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This is an archive collection of entries from my main personal blog, My Mundane Mid-Life.
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This collection of entries is from May 2006.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Another movieDamn the major motion picture juggernauts...
After work tonight, we decided to start catching up on the major releases, so we dashed over to the AMC South Barrington 30 again to catch a 6pm showing of X-Men: The Last Stand.
I have mixed feelings about this one. Great action. I don't think I care. There were some really nice things, though. Like Ian McKellen (Eric Lensherr/Magneto) and Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier) looking over 20 years younger thanks to CGI.
My most favorite new character? Dr. Hank McCoy, Secretary of Mutant Affairs / Beast (Kelsey Grammer).
But... I just didn't REALLY get into the movie. Too bad that's the end of the movie franchise.
posted at 08:28 PM | Link | Movies | § |
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
A garage door and Indy
Carol stayed home today to be there when we FINALLY receive delivery of something we've been waiting on for a few months (if not really a few years) - a new garage door.. we both love it and I think it's a HUGE improvement over the old one. The whole concept of natural light inside the garage is just mind boggling.
As long as she was home, Carol called the vet to see if we could get Indy into the vet today. Indy still wasn't really eating - she'd take a few bites of lettuce and stop, take afew bites of carrot and stop, take few bites of hay and stop, but drink as much water as she wanted. She was also getting "quieter" and Chip was really bothering her. Carol couldn't get an appointment until 5:30, so I got home after work and immediately took off for the vet. This was the first time we visited the new facility. It's not all that easy to get to for us, but at least we know the area, so we can take shortcuts depending on traffic.
So, the doc checked her all out, put her under anesthesia to xray her (and clip her toenails) and then did... a dental exam. Out of all the years we've had rabbits, non of our bunnies ever had dental issues - until now. She had problems with her molars having grown "unusually" and were probably hurting her gums or cheek, so the doc worked on them (probably with a dremmel).
A tech brought her back to the exam room, still a little woozy. She went right back into her carrier and settled down. After a while, we could hear her grinding her teath. She looked different. On the way home, she looked much more relaxed than the trip into the city. Sure enough, first thing she does when she gets home is eat.
posted at 08:27 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Monday, May 29, 2006
I can't believe I'm bitching about this...We had NOTHING scheduled for today - a perfect way to spend Memorial Day. It was a day of laying around and doing something I haven't done in months - just goof-off on the computer. I used to spend time on the computer every night... until we bought that damn 55" HDTV.
I'm a slave to it - when it calls, I must obey. It shows us wonders of the world, like cooking shows, reality shows, crime dramas... but when it has something special it needs to show, it has our full attention - primetime crime dramas on the networks, certain sporting events, travel - oh, the travel... we don't use our dining room anymore, it's now tray tables in front of the TV...
We never went outside today.
It's too hot.
Actually, I think it's not the temperature, but it's been so damn humid lately, that the heat just kills you. Today, it didn't last too long - a whole bunch of little, tiny really intense thunderstorms moved through the area. The kind where it went from sunny to pitch black in under a minute and the rain came straight down - no wind - soaking everything.
The plus side? The temperature dropped a bit. But everything is just so green outside.
This is my favorite time of year - late spring, when everything is deep, healthy green, before summer when the lack of rain and scorching sun turns the lawns brown.
posted at 08:42 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Indy, Indy, Blinds, MI3Well, our older bunny Indy seems to be having problems - she's not eating much at all and she just wants to be alone - a good indication that she's sick. It's almost like at the end of 2004, but she was really in distress and really hiding. This is like she's a little... off. She wants to eat and she eats a little, but then just stops. She's urinating with a good stream, so we're not sure what's going on.
Speaking of Indy... there's another Indy on TV today - the Indianapolis 500.
WHY THE HELL CAN'T ABC BROADCAST THE INDY 500 IN HD? Hell, Fox broadcasts all of the NASCAR events in HD, and this is a special event! What the hell!
