I'm having the Best Week Ever!

I started off my glorious vacation with a trip to Indianapolis for the Michael Buble concert on Saturday night. If he's coming to a town near you, I highly suggest catching his show because it is FABULOUS! It was without a doubt the best concert I have ever attended. Anyway, I actually caught a glimpse of the hottie before the show doing interviews with the local radio stations and he noticed me noticing him. ;) Then, my good luck continued when I won a free CD at the radio contest booth (American Idols Season 4 Showstoppers- GO BO!). The show started off with this hilarious comedian from Arkansas and just continued to improve. Michael Buble looked very sexy and was working the Elvis dance moves. I swear he sounds even better live than he does on his albums. My favorite part was when he jumped off the stage and started running into the crowd, kissing lucky ladies (I missed him by 1 row- damn!). He was also very funny, doing impersonations of Maroon 5 and Il Divo and throwing in a few Star Wars jokes. I just might have to catch his act again in Louisville.

So you might ask yourself, how can I top this? Well, I do get to go to Wrigley Field to see the Cubbies play on Friday. Please keep your fingers crossed that they will actually beat the Rockies so we can witness a live victory. I also get blonde highlights tomorrow, which signifies the official start of summer. Oh yes, I really am having the best week ever (someone get VH1 on the line)!

"Give me the beat boys and free my soul..."

Here are my results from "The Do-Re-Mi's of Personality: What Your Music Tastes Say About You" quiz:
http://www.outofservice.com/music-personality-test/results/?complex=78.30&edgy=63.85&fun=49.65&energetic=75.34

You can take the quiz by clicking on the following link: http://www.outofservice.com/music-personality-test/

My American Idols are Bo Bice & Derrek Lee

For those of you who missed American Idol last night, shame on you. You could have witnessed Bo knocking one out of the park with his gutsy a cappella performance. He really rocked the house last night. Personally, I thought Vonzell performed better than Carrie, but America seems to dig her cowgirl schtick. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens tonight... after the break.

The Cubbies managed to win one last night thanks to Derrek Lee and his 2 home runs. Our studly first baseman went 4 for 4 and drove in all 4 runs. And our new closer du jour, Ryan Dempster, even got the save. Now if the boys in blue could start a winning streak and get some of their injured players back, they might have a shot at getting back in the race. GO CUBS!

Thought of the day: Only 3 more days til Buble'! :)

My home away from home

My trip to St. Bonaventure over the weekend was very relaxing. Believe it or not, I didn't even go wild and party. It was just really nice to see all of my former students and good friends. The Bonnies won 2 out of 3 games and are still alive in the race for the playoffs. They hit a lot of home runs, which I thoroughly enjoyed since chicks dig the long ball. The best part of the trip was when I went to Coach's house for dinner after Saturday's doubleheader. It was so great to hang out with him and his family (plus his wife made lasagna, which is one of my faves). I also bonded with lots of parents and old co-workers. It was rewarding to hear that I had made a difference in their lives through my hard work back in the day. Since I was keeping it low-key, I was also able to catch Part 1 of the Elvis miniseries, which I thought was very well done. Part 2 airs tonight on CBS, so if "you're lonesome tonight", check it out.

Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer

As several of you probably already know, one of my many nicknames is Dora. I'm not going to go into the reasons for this, but suffice it to say that I definitely had a lot in common with the cartoon character of the same name yesterday. I spent about 15 hours with my backpack on traveling all across the United States trying to get home. Now I realize that geography isn't one of my strong suits, but I don't think The Map would advise anyone to go from Buffalo to D.C. to Chicago to get to Memphis... Anyway, it all began with my original US Airways flight from Charlotte to Memphis getting canceled due to runway repair (that's a new one). Therefore, I had to rebook on United and was supposed to travel from Buffalo to Washington-Dulles to Memphis. This would have landed me at home 3 hours earlier than my originally scheduled arrival time (sweet!). However, after we boarded the flight to D.C., we soon learned that their airport was not allowing any more planes to land because they were backed up (isn't that what their entire purpose is?!?). So, we just sat on the plane for an hour and 45 minutes and I ended up missing my connecting flight by 5 minutes. And lucky me, there were no more flights to Memphis the rest of the day, so I had to hop on a shuttle bus to another concourse to see if they would let me on the Chicago flight. Luckily, I was able to get on board this huge plane where I was entertained by an interactive flight map and free music channels. When I get to Chicago, there's yet another delay because our plane to Memphis is late and then needs to be serviced. In the meantime, their staff waits 45 minutes for the late arriving passengers on the Fargo flight which is also departing from our gate (watch and learn, Washington-Dulles!). When we finally get to board 3o minutes later, we sit on the plane for 45 minutes because they felt that other flights needed to leave before us. When I finally arrive in Memphis, it takes me 45 more minutes to get my suitcase because it landed 4 hours earlier on my orignally scheduled flight from D.C. Needless to say, I'm not going to be flying United again anytime soon.

