N & J Halloween

My daughters are so adorable. Julia was just about ready to go trick or treating when I got home from work. So I waited outside with her while Aga got Nicki ready. Julia is a ladybug with these really gigantic wings and a red mask, Nicki is a witch with an enormous black hat edged in purple. Julia had her plastic pumpkin to put her candy in and there was some candy in it all ready. I asked her where she got it and she told me she took it out of the bowl at home! The one for any potential trick or treaters! It made me smile. So they are all off trick or treating, with the neighbors daughters and other mothers. I am at home occassionally distributing candy.

The older I get the more wisdom I like to think I acquire. I can honestly say my children make me more happy than anything in my life, they constantly reassure me and love me so unconditionally it is really amazing. When Nicki was ready she came outside and she was upset that her with hat was so big, she ran to me and asked me to pick her up, when I did I kissed her cheek and then she started smiling and was all excited about Halloween.

My daughters are really good girls, I am enjoying seeing them so happy.

Just read that Theo Epstein resigned as general manager of the Red Sox. Too bad, I hope that doesn't mean they will have trouble signing free agents. I would imagine being GM of Boston is an inordinate amount of unhealthy pressure and stress.

Tonight we will watch scary movies when N & J are asleep, as we do every Halloween.

Happiness

"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy, we sow enormous benefits upon the world."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Quiet Sunday

The girls are having a really long nap. We did some grocery shopping in the morning and also I drove to Target where they each selected coloring books. Nicki chose Star Wars and Julia chose Hello Kitty. Ran 3 miles on the treadmill and now have been reading the Sunday paper and kinda checking the nfl scores. I cut my foot pretty badly in the morning on the vent near my bed. Nicki woke up and kept saying "come on daddy come on" and so I got out of bad really fast, half asleep and managed to take a chunk of my little toe off on the right foot. It hurt like hell, I called Aga and she will look at it tonight. What made me even more upset is when we got home after our errands the sock I was weraing had got blood on it, which bugged me. Note to self: get out of bed more carefully!

Flu shots

The twins had their flu shots this morning. WE waited about ten minutes unlike last year when we waited an hour and a hlaf. Nicki was very brave and got her flu shot without incident. Julia on the other hand kpet trying to run away from the nurse and me. Finally we got her and I held her while the nurse administered the flu shot. Then we went home and relaxed for a bit, then had lunch and a nap. In the afternoon I took them to Supercuts, they got lollipops and were well behaved while I got a haircut, then we went to Burger King for dinner. After that we played onthe swings and slides at a local park before returning home. They drew quite a few pictures today for Aga. We remembered to set all of our clocks back an hour. Everyone is still up, the girls are watching "The Little Mermaid" on dvd now while Aga has a shower.

Last night was fun, I got to meet Sugar Baker, Brian and Roley's friend. He very generously paid for our Italian dinner then we went to a bunch of nightclubs. He lives in the Phillipines so I asked him about that, sounds like a very different lifestyle than what we are used to here in the good old US of A.

Weekend

Finally the weekend is just about here- I am going to Chicago tonight to have dinner with friends, tomorrow morning the twins have their flu shots and then either a trip to the library or to an indoor park. Aga took the girls to a pumpkin farm today and every time I call them something new and fun has just happened. Julia loved riding on a pony and Nicki loved playing in a corn field!

Halloween

This explanation of Halloween came from the History Channel's website:

"The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter."


My daughters want me to dres up like Darth Vader for Halloween. I wonder if that means I can buy that authentic light saber for 119 bucks. Probably not!

Basement

Aga thoroughly cleaned our basement yesterday and it looks amazing. I took N & J to the library and tried to borrow some scary/horror dvds but could not find any so instead rented a romantic/drama movie called "Wimbledon" which had Kirsten Dunst in it. It was ok. I also borrowed three mre library books, the titles escape me at the moment so I will post them later. The first I read about 100 pages of while still at the library while N & J played with the computers. Julia got stuck with the Dell this time unfortunately. The book I started was about a British guy who joins an escort service to "make extra money". His room mate constantly teases him and calls him a gigolo, it is very light and very funny so far.

