Day 190

Pouring rain out here in C-Town. Crazy rain storm last night around 10 PM. I went down to the Tribe game last night with Cousin Amy and her husband Seth. My last game of the year, also my first loss. What was crazy was it was a beautiful night for the first 7 plus innings. Literally out of nowhere, the wind started howling in and the temperature dropped probably 15 degrees at the drop of a hat. Next thing you know, the stadium cleared out and it began to pour. So I finished my Tribe season with a 6-1 record. Next year I will obviously be ramping up my Tribe games. The funny thing is, I have no concept of reality. I was planning on going to like 30 games or so, completely ignoring the fact that I will have a newborn baby at home. Ok, so more than likely it will be 15-20 games. I just love going down to the Jake. When I was taking Yoga classes, at the end of each session, the teacher wants you to go to your serene place. Sturch's spot was the beach in Negril. Mine was at the Jake on a sunny afternoon with my father next to me. Talk about a place that holds a ton of memories for me.

Funny how time just flies. I was talking to my boy Bilsky the other night about how bitter we still are about not winning the 97 World Series. Next year is the 10 year anniversary of the team that should have won it all. We all know, that was probably our best chance at a ring. What was even sadder to us both, was that 10 years ago was also our Senior year in college. Now we are both having kids potentially in the same month. Yikes.

I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the Terrell Owens soap opera. This guy is crying out for help. It was reported yesterday morning that the mercurial Cowboys WR attempted to commit suicide by taking 35 pain killers. His publicist who was with him at the time, saw him very groggy and in coherent, so she called 911 and he was hospitalized. Next thing you know, T.O. is holding a press conference to deny all of this. He says this is all a big mistake, he mixed his pain killers for his broken hand with his supplements and it gave him an averse reaction. He says the pain killer bottle was empty because he put the pills in a drawer. Do I believe he tried to kill himself? Of course not. What I do believe is that he was no longer in the news and this was yet another stunt by a disturbed guy to put himself back in the spotlight. Everywhere he has gone, its been all about T.O. His famous quote "I love me some me" fits him to a T. I actually felt sorry for this guy for like 2 hours when I thought he did indeed try to kill himself. Now, its just another selfish act by a selfish guy. I don't believe anything he says and I can't understand how he continues to rook teams into bringing him in for big money. This will all end badly for the Cowboys, the same way it did in Philly and in San Francisco. It will be real interesting to see T.O. return to Philly in 2 weeks for the first time. I bet those insane Eagles fans throw pills at him all game long.

Yesterday, it was announced that Minneapolis beat out Cleveland to host the Republican National Convention in the summer of 2008. Under normal circumstances, this would go under the radar with me, but now that I live here I really see things differently. Now that I read the paper and watch the local news, you really see what a dead city Cleveland has become. The fact that there was a chance to land the Republican National Convention was a huge thing for Cleveland. It would have brought millions of badly needed dollars in revenue to the city, not to mention extra jobs. I see it now with Leah trying to find a job. We know a ton of people and have solid connections, yet Leah still can't find a job. Its not that she isn't qualified; everyone she has met with has told her they are impressed with her background. The answer is always the same - there are no jobs to be had. I know this sounds crazy, but when Lebron James re-signed with the Cavaliers this summer, it was huge for the city. Downtown needs the revenues that only a star like Lebron is able to bring. Look at the attendance figures before the Lebron era. They were abysmal. The restaurants downtown were not even half as full during the winter months as they are now thanks to Lebron. He is great for a city that needs all the money it can get.

Casey had her first invisible fence training yesterday and she did pretty well with it. We were going to put up a regular fence in the backyard, but went with the invisible fence instead. Not only is it a lot cheaper, but the majority of the dog owners in Orangewood use it and swear by it. We just need to make sure she is fully trained before winter, which shouldn't be a problem.

