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This is an archive collection of entries from  my main personal blog, My Mundane Mid-Life.

This collection of entries is from May 2002.

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Friday, May 31, 2002

Wolves 4 - Sound Tigers 2

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Bridgeport Sound Tigers Pregame fireworks during the video presentation Player introductions before the game Wayne & Kathy sing the National Anthem The crowd goes nuts to help energize the boys Bob gives high fives to the crowd as it erupts after the final empty net goal
Back for Game 4 at the Allstate Arena. Bridgeport scored first tonight, and it was just a real flat game. A lot of tickey-tackey penalties. It just was going back and forth, pretty evenly - it was 1-1 after the 1st, 2-2 after the second. Then things started getting turned up a bit. The crowd was loud, up from 5,022 Thursday to 9,115 tonight. Rick DiPietro showed that he hasn't been going to his "Wandering Goalies Anonymous" meetings. Somehow, the kid thinks he need to play every puck that comes near him. We just need to remember that - and I think we do - to see how we can capitalize on it. Brad Tapper tipped in a slapshot from the high slot by Dallas Eakins. Andreas Karlsson had an empty netter that he struggled to get working over a Bridgeport defender, and actually got kicked by Ricky, who was sitting on the wall and not on the bench. Pasi Nurminen saved 29 of 31 shots while Ricky only saved 14 of 17 shots. We lead 3-1 in the series and actually have a possibility of winning the Calder Cup at home on Monday! How unlike me - a bit too optimistic, but it'd be pretty cool.
(Boxscore)

posted at 10:43 PM | Link | Wolves § |
No Friday 5

The Friday Five
Time for the Friday Five... except they're taking another break this week, so I guess we'll take one, too.

posted at 07:50 AM | Link | Friday Five § |

Thursday, May 30, 2002

Wolves 4 - Sound Tigers 0

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Bridgeport Sound Tigers Commemorative Calder Cup puck John and Carol with her signs, and Carol behind them The Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the pre-game shoot-around Looks like they turned-up the propane for the player introductions... Presentation of the Western Conference Champion Robert W. Clarke Trophy before the game
What a game - what a game - what a game! Back again at the Allstate Arena, this time for the third game of the AHL Calder Cup Finals. I'm still in shock that the Wolves are actually playing for the cup. The series is tied 1-1. I was hoping that the team can really take it to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (and what the hell is a Sound Tiger? The logo says Sound Tigers and not Tigers). I really wanted to see the team stick it to "Ricky". Ricky is Rick DiPietro that I talked about last week. As much as I thought Jean-Francois Labbe, the goalie for Syracuse Crunch was nuts, I think Ricky is just a punk kid whose ego is much larger than his current ability. Well, we got to him all right. He was making mistakes all night. Once, he went behind the net and half-nelson'ed one of our players, so he got a penalty for interference. Later, while there was a "fire drill" (Judd Sirott's words) in front of his net, Ricky was swimming and flopping around on the ice. He turned his back to the play to try to get up and yep, we scored on him. Later on in frustration, to clear the puck out of the zone, he threw it up in the air and took a full swing at it to send it down the ice - just a real cocky move. So we stuck it to them - the Wolves won 4-0. How sweet - we had a shutout, and we were able to score 4 times on Ricky. Aw, poor Ricky. Pasi Nurminen stopped all 28 shots (Ricky stopped 19 of 23). The crowd, though not as big I would have wished, was loud, and I know that helped the team (they've made a lot of comments in the press about wanting to play at home and having loud and involved fans. Guess we did our job tonight. I hope we can keep this up. (Boxscore)

posted at 10:19 PM | Link | Wolves § |
I gots me insurance

It's now just days from my one year anniversary of being unemployed. We got a letter today from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois finally saying that I am now covered under Carol's health insurance. You have no idea what it's like to have high blood pressure, knowing that you're not covered under any health insurance policy. What a load off my shoulders. And you know what? I actually feel better. Weird. Now I need to make a doctors appointment and get some tests run and get myself back on the road to good health. Whew. Update: Tuesday at 10am. Cool.

posted at 03:34 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Another helping

The Osbournes
It's official - they're baaa-aaack!!! The Osbournes will be back for a second season of 20 episodes to begin in fall! Now, to add a different spin, the show is going to follow the family on the Ozzfest tour, MTV plans a live episode or two, which I just can't imagine how they're going to pull this off. There's also a possibility of MTV picking them up for a third season, if the new season goes well.

posted at 10:38 AM | Link | Reality TV § |
The recovery is over

It's all over at Ground Zero. At the World Trade Center recovery site at 10:29 this morning - the time that the North Tower collapsed 37 weeks ago, there was this very solemn ceremony to mark the closing of the site. The closing of the site also marks another item - there are over 1,700 people that have not been found. Rescue workers carried an empty stretcher with an American Flag draped inside to signify those that are missing, walking it out up the main ramp from the site, with ranks of Fire & Police at attention, as they had done so many times before to a waiting ambulance. The last girder that remained at the site was cut down Tuesday night, put on a flatbed truck, draped in black and an American Flag. It was then driven up that ramp to signify the end of the recovery. Taps was played. Helicopters flew in formation over the site. No speeches. A pipe and drum corps played God Bless America as the Police ranks left the site. And then it's over. But we can't forget.

posted at 09:59 AM | Link | Current Events § |

Wednesday, May 29, 2002

48 Years

Michael & Lottie - May 29, 1954 Lottie & Michael - May 29, 1954 Michael & Lottie - May 29, 1954
Back in 1954, Michael and Lottie got married. 48 years later, they're still married, still alive, and still great parents. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad! (even though, I know you don't have a computer and have no idea that this blog even exists) Happy Anniversary anyway! And here's to more anniversaries together!

posted at 12:51 PM | Link | Family § |
Bio-Blog

Great article about the birth of the "Blogosphere" and the concept of a biological Media Ecosystem at Microcontinent News. Never thought of this: "blogger : journalist :: tick : sheep" (from Doc Weevil). Then there's the Corporate Web Log... and the possibility of making a living from blogging and the "intersection" of Wi-Fi (802.11 wireless Ethernet) and Weblogs as a "disruptive technology".

posted at 08:34 AM | Link | Blogging § |
Satellites

Can't sleep - don't know why. Was rolling around in bed, turned on the TV. Saw that DirecTV added a channel just to hawk XM Radio. I see the connection, but a channel devoted to just that?

posted at 05:04 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

The Mole 2 - Episode 1 & 2

The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal
Ah, The Mole 2 is back on the air. Hopefully this time ABC programming will get this right. Did you know that they haven't paid anyone on the cast, even though it was shot last summer? The two episodes tonight were originally broadcast last fall, so there were no surprises tonight. First executed was Bob and then fellow Chicagoan Ali. There's another double episode night next Tuesday (we've seen the first of the two next week before ABC pulled the show last fall). The group added $60,000 to the bank in the first episode (out of a possible $100,000 - the Burn The Bags event could have won them $40,000). In the second Episode, the team won $18,000 out of $20,000 for the "Lotto Clothing" event. Unfortunately, they lost $20,000 playing Blackjack, and then were fined $2,000 for Katie and Darwin breaking the rules for being out of their rooms - part of the "Blueberry Game". The bank is now at $56,000.

