Day 155

Its finally over! All of the 17 months of anticipation came to the end this weekend and my sister in law Jessica is now Mrs. Justin Rosenberg. I have to say this right off the bat - it has been as good of a family wedding weekend as we could have expected. First off, the weather gods were smiling on us this weekend. Last year at this time, it was in the 100's. Saturday night at the rehearsal dinner which was outside, it was in the 80's and beautiful. At the wedding ceremony, which was also outside last night, it was in the 80's again with a slight breeze and not one person complained about the heat. We were told it was much worse in Chicago yesterday, add in the humidity which we have none of out here. It was perfect. Here is a rundown on the weekend's activities:

Friday night there was a dinner at Aunt Barbara and Uncle Allen's for Jess and Justin and Leah and I left early to go to The Ocean Club, the sister fish restaurant for Mastro's steakhouse (like Gibson's and Hugo's in Chicago). Great restaurant - I enjoyed my Big Eye Tuna and Leah and my mom split Sea Bass. Saturday was the day of the rehearsal dinner. I helped out around the house and went to lunch with Scott, Lauren, and Leah at one of my go to spots out here, Islands. I buried chicken soft tacos and the best fries in the city (better than In and Out). We had to be at Troon Country Club for the rehearsal at 5:15. The rehearsal dinner was at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale. It was at the western theme area. We were pleasantly surprised by the venue. Other than the gravel we were standing on all night, there was plenty of room to walk around, easy bar to get drinks (beer and wine only, but one of the beers was Fat Tire - so clearly that is all I drank). Since it was a Western theme, there were quite a few people in cowboy hats and western gear - I was not among them. Pretty much nobody in our family was. Nevertheless, the evening went on and Leah and I gave what I thought was a great speech about how different we are than Jessica and Justin. Some of our classic lines were that Justin was a Park Synagogue, Conservative Jew and I have been told I am Jewish by circumcision only. Justin is Tom Petty and Bob Dylan and I am 2Pac and Ice Cube. Jessica is an addicted shopper who will spend whatever if she likes it enough, while Leah won't buy anything unless it is on sale. Jessica is cheesy and emotional, and Leah refuses to hug anyone unless their name is Todd. We ended our speech as Leah said as much as different as they are, they both came full circle and married men from their parents hometown. I said that as different as Justin and I are, we were both lucky enough to fall in love with the Robuck girls. Then we gave them our present, which was their wedding reflections DVD which everyone absolutely loved. I promised Justin I wouldn't mention that he sang "It had to be you" to Jessica in front of everyone. I also told him I will be making fun of him about it the rest of his life.

The wedding day was as long of a day as I can remember. I woke up at 7 am and saw Jessica and heard the squeak of "I'm getting married today!" The girls left the house around 8:45 am. It was a beautiful morning so I took a long walk through the mountains, just me and my ipod and did some reflecting. I spent the morning with my friends Jules and Andrew lounging at their pool in there new house (riiiiiiiight) and grabbed some lunch before coming back to the house and getting ready for the wedding. Max, Scott, and I headed over to Troon for pictures. Jessica looked absolutely stunning. She truly was a beautiful bride. As much as this sounds biased, you all should have seen Leah. Other than her wedding day, I cannot remember a day when I thought she looked better. The hair, makeup, the dress, the whole thing.

The ceremony was great. Max's sister, Laurel, performed the ceremony and made it fun, personal, and short. The cocktail hour was solid - pigs in a blanket, lamb chops, brie cups, and lots of drinks. Rafal set the over/under at Grey Goose and Soda's for me at 6 - as they say "it went way over." The room where the reception was really was beautiful. I'm not one to comment on centerpieces, but they were very sharp. Max gave a great speech, very heartfelt. Leah also gave a great speech - she did a great job considering all of the cocktails. But I must give credit to Jessica on her speech. It was so her. Very well spoken and very thoughtful. She said the nicest things about our family and I came away very impressed. Justin's speech was great as well. The Hora was next and a funny thing happened. At our wedding, Max and Stacey disappeared. This time around, they tried it again, only Stacey decided to go for it, while Max was nowhere to be found. Nobody sat in the chair next to Stacey, so I decided to myself she can't go up alone. So it was the two of us. It was so much fun. The rest of the night we ate, drank, and danced a ton with Jessica and her friends. It truly was a night I will never forget.

A few final thoughts: I was so honored and proud to be a part of this occasion. I have always appreciated our family, but this trip, moreso than any other, made me really appreciate how good I have it. My in laws are the best. So funny, so sweet, and so thoughtful. Everytime we are together, I feel like we just laugh and laugh. Scott and Lauren are the best. Scott truly is my little brother and we have such a good time together. The kid just cracks me up just by looking in my direction sometimes. This weekend I saw a side of Justin I knew existed, but I wish he would show us more. Because he studies so much and is so busy, we don't get to see the fun and laid back side he has. I was so glad he let loose all weekend - you could really see why Jessica is so in love with him. You could see how happy he was to be married to Jessica and how much he really appreciated this weekend. And as for Jessica - I told her this in a letter I wrote to her on her wedding day, but I truly feel like she is my sister. I've never had one, but she is it. She is beautiful inside and out, fiercely loyal to her friends and family, and I couldn't be any more proud to have her in my life. I know just from being with her all weekend that this was the wedding of her dreams and she couldn't be any happier with how it turned out. I've said it once and I will say it again - I am beyond lucky to have married into the Robuck family. I'd like to officially welcome Justin in. Hopefully soon, Lauren will be next!

quick shout out to MD who is still late night at work after the Pistons loss to the Heat....what up Deez.