My fantasy football team is off to a rocky 1-2 start, even though I am scoring a lot of points. I have run into the wrong teams the last two weeks, but still like my roster. More importantly, I gotta give props to first time fantasy player Mark P on making his first trade and taking part in negotiations. On his my space page a few weeks back, he wrote a great piece on finally caving in and playing the game. Mark P on Fantasy Football.

Lastly, also gotta give some birthday love to my mother in law Stacey out in Arizona. As I said before, I cannot thank her enough for all the help she gave us with our house when she was here. We definitely couldn't do it without the master of packing and unpacking, and Casey's third favorite person (sorry Jess, its true.)

Song of the Day: "Kimberly Austin" by Porno for Pyros

Day 189

This blog is about 12-18 hours early. I'm in beautiful Mankato, Minnesota for a trade show tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, they make you set up your booth the day before the show - its mandatory. So I had to get here today. Of the many great aspects of Chicago, the one thing I have taken most for granted was that I could fly anywhere non-stop, and have several choices to do so. Flying out of Cleveland, I am not so lucky. Essentially anywhere I fly that is not a major market, I fly through Chicago and change planes. I had to have my booth set up by 2:30 today and in order to do so for a reasonable price (Continental and Northwest were each $800 direct), I had to get on a 7 AM flight through Chicago on American. Mankato is 82 miles south of Minneapolis, and it isn't highway miles, so it takes the full 90 minutes. Thanks goodness for Satellite Radio in the rental car. Needless to say it has been a long day, but I am here and ready to go for the show. The best part about tomorrow is the show afterwards, I get to drive back to Minneapolis and hang out with my boy Kaitz.

This has been a strange weekend due to the Rosh Hashana festivities. Friday night we went over to my cousin Debbie's. Saturday for lunch we had a more traditional lunch at Leah's grandparents, We got home around 3:30 where Sean and Nancy came over to see our house, and then were picked up by my mom at 5:15 to go to Uncle Scott and Aunt Lisa's with my mom's side of the family. Then up at 5 AM this morning. Sounds like a great weekend huh?

I have to say I have gotten more feedback about my last blog entry than any other in the recent past. One wise man brought up a good point to me. I need to back off of my stance on religion and God a little. I have almost turned into the anti-bible thumper. Nobody likes to hear that b.s. that the God-squadders spew (other than the God-squadders themselves), and from now on, I will keep my thoughts more in house. That being said, that is why I have this blog - to tell you all how I feel. But I have gone over that bit at length before. I was extra riled up that day, because I had finished that blog after Leah and I visited with my old friend Lindsey, who is still in town after burying her 31 year old brother. The things that she was sharing with us about her sister in law and what she is going through would just break your heart. She wasn't as angry as I would probably be, but she couldn't understand how someone with so much going for him - 20 months away from finishing his residency, a baby on the way - could be taken so young.

Due to my trip, I missed attending the Browns/Ravens game today. This is the only game I will probably be missing all year too, and I hate the Ravens for the obvious reasons. Especially their coach Brian Billick, who is such an arrogant prick. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, the game ended up being on here, so I watched the game in my hotel room, while dozing off during the second quarter. Yes, the Browns lost again; it was another classic Cleveland choke job. We dominated the whole game. Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards were involved heavily. Charlie Frye played about as well as he could have and showed a ton of guts. MD emailed me at 14-3 and said this: "we will lose 15-14, you watch." The Browns had the lead the entire game and were driving in for the game clinching score, when Frye was intercepted in the end zone. Up 14-12 with less than 4 minutes to play, I called both Jeremy and my mother who were there. I warned them both to leave the stadium immediately, because in the words of my dad, "you don't want to be there when we blow it." I bet you can't guess what happened?