posted at 09:17 PM | Link | The Mole § |

Monday, May 27, 2002

White Sox 6 - Yankees 10

Chicago White Sox New York Yankees Tonight's Promotion: Mousepads from Patria Partners A pre-game tribute to Robin Ventura on the JumboTron Part of ground's crew pause to watch the tribute to Robin Ventura The sun lights up the top of the scoreboard before sunset Is the upper deck too steep? Try walking up 30 rows to your seat! Tonight's winner - Green Frog (sure wasn't the Sox...)
Went to Comiskey today. We suck. The Yankees beat us 10-6 (hey... this is sounding familiar...) OK, let's talk about the positive side of the night - there was a tribute to former White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura (it was his first trip back to Comiskey since 1998 - he's been in the National League playing for the Mets, and this year he plays for the Yankees). Everyone gave him a standing "o" and he came out to acknowledge the crowd. It was great. Oh, and Frank Thomas celebrated his 34th Birthday.

OK, let's talk about the bad side of the evening. We get there an hour & a half before the game - normally enough time. Tonight, the parking lots are full. Tonight's attendance - 43,781. We're not used to people actually being at the park! And the inflation in the attendance was all due to Yankee fans. Not just Yankee fans, those goddam sombitch arrogant friggin' big-mouthed Yankee fans. I hated every single one of those bastards. It's one thing to root for your team, it's another thing to antagonize the people around you, the friggin' bastards. Another way to tell that the increase in attendance wasn't due to White Sox fans? They were doin' the friggin' wave in the upper deck!!! You don't go to a damn baseball game in Chicago (even on the North Side) and do the friggin' wave!!!!!!!! Fights? Oh, sure. I saw a lot of people getting hauled out of the park - something we don't normally see. Screw you, you damn Yankee fans. Get the hell out our ballpark... Oh, and Carol almost attacked some blonde bimbo that was sitting behind us, but that's another story. She did lose it, though. I was a bit concerned. Anyway, Danny Wright gave up 6 runs on 5 hits in the first inning on 39 pitches. That was the game - if it wasn't for the first inning, the outcome would have been different. Jose Valentin twisted his ankle on a grounds crew hose when going after a foul ball. He's day-to-day now. The guy that's bothering me right now is Magglio Ordonez. He's not base running well - he seems to be giving up on double-play balls, making no attempt to get to first (in case someone bobbles the ball, which happened tonight) or at least attempt to take out the shortstop/second baseman. I don't know, it just doesn't feel right. Anyway, we were glad to get the hell out of Comiskey tonight.

posted at 11:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, May 26, 2002

White Sox 2 - Tigers 9

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers
Went to Comiskey today. We suck. The Tigers beat us 9-2. Here's a stat for you - the Sox haven't won a day game in the month of May. Weird, huh? OK, starter Todd Ritchie got hit in the face in the first inning and I think it effected him. Of course, they left him in for 3 1/3 and he gave up 6 runs. The damage was done. In the seventh, Kelly Wunsch got hit on his throwing hand by a batted ball, and tried to throw to Ray Durham for a double play - and all he could do is sort of roll the ball to him.

Today's Promotion: Fuji Film Photo Day Field "credential" for Photo Day (and a free Calling Card) 400 feet to straight away center... People lining up on the warning track, waiting for the players
Best part of the day was before the game. It was the annual Fuji Film Photo Day, where the first 2,500 fans (I was one of 'em) were allowed on the field to take pictures of the players. Always a cool time getting up close and personal. Even better: Blue skies, sunny, temperature in the 70's - FINALLY!!!

posted at 11:03 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, May 25, 2002

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

The Century Evanston 12 Time to get the tickets... Mmmm... concessions... Carol. Buffy & Barry chat before the flick Opening credits for Spider-Man... no, really... hey, it was dark, OK? Barry, Buffy & Carol Mickey all sacked-out...
The Sox play the Detroit Tigers today - but we're not going. We gave our tickets away because we wanted to see our friends Barry & Buffy. (We're going to see enough of Detroit this year - we've seen them one weekend already, we'll see them tomorrow, and we're flying to Detroit to watch the game on July 14th - long story. Sox win tonight 6-4.) So we drove into the city, into Wrigleyville to go pick them up. We drove to Evanston to go to the Evanston Century 12 theaters to see Spider-Man. Nice theaters - we've never been there before. It's a nice complex and nice area. The movie was good - good action, just the right amount of "campiness" for a superhero picture. HATED the ending. And you had to stay until the end of the end credits to hear the old Spiderman theme song (I was hoping somebody would re-make it). We drove back to their house to have a nice steak dinner and great conversation. We wound up watching another movie on PPV - Bandits. We enjoyed that movie more than I thought we would.

posted at 10:34 PM | Link | Movies § |
Unofficial Start of Summer

Yech, what an ugly Saturday morning - rain and dark. Yesterday, the sun was out - and Wind Chill's in the 30's. It's Memorial Day weekend and we're measuring Wind Chill? Crappy weather. I'm getting tired of this. Isn't this supposed to be the "unofficial start of summer"?

posted at 09:19 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Friday, May 24, 2002

Wolves 5 - Sound Tigers 4

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Bridgeport Sound Tigers
The Wolves won 5-4 against Bridgeport in overtime in Game 1 of the Calder Cup finals. Really tense game. Was all tied 3-3 in the third when the Tigers got a goal with 1:43 left. I thought it was over, when Bob Nardella scored with 2.7 seconds left in the game. Then in overtime, at around the 10:30 mark, the lights went out in the place. I never heard a reason, but they must have been out at least 20 minutes. Anyway, Andreas Karlsson got the game winner. Bridgeport is finally a team that can really take the Wolves to task. It's a good matchup. Should be a fun series.

posted at 11:04 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Suicide bombers

I saw this over at 2Hats and, boy, I don't see a problem with signing this at all. I would love to see this debated.

To: Government of Australia

Calling on the humanitarian ideals of the People of Australia as represented by the government.

That the government of Australia act immediately to bring on a debate at the United Nations to declare clearly and unequivocally that the practice of suicide bombing is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. This crime and its promoters, organisers and supporters are guilty of a crime which has been committed against the perpetrator (who has been indoctrinated) as well as the victims of the crime.
Further, that there is no moral, religious, or political justification for this crime and that the results constitute genocide.
The criminals should be prosecuted and punished by the international courts of justice.

