Happy Thanksgiving!

I get a lot of junk emails (mostly my own fault signing up for every email newsletter under the sun). One of them is a page a day calendar. The other day it said this:

Being grateful and thankful is contagious. Today, how about letting three people know that you are grateful they are in your life?

I thought it was a good Thanksgiving idea that can be used every day.

Who are you thankful for?

Finally!

Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction charges

and

Boras finally tastes a bit of humiliation

Oh yeah, and the stupid Yanks signed A-Rod despite saying they wouldn't since he didn't know what it meant to be a Yank. As one of my friends said, "I guess the Yanks don't care about winning any more World Series for the next 10 years." So true.

You've Got A Friend

So I have been streaming the new JT album, "One Man Band" from MSN (I guess MSN is good for something). It's a great album. There aren't any new songs on it, but it's live and there is good audience interaction. Some of the songs are completely redone, for example, Slap Leather is completely different from the original recording, but is awesome! There are a few songs I wasn't familiar with, such as "You Can Close Your Eyes" which is a beautiful song. As this video shows, he sounds the same as he did 36 years ago!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

To Dasein. Sorry we will miss your party. Have a great time!

New Release?

So this past weekend, our local movie rental place (yes, it's true - I don't belong to NetFlix) was having free rentals in the non- new release section of the store. Sean had heard an interview with Steve Carrell on the radio and thought, "Hey, we've never seen 40-Year Old Virgin!" So, I decided to get the movie, since it was going to be free. Boy was I wrong! Apparently, a TWO YEAR OLD MOVIE is still considered a "New Release" by the stupid movie store. Needless to say, I did not feel compelled to pay for the movie and left. I asked the girl what is considered a new release and she said it depends. Depends on what? If the movie was actually worth renting? Apparently.

Winners and almost winners

Congrats to our own Dustin Pedroia, winner of the AL Rookie of the Year! Way to go Pedroia! Also, congrats to CC Sabathia, winner of the AL Cy Young award. Even though BECKETT TOTALLY DESERVED IT, Sabathia had very good numbers and pitched a ridiculous amount og innings this season. I guess it makes sense that the post season does not factor into the voting, but seriously, Beckett sat out two of his starts due to a blister and he still had 20 wins. Whatever. Yeah Red Sox! Now, if Theo would just sign Lowell already we would be great!

YOOUUUUKKKKKKKKKK!

Winner of the Gold Glove for the American League at First Base: Kevin Youkilis! Yeah for Youk. He had an outstanding season:

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2007	145	528	85	152	35	2	16	83	239	77	105	4	2	.390	.453	.288

No errors in 1,094 innings. Way to go Sox!

Classical music

Pandora finally has added classical music to their library! It's quite limited as of yet, and most of the choral music is Christmas music, but there's nothing wrong with that! Yeah! (I am using a lot of exclamation marks today!)

Vote today!

Don't forget to vote today! It's fun, plus, sometimes there are donuts!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is not a big holiday with us. Mostly because it is too expensive to get dressed up and get out somewhere, but also because we only know one child under the age of 10. For the past few years we have lived in areas where not that many kids lived so I never had to worry about getting candy. This year is slightly different - we have a separate entrance to our place and a lot of kids live in the area. I hope I got enough candy!

What a jerk

Now I can say that A-Rod and his agent suck. What a dick move to announce that a-rod is opting out of his contract during the freaking WORLD SERIES. He is so pathetic I guess it was the only way he could get into the WS.

GO SOX!! To everyone in the Boston area - have fun watching the parade. Also, I'm sorry to those who have to deal with the traffic, but it's for a good cause. It's a beautiful day, try to get out and enjoy it!

RE-SIGN LOWELL! RE-SIGN LOWELL!

Sox Win! Sox Win!! Sox Win!!!!

The Red Sox again, are WORLD SERIES Champs! It was a great series, all the games were close, even the ones with the lopsided scores were close until the very end. Everyone contributed in their own way. Whether it be Ellsbury getting hits in every game and not being phased by the pressure of the World Series, Wakefield admitting he was too hurt to play and letting Lester take his place on the roster, Lowell making the plays to prevent the Rockies from scoring or Youkilis not playing and helping Papi to be the best first baseman he could be. It was a great team and they deserved to win. There were so many great moments: Perdroia getting the home run, Lowell stealing third, Papelbon throwing many more innings in a row than he did in the regular season and getting that final out.

Box score:

Boston AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Ellsbury, CF-LF 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 .438 Pedroia, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .278 Ortiz, 1B 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 .333 1-Crisp, PR-CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 Ramirez, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .250 Okajima, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Papelbon, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Lowell, 3B 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 .400 Drew, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .333 Varitek, C 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .333 Lugo, SS 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .385 Lester, P 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 Delcarmen, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Timlin, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Kielty, PH 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 Youkilis, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 Totals 33 4 9 4 1 4 10 a-Homered for Timlin in the 8th. 1-Ran for Ortiz in the 8th. BATTING 2B: Ellsbury (4, Cook), Lowell (3, Cook). HR: Lowell (1, 7th inning off Cook, 0 on, 0 out), Kielty (1, 8th inning off Fuentes, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Ellsbury 3; Ortiz; Lowell 6; Varitek 2; Lugo; Kielty 4. RBI: Ortiz (4), Varitek (5), Lowell (4), Kielty (1). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Ellsbury. GIDP: Ramirez; Lugo; Pedroia. Team LOB: 3. Colorado AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Matsui, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .294 Corpas, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Smith, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500 Tulowitzki, SS 4 0 0 0 0 3 3 .231 Holliday, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .294 Helton, 1B 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .333 Atkins, 3B 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 .154 Spilborghs, CF 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000 Hawpe, RF 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 .250 Torrealba, C 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .143 Cook, P 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500 Affeldt, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Sullivan, PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .333 Fuentes, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Carroll, 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 34 3 7 3 3 7 12 a-Singled for Affeldt in the 7th. b-Struck out for Corpas in the 9th. BATTING 2B: Helton (2, Lester), Matsui (1, Lester). HR: Hawpe (1, 7th inning off Delcarmen, 0 on, 0 out), Atkins (1, 8th inning off Okajima, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Matsui 2; Helton 3; Atkins 4; Hawpe 4; Cook; Sullivan. RBI: Hawpe (2), Atkins 2 (2). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Torrealba; Holliday. Team LOB: 7. FIELDING DP: 3 (Atkins-Matsui-Helton, Helton, Tulowitzki-Matsui-Helton). Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Lester (W, 1-0) 5.2 3 0 0 3 3 0 0.00 Delcarmen (H, 1) 0.2 2 1 1 0 1 1 6.75 Timlin (H, 2) 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 7.71 Okajima (H, 3) 0.1 2 2 2 0 0 1 7.36 Papelbon (S, 3) 1.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Colorado IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Cook (L, 0-1) 6.0 6 3 3 0 2 1 4.50 Affeldt 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Fuentes 0.2 2 1 1 1 0 1 9.82 Corpas 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Cook pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Pitches-strikes: Lester 92-59, Delcarmen 19-10, Timlin 11-7, Okajima 15-10, Papelbon 23-18, Cook 70-47, Affeldt 12-9, Fuentes 17-8, Corpas 13-9. Ground outs-fly outs: Lester 5-9, Delcarmen 0-1, Timlin 0-0, Okajima 1-0, Papelbon 2-2, Cook 13-3, Affeldt 2-0, Fuentes 2-0, Corpas 2-1. Batters faced: Lester 23, Delcarmen 4, Timlin 2, Okajima 3, Papelbon 5, Cook 23, Affeldt 3, Fuentes 4, Corpas 4. Inherited runners-scored: Delcarmen 1-0, Timlin 1-0, Corpas 1-0. Umpires: HP: Chuck Meriwether. 1B: Mike Everitt. 2B: Mike Reilly. 3B: Ed Montague. LF: Laz Diaz. RF: Ted Barrett. Weather: 68 degrees, clear. Wind: 2 mph, Out to LF. T: 3:35. Att: 50,041. Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner

Congrats boys, YOU DID IT!!!!!

Here we go RED SOX, Here we go!

Let's Go Sox!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

New Link

I have added a new link under the links on the right of the screen. It goes to The Breast Cancer Site and when you go there, you click on the big pink box and when you do, sponsors of this page will donate money so that a woman gets a free mammogram who cannot afford it. It's free and only takes a second. Do it every day!

Wedding bliss!

This weekend my little sister got married to one of my best friends. It was a great celebration and everyone had a great time, especially the bride and groom. It was a beautiful day full of fun and love. Everything from the ceremony to the music to the food was fantastic. Congrats you two, I am so happy for you and love you both!

World Series here we come!

The Red Sox are yet again, ALCS champs and are headed to the World Series! It was a complete team effort, from the rookies to the veterens, everyone had a chance to contribute and prove themselves. It was fun to watch, and only a little nerve wracking (as any series should be). Way to go Sox! Bring on the Rockies!

Get your rally caps on!

Let's go Sox! Tonight is the night!

Next stop......

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!!!!!

Yeah Sox! We're ready.

Another reason

This article is fairly well put as to why the arts are so important in child development. I, for one, can absolutely attest to the idea that giving your child another output for their creative energy, other than school, is truly beneficial. They make new friends so they don't have to hang out with the people they spend all day at school. They don't just go home and watch TV or play video games. Their knowledge expands beyond the walls of school or the playing field. Yeah for music, dance and art!

Division Champs!

2007 Standings as of 9/30/07 AL EAST	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	96	66	.593	--
NY Yankees	94	68	.580	2
Toronto	83	79	.512	13
Baltimore	69	93	.426	27
Tampa Bay	66	96	.407	30

That's all I have to say. YEAH SOX!!!! Oh yeah, and sorry to everyone I called/texted so late on Friday when we clinched. I was REALLY EXCITED!!!!!!

Cruise Cruise Baby

I know I am a science dork, but this is hilarious!

A belated congrats!

To my friend LB who never has to study again! And she studied so much this time she got the highest grade. (Plus, she is wicked smart!) Congrats! Woo hoo! We never had any doubt. Also congrats to her her husband who never has to go to a law school function again (now he just has to deal with lawyers all the time - but at least we can do it together ;) ). YEAH!

Let them eat cake!

This weekend was the wedding of my dear friend, Harvey, to his new bride, Cate. it was a wonderful wedding. They, like Sean and I, had a monsoon the night before and the morning of the ceremony (good luck right?). Luckily, by the time the ceremony started, it had mostly cleared and no one got too wet. The flowers and decorations were elaborate and beautiful, all of the bridesmaids looked gorgeous and the groomsmen did just fine. The music was moving and heavenly and the bride and groom were immensely happy, as we all were for them. The food was great and there was lots of dancing. Even Sean danced! Plus, there were Secret Service guys there stealing cake (see below)! It was nice to see Harvey so happy and surrounded by his family and friends. It was also really fun to be at camp with our "group." We all hadn't been there together in a long time. I am so happy for you, Cate and Harvey, and wish you a lifetime of happiness.

Baseball is not over!!!

I live in a world of football fans. All of my baseball fan friends live down in MA or RI. Granted, since one of my friends up here has gotten an HDTV, he has become a baseball convert (he wouldn't even watch it before), but when football starts, as far as he is concerned, baseball is over. This is extremely frustrating to me as a baseball fan. Every football fan's argument is that every football game counts because they are only played once a week, and because there are so many more baseball games, in the entire scheme of things, one doesn't matter that much. I would beg to differ. Let me use a proverbial baseball rule to prove it: As the length of time from each baseball game to the beginning of baseball playoffs decreases, the importance of each game increases. This is especially true when my beloved Red Sox are winning their division and our arch-rivals, the skanks are winning the wild card race. Another thing that is extremely frustrating is when you are married to a so-called football fan and he falls asleep watching a game in which neither team is his favorite, only to wake up when you have changed the channel back to NESN!

A greater loss

My friend Mike's last living grandparent passed away last week. Pa was a wonderful person. Even though I only met him once briefly, he was an extremely kind and gentle man. I have heard so many stories about him that I wish I had known him better. His family gave him a beautiful send-off. He will be missed by all.

A great loss

Well, today Lucianno Pavarotti passed away. He was one of the best known opera singers of our time. I, myself, am not so familiar with opera, but I know who Pavarotti was. His life was full of accomplishments and controversy, but his contribution to this dying art was paramount. A lot of us used to know this terrible old woman (Miss Bette) who would travel the globe to see Pavarotti.


Personally, I will take "The Cowardly Lion" any day.

The kids are alright

Last night during my break at Borders I read this review of the Deathly Hallows, written by Stephen King. Yeah, it was in Entertainment Weekly, but it was well written. I don't read much Stephen King so I forget he is a "tell-it-like-it-is" kind of guy when it comes to reviewing or writing essays. he gives high praise to Rowling for getting kids to read and to keep reading, and for writing a good, consistent story for more than 4000 pages (something he may know a little bit about considering the Dark Tower series is at least that long). Granted, he does have some misgivings about the series, but overall, gives it good marks. I think it is a good review (much better than the one in the NY Times which totally panned it, probably because of the reasons Mr. King states) and it made me want to read Robinson Cruso.

