Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

“The Orioles is our elixir…the Orioles is like going to Jamba Juice and getting that cold-buster drink- just chug it down, 16oz of the Orioles.”

Those the words of the the great Bill Simmons on his B.S. Report podcast when talking about the Red Sox playing the Orioles. The Sox just blew through Baltimore and completed a weekend sweep of the birds. Sean, Amanda, and Bill came down to B’more to see the series and I drove up to hang out with them and see the game this past Saturday.

It was pretty tough getting up Saturday however, a Friday night at a douchebag hangout bar called McFadden’s will do that do ya. I’m not that much of a fan of the place however my blogger pal Martin had the hook-up with cheap drinks so I was going to just stop by for a drink.

Ya nobody ever stops by for just a drink.

Fast forward to 2 AM and many bad decisions later, I’m walking home a sweaty mess. Well I wasn’t as bad as other people that night.

Ok so anyways, the game.

After a lazy morning I finally made it up to B’more to meet up with my friends at Pickles, the only place to go when it comes to pre-gaming before Oriole games. If you haven’t been, it’s a bar across the street from Camden Yards and before games sell beer and food outside the bar in a block party-like setting. People are playing corn hole and just having a good time. It’s the kind of scene Nationals Park needs- but will probably not get anytime soon.

The game itself was great, Josh Beckett shined for both the Sox and my Fantasy Baseball team. Victor Martinez made his Red Sox debut after the team acquired him from Cleveland and he got an ovation despite being away from home. That’s Red Sox Nation. I was ragged on a little for scoring the game, but I wanted to make sure I had some talking points the next time I talk baseball on 4 Sport Boston.

After the game we headed out to Power Plant Live, but it was a rather chill night considering my escapades on Friday. First time I was able to make it out of Baltimore alive.

The week was capped off with a great BBQ dinner with Sara, Ryan, and Dave- I don’t think I’ve ever felt so full in my life.

Well probably after this staff lunch I will.

And I wonder why I’m never in shape.

Tags: baltimore, blog, capitol hill, debauchery, foggy bottom, fun times with friends, girls, orioles, red sox

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s not that hard to be a Red Sox fan in Washington, DC.

It’s a really great thing to see all the members of Red Sox Nation come out for a game in B’more against the Orioles. That’s where I’ll usually go every year to get my Sox fix. However with inter-league play bringing the Red Sox to Nationals Park this year, it was guaranteed to be a packed game full of all the Sox fans that you’d find at Rhino Bar or Kelly’s Irish Times.

On Tuesday I went with Wendi, Rebecca, and Adam. We had seats out in right field, right by the wall next to the bullpen. We could cheer for J.D. Drew, jeer at Julian Tavarez, and just laugh at the excuse that is the Nationals bullpen. We were so close to the bullpen that I could hear the ringing of the phone used to warm-up and bring in relievers. The phone sounded like a cellphone despite it being a big metal box. The phone was ringing off the hook since the Sox put up 11 runs on the Nats that night- nothing could stop them, the Red Sox even dominated the attendance records, which was broken every night in the series thanks to all the Sox fans which turned Nationals Park into Fenway southeast.

I met up with MeggiePoo towards the end of the game who was busy Tweeting the game from her seats.

Thursday was a different story, I showed up to my company’s suite with Kevin. I got a lot of flack for my Red Sox gear but there were clearly more Red Sox fans in the suite than Nationals fans. It was a quiet game however with future hall of famer John Smoltz making his 2009 season debut with a terrible first inning. The Sox never recovered from the 4 runs he gave up and the Nats went on to dominate. That’s ok though, we still won the series 2 games out of 3. A blogger moment was had when Anderson Hernandez walked up to his favorite song: Stanky Legg. Thanks to LiLu I’ll never listen to that song with a straight face again.

So I got my Sox fix for now, I can’t wait til August however when they come back down to Baltimore, it should be a fun weekend with a bunch of FSC friends coming to visit.

Tags: baltimore, blog, j.d. drew, julian tavarez, nationals, orioles, red sox

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s summer time already and I already welcomed the season with my annual beach trip, and now I’m taking a big picture view of what I got coming up this summer:

June

• Joyride: I have a couple of free days worth of car rentals with National and I want go on a day trip somewhere. Sonic? Skyline Drive? Charlestown? White Castle? Hardee’s? (if you don’t know, I’ve always wanted to attempt to eat a Monster Thickburger.)
• Red Sox vs. Nats: The Red Sox are coming into town and I’m going to catch a couple of games in the series with some friends, maybe I’ll even take the day off and make it a Sox holiday.

