Wednesday, December 24, 2008

christmas tree, OHHHHHHH christmas tree.....

i don't mind that its been snowing for a week. i don't mind seeing another ten days of snow in the forecast. i don't mind feeling like i'm stuck on an island, that the buses are not running, or that i've had to use six vacation days thus far because i haven't been able to get to work.

....wait a minute. YEAH i do!!

jules and i were going to get our christmas tree last weekend but given that she doesn't drive in the snow, (which really is better for everyone), we still didn't have one as of two days ago. no bueno. considering that and the fact i get SERIOUS cabin fever --like, i almost jumped off the deck a few times from boredom-- i decided to make a tree. i gave a quick tutorial to everyone on how to make paper snowflakes, (apparently they had forgotten that from third grade... weird), i made the frame out of red wrapping paper, and wah-la.... i have a tree residing over my fire place. here is the finished product:




yeah, im that rad. at least it kept me occupied.
speaking of which, im stuck at home... again.
what to do... what to do...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Todays rundown:

I wake up, get dressed, head for the bus. Its roughly 8:45 in the AM. I stand there for over an hour and a half before a bus comes. Upon arrival the driver says he is too full. I say F it, call up the roomie, hit up Alki CafĂ© for some grub. Two buses pass by while I'm eating. Figures. Bill comes, and so does another bus. I run out, catch it, and as I hit the Admiral junction it starts snowing. I decide to go for it and head to the east side anyways. Two hours later I’m at work facing roughly 400 unread emails. I’m ready to go back home.

Friday, December 12, 2008

How I know that I’m getting older:

3) My joints hurt when it’s cold outside.

2) I no longer look at children and think “They’re cute, but I’m glad they’re not mine,” and instead I feel my ovaries scream “I want one of those!!”

1)I just spent 30 minutes planning out my Friday evening, which will now consist of making dinner for a gaggle of girls and watching Kung Foo Panda.



Tragic.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Break time!!

Fall quarter is officially over – thank cheese and everything else that is holy. Had my last final last night, and after bombing the hell out of the test I still pulled off an A. I just looked up my total GPA, and after workin out a 3.8 I realize how completely ridiculous I am... for not being satisfied with it of course. Someone slap me.

I have the next three weeks off. Whatever shall I do with myself?

Friday, September 26, 2008

The breast may be best..... but could you please leave my ice cream out of this??

A friend of mine sent me this article yesterday. At first I was mildly grossed out, then I laughed a bit, and now I just have too many questions.

After doing a little bit of Google searching I was enlightened to the fact that there are six human milk banks in the US for babies who will not/cant take formula and who’s mothers can not breast feed for various reasons. Thats for new borns, so let’s just side-step that for a moment shall we and focus in on the ridiculous amount of extra milk the women in this world would need to squeeze out just to satisfy the ice cream demands alone. I won’t even get started on cheese.

Can you imagine the production line for something like this? I mean, would there be factories? Are these women sub-contractors? Do they get medical benefits? Instead of receiving maternity leave are they forced to work over time? Do they have to provide their own pump or is there somewhere they can 'hook up'?? Are they milked by machines or is it the old fashion pulling on the utters style? If it’s the latter, I’m sure there will be a flood of male applicants. These dudes will be the first in line. I smell an HR violation in there somewhere.

I’m all for humane treatment of animals, but come on…. really?? Soon we’ll be seeing organizations pop up everywhere defending the rights of mistreated breasts.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Carol Decker



In June, while seven months pregnant, Carol Decker went into the emergency room with a fever over 103 degrees. Within an hour she was given an emergency C-section, was immediately put into an induced coma, and was eventually diagnosed with a septic pneumonia infection. All of her major organs began to fail, her skin literally boiled, and her blood began to clot in an abnormal manor. The doctors eventually had no choice but to amputate both of her legs and her left arm. She is now also blind, but alive.

With the use of prosthetics, and severe physical therapy, Carol is expected to one day be able to walk and play with her children again. Unfortunately, it will have a cost. Literally. Within the last three months alone Carol’s medical bills have surpassed $2 million dollars, and they continue to grow. She is expected to be returning home next week, but extensive rehab is needed, which among other things are not covered by her insurance.