Holy Cow!

Today Phil Rizzuto passed away. He was a Yankee. This was not his fault. He was actually part of the reason the Yanks won all those pennants in the 40s and 50s and was finally voted into Cooperstown due to some persuasion by the Sox great Ted Williams. The article is quite nice and highlights a lot of Phil's attributes and accomplishments. Curiously enough, it does not mention the fact that one of the things he did as an announcer was call a play by play in the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf.

Beethoven's what?

The other night, I had a customer come into my second place of business and ask for Beethoven's "pas-tore-aly" symphony. Luckily, I knew what she was talking about and found a few recordings of B's 6th Symphony. There was one recording that also had the 8th symphony (which I am not familiar with), one recording that had a few other pieces on it with which I was not familiar and finally, one with the 8th and 9th symphony. "Oh, is that a good one?" She innocently asked. "Really? You've never heard of it?" I'm thinking to myself. I politely replied that it was the best choice since it was the same price as the others and I think it was the London Philharmonic. Does this make me a classical music snob? Hardly. If you click on the link to the Slate article, it agrees that if you are even vaguely familiar with western classical music, you have heard of the song "Ode the Joy." Some people! :) (maybe I am a classical music snob). Sorry!

Home Run King

Well, Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run to become the home run king over Hank Aaron. Woo hoo.

Aaron had held the record for 33 years with 755 home runs. In this age of steroids in baseball (an most other professional sports - don't get me started on cycling), it is difficult to know how to feel about this. On one hand, it is an amazing achievement to have been playing that long (this is Bonds 21st season) and hit that many home runs, along with the many other records he holds. On the other hand, there is the fact that he has used steroids. Even if he didn't know that's what he was using at the time, he still used them. This then brings up the question, what will happen in the Hall of Fame? Will his name go on the leader board with an asterisk? Will it go on at all? Will he ever get inducted into the Hall? Is using steroids as bad as betting on your own team?

I don't know what will happen. Unfortunately, because the testing is so sparse and anonymous in baseball, we may never know who has done/is still doing steroids, and how can we penalize one person without penalizing those who we don't know about? Most of all, whose fault is it? The player's union? The weasely commissioner? What needs to happen, is the rules need to change. Are the managers worried that people won't watch baseball if there isn't a home run in every inning? If we don't have pitchers that can strike out 10 batters in a game? We need to stop the cheating and stop it now. I know that players have been cheating ever since games were invented. However, in my idealistic (some might say naiive) belief that there is good in everyone I think that people actually do want to play fair. Until that day happens, I will try my best to instill fairness in every game that I play (yes, even pitch) and I will keep my belief that the rules are there for a reason.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To my mom. Have a great day. I love you.

Good for me!

I went to the gym yesterday for the first time in months! I didn't stay too long, just did some time on the elliptical machine as all the climber/swing machines (I don't really know what they are called) were taken and I try to avoid the treadmill at all costs. I'm even going to try to get back on Thursday. It's time for me to get my lazy ass back into shape.

Plus, I got to watch an awesome Red Sox Classic game from 2000 when Pedro had a one-hitter:

August 29, 2000
Pitching in Tampa Bay against the Devil Rays, Pedro hit Gerald Williams to lead off the game. Williams charged the mound, where he was quickly apprehended by first baseman Brian Daubach and the rest of the Red Sox. The Devil Rays thought the HBP was intentional, and kept throwing at Daubach and the Red Sox all night. The Rays ended up with five players, the manager, and two coaches all being ejected, while no one from the Red Sox was tossed. Through it all, Pedro pitched eight hitless innings, only to have the no-hitter broken up by John Flaherty in the ninth. He struck out 13 and finished with a one-hitter.

No one warned me...

Not to read the last 100 pages of HP7 before I was supposed to go to sleep. I couldn't fall asleep for hours! I am still digesting it and wish I had re-read the first 6 before I started this one. Rowling did a good job reminding you of things you most likely had forgotten about, but I found myself wishing I had remembered every detail of the previous books. All in all, well done. And if there is another book, IMO, I can't imagine that it will be good at all.

Online games

Best way to waste time ever (and learn something)! I think Scott may have been the first one to find this, but I still love it. Especially on a Friday afternoon at 4:30.

Oh yeah, it doesn't hurt that Beethoven is the subject of one of the best movies ever.

Guitarist turned Astrophysicist

Brian May is awesome.

The Bar

Good luck today, tomorrow and Thursday LB! We're thinking of you.

Stolen from another blog

This is freaking hilarious! It's about 5 minutes, but listen to the whole thing. It's worth it! Thanks Fibby!

Red Cross

The other day a bunch of us at work had our CPR/AED refresher class. There is some new material this year, such as don't waste time to check for a pulse or the correct placement of your hands when you are starting CPR and do 30 compressions and 2 breaths for actual CPR. Also, we were treated to this lovely video upon which me and one other co-worker couldn't even watch:

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th everyone! I hope you all have fun BBQs and rain-free fireworks.

I have been at work all day since I am taking Friday off and one of the perks of my job is that it is quite flexible when it comes to switching holidays. So along with a couple other people who did the same thing as me, I have been actually working a bit. But, I also brought in my computer so that I can finish uploading my CD collection. As some of you know, this is quite a daunting task for me as I have over 300 CDs. I am pretty sure this is the last book I have to do. Currently, I have 12.3 days worth of music. This is a pretty fun task for me actually because I am reminded of how much awesome (and not so awesome) music I have and I can actually listen to it. Today I have listened to a few Grateful Dead albums, a Heart Greatest Hits, and now I am on to "Dreamland" by Robert Plant. Good stuff. Now all I need is a new computer so I don't have the annoying dying fan sound in the background as I am listening to all my new found music!

Plus, the Red Sox won today! Yeah!

The Art of the Album

So I was just telling my friend about Steve Vai. One of the most talented, inventive contemporary electric guitarists today. His first album came out in 1984 and his newest one is being released this month. When I was in middle school, I was lucky enough to have a friend who played the guitar who introduced me to all these musicians I had never heard of then, but are now, a huge part of my life, including Steve Vai. Vai is coming to Providence later this year and I really hope to get to see him.

One thing that is really great about Vai's albums is that they are true albums. The tracks make up a cohesive unit, each telling an individual story (and yes, a story can be told without words), but all having a similar feeling. This is becoming a lost art, the album. In an age where you can download a song from the CD or that soundtrack, fewer and fewer artists are putting the thought into making a complete album. Not that Vai releases concept albums (except for maybe Fire Garden), but the tracks go together. The thing about Vai is that even his compilations are true albums. He puts tremendous thought into what track should go on the compilation and writes insightful album notes for explanation. What are your favorite albums?

