Touring Fenway

We had a great day the Saturday before Easter. Michael, Connor and I decided to take a trip into Boston for the day. We thought it would be fun to take Connor for a tour of Fenway Park.

We arrived at 9:20 am and were among the last to get into the 10 am tour. Our group of 120 was queued up to go at 9:55. They split us into two smaller groups of 60 each. The 50 minute tour was a lot of fun. We got to see the visiting team locker room, the Green Monster seats, the press box and a variety of other cool areas. I'd definitely recommend it!

Welcome to Fenway!

First time seeing the field up close

Checking out the view from the Green Monster

We all had so much fun!

Love this teammates statue!

Fun at Fenway

We had a great time at Fenway last night. Rain seemed imminent -- and we did get a few drops around 4:30 pm, but they only lasted a few minutes.

We started our adventure with a trip to Filene's Basement. We wanted to see if they had any good Vineyard Vines wear. We struck gold and found a great vest for me. Mike got it for me as a little present (he's so sweet!). You'll see it pictured below. We had dinner at McCormick and Schmicks before the game. I had monkfish wrapped in prosciutto and Mike had haddock stuffed with lobster. Both were excellent.

We got to the park around 6 pm and located our seats. They were in the right field grandstand (Section 9, Row 15, Seats 11 & 12 for you Sox fans). The view was slightly obstructed -- we couldn't see left-handed batters at the plate -- but hey, we were at the game. The best part was the overhead in the grandstand held the heat in and kept us warm through the game.

Wakefield was on the mound and made it through most of the 7th inning. Manny DelCarmen -- not one of my favorite pitchers -- was up next for about 3 batters until he gave up a run. Hideki Okajima was up next and held steady until the end of the 8th. Jonathan Papelbon closed the game. It was by no means a shoe-in since he gave up a run and had two on base before the final strike out. Whew! We were on the edge of our seats.

Another highlight was getting to meet up with our friend Art during the game. He has season tickets (that he has graciously sold us in years past) and was there with a client. We had a beer and chatted during the pivotal 6th inning when the Red Sox scored 4 runs.

We have some photos of our night below (embedded). If you are getting this message by email, hop over to the blog to see them.

Leaves are Falling Down Down Down

We had a very nice weekend! I went into Boston to see Mike late Friday afternoon. We popped around to some of the better known tourist areas to take some requested photos for Nicky (editor of N magazine). Then we headed to McCormick and Schmicks at Faneuil Hall for an appetizer and drink.  We got a crab, shrimp, and something else dip that came with pitas. It was ok; not spectacular for $14, but ok.

We walked around a little more, then decided on dinner at Scollay Square. Mike got the Kobe Meatloaf, which he seemed to like; I got the Grilled Citrus Soy Glazed Salmon Fillet. I was a little filled up from the appetizer we had earlier, so I only ate about 40% of my entree (a like a good little old lady in training, I took the rest home for another meal). We decided to head home around 7:30.

We decided to end the evening by watching a movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Maybe it was just us, but we thought it was awful. Harrison Ford is showing his age, the acting overall was so so, and let's face it, Indy Jones' days should be over. As we headed to bed, I was completely blind-sided by feeling unwell and was horribly ill. **Mom and Dad -- you may recall the lovely incident in the front hall in the house in Derby when I was about 4 -- it was on that order. I have no idea what the origin of my upset was, but I thought about how terrible morning sickness must be, and felt for expectant mommies -- Melissa -- who are plagued with morning sickness. I am so glad I had Mike to take care of me.

I was all better on Saturday morning, right in time to do lots of yard work! We cut back all of our plants, raked a bit, and cut the grass. It sounds so simple and matter of fact, but the work kept us busy all day! We got all cleaned up when we were done, and had Pat over for a nice dinner of Chicken with Apple and Tarragon (and steak for Pat), asparagus, salad, french bread, and Dove bars for desert. It was yummy. The rest of the night was devoted to watching the Red Sox win game 6 of the ALCS. Woo hoo!

One thing of note came up in our dinner conversation. Pat had been at a local business and talked with a college student about the upcoming election. He shared some alarming (and untrue) candidate information with her, and we all were astounded. She suggested that he visit FactCheck.org to get the straight story on both candidates for President. It is a great site if you want to verify information.

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast out with Pat at AJ Tomaiolo's Sunday morning, then Mike and I decided to take a drive. We drove up into Bolton and stopped at Bolton Orchards for a coffee and walk through the store, then continued on to the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard. The Fruitlands is an interesting place. It offers historical geographic information about the people who lived on the land over the past several hundred years. The grounds include a seperate building for each of the following groups: local Indians, Shakers, the Alcott family (Louisa May, who wrote Little Women, and her family lived there for 7 months), and views of the Hudson River valley from Clara Endicott Sears' personal collection. The views of the area are beautiful, particularly in foliage season.

Later Sunday afternoon, Pat and I went to the Nicholas Michaels Spa re-opening. The spa was destroyed by a fire on October 18, 2007 and has undergone significant restoration so that it could reopen. I have to say, it is fancy... As we walked around I kept thinking, "I can't afford this place..." That is probably why I have never been before :) It is, however, a lovely place for a day of pampering. The design is very elegant and the environs are beautiful.

