
3) Whatever I burned off through my physical labor, I put it right back on with how I ate. But what was I going to do, say no?
4) I feel a little more content about my place with God right now. I want to take it with me back home. Yet it is up to me to take some kind of step. Maybe that's what I'm doing.
5) There are still issues for me to address and I can't imagine like they don't exist. It's hard for me to picture myself never being envious or bitter or even mad. Though I will never be perfect, I can do one thing better each day. That seems pretty attainable.
6) I am so happy I don't have to work today!
We took off around 8:45 and I drove Barry and Carolyn up to Cincinnati, about a 2 hour trip. We went to the Creation Museum, which is organized by Answers in Genesis. They basically believe the universe and life originated 6,000 years ago and that the Great Flood was what wiped out the dinosaurs. Though I certainly believe in the Genesis account, I don't know about the universe originating 6,000 years ago. I suppose it is possible.
This place is basically in the middle of nowhere (Petersburg, KY) off 275 on the Kentucky/Ohio border. It's a decent size, one-level building and as we walked towards it from the back of the parking lot, I noticed a lot of states on the license plates of the other cars. Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, etc. We immediately ate at Noah's Cafe, where I expected them to serve two of every animal. But was not the case. Instead, I drank one more Ale 81 and had my first taste of Cincy-style chili. I did a 4-way, which is pasta, chili, cheddar, and onion. I dashed it up with some hot sauce and I really enjoyed it. It was a little sweet and spicy and the flavors blended together very nicely.
I'm glad for the extra money we raised, that allowed us to get in for free instead of paying 20 bucks. We went through the walk-thru for about 2 hours and it was a combination planetarium/ theater/art museum. It breaks down the 7 C's as they call them, Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation. I liked the dinosaur pit and the Noah's Ark displays; the human corruption displays were a little rough to see.
We left the museum around 2:45 and I had a long talk with Mike about our family situations. I realize there really is no such thing as a normal family nowadays. After Ellen woke up from her 28th nap, we had fun doing some Mad Libs. We then stopped in Lafayette, IN for Chik-Fil-A and I became a quick fan of their spicy deluxe sandwich.
Barry and Carolyn drove me the rest of the way, which was about 3 hours or so. They really are a great couple, been married I think for around 35 years or so, and I'm glad I got to see an example of a very good marriage. Got home at 8:45 and headed straight downstairs to the laundry. Mom would be proud.
So right now, it is Saturday morning and here a few thoughts.
1) I think I was ready to get back into the swing of things at home, but only to an extent. Now that I'm back in this house right now, something just does not feel right about it. Maybe it's me.
2) The opportunity to serve is such a great thing. But maybe I can look for ways to serve my friends, my co-workers, maybe even my Mom, though it may hurt.
3) Whatever I burned off through my physical labor, I put it right back on with how I ate. But what was I going to do, say no?
4) I feel a little more content about my place with God right now. I want to take it with me back home. Yet it is up to me to take some kind of step. Maybe that's what I'm doing.
5) There are still issues for me to address and I can't imagine like they don't exist. It's hard for me to picture myself never being envious or bitter or even mad. Though I will never be perfect, I can do one thing better each day. That seems pretty attainable.
6) I am so happy I don't have to work today!
Kentucky, Day 5
Mike and I finally made our flossie run on Thursday. The verdict: a great egg and cheese sandwich, and the bologna had a nice crust on the outside, but it was so salty. It was like someone had taken one of those water softening blocks of salt and stuck it right in between the bread!
So we studied the second half of Philippians 3 and headed to work. We mixed and prepared the concrete and Glen and Tammy's house that morning and constructed rails for the ramp. Tammy's younger sister actually prepared a cake for us. I scraped off the frosting and enjoyed the yellow cake itself. There is plenty of pleasure to be found in sweets when chocolate is not involved.
Carolyn and I spent Thursday afternoon working in Owsley County, which is even smaller than Jackson County. Maureen, from the Jackson volunteer house, picked us up at our work site around 11:30 and we headed east towards the town of Booneville. Although we took a longer route than we planned, we got to explore the land more. I was even more struck by the rolling hills and how the trees sparkled; the colors were just so bright and so varied. It was even more noticeable here than on 421.