Carol is the sister of one of my best friends, a wife, a mother of two baby girls, a beautiful individual, a fighter, and a member of a family who loves and supports her to no end. This family is now in need of help. Please take a moment to read her story, leave a message, and contribute in any possible way that you can to her recovery.

Carol’s husband, Scott, has been keeping a blog to update friends and family about her progress:

http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com/



If you would like to make a contribution to Carol and her family, you may do so at any Washington Mutual Bank under the ‘Benevolent account for Scott C Decker FBO, Carol J Decker and Safiya Decker’. This information can also be found within this blog posting:

http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com/2008/06/update-to-account-information.html


Komo 4 news aired a story about this last night on the 11 o’clock broadcast. If you care to read the story or watch the video, it can be seen here:

http://www.komonews.com/news/28125714.html

Thursday, August 7, 2008

GAWD shes cute!!!

My sister, Elizabeth, is taking a month long tour around the country to show the baby off. Her first stop was my house!! This past weekend I finally got to meet Atigun and I could not possibly be more excited about having this little girl in my life forever.

I'll spare you from the hundred plus variations of the same five or six pictures and show you just a few of them...







She looks a lot like my sister in this picture...





Meeting of the minds here folks. Jules discovered that when she said "BOOOOOOOBIES" that Atigun would laugh. Go figure.






OOOOOOOR not......





I also raided Elizabeth's laptop and jacked a disk full of pics and out of all of them I fell in love with this one for some reason...


Both E & A will be back at the end of the month before returning to Alaska, so I'll get to spend another day with both of them. Im sure by then the babes will be twice as big as she was just a few days ago. She needs to knock that off.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

NBA Finals = A Happy Martha

Allow me to admit something - Every NBA Championship Finals that the Lakers have been a part of I have cheered for them…. until now.



Now that we've got that out of the way…


You either love him, or hate him, but no matter which it is for you there is no denying KB's usual domination on the court. On average he's 45% percent from the floor, and can generally get away with comments about how he can 'manage' a game from a distance and then turn things back on whenever he so pleases because, well, we believe he can. We've seen him do it. He is without a doubt one of the most talented players ever. Cocky or not, it's the truth. It's been said that when he wants to make a basket, he will, that no one can guard him, and that he is one of the greatest closers. That very well may be true, but all its making me want to do right now is stand up and give Boston some props.

Game one he shot 9-26, and last night he was just 11-23. Ouch. In the four losses to Boston this season, Bryant is just 35-of-93 from the field. Call it 'bad looks' if you'd like, I'll call it good defense. Give credit when due, and the Celtics have figured out how to stop the 'unstoppable' man. Brav-friggin-o!!

Yes, Kobe helped close Boston's 24 point lead down to 2 during the last 5 minutes of the game, but seriously, good job on getting that far behind in the first place. LA fans, go ahead and pick at that one. I know you're dying too. And to the Celtics, DON'T F'IN BLOW LEADS LIKE THAT!! I'm too young to have a heart attack and things like that are not helping. Plain and simple, Boston got too comfortable.

Moving along…

Last week on ESPN's website a group of sports nuts/experts listed five factors they thought were going to play majors rolls in this series. Number one was Kobe Bryant. No surprise there. Number five was each team's bench. Let's take a look at those good'ole bench warmers shall we??

The Lakers may have multiple decades worth of experience on their bench, but they have yet to put up high contributing stats. With a few of their key players in early foul trouble, Jackson sent second string guys in to play during the second quarter… you know, when Boston first started pulling ahead!? And they were the favored ones.

The Celtics on the other hand have had multiple contributors. PJ Brown has done an outstanding job in the wake of Perkins hurting his ankle, and Powe, who played a measly 15 minutes in last nights game, shot 6-7 from the floor, and got to the line 13 times. THIRTEEN TIMES!! That was more than the entire Lakers team shot the whole game. Give that man the T-Mobile player of the game!! He deserved it. Had I remembered the number the one time they flashed it on screen I would have sent a text or two for him as well.

So maybe the Celtic team is young, and yeah they have been doing fairly shitty in the playoffs in comparison to how they 'should' have been playing considering their regular season record. Everyone 'should' have been a breeze. You know what I have to say about that?? They still won! They STILL made it to the Finals. They are a group of guys who have never played on a team together, most of them have never been to the Finals before, and on a team that hasn't been there since the 80's… and right now they're kicking the Lakers' ass!! Rajon Rondo's total of 16 assists was the highest for any player in a Finals game since Magic Johnson in 1991. They had 31 assists on 36 FGs last night to give them the highest percentage for any of Boston's 118 Finals games ever. Not bad for some inexperienced babies don't you think?

