Well, it's Halloween, and I've been too busy to do any planning or figure out something to do. I had some Halloween plans, but that fell through, so we're just going to catch a movie, and check out what's going on around the city. Can't wait to celebrate Halloween in Chicago again!

Anyway, here's today's Friday Five....haven't done it in a while!

1. What was your first Halloween costume?
Wonder Woman. I loved Linda Carter, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to me when I was a kid, and Wonder Woman was my idol.

2. What was your best costume and why?
It's between two costumes. The first is the 'Knocked Up Nun', which got a lot of laughs, but when my picture was featured in our company newsletter that we send out to clients, our Catholic clients didn't find the costume too funny. But I think my favorite one is 'Little Red Riding in da Hood'. I had my red cape, my basket, fishnet hose, a tommy gun and an afro the size of Texas.

Li'l Red Riding in da Hood

I know, it's so wrong!

3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat?
No, I just wished bad things upon the people who had the nerve not to answer their doorbell, but chose to watch TV in their living rooms in plain site of the trick or treaters.

4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.)
Every year me and my sister decorate the house, and I make up little treat packages for the kids consisting of candies, stickers, and cheap plastic skull rings. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to do that this year!

5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend!
A granduncle had died, and we were at his funeral. I was with my cousin Marilyn, who was about 3 years old at the time. As we were walking away from the gravesite, I turned around and said, 'Say goodbye to Lolo for the last time,' and I pointed at the grave. She waved, but she had waved to a group of people who were standing talking by their cars. I told her that he wasn't there, he was in the ground, but I didn't think she could understand the concept. She looked at me, and said, 'No, Lolo is there with them!' and pointed at the group of people. Yeah, I was a bit creeped out.

A month or so later, me and a couple of friends are telling ghost stories. My cousin Maui then recounted the story of the funeral, but I was surprised, since I never told anyone. But the story that he had told was that he was walking with Marilyn to the gravesite, and when they were lowering the casket, he said, 'Lolo is going into the earth now, say goodbye' (I have no idea why we put this kid through the ordeal of saying 'goodbye'). So she turns to the crowd and waves 'bye'. Maui points to the coffin and says, 'No, he's in there.' Marilyn looks at him matter of factly and shakes her head 'No', and points to the crowd, to a spot near our granduncle's daughter, and says, 'He's right there!'

It turns out the two of us had the same experience, but at different points in the funeral. I guess Lolo WAS there watching it. Marilyn was always pretty sensitive to things like that. Well, before, anyway. Now she's 16, and THAT'S even scarier than any ghost story I know.

Guess what? I had my first California earthquake today! It wasn't really what I expected it to be, but then again, it was on a 3.7 on the Richter scale. I was in my client's office, when all of the suddent I felt the room kind of shake and sway a bit, kind of like what happens when you're in your car and a big truck passes by. I though someone had dropped something outside or something, but my client came in and said, 'Did you feel that? It must have been an earthquake!' And later on, we found out it was. Pretty cool. A big event in my life.

Here's more pics from Marquette, and I apologize if all of you non-short track blog readers are getting sick of it. Tomorrow I promise I'll post pics of my dirty ass car, because believe me, it's dirty.

Back in Chicago again. Got lotsa work. More pictures and a recap of Marquette will be done on the plane home, that is if the fires in LA don't get me.

Good weekend, good races, good times with good friends. Anything else really doesn't matter...except I miss my husband!

Dave, I'm coming home!

Having a good time in Marquette, the only thing that really sucks is that my phone is in roaming mode because Sprint sucks. Yesterday there were some good races and I got some pretty good pictures. My hard drive is dying because I don't have any more space because I've taken so many pictures. About 50% of the ones that I take are coming out good, and of those about 3% are REALLY good. But here's a sampling of pics for ya....

Today is the 1000, the relay finals and the 3000m. The banquet is tonight, so I'm really curious to see how that goes!

Dave, I miss you!

Just a couple pics from the World Cup action today. Well, it was yesterday.

So I'm in the media room of the, uh, I don't know what building, but we're waiting to have a press conference with the winners of the 1500m. They seem to be taking their time, so I thought I'd update my blog.

The rink is not as bright as SLC, but brighter than Bay City. I don't know how my pics will come out, but I'm not too confident. I've been moving around trying to get a good angle, but everything seems to be blurry. We'll see what happens when I upload.

The races were really exciting. All the big teams are here, like Canada, Korea, China, the US. The skating is pretty intense, and a couple world records were broken already. Tomorrow and the 500m will probably be even more eventful!

I'm really tired, yet not.

Tonight, I think I'll just relax and hang out. Or maybe not.

OK, not really.

But they've got a cool Detroit Discoteca lookin' tunnel in their airport, which makes the O'Hare lightshow look pretty tame.

So after 12 hours of travel time, I'm here in my hotel room with a crappy dialup. Hmph!

Someone please call me and ask, 'Whatcha doin?'

So I can respond, and say 'Chillin' at da Holiday Inn...'

Because I am.

More tomorrow!

Well, I'll be heading out to the airport soon to catch my flight to Detroit, which then goes to Marquette, MI. I'm pretty excited to go, and in a way, I'm more excited to see my fellow fans than I am for the actual competition. I hope I packed everything I need - clothes, rechargeable batteries, digital camera, video camera, cell phone, glasses, corned beef. Ahh, yes, three cans of California's finest corned beef will be accompanying me on my journey. Before I head back to California from Marquette, I'll be stopping in Chicago for a day, and my dad had bought corned beef when he was visiting us here, and he wants it back. I guess he likes it a lot. So I'm packing some meat with me.

For those of you who aren't going, but wish you were, here's something to tide you over til I can get some pics posted up...

