(insert your favorite LA song title/lyric here)

Since there's so many that I can't pick just one, I'll leave it up to everyone else to come up with suggestions.

Jen came to LA for the weekend. Surprise, it was non-stop. First, a drive up the PCH and then happy hour at Duke's, on the water in Malibu. Her friends on Friday night. My college buddies in Newport on Saturday. High school friends in Seal Beach on Sunday (happy birthday Hogan, ye olde bastarde) and back to Hermosa on Sunday to hang with Sari for a bit on Sunday before she left. Luckily, I had been there drunk before with Lefever and Pritts, so we made our way to Yankee Doodle (after the Santa Monica pier, which apparently has replaced Tijuana as the immigration port of choice on the Pacific coast) after chilling out on the bluffs over PCH in Santa monica, see the pics Jen posted about the sunset for what you missed. (washers champion, March 2005, same grassy knoll, where I wiped up the aforementioned Cornell homos)

Anyways, we did have our "moment" - I've been travelling a ton, 5 of the last 6 weeks out of town, and it takes a small toll on our relationship when we're apart for a week at a time, several times in a row. So as we walk out onto 3rd st. or whatever that place is with the bars and sidewalk freaks... the guy at the keyboard starts playing "Just the Way You Are" - our wedding song. It was a great way to close a long weekend, and a long time apart. LA - we had a blast, and there was plenty of great things to see, and friends to meet up with, but we'll take south FL any time, and invite you all to stay.

Other random stuff...

• Facebook is Multi Level Marketing at a social level. And it's one of the most popular things in America right now. No wonder we're in a complete recession. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to update my status mobily and see what new friends I might have throught the "Friends you might know".
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9zItgB9PrA&NR=1 I could watch Jay and Silent Bob all day.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvcTsOEFQgk start at 4:00 if you want the whole intro to Dogma, or just hit 9:10 and look for the guy with the horns, CMU's finest and my own little brother Gio. Always great work, my friend.
• I think you can watch Dogma through the entire clip in 10 minute intervals... here goes nothing...
  

Life in LA

Out in LA for two weeks for work. The West Coast is definitely... different. It's only been a few days, so it's not like I have a huge sample here (especially since I spend my time mostly at trash companies), but for every + for the wesssside, there seems to be a corresponding minus. Fantastic views of mountains and hills and ocean? Check. Miserable traffic and construction? Counter-check. Cool beach atmosphere? Check. 30-year-old roads with potholes every 20 feet? Counter-check. Lots of people I know out here? Check. Lots and LOTS of people I don't know, everywhere. Counter-check. In-N-Out Burger? Check. Rapidly expanding waistline? Counter-check.

The craziest thing to me was that I got to dine in Compton, CA, this afternoon. OK, "dine" isn't the right description - "head through the drive through and get the heck out of there" is more accurate. Bizarelly, though, what I saw of Compton wasn't anything like what Ice Cube used to write about. If you showed me pictures and asked me to name the city, there's no way in HELL I would have ever come up with "Compton, CA". Granted, it's not like I did a lot of sightseeing, but the part I did see had new strip malls, a Starbucks, houses in decent shape with yards and fences and all the rest of what you'd expect to see in Suburbia. There's quite a few places in the Fort Lauderdale area that at least appear to be in much worse shape. Bizarre.

The good thing I'm able to see some friends out here - last night it was a pitcher (or a few) with Barnicle and his wife Brenda. Later on this weekend, it'll be Goldi, Avi, Dirty Ray, Pat Hogan, Carmen, Schmitko... the list goes on. And Jen - who is about to land at LAX, so time to wrap this up - also has a list of people to make sure we get in touch with. We'll get some pics from the trip down to "the OC" this weekend.

Goodbye (for 40 days) to Fried Foods and Smart-ass Comments

Your Ash Wednesday Update...
For Lenty this year, we're sacrificing a couple things I am better off without: eating anything fried, and making smart-ass comments, especially to my wife. Anyone who knows me knows this might be the most difficult Lent sacrifice yet, and I'm not talking about the KFC. (I did make sure to call - and wake her up - last night to get one more line in before midnight). This is going to be tougher than giving up pizza in Hoboken that one year, or cursing another year, or kissing girls other than my then-girlfriend in college back in... eh, let's just move on. Anyways, being Ash Wednesday, and being on the road for work (in beef-happy Dallas, of all places), and having 15 minutes to find lunch that has no meat and nothing fried, it was a rough start, but a Subway Tuna Hoagie bailed me out. I even passed on the Baked Lays - just in case there's a little false advertising going on there. (Side note - when, oh when, will WaWa go nationwide so I'll be able to go to the Peter Luger's of convenience stores??)

It's not like Jen helps matters... I'll leave out details, but we'll just say there was only one person with a bag of ice on their leg at Fred and Doreen's engagement party. And that is just the tip of the iceberg... but I'm treading on thin ice here with the blog, so I'll let it go (for now, or until another good story comes out this spring).

Time for bed, traveling pretty much non-stop since 2/7 finally took its toll on me - Philly, then Arizona, then home for a weekend, now back in Dallas - and I was sick earlier this week, so it's one more full day here, then catch-up as February ends. See you on Easter Saturday at 11:59pm with a tub of Tater Tots, some Doritos, Southport's Fried Fish Combo, and a few (but not many!) comments for the lovely wife. :)

Hot Air In Phoenix

I surprised TJ with the hot air balloon when we were in Phoenix this past weekend. It was SO awesome, we had the best time.

ANYWAY, on our "descent" in the hot air balloon, we were really low going over people's houses, I mean really low, I thought we were going to hit some roofs. So I'm looking out and i have my camera ready, and I see this guy walking around his backyard totally naked!! (his backyard was fenced in, of course!)

So I am like "OH MY GOD!" And we are so low he hears me, and he yells "OH MY GOD!" When he sees the hot air balloon over him with 7 people staring at him. He took off running inside his house so most of the hot air balloon people only saw his jiggly butt as he was cupping his goods and running in the house. Seconds later his "friend" came outside, in a robe, giving us the evil stare. It was so funny! :)

Our pilot on the hot air balloon said he sees boobies all the time, but this was a first for a wee wee.

It's February, T.J.'s Traveling, Steeler Luck, and Random Stuff

If you live in any of the following cities and I haven't gotten in touch with you, email me, cause Sharpie's coming to town: Dallas, LA, Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago. I've got to find someone in Houston - it's the only place I don't know anyone, and it'll put me behind Goldi and CHab in the "You Know Someone EVERYWHERE!" race. There's got to be some CMU dork or some relocated South Jerseyian there, although most likely it'll be someone with the hazily vague title "Used to drink with them". Step up, all locations, I'm making good use of my time away from house repairs on Republic's dime, although one week into it and my diet is already suffering pretty badly.