Now, I am fully aware that the Lakers are 8-0 in the postseason at home, and that they've won 14 in a row there as well, and yada yada… but they have also never overcome a 2-0 deficit in the Finals, while Boston is 7-0 all time when holding a 2-0 series lead. I'm just thanking everything that is holy they won yesterdays game because having to win all 3 in LA would have been a *bitch*. Home court definitely plays a big factor, (and I believe it was either 3rd or 4th in that list), and naturally I can't expect Boston to take the next two games, and I doubt they will. I'm an optimist but a realist at the same time. That being said, I'm going to go with my original prediction of Celtics in 6 games… and then they'll get to celebrate at home. Won't that be nice??

Lakers cheerleaders – go ahead and hate away. Just know that whatever happens I'm stoked we have a great match up to watch this year. ALLELUIA!! That makes me a happy girl.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Atigun, meet the Internet… Internet, this is Atigun.

I’m in love and wanted to share some of the first pictures I have seen of my niece, Atigun Ophelia Swan…






Last night I popped in an old video of my family from when we were on a local SoCal talk show back in the mid-80s, (story for another time), and reality slapped me across the face. My big sister that was sitting next to me, who at the time was only 6 years old, is now a mother. Little weird, (slightly aging), but pretty awesome.

I am not sure when I will be able to meet this newest addition to my family, but I am looking forward to it and I’m sure when I finally do I’ll ball like a little girl.


Life is good.

Friday, March 21, 2008

When was the last time you danced?

Every afternoon when I was a little girl I would pull my Mickey Mouse record player into the living room, throw on some Michael Jackson (who I was TOTALLY in love with), stick my arms straight out and run around in circles while being completely convinced that I was the best dancer in the world. I didn’t care if my mom walked in and saw me, I hoped she would so I could show off a bit. Nothing made me happier. For years I said to myself, “When I grow up I want to be a dancer”. Although that did not happen I still fancy a corner of the dance floor from time to time.

Lately I have been living vicariously through the peeps on America’s Best Dance Crew. GO JABBAWOCKEEZ!!!!!..... they of course are much better dancers than I am but I get this little twitch in my shoulders and boogie in my butt while I watch them perform. It’s all sorts of awesome. There was another show a few years back, something ridiculous on MTV with Wade Whatshisface where in the final round he would quickly teach two contestants some choreography and they’d compete in head to head combat... it was super cereal and kind of dumb but I watched it anyways. There was a certain move one time on an episode that was kind of the dopeness that I decided to give a whirl. I was having one of those ‘no one is watching me so I’m rockstaring it up in the mirror with a comb microphone’ moments… only I was in the kitchen doing the dishes and looking mildly goofy while my roommate, unbeknownst to myself, was watching the whole time. Sometimes being embarrassed can cause healthy fits of giggles. I’m sure she had a few. My job there was done.

A few days ago while getting my hair did in CK’s salon our friend Natasha’s younger brother decided to teach us some ultra fantasmica dance crazes. I really hope that everyone walking past stopped to take a gander at our ridiculousness, but I wouldn’t know even if they did because I was too busy doing the Cupid and Superman. Side note: I would be perfectly ok with never hearing Soulja Boy ever again but something makes me a slightly happier now that I know the dance….. “watch me crank and watch me ROLLLLL”. *ahem*

If you’ve known me for a long time then you are aware that there was a point in life when you would never see me anywhere other than on the dance floor and it was extremely difficult to drag me away from it. There are still those nights when it is pointless to try and talk to me because I am too busy twirling around and acting silly. I am sorry if I step on you and will apologize in a few hours when I realize that I have broken your toe with my stomping (Dac, you know what I mean). Everyone should have these evenings…. minus the damaged appendages.

Monday, March 17, 2008

No, dip shit. You’re on a boat in the middle of a lake.

During the boat cruise on Friday night there were two separate instances when people came up just to give me a random hug and I replied with “Oh, are you leaving?!?”

I am pretty awesome.