We wrapped up our evening with game 7 of the ALCS. The Red Sox lost the series, so the Rays are headed to the World Series. The Sox have been underdogs -- up until 2004 -- so I appreciate the importance of the win to Rays' fans.

Now we are back to work and a busy week!

Smiles!

Oh, Ye of Little Faith

And, Me of Little Faith, too. I flatly refused to watch Game 5 of the ALDS last night. Mike would turn to the game and I would demand that he change the channel. I am tired of watching the Red Sox lose...

Much to my (happy) surprise, the Red Sox pulled it off last night, with a come-from-behind win of 8-7. The were scoreless until the 7th then just kept sending runs in.  Woo hoo!

As you can see, they were happy to win

photo from Boston.com

I have learned my lesson and will faithfully watch Game 6 on Saturday.

Smiles!

Catching Up

We've had a busy few days. I haven't blogged since last Wednesday, nor have I read any of my own favorite blogs...

Deb and I went to a Tess Gerritsen book event on Wednesday night. It was a lot of fun and very neat to see Tess in person. We went to TGI Fridays for dinner afterwards. I got the "Fried Mac and Cheese" appetizer. I expected mac and cheese with cruchies on top. Instead, I got fried raviolis with mac and cheese inside. They were ok, but I wouldn't get them again, as they left me feeling hungry. Deb got quesadillas and enjoyed them.

Mike and I went for haircuts on Thursday night. It was good to get it done, and we both felt refreshed. We went to Hooligans after. We were the only patrons besides one other table... The economy has everything turned upside down, I guess.

Columbus Day Weekend

We had a nice long Columbus Day weekend. We took both Friday and Monday off work, with a lot of house stuff planned. Boy did we work!

We spent Friday power washing, scraping, sanding, and priming the side of the house. All of our hard work was rewarded by dinner at O'Connor's with Pat (thanks, Pat, it was so much fun :)) Michael and I got Shepherd's Pie this time, and Pat got Guiness Pie. We always seem to be offset...

We made the most of nice weather by starting on the house first thing Saturday morning. We got the driveway side painted. It took a bit of time, but was well worth it. We also decided to change the trim color from Wild Aster (read pink -- previous owners' choice) to Casual White (looks white to us). We were really happy with the look. Steve came over to help Mike with the barn roof on Saturday night and he and Helen stayed for dinner. We had clam chowder, scallop casserole, salad, green beans, fresh bread, apple pie and ice cream (and chicken for Helen). It was very good -- if I do say so myself!!! Mike watched a movie (Bella) and the Red Sox playoff game while I mostly dozed (I saw 30 minutes or so of the movie).

Sunday was our day to play. We went to the Connecticut Rennaisance Faire with Steve and Helen. It was a nice day for it and lots of fun. We got home in time to run up to Verizon with Pat, then the three of us had a nice dinner at Coral Seafood. Pat enjoyed her burger, while Michael said his swordfish steak was good. I indulged in lobster ($16.99 w/ two sides; the price of lobster is way down) and was happy.

We continued our hard work today by scraping, sanding, priming, then painting the second floor (by the guest room), trimming out more of the house, taking down screens, etc... It was very productive. Oh -- and we had a lovely breakfast with Pat!

We plan on a nice steak and shrimp dinner tonight, with new potatoes, broccoli, and salad. You can probably tell that I am sooo hungry as I am writing this, because I keep thinking of food!

Below are some parting images...

Mike hard at work

The finished view of the house painting

Halloween decor (I am pretty sparing, as you can see)

Pretty pumpkins from Steve and Helen

Smiles!

Red Sox Clinch Wildcard for AL East -- Yankees Out

What a great game last night! We saw the last two innings and the lengthy celebration that followed (see short clip below).

What a great end to the night! Go Sox!

The United Nations of Baseball

Check out this cool map (click map to enlarge)! James Fee GIS Blog featured the updated map today (created by someone else, as much is in this electronic world). It is interesting to see how Red Sox Nation compares (in reach) to the other teams... I think it is cool no matter where it came from!

James also pointed to the MLB Fan Areas map, which is interactive (click to go to the site)

Sweet!!!

Hilarious Jonathan Papelbon Videos

Ok, you all know how I love the Red Sox. If you didn't know, I also adore Jonathan Papelbon. Not only is he a formidable pitcher, but he is a riot off the mound. If you watched the ALCS games or the World Series, you saw him do his Irish jig. As an aside, he is a great player from a serious baseball family. His twin brothers (Joshua and Jeremy) are also a pitchers, and his father runs the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame down in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Tonight was the Mohegan Sun Sport's Tonight on Comcast Sports. Looks like Pap's mom provided Dustin Pedroia with a High School Video of Pap. A little editing was done, and voila!

Comcast Sports is not offering the option to embed, so you have to go directly to their website. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you should watch the first video. I recommend them all -- they are HILARIOUS! See them at http://newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/wickedgoodsports/red-sox/jonathan-papelbon-the-high-school-years/

Have a great night!

Bye, Bye, