Julia tagged me for a meme of 7 fun or interesting things about me.

Oh hell...I consider myself neither fun nor interesting.

1. I am severely arachnophobic. Seriously. To the point where O and I have a codeword for the creatures because just SAYING it gives me the willies. O is also kind enough to tell me "Don't look!" if we're watching TV and I've looked away and one of the creatures is on the screen.

2. I used to be a rabid reader. In high school, I had no social life. I would go home and read read read. Didn't matter what it was. I'd read it. Then, I majored in writing in college. I started reading critically and writing a LOT of my own stuff (some of which has been published). When I tried to read for pleasure, I didn't have the same enjoyment as before. I would start looking for symbolism and picking apart the writer's style. College killed my love of reading.

3. I've always been very good at math and logic. All through school, I had a high 90's average (with the exception of that cunt Mrs. Cubino in 10th grade geometry who, because she couldn't read my handwriting, would refuse time and time again to give me credit for doing my homework). I got a 95 on my pre-calc exam in 12th grade, and when I took a math course in college, my friend Joe was convinced I'd fail it as he was taking it for the third time. He finally passed with a C, while I nabbed an A. Yeah. Math and me? Good friends. Numbers make sense to me.

4. I love animals. We are currently owned by a dog, Sophie, and two cats, Emily and Katie. In my life I have had two guinea pigs, Snowy and Bushy, several "disposable" fish...the ones you can win at a carnival...hamsters, which terrorized my college dorm, two dogs, Mitzy and Buddy, and a big grey lug of a cat who passed away earlier this year from cancer, Shadow. I still cry over him. Dammit. But anyway...when I was in high school, I was determined to become a veterinarian. I even volunteered at the local vet clinic and shaved a cat for surgery! Sadly, I found that the major required more chemistry than I was capable of understanding and switched majors. If I had to do it all over again, I'd stick with it. I gave up on my dream far too easily.

5. I love to cook. Cooking, after all, is nothing more than tasty math. X ingredient plus Y ingredient mixed with A units of Z ingredient equals tasty and healthy meal. I've often thought of leaving the IT field to start a coffee shop or diner, but food service is not a field I think I'd enjoy for any amount of time.

6. Most people become fans of a sports team either because of geographic coincidence or by a team's winning legacy. I became a Red Sox fan in 2003. I blame Olivia. She was watching the Red Sox all through the season and when they were playing the Yankees in the ALCS that year, I sat on the couch doing whatever it was I was doing and she was watching each and every pitch. By the time the third game rolled around, I started paying attention to what was going on. I appreciated the "stupid" comments by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver because I didn't know much about either team or, for that matter, about the sport. I'd despised baseball for many, many years, but now I found myself enjoying the game and the tension between the two titans of the AL East. Then, when Pedro Martinez took the hill in game 7, I watched with great interest. And when Grady Little didn't pull his starter, I sat there with Olivia, our mouths open, because it was evident to the two of us that Petey didn't have anything left. The Sox lost. They broke my heart, and won my fandom at the same time. I was rewarded the following year when they won it all for the first time in 86 years.

7. I used to have a damn good singing voice. But then I stupidly started smoking in college and quickly ruined it. Now, I have some of it back, but I've grown increasingly tone deaf over the years and am often off key. Doesn't stop me from belting out tunes on the drive home from work, much to the amusement of any passing drivers who may notice.

All said and done, I think I'm still a boring, dull person.

Tagged:
Whoever wants to share, go for it.

Tags: meme, memories

From now on, I, skb1976, pledge to ALWAYS wear gloves when chopping jalepenos. If I do not wear gloves, I will be forced to relive the pain of capsacin oil in the eyes and under my fingernails and a TERRIBLE BURNING SENSATION the following day.

I'll be over in the corner now. If you hear whimpers of pain, that's me.

Tags: health, injury, memories, sad

I just grinned 456 times.