Other worthy notables of proof:
1) I purchased a Whispers two disk greatest hits album on Saturday afternoon..
2) and Huey Lewis and the News
3) then I went home to watch Step Up 2… and LOVED it!!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hungry?



Now, this may look like a taste little morsel, but Im curious as to how many people in this world, when hungry, immediately think "Oh man, I wish I had a Snickers bar right now". It may satisfy the sweet tooth, but curb the hunger?? I'm a bit skeptical.

Last night officially marked the end of dodgeball for the season. My team is retiring until fall so we can go play outside instead of being cooped up in a smelly gymnasium.... which is fine by me because KICKBALL STARTS IN TWO WEEKS!!!!! (yes!!)

Two years ago I threw a boat party and all of the proceeds went to my roomies to help pay for their wedding. It may just be in my top ten list of fantasmica evenings. I am throwing another one on the same boat tomorrow night and it is making me realize how quickly time can pass you by. It was apparently so quick that I even put on the flyer that the first party happened last summer (oops). I really was convinced that it had only been one year. Two years from now I wonder what I will look back and have forgotten *shrugs*. Ginkgo anyone?? But anyways, it got me thinking about all of the people who were there last time(especially you, Tara), how many of them have moved away (again T, I'm calling you out), how many people have been married since, changed careers, had babies, bought houses, and so on.... and it's making me wish that I could just get every single person that I know and stick them on that damn boat again so we could have another night together laughing and dancing around like idiots. Chances are most of them will be, but Im a little sad that a few others will not. I'll just have to keep them in thought.

Is it the weekend yet?? GEEZ.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Tidy Whitey Superheros.

Last Friday night may have been one of the most entertaining evenings of my entire life. It was my girlfriend Crystal's birthday and the list of ridiculous is anything but short when it comes to her birthday themes. We've done 80's karaoke, been cowgirls for an evening and gone to a primarily male gay line dancing club, taken over as tour guides on a Ride the Duck tour, and on... and on. When asked this year what theme she wanted she replied with Tidy Whitey Superheros. So that is what we were.


The plan was to take over a dive bar up in Everett. Throw on some bright tights, a colorful wig, sport some high platform boots, and safety pin a piece of fabric to your shoulders for a cape and people tend to look at you a little sideways. Who would have thunk?? We walked in and the band literally stop playing... pure awesomeness. Naturally by the end of the night we were taking pictures with them for their website.


We were either loved or hated by the rest of the patrons but one thing is for sure, we were nothing but entertainment to all of them. May these pictures be the same for you...





























Crystal - I love you more today than yesterday, but not nearly as much as tomorrow... and that is not only because you take such fabulous pictures (see above).

Happy Birthday.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

I still love you, Josh Brown.





A wave of shock past through me last Friday when I heard you were leaving. Was this something that could have been avoided? Had we not screamed loud enough for you in the stands? Maybe we didn’t listen to your radio show enough… I knew I should have called in. I have so many questions for you. Who will lead us in points next year? When will we have another record breaking kicker on our squad? Are you going to eventually be replaced by someone who will tackle the way you do? And what makes the Rams so much better for you than us?? Thoughts of you playing with another team slowly started tearing away at my heart as I read quotes from you in the news…

"They just blew me away with their offer," Brown said. "I can't tell you exactly how it feels to be received and wanted that way by a ballclub."

So it’s the money then?? I hope you know it can’t buy you happiness.
It can’t be that. It must be something else…

"I never felt like we were really, really close," Brown said. "I felt like we just kept dancing around things, we just kept going back and forth, and nothing was ever being finalized and certain things that I perceived to be important were not being paid attention to."

I realize now where mistakes were made. We may have heard you, but we never listened. Kickers really do need love too and I am sorry that you have not felt that in Seattle. I am sorry that our relationship has come to this, and I am sorry the Hawks let you down. Sometimes you just really don’t know what you’ve got until its gone. Next season as you kick field goals against us I am sure that all 67,000 12th men in that stadium will all realize just how great it was to have you on our side.

I’ve been selfish this past week. I apologize. I haven’t taken into account that this is a great move for you. You get your $3million a year!! And take that $4million signing bonus!! You deserve it. I am sure that your family is excited to have you closer to home as well. These are all great things for you that I must keep in mind. I have just one request though… try not to feel this way, ok?? It hurts my soul when you think I could treat you like this…

“I'm going to get massacred by the Seattle fans now.”


