It's the end of the world as we know it...

2006-04-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

So I'm at the Indians game Friday night (we have the fireworks package; our seats are pretty sweet, about 15 rows from the field, right at right field). Anyway, there are 2 guys in front of us, and one of them has a shirt on with a bunch of writing on it. My friend asks this guy what his shirt said (we couldn't make it out). He tells us that it's the name of the guy who owned the Indians way back when, their first owner. I asked him if he had owned the Spiders (the Cleveland team first who disappeared in 1899) or literally the Indians (came into existence a couple years later in 1901.) He starts calling me ESPN Classic.

We're talking, turns out he's 22. As in, years old. But he's sweet, and comments that my sports knowledge, tongue ring, and age are all hot. So basically, he's all complimentary, and as he's 22, that's sorta fun. (Hey, I am a girl...) When my friend and I mentioned we were attorneys, he asked for our cards. I gave him my (personal) card because that's all I have on me. He asked if that was my cell number and if he could call me. Despite the fact that he's 22, I said sure. (I'm not much into age differences, either signiicantly younger or older.) During the fireworks (actual fireworks, people!) he again asks if he can call me and if I have a boyfriend. I say yes and no respectively. Game ends, we leave. My friend and I go to the bar to meet some of my friends for a birthday celebration. Fun stuff. He calls while I'm at the bar, we briefly talk but it's hard to hear at the bar and I ultimately lost reception.

The next day, he calls around 11 *am* but I'm busy (actually, I'm at the bar. But a different bar than I was when he called 12 hours earlier. I'm registering teams for a scavenger hunt. I tell him I'll call him when I get a chance, and do several hours later, leaving a VM. Around 11 pm he calls again and we are talking, He asks when I'll next be at the Indians game, and says he doesn't want to wait until mid-May to see me, can he come up next weekend. Sure, fine. (I know, I know, 22...) He then tells me to call his friend about a testical festival that he went to (I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried). Ok, fine, whatever. (By the way, I had never even heard of a testical festival so I Googled it and came to some frightening things.)

So I call his friend, and as I don't remember his friend's name (we didn't really talk at the game), when he answers, I say, "it's Stephanie, from the Indians game last night." He remembers me b/c he calls me ESPN Classic. So we start talking, and during this conversation with the friend, a few interesting things happen: (1) he reveals that the 22-year-old has a girlfriend (who, incidentally, made them come home after the game because she heard the two of them talking about us); (2) the 22-year-old calls me to see why I didn't call him back after calling his friend; and (3) the friend asked me out.

All of which leave me convinced that men are the most confusing, disturbing creatures ever.

However, women may be the most immature creatures ever. We were at dinner Saturday and our friend freaks out how he has to leave without his food because he has a date. (It took over an hour to get our food.) Big mistake. After quizzing about the girl, we spend time trying to figure out where his date is. He won't tell us, but he's not much of a poker player, so we think we've figured it out. He leaves, we eat, we go to meet some friends at another bar, and at the bar, my friend and I get this great idea to walk to the bar where we believe his date is. We don't want to say anything to him or her, we just want him to see us so that he wonders if we will. You know, make him squirm a bit. So we do that and see him at te bar, sitting by the window. We walk by slowly but aren't sure if he sees us, so walk by a second time. Slowly. This time, he sees us for sure, because he "stretches" and flicks us off. It was very smooth and I doubt she even noticed. Awesome. We literally could not stop giggling. Oh my god, we are so immature. It was awesome.

2006-04-24T16:34:00.000-05:00

HEY CLEVELANDERS! Remeber to check out the Progress Cleveland: Regionalism event this Wednesday at 6 pm. It's moderated by Sam Fulwood III of the Plain Dealer. The panelists are George Forbes, Esq., Professor Norm Krumholtz (CSU), Mayor Tom Longo (Garfield Heights) & Elizabeth Stoops (Voices & Choices). Member admission is $10.00 (nonmember $20) which includes complementary parking and hors d'oeuvres. A cash bar will be available. You can register here.

And did you see this? A former baseball player (and current tv annoucer) said "I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout."

And I have been avoiding the story of Molly, the black cat trapped in the building. I just figured that it wasn't going to end well. But turns out that I was wrong, and Molly is free after more than two weeks. Sometimes, there are happy endings...

I saw this person with two bumper stickers. The first said "Be Kind to Animals -- Don't Eat Them." The second was a US Navy sticker. So I just want to make sure I understand - killing animals for food is bad, killing people (for war, oil, whatever) is ok?

And on Friday, I was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. This sounds much more impressive than it actually is, because all it really requires is doing paperwork and having someone vouch for you, then being sworn in, but at the end of the day, I'm admitted before the Supreme Court, right?

Easter was nice. I had 20 Greeks at my house (not everyone could make it.) I have done 4 loads of dishes in the last 18 hours. Fun, fun. Actually, it was a good day. My house was cleaned, there were good food, my family, card playing, lots of laughter, yelling, and nothing was broken. My cats, who are ok when friends come over, were traumatized b/c Greek people are LOUD. Singing (Christos anesti!). It was a good day. Even though the weather got thunderstormy.

2006-04-19T23:41:00.000-05:00

I already got the bill for my emergency room visit a few weeks back. Thank god I did my taxes... But as I mentioned, there are some CHARACTERS in the emergency room at 2 am. People who talk to invisible people...

I was told to "take it easy." On Tuesday (so two days after my injury, one day after the scary hospital visit) I had rock climbing plans. And for most of the day, I assumed I could go rock climbing. But I got more and more sore, and wondered if I should. My friend said:

I might climb a fake wall with broken ribs IF there were (1) ribs and/or a perfect filet mignon and (2) gelato on top. MIGHT.

Mmm.. Gelato. I want to go back to Italy. As I already mentioned, I ended up not rock climbing that night. (Score one for logic, huh? (Clearly, that did not extend to soccer the next night, but using common sense 50% of the time is an accomplishment for me.))

So because I had to cancel, tonight I went rock climbing for the first time in 2 weeks. BUT it was a great success. The one wall that I've never made it up and it's been my goal to make it halfway up the wall...I climbed it. I mean, I climbed to the TOP of the wall. It was awesome. It was a good rock climbing night. I was more or less 6 for 6. (I started one, but never actually attempted it so I could that as no wall. I didn't realize it was a reclining wall and once I saw that, I wasn't interested.) One of my friends went for the first time and learned to belay, and then was practicing with us. So he was belaying for me (with my friend that I normally climb with backing up up) and halfway up the wall (I was cruising) I realized my arms were spent. And I mean, they were jello. I had no grip. Even worse, I was so tired that I couldn't even lift them (obviously imperative to rock climbing.) So forgetting that he's JUST started this, I tell him that I'm letting go and to hold me up there. Well, I go sailing (not his fault, where the anchor was - and truthfully, it was f'ing awesome) and I think it worried him a bit.

Last Thursday I went to a tour and beer tasting at Great Lakes Brewery. I was on vocodin, but I figured I'd be fine. I now know why I should not drink on Vicodin. Even just "tasting" wine got my tipsy. Not "drunk," mind you, but tipsy. I'm not a beer drinker by trade. And I figured, it s a beer TASTING. How drunk can you get when you taste something? Well, you are given LOTS of somethings. We got Burning River Pale Ale (this label rocked); Holy Moses White Ale (this label was awesome too - Moses is parting the Cuyahoga); Dortmunder Gold Lager; Eliot Ness Amber Lager; and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Now I already said that I'm not a beer drinker. Now I'm going to say something else that make you think I'm crazy...I've never had ONE of these beer before. I know, I grew up here, I'm an insult to Cleveland. The tour was way more information that I cared about at ALL.

My hair has gotten really long! Right before I started this blog, I had cut my hair to about where my mouth was, a little shorter. Now, about two years later, it's about halfway down my back. I didn't even realize that it was getting that long because I wear it up so often. I like my hair short because it moves a lot. And I like it really long because I love the feel of it on my back. What is hate is the in between mess that is about a year long. So I'll get to enoy it for a few months long - and then I figure it will be long enough to cut off again and give the 12 inches to Locks for Love. Sadly, this means that I likely can't dye my hair anytime soon - even though I use temporary dye and it's supposed to wear off in about 1 month, it generally takes me about 3 months. So I will be sporting grey hair. Actually, it's not even grey. It's pure white. Just random strands of white hair. Which always looks crazy with the dark brown mop on my head. The funny thing? My mom didn't go white (also, not really grey) until she was much older than me.

