Bruins Stinker

I am not really a hockey fan, per say. As I've stated in the past, I am addicted to baseball and in the last three seasons or so, I've folded basketball into the mix. It's really all I can find the time to follow when I'm not knee deep in the soap.

Having said this, I must express my empathy to all of the Bruins fans who had such faith in this team. It really did seem as though they had the momentum to go all the way. I know the "punch in the gut" feeling that the B's fans will have to ride out over the next couple of days. It's a total pooper.

I hope the Celtics can win game 7 at home tomorrow. I've realized that Dwight Howard is a real "me, me, me" kind of guy. I can't believe the way he bad-mouthed Van Gundy so publicly. It's very selfish and disrespectful of your teammates, not to mention Van Gundy himself. Right or wrong, you work that stuff out privately. And Alston is a total jerk. No one slaps Eddie House in the back of the head and advances in the playoffs. No one!

I'm finally writing a baseball blog post.

The Yankees acquired Anthony Keitis (who Jere and I call Teixeira), CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. And to this I say: Big deal.

Teixeira is a fine player. Good numbers. Gold glove. But, lest we forget - the man plays first base. My grandmother could get a gold glove at first base (sorry if I am offending anyone here). That's where DH's go in NL parks. That's where tired short stops go. That's where they put Giambi, for heaven's sake. I actually like not having to give up Mike Lowell. I think another decent year could be squeezed out of the guy if he is healthy. Plus, I would like to see his famous hidden ball trick at long last! So, our infield stays in tact and I'm not upset about it (so long as they go with "Jed instead"). I'm also glad that Lucchino and Henry stood firm against Boras. Screw Scott Boras. I hate that guy. He is single-handily ruining baseball. Both Jere and I agree that it would have been nice to see Keitis go to Baltimore. That would have been a good lift for the birds. Plus, that's where he's from, anyway (Teixeira, not Anthony Keitis).

Truth be told, CC Sabathia is more than a little hefty. He's going to run out of steam. They've got him for 7 long years, too. They are going to have to put him on a diet. Actually, (out of the 3 newbies) he's probably the player who will make the most difference for them in terms of their chances of making the playoffs.

And A.J. Burnett doesn't scare me at all. It is very likely that he will wind up on the DL early/ often. He might be an A.J. Burden to some teams, but the Yankees can afford to sign Carl Pavanos like that.

I think we need to get a good number 4 starter (Sorry, Buchholz). And I'm not talking about getting Derek Lowe back. His sinker is nasty when he's got it. But when he doesn't, he cries on the mound. I don't want that. You don't want that. Nobody wants that. I like the guy ok. I enjoy being surprised by his height every time I see him in person, but that's about it. Also, when are we going to think about getting a back up for our number 5 starter? Wake is not going to fossilize on that mound or anything. He's going to weaken eventually and this could really be the year. We need 2 decent starters to back up Wake and Buchholz.

And I say we sign the Captain for a couple more years, then he and Wake can retire and become the new Dennis Eckersley and Louis Tiante. If Wakefield had a little kiosk on Yawkey way, what kind of food do you think he would sell? "Regular guy" cuisine. Whatever that it. Something totally non-adventurous. He could call it, "No Condiments" or something. His tag line could be: "How would you like a knuckle sandwich?"

We spent the last couple of days in Northampton, which was relaxing and fun, as always. I was disappointed to learn that they converted what I thought was a government building into an Urban Outfitters. I think I am officially done with UO now. This was the last straw. Especially since they are taking serious business away from Faces, which is an independent UO type of operation a few doors down. Not cool, UO!

The Celtics! The Celtics! The Celtics! 19 wins in a row! I am in awe. Can't wait for the Christmas match up with the Lakers. I hope Jack Nicholson cries in his eggnog. I'm sure he'll cancel whatever critical plans he has that day to be courtside for this one. What an a-hole that guy is.

