Dreaming of Baseball Season

Randomness

- Sara and I were talking at lunch, and realized that there's basically one week until we're in Full-On Christmas mode. Next Saturday is the Christmas party at our place with my sister-in-law's family, and the in-laws. It'll be a fun time, especially with all 6 kids together.

- We're supposed to get our first taste of nasty winter weather starting tomorrow afternoon. Just what exactly we're going to be getting, is still up for debate. It seems like we're always on the border of either getting a mix of rain/snow or just rain. As much as I hate winter, and cold weather, I kind of wish we were getting hit with a bunch of snow. It makes things easier when it happens on the weekend. We'll probably end up with nothing when its all said and done. Sara and I were supposed to go see the Bob Schneider show in town tomorrow night, but the threat of bad weather had us decide against it..so far.

- Sara and I got tickets to see Bruce Springsteen here in Charlottesville at the end of April. I'm not a huge fan, I know a lot of his stuff, but I hear his live shows are legendary. He's one of those people that I've always wanted to see live. It sucks that the show is so far away. I still really want to see Van Halen when they come here in February. Now hopefully Led Zeppelin will decide to tour this summer. The only thing bigger for me than seeing Led Zeppelin, would be to see the Beatles..and well, that's just impossible.

- I had been doing pretty well with the baseball withdrawls so far this year. Having Tucker around, I haven't paid much attention to sports lately. After the big trade for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis last week however, I'm really getting the itch for baseball season. At least Spring Training is only at most, 2 months away..but who's counting?

- Speaking of baseball, the steroid report came out yesterday. I'm neither all that surprised, nor do I really care. Can't we all just agree that from the late 1980s until the early 2000's should just be called the "Steroid Era" of baseball. I really don't think anyone caught doing the drugs prior to the testing policy that was implemented a few years ago, should be punished. Baseball knew it was going on, and they turned a blind eye to it, because it was bringing back popularity to the sport. At least it gave something for ESPN to O.D. about once again.

- R.I.P. Fleetie (a.k.a. Crackwhore). You were a good, but crazy dog to Kristen.

Randomness

- We're down to the final month, until Tucker's arrival.

- I thought fall was finally here, as it had been pretty nice the past couple weeks. Starting last weekend it was warming back up, and we've been in the high 80's/low 90's ever since. I'm ready for it to cool down.

- This weekend is the last weekend of Tigers baseball for the year. Even though they didn't make it to the post-season this year, I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed at all. All of those years of being really bad, are still fresh in my memory, and I can remember just wanting them to play around .500 ball consistantly for a couple of seasons in a row. It's going to take another year or two of being good, but not contending before I start getting frustrated.

- With the Tigers out of it, I think I'll be giving my full support (for what its worth) to the Cubs, should they make into the playoffs. Being quite a fan of the history of baseball, I think its only fair for the Cubs to take their turn at winning it all. I'm also hoping that the Yankees and Red Sox get knocked out in the first round in the AL. I don't know if I'll be able to stand the love-fest that the media will give each team, as long as they are in it.

- Sara and I saw Ryan Adams in concert here a couple of weeks ago, it was an amazing show. After seeing that show, its got me itching to see some more good live music, luckily Bob Schneider is coming to town in December. Hopefully we'll be able to go..as long as we can get a baby-sitter for Blake and Tucker.

-Thank goodness its Friday!

Randomness

- I'm sick of hearing about Michael Vick. It seems like that's all that I hear about. Sports news, regular news, etc. I can't wait for Monday to get here, so he can get his sentencing, and hopefully this will start to go away.

- One question I have about Vick, even though I said I am sick of hearing about him, is why he will get off with such little time in prison? The other big story this summer is about the NBA ref who has plead guilty to gambling. He could get 25 years, while Vick might get 2 years maximum. Sara and I were watching TV one night, when the NBA ref gambling case was being discussed, and Sara asked why he would get so much time in prison for something like gambling? I never really had thought about it before then, but the more I think about it, the less sense it makes, especially in the context of the Vick case. The ref conspired to help some people make a few extra bucks, and yes, as a result some people lost money because of his actions as well. Those people were going to bet anyways, so there was going to be some losers and winners on those games...big deal. Vick bankrolled an operation where dogs killed each others, and if some dogs weren't to his liking after he trained them he would kill them in a pretty gruesome way. I'm not a judge, but to me Vick's actions seem a lot more criminal, and should deserve the more severe punishment.

- Today is the first day of the school year for Blake. Its crazy to think how fast the summer went. I remember when I was a kid, the summers seemed to last forever.