We had to get new blinds for the bedroom - the one on my side of the bed actually started to fall apart from all that exposure to the sun after all of these years. Carol went to Lowes and had some blinds cut to size... too bad they were the wrong size. At least she had them cut too long so she could go back and take some more off. After she struggled with that, then we had to change the mounting hardware... Let's just say the task took way longer than either of us thought. Then, when everything was done, we rushed to the AMC South Barrington 30 to catch a 3:10 showing of Mission: Impossible III.
Eh.
It was OK (I got over my Tom Cruise issues quickly), and there was a LOT of action, but... I don't know, it seemed a little implausible (what? an IMF Mission being implausible? Well, it wasn't the mission - it was the fact an IMF agent would get married to someone that doesn't know what he really does for a living - I think that was my problem)
UPDATE: On Thursday night, ABC broadcast the Scripps Spelling Bee. LIVE. IN HDTV
posted at 05:59 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Another Chinese DinnerWe drove into the city tonight to have another Chinese dinner with friends. that's two Saturday's in a row, but in doesn't matter - it's all about being there with your friends.
You see, Barry actually came home yesterday, 9 days after his liver transplant.
I can't believe how good he looks, how good he sounds, and it's amazing to see him up and about walking through his house.
There's just something about the technology of modern medicine that sometimes just astounds you.
We ordered out Chinese, Buffy rented a movie and we just had a great time - oh, and the movie was pretty damn good too: Mrs Henderson Presents
posted at 10:02 PM | Link | Friends | § |
Friday, May 26, 2006
TV Cheeky Monkey
It's been a long time since I stepped into a Comedy Club (sorry, Erin), so making the pilgrimage to Zanies in St. Charles (at Pheasant Run) was a bit of a trip. We bought these tickets as soon as it was announced and we've been waiting to see somebody that we've been dieing to see - a man, not known for stand-up, but for his story telling skills, and just all-round funny man.
TV's Craig Ferguson.
As in the man from Glasgow, you know - the boss Mr. Nigel Wick from "The Drew Carey Show (from 1996-2003), the writer of this wonderful little movie "Saving Grace", and currently the host of CBS's The Late Late Show and the author of the novel "Between the Bridge and the River".
(God, I hope by now you know who I'm talking about)
Zanies is an odd place - it's like the attic (or closed-in loft) of a barn - so it's narrow and long (in fact, you enter through a silo). The show was a sellout, and that was just the 8pm show, he had a 10pm show to do as well - also sold-out! Interesting crowd - all ages. And I mean, ALL ages.
What a GREAT show! He's really great! What you see on the Late Late Show is him. His act is actually in the same style as his monologue - no set-up jokes, just stories that all fit together and flow well.
You know it's a good show when it feels short when an hour and a half passes (OK, there were two other comedians as well) and you still want to hear more stories!
HIGHLY recommended!
read more of this entry »
It's Hard to Stay Up
It's Been a Long, Long Day and You Got the Sandman at the Door
But Hang On, Leave the TV On and Let's Do It Anyway
It's OK, You Can Always Sleep Through Work Tomorrow, OK?
Hey Hey
Tomorrow's Just a Future Yesterday « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:39 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Changed RSS FeedIf anyone subscribed to the XML RSS feed of this blog through the links in the right-hand column, please pick-up the NEW feed from FeedBurner that is now displayed in the right-hand column.
If anyone has problems, drop me a comment.
posted at 12:37 PM | Link | Blogging | § |
HumidWe had a few lines of small, intense spring thunderstorms last night. While laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, the bedroom was constantly being lit-up by lightning. No thunder, just tons of lightning (I always thought they were together - or maybe the thunder wasn't significant - there was a constant rumble because of the constant lightning.
This morning: overcast, but hot and humid. Well, no so much hot as warm, but humid as all hell.