Seadogs and Fireworks

Yesterday we went to a Portland Sea Dogs game with a bunch of people from my work and from Sean's work and our best friends. It was really fun, the weather was good ( a little cold) and there were fireworks! There were lots of kids there, the baseball was actually pretty good, except for some horrible errors made by the Erie Seawolves (for example, the classic two guys going for a fly ball and neither calls it so it drops on the ground in between them for a hit), and the Sea Dogs pitcher was really pretty good until the 6th inning. Thanks to everyone for coming and making it a fun night.

RIP Mr. Wizard

Mr. Wizard (aka Don Herbert) passed away yesterday after battling bone cancer. He was 89. Mr. Wizard had a show on Nickelodeon when I was growing up on which he had dorky kids (much like myself) do cool science stuff. My favorite episode was when he measured how tall a tree was with a plate full of water. Science is cool!

2007 Rock Honors

So this year VH1 honored ZZ Top, Heart, Genesis and OZZY. It was a pretty interesting show with a bit of randomness:

Who is Bam Margera and why was he the host?

Billy Bob Thornton wore a jacket with shoulderpads.

Jada Pinkett-Smith was in a band that played at Ozzfest?

Nickelback played ZZ Top fantastically.

Gretchen Wilson played with Alice in Chains and sounded amazing.

Genesis didn't sound that good.

Heart still rocks and Nancy is a great performer and guitartist.

Criss Angel is a freak.

Ozzy and I have the same haircut if I part my hair in the middle.

Zakk Wylde is jacked!

Buddy is free!

Finally, Providence will have it's mayor back. And some hotel in Boston will have one of the best PR guys around. REALLY?!?

Happy Birthday Mr. Z.

Happy 66th birthday Bob Dylan. Thanks for all the great words and music.

What was your first album?

First off, if you have to ask what an album is, stop reading this blog. I was talking with one of my co-workers last night and he said his first tape was Alice Cooper. This then forced me to ask, "You never had an album?" Apparently, no, he was too young. So then another co-worker and I were reminiscing about our first albums. He couldn't remember but guessed it was a Beatles album. Mine was Graceland by Paul Simon - remember Donkey? I used to play it all the time and it had that skip in it and I didn't know the correct words to Graceland until I heard it on the radio!

What was your first album?

Happy Graduation!

My friend Ryan graduated from his Masters program at BU yesterday. Congrats Ry! I am very happy for you. And his wife Alisa just found out she has a permanent teaching job. YEAH! We can't wait to celebrate with you guys!

Fantasy Baseball

Well, this year is beginning to look like the first year I had a fantasy baseball league for me - basement dweller. I am really hoping my pitching starts to look a little better, although at this point I would take anyone to look better. I think my downfall this year was that I didn't prepare for the draft and ended up drafting players I liked rather than knew anything about their stats. Oh well, I'm still having fun as I hope everyone else in the league is.

And at least my Sox are doing great! In 1st place!

Goodbye Gilmore Girls

This week hosted the series finale of Gilmore Girls. This was a fun show about a quirky town with crazy characters centered around a mother and daughter relationship with a few hot guys thrown in (see below, although Scott Patterson is only cute with the hat on).

I really liked this show because even though it was weird it was funny, dramatic, but not overly, and it was a nice escape from all the TV with people getting blown up or competing fiercely against each other to win some crazy prize.


Plus, this week, even though it was the last episode, was extra fun to watch since my friend LB threw a GG party where we all ate like the Girls (i.e. take out chinese, pizza, chicken nuggets, ice cream, cookies, brownies, mallomars, etc.)

I thought the show was well done considering it wasn't necessarily written to be a series finale. It was funny, yet sentimental and Luke and Lorelai kissed (YEAH!) For more recaps check out:

I'm sad it's not on anymore, but at least now I can cross off another show I am addicted to.

Pandora Internet Radio

So there is this cool site: Pandora Internet Radio. You just sign up for free, tell it what artists/songs you like and it tries to create a radio station based on what you tell it. Then you can rate the songs it chooses if you like them or not and it will customize even more. You can create many stations too, so you don't have to have Aerosmith and Bach on the same station. Try it out!

And the next item up for auction is....

This sweet ride.

A new place and festivities

Sean and I found a new apartment. This is good, because otherwise we would be homeless since our current place was just a winter rental. Our new place is really nice. It is actually a condo, but the owner is renting it out so it is more like a home than an apt. We have to move again, but the place is really nice so I think it will be ok.

Soon our wedding season will start. Next month I have a shower and wedding to go to. In June
there are 2 weddings on the same day, another shower and wedding in July, another shower in August, then one wedding in September and one in October. Woo hoo! It will be fun! I love weddings, they are so much fun and everyone is so happy.

Another fun thing that is happening is a very important graduation in May. Congrats LB!

I know it's been a while

For all of you who care about this blog, I'm sorry I have been such a blogging slacker. I was sick for about 2 weeks, we had to look for an apartment, I had a conference, it was Easter, blah blah blah.

Opening Day was amazing. I was sick but nothing was going to keep me from being there, even my own stupidity. We got there just about when the festivities were starting. We got to our seats when Harry Connick, Jr. was singing "America the Beautiful." Then the Blue Angels flew overhead. How those planes just don't crash into each other is mind boggling. Then 23 of the guys who played on the 1967 Impossible Dream team came out from behind the HUGE flag that was hung on the Green Monster. They all went to their respective positions wearing their old school unis and then they threw out the first pitch to the 2007 Red Sox. It was really inspiring. And of course, Robert Goulet sang, "The Impossible Dream."

The weather was dry but COLD. Luckily, our friend Jenny lent me one of her down jackets, otherwise I would've had to spent way too much money on a sweatshirt, blanket, etc. It was overcast, but when the sun came out it was really warm. At one point during the 7th or 8th inning when it was really cold, the sun came out a little bit and everyone cheered and started chanting, "Sun! Sun! Sun!" It was hilareous.

The game itself was really fun. First of all, we won 14-3. We were playing the Seattle Mariners, Beckett vs. Jeff Weaver (aka the sucky weasel). I hate Jeff Weaver. I don't know if it's because he was a Yank or his general overall "I deserve the world" attitude. After the game, I couldn't give two hoots about Jeff Weaver. He threw something like 48 pitches in the first inning and gave up 7 runs in the first two innings, so I was pretty happy. Beckett was on fire. Considering he had to wait for a LONG time in between innings he was very good with 8 Ks. He pitched 7 innings and then they brought Donnelly in. This was where it got interesting. Donnelly is ok. And apparently, he had a personal beef with one of the Mariners, who, when he was up at bat said some words to Donnelly after he was struck out. This P.Od Donnelly who proceeded to bean then next batter on the butt. This of course led to a scuffle including the emptying of the bullpen. And who was the leader? None other than our own J.P. Papelbon lept like a racehorse out of the pen stripping off his jacket as he sprinted toward the mound. Luckily, there were no fisty cuffs as the last thing we need is for our premier closer to break his hand. It was pretty funny though.