Dad used to always want to leave Browns games early for that reason. My one and only story that involves me was a classic. Browns/Bears, Soldier Field, I think 2003. A bunch of us went down to the game in Chicago - Ags, Schneids, K, Melsh, Hal, E, Frankel, and myself. The Browns dominated the game and were up 21-7 with 3 minutes to go and we were walking out. I hear people yelling my name on the way out. It was two guys I knew from home. They yelled at me "where are you going? You are not leaving are you?" I turned to them and said "you know what my father said, you don't want to be here when we blow it." Meanwhile, with 20 seconds left, the Bears scored to cut it to 21-14 with 30 seconds left, recovered an onside kick, and scored another miracle touchdown to force overtime. On the first play of OT, Tim Couch's pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by the Bears Mike Brown who ran it in for a touchdown and a Bears 27-21 win. I saw one of the guys a month later, and he said :for the rest of my life, I will never forget what you said to me on your way out."

Congrats to my guy Jeremy Bilsky and his wife Melissa who just announced they too are expecting baby #1. They are about three weeks behind us. It will be great to have a friend here who is going through the same stuff as I am at the same time. I also smell a potential play group partner for baby Dery. Meanwhile, a week from Friday, October 6th, we find out the sex of the baby. I don' t know about you, but I smell girl on this one. Mark P claims he is never wrong and he thinks its a boy. I am fully prepared for the girl. It will all be great, until she turns 13 and I lock her in her room. hahahahaha.

Song of the Day: "Loser" by Beck

Day 188

So this weekend in Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year turns again. Its so funny, every one is wishing me a "shana tova" and a "happy new year" around here. Last night I was at one of my neighbors picking up my work emails (my cable was out - long story I don't need to get into), and she was with her best friend, who is a cantor. She immediately threw me a "shana tova" and asked me if we had any kids. I told her Leah was due in February and I received Mark P's favorite, "oh! mazel tov!" Now anyone who has read my blog obviously know I am very jaded when it comes to religion, but why do many Jews feel the need to throw out the obsessive "Mazel Tov's?" A simple congratulations works just fine for me. I know I just jumped around there, so lets get back on topic. Most Jews this weekend will go to a Rosh Hashana dinner and to temple for services. They will listen to a Rabbi give a sermon on the upcoming year. They will pray for peace and praise the almighty himself. My Aunt Nancy was nice enough to offer Leah and I tickets to go to services this weekend. I politely declined. However, we are going to dinner Friday night at my cousin Debbie's house with the Dery side of the family. Saturday for lunch we are going to Leah's grandparents house, and Saturday night we are having dinner with the Warren side of the family.

From a family standpoint, I enjoy being able to get together on holidays like this. We haven't lived here for the "high holy days" before, so it is nice. After passing on temple, I asked Leah if she would liked to have gone and she said "probably." I feel like I am holding her back from making religion more a part of her life. But as I told her the other night, it is just not for me. I think it is all bullshit. It is hard for me to believe in anything. I have gone this route before on my blog, but I want you to understand where I am coming from. The week after my father died, my mom and I went to a Friday night service as a gesture to the Rabbi who was so good to the days afterwards. After 10 minutes of it, we both wanted to walk out. To sit there and listen to all of the praising of God, listening to how God has a plan for everyone, and "its all in Gods hands," made us sick. How can I be all praising something that just allowed my father, one of the great men many of us have ever known, to be stricken with cancer. On top of it, suffer through chemotherapy and be told that he was 85% going to recover, and only 2% of people get an infection during chemo. That is why you never play percentages. My friend Stephanie whom we had dinner with the other night, feels the same way that I do. Her father, brother, and Uncle were all killed by a crazed warehouse worker about 4 years ago. What was God's plan on that one? SHould I praise God for the fact that my father will NEVER get to see my children? My friend Lindsey, who i am seeing here in a few hours, lost her brother at age 31 two weeks ago. His wife is pregnant and due in February. Hey God - why would you allow something like that? You want to know why all of you? Because prayers aren't answered, the almighty God you go to Temple or Church to praise, doesn't exist. You know where my dad is now? Heaven right? Wrong - he is in the ground at a cemetery on Mayfield Road. So this weekend, if you are in Temple, take a step back and think about it for a minute. Religion makes people feel warm and comfortable; gives you something to believe in. I believe that tragedies happen; there is no reason for them other than life is unfair. Think about that. Oh, and happy new year to you all.

