E-A-G-L-E-S! Go Eagles!!!

WOW! What a game and experience at the Eagles-Niners game on Sunday! It all started about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. Since the Eagles were the late game, the Otter wanted to go to a sports bar near Monster Park and check out the early games. Turns out there is nothing by Monster Park, so we get a 6-pack and park early to tailgate! It was fun. We ended up parking next to other Eagles fans and started the celebration early. There were SO many Eagles fans there - it was awesome! I mean, we were walking into the stadium and could hear the Eagles chants from the parking lot! The Otter got us great 2nd level seats, on the Eagles side right above their tunnel! Unfortunately, our section was mostly Niner "faithful". There was this grumpy, grumpy old man that was getting on the Otter's case all day. Seriously, he wanted to take the Otter out to the parking lot and even lightly punched him in the stomach!! Read more at the "Otter Rant" link on the right - 9/25 post. (Newly added link to his blog. He describes it better detail. I was just sitting there hoping no one gets hurt. I know for a fact the Otter could have done some damage, but you have to restrain yourself against a geriatric for so many reasons)! Everyone was apologizing for him. I guess I have some sympathy. I mean, if we were at the Linc and the Eagles were getting crushed like that, I might be pretty angry at opposing team fans. But it's not like we were taunting them, we were just excited! So forget that, no sympathy! The final score ended up 38-24, but the score does not do the beating justice. The Eagles looked awesome from their first offense play - a nice 60 yard pass to set up a score. It was SO awesome and SO surreal being there after watching them all these years. And maybe I broke the Phillies jinx!

I'm reading this awesome book right now called "Last Team Standing". It's by an Eastern PA native, about the Steagles! Did you know the Steelers and Eagles combined teams in 1943, due to player shortages caused by WWII, and become the Steagles? I did, and most people thought I was crazy when I told them that! I bought the book almost as soon as I saw it. It's really cool if you're a history buff or football buff or fan of the Steelers or Eagles. Here's a link if you're interested: www.steagles.com.

and Congrats to the Otter for winning a huge poker tourney on Saturday!! And, to the Saints for starting off 3-0! (The Otter is a Saints and Chiefs fan so we went out last night to watch their Monday Night game). Another wow! If they play all their games with that emotion, they'll likely go un-defeated! And speaking of un-defeated, by some miracle my fantasy team is also 3-0! Thanks to Hasslebeck, Westbrook and Portis, I crushed my last opponent. And 2 of my starters didn't even get me any points! I must be doing something right, because I'm now 1st in coaching rating! Yeah Steagles (team name)!

No comment on the Steelers-Bengals game. Apparently it was just a "comedy of errors".

And come on Phillies!! They are now tied with the Dodgers for the wild card. The Dodgers are playing the Giants to close the regular season and all the Giants fans are with me on knocking the Dodgers out of the playoffs! Cards have to beat the Padres just in case too. GO PHILS and GIANTS and CARDS!!!!!!!!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, I'm not talking about the Holidays. Although they are nice, I am referring to sports!! SO much to say.

1st: Phillies - unfortunately the damn Mets clinched the NL East. :( As of this afternoon, the Phillies are only 1/2 game back of the Dodgers in the wild card race! Yesterday they were tied for 1st place. I get so nervous whenever I look at the standings. Last year they missed the Wild Card by 1 game. If that happens again this year I'll be SO bummed. Plus it makes me regret going to a game since I'm a jinx!

2nd: Football - Speaking of jinxes, this weekend I'll find out if I have the Philly curse or just the Phillies curse! Yup, the Otter surprised me with tickets for the Niners-Eagles game as an early 1/2 birthday present!!! (He made a comment last year that he wishes people would celebrate 1/2 birthdays since his is near the holidays. So back in June, I remembered this and bought him little half birthday presents and a slice of carrot cake. Totally not expecting anything in return, he surprises me with these Eagles tickets! Wow - Eagles tickets vs. 2 CD's and carrot cake. . .No comparison if you ask me!! ) Anyways, I'm going to see the Eagles!!!! I sure hope they win. Such a disappointing game last week against the Giants. I was in Vegas and watched it on the big screen at ESPN zone. The Eagles were totally dominating, but it almost seems like they stopped playing after the 3rd quarter. Stupid odd fumble play going wrong among other things. I am in a fantasy league this year. I think I'm playing more with my heart then head. I have 3 Eagles! Stallworth, Akers and Westbrook. Stallworth is definitely a keeper (we did the automated draft and I'm so glad I moved him up when he was traded to the Eagles. Wonderful, wonderful acquisition on the Eagles part. Akers is always pretty solid, although my back-up (Kaeding from SD), has been putting up better numbers, I can't bench Akers. I got screwed with the running backs in the draft and then trying to claim one off waivers, so I feel like I went through so much to get Westbrook. Steelers Defense is holding up pretty good. Giving up 9 points isn't too bad, but they should have scored more then 9!! What a frustrating Monday Night game to watch. The thing I hate about fantasy is that it changes who I route for!! For example, Buress is my WR. I hate the Giants, would never route for them. Unless it's week 1, they are playing the Colts, and I want Buress to have a good game! (btw, don't get me started on the "Manning Bowl". So what? I watched the game because it was the Giants vs. Colts and thought it would be a good game)! My fantasy team is a weak 2-0 though. I go up against another un-defeated this week and it's not looking good. (Ironically, his QB is McNabb, so i do want him to dominate me on the QB side)! And by the way, you wonder how people can spend so much time managing a fantasy team? All you have to do is have one and you'll know!! It drives me crazy sometimes!! The Otter and I even have a "reject" league, (for lack of a better term), on theonion.com. We picked players to do bad, and get points based on that. It was too fun picking the worst of the league! Except, I just realized I screwed myself since I think you have to chose your line-up every week. . .