Stifling.
posted at 09:58 AM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment | § |
Monday, May 22, 2006
First ClassJust got back from my first Diabetes Education class at St. Alexius Medical Center. Tonight was about exercise and how it benefits a diabetic. We had a podiatrist and an elderly gentleman ("civilian"-type) that teaches "walking" and stretching continuing education classes. Learned a few things, but not too much. I mean, how much do you have to learn about walking, other than how - medically - it benefits a diabetic. Of course, there's issues of foot care for a diabetic that I sort of knew, but didn't. I guess it's a denial thing, because the two things that happen to diabetics (can happen, at all kinds of severity) is poor circulation and neuropathy, which could lead - unchecked - to significant pain, sores, and - because of lack of circulation - even amputation of body parts... which SCARE THE HELL OUT OF ME... Is that my future? Can I avoid that???
There was only 2 people in class (including myself) and this class is only held quarterly. The rest of the education sessions for the month of May - it's only me, so we're customizing a few sessions into one final session for me. Feels odd being in a certified education class and being the only "student".
posted at 08:44 PM | Link | Health | § |
Sunday, May 21, 2006
White Sox 4 - Cubs 7
read more of this entry »
Well... at least we took the series... The weather was crap... low 50's in the sun and a cold breeze, so when the shade moved over the section, it was hell...
We played poorly today, and I blame the defense. Jose Contreras came off the DL and pitched, but he gave up 4 runs (2 were inherited by Neal Cotts, who got tagged with a Blown Save and the Loss), and things just imploded. We had two errors and the key play should have been scored as the 3rd error but wasn't when Uribe threw to Konerko to end a double play in the 8th and threw too low, skipping past Paulie. We would have been out of the inning and on our way to a sweep. And all I wanted to see is for our boys to get into Carlos Zambrano's head and mess with him, and they sort of did, thanks to A.J. (again - talk about a lightning rod...)
The team wore 1906 "throw back" uniforms - the year of the White Sox - Cubs World Series. I think, if I remember correctly, "throw back" uniforms are bad luck for this team...
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 04:24 PM | Link | White Sox | § |
Saturday, May 20, 2006
IncredibleAfter the ballgame, we drove downtown. Well, after the big traffic jams from all the Cubs-Sox traffic, we finally got downtown. What an incredible day - driving up Michigan Avenue, though slow-moving, was just your typical, wonderful, great, Chicago Experience. Apparently there were tons of other people that felt the same way judging by the number of peds everywhere.
We got to the hotel and went up to Barry's room, not knowing what to expect.
read more of this entry »
There was Barry, sitting in an office chair, looking like... Barry!
Holy crap did he look good! I didn't know what to expect, but there he was, in a shirt and sweat pants, watching TV, and other than the central-line connections flopping out of his neck, he was just... Barry! He didn't move around, much. I mean, here's a guy that had a liver transplant a few days ago, already out of the hospital, sitting in a hotel room watching golf!
The ONLY thing that was different - again, other than sticking to the chair and not moving around much - was that he was actually 30 pounds heavier than when he went into surgery (they pumped his body full of fluids during the 6 hour+ operation), so he's not "swollen" from the surgery itself, all of his tissues are full of fluid.
We talked for quite a while. We were kind of worried about his stamina, but this is how it went:
We stayed for dinner, ordering out from Ben Pao (using CEO Deliveries) and then stayed around and watched Batman Begins on HBO.
Stamina? Yeah, he's got it. He's great. It was almost... shocking. He said something that just kind of hit me from so many different angles.
Here it was Saturday - he had transplant surgery on Wednesday. We were talking about how a doctor came to talk to them about what was going to happen, minute by minute, through surgery and post-op. They prepared Barry and Buffy for what Barry was going to "look like" when he came out of surgery - bloated, tubes, the incision, etc. They just wanted to make sure B&B were prepared.
Anyway, Barry says "I got up to take a shower..." and that little phrase just hit me. Just days later, he's getting up out of bed to take a shower... so soon? Up and about? taking a shower?... (He went on to say that when he saw himself in the mirror, he thought he looked pretty damn good compared to what they said he could look like).
I believe that B&B said that there was only one other patient to leave the hospital this early after a transplant. We all believe that Barry is where he is because he never was "significantly" sick from his liver failure, which was just on a path to slow failure. He was in pretty good shape going in, and he's in great shape coming out.