And who am I going to make fun of now that Scott McClellan is resigning? Bush is going to have to find someone who can smile and take all the administration's shit. It's no wonder that the press secretaries turn over so quickly!

2006-04-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Yikes! Is this good or bad??

You Have A Type A+ Personality

A+

You're driven to succeed every single second of the day
And you don't let up on your goals, no matter how tired you are
You've already acheived a lot in your life... but it's not enough for you

Always on the go, you tend to get things done quickly and effectively
You have the personality to be a successful enterpreneur
Just remember to play a little too, even if play is the most difficult thing for you!

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

I'm not sure I'd agree anyway. I really tend to procrastinate.

And speaking of procrastination, my taxes DID get done. I took them to H&R Block on my way to lunch. Picked them up after lunch, gave them a check for $150 and viola! Electronically filed and I can expect a refund directly deposited soon. Umm...no idea why I waited so long in the first place.

And a reminder that the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club is holding a panel on Regionalism next Wednesday, April 26. It's at 6 pm at the Forum at One Cleveland Center. The event is moderated by Sam Fullwood III of the Plain Dealer. Panelists include George FOrbes, Esq, Profession Norm Krumholz (Professor of Urban Affairs of CSU), Mayor Tom Longo (Garfield Heights) & Elixabeth Stoops of Voices and Choices.

You can register here.

OK, I should get to bed. I'm tired. Or maybe I'm just cold - I think I need to turn the heat in my house back on. So much for an early spring. I guess it was just a fleeting moment. I played football tonight, and it was freezing. I was wearing SO many layers. The ribs are fine - what is interesting is that my knees are really hurting again. I thought they were getting better. I guess that it wasn't that, it was more likely because I was on pain medication. I was convinced I was having a heart attack and didn't think of it, but clearly when I was in the hospital I should have asked them. Not the hyperextended right knee, I know what's up with that. But for my left knee, how long can something stay bruised? It was 4 weeks on Saturday. So now we are at 4 1/2. Weeks. You can still see the bruise slightly, and it's still sensitive to the touch. And that's the *good* knee! It's not bothering me normally - it just hurts when I touch it. I solve that by not touching it. The other knee still randomly gives out on me, most often in softball (random, huh) when I'm batting and come from a standstill to sprint to the bag. I would have thought soccer would be the hardest - logically that make sense, but it's just not so. Like I said, it's just hyperextended. That's (part of) what took me out of competitive soccer in high school. One day I will know what it's like to wake up not in knee pain.

So I got a text from a friend that said, "do you still want to sleep with me." Is this really the type of question you ask via TEXT? Our generation is SO f'ed up.

2006-04-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the absolute perfect day. The weather was gorgeous. I had my football game then went t o the Treehouse to sit outside. For several hours. In the sun. I actually have tan lines on my feet from my sandals. I turned my heat off, I had my windows opened in my bedroom (my cats appreciated that as well). I can't wait until it gets nice and stays nice. It got a bit cold again today, but yesterday was a little slice of heaven... (Yes, I played football, which is again before I was cleared to do so, but I was fine. And I'm cleared to play as of tomorrow anyway.)

It is now April 16. Know what I forgot to do? Umm... pay my taxes. D'oh! The annoying part is that the government owes me several thousand dollars and I just haven't gotten around to taking them somewhere to get done. I'm not sure what happens if one doesn't pay their taxes on time if they are owed money - do I still get fined?

So it's everyone's Easter today - but mine. So all the stories are closed, I didn't have soccer, or softball, or anything. So I didn't even bother to get showered or dressed today. Yes, I should have mowed my lawn today, but I couldn't be bothered. I read some newspapers, picked up (somewhat - not nearly as much as I had to) around my house, read some, downloaded some music.

On April 6, the Plain Dealer ran an article on the top 9 baseball movies.

(1) The Natural; (2) Field of Dreams; (3) Eights Men Out; (4) Major League; (5) Pride of the Yankees; (6) A League of Their Own; (7) Bull Durham; (8) Bingo Long Travelling All-Sars and Motor Kings; and (9) Bad News Bears.

First, I've never heard of the number 8 movie. Second, I'd naturally put Field of Dreams as #1. And I do love The Natural, but Field of Dreams is my classis baseball/magic movie, one of my ultimate favorites no matter the genre. Third, I was sad to see that wasn't on the list. Not as good as Costner's two other baseball movies (For The Love Of The GameField of Dreams and Bull Durham - and does anyone else think that only his baseball movies are worthwhile?) but I do enjoy it. Finally, I wonder, Major League - is the love of that movie a Cleveland thing, or does the greatness of the movie transcend that?

(Yes, it takes me a while to get to the newspaper - even when a friend emailed me to tell me that this article was in the paper b/c he knew I'd like it).

2006-04-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

I learned why the doctor told me to take a week off sports. Actually, that's not true: the doctor told me to "take it easy." What does that mean? Who knows. Anyway, I figured that he wasn't specifically saying, "you can't play sports" so that meant that I was permitted to play sports, as long as I took it easy while doing so.

Well, turns out that's not that easy to do. The ball is there, and I can either play physical or be a wuss. Never one to be a wuss, I was physical. So second half, I collided with some guy.

Ouch. It had to be on the left side, huh?

When I'm in total pain through the vicodin and two drinks, that's not good... What can I say? I'm a moron. Anyone with half a brain would actually have taken it easy. I'll not play softball tomorrow (mainly because I already had plans to attend a beer tasting tour, not because of anything learning lessons...) Then I'll make a decision on Saturday, and Sunday I don't have softball or soccer because it's all your Easter. So that IS taking it easy... in my own Stephanie way.

And so I went to the hospital the other night at 2 am. Did I mention what FREAKS are at the hospital at 2 am? Oh.My.God. Yikes!

2006-04-10T23:47:00.000-05:00

Remember this? Well, I have TWO cracked ribs now, and a strained muscle in my back. Both on the left side. Also from soccer. Indoor. I'm not even sure when it occurred. I know that I was playing against the boards a lot, and landed on the ground once, but I don't recall any one play where I thought, "oh, I'm hurt!" The best (?) part - other than the play where I landed on the ground - the wall plays were I evidentally got my ass handed to me was by a 14-year-old girl. Yes, I hang my head in shame... .

2006-04-10T17:03:00.000-05:00

Hey all Cleveland area theatre lovers! Playhouse Square has just announed the 2006-2007 Broadway Series. Shows are Monty Python's Spamalot; The Light In The Piazza; Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life; Legends!; All Shook Up; The Rat Pack Life From Las Vegas; and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! There is even a Girls Night Out subscription... Most people know that I'm a huge supporter of the arts here in Cleveland. I think that Playhouse Square is an amazing resource we have in town. But seriously, you can't beat their series subscriptions.

2006-04-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

When is the last time you went to a concert where the band did not play an encore? Have you ever?? Other than, of course, if you were at the Guster concert on Friday night with me, I mean.

First, the concert was at John Carroll. In the gym (at my college when we brought in bands, we had them in the theatre). Because it was a gym (and by the way, those bleachers weren't the most comfortable...) the acustics were simply awful.

But the opening act, a solo artist, was the most awful things that I've ever heard. Seriously. It was painful. There were three of us, and none of us were positive if he was even singing English. Do you know how BAD you have to suck when people can't even tell if you are singing English? All that can't be blamed on the acustics.

FINALLY, Guster gets on stage. And the crowd sucked. I'm sorry if you're a John Carroll student, but you all were awful. The crowd was not moving, not singing, they were pathetic. I think the part where the crowd was most into it was when some John Carroll student went on stage to play with the band, and totally took over the microphone from the band. So the concert ends, the band (who never even introduced themselves) walked off stage. And a few minutes later, the lights came on. No encore. Weirdest.Thing.Ever.

We won our soccer game tonight. We had no business winning it. We were outplayed. We looked like a bunch of children running after the ball. Seriously, we played like shit. Outdoor starts Wednesday; we play like that, and we are in big trouble.

2006-04-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

So this party Saturday night. House party. Bring your own alcoholic beverages. So I had Smirnoff Twisted, all these bottles on the floor of the car. I also had six pounds of gummy bears soaking in vodka. (MOst excellent, by the way.)

