Wasted away again in Margaritaville/Searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt/Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame

Man, I love when Blackburn pitches because it gives me a chance to mess around with Amy. She loves/hates it when I break out into song when he is up to pitch.
Blackburn singing in the dead of night/take these broken wings and learn to fly

Ah, I get my jollies when I can.

Speaking of last night's game
Well, a lot of swear words were coming out of my mouth last night. Let’s see…
Nathan, Nathan, Nathan – you caused more f-bombs and sonofbeetches to explode in my livingrom. (and one tiny “Oh no you didn’t.)

The blogosphere is all a-flutter with talk of who will be sent down when Punto and Baker are back up. I don’t really have a response at this moment but…it does give us all something to think about. Thanks to Krissy I now know that Perkins will be pitching at my game on Friday. I can’t help but wonder what kind of curse-words Oh, Those Girls are thinking/saying right now.

The Lighter Side

Ah, Dick & Bert - Okay, someone else had to hear Bert talking about his toenail (or lack there for of.) Hey, maybe I will show you in the post-game show.

Oh, Its Those Girls (two references in one post!) had an awesome post regarding Carlos Gomez’s quotes.

Allow me a moment… Baby Jesus didn’t shave. He looks at least 21 now.

Since I have kind of hit a roadblock when it comes to baseball blogger (bad blogger) I give you some fun photos (not taken by me) of ceremonial first pitches.



First (and foremost) our reigning American Idol. Now, before you all start grumbling you should know that David Cook is my newest not-so-secret crush. And since I have 100% control over this blog I am putting up two photos. So there.





What the hell is Ace Young (from American Idol, and yes I had to look it up because I didn’t have a flying clue) doing wearing a Twins outfit? He was part of the MLB Baseball for Kids Weekend (in 2007.)





Ah, the Donald. Yes, I could find a more flattering photo but I chose not to use it.





Chewy! Come on, this is hella funny!





Not to be outdone…a monkey.





Becks! I “heart” David Beckham. I know some of you rough and tough baseball guys are rolling your eyes but the world can’t be wrong, can it?





Can’t forget his wife Posh (aka Victoria Beckham.) She doesn’t bother me at all. I find her amusing and in a twisted way, sweet.

Music of the Day
No, smartasses (you know who you are) I am not posting a David Cook video/song. I am waiting until an official one is released so there. Here is Lucy (age 3, going on 14) performing “Margaritaville.” Who knows, maybe she’ll be the next American Idol (in like 15 years) and she can use this blog as a “funny thing” to show the world.

Lucille Eskedar – Margaritaville

So kiss me again/Cause only you can stop this stut-stut-stut-stuttering/Kiss me again

Weekend Recap
Now, before you guys get all up in my grill (hey, I used a slightly outdated hip-hop reference) about now posting anything this weekend let me just say…I was busy drinking and hanging out. Sheesh.

Friday 5/23
Twins 9, Detroit 4

Saturday 5/24
Twins 3, Detroit 19

Sunday 5/25
Twins 6, Detroit 1

I know we technically “won” the series but there is just something not right about losing to a score of 19. Those are football numbers!

We have the next three games in KC and we could really use a little boost so when we come home to the Yankees we are ready to go. I have gone against all that I believe in and will be attending Friday’s game against the Yankees with my friend Steve. We will be sitting in swanky seats (he gets them from the law firm he works for) and hopefully no blood will be shed. I just really get a little peeved seeing all the Yankee fans come out of the woodwork and attending my game. Get it, “my game.” Mooooving on.

* Evidently someone submitted a Twins Mailbag question that asked if Bonser should be sent to the Minors.
* Remember how I always complain that every game I go to has Bonsor pitching? Well, it appears he is the scheduled pitcher for Friday’s game.

Non-baseball but no less important

You say cabin, I say bar
Cabin! Bar! Cabin! Bar!
Whilst 80% of Minnesotans headed to the North, South, West and Wisconsin I optioned to stay in the city. I say “optioned” like I had a cabin to go to. For those of us who stayed in town the weekend was filled with alcohol, strange weather, and lazy days.

