All That I'm Living For

This week is all about getting to Thursday. It's been a very difficult couple of weeks. (Do I really keep saying that, or does it just feel that way?) At work I am in charge of just about anything with an on/off switch. In the past 20 days or so, every single thing in my building has rebelled. If it's not the phones, it's the internet, the reservation system, or some other mission critical piece of software. Last night I was there until 9 pm with our phone guy. Most of the time I don't mind, but sometimes it is just so hard.

On Thursday I will be flying far, far away. Mostly I'm going to St Louis to visit my grandparents, but Friday will be even more. Friday is like my birthday and Christmas -- I'll be going into the city to see world champion skating under the lights. It's really become a holiday for me. I'm a big geek when it comes to figure skating -- I can admit it! This is my 12th year going to see this particular tour. I just love it!

There should also be snow in St Louis. What is funny is that it might snow here in Raleigh on Thursday too. A couple of weeks ago we got a little bit here. It's the first time we've had any since I moved to my townhouse. I've added a picture below -- please ignore the scary grass in my yard. I already have big plans for the weekend after I come home.


I'll be home just in time for the "big game" on Sunday. Then Monday it's back to the building -- I hope it behaves while I am away.



**Programming note -- Kings@Canes Feb 13 -- I'll be there.**

Kokomo (Indiana)

First, I have to apologize, yet again, for not posting anything here in a long time. What is funny about that is that I have started thinking in topics. I will roll an idea around in my head about something that doesn't sound too lame to write about. It has never happened when I could actually pound anything out. Figures! Anyway, work has been...hectic lately. We've had some staff changes and with that comes extra work in training and covering other functions, that eventually gets better. I'm still waiting for the "getting better" part but hope it'll happen soon. At the end of each day all I want to do is curl up on my couch and watch the Canes win a hockey game. Not much luck there lately either.

Second, a disclaimer. My people are from Indiana. Not all of them, but everyone on my mother's side of the family started out there in Greentown and Kokomo. We have records going back 200 years -- and then everyone picked up and moved somewhere else. Must have been those new-fangled contraptions, your know, cars and airplanes, that got my people wandering the globe. In any case, it has given me a predisposition to John Mellencamp songs and college basketball.

OK, the basketball is a stretch until March Madness starts, then I'm all over it.

I have lots of friends who are from New England and to them I can only say, I'm sorry but you've had 3 turns in the last 5 years.

So, in a couple of weeks we will have the great Battle of the Midwest, held, appropriately, in Miami.

Go Colts!

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve has never been my favorite holiday.  It just has too much responsibility.  When you are young, there is this big built up expectation to go out and get crazy.  More often than not, that didn't really work out.  Don't get me wrong -- I have had some great ones -- but I also had many that involved arguments and misunderstandings and tears.  Not the best way to wipe the slate clean and start over.

 

Then there's the whole kissing thing.  If you have someone to kiss at midnight it can be a sweet, romantic moment.  If you don't, it can be heartbreakingly lonely.  You can be surrounded by people you love (or maybe just people you really like) and if there isn't one there just for you...well, sometimes it requires a "buck up camper" moment or two.

 

This year, as I have in several years past, I'll be heading out to the RBC Center to watch a hockey game.  I love this developing tradition (this is my 4th year) because even though it's just another game, the atmosphere is more potent and you are "doing something" on New Year's. 

 

Being the nostalgic person that I am, there will be thoughts of nights spent at the Golden Horseshoe (is it still open?) or in an apartment high over Central Park.  A night in Kelly Henderson's living room and a hotel room watching the sun rise in Virginia Beach.  I welcomed in the new millennium with 18 thousand others...and James Taylor.

 

Lots of memories made and many more in the new year.  I hope wherever you are or whatever you are doing tonight that you are going to have a good time.  And I hope you have someone to kiss at midnight.

