Today we are celebrating Kim’s birthday, and the plan is to spend the day hanging out at the pool at the new W hotel, go up to our room and get changed, hit the bars at night and spend the night at the W. I had told Kim on Thursday that I was pregnant, and I also told Cristibelle (who is also pregnant – about 8 weeks ahead of me). My initial plan was to try to get away without telling anyone else…with Kim and Belle knowing I was pregnant, I figured they could ward off the alcohol which was sure to head in my direction. :) We are really early in the pregnancy (I was 4 weeks and 3 days at this point) and I know that the proper “protocol” is to wait until 12 weeks before telling the world. T.J. of course had didn’t think I’d be able to make it through the first hour (he knows me so well). Regardless, it had been awhile since I hung out with the girls, so I was excited for the day.
I picked up Shannon, Doreen and Corinne, and we headed to the W. When we got to the hotel, we met Julie, Lisa and Cheryl in the hotel room. As I walked into the hotel room, Julie pretty much thrust a bottle of vodka in my face and said "drink this cocktail or i know you're pregnant!" I pulled her in the bathroom and told her that I was pregnant and that I was going to try to keep it quiet for a little bit. And we tried to keep a lid on it for awhile. I made it through a few hours, dodging vodka being poured into my drink from Lisa’s stash in her beach bag and going in the hot tub with Cheryl and Doreen, but a turkey gouda sandwich threw me over the edge. We were sitting around the pool and decided to order lunch, and Corinne and I were going to share a meal. I was scanning the menu, and there seemed to be so many things that a pregnant person wasn’t supposed to eat. After much debate with Corinne on what we should order (which she is already like, "why are you so picky today") we settle on the turkey gouda wrap and in the back of my mind I’m thinking "OK, I’ll just take off the gouda, whatever." But Julie happens to be around (luckily :)) and she says "you can't eat that!" and I was like "I’m taking off the cheese" and she said, "no, the turkey!" and then i remembered she's right, deli meats are supposed to be a no no unless they are heated, so I just stared at her and I was like "this is really hard!" and she said "Just spill it, sista!" LOL and so I just blurted out “I’m pregnant!” and you could hear my friend's squealing from a block away! It was so much fun. And for anyone who is concerned, I ended up having a veggie wrap (and caramel popcorn!)
If I hadn't been with all of them that day/night, I’m sure I would have waited, but these girls have been through so much with me, and I would share with them anyway if (god forbid) something bad happened, so I was happy to share this great news with them.
by the time it was time for us to go out at night....there were only 5 of us left (Cheryl, Kim, Lisa, Julie and me) - and we were hanging out in the Living Room at the W and Kim thought we should confirm my pregnancy (I think she saw me lusting after the basil martini) so she sent the concierge to go buy a digital EPT test that says "pregnant" just to be super sure. (The concierge at the W says they will do “whatever, whenever” and they really mean it!) About 30 minutes later, he showed up in the Living Room with the test and Cheryl and I went into the bathroom, and guess what… yes, I was still pregnant! It was a great night.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Oh My God, WE ARE HAVING A BABY!
Written by Jen: We had been “trying” to get pregnant for a couple of months, so I had a general idea as to when I could test and see if I was pregnant. Yesterday was the day, and I used a cheap generic HPT that T.J. bought, and I thought I saw a faint line, but I couldn’t tell. I figured I’d try again this morning with another test and maybe it would be more clear. This morning, same story, I thought I saw a line, but I couldn’t be sure. I had T.J. take a look, he didn’t see anything until he compared it to an unused one, then thought *maybe* he saw a line… but we weren’t sure. I even brought them both into work to ask my coworker, Jen, what she thought. After some research and Googling, Jen decided I needed to use a digital test (and even found me a coupon for one) so we agreed I would buy the digital one and try again in the morning.
That night I had a board meeting for the Boys and Girls Club, which happened to be in the same shopping center as Target, so after the meeting, I went over to Target and purchased the digital pregnancy test. I was going to wait until the next morning, but... I couldn’t. When I got home, I went right into the bathroom and took the test. TJ was working on our new floors, and I didn’t want to tell him that I bought another pregnancy test (we still had a bunch of those less-accurate ones) since he thinks I spend too much money on all "that pregnancy stuff". When I saw the words “PREGNANT” I couldn’t believe it!