House Update

First and foremost - CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BOSTON CELTICS! That was beyond exciting! I wish I had been able to go to the parade, but since paring down to a 4-day workweek, I try not to ask for more than I need from my employer.

Secondly, we are inching ever so closely to buying the house, but it isn't easy. Is it ever? We had a mold specialist come into the home yesterday to take samples from the basement where there are 2 distinct patches of mold. One of the patches contains a number of different types of mold, and a small amount of it is toxic. This is not good news. It means that the basement must undergo a remediation. And the question now becomes: Who is going to pay for it? It's a small area, which is good, but all mold remediations are expensive. They start at $1000. We've already negotiated with the seller to absorb full closing costs and he's come down a considerable amount since his initial asking price. We've asked him to deal with some electrical and plumbing issues that our inspector identified. We are wondering how much further he's going to be pushed.

It's in his best interest to take care of the mold because if he refuses and we back out of the deal, the mold must be disclosed to all potential buyers and in this market, ain't nobody gonna select a home that has toxic mold in the basement, no matter how little.

It may also be in our interest to pay for the remediation, because we've already invested $1000 in testing and assessment. We would be able to retain our deposit (as toxic mold is a serious enough problem to merit our backing out of the deal), but we would lose all the upfront $$$.

I am thinking that if he refuses to deal with the problem, we can ask if he would go in for half. Or possible a full/partial credit at the closing.

Either which way, the mold is outta there before August 14th. My agent is working up an extension right now for the final Purchase and Sale.

Fun!

Game 5 Pooper

Well, it's too bad about the game last night. I had a feeling that the Lakers would show up with everything they had. The series now stands: Celtics: 3, Lakers: 2. It was nice to see Matt Damon courtside. There has to be an answer for Jack Nicholson, who obviously thinks that he has some control over the outcome of these games. What a jackass.

The good part about this, of course, is that the C's might win it right here at home tomorrow. I will boycott WEEI until then. Today and tomorrow will probably be filled with nothing but harsh criticism from fans who think they can do a better job than the Celtics.

In home buying news, we had the inspection on Saturday. There are some repairs that need to be addressed (some are safety concerns, others are structural), but over time, it should be pretty easy to get them all done. The next step is figuring out which ones we need the seller to do vs. which ones we can live with until we get around to them. The whole process of a home inspection is so nerve-racking. I feel like we're taking a test and every time the inspector finds something, we're inching toward failure.

Oh - and I hope all of you dads had a great Father's Day! I would like to once again thank my late father for teaching me about the important things in life: Rock and roll, illegal fireworks, motorcycles, sticking it to the man, and amusement parks. Miss you, Dad!

Game Five

Wouldn't it be amazing if the Celtics won the championship in five games? Given that it's Garnett's number, I think that would blow my mind.

We will be taking in the game at our friend Anne's house on Sunday. I am incredibly pumped.

The home inspection is today - wish us luck!

Rajon Rondo: He'll Holla!

Check out Rondo's blog. He's pretty consistent with posting, too, considering how busy he is right now. He's been icing the ankle and taking it easy. I've got a good feeling about this game. I think that KG and Pierce are going to bring it. I hope they do it in front of grumpy, old Jack Nicholson. God, that man gets under my skin (save for The Shining and The Witches of Eastwick).

I am wondering if maybe Bill Russell can fly to L.A. for extra motivation. I'm not joking.

In house news: We are getting the house inspected on Saturday. My mom and Bill will be coming along for the fun. Whippee! Three hours of the 3 Ps: poking, prodding and praying that we don't find termites.

In sunburn news: I'm peeling like a mofo. I'm hideous.

And congratulations to David Ortiz for becoming a United States citizen!

We've Got a House!

In theory, anyway. Lots of paperwork still needs to be processed (and looked over by an attorney), but we accepted the counter-offer, with a few conditions. The deposit is in! Soon, we will be "Pawtucketites." "Rhode Islanders." "People who live in a very small state." Wait, we are already people who live in a very small state.

Word to the wise: Don't buy spray on sun screen. It doesn't work all that well. My lobster burn today is proof. And Jere's little nephew (one of the family members we spent yesterday with on his parents' beach) came running into their condo at the end of the day screaming about the sunburn on his back. He then looked at us and said, "I'm gonna take a tub!" He is so adorable. By the way, the sunburn was the only drawback to yesterday's fun. We had such a blast hanging out with everyone, including Jere's cousin Kara, her husband Ben and their super cute daughter, Lanie. It was the first real summer day. I think we checked every box - kayak, float, ocean, swimming pool, beach, picnic. Good times!

Speaking of good times, I should also mention that we went to Manny's big 500 home run game in Baltimore last weekend! Special thanks to Taylor and Kathie for treating us and letting us stay at their place in Philadelphia after the game. Loved the waffles! It was nice to get a real crab cake, too. I know New England offers kickass seafood, but nobody makes a crab cake like the fine people of Baltimore. And I am a big fan of it.

Mom update: She's doing well, though I could punch that old E.R. doctor in the head. After more scans by her oncologist, she was told that there is still cancer in the lungs. And everywhere else. Bu the good news is that it hasn't gotten worse or metastasized any further. They changed up her chemo, so her side affects won't be so bad. This one just gives her an intolerance to cold temperatures (she likens drinking cold beverages to swallowing shards of glass) and messes around with her jaw when she chews. Other than that, it seems to be better for her. She prefers this to vomiting.

I will be spending this sweltering day indoors making soap and other bath products to prepare for a pretty big Stella Marie spa party on Friday. It is best for me to stay out of the sun for a while. Besides, game 2 of the NBA finals is on tonight. Not to be missed!

Red Sox and Celtics - Holy Crap!

For the Boston fan, last night was a real pleaser. We attended the Rays-Red Sox brawl of a game and, besides the fact that it cut into game 1 of the Celtics-Lakers finals, it was pretty awesome. I arrived a little after 6 (They started the game early so that folks wouldn't have to miss the Celtics, but I think all players were in agreement that they weren't going to let the C's determine the length of their game.) and waited in what I thought was the left field pavilion, where our standing room seats were (it was actually one level above where I was). I was scanning the crowd, looking for my peeps, when all of a sudden I heard a huge roar. When I got a good view of the field, it wasn't clear exactly what had happened. My first thought was that an unruly fan dashed out onto the field. The last name I remember being announced was Coco Crisp. Surely, Coco wasn't involved in a brawl. I had to get bits and pieces of information from the people who actually did see this play out and I was pretty shocked. Even after watching the replays. I guess Coco used to box - this was evident when you see the way he avoids James Shields' swing. It was pretty wild and, of course, amusing. I hope Coco doesn't get suspended for too long. I agree that he should have let that mofo have it, but he is pretty key right now, particularly in the absence of Papi. Then, Jacoby came out of the game with a wrist injury after making a diving catch (it's going to be day-to-day) and Manny and Youk were fighting in the dug out. There is some speculation that Youk was pissed at Manny for not being more prompt in clearing the dugout to defend Coco. Nice night - and this was only the first half of the evening. We did move up to seats right near the Red Sox dugout in the 8th, as folks were clearing out to go home and watch the Celtics. Occasionally, the Fenway people put the Celtics score up on one of their MANY screens in the park. I guess they thought that leaving the score up would have been overkill or something. I was so mad. There was one screen that read: GO CELTICS, BEAT L.A.! Could they not have used this screen for something a little more important, like, saaaaaaaay, the score?

I must tell you, too, that on my way to the park, I saw at least 5 ambulances. Several of them were parked next to the river (alongside the Pike, in the Heminway area). The water is particularly filthy there, always foul-smelling. I don't know what was going on, but I could feel it coming in the air last night. Oh, Lord.

