Monday, October 31, 2016

The Great Pumpkin

We love Halloween
Not really for the ghouls and gore
More for the candy and the carved pumpkins
Sean spends hours carving intricate designs
I'm in charge of scooping out the pumpkin guts
I am also in charge of carving the obligatory and traditional Jack-o-Lantern
Sean is then in charge of fixing at least one eye and the mouth on said pumpkin
Sean and Lucy will spend hours talking about and deciding what the design on the pumpkins should be
They search for the perfect picture whilst I scoop out pumpkin guts readying their canvas
This year though, Lucy had other plans
Recently, Lucy introduced us to Kung Fo (Fu) Kitty
Maybe you saw his picture I shared a couple weeks ago
He's a black cat
He wears a red face mask
His paws are always raised and at the ready as is one of his back legs
He comes from the mountains of Japan which he has spent his whole life protecting
Kung Fo Kitty can kick your ass
But not for no reason, he's actually here to protect us from bullies and evil
This afternoon, Lucy informed her Dad she'd like Kung Fo Kitty on her pumpkin
Sketch him out for me said Sean as he handed her a pencil and piece of paper
Lucy drew Kung Fo Kitty's head complete with mask 




Then Sean took the pencil and sketched out Kung Fo Kitty as a template, on paper first


Then, he turned that into a "drawing" on his computer
Which he then printed as a template


He laid the template on the pumpkin and went to work
and 2.5 hours later..........

The Great Kung Fo Kitty Pumpkin







Friday, October 28, 2016

An Ode to my Old Friends



This article made me think of and miss some old friends

Friends I had some of the best times with....

http://www.scarymommy.com/cubs-fan-dorothy-farrell-life-goals/?utm_source=FB

Bob Dover - I seem to remember doing shots of this with you and Kirk......but I recall flames......
Brandon - I'm pretty sure you were there too...pretty sure you were driving...pretty sure you should not have been...but then again, none of us should have been
If I make it to 90, I'm going to start drinking again....and someday, I shall be Dorothy
Paul Sikora -
My Ted Williams jersey is still one of my favorite, most prized possessions
As is the Cubs hat I bought with you the first time I ever went to Wrigley
I have a vague recollection of tearing up
Still gives me goosebumps
My memories of watching Ken Burns's Baseball with you are some of my favorite
I miss your Seinfeld like musings and now and then, have a thought or idea that I know only you would appreciate and understand
Harry Carey still has a special place in my heart
Someone asked me the other day who I was cheering for
As a self proclaimed and defined purist, I replied:
I only have one AL team, the Red Sox
Never would I cheer for another .. even one managed by Tito
In 1990 something, I met this guy Paul - he loved baseball and smoking as much as I did
He introduced me to the Cubs
Because of him, because of his love of the game, the Chicago Cubs became my NL team
They have my support
I follow them all season with little fanfare, but they are my NL team
Mark Grace is still my favorite
And Kerry Wood was a dream to watch
He then asked me if we were in touch now watching the Series
I told him I'm living and dying every pitch with Paul in solidarity, in hope, in silence...but no, no talking....don't want to mess with anything
He shook his head and said baseball and its fans are way too superstitious for him
I guffawed
No we're not I declared while I poured a circle of salt around myself, said Ernie Banks's name 14 times,
Ted Williams's name 9 times,
shoved three pieces of Wrigley's gum in my mouth
all whilst genuflecting with some of the Holy Water I keep in my bag for just such an occasion
We most certainly are not!

