Well…..perhaps a little joy…
I didn’t intend to dress in black today, but I realized late in the morning that from head to toe, I was swathed in black. Black shoes and socks, black slacks, a black silk shirt….everything is black. It must have been because I felt the need to mourn.
I had such incredibly high hopes for the Cubs. They have had the most amazing year. We’ve been so used to them loosing that they set a fire under us and sparked the rush to rejoice: WE COULD WIN!!!
As true Cubs fans, we will now focus on the fact that we have a competitive team who brought us great joy this year. And we’ll pat each other on the back and say…..”There’s always next year!
Congratulations CUBS! Thanks Dusty Baker for and incredible year! See you next Spring.
Monthly Archives: October 2003
Talismen
Do you have a keepsake that you keep near you, even when you travel? Is there something you need to have nearby at all times?
I haven’t experienced this as an adult, but as a young child I had a blanket that had to be available to me or the uproar would be unbearable. It was a thin child’s quilt that was a faded pink. I’d leave it on the floor until bedtime to chill it. I’d form a circle with my thumb and last three fingers and draw the blanket through the circle to chill my cheek, and I bent my index finger and sucked on it.
Mother says that I used to stand next to the washer and dryer when I was forced to give the blanket up to be washed. She couldn’t pry me loose. I was probably about six when my father used Blankie as a rag. They tried to find all sorts of substitutes, but it was never the same. I could never get them to admit that it was a conspiracy to get me to stop sucking my index finger.
Today, I discovered what happens when your parents aren’t successful in weaning you from your childhood talismen. You become a 25 year old who carries a blanket and a teddy everywhere you go. Can’t you see having to explain about the blanket to your boss? Worse yet…..how to you tell your lover to “GET OFF MY BLANKIE!”?? Or when your four year old reaches for your teddy….”Touch my teddy and DIE!”
All I can say is……”Thanks, Mom and Dad, for helping me give it up!”
What we think…
Today I was reading “Dear Abby” in the Chicago TRibune. A reader sent in the Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do from Rotary International. The four questions to be asked are:
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned.
Normally, I’d choose to follow these guidelines. I think they have a lot to say about good citizenship, and empathy for others.
But tonight, there’s not a chance I can put them in place. Did you see that jerk interfere with play last night at the Cub’s game? I’m astounded that Alou was able to control himself. I wouldn’t have! I’d have been climbing the wall to take him out!
The Cubs have gone SOooooo LONG without a winning season, and a FAN interferes with play. It doesn’t matter that he’s a good man, that he does wonderful things for kids, or that he’s a friend to all. He distrupted the play, broke the Cub’s concentration and opened the door to the Marlins wiping us off the field. He KNOWS the game, and should have known better! Asshat!
The best thing for all involved is for the Cubs to win tonight, and put this behind us!
Sports??
Yeah….who would have guessed they’d see ME talking about sports!? It’s been a lifetime endeavor to avoid all things sporting, because most of the teams near me have been the pits!
I know….the Cubbies lost last night, but we’re not out of the running yet. And to be a Cubs fan you have to take the “hope springs eternal” pledge. For years we have said “There’s always next year.” So the headline in the Trib a week ago was…..”Next year is here.” I have faith that the Cubs will go on to the World Series.
And that brings me to what I actually wanted to say. I assume that the World Series is played on the home fields of the competing teams. If that’s the case, and if the Red Sox beat the Yankees to get to the World Series, we (The CUBS) need to get the field crew busy creating a kick-ass design for our infield!
Did you see how they mowed the infield where the Red Sox play?? It’s a jazzed up version of a variable star….a pattern any quilter would recognize! I swear they must use GPS to guide the mowers! I’m really impressed, and feel that we need to prepare our own field so that we can stand the comparison.
Quilters, e-mail your suggestions to Ron Santo and Pat Huges at WGN, right away!
And while I have your attention, if you are a Sox or Yankees fan, plan to be on your best behavior when you come to Chicago. We want to win MORE than you do, but that doesn’t mean fighting during the game is okay.
Here endeth the sports report for the day.
Rants
To rant, or not to rant, that is the question. Every now and then it just bursts out of me. Most times I can manage to maintain my cool. I believe it’s healthy to rant, and I’m not sure why I don’t rant more, since it feels Sooooo GOOD!
Reflection
Defer and I were out walking this afternoon. Remember that tree that I described a week ago Sunday? I was sitting in the kitchen as the sun rose, and it set the top of the tree into a golden fire? Well, in just one short week the tree completely turned to flame and then dropped all it’s leaves. All that is left is the skeleton.
Our lot is bordered by a walking path, and the path is edged with trees. There are a lot of black walnut trees that hang over the path. Usually in September they drop their leaves, and then you see the black walnuts ripening on the bare branches. This year the leaves and the walnuts fell about the same time, and the path is littered with husks and leaf trash.
Da Cubs!
The Cubs WON last night! They WON!!! WooooooooAhhhhhhhhhhh!
This is the first time in 58 years that the Cubs have played in a post season play off. There aren’t a lot of people left who can remember them winning, so this feels like a miracle to most of us. Heck….the last time they made it all the way to the World Series was in 1908.
If you love the Cubs, you have learned to deal with disappointment, but that makes this season all the sweeter! Die-hard Cubs fans feel vindicated for their faith after a lifetime of loosing.
GO CUBS!!! GO CUBS!!! GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Quiet Day
We were planning on going out to brunch this morning, as a late celebration of my birthday. One of my all time favorite restautants is Pappadeaux, a Cajun place that is part of the Pappas brother’s chain. There are two in the Chicago area, and I’m relieved that none of them are any closer than 30 minutes, or I’d LIVE there.
We visited Jamie and Speedbump for New Years two years ago, and I discovered that they have ALL the Pappas restaurants in one place. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. There are at least six restaurants that feature seafood, barbeque, steak, Mexican, Cajun and Italian. Each restaurant features one cusine, and has “pappa” built into the name (Pappadeaux, Pappacitos, Pappas Brothers, etc.)
At any rate….we were supposed to go to brunch this morning, but it seems a cold has set in, and no one was up for it. That’s a first! We’ve spent a quiet morning. DH has been watching the History and Sci-Fi channels, I’ve been reading mail and blogging and Mother has been knitting and watching HGTV.
One of the problems associated with a change of plans like this is always…..what will we do for dinner. Today, it seems we are in luck.
At LAST!
The Arr!! has returned home for the winter. Friday night, Dear Husband went to Chicago to spend the night on the boat. He left the truck and trailer at the boatyard and then took his first EL ride to get to the boat. That alone was an experience. It seems the train didn’t stop at his stop the first time around. He stayed on and did the entire trip around the Loop to get to his stop.
Neither of us have ever ridden an elevated train, so it follows that we’ve never purchased a ticket, either. DH put a $20 bill into the dispenser for a $1.50 fare, thinking he would get change. Instead, he got a little credit card worth $20 of rides! I’m going to make him take me to Chicago to ride the EL and go Christmas shopping. That’s going to be one expensive elevated trip! lol
Cable TV
We are one of the legion of people who have cable TV. Our reception is so bad that we wouldn’t bother to turn the TV on if we didn’t have cable or dish reception.
About two weeks ago, DH turned the TV on and discovered there was absolutely no picture. We had a fuzzy gray screen and noisey static. So, he called to report that we were having a problem.