Song of the Day: "For Once in my Life" By Stevie Wonder

Day 154

Live from the west coast in beautiful, sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. We flew out yesterday and of course the minute we got on the plane, it began to pour, so all western departures were delayed an hour. It is usually not that big of a deal to me, but since we had Casey underneath or seat curled up in her bag, I was a little concerned. Halfway through the flight, for the first time since we have been bringing her onto the plane with us, she wanted out of the bag badly. We heard her start to whimper, and then try to paw her way out. We still had two hours left and we couldn't take her out of the bag, so we brought the bag up and she sat on my lap until she calmed down. She eventually fell asleep, but I kept her on my lap for almost two hours. By the time we put her back under the seat for landing, my feet and legs were numb. Nevertheless, we arrived and she was fine. I must give mad props out to the twin babies sitting on laps the row in front of us. When we walked onto the plane and saw them right in front of us and was was picturing 4 hours of crying. They barely made a peep. We went to dinner at our favorite pizza place here Oregano's and clearly I over ate and I ended up having to take care of business on our stop at the grocery store on the way home. Again - mad props to Basha's grocery for their clean bathrooms.

On to the rest of the evening. We caught the last hour of the American Idol finale and all I have to say about that is "SOUL PATROL!" What a P-ROD! Seriously, I am officially done with that show. As much as I enjoy it, the fact that that glorified karaoke lounge singer Taylor Hicks won. Other than his first album which will sell on the merits of American Idol alone, this guy won't sell 5 albums. His quirks bother me to no end, he may be the worst dancer I've seen since any white guy not named TD or Mark P at a wedding, and his voice is average at best. But worst of all, the constant screaming of "Soul Patrol" every 5 seconds is like fingernails on the chalkboard. He wins it all, and Ryan Seacrest says "Taylor what do you have to say to your fans?" His response? Of course "SOUL PA-TROLLLLLLLLL." Katherine McPhee is real hot by the way. I dig her. Lastly, someone needs to put Paula Abdul out of her misery. She is a disturbed and strange woman.

Max and I tivo'd the Suns/Mavericks game and watched it in full without knowing the outcome. I have to say it was a magnificently played game. Both teams were scoring at will and Steve Nash was sensational. The up and down action is what the NBA should be. The Miami/Detroit series, other than Dwayne Wade, puts me to sleep. But I watched every second intently of the Suns and Mavericks. By the way, watching a game via tivo is the best. A three hour game was watched in about an hour and 45 minutes. Add on the fact that I was watching it on a 62 inch LCD TV in High Definition and I felt like we were there. Lock me in for one of those when we move into the house in August.

Big weekend here as the wedding is a few days away. I am working until noon PST today and then I will be working a little more - on my tan that is. Late afternoon nap and a family dinner at Maggiano's tonight. Finishing up by going over to see Rafal's new house. I'll have full details of the wedding Monday late afternoon after the brunch. Have a great memorial day weekend everyone....PEACE..

Song of the Day: "By the Time I Get to Arizona" by Public Enemy

Day 153

Today is May 24th, the birthday of my only brother, my only sibling for that matter. Not only is he my brother – he is my best friend in the world. Matt turns 33 today and this turns the page on another rough year for him. For those of you who didn’t know, Matt is now divorced and this weekend his kids are moving to Indianapolis with their mother. So this is a very bittersweet birthday for him. Everyone who knows and loves Matt, make sure you keep him in your thoughts this weekend. No time in his life will ever be this hard, and he has been through some hard times in the last couple of years. Things in his life are only going to get better over time, but sometimes you have to go through a struggle to get to where you want to be in life. I can say with first hand knowledge that the personal growth in Matt as a man and a father have been dramatic. I know I stated this after I saw him in action at Jace’s birthday, but it bears repeating. He is more calm, wiser, and has a sense of what is real and important to him now. I literally could not be more proud to say he is my brother.

It breaks my heart that I cannot be there with him this weekend, but in true (I wont mention her name) fashion, the kids move happens to be the same weekend as Jessica’s wedding, therefore Leah, my mom, and I all cannot drive with him to Indy or be with him for this toughest of times. It breaks my heart more than you all can imagine that I cannot be with him for this. Matt has always been my #1 supporter no matter what I was going through in my life. When I was down and out, Matt always told me I could succeed and do whatever I wanted in life. Everyone should be as lucky as I am to have such a close relationship with their sibling. I am writing this as I am flying out to Arizona and I have a lump in my throat just thinking about all of this. I wish I could be there with him in the worst way. And I know if Dad were here today, he would be so proud of you. He is looking down on us with a smile. I love you Deez – stay strong.

Song of the Day: “They Reminisce Over You" by Pete Rock and CL Smooth

Day 152

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Cleveland fans are over the country are saying "not again" after yesterday's Game 79-61 loss to the Pistons. Lebron's supporting cast pretty much failed to show up and help him. Its ok though. I actually feel differently today about this than I normally do. This cannot be classified in the same category with "The Drive," " The Fumble," "The Shot," or the Jose Mesa debacle. Nobody expected the Cavaliers to win more than one game tops against the best team in the NBA. Yet they forced them to a game 7, win or go home situation and played them tight for most of the first three quarters. You cannot forget that Lebron is only 21 years old. At 21, I smoked way too much pot, I slept until noon, and I had zero clue with what I was going to do with my life. Lebron is the best player in the NBA, is a physical specimen, and a multi-millionaire. He is about to be offered the maximum contract you can get in the NBA this summer - a deal for 5 years and at least $65 million. Not to mention is hundreds of millions in endorsements he already has. He proved this offseason that he can take the Cavaliers deep in the playoffs and can win a title here in the next few years. I truly believe he will sign the extension and the Q will be the place to be in Cleveland for the next decade. So its all about positivity, not Cleveland Curse doom and gloom for me today. FYI - I am now writing sports columns for www.theclevelandfan.com. A website started by one of the main writers of the now defunct Bernie's Insider's Browns magazine. My first article will be online tomorrow morning and I will be writing bi-weekly columns, or whenever something in the world of Cleveland sports piques my interest. My bio is on there as well. Its pretty funny.