October 27, 2004

October 27, 2004
Still rocks me to my core
I watched the win with my kid sister
Neither of us said a word when it was over
We were in stunned silence for minutes
One of us finally blurted out
Holy shit! Did we just win?
Yeah, we just won
Fuck - we just won
WE JUST WON!!!!!
We let out a whoop, a single whoop, hugged
And then I went home
I think we were in shock
Drove with a goofy grin on my face, windows rolled down, WEEI turned up
From Watertown to Medford, people were on the streets, spilling out of house cheering, laughing, screaming, crying
When I got home, my landlady and I shared a class of champagne together
Which turned into three (ok fine, the bottle)
Then we drank beer
We sat on the front stoop in silence for about 20 minutes
The people across the street were screaming and yelling enough for the whole street
I never thought I'd see it she said
I know
I just saw it she said
You did I replied
I wish my Mom could have seen it
I know I said
Is your grandfather a fan? she asked
He is I said, though he has a soft spot for the Braves
I bet he is losing it about now she said
Probably...not as much as my Uncle John Demaso...but I'm sure Grampy is pretty excited
Grampy died a little over a month later at the age of 91
But he saw them win
For the first time in 86 years
I went to the Parade with my youngest sister, her roommate and Karen Smith
Karen, by the way, almost did not come because she had laundry to do
The Red Sox win for the first time in 86 years and Karen says she may not come to the Parade because she has no clean clothes
WTF Karen Smith?!?!
I have a washer Karen
I know but....
Karen! The Red Sox just won! for the first time in 86 years...
I know but.....
KAREN! You will put your dirty laundry in a basket, you will put the basket in the car, you will come to Boston....WE HAVE TO GO TO THE PARADE!!! THEY WON
OK OK I'll come
It literally took that long to convince her
Karen drove 6+ hours on Friday night from Baltimore after work for the Parade...dirty laundry in tow
We did her laundry and stocked up on snacks for the next day
I remember wandering through the grocery store at 11pm that night giggling and giddy because we were going to a Parade
A Parade because the Red Sox won the World Fucking Series
We met my sister and Katie at Back Bay and headed towards the Library
The crowds were overwhelming
The vibe was amazing
And even though it was cold and a bit windy, no one cared
The Curse was broken
Our backpacks were filled with food and booze......you know, to keep us going throughout the day because we were not taking breaks for food or drink
No way were we going to miss a moment of this
We took nips out of a flask
We jumped up and down to stay warm
Every once in awhile, one of use would say I can't believe we won!
I don't think we ate a thing
For some reason, Karen and I felt the need to purchase the biggest container of hummus we could find....
Because nothing says Fuck you Curse of the Bambino like an 18oz Party Size Container of hummus
I don't even think we opened the hummus
But we had it just in case
To this day, hummus makes me think of the Parade.....
....Of the Duck Boats Boats filled with the players, their families, the team owners, the coaches, the management
The players were taking pictures and video of us just as we were taking pictures and video of them as they rolled by
I am not sure any person on the streets that day, player, fan, or coach, had fully processed what had happened
But we were all there celebrating
Laughing, crying, cheering, yelling, drinking. still crying, screaming, dancing, whooping...
It was the best party I have ever been to in my life
2004
2007
2013
Those last two have yet to sink in
And though I relish those wins, nothing will ever be like 2004.....

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Election 2018

I loved Curt Schilling when he was wearing a Red Sox uniform
I loved him even more when his actual sock turned red
My love peaked for him in 2007
I noticed him again in maybe 2010/2011
I don't really remember when it was...whenever he returned as a baseball analyst
I truly enjoyed listening to him talk about baseball
He loves the game
He knows the game
And he respects the game
But, I do not like listening to him talk about anything else
I did not like listening to him talk about 38 Studios
Maybe because I don't understand the whole gaming world culture
Or maybe because he seemed to take advantage of some folks and his status here in New England
I did not like listening to him about politics
He started to get rabid and sometimes, said things that I just had no idea how to process or interpret
He started to make Glen Beck look placid
I especially did not like when he took to posting on Twitter and Facebook some taunts and twits about things that were just so out of line they made even me cringe
I say even me because not only do I lack a social filter I am also admittedly prejudice....which by the way I think we all are to some degree its just that I own mine
I mean really, being prejudice is, by definition, a feeling of like or dislike for someone or something especially when it is not reasonable or logical
So one can be prejudice not just against something or someone but for something or someone.....we seem to also forget that last part there...
Anyway, I digress and that is a conversation for another time and another place
Today, what caught my eye was the headline Curt Schilling to run for Senate seat against Elizabeth Warren (if his wife says it's okay...not part of the headline but certainly part of the sub title)
I'm not an Elizabeth Warren fan
Though I respect some of the stances she has taken (suck it Wall Street), I am not a Warren fan/supporter
But when I read that headline (and I swear, we've read it before in year's gone by) my blood ran cold, I got a little dizzy and I may or may not have laid my head down on my desk for five solid minutes trying to regroup
Its because I love voting
I love the polling place
I might be the only person who even looks forward to the off year elections
But this Presidential Election Cycle (and there is nothing presidential about this cycle given all the shenanigans going on) has been ruined for me
And now there prospect of the off year election being ruined has me even more distraught than I already am
Schilling v Warren would be, in my head, so similar to Trump v Clinton that my head and heart would potentially explode
Our forefather must be spinning in their graves
Or perhaps laughing at us
Maybe both
I sort of wish Jack Bauer were real...he'd know how to fix this