1) I'll be back in Tampa and Sarasota, FL in six days. Can't wait to get some sun as this has been one of the most oppressive Decembers I can remember.
2) $400 to fix a virus-infected computer. Sad part is they could charge me $1,000 and I'd still need to pay it.
3) I'm re-discovering Desert Rose Band music. They were a moderately successful country band in the late 89's. their lead singer, Chris Hillman, payed in the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. Man, DRB recorded some awesome songs. "Summer Wind" (Not the Sinatra version), "One Step Forward," and "He's Back and I'm Blue."
4) Fantasy football recap: Finished 1st (of 12), and 2nd, 3rd, and 10th out of 10 in my four leagues. In the semis, I won two and lost one. So I can get two titles and a third palce. I'll gladly sign up for that outcome. Thankfully, I'm alive for the title in the Circle of Friends League, though I'm playing the team that has dominated the league all year. Preview of that match to come.
5) I know little about Duck Dynasty. But Phil Robertson has been suspended from the show because he expressed some views that some construed as homophobic. It's sad when a man expresses a view that is not cool or PC and gets reprimanded. So how does this country still have free speech? I'll say it again, I can't handle it whe these people whio preach tolerance refuse to tolerate any viewpoint except their own.
Song pick "There'll Be No Peace Without All Men As One" Ray Charles
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Still believe...
Beautiful liar, heartless
survivor
Where are you taking me now?
Smooth operator, walk out later
When are you going to come down?
Where are you taking me now?
Smooth operator, walk out later
When are you going to come down?
Well, I still believe in you
somehow
I still believe in you
I still believe in you
We've been together, a year and
forever
You should know me by now
There's chaos in my mind
I can't find the right lines to get to you somehow
You should know me by now
There's chaos in my mind
I can't find the right lines to get to you somehow
I still believe in you somehow
I still believe in you
I still believe in you
And that feeling that I get inside
Each time I see the sun in your eyes
Then the moon begins crying, our hearts are not denying
A feeling we can keep through the night
I still believe in you somehow
I still believe in you
Each time I see the sun in your eyes
Then the moon begins crying, our hearts are not denying
A feeling we can keep through the night
I still believe in you somehow
I still believe in you
Sunday, December 08, 2013
Watch out dude
1) Jeremiah Weed only comes out for special nights. After the pain of my key incident today, this is one of those nights. I know that's hen I tend to write vaguely and in word pictures, but maybe that's the point.
2) I love my friends, but each one needs to be looked at separately. And if I'm the only one pouring out any effort to keep it alive, and am the only one working towards finding a solution, then why am I wasting my energy and time?
3) I'll play the recluse for you, but only for one day.
4) AM. I wish I had the nerve to ask her the question I want to. All I had the nerve to do was give a birthday card. But maybe I'm just setting my heart up to be shattered yet again.
5) There's a guy named Todd, who's been hanging around our singles group. I don't know him personally, but I guess he's dating KB now. Knowing her history, he'd better be careful. I think just kissing her would be enough to give him gonorrhea...
Song pick: "I Keep Forgetting" Michael McDonald
2) I love my friends, but each one needs to be looked at separately. And if I'm the only one pouring out any effort to keep it alive, and am the only one working towards finding a solution, then why am I wasting my energy and time?
3) I'll play the recluse for you, but only for one day.
4) AM. I wish I had the nerve to ask her the question I want to. All I had the nerve to do was give a birthday card. But maybe I'm just setting my heart up to be shattered yet again.
5) There's a guy named Todd, who's been hanging around our singles group. I don't know him personally, but I guess he's dating KB now. Knowing her history, he'd better be careful. I think just kissing her would be enough to give him gonorrhea...
Song pick: "I Keep Forgetting" Michael McDonald
Saturday, December 07, 2013
Regretting volunteering?
I never thought I could ever feel this way. I really try to do a few things less fortunate than me around the holidays. I heard about an opportunity via work to pack food at a downtown YMCA. So I did it. I woke up at 6 am and drove an hour east to Humboldt Park, which is on the west side of Chicago, a few miles west of the United Center.
I was bundled up tight since I heard we'd be working outside in 15 degree weather. Boots, winter coat, hat, gloves, the navy blue and white striped Kaplan Inc. scarf that all the volunteers had been given. I brought along a bag with six sweaters for a clothing drive happening at a convent around the corner.
So there must have been 20 of us from Kaplan and another 75 or so volunteering. Our first job was bagging food and the Kaplan folks were putting onions into plastic grocery bags. Easy enough. My hands went numb pretty fast, but I kept packing away. One of the hardest jobs was getting the bags with the onions open. That strong, hard red string, it really needs to be pulled hard. This one woman named Jamie, who I think was from Kaplan too, asked me to get a large bag of onions for her and I happily did. Then she asked me to cut it open. I hesitated for a moment since pulling on the string can be tough. So she said three words I wish she had never said. "Use your key."
Now I was freezing cold and wanting to do as much work as possible. I got out my car key and began cutting into the string. It worked decently, but after 20 seconds, I noticed my key was becoming slanted. The problem is it was attached to one of those electronic alarm keypads. And the pad was pretty much torn open. I panicked and walked briskly back inside the YMCA and sat alone on a bench trying to figure out if I could fix this. The electronics were still working, but the screw that holds the key in place inside the keypad was totally damaged. Inside, my heart sank. I knew there was no way I was going to able to fix it. I would have to go to the Honda dealership where they would probably advise me to buy a new key.
Even though it was only 9:30 and I was planning to stay over two more hours, I drove straight home. I even skipped out on the Giordano's pizza party for the volunteers afterwards. Yes, I skipped out on pizza, I was that livid. I was mad at Jamie for making a stupid suggestion and madder at myself for listening to it.