Anywaon, on the way over, I get pulled over for speeding. The cop comes, sees all these bottles of alcohol on the floor, and immediately asks if I've been drinking. Well, no, I haven't. (Yet, maybe, but the honest answer is still no. If you want to find me drunk, catch me in a few hours...) Anyway, none of these bottles are open, but they also aren't in a package (to hard to carry them all - I was just going to toss them in a bag) so apparently the cop doesn't believe me. I explain that I am on my way to a party where it is bring your own beverage, pointing out my sleeping bag and pillow in the backseat (as I'm responsible). Nothing. I point out that sitting next to me is a container with six pounds of gummy bears soaking in vodka.

NOT what to point out. His eyes light up. Now to me, this proves I'm going to a house party because why *else* would one have SIX POUNDS of gummy bears. For ANY reason. Cop evidentally thinks that the easiest way for me to drink isn't going to a bar, isn't sitting at my house, but driving around. I'm 29. I can drink in my house. Why would I drive around and drink? Yes, there are lots of bottles of alcohol there, but give me a break.

Anyway, he is without a breathalizer (can he do that?) and so gives me manual dexterity tests. Which I fail miserably. (You sing the alphabet backwards, BUT starting with U and continuing to J. Heck, I ddin't even understand what he wanted. Or standing on one foot. I can't do that sober. And I'm pleading with him to give me a breathalizer, take a pee sample, anything at all because I haven't been drinking. Really and truly. In fact, I had one beer at the Treehouse after football, and that may have been all the alchohol I've had all week. After about 10 minuntes, a second cop car comes, and I pass the breathalizer and am sent on my way to get drunk.

And a friend sent me this email:

On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00

in the morning, the time and date will be…

01:02:03 04/05/06

That will never happen again.

Fun. Though let's be perfect clear, I will be sleeping at that point. Why? Because that's what Stephanie's do. So I guess that I'll miss this momentus occasion.

2006-04-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

The Trolley is back!! I got this email from a friend. How fun - I plan to check it out, as the weather gets nicer. (Oh, how I love Cleveland in the spring. And summer. And fall. Just not that blasted f'ing winter.)

March 29, 2006
Ding, Ding, Ding
Downtown trolleys are back
CLEVELAND - After a nearly 60-year absence, trolleys will roll once again on downtown streets, offering a way to experience Cleveland's past and future at the same time.

Beginning April 10, office workers and tourists will be able to hop on one of two trolley lines developed by RTA to replace Loop bus service.

· The E-Line trolley will link entertainment venues, from the Warehouse District at West Ninth Street, down Euclid Avenue past Playhouse Square to East 21^st Street.

· The B-Line trolley will connect business, circling Superior and Lakeside Avenues between West Sixth and East 12^th Streets.

Both lines will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with 10-minute frequency.
If the nostalgic green-and- gold vehicles, complete with cow catchers, wooden rails, and brass bells, don't put a smile on the face of downtown travelers, the price of riding will. The trolleys are free now through Labor Day for -- a smile. This was accomplished through a partnership between RTA and the Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureau. RTA is studying the feasibility of maintaining the appealing "smile" fare indefinitely.

Characters from the past will help reintroduce trolleys to Clevelanders. Radio commercials feature the voice of a 20's vaudeville promoter, describing the trolleys as the "Cat's Pajamas." Trolley jingles accompany the spots, sung by a chorus line of bathing beauties.

And on the Indians home opener April 7, nearly 100 newsboys with capy hats and cotton news bags will descend on downtown, spreading the word in building lobbies, street corners, and at the Jake, "the trolleys are back."

The newsboys will be made up of child actors from Great Lakes Theatre and City Year corps members.

Combining fun with functionality was the impetus for the downtown trolley lines. RTA worked with Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance to develop the concept. Public meetings were also held to understand the changing transportation needs of office workers, college students, and a growing downtown group of residents.

"We hope the trolleys will cause office workers to break away for lunch to meet friends on the other side of downtown," said RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese. "By making the trip free and creating a 10-minute frequency, we removed any barriers for hopping on and exploring. The "smile" fare should come naturally, but it also says, 'let's enjoy our downtown again.'"

Along with canvassing office workers and residents with flyers and advertisements, RTA is working with the hotel concierges to communicate the benefits of the new trolley lines to out-of-town guests. Operators with a gift for gab and knowledge of Cleveland's history were also selected to drive the trolleys - serving as ambassadors for the city. They will dress in vintage uniforms, with motorman hats and vests.

Dennis Roche, President of the Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureau, sees the trolleys as a great way for people to experience all that downtown has to offer.

"Great restaurants, unique music and comedy venues, and outdoor reading gardens - places that, along with well-known attractions like Playhouse Square and the Avenue at Tower City, are now just minutes away with the trolleys," said Roche.

About RTA
RTA is the nation's 13^th-largest public-transit system, serving more than 45 percent of all public-transit riders in Ohio. Its 2,644 employees operate 108 rail cars on 34 miles of track and 654 buses on 89 routes. In 2005, more than 57 million passengers rode RTA's trains, buses, Community Circulators and Paratransit vehicles.

Jerry Masek, Media Relations Manager
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
216-566-5211, office
www.rideRTA.com

2006-03-29T19:56:00.000-05:00

One of my friends is having a scavenger hunt sleepover party on Friday at his house. The ironic thing is, the girls are thinking just as much about what to wear to the party as they would a black tie event. And let's face it, IF girls wear pajamas, there are two different kinds: ratty college ones, and not-fit-for-public-viewing type.

In soccer, we played the immature high school team again. The Bitch was still there. She was called for a penalty during the game. At the end of the game, she was STILL complaining about the play. Let it go. We really don't like that team. There were a few yellow cards, and the ref even threatened to card us for 4 minutes (that's not technically even anything!) because of comments from the bench. We ended up winning the game, but it was touch and go for a bit. Ahh, the satisfaction I took from beating them... (Yeah, who's the immature one??)

I went to hear Sam Fulwood speak the other night. He's an extremely talented storyteller. I highly recommend that if anyone has the opportunty to hear him sometime, they take that opportunity.

Heading rock climbing tomrrow. It's been two weeks since I've been, and my knees are both still a little tender, so we'll see how it goes. Last time I went, I was pleased with my progress so I hope my time away hasn't hurt me too much.

So the Cleveland Indians signed Grady Sizemore today. He joins me favorite, Jhonny Peralta, witha long term contract. (Is Cliff Lee coming next?) And speaking of the Colon trade (Ok, I wasn't but I mentioned Sizemore and Lee...) the Indians apparently traded Brandon Phillips. I am both surprised and not surprised. He is a great fielder, but he wasn't able to hit with the power they suspected (remember, he once was the primary prize in the Bartolo trade - and now the two other pieces, Grady and Cliff have long term contracts). I think that it's his attitude more than anything else. I think he'll go elsewhere and be the player that they thought he'd be getting when they traded for him. I met Brandon once. We actually talked for a couple of hours. He's adorable, but he did have an ego. I think this might be the best thing that can happen to his career. Remember, this kid is 24. After not hitting at the major league level in 2003, then hitting even worse after he was sent down, he killed the ball in 2004 at AAA. In my opinion, when the Indians resigned Belliard after 2004, it soured him and affected him in 2005. Still, he had a pretty good spring training. I think that he goes elsewhere, starts anew. At 24, this kid is still going to be good. Alas, not here in Cleveland...

Meanwhile, Danny Graves made the major leage roster (over Jason Davis, who I actually like -- though I was quite impressed with Graves this spring, who I believe had an implosion against the Indians in June or so -- and Karsay, who didn't appear quite ready yet and still recovering) and Kelly Shoppach beat out Diaz for back up catcher. (Defensively, he's much better.) Obviously, Vazquez beat out Brandon Phillips for the utility position.

And that's my Indians update...

2006-03-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

Current criticisms emailed to me about my blog:

--Cartscalator. The "s" is essential.

--FYI, when you type in "cleveland soccer alcohol" in the google blog search, your blog is the first one that comes up.

--[Your blog] is ceasing to entertain me as it is no longer scandalous

So, I edited cartscalator so it was spelled properly (who even knew that it had a proper spelling??)

As for the second, thanks for letting me know, but that is not something I plan to brag to my grandparents about. Or put on my resume for that matter. It's actually kinda frightening. I mean, don't people in Cleveland drink after playing soccer? I assure you, I'm not drinking alone. As much as I may or may not drink, I do not drink alone...

