You Got It (The Right Stuff)

I bought the greatest thing EVER today. Yes, that's right, I am the proud owner of New Kids On The Block's Greatest Hits. OMG is it awesome! And don't let my brother lie to you, he was in my car rockin' out to it! Step by step, oooooo baby, gonna get to ya giiiiirrlllll......LOVE IT! So, our plans to go to the river today fell by the wayside when it decided to rain all freakin day. That, and it's only in the 70's here-a little chilly to be hitting Welch's Spring (where the water is like 12 degrees.....). So, my brother and I just chilled instead (it was all about the quality time with the little brother anyways....). We made CD's, ate lunch with mom and then rocked out on Rock Band with his room mate, Jimmy. I was the kick ass lead singer and the boys played the instruments. I rocked hard people, I ain't gonna lie.

Now I'm back at my parents and somehow got conned into making dinner...I'm still not sure how I allowed that to happen. First, we're gonna play with the dog and I'm gonna watch the remainder of the Cubs game online (2-2 in the 7th, thanks "Stevie" Eyre!). Later peeps.

Rami with the slam!

I have to admit, the Cubs game tonight was a little boring for me. I mean Cole Hamels was not playing fair-he wasn't letting the Cubs score lots of runs on him like they do everyone else. It really wasn't fair. They had to wait until the Phillies bullpen came into the game and then....IT WAS ON BITCHES! On Sweet Lou's 65th birthday (the sexiest senior citizen in all of baseball I tell ya!), the Cubbies came through with a win....tonight it was in the form of Aramis Ramirez's GRAND SLAM in the 8th to seal the deal (and bring the Cubbies back from a 4-1 deficit to a 6-4 win). Clearly the best 3rd baseman in the NL (sorry all you Troy Glaus fans out there, but it's true), Rami is not only sexy as hell but he is DAMN good and is definitely Mr. Clutch for the Cubbies. At a very respectable 84-50, the boys in blue are rolling. Not getting overly confident as the playoffs are a whole new ballgame, but it seems barring a 2007 Mets-like collapse, the Cubbies have the NL Central in the bag. Its gonna get good kids and this girl is WAY excited for October!

In other news, I'm at my parents for a couple days worth of R and R. Today I saw a man riding a lawn mower in town AND a couple (yes, TWO people) riding around in a hover-round (you know that motorized wheelchair like thingy)-the gal was on the guy's lap. Isn't that sweet? My mom and I walked three miles and I got to eat at the Salem Burger King. Life doesn't get any better than that. Tomorrow Tim and I will embark on an adventure on the Current River. I can't wait to be a river rat for the day....as I write it is thunder storming outside. I can only hope that's not happening in the morning because I'm pretty sure that would suck.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DT!!!!!!!!!

Today is my FAVOURITE Canadian's birthday! Yay! Happy, happy, happy birthday! (oooo, more rainbows!) ;)

I hope you have a GREAT day and that this is the best year ever!!!!!

I miss you tons...I sooooooooo wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but that'll happen soon enough (right????) ;)

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXXOOXOXOOXOXOXXOXOXO

Jacked up grill

I used to think that Aaron Miles of the Cardinals was cute in a "he's 5 feet tall so I could carry him around in my pocket" sort of way. That is, until last night when I saw an interview with him on the news. Dude has one jacked up grill. And the way he talks is reminiscent of people from southern Missouri, who, ironically enough, usually have teeth missing. It ruined my crush immediately. Now I'm down to three Cardinal crushes (that being Albert Pujols, Skip Schumaker and Troy Glaus, respectively). I actually hope they beat the Brewers tonight, because, if there's any team I hate more than the Cardinals, it's the Fat Ass Brewers.

So, my Cubbies are now 31 games over .500. Apparently this is the first time this has happened since the 1984 season and as we've discussed before, I don't remember 1984, so it doesn't really count. I just love that the Pirates fans care enough to boo Aramis Ramirez when he's in town, from the looks of it, he doesn't really care and thinks all their fans are retarded (well, all 27 of them, anyway). I think the folks of Pittsburgh are just waiting for Steelers season, much like those of us in St. Louis are dreading Rams season. :)

I was intimidated at the gym today, I'm not gonna lie. Here I was, totally impressed with myself for working up to a 4.5 incline on the treadmill when this dude comes in, chooses the treadmill next to me and proceeds to select an incline of 14. Fourteen???? Wow....the treadmill was almost slanted straight up in the air, the dude had to hold on to the handrails to stay on...he was doing this at an impressive 7.7 mph. Suddenly, my paltry 4.5 incline didn't seem so impressive. I had to remind myself that I am a much smaller person than this guy and that the fact that I was even IN the gym was impressive enough. So strange that I have totally become a gym rat (not to be confused with the river rat that I will be on Friday). My happy ass is in there five days a week, no exceptions. You'd think I'd be in awesome shape. Unfortunately, you'd think wrong. Perhaps I need to step up my game. Maybe I'll start with upping my incline.......