- Following the Tigers the past few weeks has been like riding a rollercoaster. They've been up, down, and generally just all over the place. My jinxing is still in effect. I didn't watch the game against the Yankees last Thursday, and they won. I watched them the rest of the weekend (thanks to Polio for the mlb.tv account), and they lost. I didn't watch them last night, and they won. A coincidence? I think not. Sara did wear one of my Tigers shirts last night when they won, so she's been instructed to wear that shirt some more to see if maybe she's a good luck charm. Time will tell....

- Sara had her bi-weekly appointment with the doctor the other day. The doctor gave us instructions on what kind of signs we should look for to know that Tucker is on his way, and when to call her and where to go. It made me realize that we're starting to get real close to the due date now. I'm sure it'll really start to set in once we start taking our classes at the hospital.

- I am having a huge craving for Chipotle.

- A few friends went up to DC recently to see the Dave Matthews Band show. I realized that this is the first year since 1996 (when I started following them) that I probably won't be seeing them. I'm still stuck on 49 shows and counting.

- Sara and I are going to see Ryan Adams here in Charlottesville in a few weeks. I'm pretty excited, as I've been wanting to see him for a few years now, and I've been wanting to see some live music.

- We took an afternoon trip out to the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple of weekends ago. Even though we only live a half-hour away, we rarely think of going there whenever we're trying to think of something to do. Blake really liked it. He said that once Sara has the baby, she can stay home and do baby stuff with Tucker, and he and I can go back there and go hiking. Here's some pictures:

Roastin!

- It's been hot here lately. It's been in the 90's for what seems like forever, and yesterday when I got home from work, the local station said it was 100, with a heat index of 110. I don't know if I've ever felt it as hot as it was yesterday. I ran to the grocery store last night, around 8:30, and it was still too hot to ride with the windows down. I can't imagine what Sara is going through, having to deal with being pregnant in this hot weather.

- Sara had a regular check-up the other day. Everything looks like its going along good. We're down to about 13 weeks or so to go. It seems like its still a long way off, but I'm sure it'll fly by quickly. I think we're going to sign up for some crash course parenting classes at the hospital. I am going to need all the help I can get. So far all I know is that the bottle goes in the mouth, and the diaper goes around the butt. How the diaper gets on there...I still need to figure that part out.

- Tigers are still sucking it up. It looks like they'll lose 2 of 4 against Tampa Bay, and things won't be getting easier since they play Cleveland and New York in something like 13 of their next 17 games. Luckily Cleveland hasn't done anything to distance themselves from the Tigers, but the Nazi's (Yankees) have been on a tear of late, and could complicate the chase for the wild card spot (though, to be honest, I really want a division title, and not have to settle for a wild card spot again). Hopefully Rodgers and Zumaya will get back in the rotation soon and pitch the way they're capable of, and Sheffield will get back to full strength. Bonderman also needs to get back on track and pitch, as he's pitched like crap the last couple of outings. I guess if nothing else, it'll make for a exciting August and September.

- Lions have their first preseason game tonight. You can never read too much into pre-season games, but it still will be interesting to see how they come out and play tonight. It will be interesting to see how the potent the offense will be, since they have the weapons to at least make things fun to watch for once.

- So Barry Bonds finally broke the home run record. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand I'm glad its over...I got sick of hearing about it everyday. For the 2 minutes I watched Sportscenter in the morning (mostly to check the Tigers score, if I didn't know it already) it seemed they were always talking about it. On all the morning news programs, they talked about the impending record breaker home run, and all the news and sports websites I read, it seemed it was the #1 topic of discussion. The most exciting part for me, was when he was in San Diego last weekend, I was wondering if my buddy Sean would be at the game where Bonds would tie/break the record (Sean wasn't...he went to the Friday and Sunday games, but not the Saturday game, where Bonds actually tied the record). I think that if I knew that Bonds record was going to be a record that was going to stand for an indefinite amount of time, and no one's career looked like they were on the trajectory to break it, I think I would be hating the fact that Bonds has the record. It looks like that won't be the case though, as there's already a couple people in line (A-Rod, for one) who barring any setbacks, will probably demolish whatever Bonds' mark will end up at. I only wish that Griffey, Jr. couldn't have stayed healthy all his career, and been the one to break Hank Aaron's mark.

Randomness

- Sara had her ultrasound this morning. Looks like Tucker is going to turn out a-ok, and it also looks like he's going to be a bit on the chubby side. Its amazing to see what a difference 4 weeks makes. In the new 4-D pictures we got today, you can see that he's starting to accumulate some baby fat. The pictures from 4 weeks ago, he looked to be on the skinny side. Maybe I'll do a side by side comparison on here, if I get a chance to scan the pictures that we got today.