Finally, for the third, it's hard being "scandalous" (and I object, I was never scandalous!) when your friends, co-workers, and family all know about your blog. Things aren't always appropriate for their ears/eyes, you know?? But I shall tell a story anyway...

Evidently, things that you think are secret rarely are. For example, I went out with a guy a few weeks ago. I hadn't mentioned it to any of my friends, so I assumed they did not know. Seems like a perfectly reasonable assumption to me.

All is well, until last Tuesday (over a week after said date), I get a text from said guy commenting that two of my friends were asking him about us going out. (Dude, THAT is what I was texting about when I was at your house, ok?) I never mentioned that we went out to them, so I'm not even sure how they knew.

Then last Thursday I get an email from another mutual friend asking me about "Good Will Hunting." After I expressed confusion, my friend told me he was referring to my "man of the moment." I have a man of the moment? Who knew? He explained he was referring to the guy that I went out with - ONCE - and hadn't mentioned to anyone. Seriously, we went out once, I hadn't told anyone, and yet I'm getting an email about it??

Finally, Saturday (two weeks after said date), yet another mutual friend asked me, point blank, whether I was going out with said person. Seemingly out of nowhere. Literally, it was, "So I've heard this rumor, and I figured I'd go right to source, so are you and he dating?" He said he heard it, then observed us interacting so assumed it was true but wanted to know for sure. Want to know the best part? He heard that we were dating *before* we actually went out.

As for Saturday, my football team won, as I mentioned, and I got hurt.

Saturday, I went to the bar after my football game that afteroon. I left the bars close to 2 am. I n case you were wondering, around 8 pm, the bars change from the football, muddy sweats and t-shirts crowd, to the all ho'ed up and ready to party crowd. I stuck out like a sore thumb. You know me, it's not like I minded, but it was still odd how fast that transition occurs. At 6 pm, we are mocking the people in the bar who clearly didn't play football that afternoon, two hours later, the mocker becomes the mockee...

Oh, I still have that tree that most people put up the beginning of December and take down the beginning of January up. Right now it's covered in plastic eggs of all colors (it really looks nice, I should take aphoto with my new digital camera.) Anyway, what astonishes me is the two cats who reside with me and can ignore the Christmas ornaments the entire time, but when they are plastic colored eggs, are leaping in the tree to knock them out. What the heck is upw ith that anyway?

And I took photos of my dog last night. Sweetest thing ever, turning 12 on April 1st. Unfortunately, none of them really came out. Ever since he was a puppy, whenever you get ready to take his photo, he lays down. Absolutely refuses to pose. Most frustrating thing of my life. I tried and tried and tried until I ran out of battery. Sigh. Dogs...

2006-03-20T15:49:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was the football playoffs. The name of my team is Buttt III. We played Balls Deep. The ref kept making comments like, "Buttt over Balls" and whatnot. Good ol' junior high fun... Can you believe that winter football is over? Which means that spring football (and outdoor soccer and softball) starts on April 1. April 1! This is Cleveland. Yes, it will still be cold...

I got hurt and football though. Bruised the one knee, twisted the other. Even better, I'm on two football teams. The quarterback on my one football team was subbing for the team that I played against in my second football game. And he's the one who injured me. It wasn't even his team. And I'm his teammate! I hope I'll be able to turn on it by Saturday, I can't now. Which means that I sat soccer out last night. That makes me unhappy...

My March Madness basketball brackets are all f'ed up. The one that destroyed me was Kansas. Because I'm an idiot and had them in the Final Four. Oops...

You know, while everyone knows about how wonderful Target it, what I fail to hear about is the Target cartscalator like the one in University Heights. (I say that, but I had two conversations about it last week.) Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that when I talk about the Target love, you realize that includes the cartscalator.

For those interested, next Monday Sam Fulwood is discussing being one of the few premiere African American columnists in the US. It's at Chester's Fine Cuisine on Noble Road in East Cleveland. I think Fulwood's opinions are always interesting, so I'll be there, and I encourage others to attend.

2006-03-13T21:06:00.000-05:00

So getting to DC was hell. I show up for my 5 p.m. flight, and they tell me that my flight was changed to 4.30 -- except no one informed me. I was so irritated. I mean, if you change my flight, at least EMAIL me and let me know. You sent the confirmation to me, so I KNOW you have my email address... Then, I called the 800 WE CARE number to express my displeasure with Continental, and the wait was 45 minutes. I wasindignant, but not that indignant. I tried to call today again, and it was still 45 minutes. Again, I'm not that indignant. And I'm even less indignant than I was on Thursday. (You know, this was the same problem I had when they almost arrested me in Paris last summer; by the time I got home, I wasn't indignant anymore.)

It was great spending the weekend with my cousin. He's the one who was in Afghanistan and I met some of his friends from the war (you all remember we are at war in Afghanistan, right?) It was weird because they know a side to him that I just don't know. I mean, they spent 24/7 together for over a year. They went through hell together. It's not unexpected, I just mean, there is this entire life that the family doesn't know about (and he won't tell us about.)

Oh, this was a funny story. The one guy says to me: "the first time I heard of your existence we were in a tower on like day 30 and he told me about his lawyer cousin who carried a lunch box purse." I guess when you spent 24/7 with people in those circumstances: (1) incredible bonds form; and (2) you talk about the most random things.

Then I got to se my other cousin, who was coming back from her spring break in Honouras. She flew into DC around 11 pm., and was driving back home the next morning around 9.30 am. So she came out with us that night, and crashed with us and my cousin drove her back in the morning. It was a regular reunion (and trust me, we were mocking the family who weren't there...It's what we do...)

I totally wanted to adopt a squirrel. There was this squirrel by my cousin's apartment. And he begged. Literally, whenever you walked out on the balcony, he ran from somewhere and ran to right underneaththe balcony and stood on its hind legs, this front to int he air. Totally begging. It was cute. (Incidentally, he really liked chips. Like Tostita ones. And if you threw him two of them, he'd take one, go bury, and grab the other and eat it. Seriously, I adored him.

I landed a little after 8 last night. I had a 10 pm soccer game. I didn't make it. If my game had been a 9, I would have gone, but 10 was so late. I was exhausted.

So when I was in DC, my cousin gave me this book that he said I had to read, Losing Julia, by Jonathan Hull. It's both a love story and a war novel, and it's incredibly powerful. The narrator is experiencing the war, then the next paragraph is an 81-year-old talking about regret, the next paragraph 10 years after the war ended. The most interesting part is that sometimes, the narrator isn't even sure when or what it is, the mark of an 81-year-old confused man waking from nightmares that were real, and not sure if he's wake. The prose is powerful, and beautiful. ("Old age is best spent in the editor's booth, whittling a life down to its greatest hits, which are played over and over again until the tape finally snaps.") I read it within 24 hours, I couldn't put it down.

2006-03-09T13:12:00.000-05:00

So it is 4 months until my 30th birthday. (Don't forget my surprise 30th birthday party on 7/8 everyone. You are all invited.) But I have friends coming in to visit for my surprise party. And here's my concern: when my friends come in, I may get suspicious. I may start to suspect that, since they are here the weekend that I am turning 30, something is planned. I am looking for a reason why they are in town that I might believe, so as not to ruin the surprise. My friend came emailed a few ideas:

Todedo Harbor Light 102-Year Festival or
We all have tickets for the Baltimore Orioles- Indians series or
We are coming in for the photo safari at the zoo or
The Haunted Palace exhibit at the museum or
just passing through on the quest for hitting all amusement parks north of the Mason-Dixon line or
we threw darts at a map to decide where a mini reunion would be held...someone with bad aim hit Cleveland (I was rooting for Italy).

Do we think any of thse are convincing enough?

So I am a MLB.com Gameday Audio Subscriber. What this means is I can listen to the baseball games online - any game, any time. This includes spring training. This was $15 for the entire season. It is quite possibly the best $15 I've spent...

OK, I'm off to DC now. Have a great weekend everyone!!

2006-03-06T14:39:00.000-05:00

I went to the Night Under the Stars at the Museum of Natural History Saturday night. It was really fun. It was really cool drinking wine under dinosaur bones. And the Planetarium was awesome. I haven't been there in years. We went to the 11.15 planetarium showing, and everyone was already the opposite of sober and making wisecracks. It was fun. The band was good, the alcohol was flowing, the people were nice. People were dressed in everything from tuxes to jeans. There was the guy with a cape. (It takes a rather strong man to wear a cape, no?)