Happy Birthday Eve DJT! ;)

First team to 80

The Cubs are the first team to 80 wins y'all. Just thought I'd point that out. Now, I know all your placement in the regular season does is assure whether or not you'll be in the playoffs, but still, first to 80 is good nonetheless. Right? I didn't get to see any of the games this weekend (because I am a very busy little social butterfly and had many other obligations, er, um, and that little bout with food poisoning that had me out of commission for 24 hours....).

In other news, I only have to work three days this week (yay) and, it's a certain cutie pie Canadian's birthday this week (Happy Birthday Eve Eve DT!). :) I'm going floatin' on the river with my brother, I get to see my parents and sister and brother in law this week AND the rest of my entire family this weekend. I'm thinkin it's gonna be a good week....except for all the job drama and all.....Yikes.

Was it something I ate?

Ugh. Rough day. I am thinking that something I ate at the racetrack last night did me in (why is it that all bad things that happen to me happen in the state of Illinois? No offense to those in Illinois that I actually like.....). I woke up today with a splitting headache (NOT hungover, so don't even go there) and coming to a theater near you, signs and symptoms of some good ol' fashioned food poisoning (I won't go into details, I think we all know what that means). Already feeling like crap, I barely touched my lunch (although I did enjoy my time with my aunts and cousins) and raced home for what can only be described as an un-fun afternoon/evening.....and I'll leave it at that.

I'm in my jammies, and quite the pitiful sight. My hair is piled up on top of my head, I look like death warmed over and I've watched more than my fair share of Lifetime movies today (that damn Memory Keeper's Daughter had me bawling like a freakin' baby!!!!). At least the Cubs won-and in mighty fine fashion, I might add. My favorite player, Aramis Ramirez, decided to win himself the Stud of the Day award by hitting not one, but two three-run homers today and that studly Canadian Ryan Dempster notched his 15th win. Ahhh....it's good to be a Cub. At least for now. No, I am not being pessimistic, just realistic and more than a little nervous that September is almost among us-meaning, the end of the season and, God willing, the playoffs are in sight. Yikes. If I think I'm nauseous now...........

Banana Princess?

All I have to say about yesterday's Cubs game is this......dude, what the f**k?????? Losing 13-5....to the Nationals? The DEAD LAST Nationals? Really? Are you kidding me with this? Well, apparently, they WERE serious and it happened. I'd like to think I was just having some horrible, hellish nightmare (like I did the other night when I dreamt I ran into my ex-now THAT was a nightmare....), but sadly, it was all too real. I'm glad now that I didn't get a chance to watch the game (since I was stuck in cubicle hell) because I most likely would have been throwing things at my tv. It was bad enough watching the Great Collapse of '08 on the internet. Anywho....moving on to a more pleasant subject: gambling on horses.

So, the racetrack last night was fun! Driving to Collinsville, Illinois was not, however. Ok, so it wasn't so bad, but even for me living in the city, it was a bit of a haul. So, as I was being schooled on how to place bets, I was mindful of the fact that my great-grandfather was a horse racing junkie, so, knowing it was in my blood, I wanted to not bet the farm, if ya know what I mean. :) So, the novice that I am, I placed the $2 bet for each race-eight of them, so only $16 invested. I began choosing my horses by whatever name I liked-He's A Tom Cat, Banana Princess (that bitch sooooo didn't win) and My Pretty Honey. I then realized that all the horses I picked had the same two jockeys (one of which was Rafael Manuel Hernandez-a name I said over and over and over again because I was entertained by it). By the end of the night I had won my $16 back and then some...yes, that's right, I topped out at NINETEEN DOLLARS in winnings. I kick so much ass. Even when I was saying I wanted to "double down", to which Renee informed me that was a poker term, not a horseracing one. Eh....well. Our little birthday girl, Shannon, was about ten sheets to the wind and very entertaining. I can't wait to see the pictures! :)

Now I'm off to lunch with my aunts and cousins.......I bid you adieu.

harse races?

That's how you say "horse" here in St. Louis...it comes out sounding like "harse". I don't know why. I don't make the rules, I just enforce them.....So, my friends and I are going to Fairmount Park tonight to take in some drink specials and horse racing. What could be better? My co-worker Chris tried to teach me how to bet, but I'm thinking it's best I just go in blind-who knows, maybe I'll have beginners luck and totally win. I think I'll just pick the horse that's the prettiest. That seems like a good strategy.

There are other fun things planned for the weekend as well-our montly girl's lunch is tomorrow and on Sunday my girls and I are going movie hopping. Good times, good times. :)

I can't really think of anything else to write, so....hope y'all have a good weekend. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. ;)

Happy Birthday Allison!

Happy, happy birthday today to my friend Allison! Just because I love you, I hope the Cardinals win today for you (wow, that was really nice of me, wasn't it?????). ;)

Love can build a bridge....