- Some of my friends are starting to take bets as to when Tucker will be born. A co-worker of mine says he'll be born on Halloween. Sean wants him born on the 9th (which is Sean's birthday), Dock wants him born on the 7th (which is Dock's birthday). I for a completely random guess have October 26th as my guess.

- I think I'm starting to jinx the Tigers. It seems whenever I watch them play, they end up losing, and in a big way. I went to the game a weekend ago and they lost 10-2. I tried to watch the game last night, and they lost 13 to something. I stopped watching full-time after the 1st inning. I couldn't handle it, and when I flipped over to check the score, it seemed to just continue to get worse. Maybe I should give my lucky t-shirt another try. Something needs to happen. I was starting to think maybe it was time to start panicing about the recent plight of the Tigers, but my favorite blogger of all things Detroit, Big Al, says not yet, so I'll take his advice. I mean, they are still in first place (for now).

- So its football time again. It seems like every year I'm becoming less and less of a football fan, thanks to the recent plight of the Detroit Lions. I'll never be as big of a fan as I was when I was in high school when we had Barry Sanders to watch, and when Lloyd, Mike and I would drive from Lapeer to Pontiac 3 to 4 times a week to watch training camp. At least back then the Lions were entertaining, and you could expect at least a 8-8 season from them. Even if you didn't have a great feeling about the team, you always knew you had Barry and he would probably do something amazing, to at least keep you watching, or Wayne Fontes would do/say something entertaining as well. Lately is been painful to be a Lions fan. When I say painful I mean, its really painful to watch, but yet you watch, because you want to see what's going to happen. At least while the Tigers had their down years, there was some hope that in the distance things had a chance of changing, since the guy that owned the team had a history of winning in hockey. There's no such feeling for me about the Lions anymore. The owner has a long, extensive history of sucking (what is it, like 50 years now? You could also insert any "Ford cars suck" joke here as well). He has Matt Millen running the team, who has proven over and over that he's in over his head, and the owner (when he actually does talk) continues to praise Millen, saying that his job has not been in jeopardy at anytime during the most recent period of ineptness. Ford-Millen is like the Bush-Cheney of the sports world, both duo's need to be impeached. Living in central Virginia, doesn't help matters any either though. Sundays consist of having to watch either the Redskins, Ravens, and Eagles/Giants (if they are playing at a time when the Redskins aren't). I usually end up watching whatever is on Fox, so I can keep up with the players on my fantasy team, and hope that at some point they'll break into the game I'm watching with highlights (or should I say, lowlights) from the Lions game. I guess since I live so far away, I no longer am able to talk myself into wasting money on buying tickets anymore.

- I can't think of anything else to say right now.

Last weekend (in pictures)

So this past weekend I went up to Michigan for Mike's wedding, which is my 3rd and final (I hope) wedding of the year. Overall it was a good time. My flight from Detroit to Charlotte was a little crazy as I got really nauseous about half-way through the flight. It was strange as I have never had that happen to me before. To make matters more interesting, after fighting off the strong urge to vomit in the pouch in the seat in front of me during landing, the pilot had to abort the landing at the last second because a plane taxied out on to the runway we were going to be landing on, so I had to fight off the urge for another 10 minutes. I am proud to say that I ended up winning the battle, and managed to leave the plane vomit-free. The strange thing was I wasn't the only one that this happened to. While waiting for my bag, I heard about 8 other people saying they got sick at various times during the flight as well, so I guess it wasn't just me.
On Friday, all the groomsmen and my brother went to the Tigers-Royals game at Comerica Park. It was a great time even though the game sucked (Tigers lost 10-2). We got down to Detroit super early (1:30) so we hung out downtown, and got in to the stadium right as the gates opened at 5:00. I was able to wander around the park and get some pictures:


The view from the right-field bleachers, where we watched BP

Zumaya and Leyland talking, while Verlander is shagging fly balls.

The view from the stands, behind home plate.

Kenny Rogers warming up in the bullpen.

The view from our seats.

Saturday afternoon was the wedding. It was a great time. The weather was nice and cool for the most part, so I didn't roast to death in my suit, although at times I did start to get uncomfortable. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures since I didn't have my camera on me. My brother was supposed to take pictures during the ceremony and reception, and he did, but most turned out pretty blurry. A few managed to turn out alright:

The 4 of us groomsmen who crashed at Mike's house after the game Friday night. Myself, Ron, Mike, and Steve. Lloyd had to rush home to get dressed up in his Harry Potter outfit to Barnes & Nobel after the game so he could try to be first in line keep his sister company in line while she waited for the new Harry Potter book to go on-sale at midnight.

Mike, Myself, Steve, Ron and Lloyd minutes before the wedding. Lloyd is smiling really big because he is happy with the ending of the new Harry Potter book that he finished right before this picture was taken.