US Championships in Bay City

World Cup in Salt Lake City

I'll see ya guys later!

Last night we hung out with Dave's coworkers at Knott's Scary Farm. Since it was a Wednesday night, I didn't think that there'd be too many people there. Ha! The place was PACKED. I think all of LA was there. It was wall to wall people in the park. It took us half an hour to even get tickets and get inside!

It was a pretty fun night. We didn't go on any rides, since we got into the park at around 8pm, there wasn't much time. We went into most of the haunted houses, which provided plenty of scares. 'The Asylum' was supposed to be the scariest one, but even though it was visually disturbing, the people inside just weren't scary. Do you know what's scary? Scary Neon Clowns in 3-D. That's some freaky shit. The people in there were really scary and spooky! I think my other favorite was 'Malice in Wonderland', it was scary and trip-adelic.

I took pictures, but I'm too lazy to upload, so I'll do it when I get to Marquette.

As I may have mentioned before, I have a horrible memory. I am constantly forgetting names, events, and where I put things. Normally I get by OK if I'm going through the same routine, but if I go outside of that routine, there's trouble.

For example, when I flew back to Long Beach, I had a lot of stuff that I was taking with me. I was flying standby, so I brought my luggage with me on the plane. I also had my backpack with my laptop, and my purse. The agent at the gate told me I was over my carry on limit, so I had to put my purse into my backpack. With a little elbow grease, I got the bulky little sucker in there. Then I realized that I may need my driver's license when they gave me my ticket. So I pulled out my license from my purse and placed it in the side pocket of my backpack.

And that was the last place it was ever seen.

I'm not quite sure if I've seen it since. I could have taken it out of the pocket to show the gate person as I got my ticket. I could have shoved it into one of the 1,001 pockets that I had. I could have dropped it on the plane. I could have dropped it in the car. I have no idea. I don't remember.

I've searched every nook and cranny of my backpack, purse, jacket, car, home, you name it, I've searched it. I can't find the little bastard anywhere.

I have no identity.

So I'd be freaking out about flying tomorrow to Marquette, but luckily, I have my passport. But I still feel an emptiness in side of me, and a sadness knowing that somewhere, out there, my poor little license lies crying in the darkness wishing for its mama.

I'm here baby, come home.

------------------------------------------

In other news, and Dan will be happy to hear this, I finally went to the Bally's here. Yes, after a 3 year absence from a Bally's facility, I go back. ( I had gone to Gorilla Sports a couple times inbetween). Dave goes at least every other day, and had been constantly urging me to go and be part of his beefcake world. And that's what it is. I walked into the weightroom, and it was all dudes. Asian dudes. When I walked in, it was almost as if they announced 'Asian girl who hasn't worked out in a year has just walked in. Laugh at her confusion!'

But I went back. I worked out. I lifted weights. I will be VERY sore tomorrow. I even got a new membership card, with a horribly crappy picture of me.

I hate working out.

So, is anyone watching the World Series?

Does anyone care. Really. Come on.

This could have been the best World Series EVER, and a ratings winner for FOX, but alas, now it's turned into an O-K game. Just blah. The teams that I wanted to be there just couldn't make the grade.

Sorry Miami and New York.

Is it possible for both teams to lose? Because that's what I would like to happen.

Yes, I know, I'm a bitter, bitter Cubs fan.

Reading Pleasures

Contact - Carl Sagan

I haven't bought a new book in ages, so when I was home in Chicago I decided to re-read one of my favorites, Contact by Carl Sagan. The movie with Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughy is based on it.

I love this book because I've always been intrigued with life on other planets, looking out at the stars in the sky, wondering what other civilizations are out there, what they look like, if they know about us, if UFO's are real, when we'll ever be technologically advanced enough to venture out of our little corner of the universe. Sagan touches on many of these things in this book, and makes the thought of more intelligent beings out there less science fiction, and more of a reality that we haven't discovered yet.

In 'Contact', Sagan uses a lot of scientific terminology, but in a way that a regular person can understand. Throughout the novel, Sagan touches on religion, politics, and science, and gives a profound sense of wonder once the novel is done. He expertly conveys the emotions of his lead character, Ellie Arroway, who's discovery of a message from outer space leads her on an adventure that involves the whole earth, all of humanity. Her journey, and the journey of her fellow travelers, makes the reader realize how little our little earth is, when compared to the billions of other stars in universe.

I love this book.

song stuck in my head

'Hey Ya' - Outkast

Once again, Outkast gives us a song that's so different from what else is out there. This song just makes me want to throw on my go-go boots and shimmy my way up to the platform. It's just FUN.

at the movies

Kill Bill

Yes, I saw Kill Bill yesterday. And I loved it. Sure, it was a bit bloody and gory, but that's part of what made it so awesome. I would never have seen Uma Thurman as an action heroine, but she ROCKS in this role. Vivica Fox and Lucy Liu are great as well. Chiaki Kuriyama, who played the bodyguard Gogo, has a gaze to kill, and her scene with Uma was on of the best. The fight scenes are amazing - the choreography is fast paced, but without a lot of the matrix-style special effects that we're so used to. Heads roll, scalps fly, blood spurts. I love it. There was also a short anime in the movie which kept true to the movie's mood, and which could stand alone as a mini-movie. It takes a little thought to keep up with the storyline, which is divided into chapters, though the story as presented isn't in chronological order.

comic you should be reading

New X-Men - Marvel

Damn. This book has balls. Because it gives you the nice warm fuzzies about a character, and then BAM! Kicks you in the ass, slaps you in the face, and whispers, 'You fool, I've been setting you up for the past year just to fuck you over!' Gotta love a book that does that. Although sometimes he's a little extreme, I'm still loving Grant Morrison's run on this book. He's changed the X-Men as we know them and made them tougher, meaner, and much more real.

yummy for my tummy

White Castles

While in Chicago, for the first week or so, I had White Castle every day. At first, I had people make WC runs for me while I was at the hospital. Later on, I was overjoyed to discover that the hospital cafeteria sold microwaveable White Castles. Oh joy in a sqaure bun!!!

addiction

Marquette

Yeah, I'm the girl who uses up her vacation days to go to the middle of nowhere to watch short track speedskating. My husband is the coolest guy on the planet for being OK with his wife flying out to watch people wearing spandex skate around in circles. For this, I'll let him watch as much ESPN and Wild on E! as much as he wants. As for me, I'm actually more excited to see my friends at Marquette than I am to see the skating! It's like going to a reunion. I only wish that everyone could make it, that would make it so much better!