(photo at left: Senator John Kerry Governer Deval Patrick were among the important people at the Garden last night. Check out this gallery for more.) We watched the 2nd half of the Celtics game at home. By half time, the Lakers had a 5 point lead. The announcers were calling the Celtics "lucky" to have only been trailing by 5. Little did they know ... the C's were about to take the roof off the sucka. I was really scared when Pierce went down. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and at the point of his injury, he was on fire. What was worse, he fell because his legs somehow got caught up in Perkins' legs. As Jere said - can't even blame the Lakers for it. But remarkably, Pierce, with a nicely wrapped knee, came back in the game after seeking quick medical attention. And he was a machine, to boot. Now, let's talk about the Celtics amazing point guard - Rajon Rondo. This guy has been dazzling me all year. Aside from the fact that he is cute as a darned button (he's only 6' 1"), he is spot on. He was a rookie just last year, but he's been playing like a seasoned pro from game 1 of the regular season.

Garnett was his usual awesome self, shooting 24 points. And Ray Allen finally found his game!

I don't know if we'll see Eddie House or Big Baby in the finals. Eh, you never know. But probably not.

What a crazy, glorious night. Kobe is an unbelievable player and this is by no means in the bag.

*all photos from Boston.com

GO CELTICS!

I am totally ready for this game. Cannot wait!

Crazy re: that green line train collision in Newton (less than an hour ago). I just had dinner across the street from that station less than a week ago. So far, no casualties. Luckily, the injured passengers can quite literally walk across the street to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. God, that was terrible.

We saw some interesting properties over the weekend. We are looking at 2 more on Friday night. One is in the Oak Hill part of Pawtucket, which, from what I read, is a pretty desirable area. Kind of artsy. The place looks very promising. Kind of like Pee Wee's house from the outside. Ish. Wish us luck.

First Road Win!

The Celtics came out with both barrels loaded last night! They beat the Pistons 94-80. They kept a 10-15 point lead consistently. They kept their composure, even though there was at least one instance of funny business. Kevin Garnett was forced into his 2nd personal foul because one of the Pistons grabbed his arm (very clear in the replay) and tried to pull Garnett down to the floor. Garnett yanked his arm back and a foul was called on him. He was a little shocked, but he let it go. The C's proceeded to answer for every point scored by Detroit. It was the compete opposite of Game 2. I guess the Pistons have learned what the Celtics are capable of.

We are looking at 6 properties today. I can't wait!

Wig Shopping

Though my mom's chemo is not technically supposed to cause her to loose her hair, it's thinning quite a bit (it was already very thin to begin with) and she's decided to have it cut really short and buy a wig. So ... that's what's on the agenda today. Somehow, I don't think it's going to be as fun as the old days of going to department stores and trying on the worst ones, then breaking out in huge fits of laughter. Who knows? Maybe she'll be in a goofy mood. She had a blood transfusion this week and she feels like a million bucks. Lots of energy, full appetite, more color in her face. She's like a new person.

I can't WAIT to start looking at houses this weekend. If I had loads of expendable cash, I would opt for a retro kitchen in black, red and white. Check out these amazing (and super expensive) appliances from Northstar in Candy Apple red:





I would also go with a 1950's table and chairs. Look at this gorgeous number:



I adore this button back chair in Tiffany blue, but they do make them in a "crushed ice" red:




And in sports:

The Celtics are going to have to win a road game, it seems. And how about the Red Sox? Two grand slams? The Royals are probably feeling pretty low right now. They really got knocked around.