All in all it was a great time. I got to see some friends that I hadn't seen in quite some time. It would have been even better had Sara been able to make the trip with me. Then again maybe its better she didn't. She's never seen what happens when Mike, Steve, Aadam, Lloyd and myself all get together in the same room for longer than 2 minutes.

Catching up

- So last week we finally found out that we're having a boy. Ever since Sara found out that she was pregnant, I just always assumed it would be a girl, so when we found out it was going to be boy, I was pretty surprised. Its nice to now be able to refer to the baby as a "he" and not an "it", and also to be able to call him by his name - Tucker. November can't get here soon enough!

- I found the entire ultrasound procedure pretty spectacular, and probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. After seeing Tucker's man-parts from various angles and at various zoom levels, we were also showed his kidneys, butt, heart, and brain. With me being facinated with computers, and tech stuff like that, I felt like a kid in a candy store. I'm not gonna lie...I was jealous that I couldn't play with any of the stuff. After they showed us everything with the normal ultrasound pictures, they then kicked it into 3D and we got to see Tucker grab his foot with his arm, and pull it towards him and play with it a bit, and we basically got to see what he's going to look like. We get to go back again in a month for another round of ultrasounds, so hopefully we'll get some more cool pictures.

- We did have some troubling news while in the ultrasound. While taking measurements on the brain, the ventricles measured at 10 mm, which is the high end of being considered normal. The Doctor (Dr. Gary Helmbrecht) then started going through a list of worse-case scenarios of what could happen, one of which was that Tucker could be born with water on the brain. After confusing us with medical speak, we were convinced this was the case. Yesterday we had our regular monthly appointment with our usual doctor, and they informed us that the only way this would be worrysome, is if Tucker's head was abnormally large, and based on the measurements they took, Tucker's head is in the 54th percentile, so really there isn't much to worry about. While we are happy to hear that we don't have to worry about that now, I must say that I'm little PO'd that he didn't give us that bit of info. We were then informed that this doctor has a history of freaking out patients on a near-regular basis, and that our doctor occassionally gets calls of patients freaking out and calling her wanting to know what to do. I guess we weren't the only ones that have been freaked out by this "doctor". Its one thing to make the parents aware of something, no matter how slight of a chance it may be, but if they are going to do it, they need to speak to the level of the patients, and not throw around their big words that just confuses everything, and makes it harder for the patients, who are undoubtedly freaking out no matter how slight the chance, to comprehend what is being said. Basically, I've come to the conclusion that the doctor is a certifiable jerk-off.

- 2 weddings down, 1 more to go to this summer. Next week it's back up to Detroit, for the 3rd, and final, wedding of the summer. It should be a good time. Thursday is the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, which is a backyard cook-out at Mike's new house. On Friday, Mike, the groomsmen, and my brother are going to the Tigers-Royals game, and maybe do a little pre-game/post-game pigging out at Cheli's Chili across the street from Comerica Park, and/or PizzaPapalis in good 'ol Greektown. Saturday is the big wedding and reception, then its back home on Sunday. After that, I think my summer will finally be settling down.

- I finally got my computer set up at home once again, and got some new music for my iPod. I highly recommend the new Ryan Adams CD "Easy Tiger", and the Maroon 5 CD "It Won't Be Soon Before Long". Good stuff all around.

- I think I've finally found a show to watch this summer - The Singing Bee on NBC. Caught the first episode last night in between watching the All-Star Game, and I'm hooked. Guess I'll check out the same show that is on Fox tonight, and see how that one is as well. Other than that, there's not much that I find that has the status of "must watch". The show I'm hooked on is Last Comic Standing, and we usually watch "America's Got Talent", but other than that its pretty slim pickings as far as TV watching goes this summer. I wish that Boston Legal and The Office were on year-round.

- There was more I was originally going to say, but I can't remember what it was now..

Catching Up

- A week vacation in Myrtle Beach was a great time. It was nice to not have anything that had to be done, or a schedule to follow. It was just sitting on the beach and by the pool doing absolutely nothing during the day, and then go out and do whatever sounded good at night. Being outside in the fresh air, and actually seeing the sun was very refreshing. Unfortunately the week went by way too quickly. I need to find a way to be on a permament vacation...while getting paid.

- One more week until we find out the gender of the baby. I have a feeling that this will be the longest week of my life. What is making me even more anxious, is the fact that Joe and Lori already know what they're having, and they are due (well Lori, actually) about the same time as Sara. If they already know, why can't we?!?

- Thanks to Craigslist, Sara's expert bargain shopping skills, and a co-worker who is getting rid of stuff, we've managed to get almost all the stuff we need for the nursery for about 1/10th the cost if we were to buy it brand new. After getting the stuff, putting it together, and then googline it to see the original cost, I must say that it blows my mind to see the cost of nursery furniture and baby items. It's borderline highway robbery, to put it mildly.

