Jake Ryan or Cherry Ride.

On Sunday nights LP hangs out with Cherry and the Aussie and watches bad TV on VH1. I'm really not into it, so I get to stay home and watch Sunday Night Baseball by myself. Well last night's game was cancelled due the death of one of the Cardinals' pitchers. Very sad. So I watched movies. While I was sitting on the couch watching a double feature of "Fever Pitch" and "Sixteen Candles" I was thinking about all of these subjects I could write about this week. Tons of things... my brain was going a million miles an hour yet I did not write any of them down. It was hard to pull my eyes away from two great movies that I have seen a trillion times.

On my walk to work this morning (without my iPod since it died) I was trying to figure out what topic I would be writing about today. Most of my ideas from last night were coming back to me... my brain is still working. This all led to me think about why I write this blog... I am sure I was talking to myself. I know the reasons why I write, but the reason I started a blog was because of Cherry Ride. He was My Nacho back then. Cherry's blog was the first blog I really got into. And it was Cherry who encouraged me to write more. And it was also Cherry who got us Liar's Clubbers together. There would be no 5 of 9er without Cherry (for good or bad).

Well, I just want to say I have missed the Cherry Ride these past few weeks. I understand people need to take a break from things in their lives. We all take breaks from our blogs since it helps us not burn out, or get fired from our jobs. But tomorrow is a new month and I hope this means a new entry from Cherry. I miss his blogs... they seem to make life a little bit better. Thanks Cherry getting me to start writing, I hope you start up again too.

Side note: Hope everyone noticed my new profile photo. The last one showed too much of my sensitive side. This one is more me.

Last Place Yankees and Cubbies.

One of the reason I write this blog is so I can look back on old entries and remember what I was doing, thinking, complaining about on a given day. Today is one of those entries that really is all about bookmarking a day in my life.

This is a baseball bookmark. Two of the teams that spent a ton of money to build the best possible team are both in last place in their divisions. Ha! Ha! Sure, the Yankees and the Cubs will most likely be in the playoffs at the end of the season (unlike my White Sox), so I am enjoying today. Both teams have spent so much money, the Yankees being the winner in the race... yet they are not winning games. The Cubs always fall back on the "curse"... sure, the curse of Wrigley Field. Since the Cubs started playing in Wrigley Field they have never won the World Series. And the Yankees have the curse of A-Rod since they have not won a World Series since bringing him to the team. Too funny.

There is an old baseball saying: "Good pitching will always beat good hitting." That is very true. The White Sox won the 2005 World Series on pitching alone. These are the days I really love baseball since anything can happen. It's a long long season and no team is out of it by the end of April.

Gliese 581.

What happened to planet names? Why do all new discoveries now have to have numbers in the name? At least this newest discovery has a name... Gliese, and it's not XRT581-Y. That would be the worst. Well the new planet is actually 581 C (I think that is right) and orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581... but hopefully we can just call this new planet Gliese. We earthlings need to dream about people on other planets, that's just what we do. Right? The people who live on the new planet are Gliesians. But if they named the planet 581 C... would they be 581-Cians? How do you pronounce that?

To the people making these name decision, you may be all science-smart, but think about us normal folks out in the real world. Please name the new planets something fun and exciting. Pluto is a good name for a planet.

James.

My life is pretty good right now. The news that my favorite band in the whole wide world - James - is playing again is fantastic! You know me... I hate reunions, but James never broke up so it is not technically a reunion. Their singer (Tim Booth) left to make a solo record and the band decided to take a break.

Americans know the one hit James had in the States with a song called "Laid." But in the UK the band has had a slew of popular singles. I have been a fan through most of their existence... and a collector of their singles which makes me a certified music dork.

Hopefully the band will cross the Atlantic and come play here, but I am not holding my breath. I will hold my breath and hope this means a new record is coming out... not just this newest singles collection they are releasing next week. James has four great hits albums, I am not really sure why they need another. Oh well, it's good they are back! You should listen to them... they really are tops (unless you hate Brit-Pop... then you would not like them one bit).

Sun.

This photo pretty much sums up my weekend. Technically I was not on a beach, nor did I even see a palm tree this weekend, BUT there was sun. Plenty of sun and warmth. With temperatures in the low 80's I was recharged. It did my body well. I sat in the backyard and read the paper and my book (yep, still not done with The Devil Wears Prada - but getting close). I drank way too much with my neighbors. I took naps. The only problem with the weekend... it ended. Poop.