My soccer team may have found a full sized field. 11 players (rather than 8) and a regular goal (rather than the lacross practice goals that we played with last year). It's through Mayfield Village, playing at Progressive Fields. That would be cool. It would make Stephanie extremely happy. Happy enough to talk in third person.

I went rock climbing yesterday. It's been a while since I last went (when I was still sick) and it was pretty hard. I have to say, I think I'd get better at rock climbing if I went more often than once every two weeks. Perhaps I'll go Wednesday for ladies night (not sure what ladies night entails, other than it's cheaper). Ultimately, I failed to make it up three walls, and I made it up two walls. That's a 40% success rate. Excellent... But the funny part, there was something in the paper, and I got about 5 text messages when I was 25 feet in the air. And I kept taking my phone outo f my pocket to read the messages. Luckily, you don't really use your arms that much for rock climbing. But doing the corner wall is STILL hard (that's one of the walls I made it up, but it was like losting at Twister at times. And I swear, there were times I was hanging just by being wedged into the corner. I had no hand grip on anything, and at least one of my legs wasn't anywhere either. Yikes. OH, and a ceiling wall is one that I failed at so that's impossible anyway. One day...)

Finally, the Oscars. First, let me say that I found George Clooney's speech the most annoying. He was extremely arrogant. ("What I love about Hollywood is that we talk about issues before anyone else will touch them.") Yes, you are all wonderful. Of course, you are amazingly shallow and superficial and live in a bubble and have no idea about the real world, but whatever. Second, let me say that I found it ironic that the same time that Clooney was talking about how brave Hollywood was, they were incredibly cowardly in refusing to give the Oscar to the movie about the gay cowboys...

2006-03-03T17:07:00.000-05:00

While my parents were never yuppies, I most certainly am a Yeppie. A Yeppie is the type of person who "quits their job to go backpacking, are slow to commit to relationships and are idealistic but confused." "Yeppies are ambitious but confused and won't commit to anything unless they know it will bring them enduring happiness." I feel good to know that who I am comes with a name. Like that someone makes it acceptable, ok. It's amazing how labeling can do that -- but that's another conversation for another day.

They are twentysomething, ambitious and confused. And they won't commit to anything until they are certain it will bring them enduring happiness. Meet the 'Young Experimenting Perfection Seekers' - Yeppies, as anthropologists are calling them.
Research shows that today's graduates are increasingly adopting a 'browsing' approach to choosing jobs, relationships, homes and life-styles. Far from knuckling down like their parents' generation, they believe true personal fulfilment can only come after years of anguished experimentation.
'Unlike the yuppies of the Eighties ... today's young adults are less certain and less single-mindedly materialistic than their predecessors,' said social anthropologist Kate Fox, of the Social Issues Research Centre[].
'Yeppies are unsure how to achieve their ambitions so they experiment through a shopping-style approach, trying to find the perfect job, the ideal relationship and the most fulfilling lifestyle.'
They postpone big, life-altering decisions until they feel they have exhausted all their options. 'It will be increasingly regarded as normal for young people to continue "Life Shopping" well into their late twenties and thirties. The way things are going, by 2012 thirty will be the new twenty as the "official" age for transition to adulthood ....
In every sphere of life the younger generation appears happy to procrastinate. ...By 'trying on' a number of different jobs or career paths, they learn what they are good at and eventually discover who they are and what they want from work. They have the flexibility to change direction and move on when something does not work out, rather than settling for an unsatisfactory or unfulfilling job, the study suggests.
The twentysomethings use a 'mate shopping' approach to marriage. In 1971 the average man got married at 25 to a 23-year-old woman. By 2003 this had to increased to 31 for men and 29 for women.
In addition, since 1990 the average number of partners people in the 16 to 44 age group have is up from two to four for women and from four to six among men.
'What we are seeing is not aimless, random promiscuity,' Fox says. 'The majority still believe in marriage; they are just prepared to wait longer and, more important, to "try on" a number of relationships until they find the one that is right for them.'
They have been called the 'Peter Pan' generation because they never want to grow up. But Fox believes their reluctance to commit is a major shift in aspirations.
'The something Yeppies are searching for may well be unattainable,' ... 'But they have high - some would say unrealistic - expectations and they move from job to job, or from career path to career path, desperately seeking perfection.'
... 'We have high expectations of personal happiness, which I don't think my parents' generation had.'

See here. And a critique on my subconsciously chosen lifestyle here.

What can I say? I would agree with that description. Am I supposed to settle? There is always time in life to settle. And why go through life unless you are happy. Life is hard enough. Taking away contentment?

Now the notion of enduring happiness may be a problem. Searching for the ideal is great. I support that. Trying on jobs to make sure it’s something that you like, that you are good at, that is great. The people who know everything at 15 scare the hell out of me. What are they, pod people? Or do they just convince themselves that they are happy? Do they even know what it means to be fulfilled in life? Or are they just burdened by other expectations of who they are and what they should think. How stifling. I would rather wander around in darkness for a while and be sure that I really found the exit of the maze, and not just some random light in the middle of it. I think I deserve happiness – I feel bad for previous generations that didn’t think they deserved it.

And as for waiting to get married, I think there is a world of difference between 18 when you graduate from high school, and 22 when you graduate from college. Likewise. I think there is a world of difference between 23, when you are first out of college, and 28, when you are starting to become your own adult in the work world and have a bit of credibility behind you to stand on. I don’t think that the person you are at 18 has anythingto do with the person you are at 22, any more than it reflects who you will be at 28. Even if you are perfect with someone at 18, that doesn’t mean you will be perfect for them at 28. I think it’s smart to wait until you are fully developed to enter into something as serious as marriage. Hell, maybe if more people did that, the divorce rate would go down. It certainly can’t get any higher, can it??

But here’s where my problem comes in. By searching for some mysterious and amorphous ideal, this thing that I will just somehow “know” when I find, I sometimes think that I won’t accept anything that isn’t guaranteed. You see the problem, of course. Life doesn’t come with a guarantee. Maybe it’s not as much a search for perfection as just cowardice to take a chance? Additionally, sometimes when you are trying to exhaust all your options – is the grass greener over there? – you find out that not only isn’t it, but by “life shopping,” we returned what could have provided happiness if only we weren’t so restless. But we’ve lost that opportunity.

2006-03-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

Saturday Cleveland Indians single game tickets go on sale. Yes, I already have one of the 6-packs (the fireworks, naturally), but now I get to pick a random summer Saturday in July to go to a game, or get tickets for a great series against the hated Yankees... And for those interested, there is a (free) open house at Jacobs Field this Saturday from 10-2. How fun is that? Seriously, Jacobs Field may be one of my favorite places in Cleveland. Yes, there is something to be said about Cleveland Browns Stadium, but I'll tell you why I prefer Jacobs Field -- Cleveland Browns Stadium generally means it's winter-y time. I'm Greek, my blood requires nice warm weather. Jacobs field generally means it's summer-y time. (I say generally b/c it can be warm when it's the start of football season, and lord knows that it's cold in April off that lake. And who can forget the '97 World Series where it snowed? Snow and baseball? Only here in Cleveland, I guess.

And again, reminding everyone that the happy hour is tomorrow at the Cleveland Playhouse starting at 5.30. If you haven't been to the Cleveland Playhouse yet (shame) it's a fantastic space. There are a few theatres so more than one show may be there at the same time. You know, if you are under 40, they have a great deal on season tickets.

Oh, the rumors about Showtime and Arrested Development are back. And getting stronger. If that happens, I will drop HBO like a bad habit and get Showtime.

And February just ended. February is my least favorite month of the entire year, so I don't have to worry about it for another 11 months. Now that it's March, I demand nicer weather...
I haven't balanced my checkbook since Thanksgiving, with with everything getting stolen out of my car. I attempted that endeavor the other day. In those three months, I have spent $9000. I don't mean $9000 total. I mean I have spent $9000 more than I made in that time. Yes, I had to replace stuff that was stolen, yes it was Christmas, yes, I put a few thousand to my mortgage, but still! I'm not math major, and even I know this cannot continue...