Song of the Day: "Only God can Judge Me" by 2Pac

Day 187

Coming off a very busy weekend here in C-Town. It is funny because being here now, we are trying to make new friends. We left behind 90% of our friends in Chicago, so adjusting to this life with less and new friends has been an adjustment. Everyone here is so nice, but we are feeling out who we can and cannot hang out with. This weekend we went out with our friends the Frankel's, who like us, moved here after years of living in Chicago. We went to Fahrenheit in Tremont. The place is great. It comes highly recommended from my boy Gregg, who is widely considered an expert on food. His parents go to essentially three restaurants in Cleveland, Fahrenheit being one of them. Also, when was the last time you went to a nice restaurant and all four people order the same thing and all love it? We all ordered the short ribs, which were the whup. Classic C-town confirmed sighting of Tim White, the channel 3 news anchor. We really had a great time with them and Stephanie became my new favorite person when she told us she listens to Howard everyday. Saturday night we went to an engagement party for a friend of our family. It was at the parents house in Hunting Valley. When we pulled up, our jaws dropped. I felt like I was driving up to the Dynasty mansion. This house was unbelievable. It was more estate than house. It was a beautiful night and the party was outside. They had the old school Cleveland Reggae band First Light playing. They served Lobster and Crab legs. I had a glass of Cabernet and it was clearly not $20 bottle kind of stuff. It was first class all the way and so nice of them to invite us. We had made plans a while back with another couple, so we only could stay for an hour, but we wished we didn't have to leave. It turned out that we had a nice time with the Deminco's as well. I grew up with Lauren and our parents were friends, and Leah had been hooked up with her when she first moved here. We liked them as well. Like I said before, everyone is so nice to us here and really have welcomed us.

Quick Notes:
-Leah had a job interview this morning and another on scheduled for Wednesday. The one this morning is for an HR position at an insurance company. We are trying to figure out if this can be a full time or part time job. At this point, we will take either. I think being around the house every day and running errands is starting to get to her. Although, sleeping until 9 everyday hasn't gotten old yet.

-I watched the Browns game yesterday with my boy Fritzer Friedman at his parents house. A couple of things struck me. First, his parents live right down the street from me and I walked over there. Its just funny to me that the house I spent a ton of time in as a my teens to my early 20's is now right down the street. We were over there earlier in the week so Casey could play with their dog Butchy. I said to Fritzer's mom that I didn't remember her deck being the Brown color it currently is and she said "that's because you were stoned everytime you were over here." Fritzer was in town for his sister Brooke's wedding. Gotta give some love out to Brooke. I have known her since she was born and of all of my friends, she was the sister I was definitely closest too. Congratulations to her.

-In the its a small world department, my old neighbors, The Miller's, moved right next door to them. Leah and I were walking with Casey the other night and they they were with their dog. Casey made a new friend in Lola.

-Back to the Browns. They are an absolute joke. They got smoked again by the Bengals and apathy has officially set in. To quote MD, the original Browns hater: "It is time for Randy Lerner to swallow his pride and sell the team. he and his family have done nothing but turn this franchise into a punchline. His dad helped Modell sneak out of town, then he slides back in as a hero and now is son is basically the George W. Bush of football."

-Another shoutout goes to my boy Sturch who once again has left Chicago to return to Utah to help run a wilderness program for troubled children. When he came back to Chicago this summer, he knew that city living was no longer for him, so back to Utah he is heading. The photo above (posted later) is from our 5th year as roommates at KU.