Since Emer always complains that I post up too many pictures of speedskaters, and not enough of him, I present to you the 'Emer at Betty's Blue Star Lounge' collection. Once I get my pics organized, look out for the special 'Pictures of Emer' page.

He calls this one 'Alki-Man!'

Fatima and Emer

Emer and me

And so the others don't feel left out...

Jen, Gil and me

The birthday boy, Angelo, me and Deo

Sorry Emer, but this weekend there's going to be LOTSA speedskater pictures being posted. But the next time I see you, I'll take a more pics. Maybe even start a fan page. *wink*

Well, since my mom has been getting better (though not out of the woods yet) I decided to go back to California. I hadn't seen my husband in weeks, and I felt it was time to go back. My mom is in capable hands in Chicago, and I'll be calling to check on her often.

So I got in earlier today, and it's weird to be back, having a husband again.

Time to readjust again!

My mom has moved to a new floor of the hospital. On this floor, they stress rehabilitation. She's still unable to walk on her own, but she's getting stronger every day. The floor that she's on is something like the summer camp of hospitals. Daily they have bingo, game night, comedy hour, group talks, crafts, and other things. My mom is still too weak to participate, but she's getting a lot of help on the floor.

The other great thing about this floor, is that they do whatever it takes to help the patients get better. And in our case, they said we could bring Ewok, our dog. It will be beneficial in two ways. Me and my sisters have always joked about how Ewok is our youngest brother, and how he gets spoiled in ways we never way. My mom would carry him around in her arms and sing little songs to him. We knew that she missed him a lot. And Ewok missed her. At home, he was just depressed, following me around like a, uh, puppy. He's actually sitting on my arm right now.

So we decided to bring him in, a little worried that he would cause a ruckus in the hospital. But he didn't. And he was ecstatic to see my mom, licking her hands and jumping up and down. My mom was also happy to see him, though all his energy made her a bit tired. But it's great to see my mom smile again, and laugh, and talk more, and be a little more active.

I've been so stressed over the past couple weeks, with my mom, and work, and commuting between the hospita and work, back to the hospital, sleep at home, and repeating the cycle. Half the time I don't even know what day it is, or how long I've been here. Even the thought of being married seems like a memory to me, it's been so long since I've seen Dave.

As I had said before, I haven't seen too many of my friends, or called anyone while I've been here. But yesterday, a friend called me out of the blue. Seriously, Jamie, I don't think you've EVER called my phone before. But being a faithful blog reader, *wink* he knew that I was in town, so he invited me out for Angelo's pre-birthday night. There were only a few of us out, and me and Fatima were the only girls for a while (just like old times) but it was great to hang out. The music was good, the dancing was fun, especially with crazy cool Jerry and sexy Emer. Rounding out the Angelo birthday gang was Deo, Derek, Jamie and Tim and Cathy came later. We had a lot of good laughs, and reminisced about college a lot. I had a great time, and I really miss the gang. It was nice to put away my worries for a night and just have fun. Thanks guys...

Good times.

The billy goat.

The Bambino.

Why have they cursed our cities?

Well, I don't feel as bad now that the Cubs didn't make it. The Sox are still in the same boat as we. I'm sure it was a gut wrenching game for Boston fans, stretching out to 11 innings.

Sorry guys. Let's drown our sorrows in beer together.

Photo Friday: Body

My Feet: Huntington Beach, September 2003

I'm in Chicago, so I don't have access to all my other pictures, so I'll post an older picture that I've posted before.

It seems like the whole city of Chicago is in a state of depression. Well, the North side, anyway. The train to work was filled with long faces and Yano Cube talk (which is the equivalent of Office Cooler talk) was sad. It's not a happy day in Chicago! At least the clouds have cleared up and the sky is blue.

We went to Mother Hubbard's for lunch to drown our sorrows. I pigged out on my favorite nachos with guacamole and chihuahua cheese, and had a drink. It was only one, so it didn't affect me too much, but I was FULL from the nachos!

I came back to the office with a full belly and a bit groggy. My coworker was showing me how to install one of our partner's new products. We were walking through it, and I was clicking away, my eyes getting heavier and heavier by the minute. When we were testing the integration to our product, I clicked on a toolbar, then started dreaming. I snapped out of my mini-dream and was really disoriented. My coworker was like, 'Um, Christine, you don't have to click on that. Click on the other thing.' For a split second I had no idea what he was talking about, since I had just awakened from a 5 second dream. I was able to play it off by saying 'Oh, I just wanted to make sure that this works' or some crap like that. I felt like a dork. Afterwards, I went to the bathroom and did some jumping jacks to get my blood flowing again.

I need sleep!

My heart is broken.

Chicago Cubs fan Jenny Naleck weeps after the Florida Marlins beat the Cubs 9-6 to win the National League pennant Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2003, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Got this from the wonderful spelling-ace Kaylene in e-mail today, and rather than emailing it around (which i'll probably do anyway) I'll post it here. Feel free to copy it and answer it on yours. Comment your link here so I can check it out!