My eye is all gross and icky. I am so irritated. I've been thinking about getting that lasik surgury. Any thoughts on that? Either at the Clinic or Clear Choice. I should have put money to cover it pretax, but I didn't because I figured I'd do it next year instead. (Ironic I first mention needing to stop spending money, then in the next breath discuss elective surgury.) But I'm so tired of contact, and eye problems.

2006-02-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

Saturday was Jump Back. It was a great time, and somehow the stuff I painted didn't look awful. Or maybe I had consumed enough alcohol that it didn't look awful??

I was there about 20 minutes when someone came up to me and said she knew me. (I'd never seen her before, so picture me with a deer in the headlights look.) She said that she was at the Easter Seals auction and described my dress and shoes. Excellent...now I'm notorious. Or is it infamous? (Ironically, I had Converse on at this event as well. Black ones. I hoped to get to the store to buy a pair of pink Converse -- which I desperately want -- but ran out of time. But the converse were part of the costume this time.)

My little brother was there, and my friends were all flirting with him. I just can't get over the fact that every time we hang out all my friend tell me how adorable he is. Actually, I'm ok when they call him adorable. He's the little kid who at 18 months broke his leg and was in a full body cast and made all the nurses fall in love with him. He can be adorable. No, I start to freak out when they call him "hot." He's my LITTLE brother. Aagh!!

There was an afterparty at the hotel. The Cleveland Police came to break it up. NOT hotel security, the Cleveland Police. Excellent. I haven't been at a party that the cops busted us since, well, October. But you get the idea. I'm 30, not 16. And the cops are still busting my hotel parties.

A few stories. We hired M.O.B. Inc to walk the crowd. Anyway, one of the MOB Inc people was the naked cowboy (from 42nd street, in case you haven't been to NYC for a while). He
The rumor is that he is a diabetic and actually went into insulin shock. I heard that he ended up in the hospital. Then, at the end of the night, as we were walking out, an ambulance was walking IN. Turns out that some guy was drunk, slipped, and hit his face on the bar. They think he broke his nose, but he passed out and there was blood everywhere. As far as I know, that was the only casualty.

And let me tell you, open bar usually means weak drunks and not the best liquor. No, the drinks are strong. The martinis were super strong, I couldn't even drink them. The amaretto sours were also strong. Did you ever notice that when it's an open bar, you have no real attachment to your drink? So dancing, you may get covered in alcohol?? Because there is no incentive to be careful when walking or dancing with your drink. If it spills, you go get a new one. No responsibility at all. (Yes, this is way to say that I got covered in alcohol...)

The next morning, some people on the Jump Back committee went to breakfast (difficult in itself. The Diner on 55 was closed (WTF?), Pickwick got slammed with about 150 people right before we got there, so we ended up at The Harp (which, incidently, didn't have regular pancakes, only had blueberry pancakes. I was inconsolable.)) Anyway, we were telling stories about Jump Back, and most of them started with "so and so was so wasted and...." I mean, how many black tie affairs end in someone getting escorted out of the event, and an ambulance coming?

I had a great time though. The bands were both really good (Abby Normal and the Superband or something, who I had heard broke up.) However, as the theme was all about NYC, I thought the night should have ended with New York, New York. Just my two cents.

I spent most of Sunday recovering. Thankfully, we didn't have a soccer game. Of course, I have one this Sunday, and the Oscars are on. Do I go to soccer, or do I be snarky with friends and make fun of Oscar dresses? Oh, the trials and tribulations of my life...

For those looking for something to do tomorrow, there is a Personal Finance event. There is also a happy hour this Thursday at the Cleveland Playhouse. It includes free parking until 7pm - $5 unlimited wine tasting (compliments of Laurello Wine) , free appetizers , and a cash bar. And for those who have never been to the Cleveland Playhouse, you can get a tour as well. You know, the Cleveland Playhouse while not as big as Playhouse Square obviously, has some great performances. Intimate Apparrel is there through this weekend.

2006-02-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

My friend asked me if it was wrong that she wanted Nick Lachey to get spousal support. I told her no, it was just wrong that she had an opinion on it.

So you are all curious about the Easter Seals auction, aren't you? DYING to know. I realize. First, yes, I wore my teal dress with my blue teal Converse. And I LOVED them. I'm not sure what anyone else thought, but all I really cared about was me, so that's good. If you ask nicely, maybe I'll email you a photo.

You have to walk on stage, which is somewhat intimidating. Meanwhile, they are talking about you (but in what is meant to be a good way, not the way that people talked about you when you were in junior high or something). The problems are twofold: first, the stage is small, so you get to the end of the stage, and they are only about half done. So now what do you do? You just stand there. Fake smiling or something. But stand there. I like to DO things. Standing there is boring. And everyone is looking. At least if I were walking, then I'm not concentrating on the fact that everyone is looking. I’d be concentrating on not tripping, you know? Second, the MC made a comment about me having attitude because I was wearing my Converse. That unsettled me. Weird, I know. What did I expect? One of my sorority sisters asked me about my shoes. I told her I loved them. Her response: “I am sure you do. This does not mean that they were your best choice for this outfit. It was, however, a very "you" thing to do. Converse is your Chanel. For you, they are always a classic.” Awesome.

But once you get done with the stage, the night is only beginning! Because now you have to mingle. Did you ever play Zelda on Nintendo? The people there were like the town folks you talked to when you enter a village. Usually they were stupid and said stupid things like, "you need candles to see in the dark" and you wanted to scream “DUH!” and you literally felt your brain cells disintegrating in your head. If you stopped paying attention and just started counting ceiling tiles, you miss…*nothing.* At least nothing of consequence. But every so often you found a person who told you something good and interesting like, “the candle is in the cave north of the Prada Desert.”

By the way, this leads to an interesting issue. When you meet the interesting villager, even if you know that your character will die if you enter the cave (you haven't built up your magic, or sword, or heart enough to make it into the cave and back out unscathed) would you enter the cave anyway??

But I digress. One of my friends won me, so no (1) scary Republicans; (2) sketchy guys. So that was cool. I think we'll go skydiving. Fun.

And I slept last night for the first time in ages. I have been coughing too much to sleep of late. So last night, I was at my dad’s for dinner, and he gave me this disgusting thing – equal amounts of honey, lemon and alcohol. You know, I was able to sleep from 12-5. 5 whole glorious hours. It was perfect. It tastes awful, but I recommend it.

You know, normal people, when sick, would not play soccer on Friday (indoor at least), two football games Saturday (ok, that was outdoor. Freezing cold 11 degrees!), drink Saturday night, rock climbing Sunday, and soccer (again, indoor) on Sunday. They would stay in bed and rest. I guess this is my way of informing you that I’m not normal…

2006-02-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'm in a pickle. I have two contradictory bets at the monent: one with a friend that I will never die, and one with another friend (who has a voodoo doll) that I will die before tomorrow if he puts his voodoo doll curse on me. So now I'm not sure if I should root for never dying, or root for dying today or tomorrow. I hate losing, so I don't particularly want to lose either bet. But I see no way around it. Either I die today or tomorrow, thus losing the bet I made on Thursday, or I decide to live forever, thus losing the bet I mad on Saturday? There's no way for me to die today or tomorrow and still live forever, is there?

So I spent Valentine's Day with a group of friends at The Town Fryer on Superior and East 37th or so (which, incidently, may be the best kept secret in Cleveland.) What a fantastic time. And I didn't even partake on the fried Twinkies or fried Oreos. (I was so fried out at that time. I should have planned better.) We had fried macroni and cheese (surprisingly good) and friend peanut butter and jelly (I did not partake). But the best part of the evening are the hats. They have all these hats - you know, now that I think about it, I have no idea where these hats came from - and we were all wearing the hats. Posing for photos. It was most excellent. I mean, drunken singles on Valentine's Day who just consumed an entire month's worth of grease in an hour and a half should definitely finish the evening with a night "cap," if you will. (Ok that was bad, I apologize. Actually, I don't really apologize, I just acknowledge your groans.)

So I got an email the other day criticizing me by telling me that I haven't been posting often enough. Evidently, my once a week routine is wearing a little thin with a friend of mine. And last week was a busy week, and when I wasn't working or doing stuff, and I had down computer time, I sent a long email to a friend of mine. I was informed this was unacceptable. I promise it will not happen again. I shall let friendships deteoriate in order to keep you entertained at work...