I did go see "Invincible" a few weeks back. I thought it was really good! I'm not sure how much was true, but it was done really well. Mark Wahlberg gained some points in my book, And it made me really really want a Yeungling draft!!

E-A-G-L-E-S - GO EAGLES!!!
Fly eagles fly, on the way to victory. . .

California

So I was listening to the radio on the way to work and it all started so innocently with an article about where people wish to live. One of the DJ's was getting on the other's case about hating California and it just got me thinking. (apparently no one wants to live in the Midwest except for me)! I don't like living in CA. Notice I didn't say hate, so it may not be as bad as it seems. I just moved up to the Bay Area from LA, so I tried the major areas of the state. The Bay area is OK, the people are a little more down to earth, and I see many more Saturns here, but it's still California. Sometimes I miss living in LA, but I think I just miss the 'idea" of living in LA. I hate paying so much for rent. I briefly thought of selling my car and moving into the city of SF, but it's even more expensive there, and I'd have to give up most of the nice amenities that makes our place worth the money. (plus I have no idea what the Otter even thinks about that, and I might drive him crazy being car-less). Everyone out here looks at me like I'm crazy when I say I think people in NYC are friendlier then people in CA (LA in particular). In LA you have to drive everywhere, so people are confined to their cars. (however, I did get hit on while stuck in traffic and apparently it is not as uncommon as you might think). Then there's "the business" part of LA in which people will be friendly to you if you can get them something. In NY, people ride the subway together and are forced to sit a matter of inches away in restaurants, so more interaction does occur. A few years ago my mom and I were up in NYC and having dinner. This woman sitting next to us was waiting for her friend and starts up a conversation and even gives me a great coupon for shoes! In all fairness, I have never lived in NY, so that could give me a biased perspective. At least they have a great subway system. In LA, the train barely goes anywhere useful, (I took it 2/3 times and I think that is more then the average person living there their whole life)! The BART up here leaves something to be desired. I mean there are signs on BART that you cannot have beverages. sheesh. Even in Boston, there were Dunkin Donuts inside the train stations encouraging you to buy their coffee for the train ride with the enticing odor. (I miss dunkin donuts. For one reason or another they keep flopping when anyone tries to open one in CA).

LA/California has taught me a few things. (either that or some of this comes with age).
- How to dress a bit better (thanks in part to my first roommate - an LA native)
- How to drive better (laugh if you will, but I didn't drive a whole lot before I moved out here, so imagine the horror of former passengers)!
- That I can do what I want (for some reason I wanted to live in LA since I was in high school - maybe sooner)
- Waxing
- More appreciation for the East Coast
- More appreciation for my sports teams since I either have to go out somewhere to watch them, or hope they are on national tv.
- What the end of a Sunday/Monday night football game is like every week!
- That it can be fun to route for the visiting teams at sporting events
- Snow and humidity are not that bad compared to the alternatives
- A 5 hour drive home (no matter how boring), is much better then an all day/night plane ride

Why don't I leave? Well, the Otter and I are getting into new jobs, and I want to start school, so I may be stuck here for awhile. Plus, where he wants to go, the job market is not that good. Even in Pittsburgh - it's tough. We'll see what happens. In 10 years I may be elsewhere wishing I was back in CA! :)

Tourist Piggy

It's been a little while since I wrote. Still kind of slow and sporadic at work, still reading Dark Tower VII! What am I going to do without my Roland fix when it is finished?! Apparently a lot of the other characters overlap into other Stephen King stories, so I guess there's those.

Last week some of my friends from Boston were nice enough to come visit. They both work weekends, so I took a few days off and tried to make it a mini vacation for me. You know sometimes you feel like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation? That is how this felt! I was SO exhausted every night! Luckily I only worked a day and half after I dropped them off at the airport, and had a nice 3 day Labor Day weekend to recover, but I did spend 1/2 the weekend not feeling well, so that didn't turn out too well. Here's what we did. Pictures my follow from home.

Sunday :
* Otter and I picked them up at the airport mid morning
* Went to brunch at a place near our home that I'm blanking on the name
* Went to the Winchester Mystery House (minus the Otter - we saw it when his mom was in town, and I was only glad to go back a second time since I forgot my camera the first time).
* Saw Monopoly in the Park in San Jose - giant Monopoly board
* Saw comedian John Pinette at the San Jose Improv. You may remember him as the carjack victim from the final episode of Seinfield. He was really funny. Otter joined us for this since we heard him on the radio a few days prior. (yes, some of those radio plugs do work)!
*Collapsed at home after a beer

Monday
* Mystery Spot - odd, but part of me felt like it was a hoax
* Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - ate a deep friend twinkie and other assorted junk. Saw lots of sea lions
* Met up with the Otter for dinner at In and Out
(doesn't sound like a horribly exhausting day, but it really was)

Tuesday
*Haight-Asbury district
*Japanese Tea Garden (a bit disappointed they charge to see the garden)
* Golden Gate Bridge
* Weinersnitzel (friends really wanted that)
* Home very late to a sweet Otter who grilled for us and taught them how to play Poker

Wednesday
*Pier 39 - more Sea Lions
*Alcatraz - saw it when my mom was in town, but it was worth seeing again and forgot my camera the first time (again).
*Cable car ride
*Met the Otter for a yummy dinner in Chinatown
*walked around Chinatown to find a green piggy like the blue one I bought last time I was there, but no such luck. 2007 is the year of the Pig, so I did buy a 2007 calendar with a cute pig on it.

Thursday
did the normal breakfast routine, took them to the Airport and came to work for 1/2 day.

sheesh, does that sound like a lot? We did most of the things they wanted to do. Lots of walking / driving, but should I have been so exhausted?

More later - did see Invincible before they arrived, but that's a different post.