Boogie Shoes

So, I know at least 3 other people who are loving Studio 60 on NBC.  I am definitely one of them, but I had to get past an initial uneasiness about a plot that is so similar to that of my beloved Sports Night.  I thought maybe Aaron Sorkin was suddenly on the hook for the next big thing and simply recycled his last, best idea before The West Wing.  After a few weeks I decided to get over it.  However, linking the similarities of those two shows and all the connections to another media darling, Desperate Housewives, could turn into a fun parlor game.

 

* The first guest on the first minute of Studio 60 was Felicity Huffman.

 

* Two of the housewives (albeit one of them is dead) are former enemies on Sports Night -- Dana and Sally moved to Wisteria Lane and became friends.

 

* Jeremy is, was, and will always be Jeremy.  I still don't remember his character's name on The West Wing.  It's just Jeremy.

 

* On Sports Night, Dana goes a little nuts whenever they play the KC & the Sunshine Band hit -- a few years later Lynette did the same trying to ditch her needy boss.

 

* Why do all three of Aaron Sorkin's shows have a prominent character named Danny?  (ok, he was Dan on Sports Night)

 

* The production company for Studio 60 is Shoe Money.  Either you know this one or I've lost you entirely. 

 

[If you go on Wikipedia and look up Sports Night there is an extensive list of these things with The West Wing.]

Girl Can't Help It

Zoey seems to be taking my "job" as neighborhood watch block captain quite seriously. I moved the guest bed last weekend and this has become her permanent post. I'm sure she'll let me know if she sees anything unusual out there.

Things Have Changed

[This was originally submitted on Election Night, but I guess the blogosphere was too busy for me.]

In 1992 I was a sophomore in college and I was studying psychology.  I thought I might like to someday work as a therapist.  That semester I took abnormal psychology and it horrified me.  I was convinced that I had every condition that we studied -- paranoia, split personalities, depression -- and apparently everyone else in the class felt the same way.  I decided that a life listening to other people's problems might not be the best road for me.  But what else was there?  It just so happened that semester I was fulfilling my political science requirement, taking a class with 300 other people at CSUF.  The professor's name was Michael Brown.  I had taken a required class in high school, but that teacher was a man counting days until retirement, who spent class time out walking the halls collecting soda cans for recycling, while we researched that day's three questions in our textbooks.  Not the best introduction!  Anyway, Professor Brown took this subject that I was not at all interested in and made it about me.  It was about the city council and the school board and health care and a broken street light.  It was about AIDS policies and free speech and the right to vote and (inside joke) the freedom of assembly.  It was the fall of 1992 and the Democrats took the White House, helped by my first ever vote.

 

I'm not sure what career path I thought I was putting myself on.  (It certainly wasn't a clear path to becoming the IT Manager.)  At times I thought I'd go to law school or be a congressional staffer or run a non-profit or work in opinion polling.  None of those things worked out for me, but I learned some amazing things along the way.  Dr Madison taught me about the three kinds of leaders there are in the world and that even though Burundi is just a dot on the map, it's sovereignty isn't any less valuable than that of the United States.  Dr McNamara showed me how important the "third world" was and how much impact it could someday have on the world.  He also nurtured my senior thesis on a topic that seemed so clear cut to me and yet is on the ballot in several states today, ten years later.  Dr Nelson let me take my love for the words of Dr King and somehow incorporate them into papers for a women's politics class.  Dr Merrifield taught me everything else.  I think I had him for six or seven classes by the time I was done and he was my favorite.

 

Once upon a time in this country, it was safe to trust the government.  That was the world my grandfather grew up in and he still has that faith, no matter how different the world is today.  I was born the year after the Watergate break-in; my government has never been trustworthy.  I hope, if anything, my education has given me a broader view of the political system and how it works.   I know that there are people of great faith who think their way is the only way; their way does not include everyone and I can't believe that is what any God would want.  There are people who are consumed with protection -- their wealth, oil, borders and others who have different goals -- health care, freedom from war.  I understand the party that thinks people should be self starters and that people should pull themselves up by their boot straps.  I identify stronger with the party who worries about those with no shoes.