OMG, my Heidi is coming back to St. Louis!!!!! I am so excited I could spit. I'm not gonna, but I could. Yay, yay, YAY! I can't wait to see you, and Gav and even JP! ;) I totally see waffle fries in our future........ooooooo, now I'm hungry.

Um, so apparently today is my 2 year anniversary at my job....yay me! I had no idea until one of my co-workers came up to me and wished me a happy anniversary (I kinda looked at her blankly for a second....which I totally realize is a fairly common look for me....).

Speaking of work, today we are having an icebreaker day with the staff from "the other side". You see, on this floor, there are two different parts of the UHC business-"Us"-the behavioral health folks and "Them"-the medical folks. Apparently, in an attempt to bridge the gap between the two sides (rumors are running rampant that they didn't like sharing an ice machine with us and that we didn't like them using our bathroom....total turf war kind of stuff which prompted an email from our Vice President and apparently which prompted the need for an icebreaker....), we are having sno-cones. Now, I don't know what sno-cones and inter-department-getting-along have to do with each other, but I'm not arguing. Sno-cones rule. I had a cherry one AND Julie and I went over to "the other side" and made an effort to get to know some people over there. We feel we've done our part to help promote unity. Now I can kick back with my feet propped up on the desk the rest of the day......

Cubbies up 3-0 in the 5th. That crazy bitch Carlos Zambrano has himself a home run....I love him!

Happy 30th Birthday Shannon!

Happy 30th birthday to my friend Shannon! Can't wait to see you tonight at book club and to see the horse races on Friday! :)

That's just how we roll in the country y'all!

OMG, ok, so Tanya and I had this interesting conversation last night at the crisis line and it prompted me to write about it today. Tanya and I often bond over our small town upbringings-she in Nashville, Illinois (where back in the day my grandpa was "kidnapped" by Aunt Delli and had to be "re-kidnapped" by his own mother. True story-just ask him.) and I in Salem, Mo (the Mother of all small towns).

There is an interesting phenomenon that happens out in the country. If you are easily horrified-stop reading now.

You will often have stray cats and dogs just show up at your house. They'll find what looks like a nice and cozy place and set up residence, often to the dismay of the homeowners. In fact, this is how my parents got Stubby (more on that later). Another phenomenon related to this is stray animal dumping. Now, it may sound cruel, and I'm not a fan, but I'm sorry, that's just how we roll in the country. Stray animal dumping looks like this: you take the unsuspecting cat or dog and you drive it miles and miles away, preferably down a gravel road.....and you leave it there. The other option is to take it to the local vet, who will charge you a fee and will most likely euthanize it. Sure that may sound like a better and more humane option, but let me tell ya, the volume of animals that show up at your house would be quite expensive throughout the years....Which brings me to the story of how Stubby came to be the family pet. When she was a puppy, she showed up at my parents house one day, my mom thought she was a possum, my dad wondered what that ugly little thing was in his yard....this stubby little dog had decided she'd found her home. Well, my parents had taken ownership of two puppies and our beloved Spaz had just passed away, so my dad didn't want any more pets.....so, he loaded this little possum-looking dog up into his truck and off he drove.....hours later, my mom says "dear, I thought you dumped that stubby little dog down the road?". Dad says "I did", then mom says "well, why is she sitting there on the deck staring at me?". Seems Stubby (as she will forever be called) was meant to live at the Davidson house. Ever since, she has been a regular member of the family, in fact, she may actually be treated BETTER than everyone else (it may have to do with her abandonment issues and the fact that she is a princess). (this is our Stubby girl...I think she's cute!).

I fully realize you city people will not understand this, and that's ok. Please don't call the Humane Society or the ASPCA on us.......thanks.

Happy Birthday Tanya!!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday today to my friend Tanya! I hope you have a GREAT day, have fun relaxing and doing nothing! I had lots of fun with you last night and our topic du jour will be posted soon....watch out for rabid bats and stray cats! Hey that rhymes....... :)

Nap time, anyone?

Ok, so I NEVER nap. Even when I'm exhausted, napping just eludes me. That is, until last night. I got home from work around 4:30, watched some TV, made some dinner and apparently fell asleep on the couch somewhere around 6:15 or so. I woke up a little after 7:00, somewhat disoriented, totally groggy and very confused by what had just happened. I don't nap, I thought to myself, but clearly I was a sleepy girl last night. Even with that little evening time out, I was still in bed by 10:00 and asleep by 10:30.....is it old age that makes my body now require a lot of sleep or was it just some strange coincidence? I'm betting on the old age thing.....

Finally, I've got some Cubs baseball to look forward to today! I don't like off days, my life feels empty and incomplete without a Cubs game to talk about or watch. That, and I totally don't like the Brewers gaining a half game by winning on the day the Cubbies are off. Have I mentioned that I hate the Brewers? I mean, could their players BE any fatter? Geez. Ok, I know that wasn't nice, but the truth is, I don't really care. :)

Happy Birthday Aunt Mary!