2006-02-14T15:47:00.000-05:00

So total cost of my car was $450. BUT most of that was the 2 new wheels I needed and the transmission/coolant/oil change. In fact, for the actual stuff related to losing control of my car and spinning and median hitting, I spent $60 on a wheel alignment. There are no dents in my car. There are some scratches to the front bumper, but when it's washed they may be able to be buffed out. Let me think about this: I was going 65 on 271, spun around in circles twice, hit the median, wasn't wearing a seatbelt...and all I have to show for it is a $60 dollar wheel alighment. Someone up there was watching over me Sunday!! Wow.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day - spoony: foolishly or sentimentally in love.
Hmm... I like it.

And I'm reminding everyone about the Easter Seals auction this Thursday at the Holiday Inn on Rockside Road. Yours truly, as we know, is a participant. Doors open at 5.30, we walk across the stage at 7, get raffled off at 9.30. That is well worth the $40, so I hope to see everyone there. If you aren't from Cleveland, I will excuse you from attending. Otherwise, I expect to see you that.

And other events coming up Jump Back Ball is on February 25. I know for a fact that the signs will look great b/c I was painting them last night. Ok, I don't really paint in the lines, but you'd be disappointed with me if I did, right? I mean, that way, when you see a sign, you will automatically know if it's a "Stephanie." I mean, every artist needs a calling card. Or is that serial killers? Anyway, the fact is, they asked me if I could paint, and I said yes. That isn't my fault. It was an unclear question. What they obviously meant was, can you paint well. See, that's a different answer. Of course I can paint. Can't everyone?

2006-02-12T23:50:00.000-05:00

Tonight on the way to soccer, I hit some snow, lost control of the car, overcompensated, really lost control of the car, did two 360s on the freeway, then hit the median and was facing the wrong way. I was so shook up. That was the first accident I think I've been in since I was a teenager - and I was't driving then. It doesn't look like there is too much damage to the car (what I could see in the dark) but when I drive faster than about 60 my car shakes, so my brother thinks I need a wheel alignment. Even when I got to soccer, I was still freaking out. I made my brother get off the field (I was late) because I was freaking out. I called him off the field and tell him I needed him b/c I was in a car accident and was freaked out. His response: "I just let a girl who was 4'11" score on me, I don't have that much sympathy for you." I *think* he was joking...

But the good news, we won our first soccer game! (1-2-1) The players, for the first time, weren't high school kids. They were adults. The goalie was older than us and so was one of their forwards; the rest of them were about our age. But they were really good. Excellent ball control. Excellent. They were Italian (as in from Italy Italian - they had the cutest accents when talking in English and often would break into Italian. It was a good, close game. Actually, they were better than us, we just won.) You explain it - we lose to high school kids in better shape but not better players, and beat a team much better than us.

Wednesday at the OAR concert, I swear, we were the oldest ones. It was actually entertaining. Until my knee gave out of me and I sat down in the ground. This guy fell on me and spilled his beer. And he was a big guy. Not cool. Not cool at all. (I think the two concerts this week did a real number on them. I had a hard time walking today. My right knee was in constant pain all day. It was on the side and I really was thinking that it was going to go out on me. That would, honestly, suck. I know it will happen sooner or later, but I'd rather it be later. But it was the most pain it's been in for several years. And I don't have my knee or ankle braces anymore b/c they were stolen from my bag in December when my car was broken into. It was the first time I really needed them today.)

Rent. Not only was Angel not that great, but Mimi was flat out awful. And by awful, I mean she was the worst Mimi I've ever seen (and I've seen Rent two dozen times). In fact, I am debating whether she is the worst broadway singer I've ever heard, and I'm pretty sure that the answer is yes. Seriously, she sang Out Tonight and not a single note was in key. It was painful for me. Every time she opened her mouth, I cringed.

Flogging Molly on Friday was great, naturally. Though I had to move out of the eye of the hurricane (i.e. the middle of the mosh pit) because I was bouncing around like a ball in a pinball machine. Usually I adore that, but it was a bit too much for me. So I went and stood towards the back of the mosh pit, so I just got a little bit of pushing and whatnot. I have all sorts of mystery bruises. I felt a bit bad b/c I was with two people who didn't know who FLogging Molly was. So the second opening act, this rock band, my friend asked me if this was Flogging Molly. I gave her an "are you kidding me?" look and yes (sarcastically, I thought) "yeah, it's Flogging Molly." I then said to my other friend with us, "they asked if this is Flogging Molly." She gave the same "are you kidding me?" gesture that I did but said nothing. My one friend asked us why there were only 5 people on stage if there were 7 people in the band. I tell her that there are two Flogging Molly tours. When they ended and no one left, my other friend asked why no one was leaving (it had been about 5 minutes). My other friend answers, "encore." At some point, we were just playing around. I was sure they knew we were pulling their legs.. Keep in mind that while they were playing, no one was singing along. Not that many people were even dancing. They definitely weren't celtic sounding. And they played about 40 minutes. But evidently they bought the entire thing. Oops.

As for The Male Intellect, the entire second act was new. I didn't like it as much. The first act was still hysterical. But the "truth" was pretty boring. He made a few political jokes, and I was sitting next to my friend who is conservative, so we had a good time with that, but otherwise, yeah, I preferred the first act.

Because I have an account on My Space, and I have more artists and bands as my friends that actual people, I get a lot of indie artists who writet to me and say, "you are a friend of so and so, I think you will like my music, I've been compared to them." But Sophie B. Hawkins sent me something. Wow, I've heard of her! :)

2006-02-06T17:40:00.000-05:00

So I passed my belay test, and can now go rock climbing any time I want to without instruction. Excitement. My mom thinks one should need more instruction before they can go climb on their own, but really, as long as you know how to put the equipment on right, you aren't going to fall very fall.

Obviously, my friends and I are violent people. During the Superbowl, we enjoyed all the violent commercials. The Fex Ex commercials where the dinosaur ate the pacage, then crushed the caveman was a big hit. And I won't lie to you, the theft control Sprint one was watched more than once. (This is why God invented TiVo...)

On a more peaceful wavelength, I really liked the Dove commercial (though one of the girls at the party asked what the song was. She hadn't heard True Colors before. Ahh, yes, you know you are old when...)

As usual Budweiser had some great ads. The Magic Fridge one made us laugh. The streaking sheep commercial was cute as well. The bear and the beer was good, but again, we liked violence. :) I think my favorite was the tiny Clydesdale horse that thought that it was pulling the cart. And it was - with help. It was adorable.

Which leads to the obvious. Any commercial that uses animals is great. Budweiser used that it it's advantage. The two Careerbuilders ones (working with jackasses, and the monkey's partyting b/c they had the sales report upside down and thought they sales were up) both were fun. Best ever? No. But fun.

For the second year in a row, I most enjoyed the Ameriquest "Don't Judge, We Won't" commercials. Though neither were as clever as the guy cooking for his girlfriend with the cat covered in red pasta sauce, both were good. The first one, with the wife and daughter walking in on the doctor right after he killed a fly and saying, "that killed him" cracked me up. The second one with the plane turbalance causing the woman to fall on the other passenger made me laugh as well. Clever clever clever. How can I get a job at Ameriquest making commercials? Yes, I'm serious. That is the idea job to me.

The other one that I really liked was the sports scores on the cell phone one, where the old man started in on the younger man who was checking his scores on his cell. Back inthe old days. The stereotypical "walked to school uphill both ways" speech. (And yes, I think I would have liked it even if it wasn't a Browns fan. The pause after "We did it the old fashioned way. We went" and before "to the internet" made the commercail for me.)

As for the worst commerical, I really hated the Burger King commercial. It did not entertain at all. Though the competition is close: the Diet Pepsi commercials were awful. And the music video one was way too long. The Jackie Chan one was just stupid. And did anyone else wonder why they placed Diet Coke in their ad. Yes, it got stamped, but at the end of the day, it's still free advertising. I hated the Hummer commercial (and that wasn't new either, was it?) I also didn't like the car commercial withthe models in white mascara. I won't lie; I had nightmares last night.

And is anyone else disturbed by FIVE blades Gillette premiered? FIVE. Really, is that necessary in life? I mean, what will five blades really get that three blades will not. I think we are getting a little bit out of control, I really do.

A few other random thoughts: MacGyver is getting old. And porky. And movie trailers are just a waste of time. The Desperate Housewivescommercial wasn't bad - though let's be honest, it was completely unnecessary. Is anyone NOT familiar with Desperate Housewives at this point? And if so, where have they been living? And was that one car commercial in Spanish and English a commercial for the hybrid car or a commercial for speaking English?? The Sprite airline security ad was clever as well.

