May 30

Today turned out to include many surprises. We were under the impression my sister and cousin weren't going to get to our house (and into Michigan, at that) until late tonight or early tomorrow. Well, you could say they arrived a little but earlier than that. Like, around 4:30 pm. Apparently they decided on driving straight through the night instead of spending extra money on a hotel room for 6 hours. So in they pulled, with a car full of clothes and books and...clothes. Lots of clothes. I suppose if you're going to be staying at home for 3 months, you'd want to bring a wardrobe...or 27. Haha.

In another great turn of events, Max Scherzer, who the Tigers called up again from AAA, had his first start back this afternoon and proceeded to strikes out a career high 14 batters in 5.2 innings! For the 17 men he faced, 14 of them fanned! That's unheard of! Of only he was a little more economical with his pitch count, he probably could have made it into the 8th or 9th...possibly knocking on the 20+K mark. Again...unheard of! Glad to see he fixed his mechanics when in his 2 minor league starts. Let's hope he keeps it up!

Papermill,
B

May 29

Buying UFC events are a gamble. You're looking for knockouts and submissions to keep it exciting, but getting those results usually means the overall time of the match is short. If you want more for your money, then you're probably looking at split or unanimous decisions; however, those matches tend to drag on and are typically at a slower pace. So...you gamble. Tonight, after a lot of driving around, I stopped by my pal Justin's place where he had ordered UFC 114. I chipped in a little bit and had a pretty fun evening. As for the fights...let's just say just about every match went to the judges. Hell, even the Rampage-Evans fight went all 3 rounds (Rashad ended up winning by unanimous decision). Still, it was worth it with all of the friends around.

In other disappointing sports news, the Lakers finished off Phoenix, which means this Thursday will be the first game in a Boston-L.A. Finals. Detroit lost to Oakland in a shut out. Later in the day it was announced that Dontrelle Willis would be designated for assignment to make room for Max Scherzer (coming back from AAA). I have nothing personally against Willis, but I'm very happy that this move is being made. He just flat out doesn't have it anymore, and hasn't for the past few years. Why we gave him such an outrageous contract is beyond me. Oh, and Roy Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in MLB history tonight. Wow.

Did you know there is a MMA fighter known as the "Korean Zombie"!? I'm getting that shirt!

27 up, 27 down,
B

May 28

Tigers lost. Boo. Magic lost. Boo. Frank keeps peeing in the sink. Boo. Well, at least I got my $60 worth out of Modern Warfare 2. I mean, for reals. I don't buy a lot of video games, but when I do, I best play the hell out of them. Mission accomplished.

In more important news, my sister and cousin hit the road earlier today; travelling from California to Michigan. Last I heard they still hadn't made it out if the Golden State. This is in large part due to a tanker that tipped over and exploded, thus closing all of the freeways for a while (this is what Tori had heard over the radio). Couple that with Memorial day traffic and you get a car moving 3/4 of a mile in 45 minutes. Not exaggerating. This I straight from Tori and Kelsey. They were literally driving at a 1mph pace. Wow.

For more information on holiday weekend California tanker explosions: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/05/tanker-explosion-snarls-memorial-day-getaway-traffic.html

The RZA, the GZA,
B

May 27

Wow. What a game. It looked to be a blow out twice but Phoenix kept fighting back. Then, with 3.5 seconds left in the game, Jason Richardson banked in a long 3 to tie it, 101-101. 3.5 is a lot of time, though; especially with Kobe on the other side. Play resumes, Bryant double but still gets off a 3, and it misses! But J. Rich, the same guy who hit an unbelievable shot seconds ago, forgot to get a body on Ron Artest, who leaps toward to the basket and secures the rebound. Less than a second left and he gets another shot up...and it's good! Lakers win 103-101 after leading by as much as 18 and letting the Suns back into it. Listen, I wanted Phoenix to win this game, but that was a hell of a way to end. Game 6 is this Saturday night in the desert. So far home court has been defended. Hopefully this stays true in a couple of nights.

As for events directly related to me, there was more lunch with the family, some computer work, payed off the credit card (as happens every month around this time), and beat the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Yup, I re-beat the game on Wii. I have been playing it off and on the past week and it was bring back some pretty good memories. Even to this day, that game stands up. So good.