Happy Birthday Tiff (of the Monday Night Happy Hour Tiff)
Last night we celebrated our usual Monday Night Happy Hour but since it was a holiday and Tiff’s birthday we changed it up a bit. We started at 3:00 p.m. and made merry at Chino Latino. Mmm…great food (including sushi), great drinks and lots of inappropriate conversations (mostly American Idol chatter – the Monday Night HH crew really loves the show too.) Here are a few photos:

Vegan Joe, Tiff & Ryan (Kris was in Iowa)


The mermaid V. Joe made out with


David Cook, random I know but he was a very important topic at MNHH (and he's dreamy)


It's just V. Joe loitering at the bus stop

Music of the Day
I know you have seen the Dentyne Ice commercial with the animated frog/princess/prince/kiss show. The song that is playing has been stuck in my head for MONTHS! So, I did what any good red-blooded freak would do…I Googled it. I give you…

Ben’s Brothers – Stuttering (commercial version)


For the full song click here.

You’ve got the money maker/This is your change to make it/Out oh yeah/You’ll get out oh yeah

About Last Night…
Twins 11, Rangers 4
Here are the notes I jotted down whilst watching the game last night:
* The Twins first hit comes from our lead-off man, Gomez and it’s a speedy triple. I see that the Metrodome crowd is on their feet.
* Pause in the game to answer Amy’s phone call. (She’s in San Francisco all week and it’s been tough without her to chat to.)
*Bottom of the 3rd, errors and small balls get the score to 6 7 8 9.
* Thoughts on Josh Hamilton – he has wicked cool tattoos (or tats) and does he really need that much chew/seeds shoved in his cheek pocket?
* Another pause in the game – Amy called to check in since she just got back from walking around Chinatown. Yeah, she explored Chinatown and I sat on my sofa.
* Thoughts on the home plate umpire – his flamboyant strike calls make me chuckle and did anyone else notice his foo-manchu mustache (or ‘stache) when he took his mask off?
* The guy in the crowd who was chanting/jeering during the 7th needed to shut the fuck up. Usually I am all for that but it shouldn’t last a whole inning and I am sure he pissed off the people around him.
* Did anyone else catch the guy yelling “Come on, punch it!”?

Other baseball notes:
* Tolbert is scheduled for surgery this week and be out for potentially two months.
* Rincon – I keep asking the television why Gardy keeps putting him in! I guess we got our answer via a quote from a Star Tribune article:
"It comes in spurts," Gardenhire said. "He just needs to get a little more consistency. [Monday] he was just misfiring it. He'll be back out there. He'll get plenty more chances."
*Span out with a broken finger.
* I love reading comments after articles on Star Tribune. There is always so much drama…fighting, petty blows and correcting the writer (and working hard to find a mistake so they can be the ones to write that comment.)
* Sidney Ponson is pitching tonight…hee hee hee.

Extra! Extra!
The Bizarro Supermen
The Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins, which according to baseballreference.com are the three youngest teams in baseball when it comes to position players, were a combined 74-57 (.565) through Sunday, with a total payroll cost of $167 million. The three oldest clubs, the Blue Jays, Yankees and Tigers, were a combined 60-74 (.448) at a cost of $445 million.

The chatty Percival (Rays pitcher) keeps players loose and humble. For instance, he promised to fine pitcher Matt Garza, who was obtained in a trade with the Twins, $500 every time he acted like a jerk on the mound, though Percival used a more colorful term.
"What's the matter? Nobody in Minnesota ever said you acted like a [jerk]?" Percival asked him.
"Uh, yeah, they did," Garza admitted.

Non-baseball but no less important
Girlcrush vs. Bromance
In the Land O’Cubicles I have single-handedly brought the term “Bromance” to fruition. Bromance – describes the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males. I love the term and it fits with so many situations. However, the men don’t like to be called out on having “bromances,” they feel it is emasculating. I think a similar term that is applied to females is “Girlcrush.” After much thought and discussion it is almost unanimous that women don’t mind their “straight girl’s crush on another girl” definition to be called a “girlcrush.” So men, why is a bromance so tough to take? Is the word itself? Let’s ponder.

