Tuesday, October 29, 2013

My Bucket List

    Well, I did it.  I actually walked my first 5 K.   Another item can be scratched off my bucket list.  
I walked with three other women from my office, and I completed 3.1 miles!  I felt great except for some minor aches and pains, but a little advil and ice took care of that pretty quickly.
    My generous friends and family donated more than $250.00 to our soup kitchen and local food pantries.  I am still getting checks in the mail from my cousins.  The Nashua walk was hoping to hit the million dollar mark this year (their 29th), so they love the fact that donations are still coming in!!
    I know I'll do another 5 K, and next time I hope to do more actual running.  
    Now it's time to move on to the next item on my list.  The Red Sox winning the World Series would be great!  My sister and her husband have tickets to Wednesday's game, and it would be fantastic if the Sox clinched tomorrow night....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on.....

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Red Sox are Headed to the 2013 World Series

    The World Series begins Wednesday, October 23 rd.  The Red Sox will represent the American League, and the Cardinals will represent the National League.  Congratulations to both teams, and to all their loyal fans.  It should be an excellent series.  I'm glad Boston has the home field advantage, which means that the seventh game, if needed to decide the Championship,  will be played at Fenway Park.
    Both teams have been there before, and have even faced each other in 2004.  That was the year that the Red Sox beat all the odds, and came back to win the Divisional Championship Series,  after losing the first three games in the series to the Yankees.  No other team in history had ever done that before, and it is unlikely to ever happen again.  Boston had not won a World Series in eighty-six years, even though they had been in the Post Season several times.
   Boston fans have felt the agony of defeat many times, and so we must thank the Detroit Tigers for their effort in such an intense series.  The Tigers have three of the top pitchers in all of baseball, and they have the guy most likely to win the batting title.  These games were scary.  As a matter of fact,  I called my folks in Florida during each game, just to check on them.  I knew if my heart was pounding, theirs would be as well. It is a lot of fun to watch a game together even though we live thousands of miles apart.  We would hang up during commercials and breaks, and I'd say "I'll call you if anything good happens".  The games were close, and everyone watching TV must have loved it.  Of course, it was shear torture for all  Sox and Tiger fans. Each game was determined by one or two mistakes, which the other team quickly capitalized on.
    Boston's closing pitcher won the MVP of the Series, and was awarded a trophy.  He was the third pitcher given the job, when two other closers suffered season ending injuries .  When asked how he felt going in to pitch the ninth inning, he said "to be honest, I wanted to throw up".  He's the guy that Big Papi throws over his shoulder after every save, the guy that high fives everyone.  He seems to have a real joy for the game, and it seems to have spilled onto the entire team.  They are working hard, and having fun.  That's a recipe for success no matter what profession we happen to be in.  Good Luck Everyone....and remember to breath.
I know there will be a lot of late nights for baseball fans throughout the country......and the beat goes on.....the beat goes on.......
      

