THEY DID IT!

So, I didn't get to see most of the game... what with being on a crazy awesome date and all, but we made it back JUST in time for the 9th inning and the celebration.

So crazy.

GO SOX!!!

How It Went Down. . .

Dad: [whining] my 'puter's broke. Can you make it go on?
Beth: [walking in to restart decidedly un-broken, yet admitedly tempermental computer] I got a new computer. Now I can finally get DSL at home!
Dad: Really?! where'd you get it?
Beth: For my birthday, from John
Mom: Yeah, I heard from Aunt Candy


....ARRRGGH! I gotta get outta here. Not that it was a secret, but c'mon! This family stuff is makin' me crazy!

I Hate Cars

Yes, I hate cars and mine has had pretty bad luck. L.A. is known for it's shitty, uninsured drivers and today I got to experience it first hand. I got side-swiped on the 405 south today. The 405 is the highway I hate more than any other highway and made my main goal to have a job that didn't require it's use.
Well today I had to use it for an audion, and some idiot decided to pull out of his crowded lane into mine as I was passing him.
Perhaps he should have looked first, because he HIT me. Then he spun out sideways and apparently decided he didn't need to stop and kept on driving. Luckily for me, I'm fine and the damage is minimal. There is not body damage (meaning no bent metal) it'll just need to be painted in the back corner, but it sucks ass.
Not so happy in L.A. right now.
blech.

The Last to Join

Happy Birthday Bethy! And welcome to the 'Quarter of a Century' Club.

As the second member to join, I want to extend my harty welcome and say that if the rest of us '25ers' can help make your transition a smooth one, let us know.

Hope you have a fantastic day and that your boss gave you at LEAST the afternoon off!!

WHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

So, I've had a weekend filled with human interaction. How bizarre. Friday was Brenden and Sarah Ruzicka's party party, Molly, John and I met (or re-met, depending on the subjects) the in-laws (super nice), Brother Tom, Perdue Kerri (Carrie?), Sister Kate, Peru Brigette, Buddy Matt, his girlfriend Unnamed, and they were all wonderful. While bewildering to be around people. . . seriously one of the first times in a while i've had multiple conversations to listen to. . . It was AWESOME to see each and every one of them (actually, i'm now thinking i don't know the peru friend, nor do i know the girlfriend of Bren's friend, and i feel like a jerk, but they were cool anyways. :) and also to see poor Tim Sozko (Molly's Cupid - it's funny cause she Loooooooves him, and he's in Cupid Players. hilarious. i mean me, and the show) sit there in silence attempting to bother to take it all in. . .bars are too loud for first time integration of individuals into a set, ya know? poor dude. Through this whole thing i was trying to cope with the inevitable situation of ALWAYS having "old friends" to reuinite with (not aged. . . though that might also be impending, but i mean to say from-the-past). blech to that. All in all, that night was as overwhelming as this run-on post. Then, on Sunday, John and I convinced Molly and Lucy to come to the park, and then we all had Gyros with Tim and the Sox. . . who are going to the world series. I had had so many other people to talk to this weekend (including dinner with my parents on Saturday) that i didn't even kick John out untill Monday morning. (he had to work in the suburbs) Crazy.

That's my weekend. byeee.

Christmas

Second blog of the night.
I would like to propose the "drawing names/Secret Santa" approach to Christmas again. It was such a success last year. I'm sure I could have Adam draw the names and email everyone or Beth's mom could do it again :o)
But it might be fun to come home and celebrate Christmas together and have our exchange! What do you think?

Oh the drama and the Coffee

So I had my first "I want to go back to Chicago" moment. Well, really I want to go back for this coming weekend. Adam and I went out to dinner and shared a bottle of wine and then headed off to a bar (much like the schoolyard :o)
So needless to say by the time we got home around 1:30 I was pretty tipsy/drunk. I had decided I was coming home this weekend....and then I looked for plane tickets (yes, at 2am). They were $800. Where upon I freaked out and cried a lot about how I missed my friends and family. Poor Adam! I was sobbing. I'm feeling a little better (though I cried to Kelly earlier on the phone and then to my parents, and I'm teary now :o)
I'm still looking for tickets but it's not looking good. C'est la vie!
Why coffee you ask. Well, I'd like to discuss the obscene coffee machine purchased for the teachers of Loyola High School. It might quite possibly be the greatest machine on earth. it's this large sleek, black and silver machine with lot of buttons. I have choices of one or two shots of espresso, of course decaf or caf. Then there's the caf/decaf americano option. Then on the side there is a steamwand with two buttons (frothy, foamy milk, or just simply steamed. It's all digital with the temp gauge adn bells and whistles. I can have anything I want, latte, mocha, americano, you name it. Plus we have just your regular coffe (including vanilla flavor and all). the machine is self-cleaning and beautiful. It's like having starbucks at my finger tips, except IT's FREE! Woo Hoo!
I'm slowly becoming addicted to the wonders of lattes and mochas every morning or afternoon. I walk the five minute trekk to pinny hall with my pretty ceramic christmas mug from Beth and filler-up.
So wonderful!