The game was followed by a nice dinner with Sean's parents at Brasserie Jo - Yum!

I live for this!

Yeah for strawberry daquiris!

Check it out.

More substantial posts to come.

OPENING DAY TICKETS!

Just got Red Sox Opening Day tickets! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It will be cold but I don't care, it's my only game this season. I couldn't even get Yankees tix since they occur on weekends I have much more important things to do (friend's weddings!) But Opening Day! I've never been to Opening Day before! I feel like Kermit when he's introducing the first act on the Muppet Show. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And joining the great ranks of parents of twins....

No, not us stupid.

My boy!

Man those are going to be some OCD athletic babies!

New post

posted here

Sorry it didn't show up as new. I created it a while ago and just decided to post it.

What Superhero are you?

Well, at least I'm not Batman.

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 75% The Flash 75% Supergirl 60% Wonder Woman 50% Spider-Man 50% Green Lantern 50% Robin 42% Iron Man 40% Catwoman 35% Hulk 25% Batman 25%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Aerosmith is better than Aretha Franklin

Horrors! Gasp you might say! How could I say that ANYONE is better than the Queen of Soul? I apologize friends, but, quite easily. I TiVoed the RnR HoF ceremony and Ms. Franklin sang a few songs as a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun who founded Atlantic Records and who passed away last year. I forget the first song she sang which was great. She then sang her hit, "Never Loved a Man (the way that I love you)" which was covered by Aerosmith on their latest studio album, Honkin on Bobo, changing the title to "Never Loved a Girl (the way that I love you)." I just like Aerosmith's version better (at least compared to Aretha's live version during the ceremony). Maybe her album version is better. It just seemed this song was too low for Ms. Franklin's range. Maybe it used to be her range, but it's not anymore.

I can't wait to watch the part about Patti Smith (she also got inducted along with R.E.M., Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and The Ronnettes).

I love Rock and Roll (and yes, I know that is a Joan Jett song).

How many times a day do you check your email?

I figured since I know I do this too often, I would try to count the number of times I check my non-work email in a given work day. I lost count during the morning, so I tried to estimate the number of times per hour. I still lost count, so I estimated 5 times in half an hour. Let's see, for a typical 8-hour work day, that's 16 half hours times 5 which equals.....80! I am pretty sure that is too many times.

The Happy Blues

For those of you who know me, you know that the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band is one of my (other) favorite bands. I just bought 10 Days Out, Kenny's newest CD/DVD set. I just put the DVD on while I was making dinner since I couldn't decide what to play on my iTunes library (sometimes too much makes it impossible to decide - one of the reasons I don't own an iPod, I can't decide what would be worthy enough to go on it). So I just finally sat down to watch some of it and I was just watching the part about Etta Baker. She is so cute and can play a sweet guitar. She learned from her dad, doesn't read music, and played her best song that came to her in a dream. She plays "happy blues" (aka Piedmont Blues) instead of the Delta blues. She is probably about 80-something years old and as happy as a clam (sidenote - are clams really happy?) I just love the blues. It can mostly fit any mood you are in: Happy, calm, mad, sad, agitated, gleeful, whatever else you can think of.

This is a fantastic disc. If you like the blues, or think you might like the blues, buy this CD.

Flatbread

Mmmmm. We are getting Flatbread pizza for dinner tonight. It is YUMMY! I love pizza. Pizza pizza pizza. Plus it's the weekend so I don't have to work, work, work. Tomorrow we are headed to the Boston area to have dinner with my In-laws (Weird, they are now my in-laws) since it is my FIL's birthday. I will also attempt to get my lazy ass to the gym since I haven't been in about 3 weeks. - Hey, at least I can watch spring training!!!

Buying a house is a nightmare

Some of you know we were in the process of looking for a house and actually found a decent one in Portland. However.......

Buying a house is a nightmare mostly because you search forever and find a house you agree is nice enough to live in, in a good enough area, and even though it has some cracks in it, as long as the seller installs a radon mitigation system, fixes the hot water heater so it's not a bomb and bolts the toilet to the floor, you are still going to go through with the sale. However, the seller and/or the seller's agent then decides to be a TOTAL ASSHOLE and refuses to negotiate with you any further. So then you try to terminate your contract and you basically have to sign all these forms that you will never go after the seller to try to get the money back you paid to have the structural engineer come out to tell you that even though the cracks in the foundation go all the way through, the house is still structurally sound; even though if you knew the seller and/or seller's agent was a LYING P.O.S. when they told you they agreed to your terms earlier, but instead they totally didn't, you never would have had the structural engineer come out to the house anyway and would have terminated the contract right then and there.

Fuckers.

On the upside - who needs to be saddled with a mortgage at this point? We can save so much more money by renting and then we can afford to buy something we REALLY like. We might even be able to go sweat out asses off during a stage of the Tour de France.

Quitting time!!

Yeah!!! Now I get to go to my job where I actually interact with people!!!

Loss

One of my best friend's dad passed away a little while ago. He had been sick for a while but it's still hard when the end comes. There was a very nice service and a loving eulogy was read. Despite the bitter wind, it was a sunny day. I just wanted to say we all love you and are here for you whenever you need us.

Being sick and wedding video

**WARNING** The first half of this post is whiney but I swear it gets better by the end.

Yuck. I have been sick for the past week and a half. I am starting to get better but now Sean is getting sick which is no good. When your sick, the whole world sucks. I didn't go to work one day, I left early another day due to a coughing fit I had on the phone, your nose gets sore from so many kleenexes and you're usually in a fog most of the time. Like I said yuck. But, soon it's over and you can get back to your regular life.

On a completely different note, we got our wedding video yesterday. IT IS AWESOME!!!! I am so glad we had it done. The woman who did it for us did a great job, she put a great soundtrack to it and used some cool effects. It was great to watch it and see how happy everyone was. It starts with the rehearsal and ends with the reception. I was really amazed that so many people were smiling so often. There are some pretty funny parts too, like I had asked Sean to get the loop for my wrist from my train, and he's searching for it with an expression on his face like, "Really, there's a loop hidden in all these layers?"

So thank you all again for being part of our wonderful day.