After running a few errands in town, I got to McGrath Honda in St. Charles around noon. The man at the service desk was very courteous as he directed me too the parts desk. It took five minutes to get the attention of the guy behind the parts desk. He acted like I was a total inconvenience. Just very high-strung, speaking very quickly. He couldn't get the screw out of the key and basically said no matter what I did, I would have to get a new key and get it programmed, which is exactly the step I wanted to avoid, since that's what is so expensive. He soon walked away and never came back, even though I was going to ask him to write down my options and what my cost estimates would be. No, I never had the chance, he just took off.
It's likely going to cost me close to $200, which I absolutely can't deal with right now. Hopefully, the coats went to good use. Other than that, I totally regret going to the YMCA today.
I was bundled up tight since I heard we'd be working outside in 15 degree weather. Boots, winter coat, hat, gloves, the navy blue and white striped Kaplan Inc. scarf that all the volunteers had been given. I brought along a bag with six sweaters for a clothing drive happening at a convent around the corner.
So there must have been 20 of us from Kaplan and another 75 or so volunteering. Our first job was bagging food and the Kaplan folks were putting onions into plastic grocery bags. Easy enough. My hands went numb pretty fast, but I kept packing away. One of the hardest jobs was getting the bags with the onions open. That strong, hard red string, it really needs to be pulled hard. This one woman named Jamie, who I think was from Kaplan too, asked me to get a large bag of onions for her and I happily did. Then she asked me to cut it open. I hesitated for a moment since pulling on the string can be tough. So she said three words I wish she had never said. "Use your key."
Now I was freezing cold and wanting to do as much work as possible. I got out my car key and began cutting into the string. It worked decently, but after 20 seconds, I noticed my key was becoming slanted. The problem is it was attached to one of those electronic alarm keypads. And the pad was pretty much torn open. I panicked and walked briskly back inside the YMCA and sat alone on a bench trying to figure out if I could fix this. The electronics were still working, but the screw that holds the key in place inside the keypad was totally damaged. Inside, my heart sank. I knew there was no way I was going to able to fix it. I would have to go to the Honda dealership where they would probably advise me to buy a new key.
Even though it was only 9:30 and I was planning to stay over two more hours, I drove straight home. I even skipped out on the Giordano's pizza party for the volunteers afterwards. Yes, I skipped out on pizza, I was that livid. I was mad at Jamie for making a stupid suggestion and madder at myself for listening to it.
After running a few errands in town, I got to McGrath Honda in St. Charles around noon. The man at the service desk was very courteous as he directed me too the parts desk. It took five minutes to get the attention of the guy behind the parts desk. He acted like I was a total inconvenience. Just very high-strung, speaking very quickly. He couldn't get the screw out of the key and basically said no matter what I did, I would have to get a new key and get it programmed, which is exactly the step I wanted to avoid, since that's what is so expensive. He soon walked away and never came back, even though I was going to ask him to write down my options and what my cost estimates would be. No, I never had the chance, he just took off.
It's likely going to cost me close to $200, which I absolutely can't deal with right now. Hopefully, the coats went to good use. Other than that, I totally regret going to the YMCA today.
Friday, December 06, 2013
Grand signing!
It has been my opinion and the opinion of basically every fan of the New York Mets that they had to make this offseason count. With only $40 million on the books for 2014, and ace pitcher Matt Harvey out for the season, they had to add several high-quality players. Not MVP candidates necessarily, but good, reliable productive guys.
Curtis Granderson fits the bill incredibly well. After what felt like months of negotiating, the Mets inked him to a 4 year, $60 million deal.
Let's look at the facts. He is an 11-year veteran. He has speed. Three seasons of 20 or more stolen bases. He has power. Six straight season of 20 or more homers until last year when he was injured. A three-time All-Star and a very good defensive outfielder. He can play anywhere in the outfield, and that position is far and away the biggest weakness on this Mets roster. Moreover, after the last three years, he has proven he can thrive playing in New York City.
Not to mention he's a Chicago kid and part investor in the phenomenal Fifty/50 sports bar on the northwest side. I think I may have to go indulge in a 4-courser sandwich to celebrate!
The biggest knock on him is he strikes out too much. Over 100 nearly every season, including 195 in 2012. The thought of him and Ike Davis and Lucas Duda in the same lineup may set strikeout records.
Now GM Sandy Alderson has more work to do. A starting pitcher and a shortstop at the least. For instance, Bronson Arroyo and Stephen Drew. That might be shooting too high, but a team built like that along with David Wright, Jon Niese, and Zach Wheeler could win 85 games. If Harvey was around, I'd say that would be a legitimate playoff contender. Let's see what happens.
Curtis Granderson fits the bill incredibly well. After what felt like months of negotiating, the Mets inked him to a 4 year, $60 million deal.
Let's look at the facts. He is an 11-year veteran. He has speed. Three seasons of 20 or more stolen bases. He has power. Six straight season of 20 or more homers until last year when he was injured. A three-time All-Star and a very good defensive outfielder. He can play anywhere in the outfield, and that position is far and away the biggest weakness on this Mets roster. Moreover, after the last three years, he has proven he can thrive playing in New York City.
Not to mention he's a Chicago kid and part investor in the phenomenal Fifty/50 sports bar on the northwest side. I think I may have to go indulge in a 4-courser sandwich to celebrate!
The biggest knock on him is he strikes out too much. Over 100 nearly every season, including 195 in 2012. The thought of him and Ike Davis and Lucas Duda in the same lineup may set strikeout records.