We had been trying and we both wanted this baby so badly, but I still couldn’t believe it. My legs got a little weak and I had to sit down as I felt a bit dizzy. For a brief moment (very brief), I considered not telling TJ until we were ready for bed because I really wanted him to finish the floors :) but, of course, I couldn’t even hold in the excitement, so I ran out and shoved the test in his face. He was adorable, so excited, smiling ear to ear, picking me up, hugging and kissing me and rubbing my belly, (even giving himself a “way to go” pat on his back) – it was an amazing moment. Of course the floors didn’t get finished, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
That night I had a board meeting for the Boys and Girls Club, which happened to be in the same shopping center as Target, so after the meeting, I went over to Target and purchased the digital pregnancy test. I was going to wait until the next morning, but... I couldn’t. When I got home, I went right into the bathroom and took the test. TJ was working on our new floors, and I didn’t want to tell him that I bought another pregnancy test (we still had a bunch of those less-accurate ones) since he thinks I spend too much money on all "that pregnancy stuff". When I saw the words “PREGNANT” I couldn’t believe it!
We had been trying and we both wanted this baby so badly, but I still couldn’t believe it. My legs got a little weak and I had to sit down as I felt a bit dizzy. For a brief moment (very brief), I considered not telling TJ until we were ready for bed because I really wanted him to finish the floors :) but, of course, I couldn’t even hold in the excitement, so I ran out and shoved the test in his face. He was adorable, so excited, smiling ear to ear, picking me up, hugging and kissing me and rubbing my belly, (even giving himself a “way to go” pat on his back) – it was an amazing moment. Of course the floors didn’t get finished, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Michael Vick vs. Dog Lovers
Apparently my Facebook status got a few friends of Fido a tad upset, so rather than add to comments, I'll post this up there to make it a bit easier to read. A few things here... first to clarify my position (and the status) - I think what Vick did was cruel, stupid, and barbaric. He rightfully lost (almost) all admiration fans had for him, his set-for-life financial stability, anything resembling the career he once had, and for 19 months, his freedom. The status post was merely a small venting at how overexposed this is; after hearing it on the morning news, sportscenter, talk radio, etc... all day, and hearing some of the over the top responses from members of the general public, my thoughts started to migrate from "so the dumbass is out of jail, good luck with that Mikey" and towards actually feeling a *tiny* bit sorry for the guy. Not for the situation he's put himself in, but for the vengence directed in his direction - and where it should fall on the scale that the general public should feel outrage about. (as an aside, although most of you know how much I love football, I'm not a Mike Vick fan. Never have been. Actually very much *disliked* him as a QB and never had any reason to like Vick the Man, either).
It's really a question of two things:
1. Now that Vick has paid his debt to society, where does that leave him in the future
and
2. Was that debt in proportion to the acts he pled guilty to - i.e. did the crime fit the punishment
I think it was the second part that gets under everyone's skin - that somehow, he's not been punished enough, and vigilante justice is in order. I know this is different from the public opinion, but my thought is that his status as a black NFL quarterback in the South got him more time in the pen than the Average Joe Dogfighter. Did it deserve jail time? Of course it did, Vick and his cohorts were involved in something not only illegal but reprehensibly immoral. Was he made into a very public example and given an overzealous sentance?? Debatable... it's a touchy subject, because so many of us abhor the thought of our dogs in the "care" of Bad Newz Kennels, and that hits close to home. How, though, does Leonard Little go to jail for 16 months less than Michael Vick? Is vehicular homicide really 1/6th the crime that torturing and killing dogs is? At the very least, he's gotten his just due in court and in Leavenworth, much less in the court of public opinion.
The first one is what prompted the post in the first place... since it's being debated ad nauseum in the media. Who knows if he has been "rehabilitated" or not, only time and his sincerity will tell us. Regardless, he's completing his sentance and will be done in a few months and will have to decide how to continue his life and career, either the football one, the construction one, or something else. The man deserves a chance to make amends and to live his life with the opportunity to make things right. If that is in his chosen profession, he should be allowed to do everything possible to begin a productive career and make a difference - assuming he does the necessary things for both the NFL and for himself and his parole. If he chooses not to, it will be evident in short order, and the public floggings can resume. I just don't see how canceling season tickets, blasting any team that would consider signing him, and talking of organizing protests outside stadiums before the guy is even considering (or eligible to) rejoining the NFL is anywhere near rational. He's done (or is doing) his penance. Let's move forward. If there's anything short of full remorse, the opportunity to raise hell will come and come quickly.
