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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 August 2002.

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Saturday, August 31, 2002

Jealous of Travel

My sister left this morning on a driving trip out west that partially follows one of the family driving trips we did when we were much younger. The trip is actually to Yellowstone National Park, but along the way she's stopping to see things like The Corn Palace (I wonder if they're going to The Corn Palace Festival?), The Badlands, Wall Drug (you can't miss Wall Drug), Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, Devil's Tower, then going into Montana to the Rainbow Ranch Lodge for fly fishing! She's even got reservations at Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone! Then it's a quick trip to the Grand Tetons and the Jackson Lake Lodge and then a straight shot back home. Hope she takes lots of pictures - it's a trip I wouldn't mind re-taking. Someday.

posted at 07:46 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Season Ticket Party

Lots of dads and kids playing catch in the outfield That turf is AMAZING... Throwing in the White Sox bullpen Relief Pitcher Kelly Wunsch's name on the bullpen fence Visitor's locker room at Comiskey Scouting on Sox pitcher Jim Parque
After tense moments of not speaking for what seems like hours, Carol and I drove to Riverside to pick up Janie & Gary and go to the annual White Sox Season Ticket Holder party. Nothing new, same old stuff. The only plus is being able to walk on the field. Roger Bossard has taken such good care of that grass - I heard recently that no weeds can grow in there because the turf is so think that a weed can't root. It's wonderful. Drove right back home afterward (quietly) and just sacked out for a while.

Oh, an interesting thing in the visitor's clubhouse: In the coaches' room, there's a whiteboard that had scouting information about Monday night's game (Toronto against the Sox). Jim Parque pitched that game (only lasting 2-2/3 innings and losing 8-4). The comments on the board were accurate and brutal. The synopsis to the Toronto team: "Soft tossing LHP, below avg. stuff! Picks alot. Make him elevate, get good pitches to hit, stay focused up middle other way." Another comment on his 2-seam fastball: "81 - 83 (mph) B.P. (batting practice) Type". Ouch.

posted at 04:49 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, August 30, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 56

Big Brother 3 Big Brother 3 - Gerry Lancaster Big Brother 3 - Gerry Lancaster is picked up by his son after exiting the<br />
house
Time to catchup on some Big Brother things, since I haven't said a peep all week. Jason won Power of Veto and didn't change his own nominations. Gerry gets evicted 4-0. Marcellas wins Head of Household. The houseguests have a food challenge that requires then to find some medallions inside about 150 pies in 90 seconds to get food for the week. They succeed, but have a huge pie fight afterward (the challenge was held in the old "Map" bedroom (known as the "HRD for "High Rent District") which they were told they had to vacate and it would be closed the rest of the show). Marcellas nominates Roddy and Amy, with the intend on running Roddy out of the house because he feels (and so many others as well) that Roddy is too strong of a player (no really said) and he must have been plotting against everybody, though there's no evidence. Needless to say, Roddy is pissed. And I believe he has a right to be - I've been watching the feeds and he's really never done anything wrong, never went against his word, and hasn't manipulated anyone though they all think he has. Danielle is the manipulator and must go in my opinion.

posted at 09:43 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Where are my feet...

My old sunglasses My new RayBan sunglasses
I've been walking around the house with my new sunglasses on, trying to get used to this bifocal thing. I hate it. I never knew how much I've looked around without moving my head. Now I have to move my head constantly to keep things in focus. It sucks. I need to take these out on the road to see what driving is like. Think I'll go get something to eat...
Update... Well, I didn't hit anything, but these things are going to take some time to get used to. I'm just not used to having things in my field of view that are out of focus until I physically turn my head and line up the correct perscription for the distance to the object.

posted at 11:55 AM | Link | Mundane § |
NO STRIKE!!!
posted at 11:29 AM | Link | Baseball § |
Friday 5 - Clothes

The Friday Five
Time for another Friday Five...
1. What's your favorite piece of clothing that you currently own? Damn... a Friday Five about clothing... OK, look. I have no fashion sense, I just know what I like or don't. I need others to tell me what looks good or doesn't, but I can tell immediately what looks good or doesn't look good on someone else. On Me? Forget it. I don't have a favorite piece of clothing. Wait... I have a journalist/safari vest from Banana Republic from the 1980's that I still use when I need a lot of pockets for photography stuff...
2. What piece of clothing do you most want to acquire? There's a SCOTTeVEST Version 2.0s that I want. Someday.
3. What piece of clothing can you not bring yourself to get rid of? Why? The only piece of clothing I can't get rid of is an embroidered shirt that my aunt made for when I was working on Gigglesnort Hotel. It will never leave me.
4. What piece of clothing do you look your best in? No idea. Like I said, I can't tell anything about me.
5. What has been your biggest fashion accident? If I don't know what I look good in, God knows what I have done!!!

posted at 10:10 AM | Link | Friday Five | 1 comment § |

Thursday, August 29, 2002

Eye yi yi

I don't care - the equipment looks scary Are they dilated enough for ya? Hey! Look! It's Marcellas from Big Brother 3!
It's been four years, and I've been having trouble reading - time to get new glasses. I went to LensCrafters at Woodfield to get my eyes checked and get some new glasses. I have never had my eyes dilated, so that was also in the cards tonight. That, and the god awful retinal photography that really does blind you for a while. Turns out my distance vision hasn't changed at all - it's just that closeup reading part. Think the amount of time I've spent in front of a computer all these years has taken its toll? The exams and doctor visit went well. the doctor put the drops in my eyes to dilate them and I went out to the front of the store to pick out my frames. I really didn't want to change my regular glasses too much, so I picked out a similar frame. For sunglasses, though, I wanted a change. I picked out some RayBan frames and made sure that I could get the lenses with the bifocal no-line thingy and they could, so I got my order in. I could get the sunglasses tonight (cool!) but my regular glasses would take at least 10 business days (bummer!) due to the coating I wanted on them. I went back to the doctor so he can scope of the back of my eyes while they're dilated. Then it was off to Stir Crazy Cafe for dinner while the sunglasses where finished.

On the way to Stir Crazy, we were passing a Gingiss Formalware place when I noticed this really familiar face staring at me from a poster. It took a while to figure it out, but it was Marcellas from Big Brother 3! After dinner, back to pickup my sunglasses and have Carol drive us home - having your pupils dilated is a trip and I don't think I could have handled the headlights in the dark on the way home.

posted at 08:32 PM | Link | Mundane § |
100 Things
100 Things
So, you wanted to know more about me? Are you sure? Like it or not, here is my entry to 100 Things - 100 Bloggers - 100 Days:

1. I was born in Chicago, Illinois at St. Mary's of Nazareth Hospital
2. I am a Capricorn
3. I never knew my grandfathers
4. I still remember the apartment that we lived in for my first 6 years of life
5. I have only one sibling, my younger sister Diane
6. My sister hit me in the head with a frying pan when she was 4
7. I played Little League baseball, but only one year
8. I went to the Illinois State Science Fair when I was in 7th grade
9. I played football in 8th grade and loved it
10. I went to a Catholic grammar school - St. Ferdinand
11. Yes, I was an altar boy
12. I was in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Explorers
13. I still remember to this day going to my first White Sox baseball game with my dad
14. I also remember going to Kodak Photo Night and taking pictures of the players on the field
15. I remember my first twilight double header, Sox vs the Kansas City Athletics who wore those yellow jerseys one game and green jerseys the next
16. I had an allergy test when I was a kid and found out I was allergic to grass, trees, dust, dogs, cats and vermouth
17. I had a pet parakeet though my mom was afraid of birds
18. I had some pet mice though my mom was deathly afraid of them (she still can't look at mice/rats on TV)
19. The only fight that I've ever been in was in grade school when I head-butted a kid in class in 4th grade
20. I went to a Catholic all-boys High School - Gordon Tech
21. I worked in the high school TV studio, and did the morning news for two years
22. The high school TV studio bugged the principal's office but had to remove the mic when the Secret Service came for a sweep before a Walter Mondale visit
23. I got drunk for the first time at a Stage Crew New Year's Eve party on Sloe Gin Fizzes
24. I used to call Bingo for my High School twice a week
25. When I was calling Bingo, a patron offered me a job as a jockey for his race horses
26. My first used car was a green Ford Maverick and I didn't get it until I was in college
27. My first new car was an beige AMC Concorde
28. I used to be a serious John Denver, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow fan
29. Though I know I attended my prom, it was unmemorable
30. The worst job I had was working for a catering company
31. I never left town to go to college - I went to Northeastern Illinois University
32. I never graduated from college, but got three years of education
33. I auditioned to be a puppeteer on a children's TV show in Chicago without having puppeteered before - and got the job
34. The TV show that I worked on won to local Emmy Awards for Children's Program and an IRIS Award for Excellence in Children's Programming from the NATPE
35. The TV Station in Chicago (WLS, the ABC affiliate) took us all out to the Pump Room to celebrate the IRIS award and take publicity photos - I thought this was so cool
36. I was actually mentioned by name in the acceptance speech for one of the Emmy awards. Way cool.
37. There was a girl that was at the auditions that was on the crew that I just couldn't forget
38. I married that girl 4 years later
39. My first day as a puppeteer I had to don a full size gorilla suit and ride a bucking six-foot banana
40. I have absolutely no pictures of me puppeteering on any of the shows and it upsets me greatly
41. I puppeteered in a pilot of a potential series and worked with Broderick Crawford
42. Because of the pilot, I am now three degrees away from Kevin Bacon (I worked with Broderick Crawford in this pilot, Broderick Crawford was in A Little Romance (1979) with Diane Lane, Diane Lane was in My Dog Skip (2000) with Kevin Bacon)
43. I was a Medium Sized Soft Drink in a McDonald's Happy Meal commercial
44. Puppeteering was the best job I have ever had still to this day
45. I have been in the IT industry since 1978
46. I've always felt that my IT skills were in my head, but my puppetry skills were in my heart
47. I went to a friend's prom as her date while I was engaged (with my future wife's permission, of course)
48. After I got married, I lost my hair, gained weight and needed glasses. Go figure.
49. I started taking flying lessons in a Piper Cherokee 140, but stopped after my instructor had me fly into clouds to understand the sensation (with less than 8 hours of time under my belt)
50. The clincher to leaving my instructor was sitting in the backseat during another student's cross country trial, only to have the plane run out of fuel because the instructor wanted to go to a different airport
51. I used to go on ski trips to the Michigan Upper Peninsula, renting a chalet with a large group of people, but haven't done that in decades
52. 5 days before my wedding, a girl I worked with that sat across from me in the office was killed in a car accident, sending that week into turmoil
53. I was in the first pilot program for an adult session at US Space Camp, and have returned several times since
54. Carol & I moved out to Hoffman Estates in 1984 and have been living here ever since
55. We had the house built on a large corner lot because a kid had moved around pins on the development map in the sales office, allowing us to put down a down payment on a lot that already was sold to a couple that was actually in the office at the time. It was a way for the developer to make amends for forcing us out of the lot we chose
56. This is the longest Carol and I have lived in one place for all of our lives
57. I have lived in only 4 places my entire life
58. Carol & I used to feed bunnies outside our patio door when we first moved into the neighborhood
59. Carol and I have had 3 pet bunnies over 20 years
60. I love watching airplanes, being at an airport, and flying and would love to work for a major airline
61. Other than a short cruise to the Bahamas, I have never been outside of the country
62. I do not have a passport
63. I have never been arrested
64. I've watched baseball games at Comiskey (old and new), Wrigley, Dodger Stadium, Camden Yards, Miller Park (and old County Stadium), and Comerica Park
65. I bought a Nissan 300ZX with a 5-speed manual transmission without knowing how to drive a stick, and had to be driven home in the car by the dealer
66. I Drove to Florida to watch the launch of STS-26 (the first shuttle launch since the Challenger disaster) from special viewing area inside the Kennedy Space Center, went to Space Camp 7 days later, then flew to Houston to go to the Johnson Space Center to see the crew from the shuttle flight
67. I worked with a group of students in Norfolk, VA to flight-test an experiment on NASA's KC-135 prior to it being launched on the shuttle
68. I was supposed to be on the KC-135 with the experiment, but even though I passed my Physiologic Training at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, I failed the Air Force physical for being 3 pounds overweight. I never got to experience Zero-G, though my friends did.
69. I played co-ed 14" "Mush Ball" in a league
70. To my knowledge, I've never broke a bone (I may have broke my little toe last year, but I never got X-Rays taken since you can't do anything about it)
71. The only stitches I've ever had was because of hand surgery to release a captured tendon in my left index finger (which I need to have done again)
72. I've never stayed overnight in a hospital (the hand surgery was outpatient)
73. I have partial season tickets to the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Wolves (AHL). I have no idea how I started to like hockey
74. I'm sorry, I know this is contrary to too many people in town, but I hate the Chicago Cubs, but love Wrigley Field
75. I have no tolerance for people that drive like idiots. No wonder there is road rage...
76. I don't like the way I look
77. I have been unemployed since June 1, 2001, though I have had two very short-term consulting gigs since then
78. I have no tolerance for people who believe that New York City is the absolute center of the universe and no other place on earth is any good. The world does not revolve around you!
79. I LOVE BEEF and my motto is "I didn't claw my way up the food chain to eat vegetables" Beef. It's what's for dinner. As often as possible.
80. I love Las Vegas and wouldn't mind living there
81. I love photography (as you can see from the photographs with my blog entries) and videography
82. I love my TiVo and think it has changed the way I've viewed television. Oh, and add to that our DirecTV systems. Ooooooooo...
83. I am one of the many that have been unemployed due to the Dot Com Crash and I miss my Dot Com times
84. I love taking long walks, though I don't do it
85. I don't understand why I enjoy Reality TV as much as I do. I would love to be on The Mole, Amazing Race, and maybe Big Brother
86. I don't smoke and I have no tolerance for people that smoke around me without regard to me be effected by their smoke
87. Carol and I don't have any kids and I'm starting to regret that
88. I've been amazed at my wife's strength when she went through her double mastectomy 2 years ago
89. I've been amazed by the determination that Carol has shown recently to lose weight and feel inadequate to do so myself
90. I procrastinate every chance I get
91. I get a certain exhilaration when I gamble, mostly at craps, and blackjack, and I'm no good at sports bets
92. I am not what people would call a "drinker", though I do have a drink every now and then
93. I can't remember the last time I drank a glass of milk
94. If money were no object, I'd travel the globe for the rest of my life
95. I am getting increasingly concerned that when I die, no one will remember me. I will have left no footprints of my life behind.
96. I dream of building a "time machine" that allows the recording of events that have happened in the past, to help with producing a truthful history of the world, not to mention a means of showing the truth for legal trials. It would be run by the UN so that the world could become a better place. Yeah, like that's going to happen...
97. I don't cook, but think I could do a good job if I had the chance
98. I never felt an earthquake
99. I love gadgets
100. I have let many of my friends slip away from me over the years through my inaction, and have deeply missed them all. I just wish I can get everyone back into my life

You know... 100 things, though hard to put together, may not be enough. I may have to add to it when I remember other things...

101. I am extremely shy, and that is often misinterpreted by others
102. I (somehow) never get hugged. And yet it's an awkward situation when I don't know when to hug someone (I don't come from a family of huggers)
103. I carry a grudge
104. I can't dance worth a damn
105. No one has seen my legs in public - I never wear shorts.
106. For the last twenty years, I've had a police scanner radio next to my bed that is on overnight while we sleep, listening to police, fire, EMS, calls for Chicago and surrounding areas.
107. I haven't been in a pool in over a decade
108. In general, if it's green, I don't eat it (lettuce, green beans, green onions, green peppers are the exception)
109. Nothing is better than cold, fresh, off the vine tomatoes, in the summer - sliced, with salt and pepper
110. My only phobia is that I'm afraid to cross drawbridges. I can feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck when I get to the center. As soon as I step over the "seam" in the center, I'm fine
111. I have no interest in college football - even less (if that's possible) in college basketball
112. I don't vote in primary elections because it requires me to declare a party - which I refuse to do. I want to vote for who I believe is the best candidate, regardless of party
113. In my head, I feel 10 years younger, but my body feels 10 years older
114. I despise Microsoft with every fiber of my being
115. I believe there is no excuse for parents ignoring misbehaving kids in public
116. Underwear of choice - Jockey tightie-whities (wow, I don't believe I actually put that one out here in public...)
117. I don't play any musical instrument - I have no rhythm (see #104)
118. I have directed the Folk Choir at my parish for a few months while waiting for them to hire a permanent replacement (remarkable, considering #117)
119. Favorite music: Pop and classic rock
120. For some reason, I have no interest in reading books
121. I think they would be doing us a service if the Federal government would just abolish pennies
122. I guess I do have another phobia - I'm a little nervous about heights
123. I have no flowers, let alone a garden - too many allergies (not to mention Carol being deathly afraid of bees)
124. I took a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® test about 5 years ago, and I was classified as INFP
125. We use Caller ID heavily. If we don't get a valid phone number that we know, we don't answer the phone. Screw you, telemarketers!
126. I hate needles. I dread blood tests and hate having to take ENG/NCV tests
127. I am very self conscious about the fact that I'm a bit "furry"
128. At 5' 3", I am the tallest member of my immediate family
129. I had braces in grade school, and still to this day have the permanent retainer on my bottom teeth
130. My carbonated beverage of choice is Caffeine-free Coca-Cola
131. I've never flown First Class
132. Secrets? Yep, got 'em. Nope. Not sharin'
133. I like finding and knowing the big picture of things
134. I feel nekkid if I'm not wearing my cell phone
135. If I would shave off my beard, I would look like a seal. (This has happened once.) It ain't coming off.
136. I just don't like fruit. Don't know why.
137. I'm not good at wearing clothes. I don't buy them myself, and rely on others to find stuff that looks right on me.
138. I enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning, usually first thing when I get to the office. Since I've been unemployed 15 months, I haven't had much coffee this past year.
139. If at all possible, I'd rather pay someone to do something inside my house that try to do it myself.
140. I've always said "I'm not a hardware guy" during my IT career. It applies to my domestic life as well (see #139).
141. Re: #139, #140, for some reason I love This Old House, Changing Rooms, Ground Force, and Trading Spaces
142. I have been told that I am not corrupt, but that I am corrupting.
143. I don't have a tattoo and don't understand the fascination with them.
144. My guilty obsession is tacos from Jack In The Box. There are no Jack In The Boxes anywhere near Chicago. I have been known to take Ziplock bags with me when I travel out west so that I could go to a Jack In The Box and buy a dozen or so tacos, put them in ziplock bags, and bring them back home with me. The new 99 cent tacos at Burger King just might hold me over until I can get out west again.
145. Favorite comedian - Eddie Izzard
146. My last name is not the same as my father's original last name - the entire family had changed their names - all differently - decades before I was born
147. I am not a "morning person"
148. I have actually been at a private party at the Playboy Mansion in Chicago (back in the 70's) for - of all groups - Women in Broadcasting. (The grotto pool was very cool indeed)

posted at 01:17 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Help the hitless

This came in this morning's EMail...