-This Saturday was dubbed "Separation Saturday" in college football and also "The greatest Saturday in regular season college history." I am not a huge college football fan, but I did watch some of the games. The day failed to love up to all of the hype, but I did enjoy the SEC games. That is a real conference. LSU/Auburn was an old fashioned defensive slugfest. Tennessee/Florida had an entertaining finish, at least the 4th quarter I saw. I was glad to see Notre Dame get smoked by Michigan. No program I hate more than ND, especially after the debacle last year with my boss at the game. See the link, The ND Story, for details. It is hard for me to love a sport where you lose one game in the first month and your season is essentially over. That and the BCS system is a joke. The pageantry of a college Saturday atmosphere is awesome for sure, but the BCS system is killing me. Imagine if there was an 8 team tournament in college football. It would become the most popular event in sports for sure.

Song of the Day: "Budsmokers Only" by Bone Thugs and Harmony

Day 186

Live from Omaha, Nebraska, corn fields and all. Cross this state off of my list. The last two days have been beautiful weather-wise. It reminded me of my days in Lawrence. It was a bright sunny couple of days - 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, with a little wind. That is the good part of Omaha. This town is schwag. Talk about nothing to do. The downtown is ok for a small city and the people are friendly, but I've seen more toothless hillbilly's in the last two days than I care to mention. I wasn't exactly meeting with executives if you know what I mean - just a bunch of small re-distributors of ours. The best was when my rep and I stopped in at the end of our day yesterday for a beer at the local bar, which was the American Legion. I was sitting there amongst 15 or so geriatrics drinking their beers and looking at their bingo cards. I got back to my hotel around 7 CST (we passed on our dinner - thank goodness), with a ton of work to do and a 5:30 AM wake up call. Got a lot of good work done out here though.

Back to the quick notes:
-Gotta give mad props out to Sean Fox on his big 30th b-day yesterday. I know Sean was a little apprehensive about turning the big 3-0, but he is doing well with it today. I've known Sean now for 12 years (although he claims he didn't know me that first year), and have been there with him through a lot - great KU home wins at the Fieldhouse and bad KU tournament losses on TV, our "gay trip" to California when we drove the coast (the attached photo from the trip says it all), having him stand with me as I married Leah, and being his best man when he married Nancy in April. The next step is finding him a job in C-Town so he can make that natural move that would make Nancy very happy. It wouldn't make his family too happy, but I'm selfish on this one.

-Yesterday was also the date of my parents anniversary, which would have been their 36th. I've said this before, but they were such amazing role models as a couple. I still to this day have never seen a couple as in love as they were. They had such a good thing going and my mom has so many great memories that she can look back on. I spoke to her yesterday and she sounded surprisingly good. She is quite a tough woman, that mother of mine.

-I guess this has turned into a "friend of TD's" report, but I am overjoyed to announce that my girl Jaimo is pregnant, due just over a week after Leah. I couldn't be any happier for Jaimo and Steve. The definitely deserve it. Steve's parents live right around the corner from us, and we were lucky enough to get a visit from the great Gail Schneider with a plate full of her famous chocolate chip cookies. They lived up to all the hype.

-After 10 years at his previous employer, my guy Ags started his new job yesterday. I haven't heard about it as of yet, but he was real jacked up for his new challenge.

-I don't know if you caught it, but on MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann on the 5th anniversary of 9/11 absolutely lit up President Bush and his administration for allowing 5 years to go by with essentially no resolution to the attacks. This is a must watch clip. Can be found with this link: Olbermann rips W

-What about this guy who went into a college in Montreal, started shooting at people, and eventually was killed by police. He ran in wearing a black trench coat and a mohawk, killed two people and wounded 19. What kind of crazy world do we live in where someone would do something like this. The thing about this is, these things happened almost every day. Funny how now that I am an expecting father, these things are really starting to get to me even more than they did before. Speaking of which - times sure have changed. I actually read an entire article yesterday about proper eating patterns for young kids, how America's youth is getting fatter and fatter and exercising less than any other generation. I actually have to start thinking about these things now. Unreal. Where did the days go where all I cared about was who I was betting on that night?

-How about the Northern Arizona University backup Punter who stabbed the Punter who beat him out for the job in the leg so he could get the job? Unreal right? Its a 2006 Tonya Harding techinque. People are strange.