Read on TMQ this week, and unnoticed on the blown-call (clip of Tim Hightower), questionable-spot (crossing the goal line) INT TD by James Harrison at the end of the 1st Half of the Super Bowl: Larry Fitzgerald could have, and probably would have, caught Harrison 10 yards from the goal lins... if Antrel Rolle - Go figure, a U of Miami "graduate" - doesn't INTERFERE with his own player on the sidelines!! Watch around :27, and you'll see both the clip and a DB costing his team 7 points, and possibly the Super Bowl. And enjoy the gay music you stiller fans.


My favorite line of the holiday, from my lovely wife looking at a slightly fuller moon than she saw 24 hours previously - "is that the same moon as last night?"

Detroit... this economy and job market is hitting everyone tough, but man, the Motor City is just downright depressing. I got to spend 5 days there, and the whole area seems just dejected. Unemployment is high - closing in on 10%. The roads have more potholes than Baghdad Blvd. The city - at least the parts that house trash companies - are in disrepair. Hey at least they have nice stadiums though! The Palace at Auburn Hills was pretty sweet, we got some tickets from the local Republic guy, so Pfeif and Lori made the hike up from Curtice for that one. Plus, with all the nice Midwestern drivers, I was able to get us out of the parking lot in about 4 minutes by cutting across parked cars.

Even the food, an eclectic mix, doesn't stand out for anything special. On the weekly internet radio show I'm doing on occasion, I spotlight an NFL city for their tailgate/cooking and give a local-inspired recipe. Thank God I never had to do Detroit, I'd have no idea what to do - maybe Ribs 'n 40's. The pervasive food is "Coneys", basically hot dog shops/grills with varying degrees of food and price. I can understand stealing a signature item of another city to put on your memu - Philly cheesesteaks, Memphis BBQ, Cincinnati chili, etc... - but when the most popular eatery type is based on a city island 600 miles away, well, it just adds to the grey cloud sitting over the region.


Random thought - I might be in the minority here, but prime rib can't hold a candle to a good porterhouse or filet. Maybe it's because it's a rare meat aversion, or having to cut around multiple layers of gristle, or having to dip it into something for more taste.

MORE RANDOM LINKS

Ahhhh, Mets Fans... (from the700level.com) If you don't want to sit through all 9 minutes of hilarity then just fast forward to about the 7 minute mark. What a douche. Then again, he's a Mets fan.

Awesome - the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

I must be getting better looking - http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080911/lf_nm_life/miami_dc_1

The recession is hitting a lot of people, but damn, this is tough.

Random observations:

• I always knew Jen had the propensity to “debate” with others (mostly me), but even I got caught by surprise when we called our credit card company to dispute an APR raise – and she started arguing with the customer service rep AFTER they had agreed they messed up and changed our rate back. Josephine would have been proud… I can't talk much though, I had to phone into Delta for the third time in 6 months to change a redeye flight that they/I screwed up somehow, the same time, three times in a row. 30 minutes on the phone before I got to talk to someone who doesn't need the TOEFL test, but vindicated in the end and saved $150.
  
• Jay and Tracey are expecting tentatively on April 5. I need to call Uncle Craig and get a primer on the importance of youth sports in your nephew’s life. Those old Pirates teams (after Erik and I left, of course) were good… Jen and I can’t wait to be Uncle T.J. and Aunt Jen. I’m even going to avoid the temptation on buying toddler Cowboys stuff, in hopes that subliminal means will work in getting Jason’s kids to root for Dallas. Or, they might just be taking after their Uncle Erik. (i am looking for my picture of him in a Romo jersey, if anyone out there has it, please send to me...)
  
• On the flight home from Phoenix a few weeks ago, a man and his young son (~6 or 7) had seats in separate rows. The son sat down first, and the self-absorbed a-hole that was in the seat next to him didn’t bother to help, much less offer to switch seats with the father. Lucky for the father – and very unlucky for the guy – the lady in the middle seat next to the father offered to switch seats with his son. And the lady was NOT skinny. She waddled herself up to the middle seat and sat down right next to Mr. Inconsiderate, who now was hating life. It was pretty funny, the irony of the whole thing. Karma is a bitch…

Zoe, Part II

I picked up Zoe's ashes today. I was going to wait and go with TJ after our chiropractor appointments, but I was afraid we would run late, and I couldn't bear the thought of her being on a shelf somewhere, in the vet hospital for the whole weekend. I didn't think picking up her ashes would be that difficult, I mean, I knew that she was dead, but I thought I could handle it on my own. Boy was I wrong. First, they couldn't find her. Then they located her and opened a cabinet, took a box off the shelf and handed it to me. I lost it. I started wailing, like I've never cried before. The poor receptionist didn't know what to do, neither did the customer who had just stopped in to buy some dog food. I managed to take Zoe and walk outside. I sat on the ground and held the box, and tried to catch my breath, as I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. I finally pulled it together and got into the car, placing the box that contained the ashes of my sweet, precious little puppy on the passenger seat next to me, where she sat so many times before.

I waited until we got home, and I asked TJ to open the box. We took out the smaller urn that held Zoe, and a small pewter keychain that held some of her ashes. It was a very hard night, but luckily the door flew open and Cheryl came to the rescue with beautiful roses, and, more importantly, lots of wine! We toasted to Zoe and were soon joined by Doreen, then Corinne. Through my tears I was able to laugh a lot too as we talked about the good times with Zoe and what a great life she had. I love you guys!

The Zoe Bug

Wednesday morning, January 14, 2008, I got the phone call that I have always dreaded. It was my brother, Matthew's birthday, and I had called him the night before after midnight, singing happy birthday after a few glasses of wine I had enjoyed with my coworkers at the Estate Planning Seminar we were attending in Orlando. So, when the phone rang at 7:45am, I figured he was getting me back for the late night calls I had made the night before. But when the phone rang for the 5th time, I felt I better answer it.

I'll never forget those words that I heard, "Jen Jen, I love you to death, but Zoe passed away in her sleep last night." I was instantly awake and just kept repeating "What? What are you saying?" I felt like I had been hit in the chest with a ton of bricks. I always knew the day that Zoe left this world would be hard, but I never imagined how hard it would actually be. Luckily, the seminar that we were attending broadcasted in the hotel room so I didn't have to leave the room that day. I laid in bed, with tears rolling down my face, and remembered Zoe, my best friend for the past 13 years and 7 months.

I remembered driving to Jacksonville, and getting to pick which of Duchess' puppies was going to be mine (friends of my parents were the breeders). I remember Zoe was the runt of the litter, and she was so tiny and just sat in the corner, not making a sound. I remember Jimmy telling me, "That one is the quiet one, doesn't make a sound." Well anyone who knew Zoe knew that she definitely was NOT the quiet one.

Zoe joined me in Tallahassee, where we would run 3 - 5 miles a day and went to the dog park every day to play with her Frisbee. Zoe would put grab her Frisbee in her mouth and carry it herself all the way to the park and as soon as we got to her spot, she would throw the Frisbee at me and bark at me, and I would throw the Frisbee over and over again as Zoe would run her fastest, beat the Frisbee across the park, and run back to deposit it at my feet. It would barely be out of her mouth when she would start barking for me to throw it again.

