FINALLY!!!

(Photo: Steve Perez / The Detroit News)

So the Tigers clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 19 years on Sunday. It has been a looooong time coming. I can remember the last time they were in the playoffs. I can remember listening to the game on the radio the day they beat the Blue Jays in the final game of the season to earn the playoff spot. It sort of seemed like a long time for me, but when I really thought about it, I actually started realizing just how long ago it was.

I was 10 years old
My brother was only 5
I was in 3rd Grade
These were some of the top songs during 1987 (thanks Google):
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Who's That Girl - Madonna
La Bamba - Los Lobos
Bad - Michael Jackson
I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany
Faith - George Michael
Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi

Looking at it in those terms makes me realize just how long its been. I'm also now feeling really old as well.

Considering that at the beginning of the year all I was hoping for was 81 wins this year, making the playoffs is just an added bonus. To go from having 100+ losses over the past couple years, to contending not only for the playoffs, but for the best record in baseball, is quite the achievement. Hopefully the Tigers success will help brighten up the sports scene in Detroit, considering the lost cause that is known as the Lions are sucking yet again. That's been happening for 50+ years though, so that's nothing new.

I was lucky enough to get tickets to the 1st home playoff game in Detroit, and I can't wait to go. Now I just need to find out who they're playing and when the game will be.

Last 5 songs I've listened to:
Just What I Needed - The Cars
Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix
The Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin
Novocane for the Soul - Eels
I'm Gonna Miss Her (Fishin' Song) - Brad Paisley

A Joke

Heard this on "Two and a Half Men" last night.

Q: If girls with big boobs work at Hooters, where do girls with one-leg work?

A: IHOP!

I found it hysterical. Maybe its funnier when the kid on the show is telling it...

Things I Currently Find "Cool"

1.) Being married. I can't explain it other than to say that its beyond AWESOME.

2.) Fall. Fall has always been a season I was always "eh" about. Basically I always viewed it as the death of summer, and the realization that winter was around the corner...and I detest winter (to put it nicely). I started to like it when I moved to Virginia, because the weather for the most part stayed warmer later in the year than it did up in Michigan. Plus living near the mountains, it always looks awesome when the colors start changing. After dating and marrying Sara, its hard not to get caught up in the coolness of the fall season. Fall is Sara's favorite season, and she goes all out for it. Decorating the apartment with fall decorations (mums hanging out on our balcony, scarecrow and pumpkin pillows on our furniture, and even fall-themed clothing). Our weekends are spent doing fall-like things, such as going to pumpkin patches, fall festivals, and making numerous trips to Carter's Mountain Apple Orchard, which is probably the coolest place in Charlottesville. It's an orchard that is on top of a mountain.

3.) Michigan's 47-21 beatdown of Notre Dame this past weekend. I only pull for Michigan one day a year, and that is the day they play Notre Dame. In the world of sports, I hate Notre Dame the worst. I actually hate them more than I hate the New York Yankees. So not only was I happy to see ND lose, but I was thrilled to see them get slaughtered. Unfortunately, I was unable to see the game. If I would have watched, the outcome probably would have been reversed.

4.) John Mayer's Continuum CD . After hearing his first single "Waiting on the World to Change", I thought it sounded really good, and decided to check out the entire CD. I was really impressed. He appeared to go away from the "pop" sound he had on his previous albums, and go more toward the blues sound and show off more of his great guitar skills. Overall I'd give in a 4 out of 5.

5.) Death Cab for Cutie's Song "The Sound of Settling". I was looking at the myspace page of my old buddy from high school, Derek and noticed a youtube video embedded into his page, and saw he was in it, so I decided to check it out. It was a music video (Derek is pretty talented musically) and the song was incredibly catchy. At the end it said the song was "The Sound of Settling" by Death Cab for Cutie. After only hearing it the one time, I had part of it stuck in my head, and when that happens, I know its a winner, so I went to iTunes and bought the song. I can't seem to get enough of it now..and its a week later.

6.) Spicy General Tso's Chicken take-out from Red Latern. Probably one of my favorite meals in here in Charlottesville.

There is one thing that I don't find cool - Monday's.

Last 5 songs I've listened to:
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
Innocent Days - Agents of Good Roots
Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Committed - Pete Yorn
Everyone - Van Morrison

Idiots! My mid-week rant..

