"Bush in person always strikes me as the kind of guy who would ask a women for a hand job at the end of a first date. He has days where he looks like she said yes, and days where the answer is no. Today was one of his no days. He frowned, looking wronged, and grabbed the microphone. I pulled out my notebook.... A few minutes later I felt like a hooker who's just blinked under a blanket with a prep-school virgin. Was that it? Is it over? It seemed to be; Bush was off the podium and slipping down the first line of the crowd, pumping hands for a minute and then promptly snagglepussing toward the left exit. By the time I made it five rows into the crowd he had vanished into a sea of Secret Servicemen, who whisked him away, presumably to return him posthaste to his formaldehyde tank."
From Matt Taibbi's book, Smells like Dead Elephants
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
To hell with good intentions
I had a rant typed up about the youth being lazy and not going to rallies like this guy, but then I accidentally deleted it and I don't feel like typing it up again. Which is very ironic and proves my point I was trying to make in a way... so whatever.
I went to Meijer tonight. I was thirsty so upon leaving I went to the coolers at the front of the store and for whatever reason went to the one that had the generic 'Meijer brand' cola. There was both a red and blue version which confused me at first, but then upon reading the label, I discovered one was supposed to be like Pepsi, and the other Coke. So naturally, I grabbed the Coke one. It did not taste like Coke, or good for that matter. I should of known though, as if I would of read the whole statement I should of known something was up.
"If you like Coca-Cola drink Meijer Encore and love it!"
It doesn't tell you that you WILL love it, it more so is forcing you to love it. Drink it and love it, damnit. I just think of a mother of some really poor family putting some unappetizing meal on the table for the third night in a row. One of the kids at the table starts to complain, and the mother replies with, "Eat your dinner and love it!". And that is Meijer Encore in a nutshell.
I am more so writing in this blog for myself out of sheer boredom, but I know people have stumbled upon it once or twice and have left comments. So, I would just like to apologize for the past post. Some people drink and then make drunken phone calls or text messages. Not me, I make a blog post about the Cubs. I don't even want to re-read it to edit it, but props to anyone who read all of it. It was quite a post.
--
my love is bigger than your love
we take more drugs than a touring funk band
sing it
my love is bigger than your love
sing it
my love is bigger than your love
sing it
my band is better than you band
we've got more songs than a song convention
sing it
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Cubs in 5
Cubs Talk:
So the season has been pretty mediocre so far. Pre-all star break was just a .500 roller coaster ride that never really went anywhere. Last season the Cubs had one of the best records in the majors, only to be destroyed in the post- season. Lou claimed the problem was the lack of left-handed hitters. So what do we do in the off season? We get the 'great' Milton Bradley. The man's numbers before this season were damn good. He provided that left-handed power that we needed. Thus, with the addition of that man, we should cruise into the post-season and then start to win some play off games. Obviously, things didn't go that way.
In my opinion the reasons for such a let down season so far:
1. Injuries
2. Lack of hitting
3. Other division teams stepping up
I am not looking at any actually statistics or facts as I type this, so bare with me. But from the get-go we have been plagued by the injury bug. Just a couple of weeks in to the season we lost A-Ram, the 3rd basemen that knew how to hit. It was obviously that he was one of the team leaders, as the cubs just didn't seem the same without him. He has recently come back, but in between that time we have lost many other players, including, Big Z, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Geovotti Soto, etc. On any random day if you were to turn on a Cubs game, you will be subjecting yourself to many new players and faces. There haves been games when our entire infield was made up of people who started the season as minor leaguers. I have made the not so funny joke about watching the Iowa Cubs (The Cubs AAA Minor league team) play at Wrigley, since there are so many new people in the lineup.
But as a stars went down, kids were called up to step in, and several players have done amazing jobs. Now starter Randy Wells is once such case, as he was just a no name minor leaguer at the start of the season, but now the man is honestly one of our most reliable starters. Other players were mentioning are Fox and backup catcher Koyie Hill.
The inability to consistently hit, thus generate runs has been a major problem so far this year. There really isn't any really explanation or any one person to point the finger at for this. Obviously, injuries factor into this, but still. Sweet Lou is / was also confused by this, so he did the only thing he could, bench the players that aren't hitting, and switch things around.
The best example of this was benching Bradley and putting Fukudome in the lead off role instead of Soriano. Bradley just hasn't lived up to his massive paycheck that the ownerless Cubs paid him, so thus he spent many games on the bench. He obviously was brought here for his offense, not defense. So seeing him make mistake after mistake in the outfield only adds to the wounds, which is why the man isn't the most popular sports figure in Chicago. On the upside, #1 has really taken to his lead off spot, as he seems to get on base consistently, which is more then could be said for the streaky Soriano, whose left field hop doesn't seem as adorable when he strikes out so often by swinging at pitches that are both outside and in the dirt.
The Cubs are in a shitty situation, as they don't know who is going to own them next year, so they can't really make any big moves this mid-season. Other rivals don't have this problem, so it really stings when you see former beloved Cub Derosa get traded to the Cards, among others including recent signee Halladay. Obviously these other clubs have realized that since the Cubs haven't been dominating as expected, they still have a chance, so they are not afraid to spend some money and give away future prospects to push their team into this post-season.