If you're interested, you can sign here.

posted at 12:21 PM | Link | Current Events § |
Friday 5 - Dreams

The Friday Five
Time for the Friday Five...
1. What's the last vivid dream that you remember having? Wow... dreams. I know I have them, but my memory of them seems to vanish pretty quickly lately (I don't know why - I remember being able to recall dreams with greater detail. Now, I just know that I dreamed and I'm not sure where I was or what I was doing.) I can almost feel the dream fade as I try to remember them in the morning. Very ethereal. Damn. This is going to turn out being another boring Friday Five. Last week it was hair - which I'm losing, this week it's dreams, of which I don't remember. Great.
2. Do you have any recurring dreams? No. No recollection of anything repeating recently.
3. What's the scariest nightmare you've ever had? It's been years, perhaps decades since I had a nightmare. I don't recall what it would have been.
4. Have you ever written your dreams down or considered it? Why or why not? The closest I've come is trying to write a blog entry after I had woke up. Not very effective (see #1).
5. Have you ever had a lucid dream? What did you do in it? Hmmm... I don't recall being lucid while dreaming. No, I take that back... I remember lucid dreaming once, remembering that it was pretty cool and sort of third-person-ish, but beats me what was going on. (Is that weird, or what?)

posted at 12:00 AM | Link | Friday Five § |

Thursday, May 23, 2002

Just crap

The flipside of blogging are the assholes out there. Yes, they're there. I'm fortunate, because no one reads my blog. My traffic is pitifully low, which I totally accept. Hey, I know my life is boring - I live it every friggin' day. So, I get my joys in life from my family, my friends, our hobbies and sports teams, and even our little "girl" - Indy, our rabbit. Now what would make a guy call my Bunnies! webpage "bunny porn"? Or even say "People really do post some shite on their weblogs" when there is absolute crap on theirs.

Perhaps this is just another aspect of blogging - whatever "I" do is cool and whatever "you" do is crap. Though, quite frankly, I wouldn't just go out and talk trash about somebody's personal website - I'd rather say nothing (sort of like when you were younger and your mom would tell you "If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything at all.") Well, tough. Screw you Adam Currie.

posted at 10:12 PM | Link | Blogging § |
In Passing...

I saw this in Erin's blog and I had to go check it out. It's the blog I always wanted to do - In Passing... There's been so many times where you just overhear snippets of conversations that are just odd, strange, hysterical, shocking. Why not commit them to a blog?

posted at 05:13 PM | Link | Blogging § |

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Calder Cup Finals

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Bridgeport Sound Tigers
The Calder Cup finals have been set - the Wolves will play the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Now, here's there's a couple of weird things about this. This is their first year in existence. Though the Wolves started playing in 1994, it's the first year in this league. Their Goalie - Rick DiPietro - played for the Wolves last year (he was really young - he turns 21 this September - and there were a few times he was shaky with us). I can't wait to see Pasi go against Ricky.

posted at 09:12 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Good luck, Rosie

It's the Rosie O'Donnell Show...
Well, Rosie's last show was today. Look, I know a lot of people don't like her. I'm on the other side - I thought she was great, and I don't think I've seen a celebrity over the past six years do what she's done for kids and adoption. No one could touch her. I'm just hoping that she'll be able to keep up her philanthropic endeavors when she doesn't have a daily public outlet like her talk show. Good luck, Rosie. I'm going to miss seeing you every day.

posted at 03:06 PM | Link | TV § |
Lunch and planes

Time for a Chinese buffet lunch...
I went out to lunch with my bud, Barry. We went to a Chinese buffet and just sat around and talked for a while. Actually, we mostly talked about Barry doing a financial system upgrade at where he works. It was weird - I really enjoyed talking about it. It's the first time in almost a year where it felt good talking about typical corporate IT things. I know, it's petty, but it felt good! We'll be going over to their place on Saturday, hopefully to sit outside and barbecue something.

After lunch, since I had passed it to and from the buffet, I ducked into the Allstate Arena parking lot to watch some airplanes land at O'Hare. It's something I haven't done in a long, long time, and it's just one of those things that I enjoy. I wish I had my scanner with me.

A playoff banner on the Allstate Arena An American MD-80 flying over the top of the Allstate Arena on approach for 22R at O'Hare A United 777 flying over the top of the Allstate Arena on approach for 22R at O'Hare
First thing I noticed was the banner that's still on the building for the Chicago Wolves. It's a banner advertising that "The Playoffs Are Here". Well, they've been using the banner for a few years, and that's when I realized that, well, things have changed. The Wolves are now in the AHL, not the defunct IHL. The banner depicts the IHL Turner Cup, not the AHL Calder Cup. I guess they didn't want to spend the money, and/or they didn't think they'd be in the finals. I watched a couple of arrivals. I wanted to get a picture or two to show you how close the aircraft come over the top of the building.

The ORD Store in the O'Hare Hilton Part of the wall of plane models at the ORD Store A model of a National Airlines 757-200 The assembled National model Part of my aircraft collection
I drove around the airport some more, watching the air traffic. I just love watching the planes. I don't know why. I've done it since I was a kid. O'Hare has a great diversity of aircraft and airlines, so it's always interesting watching the traffic. Then I remembered this store that's in the O'Hare Hilton that I love and haven't been to in a few years. I was looking for a model airplane to add to my collection - a National 757-200 - Our Favorite Airline to Las Vegas™. So I went to the airport, parked in the garage, and took the elevator down to the underground terminal level. The ORD Chicago Store is on this level, underneath the Hilton, near Elevator Center 4. I browsed around a bit, looking at all the aircraft. The last time I was here, National wasn't flying to O'Hare and they didn't have the model. Now they did, so I paid for it, walked around a bit more, and went back to the car and went home, where I promptly put it together and added it to my collection.

This was a weird afternoon. I was doing stuff as if I was decades younger, and I felt good.

posted at 02:00 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Boring

Damn. I've always thought my life is boring, being unemployed and all. It's bad enough that I say it, but now I've got another blogger saying that I'm more boring than him. Great. My life is whole. Gee.

posted at 07:23 PM | Link | Blogging § |
Summer of the Shark

So apparently, last summer's "Summer of the Shark" was just a media frenzy. Here's a great stat for you: In a typical year, 10 people are killed by sharks worldwide. During the same year, 150 people are killed by falling coconuts. I don't seem to recall seeing the "Summer of the Coconut" media coverage...

posted at 06:11 PM | Link | Current Events § |
Alerts

Great, here we go again - an alert that there could be possible terrorist attacks against New York city landmarks. Great. Those damn people know how to push our buttons now, and they're just twitchin' on them. What can we do? Be vigilant. Stop these bastards. Watch what goes on around you. Be aware - just don't move through your day in a haze. We all have to do this so we don't have to endure again what they did to us.

posted at 05:45 PM | Link | Current Events § |
CT Results

Loyola University Health System Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center Clinic A Waiting Area
Today was the day that I took my parents back to Loyola to see Dr. Emami about the results of Dad's CT Scan that he had last week, to see how the radiation treatments went. The 3:00 appointment slowly turned into the 4:00 appointment. Dad, who at the ripe old age of 88, doesn't like waiting at all and it was aggravating him. When we finally got in, we found out his blood pressure was 160/92 - not good. He worked himself up pretty well. He says that the reason why it's so late is because there is bad news. I try to settle him a bit and say we don't know that. And you know what? We don't We have no idea if the radiation did anything.