Now GM Sandy Alderson has more work to do. A starting pitcher and a shortstop at the least. For instance, Bronson Arroyo and Stephen Drew. That might be shooting too high, but a team built like that along with David Wright, Jon Niese, and Zach Wheeler could win 85 games. If Harvey was around, I'd say that would be a legitimate playoff contender. Let's see what happens.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Books to read
1) "From Scratch" by Allen Salkin. This is about the history of the Food Network. I know most of the shows, but I want to learn about the stories behind the scenes. I understand the first chapter is about "Emeril Live" getting cancelled. That was the first show I ever watched on that network. So that chapter alone could make it worth the read. I still miss that show.
2) "Imus, Mike and the Mad Dog, & Doris from Rego Park: The Groundbreaking History of WFAN" by Tim Sullivan. Not a lot of dirt (which likely means very little about Sid Rosenberg), but I am interested in reading about the inside stories of the world's first 24-hours all sports radio station.
3) "If Kennedy Lived: The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History" by Jeff Greenfield. I'm into American history, but it isn't always the most fun topic to read about. But this is an interesting concept for a book: visualizing JFK's hypothetical years in the White House from 1963-1967. How would America and the world had been different? Interesting topic to ponder.
4) "The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling" by David Shoemaker. Contrary to popular belief, fans of pro wrestling can read. Two things I like about this book. It's written by a guy who is not employed in the wrestling business, so he has nothing to gain or lose by crediting or knocking anybody. He writes for ESPN and Grantland, so I expect this to be informative and entertaining. Also, it's a book that explores both the character in the ring as well as the unique relationship between wrestling and its fans, which I have been for 30 years. Perhaps it would behoove non-wrestling fans to read this as well.
5) "Kingdom Man: Every Man's Destiny, Every Woman's Dream" by Tony Evans. This is written by one of my favorite pastors in the world. Tony Evans works in Dallas, Texas and as much as I enjoy listening to his messages on the internet, I have never read one of his books. I think this could be the one for me. Knowing his style of preaching, this book will be engaging, but also very challenging.
2) "Imus, Mike and the Mad Dog, & Doris from Rego Park: The Groundbreaking History of WFAN" by Tim Sullivan. Not a lot of dirt (which likely means very little about Sid Rosenberg), but I am interested in reading about the inside stories of the world's first 24-hours all sports radio station.
3) "If Kennedy Lived: The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History" by Jeff Greenfield. I'm into American history, but it isn't always the most fun topic to read about. But this is an interesting concept for a book: visualizing JFK's hypothetical years in the White House from 1963-1967. How would America and the world had been different? Interesting topic to ponder.
4) "The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling" by David Shoemaker. Contrary to popular belief, fans of pro wrestling can read. Two things I like about this book. It's written by a guy who is not employed in the wrestling business, so he has nothing to gain or lose by crediting or knocking anybody. He writes for ESPN and Grantland, so I expect this to be informative and entertaining. Also, it's a book that explores both the character in the ring as well as the unique relationship between wrestling and its fans, which I have been for 30 years. Perhaps it would behoove non-wrestling fans to read this as well.
5) "Kingdom Man: Every Man's Destiny, Every Woman's Dream" by Tony Evans. This is written by one of my favorite pastors in the world. Tony Evans works in Dallas, Texas and as much as I enjoy listening to his messages on the internet, I have never read one of his books. I think this could be the one for me. Knowing his style of preaching, this book will be engaging, but also very challenging.
If you're not willing to understand...
1) Ladies, please don't insult a guy personally and expect to receive love and affection from him less than an hour later.
2) There's apparently a price to pay for being too honest with someone you think is a friend.
3) People who don't understand why I get emotional over my teams only needed to go through a day like this with me...The Jets stunk again today in Baltimore and the wheels have come completely off. The mirage of this team making the playoffs is almost gone. The quarterback stinks. The offensive line cannot block. The secondary cannot cover. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh wins, San Diego wins, Tennessee wins, and the disgusting, smelly Patriots win in OT against Denver. The only thing that went right was Miami losing. The only chance in hell they have is to grab that last wild card spot is to win their last 4 AFC games. And they haven't won two straight all year.
4) Three day work week. Sounds good.
5) I've never had writer's block, but with this group presentation, I swear I have Power Point block...eight hours in from of the screen and nothing is coming to mind for this project.
2) There's apparently a price to pay for being too honest with someone you think is a friend.
3) People who don't understand why I get emotional over my teams only needed to go through a day like this with me...The Jets stunk again today in Baltimore and the wheels have come completely off. The mirage of this team making the playoffs is almost gone. The quarterback stinks. The offensive line cannot block. The secondary cannot cover. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh wins, San Diego wins, Tennessee wins, and the disgusting, smelly Patriots win in OT against Denver. The only thing that went right was Miami losing. The only chance in hell they have is to grab that last wild card spot is to win their last 4 AFC games. And they haven't won two straight all year.
4) Three day work week. Sounds good.
5) I've never had writer's block, but with this group presentation, I swear I have Power Point block...eight hours in from of the screen and nothing is coming to mind for this project.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Fit Crunch Bars
I've been eating protein bars for a few years now, but only in the last two years did I start to learn when to eat them, what ingredients to look for, etc. I usually opted for Balance bars and Power bars only because those were the biggest names, so I guessed they had to be reliable. And of course, since I don't eat chocolate except for Oreos, that eliminated 80 percent of the flavors.
Now anyone who knows me I'm a huge fan of food shows on the Food Network and the Travel Channel. My fixations evolve every few months, but over the last two years, I make sure to watch any show that Robert Irvine hosts. Dinner Impossible, Restaurant Impossible, and now Restaurant Express, I watch them all.