Music of the Day
H introduced me to Rilo Kiley a few years ago after luring me to a concert and ever since I have been a fan. I have already posted their first single from the newest album “Under the Blacklight” on my blog (Silver Lining) but this is the newest single hitting the airwaves.

Rilo Kiley – The Moneymaker

I think you’re loving/But you don’t love me/I want to be free/Baby you’ve hurt me, you don’t love me

Instead of reflecting on all that I have missed blogging about let’s just move on.

Monday night baseball games are always a challenge because my Aunt K gets to the remote-controller first so by the time I drift in from Monday Night Happy Hour she is deep in to watching Three and a Half Men. Oh, and I just found out that she likes the sitcom after that also. Damn it, I lose the middle hour of the game to sometimes-funny shows.

Here are my thoughts and/or reflections:
* I tried to stay awake but my alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m. so I went to bed at the top of the 12th and of course missed all the good stuff. I did get to see it all on the morning sports shows.
* There are many (I would need both hands to count) of you out there that have expressed displeasure/disgust over Rincon being put into games.
* Although I am extremely pleased with how the game ended I would have liked to see Livan at bat again. See here.
* Oh, Those Girls were damn right about how C.J. Wilson is a hottie-biscotti (allow me a moment to girl-out.)
* I like that Dick & Bert really focused on the fact that Gardy went to walk out to remove (I assume) Rincon from the inning but the ump wouldn’t let him. “That must be the most productive almost-visit to the mound.” I also tried to read Gardy’s lips when he got back to the dugout but even I don’t know some of those swear words.
* Amy (my baseball partner in crime) is in San Francisco for business this week and is unavailable for baseball commentary so when I made my deal with the devil/Baby Jesus to get a home run in the 9th I had to have my Aunt K be my notary. However she, being evil, decided to up the ante and not use my standard bet “If Baby Jesus gets a homerun I will say only nice positive things about him.” No, if Baby Jesus got a homerun I would have to write a nice letter to him which I would hand over to my Aunt K to do with it what she wanted. Argh!

Okay, I said I wasn’t going to reflect on past games but here are a few items of interest:
* The Rockies have a gorgeous stadium which housed a lot of Twins fans.
* To the people sitting in the first row behind home plate. Please. Stop. Talking. On. Your. Cell. Phone. And. Waving. At. The. Camera. It makes me want to flip you off.

Non-baseball but no less important

Overheard on the Ghetto #5 by me:
Crazy guy on the bus preaching to everyone: “I am your King. He is your Jesus.”
Bus driver: “Sit down and shut up”
Crazy guy to bus driver: “In my next life I am going to come back as your supervisor and make your life hell.”
Bus driver: “Yeah, well I am going to come back as a Transit cop and arrest your crazy ass.”

Ah, the bus is never boring.

Weekend Recap
* Friday was the big New Kids on the Block Reunion (on the Today Show.) Now this may draw some eye-rolling from you guys, my loyal blog readers, but I totally “hearted” NKOTB when I was 10ish. Friday morning two of my co-workers and I parked ourselves in front of the television (which is only supposed to show CNBC Market Watch) in order to watch our boys perform. Tickets for the 10/21/08 Minneapolis concert go on sale June 2.
* Saturday was Lucy’s 3rd Birthday Party! Lots of kids, pretty cupcakes and one giant hamster wheel sealed the day.

* Sunday was the Minnesota Aids Walk. Ryan and I volunteered with our Giant Corporation X, who sponsored a Rest Stop (#2, the best Rest Stop of the walk.) There were pom-poms, cheering, a DJ, fruit, water and crazy people watching.

Music of the Day
You may have heard of Duffy since her song “Mercy” is played on VH1 and she’s MTV’s Artist of the Week but she is much more than all that promotional drama. Check out this great video of her newest single “Warwick Avenue.”

Duffy – Warwick Avenue

X, Y, Z/Now I know my ABCs/Next time won't you sing with me

Seriously folks, Livan Hernandez is 6-1.

Tuesday’s game – Twins 3, Jays 5
Gomez and Kubel hit homeruns, Morneausey missed on by <__> this much and Slowey did okay (just okay.)