This is just a great start to his recovery. He's got a way to go, but damn he's on the right path... « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:40 PM | Link | Friends | § |
White Sox 7 - Cubs 0
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Goegeous day for baseball.
Gorgeous day for a fight, as well.
Bottom of the 2nd, no score, 1 out, bases loaded. Brian Anderson hits into a fly-out in Left Field. A.J. Piersinski, on third base, tags up and rnd home. Cubs catcher Michael Barret blocks the plate - without having the ball - and A.J. bowls him over. They both go flying. A.J. rolls over, slaps the plate and gets up. Now, here where it get's odd. Barret gets up. A.J. says he going after his helmet that's laying behind the plate and sort of turn his back to Barret as he passes. Barret bear-hugs him, says "I didn't have the ball, bitch, hauls off and punches A.J. in the chin.
Benches cleared. Bullpens cleared. Anderson after running to first, is now by the plate, taking out John Mabry, the Cubs' first baseman. Bodies everywhere. Barret, Anderson, Mabry and - for some reason A.J. - are all ejected.
Game back on - Rich Hill walks te bases loaded. Tadahito Iguchi - Grand Slam.
We now have 5 runs on 2 hits.
After all of these years, we finally have a fight between these two teams.
And - according to the analysts, it's all Barret's fault. We're waiting for fines/suspensions from the league.
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 03:53 PM | Link | White Sox | § |
Friday, May 19, 2006
KICKED-OUTI just got off the phone with my buddy, Barry.
Yeah, the same guy I talked about just 48 hours ago.
read more of this entry »
Yes. THAT guy. Not only was he awake and alert, but he was already out of Intensive Care.
Now - get a load of this:
HE'S LEAVING THE HOSPITAL TONIGHT.
He was just getting out of surgery 48 hours ago with a brand new liver through a transplant, and he's leaving the friggin' hospital.
OK, he's not going home. He's going to a Residence Inn suites hotel near the hospital for God knows how long. Because - after all, from an insurance standpoint, a Residence Inn room is cheaper than a hospital room.
I guess that's the arrangement the transplant team has. He'll be seen by a nursing service and he'll probably have to go back for tests that they can't do at the hotel, but that's got to be a much better way to recuperate.
We're invited to come over tomorrow (after baseball) to visit and even order out and maybe just stick around and just visit, depending on how everyone feels.
He sounds tired, but good. Happy, even, if you could say that.
I think he really knows today how lucky they are. And that's just gotta make you happy. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 12:55 PM | Link | Friends | § |
Thursday, May 18, 2006
PODCAST EXTRAVAGANZA!Get out of bed
Middle of June
Craving some breakfast
Can't find a spoon
Looks like today is just another day...
Hop on the couch
Turn on the game
Winning or loosing,
it's always the same
At least we all share the same mundane life...
Get to work on time
Work the daily grind
Just another day in this Mundane Mid-Life...
It's the same for you
We all know it's true
Not everyone can be a superstar
The rest of us are just living in our Mundane Mid-Life
INTRODUCING...
Yes, it's the official announcement of the debut of The Mundane Mid-Life Show! It's my attempt at a Podcast that will be a "supplement" to this blog. I hope to create these on a somewhat regular basis (bi-weekly? Who knows...) Check out the shows that are available on the new Podcast page.
Many thanks to Mark Blasco at Podcast Themes for writing the great music for the show! (If you're a podcaster, be sure to check him out. He's great to work with and I can't complain one iota about the stuff he produced!)
The Podcast is released under the "Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives" Creative Commons License.
posted at 03:49 PM | Link | Podcast | § |
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
How could I have slept through this?Something wasn't right today. I felt tired. My blood sugar levels are a little "up" (just a few points, but up nonetheless). I feel really fatigued. I guess this is my life now. Just feeling horrendously tired.
So, I was all excited to sit down in front of the TV and watch the Season Finale of The Amazing Race. (Those of you that have been here before know that this is my absolute favorite reality show right now. I've been longing and yearning to try-out for the show and be on it... Why don't I? I need a partner and NOBODY I know wants to do it...)
So, I'm all geared-up to watch the show and...