A Plea for Help!

Since September 11, 2001, Americans have come together as never before in our generation. We have banded together to overcome tremendous adversity. We have weathered direct attacks on our own soil, wars overseas, corporate scandal, layoffs, unemployment, stock price plunges, droughts, fires, and myriad economic and physical disasters both great and small.

And now, we must come together once again to overcome our greatest challenge yet. Hundreds of Major League Baseball players in our very own nation are living at, or just below the seven-figure salary level. And as if that weren't bad enough they could be deprived of their life giving pay for several months, possibly longer, as a result of the upcoming strike situation.

But you can help!

For only $20,835 a month, about $694.50 a day (far less than the cost of a large screen projection TV) you can help a MLB player remain economically viable during his time of need. This contribution by no means solves the problem as it barely covers the annual minimum salary, but it's a start, and every little bit will help!

Although $700 may not seem like a lot of money to you, to a baseball player it could mean the difference between spending the strike golfing in Florida or on a Mediterranean cruise. For you, seven hundred dollars is nothing more than a month's rent, half a mortgage payment, two unemployment checks, or a month of medical insurance with COBRA; but to a baseball player, $700 will partial replace his daily salary. Your commitment of less than $700 a day will enable a player to buy that home entertainment center, trade in the year-old Lexus for a new Ferrari, or enjoy a weekend in Rio.

HOW WILL I KNOW I'M HELPING?

Each month, you will receive a complete financial report on the player you sponsor. Detailed information about his stocks, bonds, 401(k), real estate, and other investment holdings will be mailed to your home. Plus, upon signing up for this program, you will receive an unsigned photo of the player lounging during the strike on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean (for a signed photo, please include an additional $1,500). Put the photo on your refrigerator to remind you of other peoples' suffering.

HOW WILL HE KNOW I'M HELPING?

Your MLB player will be told that he has a SPECIAL FRIEND who just wants to help in a time of need. Although the player won't know your name, he will be able to make collect calls to your home via a special operator in case additional funds are needed for unforeseen expenses.

YES, I WANT TO HELP!

I would like to sponsor a striking MLB player. My preference is checked below:

[ ] Infielder [ ] Outfielder [ ] Starting Pitcher[ ] Ace Pitcher [ ] Entire team

Please call our 900 number to ask for the cost of a specific team - $10 per minute

[ ] Alex Rodriguez (Higher cost: $60,000 per day)

Please charge the account listed below $694.50 per day for the player for the duration of the strike. Please send me a picture of the player I have sponsored, along with an Alex Rodriguez 2001 Income Statement and my very own Donald Fehr MLB Players Union pin to wear proudly on my hat. (Include $800 for hat).

Your Name: _______________________

Telephone Number: ____________________

Account Number: _____________________ Exp.Date:_______

[ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Discover

Signature: _______________________

Alternate card (when the primary card exceeds its credit limit):

Account Number: _____________________Exp.Date:_______

[ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Discover

Signature: _______________________

Mail completed form to MLB Players Union now.

To enroll by phone call 900-555-BALL ($10 per minute).

Disclaimer: Sponsors are not permitted to contact the player they have sponsored, either in person or by other means including, but not limited to, telephone calls, letters, e-mail, or third parties. Contributions are not tax-deductible.

posted at 09:47 AM | Link | Baseball § |

Wednesday, August 28, 2002

White Sox 8 - Blue Jays 0

Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays Not much of a crowd - 12,972 Joe Crede warming up on deck A whole group of scouts watching the players A scout using a radar gun on John Garland's pitches Magglio Ordonez's 2nd home run of the game Jon Garland pitched a complete game shutout Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe... I think... Sox win 8-0 The concourse empties out after the game - sort of The empty park. Was this the last game?
What an absolutely gorgeous day for a baseball game. I am so happy that I decided to go. Of course, I look like a lobster right now. At least the sunburn isn't hurting - yet. Not much of a crowd - 12,972. Saw something I have never seen before, but it's probably because I don't normally sit behind the plate - there was a bunch of scouts with radar guns watching Jon Garland and the Toronto relief pitcher Brian Bowles. I know that one of them had a Cubs logo on his polo shirt. Carlos Lee had a home run, and Magglio Ordonez had two home runs. I think I saw former Negro League's pitcher/catcher Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe sitting at the top of my section. I saw him throw out the first pitch on his 100th birthday last month, and I've seen him on TV, sitting in the same location. Anyway, Sox win 8-0. Jon Garland pitched a complete game shutout.

After the game, people didn't leave. They just slowly left, lingering in the seats, lingering on the concourse. These were the people that just didn't belive that this could possibly be the last game of the year if the players strike on Friday. The customer service reps weren't chasing anybody out either. It's as if they understood as well. I just hung out for a while and watch them shut things down. Then I slowly walked down the ramps to my car. I hope the idiots that are negotiating understand what a strike will do to the game. I'm worried.

And like I've said before, it's screwing up my clock.

posted at 05:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Blog to go

Well, I'm at Comiskey, posting via WAP from my phone. I was able to get a seat behind the plate. Looks like a small crowd, but it's still a half an hour before game time. Will this be the last home game?

posted at 12:29 PM | Link | Blogging § |

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

Fie...

I don't know why, but I went stumbling over to my old boss Bill Jackson's website at DirtyDragon.com. He has a great story about contract negotiations with WLS over the last year of Gigglesnort Hotel. Both Carol and I remember this event, though we never saw it. I mean, how many people would bring a gypsy violinist with them for the negotiation? Bill would. And did.

I really miss that time in my life. I think with my Dad's terminal illness, and the impending baseball strike Friday (I, for some unknown reason, measure the passage of time in my life along the passage of baseball seasons, and the players are screwing up my clock), I'm in a melancholy mood.

I spent the afternoon slapping some pages together and gathering pictures and materials of my short-lived puppeteering career. I have a series of slides that are the only things I really have of my time on Gigglesnort that I have to find a way to get them into a digital format so that I can use them here. Look for the new pages in the next week or so - there's a lot of other pictures I have to scan yet.

I think, though, I'm going to take tomorrow "off" and go to the ballgame. There aren't a lot of day games during the week at Comiskey, and there aren't many days left (potentially) to the baseball season.

posted at 08:58 PM | Link | Puppeteering | 1 comment § |
LinkSys is good...

Well, that new LinkSys router is so much better than the old one. I had no idea how bad the old one was until I had gone through 24 hours of the new one. No drops, no DNS issues, and what feels like a speedier connection - which I know isn't true, but it feels faster.

posted at 03:41 PM | Link | Computing § |

Monday, August 26, 2002

No connection

Internet connectivity out all day. Turns out my LinkSys router actually was dying and I didn't know it. I was resetting it and resetting it and resetting it... and then it didn't reset ant more. Crap. A quick trip to CompUSA solved that. The new one seems faster - I have no idea why.

posted at 02:59 PM | Link | Computing § |

Sunday, August 25, 2002

White Sox 8 - Devil Rays 3

Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays The lines for autographs are long Infielder Joe Crede and Coach Gary Pettis Outfielder Aaron Rowand, Infielder Willie Harris and Pitcher Damaso Marte Coach Gary Ward, Catcher Mark Johnson, and Pitcher Rocky Biddle Infielder Jose Valentin and Outfielder Carlos Lee Willy Wonka The whole team huddles around Tony Graffanino after his injury Another disgruntled fan
Back at Comiskey for what may be our last game of the season (if there's a strike Friday). (Three days watching Tampa Bay was too much, so we gave away our tickets for yesterday). It was one of the Willy Wonka Kid's day promotions. One of the big things is that the entire team is available for half an hour before the game for autographs. Two or three players station themselves at the bottom of a section and people just line-up and get stuff autographed. The team does this about once a month. Oh, and kids 13 and under pay $1 to get in (day of game only) and they can run the bases (weather permitting) after the game. It's a good promotion, and does bring out the families. The game started out shaky. Tony Graffanino went down in the outfield after backup up a play. He heard something "pop", and the game ground to a halt. he was able to walk off the field after a while, but he was put on the DL. Ouch. Sox win 8-3. I know know how lucky I was on Friday to win the Sox Split Charity Raffle. Friday's pot (that I won) was $3,585, yesterday's was $2,146, today's was $1,643.

posted at 09:37 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, August 24, 2002

Bobbing in the pool

Diane, Melinda, Buffy and Barry on the deck Diane putting batteries in her new shark Diane taking the shark for a spin in the pool Carol bobbing in the pool The shark in the pool Miller's Country House in Union Pier, Michigan Barry, Buffy, Melinda, Diane and Carol at dinner
A long day, but a good day. We left at 10am to drive into the city. We picked-up our buds Barry & Buffy, and then it was off to Michigan to my sister Diane's house. It looked pretty crummy when the day started, but by the time we got up there the sun was out and was gorgeous. Melinda ran to the butcher and picked up some fresh hot dogs and chicken brats for lunch. Wow. We're going up to Michigan next month for a couple of days and we're going to be bringing coolers and our vacu-sealer and hit the butcher before we leave so we can smuggle some quality meat back to Illinois. Diane's birthday is coming up next week, but she and Melinda will be driving out to Yellowstone and back for a cool road trip, so we brought out birthday gift over early - a Remote Control Shark for the pool! Lots of batteries, though - 4 AA's, a 9 volt for the receiver in the shark, and a 9 volt for the tranmitter (which floats!). And the AA's don't last too long. But the shark was way cool. We played with it all afternoon. For dinner, we drove down Red Arrow Highway into Union Pier to go to Miller's Country House. Very good food - in fact, way better than I had expected. There's something that does defy description, though... the room we were in had large windows that overlooked a garden and woods. During dinner, we looked up, and there was a tree moving in the garden. I mean, moving - like walking across the lawn. Sort of like a performance art piece. Odd. Strange. Weird. After dinner, back to Diane's to pick up our things and then the long drive home, which was traffic-free but with patches of fog. I love going up there.

posted at 11:05 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Friday, August 23, 2002

Thank you. Thank you very much...

Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays Elvis entertainment at Gate 5 Watching an Elvis entertain outside the park Elvis entertainment at Gate 4 Part of the crowd outside Gate 4 Elvis entertainment at Gate 3 The "Shrine" this year wasn't very impressive - probably due to security this year The E-Team flys-in the American Flag during the National Anthem Rob, Peggy and Madison Janie seems to be getting a bit bored during the game HEY! I WON THE SOX SPLIT CHARITY RAFFLE! The Steppin' Out Dads start the after-game festivities Shawn Klush performing after the game Fireworks sponsored by Miller Lite... not enough wind... That's me and Kathy at my surprise 30th birthday party back in January 1987

THANK YOU ELVIS!!!!!

We were back at Comiskey Park tonight for what is always the strangest promotion night of the year- Elvis Night. Tons of Elvis impersonators - both professional and wanna be. There were three stages outside the park with impersonators performing. At least 5% of the people appear to be wearing Elvis-style sunglasses - with fake sideburns. Before the game, The E-Team - The Elvises of the Sky flew in the American Flag. (I was bummed - the weather was pretty weird and they couldn't jump after the game. They wear electric lighted jumpsuits, just like the Flying Elvises in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas.) The National Anthem was sung by impersonator Rick Saucedo. The only reason that I bring that up is a bit convoluted and "off topic" - over 20 years ago, we went to see a magician (who was a relation to our friend Teri) who was opening for Rick Saucedo. Teri brought her friend Kathy, and we went with my long-time friend Rick. They sort of "hooked-up" that night, got married, had 4 kids, and are still together. And to top it off, Kathy stumbled onto my website this past week (Hi, Kathy!). I'm going to have to find an old picture of us to put with this entry...

Anyway, during the game, there's Elvis trivia on the scoreboard. Some people perform in between some of the innings from on top of the dugouts.

The last time I saw my friend Peggy was two years ago, At Comiskey, on Elvis Night. Tonight, she was back with her husband Rob and daughter Maddie. It was absolutely great seeing them again. I knew they were at the game and went to visit them out in the bleachers. We sat around and talked and ate for an inning or so. Then they came over and visited us (our seats were along the third base side, pretty far down the line).

The weather is oppressive - it's not hot, it's in the low 70's, but the humidity is 94% and there's barely a wind. If feels stifling.

After the game, the Steppin' Out Dads do a little routine, then Shawn Klush ( a good impersonator) does a concert behind home plate. The E-Team was supposed to do their jump but FAA regs wouldn't let them. The night end with fireworks sponsored by Miller Lite.

Now, let's flash back a few innings... the White Sox have a charity raffle called Sox Split during the weekend games. Basically, you buy a ticket. The winner gets half the pot with the other half going to White Sox Charities. We actually won $804 back on June 28, 1998. Carol and I are both gamblers, so we always buy Split tickets when we go to the game. You never know.

Guess what? Yep, WE WON AGAIN. WE WON $3,585 !!!!! Thank you White Sox! Thank you Elvis!

Oh, the game? Sox lost 8-2. Against Tampa Bay. Against Tanyon Sturtze, who was 2-13 before the game and wound up pitching a complete game! We suck. One cool thing - Joe Crede hit the 1,000 home run by a White Sox player in new Comiskey Park (Frank Thomas was the first against Baltimore on April 22, 1991).

posted at 11:27 PM | Link | White Sox | 2 comments § |
Big Brother 3 - Day 49

Big Brother 3
In a highly convoluted food challenge, the houseguests only win half the food they need for the week. But, they get Dunkin Donuts products for breakfast all week. Later in the day, Jason nominates Gerry and Amy for eviction. Later tonight, the houseguests are painting garden gnomes. Go figure.

posted at 01:41 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Comedian trailer

If you haven't seen it yet, check out this trailer for a new film called Comedian with Jerry Seinfeld. I just love the trailer... you finally get a chance to see that "Movie Trailer Voice" guy... (have no idea if the movie is any good).

posted at 12:45 PM | Link | Movies | 2 comments § |
Is it GODZILLA?


Is it GODZILLA?

brought to you by Quizilla

posted at 12:39 PM | Link | Stupid Quizzes § |
Friday 5 - Jobs

The Friday Five
Time for another Friday Five...
1. What is your current occupation? Is this what you chose to be doing at this point in your life? Why or why not? Oh, crap, here we go again... another Friday Five that I can't answer... OK, other than being unemployed, my occupation has been a Messaging Engineer. I have wanted to maybe get out of day-to-day work and get into a more managerial role, but no one has seen that in me. And of course, no one has seen that over the past 14 months...
2. If time/talent/money were no object, what would your dream occupation be? Professional Gambler? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I love gambling. Being able to go to different casinos, have a good time and gamble... of course, this is where the "money has no object" part comes in. Of course I would need a bit more talent...
3. What did/do your parents do for a living? Has this had any influence on your career choices? My parents both worked for the government - The Veteran's Administration in fact. Mom stopped working soon after I was born. Dad retired from the VA. I don't see how this influenced me - except maybe in the concept of white collar work. I never was interested in anything physical, so blue collar work never appealed to me. Still doesn't.
4. Have you ever had to choose between having a career and having a family? No consciously, but Carol & I have been together for quite a long time and have chosen to not have any kids.
5. In your opinion, what is the easiest job in the world? What is the hardest? Why? No job seems easy to me right now. In this definition, I view easy as not only "little work or labor" but it also has to be something you enjoy as well. As soon as you don't enjoy it, it ceases to become "easy" and becomes laborious. Hardest? Parenting probably.

posted at 10:09 AM | Link | Friday Five § |
*grumble*

Ugh. I haven't shook this bug, or whatever it is that I have. I still have this weird knot in my stomach. I'm not as weak as I was, but I'm still not at 100%. And tonight is Elvis night!

posted at 09:04 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Thursday, August 22, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 48

Big Brother 3 Big Brother 3 - Chiara Berti Big Brother 3 - Chiara Berti exits the house
Chiara got evicted on a vote of 4-1, which, if you've been watching the live feeds, was a shock. I had thought that Roddy was a goner. I even felt that way during the live show when they were showing the houseguests discussing their decisions in the Diary Room (the DR). Jason won Head of Household in a quick competition. It looks like Chiara leaving the house has really effected Roddy, much more than I had expected. I found out later what it was - Chiara has been sleeping with a small blanket - believe it or not - since she was a kid. Yes, a security blanket of sorts. She can't sleep without it. You would always see it near her when she was in bed. Well, she left it in Roddy's bag when she left. Roddy showed this to the houseguests later tonight and all of them were crying and quiet...

Speaking of Roddy... I got this link from my BlogMom Erin - it's a webpage where someone has been doing screen captures of the houseguests when they've been naked on the live internet feeds... (It's really mostly Tonya, with a few of Amy and Roddy)

posted at 08:13 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Changing Servers

WARNING - DNS CHANGE IN PROGRESS - EVERYTHING SHOULD RESOLVE WITHIN 48 (maybe 72) HOURS FROM NOW

Here we go again!!!
I guess my hosting provider isn't happy with those Windows/IIS servers (Shock! Horror! Utter amazement!!!), so this site is moving still again.

So, if you don't see any updates here for a few days, you'll know what's going on. It seems like I'm getting bounced around a lot, but I'm willing to ride it out for a while.

posted at 11:02 AM | Link | Blogging § |
Wet

Lightning. Thunder. Rain. Flash Flood Warnings. God, I love Chicago weather... since 1 o'clock this morning, our neighborhood got 3.97" of rain!

posted at 08:50 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

They're doing OK

Talked to my Mom today. They're doing fine. In fact, they went out to dinner yesterday to have prime rib. So, I guess they're taking yesterday's events in stride. Mom's just having trouble reconciling the fact that dad feels absolutely fine.

posted at 01:11 PM | Link | Family § |

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 46 - Sheryl Crow

Big Brother 3 Big Brother 3 - Sheryl Crow performs for the houseguests
Just got finnished watching the private Sheryl Crow concert in the backyard of the Big Brother house over the internet. She only did three songs - All I Wanna Do, Soak Up The Sun, and Steve McQueen. But she had a full stage, lighting, her band, and it sounded absolutely great (it sounded like it was perfectly mixed). And to see the houseguests reactions was priceless. It'll be broadcast tomorrow night.

posted at 10:35 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Schaumburg Flyers

Went to that Schaumburg Flyers game tonight with Carol's company. After this afternoon, I didn't expect to have a good time, but I did. My absolute best memories of when I was a kid was going to White Sox games with my dad. So sitting in a ballpark tonight was way more therapeutic than I thought.

posted at 08:55 PM | Link | Flyers § |
My Dad

Damn damn damn damn damn....