Irvine is known for his British background, his no-nonsense attitude, and dedication to bodybuilding and physical fitness. So when I found out on Twitter that he was creating a line of protein bars, I quickly became interested. On the website for FitCrunch bars, I saw I could sign up and get a free sample. Both flavors, peanut butter and cookies 'n cream, had chocolate, sadly, but I figured I would try them anyway. I like an occasion cookies 'n cream power bar after all as long as I have a huge glass of 1% milk to go with it.
So the cookies 'n cream bar came about a month after I initially ordered. The sample-sized bar is advertised as baked and having six layers. Well, I appreciate the attention to detail. And the nutrition info impressed me: 16 grams of whey protein and only 3 grams of sugar, although the calorie count was 190.
When I took my first bite, I was quite impressed. It didn't taste powdery like many bars do, it tasted very natural. I tasted a definite crunch in the middle and when I looked inside, I saw what looked like mini-Oreos! The chocolate flavor was pretty overwhelming for me, but it was manageable. Very filling and very satisfying.
Two weeks later, the peanut butter arrived. There was less chocolate this time, so that appealed to me. On my first bite, I was drawn to the layer of crunchy peanuts right in the middle. And on either side of the peanuts was a cookie core and a layer of very rich peanut butter. And on the outside, I liked the drizzle of peanut butter over the outer layer of dark chocolate. I preferred the peanut butter a little bit more because it tasted more balanced than the cookies n' cream.
I would definitely continue eating the FitCrunch bars. I'm not sure about buying a case of 12 bars online right now because with shipping, that would cost me around $45.00. So for now, I'm waiting to see when they'll be available in local stores and for what price. Also, in January, there will be a new flavor debuting, caramel nut. It has a cookie and caramel core with peanuts to give it the crunch. Then it also has chocolate crisps, and outer layer of chocolate and a drizzle of caramel on the outside. I'm sure I'll at least give that a try. But, I'm still waiting on that non-chocolate option...
Now anyone who knows me I'm a huge fan of food shows on the Food Network and the Travel Channel. My fixations evolve every few months, but over the last two years, I make sure to watch any show that Robert Irvine hosts. Dinner Impossible, Restaurant Impossible, and now Restaurant Express, I watch them all.
Irvine is known for his British background, his no-nonsense attitude, and dedication to bodybuilding and physical fitness. So when I found out on Twitter that he was creating a line of protein bars, I quickly became interested. On the website for FitCrunch bars, I saw I could sign up and get a free sample. Both flavors, peanut butter and cookies 'n cream, had chocolate, sadly, but I figured I would try them anyway. I like an occasion cookies 'n cream power bar after all as long as I have a huge glass of 1% milk to go with it.
So the cookies 'n cream bar came about a month after I initially ordered. The sample-sized bar is advertised as baked and having six layers. Well, I appreciate the attention to detail. And the nutrition info impressed me: 16 grams of whey protein and only 3 grams of sugar, although the calorie count was 190.
When I took my first bite, I was quite impressed. It didn't taste powdery like many bars do, it tasted very natural. I tasted a definite crunch in the middle and when I looked inside, I saw what looked like mini-Oreos! The chocolate flavor was pretty overwhelming for me, but it was manageable. Very filling and very satisfying.
Two weeks later, the peanut butter arrived. There was less chocolate this time, so that appealed to me. On my first bite, I was drawn to the layer of crunchy peanuts right in the middle. And on either side of the peanuts was a cookie core and a layer of very rich peanut butter. And on the outside, I liked the drizzle of peanut butter over the outer layer of dark chocolate. I preferred the peanut butter a little bit more because it tasted more balanced than the cookies n' cream.
I would definitely continue eating the FitCrunch bars. I'm not sure about buying a case of 12 bars online right now because with shipping, that would cost me around $45.00. So for now, I'm waiting to see when they'll be available in local stores and for what price. Also, in January, there will be a new flavor debuting, caramel nut. It has a cookie and caramel core with peanuts to give it the crunch. Then it also has chocolate crisps, and outer layer of chocolate and a drizzle of caramel on the outside. I'm sure I'll at least give that a try. But, I'm still waiting on that non-chocolate option...
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Move on
1) I've heard one of the best ways to determine if a relationship will stay together is how the couple handles conflict. Now I'm no relationship guru, but I've lived 32 years and I would say in the last five years, I've learned more than I had in the previous 26. And one thing I know is you don't release your frustration on social media. Even though I can be very outgoing, I prefer to keep some things about my life very private. And relationships are definitely one. So when a girl is upset, and she proceeds to write three angry tweets and five Facebook statuses (not including the threads, that would be another five or six more), well, I just don't go for it. Grow up...
2) DC quick recap: Woke up at home at 3 am, flew out at 6:10, landed at 8:45, Founder's Farmers for breakfast. Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korea Memorial, MLK Memorial, World War 2 Museum, Holocaust Museum, Natural American History Museum, break at Barnes and Noble (I needed to sit!), Cure Bar and Grill for dinner, airport, flight at 7, home at 9:30.
3) Nice to have friends of the opposite sex where there's no pressure or grand expectations. Where I can just relax and have a nice time.
4) I will learn, but I won't be manipulated. I will forgive, but I won't cower. I will love, but I won't lose myself. I will hope, but I won't lose touch with reality.
5) Go Jets...
2) DC quick recap: Woke up at home at 3 am, flew out at 6:10, landed at 8:45, Founder's Farmers for breakfast. Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korea Memorial, MLK Memorial, World War 2 Museum, Holocaust Museum, Natural American History Museum, break at Barnes and Noble (I needed to sit!), Cure Bar and Grill for dinner, airport, flight at 7, home at 9:30.
3) Nice to have friends of the opposite sex where there's no pressure or grand expectations. Where I can just relax and have a nice time.