We met Claire, who works at the CAP office in Booneville. She is originally from Nebraska and now lives near Gray Hawk with her husband and family. The four of us headed up to the food pantry, where Bridget was waiting. We set up card tables and started unpacking large cardboard boxes of food. Basically, people from Owsley who meet certain income requirements come here once a month for the food distribution. Carolyn, Maureen, Claire, and a few locals packed the boxes with 2 bottles of tomato juice, 3 bags of cubed chicken, 4 cans of corn, 3 packages of evaporated milk, American cheese, 2 cans of fruit, rice, 2 cereals, peanut butter, a bag of apples, and a 10-pound bag of potatoes. Billy, another local, and I were in charge of carrying these boxes out to the people's cars. One of the great things was I got to talk to these people as I carried their groceries. All I had to do was make a comment about the great weather that day and they would just take it from there. A smile and a warm goodbye was all they really needed. Also, Jackie is Billy's wife, and she's in school 20 hours a week, working towards her GED. She was a real pleasure to talk to.
We worked from 1-3 and Clara drove me back to Booneville before taking me back to Gray Hawk; Maureen drove Carolyn. We arrived around 3 and since we had to drop off the cardboard tables in the man-cave, I finally got a glimpse inside. It's one big room with a lot of church benches, a few beds, and a couple of game tables like pool, air hockey, and foosball. I played pool against Jimmy, who beat me when I felt into a cold streak at the end. Joe then offered to take me on and he had me schooled. He was pulling off trick shots that left me shaking my head. All I could do was compliment him, maybe I was hoping he'd get a little over-confident. Well he the 8-ball left and I had sunk just three of my eight balls. Lo and behold, he scratched on the 8-ball, so I won!
I headed back across the street to have some quiet reflection time. What sticks with me right now is the strong sense of community here, the simplicity of life, though it seems a little inconvenient too, and the friendliness. I just don't know if I could handle driving an hour to a good grocery store if I lived down there though!
That night, after a grill-out, Joe told his story about how he came to believe in God and he broke down midway. Even though he had said a lot of things about his past that we didn't always know if we should believe (performed on Ed Sullivan Show, wrote a book), we could tell he was very genuine in that moment. He has been coming to KY for 19 years and since he's Catholic, we wonder if that's a part of his penance. I don't know, it's between him and the Lord. I just hope he's at peace.
We took some time for closing reflections, where I made sure to point out Carolyn's willingness to work, Barry's heart, and the J-Crew for their resemblance to my Dad's side of the family. I then proceeded to get my butt whipped in four more games of dominoes. I swear, as much as I may admire her I will never sit to the left of Nancy during those games again.
By 10 pm, I still felt good enough to stay up a while longer. But with a heavy dose of driving on Friday and a visit to the Creation Museum in the works, another attempt at sleep seemed to make sense. So that's where I headed. I finished my book on Father Beiting, completed my Philippians 4 devotional, and hit the sack one more. Slept a little better. Just wasn't like sleeping at home though.
So we studied the second half of Philippians 3 and headed to work. We mixed and prepared the concrete and Glen and Tammy's house that morning and constructed rails for the ramp. Tammy's younger sister actually prepared a cake for us. I scraped off the frosting and enjoyed the yellow cake itself. There is plenty of pleasure to be found in sweets when chocolate is not involved.
Carolyn and I spent Thursday afternoon working in Owsley County, which is even smaller than Jackson County. Maureen, from the Jackson volunteer house, picked us up at our work site around 11:30 and we headed east towards the town of Booneville. Although we took a longer route than we planned, we got to explore the land more. I was even more struck by the rolling hills and how the trees sparkled; the colors were just so bright and so varied. It was even more noticeable here than on 421.