 

I'm not saying any side is right or wrong -- it's all a measure of priorities and degrees.  It is what makes this a great nation and today a great day.  My personal hope is that significant change is in the air.  We won't really know tonight.  The kind of change I want to see -- for this government to be worth of my grandfather's trust, would take decades.  I hope I'm around to see it.

I Hate Mondays

OK, just the ones when I'm home sick and I've already been sick for 2 days and I'm bored out of my mind. It's barely after 10 and I've already called work twice. Argh!

I just found this little quiz that lets you determine what kind of accent you have. Apparently mine is from the West Coast -- go figure. I've lived here long enough to pick up some regional phrases but for the most part, the differences still stand out. I like them.

Happy birthday Zoey Belle!

Lucky Ball and Chain

My friend Warren is getting married today.  I know he reads this once in a while so I don't want to say anything too goofy, but I'm really very happy for him.  It is supposed to be on a boat in CA and some of my old friends will be there, who I have not seen in eight and a half years.  I can't believe so much time has passed.  Isn't it funny how people can be like your family and then one day they aren't anymore?  I've encountered that more than once in my life and it always surprises me.  Maybe that's why it is so much harder to meet people as you get older? 

 

I spent today at a football game.  Duke lost in spectacular fashion to Navy.  Maybe it's because it was so, so cold.  I woke up sick this morning -- just a bad cold I think, but I cancelled everything I had planned after the football game.  I'm home now, curled up on my couch, waiting for a hockey game to start and hoping I'll be able to stay awake for the whole thing.  Not looking so good right about now.

 

So, before I lose the rest of today to a cold-infused haze, I wanted to wish Warren and his bride the very best. 

Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad

The A's and Cards have advanced and the Dodgers are done. (Sorry Warren!)

 

The first major sport I loved was baseball.  It was one boy's fault, and then a whole bunch of others.  I loved go to games and hang out with my friends, and somehow my brain can retain stats and scores and batting averages.  We used to play a game where Warren or his dad would name a state and I would name all the pro teams in all the major sports. For example, the Dodgers, Padres, Angels, As, Giants, Raiders, 49ers, Chargers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Sharks, Kings and the no longer "Mighty" Ducks.  Or how about the Thrashers, Hawks, Falcons and Braves?  The Caps, Redskins, Wizards and Nationals.  I could do this all night long.  These little games got me into the bigger one.

 

So, years go by and I moved away from the ballparks.  Years go by and I am lucky to get to one baseball game a year (this year it wasn't even a whole game).  Years go by and my head has been turned by hockey and a hundred other things have my heart.  It's easy to love a game that involves a large, empty sheet of ice.  It's easy to love a game that requires every single player to get their turn, to have a chance, to take a shot.  It's easy to love a game where people fight actually for each other.  The superstar egos have no place (not on my team, anyway).  It's easy to love a game that, on any given night, anyone can be the hero. 

 

Plus, hockey players are tough, strong men.  How many baseball players are scratched because they have blisters and can't pitch? 

 

Even at that, each October, just as the year before, I come back to where I started.  I'm hoping to see the A's and the Card's get to the World Series.  I'll never tell who I want to win from there -- I'll be disowned either way.

Wait Until Tomorrow

Tomorrow night is going to be CRAZY.  June 19th seems like such a long time ago now, but already a whole season has passed since the Canes won the Cup.  Tomorrow night, we're raising the banner.  Not even all of the season ticket holders were able to get tickets, but we are going to be among the privileged 18-thousand or so in the building.

 

I've actually been trying to ignore all of the training camp and preseason noise -- none of it really matters anyway.  Already I've heard that people are a little concerned because they were 1-4 in their pre-season schedule; last year I think they were 2-6 and you can see how that turned out.  After the "magical" run in 2002 that ended once we hit the brick wall that was the Detroit Red Wings, we came back the next year and placed 29th in the 30 team league.  Lesson learned.