July

• 4th of July: This year it’s on a Saturday, which only means one thing. Meyhem. Bar crawl? BBQ at my place? Not sure what I’m going to do but it’s probably going to be an epic weekend.
• 14 Dates in 14 Days: I’m beginning to doubt if I have the skills to line up enough dates for a Mass Dating Experiment but I will try.

August

• Red Sox vs. Orioles: A lot of my hometown friends are going coming down that week to catch the Sox in B’more so I’m keeping those days free on my calendar
• Diana’s Engagement Party: My sister is having her engagement party that month so I’ll also be home for a weekend.
• Pittsburgh Trip: I enjoyed visiting Melanie and Jim last summer that I think I’m going to do it again! There’ll be some Pirates games late into the month that I may want to check out.

September

• North Carolina Trip: After Nicole’s visit to DC I owe her a return visit in North Carolina, maybe I’ll slot this one for Labor Day.
• DMB Road Trip: I won’t be able to see DMB in Bristow this summer, right now the front runner show to replace that stop is the Scranton, PA show on September 23rd. It just sounds cool to visit the town that The Office takes place in.

Sounds like a fun summer to me, not to mention the Nats games, pool days, happy hours, and other events I’ll get caught up in between trips.

Tags: blog, nationals, orioles, red sox, travel

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Let me tell you a story about Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.

In 2007 he did very well with the New York Yankees, he ended the season with a 19-7 record, 3.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 104 Ks over 199.1 innings. Not that bad.

In 2008 he did ok, he went 8-2 before ending the season in June with a foot injury he sustained while running the bases. You gotta watch out about running- you can get hurt sometimes.

This year it looks like Chien-Ming Wang hasn’t been able to get things started. Over the three games he’s started this year he’s only pitched 6 total innings and allowed 23 earned runs. That means he has a 34.50 ERA.

34.50.

For those that don’t know about ERA or baseball. You are great if you have a ERA between 1-2, you are bad if you have a ERA between 4-6. He is off the charts.

At least he’s not David Moraga (pitched 4 games in 2000, ended with a 40.50 ERA.)

That being said I had this conversation with my pal Sean:

Dmbosstone : for now on  we’re going to use Chien-Ming Wang’s name as a euphemism for sucking
SMR12: hahaha nice!!!!
Dmbosstone :  “I pulled a Chen Ming Wang today when I totally failed at remembering the groceries.”
Dmbosstone: I think  you should start using it around town
SMR12: that will pick up soooo fast
Dmbosstone: I’m going to blog it
SMR12 : do it

I’ve tried to create phrases to little success but I’m going to make this one work for anybody that is a baseball or Red Sox fan.

But chances are I’m pulling a Chien-Ming Wang by writing this post.

Tags: blog, chien-ming wang, favorites, red sox, yankees

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It was supposed to be a great day today.

It was all over my Facebook feed this morning along with similar comments- it’s opening day for baseball, the Red Sox, and Fenway Park.

This morning I took the Red Sox broadcast schedule and copied national broadcasted games to my outlook- as a Red Sox fan away from Boston I have to know when I’ll be able to watch my team. I’m already excited to try and catch some games this summer in DC and Baltimore.

Right now Josh Beckett was supposed to throw out the first pitch in Fenway Park to start the 2009 season but it appears rain will postpone that moment til tomorrow.

I can’t wait.

Tags: baseball, blog, nationals, orioles, red sox

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

“See a presidential candidate’s stump speech in late October…you may be listening to the next President of the United States”

Those were the words i read in a recent issue of Men’s Health. I don’t know why but for some reason those words struck a chord (or maybe an arpeggio.) Maybe living close to DC has turned me into a political junkie; maybe living close to DC allowed me to catch the political bug that is present with almost everyone I meet down here; maybe it just seemed like a cool idea.

Living in the battleground state of Virginia meant that this idea was also rather possible to do- it was only a matter of time before he’d come back into the area to garner up some support.

And that moment came sooner than I thought.

After watching the Presidential Debates last Tuesday the “best political team in town” mentioned that Barack Obama would be in Roanoke that upcoming Friday. The gears slowly started to turn as I got up the next day.