More Getting to Know You

Welcome to the next edition of getting to know your friends. What you're suppose to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send. Change all of the answers so they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know *INCLUDING* the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you'll learn a lot of little known facts about your friends. It's fun and easy. You might be surprised with some of the things you learn about people you 'think' you know......

IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
Hawaii, along the water, by a green mountain.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?
Pajama pants

FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
I'm an ass gal

WHAT'S THE LAST CD THAT YOU BOUGHT?
Outkast: Speakerboxx

WHERE'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?
In Line. I hate lines.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED?
Shoulders and upper back

WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY?
Mind

WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
If I'm working at home, around 8:25, 5 minutes before I start work.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?
I don't go into the kitchen.

WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANNOYED?
People who talk during movies

If YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Guitar

FAVORITE COLOR?
Purple

WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV?
SUV

DO YOU BELIEVE IN AN AFTERLIFE?
Yup

FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?
Grimms Fairy Tales

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Spring

WHAT'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE HOUSEHOLD CHORE
Taking out the trash

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
That if I touched something, I could create an exact replica of it in the location of my choice. If I had that, I don't need money, and when I shop, I can touch it and recreate it in my house.

IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
Nope.

CAN YOU JUGGLE?
I tried once. Too many people got hurt.

THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK WITH?
My grandfather

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
Saturday. It's my sleep in day

WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR?
Other than bodies of speedskaters I've kidnapped, I also have a SLC 2002 knit hat, ice scraper, towel, blanket, umbrella, and a toolbox.

WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR A HAMBURGER?
Tough call. Gotta go with sushi

FAVORITE FLOWERS?
Orchids, Hydrangea, and hibiscus

FROM THE PEOPLE YOU E-MAIL THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
I'm not emailing it, but if I did, it would be Mike

WHO'S THE LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Every one else!

IF U HAD 2 CHOOSE WHO U WERE GONNA MARRY RIGHT NOW, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Well, if it wasn't Dave, it would be whoever was #2 on the 'People in line to marry Christine' list. However, that list was burned soon after the wedding.

My poor Dave.

Today's game sucked ass. I can't believe we lost. I can't believe that the Marlin's got 8 runs in the 8th inning. I can't believe that a fan tried catching that ball that Moises Alou could have so easily caught. I can't believe that Alex Gonzales dropped a ball that he's caught 100 times before. I can't believe that we have to play one more game.

This sucks.

It sucks even more for Dave, who's been waiting for the Cubs to get to the World Series all his life. I feel so bad that he's alone in Long Beach, watching the games by himself. I wish I was there to console him. Then again, I talked to him a few minutes ago, and he's not in the greatest of moods. Maybe it's better I'm here in Chicago.

I pity the guy who tried to catch the ball. Sell your house and get out of the city. Everyone knows what you look like.

Moises Alou appeared enraged after an unidentified spectator in the front row down the left-field line prevented him from catching a foul ball—an early domino in the chain reaction that led to the Marlins' eight-run eighth inning. But the veteran composed himself and, after cleaning his postgame plate of food, spoke to a huge crowd of reporters around his locker.

"I'm almost 100 percent sure that I had a clean shot to catch it," Alou said. "But at the same time, I feel kind of bad for the guy because every fan in every ballpark, the first reaction they have is that they want a souvenir. Nobody's thinking about the outcome of the game.

"I was very upset when it happened because I was there. I got there on time, I timed it perfectly, I jumped perfectly. I kept my eyes on the ball and all of a sudden there's a hand on my glove, there's a hand on the top of the ball.

"But things like that happen. Too bad it happened to us, because we could have been celebrating right now."

Yet Alou apparently understood. "If you have a clean shot at a baseball, you go for it," he said. "Hopefully he won't regret it for the rest of his life if he's a Cub fan. Maybe we can take the load off that guy by winning the game [on Wednesday]."

No matter. There's still Game 7.

Kerry, take us home....

In a related note, if you're a fan of Mark Prior, Mark Grudzielanek, Kyle Farnsworth or Eric Karros, check this link out: Cub players donate boxers for charity auction.

Well, it looks like I'll be going to Marquette in a couple weeks for the World Cup Short Track competition. It's been a while since I've actually mentioned short track on this blog (my mind has been on other sports **cough CUBS cough** lately) so I thought this post would be a welcome return. I got the idea from April's blog, which went over the top 10 things to do at a World Cup. I can't limit my list to 10, nor can I write so much about each one, and I haven't been too funny lately, so this list is pretty bland. I've been to one World Cup, a US Championship, and a World Championship, and this will be my second World Cup. I've had a bit of experience, but not tons. So I always forget to do things, I always end up unprepared. I know that there's a couple of first timers out there, so I thought I'd share my....

Do's and Don'ts for Attending a Short Track World Cup:
My Own Reminder List for the World Cups

DO bring a digital camera to the event. You're going to be taking a ton of pictures, and 50% of them will be a big blur. Having the instant gratification of digital is a plus, and so is the ability to delete the many pictures of ice that you'll take because the skaters have passed by already.

DON'T forget to bring extra batteries, memory cards, film, etc. Nothing sucks more than your battery dying in the middle of the competition.

DO use your ZOOM function. The better the zoom, the closer you can get to the action, and the skaters better assets.

DON'T slip when you're passing in front of the zamboni's path. The 'I don't want to slip and fall on my ass' dance is not the kind of recognition you want in the rink.

DO bring single hot guys that you know with you. The ratio of women to men in the audience is about 4-1. Give those single pretty skater girls some eye candy to look at too. A lot of the female fans are single, too (and incredibly cute), so give your single guy friends a chance.