---
The good news is this: most of this writing was about the cubs before the All star break. Since the break, the Cubs have starting playing like they want to win. Sure, injuries are still a factor, but it appears as if the hitting slump that everyone was in is over. I have heard many Cubs fans, including good pal Kyle the Eagle Scout dismiss this team this year, but I still have some faith. As I told him, one thing the Cubs have is a very solid bullpen and starting pitchers. Every single time Lilly, Z, Dempster, and Wells walk out to the mound, they give the Cubs a chance to win. A solid pitching staff is something that is really hard to get, and most teams just don't have the quality pitchers that we have. And thus if we can put runs on the board we have a great chance to win.
With that said, I would like to briefly like to mention that I do still infact hate our new closer Kevin Gregg. He has yet to prove himself to me, and every-time he steps up to the mound I am nervous, even if we have a multiple run lead. Even the man I loved to watch last year, Marmol hasn't really shown the same dominance that he showed last year, so both closers concern me, but ever other pitcher for the Cubs seems legitimate.
As of this writing, the Cubs are just 1/2 a game behind 1st place Cards. There are still many games to be played,and it seems as if this central division won't be decided until right at the end, but the Cubs are still in it. Since break the Cubs have won 7 of 9, which is damn good. If they can keep this pace up then we can pull away from the rest of this division. All that I am really trying to say is:
Go Cubs Go.
(Note: Don't mind the spelling of names and such, in a more solid state of mind I will correct some typing errors that I know I have made)
So the season has been pretty mediocre so far. Pre-all star break was just a .500 roller coaster ride that never really went anywhere. Last season the Cubs had one of the best records in the majors, only to be destroyed in the post- season. Lou claimed the problem was the lack of left-handed hitters. So what do we do in the off season? We get the 'great' Milton Bradley. The man's numbers before this season were damn good. He provided that left-handed power that we needed. Thus, with the addition of that man, we should cruise into the post-season and then start to win some play off games. Obviously, things didn't go that way.
In my opinion the reasons for such a let down season so far:
1. Injuries
2. Lack of hitting
3. Other division teams stepping up
I am not looking at any actually statistics or facts as I type this, so bare with me. But from the get-go we have been plagued by the injury bug. Just a couple of weeks in to the season we lost A-Ram, the 3rd basemen that knew how to hit. It was obviously that he was one of the team leaders, as the cubs just didn't seem the same without him. He has recently come back, but in between that time we have lost many other players, including, Big Z, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Geovotti Soto, etc. On any random day if you were to turn on a Cubs game, you will be subjecting yourself to many new players and faces. There haves been games when our entire infield was made up of people who started the season as minor leaguers. I have made the not so funny joke about watching the Iowa Cubs (The Cubs AAA Minor league team) play at Wrigley, since there are so many new people in the lineup.
But as a stars went down, kids were called up to step in, and several players have done amazing jobs. Now starter Randy Wells is once such case, as he was just a no name minor leaguer at the start of the season, but now the man is honestly one of our most reliable starters. Other players were mentioning are Fox and backup catcher Koyie Hill.
The inability to consistently hit, thus generate runs has been a major problem so far this year. There really isn't any really explanation or any one person to point the finger at for this. Obviously, injuries factor into this, but still. Sweet Lou is / was also confused by this, so he did the only thing he could, bench the players that aren't hitting, and switch things around.
The best example of this was benching Bradley and putting Fukudome in the lead off role instead of Soriano. Bradley just hasn't lived up to his massive paycheck that the ownerless Cubs paid him, so thus he spent many games on the bench. He obviously was brought here for his offense, not defense. So seeing him make mistake after mistake in the outfield only adds to the wounds, which is why the man isn't the most popular sports figure in Chicago. On the upside, #1 has really taken to his lead off spot, as he seems to get on base consistently, which is more then could be said for the streaky Soriano, whose left field hop doesn't seem as adorable when he strikes out so often by swinging at pitches that are both outside and in the dirt.
The Cubs are in a shitty situation, as they don't know who is going to own them next year, so they can't really make any big moves this mid-season. Other rivals don't have this problem, so it really stings when you see former beloved Cub Derosa get traded to the Cards, among others including recent signee Halladay. Obviously these other clubs have realized that since the Cubs haven't been dominating as expected, they still have a chance, so they are not afraid to spend some money and give away future prospects to push their team into this post-season.
---
The good news is this: most of this writing was about the cubs before the All star break. Since the break, the Cubs have starting playing like they want to win. Sure, injuries are still a factor, but it appears as if the hitting slump that everyone was in is over. I have heard many Cubs fans, including good pal Kyle the Eagle Scout dismiss this team this year, but I still have some faith. As I told him, one thing the Cubs have is a very solid bullpen and starting pitchers. Every single time Lilly, Z, Dempster, and Wells walk out to the mound, they give the Cubs a chance to win. A solid pitching staff is something that is really hard to get, and most teams just don't have the quality pitchers that we have. And thus if we can put runs on the board we have a great chance to win.