Make my day a good one,
B

May 26

Let's pursue the essentials of cool; A brief study of the things so instrumental to you.

No? Well let's at least review the day then. It was goooooood. Nothing out of the ordinary. Basically we're just getting everything ready for Tori's homecoming early next week. She'll be back for a few months working at Genesis. Should be a good time.

Holes in the ground aren't fun to step in,
B

May 25

Well, the last post should say it all. Nothing really going on. Work and sleep and meals. I'm trying to stay warm in this new Summer heat we're getting. Not having central air is terrible, especially in this weather. Yup.

US soccer,
B

May 24

See: May 25,
B

May 23

I've dazed off many times while typing on a keyboard. I just did it a few minutes ago. These are the problem a person can run into while using a laptop late at night. Sometimes you start typing with your eyes closed and forget where you were going with the sentence. Oops. That just happened, too.

20 points down low,
B

May 22

I'll tell you everything about livin' free. I will, you just wait. Until then, I'm just going to tell you about a Saturday in hot-muggy Michigan. You could definitely feel the air. Not a good feelin' either. There was some running around earlier today then Chad stopped on by for a little. We got some food at BWW's and watched the Tigers go down (and end up losing) to the Dodgers. There was also a compelling Twins-Brewers game going on at the same time...but Minny ended up winning. 2 games back in the Central now. Oh well. In other news, the Magic are being dominated by the Celtics and I wouldn't be surprised at this point - and looking at how bad Orlando is playing - if they end up getting swept. Never would have predicted this. Wow. Early morning at the Buy, hence the "early" entry tonight.

Vagabond,
B

May 21

Happy birthday, Shannon!

Today was another day spent on the road, which meant more air in the dud tire. It started with lunch with the family where I had a pretty good BBQ pizza. I then stopped at home real quick to drop some stuff off and then it was off to Owosso. Rhett and Whitney were moving into their new apartment and I was more than happy to lend a hand. By the time I got out there all of the home-to-apartment trips were already made. This meant it was unloading time. After the vehicles were emptied we dropped off the extra trucks, ran some errands, and got back to start essembling some furniture. Can't beat Ikea! By the time I left at night, the kitchen table, TV stand, coffee table, and a lounge chair were ready to be used. The important electronics were also hooked up; which in this case turned out to be the TV and PS3. Finished the night with food and the Tigers game, which we lost. Willis isn't looking too good. If he continues like this, he could be released after Scherzer works out his problems in AAA. Still relatively early in the season, but still...

In another note, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming NFL season. I think the Lions are going to surprise some people. Hell, I hope they surprise me.

Cut and dry,
B

May 20

Happy May 20th to all of my jam fans out there. That's right, I'm talking to you, you strawberry and marmalade junkies. Does marmalade count? Anyway, did you know that as of right now the Tigers are even with the Twins for first place in the AL Central. It's true. Unfortunately, we have the Dodgers tomorrow, while Minny get the Brewers. Not cool.

Today was filled with a lot of driving around. From here to there, lunch to the store, the Cage to Brandon's and back home again. Still, I got to visit with the family for a bit and then some friends and then...late night dinner. Well, the dinner part is happening now. I love me some food.

Click it or ticket,
B

May 19

Austin Jackson is good. Just wanted to throw that out there. He struggle the past few series but is hitting well tonight against the A's - a game in which we have a 5-1 lead in the top of the 9th. Verlander was his typical May self and dominated Oakland's line up. Not sure if he's coming back out for the 9th, but I wouldn't be surprised given his pitch count is reasonably low. Good times.

Today basically consisted of work on the computer, a quick drive, many calls being made, and a talk with some "industry" friends. You know, just catching up. Nothing major.

I wonder what it's like to throw 99mph,
B

May 18

Sams Pizza is the best pizza around. Hands down. Now I'm really thirsty and craving some orange juice. Speaking of orange juice...ummm, nope. No idea where I'm going with that. Have a nice day!