4) I will learn, but I won't be manipulated. I will forgive, but I won't cower. I will love, but I won't lose myself. I will hope, but I won't lose touch with reality.
5) Go Jets...
Friday, November 08, 2013
The $10 cover charge
1) So I'm in a salsa dancing club. I've been here once before and danced zero dances. I know this can't be monitored, but I wish they would charge less for clueless dancers aka me. Maybe $3.50 for an hour trial, then I'll decide if I want to stay. ID me if you want to keep track if I'm a repeat visitor.
2) Wheaton Academy chokes again in the state soccer playoffs. This time in penalty kicks against a St. Ignatius team they should have trounced.
3) Mr. President, I'll keep my health insurance, thank you
4) Confirmed: Tampa for Christmas!!!
5) I'm up to level 44 in family feud. At what point will I be satisfied and stop playing?
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Baffling
1) I don't care how long or how hard anyone works, there is no excuse for their primary remedy or relief to come from alcohol. None. Moving on...
2) Thanks to my new friend Barbara for bringing marshmallow popcorn and Mary for bringing an amazing pasta salad. Oh, and the hour of music and prayer with 30 other believers was just dynamic. God truly is great.
3) During the praise music, I could have sworn I saw a ghost in that basement. I guess that ghost probably went swing dancing...funny, I doubt that ghost mentioned they were going away...
4) The mystery remains. Who bought me the New York Jets three-flavor popcorn tin and put it in front of my garage on Halloween night? I just pray it isn't who I think it is. Of course, I would certainly prefer if it was a female...
5) In the spirit of Zeb Colter, who is a Real American, I would like everyone reading to rise to their feet, put their hand over their heart, and say in a loud, clear voice..."WE THE PEOPLE!"
2) Thanks to my new friend Barbara for bringing marshmallow popcorn and Mary for bringing an amazing pasta salad. Oh, and the hour of music and prayer with 30 other believers was just dynamic. God truly is great.
3) During the praise music, I could have sworn I saw a ghost in that basement. I guess that ghost probably went swing dancing...funny, I doubt that ghost mentioned they were going away...
4) The mystery remains. Who bought me the New York Jets three-flavor popcorn tin and put it in front of my garage on Halloween night? I just pray it isn't who I think it is. Of course, I would certainly prefer if it was a female...
5) In the spirit of Zeb Colter, who is a Real American, I would like everyone reading to rise to their feet, put their hand over their heart, and say in a loud, clear voice..."WE THE PEOPLE!"
Monday, October 28, 2013
On a slow work day...
Blogging on my break, since there's nothing to do right now.
1) So the Jets’ season is halfway over and they are 4-4. More than likely, it’ll be 4-5 after they play New Orleans in six days. But the way they lost in Cincinnati was horrifying. 14-0 after the first quarter. 28-6 at halftime. I’ll be positive for a second. The Jets had three things go well all day: Nick Folk making three field goals, Mo Wilkerson’s interception, and the defense stopping
Cincinnati on 4th and goal early on. That was it. I knew this game would be a challenge; Cincinnati is a well built, explosive, emerging team in the AFC. I expected them to win the AFC North and it looks like they will. But to lose 49-9 to anybody is inexcusable.
2) After playing their first nine games on the road, the New York Rangers finally play their first home game tonight in the newly renovated Madison Square Garden against Montreal. They opened the season 3-6, losing to some very good teams in the west, but also losing to division opponents New Jersey and Philadelphia, both of whom stink.
But the injuries this team has gone through are crazy. Rick Nash is out with a concussion, he's well on his way t becoming another Eric Lindros. Carl Hagelin is just about to come back from shoulder surgery. Ryan Callahan came back from the same labrum injury, then he promptly breaks his thumb and he's out again. Oh and we still don't know what happened to Henrik Lundqvist, but hew missed two games and he wasn't exactly playing well before he went out. He's confirmed to start in goal tonight, but after Cam Talbot beat Detroit in overtime, Henrik better be healthy. After this game, they have the Islanders on the road and Buffalo and Carolina at home. I want six points in these next four games.
3) First class is over and I got an A! I earned 991 points of 1,000. I'm happy to enjoy my week off and I resume classes on Wednesday. this time, it's 12 straight weeks, so I don't get a break until the last week of January. I believe I'm taking two courses on Strategic Leadership, so we'll see how this goes...
4) Looks like I may be heading to Florida after Christmas...details to come...
5) I like that Willow Creek is doing a series on Ecclesiastes. It's always been a favorite Bible book of mine and this is the first time in Willow's 38-year history that they've done a series on it. I'm looking forward to what Bill Hybels has to say about it.
1) So the Jets’ season is halfway over and they are 4-4. More than likely, it’ll be 4-5 after they play New Orleans in six days. But the way they lost in Cincinnati was horrifying. 14-0 after the first quarter. 28-6 at halftime. I’ll be positive for a second. The Jets had three things go well all day: Nick Folk making three field goals, Mo Wilkerson’s interception, and the defense stopping
Cincinnati on 4th and goal early on. That was it. I knew this game would be a challenge; Cincinnati is a well built, explosive, emerging team in the AFC. I expected them to win the AFC North and it looks like they will. But to lose 49-9 to anybody is inexcusable.
2) After playing their first nine games on the road, the New York Rangers finally play their first home game tonight in the newly renovated Madison Square Garden against Montreal. They opened the season 3-6, losing to some very good teams in the west, but also losing to division opponents New Jersey and Philadelphia, both of whom stink.
