Sweep

I realize the Yanks are still 1,000 games back from the Red Sox. But come on, a sweep is a pure delight. FYI, Beckett is a BABY. And I am done.

One Single Tear

I get a little teary eyed when I hear of someones first baseball game. Dito made his way to his first game, Red Sox vs White Sox. What a cutie he is (he was born into Red Sox Nation), he even got a souvenir (foul ball).

Wait a minute! I hear a tiny little voice, I think I hear Dito's first words:

Happy Anniversary

4 years ago today, Marc and I moved into our home. Well look at us!

Music Tour 2007: Cont.

We went to the Collective Soul, Live and Counting Crows show on August 15th. It was a perfect night for an evening of live music and beers at a rather lovely little ball park. Collective Soul rocked out more than I thought, Live was very good and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows was loaded. He was so bad, I feared he would fall off the stage. It was entertaining, nonetheless. I am glad we went, we had a great time. Not many pictures to show from this show.

This past weekend, we went to Atlantic City for the 'Alice in Chains/Velvet Revolver' show at the Borgata. If you don't know Marc, his favorite band is Alice in Chains. I liked AIC before I met Marc, but certainly got 'into' them more since knowing him. It is so much fun to watch Marc and a show, its like a kid in a candy store.

We made the decision to stand in line and try to get close to the stage. Marc was nervous that I would get trampled on (didn't happen) and we needed to forego 'beverage service' and bathroom breaks during the show. It paid off, we were 1.5 rows from the stage and had an awesome view.

A little background on the bands (if you don't know). Alice in Chain's front man, William DuVall is taking over for Layne Staley who died of a drug overdose. Marc and I have seen AIC with DuVall a handful of times and he (DuVall) is getting MUCH better. They are pretty tight now(musically) and put on a good show. Scott Weiland (front man for Stone Temple Pilots) is the lead singer for Velvet Revolver (band members from Guns-N-Roses, minus Axl Rose). This was not the first time we saw Weiland perform, as always, he is a great performer. They ended up throwing in some STP and GNR songs. Here is the setlist:

Alice in Chains Setlist:
Again, Grind, We Die Young, Them Bones, Dam that River, Rain When I Die, Nutshell, It Ain’t Like That, Man in the Box, Would, Rooster

Velvet Revolver Setlist:
Let It Roll, She Mine, Sucker Train Blues, Do It For The Kids, Superhuman, Big Machine, Pills, Demons, etc, Vasoline, The Last Fight, Interstate Love Song, Patience, Gravedancer, It’s So Easy, Get Out The Door, Fall To Pieces, She Builds Quick Machines, Set Me Free, Mr. Brownstone, Sex Type Thing, Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd), Slither

I was sneaking some pictures at the show, I was kindly told (twice) to stop taking them. However, we were so close to the bands, I couldn't help it. I ended up with a handful of good photos, here are some of them:



If you want to see the rest of them, check out my picasa site.

Notes: Marc got an AIC guitar pick from Mike Inez (AIC bassist).

OH (my) CANADA!!

x-lackadaisical jumped on a puddle jumper up to Toronto.ON.CA on Monday for a week long client site visit. The 92 degree departure weather @ Dulles didn't stop an obv Canadian passenger from sporting a winter coat and scarf! Anyhooo, on the way to the gate, Mr. TSA man asked if he could test my contact solution for flammable liquids. After he painstakingly opened the SEALED brand new container, he said it was good to go. This was after he poured out about $3.25 of the $9.00 solution.

After I arrived in gloomy and cool (16 degrees Celsius..and don't even think about asking for the Fahrenheit equivalent) Toronto, I discovered that I had been spelling and pronouncing words incorrectly for 34 years. Here are a few examples:

Spelling

checking - chequing

center - centre

Pronunciation

process (pronounced 'prOcess') , not 'prAHces'

pasta (pronounced 'pAsta'), not 'pAHsta'

In addition, I found out that every college is a 'University' and every vacation is a 'Holiday'

I wont get into the political differences too much, but lets just say us Americans are all gun carrying outlaws that love George Bush and war.

'eh is still alive and well. Bob and Doug would be proud.

Finally, check out....(sorry Cheque Out) the following US corporate logos I have seen up here that have just enough of a subtle Canadian touch to be a little different, but yet retain that very recognizable and marketable logo we have all come to know over the years.

OK, so you got me on the 'Canadian Idol' logo as the US stole that from the UK, but you get the picture.

"ET Canada" is on, gotta run......

Music Tour 2007 - Underway

'Peter Paul and Mary', canceled their show this past weekend. So, we replaced that concert with 'The Wailers'. It was a perfect Saturday night (weather-wise) for a concert. I expected to hear more of their old music, instead they played a lot of newer songs. But it was a fun show either way.

Here is a picture that Marc took of bugs near the lights:


And here is a picture of Marc. Watch out he is coming to a concert near you.

Stop Stealing Marc's Ideas

The Yankees traded away my man Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit (Dodgers). Every time the announcers mentioned Betemit, Marc would sing "Better Man" (Pearl Jam). Tonight, during the Yankee game, "Better Man" was played before Betemit came to the plate. Seriously, stop stealing Marc's ideas.