Big week coming up. Its wedding week in the Robuck family as Jessica and Justin's wedding has finally arrived. Leah and I are heading out to Arizona on Wednesday (Casey too). Lots of activities that I will report on later this week and next week. We are really looking forward to it. We haven't had a Robuck family wedding since ours and it is always an interesting scene when you mix the two sides of our family - The Robuck's and The Breslauer's. I know the stress levels of everyone involved have been high of late, but I know this will all be pulled off in grand fashion. Lets just hope for a quick ceremony since it is outside and should be around 100 degrees Sunday. It starts at 6 PM I think, so hopefully it will be around 85 at that time. I am working from there on Thursday and when I get there on Wednesday afternoon, but Thursday's work must be out my the pool. I have about a day and a half to get some sort of color. I am currently pale as a ghost.

We had a solid weekend of meals and drinks. Friday night we hit up Volare with Nancy and Sean and I grubbed some Sausage Risotto. Leah had Chicken Parm. We made this reservation and plans long before I even thought the Cavs would force a Game 6 and I didn't want to cancel since our weekends the rest of the time we are here are pretty much tied up. I made sure to tell all of the people who would call me during Cleveland events to not call or text me. I watched the first 3 quarters an tivo'd the 4th. Surprisingly enough, the game did not get spoiled at all, and I got home and watched the finish. It was good to dine with the newly weds after getting back from their honeymoon in Hawaii. Saturday Leah and I had brunch with Sheri and this chick we went to college with and hadn't seen in years, Betsy Rubin. It was kind of a trip to see her. She was one of the most blunt people I have ever been around and she hadn't changed one bit, except for the 35 pounds she put on. Same attitude though. I found it refreshing to be honest. It was funny for a 90 minute meal, but everyday it would be too much. Nevertheless we got a kick out of seeing her. Saturday late afternoon, cousin Steve came in for a surprise 4pth b-day party for one of his old high school friends. I saw him briefly Saturday night, dropped him off at Navy Pier and saw him the next morning as he stayed here. That night Leah and I went with Dave and Sara to Volo, which is a new small plates and Wine Bar on our street. We had never been. It was such a nice night, so we sat outside. The food portions were very small and average at best, but the wine was good. We had a great time. Around midnight, we walked to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. We were goofing around while Dave was getting his cup. I said to Sara "does your ice cream smell funny? Because mine does." She responded "I'm not that dumb, Todd." I said "Lets see if Dave is." Dave comes back with his ice cream and I said "Dave, does your ice cream smell funny" and he took the bait. I smashed his cup right in his face and the three of us started dying laughing. Who still falls for that trick? Only Dave. He is the best.

Yesterday was very busy for a Sunday. We were having our first realtor open house, so we had to get this place spotless and pretty much empty it out. We boxed up all of our pictures, DVD's, tapes, books, pretty much anything that was on the counters or on a shelf. We then had to get out of the house and get Casey out of the house as well. Steve and I dropped off Casey at Jaimo's pad for a little play date with Jackson, their soft coated Wheaton terrier. Leah had a nail appointment. We then met at Southport Grocer for brunch. I'll say it again, its the best brunch in the city. Steve loved it. Leah and I split cupcake pancakes and baked oatmeal - which is amazing. Steve had the oatmeal as well. After brunch Steve drove back to St. Louis where he flew in from and Leah and I hit up Target before going over to Jaimo and Steve's for the first half of the Cavs/Pistons game. We watched the first half, but more importantly, watched Jackson and Casey battle. They play so well together. Its really adorable. We had to leave at halftime because I had to shower, shave, and get in a suit for a cocktail party at the Owner of my company's house from 6-8. What was strange was that Jerry Sloan, head coach of the Utah Jazz, was there. His girlfriend is the director of sales for Sysco Utah. Anyways, it was a long Sunday to say the least, and nobody loves relaxing on a Sunday quite like I do.

Finally, I know its tomorrow, but I have to give a quick birthday shoutout to my brother in law in 6 days Justin. I have known him since we were little kids and he was burying everyone on the golf course then. Nothing like when he doesn't play for like 4 months and we go out and play in Arizona and he shoots a rusty 72. I am honored to be a part of his wedding this weekend and to have him in our family. Relax and enjoy yourself this weekend Justin. I am saving my good material for the rehearsal dinner.

Song of the Day: "You'll Never Find Another Love Like This" By Lou Rawls

Day 151

I dreamed about my dad last night for the first time. At least the first time I can remember. I woke up from the dream about 4:30 and thought it was real. I thought he was still here. It was eerie. We were at a Cavs playoff game at the old Richfield Coliseum and the Cavs had won the game and the series, yet the crowd was completely silent in disbelief. Almost like the Cleveland fans thought they had lost even though they had won. My dad and I were hugging and screaming "we won, we won" and jumping up and down. Nobody around us was moving. My dad turned to me and gave me this huge hug and all of a sudden I had a crazy feeling surrounding my body, he pulled back and looked at me right in the eyes, and I woke up. I couldn't go back to sleep. I don't believe in the afterlife or messages from beyond, but it felt so real, like he was trying to tell me something. Who knows? Maybe some good luck will soon follow. I can only hope so.