I will be the bigger Hawk in this situation. I can accept that the Rams are showing you a greater appreciation than we did. Just know that the support was always there for you from this fan.

I still love you, Josh Brown. I am really going to miss you.
Thank you for five great years.

-Martha

Friday, February 29, 2008

After much anticipation..... prom pics.

Rent a 6000 square foot hall, get some disco lights, tell you're friends to brush the dust off their 90's prom attire, play a little Journey and Bobby B, and what do you get?? Countless amounts of nonsense as well as ruffles, bow ties, corsages, crowns, boas, pumps, rhinestones, tuxedo shirts, cummerbunds, shoulder pads, pocket protectors, interpretive dancing (mostly done by me), punch spiking (also done by yours truly), and... whats that stuff called again... oh yeah, FUN!!! In a nut shell... prom was the jam!!

I'm pretty sure I had the hottest date there...




Here is a link to the pictures the photographer took!!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Breathe Me.

Every time that I watch Sia perform I fall in love with her all over again. My first experience with the kooky Australian was in a quaint little venue a few years ago with one of my best friends, Tara. Up until then I enjoyed Zero 7’s music but had fairly little knowledge of Sia herself. From the time this little ball of awesomeness walked out on stage to when she was saying her goodnights, she absolutely blew me away. She made a new lifelong friend that night as her voice plucked away note by note on my soul’s strings.

As we exited the venue I bought her CD and although it was completely amazing, I was somewhat disappointed. I was unknowingly being spoiled by hearing her live before ever hearing her solo work via a recording. I must tell you, CDs will ever do her justice. It is quite a feat to say that someone is better live than on an album, but she has yet to fail me in the belief that she is 10x better in person.

Last night was my fifth time being a part of her audience. My girlfriend and I found ourselves a fairly good spot with a clear view, but unfortunately it was amidst drunk fest ’08 and people were being so loud you could barely hear what she was saying between songs… which really is a bummer because she is also quite the entertainer. However, Breathe Me came on (which is by far my most favorite to hear live) and the entire crowd fell silent. It was perfect. She sang a few more songs and then as she collected her gifts of bamboo, stuffed animals, and cards the crowd had given her, all the while graciously thanking all of them, I couldn’t help but want to jump on stage, fold her up, and put her in my pocket. Maybe next time.

If you have never listened to Sia, pull your head out from under that rock and go YouTube her. Better yet, go buy her albums, check your local venues for upcoming tour dates, and go see her perform. If you don’t like her I will personally reimburse you for your tickets while slapping you for having no musical taste.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Borat invades my bathroom…

In the downstairs bathroom of my house there is a rather large sized map of the world hanging on the wall. Along the very bottom of this map there are pictures of various flags. So a while back someone cut the face of Borat out of a magazine, without my roomies or I knowing, and tapped it to the Kazakhstan flag. Obviously this was a premeditated act of silliness and we thought it was quit entertaining once we noticed it, and who knows how long it had been there. Well Borat has recently changed locations. Someone decided to find Kazakhstan on the map and move him there. Now, the person who we thought was originally guilty of starting this little joke has not been over to our house for quite a while which means that there is a second culprit who decided to join in on the fun….

I love my friends. They are obviously ridiculous.

Jumper

I'm pretty sure that the only thing that made paying $9 for this movie worth while was that I was able to look at this mug for two hours...




If anybody wants to see a GREAT movie... go see Cloverfield.
It's my new favorite right now.... aside from Step Up that is ;)

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

todays lunch = sixty well spent minutes

A good friend and I meet up for lunch at least once a week. He works in the mall that is a few blocks away and today we spent our hour sitting and watching little kids on the indoor playground there, chuckling to ourselves about how easily amused and cute they all were. I’m pretty sure they would have been just as entertained with a cardboard box as they were with this 4ft tall boat.

I have been on the look out a few weeks now for a new hat and after leaving my friend I somehow wondered into a store towards their sales bin where I found the perfect one for $10. My head is ecstatic.