Tonight’s matchup is Halladay and Boof. Boof has a 2-4 record right now and maybe since Amy and I aren’t actually at the game (a first during a Boof-pitched game) it will take some of the pressure off.

Extra! Extra
Great expectations for Rincon with Neshek out - I know some of my blog readers are just as nervous as I am regarding this headline.
Last-place Blue Jays knock off first-place Twins
Inside Baseball: From sluggers galore to sluggers no more, the power’s out in the AL
The league once chewed up and spit out has-been ex-NL pitchers such as Livan Hernandez and Sidney Ponson. But Hernandez is 6-1 and Ponson has a 3.18 ERA.

Non-baseball but no less important
Ah, here we are at the middle of the week. Life is calm and orderly – no parties, no shenanigans. I will leave you with three very random topics to discuss amongst yourselves.

A thin line between funny and having a social worker called…
Lucy, age 3: May I have some beer, please?
Pause whilst Stacy and I hide our faces and uncontrollable laughter.
Stacy: No, but thank you for asking so nicely.
See, manners matter.

That guy…
You know that guy in the Starbucks line who talks loud enough so everyone can overhear his very important conversation. He also is fond of looking around to make sure people are watching. Thankfully I can alter my look of disdain to one of cool-indifference in a flash.
I assume…he is married with kids, has a stay-at-home wife. He is most likely in lower-management and his employees secretly mock him. Yeah, thank you for the topic Coffee Guy.

Goth Prom
So, I got a weird text message from an old college friend last night. Normally she only sends me a message when she’s having a go-party (just an address and theme, but I never “go”) however last night it was a personalized message: Jen, we are at Goth Prom at Saloon. Stop by and see our costumes.
Yeah, I didn’t stop by because the idea of goth costumes at the Saloon kind is a little overwhelming (especially after having three glasses of wine.) When I got in the office this morning I Googled my little fingers off trying to see what Goth Prom was. Well, it is literally a Goth Theme party at the Saloon Dance Club. I found a slide show that has very interesting and entertaining photos which you can view here.

Political Schmolitical

Yeah, see the zubaz in the photo?
The Republican National Convention unveiled their new clothing line.

Music of the Day
Here is my own personal Beethoven playing the ABCs on the piano.

Daydream/I fell asleep beneath the flowers/For a couple of hours/On a beautiful day

Well, hells bells. Last night game was friggin’ awesome. You see, I wasn’t at the game in-person but due to the power of technology and my baseball-peeps having text-skill(z) I felt like I was in the crowd. Let’s see…it was unanimous that some of the Red Sox fans were obnoxious, the knuckleball was fun to watch and Nathan kept everyone on the edge of the seats. Thanks to TBL, Curlz and Sam…you were all much more patient than I would be with Red Sox fans standing up in front of me.

One of the things that stood out to me was Blackburn (singing in the dead of night/take these broken wings and learn to fly) hitting two hitters. I think I need to research the clarification on if a hitter gets hit whilst showing bunt and his body is on home plate. Is that a hit batter? Because it seems like he could have avoided it if he would have moved his red-stocking ass over to the right a little (his right, of course.)
Here are some answers I found on a random site called Umpire Test:
14. While attempting to bunt a pitch the batter steps on home plate but does not hit the ball. The umpire rules the batter out because the batter is out of the box. (2.00-Illegally Batted Ball)(6.06a)

Non-baseball but no less important
What does a perfect day look like?
Sunday I experienced a perfect day (and I even spent most of it with family!) For the first time in a looooong time I got to sleep in until 10:00 a.m. I woke up and lazed around, listened to the radio (not a children’s CD), took a nap in the car on the drive up to my aunts, played outside in the sun, cheered Lucy when she rode her bike, had great food and watched baseball. All in all, the perfect Sunday.

Sticking with my theme, here is a short (two minute) long video montage I made of Lucy riding her bike (well) for the first time!!!

Lucy’s first bike ride


Music of the Day
I have been addicted to a song on the AT&T Mother’s Day commercial. After extensive searching (a la Google) I found out that the song is by Lupe Fiasco featuring Jill Scott. Enjoy getting this one stuck in your head!