We met Claire, who works at the CAP office in Booneville. She is originally from Nebraska and now lives near Gray Hawk with her husband and family. The four of us headed up to the food pantry, where Bridget was waiting. We set up card tables and started unpacking large cardboard boxes of food. Basically, people from Owsley who meet certain income requirements come here once a month for the food distribution. Carolyn, Maureen, Claire, and a few locals packed the boxes with 2 bottles of tomato juice, 3 bags of cubed chicken, 4 cans of corn, 3 packages of evaporated milk, American cheese, 2 cans of fruit, rice, 2 cereals, peanut butter, a bag of apples, and a 10-pound bag of potatoes. Billy, another local, and I were in charge of carrying these boxes out to the people's cars. One of the great things was I got to talk to these people as I carried their groceries. All I had to do was make a comment about the great weather that day and they would just take it from there. A smile and a warm goodbye was all they really needed. Also, Jackie is Billy's wife, and she's in school 20 hours a week, working towards her GED. She was a real pleasure to talk to.
We worked from 1-3 and Clara drove me back to Booneville before taking me back to Gray Hawk; Maureen drove Carolyn. We arrived around 3 and since we had to drop off the cardboard tables in the man-cave, I finally got a glimpse inside. It's one big room with a lot of church benches, a few beds, and a couple of game tables like pool, air hockey, and foosball. I played pool against Jimmy, who beat me when I felt into a cold streak at the end. Joe then offered to take me on and he had me schooled. He was pulling off trick shots that left me shaking my head. All I could do was compliment him, maybe I was hoping he'd get a little over-confident. Well he the 8-ball left and I had sunk just three of my eight balls. Lo and behold, he scratched on the 8-ball, so I won!
I headed back across the street to have some quiet reflection time. What sticks with me right now is the strong sense of community here, the simplicity of life, though it seems a little inconvenient too, and the friendliness. I just don't know if I could handle driving an hour to a good grocery store if I lived down there though!
That night, after a grill-out, Joe told his story about how he came to believe in God and he broke down midway. Even though he had said a lot of things about his past that we didn't always know if we should believe (performed on Ed Sullivan Show, wrote a book), we could tell he was very genuine in that moment. He has been coming to KY for 19 years and since he's Catholic, we wonder if that's a part of his penance. I don't know, it's between him and the Lord. I just hope he's at peace.
We took some time for closing reflections, where I made sure to point out Carolyn's willingness to work, Barry's heart, and the J-Crew for their resemblance to my Dad's side of the family. I then proceeded to get my butt whipped in four more games of dominoes. I swear, as much as I may admire her I will never sit to the left of Nancy during those games again.
By 10 pm, I still felt good enough to stay up a while longer. But with a heavy dose of driving on Friday and a visit to the Creation Museum in the works, another attempt at sleep seemed to make sense. So that's where I headed. I finished my book on Father Beiting, completed my Philippians 4 devotional, and hit the sack one more. Slept a little better. Just wasn't like sleeping at home though.
Kentucky, Day 4
So it came to Wednesday. Barry apparently woke up at 4:45 and did his Bible study, which I guess he does every day. Mike and I had no idea he was even awake. And Barry's optimism and encouragement are so remarkable. I was sleeping a little better by now, but I still need those earplugs.
Joe was making dinner that night and he drove 40 minutes just to find pigs feet and bulbs of garlic. I had never seen pigs feet with pasta, my grandfather would always eat them pickled out of the jar. But for better or worse, I was actually looking forward to it. Jane made us a great French toast casserole and were headed back to Clay County and Mike had Beatles music blaring on the stereo. He literally has 13,000 songs on his Ipod.
We finished the siding on the right side of the house just before lunchtime, which was a great feeling. That siding was tough because that side of the house is a triangle at the top, which means a lot of angled cuts. The trailer is really starting to look more like a home, thought the front will be a big job that is getting worked on next week.
After lunch, Mike, Ellen, and I used our hammers to decimate what was left of that old deck. We slammed those railings,posts, and baseboards right out. We began digging holes for the new posts and leveling the dirt for the concrete ramp. Joe and Jane even showed up to watch and I could already smell the garlic. Joe even took his turn to shovel a little dirt. I must say it was quite a sight seeing a redneck like Glen and a city slicker like Joe conversing with each other. Two totally different types of guys, two different cultures, and they were working together. How cool is that? Nancy, Trevor, and I dug five holes for posts at the end of the day and then we unloaded a lot of lumber off Donnie's truck in preparation for the ramp as well as the new front porch. Thursday was announced as Concrete Day! Also, I got stung by a bee, but I was fine after about 20 minutes.