Dr Emami comes in and looks at the report. He says the major tumor in the throat has been reduced by amount one half, and that all of the others have been reduced as well. Not only that, but there's no new growths in the radiation area, and that the tumors can actually reduce in size a bit more over the coming weeks or remain stable. This is good - the radiation treatments have achieved about 70-80% of what we were hoping for. OK, now for the bad news - "there are several new growths in the right upper lobe and right middle lobe" of his lung. Dad needs to see Dr. Clark for a consultation to see what can be done, if anything. Dr. Clark is both an Oncologist and internist and he should be able to figure out how to proceed. Makes sense - we're past radiation treatments (the growths are too scattered and radiation can't be done - it would probably "knock out the lung before knocking out the tumors").

All in all, a mixed bag. I feel good about the radiation treatments. I guess it's a matter about those other pesky growths. We'll find out a little more next month when we see Dr. Clark. On the drive home, we feel a little better. I know Dad can't handle chemo - that would be really hard on him at 88. I know he won't agree to it. But we need to find out options and figure out what's happening. Hopefully, we won't think about it until next month. In the meantime, Dad & Mom seem to feel better, and though it may be a bit misguided, I feel good that they feel good. It'll help them through the next month.

Westbound Northwest Tollway in the new temporary "Express Lane"
The drive home is a mess. I haven't driven in rush hour traffic in a year and I don't miss it a bit. I made a mistake on the way home. I took the Northwest Tollway. That wasn't the mistake. I took this new temporary express lane that has no exits until 53 in Schaumburg. It's a single lane with no shoulders. As I was standing still in the express lane looking over at the free-flowing traffic in the "local" lanes, I'm wondering why I did this. I won't do that again. It's nice having multiple lanes just in case some LAC (Law Abiding Citizen) is just moving a bit too slow. Sheesh.

posted at 05:39 PM | Link | Family § |
A little cool

The weather today and yesterday has looked terrific. The operative word there is looked. The skies are blue, the sun bright and strong, the wind - not bad at all. The problem - it's too damn cold! Average temperature this time of year is supposed to be in the low 70's. It hasn't been there since last week. In fact, it was a record low 31° this morning. I can't take this. We go to Comiskey on the weekend again, and it's supposed to be cold again. I'm tired of this. Why can't we have normal temps??? That's all, just normal. This is May!

posted at 11:49 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Monday, May 20, 2002

New AIBO's

Oooo... Sony has new AIBO's coming out, including a cheaper version (even cheaper than the Latte and Macaron versions).

posted at 01:36 PM | Link | Geek § |

Sunday, May 19, 2002

Survivor Marquesas - Episode 13

Survivor Marquesas
THE SOLE SURVIVOR - Vecepia Towery. Whew. Well, I leave watching Survivor: Marquesas unfulfilled. I don't know what it is. I think it's because I wasn't fond of either of the finalists. Sorry. After Paschal and Kathy were gone, quite frankly I didn't give a damn. And speaking of Paschal, isn't this the first time that someone on Survivor was kicked out based on random chance? Man, I felt sick about that - here's a guy that wasn't even "in play" at Tribal Council and he gets booted because he picks a purple rock instead of a yellow rock. And no one had ever voted for him at other Tribal Councils. A sad way to go. HOWEVER, in retrospect, would he have been able to go on and compete? If he fainted from severe dehydration after he was out, what would have happened if he was still playing? A quick couple of notes about the Live reunion show in Central Park: I hate the helicopter bit. They've done that before with Australia, and well, let's face it, we all know that Jeff doesn't fly from the South Pacific to New York via helicopter. Neleh cleaned-up really well, and Kathy looked great as well (and it was nice to see Paschal with a little more weight on his frame). Oh, and SO LONG BRYANT GUMBLE - YOU WON'T BE MISSED. The Reunion show had a totally different vibe now that he is no longer with the network. And it was good that a fan of the Show - Rosie O'Donnell - hosted. She was natural in the role, and she handled it well without going overboard.

Survivor Thailand is next. The advance crew is already there. Shooting is scheduled for the summer monsoon season. Check out Survivor Maps for a map of the island (as well as maps of the other Survivor locations).

posted at 10:11 PM | Link | Survivor § |
Wolves 7 - Aeros 0

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Houston Aeros Wendell Young's banner at the Allstate Arena Wayne and Kathy Messmer sing the National Anthem Handshakes after the game
The Chicago Wolves win the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as the AHL's Western Conference champions for 2001-02! For the third time in Four Years, the Wolves are playing for a championship cup. The Wolves won 7-0 over the Aeros. Pasi Nurminen in unbelievable. I can't stop talking about how much this guy works. And a shutout on top of it. In the third period, the Aeros were trying to score at all costs. When on a power play, they pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 attack, and came out with nothing. In fact, they played over half the period without a goalie just to get something. The team is playing like a team, considering that during the course of the season there were over 100 transactions sending guys up and down (or out). It's been a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

posted at 05:31 PM | Link | Wolves § |

Saturday, May 18, 2002

White Sox 10 - Angels 4

Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels Anaheim Angels taking Batting Practice Our Season Ticket Holder buddy Victor warming up in the Stadium Club Field of Dreams characters emerge from the smoke... Today's Promotion: Field of Dreams Fireworks sponsored by ComEd
So it's, what, May 18? It's 48° at game time tonight. Mother Nature is screwing us yet again. Carol and I go to the park and head directly for the Stadium Club and get seats on the rail (not on the glass, but great seats anyway). This is why we spend the money for the Stadium Club - for shelter from cold, rain, and excessive heat. Around the 5th inning I take a trip downstairs and get our buddy Victor (otherwise known as The Diz on WGCI 107.5 FM) (who sits next to us) and Jeff & his date (who sit next to Victor) and rescue them from the cold with the warmth of the Stadium Club. As far as the game, well, Frank Thomas had two home runs, Paul Konerko and Jose Valentin each had a home run as the Sox win 10-4 over the Angels. Pitching was scary again. Gary Glover got the win. Kelly Wunsch made his first appearance after missing almost a year with arm surgery. He faced 3 batters and only threw 9 pitches with one walk and one hit. Rocky Biddle, Damaso Marte, Antonio Osuna and finally Bob Howry all pitched. Sounds and feels a bit excessive.

posted at 10:29 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, May 17, 2002

Wolves 2 - Aeros 1

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Houston Aeros Enemy fans all around the rink... Another night of 5,000 pairs of ThunderStix...
I really don't know how Pasi Nurminen keeps doing it! The Wolves won 2-1 of the Houston Aeros and now lead the series 3-1. Officiating - crap, as usual for the AHL. Very uneven all season. Tonight, just 1:34 into the first period, Dan Snyder got mauled at center ice behind the play. Referee didn't see it. So Danny goes back, puts his stick between the aggressors' legs, and yanks straight up. Guy hits the ice. Referee didn't see it, but a linesman does. Danny gets a Five Minute Spearing penalty along with a game misconduct, because they think it was with intent to injure. Great, there goes one of out leading scorers, whose scored game winning goals in 4 playoff games. Somehow, we still survive. Pasi stopped 34 shots, and the one he didn't was a weird wrap-around where Pasi was down on the ice on the other side. Just looked weird. Finally had 7,035 people instead of the usual 2,000.