Happy Snowy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone is having a nice day. I have been stuck in my freezing cold cottage since about 2 working from home since the weather SUCKS right now. It's not even really snowing, it's more sleet/ice/wintry mix (whatever that is) so the accumulation is low and the possibility of having fun snowshoeing or XC skiing in this stuff is also low. I hope everyone who went inland or to the mountains is having actual snow.

Working from home is WAY worse than working at the office. There are so many things I would rather be doing and they are all within reach, but I can't do them because then I would have to take a vacation day. Besides, my hubby is working too and the TV would bother him too much. I think I might have to take control back though within the hour since it is already after leaving time.

Sorry this is such a complaint-ridden post, but I hope you can understand why.

Happy VD! (Ha ha - I just love saying that!)

I am not a crybaby

So, even though I am not as big of a crybaby as my friend Scott, I am practically bored to tears right now so I am going to post the five movies that I am pretty sure I cried during:

5. Remains of the Day - When Anthony Hopkins reaches out to touch Emma Thompson's hand, but then pulls back, making you realize that they will never be together, it's a kleenex moment.

4. Green Card - I know, how many people actually watched this lame movie? But for some reason when I watched this long ago, I cried like a fool when they let you know that Gerard Depardieu is getting deported after he tried so hard to study for the immigration test pretending to be married to Andy MacDowell.

3. Life is Beautiful - For many, many reasons, but for two main scenes: when they are lost and trying to hide and run into the wall of bodies, and when Roberto pretends to be a soldier, ever the strong father, and gets shot.

2. Philadelphia - mostly the hospital scene when Antonio Banderas is there with Tom Hanks

1. Where the Red Fern Grows - who decided to show this movie at camp?! The title says it all.

Honorable mentions: Four Weddings and A Funeral (same as Scott for the eulogy), The Family Stone (mostly because I thought it was going to a comedy but was NOT), Field of Dreams (when Kevin Costner's dad plays catch), For the Love of the Game (when Kevin Costner pitches a perfect game)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To my kid sister. I wish you the best year ahead!

Finally!

Sarah Louise Whitford, daughter of Barbara and Ned Whitford of Westerly and Sean Lewis Sweeney, son of Carole and Gerard Sweeney of Dover, MA were married Saturday, October 28, 2006 at three in the afternoon at Christ Church, Westerly, RI. Reverend Robert W. Anthony officiated. Ceremony music was performed by George E. Kent and the Christ Church Choir, trumpet by Richard Given, and bell ringing by Aimée E. Blanchette. Harvey M. Blanchette and Emily A. Sweeney read during the ceremony. The bride’s sister, Lucy E. Whitford was the maid of honor and the bridal attendants were Alisa Saunders, Heather Sanborn and Kara Fieldhouse. The best man was James Damon and the ushers were Ryan Saunders, Michael Freitas and Andrew Kruppa. Flowers at the church were arranged by Jane Barber and flowers for the reception were arranged by Julie Cronan, Susan Sweeney, Regina Murphy and Andrew Lidestri. The ceremony was followed by a reception at The Chester House in Westerly.

The bride, employed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, ME, graduated from the Graduate School of Oceanography at URI. The groom graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, ME. He is employed by Pierce Atwood, LLP in Portland, ME. They honeymooned at the Orchard Cottage in Queenstown, New Zealand. The couple resides in Maine.

The couple was surrounded by lots of loving friends and family!

What is Manamana?

Answer: The first sketch of the first episode of The Muppet Show.

As a splurge over Christmas, I bought myself the first season of The Muppet Show on DVD. I watched the first three episodes last night. It is such an awesome show. Anyone who has kids ages 3 and up should own this show. There aren't any scary parts and the muppets are hilareous and what the kids don't get, the parents will. I think Jim Henson was on some heavy drugs when he created this show, but he was a genius.

Where else will you see a left-handed conducting frog? (Who knows who else is a left-handed conductor?)

Let's go Pats

I have heard a lot of talk about how boring the game between the Patriots and the Colts is going to be. I don't understand. Do people think it is going to be a blowout? That is the only kind of game that is boring. Do people not know that these teams are rivals? It is always exciting when rivals play (i.e. Red Sox and Yankees) even when it is a blowout. Maybe people are disappointed because there won't be any severe weather to contend with. This is a valid point, but that just means the strategy will have to be that much better. I, for one, am pretty sure this game will be anything but boring.

If you want to talk boring, let me tell you about this Microsoft Access class I took......

Sting Like A Bee

Muhammad Ali turned 65 this week. Most of you who know me know that I am not a boxing fan. I just never saw the point of watching grown men beat each other up. Maybe there is some sort of strategy or something, but I don't get it.

However, I am a fan of good people. This is not to say he was always a good person, but he did become a good person and mended the errors of his ways. He has given millions of dollars to charities and persevered despite his severe illness.

So, happy birthday to the greatest, keep on dancing.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I would like to take a moment to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Days like today are necessary to make us remember that there were people who had great hope for our country and world. We need more people like that to get others fired up about equality no matter what they look like, what language they speak or what religion they practice.

XII Night

The people in my hometown put on a play every year called XII Night. It is not Shakespeare's XII Night, but an original play about showing out the old year and welcoming in the new and the omnipresent fight of good and evil. There plot changes from year to year but there are some constants: Good wins, a battle, a cool monster, a dancer, an (annoying) clarinetist, great music, jesters, cake, and fun and merriment. For the past 32 years is was written by the same woman. Unfortunately, she passed away this past October so there was a huge void. Who was going to step in and write XII Night? How will the show go on?

My friend, H to the rescue! He is an amazing writer and artist. He has been involved in XII Night since he was 2. It is in his blood. It only seemed natural for him to have a chance to showcase his talent and step in to help out. As it happens, as much as he might deny it, when someone is in trouble, you can count on him to help out. His big heart is a huge part of his personality and his talent is just a bonus.

The play was fantastic. The plot was easy to follow. The poetry used (original and otherwise) fit in beautifully. The dancing was well done. The acting was exceptional (the dark god played by my friend, A, was my fav!). The monster was scary with it's booming footsteps. And the music fit in very well. Although, I might say the tap dancing twins stole the show!


Congrats H. I know I already said this - but I am very proud of you.


Well done.

Pats Win!

After a very messy, but exciting game, the Pats pulled it out to beat the San Diego Chargers to advance to the AFC Championships where they will play the Indianapolis Colts in Indy. They won by a field goal. This is not an unusual way for the Patriots win, but it is unusal that the kicker was NOT Adam Vinatieri, but a much younger rookie named Stephen Gostkowski who pulled it off with grace. I have a feeling in a few years people in New England will be saying "Adam who? Oh you mean the traitor who when to Indy so he could keep his stats by kicking in a dome?" It is also good that the Pats will be playing in Indy as their home record wasn't so great this year. It will be an interesting game next week. Go Pats!