I spent that day at work thinking, planning, plotting: Roanoke is 4 hours away. I have plenty of time-off built up to easily take Friday off. However I need to fly out for work on Saturday…

On Thursday I had it all planned out and I was ready to make one of the most random trips of my life.

I was going to go see Barack Obama.

The plan was to get out of work on Thursday and quickly pack some things and drive to Roanoke that night. I’d find a motel to crash in and get up early the next day to wait in line and ensure a good spot to see Barack. After the rally I would jump back into my car and hightail it back to DC where I would make an evening flight out to Boston for work that weekend.

It was going to be a tight schedule but I was already committed to doing it.

After work on Thursday I packed for my weekend and I made sure I included a couple of Obama oriented items.

The latest issue of Men’s Health features Obama on the cover. I also brought a sign I got while working for the campaign in Philadelphia. I knew that the chances of actually shaking the man’s hand was slim- getting him to sign a couple of items was even slimmer, but you never know.

Driving non-stop to Roanoke that night wasn’t much of a problem. I popped a couple of pills and I was already flying down the roads both figuratively and literally. For a guy that will drive eight hours to the beach or eight hours to Massachusetts, a four hour trek at night to Roanoke is nothing.

The roads were pretty much deserted, except for the occasional tractor-trailer. The landscape got less city and more Boonie. I drove by JMU and Virginia Tech and realized how isolated both schools are from the world. Driving down those empty roads made me realize how isolated I was from the world.

Making the drive down meant that I wasn’t able to see how the Red Sox were doing in Game 5 of the ALCS. I pulled out my phone for a score update and saw that the Rays were up 7-0 in the late innings. With a 3-1 lead it looks like the Red Sox were done for the season. I put my phone away in disgust and continued to drive.

As I approached the city I encountered a lot of police cruisers on patrol, pulling over drivers, and parked alongside roads. I wonder if it was a sign of increased security or that time to meet your monthly quota. I drove by the Civic Center where the event was going to take place and the entire place was already fenced off from anyone that wanted to park or camp. That meant I’d have a good head start if I got up early tomorrow.

I decided to spend the night at the Days Inn across the street from the Civic Center. The motel was pretty much what I paid for. Too bad I didn’t pay the extra bucks or probably could of landed the Jimmy Carter Suite.

I hope he knows that in the middle of Roanoke is a dingy motel that was a craptastic room named after him.

After getting settled into my room (next to the Jimmy Carter Suite) I turned on ESPN to see how bad the Sox lost. I was pleasantly surprised.

The Sox pulled an amazing comeback and won the game! I’ll live to watch them for another day!

As I walked outside my room the next morning I was met with a wall of rain. The forecast called for a 50% chance of some precipitation and it looks like the coin didn’t land in my favor. While checking out at the front desk the manager on duty had this to say:

Manager: “You know Barack Obama is speaking right across the street this morning…”

Me: “Oh really…”

Manager: “Ya- you gotta be crazy though to want to see him in this weather…”

Me: “Oh ya, you have to be insane… well thanks!”

I am that insane person.

The Civic Center opened their parking lots and since I was a good 2.5 hours ahead of doors opening I easily snagged a spot. As I walked up there was already a line forming, I got in probably amongst the first 100 people. I was excited.

I was also wet and cold.

The rain made quick work of my jacket and jeans- but my spirits were still strong. Others in the line decided that the weather wasn’t worth it but for me it wasn’t a decision to make. I already drove four hours and I wasn’t going to miss this chance to see the candidate I am supporting.

The people in line were really friendly a couple of them let me duck under their umbrellas and we made small talk. Vendors quickly setup in the lots to sell everything from knock-off Obama shirts, buttons, and even underwear. There was a woman who walked up and down the line yelling “Bargains & Badges!” I have no idea what it meant but everyone found it hilarious to listen to.

At 10 AM the doors flew open and we proceeded inside. After going through security I was funneled into the a section of seats. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to the floor and after I found out that I could move down, I decided against it. I wanted a seat after all that standing and the floor was already full of volunteers that were able to get in early.

As I walked around the venue I noticed that the men in suits were already roaming about. It was exciting to see real secret service agents and actually got to talk to a couple of them.