I have to talk about Cavs. Last we spoke, the Cavs were down 2-1 and heading into game 4 in Cleveland which nobody expected us to win. They did and tied the series at 2. Game 5 started at 6 PM CST last night and just before I left I went over to Dave's house and watched the first quarter with Sara before he came home from work and we went to a bar to watch the second half. Nobody, especially me, though the Cavs had any sort of chance to win this game. We came out hot, led by The Big Z, Zydrunas Illgauskas, who actually showed up for the first time all playoffs. The game was close throughout the first half and the Cavs took the lead mid-second quarter and led by 5 at the half. During the second quarter, I called MD, who was courtside, and he said "In all of my years of watching Cleveland sports teams, I have never seen a Cleveland team play with big balls like this. They have taken the crowd completely out of the game, they look like the aggressors, and they believe they can win even though nobody else does." Funny, because as much as I agreed with him, I just figured for sure we would end up losing. In the third quarter, we made a huge 11-1 run to go up 10 and things looked great. Then the Pistons went on a 13-3 run of their own to tie the game. That is when I turned to Dave and called the game "a loser." Yet, inexplicably, Lebron James wouldn't let us fall. The Cavs end the 3rd quarter and the start of the 4th quarter with 7 straight points to go back up 7. I still figured we would lose. The Pistons tied the game at 79 with 3:30 left and Damon Jones hit a huge 3. The Pistons would tie it again at 84 after Antonio McDyess' lay in with 1:24 left. After a Cavs turnover and two Ben Wallace free throw misses (he went 0-7 from the line), the Cavs had the ball with 30 seconds left. Everyone in the building figured Lebron would take the shot. He received the inbounds pass and was quickly double teamed. Being the consummate team player that he is, Lebron fed the open Drew Gooden underneath for a layup and a Cavs two point lead. The Pistons missed three chances to tie the game. A Tayshawn Price shot was blocked by Donyell Marshall out to Lindsay Hunter, who missed a short jump shot. Their last ditch play for Richard Hamilton never hatched and the Cavs were winners. Did this really happen?

Things to ponder. Cleveland fans such as myself are so use to being let down and so use to losses that we just expect to lose games like this. I figured we would win one game tops in this series and here we are one win away from winning the series? You know what this is setting up don't you? Another Classic Cleveland collapse. Its great to be a Cleveland fan for this 24 hours, but talk to me Sunday night after the season is over and the Cavs have lost two in a row. Did you know the Pistons have lost three in a row in this series, yet didn't lose three in a row the entire season? So why do I feel this way this morning? I am on cloud 9 with this victory. I cannot imagine how crazy and loud The Q will be Friday night. I have been thinking about every possible way I can get a ticket to go to the game. Yet, I know we are going to lose. "Why are you always so negative" you may ask. The answer is it is ingrained in my DNA as a die-hard Cleveland sports fan. This is what we do best, get so excited, back our teams to the nth degree, and watch as they let us down and choke it all away. What may make this different is one man, Lebron James. He has taken the city and the NBA by storm. He is a once in a lifetime talent that actually plays for our team. All the calls that have gone against us all of these years, we are now getting. But lets be realistic - if we don't win on Friday, its over. No chance the Cavs win in Detroit in game 7, where the Pistons only lost 4 games the whole season. With that crowd behind them, the emotion of the possible return of Larry Hughes after the tragic death of his brother, and the chance to close it out, this is their best chance. I won't predict a win, when that happens, usually bad things follow, so I will stay out of this one. All I can say is the Cleveland Curse - you all have been warned. The clouds are circling.

Song of the Day: "Time for Some Action" by Redman

Day 150

So much to discuss today. Mad love goes out to me for making it to 150 POSTS! You all know you thought this would have died long ago....Lots of weekend action and happy occasions. First and foremost, I want to wish all of the mothers out there a happy mother's day. I wish I could have spent mothers day with either my mother or my mother in law, but such is life. We all live in separate places. But not for long. I have talked about my mother quite a bit on this blog in the past and how special she is to me, but it bears repeating how amazing she is. I am so happy to report that she is doing great. I talk to her on the phone pretty much every day and she is always on the go. Now that the summer is almost here, golf season will be in full swing. I am predicting her first club championship this summer! I will be there to watch this year and I know she will come through. As for Stacey, again, I have covered this before, but I am truly lucky to have her as my mother in law. We really have built a close relationship over the past 11 plus years and she has been great to me. The support she showed me during my darkest days is something that I will never forget. Not that I didn't appreciate her before, but it went such a long way with me. Everyone should have in laws as good as mine. So happy belated to both of my moms.

We had another open house on Saturday. What has been disconcerting to me is the lack of offers. I have heard from everyone that the market is slow, but I expected to have gotten at least one offer by now. This is typical TD luck in action. We finally sell and the market is slow. We are on week 6. The thing of it is we have had a ton of traffic at every one of our open houses. We decided last week that if we didn't get an offer by this week, we would list it with a realtor. So the realtor is ready to go. On a positive note, one woman called back yesterday and was very interested. She brought her husband over yesterday to see the place. I told her that the price on the board is there for her until mid-week, but once we list it, we have to go back up to our old price to make up for the difference in bringing in the realtor. Leah and I of course are dying for this woman to make an offer. They were here for about 40 minutes yesterday. I toll them all over the building. They love the neighborhood and have lived around the corner for years. Keep your fingers crossed on this one. We are not in panic mode yet because we don't close until August, but I want this over with asap.

We had a very nice time Saturday night at a 30th birthday party for my friends from KU Mark and Adam. When we got the invite, I figured it was a 30-40 person guest list. When we got there it turned out to be a very intimate crew, about 10 couples tops. While Adam and Mark are my boys, they have a real tight knit crew that I am not in. But Adam and I go way back, he lived across the hall from me freshman year and we have been friends ever since. I was very flattered to have been included in this celebration. It was a sit down three course meal at the Standard Club, followed by drinks in a private room at the House of Blues. I've gotta give props out to the wives, Jenny and Karin for throwing a solid party.