 

I was cleaning out my office the other day and found the Sports Illustrated NHL preview issue from last year.  They had the Canes pegged to finish 28th or 29th and basically said our GM was delusional for thinking we'd win it all.  Maybe a lesson learned there too.  (This year they have them 4th in the East.)

 

I've got my game bag packed and a plan to meet mom & Wayne in our normal spot so we can pick up our customary tailgating food (Chinese takeout).  Their flagship station replayed Game 7 tonight and I was just reminded of what that night was like, despite all my attempts to keep the excitement at bay.  I'm so excited now I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.  I hope I sleep tonight.  I hope THEY sleep tonight.

 

Bring on Buffalo. Game on.

 

 

To see how the boys spent their summer vacations, click here.

Wasted Years

I've lived in my own house for one year.  It's been a good year, with lots of changes and lots of firsts.  But every now and then I am reminded that I live alone in this space.  Sure, Zoey (my dog) is here, but at the end of the day I'm here all alone.  I have my family and I have my friends and I am very happy to have both.   I really like my job and have plenty of things that keep me busy and make me happy. 

 

Sometimes I just wonder if this is how it's going to be, like, always.

 

When I moved to North Carolina I felt like I was running away from home.  Sure, my parents were here by then, but I just picked up and left my whole life in California.  People who loved me.  Friends I still miss (especially on New Year's Eve).  I used to think that being alone was my punishment for doing something so reckless.  Have I just imagined that? 

 

I think at some point there was a choice to be made and I was so astonished at the repercussions of one, I forgot to make any others.  Instead I stood still, waiting for the next choice, waiting for things to happen to me instead of making things happen.  After a few years, I changed my mind.  I chose to buy my house.  So, with all the growing pains of this past year and nothing but the future ahead of me, I'm hoping for no more wasted years. 

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

"That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes,
an aeroplane - Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn..."


Growing up in Southern California, I could always be sure of two things. Wearing shorts on New Year's Day and REM being playing IMMEDIATELY after an earthquake on KROQ. I remember running to turn on the radio while my building was still shaking, at 4 in the morning, after the Northridge quake in 1994. It's almost how we knew the world really was shaking around us and that it wasn't all a weird dream.

I heard it tonight on my way home from work and finally really heard the third line. Hmm. Ernesto is on the way to NC right now and it's pouring outside. Who know it would work for both coasts?

Beautiful Day

What a wonderful weekend! Our traveling party was made up of my step-grandmother, Lola, our family friend, Nelda, my mother and myself. We arrived in Providence on Thursday and crashed at an airport hotel then drove out to Sandwich (Mass) on Friday morning. We caught up with the family at lunch and had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner (lobster, anyone?). At the rehearsal we all got to see the proposal slideshow Seth made for Beverly -- it was about 45 minutes long, terribly romantic, and after watching it I really got to know them both a lot better.

Saturday, we woke up to a perfect day. The ladies and I decided to take a short trip up to Plymouth to do a little sight-seeing. As soon as we got there, we got a call that we had moved up the gathering time for family pictures before the ceremony. We had a quick lunch (more lobster) and hustled back to Sandwich. Oh yes, and we saw the actual Plymouth Rock. Did you know it is actually just a rock in a hole in the ground with spotlights?

The ceremony was held at a large garden in front of an enormous windmill. I have never really wanted to get married outside myself, but if I did, it would be there. It was just so pretty. My part (the reading) was right after their vows -- so I had the extra benefit of being a bit choked up before I ever tried to speak. I made it through ok and a lot of people after said they could tell "that was hard for me." I read a letter written by my grandfather who wasn't able to travel and he has been the guiding light in my life. Hard doesn't even begin to describe it.