* * *

What about the game, you ask? I was disgusted. Not because I actually cared who won the game. In case you hadn't noticed, the Browns fielded a high school football team (not a Texas high school team, b/c a Texas high school team might have beaten them, but just a regular high school team.) In fact, the Browns have more or less fielded a high school team since they returned to the NFL. A few more years of that, and we'll be Cincinnnati. So I didn't care who won, but I really hate bad officiating. Especially when said bad officiating determines who wins a game. Let alone who wins THE SUPERBOWL.

And the worst part of it was the fact that the calls affected scoring. First, there was the pass interference on the touchdown. Which, as the commentators stated, was extremely questionable. Extremely. Then there was the Roethlisberger touchdown. This was extremely close, actually. I didn't think he broke the plane while in the air. It was impossible to tell. Whatever the call on the field was couldn't be overturned because there was not undisputed evidence. But there was nothing that I saw to suggest that the ball did cross the line. Hard to say for sure, but still. Then the hold on the Seahawk's pass to the 1 yard line. You know it's bad when the announcers, upon watching the replay, say, "I have no idea where that hold call came from."

It's impossible to guess where the game would have gone. That's at least a 14 point difference for Seattle, and 7 less for Pittsburgh (the interception came soon after the hold on the 1 play. No interception, no ensuing touchdown by Randal El. And maybe in 10-14 less for the Steelers (if the Steelers are stopped at the 1 on Roethlisberger's TD).

I accept that referees in all sports are human and make mistakes. It just seems incredible that every mistake went against Seattle. And I didn't even care who won. Imagine the frustration that a fan felt! Yes, the commercials were clearly better than the Superbowl this year. Both the playing, and the officiating.

Oh, you know what else bothered me? The fact that they kept on having commericals of the Steelers with the Superbowl trophy but only had one of Seattle. Even the media was doing it! Even my friend at my house, a Pittsburgh fan, commented on it.

FYI, you can check out all of the Superbowl commercials here.

* * *

Don't forget to set the TiVos for Arrested Development this Friday night. Yes, yes, yes, the Olympics opening ceremony are on. Let me help: they run with a torch and light the main torch. There will be lots of people wearing flags, or flag colored shirts, and walking and waving at the cameras. Basically, it's a larger scale city 4th of July parade. Clearly Arrested Development is more interesting - and if it's not (or if you go out on Friday; I have Flogging Molly tickets myself), that's why God invented TiVo. (You know, I'll throw a plug out for Veronica Mars too. Just because it's brilliant so you all probably aren't watching it. SHAME! I'd only point out you people are the reason that Sports Night, Jack and Bobby, and My So Called Life were cancelled too. Not that I hold grudes but I think that the actors from the last one care able to collect social security by now.)

And while we are on tv, Grey's Anatomy followed the Superbowl. Am I the only one who finds the main character totally unlikable? She is whiny, she is selfish, and she can't act to save her life.

* * *

Wait wait wait. When testifying before the senate, the Attorney General does not have to be sworn in?? Are you f'ing kidding me? Yes, because politicans have shown themselves to be honest and truthful. What was I thinking? Give me a break. The entire process is a joke. Are we at home not supposed to realize that?? Though some conservatives are breaking with Bush on his spying program. And one of them is (allegedly) Ashcroft, who supposedly had some reservations about the program. How much does an action violate your rights before ASHCROFT things that it's questionable?? But I actually meant during the hearing.

"I find your testimony honest, straightforward. You legal reasoning is well articulated," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina. "I don't agree with it all." Graham said he was concerned about the president's argument that his commander-in-chief status gave him the authority to launch the program. "Taken to its logical conclusion, it concerns me that it could basically neuter the Congress and weaken the courts," he said.

Well, duh. You know, just when I'm ready to completely write off humanity as a failed experiment ...

* * *

Things to do in Cleveland this week. First, Rent is town at Playhouse Square. I adore Rent. I'm heading out to see it on Thursday. This isn't part of the Broadway series, but a good call for a week. Then Saturday I am going to see Robert Dubac in The Male Intellect, An Oxymoron on Saturday. He's hysterical, I've also seen this before. It's at the Odean - before it closes (BOO!) Fear not, I have O.A.R. tickets on Wednesday, and Flogging Molly tickets on Friday, so I won't be bored on the other days. Though that's a lot of shows in a short time, when the best come to town, you take advantage.

And we are about a week and a half away from the Easter Seals date auction. Thanks to Lori for donating. Very cool of her. I shall have to make it out to a Meet the Bloggers event sometime. But not February. There is so much going on already (especially with Jump Back Balls 15th anniversary that I know you all want to go to...) If anyone is curious what my shoes for the Easter Seals auction look like, you can see them here. Yes, I'm serious. I hope they match my dress - they might be a little off. Which would make me sad. But the dress is knee length so I don't think it will look too bad.

* * *

Do you ever feel like you are surrounded by idiots? I swear to god. The other day I was going to the 20/30 happy hour. It was at the Bier Market, a great new(ish) bar in Ohio City. Anyway, I go to the parking lot, and hand the guy a $5 to park. He looks at me and say, "parking is only $3." Well, see, I wanted to leave a $2 tip. I thought you should start a college fund.

* * *

And if I may offer soemthing. I turn 30 in about 5 months. (5 months, 4 days). Perspecive from a friend of mine (who is about 2 weeks younger than me):

The 20s are all about instability. The first two or three years are ok, but otherwise it's all about figuring out who you are and struggling--to find your career, to get your finances straight, to figure out if you want an emotional/romantic relationship and if so what kind, etc. etc. etc. By 30 you have some credibility and you've figured a lot of that out.

Interesting, no?

* * *

And my friend sent me this article about Vince Young going pro. The article (and sorry, it was emailed to me, so Im not sure of the magazine or the author or anything) said:

I feel sorry for people who can't get a thrill out of a major eventl ike this year's Rose Bowl game ... I'm mean, people who don't get emotionally involved in sports. They are missing something important in life. Everybody should have a team - actually, several teams - to root for. The greatest thing about it is that there's always next season. No matter how good or bad this season was, we'll get 'em next year. ... [A]s a sports fan, there is nearly always something new going on, another game coming up, another chance for redemption. And you change sports as the seasons change. Love affairs bloom and fade, and new love affairs begin. So partisanship in sports is something to take pleasure in.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

You know, I haven't mentioned the Coco trade to Boston at all. Here's my thoughts (I know you felt lost without them): Shapiro had made several good trades, and he deserves some trust in these matters. But boy, was that hard. The trade, for those not aware (SHAME!) involved Crisp, Riske and Bard to Boston for Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach, Guillermo Mota, a player to be named later and cash. Then, a a subset, Rhodes to Philly for Michaels.

Now, I adore Crisp, AND I was a Riske fan (though Wedge clearly was not and seemingly didn't even trust Riske with the ball. I'm not sure why, but I think Riske is a great pickup for Boston. And we moved WAY down with Mota from Riske (AND we gave away Rhodes. AND we lost Howry to free agency - the worst failure to sign, in my opinion. Two years ago we had one of the worst bulletins. Last year we had th ebest. This year I fear we have moved back towards where we were two years ago. So I didn't like that component of the trade. Riske OR the subset of Rhodes. That puts a lot of pressure on Cabrera. And he's a pseudo rookie (I think he has too many appearances to be a rookie this season). But we have weakened our bullpen with this trade. Fact.

Bard was just a backup catcher to Victor, and as long as Victor is healthy, it doesn't matter. To the extent that it does matter, we moved up in terms of backup catchers with Schoppach. But come on, who really cares when you are talking backup catchers?? It was just an odd addition for the trade. Unnecessary.)

Now for the main bulk of the trade. Coco for Marte. If Marte is as good as they think he will be, that's great. We need a third baseman in our future, he fills that role, while we have other players who can play outfield in the minors who can develop. But who is going to play left field in the NOW? Michaels and Hollandsworth are the answer? Really?? I think I'd feel better if you'd say that Franklin Gutierrez could play left field and was ready for the majors (neither of which is likely true).

And I am warning Shapiro: LEAVE JHONNY PERALTA ALONE. If you must, trade Victor and Travis. Hell, you can even trade Grady. But leave Jhonny Peralta alone. Got it??