The rally itself was your typical political event. Local officials said a few words before Senator Jim Webb came up and blasted McCain and Palin. I didn’t know he was going to be at the event so he was a pleasant surprise. Towards the end of Webb’s speech he just quickly introduced him and before I knew it Obama was walking through the tunnel into the arena.

The speech was full of message points and lines that I’ve heard in debates and MSNBC- but it was just great to see them delivered live. Obama presented himself as a leader but also as a “local Joe” while he maybe a politician, he does a great job in relating with the middle class audience of Roanoke. A memorable moment for me was when he put his speech aside to call out a girl that got on the shoulders of a friend to get Obama’s attention. While he doesn’t come out to pyrotechnics, Obama rallies really do have a certain rock star quality to it; during the rally the entire arena was doing the wave.

As his speech came to an end and he walked off the stage to shake hands, I just tried to take in the moment. In only a few short days this man might become the next President of the United States and I can say I was there at the beginning. Sure lots of people in Arlington will try and see him on January 20th but that show will almost impossible to see. I was wet, tired, and hungry on the trip back to DC however never once did I stop and think that I wasted anytime on a trip that encompassed many miles.

Sometimes you need to got the extra mile if you really want something, even if that extra ends up being a few hundred.

The local CBS affiliate has the entire Obama Roanoke speech on their website. Barack’s Blog Community has the full transcript of his remarks. Below are some highlights from YouTube:

The Obama campaign also produced a clip, this one features Barack on health care:

Tags: barack obama, blog, boston, devil rays, election 2008, favorites, jmu, john mccain, men's health, philadelphia, red sox, roanoke, sarah palin, travel, virginia, virginia tech

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Another October, another costume

Always wondering of what to do for Halloween. With the Red Sox in World Series I was Daisuke Matsuzaka last year. It was interesting walking around Georgetown last year. While I expected some people to recognize me as Dice-K, a whole lot more people identified me as the more obscure Hideki Okajima.

In the past I’ve played to my strengths for costumes. Last year I threw on some sheets and walked around as a Buddhist monk. Senior year at FSC I was a ninja. What will I be this year?

Right now I’m thinking about dressing up as one of the Crazy 88s from Kill Bill. I always look good in a suit.

October is also about post season baseball and the Red Sox are in the playoffs. I watched Game 2 of the ALDS with Dave and Mark over at Jimmy and Christine’s new apartment. It was a great game to watch and I haven’t had that much fun watching baseball in a long time. We all now have a new dance move thanks to Erick Aybar:

We call it the Aybar.

Saturday I went to Melanie and Jim’s wedding in Worcester. It was a really small affair- besides Mel’s college roommate I was the soul representative of Melanie’s college years. The ceremony took place in Mechanics Hall, which was just beautiful. Oddly enough this was the second wedding where there was an after party in the Bridal Suite. You would think Melanie and Jim had other things they wanted to do that night. I loss a bet that they wouldn’t get to that but I guess they did.

Well one more wedding to go this year and it’s shaping up to be one of the best yet.

Tags: blog, daisuke matsuzaka, hideki okajima, holidays, kill bill, red sox, weddings, worcester

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

My boss always asks me how many sporting events I’ve gone to in my recent years. It seems that I’ve gone to a lot thanks to access I have to tickets through work. Well I recently decided to actually find out how many games I have been to.

For a few years now I’ve kept all my ticket stubs in a box. Recently I decided to actually peer into the box and organize the many tickets I have laying in there.

After organizing and counting them here’s my current tally:

• 28 Nationals games (3 in 2006, 8 in 2007, 17 in 2008)
• 26 Wizards games (7 in 2006-2007, 19 in 2007-2008)
• 6 Wizards games (2 in 2006-2007, 4 in 2007-2008)
• 4 Redskins games (2 in 2006, 2 in 2007)
• 12 Orioles games (4 in 2006, 5 in 2007, 3 in 2008)
• 1 Red Sox game (thanks Mike!)
• 1 Patriots game (pre-season)
• 1 New England Revolution game (circa 1997)
• 2 Sea Dogs games (thanks FSC!)
• 2 Georgetown Basketball games (I also got to see the NCAA tournament this year)
• 3 Maryland Football games (thanks to my Maryland friends for that one)
• 1 UNC Baseketball game (part of that scandalous New Years)
• Various Verizon Center Events (including 2 WWE Raw shows)
• Various other concerts (I keep all my DMB stubs in a scrapbook already)

I’ve certainly been to a lot of sporting events. It appears like I need to increase my hometown sporting event experience. It’s also interesting to see the number of movies I’ve seen over the past years after I counted those ticket stubs.