And Zoe loved to swim, in the beach, in the pool, in a lake. I would sit on one end of the pool and throw Zoe's Frisbee to her and she would dive into the pool, catching it in her mouth. If my arm got tired of throwing the Frisbee to her, she would grab it from me, in a very exasperated manner, toss it into the pool, and wait for the light current of the water to take it towards the middle of the pool. Then she would jump in, retrieve it, and do it all over again.

I tried to show Zoe how much I loved her by bringing her to the park or letting her swim, but I could never give her back what she gave me. Her constant, unconditional love was second to none. She spent 4 years with me in Tallahassee, 3 years in Gainesville, and her remaining 6+ years with me in Fort Lauderdale. She nursed my many broken hearts as I cried my eyes out with my face buried in her fur. When I had a bad day at school or at work, I couldn't walk through the door and stay in a bad mood because I would be greeted with a wagging tail and Zoe would tell me about her day. She didn't bark, she talked, and we had a special language that I could always understand.

Everyone knew how special Zoe was to me. One of the first times that I hung out with TJ, we were at a hurricane party after Wilma had hit, and Zoe was with me. TJ made a comment about Zoe's talking and telling her to hush, and my friends Kim and Cheryl immediately jumped in, telling TJ in no uncertain terms that when Zoe had something to say, you just listened and gave her some attention. But TJ knew how important Zoe was to me too. When I took a job that was further than 12 blocks from my house, and I couldn't come home for lunch anymore, TJ was able to step up and walk her and make sure she was taken care of. He knew how important she was to me and for that reason, she was important to him. She even accompanied us when TJ proposed to me, and I was so happy that she was able to share that day with us.

Zoe was declining in health, her hearing was almost gone and she didn't play with her toys like she used to. Instead of grabbing her Frisbee when she was outside, she preferred to lay in the sun and take a nap. But she still had so much life in her. I could see the puppy twinkle in her eyes when I would look at her, even with her gray muzzle.

Being in the house without Zoe is so hard. Even when her hearing was gone, and I had to wake her up when I got home, she would jump up and be so happy to see me. Cooking isn't the same without her, now when I drop one of my ingredients, I actually have to pick it up since my helper is no longer at my side. Its been hard to be in the backyard, since Zoe loved to be out there, laying in the sun or standing at the dock looking into the water, trying to figure out how to get in (and get back out).

I still occasionally "hear" her at night, hear the sound of her little paws walking up and down the hallway. I believe in my heart of hearts that Zoe passed away the morning of her vet appointment because she didn't want me to have to make that awful decision. I think she knew I was out of town and since I always get up before TJ in the morning, she didn't want me to find her. She wanted to be home, in her house, with her daddy, and not in a vet hospital as she took her final breath. I miss her terribly, but I know that her little body just gave out on her, and now she is in dog heaven, chasing Frisbees, with no ailments, only that unadulterated pure joy. Good bye, my sweet Zoe bug, please check in on me from time to time because I miss you so much.

2008 Year in Review

What a year the past 12 months were… first the big stuff. Like many of you know, at the end of April, Jen and I got married in Fort Lauderdale. We had a great weekend, filled with family, friends, fun, and fantastic festivities, and are thankful that many of you were able to make the journey from near (Jen’s mom, blocks away) and far (Avi, Jeanie, Goldi, Seemi, and Meredith from CA; special mention to Jim Zechinati who came all the way from business in Austria!). It was a great weekend and we were so lucky to have all of you there. From Pier 66, it was off to Tahiti for 11 days – a night in Papeete, followed by 5 days each in Moorea and Bora Bora. For all the details, check the blog (link above – go to April/May posts), but in a few words or less, it was freaking unbelievable. Fantastic food, amazing views, some incredible scuba diving (Jen got certified), and just the time of our lives.

Well, after the honeymoon was over, we bought a house – and then the honeymoon was REALLY over!! OK, maybe not really, but a Tahitian overwater bungalow was slightly more romantic than paint brushes and faux fireplaces and ripping out 1970’s wood paneling. Still, we have our little slice – on a small canal up the south fork of the New River, 20 minutes by boat to downtown Fort Lauderdale, another 20 out to the Atlantic (in Fred’s boat of course, since we don’t actually have one). A 3/2, with PLENTY of opportunity for us to exercise our limited house renovation abilities. It’s going a bit slow, but thanks to a lot of help from Lukes’ Landscaping, the outside looks a heck of a lot better, and the inside is getting there. So that means we have plenty of room for all our friends here to crash late night and out of town guests to stay weekends.

So that’s been the majority of our 2008 – but not the whole thing, of course. Jen had a couple of showers, here and up in NJ. I had a couple of bachelor parties; in NJ it was roller hockey and Sambuca and plenty of fun, especially with Lehman’s cell phone. Great job by Jay and Erik putting it all together, and thanks to all you guys for turning Mom and Dad’s house into the Cherry Hill Beta Shady Palace Bulldog Cranberry Bog. While the shenanigans were going on, Jen had a mini-Bachelorette Party of her own, with some of the Sharpe gals and a Masseuse on the Loose (ask Jen). Part II of the Bachelor Party sent a motley crew down to Key West for a long weekend while Jen and the gals headed to NYC for the St. Patrick’s Bachelorette party. To top things off, Goldi combined his bachelor party in there too, so the adventure was doubled. Too many adventures to list here, but we weekend provided plenty of fun, memories, a little trouble with the Kon Tiki, and plenty of getting into trouble on Duval St. Oh yea, apologies to Caniz, McManus, Rogish, Pitts, Lefever, Daur, Martin, Legates, Freed, and Makovsky – passing out your cell phone numbers to spring breakers was my, er, Lehman’s best idea all year. Sunday ended up being quite a day as Ray, Cody, Pfeif and I made the most of our 8+ year reunion of the Irish Kevin’s millennium, and only Mark biting the bullet got us back to Broward County in one piece – thanks Mark!

April was wedding month, but not just for Jen and I. First, we journeyed down to Baja California Sur for Matt Facarazzo’s wedding. Matt and Kelly had a beautiful beachfront ceremony at Dreams in Cabo, and we had a great time being a part of their special weekend. It was a ton of fun, even if Kelly’s sister in law gave birth while Kelly’s brother Michael, the rest of the Weavers, and Jen’s family were toasting the new couple on the Sea of Cortez. The week after, I journeyed out to Orange County for Goldi and Seema’s wedding, where I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend (it’s not often you see Ray in traditional Indian dress) while Jen did the last minute wedding prep. Two weeks later, it was our turn!

Since then it’s been a lot of house stuff, but we have found time to have a little fun here and there (a lot of it’s on the blog). We got to head to the Shore for the 4th, getting to see plenty of friends, chowing down some White House, watching fireworks from the tiki bar, and hanging with PFC Caniz. We got to head to out to with the flotilla to Lake Boca for Kim’s birthday, to the G Love concert in Pompano for Jen’s birthday (even though Rafal and I were the only ones who knew any G Love), and got to take in a dozen or so lobsters during the first day of mini-season with Fred, then made it to work by 10am. We also headed down to Key West with Abbye, Brandon, and his cousins, and got to head out to a remote Key with no name on Erica and Randy’s boat, then have a Sunday Funday at the Rum Barrel and another long drive home, this time by Jen.