We walked in to the CAP house around 4:45 and the garlic was REALLY intense by now. Joe used about 10 cloves of garlic, but they were raw, which is even tougher on the stomach than sauteed or roasted garlic. We then took the opportunity to teach people the difference between sauce and gravy as well as macaroni and pasta. Put it this way, in New York, macaroni is not always elbow pasta.
I remember this too. I was hanging at the table checking my e-mail when Barry offered Joe some help. I thought to myself "Adam, why are you not helping out? Can't you look to someone else's interests?" And I know I'm serving this whole week here, but it was just a little thing I could have done that may have made a difference.
I knew Bridget was coming to dinner along with some other folks and she looked so pretty. She wore these orange sandals that matched the color of her top and it was quite a sight.
The flavor of the dinner was too intense even for me. I am as big a fan of garlic as there is, so when I notice it on my own breath, well, that's saying a lot. Not only that, but there were only four pigs feet and I did not even get a taste. So that did disappoint me.
I did the dishes that night while Jimmy and Joe basically ran the table. We headed over to Gray Hawk Baptist church, right behind the man-cave. The little church of about 400 members was mostly brown and orange inside, a sign we had come to the right place. We sang "To God Be The Glory" and the pastor, who is also a firefighter, spoke about the Holy Spirit. He talked about how the Spirit is eternal, God is in charge of salvation, not man. It's really our job to turn and repent and answer the call of God. But I remember this very well: We don't seek after God, after all, God isn't the one who is lost! Rather, Christ draws us in. And the people of that congregation were very kind to us and receptive of us. What amazed me was when we heard that of all the groups that have stayed in the CAP house right across the street, we were the first to ever attend their church! And what amazed me most of all was that anyone actually approached us after we ate all that garlic!
We walked back into an empty house around 8:20 and the house still smelled like garlic. We played another round of dominoes; I won the first before dropping three straight. I brushed my teeth for the second time in three hours. I realized that night that we only had one full day remaining in Kentucky. This was the probably the point where I realized how fast the trip was passing us by.
I took some time that night to read Father Ralph Beiting's autobiography, who's the man that started the CAP in the 60's. I give him credit for having such a servant's heart and taking on such a difficult project in Appalachia, where the poverty is so prevalent. Not to mention looking to the Lord for his wisdom and guidance.
Joe was making dinner that night and he drove 40 minutes just to find pigs feet and bulbs of garlic. I had never seen pigs feet with pasta, my grandfather would always eat them pickled out of the jar. But for better or worse, I was actually looking forward to it. Jane made us a great French toast casserole and were headed back to Clay County and Mike had Beatles music blaring on the stereo. He literally has 13,000 songs on his Ipod.
We finished the siding on the right side of the house just before lunchtime, which was a great feeling. That siding was tough because that side of the house is a triangle at the top, which means a lot of angled cuts. The trailer is really starting to look more like a home, thought the front will be a big job that is getting worked on next week.
After lunch, Mike, Ellen, and I used our hammers to decimate what was left of that old deck. We slammed those railings,posts, and baseboards right out. We began digging holes for the new posts and leveling the dirt for the concrete ramp. Joe and Jane even showed up to watch and I could already smell the garlic. Joe even took his turn to shovel a little dirt. I must say it was quite a sight seeing a redneck like Glen and a city slicker like Joe conversing with each other. Two totally different types of guys, two different cultures, and they were working together. How cool is that? Nancy, Trevor, and I dug five holes for posts at the end of the day and then we unloaded a lot of lumber off Donnie's truck in preparation for the ramp as well as the new front porch. Thursday was announced as Concrete Day! Also, I got stung by a bee, but I was fine after about 20 minutes.
We walked in to the CAP house around 4:45 and the garlic was REALLY intense by now. Joe used about 10 cloves of garlic, but they were raw, which is even tougher on the stomach than sauteed or roasted garlic. We then took the opportunity to teach people the difference between sauce and gravy as well as macaroni and pasta. Put it this way, in New York, macaroni is not always elbow pasta.