Today is my Aunt Mary's birthday.....Happy Birthday Auntie! I hope you have a GREAT day! I'm so sad I won't get to see you Saturday. :( I miss you and love you! :)

Invent this

So, there Michele and I were, sweating our asses off this morning on the treadmill when we had what we thought was the greatest idea ever. Wouldn't it be cool, we thought, if there were fans ON the treadmill to keep you cool? Thinking of the possibilities and the millions we were about to make, we came up with an action plan. First thing we needed to do was come up with a financial backer. Since we asked Dr. Beach to fund our last venture (liposuction), we figured we'd ask him to be our silent partner....with a 20/40/40 split of the profits (he being the 20...we thought that was more than generous). So, we marched into his office to tell him about our great idea, sure he was gonna be willing to back us when he pulled up THIS on his computer: Seems "our' great idea, has already been thought of by someone else...who knew???? Dejected, we realized that millions of dollars were NOT gonna fall into our laps, but never fear, we are working on new (and hopefully original) ideas as we speak........DT, I thought it was gonna be my ticket to Sugar Mama status, but to no avail. I still have like 9 days to make that happen.......

Yet another weekend is over and yet another Monday is upon us

For a Monday, today isn't so bad. Except our database decided to crash, so, with nothing to do, I'm blogging (I mean, just sitting here and looking pretty only gets me so far). Let's recap the weekend, shall we?

Friday night, I went to happy hour with Tanya and Allison. I was excited about our choice of locations because it's a sports bar and I was fairly certain they'd be airing the Cubs game (along with, of course, the Cardinals game). The bar didn't disappoint....but the Cubs did. Down 5-3, it was looking fairly grim. Cards fans were laughing because they were winning, I couldn't take the public harassment, so I went home (ok really it's because we were tired but whatever). So, I get home only to discover that the Cubbies had taken the lead in the 9th.....AWESOME! They ended up winning which, along with getting to chat with my Canadian, totally made my night!

Saturday was an un-fun day as my parents were in town to attend Mitch's memorial service. I seriously felt like hurling, those kind of things just make me so anxious. Anyway, it was very sad but ended up being ok. It was a reunion of nearly everyone my parents hung out with back in the day. And by "back in the day", I mean the early '70's. I think my dad was horrified by some of the stories they were telling, especially when he was the subject matter. I assured him that at 32, I was neither naive nor shocked by their revelations and that I still think he is the awesomest daddy ever! :) After the long afternoon spent at the funeral home, mom and dad and I went out to dinner (minus Grandpa who informed us he couldn't join us because he had a date...what the????) and then spent the rest of the evening watching baseball.

Sunday, I went to church with the fam then worked at the crisis line for five hours (that's when we got bored and invented the office Olympics-by the way, Jasmine has suggested Stapling be added as an event....). After that it was fun stuff like grocery shopping, laundry and getting to talk to both my sis and my Canadian on the phone-good day for me, getting to talk to two of my favorite people! ;)

And now, it's Monday. Yet another person has resigned, which is job security for the rest of us. Is that wrong to think of it that way?

Hi Jazzy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From one strong black woman to another....... :)

Happy Birthday Amy Henson!!!!

Today is my girl Amy's 27th birthday (ok, so she's not REALLY 27, but it sounded good). Have a GREAT day Aim! I'll miss you terribly this week while you're on vacation! :)

The office Olympics

My crisis line co-workers and I have come up with a new sport-the office Olympics. All of us have been inspired by the 2008 games in Beijing and thought that there should be a competition involving the things we do on a daily basis. For instance, if there was the Sarcasm Olympics, I would totally medal. Probably multiple times. I mean, DUH.

So, some events in the office Olympics could include:

1. Typing (both individual and relay)
2. Post-It Note writing (Chad thinks he has this one in the bag)
3. Internet Surfing (an event I've medaled in twice before)
4. Gossiping
5. Facebook profiling
6. Supervisor Harassment
7. Bitching
8. Multi-tasking
9. Phone dialing
10. Transferring calls (relay event) (Tanya currently holds the crisis line record, she's going for the World Record on Tuesday)
11. Paperclip Chain Making
12. Finding One-Eared and Two-Eared headsets
13. Who can ignore the TTY the longest????
14. Who is the most database retarded?


Please let me know if you'd like to enter any of the events.

Sincerely,

The Office Olympics Coordinator

How did Aramis Ramirez get a hip contusion....and how can I help?

Yes, I'm being a dirty pervert, it's true. Here's hopin' our sexy lil 3rd baseman heals quickly...if he needs any help with that hip bruise, I'm his gal! ;) A quote from Rami-"I couldn't breathe down there," Ramirez said. "I thought it was real serious, because I couldn't breathe, but I'm good now." Ah, again, my offer of assistance is still on the table.....
Um, was Theodore Roosevelt Lilly about to get in a fight last night? Sure, he almost hit some dude (name not important...it's really because I can't remember it) with the ball and it kinda pissed the dude off-I mean the dude started to charge the mound and Ted "I'm a Closet Bad-Ass" Lilly is like "bring it fool, cuz I will CUT YOU". I have never been more attracted to him...... :)

Speaking of hot, did anyone see Michael Phelps in the 200 meter freestyle last night? It wasn't even close people! The other guys should have just sat on the side of the pool and let Phelps go. Yet another world record, yet another gold (that's six now!). The boy is amazing.