Big Cavs win Saturday over the Pistons. At this point, if they don't win another game this season, I'm happy.They have grown up this year. Lebron is proving that he is the best talent in the NBA and a truly complete player. His triple-double Saturday of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists illustrated he doesn't have to score 40 for the Cavs to win games against good teams. We shall see what happens tonight. It also saw evidence that the Cavs are a better team without Larry Hughes and Zydrunus Illgauskas on the floor. Hughes is on leave with his family after the death of his 20 year old brother Justin from heart failure. Z is just slow and unable to guard a tree at this point. In other Cavs news, MD was mentioned on both radio and in print in Cleveland. I received a random call saying they heard Matt being mentioned by Cavs radio man Joe Tait and in today's paper, this nugget was in Roger Brown's collumn: Among the notable Detroit sports talkers: Pepper Pike native Matt Dery, who hosts a popular Pistons postgame show on WDFN and doubles as the station's sports director. Dery is a former WHK AM/1420 personality.

Lastly, I have to shout out my sister in law Jessica who turns 27 today. It is crazy to me that she is 27. I remember meeting her when she was 16 years old in Baltimore. I can honestly say she is one of the sweetest and most loyal people I know. There is nothing Jessica wouldn't do for her family and friends. She moved to Chicago two years ago and it was the first time we have been able to live in the same city and really spend quality time together. We have really grown a lot closer because of it. Whether we are discussing Grey's Anatomy, her wedding, Cleveland, or our love for the Southport Grocer, she always makes me laugh. In two weeks, I will be honored to be standing with her on her wedding day. I've watched her grow up from the curly haired high school sophomore into a beautiful, intelligent financial wiz and it was an absolute pleasure. Happy Birthday Jess!

Song of the Day: "Lord Knows" by 2Pac

Day 149

Lets start off with the good stuff, because their is plenty of bad stuff to talk about. Last night we were lucky enough to dine with Uncle Kenny and Aunt Linda at Joe's Stone Crab. Kenny had been to the one in Miami years ago and Linda had never been. We have only been touting this place to them for 5 years and when they said they were coming in for a conference, Uncle Kenny said "we have to make it happen." So we met at 6:30 for a drink at the bar before dining at 7. KD and I wanted to put on an eating display that would make my dad proud. I think he would be impressed. In between glasses of wine, Cutty Sark, and Canadian Club, we laughed and ate. We started with a medium Stone Crab appetizer and a tomato, onion, and blue cheese salad. For dinner, Leah and Aunt Linda both had the appetizer stone crabs and KD and I went for the big boys - the 16 oz bone-in Filet. I promised one of the best steaks that he would ever have and I believe it lived up to all of the hype. In true Bobby D fashion, we had three sides - sweet potato fries, onion straws, and hash browns. Who needs Asparagus! It was great. Nothing better than watching Uncle Kenny's slow and steady eating routine on full display. At last glance on the table, both steaks and all stone crabs were polished off, as were the sides. We finished off the night with Leah and I splitting a piece of peanut butter pie and Uncle Kenny and Aunt Linda splitting a coconut cream pie. What a meal. As always, you cannot leave that place unsatisfied. Everytime I walk out of there, it re-affirms my declaration that it is the best restaurant in the city and the best restaurant i've ever been to. I have to thank Uncle Kenny and Aunt Linda for a wonderful time last night. Leah and I, as always, love to dine with them. They are so much fun and have such a great vibe. The two of them are quite a team.

Now to the bad stuff. Our poor Casey is sick. Over the last two days, she has thrown up a few times, but we though that it was no big deal, maybe something she caught at day care this past weekend. But yesterday afternoon, she was having a hard time swallowing which usually means she has gassy buildup in her. We give her some pepcid and it usually goes away. This time, it hasn't. When we got home from dinner, she had thrown up bile on the rug (the whole place is hard wood floors, yet she throws up on the rug of course) and we could tell she was sick. During the night, she was up struggling to swallow, walking all over the bed, jumping off the bed and trying to throw up. We were up most of the night. I was up at 1. I was up from 2:30-4 before I went into the living room to sleep on the couch. I was asleep from 4:30-6 before Leah woke me up and I move back into bed until 7:15. We are both dragging today and I am taking Casey to the vet at 10:50. I'm sure she will be ok, but we cannot spend another night like that. The main issue is that going to the vet is pretty much a guaranteed $150 visit minimum. Last night was great practice for having a baby I suppose, but we certainly didn't need it! UPDATE: Last night she had eaten part of one of our plants that she had never touched before. As we came back from the vet (where they said she was overweight and needed to lose 2 pounds) she took a big dump outside and it was mostly parts of the plant. Then she started to pass an un-digested root-wrap of the plant that was probably 12-14 inches long. I had to pull it out bare-handed as she was struggling to get rid of it! Who says having a dog isn't hard work.