DON'T ask speedskaters 'Have you gotten a lot of tail lately?' when you're on tape. Not that I have. Just something to watch out for.

DO talk to other people - fellow fans, concession workers, skaters that don't have their faces on the cover of the program. If you're planning on going to these things often, it's nice to see a familiar face.

DON'T forget to pack shampoo and soap. You might end up in a crappy as hotel that doesn't have any free stuff.

DO feel free to ask skaters for pictures with them. For the most part, they love the attention that they get, and that their sport is getting. But no free ass grabs. That will cost ya.

DON'T plan on having a normal eating schedule. Things happen so fast, you may even forget to eat.

DO cheer and scream during the races. The skaters love to hear the crowd behind them. And if the home team isn't in a race, cheer anyway, show them how much you love the sport!

DON'T chew gum when you're interviewing hot speedskaters. Sure, it's nice to have nice minty breath when you're standing so close to them, but you don't want to look like a cow chewing on a cud.

DO sit with the fans if you have a media pass. It doesn't feel right to sit in the media area and scream 'Thank the Lord for skinsuits!!!' You don't get that same feeling of fun in the media area.

DON'T drink before doing interviews. It makes you giddy, chatty, and forget everything that you say. But it makes for one hell of an interview!

DO say hi to a skater if they make eye contact, or say hi to you first. Don't stand there like a moron with your mouth hanging open thinking 'Did he just say hi to me?', 'Did he just look at me?'

DON'T leave your cell phone on during the races. It's annoying to hear it go off when they're at the start.

DO get roommates that you know will be a lot of fun. The more, the merrier, the cheaper the hotel room.

DON'T get caught in your hotel room by the maintenance man as you're lying on the bed with two men standing around with camera equipment. It just doesn't look right!

DO wear layers. Easier to take off than to put on.

DON'T forget to do a little sightseeing before/after races. Who knows when you'll be there again!

DO bring a lot of quarters to play pool at the local bar.

DON'T gawk when skaters refer to other skaters with nicknames in your presence, like 'Chunks' or 'Smitty'. Yes, that's what they actually call each other.

DO try the churros. They are quite tasty and 2 of them can sustain you for the whole day.

DON'T hold a grudge if a skater hurries past you without saying hi or making eye contact. Sometimes they're in the zone, or they really don't have time to talk.

DO have a friend that's staying in the same hotel in case your roommate busts up your toilet and it takes half an hour to flush.

DON'T have chipped nail polish if you're going to be holding up a mic for interviews on film.

DO cheer for the zamboni guy. He gets a kick out of it and loves saying to his friends, 'Dude, there were these really hot chicks cheering for me at the World Cup today!'

DON'T be afraid to beat up the annoying teenage girls in front of you that are screaming right before the start of the race and disturbing everyone's concentration. We'll all thank you.

DO talk to the girl skaters. They're really nice and they work just as hard as the guys.

DON'T sit by yourself. There are hundreds of other fans there that are as excited to be there are you are. Make a new friend. And if you're reading this, then you know me, and I'm pretty much the only brown person you'll see there, and I'll be happy to hang with you for a bit.

DO have a good time. Enjoy the races, enjoy the sport, enjoy the spandex.

After getting home one day from the hospital, Claudine called her boyfriend while I watched the Cubs and checked my email. Here's a bit of the conversation:

Dan: How was your day today?
Claudine: It was okay, we were at the hospital all day.
Dan: Aww. Is everything ok?
Claudine: Yeah, I guess, it's getting better.
Ask her if she saved you any pizza.
Dan: Did you save me any pizza?
Claudine: Well, my dad has the leftovers...wait, how did you know about the pizza?
Dan: I just know.
Claudine: My aunt brought it over in the afternoon.
Ask if she at least saved you any of the raspberry slushie.
Dan: Howabout the raspberry slushie? Did you save that?
Claudine: What? Did you talk to Christine?
Dan: No, not since work.

Claudine turns to me. I'm yelling at the Cub's pitcher on TV.
"Did you talk to Dan?" she asks.
"At work. Why?" I answer.
"He knows about the pizza."
"What about the pizza?" I ask.
"That we had it."
I look at her quizzically, shrug my shoulders, then go back to the game.

Claudine: Come on Dan, did you go to the hospital after we left?
Dan: No, I've been home.
Tell her to pick up Ewok's bone, he dropped it.
Dan: Pick up Ewok's bone.
Claudine: (picking up the bone) Huh? How did you.....
Dan: I heard it drop on the floor.
Claudine: Oh.
Ewok dropped it again. Put it on the couch to make sure he doesn't drop it again.
Dan: He dropped it again. Why don't you place it on the couch so that he doesn't drop it again.
Claudine: (picking up the bone and looking out the window) Dan! How do you know this?
He's growling at her.
Dan: Now you've made him angry!
Claudine: Dan, how are you doing this? Are you outside?
Dan: No, I'm home. Look at your caller ID.
Tell her to put her feet down from the table.
Dan: ...and take your feet off the table, you look like a slob!

Claudine jumps up and stares at her caller ID. It's Dan's number. She looks at me. I'm concentrating on the game, the Cubs are losing. She looks out the window.

Claudine: Dan!!! You're freaking me out! I haven't had much sleep, I'm stressed out, I'm irritable and I'm not in the mood for this!
Tell her to sit down
Dan: Why don't you sit and calm down a bit?
Claudine: Dan, quit it!

She sits down. She looks at me. She looks at my computer. Unfortunately, I'm in mid-type, and on my screen, she sees an open AIM window:
MissYano: Ask her if she saved you any pizza.
MissYano: Ask if she at least saved you any of the raspberry slushie.
MissYano: Tell her to pick up Ewok's bone, he dropped it.
MissYano: Ewok dropped it again. Put it on the couch to make sure he doesn't drop it again.
MissYano: He's growling at her.
MissYano: Tell her to put her feet down from the table.
MissYano: Tell her to sit down.

