P-E-N-G-Y-S PENGYS! (tm)

I've been so busy posting the convos I've had with Mere all morning that I haven't even had time to celebrate the Penguins victory from last night. That's right... they won, and they won big. Final score 6-2. I'd like to lead everyone in a chorus from the song "Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In."

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in,
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in!!!

That's the first song that came into my head this morning when I placed my fingers on the keyboard to type about this glorious victory. I know it's only the end of this series and that they still have a ways to go, but it made me feel like a million bucks when they won last night. They had played pretty sloppily in Game 6, precluding any chance of a win, but Crosby still made the comment that their best course of action was not to change a thing. That made me happy - Crosby gave a big vote of confidence to his Penguins! :o) I still favor Malkin though. He didn't score last night but his stick-handling skills were amazing and he made me really proud. Can't wait to get that shirt!! It shipped yesterday... is in Pennsylvania as of 11:30 am... if it is waiting for me when I get home I'm probably going to pee my pants. I'll keep you updated. Gotta go to lunch... GO PENGUINS!!!

PS. Yes I drew that Penguins logo and colored in the gold part. The internet was down at my work yesterday so I had a lot of free time.

Another timeless Mere story

Meredith: omg
I have to tell you about last night
me: uh oh
what happened
Meredith: well
Neel and Abbott were at Haydees
that place we took you and DD
(denden)
and I awsl ike, bring me back
a shrimp quesadilla!
and Neel had no money
me: oh yea whenever you say it i think youre misspelling hardees
hmmm sound yummy
Meredith: so Abbott was going to
have to pay
and Abbott I guess
(I think he was a little drunk)
was really torn
because I ALWAYS
ALWAYS
mooch food of him
or like
trickhim into buying me food
and I was like, don't worry about!
I have cash at home
(I didn't)
me: lol
Meredith: and Neel was like, dude, i'm vouching for her
like...he stood up for me
100%
if she says she has cash
she has cash
so they come home
and I gve him
$12 in nickels
lol
me: oh my god
Meredith: and he was SO MAD
me: did he hate you
Meredith: I'm sc ared
I'm really scared
I'm bringing cash home tonight
he didn't want the nickels
me: lol
WHAT
is he insane
does he hate nickels?!
Meredith: i know right
change is awesome
but also
apparently
neel was ike
'abbott, i swear
mere is not going to pay you in loose change"
and Neel was so mad too hahahaha cause he vouched for me
me: lol
what were you thinking
Meredith: I was thinking!
I want a delicious quesadilla!
me: you are terrible
Meredith: i know
i think i really have to change my ways
abbott
also accused me
of stealing the nickels from his room
but I didn't!
me: maybe thats why he didnt want nickels
he already has 200 nickels
Meredith: hahahha
Neel
saw me
coming up the stairs
with my sack full of change
and he just started laughing
he like
didn't know what to do
god it was so good

Caps fans & Pengs fans can get along

me: so are you rocking red... in shame
Meredith: bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I didn't even watch the end
I Just left
hahahah
I left the house
me: lol
Meredith: there wasn't even anyone else home
hahah
toko the dog out
in shame
me: lol
oh man
did you see that phantom goal
by ovechkin
Meredith: no
which period
me: first
Meredith: look, i'm so on the bandwagon
I don't even know what phantom goal means
me: lol no i just made that up
hold on
ovechkin got a breakaway
and was like flying down the ice
and took a shot
and he thought he made it and was like skating away nodding his head all confident
Meredith: awwwww
me: and fleury was holding the puck
Meredith: look
let's talk abuot something else
it was a sad day for all
maybe the Redskins will actually do something to make DC proud this year
:P
we all know it won't be the Wizards or DC United
me: lol
sorry
im at work
laughing
sonya keeps looking at me
poor wizards
Meredith: i know
hahahaha
they're so sad
me: the wind went out of their sails the day they were christened wizards
Meredith: if Kansas City
hsa more going on for it right now
me: whats so wrong with the bullets...cmon
Meredith: in terms of sports than DC
OH WAIT
WE FORGOT HTE NATS
god
it gets worse

Thanks, Daddy Forbes

Sonya and I discuss one of my various car accidents... (not my fault!)

Sonya: wait..when was that accident
me: june 16
Sonya: oh i don't recall that
me: which one
the bad one where i got totalled
or the usaa one
Sonya: i semi remember the total
me: yea
that sucked
had to get carried away on the stretcher
neck brace and all.
Sonya: yeah but you got paid for that one right
me: yea
i got my work paid for for the days i missed
and it was all taken care of
new car
and all
seemed so much easier. prob bc my dad took care of all the paperwork
and i was on vicodin the whole time

Go Pengys!