posted at 10:46 PM | Link | White Sox § |
12.4

Carol just got home, and she's all excited - she lost another 2.6 pounds at Weight Watchers this week, for a total of 12.4. Now, of course, she wants to go out and eat...

posted at 04:55 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday 5 - Hair Care

The Friday Five
Time for the return of The Friday Five...
1. What shampoo do you use? Oh, no... this is a bad group of questions. OK, look, before I go on, there's something you have to know - I'm going bald. In fact, I'm well on my way, and the finish line is right around the corner. OK? So having said that, questions about hair & hair products are a bit of a "sensitive" issue... Alright, my answer is Head and Shoulders Intensive Treatment. Crap, it's bad enough to lose your hair, but to have dandruff on top of it, sheesh...
2. Do you use conditioner? What kind? Umm, no. No conditioner.
3. When was the last time you got your hair cut? I don't get it cut very often, maybe about four to six times a year. The last one was about a month ago... I think
4. What styling products do you use? Styling products? Who are you kidding????
5. What's your worst hair-related experience? Oh, you mean other than losing it??? I think that has to be the worst experience - watching the hair - follicle by follicle - turn kind of stiff a crooked and then just falling away. Yeah, that's it.

And to think I was looking forward for the return of the Friday Five!!!

posted at 12:01 AM | Link | Friday Five § |

Thursday, May 16, 2002

Survivor Marquesas - Episode 12

Survivor Marquesas
"A Tale of Two Cities"
Well, it took a while, but Sean Rector is finally out of the island, in what had to have been the best Tribal Council yet from all 4 Survivor series. That was the most tense, most aggressive, most acrimonious council. And up to the Tribal Council, I still had no idea how it was going to swing. After Kathy got immunity, I didn't know how it would go. I thought Neleh was definitely a good candidate (it would have broken-up the Paschal/Neleh alliance (if Kathy would just recognize that), but then I thought Paschal was a bit too vocal during the episode, which is usually a death knell for the person. I think Sean sealed his fate at Tribal Council with his speech/argument/tirade (though Paschal didn't come off well help either). And I have no idea what going to happen to Vecepia - she's just flying under the radar so well, who knows?

posted at 08:09 PM | Link | Survivor § |
CT Scan Chauffeur™ duty

Well, it wasn't Radiation Therapy Chauffeur™ duty, but it was CT Scan Chauffeur™ duty instead. Dad had to go back to Loyola for a CT Scan, now that it's been about 5-6 weeks after his last radiation treatment. They have an appointment next week to meet with the doctors to discuss how the treatment went. It was interesting just driving back to Loyola again because everything is green now. Before, it was snowing, even though it was April. Dad seems to be doing OK. I mean, he's 88 and every day he's still around is a blessing, so your view on how well he's doing seems to be colored by age. That and the fact that he has cancer. By the time we had got back from the hospital, it started raining again. It's been raining hard for a while now - the trip back home on the construction-laden Northwest Tollway in heavy rain was a chore, but at least traffic was moving at (over) the limit.

posted at 11:46 AM | Link | Family § |

Wednesday, May 15, 2002

Amazing Race 2 - Episode 12 & 13

Amazing Race 2
"Follow That Plane!"
Wooooo Hooooo!!! Tara & Wil did not win!!! THE WINNERS: Chris & Alex - Team Boston! I was pulling for Blake & Paige, but they finished third. A perfect example of karma: Wil, while in Maui, throws out the next clue for their trip to Anchorage, which means Wil, who has been screwing-over the other teams throughout the race, has to ask for help, and, gee, what happens? Everyone refuses. It still was an extremely close race considering it went around the world! And what is it about The Amazing Race where the separated couple who live/have roots in the final destination, finish in second?

posted at 10:14 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wolves 4 - Aeros 1

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Houston Aeros Right Wing Dan Plante and daughter Sidney hanging out before the game Aw, crap... first 5,000 people got Thunderstix... where's the Excedrin...
Here we go again... Back again at the Allstate Arena, this time for the third game of the AHL Western Conference Finals. I'll be honest with you, and I think I've alluded to this a few times before, I am very surprised at being here. I didn't think a seventh seed team, that wasn't playing well, would make it this far in the playoffs. This is a best-of-seven series against our old IHL nemesis - the Houston Aeros. How much of a nemesis? In the old IHL, Chicago won the Turner Cup in 1998. Houston won it in 1999. Chicago won again in 2000 (after beating Houston in the Conference Final), and as far as 2001 is concerned - well, we lost the Turner Cup to the Orlando Solar Bears. But, the Solar Bears disbanded and did not make it into the AHL. However, The Solar Bears NHL affiliate was the Atlanta Thrashers - the new affiliate for the Wolves this year, so we have a few players from that Turner Cup team as well (like Turner Cup winning goaltender Norm Maracle, Dan Snyder and J.P. Vigier). The Wolves have met Houston in the Conference Finals three times in four years. Enough of the history. The series is tied at 1-1. The Wolves won tonight 4-1 with some brilliant goaltending by Pasi Nurminen. Man, I love this guy.

After the game, walking to the car, we got a little scare. The Allstate Arena is right under the approach to runway 22R at O'Hare - and I mean right under the approach. If you've ever been there, watching the planes coming in is great. I do it all the time when I'm there. It's something I've actually done all my life - watching airplanes. Plane spotting (as opposed to Train Spotting). When I was in grade school, I would take the O'Hare Express bus from Jefferson Park to the airport just to walk around and watch. (Now, of course, the Blue Line El goes there directly, but not back in those days). Over time, you know traffic flows. You know the airlines that serve ORD, you know their fleets. Just like any other hobby, or a fan of something, over time, you learn and you just know. I was watching traffic coming into ORD on the way to the game, noticing that they were using 22R and 14L. When we came out, I could see the traffic in the dark lined up. But something isn't right. There's and aircraft coming in, amd I can't recognize what it is because it's moving fast and it has only a single landing light. There's no strobes, only blinking red & green marker lights. Then as it flies very low overhead I can see it as light reflects up at it's underbelly... it's a damn F-15 landing at O'Hare... That's weird. And then I look down the approach path again, and I see another aircraft, this time no landing light, just the green/red lights. Another F-15... But this time, right over the Allstate Arena, it breaks right and pulls away... what the hell is going on??? I never found out. A few minutes later, a Continental 737-700 comes over and lands normally. The traffic around the airport looks normal. It was a little scary seeing military now a days.

posted at 10:04 PM | Link | Wolves § |

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

The Prince of %$&@#*%! Darkness

The Osbournes
Alas, they're gone... the series ended last week, and I'm already in Ozzy withdrawl. A few moments and quotes to remember...
Ozzy on his tour bus trying to sing "I want my baby back baby back baby back baby back" when Jack is eating ribs.
Ozzy dancing in his hotel suite to his James Brown doll.
Ozzy singing "Always look on the bright side of life" and grinning his grin while cutting the Christmas ham.
Ozzy trying to hide Jack's knife.
Ozzy: "The this is about life, by the time you get old enough to undertsnad what it's all about, you die."
Ozzy: "I don't know what a typical American familiy is. It's not abnormal to me, the way I live. I live that way."
Ozzy: "I'm incrediby dyslexic... and I umm... umm... umm... umm... my con... my concentration span is really short. What's that called that?... whatever..."
Ozzy: "To be Ozzy Osbourne... it could be worse. I could be Sting."
To Sharon while she's vacuming: "Turn the thing off - it's driving me mad!"
Kelly: "My teeth, my car, my vagina - my business."
Ozzy trying to learn to use the remote control
Sharon: "Ozzy! Not wood! Ozzy!"