Home Away From Home

Its semi-official. It may come to a surprise to people, but Marc and I are headed back to Aruba (Oct 5 - 14). I know...I know, we should try new places. We have actually, we went to the Dominican Republic and Hawaii. We just like to relax in Aruba. We will be able to catch the last part of Poker Week and be there for our 5th Anniversary on the 12th. Its a win-win for everyone.

So, if anyone would like to join, meet us at the Playa Linda.

Thank you for your continued support.

Well Look At You

We finally met Julia and Armando's little bundle of Joy, Armando Jr. (AKA Armandito or Dito). Dito was so happy and content the entire weekend, what a cutie! I thought this was a perfect "well look at you" picture.

The Steeler Mascot Is Named:

The 75th Anniversary Steeler's Mascot was named today, Steely McBeam. Not sure how I feel about the name, considering Hard Hat Harry (1 of 50 names Marc and I submitted) is much better. Oh well, as long as the Steelers have a good season, I could care less about this mascot. Actually, I lied. It makes me nervous and scared that the Steelers have a mascot, next thing you know they will have cheerleaders.

Tony Pena (TP)

If anyone was watching the Yanks/Blue Jays game tonight, you would have witnessed a bench/bull pen clearing situation. Towers drilled A-Rod in the knee after the Yanks got on the scoreboard. Now, I am not saying it was intentional, but this is the second time in the series A-Rod got drilled. I am definitely not for fighting, but I kinda like to see the bench clear every once in awhile. The coaches role in these situations is to hold the players back (for the most part). That didn't happen tonight with Tony Pena. It looked like he was ready to start throwing down. At the end of the ordeal, the camera man showed Vernon Wells trying to settle down TP. I loved it and I love TP. I also love everything TP's mustache stands for.

Family Reunion Tour 07 (long post)

Marc and I returned from the Family Reunion Tour 07. Let me start by saying, if you were not there, you missed out on a good time. One may compare the reunion to the Lollapalooza music tour (filled with a bunch of crazy acts but filled with a lot of love and energy). You may or may not know this, but Marc's family is spread all over the US. I hate to make excuses, but this is one of the reason Marc and I do not get to see his side of the family that much (I hate it). 90% of my family lives within 20 miles of each other in Pittsburgh, so we get to see them quite a bit. OK, back to the reunion.

We started off by flying into Chicago Midway, then drove to Augusta, MI (outside of Kalamazoo) to visit the Nott and Hoy Family (Marc's mom side). The Nott's have such a wonderful home, inside and out. They live in an old farm house, filled with character and a great energy. Every time I leave their house, I leave with such a peaceful feeling. They surprised me at the end of dinner with a birthday cake and gifts. Let me not forget to mention a wonderful birthday song they sang, it literally brought tears to my eyes. We were also fortunate enough to hear one of Robin's stories. This was my first experience listening to him tell an official 'story'. What a great talent he has and I can't wait to hear more.

After the Nott's, we went to Marc's grandparents new place. Its a retirement like community, but more like a really fancy resort/hotel. Its a great place for them, they seem to really be enjoying themselves and staying active.

Saturday, we drove from Kalamazoo to New Buffalo, a great little lake side community. This was the Renkes reunion part of the trip (JSF also joined us). Lee and Pam have such a gorgeous piece of property that sits right on Lake Michigan, with a beach cabana and a two tier deck that looks over the water. Lee/Pam, if you are reading this, I would like to suggest having several reunions each year, so I can come visit you more often. You are outstanding hosts and I 'tip my hat' to you for opening your home to everyone.

The only time I am around all of the Renkes' is during a wedding. I really think this needs to change. Marc and I had so much fun with everyone, it was a great to get to know folks a little better. They may not be saying the same about me--ha ha ha.

When I was first introduced to the Marc's side of the family (10 years ago), most of the cousin were really young. Now, they are graduating college and high school, driving, turning into adults, etc. I am confident they will all be successful and excited to see where life brings them all. Hopefully its at least back to the reunion every year.

I think another special thanks goes to Tom and Aimee for introducing me to CORNHOLE. I have seen this parking lot/ tailgate activity for years now, I just never played it. Now, Marc and I are on the search for our own CORNHOLE set. I will get the pancake toss down if it kills me!

Attention Poker players:
A group of us went to the new Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo. Its an awesome new casino that opened on a awesome date (August 2nd). It looks more like a lodge/cabin than a casino. But don't let that fool you, I believe its the 2nd largest casino in the US (outside of Vegas of course). We found the poker room and all the tables are electronic. We were all nervous about the idea of an electronic poker table. So, we managed to lose all our money on the Black Jack tables. I lied, Jane gave us $5.00 to bet on something for her (she didn't go) and Aimee won her $27.00. Next time we go, we will stop while we are ahead at the tables.

Thanks again for a wonderful weekend, I am so fortunate to have such an awesome extended family.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. If you want to see all of them, check out my picasa site.

Amazed

Please tell me someone is taking a break from work to watch the Yankee/White Sox game. Its the craziest game I have ever seen. The 2nd inning took an hour to play-- take a look at the scoring summary.

I don't even know what to say...

Maybe the Yanks will produce a win for my Birthday. Yeah, I am 32 today.