I remember this too. I was hanging at the table checking my e-mail when Barry offered Joe some help. I thought to myself "Adam, why are you not helping out? Can't you look to someone else's interests?" And I know I'm serving this whole week here, but it was just a little thing I could have done that may have made a difference.
I knew Bridget was coming to dinner along with some other folks and she looked so pretty. She wore these orange sandals that matched the color of her top and it was quite a sight.
The flavor of the dinner was too intense even for me. I am as big a fan of garlic as there is, so when I notice it on my own breath, well, that's saying a lot. Not only that, but there were only four pigs feet and I did not even get a taste. So that did disappoint me.
I did the dishes that night while Jimmy and Joe basically ran the table. We headed over to Gray Hawk Baptist church, right behind the man-cave. The little church of about 400 members was mostly brown and orange inside, a sign we had come to the right place. We sang "To God Be The Glory" and the pastor, who is also a firefighter, spoke about the Holy Spirit. He talked about how the Spirit is eternal, God is in charge of salvation, not man. It's really our job to turn and repent and answer the call of God. But I remember this very well: We don't seek after God, after all, God isn't the one who is lost! Rather, Christ draws us in. And the people of that congregation were very kind to us and receptive of us. What amazed me was when we heard that of all the groups that have stayed in the CAP house right across the street, we were the first to ever attend their church! And what amazed me most of all was that anyone actually approached us after we ate all that garlic!
We walked back into an empty house around 8:20 and the house still smelled like garlic. We played another round of dominoes; I won the first before dropping three straight. I brushed my teeth for the second time in three hours. I realized that night that we only had one full day remaining in Kentucky. This was the probably the point where I realized how fast the trip was passing us by.
I took some time that night to read Father Ralph Beiting's autobiography, who's the man that started the CAP in the 60's. I give him credit for having such a servant's heart and taking on such a difficult project in Appalachia, where the poverty is so prevalent. Not to mention looking to the Lord for his wisdom and guidance.
Kentucky, Day 3
So I woke up around 6:45 and Bridget drove me home, where we talked about volunteering, music, parents, etc. Both her parents are cops on Long Island, so I knew I had to watch my step! I really wasn't worried, I was just glad to be there. I did get a honk and wave as her van pulled away.
After going through Philippians 3, we headed back to work. The weather was cloudy and cooler than the previous day, which was fine for us. It took Barry, Carolyn, and I about two hours to finish that top of row of siding on the back of the house because we had so much cutting and maneuvering to do. But we got it done and then moved on to the right side of the house, which was probably the worst. The wall was a mess and the deck was unstable and we wanted to build a ramp so Tammy could go outside. Donnie and Mike installed some 1 x 4's to make the outside level and flush. Then we added insulation before getting half the siding installed. Nancy spent a lot of time cleaning up their yard and taking out trash, which was needed too. Mike and Ellen really spend a lot of time ribbing each other. It's good to see a father and a teenage daughter who do that. Personally, I was really fading by the last two hours. Maybe it was the old jeans and boots, which really do not fit me anymore. Maybe it was staying up until 12:30 to watch football. Maybe it was all of it. But the feel of that shower was even more welcoming than it was the previous day. I even snuck in a gingerbread pop tart for a quick pick-me-up. The group is so in love with sugar (Oatmeal pies, Little Debbies, Puppy Chow, etc) that I finally gave in.
Also, Donnie taught us all a Bible lesson when we unearthed a rusted axe head when digging post holes. He mentioned the story in the Bible about a floating axe head, assuming we all would know it. None of us did. After Googling it on my phone, we learned about Elisha coming to the rescue of some workers who dropped a borrowed axe head into a river. They were very distressed about losing the axe head - they were very rare in those days, and would be very hard to replace. With God's help, Elisha was able to make it float, and it was recovered.
It was heartwarming to know that with all the practical skills Donnie has, he worked in insurance and finance before CAP, God also gave him the skill to remember the lessons in His word.