I fell asleep.
At least I woke up at the very end to see who won.
Thank God for TiVo. I'll probably watch it sometime this weekend and get caught up and enjoy it. Awake.
I LOVE THIS SHOW.
posted at 09:19 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
TRANSPLANTThere are an awful lot of things that I don't discuss here. I have a built-in filter to not blog about some things in my life. There are some things that are personal, and then there are things that are PERSONAL, and I happen to know where that line is in regards to my life. Then, there are things that are personal to you that actually based on something happening to someone else - family member or friend - and my built-in filter knows not to talk about it. Unless, of course, I seek permission and get it, limited or not.
So, there's been something that's been going on for quite a while now that I haven't talked about here. It's something kind of scary and it's effecting friends of ours, one very directly and severely. And, in deference to their privacy, my filter automatically kicked in and I've kept it quiet. This time, it was actually hard to do. I know people that actually read this blog, albeit it's only once in a great while, that actually know the person involved personally. I just don't know who "knows" and who doesn't, so best to play it safe.
Well, the filter is coming down for this instance, and I just hope to God that it's OK, because I haven't had the opportunity to seek permission to do so.
read more of this entry »
I've known Barry for over 15 years now. I met him interviewing him for a position and he was hired soon after. We worked in the same department for 6 or 7 years. We occasionally disagreed on things, sometimes significantly, but we always had a good relationship. The relationship grew over the years, and he and his wife and Carol and I have become best friends. We've traveled together to our favorite town - Las Vegas - quite a few times. We try to see them every month (it's hard to coordinate schedules a lot of times, plus coming into the city (into "enemy territory" - Wrigleyville) is difficult, but we're always passing emails in-between.
Now, the filter is being only slightly removed so that I can talk just a little about this.
Barry has been sick for a while now. He's had some liver problems over the years, that have slowly turned worse.
It advanced enough that it actually turned a corner - it had started to fail.
We got a call from Buffy this morning at about 6:30 (that's in that "Time Period" where you don't want to hear the phone ring, because - if it's not a wrong number - it's going to be something significant that requires your attention.
Barry is in surgery as we speak - getting a new liver. A transplant.
He's been waiting for one for a while, but he's been in good-enough health that, even though it was failing, it was still working - though just not as well as it should.
He's had at least 4 "False Alarms" over the past few months - where they get the call, go to the hospital, and the transplant team tests the donor liver (sometimes requiring them to travel to... "wherever" the liver may be) only to find out after hours of testing that the donor liver wasn't viable due to things that weren't found until it was physically examined and tested, like it being "too fatty", or has signs of cirrhosis or fibrosis.
So, imagine getting these phone calls, rushing to the hospital, waiting for what is significant, major surgery that will - in the big picture - save your life, and waiting for hours only to find out that the donor liver is viable.
And have this happen more than once - what kind of toll does that take on your life? Your well-being?
Well, anyway, Barry is under the knife, getting a new liver. More details to come.
UPDATE 12:35: Just got the phone call from Buffy - Barry tollerated the surgery really well, the new liver looks "gorgeous" and they didn't find any surprises inside when they started. She isn't able to see him for another hour yet. He's going to have a lot of tubes and drains and he may look bloated, but he got through it pretty well.
Hopefully, we'll get to hear a bit more later. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 06:47 AM | Link | Friends | § |
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
51 MonthsGood ol' "fat naked guy" - Richard Hatch, the winner of the first Survivor, who didn't pay taxes on his $1M winnings, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for tax evasion and, apparently to the judge, repeated perjury during the trial.
posted at 01:38 PM | Link | Survivor | § |
Monday, May 15, 2006
Not-so DailyI'm looking at the current month calendar over in the right-hand column, and I'm feeling a bit disappointed.
Has my life become so mundane and boring that I can't post every day?
Apparently. This stretch of time is the worst in the past four years of this blog. I mean, I always published something.
Man, I'm going to have to force myself to write something. Even if it's nothing.