- I finally got a chance to watch the Tigers on ESPN last night. They are looking mighty impressive right now. Barring any major injuries I think this team has a great chance to do something special this year. I'm really looking forward to taking in a game when I'm up in Detroit for Mike's wedding next month. One of the few things I've missed most about not living in Michigan and the Detroit area anymore is that I'm unable to go to a Tigers game whenever I want. There's nothing like watching a baseball game in person. Then again, I've been a bit spoiled as I was lucky enough to go to Tiger Stadium to watch baseball for most of my life.

- I need some new music to listen to. I really want to check out the new Maroon 5, and White Stripes CD's. I also need to get my computer hooked up at home and start adding stuff to my iTunes library. Anyone have a small computer desk I could buy on the cheap? Of all the things we've been buying lately, a suitable computer desk still seems to be impossible to find.

- Coming back to work after vacation, my department was moved to the building across the street, along with one other department. I wasn't really looking forward to the move, since most of my friends along with almost all of the rest of the people who work in this location are in the building across the street, and I did lose my mack-daddy cubicle-with-a-view (of the parking lot). It hasn't been too bad so far though. In this new location, we get free pop (after a vote, Coke came out the winner), and we also get free pastries every Tuesday from a great bakery here in town (according to most of the locals, except for Sara) called Chandler's. We still get our free Bodos bagels, and Spudnuts on alternating Friday's..we just have to make the walk up to the other building to get them now. Sounds like an excuse to start the work day a little later on Friday's from now on.

Midweek Randomness

- I think that based on singing alone, after watching the final performances last night, that Jordin should win American Idol. I thought Blake won the first round, and Jordin won the second round by a very close margin, but Jordin clearly won the final round of the night. Having to sing that incredibly cheesy song as the last song of the night, was clearly not Blake's style, and he seemed to realize that as well. It looked like he had all he could do just to get the song over with. I think for Blake's sake, I hope he doesn't win tonight, since he would be stuck having to record that song as his first single. I wonder if he would get a better chance to put his own stamp on it if he does win? I really don't see how even he could save that song though.

- What is up with the gas prices? I paid $48.00 last night ($3.05/gallon) to fill up my Jeep. I thought that was bad, until I talked to Lloyd this morning, and he told me that gas is going for $3.58 in the Metro-Detroit area. I guess its a good thing that I'm flying up there next week for his wedding, and not driving. I'd have to take out a rather hefty loan just to fill up my tank for the round trip.

- Its a great time to be a fan of Detroit sports teams, well most of them anyways. The Pistons are looking like they are well on their way to the NBA Finals, and so far the Tigers are looking just as good as last year, and that's with out 2 of their key pitchers. The Red Wings made it to the conference finals, but really, its hockey so who cares? Now if only the Lions will start turning in the right direction, but that's probably too much to ask as long as Ford owns the team and Matt Millen is running the show.

- I seem to been listening to Van Halen a lot lately. I don't know why that is. I had put them on one morning on my way to work, to give me something loud to listen to in hopes it would help wake me up or something. Ever since then I keep going back. That's not a bad thing I don't think..I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a fan of the band. What it had done is made me wish that they would get back together (I'd be happy with either David Lee Roth, or Sammy Hagar) and tour again. I saw them back in '98 or '99 during the tour where they had their 3rd lead singer, but that doesn't seem like it should count. While musically it was great to see Eddie and Alex tear it up, it made me wish I could have seen them with one of their previous lineups. Maybe one day they'll throw their differences aside and get back together and do what they do best..rock it out.

- After seeing Gwen last week, I've been bitten by the concert bug again. I'd really like to go see some more concerts. I'd really like to see John Mayer in DC in July, as he is probably at the top of my list of people I really would like to see live. We've been talking about seeing Dave Matthews Band this August when they play up in DC. It's not really a summer unless I see DMB, since I've seen them at least once a year since 1996. You can usually count on a great show from them, and if I see them one more time, that will be DMB show #50 for me.

Randomness..Its Been Awhile

- So its been awhile since I've posted on here. What can I say, I've been busy.

- Tomorrow is Sara's first appointment with the doctor. We should find out the due date and all that fun stuff. I'm pretty excited. I really can't wait to find out what it is we'll be having (I mean, a boy or a girl...I know we're having a baby)

- How is it mid-April already? February and March don't even seem like they happened.

- My parents are due into town tomorrow for the weekend. I haven't seen them since October. It'll be good to see them. Hopefully the weather is better than predicted for the weekend, so we won't be stuck inside all the time.