The New Year

I feel like blogging is like going to the gym. Everyone's resolution is to keep up with their blogs (or maybe that's just me). Well, I am going to try to blog at least once a month (I try to keep expectations low).

I know a LOT has happened since I last blogged. Hey - I got married! We had a great wedding. It POURED all morning (I know - it's good luck) and there are some pretty hilareous pictures of me getting into the church all covered in raincoats and bonnets. But we probably had the best sunset EVER when we went down to the beach afterwards. My church is awesome and is made even awesomer (I know it's not a work but it's my blog) by the choir that sings there. We were very lucky to surrounded by people who loved us and wanted to be there to support us. Our photographers were great. Especially when we were being rushed out of the church where we were taking our pictures because of the rain because the 5:00 service was starting. We had a great reception. Our friend Drew and various aunts made the place look fantastic. The DJ was great. The food exceeded our expectations and everyone had FUN which is exactly what we were going for. All in all, it was a great day.

We then went for a honeymoon in New Zealand. That's right - New Zealand. It was fantastic. It was just nice to be on vacation, go for a hike if we wanted, go for a boat ride, or just hang out.

After our nice vacation it was back to reality: work and holidays. Thanksgiving was great and Christmas wasn't but what are you going to do?

Now it is the New Year and I just listened to one of my new CDs (Paul McCartney's Ecce Cor Meum) which also exceeded expectations and was pretty good. I am sick, but my hubby should be home soon (since he said he would be home 1/2 an hour ago) to cook me some dinner.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Smokers

My friend Scott just wrote a great post about how smoking makes otherwise fantastic, smart, caring, loving people stupid, careless, mean, and selfish. Smoking destroys people's health, and I don't think destroys is a strong enough word. I started to write a response but then decided to post it instead.

Thank you for writing that, but, unfortunately, even if the people in your family who smoke read this (I know at least one of them), they might think about it for a minute, but then forget it. I know this because of years of trying the same thing with my dad. I hate to be such a pessimist, but that is what happens after years of telling someone you love that they are hurting themselves, wasting money and frustrating you to no end. This is not to say that those people won't respect your wishes of not smoking around you or your family, they will, and by doing this they feel they are justified in their disgusting habit. What they don't realize is that they are really eating into the time you have to spend with them and choosing the cigarette over you. This may be harsh, but it's true.

It really has to be up to the smoker to quit. My mom is a great example of this. She finally decided it was right for her to quit. And she hasn't smoked in 3.5 years and I am extremely proud of her for this. That the smoker won't decide to quit based on medical evidence and the pleas of family and friends may be very selfish on the part of the smoker, but there must've been something subliminal in the advertisements in the 60s and 70s for smoking telling people the smoking was as harmless as a fly. It is something I will never understand.

I usually think about the Different Strokes episode when Gary Coleman's character's uncle/some sort of relative has to go have a lung removed because he smoked for years, and the last shot of him is walking out the door to the hospital, lighting up a cigarette. It is just such a foreign concept to me, I can't even begin to comprehend.

That's my boy

I still love Nomar.

Seadogs win!!!!

The Portland Seadogs have just won their first Eastern League Championship Series! It is like the World Series of the Minor Leagues in this division, so I guess it is more like the ALCS, but without the World Series existing. I am very happy for the Seadogs - I just wish I had been there today, a beautiful, somewhat hot, fall day. But, we had a good weekend in Rangeley, so I guess I wouldn't change it.

PS - sorry I haven't posted in forever, but things are getting quite busy with the wedding coming up so soon, and I feel bad posting at work, when I am supposed to be, you know, working, even though I have nothing to do.

YEAH SEADOGS!!!!!

Big Disaster

I feel the need to post about this since my friend Scott is on hiatus for a few weeks. As those of you from New England know, there was this HUGE tunnel project in Boston officially named the Central Artery/Tunnel project, affectionately known as The Big Dig. It has been leaking since before it was finished. It has leaked dirt and water which have caused minor damage to cars. It's lastest problem - tons of concrete falling from the ceiling of the tunnel - took a life. The tunnel has caused more problems than the billions - that's right - Billions of dollars it cost and Years of time it took. Traffic is not much better, it is still a nightmare to drive through the city and it's unsafe. Now that this happened, even less people will use the broken tunnels and will cause even MORE traffic in the city. Who knows what will happen next?

An Inconvenient Truth

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

If you care about yourself, the future, your children, your friends, your friend children, you will see this movie.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT! Most of you know that I am an environemtal nut. I am very proud of my sister who bought a hybrid car last year. My next car will be a hybrid. I buy energy saving appliances and lightbulbs. I would ride my bike to work if it didn't cripple me from pain. We keep the temperature in our apt. very cold in the winter (fortunately, this allows us to save money too!)

This movie (and the book that Gore wrote) is about the "Climate crisis" as he puts it (aka Global Warming). It is about how if Antarctica and Greenland keep melting MILLIONS of people will be underwater. Then, we will experience an ice age, and MILLIONS of people will be under frozen water.

Seeing this movie is important, but taking action is even more important. Here are a few SIMPLE ways you can reduce your energy bill and reduce the amount of energy you use and therefore decrease the amount of fossil fuels you use:

- buy flourescent lightbulbs (they are a bit more than regular light bulbs, but they last at least twice as long and dramatically decrease your energy usage)

- if you need a new appliance, look for one that has an EnergyStar label on it

- make sure your hot water heater has a blanket to retain all that heat is producing (readily available at Home Depot)

- if you are not watching the TV - turn it off!

- if you live close enough, walk or bike to work/school (if it won't cripple you)

- if you live near people you work/school with, carpool (saves money and gas!)

- write to your representatives/senators/governors and tell them to sign the Kyoto Protocol and support other greenhouse gas reduction measures.

Ok, I think that is enough preaching for one post. Thanks for your patience.


Have a safe and fun trip Ry!

Ode to Mystery

With fur as soft as silk
and a gentle purr when you wanted some milk,
You always brought cheer
to everyone you were near.
A comforting cuddle,
or playing in a puddle,
you always brought a smile
and were never vile.
Sometimes you got sick,
but we cleaned it up quick,
and although you didn't have a strong brain,
we loved you just the same.
You will certainly be missed,
you brought us such bliss.
Now you will be with Sunset
and others you have never met,
to play with your friends in the sky
as we say bye-bye.

My 4 things.....