• 4 movies so far in 2008 (plus one advanced screening)
• 8 movies in 2007
• 12 movies in 2006
• 5 movies in 2005
• 8 movies in 2004
• 11 movies in 2003
• 9 movies in 2002
• 11 movies in 2001
• 3 movies in 2000
• 3 movies in 1999
• 4 movies in 1998

I’m not much of a movie theatre person- I’m not surprised that most of the time I’ll average around 7 movies per year. Netflix and watching movies at home has been a big factor in keeping those numbers low.

So what to do now that I organized all these stubs? Well That’s My Ticket sells ticket stub albums as well as lanyards, frames, and other display items. Sounds like I got some scrapbooking to do.

Tags: ben folds, blog, capitals, favorites, georgetown, guster, maryland, nationals, patriots, red sox, redskins, revolution, sea dogs, sports, unc, verizon center, wizards, wwe

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

In high school I was voted “Most Stressed” in the yearbook. The joke was that I was even stressed about getting the honor (I really wanted to be featured in the yearbook.)

In college I was often pulling all-nighters to keep up with the video projects and papers I was writing- everyone does it. I often pulled them more than often towards the end of the semester. One night I was talking with Melanie about it back in college and she sent me an article on the stages of burnout (much like this one.) I read it and walked around self-identifying myself as a stage three mess.

Now I am out in the real world and once again- I am a stage three mess.

I will not get into a lot of detail on this one but I’ve simply been working 6-7 day weeks, and recently I got caught up in a long week of long nights. I’ve been traveling a lot on the weekends- which can be exciting but has been taxing on my free time. I feel like all I do is I work, I go home and I just zone out- what rally bothers me is that I’m struggling to do work on anything other than work. I feel that I struggle to keep up with everything around me. Energy wise I’m just dead. When it comes to my soul battery- I feel it draining. I don’t know how long this is going to last but I have a feel it’s going to be a sprint to the end of the year. Let’s hope I can make the run.

I haven’t been doing a lot to recap but there has been a couple of items. Last weekend I went out with Carolyn and Hillary to Eastern Market. It’s a neighborhood I don’t normally go out in- as we came out of the metro and saw numerous police cars close off 8th street for a drug bust and we realized why that was. It’s definitely a neighborhood I will be exploring further in the future… if I have some time…

This weekend I flew back to Boston for work- I found some time to see a few friends however. Mike, Joe (and his girlfriend Amy), and I went to Fenway Park to see the Blue Jays/Red Sox game. This was my first game at Fenway since I was like 12. I hardly remembered anything about the park so I was excited to have the opportunity to see a game.

Fenway Park is not like the modern era parks like Camden Yards and Nationals Park. It’s clear that the park has a historic character to it. Everything from the uneven corridors to the cramped seating to the confusing layout- throw in the eclectic assortment of refreshment booths and stands and it all comes together to make the interior of the park resemble Coney Island. It was like I was walking on the boardwalk.

The park is smaller than it looks on TV. Mike got us seats in the far right field corner in the grandstand and we still had a good view of the game. Despite the view all of us just threw back the $7 beers and caught up and reminisced. It made me realize how much I miss the good ol’ college days together.

I saw a whole lot of people while I was at the game. While waiting for Mike and Joe to arrive I ran into Melanie who came back home from Pittsburgh. On the T back to my hotel I also ran into Chrissy Liscombe. I swear it’s a small world at Fenway.

Before flying back to DC I had a chance to spend the afternoon with Bill watching football, I saw most of the Jets/Patriots game- it was exciting down to the last minute. I’m thrilled that the Matt Cassel era didn’t start so terrible as it could of. Let’s see how we do down the stretch.

Well this week and weekend I’ll be in DC but I’ll be working a lot as usual, it’s hard to keep it together during times like these but I am determined to stay focused and I know by staying focused and with the support of my friends everything will end up alright.