The Chicago White Sox won the World Series last night. As soon as the game ended, numerous neighbors began shooting off multiple firecrackers. Luckily the twins slept through it all.

Cool plans for tomorrow after work- driving to Chicago to hang out with Brian, Roley and their friend Sugar Baker who is visiting from afar. Saturday morning I am taking N &J for flu shots. November 5th I am taking them to see the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus, they are getting excited about it. I still have not seen them dressed in their Halloween costumes, they are of course thrilled about Halloween as well.

My sister Jen is still in Africa on her honeymoon I wonder how her safari is going and what animals she has seen so far. Hopefully she is taking tons of pictures.

6 years

Today is my anniversary at work, I have now been at Hallmark Data Systems for 6 years.

Last night was low-key. Aga needed to get some shopping done, so the twins read and colored a bit, watched a bit of Barbie Swan Lake dvd while I watched them. I made an attempt to organize my dress shirts and also t shirts in the closet. When Aga returned I went for a run which was good, I felt really invigorated. Hopefully will run again tonight.

Oh and I finished that novel about the dinosaur, need to return it at the library after work with the twins and try and find something new to read that is worth the time.

2,000 U.S. Soldiers Death Toll in Iraq

This is really sad. Makes the troubles in my life seem less significant. I am 35, this soldier was just 34 years old.

Taken from the Boston Globe October 25, 2005:

The U.S. military death toll reached 2,000 with the death of an Army sergeant who was wounded by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad and died in Texas last weekend. A Pentagon announcement Tuesday said Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, died in San Antonio, Texas. The death raised the Associated Press tally of military fatalities in the Iraq war to 2,000.

Alexander was wounded Oct. 17 in Samarra, a town 60 miles north of the Iraqi capital. He was assigned to the 1st Batallion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga.

"The 2,000th Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known freedom in over two generations".

!!!

http://www.mos.org/doc/1858

I need to see this with N & J they would go absolutely nuts.

Imagine sitting in the Millenium Falcon!

Bookstore

Took N & J to Borders bookstore last night and we had lots of fun, mainly readins Star Wars stories. They had a display of lightsabers with batteries in them, they made the whoosing sounds. The girls loved it and wanted to buy it but it was $119! They said they would ask for light sabers for Christmas which I found very funny.

Monday Update

Listening to Schubert's unfinished 8th symphony right now, as I am attempting to download the current episode of "Desperate Housewives" from iTunes. Only have about one hundred pages left in the Tyrannosaurus Canyon novel, ran another 3 miles and did 150 crunches last night. Went to Chili's today and had many nachos so that's not good, but will be good rest of today and tomorrow. Wow I really love running, sometimes it is tough to get started but I always feel so good afterwards, with my blood pumping and the endorphins going. The ab lounge really is not getting any easier and I must confess I kinda dread hopping on it. Maybe it will get easier after a while.

The twins are getting awfullky excited about Halloween, Julia will be a ladybug and Nicki will be a witch. Nicki tells me that ghosts and witches scare her and she will be happy when Halloween is over, Julia is fearless though as usual.

Evidently the new Star Wars dvd comes out next Tuesday, which will finally complete my collection.

The weather out here is chilly, drizzly and windy. It will be a busy week at work and I am all ready looking forward to the weekend.

Chilly

It is a bit chilly out, raining, drizzling really. The girls are drawing today- Nicki is drawing unicorns and Julia snails. I ran on the treadmill Friday and Saturday and am still trying to get used to the ab lounge. Listening to Mahler's 7th symphony this morning. Nicki and Julia hlped me make m & m cookies last night and we might make some more tonight.

Cookies

We plan on making m & m cookies sometime this weekend- N, J, and myself.