- I'm glad its baseball season again. After the success the Tigers had last year, I really missed following it the past few months. I just wish we could get the baseball package through our cable company, so I could watch the Tigers every night, or at least flip over to the game throughout the night.

- Sanjaya is still around on Idol. I really don't care anymore. I'd like to see him go far now, and totally screw with the format of the show. I'm no longer liking Melinda (aka as Shrek) or LaKisha. They do the same stuff over and over, and I'm bored with it. I really hope Blake wins it all.

- Speaking of Idol, last nights show has to be one of the most boring of all time. Latin night? Why? I understand having different themes every week, to see what the contestants are capable of, but why latin night? Latin hasn't been mainstream since the late 90's/early 00's, when Ricky Martin, J Ho Lo, Marc Anthony, and Enrique Inglasis had hit records (records, plural as in when you combine their records together there were multiple hits, but individually, they each had like 1). And why was J Ho Lo the celebrity guru? She's not particularly good at anything that she does, let alone someone who should be giving out "expert" advice.

- If you're looking for something new to listen to, I highly recommend Amy Winehouse. She had a free single of the week on iTunes awhile ago, so I downloaded it and listened to it at work a couple times, and really dug it. She's got a jazz/soul sound, reminescent to old school jazz, but only sounding current. My description isn't doing it justice. Suggested songs to try out are: "Back to Black", "Rehab", and "You Know I'm No Good". You really can't go wrong with the whole album in my opinion.

Sings That Spring Is Right Around the Corner

"Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man; Anyone can understand the way I feel."
-John Fogerty "Centerfield"

Well after another cold week here, where we were hit with a bit of an ice storm on Tuesday night, finally today comes a hint that spring is just around the corner. Spring Training has started!

Here's to 2006

So 2006 is just about over, and I must say, it was the most exciting year of my life. The most exciting thing to happen to me was getting married this past summer. Sara and I got married on the beach in Myrtle Beach in June, with a small ceremony with all of our close relatives and friends there to watch us. Along with being married, I moved in with Sara and Blake, we've becaome a family, and as a result I guess I offically became a grown-up (although Sara would probably disagree with that assumption). I wouldn't trade my life with anyone or for anything. Life is really really good, and I can honestly say that I've never been happier.

Here's some random lists of some of things from this year - "High Fidelity" style..

Websites/Programs I Got Highly Addicted To:
Deadspin (Especially the comments section to each story)
Woot (Click here for an explanation as to what exactly this website is)
Gizmodo
Flickr
Google Earth (more of a program, than an actual website)
iTunes (great way to preview songs/artists/albums, and to get music recommendations based on what you own

6 Favorite Sporting Events from 2006
Tigers having a record better than .500
Tigers making the playoffs
Kenny Rogers masterpiece in Game 3 of the ALDS and being there in person to see it.
Tigers Beating the Yankees in the ALDS
Tigers Beating the A's in the ALCS and going to the World Series!!!
Playing in the Wiffleball Tournament in London, OH

5 Favorite Albums I Bought This Year*:
Continuum - John Mayer
Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
Funeral - Arcade Fire
The Californian - Bob Schneider
The Crane Wife - The Decemberists
(* Not necessarily released this year)

Few Albums that Disappointed Me This Year:
Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat - Carbon Leaf (should have been called zzz,zzz,zzz,zzz)
Sam's Town - The Killers
Under the Iron Sea - Keane

Songs That Kept Getting Stuck In My Head This Year:
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
Put Your Records On - Corrine Bailey Rae
The Big Guns - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
C'mon - Guster
Waiting on the World To Change - John Mayer

I can't wait to see what 2007 is going to bring. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Recap..

I realized that it's been awhile since I've written anything on here. I've been pretty busy at work, and outside of work, I haven't really had a desire to be in front of a computer much. I've also had a brain fart as to what to write about even when I've thought about writing something on here. I guess I could give a quick recap and some random thought as to what I've been up to and thinking lately..

- Watched the Tigers go down to defeat in the World Series. I was a bit disappointed, but seeing as I was hoping for 82 wins this year, I couldn't be too disappointed. They got a lot farther than what I ever thought they would. It was just awesome to see them knock the evil Yankees out of the playoffs. 145 days until Opening Day, and this off-season should be a lot of fun seeing what moves the Tigers make in order to try to get back to the World Series once again.

- A couple weekends ago we had 3 of Sara's sisters kids stay the weekend with us - well the 2 nephews stayed with us, and the niece stayed with Sara's mom for some "girl time". The 2 nephews - Peyton and Tyson are 5 and 3 years old, and the niece Jordan (notice how they're named after athletes)is 7, and then of course Blake who is 6. I must say it was some of the most fun I've had in a long time. Just sitting back and watching them all play together (although the opportunities to actually sit down were few and far between) and listening to the things they said/asked, made for some pure comedy moments. I was wore out after the weekend was over, but I think it was worth it, and can't wait to do it again. I definitely can't wait to have a couple of my own.