Lupe Fiasco – Daydreamin’


Click here for the short, commercial clip

Don’t you stop/Everybody wants you/But you can’t say no/If you even try

Friday’s Game
Twins 7, Red Sox 6
Son of a bitch, that was an awesome game. Of course, once again with my impeccable timing I missed the best part. I watched until 9:15 and then I had to head downtown to 7th Street Entry to catch VHS or Beta in concert (if you haven’t listened to them before GO and DO it!) Thanks to Oh, Those Girls for giving me the score between opening bands so I could dance freely and with a full heart of win! (Cheesy, I know.) You can read my review (which is oh, so witty) below in the Non-Baseball section.

Saturday’s Game
Twins 2, Red Sox 5
Thoughts?* I was nerdily excited to see Matsuzaka pitch.
* They are saying that Neshek would be out for the rest of the season.
* Punto is headed to the 15-day DL.

Non-baseball but no less important
Last night I headed to 7th Street Entry (the small venue in First Ave) to see VHS or Beta in concert (for the fourth time, thank you very much.) Whilst the day progressed I had a jumble of emotions of whether I really wanted to go or not. You see, it was going to be a late show and well, it was nearing the end of Jenapalooza and I was tiring fast. I did what every obsessive compulsive person would do; I created a mental Pros and Cons list in my head:
Pro – I really loved the band
Con – They wouldn’t be on stage until 11:30
Pro – I could socialize with co-workers I had never hung out with before
Con – It was at 7th Street Entry
Pro – K, my connection, got me on the list so I wouldn’t have to buy tickets.
Con – With three kids at the house I knew I would be up at 7:00 a.m. the next morning.
Pro – Dudes! It’s a concert!

So, off I trotted to 7th Street Entry, which if any of you have been there before you KNOW how horrendous the bathroom (singular) is. The mainroom (First Ave) was hosting a wrestling show. As in, honest to God WWF wrestling, satin pants, folding chairs and horrible music. I met up with my people, grabbed a can of Strongbow Cider and watched the music unfold.
First Band – Maps of Norway
Fun band, interesting sound, about a dozen people listening.

Second Band – Tiger City
Unusually awesome, I was surprised by how much I liked them.

What we were all there to see – VHS or Beta
The sound of VHS or Beta could be described as a mix between The Cure, The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. We were smack dab at the front of the stage right in front of the guitar player. Oh, on a slightly inappropriate side note: the tight pants that are so in fashion right now leave very little to the imagination. Out of the five band members I could tell you which way three of them hang. Know what I mean? Whew, sassy.

So, in conclusion: A great show, great people, good beer, lots of dancing (my feet were a little sore this morning) and loud music.

Music of the Day
One of my favorite songs from their newest album, Bring on the Comets

VHS or Beta – Can’t Believe a Single Word
VHS Or Beta - Can't Believe A Single Word

Falling slowly, eyes that know me/And I can’t go back/Moods that take me and erase me/And I’m painted black

Twins 13, White Sox 1
Go figure, fantastic game and instead of watching it I am drinking at a concert. Such is my life. Since I didn’t observe the game I will bullet point a few things:

* Looks like Slowey is coming back. Here’s to hoping I get to see him pitch one game live. I am just saying.
* Livan has a 5-1 record. That’s pretty damn amazing/necessary/cool.
* Punto had five RBIs. That’s pretty damn amazing/shocking/awe-inspiring.
* Buehrle was mad/pissed/tantrum-y
* Glen Perkins is being brought up to start this weekend

Extra! Extra!

Guess what’s on the front page of Sportsillustrated.com?
Twins Ride Rare Cycle
Now-healthy Slowey returns
Sox players go pink for Mother’s Day

This is for Those Girls...mmmwhwhaahahaha (evil laugh)

Non-baseball but no less important
Guess who is too old to pull an all-nighter?
Me! Yep, at the ripe old age of 29 (going on 60) I have decided that staying up late and sleeping fitfully for four hours before waking to go to work sucks. Eloquent, eh? Last night my Monday Night Happy Hour Crew (minus R plus two co-workers) went to the Orpheum Theater to see Swell Season. Swell Season consists of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova and are the stars of the indi-darling film, Once. These two are joined on tour with a few members of Glen’s band The Frames. Here are some bullet points from the evening:
* Vegan Joe totally “hearts” Marketa.
* The girls in my group (including me) were drooling over the band.
* They played “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
* The encore lasted nine songs.
* The audience was Minnesota-nice, passive-aggressive responsive. That means there was a lot of clapping for any little thing they said and an occasional shouted out question.
* Glen Hansard is very chatty and a great story teller. He would preface almost every song with a story and/or anecdote.
* We each spent $7 on a Dixie cup of wine to keep our happy-go-lucky buzz going.