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Boatyard chick
2. GAP employee
3. Camp slave
4. Research Scientist

Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Armageddon
2. Notting Hill
3. Bull Durham
4. The Little Mermaid


Four places I have lived:
1. Westerly, RI
2. South Boston, MA
3. Tacoma, WA
4. Portland, ME


Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Friends
2. Scrubs
3. The OC
4. Behind the Music: Aerosmith


Four places I have been on vacation:
1. England
2. Italy
3. Montreal, Canada
4. Rangeley, ME

Four websites I visit daily:
1. My YAHOO!
2. Redsox.com
3. fourthrow.blogspot.com
4. projo.com

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Lobster
2. pizza
3. ice cream
4. pizza


Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Rangeley
2. Ogontz
3. On the couch
4. At an Aerosmith concert

In another category of obvious.....

There was an actual study done on this.

Rock of Geezers

This week VH1 hosted a show called Rock Honors. It was the first of such shows and they decided to honor Queen, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and KISS. Now, I don't know what kind of "rock" they were honoring but it was interesting that a classic (in every sense of the word) rock band in Queen, a father of metal band in Judas Preist, a pop rock band in Def Leppard and a performance/merchanidising band in KISS can all be classified as rock.

Now, most of you who know me, know that I am a die-hard for anything rock and roll. I was pretty excited to watch this show and watch these great bands perform and have tribute paid to them by some of the great artists of today. In my opinion, Priest stole the show, although, the mega-band that was put together to pay tribute to KISS was a close second. I will admit right now that I never owned a Priest tape or really listened to them much, but they were still full of piss and vingear on that stage and you could tell they really were enjoying themselves (and they didn't sound half-bad either). They are a great band because they have great riffs behind their songs and bad-ass lyrics. They also showed that they were the ones who started the move where all standing members of the band get together and move as one back and forth (NOT KISS). I thoroughly enjoyed their performance and was glad they were honored since they are not and probably won't get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since Sabbath is already there. Plus, anyone who drives a motorcycle on stage rules.

The mega-band put together for the KISS tribute was as follows:

Tommy Lee - drums
Slash - guitar
Scott Ian - bass guitar
Gilby Clarke - guitar
Rob Zombie - vocals
Ace Frehley - guitar

It was really cool that Ace played with them since he was an original member of KISS. They performed "God of Thunder" which is a pretty good song, and Rob sang it really well. I actually love Rob Zombie and if I wasn't scared, I would go to one of his shows. Part of the time he looked just like a marionette dancing all over the stage - his jacket had a skeleton bones on it and his pants were cut just so they looked like his legs weren't really attached to his body. The rest of the time he looked like he was dancing an Irish jig, but sounded like a monster the whole time.

I was not impressed with Def Leppard at all.

KISS was as good as they usually are and I'm sure it was much better if you were actually there. Pyrotechnics are much better in person than on TV.

The major complaint I had about the show was Jamie Pressly, the host. Who the hell is she and why did she get the gig? I wouldn've much rather had one of the VH1 VJ's or someone who actually knew something about the bands (bsides just loving them) up there to introduce them. OR ME! ;)

A few other things:
Did Rick Savage get an entire new face? Come on, he's not that old! Rock stars who get plastic surgery are just weird.

Paul Rodgers is NOT a good fill-in for Freddy Mercury - unfortunately, no one is. :(

Brian May is still amazing, I'm sure he is wicked nice too, he looks so kind and gentle.

If Gene Simmons wants to make out with his fake Ace, go for it - I don't think anyone would be surprised.

It was really awesome at the beginning of "We Will Rock You" when Roger Taylor, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins were all playing the drums. Still one of my favorite songs of all time and associated with one of my few happy memories from high school when it was playing on the radio when were were pulling up to the field where we beat Wheeler in lacrosse for the championship. Go Fighting Quakers!

They had an air guitar champion - this is an actual thing - there is a national championship for this. Really? Wow.

My last question is how did they decide who would get these rock honors? Apparently they all got rings like the World Series rings (not as expensive I'm sure, but it looked like just as big made of silver and black onyx). However they decide, next year's should be just as interesting.

WEDDING!!!

Congrats to John and Emily, who got married yesterday! I am so happy for you guys. Your wedding was beautiful and your reception was really fun! Thanks for being a part of our lives. You deserve all the happiness in the world.

Soul Patrol!

Well everyone, Taylor Hicks is your new Americal Idol. I must say I am surprised, but think that he deserved it more than Katherine. In the last show he showed he had more chops that she did and is just a better performer. Katherine was also good although, I thought her "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" performance was inexcusable. She was trying to cover all the covers that had ever been done on it and didn't act like herself. She will be great in musical theater if that is the way she decides to go. She will do well if someone tells her how to look, how to sing and what to do. Plus, she chose Meatloaf as her duo when she got to sing with someone famous. Maybe he'll choose her to be in his next video. I don't remember who Taylor sang with, but his voice was definitely giving way. It must be a vocally challenging 12 weeks to say the least, it is a wonder any of them can talk afterwards. I was pleased with Mary J. Blige's performance on "One" with Elliot Yamin. I must say when I first heard the recording of that song with Bono, I didn't like it. It is one of my favorite U2 songs and I didn't want it changed, but she does have an amazing voice and it is growing on me.

On another note, sorry it has been a while. I was recording data on red crab for the past 10 days. This weekend is ripe with graduations and weddings so I will post again sometime next week. I want to say congratulations to my cousin, Brian, who graduated from Endicott College, Sean's cousin, Emily, graduating from Holy Cross tomorrow, our friends Emily and John getting married on Sunday and to SEAN FOR GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL MAGNA CUM LAUDE (even though he doesn't read this blog).

The Ringers

To stick with the family theme, my friend Chuck (brother to my friend who just had twins twins!) and his band, The Ringers just made a demo CD. It is AWESOME!!! When you click on their name here, it will take you to their myspace.com page and it will start playing a few of their songs. If you are in the New London area, GO SEE THEM! I, unfortunately, have not been able to see them live yet, but I imagine they are great live. You can purchase the demo for $5. Quite a reasonable price I must say. Congrats guys and come to Maine if you get a chance!!!

BABY GIRLS!!!

I would like to extend my congrats to my friend Amber and her husband Brendan on their new additions - twin girls! Although earlier than expected, eveyone is doing fine! YEAH!

Why Me?

I would just like to say good luck to my friend Ryan who is in charge of making sure this student opera goes off without a hitch tonight. (He also has to take his law exam). We're thinking about you!

What happens when you're really bored and not supposed to be blogging

Check this out. What happens when you enter the word silly in the google search and hit I'm Feeling Lucky.