And then, my favorites:

Ozzy: "Bubbles! Oh, come on Sharon! I'm %$&@#*%! Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of %$&@#*%! Darkness!"
Ozzy: "I love you all. I love you more than life itself. But your all %$&@#*%! mad."
Ozzy falling over in the director's chair.
And the final words of the series: Ozzy: "That's the way we are. We're the Osbournes. And I love it."

posted at 10:15 PM | Link | Reality TV § |

Monday, May 13, 2002

Crabs, pretzels, pens and tears

Joe's Crab Shack - Schaumburg IKEA - Schaumburg Costco - Schaumburg Carol hunting for pens - OfficeMax Schaumburg
Birthday Dinner tonight was just at Joe's Crab Shack. Carol felt that seafood would be good for points for her diet, so Joe's it was. Food was OK. Then it was one of those things that you've got a stop to make on the way home, and the next thing you know it's three stops. First - IKEA, looking for halogen bulbs for some under counter lighting we had bought there a few years ago. No dice - they didn't have any 10 watt bulbs that we needed (20 & 50 watt, no 10 watt). Then off to Costco, since it was near there for some pretzels (long story, but little boxes of Bachman Pretzel Stix are a childhood favorite) and Pepcid AC - no dice with the Pepcid. Then I noticed Carol is looking at the business supplies for some pens. She's very fussy about her pens, even buying them herself to take to work. Well, they didn't have anything to her satisfaction, so I offered that we should go to OfficeMax. Off to OfficeMax for pen shopping, then, finally, back home. I had bought Carol a couple of DVD's for her birthday and some cards, all of which I had snuck down to the garage last night and placed on the driver's seat of her Grand Vitara. Turns out, I made her cry, so I guess I did OK. Happy Birthday, Carol!

posted at 07:09 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Happy Birthday, Carol!

Happy Birthday, Carol! Now she can't call me old - we're the same age again! Not sure where she wants to go for dinner - she mentioned Mexican or seafood. We'll have to see what kind of mood she's in.

posted at 09:37 AM | Link | Family § |

Sunday, May 12, 2002

Mothers Day

Club Lucky on Wabansia
We spent the day at my sister's (Diane) to celebrate Mother's Day. She lives in Bucktown and I just love her house. Since it's been raining this whole damn weekend, Diane couldn't grill-up anything on the barbecue outside, so we ordered Italian from Club Lucky, just a few blocks away. Again, more good food - just a bit too much of it. Had another good time just sitting around talking.

posted at 10:08 PM | Link | Family § |
Another reason why AT&T Broadband Cable sucks

OK, picture this. We come home from our fantastic dinner, and start to watch the Wolves game on AT&T Cable (They're playing the Houston Aeros in the second game in the AHL Western Conference Finals). The game is tied at 3-3, and continues into the second overtime period. Then, with about 6 minutes left in the second overtime, they make an announcement saying that you must tune to WCKG (105.9 FM) is you want to follow the game, because at midnight, they're dropping the television broadcast on AT&T!!!! WTF!?!?!? Why is it so damned important to air some crappy public access cable show instead of a hockey game that's made it into the second overtime period (at least)??? At 11:58PM, the Wolves score the game winning goal with exactly six minutes left in the period (Dan Snyder, his fourth game-winning goal of the playoffs), thus saving the fans from losing the TV feed. Still another reason why AT&T Broadband Cable sucks...

posted at 12:11 AM | Link | Wolves § |

Saturday, May 11, 2002

Steak and Friends

Magnum's Prime Steakhouse Magnum's Rolling Meadows - OK, it's a little dark... A dessert with a torch for the Birthday Girls The Birhtday Girls - Debbie & Carol (nuts... she blinked...)
Carol & I had dinner at Magnum's in Rolling Meadows with Barry & Buffy & Debbie as our Birthday get together - Debbie's birthday was the 7th, Carol's is the 13th. Man, we love this place. We didn't have a scrap of food that wasn't good. We asked for the waitress that we had back in December - Char (well, Charlene actually) - who happened to be working tonight. It was just a great time. It was good seeing Barry - we were concerned about his hand and actually, it looked just good. It didn't seem to impair him from cutting steak, that's for sure. We took our time with the appetizers and dinner and just talked and talked about quite a few things. (They had a special appetizer tonight that was a crab and avocado dip thing that was just really unbelievable). When Car brought our desserts, there was a Magnum's torch in the white chocolate ice cream that Deb & Carol ordered. (No, it's not a sparkler - it's a metal tube that they can reuse - it's sort of like a fireworks fountain. It's bright and just looks dangerous, which makes it kind of cool.) The night was too short. I just love being with these people.

posted at 09:34 PM | Link | Friends § |
More Mole

The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal
I just got hold of an ABC Press Release that says “Mole II: The Next Betrayal” will be back on the air with double episodes starting Tuesday, May 28 at 7pm (Central) but it's normal timeslot will be 8pm starting June 11.

posted at 01:04 PM | Link | The Mole § |
More Blogging articles

More Blogging articles: Wired, Salon, CNET, US News, The Guardian Unlimited, and an interview with Evan Williams at the Online Community Report.

posted at 12:01 AM | Link | Blogging § |

Friday, May 10, 2002

9.8

There's something I've been meaning to share... My wife (Carol) started Weight Watchers back on April 10. This is a big deal. She did this on her own, and it has become something that she feels she can do. This whole Point System thing makes her feel in control of eating. So, as of weigh-in today she's lost 9.8 pounds (she wanted 10, but she'll take the 9.8 - it shows steady progress for her). I'm proud of her.

posted at 11:56 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Thursday, May 09, 2002

Survivor Marquesas - Episode 11

Survivor Marquesas
"Marquesan Vacation"
OK, first, let's start at the end - limo driver Robert "The General" DeCanio was booted. Again, not too surprising... except the setup made it look like Neleh was the target. Now, let's look at how CBS setup this week...