Love or hate, war or peace,
B

May 17

Back to your typical post on a typical Monday with typical routines and typical meals. Basically, nothing big today. Hell, the Tigers game was even rained out. This could mean a doubleheader tomorrow or just an unannounced make-up date. Man, the weather has been our enemy so far this year. A Cleveland game was stopped in the 5th earlier this month (no make-up known), as well as a Yankees game (turned into first doublheader) and then tonight, against the White Sox. I swear, our schedule to begin the year has been brutal. Right after this small home-stand we're back to the West coast for a week for some AL and NL action. Yup, we have the Dodgers for our first taste of interleague play this year. Done.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste,
B

May 16

What a day. An early morning at work (that arrived WAY too early) and then a little bit of relaxing. Originally I was going to head over to Brandon's but Brad called and let me know that the first viewing for a friend of our's Mother was starting around 5. She had been diagnosed with terminal cancer about 3 1/2 years ago and was only given a few months to live. Instead she gave her family 3 more years of time that they won't soon forget. And during those trying times we'd be over to their house for New Years Eve, watching games, playing some poker, hanging out, etc. That's something I'll always remember. Well, she lost her battle Friday afternoon and very soon afterward the arrangemenst were made. I ended up spending time up at the funeral home for a bit before I ran back home for the night. A surreal kind of day.

Events like that really put a lot in perspective. For instance, I'm happy the Tigers beat the Red Sox again earlier on, but there a many more important things than a baseball game. Many more.

In my life,
B

May 15

A fun night was had, today. I drove out to Owosso to see some friends play a CD release show. Unfortunately, I arrived a tad bit late (about half way into sosaveme's set) but still got to see Mikey Mains and the Branches. Great music and even better people. After I hit up Taco Bell with Rhett and Whit and hung out until I realized I'd probably be tired tomorrow if I didn't head home and get some sleep. So now I'm in bed and about ready to pass out.

Oh, but wait. The Tigers! Nothing like winning a game in the bottom of the 12th after the opposing pitcher walked the bases loaded. Haha. Sorry, Boston! Rubber game tomorrow afternoon.

I hear in stereo,
B

May 14

I'm getting started early today. Really early. I'm wondering - in text - if anyone else ever feels like the later it is at night, the more prone one becomes to his or her emotions. For me, I find this to be true. It always was easier for me to face facts and become more true to myself the more the hours ticked away. It's a feeling of complete spontaneity mixed with truth. It's hard for me to describe, but take it as I feel I can imagine many different scenarios in vivid detail while making rational, true to life decisions. Almost like a dream, but I'm wide awake. It's just me and my thoughts. And in case you haven't figured it out, right now is one of those nights. I couldn't get to sleep. I just kept rolling around and thinking, "what am I doing?"

Do I see myself doing this particular job for the next few years? Hell no!

Am I willing to take a chance and move some place for another opportunity? I'm honestly not sure. It definitely makes me nervous.

Is there even anything else out there at this point? Not that I've found. But am I looking hard enough?

I'm still living at home. I don't have and haven't been in a serious relationship in...5 or 6 years. I love being around my friends, but at what point does that start to become a hinderance? And I hope it doesn't seem like I'm placing any blame on them. To the contrary, they're my inspiration. A lot of close friends are either married, getting married, starting a new job, moving into a new house, etc. They're living their lives, working their jobs, and - MOST importantly - they're happy. So my question is, when does one step out of his or her comfort zone and search for their niche? (Rhetorical, obviously.)

I almost called about 4 different people tonight...at 3:30 in the morning. Sometimes you just want to talk. Unfortunately it happened to be at a very inconvenient time. So what do I do instead? Type.

Life isn't easy. There is no blueprint that says, in order to be happy, you must do this, this, and this, and accomplish this and this. As cliche as it sounds, happiness (and beauty, but it's not relevant to this entry) truly is in the eye of the beholder. Money is a powerful motivator, true, but I'm more concerned with the relationships I have. That being said (Curb reference), the thing that's kept me up tonight has been the "J" word. And during these times, a good job is hard to come by.