Why is something always so much more beautiful when I know I can never have it?
Dinner was shipwrecked stew, which was beef, celery, onion, potatoes, and peppers covered in a light tomato broth. We also had salad, garlic bread, and for dessert, a decadent coconut cake. Nancy was very kind volunteering Ellen and I to do the dishes. The young ins that we are! I have to say it was nice not being the youngest in the group for a change. Then again, there may come the day when I wish I was the youngest. The J-Crew emerged from their "man-cave" across the street to join us for breakfasts and dinner. Jimmy is a loud snorer too and Joe is on one of those
sleep apnea machines, so it's probably for the best that they are not staying in our room. During the day, they had gone up to Rockcastle County and completely gutted this woman's bathroom. They apparently had to put a whole new floor in before even starting on the pipes. But they felt they were making progress.
After dinner, this woman named Jenny who works for CAP talked to us about some other parts of CAP. I don't remember much of what she said, especially since Joe kept interrupting. We played dominoes and I won 2 of the 4 games. Also, I think along with the J-Crew, Jenny, Jane, and Jen could up the total to 6. We were in bed pretty quick. These long days of work simply require a lot of rest and relaxation. I can't necessarily say that about my day job.
After going through Philippians 3, we headed back to work. The weather was cloudy and cooler than the previous day, which was fine for us. It took Barry, Carolyn, and I about two hours to finish that top of row of siding on the back of the house because we had so much cutting and maneuvering to do. But we got it done and then moved on to the right side of the house, which was probably the worst. The wall was a mess and the deck was unstable and we wanted to build a ramp so Tammy could go outside. Donnie and Mike installed some 1 x 4's to make the outside level and flush. Then we added insulation before getting half the siding installed. Nancy spent a lot of time cleaning up their yard and taking out trash, which was needed too. Mike and Ellen really spend a lot of time ribbing each other. It's good to see a father and a teenage daughter who do that. Personally, I was really fading by the last two hours. Maybe it was the old jeans and boots, which really do not fit me anymore. Maybe it was staying up until 12:30 to watch football. Maybe it was all of it. But the feel of that shower was even more welcoming than it was the previous day. I even snuck in a gingerbread pop tart for a quick pick-me-up. The group is so in love with sugar (Oatmeal pies, Little Debbies, Puppy Chow, etc) that I finally gave in.
Also, Donnie taught us all a Bible lesson when we unearthed a rusted axe head when digging post holes. He mentioned the story in the Bible about a floating axe head, assuming we all would know it. None of us did. After Googling it on my phone, we learned about Elisha coming to the rescue of some workers who dropped a borrowed axe head into a river. They were very distressed about losing the axe head - they were very rare in those days, and would be very hard to replace. With God's help, Elisha was able to make it float, and it was recovered.
It was heartwarming to know that with all the practical skills Donnie has, he worked in insurance and finance before CAP, God also gave him the skill to remember the lessons in His word.
Why is something always so much more beautiful when I know I can never have it?
Dinner was shipwrecked stew, which was beef, celery, onion, potatoes, and peppers covered in a light tomato broth. We also had salad, garlic bread, and for dessert, a decadent coconut cake. Nancy was very kind volunteering Ellen and I to do the dishes. The young ins that we are! I have to say it was nice not being the youngest in the group for a change. Then again, there may come the day when I wish I was the youngest. The J-Crew emerged from their "man-cave" across the street to join us for breakfasts and dinner. Jimmy is a loud snorer too and Joe is on one of those
sleep apnea machines, so it's probably for the best that they are not staying in our room. During the day, they had gone up to Rockcastle County and completely gutted this woman's bathroom. They apparently had to put a whole new floor in before even starting on the pipes. But they felt they were making progress.
After dinner, this woman named Jenny who works for CAP talked to us about some other parts of CAP. I don't remember much of what she said, especially since Joe kept interrupting. We played dominoes and I won 2 of the 4 games. Also, I think along with the J-Crew, Jenny, Jane, and Jen could up the total to 6. We were in bed pretty quick. These long days of work simply require a lot of rest and relaxation. I can't necessarily say that about my day job.
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