Say it ain't so, Paula!

Last night's ABC Primetime Live special "Fallen Idol" dug up some dirt on an alleged affair between Season 2 contestant, Corey Clark, and American Idol judge Paula Abdul. Personally, I'd like to believe that Paula would have better taste in men and singers, but I suppose anything is possible. There did seem to be some evidence of impropriety (phone records and voice mails), but I'd like to see some hard core proof before I jump to any conclusions. Let's hear what Paula has to say before we send her back to obscurity (with the exception of any future I Love the 90's specials on VH1 of course). On a positive note, Scott was FINALLY kicked off of American Idol last night so we no longer have to put up with his snotty attitude and subpar performances. Hope he has fun picking out what song he's going to sing next week at the local 7-11...

As for the Cubbies, they are on a downward spiral with no end in sight. They have now fallen into 3rd place and 2 games below .500. We're behind the Brewers in the standings? You've got to be kidding me. Jim Hendry needs to find a closer by any means necessary because these raw rookies and Tommy John surgery rejects are not getting the job done. It would also be nice if someone besides Derrek Lee could get a hit too.

Tomorrow I'm off to Olean, NY for my annual trip to St. Bonaventure for Baseball's Senior Day. This is my last group of students so it's sure to be bittersweet. However, I always have lots of fun visiting all of my old friends, especially Coach. It will also be great to have a couple of days off from work to relax after another hectic semester. GO BONNIES!

Guess we can rule out My Big, Fat, Greek Idol...

Well America, you've managed to screw up American Idol again and vote off the entertaining Constantine. Granted, his performance of "How You Remind Me" was a little rough on the vocals, but he could sing the alphabet and still have more stage presence than Anthony. What kind of a guy chooses Celene Dion when you have your pick of any song in the new millenium? And don't even get me started on Scott. I want the names and phone numbers of the aurally challenged viewers who keep voting for this loser so I can talk some sense into them. The show becomes a joke when you let contestants with no talent stay on this long. Luckily, Mr. Maroulis' band already landed a contract this week anyway. Rock on, Constantine!

Derrek Lee & Corey P. are my heroes!

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! The Cubbies fight back from a 6-1 deficit in the 3rd to win 8-7. Derrek Lee hit 2 bombs (and went 4-4 with 6 RBI) while Corey Patterson hit a walk-off in the bottom of the 9th. Now I have bragging rights in the office since my Cubs beat the boss man's Reds. Holy cow! I feel like doing a little victory dance right now but that might not be good for my job security. Let's hope my joyous mood will continue past 8:30 pm when Scotty the Body is finally kicked off of American Idol (keep those fingers crossed America!).

Nomar and Anwar's worst Wednesday ever

April 20, 2005 is a day that will live in infamy for Nomar Garciaparra and Anwar Robinson. Poor Nomar landed in a heap at home plate after tearing his groin in the evil lair known as Busch Stadium. He will be out at least 2-3 months and possibly the entire season. Who will pick up the offensive slack for the Cubs? That's a good question and Jim Hendry had better find the answer quickly. As for Anwar, he was voted off of Idol this week, inexplicably leaving Scott and Anthony in the competition. I'm seriously starting to wonder if America is tone deaf. Although Anwar was certainly not going to win, he sure sounded a heck of a lot better than anyone else in the bottom three. Here's to a speedy recovery for Nomar and a bright future for Anwar.