So, the moral of this story? You should rent Once, you won’t regret it.

The Frames

American Idol
Upon hearing that Jason Castro was the one booted of American Idol:
Stacy: Oh no! Jen! Oh no! I can’t believe it! Not him!!

Jen: chuckles
Last night (sometime after midnight) Stacy checked to see who was booted off American Idol. I think it is safe to assume she is upset that Jason Castro was eliminated. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I am sad too. Besides being very, very pretty I have always liked the music he sings. I think I have talked her into going to the American Idol concert tour...(even I have a hard time admitting that I want to go.) They will be in Minneapolis at the Target Center on August 31 (tickets go on sale May 17 at noon, in case you are interested.)

MOD
In honor of the amazing show last night I give you the Oscar winning song….
Falling Slowly – Swell Season (from the Once soundtrack)

Back in black/I hit the sack/I’ve been to long I’m glad to be back/Yes, I am let loose/From the noose

Confessional
About one hour into viewing the game I decided that catching up on my newest obsession, Gossip Girl, would be more fun. I muted the game and sat down with my laptop to lose myself in the glamorous world of underage drinking, drugs and sex.

When Ozzie Opens His Mouth
It seems that everytime he does something irrational and ends up in the paper we end up losing. His latest gripe is that fans care more about the Cubs than the White Sox.

Observations from the game
I did see a whole lotta signs in the crowd tonight. Office Max must have sponsored the free whiteboards (with their logo in the corner) and markers. Some of them were creative and some were lame.

Non-baseball but no less important

Today, on a very special episode of this blog…
HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY LUCY!!!

You are the coolest damn kid in town!


Music of the Day
Keeping with my theme of photo montages set to music, here is a short, albeit hilarious video montage complied of photos from the last year.

AC/DC – Back in Black

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Lucy’s Birthday Music Mix
Now Lucy’s mom has a cool CD to play in the car (screw you Wiggles, Raffi and that damn Moose.)
1. Anyone Else But You – Moldy Peaches (Juno)
2. I’m Sticking With You – Velvet Underground (Juno)
3. Tree Hugger – Kimya Dawson (Juno)
4. Tire Swing – Kimya Dawson (Juno)
5. Well Respected Man – The Kinks (Juno)
6. Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
7. Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
8. Come On Eileen – Dexies Midnight Runners
9. Mickey (You’re So Fine) – Disney
10. Flathead – The Fratellis
11. Feel Good Inc – Gorillaz
12. Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin
13. Over the Rainbow – Jason Castro (American Idol)
14. Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett
15. Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
16. Rainbow Connection – Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
17. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s
18. I want to Break Free – Queen
19. Fidelity – Regina Spektor
20. So Long, Farewell – Sound of Music
21. A-Punk – Vampire Weekend

Local News
What’s out people of Minneapolis! There is a new crime fighting vehicle on the streets of downtown.
Minneapolis Cops Take to Three Wheels

**I did write a brief entry about being a fangirl over the new Twilight movie trailer but I refrained from putting it in. I already have enough eccentricities that I don’t need that one also.

Take me away, a secret place/A sweet escape, take me away/Take me away to better days

Even with being as busy as I was (and boy, I was busy) I still watched the sweep of the Tigers.
Friday - at home multitasking, watching the game whilst creating Lucy’s video.
Twins 11, Tigers 1
Well, what a fun game to watch! Everyone had a shot at smacking the ball around The Dome. I spent the whole game talking to myself or Amy (via the phone.) It was almost like I was there.
Note: After Gomez was taken out by Pudge’s throw and he sat up I said to Amy (via phone) “If he throws up right now I am going to throw-up.”