Tags: blog, blue jays, boston, college, debauchery, eastern market, feelings/reflections, fenway park, fun times with friends, girls, high school, matt cassel, patriots, red sox, stress

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

You would think that I would need a vacation after my beach vacation but that wasn’t happening at all. I welcomed myself back to DC with a string of baseball games. Monday after my trip I drove up to Baltimore with Cynthia to see the Red Sox/Orioles game. The game was going well for the Sox and halfway into it I decided to walk over to the bullpen area. At Camden Yards the visitors bullpen is very accessible to views and hollers from the fans so I decided to see who I could see.

In between the sixth inning I saw Mike Timlin run from the dugout to the bullpen and there he was standing there watching the game. I figured he had to start warming up if he was going in for the seventh but he was just chillin’. David Aardsma was out there earlier with his own camp chair- looks like he wasn’t going to be palying anytime soon. Timlin turned around and started to head back into the ‘pen. Our eyes met for a moment and I give him the cool and collected headnod- he shoots one back to me and ducks back inside. Visiting the bullpen is something I’m doing way more often.

Things got real exciting when I got to see Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon start to warm up. I told Cynthia how Okajima was from Japan and she tried yelling some Styx lyrics at him. It was great to see the relief pitchers warm up and ultimately walk through the bullpen doors and enter the game. Unfortunately I saw Okajima walk through those doors and blow the game. Oh well we can’t win them all, but I’d love to actually go to a Red Sox game where they won.

The next day I took some of the Maryland crew out to Nationals Park to see the Cardinals/Nationals game. I did a pretty good job of packing the suite- I also invited Wendi and gave guest passes to Sarah and Mike since they were already going to the game. There was a two hour rain delay but luckily with a suite we were able to stay dry. Our suite attendant also did a great job in keeping us entertained. He walks in all excited to teach us a new dance he called, “The Cha Cha Slide.” Of course we knew it but we played along and at the end he came back with a cookie platter since we danced with him.

Just another great time at the ballgame- the event of choice for the summer.

Tags: baltimore, baseball, blog, camden yards, cardinals, cha cha slide, david aardsma, fun times with friends, hideki okajima, jonathan papelbon, mike timlin, nationals, orioles, red sox, styx

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Earlier last year I wrote about how I watched the Red Sox win the World Series at a local Red Sox hangout spot in Georgetown. Well there was a photographer there that took photos of LJ and I to use for a story- however he decided not to use our photo but he did decide to mix up our names:

Guess I’m pretty fly for a white guy.

Tags: baseball, blog, favorites, georgetown, gwu, hatchet, red sox, world series

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Quick Hits for last week:

• Tuesday went to trivia night at Union Jacks with Melissa and a smart group of NiH scientists. Don’t have to say how much I was able to contribute to the math questions.
• Friday was the highlight of the week- Adam, Burak, and Simon, and I went down to DC9 to meet up with some friends. Burak got really drunk and I met a cute girl- obviously a great night.
• After Friday I pretty much kept it chill last night. Laura came over and cooked us “Guinness Burgers” (can you guess the secret ingredient?) Later that night I grabbed some sushi with Ian at this great little place in DC called Mei Wei. It’s a small place in the middle of a corporate park somewhere near Chevy Chase. Because of the location the place was not too full and the sushi was excellent.
• Lots to look forward to this week. Watching the Sox on TBS now, and going to my first Nationals game on Thursday. Hopefully maybe a Celtics game can get in there too.

Tags: blog, celtics, food, fun times with friends, nationals, red sox, trvia night, washington dc

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Actually I’m not going to talk about the Patriots as I refer to them in this week’s blog title. It’s a reference to an outrageous headline I heard during an NFL pre-game show back in 2004. My then roommate Phil was shocked to hear it, I wasn’t as they did go on to win another Super Bowl title.

After watching tonight’s game against the Colts may spur on similar headlines. It was a great game, not the blowout that you’d come to expect but I’m glad to see that the Patriots can win even when they don’t have their A-game. That’s prolly why they won’t lose another game.

Sunday football caps off a pretty eventful week. On Tuesday I went to a haunted forest with Neal and a couple of his friends. It was ok, I don’t think I was scared but maybe more surprised. I expected to have people sneak up on me- I just didn’t know when and how. A fortune teller tent at the site got me thinking of getting my fortune told sometime. It could be entertaining.