As a kid there are a few things you don't want to hear about your parents.

A year ago I heard one of them. "Cancer." My dad had a laryngectomy. He no longer speaks and has a hole in his throat to breathe. He's just starting to use an electrolarynx to try to communicate.

Today I heard more words that you don't want to hear.

"Hospice Care" and "Six months".

Crap. The end is coming and I just can't put anything into words. I knew this day would come. I thought there was more time - time that can't be made up.

At least both of my parents handled all of this very well. Dad didn't want chemotherapy, so he knew the consequences. The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes around his neck. Chemo would just slow it down or maybe halt its growth. Is it worth it to be violently sick for month to extend your life by, what, maybe and additional 6 months? Delay the inevitable and be miserable? He has no pain, he hasn't lost weight, he doesn't have any breathing problems. He's just old - 88. There's no doubt about it in my eyes - he knows. He really liked the idea of hospice care, and he actually smiled when there was discussion of being at home "when the time comes". Mom just liked the concept of having people come to the house regularly and not having to go to Loyola on a regular basis.

Me - I'm numb. Everything inside my brain says this is right. I understand everything. It all makes sense. This is expected. This isn't a surprise.

Then why does my heart hurt?

posted at 03:40 PM | Link | Family | 3 comments § |
Ugh

Damn. I'm not up to 100% for sure. I'm starting to belive that I'm not at 75% either. Ugh. I've got to drive into the city to take my dad to the oncologist. Ugh.

posted at 12:09 PM | Link | Mundane § |
The Mole 2 party

The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal The Mole 2 cast at Ghostbar at The Palms Las Vegas - August 10
If you enjoyed The Mole on ABC, word is out today that they have given the green light for a celebrity edition and a third regular-people edition. No word on if Anderson Cooper will be back as host.

On another note, I stumbled onto a picture of a reunion of most of the cast! Apparently they were in Las Vegas at The Palms. It appears that they take pictures of groups at the different venues there and post them on a website. I found the picture under the Ghostbar Photo Gallery for Saturday August 10. It's the last picture in the third row (it's a piece of the whole picture with Elavia and Bob).

posted at 11:02 AM | Link | The Mole § |
Am I better?

Well, I feel better, not 100% though. Still have a weird knot in my stomach. Slept much better, too. And it looks like it's going to be a nice day outside today. Carol & I have a baseball game tonight (we're going to the Schaumburg Flyers game as her company outing). Sounds weird, but I want to get home early to watch the Sheryl Crow "concert" in the Big Brother house on the internet. Well, I'm not going to rush, and Carol does want to get home early, so it's not a big deal.

posted at 10:19 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Monday, August 19, 2002

Walking on broken glass

Crap. We just went to see the Chihuly exhibit yesterday, and then I hear about this today: Glass art shattered at Chihuly exhibit. I guess it happened Friday during a private anniversary party, when somehow a $70,000 glass sculpture on display in the middle of an ankle-deep pond was shattered. Bastards... (hey, I've been saying that a bit lately, haven't I? Well, I'm not feeling well and that just pissed me of...)

posted at 02:28 PM | Link | Current Events § |
Shiver me timbers...

ugh. I feel terrible. I've had 11 hours of sleep. I was buried under an electric blanket all night. I shivered any time I was exposed to the night air, which was every 30 minutes to an hour when I was getting up to go "take a leak". I don't have a fever, but it sure feels like I do. I felt like I was sleeping in a pool of sweat all night under that electric blanket. Yech. Need to do nothing today.

posted at 09:46 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Sunday, August 18, 2002

Chihuly in the Park

Carol, Buffy and Barry in the Monet Garden at the Garfield Park Conservatory A bee on a sunflower in the Monet Garden The line outside the Garfield Park Conservatory Tango Sur on Southport An odd sign on a toilet in the window of Lindstedt Plumming on Southport
Hmmm... Had a nice day, but feeling a bit funky right now... Carol and I drove into the city today to go see our buds Barry & Buffy. Why was it a mess? Well, they do live in the Wrigleyville area and it was less than an hour until gametime, and on top of that was the Chicago Air & Water show. When we were still on the Northwest Tollway, a C5-a Galaxy took off from O'Hare to go and fly in the show. It's the largest military aircraft that we have. Cool. Then, when going down Addison, we saw the F-117 Stealth Fighter. Even cooler. So, when we finally finished our struggle to get to B&B's house, we picked them up and headed to the Garfield Park Conservatory to see the Chihuly in the Park: A Garden of Glass exhibit by Dale Chihuly. I had gone to see it back in June with my Mom & sister, and I thought that Carol and B&B would enjoy it. It was a glorious day outside, and we had a great time at the exhibit. We got there at the right time, though (about 1:30) - when we came out about and hour and a half later, the line to get in wrapped around the building!

We drove back to B&B's house - fortunately I was able to use their garage for parking, as the game was still going on and there wasn't a parking spot to be had anywhere near their house. My sister Diane called while we were there watching baseball on TV. She was driving back from Michigan and was passing the Gary airport when the Blue Angels took off from the airport and buzzed her car! Sure enough, within 10-15 minutes, we can hear them in the show at the lakefront. We went out on the front porch for a while and talked, and watched the planes buzz the neighborhood. Even cooler yet.

The four of us left and walked up Southport to go to dinner at Tango Sur - an Argentinean steak house. Debbie met us for dinner. It was another great time at dinner (there's no doubt about it - the 5 of us really enjoy food).

We were on the road back home at around 7 o'clock. That's when I was starting to feel funky. I need to go to bed...

posted at 08:55 PM | Link | Friends § |

Saturday, August 17, 2002

Dave vs Toho

Free Davezilla!

posted at 10:05 PM | Link | Odd § |
Terrorist Remains
posted at 09:58 PM | Link | Current Events | 1 comment § |
Big Brother 3 - Day 43

Big Brother 3
Amy nominates Chiara and Roddy for eviction. The houseguests find out there's no America's Choice question for the week - my guess is because of the private Sheryl Crow concert (which is actually happening Tuesday night at 10pm ET but will be shown in a special 2 hour show on Wednesday).

posted at 07:36 PM | Link | Reality TV § |

Friday, August 16, 2002

African Spam

Wooo Hooo!!! Another one of those great pieces of spam that we have all received. I think I'll include it here so we can all share...



From: JEFFERY DEDE [mailto:dan_ogbeide_nab@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, August 16, 2002 5:26 PM
Subject: URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Union Bank of Nigerian PLC,
Zonal Branch Office,
Ikeja,
Lagos.

Dear Friend,
I am Jeffery Dede,Assistant General Manager(A.G.M)
Foreign Operations,Union Bank Of Nigeria PLC.I am
moved to write you this mail due to it's importance,
urgency and profit.And i am sorry if this mail is
coming to you as an intruision in to your private
life.
A foreigner, late Dr. Roland Greens, an Oil
Magnate,until his death
three years ago, made a huge deposit with us, here
at
Union Bank PLC, Lagos, and with a closing balance of
USD$18.5M (Eighteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand
United States Dollars).The Bank will unquestionably
release this funds to as claims by any of his
available next of kin(Wife Mrs Escadar Greens or son
Kenneth Greens) OR alternatively be donated to a
discredited Trust Fund For Arms and
Ammunition(T.F.F.A.A) at the military war college
here
in Nigeria, according to the document before us.

Fervent efforts have been made by the Management of
the Bank to get in
touch with any of Dr.Greens'next of kins or families> but to no avail. It is due to the perceived
impossibility of locating any of late Dr. Roland
Greens' next of kin ( wife and child) that the
management met to declare this funds"UNCLAIMED
DEPOSIT". It has resolved at releasing this funds to

The Trust Fund For Arms and Ammunition.
In order to to make use of this golden
opportunity,my
Boss, colleagues and I agreed to seek the assistance
of a foreigner who will be willing to assume and
pose> as the beneficiary next of kin of Dr.Greens.Now,we
seek your cooperation to have you stand as late Dr.
Roland Green`s next of kin to enable us transfer the
money without stress into your personal
Account($18.5m).
All documents and proves to enable you get this
fund
have been carefully worked out and we are assuring
you
a 100% risk free .We have agreed to offer 30% of the
money to you,10% has been set aside to cover all
expenses incured by both Parties(you and I) while
the
rest,60% would be for myself and my colleagues.
If this proposal is OK. by you and you do not wish
to
take advantage
of the trust, we hope to do more business with you.
Send us your response as soon as possible through my
Boss'(THE GENERAL MANAGER FOREIGN OPERATIONS
DEPT)'email address ememgold009@yahoo.co.uk Her
name
is Mrs.Kehinde Okoro.
God bless you.
Regards,
Jeffery Dede.


posted at 07:50 PM | Link | Odd § |
They set a date...