Then there is my beloved Cleveland Indians. As you all know, they are my number one team and a big passion of mine. I subscribe to the MLB package on digital cable so I can watch all of the games from here. I read all of the articles online. I go to games. Today I am as frustrated as I have been with them as I have been in a long while. Over the last two days, I have watched our pitching staff blow lead after lead and get swept by that sad sack Kansas City Royals. Yes, the same Royals who are 5-21 against the rest of the league, yet 5-1 against the Indians. The losses moved the Tribe to 17-18, 1 game below .500 and already 7.5 games behind the White Sox, who have charged out of the gate again to have the best record in baseball. What is strange is that the Tribe leads the American League in batting average and runs scored. So that can only mean one thing, the pitching is atrocious. We signed two veterans for the back end of the rotation in Paul Byrd (2 years, $14 million) and Jason Johnson (1 year, $4 million) to replace Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton who left during free agency. Yet me we have two major league ready starters in Buffalo. So far Byrd's ERA is 6.52. Johnson's is 5.82. They barely can get through 5 innings which strains the bullpen. That is just the starting rotation. Last season's Indian bullpen was the best in the majors. We had 5 guys who you could count on to get the job done. Bob Howry left to sign with the Cubs. Arthur Rhodes was traded to Philadelphia for LF Jason Michaels, and Matt Miller is out for the year. Rafael Bettancourt, perhaps the best arm in the pen, has been sidelined for a month with a back injury. In their stead, veteran Danny Graves has been a gas can and won't be on this team beyond the next three weeks in my opinion. Jason Davis, who has a million dollar arm and a 2 cent head, has been almost as brutal. Tribe brass expected big things from up and comer Fernando Cabrera, but he is been injured and wildly inconsistent since missing most of spring training while pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. They have tried Brian Slocum. They have tried Jeremy Guthrie. Scott Sauerbeck, the lone lefty in the pen, can't seem to get the one guy he comes in to face out. Then there was the key guy to the pen's success in Guillermo Mota. He was to be this year's Bob Howry, the 8th inning guy. Yesterday I watched him give up back to back homers to the vaunted duo of Aaron Guiel and Angel Berroa after we battled back to tie the game at 8. Changes must be made and made soon. Time to bring up one of the two kids from Buffalo and put him in the rotation. Move Johnson to long relief. Dump Graves and bring up veteran Steve Karsay who is pitching well in Buffalo. The season is inexplicably getting away from the Tribe and we aren't even into June yet. I won't jump ship, but my patience is running very thin. I won;t even get to how much I despise Aaron Boone and how finished he is. I must give credit to Casey Blake though, the man I have been all over for two years. He has done a great job of proving me wrong this year. Too bad he can't pitch for us as well.

American Idol. While I was at dinner, I didn't see the results show, but the clear best remaining singer, Chris Daughtry got the boot, while that grayed-haired clown Taylor Hicks continues to skate through. You heard it here - Daughtry will sells millions of albums and Taylor Hicks will be a glorified Karaoke singer for his career. So now the final three is Elliot Yamin, Katherine McPhee, and Hicks. If McPhee doesn't win, they should cancel this show.

Song of the Day: "Thorn in my Pride" by The Black Crowes

Day 148

Had a nice weekend in Detroit. As you know, I was there for Jace's 5th b-day party. The weekend did get off to a great start with Friday night's big Cavs game 6 win over Washington to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi's and a Tribe win over the Mariners. Its always a great day when that happens. So Saturday at noon was the party. It was held a a park in Royal Oak, Michigan. The day was chilly, but the sun was out and as long as we stood in the sun, we were all good. The park had a big playground and a little train that had 4 different cars that went pretty much all the way around this large grassy area and with the way Jace and his friends love trains, this was perfect. The kids spent the majority of the two hours taking turns riding the train. It was so cute. The picture here is of Jace in the back of the train car with his friends Josh, Augie, and his best friend Asher (right to left). This Thomas the Tank Engine phenomemon is crazy. Every kid 5 and under is obsessed with Thomas and his friends. Jace had a Thomas birthday cake. We ate the cake off of Thomas plates. Everytime a different color train would go by the kids would say "Percy is the Green train" or "Gordon is the Red train." It was very cute. For me, it was an interesting thing to watch. the lifestyle difference between the mid-30's married couples who live in suburban Detroit compared to the same people I know who live in Chicago. I also enjoyed watching some of the parenting in action. The other interesting dynamic was the Dery and Vernick camps at the party. I will say that things went as well as they could go. Lisa's parents could not have been nicer to us and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. There were as always a few vintage Lisa moments, but now you just sit back and laugh at them.

After the party, my mom, MD, and I had the kids for the rest of the night, so we went back to MD's pad and hung out. The cutest was when we arrived back and both kids were dead asleep in their car seats in the back. I played with Jace a little bit, read him a couple of books, and fell asleep for about 40 minutes. We then had a little family dinner at Buddy's Pizza. Jace played some video games and I held Reese for a while before sitting. At dinner, Jace buried his "chicky and fries" and we played a game where we went around the table saying a word that starts with every letter in the alphabet. Jace was faster and pulling words than we were. It was very cute. We played a little "I spy" and told a few Knock Knock jokes, eat some bad pizza, and headed home. We capped off a fun day by watching the Tribe/Mariners west coast game that started at 9. Even though they lost, watching Tribe ball with MD while mom read the paper was old school. What I got most out of this weekend is that my brother is a great father. Watching him handle both kids on his own with ease was amazing. It was on full display when we went to dinner. The place was packed and loud, and he was so calm. He shows incredible patience, the kids love him, and he is a positive influence on them. Very soon, the kids are moving and it is going to be unbelievably tough on him, but one thing I know for sure is that he will do everything he possibly can to be the best father he can be to those kids. We as his friends and family will need to be there for him more than at any time in the past two rough years. I know he will get through it, because his personal growth has been astounding, but he will need the support more than ever. I hope he knows how proud of him I am.

Two quick sports notes: The Cavs got absolutely smoked by the Pistons in game 1 yesterday. That is what I expected. If we win more than one game in the series, I will be thrilled. Its all a learning process for Lebron. The thing is the closer we are to the Pistons in the long run, the closer Lebron will be to staying long term in Cleveland. That is the most important aspect of this whole thing. If he were to leave Cleveland, the franchise might as well fold or move.