Look, I understand this is a sensitve subject for many people - Jen and I lost the dog she had for 13 years just this January, and I know Marijo, Kim, and some others have lost their pets recently too. So the emotion a pet can bring to you can certainly color any judgement of Vick or anyone else in that situation. When it comes down to it though, what is the more productive path - making Vick's life exceedingly and continually difficult by making his NFL comeback a public relations nightmare? Or taking advantage of the media attention that this is attracting, getting Vick and a potential future NFL team/city on board, and making animal cruelty a "pet" project (pun intended) for PETA and some team's charity? Wouldn't Vick make a better spokesperson and feel-good story than as a martyr? Wouldn't the Animal Rights community benefit waaaaay more from Vick the co-champion than by Vick the Warning Sign? Assuming Vick is genuinely remorseful and wants to make amends, there's no way in HELL he doesn't embrace this. His friends are gone. His finances are a mess. He's got no discernable alternate career options to turn to. He'd jump on board and pet Paris Hilton's handbag dog the entire time if that is what it took just to get back to even. Trust me, he's on board. So come on, doggie lovers... talk to your local SPCA or PETA or whatever chapters and get them to explore the idea of a Michael Vick partnership. You can make his life hell, and all that venom won't bring any Bad Newz dogs back. Or you take advantage of a rare and enormous opportunity to appeal to a wider audience than you ever have before (and likely ever will again) and take a fallen hero from the most popular sport in the country and put him at the forefront of your cause. Select the former, and you're certain to negatively affect one life; go with the latter, and who knows how many puppies' lives will be positively affected. From here, it's pretty obvious what the Humane choice is...
It's really a question of two things:
1. Now that Vick has paid his debt to society, where does that leave him in the future
and
2. Was that debt in proportion to the acts he pled guilty to - i.e. did the crime fit the punishment
I think it was the second part that gets under everyone's skin - that somehow, he's not been punished enough, and vigilante justice is in order. I know this is different from the public opinion, but my thought is that his status as a black NFL quarterback in the South got him more time in the pen than the Average Joe Dogfighter. Did it deserve jail time? Of course it did, Vick and his cohorts were involved in something not only illegal but reprehensibly immoral. Was he made into a very public example and given an overzealous sentance?? Debatable... it's a touchy subject, because so many of us abhor the thought of our dogs in the "care" of Bad Newz Kennels, and that hits close to home. How, though, does Leonard Little go to jail for 16 months less than Michael Vick? Is vehicular homicide really 1/6th the crime that torturing and killing dogs is? At the very least, he's gotten his just due in court and in Leavenworth, much less in the court of public opinion.
The first one is what prompted the post in the first place... since it's being debated ad nauseum in the media. Who knows if he has been "rehabilitated" or not, only time and his sincerity will tell us. Regardless, he's completing his sentance and will be done in a few months and will have to decide how to continue his life and career, either the football one, the construction one, or something else. The man deserves a chance to make amends and to live his life with the opportunity to make things right. If that is in his chosen profession, he should be allowed to do everything possible to begin a productive career and make a difference - assuming he does the necessary things for both the NFL and for himself and his parole. If he chooses not to, it will be evident in short order, and the public floggings can resume. I just don't see how canceling season tickets, blasting any team that would consider signing him, and talking of organizing protests outside stadiums before the guy is even considering (or eligible to) rejoining the NFL is anywhere near rational. He's done (or is doing) his penance. Let's move forward. If there's anything short of full remorse, the opportunity to raise hell will come and come quickly.