Labor Day weekend tried to get Jen to Key West for Sari’s bachelor party, but Tropical Storm Hanna relocated them to South Beach while I headed to the Gulf Coast for some Jim Morris and a butchered round of golf. The following weekend, Guido and I went to Cleveland to watch a Cowboys whupping of the Browns, preceded by a heck of a tailgate on Lake Erie. Somehow, we didn’t get booted out with a large Pac Man sign, and I didn’t go for a swim. The fall brought a lot of travel for work, as well as a couple weekend trips, first to Bimini, then to Tybee Beach, GA. Bimini with Fred and Doreen and Justin and Maura was a lot of fun, even for those of us who decided to drink a weekend’s worth of rum on Friday night. We got to spend a lot of time in Tybee with Carolyn and the rest of the Williams clan, even if the weather was decidedly un-beach like.

The end of October brought one thing – the Phillies run to being World Champions – “World F***ing Champions” in the words of Chase Utley. Five games – but six nights – at the Parrot resulted in one wild celebration (which resulted in one banged up cell phone) and I’m still annoying half of South Florida with my World Series stuff. We also had a PSU-OSU game thrown in with Game three there, even if Iowa screwed the master plan up a couple of weeks later (be thankful Florida fans, or else it’d be PSU-Oklahoma in a rematch from the ’86 Orange Bowl). November brought some more work travel for me, sandwiching a trip to Philly for a Friday night out with the guys and a great wedding Saturday for Corey and Eric. We hosted our very first holiday here, Thanksgiving, and Jen made an impressive turkey dinner for us, after the Shady Banks Turkey Bowl. We also had Sari’s wedding at the Ritz that weekend, which was a great time. And we hit the home stretch of 2008 getting ready to head to NJ for Christmas.

All in all, I’d say that was a pretty fantastic year. Here’s hoping 2009 is filled with plenty more great memories! And now, it’s time to send this, sign off, go to bed, and wait for the Autoresponses and Undeliverable to come back en masse.

Christmas is comin'...

It's the most wonderful time of the year... and also the most stress-inducing. Kinda hard to believe this is what the Magi expected their little journey to evolve into, huh? We do have the outside lights up, the tree is decorated, presents are bought (well, most of them), we're even mostly packed for our Christmas Eve trip to NJ. Still, it's been a little tough getting into the spirit of things this year - we're both working a lot, we're trying to get more done on the house (door casings and baseboards are our next adventure), and get everything done so that Christmas itself won't be too crazy. So, to try and get more in the mood, some non-traditional Christmas songs...

• The 12 Days Of Guido Christmas
• The best Christmas song ever
• ... and his second best one
• Jimmy's take...
• ... and Scott Kirby's
  

So toss in Buffett's Christmas Island cd, make a drink of holiday cheer, and embrace the holiday spirit as much as possible. Now, time for me to get to work, where there's definitely NOT a lot of Christmas spirit (we're moving our HQ to Phoenix and 100 of us are losing our jobs sometime between now and 2010).

Jimmy V and other Ramblings

A few other random tidbits

• First, it's the Jimmy V week on ESPN. The V Foundation, started by legendary coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano shortly before his death, raises money for cancer research. As a cancer survivor, and the descendant of three deceased grandparents with cancer, it's obviously something that hits close to home - and has hit close to home (or at home) with many family and friends. Jimmy V's battle against cancer was courageous, but the marks he made on the hardcourt will one day pale in comparison to the difference he's made, 15 years after his death, with the V Foundation. Find a quiet ten minutes in your day and take in his 1993 ESPY speech. It's never failed to put a lump in my throat or tear in my eye. RIP Jimmy V, your mind, heart, and soul are indeed living on forever.
• OJ... the Juice is definitely NOT loose anymore. Sad stuff. Although I don't buy this was for this crime alone - right or wrong, there was paybacks from 14 years ago. For all you guys who want to feel old, remember where you were when Simpson and Al Cowlings were rolling down the highway in the white Bronco. We were - surprise! - at Schultzy's house having a party. I'm not sure there would have been much of a social life at Eustace if we didn't have Chad's, Bulldog's, Medford Lakes, and the shore houses of Bitonti and Falese. Anyways...
• Speaking of idiot athletes, this is the funniest thing I've seen about that moron Plaxico (or anyone else) in quite a while. I hope Jay or some other Birds fan brings it to the Meadowlands this weekend; at the very least, I hope one of the Eagles has the cojones to take the BSG's suggestion: "I'm still disappointed that a receiver didn't honor Plaxico Burress last weekend by catching a touchdown, then pretending to shoot himself in the leg with the football and limping around."
• Shameless plug for a friend - check out Jeanie Callen Barat's new website - thefitnessjeanie.com. Good luck Jeanie!
• Political links - Joe Biden sounding Dubya-like, proving in politics stupid isn't exclusive to one party. Mike Ditka had an off-chance of affecting the 2008 Presidental race - how much is debatable, but still, interesting "what if". From Howard Stern, Sal in Harlem - had I gone to the early voting place by where I work (a predomindatly black neighborhood) and worn a shirt with "I'm voting for McCain because we're both Irish", it wouldn't have gone over very well, to say the least. Be happy your boy won, but don't ignorantly vote for someone because of race.
  
• More Phillies (get used to it) - Game 5 apparently paid off before it was even over. Mitch Williams, all is forgiven. Also, ESPN.com's "experts" are a bunch of morons. Not one picked the Phils to even MAKE the Series, much less dominate it - and this was done the day the playoffs started! And then there's this guy (in the hat), what the $%# ?!?!? And if you haven't seen Little Will firing up the crowd at the parade, it's pretty funny.
  
• I've heard of some angry divorced women before, but this is ridiculous. Actually, I'm surprised this didn't happen at CMU...
• For those of you who only drink bottled water...
  

November Update

What a busy month, so much for updating this more frequently. Plenty going on down here in South FL - and other places. A couple of big things in the five weeks that the Phillies have reigned as World Champions (World Ph*cking Champions!), so here's a quick recap what Jen and I have been up to:

• The job. As of today, my company officially merged with Allied Waste, which means the clock is ticking on my time at Republic. I don't worry as much as Jen does about this, since I'm on two fairly important projects now (I spent the first two full weeks of Nov out in Scottsdale, AZ for the merger - traveling can really be tiring). Still it's somewhat unsettling to have the full responsibilities of being a "grown up" and staring at yet another job change.
  