But the injuries this team has gone through are crazy. Rick Nash is out with a concussion, he's well on his way t becoming another Eric Lindros. Carl Hagelin is just about to come back from shoulder surgery. Ryan Callahan came back from the same labrum injury, then he promptly breaks his thumb and he's out again. Oh and we still don't know what happened to Henrik Lundqvist, but hew missed two games and he wasn't exactly playing well before he went out. He's confirmed to start in goal tonight, but after Cam Talbot beat Detroit in overtime, Henrik better be healthy. After this game, they have the Islanders on the road and Buffalo and Carolina at home. I want six points in these next four games.
3) First class is over and I got an A! I earned 991 points of 1,000. I'm happy to enjoy my week off and I resume classes on Wednesday. this time, it's 12 straight weeks, so I don't get a break until the last week of January. I believe I'm taking two courses on Strategic Leadership, so we'll see how this goes...
4) Looks like I may be heading to Florida after Christmas...details to come...
5) I like that Willow Creek is doing a series on Ecclesiastes. It's always been a favorite Bible book of mine and this is the first time in Willow's 38-year history that they've done a series on it. I'm looking forward to what Bill Hybels has to say about it.
Now that's a Saturday! Plus a little Sunday morning...
1) I woke up at
6:45 am and went to the gym where I got a lot of heavy lifting in. Then, I made
a protein smoothie with berries, pineapple, and banana, cleaned up, and drove
to Cumberland. I took the blue line to Grand, so not quite all the way to the
loop.
From there, I walked six blocks south on Green Street to Randolph Street before making a right turn and going one more block. I made my second visit to JP Graziano’s for lunch. I asked for a tuna sandwich and they seemed surprised I was ordering tuna instead of the Mr. P. What was interesting was I had only visited once and they still recognized me and remembered what I ordered about four weeks ago.
Of course, I asked for very little mayo, just enough to hold the sandwich together. It was no issue, they mixed a can of Genova tuna, which is marinated in olive oil, and combined it with celery, red onion, roasted peppers, and artichoke hearts before topping it with mild giardinera, provolone, lettuce, and tomato. And it all goes on that crusty D’Amato’s Italian bread. With a bottle of Sprite, it cost me a little over $9.00. All the ingredients tasted so fresh and full of flavor. Even though, I prefer the Mr. P with the cold cuts, this was a lighter alternative and it tasted tremendous.
2) Then, I took the pink line two stops, from Morgan to Polk, which basically right near Rush Hospital, so I was on the west side, about five blocks from the United Center. Amazingly, I had never set foot in Little Italy in my 12 years living in Chicagoland. It wasn’t overly impressive, it seemed small, but I recognized a few famous restaurants like Pompeii and Rosebud. I walked over to the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame on Taylor St. It wasn’t a huge museum, just three rooms over two floors, but I found so much great memorabilia. Plenty of Mike Piazza stuff, of course. I saw baseball uniforms, Olympic gold medals from hockey and swimming, football helmets, wrestling gear, golf bags, boxing gloves, etc. Legends like Phil Mickelson, Dan Marino, Andy Robustelli, Ed Giacomin, Macho Man Randy Savage, Mike Modano, Ron Santo, Joe Torre, Vince Lombardi, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Tony Lazerri, Matt Biondi, Mark Bavaro, and Cammi Granato. It only took me about 90 minutes to go through the museum and the $5.00 charge was worth it. I just wish they had souvenirs available. Oh, and I found a Daily News article from June, 1946. “Pep KO’s Bartolo.” Poor Sal Bartolo, letting down my family name…
3) From there I headed across the street to charge my phone at Starbuck’s for an hour. Then, it was Scarufo’s, an old school Italian bakery. I thought about a cannoli, but I went with a pumpkin bar that had this almond crust. Really, really nice dessert. I’m sure if I liked cappuccino, that would have been a perfect time for one
.
4) By now, the wind was blowing a little stiffer, maybe 15 mph. I walked through it about two blocks west to Ashland St, where I caught the 9 bus, and took it north to Fullerton, and walked back over to the Squared Circle, Lisa Marie Varon’s/Victoria/Tara’s wrestling-themed restaurant. I had actually gone there after work on Friday night to hang out with Jay Lethal and Veda Scott, from Ring of Honor. I scarfed down delicious pizza wontons, a stuffed Windy City burger with Monterey Jack, avocado, onions, mushrooms, bacon, avocado, and aioli, and had a few locally brewed beers. It was so cool watching old ROH and WWE SmackDown with two of ROH’s biggest stars. There was one point when Bryan Danielson was on the ROH DVD, circa 2006. On the adjacent TV was Daniel Bryan on SmackDown in the present day. It was pretty funny. He has much more hair now, to say the least! Maybe the coolest moment for me, besides taking my pic with Veda, was when the Real Americans came on, Zeb Colter gave his usual speech, and I stood up along with Jay and said in a loud, clear voice, “WE THE PEOPLE!” Can’t buy memories like that.
This time, I came for the Glory By Honor pre-show party from 3-5 pm. I met Tadarius Thomas and ACH for the first time and they even sat at my table. They both ate pizza wontons and stuffed burgers with fries too, which I thought was cool, considering they’re both known for their agility and high-flying. I also said hi to Jimmy Jacobs, we’ve met a couple of times now. Good ol’ Q even came after work, and he of course, got his Mac Attack burger without the bacon. Lisa always makes fun of him for ordering the same thing, and I don’t blame her!
5) Around 5:30, the three wrestlers, along with 20 of us boarded a small bus to take us to the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge. We tried watching a NXT DVD, but of course, only the audio would work. Wrestling on the radio doesn’t exactly translate well. I sent next to a young woman named Malin, who came to Chicago from France, just to see ROH. She spoke English very well and is very blunt; she has no problem making fun of anyone in a playful way. Hard to make her smile, but I’m sure she was just playing hard to get.