Look, I understand this is a sensitve subject for many people - Jen and I lost the dog she had for 13 years just this January, and I know Marijo, Kim, and some others have lost their pets recently too. So the emotion a pet can bring to you can certainly color any judgement of Vick or anyone else in that situation. When it comes down to it though, what is the more productive path - making Vick's life exceedingly and continually difficult by making his NFL comeback a public relations nightmare? Or taking advantage of the media attention that this is attracting, getting Vick and a potential future NFL team/city on board, and making animal cruelty a "pet" project (pun intended) for PETA and some team's charity? Wouldn't Vick make a better spokesperson and feel-good story than as a martyr? Wouldn't the Animal Rights community benefit waaaaay more from Vick the co-champion than by Vick the Warning Sign? Assuming Vick is genuinely remorseful and wants to make amends, there's no way in HELL he doesn't embrace this. His friends are gone. His finances are a mess. He's got no discernable alternate career options to turn to. He'd jump on board and pet Paris Hilton's handbag dog the entire time if that is what it took just to get back to even. Trust me, he's on board. So come on, doggie lovers... talk to your local SPCA or PETA or whatever chapters and get them to explore the idea of a Michael Vick partnership. You can make his life hell, and all that venom won't bring any Bad Newz dogs back. Or you take advantage of a rare and enormous opportunity to appeal to a wider audience than you ever have before (and likely ever will again) and take a fallen hero from the most popular sport in the country and put him at the forefront of your cause. Select the former, and you're certain to negatively affect one life; go with the latter, and who knows how many puppies' lives will be positively affected. From here, it's pretty obvious what the Humane choice is...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Baseball Just Won't Be The Same...
It's been covered in great detail and length by both the Philly media , Philly sports blogs , and the national media (ESPN had it as their lead story for the better part of 24 hours, and Jayson Stark gave the nation a glimpse into what Harry meant to us). And if this doesn't give you goosebumps, then you just don't bleed the right color red: http://www.the700level.com/2009/04/the-final-outta-here.html
Like Richie Ashburn and Gene Hart, Harry was an extended part of my life, of every Phillies fan's family. It really wasn't baseball season without hearing his soothing voice calling the games on Philly 57 or over 1210 AM. Heck, Opre and I even paid extra this year just so we could get all the Phillies broadcasters via the mlb.tv package. Yesterday felt like I lost that great uncle that was always in your life (Uncle Mattie comes to mind, except a lot more smiles from Harry). One of the most comforting things since yesterday was reading how much more talented writers than I have been able to verbalize what an entire generation - make that a few generations - of Phillies fans felt about Harry.
The Phillies may not have been very successful for much of my adult life (reality is, they've been more bad then good, or even average, since 1985), but baseball is always baseball, your team will always win its share of games, and each little victory gives a small reason to smile and cheer. If football season is 3 hours of gladiatorial combat preceded by six days of preparation, planning, and hype, baseball is the polar opposite: spanning three celestial seasons from pitchers and catchers to the final "struck 'im ooouuuuut!" in late October, it is the sporting personification of a lazy summer evening on the back deck with a cool drink, shooting the breeze. Harry's reoccurring part as narrator of that annual rite of summer put us fans in the perfect position to appreciate the subtle beauties of the game. Even the silence between pitches - filled only with the sounds of the ballpark, stretches most announcers and/or stadium organists don't give the fans a chance to appreciate - was peaceful, knowing on the other side of that momentary pause, there would be Harry the K, picking up the action at just the right time, with just the right sense of anticipation for the next pitch.
Harry, you'll be missed by every phan who ever tuned into a Phillies game. As many have said, you were the Phillies to millions of Delaware Valley residents, and as one of the many, I'll miss hearing you call every Phils moment, both high and low. My phone ringer, for a very long time, (sorry Jen) will continue to be "The 0-2 pitch... swing and a miss, STRUCK HIM OUT!! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball!!" And I hope I continue to get the same chills that I did just now, listening to that wonderful moment just one more time...
Like Richie Ashburn and Gene Hart, Harry was an extended part of my life, of every Phillies fan's family. It really wasn't baseball season without hearing his soothing voice calling the games on Philly 57 or over 1210 AM. Heck, Opre and I even paid extra this year just so we could get all the Phillies broadcasters via the mlb.tv package. Yesterday felt like I lost that great uncle that was always in your life (Uncle Mattie comes to mind, except a lot more smiles from Harry). One of the most comforting things since yesterday was reading how much more talented writers than I have been able to verbalize what an entire generation - make that a few generations - of Phillies fans felt about Harry.