The girls have been practicing writing their names today, and they watched the Disney dvd of Tarzan, which was pretty intense for little kids I would say.

I am listening to Brahms 1st symphony lately and reading Tyrannasaurus Canyon still, it is a real page turner so far.

Friday

Very glad it is Friday, it has been a busy week and I need to recuperate and recharge the batteries so to speak.

My Aunt Pat recommended a novel called Tyrannosaurus Canyon which I borrowed from the library, it is a real page turner so far. N & J asked if they could read in bed last night, though they wanted the lights out and used their new Cinderella flashlights, they read for about ten minutes, it was cute.

It is geting awfully cold, I think our windows are not as great as they should be, they offer little insulation.

There is a 5k race Sunday but it is near University of Chicago- evidently it raises money for a children's hospital so I am considering it. I would have to take N & J though and that might be too cold for them. We also plan on baking cookies this weekend, they both asked me about it last night and they were so excited about it I of course agreed.

Figured out how to download a tv show from the iTunes store and purchased the most recent episode of Desperate Housewives, then watched it in the basement with Aga on the iBook. It was a cool experience though the episode was not as great as most of the other ones we have seen.

My sister Jen and brother in law Andy are in Africa on safari now! That is very cool, hopefully they are enjoying themselves and are safe.

Library

Spent quite a few hours last night at the public library with N & J- they pick a few books (as do I) then we go read in the "quiet poetry corner", sitting on beanbags. Then they played with the computers for a while, they still favor the apple computer over the dell.

At home used that ab lounge, talked with Aga, watched some bad tv, and listened to Mahler's 6th symphony.

Autumn

It really is striking how fast time goes by the older that I get. All ready the seasons again are changing. It was fairly windy this morning and it seemed that at every red light the wind picked up and leaves scattered all over the place. When we were driving home from the airport Monday we noticed how many trees had yellow or orange leaves.

Luckily Julia finally is coughing less and she went right to bed last night. After dinner I took them out for a while and I bought them both "Care Bears" from the movie- Julia picked a pink bear named "Daydream Bear" and Nicki picked a green bear named "Wish Bear", they also got a new care bears movie which funnily enough starred Wish Bear, so Nicki was thrilled.

In addition to our free wights and treadmill, Aga bought something called an ab lounge, which finally was assembled yesterday afternoon. It is funny how all the infomercials make it look so easy because it really is not! I did 50 crunches and it made me sore. I guess that old adage "no pain, no gain" applies, or something like that.

I need to find something good to read, have not had a chance to travel to the library yet. Hopefully, my Aunt Pat will email me some reading suggestions.

My friend Roley got hired at work and it is really great to have him here. We had lunch together yesterday. He was laid off at United so it really is a blessing that he got another job so quickly.

I have been reading about the new iPod and I absolutely love it- 20 hour battery life, ability to download and play music videos and tv shows, color display, and the 60 gig will hold 15,000 songs. Mine presently only holds 10,000 songs and I need to delete some songs every time I want to add any new music because it is full.

Wow my sister's wedding really was beautiful I am still thinking about it and am still touched by it. We need to bring the film in to get developed soon.

Love

Love was the theme all weekend, obviously the pinnacle being my sister Jen's wedding to Andy Sunday. My family and I just arrived back home in Des Plaines and I do not have the time presently to focus and write all I want, so there will be much more to follow.

I can say that I enjoyed everyone I met and spoke to, most especially my Dad,Andy's brother Tim, my Uncle Stephen, my Uncle Tim, my cousin Matt, Andy's Mother, and my cousin Mike. Additionally, it was great to meet many of my sister's friends- Chris, Giles, and Candy are all really special. And I met or saw so many people I had not seen in years, many of Jen and my parents friends. Which makes me think about the phenomenol speed at which my life is going by.