Song of the Day: "Omaha" by Counting Crows

Day 185

You all know that today is the 5th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001. Such a horrible day in the history of this country. I have been listening this morning to the replay of the Howard Stern show from that day and it is crazy to hear all of the initial reactions of everyone, who they thought was responsible, all of the speculations and erroneous reports coming in and out of the news, and the callers reactions live from the streets of New York. It was amazing radio. You didn't know what to believe. What I took away from it was that here we are 5 years later and that day, we all figured we would have some swift response, catch Osama Bin Laden, and we would be changed forever. Well, we can say we are changed forever, that is for sure. But what has really changed? Anti-American sentiment is at an alltime high, George W. Bush is about as disliked as a president has ever been, and the economy is still not as good as we need it to be. Of all of the images we have seen in the days and years after the fact, the one I will never forget was in the controversial movie Fahrenheit 9/11 - W in that Florida classroom sitting there hearing that we were under attack and sitting there not knowing what to do for 8 minutes.

Everyone remembers where they were on 9-11. For those of you who don't know, Leah and I were on our honeymoon in Hawaii on that day. We had been there for 8 days and at that point, we were used to the time zone. We woke up and turned on the TV, which had been on ESPN from the night before. ESPN was showing ABC News and I said to Leah sort of flippantly "something must have happened;" little did we know what had occurred. By this time, it was 2 PM in New York, and everything had been done. We called our parents and found everyone we knew in New York was accounted for and safe; my cousins Jan and Debbie, and Leah's sister Jessica. Jessica's story is crazy. She had just moved to New York and starting her FIRST DAY at work, right across the street from the World Trade Center. Her building was NOT being evacuated after the first plane hit. She called her parents and told them they weren't evacuating. They didn't hear from her again for 4 hours or so. After the second plane hit, she left. Not knowing her new surroundings or anyone at her office, she began to walk for close to 45 minutes before somehow getting a cab with about 7 other people stuffed in.

We all know so many stories. We either lost people or know people who lost people. My experience was so different from everyone I know because I feel like I never went through it. Leah feels the same way. That is why we watch 9/11 shows and movies. We were asleep and had no clue what was going on. I know so many people who don't watch 9/11 coverage, the two 9/11 movies out this year, and I totally get it. My heart goes out to all of the families who lost loved ones in this unspeakable tragedy.

Onto other subjects:
-Leah, Mom, and I went down to the Browns opener yesterday down on the lake front. I have been going to games since I could walk, but something really struck me yesterday. I have to give credit to my buddy Bilsky on this as he brought this up to me a few weeks ago - Browns fans are a collection of drunken trash. We were waiting in this huge crowd to get into the stadium. We were engulfed by painted-faced, Orange and brown wearing, drunken, smoking losers screaming at the top of their lungs. I really loved the guy in front of me yelling "hurry this fucking line up! I've gotta take a shit!" Everyone was loaded. Of the 78,000 plus fans that pack the stadium every week - i'd say 55,000 are drunken morons.

-While we are on the subject of the Browns, they lost again yesterday 19-14 to the New Orleans Saints. Yes, the same Saints who went 3-13 last year. How many more years do we have to watch this crap? Fans shell out their hard earned cash every year and pack the stadium 78,000 strong. Every week the games sell out. Since the return in 1999, we have been subjected to bad football and worse organizational reign. Its one thing after another. We are now on the third regime in seven years. One bad draft choice after another. One bad QB after another. An Offensive line that has never been good and yesterday looked so bad, QB Charlie Frye was running for his life on every passing play. I will continue to support this team, but we all know it's not the same as it was in the days of Slaughter, Langhorne, Eddie Johnson, and "The Lord" himself - Bernie Kosar. In a league where parity is king and you can turn it around in a year or two, the fact that the Browns are the worst team in the NFL since 1999 while teams like Carolina, Jacksonville, and Atlanta continue to make the playoffs is appalling.