"I f-in' love winnin', man. You know, it's like better than losin'."

No truer words have been spoken, Nuke LaLoosh. Today was a beautiful day for my ballclubs as the Tigers finally broke out of their 11-game losing streak and beat TCU 6-5 in 10 innings. Thanks for the walk-off homer, Cory! The Cubbies also defeated the Pirates 4-2 to take the series. Congrats to Derrek Lee on getting off to such a hot start. What a great way to celebrate my half-birthday! ;) Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend. You couldn't ask for nicer weather than we have here in Memphis right now- sunny and in the low 80's. Let's hope both the Tigers and Cubs continue their winning ways. Good luck this week, boys!

Am I missing something?

How in the world did Scotty the Body survive another week on American Idol while funky Nadia got kicked off? Now I realize no one had ever heard of the song she sang this week, but at least she can sing in tune. And why oh why was Bo in the bottom two? That is ludacris, America. Let's get it right next week and vote for the BEST singers, not the ones we feel sorry for.

In Cubs news, Mark Prior pitched a heck of a game yesterday. I'm really impressed with the way that he shut down the Padres offense and made it through the whole game without losing any body parts. The Cubbies have a tough 7-game road trip starting tomorrow and everyone needs to step up. With any luck, they should be able to sweep the Pirates and at least split with the Reds and Cards.

"Here's to you, Men in Blue, you're the cream of the crop. You're a team built on dreams, you'll go right to the top. And as sure as there's ivy on the centerfield wall, the Men in Blue are gonna win it all!"

Two out of three ain't bad

I'd like to congratulate the Cubbies on taking 2 out of 3 from the Brewers. They really bounced back after blowing Friday's game with 2 outs in the 9th. Carlos Zambrano continues to impress and cement his status as the true ace of the staff. The bullpen still needs a lot of work, but they've managed to stay afloat. Although Greg Maddux has gotten off to a slow start, I don't think we need to worry about the future Hall of Famer. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Mark Prior can actually pitch tomorrow and that Todd Walker's knee isn't blown out. Good luck today vs. the Padres! I'll never forgive those (insert any four-letter word here) for 1984, so let's annihilate them! GO CUBS!!!

Help Wanted at Wrigley Field

Here's the ad that should run in the Chicago Tribune:

Help Wanted: A reliable closer for the Chicago National League Ballclub. Must be able to hold 1-run leads, talk to the media when necessary, and be cordial to umpires.

A second position for a manager who knows when to remove pitchers from a ballgame when they have nothing left in the tank may also soon be available.

Clean out your ears, America!

How in the world was Vonzell in the bottom three on American Idol last night? All I can figure is that some of the voters are suffering from wax buildup because there's no way that Nikko should have been voted off before Scott or Anthony. I don't know how many more weeks I can take of those two warblers. Let's hope Q-Tip sales go up and they are soon put out of their (our?) misery.

As for the Cubbies, they are off to a disappointing 1-2 start. Now I realize we don't have our rotation set up the way we would like yet, but shouldn't we be able to beat the Diamondbacks regardless? I don't think that Ryan Dempster is the answer for our 5th starter. Perhaps we shouldn't have sent Matt Clement packing without a suitable replacement. And so far, other than in the first game, I'm not too impressed with our hitting. Hopefully the boys in blue will get it together by the home opener tomorrow. Ryno is throwing out the first pitch and singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ron Santo, so it should be a good game.

"Wind's blowin' out, wind's blowin' in. Whichever way it's blowin', the Cubs are gonna win!"

So much for my happy ending...

I hate to quote pseudo punk rocker Avril Lavigne, but the song does fit in this case. The Illini came up a bit short last night, losing to UNC 75-70. However, I am very proud of them for fighting back to tie the game after being down 15 points early in the second half. You certainly can't complain when your team goes 37-2, but it sure would have been nice to win a national championship. I guess the good news is that apparently the apocalypse is still a little while off. HA HA! And on a brighter note, the Cubs did clobber the D-Backs 16-6. Now I can focus all of my energy on root, root, rooting for the Cubbies.

"GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!"

We're loyal to you, Illinois

We're Orange and Blue, Illinois. We'll back you to stand against the best in the land...

My Alma Mater is going to the finals for the first time, baby! I couldn't be any prouder to be an Illinois alum. What a team! Monday just might be the best day ever because not only are the Illini playing for a national championship, but it's also the Cubs' first game of the year. Could 2005 be the year for Illinois sports? Guess we better start looking out for locusts. HA HA!

Today has been a great day. I found lots of fantastic stuff at the mall, including 3 spring outfits and a pair of dress shoes. With all the team banquets coming up, I've got to look my best. I also picked up some new perfume, candles, and bubble bath. It looks like I'm all set for a spring fling- all I'm missing is the man. ;)

Hail to the Orange, Hail to the Blue...

Hail Alma Mater, ever so true. We love no other so let our motto be... VICTORY ILLINOIS! Varsity. :)

Holy cow- what a game! I felt that same pit in my stomach I get when I'm trying to will LaTroy Hawkins into closing a Cubs game (I even had to get my lucky gum out). How in the world did the boys from Champaign come back from 15 down late in the 2nd half? Well, they aren't called the Fighting Illini for nothing. That was incredible!!! Dick Vitale must be going nuts. At least I know Illinois will have the Memphis fans rooting for them since they all despise Louisville. Oskee wow-wow Illinois!

Feel so bad like a ballgame on a rainy day

Once again, it is raining in Memphis so tonight's baseball game vs. Ole Miss at AutoZone Park has been postponed (it's like I live in Seattle South). However, I really shouldn't complain since our neighbors to the North are still getting snow. Hopefully the weather will improve by tomorrow night since the Tigers should be in good shape for a W vs. Murray State.

It's March Madness time and even I have to admit that the action has been pretty exciting thus far. There have been so many upsets that it's a good thing that I'm not allowed to participate in the pools because I would have lost money for sure. I'd like to give a shout out to Mike Gansey (former Bonnie) who has been tearing up the court for West Virginia. And best of luck to the Fighting Illini vs. UW-Milwaukee. They are a scrappy bunch so the boys from Illinois better be ready to play. Congrats to the Memphis Tigers for kicking butt in the NIT so far. Good luck tomorrow vs. Vandy!

The best news of all is that Opening Day is less than 2 weeks away. May the baseball gods bring healing powers to Wood and Prior so that the Cubbies finally have a chance to win the World Series. GO CUBS GO!

Corned beef and steroids

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I find it kind of odd that such a festive occasion is being combined with the Congressional hearings on steroid use in Major League Baseball, but I digress... So far, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Rafael Palmeiro have denied using steroids. Mark McGwire, on the other hand, will not answer whether or not he or his teammates have ever used performance enhancing drugs. Very interesting, Big Mac. You could be using this opportunity to clear your name but instead you are pleading the 5th. Maybe there really is some truth to Jose Canseco's allegations then. As for Curt Schilling's presence, all I can figure is that there are some huge Red Sox fans in Congress and they just wanted to stick it to the Yankees since two of their players (Giambi and Sheffield in case you've been living under a rock) have already admitted taking 'roids. So kids, remember the wise words of Mr. Mackey on South Park: "Drugs are bad umm kay."

Just another Manic Monday

Boy, it sure is hard to get back in the groove after even a short vacation. Since it was Spring Break here, I went home last Thursday- Sunday for a little R & R. It was nice to chill with the fam and eat lots of good food, but now it's back to reality. This week is going to be busy too since it's advising time. Basically, the next 3 weeks are going to be crazy but at least I won't be bored.

In entertainment news, Mario has left American Idol due to personal reasons. It's too bad because I thought he had a real chance of winning the whole thing. However, I admire him for giving up his dream and realizing that family comes first. He has a good shot of becoming a pop star anyway. On a brighter note, Michael Buble' is going to perform in Indianapolis on May 21 and I had already planned on going home that weekend anyway. Tickets go on sale tomorrow and I can't wait! To quote the Pointer Sisters, "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it."