- Big election night last night. I usually keep up to date with the news, and keep an eye on the political scene, as I like to try to be well informed (or at least think I am) as to what's going on in the world. I must say, I am very pleased with the outcome. I never realized before just how dangerous it is for one party to control both the White House, and both houses of Congress, until I've watched what has gone on these past few years, and how Bush has had everything he wants rubberstamped by this Congress. I think its a good thing that the Dems won both the House and (apparently) the Senate. I think both the President and Congress need to be the check and balance for each other. The biggest and best suprise is that Rumsfeld is quitting. I guess he realized he would no longer have a free pass to "stay the course" and screw up Iraq as badly has he (and this administration) has done. Now if Cheney and Rove would quit as well. I don't think everything is going to get instantly better in Iraq, but I'm hoping there will at least be some progress. I still think it was a waste to go there in the first place, but that's another topic.

- Still in a bit of a music rut. I found some good stuff like new albums from The Decemberists and John Mayer, and started listening to some other stuff I hadn't tried before, but that's all I've been listening to, and its starting to get old. One thing I would really like is to go to a awesome, knock your socks off concert. Its been way too long since I've been to a show like that. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything on the horizon..

Last 5 Songs I've Listened To:
Mrs. Vandebilt - Paul McCartney & Wings
Plush - Stone Temple Pilots
The Worst Joke Ever - REM
Promenade - U2
Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin

Crazy Superstitions

(Photos by the Detroit News)

Up until the awesome events of the past few weeks, the above images from the sacred year of 1984, pretty much capture everything I've ever known about the Detroit Tigers being a good, let alone great team. Granted I was only 7 years old, so that makes the memories even more fuzzy. How much of anything can anyone remember from back when they were 7 years old (especially when you're pushing 30)? I remember watching Jack Morris' no-hitter on TV against the White Sox on a Saturday afternoon in April of that year, and I remember bits and pieces of the playoffs and World Series from that year - mostly Kirk Gibson's clutch home runs, and the celebrations after they won it all. Oh and I also remember going to a game against the Blue Jays at Tiger Stadium that summer with my mom and dad, sitting in the left field upper deck, and seeing the old guy sitting next to my dad stand up to do the wave, only to have his pants fall down to his ankles (true story - I couldn't make that up if I tried).

Anyways its been a long time since the Tigers have had a team that has been good, and given me something to really cheer and be absolutely thrilled about. Seeing as how they've got a good thing going, I've noticed that I've suddenly become superstitious. I have a lucky t-shirt which, when I've worn it, the Tigers are 7-0. I didn't wear it for the first game of the Yankees series, and they lost. I didn't discover the luck that it brought until after the third game of the ALDS. I went up to Michigan specifically for the 3rd game which I was lucky to get tickets to (see previous post). I watched the 2nd game (the Tigers 1st win of the series)at my parents place where I was wearing my Old Navy American Flag t-shirt. When I went to bed that night, I threw the shirt on top of my suitcase and forgot about it. The next day as my brother and I were getting ready to head down to Lloyd's, I knew I needed to dress in layers, so I just picked up the t-shirt and wore it under my long-sleeved shirt. We went to the game, Kenny Rogers pitched the game of his life (at that time), and the Tigers shut out the Yankees. I proceeded to come back home to Virginia the next day, and got home in time for the 4th game. As I was cleaning out my suitcase I saw the shirt, and realized it was 2-0, so I figured "what the heck?", and I put it on before the game. Another game, another win. I've proceeded to wear it every game day since then, and as I said earlier, the Tigers are undefeated. I tried to tempt fate during the 2nd game against the A's. I had been wearing it all day. Sara and I were watching the game, the Tigers were up by a couple in the last inning, so we decided to go and watch the bottom of the 9th inning in bed. I took the shirt off, and Todd Jones managed to get a couple runners on base, with Frank Thomas (the winning run)coming up to bat. Realizing what was going on, I jumped up quick, put the shirt on...Frank lined out to centerfield to end the game.

Coincidence? I'm thinking no (I'm sure as heck not willing to find out either!)

Bless You Boys

Last 5 Songs I've Listened To:
Ruby Falls - Guster
The First Cut is the Deepest - Cat Stevens
Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
Speak - Nickel Creek
King of Comedy - R.E.M.

How I spent my Friday night..

The view from my seat at Comerica Park for Game 3 of the ALDS:





By far and away the best sporting event I have ever been to. First home playoff game in 19 years, and completely shutting down the evil Yankees..what's not to enjoy!? It was definitely worth the 1500+ mile roundtrip.