Saturday – on the bar crawl
Twins 4, Tigers 1
I watched most of the game whilst “crawling” through Nordeast Minneapolis (see below for details.) Each bar had a TV and each TV had the game on.

Sunday – at The Dome
Twins 7, Tigers 6
What a lovely day for baseball. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing and the covered Metrodome stadium was a perfect 70 degrees. Amy and I sat in our usual seats with The Regulars (we need to start making up nicknames for them.) Unfortunally our “usual seats” happen to be in the “Anit-Boof” section of The Dome. The last three games we sat in these seats Boof was the pitcher and each game was a little shaky so the crowd would go “Boooo and we aren’t saying Boof!” You can only imagine how tense the first few innings were for us. I won’t go in to details about The World’s Longest First Half of the First Inning but the Tigers made it look like they were hitting of a tee. However, the rest of the game (minus a snooze-worthy 7th/8th) was well worth the drama.

In conclusion…
Twins had five game sweep at home.

Don’t forget…

non-baseball but no less important
WARNING: There appears to be more swearing than necessary but Mondays do that to me.

The Ann B. Davis Birthday Bar Crawl
What the hell am I talking about? Hang with me for a moment…
Saturday night I attended the Monday Night Happy Hour Crew Semi-Annual Bar Crawl (my second time on their bar crawl.) The whole “Ann B. Davis Birthday” came in effect when we decided we needed a theme. You see, there were two other groups on almost the same bar crawl schedule. One wore red t-shirts and sombreros (for Cinco de Mayo) and the other one were hipster bicyclists. We decided to celebrate Ann B. Davis’ birthday. She turned 82 years old this weekend. Some of you may be asking who the fuck Ann B. Davis is…well, she played Alice on the Brady Bunch. After a few beers we decided we needed a theme song too. Henceforth we walked around NordEast Minneapolis singing “Who the fuck is Alice” by the Eagles (or at least their version.)
I don’t know why she’s leaving, or where she’s gonna go/ I guess she’s got her reasons but I just don’t wanna know/’Cause for twenty four years I’ve been living next door to Alice/Alice, who the fuck is Alice/

Bullet Points (Bar Crawl Edition):
* We started out in NordEast Minneapolis at Elsie’s and my first beer was a Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat (interesting but too “cherry” tasting for me.) Approximately 9 hours and 45 minutes later we stepped out of Mayslack’s.
* Sunday morning I spent a half hour looking through the photos I took, alternating between laughing and groaning (in embarrassment.)
* Somehow we ended up celebrating the local band Stingray’s reunion gig.
* 25 games of Photo Hunt – Penthouse Edition were played throughout the bars. Let’s just say “Sofonda Tots” is on a lot of High Scores lists.

Photos:

Vegan Joe and the Lord of the Rings pinball

This guy's name is Joel and we didn't know him but he was in love with Tiff by the end of the night.

Tracy & Kris

Someone in a Nordeast bar bathroom really loved Nikki Sixx (and it wasn't me.)

Tiff, Tracy & Sean

Music of the Day
I don’t think I have ever posted something so bubblegum or popish before but I can’t get this damn song out of my head! It is so catchy and is the perfect summer song!

Natasha Bedingfield – Pocketful of Sunshine



Swear count: Whoa, it is unusually high today at 7

Fed up with your indigestion/Swallow words one by one/Your folks got high at a quarter to five

It looks like I will be an uber-attending fan this week. I went on Tuesday 4/29, Wednesday 4/30 and now I am going on Sunday 5/4. I totally spaced on having our season tickets for that game. Thank goodness for Amy and her calendar. (You’ll see below in the non-baseball section that I had to do some plan rearranging.)

Speaking of going to Sunday’s game…
It looks like Boof will be pitching that day. I am not complaining but the last two games Amy and I went to (sitting in our season ticket seats) Boof was pitching. I would like to see another pitcher in action. (Plus, the crowd around us can be Boof-brutal sometimes.)