Get over yourself, you are in such a bad attitude.

I'm thouroughly annoyed at this woman. She and her husband were given an ultimatum: "wear your shirt inside out or leave" (reminds me of bear whiz shirts from Jr. High. Doesn't anyone appreciate art anymore?) and they chose to exit a Southwest airplane (I assume at a stopover, but what the hey. . . ). They're now suing the airline on grounds of "it's a free country". I think that's totally unreasonable. She might as well chant "I'm rubber, you're glue!". She wears a disrespectful, trashy-ass teeshirt depicting the president, veep, and other bushies that says (as I read it) "Meet the Fuckers", and is claiming it as a political statement? I don't care what you think of our bumbling POTUS, there are kids on airplanes, and even adult-type people don't necessarily need to see dirty words in midflight. That's twelve year old shit. geez.

I don't think that's unfair that they ask her to put that away. . . This is not a matter of national security, I admit, but I hardly think anyone's civil liberties were being infringed upon by the airline's request for "decency". Unless her outrage is becasue the person who told her to "take it off" was wearing a similarly offensive, opposing sentimented shirt. We musn't tolerate hypocricy.
(oh, the possibilities :



Oh, and my favorite thing from that article is this:

"The 32-year-old lumber saleswoman said in the report that no one from Southwest said anything about the shirt while she waited near the gate at Los Angeles International Airport, nor did anyone mention the shirt as she boarded the aircraft"

. . . Could it possibly be that nobody saw the tee shirt of ONE woman at LOS ANGELES International Airport?! Nope, they just were waiting to screw her once she got to Reno. What a crazy. Thankfully, the FAA pretty much dismissed the whole incident. I'm glad this wasn't made into a national ordeal. I think we tend to jump towards indignation to quickly. Now, that's the royal AMERICAN "we", the use of which probably puts me into a category of people I would say I dislike. Ah, cynicism and generalizations. blah, blah, blah.

PS. I am intrigued by the fact that her livelihood was included in that quote. As if her trashiness had something to do with her blue-collar carreer. Oh well

Incredible!!!

I really am just adding to Molly's! I am SOOOO CRAZY EXCITED for you!!
I'm still in awe!! Brendan did good :o) I'm so very impressed. I can't wait to see the ring!!!
Yea!!!

Rules are made to be broken...

Okay, I'll be the first one to post...

CONGRATULATIONS SARAH!!!!

I'm so excited for you and my favorite St. Patrick's Day buddy. In fact, that's all I could say yesterday when you called - "I'm so excited for you. I'm so happy." (I'm such a nerd) Post some pictures and let's see/hear all the details!!!

AHHHHHH!

Maybe It's a Chicago Thang

I'm mildly in love with this guy. He said "on the pooper" and "shat".

Thought I'd share the funny story. :)

Ode on an Indian Summer

As I was driving home from work yesterday, I wittnessed a sad sight: the dismantling of the sandwich stand at Oak street Beach. They were stacking up the lifeguard chairs and preparing to pile the sand against the coming icy waves and bergs. All the volleyball nets and beach side muscle benches were standing abandoned; no young "singles" laughing and flirting amongst them this month. Although we're into October (yet it's 87 degrees out), these sights were what finally convinced me that the summer is officially over.

Looking backwards, this summer seems sooooo full of events that it doesn't seem that it could contain them all. I don't even want to think about all the things that have changed this past summer (boys and jobs and lives and dogs; four cities; the weather & country together. . .), not to even mention the marking of a full quarter century for (almost) all of us. Sheesh. But on the forward motion side, I'm finding myself startled that it's already fall. It was a strange feeling. I was telepathically (pathetelically? pathetically?) saying to the Tall White Chairs standing together on the beach:

"And you, lifeguard chair, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."


I don't know if that's what Mrs. Ljung intended, eh?


The ACTUAL Dylan Thomas poem is here