Seth and Beverly are currently on their first trip overseas, driving around Ireland and I'm sure, taking thousands of pictures. I'm so jealous -- I offered to go with and be their personal driver -- oddly enough, they didn't take me up on it.

This is my Uncle Don and Aunt Gail, Beverly and Seth, and my younger cousin, Aaron.

Weekend in New England

I'm just about ready to leave for my cousin's wedding in Massachusetts this weekend.  I've never been to Cape Cod before and I'm really looking forward to going someplace new and seeing that side of my family.  I've always felt like there was a city mouse/country mouse aspect to our relationship while we were growing up.  We grew up on opposite sides of the country; he in a big suburban area and I spent my childhood on a farm out in the boonies; he's a boy, I'm a girl -- the list goes on and on.  We didn't see each other much and I think that we both appreciate each other more now that we are older.  The groom has a younger brother named Aaron -- he is 13 years younger than me and reminds me a lot of myself.  I have only met the bride once, but she has been a part of our family for a few years now and it's time to make it all legal.  It should be a fun weekend.  Did I mention I have to read in public?  Seth and Beverly asked me to read something during the ceremony and we settled on a letter written by my grandfather, who can't make the trip.  It should be a special moment.

Ever the Same

A few things have been keeping me busy lately. I went out of town for several days. Work has been nuts. The new girl quit (not without a lot of drama) and we've been hustling to keep things going. So much going on and so little to tell about it.

It's been hot, hot, hot. It put a bit of a damper on my trip -- it was too hot to go outside!

A week from tomorrow I'm flying to Cape Cod for my cousin Seth's wedding. Most of our little family will be there and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. My family is very spread out and we don't see each other often so weekend's like this one are precious. A few weeks after that I'll be heading to Vegas to see Kim and then on to So Cal to see her family.

By the way, the new dark chocolate M&M's are awesome.

It's Not Easy Being Green

So, I've not been writing much lately, but it's not because I don't have anything to say. Work has been extra-challenging for the last month, I was dealing with some minor medical stuff, and I've spent the last several days away from home. I've noticed most of my other friends with blogs haven't written much lately either, so I'm not alone!

I found this cute test -- it seems to be true, about me anyway. I'll write much more soon -- hope y'all are staying cool.

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick.You're always willing to lend a helping hand.In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going."15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

No One Said it Would Be Easy

But no one said it would be this hard.  Sing it Sheryl!

 

I had a date Sunday.  It wasn't bad.  It was just lunch.  I didn't get kidnapped, drugged or get food poisoning. I ate blue cheese and avocado in my salad (on purpose).  It was even a little fun. 

 

I am just loving the World Series of Pop Culture on VH1.  I know so many useless things -- I think I have found a practical application for it all.  What ever happened to Rock & Roll Jeopardy on Sunday mornings?  I totally loved that show. 

 

 

Rock You Like A Hurricane

This season I went to 20 regular season Carolina Hurricanes games and 5 playoff games.  In my life I have been to about 100 games -- let's just say I am not what you would call a casual fan.  I have never been so proud of a team as I am of the Canes tonight.  It's not just about winning -- I would have posted the same sentiments whether they won or lost.  From the beginning of the season to the end these guys played together with a calm intensity that just had to be rewarded.  They carried themselves with class, didn't play dirty (I think they went 2 months without a fight), embraced this community -- and often gave more then they had to give.  The Canes took us on a road trip to Lowell to see the kids play during the lockout and who knew then what those boys could become?  The team took their dads on a road trip -- this team has always been about caring about those around you more than you care about yourself.   I have met at least 5 of them randomly (at work, in various coffee shops) and they have always been gracious and that's not something you can say about a lot of professional athletes.  They are people with tremendous talent, not a bunch of out-of-reach superstars.  They are a part of us.