Over the past week or so, I've discovered I have a new pet peeve here at work. The janitors who clean our bathrooms. I like and appreciate a clean bathroom just as much as the next person, but do they really need to clean the bathrooms during business hours? Can't they either do it sometime in the evening, once a majority of the people have left, or early in the morning before everybody gets here? Its not like the janitors work the same hours as everyone else in the building. I've been here at 10:00 PM, and have seen them in action (action as in cleaning, not action like 'hanky-panky') so I know that they do work well into the night.

The reason this bothers me is because lately at around 9:00 in the morning, they start making their rounds, cleaning the bathroom on my floor. This is usually around the same time that the coffee I had at home "kicks in", and I need to go visit the spacious handicapped stall..if you know what I'm getting at. A couple days I've tried to go pay my visit, and there's a sign saying its closed for cleaning. Usually this frustrates me, and then the urge is gone, and then my routine is out of whack. Yesterday I went to visit, and to my surprise, no sign! When I walked in, I almost wiped out due to the floor being wet from the mopping, and my new "styling" shoes not having any traction (which brings me to another point, shouldn't there be a sign remaining, warning of wet floors? Wait, should I have bit it? I could have gotten workers comp and/or a nice settlement for a slip and fall accident..). One other day I went to pay my visit, saw the coast was clear, but then started wondering if the janitor was going to come and try to clean while I was in there? I would be embarrassed if I'm in there, and the janitor knocks to see if the coast is clear, and I have to tell them to wait. I've seen that they wait outside the door until the last person comes out. I like to take my time while I'm in there (hey, I'm on the clock), I wouldn't want to be branded as the guy who takes forever. I might become a running joke among all of the janitors when they all get together and gossip. All of these worries made me decide to abort my mission until later in the day when I knew I wouldn't have to rush, and I wouldn't have to worry about the cleaning crew.

But to get back to the main point, seriously why would janitor's clean during normal business hours? I can see them making sure that the toiletries are stocked to their adequate levels, and performing any other maintenance on a as-needed basis, but to shut down the bathrooms? Maybe I should start a petition requesting that shutting them down should only happen during non-business hours.

Since I'm complaining, I have one more complaint...where is the freaking sun!?! Ever since Monday, its been cloudy, cold, rainy, and just overall dreary. I feel like I'm back in Michigan again. Unfortunately its supposed to be like this until Saturday.

Last 5 songs I've listened to:
Since I've Been Loving You - Led Zeppelin
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
Who Am I (What's My Name)? - Snoop Doggy Dogg
The Sound of Settling - Death Cab for Cutie
Cold Turkey - John Lennon

More Randomness

- Do the rules for handicapped parking spots, apply to handicapped accessible stalls in the bathrooms? Are they only to be used exclusively by handicapped people, or is it ok for anyone to use them? If it is ok for anyone to use them, is it still ok to automatically default to using the handicapped one, even if the other stall(s) aren't being used?

- Where did the summer go? It literally seems like it was just over a month ago that I was getting married on the beach in Myrtle Beach, and not the three months that it actually almost is.

- Speaking of weddings and engagements, why do they always seem to come in groups? It never seems like its just one a year. Jenny's getting married next weekend, and Sara's cousin got married last month. As far as engagements go, Mike, Derek, Rob, and Steve (Mike's brother) have all gotten engaged recently. And no, none of the four I just listed are engaged to each other..not that there would be anything wrong with that.

- My step-son's teacher is dropping by our apartment sometime for a visit. Apparently its called "Stepping Out", and all of the teachers at the school are doing this to the families of the kids in their class. Has anyone heard of this happening before? Is this some new thing that's becoming the new fad in schools? What I find even more strange is that they are doing it over a two-day period, and its not known what day or time they are stopping by. Sounds a bit inconvenient to me, and shouldn't all interaction between faculty/parents take place in the actual school setting, or at a school related function. What purpose is needed for going to the students home?

- Sara got the new Paris Hilton CD. I'm not going to lie..its catchy.

- After having a 4 day weekend this past weekend, and then working from home on Monday, I've had a hard time staying focused this week. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.

- Bummer about the Crocodile Hunters death. I used to watch his show all the time when I was an unemployed bum living up in D.C. looking for a job. It was one of my few forms of entertainment everyday.

- Anyone have connections to get tickets to a home Tigers playoff game next month? If they make it, I need to go to a game. I don't care if I have to make an insane road-trip with a quick turnaround.

Last 5 songs I've listened to:
Even the Losers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Stay or Leave - Dave Matthews
Holding in the World - Bob Schneider
This Side - Nickel Creek
Grace, Too - Tragically Hip