So, the Cubbies swept the Braves, that makes them all hot (even that Hank White with his tats and mullet). They're playing the Marlins this weekend....the Fish have always had the Cubs number for some reason, so it will be interesting to see how this weekend plays out. Suddenly, I'm craving seafood.......

Happy 30th Birthday Maggie!

Happy 30th birthday to my friend Maggie today (man, my friends are YOUNG!). I hope you have a GREAT day Maggie! Don't know if I'll be able to join the birthday dinner tonight since I have to work, but I'll be there in spirit for sure! If not, I'll see ya next week at book club!

Let's play two.....everyday!

I don't know if anyone knows this, but I, Kerri M. Davidson, am in love with the Chicago Cubs. The whole team. I can't even pick just one to love because there's a different hero every day (although Rami will always be my fave). How bout that double header sweep of the Atlanta "We're not the team we were in the '90's" Braves? Yowza. Not only did the Cubs win both games, but they KILLED the Braves, showing no mercy along the way. Yes, Soriano was showboating a bit (did anyone see John Kruk GO OFF on him on Baseball Tonight? Johnny Boy, calm down, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack!), but he apologized to Sweet Lou and the team, so all is good in the hood.

This team is now TWENTY SIX games over .500. I can't even fathom that, really. Apparently it's the first time since 1984 that that's happened, and I don't remember 1984, so it doesn't count. :) Is it wrong that one of the reasons I want the Cubbies to do so well is to be able to prove all the naysayers wrong? And to win my $100 from my little brother? Is it?

Rest in peace Mitch....we're sure gonna miss you

Ugh, I am so profoundly sad today. Our good family friend, Mitch Stauffer, passed away today after a long, hard battle with cancer. I think it is still sinking in that he's gone. He'd only been home from the hospital a week. Wow. I just can't help but to think of his poor wife, Bonny and their son, Billy. I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose your husband or your father. It's hard enough losing a friend-someone you've known your entire life. Someone your dad has known since they were punk kids growing up on the streets of Hazelwood, Mo. :) It's just tough. This is the part of life that really sucks, ya know?

I think the thing I'll miss the most about Mitch is the light he brought into a room. The man could tell himself some stories! Sure, most of them were a bit exaggerated, but they were always funny (and almost always involved some detail about my dad beating someone up when they were kids....). :) Mitch loved to laugh, loved to entertain and God did he love to go fishing! He was just a great, great guy, with a big heart and he is going to be missed by so many people.

Having just gone to a wake last night, I must now prepare myself for yet another round. I'm calling an end to all this sadness after this one, ya got it? I've had my fill. Hit my quota. Thanks. My family will be in town to attend the memorial this weekend and to pay our last final respects to a man who I know is watching down on us all tonight. I'm really gonna miss him and am just so thankful I got to see him a couple of times recently. I will forever hold on to those memories.

Happy Birthday Chelsea!

Happy 17th birthday to my baby cousin Chelsea today! Have a good one girl. Your old lady cousin loves ya. I'll see you soon!

Grandpa's driving.....A Survivor's Tale

The whole purpose of me driving to Grandpa's house yesterday was so that I could drive us to this wake we had to go to in South County, NOT for him to insist on driving. The man is a maniac on wheels. The trip started out ok, we went and picked up Uncle Jimmy and immediately they argued about the best route to take to get to the highway (these are the same two that have the Reggie Jackson argument-the fam knows what I'm talking about). I just sat in the back seat shaking my head and muttering under my breath a lot (Uncle Jimmy could hear me and would laugh, Grandpa had no clue, and really, I wanted him to concentrate on the road). I swear to God it took us an hour and a half to get to South County (from NoCoMo it is seriously a day trip...especially with rush hour traffic). At one point he got on the topic of actuaries (DT, I swear I have no idea how that happened!) and how those in the actuarial world are probably pretty pissed at him (his words, not mine) because he's outlived their life expectations. This is when I informed him that he was probably gonna outlive most of us, so that would REALLY piss off the actuaries......Grandpa is a hot mess, people. The wake was as expected-sad, but it was good to see Rich and I know he appreciated us being there (and he has always been entertained by Grandpa, so I'm sure his presence was a real treat for him). After we paid our respects and spent some time catching up with Rich, Grandpa decided he needed dinner. Now you should know something about my Grandpa-when he decides he's hungry, he has to eat RIGHT THEN (right Aunt Jan???). :) So we stopped to eat at none other than....Denny's (because, where else besides Bob Evans does an 80 year old man like to eat?). Eating dinner with my Grandpa in public is always a challenge-he's a bit feisty and speaks his mind. I immediately felt bad for our waitress, when she brought him his coffee, he insisted that she send it back because it was too full ("well, I don't have room for my creamer"). He was dead serious and sent the poor girl to dump some of it out (I made eye contact with her, silently apologizing for this crazy old man's behavior. Then again, she works at Denny's so I'm sure she's used to crazy old people). After dinner, we finally headed back to North County, Grandpa discussed several topics (I'm pretty sure he brought up actuaries again) and at one point, Uncle Jimmy pointed out that there was a chair in the road-not in our lane, thank God, but in the lane next to us. Well Gramps totally didn't even see it, but started turning around to look at it as we passed it....and yes, was NOT watching the road. In that moment I was pretty convinced we were spending our last night on Earth.......Good news, we made it home alive and well and then I headed on into the city..........