 

Looking back to the first home game when Cam shuts down Mario Lemeiux, Ziggy Palfy and Sidney Crosby in the shootout, I felt only good things would come.  To Rod, Glen, Cory, Kevyn, Erik, Eric, Craig, Aaron, Bret, Matt, Justin, Ray, Doug, Big Joe, Chad, Mike, Mark, Andrew, Anton, Oleg, Frank, Nicky, Marty, and of course, Cam, congratulations from the bottom of my heart.  Thank you for a fabulous season. 

Painted Desert Serenade

I woke up this morning in a hotel room thousands of miles from home. I saw a little of the sunrise over the cactus, tumbleweeds, and the golf course outside my balcony. It was pretty to see, but it really just made me want to go home. Knowing that I was waking up to get in a car, to get in a plane, and then another, and then MY car to go to MY house to put my head on MY pillow...it could be a wasted day if it wasn't for what was waiting at the other end. If I am really, really lucky, I might even get to see the 3rd period of the game tonight.

I sat in my hotel room Monday night with my friend Elizabeth, watching Carolina win game 4 of the Final. As we sat there we talked about all the things we love about living in North Carolina...

People care about their sports -- and aren't afraid to paint their faces, wear team jerseys/t-shirts/hats/etc on a daily basis -- not just to games. Car flags are pretty much part of the deal too.

High school sports scores make the news.

It takes 15 minutes to get just about anywhere. 20 minutes if there is traffic.

It snows just once or twice a year -- enough to see the magic of a snowflake but not so much that it is too much work.

It's a big deal when someone gets murdered.

Seasons -- all 5 of them -- winter, spring, summer, hurricane, fall.

The airport is big enough that you can go anywhere in 2 jumps, but when you get home it only takes 10 minutes to get your bags.

It was nice seeing you Arizona, but I can't wait to get home.

Oh Canada

Sport is a glorious thing.  The World Series.  March Madness.  The World Cup.  The Stanley Cup Final.  (I left out the Super Bowl on purpose -- it's a joke).

 

No great tournament is without great storylines.  Ray Whitney's dad works in the Oilers organization and when he was a kid, Ray was the stick boy for the Oilers.  Our baby-faced 22-year-old rookie goalie Cam Ward is an Edmonton native -- he'll be getting married there in a few weeks (just don't ask him when, he's not sure) and this will be his first game EVER in the rink where he had season tickets with his dad.  You can't make this stuff up.

 

I was very privileged to attend Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.  Game 1 was breathtaking -- I had adrenaline running for at least 24 hours after it was over.  Within the first half of the game we were down by 3, and as Wayne always says, we had them right where we wanted them.  The long climb began: 3-0 Edmonton, 3-1 Edmonton, 3-2 Edmonton, 3-3 all, 4-3 Carolina, 4-4 all, 5-4 Carolina...with less than a minute to go.  Just glorious.  Two days later a ticket from heaven fell into my lap and I got to see the 5-0 rout by Carolina in game 2.  Anyone who has paid attention during any playoff series of any sport knows a 2 game lead is not a sure thing, but man is it a good place to be tonight, heading into Game 3. 

 

The juxtaposition of my day and that of the Canes is just nuts.  I am in Arizona, where it was 115 degrees today.  I came in from the pool to watch the game -- sitting in my hotel room wearing my swimming suit and a towel.  Once the game is over I'm going to go back to the pool.  The boys are about 1000 miles north of me, in the Great White North.  On ice.  Ridiculous.

 

Before the game begins there is the traditional singing of the anthems.  During Edmonton's great dynasty in the late 80's they apparently had an opera singer in their barn frequently; they brought him back tonight for their first Final game in 16 years.  He sang the Star Spangled Banner first and just like we did for them in Carolina, the Edmonton fans sang along.  Then it was their turn.  The opera singer started them off and sang about the first half (I was singing along here in Arizona) then he lifted his microphone to encourage the crowd to take over.  Goose bumps.  More than 16,000 fans, players, coaches singing at the top of their lungs.

 

I just love this time of year.