-Today my brother in law Scott starts his new job as a sous chef at a new Mediterranean restaurant opening in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has now left the Westin for this new opportunity which will be great for his career. On the downside, my half-prices massages at the Westin spa are now gone. Oh well - good luck my friend.

-On a sad note, Kevin Schaefer, who I grew up with, died of an apparent heart attack in his car at age 31. This is beyond sad - his wife is due with their first baby in November. Losing a parent is hard, but that has to be nothing worth than a parent losing a child, and so suddenly like that. Kevin was a good guy, a doctor, and family guy. This death hits me differently than many of the others of late. That could happen to any of us. He was in the same place in life as I am - about to start his family. It's is unbelievable. My condolences go out to the family.

Song of the Day: "What's Goin On" by Marvin Gaye

Day 184

I have been real out of the loop and totally self involved over the last week, so I must apologize to all. The house is coming together even better - most everything is put away, but I am still awaiting the arrival of most of my furniture. Here are some things on my mind in rapid fire list technique:

-The good news is as I type this, I am watching the Steelers/Dolphins game on the 62 incher in HD. I have never had my own HD TV before. I will say this - I used to ask people what the fuss is all about with HD and everyone would say "just wait until you get your own." I couldn't agree more. I am literally in awe of this football game in high definition. I feel like I have just had laser eye surgery. It is almost too clear. I absolutely love it. I can't wait for KU Hoops games in HD. By the way, MD wont watch a second of the NFL on TV all year. Only covering Lions games. He vowed never to watch the NFL after Modell was given his blessing to move to Baltimore.

-I have never had to worry about Landscaping, what day the garbage is being picked up, security systems, etc. That has all changed. Being a home owner is great, but the added things you never think about really add up.

-Casey is loving her new digs. She is up and down the stairs it seems all day long. There are so many dogs around the neighborhood, its almost as many as she saw in the Roscoe Village lofts. We just have to get her used to her boundaries.

-So we had our locks changed yesterday, and we never lock the door inside the garage because the garage door is down. Leah and her mom went to pick up her dad yesterday at the airport and I went to my mom's to get a few things and then to Geraci's to pick up pizza's for dinner. I got home about 7, opened the garage door, got to the door and it was locked. All the other doors were locked as well. I called the locksmith and they weren't open and didn't have an emergence number. I called the Orange Village police, who came in about 20 minutes (nice speed - i'm sure they have a lot of crimes to deal with in the O.V.). All of the keys were of course inside. The cops tried the locks and couldn't do anything, so we tried the sliding doors behind. With some creativity and a long piece if metal, we got in. First week and only my dumbass gets locked out.

-I had my fantasy football draft last night and here is my squad:
Starters: QB Carson Palmer, RB Larry Johnson, RB Chester Taylor, WR Torry Holt, WR Hines Ward (yes Beej, your boy), TE Alge Crumpler, K Shayne Graham, D Chicago Bears. Bench: QB Steve McNair, Brad Johnson; RB Deuce McAllister, Samkon Gado, Lawrence Maroney; WR Terry Glenn, Reche Caldwell. I like how things shook out for me, and we have a good start as Hines Ward has already caught a TD tonight.

-A bunch of my friends, including Ags, K, Melsh, and Schneids are all on their way to Austin, Texas for the big Ohio State/Texas #1 vs #2 college football battle. This has been one of the most highly anticipated early season games in years. I have never been to Austin, but everyone says it is one of the greatest college towns in America. MD was there years ago calling a Syracuse NCAA tournament game and came back raving. I'm jealous I am not there with the boys and know they will have a great time.

-Speaking of football memories, I am going to the opener Sunday with my mom and Leah. Last year, I came in for the opener as this was something I needed to do with my mom. She hadn't;t been to a game since dad died and neither had I. We needed each other there. I sat between Uncle Kenny and mom, and during the national anthem, I lost it. Started to ball. So much emotion came over me. I had never been to a home Browns game without him. Just another one of those hard days we had to get passed, but we did it.