Wednesday was Halloween and I donned my costume once again and went out with Laura to Georgetown. I was really surprised on the turnout that evening. M street looked more like Adam’s Morgan on a Saturday. I got lots of shout outs for wearing a Red Sox uniform. Gotta love Red Sox Nation. We started the night at McFadden’s- met up with some of Laura’s friends where it was not as crowded as I expected it to be- however it was a Wednesday. One of the last times I was at McFadden’s it was St. Patrick’s Day, prolly not a great day to be there. I ended up at Georgetown at some house party and then a host of other bars on M street. Laura introduced me to Booeymonger, a pretty cool place for a sandwich. Thanks to the DC Cab Strike, we ended up walking all the way home from Georgetown.

Friday I went to the Flyers/Capitals with LJ. First hockey game of the year and I was happy to see all out fighting not just once- but twice. After the game I drove by Neal’s housewarming party- he moved down the street from me and he had quite the party going on, however I didn’t make it a long stay- I had to get up early.

For what? I had to work Saturday morning. It kinda sucked to get up early to pick up pastries but at least I got to see some great General Motors vehicles. After napping for a while I got up so I could meet up with Rebecca and Camille at Local 16, where we were all celebrating Charlotte’s birthda

I feel like a week or two of taking it easy are in order- but I’m sure that’s not happening anytime soon.

Tags: blog, booeymonger, colts, foggy bottom, football, fun times with friends, general motors, georgetown, haunted forest, holidays, patriots, red sox, u-street, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Now that I’m back home, I gotta get my routine in order, especially after this weekend.

Yesterday was Cleveland House’s annual Halloween bash, and I have to say that it was better than ever. We had it going on in the basement: two kegs, jungle juice (made by Laura, Adam, and I), Beirut, flip cup, darts, and the World Series on a LCD projector. That along with music upstairs and all of our friends in costumes = total chaos. I have to say a good time was had by all. If there were any highlights I can’t really remember them.

I know Rebecca and Camille rocked the pong table, Laura rocked the punch, and LJ rocked the congressional entourage.

Tonight I just got back from watching the Red Sox win the World Series for the second time in four years. It’s beginning to look like Boston’s becoming another city of champions. With positive outlooks for The Patriots, The Celtics, and the BC Eagles; we’re just full of winners. Hell maybe even the Bruins will win some games.

LJ and I went to watch the game at Rhino Bar, a Georgetown hangout where Red Sox Nation congregates. It was my first time at the place and I was impressed with the turnout of the Boston faithful. We were cheering for every hit, every out. My voice hurts from all the screaming that went on tonight.

Well I gotta love that dirty water, it’s late and I should go to bed- I have work tomorrow after all.

Tags: blog, boston college, bruins, celtics, debauchery, georgetown, holidays, patriots, red sox, roommates, travel, world series

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

This is the third time I’ve blogged about it but I have to say that I love Royce Clayton and Coco Crisp.

 Coco Crisp wants his free Taco, tells Royce:

Royce tells Jacoby about free Tacos, Jacoby steals base, now we all got free tacos! 

EDIT: I got my free taco on Tuesday no problems- and I wasn’t the only one to get a taco.

Tags: blog, food, free tacos, red sox, taco bell, world series

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Well I’m finally back in DC, but it wasn’t without incident.

After a day of shooting in Tarrytown, I head over to Westchester County Airport to catch my flight back to DC. US Airways decides to cancel my flight home. Not cool. I had to wait and grab a shuttle to LaGuardia to get a later flight. All in all it was a big hassle that I do not want to mess with again.

I enjoyed a drink with Laura and watched the Red Sox take a 2-0 lead against the Rockies in the World Series. Best part of the game is that Jacoby Ellsbury stole a base, giving America a free taco.

I love tacos.

Tags: blog, flying, free tacos, new york, red sox, travel, work, world series

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

More quick hits on an up and down day:

• Up: Enjoyed some Pizza Hut Express at Miami International for the flight back to DC
• Down: Didn’t sit well on the flight
• Down: Laid over at Reagan for several hours thanks to a delayed flight to White Plains
• Down: American lost some of my luggage
• Up: Shorter than expected flight to New York
• Up: Another exciting GM car to drive in Tarrytown
• Up: Staying in another luxurious hotel
• Down: Toilet overflows
• Weird: The housekeeping staff that came to clean up the mess looked like they were 14.
• Up: Red Sox are up 9-1 in the 5th inning of Game 1 of the World Series
• Awesome: Taco Bell will give America tacos if someone steals a base in the World Series.