6) The ride took about an hour; we had plenty of traffic getting to the highway. I didn’t get any merchandise this time. I’d been spending enough on food and the bus ride. Of course, ring announcer Bobby Cruise made sure to avoid me; he still couldn’t handle my Jets beating his Patriots the weekend prior. Very sad, isn’t it? Anyway, the Ring of Honor show was awesome. Kevin Steen vs. Michael Bennett was fun, especially when Steen did CM Punk’s finisher in front of Maria, Bennett’s fiancé aka Punk’s ex. And he flipped her off too! Roderick Strong vs. Paul London had us on our feet. The eight-man elimination main event told a great story; it was really entertaining. World champion Adam Cole had to have gotten a concussion on Michael Elgin’s top rope powerbomb that ended the match. I have no idea how he showed up at the after party. One of the highlights out of the ring was Q and I introducing Malin to Jay Lethal. She was so scared to meet him, but he happily took a picture with her and signed a photo. He immediately recognized me and said “Hey, we had dinner together last night!” That was a pretty awesome feeling.
7) I immediately boarded the bus back and we all watched “A Night of Hoopla,” the last ROH show in Chicago. Roderick joined us and we all stopped at the liquor store next to Rosa’s to get some “goodies” for the ride back. I went with a 24-ounce MGD. Q was already back by the time we arrived. I had a hot dog at the show, but hadn’t really eaten a meal in 12 hours. I got pesto chicken pizza and an oatmeal cookie shake. The key was to grind the cookies down into the shake and drink them through the straw. Delicious! And I liked the pizza, I think I would order one with tomato sauce next time, but I liked the crust. It was 12 inches, so a typical medium, and I had no problem finishing it off.
8) Q and I, along with our acquaintances Greg and Chris, chatted a little with Todd Sinclair, the head ref. But mostly, we let the wrestlers hang with each other. I did get to see Eddie Kingston of Outlaw, Inc. And he’s a diehard Giants fan. Of course, I wore my Chad Pennington jersey, so of course, he gave me a “Fuck the Jets,” before shaking my hand.
9) I left the Squared Circle around 2 a.m. Thankfully, Q dropped me off at the Logan Square station, so I would have a shorter ride back to Cumberland. I had lost my subway card, so I bought the new Ventra card, which I was eventually going to have to do anyway, since Ventra is taking over as the way to use public trans in the city. No big deal, I lost about $5.00 on the lost card. But man, that was 25 long minutes back to Cumberland surrounded by a bunch of drunks in Halloween costumes. Then came the not-so-short 40-minute drive home and I stumbled in the house half-asleep around 4 am. I think it took three minutes for me to collapse in bed.
From there, I walked six blocks south on Green Street to Randolph Street before making a right turn and going one more block. I made my second visit to JP Graziano’s for lunch. I asked for a tuna sandwich and they seemed surprised I was ordering tuna instead of the Mr. P. What was interesting was I had only visited once and they still recognized me and remembered what I ordered about four weeks ago.
Of course, I asked for very little mayo, just enough to hold the sandwich together. It was no issue, they mixed a can of Genova tuna, which is marinated in olive oil, and combined it with celery, red onion, roasted peppers, and artichoke hearts before topping it with mild giardinera, provolone, lettuce, and tomato. And it all goes on that crusty D’Amato’s Italian bread. With a bottle of Sprite, it cost me a little over $9.00. All the ingredients tasted so fresh and full of flavor. Even though, I prefer the Mr. P with the cold cuts, this was a lighter alternative and it tasted tremendous.
2) Then, I took the pink line two stops, from Morgan to Polk, which basically right near Rush Hospital, so I was on the west side, about five blocks from the United Center. Amazingly, I had never set foot in Little Italy in my 12 years living in Chicagoland. It wasn’t overly impressive, it seemed small, but I recognized a few famous restaurants like Pompeii and Rosebud. I walked over to the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame on Taylor St. It wasn’t a huge museum, just three rooms over two floors, but I found so much great memorabilia. Plenty of Mike Piazza stuff, of course. I saw baseball uniforms, Olympic gold medals from hockey and swimming, football helmets, wrestling gear, golf bags, boxing gloves, etc. Legends like Phil Mickelson, Dan Marino, Andy Robustelli, Ed Giacomin, Macho Man Randy Savage, Mike Modano, Ron Santo, Joe Torre, Vince Lombardi, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Tony Lazerri, Matt Biondi, Mark Bavaro, and Cammi Granato. It only took me about 90 minutes to go through the museum and the $5.00 charge was worth it. I just wish they had souvenirs available. Oh, and I found a Daily News article from June, 1946. “Pep KO’s Bartolo.” Poor Sal Bartolo, letting down my family name…
3) From there I headed across the street to charge my phone at Starbuck’s for an hour. Then, it was Scarufo’s, an old school Italian bakery. I thought about a cannoli, but I went with a pumpkin bar that had this almond crust. Really, really nice dessert. I’m sure if I liked cappuccino, that would have been a perfect time for one
.
4) By now, the wind was blowing a little stiffer, maybe 15 mph. I walked through it about two blocks west to Ashland St, where I caught the 9 bus, and took it north to Fullerton, and walked back over to the Squared Circle, Lisa Marie Varon’s/Victoria/Tara’s wrestling-themed restaurant. I had actually gone there after work on Friday night to hang out with Jay Lethal and Veda Scott, from Ring of Honor. I scarfed down delicious pizza wontons, a stuffed Windy City burger with Monterey Jack, avocado, onions, mushrooms, bacon, avocado, and aioli, and had a few locally brewed beers. It was so cool watching old ROH and WWE SmackDown with two of ROH’s biggest stars. There was one point when Bryan Danielson was on the ROH DVD, circa 2006. On the adjacent TV was Daniel Bryan on SmackDown in the present day. It was pretty funny. He has much more hair now, to say the least! Maybe the coolest moment for me, besides taking my pic with Veda, was when the Real Americans came on, Zeb Colter gave his usual speech, and I stood up along with Jay and said in a loud, clear voice, “WE THE PEOPLE!” Can’t buy memories like that.