• Speaking of travel, we got to head to Philly for my cousin Corey's wedding - pictures here. It was a great weekend and wonderful wedding, even though we got there late because the bride's brother-in-law (uh, I guess that makes him my cousin in law) Mark took us the slowest way possible from Cherry Hill to Camden. Otherwise though, great ceremony, fun reception, some good food, and plenty of drinks. It is the Irish side of the family. Congrats Corey and Eric - and their adorable boy Cameron!
• Also that weekend, we had quite a Friday night in Philly. I arrived early, and after eventually making my way to Jeff's, he and I met up with Lehman, Caniz, and Rick for happy hour... you can probably guess how this went (click the wedding pics above and look at the first few for a glimpse). Poor Jen - she had an earlier flight and because of some work stuff, she had to take the later one - which of course got delayed because of the weather. So she didn't get there until 1am, so you can imagine the freak show she walked into. Oh yea, Martin is drinking again, I remember why we used to get in so much trouble down here. Great time fellas, it was nice to come home and not have to juggle a while bunch of conflicting plans and just head out for an old-fashioned night out at home. Good times.
  
• Thanksgiving in Florida... what another fun, tiring, eventful weekend. It was a weekend of firsts - first holiday in our new house, first "real" holiday being married, first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner, first Shady Banks Turkey Bowl, first swim in the canal, first FL high school football game (Jen's HS is #2 in the nation). Heck, even first wedding for Sari. See below for all the details.
  
• The Turkey Bowl was a success - unless you were Trevor or Mike and had to nurse a weekend warrior injury on Friday. At one point (once the Opre brothers showed up) we had 13 guys out there. In the end, we took an OT W/tie, giving those guys the last two possessions to make up a 5-3 deficit. They did. Oh well. Jen hosted the ladies with Mimosas, and they got to cheerlead for some of the game, even being impressed with some of our "athletic ability". Obviously the gals haven't been around top-quality athletes in some time. Still, it was a TON of fun, and we're going to figure out how to have a monthly football game here. To top it off, the first swim from our dock took place after a few post-game beverages; I've been itching to hop in the canal but just haven't done so yet. Now that the ice is broken, I'll be in our "temporary pool" much more often. For the record, the water is brackish, almost freshwater, and warm, and the bottom is just coarse sand and not the Jersey Shore muck I'm used to.
  
• Dinner was at our house; Luke and Lyn got a last minute trip to Europe that left Thanksgiving night, so we scrambled a bit and pulled off one heck of a meal. Jen was QUITE the Betty Crocker in the kitchen; I was pretty darn impressed. We only had 7 of us for dinner, but it was quite a bit of fun. Mike was in charge of the turkey fryer, Grandpa brought the desserts (well, there were a bunch of desserts there from the Turkey Bowl), our friends Sam and Julie took care of some of the sides, but Jen was the hostess with the mostess. I took care of the "entertaining", limping around to fill everyone's drink. We had a great time, even Grandpa had plenty to eat and drink, and (as the pictures show) the Sambuca took quite a hit. A great first holiday in the Sharpe house!
  
• Saturday night we had Sari's wedding, preceded by Florida-FSU fiasc, er I mean, game. I was sporting the old school CMU #86, which vaguely resembles FSU's jerseys. It didn't help. They got spanked. As the game wound down, we got dressed, I pimped it out in the tux (black tie wedding), and we headed to the Ritz-Carlton. It was quite a place (an understatement) - the pics are at the end of the Thanksgiving link. Congrats to Sari and Michael and we'll see you guys out in LA one of these days soon! Oh yea, quick post-script, Fred and I got dressed in the tuxes on Sunday and had bloody marys (and a few other drinks) around Fort Lauderdale. I can't imagine what everyone was thinking (other than what the F is wrong with these fools in tuxes and flip flops), it's just too bad there was no 1pm Eagles game at the Parrot. Oh yea, and I helped Fred take his boat out too - even piloting it from his Dad's place to the ramp around the corner. It's not a big deal for most guys down here, but when you're in a tux, you've had a few drinks the day after a long Saturday night, and it's your 2nd or 3rd time behind the helm in about 5 years, you tend to worry about things such as ramming into something or sinking the damn thing. It was fun to be behind the wheel though - Jen and I definitely need a boat someday soon!
  

Phinally Champs!

I'm sure the three people who read this are tired of hearing me go on and 0n about the World Series. There's not much I can add to the extended coverage (ok, "extended" being last week on philly.com and some SportsCenter spots) although I am pissed that ESPN2 didn't get the parade on like they did for the Sawx in 2004. Then again, they might have had advance warning on Utley's sweet speech - tell 'em Chase! A few things before we hit the showers this morning:

• Haven't seen many teams play that cohesively in recent memory. Yea, they collectively stunk with runners in scoring position, and it's not like any particular Phillie picked up the team and put them on his back. The little guys did a little bit of everything to win the game, and that's what separates the champs from the good teams. Philly sports have for the most part been good teams in the last 25 years, but almost to a fault, they didn't have that contribution from the non-headliners when it mattered most.
  
• Cole Hamels might not be the most overpowering guy on a big league mound, but there's very few other guys I'd want out there when it mattered. And the kid is 24. It seems like he's been in the bigs for quite awhile, but this was only his third season.
• I've got too much Phillies stuff to upload, so just go over to the700level.com for pretty much everything I'd want to link to. Take a look at Harry the K...with accompanying video for sure, it's 12 minutes of what baseball should sound like.
  
• I missed the biggest party in Philly in God knows how many years, and yes, I was jealous. Work sucked that Friday... I should have been here instead.
• Work also sucked on Thursday because the Parrot became a zoo scene on Wednesday night. There were bottles of champagne being sprayed everywhere, the place was LOUD for the entire 9th inning, and shots were lined up everywhere. Guys (and gals) were going nuts, and the normal Parrot crew - John, Pat, John, Josh and Erin, a bunch of guys whose names I always forget, even Opre - went nuts together. Of course, I made it an interesting night by forgetting to sign off my tab, taking a cab halfway home then hopping out, and somehow ending up by Beach Place where an EMS guy gave me the once-over when he found me stumbling around in the grass. Whoops. Luckily Opre happened to pass by and was able to convince these guys he could give me a lift home. Probably celebrated a little too much, but hey, it was 25 years, whaddya expect? And I temp. lost my phone too - luckily some dude found it and got it back to me, although the screen is busted and the memory chip doesn't seem to have any of the pictures and videos I got.
• Finally, there's a great post somewhere on the700level.com that talks about who this championship was for. All those fans who have suffered as adults, the guys my age who were in 2nd grade when Tommy Gee skipped class to go to the parade and I mistakenly figured I'd have my chance to go soon, for my cousins who are in high school and at GMU and Temple who have only known sports frustration.... it's for everyone, and unless you have lived through it with the dedication and heartbreak similar to Philly sports fans, you won't understand. I hope someday soon my buddies from Cleveland get their day, 'cause it's a chill-inducing feeling that brings a goofy smile to my face every time I think about it. So for Dad and Jay, for my cousins and uncles and Johnny Santarpio, for the Eustace fellas, and Caniz and Freed and Lehman and Jeff, for the Parrot crew, and the many, many people (most of whom I know only by face or first name) that I've shared the ups and downs of Philly sports with (and yes, that includes Jen)... this one's for you. Enjoy it. We've earned it. And thank you to those 25 guys and Uncle Cholly for reaching the summit. You've earned a place in our sporting hearts forever.
  