The Phillies may not have been very successful for much of my adult life (reality is, they've been more bad then good, or even average, since 1985), but baseball is always baseball, your team will always win its share of games, and each little victory gives a small reason to smile and cheer. If football season is 3 hours of gladiatorial combat preceded by six days of preparation, planning, and hype, baseball is the polar opposite: spanning three celestial seasons from pitchers and catchers to the final "struck 'im ooouuuuut!" in late October, it is the sporting personification of a lazy summer evening on the back deck with a cool drink, shooting the breeze. Harry's reoccurring part as narrator of that annual rite of summer put us fans in the perfect position to appreciate the subtle beauties of the game. Even the silence between pitches - filled only with the sounds of the ballpark, stretches most announcers and/or stadium organists don't give the fans a chance to appreciate - was peaceful, knowing on the other side of that momentary pause, there would be Harry the K, picking up the action at just the right time, with just the right sense of anticipation for the next pitch.
Harry, you'll be missed by every phan who ever tuned into a Phillies game. As many have said, you were the Phillies to millions of Delaware Valley residents, and as one of the many, I'll miss hearing you call every Phils moment, both high and low. My phone ringer, for a very long time, (sorry Jen) will continue to be "The 0-2 pitch... swing and a miss, STRUCK HIM OUT!! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball!!" And I hope I continue to get the same chills that I did just now, listening to that wonderful moment just one more time...
Friday, April 10, 2009
Houston
Nothing clever or long on this blog, since it's bedtime here in the heart of Texas. Just random observations about this week's travel to Houston...
- The infrastructure around the city itself is probably the best I've ever seen for a city of any decent size. It's like they knew to have wide roads and plenty of extra space for ramps, HOV lanes, even tolls, way before anyone else. That, or their civil engineering is vastly superior to the rest of the country. Name one large city that doesn't seem to have pretty much outgrown its highways. I'd throw Houston up there as the first one I've ever seen.
- Speaking of tolls, this place has a beltway and a couple of spurs in/out of the city that are pay roads. Put it like this - it's worse than the Garden State Parkway when it comes to the frequency and amount of the tolls. I guess I know how they pay for all those infrastructure improvements.
- I skipped a Springsteen concert to do work and eat Mexican food; weak, I know. I must be getting older and more mature, or something like that. I just had waaaaay too much shit to do this week (channeling my inner Lehman) and I have another chance to go see him in Chicago I think. Besides, it wasn't just Mexican food - this stuff was KILLER. If you're ever down here, do yourself a favor and go to Lupe Tortilla. There's a good chance if I ever lived here I'd be there 3x a week.
- Something about Houston appealed to me... so far it's been the most pleasant surprise of my trips. Truth is, my work travel hasn't been very glamorous... they don't exactly put trash companies in Beverly Hills. Other than the 2nd half of the first week in LA, it's been fairly nondescript, and nothing about Detroit, Dallas (other than the absurd enormity of the new Cowboys Stadium), or LA made me ever think I'd want to live in any of those places. Yes, LA was nice, but all that great weather (ok, so so weather) and beautiful views come with the price of the 2nd biggest city in America and all the negatives that come with it - traffic, crime, an overly frantic pace, and specifically dealing with all the issues of a big city without many of the benefits (like the relative ease in getting around in cities like Philly, Boston, and NYC once you're actually in the city itself). It's like LA is one big sprawling quasi-suburb. Anyways, the point to all this is that Houston seems to have a heck of a lot going for it - plenty of commerce, lots of space, proximity to a shoreline (from downtown Houston to Galveston is actually closer than Philly to AC), good food, seemingly very nice Texas folk... all in all, I saw a lot of good things here, compared to very few drawbacks. I'm not planning on packing up the Jeep anytime soon, but if I ever had to make another move, Houston would definitely be on the "Acceptable Cities" list.
- I had four presentations/training classes this week, and something went wrong in each and every one of them, and all four of them were completely beyond my control. It makes for a frustrating week when planes are delayed, accounts are locked, PCs aren't imaged right, and power cords aren't shipped, but it ended up working out in the end. If that's all I have to complain about (it's not, but still) then things really aren't that bad at all.
- Not Houston related but I've been an uncle for all of 7 days now and love it. This is like all the benefits of having a child you love and care about, without the actual responsibility of caring for said child on a consistent basis. I like it. Go ahead J&T, have another!!