I said I ‘somehow wondered’ because I was on the phone and not really paying attention to what I was doing… (apparently I spend money when I’m not paying attention, hmm).. but as this hat was getting out of my mind and into my life…(why am I hearing Billy Ocean right now??)… I was finalizing the plans for a cupcake baking party, (for prom), on Thursday at my house. I don’t even like cupcakes, but the thought of baking them with a few of my girlfriends sort of fancies me.

It’s the simple things in life that make me smile.
Happy Tuesday.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

8 days and counting.

I’m finding great humor in the fact that, at age 25, I was just asked to my first dance. A long time friend of mine messaged me a few days ago from Arizona and asked if I would go to prom with him. I immediately informed him that it was rude to tease a girl about such a thing. This morning he sent me his flight itinerary. How could I refuse?? It’s entirely besides the point that his family lives here and that I’m pretty sure he was planning on coming anyways... what is relative is that I now have a date to the prom and someone to slow dance to Celine Dion with. I find the whole thing rather humorous and cute. Now I just need to find a dress…

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

today’s tid-bits


The Giants? Really? GO PATRIOTS!!!

I reinjured an old knee wound from back in Nam snowboarding last Sunday. Of course I continued to ride for another 5 hours. As a result a co-worker is taking great joy in being able to call me gimpy again. I suppose I deserve it. My new dodgeball season starts next week and naturally I will be playing regardless of the handicap. I apparently love learning the hard way…. and I’m stubborn.

My Grandparents, I will have you know, are quite the gamblers. They are frequent offenders of a little place called Atlantic City. Once a year my Mom’s side of the family meets there to eat, visit, and gamble (obviously). How it works: Grandmas on the slots, my Aunts and Uncle are on various card tables, and Gpa is meandering around between everyone keeping tabs on individual’s winnings and making sure we all know when and where we're eating again so we can do the aforementioned visiting thing. Gramps is turning 80 at the end of next month but taking a preemptive trip to the AC in two weeks, so now I am as well. I’m not sure that any other extended family will be there besides the Grand-rents, but in addition to them I’ll get to see my Dad (who has since moved to the east coast), my brother (who I haven’t seen in… I’m not actually sure anymore), and my prego sister (I’m looking forward to seeing her nice and plump). I leave Friday morning and get back Sunday night. 2 days of planes, trains, and automobiles for 1 day of fam time. It’s worth it.

Prom is in nine days. NINE DAYS PEOPLE!!! The decoration committee is hard at work, 100’s of cupcakes are being made to serve along with the punch (which I plan on spiking), and I’m working on a list of early 90’s songs for the DJs that definitely need to be played. This may just be the most ridiculous thing ever. Well, maybe.

Last but certainly not least, in case you were wondering about the monster truck show… I’m pretty sure my face in this picture accurately portrays how absolutely fantasmica it was….



You know you want one…

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Key note for the day:

It is almost time for Girl Scout cookies!!




him: Do you ever correlate the girl scouts with drug dealing?
these girls get rounded up
they are given product from their supplier
who get it from their supplier
all the money that they make they have to give back
and all they get is a merit badge or some ish like that
what do the girls get out of it?

me : sugar high?

him: gotta get that fix
‘I need some more smack bird’
but none the less I do like those damn cookies


He's got a good point.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Are you ready for some football??

Well I’m not. Not really anyways. Not after the Hawks had their asses handed to them on Saturday. I could rant on about what a horrible game that was but I’ll refrain and get on with what I’m really festering over. Who the hell am I going to cheer for in the AFC championship game?? I’m fairly confident that either team could beat the winner of the NFC game, but I find myself at odds with who gets my vote.

I am a Charger by birth. I was born in San Diego and they, along with the Padres, will forever be my default teams. Last season my Hawks section nearly gave me the boot because I wore my ’86 Chargers t-shirt (how I still fit into it is beyond me) underneath my Seattle jersey and I caught myself cheering for SD as we clinched the win. <---- Did you see how I just did that?? I said ‘we’ as if I am still a Charger. I’m sure I will eventually be ousted as a true Hawks fan for such things. I have a soft spot. Give me a break. So here is my dilemma: I would really like to see first hand (via the television obviously) an undefeated season by the Patriots. They are now just two games away from accomplishing this but in order to do so they would have to beat my Chargers in Sundays AFC championship game. So who am I going to cheer for?? My ‘home’ team? Or the second team in NFL history to have a perfect regular and post season? At this point I’ll just have to wait until I’m watching the game and see who I end up screaming at the television for (because I do that sort of thing). If only they could play each other in the Super Bowl.