STRIKE DATE - AUGUST 30, 2002
Bastards... Damn them all... they're gonna kill baseball if they can't get together... bastards...

posted at 11:32 AM | Link | Baseball | 1 comment § |
I can't wait to see the Flight Attendants

OK, the apocalypse is on its way... it has to be... Hooters of America Inc. is considering buying bankrupt Vanguard Airlines.

posted at 11:15 AM | Link | Odd § |
Bringing Down the House

Some of you may know that I love Las Vegas. This will be the first year since 1994 that I haven't been able to get there (you know, the unemployment thing...). I'm sure that my friend Barry would love this article in Wired Magazine about going to Vegas with the infamous MIT Blackjack Team. Oh, another odd little thing I like about Las Vegas? Right on Industrial Road and Tropicana - In-N-Out Burger. They just opened their 166th store in Inglewood CA.

posted at 11:05 AM | Link | Gambling § |
Does it have embedded HTTP & FTP servers?
posted at 10:52 AM | Link | Odd § |
Love me tender

The King died 25 years ago today. Long Live Elvis! (What am I saying... he is alive! At least in cyberspace...). Next Friday night is Elvis Night at Comiskey, always an "odd" night for fun!

posted at 10:49 AM | Link | Odd § |
No Friday 5 today

The Friday Five
Time for another Friday Five...
Nope. They're taking a week off, and so will I.

posted at 08:05 AM | Link | Friday Five § |

Thursday, August 15, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 41

Big Brother 3 Big Brother 3 - Josh Feinberg Big Brother 3 - Josh Feinberg exits the house Big Brother 3 - Former houseguests gather to compete to reenter the house Big Brother 3 - Amy Crews and Eric Ouellette get the news on who will <br />
re-enter the Big Brother house Big Brother 3 - Head of Household challenge
After a difficult week for the houseguests, Josh was evicted by a 5-0 vote, which actually wound up being a little surprising. Danielle had made a push to kick Roddy out because he is viewed as the strongest player. In a separate competition, Lori, Tonya, Amy and Eric competed for a chance to re-enter the Big Brother house with questions about how much money they would be willing to give up and how much PB&J they are willing to eat. This whittled the group down to Amy & Eric. The houseguests then voted 5-2 to allow Amy back into the house! The Head of Household challenge required the houseguests to sit in a large bathtub while "things" were poured into it. The last one out wins. After enduring squid, seaweed, slime, eels, and cod liver oil, Amy won Head of Household! How can she make a balanced decision on who to nominate for eviction while being in the house less than 24 hours? Next week: a private concert by Sheryl Crow!!!

posted at 10:30 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Survivor Thailand Cast

Survivor Thailand
Today, on the CBS Early Show (as well as in USA Today), the new cast for Survivor Thailand was announced. They are: Jake Billingsley, 61, Land Broker from McKinney, TX; Erin Collins, 26, Real Estate Agent from Austin, TX; Stephanie Dill, 29, Firefighter from Fayetteville, AR; Jan Gentry, 53, Teacher from Tampa, FL; Helen Glover, 47, Navy Swim Instructor from Middletown, RI; Brian Heidik, 34, Used Car Sales (!) from Quartz Hill, CA; Jed Hilderbrand, 25, Dental Student from Dallas, TX; Shii Ann Huang, 28, Executive Recruiter from New York, NY; Ghandia Johnson, 33, Legal Secretary from Denver, CO; Clay Jordan, 46, Restauranteur from Monroe, LA; Penny Ramsey, 27, Pharmaceutical Sales from Plano, TX; John Raymond, 40, Pastor from Slidell, LA; Ted Rogers Jr., 37, Software Developer from Durham, NC; Ken Stafford, 30, NYC Police Officer from Brooklyn, NY; Tanya Vance, 27, Social Worker from Kingsport, TN; and Robb Zbacnik, 23, Bartender (what, another one? Why do all of these shows have to have bartenders?) from Scottsdale, AZ.

posted at 08:41 AM | Link | Survivor § |

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

Carol - A survivor

Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization
Two years ago today, Carol's life changed, and, in turn, changed my life. We were one month short of our 21st anniversary (!). We've known each other for 25 years. During that entire time, we were never really sick. Never was in a hospital (well, I had surgery on my hand in the mid-80's, but that was just a day surgery thing).

Two years ago today, Carol had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery.

It was just LCIS - Lobular Carcinoma In Situ. Like the word "just" makes it insignificant. It was good that it was small, and in situ. The doctors kept saying it was "100 percent treatable".

100 percent.

The next sentence contained the words "mastectomy". It was not exactly what you want to hear, and I really fault the doctors for phrasing the entire conversation as "100 percent treatable" and getting your hopes up, when the treatment is a mastectomy. The cancer was in one breast, and LCIS is considered to be Stage Zero. It didn't spread - it was in one specific area.

Of course, we had another option - do nothing. but Carol's mom had died of breast cancer - a cancer that wound up being recurring and going undiagnosed until it was too late. Carol's had that hanging over her head her entire adult life. Doing nothing was not an option for her, she felt. She wanted the fear that she had been carrying to go away. For good. Doing one side made no sense in that regard. It had to be a double.

Carol waiting in the Surgical Pre-Op Area Carol just an hour after surgery Carol going home from the hospital
So, two years ago this morning, we were at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. Carol sat on the gurney in the Surgical Pre-op Area, her eyes were big like a deer in the headlights. She knew what was going to happen, she accepted it, and she was still a bit freaked out.

I had been in the surgical waiting room with Carol's brother and his wife, my bud Barry and my sister Diane during the surgeries. The surgeon came in to talk to us and reassure us that everything went very well, and very quick (just over an hour) and that the plastic surgeon was now doing his thing. We waited around a bit and sure enough, about two hours later, the plastic surgeon showed up and we talked briefly. She should be out of recovery and on her way to her room. I just had to find her.

I walked into the room alone (after I had found it). She was out but she knew I was there. She said "hi", and just kept sleeping. Well, resting with her eyes closed. She barely moved. It was good to be there and see her. Alone. It makes you realize where you are, where the two of you are. Makes you realize how lucky you both are.

The next few days were amazing to a lot of family and friends. Carol was fine. Better than fine - great. Everyone was shocked on how well she was doing. Everyone. So much so, that Carol's brother and wife were convinced she was in denial. They just couldn't accept how strong she was.

But I could. It was real.

So, life goes on. Here we are, two years later. Carol has had most of the breast reconstruction completed (the rest is "cosmetic"). We're both alive and thriving.

And I'm stronger for seeing how strong my wife has been throughout all of this.

My flower for Carol in the front seat of her car
I hope she finds the flower I left for her on the front seat of her car before she sits on it. I hope she knows how much I love her and how much I actually look up to her.

posted at 09:09 AM | Link | Family | 1 comment § |
Blue

New Pepsi Blue
Last weekend they started selling Pepsi Blue at Comiskey. Had my first one and loved it, though I think it's best to drink it as cold as possible. Carol bought me a couple to have at home. Cold berry cola fusion. Thinking about having one now. Did you know it's caffeinated, the same as Pepsi? (37 milligrams per 12 ounces). Hey - someone has a blog about everything Pepsi Blue...

posted at 08:50 AM | Link | Odd § |

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

Rainy chauffeur

Well, I'm back in the middle of chauffeuring my parents to Loyola. Dad has a CT Scan scheduled for today, some blood work, and an appointment with the speech therapist.

Right now, I'm in the CT waiting area being tortured. in the corner of the small room is a TV set, blaring Jenny Jones. It's one of those shows with teens out of control - this one is about girls whose bodies have developed too soon and are just crazy for sex. Great. All I hear are teens screaming at the booing audience to shutup and bleeping. I don't know how long I can take this.

It was pouring outside. lot's of lightning. It just started in one big downpour as soon as I pulled into the parking garage here. I couldn't see outside of the garage, and the rain was blowing in sideways. It's like it's foreign - I feel like I haven't seen rain in quite a while. Our lawn at home is brown and, as Carol calls it, "crunchy". It's been a hot, dry summer. Today it's dark, windy, and pretty wet.

Thankfully, someone changes the station to a soothing "Ask Martha" instead of the screaming "Jenny Jones". Dad's CT scan is over, and we head over to Rachael, where we go through a whole therapy session on trying to get the best usage of his electrolarynx. They also work on paperwork for getting dad his own electrolarynx. Then it was a quick jaunt over to the lab to get some blood drawn.

The rain lets up (temporarily) at Loyola The Infiniti turns over 55,555 OK, trying to drive in this rain is a bit difficult
The drive home was miserable. It had been pouring the entire time we were inside. Standing water everywhere. From the time we left Loyola to the time I got home after dropping them off was 2 hours and twenty minutes. During that period of time, O'Hare got 1.82" of rain. Oh, another little oddity: My car turned over 55,555 miles.