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

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

Friday Randomness

- Been a crazy busy week. Probably one of the craziest in the nearly 3 years I've been here. At least it makes the time go by quicker, and I'm definitely not bored.

- I think I may have jinxed the Tigers. I was noticing a couple of weeks ago, that i don't really have much Tigers paraphenalia. I've got a T-shirt, hat, and a batting practice jersey that I bought during their last season at Tigers Stadium, but that's it. I was looking online for another t-shirt, and came across a cool jersey t-shirt of Justin Verlander on ebay, so I bought it. I finally got it last week, and well, they haven't really been playing great lately. The only thing left is for Verlander to get hurt now or something (I probably shouldn't even joke about that). Typical, I have bad karma like that.

- Football season is right around the corner, and I have paid very little attention to it. I'm still playing in 3 fantasy leagues however. I hope Yahoo's player rankings are good, because I'm using those for my drafts. Am I uninterested because I have zero expectations for the Lions this year, or have I just not been paying attention, since the Tigers have been playing so well this year? I'm thinking its a bit of both.

- I came across the following clip earlier today. Its funny, whenever I hear a pop-song done accoustically, I immediately think, "wow..you know, it really isn't that bad of a song". Granted, I really liked (and still do like)the original version of the song, but this is an interesting take on it.



It reminds me of another example from a few years back, of a song I really hated, until I heard the Scottish band Travis play it in concert:


- Speaking of concerts, its been awhile since I've gone to one, and I don't really have any coming up anytime soon either. I would really like to go to this though for a laugh. Sara doesn't seem as interested.

Have a good weekend!

Last 5 songs played on my iPod:
Closet Full of Fear - Hootie & The Blowfish
High - The Cure
Creep - Stone Temple Pilots
In the Blood - Better Than Ezra
Sugar Free Jazz - Soul Coughing

I think I found what I want my next job to be

So I was on my way to work today, when as I was nearing the airport, I saw signs saying that the road was under construction, and there was a 1-lane road ahead. Nothing new, as they've been expanding the airport, and upgrading the roads. Last year, we became a very European-type town, as they installed a traffic circle (or a roundabout) at the entrance of the airport. Anyways, I approach the car who was heading up the line of cars in our lane, waiting for the sign guy to turn the sign so we could go. I watch the cars going in the opposite direction when I see the lead car, a white truck, do a U-turn in front of the pack, and get in front of the car who was leading our lane. On top of the truck was a yellow flashing light, and on the tailgate was a sign that said "Escort Truck". The purpose of this truck was to lead the line of cars down the one lane, past the construction equipment, to the safety of where the road resumed 2 lanes of traffic. I've never seen anything like this before. Every other time I've seen sign people use the STOP and SLOW signs, they usually would just turn the sign letting you know its cool to go, and if you caught them on a good day, they might even wave their arms a bit, like a 3rd base coach waving a runner home...only not as enthusiastically. Seriously, how easy of a job would that be? Lead a line of cars about a quarter-mile down the road, then pull a LEGAL u-turn and proceed back with a new line? The only thing you'd have to worry about is making sure you don't cut the u-turn too wide, and accidentally hit the guy holding the sign. Where can I sign up?

Some random questions to ponder over the weekend:

1.) Why is Brooke Shields famous? I understand that she may have been a popular actress of some sorts when she was a kid, but other than marrying/divorcing Andre Agassi, and having post-partum (spelling?) depression which caused a spat with Tom Cruise, what has she done to help her keep "famous"? As long as I can remember she's been famous, and I sort of just accepted it, but last night I wondered "why?" You may be wondering where this came from, well last night Sara and I were watching TV and a commercial for some acne medicine came on, and bragged about how famous people like Jessica Simpson, P. Diddy, and..Brooke Shields endorse it. It just made me wonder why her endorsing it was a big deal.

2.) Am I the only person who wants to see Snakes on a Plane? The fact that Sam. L. Jackson is in it makes me want to see it. I know it is probably going to be bad, but is that a bad thing if you go in expecting it to be that way? I've always been a fan of Sam. L. Jackson since the time I saw a preview for his movie 'Shaft' way back when, and in the commercial he declaired "It's my duty to please your booty". Priceless.

3.) Is this the Tigers year? I've got a feeling this could be a special year for them. Then again, its been 19 years since they've made the playoffs, so I don't really remember what a playoff season is like for the Tigers.

Last 5 songs played on my iPod:
The Boxer (Live) - Carbon Leaf
Make You Understand - Howie Day
If I Am a Stranger - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Solitary Man - Neil Diamond
New Orleans is Sinking - The Tragically Hip