The two reasons why I don’t really care about the NFC game now that the Hawks are out: the Packers and the Giants.

Green Bay beat Seattle. Hard. Granted the Hawks didn’t really show up to play so I should be upset with them, but instead I’ve opted to point the finger elsewhere and blame the Packers on their own victory. Yeah, it would be nice to see Favre win in his last season (maybe?), and sure he’s a great quarterback with a laundry list of various awards, rings, and records under his belt… one of which includes most interceptions thrown ((had to throw that one out there (no pun intended). Really, who would want that??))… and he of course helped mold the Hawk’s own Hasselbeck into the QB he is today so I should be grateful… but despite all of these things, all of the reasons I should want to see him succeed, there is one particular thing keeping me from wanting to see the team succeed and advance to the Super Bowl… I’m bitter. *folds arms*

And then there are the Giants. It’s 2004 and Eli Manning is the number one draft pick by the San Diego Chargers… and then he refuses to play for them because they are not a good enough team. Excuse me? Aren’t you new?? Subsequently he was traded to the New York Giants. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of how/why the draft is set up the way it is don’t you think?? Hate to dislike an entire team because of one person, but the QB is the front man so the cards just fall that way some times.


**Small disclaimer - I am fully aware that none of these reasons are the most statistical way I could approach either of these games, but it is what it is.**

So here’s how I see it:

If the Patriots beat the Chargers, (notice I said ‘if’), then they will win the Super Bowl. I think they could beat both NY and Green Bay, but that they would have a more difficult time with the latter. Patriots are currently 0-1 against Green Bay in previous SBs, so their chance at redemption, along with the obvious potential 19-0 record, would add another interesting element. This team match up would be the most entertaining in my opinion, although one scenario that would be just RAD to see... NY and SD. Watching Eli be defeated by the team he refused to play for would be absolutely priceless.

I’ll be snowboarding all day on Sunday so the TiVo will be set and the games will be awaiting my return… so no one call me and say who won or you’ll ruin Christmas!!

I hate to say it, but football this year needs to just hurry up and end so I can focus more on my true love, basketball.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Monster Jam!!!

Anything that goes BOOM!!!, gets crunched, smashed, obliterated, can be lit on fire, implodes, or explodes kind of excites me. I would love to be a pyrotechnic. Being on site for a demolition and pushing the big red button for some 30-something story building has always been a fantasy of sorts. In a nut shell, I like watching things be destroyed. When the old Kingdome stadium here in Seattle was set to be demolished I planned out my viewing spot 2 months in advance. It was in that same stadium that I went to my last monster truck show. This Saturday I get to go rock out again, (this time in the Tacoma dome), watch a little derby action, and see some big trucks break shit. I’m stoked.





Things to be expected:
- a variety of mullets
- an array of handle bar mustaches
- chaps (I’ll give double points for no pants underneath)
- to loose a few brain cells by inhaling exhaust fumes
- total inhalation of multiple cars
- something to be set on fire
- to leave wanting my own monster truck
- a damn good time


BRING IT!!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Luis Bernal

My friend Luis (aka Taco) was murdered on December 11th, 2006. The first of two trials recently concluded and tomorrow afternoon i will be going to the sentencing of the first person found guilty. I was asked by the family to write a victims impact letter to the court and will possibly be reading it aloud tomorrow.

Love and hugs.


VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT
State of Washington vs. ABEL EDUARDO CONTRERAS Superior Court
Cause No. 06-1-05904-4

State of Washington vs. Anthony N. Sakellis
Cause No. 06-1-05885-4


I appreciate this opportunity to let the court know how the death of Luis Bernal has personally affected me. This is something that I have been forced to think about ever since last December, and no matter how much time passes finding the words to describe how I feel about the murder of my friend still proves to be very difficult.