Symmetry. Catch it.

posted at 06:20 PM | Link | Family § |

Monday, August 12, 2002

Bill Biggart's Final Exposures

Speaking of 9/11, there was a photographer - Bill Biggart - that was killed on the ground when the second tower collapsed. He was shooting as he was walking toward the WTC after the first plane had hit. His personal belongings were returned to his wife. He had two Canon EOS1 film cameras whose backs didn't survive. Neither did the film he had already shot. But - he had Canon D30 digital camera. The compact flash card survived. Here are his last pictures.

posted at 10:10 PM | Link | Current Events § |
Clear the skies

Was looking at USA Today this morning. Looks like they're doing a series on events around 9/11. Today's piece is about the unprecedented event in Air Traffic Control - get all flights on the ground and clear the skies.

posted at 09:59 PM | Link | Current Events § |
Amazing Race 4

Amazing Race 4 Application
NUTS! They are accepting applications for The Amazing Race 4, and I don't have anybody to team up with! (Amazing Race 3 premieres October 3) Carol won't do it, neither will my sister... Anybody want to put together a Blog Team for TAR4???

posted at 12:58 PM | Link | Reality TV § |

Sunday, August 11, 2002

White Sox 6 - Mariners 5

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners Today's promotion: Minnie Minoso Bobblehead Dolls The newly unveiled logo for the 2003 All Star Game at Comiskey next July 15 All Star Game merchanise on display at the Hall Of Fame Gift Shop The shower is getting a workout... and coverage WARNING! Cover your ears if you see this man!
Back at Comiskey - game time temperature was 90°. It felt hotter yesterday, but in either case, too damn hot to sit out in the sun. But, nonetheless, that's where we were for the second day in the row. The game was better than yesterday, though. Joe Crede got his first Major League home run. Former Sox James Baldwin, facing his former team for the first time, only lasted 2 2/3 innings. Sox win 6-5.

posted at 10:16 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, August 10, 2002

White Sox 3 - Mariners 7

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners Today's promotion: Travel mugs from SBC Disclaimer on the side of today's promo mugs A young Ichiro fan A dad pointing out Ichiro in right field to his son Ichiro in right field Part of the Japanese press contigent More Ichiro fans taking a smoking break
Back at Comiskey again. I hate Fox games - they start earlier and the breaks in between innings for commercials just makes for a long day. The Ichiro bandwagon rolled into town, and the place with crowded, mostly with his fans, not only Japanese-American but Japanese-Japanese! He has a very large and loyal following, and it's very interesting to watch. I've bitched and moaned about other team's fans coming to the park and being arrogant. these fans are nothing like that. Polite but boisterous. You can't help but be respectful of that. It's always something to see. Last year was the first time we witnessed this - and it was just so interesting. It was amazing how many people had come to the park with bento boxes and coolers, eating sushi (which is just something you don't see around Comiskey). It was a night game last year and there were many more Japanese-lettered signed than this year.

Anyway, the game was great... for 6 innings. Jon Garland was fine, with a 3-0 lead in the seventh and then he was left in just a little too long. We wound up losing 7-3. Frank Thomas, as usual, did nothing for us, going 0-4. He can't do anything in a clutch. I'm not happy with him.

Pepper bothering Gary (that's Carol way on the right)
After the game, we went over to Janie & Gary's for the annual "Chicken Burn" - the title refers to what Gary does to the food on the grill. It's usually the group of people that sit around us at the game, but due to conflicts, it was just the four of us. Gary didn't burn the chicken, and it was a very nice night, just sitting around and talking.

posted at 10:16 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Big Brother 3 - Day 36

Big Brother 3
Drama in the Big Brother house... yesterday was Nomination day and Chiara nominated Josh and Roddy, only after getting everyone's word that they would vote Josh out. Josh immediately went ballistic and started packing his bags to leave immediately. Roddy stopped him, and got everyone together to agree that if he promised to stop playing the game and campaigning, it will be a good week. Everyone agrees - except Josh who says "he'll try". That lasted an hour, when he started cornering people one at a time to campaign against Chiara to everyone that would listen. This made Danielle try to talk Marcellas into voting out Roddy because the opportunity was there. So far, as of this morning, Josh is still in the house. This could be an interesting week to watch.

posted at 09:32 AM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |

Friday, August 09, 2002

Florida

What the hell is going on in Florida and adoptions? Is this still another ultra-conservative ploy by Governor Bush??? There's a new law going on the books requiring the birth mother to notify the birth father about adoption proceedings - and if she doesn't know the birth father or can't find him (oh, like due to rape or just multiple partners) she's "must place legal notices about the adoption in a local newspaper where the baby was conceived - the mother must list her name, describe herself, name or describe the possible father(s) and list the date and the city or county of conception." Can you say INVASION OF PRIVACY???

posted at 10:30 PM | Link | Current Events § |
I've got a nut and I'm not affraid to use it

A couple of suburbs over, in the town of Itasca, they have a problem - squirrel attacks. Seems the squirrels are getting a bit demanding over there... there's been 5 attacks over the past 2 weeks... makes you wonder what they're thinkin' when you see them bounding down the street, stop, turn and look at you...

posted at 09:41 PM | Link | Odd § |
Jaws 2002

I know this happened a few days ago, but how freaked out would you be if you went to an aquarium to see the sharks and wind up falling into the water in the shark tank! I can't imagine...

posted at 04:38 PM | Link | Odd § |
Friday 5 - Cars

The Friday Five
Time for another Friday Five...
1. Do you have a car? If so, what kind of car is it? 1997 Infiniti I30
2. Do you drive very often? Let's see... for twenty years I drove 45 minutes to an hour each way for my commute. But for the past 14 months I've been unemployed , so not much driving like I used to.
3. What's your dream car? I actually had it - it was a Nissan 300ZX 5 speed, T-tops, electronic dash... I loved that car. No, I loved that car. The only car I have missed. *sniff*
4. Have you ever received a ticket? Sure. Speeding. In that 300ZX.
5. Have you ever been in an accident? Yep. I was sandwiched between a car that had stopped suddenly at a red light in front of me and a guy who was behind me who wasn't paying attention to the traffic. Then, while in my wife's Suzuki Grand Vitara at 6am in the morning on January 1, 2000, while on my way to work to assess Y2K, I was stopped at a stop light with no one around for blocks when a guy rams me from behind and continues to push me into the intersection. The guy must have been asleep because he was still pushing me. I mean, there was no one around at that time - how did he NOT see me?

posted at 12:08 AM | Link | Friday Five | 1 comment § |

Thursday, August 08, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 33

Big Brother 3 Big Brother 3 - Eric Ouellette Big Brother 3 - Eric Ouellette exits the house
Oh. My. God. Well, the eviction vote comes down to 3-3. That forces Gerry to break the tie - and he evicts Eric. More on the eviction in a sec. Chiara winds up winning the Head Of Household challenge. Now, I had read something in a Las Vegas paper that when Tonya was evicted, she was sequestered. I thought this was unusual, as in all prior years, the U.S. houseguests always went back to their family. I've been trying to figure out why they would sequester the evicted houseguests. We found out tonight when Eric was evicted - next week, one of them gets to go back into the house and back into the game! Now, where have the evictees been? Well, Lori for the last three weeks has been sequestered in Cancun, Tonya has been in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Amy has been in Ixtapa. So, they've been out of the country, not able to see anything happening with the game. Interesting! Within 30 minutes after the end of the show, through discussions with some of the houseguests, there's no doubt in my mind that Chiara will nominate Josh and she has the votes to evict him already.

posted at 08:23 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
My Blogging Family Tree

Well, the blog has been up for quite a few months now, and I have to fess up. Why did I start blogging? Well, I started reading a few online and it just seemed like something that I would enjoy doing. Who was the one that got me hooked? Erin. There was something about how she wrote and the site design that I really enjoyed and I started reading about her and her life and I couldn't stop. Go figure. Why confess now? Well, it's because of BlogTree. It attempts to produce the genealogy of blogs. So, I had to go register and declare that, indeed, Erin is my BlogMom. And, hey! I've got siblings!

posted at 12:13 PM | Link | Blogging | 1 comment § |

Wednesday, August 07, 2002

Mmmm... cream puffs...

Junior cattle judging in the Collesium The Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association Steak Stand... outside the cattle judging World famous fresh Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs Mmmmm... cream puffs... The street along the grandstand at the state fair Sand castle building inside the brand new Wisconsin Exposition Center The Milwaukee Marching Grannies during the daily parade Melinda trying out some weird sinus massage thing A big crowd at the pig races Diane & Melinda - um... the sign on the barn is not a comment...
I went to the Wisconsin State Fair today with my sister Diane and Melinda. What a great time. Now, yes, I realize that I don't live in Wisconsin, but let's face it - Milwaukee is closer to Chicago than Springfield. Melinda, even though she's from "down state", has never been to a State Fair, so this was going to be her indoctrination. We made sure we went through the animal barns (damn - those Belgian and Percheron horses are big) and then of course we had to sample food, which at this State Fair is huge. Oh, and we had to get some fresh Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs. Yum. And what's a fair without the exposition halls with all of the... um... crap that's being sold. The weather was great - high 70's, sunny. We caught the Pig Races on the way out. I enjoy going to the fair and I enjoyed being with them.

posted at 07:22 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Tuesday, August 06, 2002

West Nile Tote Board

Oh, great, I feel REAL safe... I just heard on the news that Illinois registered it's first case of the West Nile virus. It was 22-year-old woman, a student from Maryland. OK, fine. The kicker? She lived in HOFFMAN ESTATES - WHERE I LIVE. Man, now I better pay attention to dead birds around here and get myself covered in DEET...

posted at 10:17 PM | Link | Current Events | 1 comment § |
The Mole 2 - Episode 13

The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal
My favorite reality game show ended tonight - Bill was The Mole (like I had thought) and Dorothy won $636,000 (meaning Heather lost). (I wonder if The Mole gets any special compensation?) Great show. I think Anderson Cooper was a great host for this style of show. Hope there's a Mole 3.

posted at 09:02 PM | Link | The Mole § |
Zip it!