With that said, I would like to briefly like to mention that I do still infact hate our new closer Kevin Gregg. He has yet to prove himself to me, and every-time he steps up to the mound I am nervous, even if we have a multiple run lead. Even the man I loved to watch last year, Marmol hasn't really shown the same dominance that he showed last year, so both closers concern me, but ever other pitcher for the Cubs seems legitimate.
As of this writing, the Cubs are just 1/2 a game behind 1st place Cards. There are still many games to be played,and it seems as if this central division won't be decided until right at the end, but the Cubs are still in it. Since break the Cubs have won 7 of 9, which is damn good. If they can keep this pace up then we can pull away from the rest of this division. All that I am really trying to say is:
Go Cubs Go.
(Note: Don't mind the spelling of names and such, in a more solid state of mind I will correct some typing errors that I know I have made)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Space
Ethan Schulz, 5 shows his hand-made rocket ship to an Astronaut during the Cosmic Jahm to celebrate the opening of the exhibit "The Soaring Achievements of John C. Houbolt" at the Joliet Area Historical Museum on Sunday, July 19th, 2009.
I wouldn't mind living on the moon, or Mars even. I just need to get away from it all...
Monday, July 20, 2009
Old School
Christopher Corrigan, 5 rides on a 1917 Case Steam Tractor at the 47th Antique Tractor Steam & Gas Engine Show at the Dollinger Family Farm in Channahon on Friday, July 17th, 2009.
Mark Allen Corrigan,8 and his father Mark Corrigan prepare to operate a 1917 Case Steam Tractor at the 47th Antique Tractor Steam & Gas Engine Show at the Dollinger Family Farm in Channahon on Friday, July 17th, 2009.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Parasites Lost
Leela: I haven't felt this happy since Double Soup Tuesday at the orphanarium.
Fry: When I'm with you, every day feels like Double Soup Tuesday.
Fry: When I'm with you, every day feels like Double Soup Tuesday.
Monday, July 13, 2009
My Dad
Somewhere around the Galway Bay in Ireland with my dad.
Back in grade school, for an english class we had to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I don't remember much of grade school, but I do remember this for some reason. It seemed as if everyone else around me had the typical "Baseball player", "fire-fighter", "animal doctor" and "astronaut". My just said "I want to be a scientist like my dad". I of course was and still am terrible at anything having to do with science, but the fact remains true. I just wanted to, and still want to be like my dad. Most of who I am as a person can be credited to my dad, from my personality to my musical tastes. This post isn't about me though.
My dad was just a good guy. Everyone loved him. He was so smart. Therefore was able to knowledgeably discuss any topic, with anyone. He worked at Argonne National Lab as a physicist. There, he would chat with presumably some of the smartest minds in the world, but at the same time he would also chat with the janitors there. He didn't care who you were, everyone was his friend. He was just so positive about everything. He loved life. He loved his job, he loved his family, he loved his friends, he loved all of his hobbies. There wasn't a time when he wasn't having a good time.
Its just sad, because he had so much left. He wanted to travel. He talked of going back to Ireland. He just bought a huge telescope, it is still sitting in two shipping boxes in my garage. He was just far too young to go. He had all of these plans. He wasn't even ready to retire yet. Up to about a week before his passing, he was still working. His doctor and nurses were always surprised to hear that he was still working. He was just a strong guy. He didn't give up or give in.
On his last night here, he was in the living room, laying on a hospital bed. It was fairly obvious that he didn't have much left. He couldn't talk, and it was getting harder and harder for him to breathe. My grandmother, his mom arrived at O'hare airport from Pennsylvania at 6pm. It was around this time when my mom, brother, and I realized this was it. We sat at his side, holding him. My mom kept informing him of where his mom was at. My mom looked right at him and was informing him, "She just got on 55, should be here in an hour", "Your mom just got to 80, should be here in 10 minutes", "she just arrived, she will be here in a minute". Then my grandmother rushed downstairs and sat by his side. She said her words and then right after that he was gone. He waited for his mom to arrive. It was such a surreal moment. I couldn't even believe it.
Anyways, this is for you dad. You are my hero. I will never forget you and the things you did for me and the family. I know I am not the only person you have inspired. I love you.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Happy 4th of July. I snapped this picture while driving home today from New Lenox. I had my eyes and both my hands on my camera as I was ripping down 80. Not a good strategy. I must say though, I love this country. Sure, I have many disagreements with how shit is run here and such, but still. My life has been good. I have been given many opportunities. Sure, I hope to someday move away to Ireland or somewhere in Europe, but for now I can deal with this.
PS. Keeping with the American theme,the amazing Blackhawks National Anthem singer Jim Cornelison posted on my facebook! I thought that was pretty sweet. If you don't know who he is, just watching the beginning of a Hawks home game next season. The man will pump you up. After his performance, you are just like "Yeah! America!" and you won't even be joking. So yeah.
---
Johnnys in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
Im on the pavement
Thinking about the government
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Hamy!
I love this kid. Jeramhy during the Night Brigade show @ The Kitchen on June 30th, 2009. Good times were had. Its 5:30pm the next day, and I still haven't showered. I smell terrible, but thats ok. I've got no one to impress.
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