- There's probably more but I am tired and need to hit bed, so until I remember something else, that's all for now - off to Orlando, then Indian Rocks Beach, and FINALLY back to Ft. Lauderdale after a(nother) ten day hiatus.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
More Tyler Jason
Spent a great weekend up in NJ with the newest parents of the Sharpe family and their little addition. Due to Southwest f*cking up our standby list and some lousy weather up north, we ended up missing the visitor hours at the hospital on Friday night, but got plenty of time with the little guy, and Trace and Jay. We got two trips to West Jersey Hospital, and still managed to give them some time alone Saturday night. (Conveniently, the end of visiting hours happened to coincide with the beginning of the Nova-UNC game) So two trips to see baby Tyler, along with Sean, Lis, and their kids coming by for the game, gave Jen and I quite a "preview of coming attractions"... when the attractions come is still TBD, although if the inquirey level of the thre F's (family, friends, and Facebook) played any part, it would be soon. It was really special to be with Jay and Trace, watching them take care of their little swaddled package, feeding him, cuddling, even doing the glamourless stuff like burpng and changing diapers. Jason's done a great job taking care of Ty while Tracey is resting up - her labor and delivery lasted pretty long and took a lot out of her (literally!) so he's done a great job of being Mr. Mom for the first few days. They are home now, they got home on Sunday afternoon, and everything at their house is set up. Jen and I are both pretty excited to be Aunt Jen and Uncle T.J., and are already looking forward to our next trip up there. He's pretty adorable, even taking out my Godfather bias. It was definetly tough to leave the little bugger.
Nova got killed but UNC was a beast, so I feel less lousy about it now after they dismantled Michigan State. The thing was they got within 5 in the second half... "what if" they hadn't missed all those freaking 3's, etc... Ahh what can you do - thanks for the run Scottie, Dante, and Co. It was worth it. The Phils on the other hand had the magic of the 2008 WFC last all of a few at bats on Sunday. Not to worry... there's plenty of time to give the Mets time to pad this year's September collapse. 
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Penn State, Nova and Tyler too!
Big start to this spring... we're 12 days in and it's already been a great season. Penn State just went on a wild ride to win the NIT and beat those pesky Gators of Florida along the way. Hard to really celebrate the NIT championship, it's like pulling the Community Chest card and winning $10. Still, it's a championship in hoops for my favorite football school, so we got that going for us... which is nice.Bigger story, the upstart Wildcats of Villanova making a run to the Final Four. They had a solid chance before the brackets were announced to make a run, but the initial reaction to their Road to Detroit was "Damn, that's gonna be tough". American (which had them down by double digits with 8 minutes left), then UCLA (which had been to the past several Final Fours), then Duke (OVER-RAT-ED!!) and finally the Pink Panthers of Pitt. It was the most difficult path taken by one of the last four teams standing, and that combination of tough opponents and buzzer-beating heroics will help them this weekend.
Remember a few years ago when the refs ROBBED Nova from a chance for the sweet 16 upset? Also remember that they've lost to the eventual national champions in three of the past four years in the tourney (Kansas, Florida, and UNC), and the current core players have played in at least 2 of those games. This team was ready for the run to Detroit, and they are more than capable of toppling the most talented team in the country. Carolina may have the better talent and more pro prospects, but that doesn't mean they are the best team. Just ask Patrick Ewing.
BUT... the big story on Action News this April 2nd is that, after a day and change in the hospital, a night of dilating and pushing, and an lunchtime c-section, Tracey and Jason are the proud parents of a healthy 20.5 in, 7.7 lbs baby boy!!! Tyler Jason Sharpe made his way into the world this afternoon (sometime before 1:36pm) and everyone is very excited he's here - especially a tuckered out Mommy and Daddy. "Uncle T.J. and Aunt Jen" can't wait to get to Philly tomorrow evening to see the little bugger, he's adorably cute (of course he is, he's my nephew!!). There's going to be PLENTY more Tyler updates, any time another "T.J. Sharpe" can grace the world with his presence, it really needs to be documented for future generations. :) More on this little guy after a weekend in Cherry Hill, Jen and I can't WAIT to see him!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
(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...
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...
Friday, March 6, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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. :)
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. :)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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?"
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…
Friday, January 23, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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.
Friday, December 19, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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
Sunday, December 7, 2008
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...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
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!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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.)
(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.)
Monday, October 27, 2008
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/)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
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...
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...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
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...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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
LET'S GO PHILLIES!!!!
P.S. Joe Buck is a complete jerkoff - I hope he gets hit by a bus... no, this bus...
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