True Gibberish

I am going to make a horrible mother someday because I will actually take my child out of a quiet public area if he or she is screaming their head off. Or I will at least apologize to those around me. Over the weekend, I went to the laundromat. There, a lovely woman and her 3 children were waiting for their clothes to dry. The eldest girl was nicely behaved. The middle child was borderline and the little boy was a maniac. Now, let me first say that I understand that being in a laundromat is not fun for a child. It's not fun for an adult, either. I remember going with my mother when I was about 5 or 6 when we were renting an apartment, and then again when I was about 10 or 11 when our washer and dryer crapped out. As a tot, I passed the time by studying the coffee vending machine and making spiders out of plastic cups by ripping the sides into strips. When I was 11, I just read Circus magazine and fantasized about having Def Leppard over our house for dinner. I was occupied and I stayed out of people's hair.

This little boy was obviously looking for something to do. Heck, it was a sunny day and here he was with his mom and sisters, stuck in a big building filled with smells of hot fabric and detergent. Can you blame the child for running around, jumping in front of people, screaming at the highest decibels known to man and slapping all the chairs in the laundromat many times over? And can you blame the child's poor mother for somehow drowning out the noise and acting completely unaffected by the display? If you answered no to both questions, then you certainly can't blame me for whipping out my iPod, adjusting the volume to "eleven" and filling my ears with Megadeath, Metallica, and The Cult while perusing my Real Simple magazine.

Society. Ugh.

The Celtics shined last night at the Garden. And Ray Allen actually made one of free throws! The clear plastic face masks that some players wear really freaks me out.

So, I am wondering - what's your ultimate symbol or icon from the 1970s? There are so many to choose from, I know. Banana seated bikes with metallic handle bars are my latest fave, along with Love's Baby Soft and "pull off" soda can tabs. I also liked Ginger's sparkly dress on Gilligan's Island. I always wanted an occasion to wear a dress like that.

In real estate news: We are pre-approved! It's official! I really can't wait to start looking at places on Sunday. This is so exciting!

Speaking of ...

A little after 5 PM yesterday, I called my mother. I had been on the phone with a mortgage lender earlier in the day and felt really good about beginning the process of buying a home. The pre-approval should happen before the end of the week. Between some money I have saved and some savings bonds I inherited from my father (who inherited them from my grandmother), I've managed to put together a little down payment. I wanted to share this with my mom. She answered her cell phone from the emergency room. At this point, I don't panic at the idea of knowing she is there. It's more like, "What, now?" She's had shortness of breath and lightheadedness and was advised by her oncologist to go to the ER. They proceeded to run their usual battery of tests, including an EKG and a chest x-ray. Both came back normal. To the chest x-ray results, my mother replied, "Normal, except for the cancer, right?" (I may have mentioned that the cancer metastasized to both lungs.) "There is no evidence of cancer in your lungs," the doctor said.

No cancer in the lungs.

NO CANCER IN THE LUNGS!

I guess the chemotherapy is doing it's job. We don't know about the other areas, but my mother did say that the tumor under her rib is loosening up. I don't want to get my hopes up, but when you are dealing with cancer, you have to celebrate all the victories - big and small. Because you don't know when it's going come around and take the wind out of your sails again.

The shortness of breath is due to a low oxygen level in her blood. She will need to discuss a way to treat that with her oncologist. It is supposed to be at least 60 and it's fallen, continuously, down to 21 since last year. This, combined with her asthma, is causing her to feel winded just by walking from the driveway to the back door. She may need iron supplements or possibly a blood transfusion.

She is going in for a port-o-catheter today to make her chemotherapy treatments a little easier. It's better than digging and digging for a vein that eventually presents itself. She's got tricky veins. She would make a terrible heroin addict. Or, at the very least, a very slow one.

Speaking of cancer ...

On another happy note, Lester pulled a no-hitter out of the ether yesterday! I wonder if he had a port-o-catheter. Someone at work just pointed out that he has an enormous head. It's true. And it's all fuzzy bear on top. Anyway, you've got to tip your hat to John Lester. Cancer survivor. Pitcher extraordinaire. Until his next start, anyway.

Speaking of pitching ...