Kevin Spacey as Dr. Evil in "Austinpussy" movie at the beginning of Goldmember
I just got back from the AMC 30 in South Barrington. I wanted to see a movie that Carol didn't want to see, so I caught a matinee of Austin Powers in Goldmember. I love walking into a theater just before the trailers start running and be the only person in the theater. Total number of people at the movie (including me): 6. The opening "Movie-within-a-movie" segment was hysterical. The rest of the movie really did have it's moments, but felt too much like there were specific gags just sewn together. There were two ladies sitting in the row behind me that I thought were going to wet themselves during the movie because they were laughing so hard. (It was funny, but not that funny).

posted at 03:58 PM | Link | Movies § |
Time flies

The Air Raid sirens are going off outside - an indication that this must be the first Tuesday of the month. It's a weird sense of nostalgia that comes over me. It takes me back to a time of being in grade school, at St. Ferdinand. Every time we heard that siren, we stopped what we were doing and said a prayer. I think back then it was every Tuesday of the month, not just the first. I remember seeing the yellow and black signs designating the basement as a Fallout Shelter - never really knowing what fallout truly meant. I remember seeing large drums of what I think were drinking water underneath the stairs. Now, I only hear it because I am home, and only if I was home on the first Tuesday. Now, the sirens don't harken the beginning of Doomsday, but are supposed to warn the community of severe weather. I have never heard the sirens other than First Tuesday, and we've been here 18 years this month. 18 years this month?!?!??!? Wow. This is the longest Carol or I have lived in one place for all of our lives so far. This is our home. Now, I've got to find a job so we can keep it...

posted at 10:01 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Monday, August 05, 2002

Lego men

If there was one thing I've learned during the last 14 months is that I know I have a lot of free time. That's what happens when the dot-com era tanks, the economy goes down the drain with it and you wind up unemployed.. But I don't think I had as much time as this guy.

posted at 01:58 PM | Link | Odd | 1 comment § |
Convoy

I don't know, but this sounds like something I'd do. Really. A mobile Wireless 802.11b network for a convoy of cars on a highway!

posted at 11:47 AM | Link | Geek § |
No double

I woke up this morning and my right eye is fine. Go figure. And Carol actually said she missed me during her little trip. Aw.

posted at 08:22 AM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |

Sunday, August 04, 2002

Temp Bach Day 3

Well, day three of my "temp-bach" (Temporary Bachelor) life has passed, and Carol returns later today on day four. Have I enjoyed it? YES! Don't ask me why, but I really am enjoying it. Actually, Indy and I are both enjoying it, as I'm letting her run around the whole house. She's spending a lot of time in "Bunnyland" - that's the area of the house that she's usually blocked-off from. She's spending a lot of time with me upstairs. She's just having a grand ol' time. Hopefully Carol had a good time being away. She needed a little bit of a vacation away from me. I mean, being unemployed for 14 months and being home every time she comes home takes a toll on her. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't miss me... this time.

posted at 12:13 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Double in one

Ever wake up in the morning and can't see? No, not like blackness or actual blindness, but your eyesight is screwed up? That's me this morning. Having trouble focusing my right eye. It's weird. My glasses don't help a bit. It's almost like I'm seeing double in one eye - is that possible? Weird.

posted at 08:50 AM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |

Saturday, August 03, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 28

Big Brother 3
Quick update before the show: Chiara, Roddy, Danielle and Josh lose this week's food competition (a betting game on how much of an item someone can eat in 2 minutes), and have to eat PB&J and jalepeno-stuffed olives for a week (watch the show, you'll see). Gerry nominated Eric & Lisa for eviction. Chiara wins the Power of Veto, but will probably not use it. Late this afternoon, Roddy, Lisa, Jason, and Eric stood in front of the camera in the kitchen and asked all of the viewers of the internet feed to not vote for them for this week's America's Choice competition and to only Vote for Danielle (viewers vote by phone on who they would like to see get a letter from home).
Update: The sweet appeal to help out Danielle in the America's Choice poll was apparently too late. Jason won the letter from home.

posted at 06:16 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Arlington Park

Empty stands before the start of today's races Betting area inside Arlington The automated machines seem to be very popular The horses leave the paddock area A good crowd for today's races Sigh... another loser Irish dancers for today's Irish Fest Trumpeting the horses to the track The start of the 8th race
Well, I'm back from Arlington Park. I love the facility, but I had a bad day. Only won one bet (though I didn't bet a lot of the races, and left after the 8th). Good crowd. Lots of kids, though. I think too many. I felt that I wasn't prepared, even though I downloaded a bunch of stuff from Equibase. I just wasn't motivated to use the information, so... shame on me. I guess I just want output from handicapping software instead of pouring over statistics and charts.

posted at 05:09 PM | Link | Horse Racing § |
Temp Bach Day 2

Well, day two of my "temp-bach" (Temporary Bachelor) life has passed. Have I done anything special? No. Well, that changes right now. I'm going to the race track. I haven't been there in a while, and I got a promotion thing in the mail for today, so I might as well go. Arlington Park, here I come!

posted at 10:41 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Woof?

I'm sure that my sister knew this, but there's a report that says dogs are smarter than people think.

posted at 01:37 AM | Link | Odd | 1 comment § |

Friday, August 02, 2002

nbierma.com

Here's a staff reporter for the Chicago Tribune that wrote an article in today's Tribune about his Blogathon 2002 experience.

posted at 03:41 PM | Link | Blogging § |
Temp Bach Day 1

Well, day one of my "temp-bach" (Temporary Bachelor) life has passed. Have I enjoyed it? Yes. Have I done anything special? No. I need to correct this.

My old bud Joe called me today, and told me that he talked to someone from one of my old companies recently and they want me to call them re: possible position. (Yes, I'm intentionally being very vague about this). I'm worried about this - it's a small, high-end consulting company, and I'm just scared of my skill set. The executives at the company are all former employees of this prior company. It's weird. I sent an Email right away to "this person" with my resume. I'll call "this person" next week. Hopefully "they" will remember me.

posted at 01:58 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
Friday 5 - Geneology

The Friday Five
Time for another Friday Five...
1. What is your lineage? Where are your ancestors from? My mom's parents are from Poland, my dad's are from Lithuania.
2. Of those countries, which would you most like to visit? Probably Poland. I feel closer to my Polish roots.
3. Which would you least like to visit? Why? I guess that would leave Lithuania as odd man out, only because I know nothing about the country or its people.
4. Do you do anything during the year to celebrate or recognize your heritage? Well, my mom has a tendency of bringing up all things Polish throughout the year, whether it's food, or heritage, or whatever, but not any real celebrating.
5. Who were the first ancestors to move to your present country (parents, grandparents, etc)? Grandparents. I found my mom's mom at the Ellis Island website, but can't find anybody else yet. Also, having a difficult time trying to trace the family tree any further back than my grandparents.

posted at 08:36 AM | Link | Friday Five | 1 comment § |

Thursday, August 01, 2002

Big Brother 3 - Day 26

Big Brother 3 Big Brother 3 - Amy Crews Big Brother 3 - Amy Crews exits the house
Now for an unnecessarily WAY too long-winded Big Brother 3 summary...
From the Live Show tonight:
Funny interview between Julie Chen and the houseguests. Amy is evicted by a 7-0 unanimous vote. After a long time being tied, Gerry won Head of Household over Eric. Oh, no... "another new twist to the game" next Thursday night. And is it wrong that I'm drinking a Stolichnaya Citrona while watching the eviction?

Now, from the Live Feeds over the past few days:
Lisa's "thing" on her butt, which may not have been a spider bite, put her through hell for a few days - severe pain (she can't sit down because her butt-cheek hurt so much) required medication, which caused her to sleep a lot. The houseguests had to use toilet seat liners as a precaution while the doctor ran tests on her blood to figure out if it was contagious. She was afraid to get in the hot tub or lay out in the sun. There is significant amount of late-night talk between Danielle-Marcellas-Jason on what to do going forward - specifically, break up the couples no matter what. And whatever you see on the TV shows, Josh is one hundred times worse when watching the live feeds. He NEVER stops playing the game, and just flits between groups and individuals passing information and deception. He sucks. He must leave. Gerry lays on the couch in the morning after he's all sweaty from his morning cardio workout. Josh says he was "called on the carpet" by Big Brother for doing the same thing "because it isn't sanitary". Chiara was the subject of side bets among the houseguests - it was $1 bet with Roddy (in cardboard poker chips that they made for their poker games) that she would get called at least three times by the crew to put on her microphone. By 1:30 on that day she reached 3 times, and everybody went nuts (The over/under on the bet was 3). The crew had to tell her (in the Diary Room) that she had better get used to wearing the mic, or she would be put up for a penalty nomination and could get kicked-out. Did you know they give a 5-hour warning to the current Head Of Household to clear out their personal belongings so that the room can be cleaned and turned over so the new HOH can get the room during the Live Show? Did you know that they weren't allowed to wear anything from any major league team (cap, shirt, etc)? Did you know they were sequestered in a hotel for one week prior to the show, and entered the house on Saturday July 6 and not on Wednesday July 10?

posted at 07:58 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Whooo Hoooo!!! I'm alone!!!

Well, Carol just left for work. She's going to my sister Diane's house in Michigan after work for a party on Saturday. I won't see her until Sunday. I'll be alone. Gee, I've got to do something while she's away...

posted at 07:33 AM | Link | Mundane § |
*nose wiggle*
posted at 06:46 AM | Link | Memes § |

 

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