She looks at me. I have a guilty grin on my face. I type in one more phrase:

MissYano: We've been discovered!!!

Claudine looks at her phone:

Claudine: Dan!!! I hate you guys! You're so mean to me!

Ahh....it's the little things that entertain me...

After tonights win, the Cubs are one game away from THE WORLD SERIES. It's almost unbelievable. Like a dream come true. I'm hoping they don't have to go to a game seven. Why? Because I came early into work yesterday, and several of us had the machines hooked up to the Cubs website to buy tickets to Game 7, if it came to that. So at 7:59am, we started calling, and setting all of our machines up.

At 8:11am, the words 'There are no longer tickets available for Game 7. The Cubs thank you for your support, but it sucks to be you.' Or some crap like that. Oh well, we tried! So if we don't go to a game 7, that's fine with me! I don't have tickets!

Yesterday's game was awesome. My cousins came over and we were all screaming. It was a nail biter!

Today's game isn't as dramatic yesterday, though I have to admit, we were screaming in my mom's hospital room when Aramis Ramirez hit that grand slam. What a beauty! I swear I could hear all of Chicago getting up from their armchairs and cheering. (side note: Fatima thinks Aramis Ramirez sounds like Ricky Ricardo. And if you close your eyes, HE DOES.)

It was so awesome to see all of the Cubs fans in the stands. We seriously have the best fans around!

And how about that Moises Alou? I think he's awesome. Something about a man who hardly ever smiles that comes to the plate with a big wad of dip in his mouth, whose batting stance looks like Bambi on ice. A man of mystery, that Moises Alou is. I would like to be his friend. :-P

I also confess that I think Pudge Gonzales is a cutie. Because he's kinda pudgy. I think he'd look even cuter crying because he's not going to the World Series. *evil grin*

Since I've been here, my days have consisted of going to work, leaving early (between 5 minutes to 3 hours early), taking the train and bus to the hospital, driving home, sleeping, and starting the whole process again. Basically I'm home just to sleep, most of my time has been spent at the hospital. And over the last couple days, that routine has begun earlier because I have to drop off my sisters at the hospital in the morning.

I'm exhausted.

At work, I've fallen into my old routine - working, talking, joking around, eating junk food. It's like I never left. Though I haven't really been eating lunch, I haven't had much of an appetite lately. One ritual that I began once again yesterday was the "ass walk". Since the weather in Chicago has been so pleasant, me, Bryan and Sam went to take a walk. This isn't your normal walk, these guys are walking with a mission. Ass. To check out ass on Michigan Avenue. I would have thought the ass season was over, but there were many posteriers for them to check out. Small ones, big ones, in pants, in skirts, all kinds. It's exercise and eye candy, all mixed in one. And by having me walk with them, they could go into stores like Victoria's Secret and H&M and not look like creepy guys in women's stores checking out women's booties. They just look like my bitches, bored in the store while I'm shopping. It's always a good time, and they always make me laugh.

It's good to know that when I'm done in Long Beach, I'll have a place to go back to. They've even saved my seat at work, and I have an official seat warmer, and his name is Mason:

I've been here for a week and a day now, and I'm really missing my husband (I always have to snicker when I say that). Dave's doing ok out in Long Beach, but he misses me, too. I only brought enough clothes for several days, so I've been scavenging the house for my old clothes. But when do I go home? I don't know. My mom is doing MUCH better, but I'm not going to fool myself and let myself believe that she's out of danger. She's going to be in the hospital for a while. Not until she's out will I breath easy.

Photo Friday: Translucent

Aspen Bust - Chicago Comic Convention, August 2003

So I've come across Margaret Cho's blog on the 'net, and it's hilarious. It's amazing that she's able to write this much each day. Here's a little sample of it:

"When I was twenty, I was engaged to a young television writer, who now is a big gangsta at Saturday Night Live. My midnight foot scratching would wake him up. The scraping of nails to dry, flaky, baklava skin caused a sound that would haunt him for long after we parted. He loved me so, and he'd said those nights, he would watch me sleep, and the scratch became a love song spontaneously occurring in nature, like summer crickets and the sweet slippery near silence of long kisses, a rhapsody of fungal and lover's bliss. But I was bad. There was no skin between each toe, creating a corned beef affect, like I was smuggling the meat in them to snack on later. On each toe, the tearaway skin would hang loose and white near the nail, saturated in sweat and in turn brittle and resilient. My heels were like two hard biscuits, badly in need of gravy, powdery and baked. Then of course the wart, for which I procured a corn slicer from Germany. This device, much like a cheese grater, would scrape across the errant sole, and shave off a neat layer of skin, which would be shiny underneath. I would cut down until I had reached a point where a tiny drop of blood could be seen just under the surface, dead center like a nucleus, and it was painful, but satisfying. Of course I went too far here and there, and the blood would spurt out of my foot with a pulsing heat, and no amount of gauze or cotton wads would soak up the carnage. "

I love her.

Make sure to read her post on Roy Horn, of Siegfried and Roy....it's a hoot.

You know, I have no problem posting on my blog for all the internet to see that my mom is in the hospital, and my fears and feelings about the situation. You all know that. I can do that, but it's almost impossible for me to call my 'real life' friends (for lack of a better term) and tell them what's going on. What do I say? "Hey, I'm back in town because my mom's in the hospital." I dunno, it just doesn't feel right.

So I haven't called my friends to tell them that I'm home. Didn't call to tell them what's been going on. Sure, some of them know who have stumbled onto this blog from wherever, but for some reason, I like to keep my internet life and my private life separate. And it's a lot easier to talk about it in my internet life, than it is to the tangible people around me. I just don't know how to bring it up. I just don't know what to say.