We lost our softball game last night. You want to know why? Because we played a team that clearly belongs in a more advanced league. It sucks that a group of highly skilled players gets together and decides, unanimously, to play in the recreational league simple because they'll breeze their way through. Jerks. Plus, I struck out looking during my last at bat. Jere did great! Came up HUGE in the outfield and robbed these jackasses of a few good rips.

Speaking of coming up HUGE ...

The Celtics play game one against the Pistons tonight at the Gah-din. I am so excited! Prepare to be riveted, people! I predict that Ray Allen is going to step up his game tonight. And hopefully Doc will let Eddie House play again.

Ocean State

After that exhausting, but incredibly exciting 7 game series, I hope that the Celtics advance to the big show. I still can't believe they've made it this far. Paul Pierce was just incredible. 42 points, all by himself? I think that was the number. He was definitely in the zone, making all of his shots and the whole team displayed tight defense all game long. It's a tough break for Cleveland, but the Celtics are so deserving. I just hope that they aren't too pooped out for the series with Detroit.

Well folks, we are officially moving to the greater Providence area in September. This decision was made so that I can be closer to my mother's house. We have a very helpful real estate agent and I feel really good about this move. I will still commute to Waltham 4 days a week. We begin looking at properties next weekend. I have to get pre-approved before the weekend. The prices are really good and I don't anticipate any bidding wars, so we should be able to snag a sweet deal. I am hoping to have a large, usable basement to turn into a workshop for my soap business. I will need a sink, electricity, lots of available space and a refrigerator. I will miss Somerville miserably.

Mom update: She's had her 4th dose of chemo. At this point, she's fatigued 24/7. And she's really weak. At least she's in a position where she can continue to sleep as she needs it, totally uninterrupted. But I'm sure it's frustrating for her to not really be able to accomplish much on a daily basis.

Red Hot Celtics

Can you believe it? I really don't know what to say. Last night's game was riveting. And a little bittersweet. I really like Delonte West. And in Red Sox news, you have to love being on top in the division standings, and 4.5 up on the Yanks. [Boy, the Yankees are in rough shape these days. And how about that psycho Yankee fan in New Hampshire, killing a Red Sox fan with her vehicle?]

I am on vacation from my day job this week, but it's been anything but a vacation! Doctors appointments, lots of Stella Marie work, shopping, softball, real estate research ... whew!

My mom is getting accustomed to her chemotherapy. And by this, I mean that she knows now what to expect. It's her week off, so she and her husband are spending several days at a Bed and Breakfast on the Cape.

Hodge Podge

Well, the Celtics lost their 3rd game in the series last night, despite a late rally. Garnett had 32 points. That man is a machine! On to game 4 (also in Atlanta).

Also, have you ever noticed that Jacoby Ellsbury looks a lot like Julianna Margulies?



So, my mother had her first chemo treatment last week and it went very well. She is experiencing some slight nausea, despite the anti-nausea meds they've given her. But we suspected as much since the oncologist's nurse had said that her kind of chemo would be especially nauseating. Nice. Thanks a lot. She's enjoying the Crazy, Sexy, Cancer Tips book I gave her, too. I think she is finding that she can relate to the author somewhat because she is also stage 4 (liver cancer = a total m*ther f*cker).

Oh, I forgot to report - our bad news bears-style softball team finally captured a win last week! We shocked ourselves to the core. We went through the entire frostbite season winless, and we even started out the spring that way (We lost our 1st game. Bonus: one of our best players fractured her index finger while trying to catch a line drive. She's on the DL for a few weeks.). We pulled a come-from-behind win out of thin air in the last inning! We screamed like a pack of little girls. The other team must have thought we were a bunch of pathetic morons. I wanted to let them know how huge this was for us, but decided it wasn't a good idea to inform them that they were the first team that stunk enough for us to beat. It was actually their pitcher's fault. She was a former fast pitch softball player and she just lost it in the bottom of the last inning. She was throwing shit way over people's heads and what-have-you. She walked a lot of batters. My proudest moment in the game was catching a high pop-up foul behind the plate (I am catching, still, until I get over the fear of blowing out the quads).