Time to get to work. I'm sure I'll have my first political post tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, it's been all of 7 days and the World Champs - excuse me Chase, that's World Phucking Champions - are still making me smile.

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (sort of)

After a full day and change of anxiety, nerves, Selig-directed anger, and emotional blood-letting, it's on. I'm nowhere near the fever pitch of Monday night, but that'll change in the next hour. The thing that worries me the most - this is a sprint. The team that scores first in all likelyhood is going to win; since the Phils have an extra AB, they certainly have the edge there, but anything can happen in the cold at the Bank. If they start out slow - and these Phils can certainly start slowly before all those late-inning heroics - they don't have the time to make up runs over 9 innings tonight.

Soooo.... Same shorts and shirts from Monday night, same hat, sandels, and yes, even boxers. It's been 25 years... taking NO CHANCES here. The wife needs to get her butt home soon, so we can get there. And DAMN YOU BARACK OBAMA for pushing this back even further. Philly can't take this. My liver can't take this. *I* can't take this. Go Phils.

Why, God, Why?

If this doesn't cause you to at least pause and question the Almighty's apparent disdain for the sports fans of Philadelphia, then you have much stronger faith than I do. 10 outs away with a 1 run lead and Hamels cruising, and the Big Man decides to ratchet up the miserable weather. He even opened the door for Satan's Lapdog (aka Bud Selig) to decide to wildly interpret the set of rules governing baseball, and not call the game. Yes, winning the World Series like that would have been anticlimatic... still, I don't quite believe things have turned out like they did. This is agonizing. C'mon, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, throw us a bone here. 25 years is long enough...

(P.S. While you're at it God, do something vile to that a-hole who stole the Sirius radio out of my Jeep last night.)

The Final Hour

I have a $100 ticket to Game 6 sitting in Tampa with my brother in law Matt that I hope I never see (the ticket, not Matt). I had a ridiculously difficult time concentrating today at work, the day dragged on forever. I just spent 20 minutes trying to pick out what to wear to a bar on a Monday night (dark camo shorts, Howard jersey over "Man or Machine" shirt of Krukker, blue Phils hat, and my Croc flip flops). I've got "The Rocky Story" blaring, and I've been randomly shouting at the TV every time they show something about the World Series. Every time I think about how tonight might go - check that, SHOULD go - I get chills. To all the Philly/Jersey guys, I wish I was there with you to enjoy this, but I'll do my best to bring a little bit of Broad St. to A1A. Come on guys - 27 more outs until you carve out your place in the annals of Philadelphia and the hearts of every sports fan from the Delaware Valley. Like Fred Shero said, "Win today, and we'll walk together forever".

LET'S GO PHILS!!!!
(photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/pompomflipflop/)

27 outs

What a weekend. I'm pretty much a permanent resident of the Parrot at this point, with Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday nights all being spent there. Jen and I did curtail it early tonight (left after 6), mostly because last night was soooo late there - of course, it was our 6th month anniversary too, so we left early for a romantic dinner (OK, early being 10pm and dinner being Primanti Bros while watching the end of the game at home). Combine the HUGE PSU win and a late-starting rain delayed World Series game, and it ended up being 3:30 before the cab finally dropped us off at home. The place was PACKED, with the PSU and Phillies games on every other TV and the PSU audio inside, and Phils outside. Needless to say it got a little crazy - OK got a lot crazy. Shots flowed, high 5's everywhere whenever something good happened (Devlin's TD, the game-ending INT, all of Ruiz's heroics...)

And now, we have less than 24 hours to wait for what could be the biggest moment in Philly sports history in the last 25 more years. Tomorrow night is going to be ridiculous. 27 more outs... 27 outs and it's all over. 27 outs...

Game 1

It wasn't the prettiest win, but that's OK. It was a win. A World Series win. We'll take it. Three batters in, Chase gave us a lead. Cole rode it the rest of the way. It wasn't perfectly pretty, but it's a W. A great night at the Parrot. Three more...

The Day is Upon Us

First pitch to J-Roll in 2 hours. I’m beyond amped for this game; it’s like pre-game at Gesling Stadium, only on a scale about 1,000,000 times more magnified (actually, a million might not be enough). Departing for the Parrot in 35 min; unfortunately my $100 tickets to the game fell through, although Barnebie’s cousin tried his best to hook me up. According to two different people at the Trop, tickets are going for face value or below. Ridiculous for Game 1, Tampa doesn’t deserve this. Still trying to decide if i can get out of work in time tomorrow to get there for game 2. Got my NLCS shirts courtesy of Dad and Jay ready to go, even sporting powder blue boxers to channel my inner Bob Walk. This is it…

LET'S GO PHILLIES!!!!

P.S. Joe Buck is a complete jerkoff - I hope he gets hit by a bus... no, this bus...

P.P.S. 1-0 good guys

And We're In!!!!!

Phillies 5. Dodgers 1. 2008 National League Champions.

Another dominant performance by their 24 year old stud ace. Another game where they won as a team. Another great defensive performance (Chase and Shane especially). No idea how I'm expected to go to bed tonight (unlike my wife, who slept through the *ENTIRE* game). You would have thought there was something else on TV tonight that was more important than Game 5.

Screw the Dodgers and their sushi-eating fans. Tickets were selling in the lower level at their stadium were on stubhub for less than face value today. Losers. Go kill yourselves with $18 Red Bull Martinis in your smoggy atmosphere. And while we're venting, I'm already sick of seeing the goddamn Joe Carter home run, so enough already Fox and ESPN. Seriously.

The next two weeks are going to be fun. If you can't get on board with a team like this, then you don't appreciate what team sports is all about. (or you're a New York fan) This can only get better if Tampa closes it out and I'm a drive (a long drive, but a drive) away from 4 games. I sense a mid-week flu coming on. The biggest thing I noticed - the on-field celebration was not too crazy. These guys mean business. They want more. Four more.

And we want it too. See you next week in St. Pete.

If You Think I Look Bad, You Ought to See How I Feel

A trip to Bimini sounds soooooo nice. Fred eased down the throttle as we approached the small and westernmost of the Bahamas, I couldn't help but think that that it's pretty amazing to live 50 miles/90 minutes from the northwest corner of the islands of the Caribbean. The small twinkling lights came into focus, and as the island's contour came into focus under a bright 3/4 moon, the smell of a beach firepit mixed with the salty sea air personified everything a Buffett ballad is supposed to represent. We docked up right behind the condo Fred got - our place was pretty sweet, Bimini Sands, on South Bimini, with a balcony overlooking the beach and sunset and a boat dock right out the back door and across the path.