Tags: cool, memories, red sox, sports
Current Mood: nostalgic

In January 1976, Jim Henson's "The Muppet Show" stormed the airwaves. Later that same year, I was born.

This means I don't recall much of the original season of The Muppet Show because, well, I wasn't around, yet. Enter Netflix and the fact that Season 1, Disc 1 arrived on Tuesday.

GASP!!! There's a Muppet Wiki!

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
t's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.

It's time to put on makeup
It's time to dress up right
It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight.

Why do we always come here
I guess we'll never know
It's like a kind of torture
To have to watch the show

And now let's get things started
Why don't you get things started
It's time to get things started
On the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational
This is what we call the Muppet Show!

Tags: cool, entertainment, memories
Current Mood: nostalgic

I feel very uncomfortable about this...

O's mother called last night and told us about it. I thought it was a late April Fool's joke. Maybe it still is?

Please?

Tags: bwah?, entertainment, memories

Tessie is the Royal Rooters rally cry
Tessie is the song they always sung
Tessie echoed April through October nights
After serenading Stahl, Dineen and Young
Tessie is a maiden with the sparkling eyes
Tessie is a maiden with the love
She doesn't know the meaning of her sight
She's got a comment full of love
And sometimes when the game is on the line
Tessie always carried them away
Up the road from Third Base to Huntington
The boys will always sing and sway

Two! Three! Four!

Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around

Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only

The Rooters showed up at the Grounds one day
They found their seats had all been sold
McGreevy led the charge into the park
Stormed the gates and put the game on hold
The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston's tenth man could not be wrong
Up from Third Base to Huntington
They sang another victory song

Two! Three! Four!

Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly

Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only

The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston's tenth man could not be wrong
Up from Third Base to Huntington
They sang another victory song

Two! Three! Four!

Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Boston, you are the only, only, only
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Red Sox, you are the only, only, only

Tags: memories, red sox, sports
Current Mood: bouncy

It's good to be back home. We left for York, Maine on Saturday to attend the funeral services for Olivia's 96-year-old cousin. Yes, you read that right. 3rd cousin or somesuch. We met O's parents and her sister in the parking lot for Stonewall Kitchens (the people that make dressings and jams and other sundry foodie items) and they led us to her brother's vacation home in York, which is where we stayed.

Very nice home. On the ocean shore...literally. But very big. Too big for my taste. But anyway... We stayed up far too late watching the Red Sox beat LA in game 2. Nice job there.

The next day, we woke late and had a leisurely breakfast. It was chilly, and we were expected in Portland by 3. We wanted to go to Freeport, which is beyond Portland and more than an hour away, so we drove US 1 through Ogunquit and stopped at the Lighthouse Depot in Wells where I bought some x-mas and birthday gifts for my mom. We continued the scenic drive up US 1 to Portland, and then hopped on the highway. 30 minutes later, we were parked in the LL Bean factory outlet parking lot. We did some shopping in LL Bean and got some much needed fall work clothes. (I love my flannel lined khakis and corduroys. I haven't had cords since elementary school...) We stopped at the British Import store to look for a specific candy bar, but they didn't have any in stock. I found a nice dark green lamb's wool sweater made in Ireland. Very warm and cozy, and since I'd been looking for another wool sweater, I bought it.

My clothing budget for the year is now overdrawn. :) But it was well worth it.

We drove to O's parent's condo in Portland, and watched the first few innings of the Sox game 3 vs LA. By the time we left to meet O's brother for dinner, they were up 2-0. All the way there on the Maine Turnpike, we had to keep switching AM stations just to get a fuzzy feed. I love New England and Maine, but geez...we couldn't keep a signal for more than 10 minutes, and it was NEVER clear. But, we got to the restaurant and sat in the lounge while waiting for our table. The Sox were winning 9-0 by this point, so we were happy to be watching it with a room full of other Sox fans...or so we thought. When the final out was made, no more than 5 in the place applauded. The hell...?!? I thought Maine was part of New England??