This has been my first "real" post in a long time,
B

May 13

I was witness to, potentially, the end of Cleveland sports as a whole tonight. I say that because, really, the only thing that city saw as a bright spot between their terrible history and terrible teams was LeBron James. He was the home town kid who fell to a fledgling franchise in the Cavaliers (by luck of the lottery) and turned them into contenders almost instantly. And now a team that was favored to not only get out of the East, but win a championship, is eliminated in the second round. OUCH. That has to sting. This summer, James will be the Most sought after free agent in a class filled with all-stars. And with a number of teams with plenty of cap space and located in larger markets, all eyes will be on the Akron Hammer. Literally EVERY team in the NBA would love to add him. All of this equals sports fans in Ohio worrying and crying until July. You know, this may make me a bad person, but I find that hilarious. Sorry, I just tend to not like any team located South-East of Michigan. Needless to say, the talk and rumors won't stop for the next couple months, so get ready. Oh, I forgot to mention, yesterday Crosby and the gang were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Again...I find this hilarious. Add in the Tigers dismantling the Yankees today (thanks, Verlander) and taking 3 out of 4 games in the series, and it was a good day in sports. A good day, indeed.

To recap, HAHA to the Cavs, HAHA to the Penguins, and YAY to our Tigers!

As for my day...definitely not as exciting as any of what was previously typed. Sorry. I haven't been too exciting recently.

I want to sample your face and put it in a hip-hop beat,
B

May 12

Did you know David Banner is the one who sing that "Evolve" Gatorade song? Yup. THAT David Banner. Funny, huh?

G series,
B

May 11

The great thing about Netflix is the streaming capability, where you can be laying in bed and with a click of a button start watching a film. This is also the worst part about it, because by the time you finish, you realize that time has moved ahead about 2 hours and you're still up. Crazy. But also...not? Anyway, the Cavs were dominated by the Celtics tonight. It looked as if it was going to be a close game in the first quarter. Then the rest of the game happened, and the home team lost by 32! Yup, that is a Cleveland home loss record (as fa as deficit is concerned). By Thursday this series could be decided. In case you're wondering, I led with the NBA playoffs because the Tigers game was postponed due to rain. A double header is scheduled for tomorrow, with game 1 starting at 1 and game 2, around 7. Get it? Got it. Good.

Priceline negotiator,
B

May 10

What can I say? Another day, another dollar, and a computer that seems to be working pretty well. Unfortunately I misplaced my phone, so I was without it until about 2 hours ago. Thanks to XBox Live and some emergency calls, I tracked it down. I swear, my cat had to be the one who knocked it down. How the hell did it end up under the bed!?

I'm having such a good time,
B

May 9

Happy Mother's day to you all. I hope you were able to spend it with some form of family. As for me, I slept in a bit and then proceeded to get ready for my Grandparents to head over for lunch. They arrived around 1:30, we sat, talked, watched some Tigers, and then had some ribs that my Dada had prepared for us. Great meal followed by more visiting and finishing the Tigers game (which we lost). After they left it was then time to head over to my other Grandma's house for more celebrating and family. When I got there the room was already full of Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Oh, also, there was more food. Can't beat it. The night concluded with a game of Balderdash, cake, and a drive back home. Eventful Mother's day, that is for sure.

I enjoy Netflix streaming,
B

May 8

Saturday's are good for getting ready for Sunday's. In this case, they're good for pre-Mother's day prep. I already had a couple of things in mind that I was going to get, now they just have to be ordered online. Thanks, intenet!

In some sad news, the Wings were elminated from the playoffs today. They were playing so well coming into the post season, too.

In some happy news, the Tigers won.

In indifferent news, Nintendo is said to be really paying attention to Apple and their portable gaming capabilities.

Shogun,
B

May 7

A pretty good day that was spent doing work, cleaning up, and hanging out with the Anthony's. Here's a question, what is YOUR favorite Simpsons quote? I may have to go with: "Me fail English? That's unpossible."

Everything's coming up Milhouse,
B

May 6

Chad and I are sitting in a theater for the Iron Man 2 midnight showing - sponsored by Best Buy. Really. Tyler rented out an entire theater for Best Buy employees (and a +1). A lot of people ended up signing up, but we'll see of they all show up. I doubt it. Still...FREE MIDNIGHT SHOW!