I have known Luis for over 10 years. He was a loving son and brother, along with a caring friend and former roommate. He was a teddy bear and could always bring a smile to anyone’s face. I have countless memories of him including traveling, video games, hearing him play records, various road trips, late night talks, food runs, kitchen cleaning parties, holidays, shared pets, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, the last memory and image I have of him now is of his murdered body lying in a coffin, dressed in his favorite football jersey, covered in a blanket, and wishing that he’d just jump up and tell me that it was just one of his stupid pranks. Only it was not. I have spent countless hours playing out what that fateful night may have been like for him. I have heard him calling for help, and I have envisioned him being shot and killed. I have never wanted any of those thoughts to run through my head, but they have. His death has brought up emotions within me ranging everything from depression to rage. I feel sorrow for everyone who has been left to deal with this horrendous loss and I am angry at those who are responsible for making us feel this way. We will never be able to call Luis on the phone again. We will never be able to hear his voice. We will never share another birthday, laugh, story, smile, or joke. We will never find out what his children will be like, and he will never experience the joys of being an Uncle. How can anyone accurately portray the feelings these facts create? And how are we supposed to cope and accept his loss when it was something so completely unnatural and at the hands of another human being?

This letter was suppose to be written in order for me to explain what the impact of Luis Bernal’s death has been on me, but I don’t think that any arrangement or amount of words will ever give justice to how torn inside I am about this situation, and neither will any sentence that is ever handed down to the defendant. Luis will be missed by so many and no amount of jail time served will ever bring him back. My only wish is that the court recognizes the fact that Abel Eduardo Contreras deserves to be in jail as long as possible because five, ten, or fifteen years down the road Abel will still have the one thing that he robbed Luis of: His life.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Two glasses of wine.

I’m pretty sure that forwarding mass emails to 100+ people as apposed to pressing delete will not help me find true love, save a starving child in Ethiopia, or prevent my leg from being severed in some horrible accident. However, I do read them sometimes and I kind of liked this one. As apposed to spamming multiple inboxes across America I opted to contain it to one location and blog it here. Enjoy.


TWO GLASSES OF WINE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed again that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend."

Monday, January 7, 2008

I love it when weekends kick ass!!

There is nothing worse than going back to work on a Monday morning feeling like your weekend just sucked. Having a good few days off almost makes it ok to have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to re-involve myself in the work force. It’s entirely besides the point, btw, that I didn’t work 40hrs+ the past two weeks like I normally do.

Friday night I had dinner with two of my favorite people, Aaron and Julia. Aaron and I have a love affair with the happy hour at Dragonfish and eat there almost every weekend. Over the holidays we collectively accumulated about $100 in gift certificates by filling out their comment cards, which were quite humorous I might add, but couldn’t start cashing in on them until this month. We may be increasing our weekly attendance for a while. A few hours were spent eating, chatting, and spilling saki, then I called it an early night because I had a long day planned, including a big game, the next day.

I am, if you didn’t already know, kind of a sports nut. Keep that in mind for all future and/or past sports blogings. I have season tickets to the Seahawks and Saturday was their first playoff game against the Washington Redskins. SUCH a good game!! Actually, I found the first half to be a little boring (aside from our TDs of course) and filled with some questionable calls, but the fourth quarter of that game may have been the most exciting 15 minutes of the entire season… which made it SUCH a good game!! Three things: I love Josh Brown, Trufant is a G, bring on Green Bay. GO HAWKS!!!

Which brings us to yesterday… I went snowboarding for the first time in 6 years. Up until yesterday I had only ever rode one season, only been to Snoqualmie pass, and had never ridden during the day. Man, I’ve been missing out. A group of 10 of us spent the entire day up at Stevens pass and now I know why everyone thinks Snoqualmie sucks. I’m actually quite impressed with myself for how well I did after not going for so long, although one notable fall (which was only one of a handful thank you very much) included my tail bone and a patch of ice. No bueno. I’m walking a bit funny at the moment, but it was all worth it. I knew that I enjoyed snowboarding but I had forgotten really just how much. I’m ready to go back.... right now!!

So there was my weekend in a nut shell (or blog if you want to get technical about it). It was a good one. I’m hoping it will hold me over until Friday.

Friday, January 4, 2008

for every end there is a new beginning

If I was going to write about 2007 and all of its haps I probably would have on the 31st, but I didn’t... so this is all I’m going to say about it: I laughed, I cried, I wished I could fly. I loved, I lost, and I’m still alive. I’ve set my goals for 2008 and I’m excited to see how many of them I accomplish by 2009.

I have a feeling that this will be a great year for a lot of people. Hopefully you are one of them.

Happy '08 folks.