I all ready miss Boston, the incredible service at the hotel, the lobster, the champagne, the dancing, the smiles, the grandeur of it all, and above all of course, the incredible emotion I experienced firsthand and witnessed through so many people. Watching your entire family openly weep with joy and with love, not entirely unexpected though so incredibly moving.

It has been a long time since I have felt so good. Yet again, my sister Jen has risen my spirits and rejuvenated many of my dreams and hopes. I always think of her when I run since it was she who started me in that hobby, and now I am thinking of how very proud and filled with love I am towards her. Proud to be her older brother, and proud that she has found her happiness at last.

Flying

Flying to Boston tomorrow for my sister's wedding.

Thursday I think we will visit my Mom and N & J will watch Cinderella.

Friday afternoon is the rehearsal and then a dinner afterwards.

Saturday is a free day with seafood dinner at night, clam chowder and lobster most likely.

Sunday is the wedding.

Monday there is a brunch and then we fly back to Chicago.

Schilling

The following are comments made by Curt Schilling today on Boston sports radio station WEEI 850 AM, during his weekly segment on the Dennis and Callahan show:

Is Curt up for a big 2006?

“I’m looking forward to the final two years of my career being the best two… with no question. Good Lord willing, I’ll stay healthy. I’m going to go out and finish my career with the two best seasons I’ve ever had, and I don’t doubt there’s any reason why I don’t do that.

“I’m going to change some things. There’s going to be some adjustments I’m going to make this winter and when I make those, I’m going to make those with an eye towards finishing my career and trying to pull a Clemens… just a lot of different things (will change), I’m really not going to get specific right now, but there’s going to be a lot of different things this winter and I will address those as I need to address them."

New shoes

I got some cool new black shoes, I wanted to get these outstanding black boots with zippers down the side but Aga returned them!

Final word on 2005 Red Sox

Well another season has ended, I agree with the below statements- the Sox making it to the playoffs this year with all of the injuries, especially losing Schilling and Foulke, was impressive. And the great thing about baseball is, next year it all starts all over again. I am very curious to see what moves the front office makes, who they retain, and who they say goodbye to. Papelbon should be a starter next year, he was one of the lone bright spots all throughout the playoffs.

So many of them just looked so exhausted and "flat" in the playoffs- Varitek, Mueller, Nixon for example. Damon too. I have so many great memories of wathcing this team, basically it has been the same lineup for the past three years- thinking about how it will change is bittersweet- they have to move forward which is tough for a diehard fan. If they do not keep Damon and Mueller I think I will be somehwat upset, Timlin as well. Millar can go, he looks like he has lost his swing. Trot has another year on his contract, and I think Varitek has two or three more years. Schilling and Wells have one more year.

If the 2005 Red Sox take a legacy with them, it will be their will.

"I think we faced a lot of adversity with the injuries we suffered, losing our best starting pitcher and our best relief pitcher," said Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "We had some up and down performances. When I look back at the regular season, I'll think of how the players, the manager, the coaching staff [and] the organization overcame that adversity to win 95 games to get back into postseason and continue the standard of excellence that's been established recently. That was quite an accomplishment. That was actually our goal. When we looked at our team on paper before the injuries, we wanted 95. That's what we thought we should expect from this team. And we got, to a T, to that number despite not having Schilling and not having Foulke. That means a lot of people in this room have a lot to be proud of."

They battled through the injuries, prolonged slumps (Kevin Millar, Mark Bellhorn) and unforeseen demises that led to early departures (Alan Embree, Bellhorn). They dealt with the reality of facing every team's 'A' game every night -- another price that comes with being defending champs -- and kept their intensity at a high level.

Ishiguro up for award

LONDON - Julian Barnes and Kazuo Ishiguro were favorites Monday to win the Man Booker Prize, Britain's top literary honor.

Barnes leads the field with "Arthur and George," a historical novel based on a piece of real-life detective work by Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

"Never Let Me Go," a novel of childhood by Japanese-born Ishiguro, who won the Booker in 1989 for "The Remains of the Day," was also considered a strong contender. So was "On Beauty," the third novel by 29-year-old Zadie Smith, who has twice been on the long list for the prize.