Pretty ironic considering the volumes that I write here, eh?

But my friend Jen called today, and left a pretty long voicemail asking what's been going on. However, I only understood a third of it since her phone was cutting out. I called back and left a message telling her a bit of what's been going on, and my mom's hospital room number, and told her to call me back.

But I was still surprised to see her come and visit my mom. It was great to see her again, and she brought us Capri Sun and Cubs Cupcakes (Cubcakes, har har.) I've had my wedding pics at the hospital for visitors to look at, and me and Jen had a great time going through the pics and reliving the day. We moved over to the family room to watch the game and let my mom get a little rest.

I was even more surprised to see my friend Gil come. There was a summer when it was just the three of us - Jen, Gil and me, going out together all the time, and it was nice to be the three of us once again. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. It was nice to have them come, and I miss hanging out with my friends like that. Having them come and visit meant a lot to me.

So I'm lucky. Lucky to have so many wonderful people around to support me and my family...

Mom's doing better, her breathing is easier and she could be up and walking on her own in a couple days.

And howabout that Cubs game? The Marlins got SCHPANKED, baby!

Just watched my tape of tonight's Smallville, and it was a great episode! I think one reason why I, and so many other people, love this show is because in a way, we already know what's going to happen. Clark and Lex will become mortal enemies. Clark's true love is Lois Lane - Lana Lang is just a high school crush.

But Smallville takes these things into account and toys with our hearts, makes us wish that the future for Clark Kent was different. Clark and Lex best friends? Lana Lang professing her love for Clark? These are the things that you want to last. But you know they aren't. And you still watch anyway, because the journey is so worthwhile.

That, and Tom Welling has a hot bod.

I love the Superman references, like the when the burn on Clark's chest fades, you see the S of Superman. Or Clark opening his shirt in a phone booth. Or using the name Kal when under the influence of red kryptonite. When asked what he wanted to do with his life, he said "I dunno, just as long as it doesn't involve wearing a suit and flying". Gotta love that!

The question I've been asked the most next to 'How's married life?' and 'How's your mom?' since I've been here is 'Have you lost weight?'

I don't know, actually. I don't have a scale in Long Beach. But probably, since I've been too busy to eat a big dinner, and for lunch I usually eat something fast, if I eat at all. I've just been too busy in California to eat. And I suspect that the stress level of working out there has been a reason, too.

I dunno, though, because I haven't noticed a difference in how my pants fit or anything like that. But someone had also remarked how my ass looks smaller. They said I've lost a bit of the JLo-ness of it. I have mixed feelings about that, since I'm very attached to my ass (as are some of the readers of this blog). But I wonder what life is like for small assed people. I know, I can ask Rod what it's like to be ass-less, but this could be an interesting experience for me.

But as Claudine reads this post, she remarks, "No, JLo is still there."

Ahh.....a sigh of relief. It would be like losing a close friend. Who follows me around all the time.

On that same note, after working yet another 8 hours (bastards!) I went to the hospital to visit my mom. Now I was told by the doctor to make my mom laugh, and if anything can do it, my superior dorkiness can. So I was helping my mom get into her hospital bed (she can't move around on her own) and she was taking a breather before she lay down. So I thought my mom would like to know that I'm losing my ass. So I turned around and pointed my ass at her and said 'See, I'm losing my butt! I'm wasting away!' as I shook my butt around in circles. Then I felt a little nudge on my leg and my sisters had started laughing. Turns out, my mom kicked me. In her own little way, SHE KICKED ME!!!! I was getting beaten up by a little Filipino lady in the hospital. I cried out 'I'm getting beat up by an invalid in a hospital! Nurse!!!!'

What a burn.

But good for mom! Come on, kick the shit outta me! I dare you!

Nice to see that she's still got the spunk.

Cubs play the Marlins tonight in Chicago. Although the circumstances that bring me here not the best, it's amazing to be here during this time. I only wish Dave was here to experience the electricity that is going through our home town right now! And in honor of tonight's game, I bring you the song that every Cub fan holds close to their hearts, and a picture of the man who's even closer, harry Caray:

A one! A two! A three!

Take me out
To the ball game
Take me out
To the crowd
Buy me some peanuts
And Crackerjacks
I don't care if
I never get back

So it's root, root, root
For the Cubbies
If they don't win
It's a shame
For it's one, two,
Three strikes you're out
At the old ball game!

*roar of the crowd*
*ahhhhhhhhhhhhh*

We miss you, Harry. Wish you were here, but we know you're working some magic up there!

Let's go Cubbies, let's go!!!

-----------------------------------

On a different note, I've updated the links to add a couple new people: Deo, who I've been bugging to add me to his 'Friends' list since I'm actually a 3D friend of his, Chris F, Chris C, Lissa, Leonard and SHELLY!. I've also updated the links of Raven, Teri and Chariya.

I went back to work, since a lot of stuff had piled up since yesterday, but also for a little break. It was great to come back in (I can't believe I just said that), more because I've missed so many of the people I work with. I hadn't realized how much I missed all of these people.

I guess word had spread about my mom's condition, so everyone was pretty sensitive to it. I had a talk with the president and the vice president of the company about what I'm going to do for the time I'm here, since I don't know how long I'm staying. Basically, they told me to take my time. They've been so amazingly understanding about this, it's really great.

It was so awesome to see my tech people again, it was as if I never left. Sure, my cube is now used for the CD burner, but Mason the stuffed duck has been holding my place. Talking and joking around with the guys was good for me. It was nice to see Amy again, my only female friend at work.