When I arrived home (and mind you, it is now 9:30pm), I saw that my building and several of the surrounding buildings were all dark. Strange, I thought. So, I stumble inside (you try climbing the stairs in total darkness) and quickly get that the power is out. Totally for reasons unknown since there were no storms (and typically, even when we do have storms, my part of the street never loses power). I called AmerenUE who only confirmed what I already knew to be true. My only option at that point was to go to bed. So, I tried, but YOU try lying there when it's hot and stuffy and DEAD SILENT. I couldn't do it. So I was totally still awake when my fan kicked on at around 2:30am, power restored, thank God. What a hot mess.

So, today I'm quite sleep deprived, but still managed to drag my butt out of bed and come to work early so I could work out with Amy. Working out is SO much easier when you have someone else doing it with you. We powered through the Forest Trail on the treadmill this morning-HOLLA! We're pretty much bad ass.

Weekend recap

A house we spotted in Illinois on the way to Fast Eddie's. We called it the "lego house". Ain't it pertty?

Ugh, it's Monday again. I'm bound and determined to make it a good day, but with a wake to go to after work, the odds of it being a "good" day are slim. Let's recap the weekend first.

Friday was a totally non-eventful day (just how I like 'em). Saturday, I entered the day with grandiose ideas of all the things I was gonna get accomplished that morning....yea, didn't do any of them, but I DID go drink beer with Mike and Bruce at Fast Eddie's and a good time was had by all. Here's me and Mike....aren't we cute? He's my favorite.How many pictures of this can one girl have???

Ok, so Mike kept telling this dude (also named Mike) that 1. I have fake boobs and 2. that I'm really a man. I'm not sure why Michael was doing those things, but sure glad HE thought it was funny.....Mike and his friend Kristin. Mike, did you ever confess your hair affair to her?

me and Mikey again.Mike and Bruce-"the girls".me and Bruce. Precious, huh?

The Cards/Cubs game was, of course, on at the bar. What a bad day I picked to watch my Cubbies in public. In a VERY uncharacteristic game, Carlos Zambrano was AWFUL (although that home run he hit was hot....too bad he gave up FOUR) and the Cubs lost 12-3. Yikes. I had nothing when people started harassing me at the bar. Nothing. Anywho. So once I returned home, my friend Renee called me. With threats of cutting herself if she didn't get out of the house, I knew I had to act fast, so we went out to dinner. OMG, Red Robin is SOOOOOO good. I heart it. Well, except for all the screaming kids. That's the worst part about that place.

Sunday, I went to church with Grandpa (who was wearing the cutest little polka dot tie!). We stayed after to meet the new pastor (that's now three female pastors to one male-GIRL POWER!). Grandpa (who typically isn't real fond of the female pastors) decided he likes the new pastor because she's ex-military. And because she outranks him. :) I'll be seeing Grandpa again today as we will be attending a wake for my "uncle" Rich's mom. She passed away on Saturday morning. I hate, hate, HATE wakes/funerals (does anyone like them, really?), but want to be there to support Rich who has lost so much in his life. Life isn't fair, and sometimes it downright sucks, but hopefully today he will feel that support. Quite honestly, I don't want Grandpa driving, hence why I suggested we go together (the man was doing 50mph down New Florissant Road yesterday! I couldn't keep up with him as I followed him back to his house!). Please keep the Eckert family in your thoughts/prayers. Thanks.

7 up, bitches!

Tony LaRussa needs a haircut. And an attitude adjustment. I don't know what all went down with him and Jimmy Baseball, but suffice it to day, TLR is an arse. Did you see his little interview during the game? The idiot twins, Joe Morgan and Jon Miller, tried to get him to compliment Jimmy's fan-tab-u-lous catch to rob Chris "I'm getting ready to go back on the DL" Carpenter of a base hit. LaRussa's response? "It was a great hit by Chris". Ummm....maybe, but you just can't admit that Jimmy Gold Glove still gots it, can ya? Sore loser. Ok, so I've previously confessed my crush on Lou Piniella. I believe tonight I actually sent Erin a text (because we like to text during the games) that said something to the effect of "Lou Piniella's a sexy bitch". Which prompts me to ask....which old guy manager is hotter? Lou Piniella, Tony LaRussa or Ned Yost? You decide.