I can't believe that before I met Dennis I didn't give a crap about hockey and thought it was really boring and now I am getting all worried and nervous about the Penguins-Caps game tomorrow night. I was so bummed after the game last night! They are tied 3-3 in the series and tomorrow is the deciding game. Ahhhh!

It seems like more people are into hockey this year than last year, but maybe my hindsight is just foggy. Everyone I know is rooting for the Caps though! It seemed weird to me at first, but then I realized that geography does have everything to do with it and it's not weird at all. I mean, I have always rooted for the Orioles, and why is that? ...because I live near Baltimore.

The other sports teams that I favor stem from different reasons than my own personal geography, but they do involve someone's geography. I like Steelers because Dennis likes them and I never really had a preference in football before I met him. I like Italy for soccer and Nadal for tennis just because of my preoccupation with Italy. So when it comes to hockey, which I have never really liked, Dennis started getting me into it by putting on the games last year during the Stanley Cup finals and I found myself getting really into the game and rooting for the Penguins!

So now it's that time of year again and I find my emotions rising and falling with the wins and losses of the Penguins. So naturally I decided to show my love for the Pengies (or in Spanish - Penguinos) by getting a shirt representing my favorite player, Evgeni Malkin. I would get a jersey if I had $150 to blow but yea...no. This one cost me a little over $20 which is just around my price range. Someday I will afford the jersey though! So if anyone is looking for that perfect late birthday present or super early Christmas present or perhaps a Memorial Day present for me, a Malkin jersey would just be super. Here's the link if you want to make my dreams come true!!

Until then, I will proudly wear my Carolina Blue (why they threw another state into the mix, I don't know...) Malkin tee with his name spelled across the back in his native language, Russian. Pretty sweet!

Wednesday night.. 7 pm.. will decide the fate of my shirt. I hope they win so I have a chance to wear it. Ha. Go Pengys!

Pepper in concert... and then some

Yesterday Dennis and I ventured up to Baltimore to spend the day there, check out our new house, and see a Pepper concert! Dennis got me the tickets for my birthday and so I have been waiting for this day for 2 weeks. It was rockkkkkin.

I had such a great time and I also managed to come up with a new game during the opening act, which was a band called Shoreline. They would have been pretty good if the lead singer wasn't part of the band. He really brought them down... yikes. Whoever appointed him singer should also be removed from the band.

The game I made up is basically like Eye Spy except everything you spy has different values. Here are the items I came up with based upon real life experience:

1 pt for X on hand

2 pts for studded belt
2 for clothing with marijuana reference
2 pts for Pepper gear

3 pts for Oriole gear

5 pts for token Cal Ripken shirt
5 pts for recently purchased Pepper gear

10 pts for mention of the word "Sensimilia"

20 pts for swaying couples

50 pts for painfully out of place mom

Allow me to explain the point system and some of these references. The more prominent - the less points.

X on hand -- So there were plenty of X's marking the under-agers, which is great because now I know I am in the presence of a large number of high school students. Score.

The next six entries are devoted to the clothing seen at the concert.

Studded belts -- They spread like a plague... that only infects girls and boys in straight leg jeans.
Clothing with Weed Reference -- "I Heart Blunts" or "I Heart Weed" t-shirts were the main attraction at this stoner-fest. Because there's nothing cooler than confirming that you love marijuana at a public venue...except for hiding it from your parents once you get home from the show.
Wearing Pepper gear -- Party foul/Faux pas - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wear a t-shirt or any other apparel to a concert that features the band playing. We all know you're the number 1 fan! Thanks for sharing.
Wearing recently purchased Pepper gear -- Even worse - wearing the apparel that you JUST BOUGHT on your way into the show. Yikes. Either you're a fairweather fan trying desperately to prove to everyone just how devoted you are when inside you are scared to death that you'll be discovered, or you are a legitimate fan but you're still so insecure about your devotion in comparison to other fans at the show that you feel some need to play King of the Mountain, or as my dad calls it, a pissing contest.
Orioles gear -- Wow, you're at a concert in Baltimore and you want to claim your territory as a native. Neato. Too bad vendors don't require your "Local" ID anymore and they will let just anybody buy O's gear... some people... pshh.
Token Cal Ripken t-shirt -- I saw about ten people wearing this same shirt that I'm pretty sure is for sale everywhere in the stadium and outside. People walk by and think, "Hey! I know Cal Ripken. He's the guy in those potato chip commercials."

Now moving on to general observations during the concert.