"The Accidental" by Ali Smith, "A Long, Long Way" by Sebastian Barry and "The Sea," by John Banville rounded out the shortlist.

The winner was to be announced Monday evening at a ceremony in London.

Many consider the field one of the strongest in recent years. Big names from the 17-book long list who failed to make the cut include previous winners Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan.

The prize, which comes with an $88,000 check, is open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies. Founded in 1969 and long known as the Booker Prize, the award was renamed when the financial services conglomerate Man Group PLC began sponsoring it three years ago.

Damon free agent

Damon won't dwell on past or look to future

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | October 8, 2005
His voice was husky, emotions choked from tears that didn't fall. He knows he might be saying goodbye.


Goodbye with two strikeouts, two more chances to extend a dying season, two weak flails at pitches that found nothing but the catcher's mitt.
It's not the way Johnny Damon wanted to go out. And, remember, he might not be leaving at all. But Damon -- like Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, and Mike Timlin -- had a contract that expired with by Edgar Renteria's ground out, sealing a 5-3 loss to the White Sox in the finale of their American League Division Series.
''That's really something I don't want to think about right now," Damon said. ''You play the whole season with these guys, you enjoy every single moment. I hope I'm back. Hopefully we'll get a pretty good offer. I fell in love with Boston. Hopefully I'll be here for a long time. But that's something [general manager] Theo [Epstein] and the ownership and me and [agent Scott Boras] have to talk about, hopefully sometime in the near future."
It was a quiet exit, the sweep clouding Damon's four years in Boston, his first strikeout -- the one that left the bases loaded in the sixth -- an ignominious way to leave a city that he had embraced and had embraced him.
He stood at his locker after the game, wave upon wave of reporters flooding past, knowing that his future is uncertain. Damon, with his long locks and often scraggly beard, was the face of these Red Sox for the past three years. He was the chief Idiot and, along with David Wells this year, the most likely to say something controversial.
He might be back. He might be gone. And he's not alone.
Dotted throughout the clubhouse after the game were faces who could soon be changing uniforms, players who mostly refused to speculate on the future minutes after the game.
''You wish they could have brought everybody back from last year," Millar said. ''That didn't happen this year. I don't know what they're going to do. They've got a lot of decisions to make. That's why they work upstairs and we just play. If some of us aren't here, we'll go help somebody else. If we're all here, we'll try to do it again."
Few players, least of all Damon, were considering his next postseason run. This one was too fresh, too sudden. He still had one at-bat floating through his mind, one that he acknowledged with regret.
It was his biggest moment, his lasting memory, that fateful sixth inning, the one in which he got the last crack at reliever Orlando Hernandez. The bases were loaded with no outs, bringing up pinch hitter Jason Varitek (pop out to first), Tony Graffanino (pop out to shortstop) and then Damon.
''I was ready to hit a pitch," Damon said. ''There was a lot of tilt to that slider. He got a lot of guys check-swinging. He picked the right pitch at the right time."
His bat barely crossed the plane of the plate when umpire Mark Wegner ruled it a swing and a strikeout.
It was an inning that had started off with Manny Ramirez's second home run of the game, followed by a Trot Nixon single and two walks. It was Boston best chance to break things open.
Damon might be back. The man who was instrumental in Boston's run to the postseason, including challenging for the batting title until injuries caused a late-season slump that derailed his quest, might be back. He might walk into spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., in just a few months. He might be accompanied by Mueller, Millar, and Timlin. Anything's possible.
If not, he's said his goodbyes, inglorious as they were.
''I think it's been awesome," Damon said. ''The way our players love the city, how the city loved us, how they enjoyed us, different characters. Millar coming over and shouting across the clubhouse, us going out there and having fun. We may not have been as good on a certain night, if we stunk, most of us just raised our hand and said it was us. It was a group of guys who enjoyed each other, a group of guys who would love to play forever with each other. You don't have those teams too often."