The recruiting saga of McDonald's All-American PF Darrell Arthur continues to defy logic. Kansas has been at the top of this athletic big man's list for months, yet he still hasn't made up his mind on where he wants to go to college. Three months ago KU was his leader with Texas, Baylor, and SMU on his list. He was supposed to be in Lawrence for the Kentucky game in January, but never showed. He was supposed to be in Lawrence for the Oklahoma game in February and never showed. Then SMU was eliminated and word was out he was about to commit to KU because that is where his mother wants him to go. Nothing came of it. Then Arizona came into the picture and he was supposed to visit there and never showed. Texas and KU were his final two going into the McDonald's game, but he never committed. All of a sudden, Texas was out, and LSU was the leader after he spoke with the coaches there three weeks ago. Yet last week, the LSU coaches were quoted as saying they hadn't spoken to him in weeks. So now his final three are KU, LSU, and Baylor. Today at 12:30 was supposed to be his press conference to announce his choice of school. In classic Arthur fashion, the man appropriately known as "Slim Shady," cancelled his press conference and re-scheduled it for tomorrow. Memo to DA - get over yourself and make a decision. He has been acting like he is the end all, be all, of college recruits. If we don't get him, I hope he ends up at Baylor so we can pound him every year and laugh when he plays on a 10-20 team.

Song of the Day: "Brothers Gonna Work it Out" by Public Enemy

Day 147

To start off I have to talk about my favorite 5 year old in the whole world. My main man Jace Dery turns 5 years old today. I cannot believe he is already 5. It seems like yesterday that he was born and we went to Detroit for his bris. He will always be extra special to me because he was the first grandchild in our family. Reese was born after my father died, so the only grandchild who ever knew him was Jace. He was so cute as a toddler. Not to mention he is a beast for his age and always has been. There is nothing better than when I see him and he calls for me to give him "a body swam." He loves when I give him body slams on a bed, couch, etc. He always comes back for more. MD smartly has gotten him into the Tribe - he can name you more Tribe players than most of those lame Jacobs Field era Tribe fans that I ripped up the other day. As him who his favorite player is and you will here "Jhonny Peralta." The thing that I love most about him is the way he loves my mom and my brother. He seems to have a glow about him when my mom is in town and gets so excited for her to come to town. MD is such a great father to him and I love watching them together. It reminds me so much of how dad was to us. If you had to ask me my favorite Jace moment, I probably could name two. One would be last year when Leah and I visited just after Reese was born. Jace had this Wiggles singing microphone. He kept playing the same 4 songs over and over again and singing along into the microphone. It got to the point after like 50 times where Jace and I were dying laughing while MD, Lisa, and Leah were freaking out in annoyance. The other was the first time I saw him get off the bus from school this past March. He had his little backpack on and his hat and gloves and he came running off the bus and i've me a big hug. It was so cute. So today, May 4th 2006, I have to give much love out to my favorite little man, Jacey D......

Readers of my blog know I am not a huge NBA guy, but what a game it was last night between the Cavs and the Wizards. It was the pivotal game 5. The Cavs seemed to be in control, yet the Wizards, led by Gilbert Arenas and his 44 points, forced OT. In the end, Lebron James was too much for the Wizards. Down by 1 with 3.9 seconds left, Lebron received a pass on the sideline, tip-toed the baseline and layed it in with 0.9 left to win 121-120. I hadn't had that feeling during a Cavs game since the days of Hot Rod, Price, Daughrety, and Nance. The crowd last night was amazing. Cleveland fans, so starved for a winner, know we are watching greatness in our city. The Nike add campaign for Lebron is "We are All Witnesses." I can't say I disagree. What is so great for Clevelanders is that a guy like this is finally on our side. We always lose games like this. Choking away a 7 point lead with less than a minute to play, yet still winning in OT? That stuff never happens in C-town. Maybe Lebron is the one who will break the Cleveland Curse. Lets hope so.

Song of the Day: "Stop The Violence" by Boogie Down Productions

Day 146

So I am breaking my Monday/Thursday routine because I am upset with my Cleveland brethren. Now I grew up going down to the old stadium, watching bad Tribe teams lose game after game, but I still loved them. Then the Jacobs Field era was born and a new breed of Indians fan emerged. This Indian fan couldn't decipher Brook Jacoby from Brooke Shields. They expected 100 wins, sell out crowds, and 50 HR seasons from its sluggers like Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome. But with the large crowds, big revenues, and large payroll, came an fan base arrogance. When anything bad happened, the sky was falling. Throughout that era, we saw so many great players come and go, but there was one particular player that the crowd loved and gravitated to. Jim Thome. His country boy, folksy ways resonated with the fans. He was always smiling and always hitting. Fans loved Omar Vizquel too, but Thome's big power stroke and clutch hitting made him beloved.

By 2001, new ownership came in, overpaid for the team, then had to gut the payroll to make ends meet as the crowds began to dwindle. While REAL Tribe fans like myself, MD, My father, Jeremy, Ags, Fritzer Friedman, etc still went to games, watched games on TV, and read the articles; Typical Jacobs Field era fans stayed away in droves as the Indians had to rebuild. The downsizing in payroll saw all of the star leave. Manny Ramirez left for Boston, Bartolo Colon had to be traded to Montreal, Juan Gonzalez left for Texas, Roberto Alomar was traded to the Mets. That left one big ticket free agent, Thome. His contract was about to be up. While he said he loved Cleveland and wanted to stay - he met his wife there and built a big home - Philadelphia wanted him badly. So much so that they were willing to trump any offer we would give him. After going to a 5 year deal, which we didn't want to do to begin with, Philadelphia gave him a 6th year guaranteed at more money per year. It was a no-brainer for Thome, so to Philly he went. On the way out, he said nothing but great things about the Indians organization, the people of Cleveland, and said he would continue to make Cleveland his home. After three years and a back injury in Philly, he was on the trading block. Again, he said he would love to return to Cleveland. With our payroll restrictions, a trade wasn't possible, and he was dealt to the rival Chicago White Sox.