Song of the Day: "My Block" by Scarface

Day 183

Sorry I have been so slow on the uptake, but you all understand. We are finally in the house. Was is easy? Of course not, but nevertheless we are in. When I last left you, we closed on the house and were set to move on Saturday morning. So of course when we woke up Saturday morning, it was fully pouring here. We showed up at the house at 9:30 am to get the keys and to let them know we would be back at noon as our movers were scheduled to arrive between 12-1. At 9:30, their movers were there shuffling in and out of the house with stuff, but it literally looked the same as it did during our walkthrough on the prior Sunday. The movers they hired were also hired to pack their stuff, so they didn't do anything. I heard from a neighbor that they saw the previous owner playing golf Friday afternoon. What a jackass. The basement was an absolute disaster. Their bedroom was full. Clothes were everywhere. The daughters room was full. The bathrooms looked like bombs went off inside. We knew then - not a chance they'd be done by noon. The wife didn't even know we were coming at 9, let alone that day. When I told her "you signed something saying differently" she replied "I did?" Of course she didn't her husband signed her signature. Like with everything else, she was completely in the dark on this.
So the rush began. We showed up at 12:30 and they still had a long way to go. Our cleaning crew was also scheduled for 12:30. Luckily for us, everyone was late. Its a good thing because the other movers were still at it at 2:30. Our movers came at 2 and had to move in while their movers were moving out. Their movers left at 4 to go to his temporary apartment, but left the basement full and half of the garage had their stuff in it as well. The worst was the couch in the office. They said they would be back in a couple of hours to get the rest of the stuff.

The couch - they tried everything to get this couch out of the office and couldn't do it. The door was off the frame. The scratched the frame severely. The got half of it out. The put a small hole in the wall. They got it all the way out, but couldn't turn it. They put a giant hole in the ceiling while doing so. I had enough. They finally decided to leave it in the office and would come back, chop it in half, and put in back together on Tuesday. They also agreed to come back and fix the holes and scratches on Tuesday. You go the short version, but this went on for 2 hours. They finally left in the 6 pm hour, but left the place a mess. Our cleaning crew did all they could do, but had to come back today to clean the basement, office, and two bathrooms.

We didn't unpack anything until Sunday. Saturday was spent standing around watching movers and cleaners. MD and the kids were in town as well, and they came by Saturday. Jace and I wrestled in the empty grate room to alieve some of the stress. Sunday after some unpacking, Leah went to pick up her mom at the airport and I played some soccer with Jace in my mom's backyard. He was in his full uniform, shin guards, the whole thing. It was real cute. I was trying to teach him some pointers. As many of you know, I was a pretty good soccer player when I was younger. I peaked at age 13 - I know it. I loved playing with him. As good as it was with Jace, I cannot wait until that is my own kid. But we all know Leah will have a girl. It is inevitable. Even the room the baby will live in is already pink. We are 5 weeks away from knowing, but you will be kept posted. By the way, our niece Reese is such a cutie. I tried to hold her and practice as much as I could this weekend. I think I could have a little girl and love it just as much as if I had a boy. I am almost there - almost.

Leah's mom has been an incredible help. I woke up at 8 am Monday morning and 75% of the kitchen was already done. I type this - its Tuesday at almost 5 PM and the house is starting to come together. We are missing a lot of our furniture which will be arriving over the next month or so, but we are dealing just fine. Other than the TV debacle (its in, but the delivery guy screamed at Leah for no reason, refused to do the set up, and the left the empty box in the middle of my driveway), the hole in the ceiling, and the lack of packing from the previous owners, it has been a positive experience. I love living here. Its such a great neighborhood. I truly feel like this is my home. Leah is happy and feeling good. I am off work until Friday. Life is good. I will post some pictures of the new house when I can. The picture you see is from April when we first bought the house.

Song of the Day: "Its All Good" by Hammer