Sensimilia -- I've heard this word one time when I didn't hate the person saying it... Bradley Nowell. And I think that's just because I really like his voice. The crappy excuse for a lead singer for the opening band yelled some lyrics about Sensimilia and the crowd went willlllddddd. Ok actually they didn't but this guy had it coming. He had the worst voice for reggae ever, and even when they went and played some punk/rock music he still managed to suck.

THE BAND played Marley's "Iron Lion Zion" which I have grown to be a big fan of lately, and THE BAND rocked! THE BAND'S music sounded great.

Enter lead singer... picture images of wilting flowers, children crying because their ice cream cone fell on the ground, and MoonBounces deflating with children still inside trying to claw their way out, and you'll get the image of this singer's talent.

When Marley sings it, the words are soft, pronouncing the lines "I'm gonna be Ir-on, like li-on, in Zi-on." For some reason this singer wanted to enunciate the 2nd syllables in all of those words to break down the beautiful sound the band was projecting... with a wrecking ball. I hate you lead singer of that first band.

Swaying couples -- My god. I felt like I was in 7th grade again, dancing in my middle school cafeteria to the song Barbie Girl (true story). That sweet style of dancing, which I think was referred to as "freak dancing" back in my day, was the lamest excuse for "dancing" that there ever was and I am thoroughly embarrassed to say that I was once a victim of the Freak Dance Bug. I thought that bug had died long ago but lo and hehold, two hairy disgusting dudes in wifebeaters revived it last night. There they were, gold chains glistening in the light, swaying back and forth with their girlfriends planted firmly in front of them. Then the bug began to spread... soon every couple in the place was catching the dance fever, which is said to be even worse than Saturday Night Fever.

Out-of-place mom -- you know the one. She probably was at the first Woodstock and wants to relive her younger wilder days... sow some wild oats with younger men who are too blazed to realize entirely what's going on. Or who saw American Pie one too many times and thinks cougars are "in."

To be fair, the featured band plays quite a bit of reggae, so I should have known what I was in for; nonetheless, I continue to be surprised and disgusted by this odd brand of hippie douchers.

Overall, the concert was amazing - Pepper rocked, and the 2nd opening band, the Supervillains, was off the hook as well. Check them both out if you love good music! Just avoid the concert scene if you have a weak stomach.

My Initiatives...

Hear ye hear ye! Extra extra! Read all about it!

I have a couple of announcements to make about some Community Service Initiatives that I will be taking on in the next couple of months. If anyone out there is interested, I would love any extra help in my "CSI" mission (haha I just came up with that, wow! I amaze myself).

The first mission was brought to my attention by Ms. Ami Reist, who is pioneering for Ronald McDonald House Charities to collect aluminum can tabs and glossy magazines. Next time you drink a can of soda/beer/seltzer water (Mere) - stick the tab in your pocket and start collecting. Next time you're through reading a magazine, don't toss it in the trash - start a pile and I'll come pick them up! For more information on how your contributions will help out, check out site on the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey. Thanks to *Ami* for alerting me to this totally worthy cause! :)

My next mission is a much MUCH bigger initiative and I am going to need all hands on deck for this one. As of right now, the idea is some type of fundraiser to raise money for Surfrider Foundation as well as some kind of Suicide Prevention/Awareness Foundation. I have worked with Surfrider before - I took my Teen Camp kids there this past summer for a beach clean-up and eco-awareness seminar. Look how cute they are!!!

In case it isn't clear, the two signs say "Please leave only your footprints" and "Keepers of the Coast!"





What a great foundation - Surfrider is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.




I've spoken briefly to Shelly Dawson, Surfrider's Ocean City chapter chairman, and he's said that he would love to put something together with me but that May is a crazy month so we will talk about it in June. I'll keep you updated.

My idea includes some kind of Beach Awareness day involving a morning trash pick up followed by a celebration of life, beach, ocean, environment, surfing, whatever! Not sure exactly what else would be going on, but I'm picture a beach festival with great food and drinks (non-alcoholic), lots of fun music, and lots of love. I'm still working on coming up with a spiffy name. So far I have flirted with Atlantic Appreciation and East Coast Cleanup, but they don't really have a surfing motif. So then I started marination on CleanWaves (double entendre...oh snap!) and Wavelengths.... THEN I realized there was no love life incorporation in there. So I'm still experimenting. Suggestions are welcome! I just want something that in 2-4 words will say "Take care of your environment so that we can all enjoy it to improve our lives! Possibly through surfing." I hope that helps get the juices flowing!!

This is all I'm able to write for now - I have a raging headache and I need to shower desperately. If you were in close proximity you would understand.

One last thing before I go. Anyone in the market for a flamboyant man-boy? Because I may have one for sale....

Sigh.