How bout the Cubbies defense tonight? Yowza! Every single player just looked so damn good tonight! And that Ryan Dempster....could he have possibly been any better? Did you see his interview? He sounded so.......adorably Canadian (and everyone knows I'm a sucker for dudes with a Canadian accent!). Tonight was a great win, and totally negates the 12-3 loss yesterday (hope you enjoyed that one Cards fans cuz guess what, the weekend is over and you're still SEVEN GAMES BACK-whew, the longer the season goes on, the bitchier I get!). I was almost able to get over the fact that Joe Morgan and Jon Miller are arguably the worst announcers in the history of baseball (I mean seriously, hang it up already boys. Collectively you're like 175 years old....).

The Cubbies have an off day tomorrow, so I will be lost and aimless without a Cubs game to obsess over. Good thing I have a worthy replacement....and that is............watching Michael Phelps swim. God help me but he is a beautiful boy and I am not ashamed to admit I am having impure thoughts......... ;) Suddenly I have the words to "I'm Proud To Be An American" in my head.....I really wasn't so much into the Olympics and was starting feel like maybe I was a Nazi because of it, but Michael Phelps has changed my mind. Hell, I even sat through some gymnastics something or other earlier today and even caught some fencing last night (I don't even know what fencing is, but the US of A apparently took all three medals...not too shabby!).

For all you haters out there, it is now 8/10 and the Cubbies show no signs of stopping. Now, I know the old saying, that Cubs stands for "completely useless by September" (my darling little brother even owns a shirt reminding me of it), but I'm telling you, there is something magical about this year. Sure, the odds of them finding some way to break my heart are high, I mean they are after all, the Cubs, but for the time being let this delusional little Cubs fan have her dreams ok? Thanks.

Hank White, will you marry me?

I love myself some Henry Blanco, AKA Hank White! The Cubbies beat the Cardinals 3-2 in 11 innings today. HOLLA! I totally don't get intentionally walking Fukudome to LOAD THE BASES WITH NO OUTS, but whatever Tony LaRussa...I'll take it! Hank White showed you why you don't mess with a man with tats and a mullet! Jimmy Baseball, I want to be your next baby mama (he already has like two or three, what's one more?)-two homers against your former team today...mama like! I'm so excited I could hurl.

To quote Steve Goodman-Go Cubs Go!

106.5 The Arch

I can't stop listening to this radio station, it's kinda like crack, and I don't know why. My friend Carrie calls it the "schizophrenic station" because the mix of music is unlike any radion station I've ever listened to...I'm talking Boston one minute and Paula Abdul the next. I've heard more Foreigner songs than I ever thought possible (and thanks to one DJT, I actually knew that it was Foreigner, I have officially been schooled in what is and is not cool, apparently). A couple of weeks ago when I heard "Rosanna" by Toto, I had it in my head for nearly a week. I've heard Milli Vanilli, John Mellencamp (back when he was still "Cougar"), LOTS of Phil Collins (with and without Genesis), I've heard "Jive Talkin" several times (is that the Bee Gees?), more ACDC than I care to mention (I swear they play "Highway to Hell" at least once a day) and a fine assortment of 80's and 90's favorites, among them Young MC's "Bust a Move" and Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which, incidentally, is now the song on my MySpace page. Holla!

Ok people, let's focus. It is a Cardinals and Cubs weekend y'all. This is VERY IMPORTANT, got it? Michael-no whining about me talking about the Cubs on my blog.....I am so excited I could scream (and I might if the Cubs lose). The game is at 1:20 today, meaning I will have to "watch" it at work (ah, the beauty of the internet), I plan to space my work around the game, because as I told DT this morning, a girl has to have her priorities in place. I am so in love with the Cubs, it's almost scary and bordering on psychotic. :)

Other than the Series of the Century, not much else going on this weekend. I think I've decided to treat myself to a pedicure (hey it's pay week and, let's face it, my feet are lookin' ROUGH). Nothing like having some sweet little Vietnamese lady scrub all the rough skin off your feet all the while chattering in Vietnamese about your nasty toes to her cohorts. You know they totally talk about us. It's cool though, as long as my feet look pretty in the end. I actually have a hard time with pedicures because I HATE people touching my feet. They are very ticklish and it drives me absolutely crazy to have people touch them (and NOT in a good way). Still worth it to have nice lookin' toes. :)

I am not working at all this weekend (thank God). Mikey has invited me to a possible outing to Fast Eddies, a place I ALWAYS love, so that may be in the cards. Otherwise, I'm just gonna watch some baseball, pray to the baseball gods and watch some more baseball. Peace.