Monday, October 14, 2013

New England's Comeback Kids

   Sunday was a very busy day for sports fans in New England.  The Patriots football game was on TV at 4:30 pm, and the Red Sox playoff game started at 8:15 pm.  Everyone watching was treated to two of the best comeback wins in a long time.  The moral of both stories is to never give up.
    The Patriots were losing with less than three minutes left in the game, and Tom Brady's pass was intercepted.  Since the Red Sox were due to start in a few minutes, I decided to clean up the kitchen.  After all, now there were only two minutes left in the game.  I scurried back to the den when I heard my husband cheering that the Pat's had gotten the ball back.  This season, all the receivers are new, and catching balls are no longer automatic.  Fans cannot wait until the team runs the plays the way they are drawn up.  Yesterday, we got a glimpse of just how easy it could be.  With 5 seconds left, Tompkins caught a pass, and the Patriots wound up beating the saints, who had not lost this season.  It was fantastic!   At the press conference, Brady talked about all the practice that the team does to prepare for different game time situations.  A former player mentioned that each Thursday is devoted to exactly that. Hopefully, this is the confidence booster that the teams needs. Patriots always talk about playing for all 60 minutes, and yesterday, it took  exactly 59 minutes and 55 seconds of hard work to win that game.  Keep up the good work!
       The Red Sox game began very slowly, with Detroit pitching dominating.  Detroit was racking up all kinds of records, because the Red Sox were shut out Saturday night, and no one got a hit until the sixth inning last night.  In the eighth inning though, fans got to see some Red Sox Magic!  Red Sox were trailing the Tigers 5 to 1, when  Big Papi hit a grand slam to tie the game!  Some of my relatives were at the game, sitting  four rows behind the bullpens.  The home run landed right in front of them, and the fans were going nuts.  Someone paused their TV and took of picture of them in the stands.  And yes, at least one of them was wearing a fake beard! It must have been incredible!  I tried to call my nephew after the game, but he did not answer.  Apparently, they were taking pictures with his phone, and said that fans stuck around cheering long after the game had ended.  They called when they got in the car though, and said it was the best game they had ever attended.
    After Saturday's loss, I bought Hood's Red Sox Caramel Comeback ice cream.  Yes, New England actually has ice cream with names like Green Monster Mint and others ( I bought them both).  I usually talk with my dad in Florida Sunday nights, and of course they were watching too.  I said I was going to have some ice cream, and I'd call him back if anything good happened.  OMG,  it worked!  Of course, I'll have to have enough on hand to get me through the series.  No matter how it ends, fans know that this Red Sox team never gives up, and will play hard until the game is over.  I cannot wait until Tuesday night to see what happens next......and the beat goes on.....the beat goes on.........

Sunday, October 6, 2013

A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed

  One of our neighbors had a kitchen fire recently.  We are all grateful that no one was hurt.  Most of the damage was caused by smoke, which is prevalent in every room.  The fire department worked quickly through each room, causing damage to electronics and other possessions.  The insurance company and fire investigators will complete their reports, and then the cleanup and restoration will begin.
  We have lived in this neighborhood for more than thirty years, and we know that we are fortunate to have such great friends.  We all help each other, and do our best to get along.  We all want to do something to help, but the waiting is tough.  It seems to be taking too long to get answers, and I wonder if it has been caused by the government shutdown.
  The family is staying with friends next door.  A few of the children from the street made cards, and every family chipped in to help with immediate expenses.  It was very emotional when a group of us dropped off our gifts today.  They were touched by our generosity, but the fact is, that we have all been helped by this family through the years.  It felt good to repay their kindness, although it is terrible that any family go through this.
  This is the America that I want to live in.  In my America,  we don't hesitate to help each other.  I am disgusted that the government has shut down,  because the wrong people are being hurt.  Those that need services and answers should be able to get them.  Americans want the vote taken, because we all  believe that there are enough votes to reopen the government.  Then,  I think the parties can fight about anything they want.  I hope those in Congress whose words say that they do not want a shut down, find the courage to have their actions match those words.  After all, the entire country is watching.  You will never convince the American voters that the party who loves big government, would actually shut it down.
   I personally know three people who work as clerks in Federal jobs.  None of them are trust fund babies, and so they literally depend on their salaries for rent, car payments,  and groceries.  One of them is considered essential personnel, and must report for work without pay.  The others have been  furloughed,  which means that they stay home without pay.  Some obnoxious members of Congress equate that to a vacation.  Most of us would never go away unless we thought we could actually pay for a trip, and my friends must be prepared to report to work in a matter of hours.
 If  our elected representatives refuse to act on behalf of ALL Americans, then I hope the voters make them pay a political price in the next election.  If  lawmakers are forced to realize that their actions have consequences, then they might be more likely to actually govern.  I really hope it comes back to bite all  who use Americans as pawns in their game of chicken.  Those of us in the sensible center must talk to our friends and make sure we vote the bad lawmakers out of office as soon as possible.....and the beat goes on.....the beat goes on..........