Extra! Extra
Fan Survey – MLB Ballpark Ranking

In baseball conclusion
Thanks for all the great birthday messages!!! Ann, thanks for the music-props. I always end up bugging everyone to check out a new song so now I can force it on all my blog readers. (Make sure to check out the catchy ones below!)

Non-baseball but no less important

Day after
I always like to tally my birthday wishes (remember the narcissism) and pick out the strangest ones.

Let’s see…
* I received birthday email cards from Carnival Cruise Line, Borders Book Store, Facebook, Caribou and Cold Stone Creamery.
* I actually got a shout out from the Caribou coffee guy when I went in to get my free coffee. There was even a “Woo-woot” involved. Eek.
* The guy who waters our office plants wished me “a very, very special day” (in creepy sort of way.)
* Lucy sang me “happy birthday” last night at the Cupcake Café.
* My dear friend Liat surprising me at Happy Hour last night!
* Phone calls from all over the place!
* Lovely messages.
* One of my old school blogger friends (halliegolightly) sent me these two hilarious (and highly appropriate) cards. She may not understand my obsessions but she supports it!

Twilight, the movie

Gossip Girl

Glitch in Jenapalooza 08
I knew I couldn’t pack my schedule so full and not expect a snafu. I completely and utterly spaced on having tickets to Sunday’s Minnesota Twins (vs. Detroit Tigers) baseball game. So, the plans I had for Sunday had to be rescheduled and squeezed in on Saturday.

Music of the Day
I am LOVING the music on the newest iPod commercial. After some quick World Wide Web searching I found the song “Shut up and Let Me Go” by The Ting Tings. Then, fate stepped in and made one of their other songs the free download this week. Check out the commercial (only 30 seconds long) and then enjoy the full length of “Great DJ.” Now you know what I am dancing in my cubicle to.

Ting Tings – Shut up & Let Me Go


Ting Tings – Great DJ

Once I had a love and it was a gas/Soon turned out had a heart of glass/Seemed like the real thing

First baseball and then I will give in to my inner-narcissism

Second game of Jenapalooza – Twins 4, White Sox 3
I have self-titled my two weeks of birthday events as “Jenapalooza” and I do so knowing it is extremely obnoxious and narcissistic (evidently the word of the day.) Yesterday I was at the game with Third Base Line in her fantastic Section 117, Row 6, Seat 27 and 28 seats.

Now, I have been keeping pretty damn accurate scorecards every game I have attended this season…except for yesterday. I did attempt to keep a scorecard and even wrote in the lineups but due to the fantastic seats and funny people I couldn’t even start the first inning. Oh well, I get a free pass.
Notes from the game:
* TBL and the other season ticket holders around us are f-ing hilarious with their commentary.
* We had the World’s Most Obnoxious White Sox Fan Girl (aka president of the Nick Swisher Fan Club, aka Vice President of the AJ Pierzynski fan club) near us. She would stand and block our view whilst mouthing off about some trivial thing.
* Sweet justice was had when she begged for a ball from The Swish and someone else snagged it. Oh man, was she pissed off and upset. We laughed much harder than necessary but like I said…sweet justice.
* You really realize that these ball players are trained athletes when they are running and stopping and falling and diving and catching smack dab in front of you.
* The players are really chatty with the umpires.
* That piss-poor call at home plate got the crowd on their feet booing and then grumbling when they wouldn’t show the replay to validate our booing.

Photos of the game

The Swish and Baby Jesus

Is there anything more frightening than a giant costumed bear with a t-shirt gun? Anyone else think he has a maniacal look on his face?

Finally, for those of you who still love A.J.

So, thanks TBL! I had a great time being so close to the action.

Non-baseball but no less important

The Last Supper (at age 28)

I know, this is very random but here is what I had for my last meal at age 28….omelette and Blue Moon beer.

They say’s it’s my birthday…

…and they would be correct. This morning I awoke to birthday messages on Facebook (we are in a modern age) and voicemails. In the Land O’Cubicles I have balloons, a New Kids on the Block/Pete Doherty poster (homemade) and coffee gift cards (they know me so well.)

Music of the Day
According to Billboard magazine the #1 song on the actual day of my birth was Heart of Glass by Blondie.

Blondie – Heart of Glass