Switching gears: I had another successful spa party with my small soap business. The girls really enjoy complimentary facials! I was invited to a lovely home in Acushnet, MA and the turnout was sizable, so I did pretty well. My mom is hosting one for me in 2 weeks. And a gal from Raynham from the last party wants one, too. I feel really comfortable with the format now. Arrive, set up, mingle while people arrive, introduce myself and talk about my biz, allow the ladies to sample products while I make fresh facials (avocado/yogurt and oatmeal/honey), do the facials, set up the raffle (I raffle off draining soap dishes, loofahs, spa-style eye masks, a few of my products, pumice stones, etc), then do the money thing. It usually lasts 3-4 hours, but it goes by so fast. And all the girls usually know each other, so it's a nice way to spend an evening. Plus, I get to lower some of my prices a bit since there is no shipping involved and Yahoo/Paypal do not get their commission (I do the same at shows).

Speaking of my soap biz - I will be taking part in Somerville's Art Beat festival in July. Details to follow.

This Weekend Wrap

Well, the project from hell is officially over, save for a few minor details. I was able to take Friday off to spend time with Mom and prepare for Saturday's soap show. Check out the pics here.

After the show, we played kickball with friends of ours in Danbury, CT. I haven't down this since the 6th grade, but I must tell you that it was a lot of fun. I guess you just never really forget how to play and that pang of anxiety still hits you right before you kick the ball. I am still sore from playing. I'd better get over it quick, though, 'cause we start softball this week and we've got 2 games to play. Hope the quads hold up for me this year.

We also watched an awesome documentary called, "King of Kong" about 2 dudes competing against each other for the Donkey Kong record. I encourage you to rent this - it was very compelling. I remember when my parents bought me a ColecoVision. DK was a big time obsession in the house for many months. Video games sort of bore me now.

Mom starts chemo this week. She's getting "prepped" on Tuesday, then goes in for her first treatment on Thursday. I bought her a book called, Crazy, Sexy Cancer Tips. She's a take charge type person, so I think that she will find this to be helpful. It's a real, "kick serious cancer butt" type book.

Speaking of butt kicking, both the Celtics AND the Red Sox were victorious yesterday. The C's made the Hawks look like a bunch of Strawberry Shortcake dolls in their 104-81 finish. And the Red Sox pulled the win out of thin air.

I can't believe the next Sox game starts in, like, an hour and a half.

Go Marathoners!

The C's!

The Celtics have made history! The greatest 1- year turn around in NBA history!

Take that, Shaq!

Sorry to disappoint Shaq fans near and far, but our boys took it away tonight! Kevin Garnett scored 30 points!

Down 5

I finally lost 5 pounds. It's taken me nearly 3 full weeks of careful dieting and devout workouts and virtually no alcohol consumption. Boy, it sure is tough to drop weight as you get older! And I've still got 10 more to go! The good news is that my thighs are now ready for softball. And this year, we have the option of joining a new "work" league, which is different from regulation Boston Ski and Sports Club style softball.

Went to see the Celtics cream the Bobcats at the Garden last night. And I finally bought my Eddie House shirt! I love #50! I adore Garnett, too, but everyone has a KG shirt. Why must House take a back seat? What an amazing game! Rondo is such a joy to watch, too. Not amazing: waiting to exit the parking garage afterward.

How weird is it that the Red Sox signed Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal? A few years ago, this guy was the Ace to beat. Now, with an extra 40 or so pounds on his body, he is vying for a position in the pen with Boston. Life is funny that way.

Work stinks right now. Can I just say that? I am really dreading it these days, as I am working on a horrible and hellish project with a client that should really know better. The good news is that it will only be horrible and hellish for about a month.