10 and 2 baby, 10 and 2

Mike says I drive like an old grandma. He may be right. There I was, minding my own business this morning driving to work (going just slightly over the speed limit) when I see this silver Honda FLY past me. Oh, I knew it was Michael alright. When we got to work (at the same time mind you, guess all that speeding and driving like a mad man really paid off, huh Mikey?), I reminded him that the speed limit is 55 mph-this is when he accused me of driving like an old granny. Whatever.

So, for the first time in a long, long time, I have absolutely nothing to do this weekend....and I couldn't be happier about it. Priority #1-the Cubs are playing the Cardinals this weekend at Wrigley. Nothing makes me happier than a good Cards/Cubs series.....especially on the Cubbies home turf. Mama like. So, anything I do plan on doing this weekend will center around the game times. It's August, the pennant race is on, and on 8/7/08, my Cubbies have a 5 game lead in the NL Central. LOVE IT!

So, my plant/house sitting gig at Auntie C's is almost up. It's been a good gig. I've gotten used to the big screen TV and 20 minute commute to work...auntie, can I live with you???? ;) I must confess that something kinda sorta happened this morning.....so, I was standing there, putting on my makeup when the, um, shower curtain just sorta fell....to the ground. Now, don't worry auntie, I fully intend to try to fix it....it was no fault of my own, I swear.....I'm sure it has something to do with moisture, and temperature and my bad luck that follows me where ever I go......(I'll never be invited back, will I?). :)

Mike asked me to buy him a Crystal Gayle t-shirt. Should I be scared?

Has anyone seen my biscuit???

Ok, so here are some pics from the weekend. Now that I've found my camera, Your Local Photographer is back in business baby! I had so much fun with my peeps Saturday night. I may never eat biscuits again. :)
Um, why are we blue? This is Carrie and I...super cute picture. This was when we were still sober...... :)
and now not so sober....what is going on here? I think the music was a little too loud for the girls......
Carrie and I again......
Val, Boogie and myself.....

me and Sam out on the dance floor shakin' it!
No comment........
Carrie and Ashley succumb to the power of Boogie's massage.....by the way Boog, my neck still hurts...what did you do to me???
Val and Carrie...too cute....
group shot...from left to right: Shawn, Val, Jeff, me, John and Ashley
HA HA HA! We called this guy "the homeless guy". His dancing was AWESOME. I heart him.
Carrie and Big Bastard

More sad stuff.....UGH!

Why is so much ickiness happening lately? Please keep my friend Michele in your thoughts/prayers. Her brother, sports announcer Skip Caray (and, yes, son of the late Harry Caray), passed away yesterday at the age of 68. So sad. I love Michele, I'm sure she'd appreciate the well wishes.

I'm too old for this

Going to bed at 4:00am and having to be at work by 10:00am is NOT a good combo, FYI. Yikes. I'm hating life right about now. Do you feel sorry for me? I went out with my girls last night, we went and saw the band we saw at Mardi Gras this year, Trixie Delight (ah, the memories.....).....at Ameristar (yes, the casino)....wow. Fun times were definitely had by all, I'll upload some pix later today, if I can get my fine motor skills to start working again......there was lots of dancing, and singing and laughing. Good times.

I hear the Cubs won yesterday....I was scrapbooking at Krista's and periodically logging onto the internet to check the score (a girl has to have her priorities in place). Got LOTS of scrapbooking done yesterday, I'm caught up with this year's events (impressive I know). My next project is gonna be to tackle some old college pictures...that should be a fun trip down memory lane.

I just decided I'm done typing. Bye.

So many sad things

I'm afraid today's post is about things much bigger than my obsession with the Chicago Cubs. Today's post takes on a sad tone (sorry for that, but a blog is kinda like a journal right? You write about what's going on, how you feel, etc, right?).

Anyway, so much bad news today I don't even know where to start or how to process it. The thought of so much bad happening to people I love is almost overwhelming. I find myself almost feeling guilty for being happy (for the most part) in my life. I have nothing really to complain about. Nothing like what these folks are going through.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the following people:

-my "uncle" Rich: his mom is in the hospital and is not expected to make it much longer. I realize that with having older parents there is always the potential for this to happen, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. I mean, his dad just died a year or so ago, and he has faced so many losses in his life already.

-our good family friend Mitch and his family: I've written about Mitch before-he is the one who has had two surgeries to have brain tumors removed since March of this year. The news today is not good-the tumor is back and the doctors say there is nothing else they can do for him. He is being sent home from the hospital on Monday and will have hospice set up to ensure his comfort in his final days. This is a devastating blow to his wife Bonny and their only child, Billy. People I've known and loved my entire life. It's just not fair. I know there is a purpose and a reason for everything, but I'm having a hard time seeing the purpose or reason for these things right now.

-my boss Karen, whose best friend's husband was found dead this morning. She got the call on her way to work. What in the HELL is going on today? I can't take any more bad news this weekend. We've hit the limit. No more. Got it?

P.S. To all my family and friends........I LOVE YOU all.