Working with people is such a strange experience. I've gotten so used to just getting up, turning on the laptop and getting to work as I listen to MTV on the TV for background noise. Now I've got people around me, walking, talking, laughing, etc. I miss it, but it's great to come back to.

I had only intended to work half a day today, and go to the hospital afterwards, but one of my clients had an emergency, and I ended up staying the whole day, and the client never even got back to me. I always seem to get trapped with work.

But once I got to the hospital, it was nice to see that my mom was a bit better. The hospital had given her a new chair so it was easier for her to recline and to sit in all day. She was even holding her cup on her own and didn't need a straw to drink. She seems to be doing better.

Thanks, once again, for all your thoughts.

The Bears are behind, they come back in the fourth quarter to beat the Oakland Raiders. The Cubs are tied in their series, playing in Atlanta, and win their division. My mom can sit up and is able to hold her water on her own and is breathing easier. It was a good day.

It's been a very hard 4 days, but I'm so happy I'm home! I've been practically living at the hospital, most of the staff knows me and my sisters by face. Claudine came into town last Friday (her super-duper boyfriend Dan drove to Des Moines, picked her up, and drove straight back to Chicago). Not only do they know me, my sisters and my dad by face, but they also know all my cousins, aunts and uncles, too. Like my cousins Melanie & Marilyn, who've been mine and Claudine's stand-ins whuile we've been gone. They've really helped out the family. The '2 visitor' rule they have here doesn't seem to pertain to my mom's room. There's been herds of relatives coming in and out of the hospital for the last two weeks. The family waiting room here has been taken over by brown people.

I got here at about 1pm last Thursday. Wednesday night was a pretty bad night for me, after realizing that it was about time that I went home to be with my mom and family. By the time I was on the plane I had a pretty good grip on my emotions, no longer getting teary at the drop of the pin.

But when I finally arrived at the hospital, seeing my mom there lying in her hospital bed, I almost lost it. I wanted to burst out crying, crawl into bed with her, put my head on her shoulder and tell her it was going to be alright. But something within me told me to be strong. But I just came up to her and held her hand and said 'I'm here, mommy'. I looked at my dad and Fatima and saw the fatigue and worry in their eyes. They had been so strong to go through all of this, after being here day in, day out for 4 days, it takes a lot out of you. And my sister has been here for the last 2 weeks during the day, while my father would be here for most of the day and all through the night, catching only a couple hours of sleep at home in the morning. When my mom has problems breathing, he rushes to her side, holds her hand and patiently helps her with her breathing excercises, helping her relax and get her breathing back to normal. It's incredible to see the devotion to my mother that he has, and it breaks my heart to see how worried and worn out he is. Actually, my heart breaks several times a day.

People have told me that I'm a strong person, which, I often disagree with. If they think I'm strong, they should see my family. It's been an emotional roller coaster here, with a parade of doctors and specialists walking through the door, seeing my mom in her condition, trying to help out as much as I can. I'm heartbroken, I'm angry, I'm exhausted, I'm frustrated, I'm moved, I'm sad, I'm happy, I'm laughing, I'm tearing up, I'm confused, I'm irritated. There are so many instances in the day when I have to take deep breaths not to break down, but my family is here, going through the same thing. They are so incredibly strong, it helps me be strong.

There's so much love here. So many people have come in to give her their well wishes, though sometimes it tires her to see so many people throughout the day. But it's a sign of how many people she has touched, how many people are out there pulling for her and praying for her. I know its hard for a lot of my aunts, my mother's best friends. It's hard not to start crying when they come to me and hug me as they're breaking down and sobbing.

My mom is doing better. She was a lot worse off when I came in on Thursday, and I guess she was in pretty bad shape on Wednesday. But she's talking a bit more now, awake more, breathing a bit easier, moving around, eating more, and even cracking a couple jokes. (Marilyn had showed her some of the pics from my wedding, and she showed a pic of me making a goofy face and my mom remarked 'She's ugly!'. Some things never change.) She's happy that all her girls are home, and I'm happy to be home. I really don't know what's to come in the next couple weeks. I'll stay here as long as I can. Work has been very understanding, and I'm grateful for that. It's a lot of work, physically and emotionally to be here giving support to my mom, and to control the masses that are coming to visit, but my mom needs us, and we'll be here as long as we can.

We had another million people come and visit the room today. Some people had to wait in the family waiting room when my mom was sleeping. Dave flew in straight from working 24 hours in California and came right to my mom's bedside. Me and my sisters got a little misty watching him talk with my mom, he's become very close with her throughout her sickness. His parents and his brother also came along. They all stayed past visiting hours to finish off the game. It's pretty funny to walk through the halls in the hospital to hear the game being played on all the TV's in the rooms. During the last inning, we were all silently screaming in the family room. I thought Dave's dad was going to have a heart attack he was so happy. They both have been waiting their whole lives for this.

Back at the room, I quietly told my mom that the Cubs won. She smiled and said 'That's good!'. I didn't know that my dad had told her already. Then my sister told her after I did. 'I know! I know!' she whispered. After that, she went into an easy breathing sleep (or maybe she was just pretending so we would stop telling her that the Cubs won). We kissed her goodbye and went home as the rejoices of the Cubs fans in Atlanta and here in Chicago rang in our ears.

Thanks for listening...

Well, I'm going to take a little break for a while. Could be a day, could be a week, could be longer...I just need a little time to sort things out and just to be there for the people I love. And I can't do that with my face stuck up against the monitor, now, can I?

But I'm on the first flight to Chicago...yeah, I'm going home...

So I'm leaving, on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again...don't know if work will forgive me for abandoning them, but for once, I know where my priorities are:

Mommy, I'm coming home!

Keep us in your thoughts, ok? You all have been so great through all of this...thank you...