Turns out that intoxicating arrival may have felt so good because it *was* as good as I felt all weekend. Goombay smashes on the ride over definitely got the ball rolling, and Crazy 8's Island Style put me over the edge. After traveling cross country twice for work already this month and landing from Vegas at midnight the night before, my body did not adjust well to an overabundance of rum. So I spent most of Saturday (and a good deal of Sunday) under the weather. My travel companions - Jen, Fred & Doreen, and Fred's friend's Justin and Maura - gave me the requisite amount of shit for being a wreck on Saturday morning; some redemption was had when I had a fever that was as high as 102 and lasted until Monday night. (see? I wasn't just a wuss all weekend) And despite battling fevers and Irish flus, I did all the fun stuff both Saturday and Sunday:

• skin diving for lobster (can only snorkel in the Bahamas, so while Fred & Co. got 8 keepers, the best I did was snag a toddler of a bug that they threw back)
• Snorkeling wrecks - an old barge, some reefs, and an upside-down Curtiss C-46 airplane that was pretty damn cool
• Fish - luckily we caught enough lobster to survive because fishing didn't go so well
  

So in hindsight, Bimini is a great place, just don't try and squeeze in all your fun on Friday night. The pictures do a better job showing the weekend then I can do typing it up, so without further ado...

Our Pics (with a broken camera none the less):
http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=tsharpe2&P=&AID=5582517&T=1
Doreen's Pics:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=11kbvjee.46yazg4m&x=0&y=-ehngom&localeid=en_US

NLCS Gambling

From ESPN.com's Jayson Stark: The Marlins have been around for 16 seasons. They've won six postseason series. The Phillies have been in existence for slightly longer than that -- like 110 years longer. But they've won only five postseason series. In the history of the franchise.

So this is what it comes down to for us Phillies fans, and the generations of fans before us - my wife has been "rooting" for her Marlins for half her life, and she's already seen more wins then me and the three Thomas Sharpes that came before me.


Time to hit the blackjack tables, and the sports book. How to bet (*if* to bet) the NLCS is driving me crazy. Part of me thinks push all in on the Phils, which just means I don't know the concept of "all your eggs in one basket". Part of me thinks to bet on the Dodgers, which would soften any blow or lose me some money, and I'd feel like a douche. So maybe (probably) the best move is to avoid the sports book altogether. Regardless, after one night of sleeping, and another of stuffing myself at one of the best steak places I've ever eaten at, it's time to hit the casino for a bit and get us some money for Bimini.

UPDATE: Planet Hollywood sucks. There's only one redeeming thing about the gaming at this place. The only decent game I could find here was a $10 single deck blackjack game, which on the surface seems pretty good except for 6-5 payouts for a Cannon and a face card. It took me less than 15 minutes to fork over my 80% loss limit (including a $25 match play that got sucked up by this Asian's blackjack) and walk meekly to the slot machine; luckily I hit for 800 nickels on the Wild West slot, recouping some of the losses. And the sports book was closed, which means, by default, I went the "no bet" route. Too bad we're going to be eating sand crabs and jellyfish in bimini unless Fred and I come up with some lobster. And I guess my new tattoo didn't work much tonight, either... So much for the luck of the Irish.

Also, after reading the rest of that Stark article above, I completely agree with him. Baseball fans across the country have/had this "poor them" thing for the Cubs and Red Sox fans, but it's exponentially more than what it would be for the franchise that has LOST THE MOST GAMES IN ORGANIZED SPORTS HISTORY. And won ONE World Series. I don't feel bad for them at all; if anything, Cubs fans should be rooting for the Phils, in a kindered spirit kind of way. As for the Sox fans... well, you and your Nation have worn out your welcome pretty much everywhere south of Foxwoods, so any goodwill from "1918" has long disappated. It's our time.

The Two Stooges

I love my wife dearly, but put her and Stacy (one of her best friends and bridesmaids) together and dumb stuff happens. Just in the two hours this morning, they've managed to:

• Lock Stacy's keys in her trunk
• Park right next to a "No Parking" sign
• Fail to figure out who was taller in the 15 years they've known each other
  
• Take an abbreviated bike ride to the liquor store that is 5 miles away (they got as far as the end of the driveway before realizing neither one had long enough legs to ride my bike; in retrospect, this might have been a good thing, cause God only knows what could have happened in that 10 mile round trip)

And this is all before 11am. Now we're heading to the FSU-Miami game, and then to a concert in West Palm, so it's not like things are going to be getting any calmer. Now I just gotta go find the camera since words don't usually do their antics justice... :)

UPDATE: The FSU game ended up being a complete rainout but at least the won. The girls had fun but we missed the concert afterwards.

1601 Construction Updates (Go Phils)

Between travelling for work and recent social trips, it’s been a tiring month of September so far – and October isn’t going to offer many reprieves, with visitors the next two weekends and my work trip to Vegas. Doing home improvements has taken a back seat for most of the month to the daily grind, so with a full weekend off of any real obligations, it was time to get to work. Of course, we started it out at Dolphins Stadium, watching the Phils lose, but both Friday and Saturday nights ended up being (relatively) tame nights. Early Saturday morning, I was digging up a couple of irrigation lines so that a new driveway could be poured; I was glad I got up early enough since 7 guys in several trucks rolled through Shady Banks around 7:30am and began digging up the yard next to the existing driveway as soon as they got there. 3 hours later, it was expanded 10 feet to the right and completely asphalted over, and we had ourselves a new driveway.
While the driveway was getting knocked out, Richie and a couple of guys from his Lukes’ Landscaping crew came over and knocked out a new fence. The old lousy chain link one and all it’s accompanying vegetation got ripped out; in its place (and where no fence was on the south side) is a nice wood 6 footer with gates in the middle. The north side is now ready for Mike to do some AutoCAD planning to see how we can make this place look a bit like the tropical paradise Jen and I pictured when we took the plunge.
To add to the fun, Schaen’s been over, doing mud work to the ceiling of the Florida room and the 2nd bathroom. By the end of the month, both of those rooms should be sanded, painted, and redecorated, and pretty much ready to go (Jen wants new tile in the Florida room, but the stuff we have in there now is serviceable, if not beautiful, so it’s not going anywhere anytime soon). And we’re adding two new exterior doors, in the FL room and office, to go with the impact windows we should be getting in early October. The only other thing to get done then will be a slider door where the windows are in the Florida room, but that might be pushed out to sometime in 2009 for fiscal reasons.

BIG W today for the 2008 NL East Champs Phillies. They're set to take the Brewers down, one game already done, two to go, and we can only hope the Dodgers and Cubbies push each other to the brink. I know, I know... a Philly fan can never get ahead of himself. Still, things are aligning much better this year then they did last year (although the lack of offense is still concerning). This afternoon, though, Cole Hamels threw an utter gem, no runs and only two singles over 8 innings, with 9 K's. Lidge gave a little life to Milwaukee before (finally) slamming the door. It's hard to believe, but Hamels is only 24 and is the youngest player on their roster. This is going to be a fun October.