So last night was Jim Thome's first game back in Cleveland. A man who was so beloved and adored by Indians fans was returning home. In interviews leading up to the series, he again threw bouquets at the city of Cleveland. He couldn't wait to come home again to the city he loves. So I tuned in last night and as he stepped to the plate, Jacobs Field fans booed him. They booed him! What a joke. The man gave his heart and soul to the organization, was a model citizen and teammate, and still makes Cleveland his home. Yet boos rained down on him. There was signs all over the stadium saying "Jim Traitor" and "Cash Cow." This is so typical Cleveland. There is an inferiority complex and a bitterness that lies deep in every Cleveland fan's soul. I'll be the first one to admit it. But anyone who booed Jim Thome last night should have their tickets revoked. The bitterness and the booing sickened me. I defy anyone in his position to say they wouldn't have done the same thing given his position. The Indians were rebuilding and offered less money. The Phillies were contenders and had a blank check in front of him. Thome did what was right for him. He is still my favorite athlete of all time and a man I respect greatly.

For my dad's 60th b-day, as a surprise, MD arranged for my dad to throw out the first pitch at the Jake. We were all there. My dad came back up and told us the following story. As he went down to the field, he got to go into the dugout and sit with the team for a few minutes. As he was sitting with the Tribe p.r. guy, Thome approached them. My dad said he was huge. He stuck out his hand and said "Jim Thome, nice to meet you." My dad said "yes, I know, its great to meet you. I'm Bob." Thome said "good luck out there, Bob." He was just a regular guy who happened to play baseball. By the way, Jimmy got the last laugh last night, as he delivered a key, 2 out, RBI single in the 9th in the White Sox 8-6 win.

Song of the Day: "Money in my Pocket" by Dennis Brown

Day 145

I had quite the interesting work weekend in Dallas. I ended up flying out on the same flight with my key client, taking him and one of his co-workers out for lunch on the way to the conference, and listened to Howard Stern on Sirius with him on the 40 minute drive out. Its always good to be on the same page on a personal level with the key client. We hit a solid Mexican Restaurant (Abuelo's - they just opened one in Cleveland right off of the Harvard exit) and headed up to the conference. It was held at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas. This was a pretty nice hotel with its own huge conference center and was attached to a brand new minor league ballpark, which was very cool. I set up my booth in a little over and hour and had some down time which meant a nap and some computer work. Thursday night I met my two co-workers for a dinner to map out our plan for the two days of rotations and then from 8:30-10 there was an open forum where the vendors had to be at the booths to discuss issues. Mostly it was us standing around watching the drunken Edward Don reps drink and have desert. Of course I had to entertain for a few hours afterwards at the hotel bar.

Friday was a long, long day. We had to be at breakfast by 7:45 to hear the motivational speaker, who turned out to be James Worthy, the former Lakers star. That was very cool though. The rotations were 8 minutes long and lasted all day with a vendor awards lunch in between. Unbeknowsnt to me, I was nominated for Vendor of the year for the California Distribution Center. I didn't win, but the fact that I was nominated in a DC at the opposite end of the country when I live in Chicago was solid. I made sure to add that into my weekly report to my boss. The rotations ended at 4:45 and I went straight for a nap before the evening dinner and reception. The dinner coicided with the Cavs/Wizards game 3, so I literally couldn't watch a second of it. Between my brother's text messages of both the Cavs and the Tribe scores, and my web browser on my phone, I was on top of things! When there was 30 seconds left, I skipped out "to go to the bathroom" and caught the end of the game in the bar. More client entertaining took us through the end of the evening. We had to start the booth rotations again at 8 am Saturday morning. Talk about a long day. I flew home Saturday night to a driving rain storm. Nice. Just glad that the work travel is over with for now. I've got nothing now until June.

Last night was again the epitome of a typical Cleveland sports night. So my brother is here for 36 hours because the Pistons are playing in Milwaukee tonight. Anyways, MD and I were jacked about the Cavs/Wizards game 4, Tribe/Rangers combo on TV last night. So we ordered some pizza and strapped it down. The Cavs jumped out big early and Lebron looked like he was going to go for 40. The Tribe jumped out 4-1 and Jake Westbrook was cruising. The next thing you know, the food is all gone, The Cavs stopped scoring, and Jason Davis was throwing gas on the fire out of the bullpen. The Cavs lost by 10 and the Rangers beat the Tribe 8-4. Classic Cleveland sports evening. Two teams, two big leads, two choke jobs. I am very concerned with this Tribe bullpen. We are scoring a tone of runs, and the bullpen is looking earily similar to the early 90's. The White Sox never lose and even The Tigers are on fire. We need to get this pen situation figured out soon.

I think the Cavs will be fine and win the series in 7. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan whined like a baby about the officiating after game three and go figure, Lebron got called for 4 offensive fouls and the Wizards shot 15 more free throws than the Cavs. I am 100% convinced that David Stern pulls the strings for tv on a lot of these playoffs series. Always has. Did you see the Suns choke away yesterday's game against the Lakers? The officiating down the stretch in that game was very suspect. Kobe hits two buzzer beaters and it is looking like a Lakers/Clippers Western Conference Semi-final. Davis Stern is salivating over this. That is why I know the Cavs will win. The NBA wants Lebron for a minimum of 2 more weeks for TV ratings. What would you rather watch? Lebron and the Cavs play Detroit or The Wizards? Its a no-brainer.

Song of the Day: "No Vaseline" By Ice Cube