An unexpected event brings the castaways to tears for what one castaway calls "the most emotional moment of my life." OK, I was duped by this, but it was pretty emotional. The event was this week's Reward Challenge. Soliantu turns up for the challenge, only to find out that each of them has a loved one there on the island (well, Sean had a lifelong buddy). They're introduced, one by one and come toward the game board, as our island castaways crumble into sobbing piles of goo. The challenge is similar to one they've done before on another show, where you step on a tile on a game board, and turn over the ones that you've been on, trying to be the last one on the board. The twist - the loved-ones are the players. As each loved-one is eliminated, they go and say goodbye to their respective castaway, in still another sobfest. OK, it was very emotional. The winner - Patrick, Kathy's son.

A newcomer joins the tribe, but the honeymoon is short-lived when it comes time to plotting strategy. So, that's Patrick. He spends the night with the Soliantu tribe, and I really don't think he enjoyed it one bit. Kathy took him out for a walk and asked him what she should do to win this thing. So, that's the "plotting strategy" bit.

So, we're getting down to it. There's one more show next Thursday, and then the big 2-hour finale on Sunday the 19th (followed by the obligatory reunion show, this year hosted by Rosie O'Donnell instead of Brian Gumbel). There is a rumor floating around that Sean and Vecepia are in the Final Four.

posted at 08:08 PM | Link | Survivor § |
My Driving Pet Peeves

I couldn't help myself. I just get so pissed off at some other drivers as I'm driving, that I've decided to start a blog of My Driving Pet Peeves. Things just piss me off and I feel like I have to write about them. There're idiots out there - you've seen them (I hope you're not one of them!).

posted at 11:51 AM | Link | Blogging § |

Wednesday, May 08, 2002

Amazing Race 2 - Episode 11

Amazing Race 2
"It's Hammer Time"
Team Cha Cha Cha - Oswald & Danny - Gone. It's down to the final 3 now. PLEASE, anybody but Tara & Wil for all the money. Would like it to be Blake & Paige.

posted at 09:02 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
TEUC

On Friday, I got a letter from IDES (the Illinois Department of (Un)Employment Security) that I had a feeling was coming: YOU HAVE EXHAUSTED YOUR BENEFITS UNDER YOUR PRESENT UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM. I got a letter on Saturday that says I am automatically enrolled in the Federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program. I called in today to get my benefits for the prior two weeks. At least I have a temporary reprieve from lack of benefit income. I'd rather have a full-time job...

posted at 11:22 AM | Link | Unemployment § |

Tuesday, May 07, 2002

Wolves on cable

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Syracuse Crunch Houston Aeros
Watched the Wolves play the Crunch tonight on AT&T Cable (yes, I know... I have DirecTV, why do I still have cable? For backup... and to watch the Wolves, that's why..., well, that and broadband internet connectivity...) for the decisive Game 7 of the AHL Western Conference Semifinals. The Wolves won 6-2 and go on to play the Houston Aeros for the AHL Western Conference Finals (starting Friday in Houston). The Wolves became just the 13th team in AHL history to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-seven series, the first team in AHL history to win three winner-take-all games in one AHL postseason (Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, and now Syracuse). How cool is it that two former-IHL teams are in the semifinals, guaranteeing that a former-IHL Turner Cup winning team will play for the AHL Calder Cup in the first year that they're in the league!!!

posted at 09:03 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Walking and walking and walking

Spent the afternoon walking around Woodfield. I need to get some kind of exercise and get off my ass. I can feel my blood pressure is up. I've been getting these wicked, instant headaches that go away in a few seconds. It's hell being unemployed with no health insurance. After that, took a tour of some garden shops, trying to find something to kill these damn gnats in out house. They're annoying and I can't stand things buzzing around me when I'm trying to eat dinner...

posted at 04:26 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Monday, May 06, 2002

Runs and gnats and drips

Crappy day. Spent the afternoon getting parts for the toilet upstairs. It's running and doesn't stop - there's something about the valve inside the tank. And then I can't get the water shutoff outside the tank to work to even start the process. Crap. Now, Carol and I are Gnat-hunting. We've been gnat hunting for a few weeks. They always are around plants. This last go-around, we found them in Roses that Carol had bought. It's impossible to get these little bastards... Now the shutoff valve for the toilet is dripping...

posted at 09:24 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Keep him away from the punch

Another tidbit from the 88th Annual White House Correspondents dinner on Saturday night - USA Today had an article that had still another great quote from Ozzy & Sharon: And Ozzy, when asked if he was ready for another season of the show, said, "Yeah!" Then he turned to Sharon, "Can I have a drink? Please?" "Just one," she said. "You're going to fall down."

posted at 12:33 PM | Link | Current Events § |

Sunday, May 05, 2002

White Sox 2 - Athletics 3

Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics Today's Promotion - Wilson Fielding Gloves from Pepsi & Navy Pier for the first 10,000 kids 13 and under Frank Thomas at the plate... no, really... the black dot over there... Frank Thomas Home Run Fireworks
I hate getting to the park real early only to find out there's no batting practice. Nuts. Well, Oakland is a good team and hoping for a sweep was just a bit too optimistic. Frank Thomas had a home run, but Danny Wright just couldn't be as solid as we needed today. Sox lost 3-2. Cold day at the park - 48° at game time. The sun almost made the cold bearable but once it left (right at 2:20) forget it. It was bad.

posted at 10:09 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Dubbya and Ozzy?

Anybody catch last night's 88th Annual White House Correspondents dinner on C-SPAN? Caught it on TiVo and sure enough, in the middle of the crowd, there's Ozzy! You gotta love Dubya's quote: "The thing about Ozzy is, he's made a lot of big hit recordings -- "Party With the Animals," "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," "Face in Hell," "Black Skies" and "Bloodbath in Paradise"...Ozzy. Mom loves your stuff." And Ozzy stands up and cheers...

posted at 10:29 AM | Link | Current Events § |

Saturday, May 04, 2002

White Sox 10 - Athletics 2

Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics Saturday In The Park... Another White Sox winner... Today's Promotion - Fireworks Sponsored by Miller Lite
OK, back home. The Sox won 10-2. Jose Valentin had 5 RBI, and Ray Durham had a home run and Carlos Lee had a spectacular catch in the 6th that saved a home run. We needed this - Oakland has had our number for a long time. The whooped us bad in Oakland last week with a sweep and a total of 32-5. Ouch. We won against them yesterday and we won today. Only 20% of the Sox's games have been decided by two runs or less - everything else seems a blowout, either good or bad.

The weather wasn't too bad for our first night game of the season. It was pleasant, though not warm. It was also the first fireworks night. At least the presentation was new, so we have hope for a better series of fireworks this season.

posted at 11:12 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Blogging from my seat...