After a day of shooting tomorrow, I’ll finally get a chance to go home- I hope 716 Cleveland is still standing.

Tags: blog, flying, free tacos, miami, red sox, travel, work, world series

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Before I recap my time here Miami I have to say I’m very excited about the Red Sox right now. I bought an on-field hat last week in Boston and I was wearing it proudly while working in Miami this morning. I’m watching Game 7 of the ALCS and I’m rooting loudly for Boston.

So my first night of work here in Miami was at the nice and glitzy FAMA Awards. GM was a sponsor and I got to work on the “Green” carpet. There were a lot of cameras and a lot of people I didn’t know that were making the press go wild. Oh the stars of Univision and Telemundo.

Thursday’s work required me to leave Biscayne Bay and travel over the bridge to Miami Beach. The ride over the causeway is really neat; water and palm trees line the way through several smaller islands- a really beautiful sight.

I describe Miami Beach with a look that reminds me of Cuba. The buildings are low, aged, and pastel. The landscape has spots that look like Miami is trying to build itself up; however there are other spots that resemble Lowell and Fitchburg: old, rundown, and industrial. Miami is kinda like Atlantic City- the first couple of streets from the beach are nice but go beyond that- it gets ghetto really fast.

The suburbs more into the coast are a bit nicer. One of the nicer spots include Coco Walk, a mall strip area near Coconut Grove. Krissy and I had dinner there today at The Cheesecake Factory. I have to say that Cheesecake Factory has so many selections in their menu. It’s the size of a published book. I wonder how they get away with some many dishes. No wonder Krissy calls it the typical date restaurant.

Last night work found me at the Sawgrass Outlets. It rained for most of the night so I found refuge inside Gameworks. I spent a few dollars playing a few shooter arcade games. My new favorite is Ghost Squad, it comes with a mock HK UMP with a working select fire switch. Uber cool.

Ok well that’s it for now here in Miami- the Pats already did good for me today now time for the Sox!

Tags: blog, fama, food, general motors, miami, patriots, red sox, south beach, travel, work, world series

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

So I’m good and settled in Miami now, after a long flight I’m in much warmer weather. After more additional screening at Logan I had brunch at Cosi- nice to see a DC standby making a Boston appearance. I was just shopping at Target down here in Miami and I saw the storefront for a future Five Guys. Good to see them branching out of Virginia.

So of course there’s a lot of Hispanic people down here but there’s also a lot of rude people down here. The two women I sat next to on the plane were really impatient about getting off after we landed in Miami. It really bugged me because there were tons of people in the aisle and I wasn’t going to try and butt in. I guess I’m a little more patient.

So after driving the Outlook in Boston, I got the Buick Enclave for Miami. It’s supposed to be the luxury model of the Lambda platform vechicles and it definately is.

Ok gotta get back to the Sox game.

Tags: blog, food, miami, red sox, travel, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Ok so where was I?

On Saturday I enjoyed a nice dinner after work with some co-workers. We went to Clink which was the hotel’s gourmet restaurant. The portions were definately gourmet. When I say gourmet I mean meager. Clarence and Melisa ordered Scallops and they recieved six uncooked medallions of fish and a sterno to cook it with. It’s supposed to be “Japanese Hot Stove” cooking. I call it a rip off.

Bill came up and we met up with Joe at Donovan’s to watch Game 2 of the ALCS. Jessica came out and joined us as we cheered for the Sox. Unfortunately the game did not go as well as we would like. Afterwards we all went into Harvard Square to the Hong Kong. What can I say- it was fratastic.

Sunday was another night out with co-workers. First we all went out to dinner at Harvard Gardens, then us boys enjoyed some man time. We helped Clarence find his drink for 2008, apparently he picks a drink and that’s his go-to for the year- a very interesting approach.

Last night I spent some time with the family. We all went out to the Applebee’s in Drum Hill. I haven’t had a chance to check it out, it’s like your typical Applebee’s but this one had some Chelmsford memorabilia, including several programs of the shows I produced in high school. Afterwards Laura came into town to visit me. We walked around Boston and got some Ice Cream. We sat in front of the harbor next to the Aquarium and ate it.

It was a great week back home, it was great to see some familiar faces.

Tags: blog, boston, family, food, fun times with friends, harvard square, red sox, travel, work