I'll take it,
B

May 5

Happy Cinco De Mayo! I know, I'm late. However, I am writing something. The Tigers were swept today by Minnesota. That wasn't cool. The good news is the 20 games in a row ends and they finally get a day off tomorrow. Hopefully that helps.

Whispering,
B

May 4

I remember listening to old Tigers games when I was younger; more so around the early 90's. Win or lose, rain, snow or sun, Ernie Harwell was always there. A staple, not just in Detroit, but in major league baseball as a whole. He passed away tonight at the age of 92. To Tigers fans, so too did a hallmark of this team. I read a remark about his passing that really hit home. It basically said we mourn Ernie not because we knew him personally, but because he connected us to the one's we did love, and to a game we'll always cherish. Going to old Tigers stadium with my Dad and Grandparents, getting photos from Lakeland, collecting the complete Tigers team baseball cards throughout the seasons, these are some of my memories. And in the background, always calling out a man from Lansing or Traverse City or Flint was taking home a foul ball, was Ernie Harwell.

"I'm not leaving, folks. I'll still be with you, living my life in Michigan, my home state, surrounded by family and friends. And rather than goodbye, please allow me to say thank you. Thank you for letting me become part of your family. Thank you for taking me with you to that cottage up north, to the beach, the picnic, your work place, or your backyard. Thank you for sneaking your transistor radio under the pillow as you grew up loving the Tigers. I might have been a small part of your life. But you have been a very large part of mine."

1918 - 2010,
B

May 3

Nothing like commercials for old episodes of Soul Train to put a smile on your face. If I could grow a fro like that...watch out. Tigers got blasted today, but hey, the winning streak was fun while it lasted. All the while Austin Jackson continued hitting. Hopefully we'll start another string o' victories tomorrow night. We started with sports and we'll end with me saying that today was as normal as normal can be. Pretty normal, indeed.

Yawn,
B

May 2

Hindsight. A beautiful thing. I remember when it was first announced over the winter meetings that Curtis Granderson had been traded to New York Yankees in a three-team deal bringing Austin Jackson and Phil Coke to Detroit (as well as Scherzer and Schlereth). Most everybody who watched the Tigers were devistated that Granderson was gone, and for what? An unproven rookie and relief pitcher? Hindsight. Granderson is on the 15-day DL for New York and is expected to miss around a month with a grade 2 left groin sprain (ouch). He's also hitting at a .225 clip. Austin Jackson leads everyone in the majors with 40 hits, continues putting up record numbers for a rookie in Detroit, is hitting .367 with close to .500 BABIP (which is IMPOSSIBLE to sustain for an entire season), and has fit perfectly in the lead-off spot (some say even more so than Curtis). Oh, and Coke has been dominate in his set-up/hold role (left arm with a 1.93 ERA) helping the Tigers bullpen become the best in the league, literally. And I'm not even going to get into how Edwin Jackson is doing in Arizona right now. Hindsight. It's early in the season, but right now, I'm feeling pretty good about everything. And speaking of the Tigers, we swept the home series against the Angels today for the first time since...1996, I think. Verlander pitched like a beast, probably because he realized it was May now, so it's time to get serious.

The Red Wings...weeeellllll, they weren't as lucky. I heard a lot of people complaining about the officiating in the game. Regardless, it's over, and they now face a 0-2 deficit coming back to the Joe on Tuesday. Must win games are coming up.

I feel asleep randomly later in the afternoon, today. Does that make sense? Anyway, I woke up to some show on ABC, jumped in the shower, then headed to Brad's to drop off some posters and grab my camera. I'm now about to bed it. Bed it real good. Should be a good week. Hopefully a good month, too.

Here's to good fortune,
B

May 1

I should go to bed so this will be a quick one. New month. Seems like I write that a lot. Anyway, May 1 consisted of another good Tigers win (and a Minnesota loss) and traveling over to Port Huron to hang out with Joe for the day. I think it was entended to be a "house warming" type party, but I considered it just getting together with peeps, cooking out, and enjoying the man cave in the basement. Honestly, he has put some great work in on that house of his. The homemade bar in the basement is great. Something to strive for. That seems like a good amount of words for being so tired. Over.

And out,
B