I guess, sort of like this entry... only maybe better...
posted at 09:22 AM | Link | Mundane | § |
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Michiganing
Got back in enough time to watch the Survivor: Panama - Exile Island finale & Reunion.
Sorry, Terry should have had it, not Aras.
We spent yesterday & today at my sister's house in Michigan, where - due to the crappy weather, we didn't do anything.
Which, I must say, is not a bad thing. Sometimes it's just nice getting away some place else, any place else, and she's got a great any place to be.
We had lunch yesterday at the Red Arrow Roadhouse, which you can't beat for price and quality - and it's now no smoking!
Diane grilled dinner (fillet's!) and celebrated Carol's birthday, and Carol made breakfast/brunch this morning (since she was the only non-mom in the house for Mother's Day).
The travel wasn't too bad yesterday on the Dan Ryan. Today we got off at Stoney Island and took Lakeshore Drive up since we had made a "Meat Run" to Falatic's and had to deliver some goodies to B&B in Wrigleyville (thank God the game was over, traffics was bad enough on Addison).
I really enjoy being up there - really want to do it again soon - with better weather, though...
posted at 09:51 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Friday, May 12, 2006
GloomyWe've had a lot of rain and high wind warnings both yesterday and today and its' supposed to be this way through Monday. It's in the 30's at night and daytime highs are only in the mid-40's. There's a Low Pressure system parked around Lake Michigan and all of the great Lakes states are getting this crappy weather. And the low isn't supposed to move-off for days.
Depressing.
And we'll all supposed to go up to Diane's in Michigan for the weekend. Travel should be terrible, and then we can't spend any time outside for the weekend.
It's always nice being up there, but I think we may be stretching it a bit this time...
posted at 10:20 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment | § |
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
ParchedTime to share with you a side effect of diabetes that I have been plagued with.
Dry mouth and extreme thirst.
I've had this for a while, actually, most severely at night or when I awake. I wrote it off ats1) being a mouth-breather because my sinuses are usually always clogged, and 2) no humidifier in the house during the winter.
Turns out it was diabetes.
But lately, it's took a new turn. I have been taking Zyrtec for my allergies (and it's not that all effective, in my mind), and I think it's done something to my throat.
Now, on top of my extremely dry mouth and throat (because of diabetes plus a side effect of Zertec is - dry mouth), now I'm coughing because it feels like my uvula has dried up and sticking to the back of throat.
***eewwwww***
Then again, I remember Barry telling me something about ACE inhibitors and coughing (turns out that my blood pressure medication changed and now has an ACE inhibitor in it, and a side effect is cough (3.9%)).
posted at 10:00 AM | Link | Health | 1 comment | § |
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Well, he didn't kill himself... yetSorry, I just couldn't watch the David Blaine thing last night on ABC ("Drowned Alive").
I like his slight of hand work and other feats of prestidigitation, but these TV specials are just weird-ass events and tests of endurance that seem... not really spectacular, just means of 1) getting his name out in the press, and 2) getting his name into a world record book or something. I mean, what's the point and why should I watch?
I had heard earlier in the day that he wasn't doing well from his week-long stint inside that 8-foot snow globe-like tank of his (actually 177 hours underwater). I just thought it was all part of the stunt itself, so that it would be "even more spectacular" if he held his breath for 9 minutes, live on the air... like he was supposed to.
Instead, he made 7:08 when divers had to yank him out because of convulsions. And it turns out he's got liver and kidney problems, rashes all over his body and his skin was peeling off.
Knock it off, already. Show me illusions, don't show me abuse of your own body.
posted at 02:50 PM | Link | Odd | § |
Monday, May 08, 2006
E.W. has C.O. as #1!I was reading this weeks' Entertainment Weekly and flipped over to the issue's The Must List and there it was - Number #1 was Cute Overload!
This is a great website. I know Carol goes there often. She says that if she's having a bad day, she goes over there to see all of the damn cute pictures there, and you always feel better.