After dinner, O, O's brother and I went back to his vacation house and watched the Spankee game. They won. blah.

Monday were Marie's services in Sanford. We got to the church early and I met O's extended family for the first time. O's father shocked both of us by introducing me as O's partner. He'd never done that before, and it meant a lot to both of us. The service itself was...very Catholic. I'm not Catholic. But, the service was very full of churchy ritual. Lemme tell ya...it's something else to be the only person in the church who doesn't take communion. Oh yes. Very something else. After the services, we went to the cemetery where Marie's urn was to be buried. I got to see where O's father grew up, and he pointed out the stones of many family members. All in all, it was a very nice service. Very fitting of the person Marie was...or, at least, the Marie I met and remember.

The entire family went to Applebee's for lunch/dinner afterward. O's brother had to fly out early, so Uncle John replaced him. What a hoot! I hadn't seen him since O's brother's wedding, so it had been a while. After we ate, we drove back to the York house one last time, packed our belongings, and drove the couple of blocks to downtown York. We stopped in a couple of the touristy shops (we had been hoping to visit The Goldenrod and get some taffy, but they were closed. We picked up a few items, got some warm drinks, and left Maine for Albany, where our friends Kate and Valorie had offered us a place to rest for the night.

When we got to Albany, the Yankee's game 4 against Cleveland had just started, so after meeting Joe, the all-black foster kitten, we settled in to watch the Spankees go down in flames. :) Great fun, that! We left late in the morning and drove home to Rochester.

A very long trip under sad circumstances, but punctuated by various highlights.

Tags: family, memories, red sox, sad, sports, vacation
Current Mood: listless

People from my past have been coming out of the woodwork this past week.

On Sunday, the Keppels swung through on their way to a reunion in Dunkirk and introduced the lot of us college people to the newest member of that clan, Victoria Grace. A cutie, as far as babies go. :) The "lot of us" included a handful of people I haven't seen since graduation in '98, and a couple from '97, too!

Mark Ferraro, anyone? AKA "Super Cripple?" Haven't seen him since graduation-ish. I haven't seen the Gallaghers, Mike and Kim, in a while, though it's been more recent since graduation. Kep's wedding, methinks? Jenno and beau, Tom, were there too. Even though we're both local, it's like we never get together unless someone else is in town. The reunion of sorts was held at the Pickup's, Jay and Jodi, in Victor. Their boys are getting big! The older one...Gavin? I think Caleb is younger...is getting to be as tall as Jason, though that's not a huge achievement. Jason's maybe 2 inches taller than me.

The BIG surprises came in the form of Mr. Mike Skinner and Mr. Vallon Davis. I haven't seen Mike since his wedding (which I'm still surprised I was invited to, as I didn't think I was that close to either Mike or his nutty former wife to be included in such an event...). And Val lives in Trinidad, so it's no surprise I haven't seen him in forever. It was a shock to hear he was in the country, let alone on his way to Victor. Wonderful to see him, though.

But it didn't stop there! The next day, I was at the Post Office in MidTown when I ran into a former roommate's boyfriend. No idea if they're still together. I didn't feel it was right to ask, and he didn't offer the info. But yeah...last time I saw Todd? I'd think it was '99, as Christine, Keppel and I moved out of that apartment that summer.

And then! THEN! Last night, Olivia and I went grocery shopping, and I was in the mood for a warm drink. We went to Earthtone's on Bay Road in Webster. After we got our drinks, I turned to leave, and there's stood Cherie, a woman we both knew from a social website I ran for several years. Now, there are some people from my past that I just don't care to see ever again for various reasons. She is one of them. I noticed that Olivia looked like she was trying to figure out why the woman looked familiar, so I took a few quick steps toward the door and tugged her purse strap to get her moving.

Mean of me? Maybe. But everyone has people from their past that they otherwise wouldn't want to reconnect with.

But it's those moments like Sunday when you see people you shared some of the best years of your life with that make those run-ins better than pleasant.

Tags: cool, memories