Two things

1. I rented my tuxedo for the wedding and will pick it up at the South Shore plaza out in Mass.

2. I really, realy want the Red Sox to win today. It has been a long time since I have been waiting to see a game. Wakefield pitching.

FACT

The Red Sox have won eight of their last nine when facing elimination, including an unprecedented four straight after trailing the New York Yankees 3-0 in the AL championship series. Boston ran off eight in a row to beat the Yankees and then sweep the St. Louis Cardinals for their first World Series crown since 1918.

Game 2

Looking for a better showing by the Red Sox this evening, I liked that Nixon and Varitek did well, but that was about it. Matt Clement allowing 5 runs in the first inning was awful.

All the girls are still sick and I felt lousy this morning, concentrated in the throat area, very hard to swallow. Drank a lot of water today in the hopes of driving it out.

David Wells is pitching tonight, he is either feast or famine so I am not at all sure what to expect. I really hope Boston gets the victory.

I ran again last night, just a quick 2 miles to stretch my legs, and get out of the house and get some fresh air, it was still warm out even though it was about 830 at night. It felt really good, though my feet still hurt.

Also finished watching season one of Desperate Housewives with Aga. We need to remember to videotape season two, I think it is on Sunday evenings. It certainly is a very entertaining show, though we thought there would be much more sexual kind of themes and it seems more of a mystery, with some drama and some comedy added in occassionally.

If possible tomorrow I will try to get fitted for the tuxedo and also the dress shoes for Jen's wedding. Aga, N & J all have their dresses and shoes all ready. I have a pink tie that Andy got me so I am eager to see it, he seems to have good taste so I think it will be splendid.

Supposedly it is autumn though it hardly feels like it with this continued warm weather out here in Illinois. Supposedly it will get cooler later this week, I hope so because I want to start wearing the new Nike jacket Aga bought me.

Just realized I still have not watched "Million Dollar Baby"! Need to get going on that. It is tough with the baseball playoffs.

More on the BIG PAPI

Ortiz, of course, has earned the right to talk. Consider the following, courtesy of statistician Chuck Waseleski:

The 29-year-old designated hitter hit .410 with two or more runners on base.

He had 21 game-winning RBIs, eight from the seventh inning on. Nineteen of his 47 home runs and 50 of his 148 RBIs came from the seventh inning on.

He homered 26 times from the sixth inning on, eight times from the ninth inning on.

He recorded 74 RBIs at Fenway Park and 74 RBIs on the road. Other than Ramirez (144) and Damon (75), no other Red Sox player knocked in 74 runs total.

He hit .407 against lefthanded pitchers with runners in scoring position. Hit .368 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

He reached by hit, walk, or hit by pitch in 144 of his 158 games. He reached base three times or more in 81 games.

When the Red Sox trailed by 1 to 3 runs and runners were in scoring position, he hit .517 (15 for 29).

Most valuable.

Busy

Need to find somewhere to rent a tux and get some great shoes for Jen's wedding, leave to Boston next Thursday.

Taking the family out for pizza tonight.

Red Sox playoffs starts tomorrow at 3 pm central time.

House of ILLNESS

Both N & J remain ill, lots of coughing, lots of medicine and finally the smaller sized bottles of water going around. We spent a portion of the morning practicing writing first names and making drawings, then had an impromptu "picnic" int he living room, enjoying some fresh strawberries. Now Nicki is sleeping and Julia, believe it or not, has commandeered my satellite radio and is listening to a children's channel- presently it is the story "three little pigs" which she finds quite a coincidence since all morning long she was drawing "baby piggies".

Red Sox can clinch the wild card today so I am excited.

I am trying hard to figure out some way to visit my sister and new brother in London, who knows if it is possible, it sure is not affordable.