Go check it out - it's got the world's best cute animal pictures!
posted at 08:19 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment | § |
Sunday, May 07, 2006
White Sox 3 - Royals 2
read more of this entry »
OK, I think we've figured out the parking situation for us newbie Red Coupon people. It seems like the preferable lot is Lot A which is where the Bus Parking is, which is the advantage. After the game, instead of going out the way you came in, you use the Bus Entrance/Exit in the "front" of the lot and you get dumped out onto one-way south Wentworth, before 35th Street - perfect for making a left onto 35th to go over the bridge and get right on the Dan Ryan.
The weather was about the same as last night - of course we were sitting in the direct sun until about 2:10. The temperature at game time was 64°, much better than last night. It was also the sixth sell-out of the season (38,870). We're still not getting used to all of these people around us. There used to be a time where we could "stretch out" a bit during a game. Now, it's shoulder to shoulder, every row filled. No room to stretch your legs, put your arm on the seat next to you. Ah, those were the days... The Price of Success....
Mark Buehrle threw way too many pitches. He threw 22 in the first, and was having trouble with location, with everything staying "up". (He wound up going through 6 innings, throwing 114 pitches (71 strikes) with 4 strikeouts, but 2 runs on 7 hits.
Joe Crede was involved in two odd plays: 1) In the forth, he hits a drive deep to left-center. The centerfielder (Kerry Robinson) totally misplays the ball and jumps at the wall. The second base umpire sees the ball go over the wall, and calls a home run (the fireworks guy, quick on the trigger, sets-off the scoreboard fireworks). I just happen to be on the center field deck, below the Fan Deck. The guy standing next to me says it's not a homerun. Sure enough, what had happened, is that the ball actually hit the warning track and bounced over the wall. Nobody saw the ball hit the track, everybody was watching Robinson hit the wall and the ball going over. After a long umpire discussion, they called Crede back out of the dugout to take his place on Second, because they changed their call to a Ground Rule Double (the correct call). 2) It's the bottom of the 8th, the game is tied 2-2. Jim Thome is on first (after a flyball to center was dropped in a diving attempt by Kerry Robinson). Paul Konerko is intentionally walked to get to Crede. Crede waited for his pitch and blooped a single to left, scoring Thome as the go-ahead run that was the game-winning run.
Our record now goes to 22-9, best record in all of baseball, first in the AL West and 2½ games in front of the Detroit Tigers (who have tailed us must of this young season).
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 04:51 PM | Link | White Sox | § |
Saturday, May 06, 2006
White Sox 9 - Royals 2
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Another crappy weather night - it was 52º at gametime, windy, and it just went down from there. A bit uncomfortable.
What a game, though. Javier Vazquez had No-Hitter through 5. In his last start, he no-hit the Royals through 7.
Jim Thome had another homerun, his 13th. I love being at the game to watch the ball fly. You don't get a sense of the speed on TV. They get out in a hurry, hardly without an arc to its flight.
The 7-8-9 spots of the order need some individual hitting instruction: Ross Gload - .167 (OK, what he really needs is playing time - this is with 18 at bats), Juan Uribe - 161, Brian Anderson - .160 (even though Anderson was 2-for-4 with his 3rd homerun).
Another "sellout" - 38,593 (though I don't know what a sellout really is at the park anymore. I keep hearing the word "sellout" and the attendance would vary by 100-200. And of course, that's paid. I wish they would go back to the days of "turnstile".
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:49 PM | Link | White Sox | § |
Friday, May 05, 2006
Super M ModeWow, I sure haven't been writing here very much.
I think what's happened is that my life has phased into Super M mode - as in Super Mundane. Nothing of note is happening. At all.
I'll post something about baseball games I go to, but that's because it's out of the ordinary for me. Everything else is everyday stuff.
So boring, so mundane. Why share? It's not interesting - at least I don't think so because it's just everyday life.
You get up, you go to work, do your job, go home, talk to the wife when she gates home, play with the kids (OK, bunnies in our case), watch some TiVo, watch some TV, go to bed.
lather, rinse, repeat.
I mean, nothing is standing out to talk about. I blinked and this week passed by me.
Maybe I just need to find those mundane things "of note", just to write about it.