The OC

Got to experience the not-so-glamorous side of Orange County this week – apparently, Consolidated Waste Services’ HQ isn’t Laguna Beach. A week of installs and good meals gave the sense that everyday California isn’t much different from many other places around the country and day to day suburbia is alive and kicking from coast to coast. Nothing crazy, got to see Goldi and Seema last night and Jen’s friend Sari and her fiancée Michael on Wednesday. My coworker who went out with us both nights probably won’t ever want to hear wedding talk again – Goldi got married two weeks before us, and Sari ties the knot in November, so wedding and newlywed talk was rampant. God, that sounds old. The highlight of the trip, other than seeing friends, was unquestionably lunch at In-N-Out Burger. Since Avi introduced to this oasis nearly 10 years ago in San Diego, it’s a must-have for any trip out west. I’m actually disappointed I flew out so early on Friday, thus not being able to bag a couple for the trip back home for dinner (oh yes, that’s been done before, on the redeye to boot). For those who haven’t had it and are flying west of the Rockies, Google yourself one of their locations, then find out all the stuff that’s not on the menu (since the menu only has Single, Double, Fries, Soda, and Shake on it). Do it, don’t think about the caloric intake, and enjoy one hell of a meal. You can thank me by bringing me back a Double Double (or Triple Triple) Animal Style.

Part II
The trip also confirmed that my family and friends have it right when they leave within a stone’s throw from the coast – any coast, apparently. The Lefevers lived within stumbling distance from the beach in Santa Monica for awhile until heading back east, and Avi and Jeanie are somewhat proximal to the Pacific Beach area of San Diego, one of my favorite destinations. Makes you wonder what those in Eufaulu, OK (just passed at 30,000 ft) think when they get their first taste of salt air and mother ocean – and why they head back to middle America. I suppose my incomprehension means I’m just meant to be near the sea.

Got to watch USC take one to the chin from Oregon State, in Mark Sanchez’s stomping ground no less – the same Oregon State team that the boys from State College thrashed 45-3 in Happy Valley a few weeks ago. Another good sports weekend looms – Phils, Brewers, and the Choke Artists Formerly Known as the Mets fighting for two playoff spots this final weekend, with the Phils a game up on both. PSU on national TV Saturday night against ranked Illinois. Dallas on national TV at 4pm on Sunday, looking for their 764th victory in the last 10 years against the Redskins (remember when this actually used to be a competitive rivalry?). Even the Beagles have a national game Sunday night, in what is going to amount to a crazy Sunday for lots of people in the Delaware Valley.

P.S. Speaking of Jersey, this was the license plate I saw parked down the street from Sari's house - I don't know why the hell I didn't steal it...

And NFL 2008 Begins...

Does it get any better than the last two weeks? Seriously... first, I got to head to Cleveland for the Cowboys-Browns fiasco (if you're a cleveland fan). Ray and Tammy were great hosts for Guido and I, despite our Pac Man sign. Pre-Sunday, we actually were somewhat calm (all things considered), I even got to spend a few hours cleaning out the damn luxery van that has become a mobile tailgating Browns helmet (complete with a tap out the back, kudos to the Ardires). Of course, knowing Ray, Mark, and I, Sunday pretty much blew our semi-responsibleness out of the water (and to be honest, we weren't all that responsible the first two nights; Colby made Mark pull a Mr. Mom all Saturday when he showed up at 3am early Saturday morning) Sunday however was pretty much perfect. First, the Browns fans can tailgate, and they have possibly the best location in America, on a pier on Lake Erie (we were on the middle one, about 50 yards from the point). I'm actually surprised I didn't end up in the water, either by choice or by a drunken Cleveland fan. Dad is never allowed here, he'll be doing backflips off the van, Thornton Mellon style. The game itself was a surgical operation by the Cowboys; it was never close after the coin flip, thanks to an efficient offense, a swarming defense, and butterfingers galore by the Cleveland WRs, particularly Braylon Edwards. Note to Philly fans: don't believe the comparisons to the Dog Pound. I walked around with a TO jersey pretty much unimpeded all game. Two Browns fans threw some popcorn at some point (good job by them using the right props), but apparently they missed Physics in high school, since they wasted most of their $5 bucket hitting other Browns fans with wind-blown Orville Redenbauchers. A good verbal dismissal had other Browns fans offering their cell phones for me to call security on their fellow fans. This would NEVER happen in Philly, even if they were throwing grenades from 10 rows back and taking out families. Rest good, Eagles fans - you're still the soccer hooligans of North America, and it's not even close. Oh yea... and instead of going home after the 4pm game, we hit downtown Cleveland, then somehow made our way to the local bar by Ray's house. I don't know what time we got home, but I do know that Ray waking me up at 4:30 am for my flight home was one of the 10 most "please just let me sleep" moments of my life. I don't know how I made the flight, I just know that those flights (yea, a layover in ATL) suuuuuuucked. I felt "ok" sometime Wednesday afternoon.

Next, the Iggles come to Dallas for a MNF tilt. The only buzzkill about this is that I can't be at the Parrot starting some shit with the Eagles fans (believe it or not, this will be the first fall i've missed a cowboys - eagles game since i moved down) but I'll prob show up next week for the steelers-eagles game with TO on my back, to make up for lost time. Anyways, got to see the game at a place called Sneakers in Jacksonville Beach (b/c of work) and, ain't the world a small place, the guy I was sitting next to at the bar was a Eustace grad, class of '88. Obviously the cream rises to the top of the bar scene. It was a hell of an entertaining game, the best I've seen in quite a long time. Donovan, work on Handoffs 101 in Lehigh next year, and hey rookie WR - get ACROSS the goal line before you decide to do your best Leon Lett. (yea, I'm scared that the 'Boys passed on DeSean TWICE, and he's got two 100 yard games already)

Penn State is rolling through their early season schedule. I know... Syracuse, Temple, etc... but they look good. I'm not saying they are BCS Championship bound, but they have a team here, and after USC undressed the Ohio State Bills on prime time, the Big Ten is theirs for the taking. Just don't poop the bed JoePa, and try and keep enough guys out of jail to finish the season. Bring on the Buckeyes, the Badgers, and those embarrassing Wolverines.

Don't look now, but the Phils are bringing back the '07 magic. A half game back for all you ****sucking Mets fans, and tied with the Brew Crew for the wild card (Note: since I don't actually know a Brewers fan, I can't badmouth them; plus they have racing sausage, so we can tolerate them for now, on the off chance the Mets don't smoke the late season pole again). Since the 'Boys are on Autopilot now and this MNF summit is resolved, I can concentrate on the Phils and their run to October, especially since they will be in FL next weekend. Damn, and I said I was going to behave that weekend too.

Being that I am traveling this week and next, I need to get to bed or to work so I can actually pull off my training class tomorrow. It's nice to go to bed with a W like that dancing in your head though. Nice game Iggles fans - I'm trying to work a ticket to the last game of the year from Lefever, so bring your snowballs Christmas weekend, I'll be the a-hole in the blue 81 jersey smelling like spiced rum and apple cider. Hopefully, wearing the "Phils '08 WS Champs" hat...