Well, here I am at Comiskey Park, actually sitting in my seat, using my cell phone to post this via WAP. Too cool, but really too time consuming keying-in text using the keypad. The Sox are playing Oakland. It's a pitching duel - sort of. Oakland scored in the first... Oh crap! Jose Valentin just hit a triple with the bases loaded! I think I had better stop playing with the phone and watch the game - we're winning 4-1!

posted at 07:21 PM | Link | Blogging § |

Friday, May 03, 2002

Wolves 3 - Crunch 1

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Syracuse Crunch
Back again at the Allstate Arena for the fifth game of the AHL Western Conference Semifinals. It was a whole new series, as the Wolves on Wednesday tied-up the series 2-2 against Syracuse. Their goalie, Jean-Francois Labbe, is a certifiable nut case. If you get under his skin, he looses concentration and goes nuts - even committing penalties like high sticking. We noticed on Wednesday that when he "conditions" his crease area, he stacks the "snow" on either side of the goalposts. OK, not a big deal, but he builds snow castles - huge mounds - and they're outside the posts, so if a puck get's anywhere near the net, it slows down or stops. And he stacks it up higher on his glove side than his stick side. Well, somebody must have noticed he's doing this because Brad Tapper kept going over a knocked his piles around. And this pissed him off. Bad. And then the linesmen would go over and take the snow away. And he'd bitch and complain. And it would get under his skin. And fester. And he'd get a little out of control.

Tonight was no exception. The snow piles didn't stay long. The linesmen were always cleaning them up. Labbe didn't look happy. Apparently, Brad Tapper took some quick French lessons from Guy Larose and was really yakking at Labbe. Labbe took a lot of exception to the taunts. Now, Syracuse scored first, but it took until the second period to do it. Labbe was still nuts. At the end of the period, he waited for Pasi Nurminen to leave the ice and skated up to him and went after him. That was the first of two penalties that Labbe had tonight. He just doesn't like being messed with. Oh, poor wittle Labbe... So, during the third period the Wolves scored three times (including still another empty net goal), and now, all of a sudden, Instead of being down in the series 0-2, we're up in the series 3-2. The Wolves travel to Syracuse for the final two games. I just hope they remember what it took to win here and bring that with them...

posted at 10:49 PM | Link | Wolves § |
No Friday 5

The Friday Five
Time for The Friday Five...
Hey! They're taking a break and there's no The Friday Five this week! I guess that's OK - my internet connectivity has been spotty all morning and I couldn't even get out to the net for hours, so I guess I'll take a break, too.

posted at 11:48 AM | Link | Friday Five § |

Thursday, May 02, 2002

Survivor Marquesas - Episode 10

Survivor Marquesas
"The Princess"
I'm seeing a theme over the last couple of weeks. We're not seeing people win at Survivor, we're seeing people cause their own demise on Survivor. Rob lied and stirred the pot a bit too much and he finally leaves. John gets a bit cocky showing what he belives are his leadership qualities, turns arrogant, shows off what everyone belives is how he believes the game will progress (via an immunity challenge) and he's gone. In the same immunity challenge, "The General" and Tammy also show their true colors, and forcing Tammy to win immunity. Zoe gets a little vocal against the tribe and gets booted. Tonight, Tammy Leitner doesn't earn immunity (but The General does) and everyone still remembers the coconut immunity challenge and she gets booted off. But has "The General" gotten himself into a "must win immunity" situation? And even though Paschal won the reward challenge tonight, he brought Neleh with him, and she talks just a bit too much when they get back from their Cruise Ship reward. Is she targeted next? And why, oh why was Vecepia targeted for votes tonight? What made her the target of Tammy and "The General"? AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WEEK??? The promo makes it feel like it could be another Michael Skupin falling in the fire incident??? UPDATE: The CBS website has two items of interest for next week's show. The first: An unexpected event brings the castaways to tears for what one castaway calls "the most emotional moment of my life." Hmmm... maybe not fire, but flood??? The second: A newcomer joins the tribe, but the honeymoon is short-lived when it comes time to plotting strategy. Newcomer? Huh? Prior cast member or family member? Oooo... how about a spinoff of my prior guess - since he's the only one to not win or be voted off, how about Michael Skupin joining for more camera time???

posted at 08:07 PM | Link | Survivor § |
"Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About"

For those of you who me (or actually, know us), you know that I've been married since 1979. That's right - over 22 years. You have no freaking idea how funny this page is when you look at it with 22 years of married life under your belt!

posted at 01:15 PM | Link | Odd § |
No nose wiggle

Nuts. I forgot to say "rabbit, rabbit" yesterday. Heck, I forgot to say "tibbar, tibbar", too. I guess no good luck for May. And you would think that in this house, this would be so easy to say... I need an EMail reminder...

posted at 11:11 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Wednesday, May 01, 2002

Wolves 3 - Crunch 1

2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Syracuse Crunch
Back at the Allstate Arena tonight for the fourth game of the AHL Western Conference Semifinals. It's not a good omen when, in front of your own net, your own player who is charging the net to help out on defense winds up actually scoring a goal for the opposing team before he gets buried into the net (thank you Mike Weaver). However, the rest of the game was very good. Very strong play and we finally figured out one thing - to score on Jean-Francois Labbe you have to go top shelf. The Wolves beat Syracuse 3-1. Pasi Nurminen has been very, very, very good in net. Oh, another thing - Syracuse doesn't like to lose. They seem to be a bunch of sore losers, so Friday's game should be interesting.

A note: watching the matrix boards during the game for announcements has been interesting, but two items caught my attention tonight: Happy 30th Birthday Petey. Clearly, if you're 30, I think it's time to stop everyone from calling you Petey. And then you have to wonder what this person is like: Happy 34th Birthday Demonella.

On a totally different note note related to hockey or birthdays, we heard from Barry late this afternoon. He's back home from the hospital. He went through 6 bags of IV antibiotics and he says the swelling has definitely gone down, and that the throbbing pain has also subsided a bit. He's in that "uncomfortable" feeling zone right now. We hope he recovers well.

posted at 10:15 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Blogging, Barry, and Bucks

Got to bed late after franticly switching the blog away from Blog*Spot on onto my own website. I was on a roll, and had the adrenaline pumpin' and just couldn't let it go, so I just went through it and got it up and running here. To those of you just finding me again, welcome! And, oh BTW, I didn't plan to be part of the May 1st Reboot, but it looks like did (but let's be honest - I ain't no designer, and the site is just a personal website, so no biggie, right?)

Been trying to find out out my buddy Barry. He called me yesterday morning to let me know he was going into the hospital for "intravenous antibiotic therapy". Huh? Well, it turns out that his right hand has swollen-up (really bad) from what is being speculated as a spider bite. He had it lanced and packed (Ew and OOUUCCHH!!!!) and his hand is more swollen now, so off to attack the infection. We haven't heard back from him or his wife (Buffy), so we're a bit concerned. Left voicemail - hopefully we'll hear what's going on.

Made my bi-weekly call to IDES (the Illinois Department of (Un)Employment Security) and the automated guy didn't tell me when my next call date is. This probably means that my unemployment benefits have officially run out.

Crud.

posted at 03:07 PM | Link | Mundane § |

 

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This Blog was last updated Friday December 18, 2009 13:03:12 CDT (-06:00 GMT)
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