Then, there's my attempt at podcasting. It's hard to put together a show on a regular basis. What? You didn't know I had a podcast? Well... I do. It's just not published anywhere yet. They're coming. I'm stockpiling them. I can tell you that it's nothing special - just an extension or "supplement" to this blog. And it looks like I've finally set a schedule - twice a month. And I'm starting to have problem with lack of content - similar to here.
It'll all break through - someday.
posted at 03:38 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
One HeadlightI have a feeling that there are people out there that totally understand this...
I woke up this morning and walked into the bathroom, turned-on the light, and looked into the mirror.
The first thing I see is not the excessively screwed-up hair, the squinting, wrinkled eyes, the crappy body shape and condition...
No, it was this tiny white spot, about double quadruple the size of the period at the end of this sentence.
The zit at the end of my nose. It looks like a personal headlight, like it should be illuminating my way around the bathroom.
I've been getting zits all over my nose ever since I started using Breathe-Right's, and this one stirred-up front-and-center.
And you have at least a day before it'll go "down" and become a bit invisible, because after you decide to... ummm... remove the white spot from the tip of your nose, then you have to worry about the red flesh that sticks around, that still call attention to the area. And, during the day, you feel like you have to look into any reflecting object, just to make sure that it doesn't "grow back".
I feel like I've been hiding my face all day... I feel like I can't hold a conversation with anyone, as the zit is going to be the only thing they're going to notice...
posted at 01:42 PM | Link | Mundane | § |
Monday, May 01, 2006
Mag-stripe readersIf you've noticed for over a year now I usually don't talk about work. I use vague terms to discuss some of the things going on, like if I'm busy or not.
This entry is a little different, but still is as vague as possible - don't want to get dooce'd.
I never feel helpless at work at all unless something happens to my ID Badge and I can't get in to the four doors to get to my desk from the parking garage. Four. To go to the bathroom, I need to go through one of those doors. I HATE having to ask someone to borrow their just to be able to go to the bathroom. There was a time at the end of March that my card didn't work for a week. A WHOLE FRIGGIN' WEEK without a card. That was hell. There was one night after most of the people had left when I had to go to the bathroom, and - I'm sure you agree - doing that takes precedence over trying to find someone still in the office that will let you borrow their card. I had to wait 15 minutes for someone to come to the door and let me in.
To add fuel to the fire, the card reader stations are mag-stripe readers and not proximity readers (for you non-dweebs out there, that means I have to take my card and swipe it through a reader, like a credit card, instead of just touching - or getting close to - a reader that'll read a certain radio frequency that gets bounced off the card) And there's at least one of these readers - specifically the one between bathroom and office - that doesn't read well, so it can take up to 5 or 6 swipes to get the reader to recognize the card and unlock the door.
Well, it started again this morning - I could get in some doors, but not the last two. After a while, I started to find out that this was happening to other people as well - all of us are contractors. I had nightmares of this. People are telling us that it could be the cards or could be the reader because the "system" shows that we are active.
After we demonstrated what was going on to another person, all of a sudden the cards work. We didn't see any work done on the reader, so it had to have been a "system" thing.
I hate the feeling of being locked-out. It's almost that feeling of not being wanted, that you're not part of the group. And this is happening often enough (my first incident was shortly after we moved-in here at the beginning of the year), that anytime the system "hiccups", I start to panic.
posted at 10:15 AM | Link | Work | 1 comment | § |
*nose wiggle* x 2 . . . *cough*?It's the First of the month, again, and according to legend... or meme tradition..., you better say "Rabbit, Rabbit!" as your first words of the day to have good luck!
(It's Times 2 because of the two because of our two resident rabbits, Indy & Chip! The cough? Well, that's because I heard Chip make this noise yesterday that could only be described as a cough. He did it once later, too. We've been keeping our eye on him, because typically this is not a noise a rabbit should make. In fact, this is the first time in over 20 years of rabbit ownership that we've heard that noise.)
Now, apparently, this meme could actually be "White Rabbit" or Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!. The jury is still out, and luck is sooooooo subjective...
posted at 07:09 AM | Link | Memes | § |
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