This time, I came for the Glory By Honor pre-show party from 3-5 pm. I met Tadarius Thomas and ACH for the first time and they even sat at my table. They both ate pizza wontons and stuffed burgers with fries too, which I thought was cool, considering they’re both known for their agility and high-flying. I also said hi to Jimmy Jacobs, we’ve met a couple of times now. Good ol’ Q even came after work, and he of course, got his Mac Attack burger without the bacon. Lisa always makes fun of him for ordering the same thing, and I don’t blame her!
5) Around 5:30, the three wrestlers, along with 20 of us boarded a small bus to take us to the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge. We tried watching a NXT DVD, but of course, only the audio would work. Wrestling on the radio doesn’t exactly translate well. I sent next to a young woman named Malin, who came to Chicago from France, just to see ROH. She spoke English very well and is very blunt; she has no problem making fun of anyone in a playful way. Hard to make her smile, but I’m sure she was just playing hard to get.
6) The ride took about an hour; we had plenty of traffic getting to the highway. I didn’t get any merchandise this time. I’d been spending enough on food and the bus ride. Of course, ring announcer Bobby Cruise made sure to avoid me; he still couldn’t handle my Jets beating his Patriots the weekend prior. Very sad, isn’t it? Anyway, the Ring of Honor show was awesome. Kevin Steen vs. Michael Bennett was fun, especially when Steen did CM Punk’s finisher in front of Maria, Bennett’s fiancé aka Punk’s ex. And he flipped her off too! Roderick Strong vs. Paul London had us on our feet. The eight-man elimination main event told a great story; it was really entertaining. World champion Adam Cole had to have gotten a concussion on Michael Elgin’s top rope powerbomb that ended the match. I have no idea how he showed up at the after party. One of the highlights out of the ring was Q and I introducing Malin to Jay Lethal. She was so scared to meet him, but he happily took a picture with her and signed a photo. He immediately recognized me and said “Hey, we had dinner together last night!” That was a pretty awesome feeling.
7) I immediately boarded the bus back and we all watched “A Night of Hoopla,” the last ROH show in Chicago. Roderick joined us and we all stopped at the liquor store next to Rosa’s to get some “goodies” for the ride back. I went with a 24-ounce MGD. Q was already back by the time we arrived. I had a hot dog at the show, but hadn’t really eaten a meal in 12 hours. I got pesto chicken pizza and an oatmeal cookie shake. The key was to grind the cookies down into the shake and drink them through the straw. Delicious! And I liked the pizza, I think I would order one with tomato sauce next time, but I liked the crust. It was 12 inches, so a typical medium, and I had no problem finishing it off.
8) Q and I, along with our acquaintances Greg and Chris, chatted a little with Todd Sinclair, the head ref. But mostly, we let the wrestlers hang with each other. I did get to see Eddie Kingston of Outlaw, Inc. And he’s a diehard Giants fan. Of course, I wore my Chad Pennington jersey, so of course, he gave me a “Fuck the Jets,” before shaking my hand.
9) I left the Squared Circle around 2 a.m. Thankfully, Q dropped me off at the Logan Square station, so I would have a shorter ride back to Cumberland. I had lost my subway card, so I bought the new Ventra card, which I was eventually going to have to do anyway, since Ventra is taking over as the way to use public trans in the city. No big deal, I lost about $5.00 on the lost card. But man, that was 25 long minutes back to Cumberland surrounded by a bunch of drunks in Halloween costumes. Then came the not-so-short 40-minute drive home and I stumbled in the house half-asleep around 4 am. I think it took three minutes for me to collapse in bed.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Kinsella
All my friends would say I should leave you alone
You've got a willing heart and an open eye
I know that they're right
But there's no way that I can
You lure me in
You shine so bright
Brighter than the diamond on your left hand.
You've got a willing heart and an open eye
I know that they're right
But there's no way that I can
You lure me in
You shine so bright
Brighter than the diamond on your left hand.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Mid-day update
1) And there goes any respect I ever had for Abby Wambach...at least off the soccer field.
2) Very happy with the Jets' Monday night win over Atlanta. I did not expect them to win in the Georgia Dome. I was so impressed how they dominated both lines of scrimmage. Now they're hosting a winless Pittsburgh squad on Sunday afternoon. I take no game for granted, but this is one they should win.
3) Ready for the Lucky Monk tailgate tonight for Bears vs. Giants.
4) 441/450 points earned in Business Communications so far...come get some!
5) I'd appreciate if Metra can synchronize parking, so that the same machine is at every station. Paid double at Hanover Park this morning just because I didin't know if my first payment had been accepted.
6) If I get 5.5 hours of sleep in a given nght, that means I'm sleeping in.
2) Very happy with the Jets' Monday night win over Atlanta. I did not expect them to win in the Georgia Dome. I was so impressed how they dominated both lines of scrimmage. Now they're hosting a winless Pittsburgh squad on Sunday afternoon. I take no game for granted, but this is one they should win.
3) Ready for the Lucky Monk tailgate tonight for Bears vs. Giants.
4) 441/450 points earned in Business Communications so far...come get some!
5) I'd appreciate if Metra can synchronize parking, so that the same machine is at every station. Paid double at Hanover Park this morning just because I didin't know if my first payment had been accepted.
6) If I get 5.5 hours of sleep in a given nght, that means I'm sleeping in.
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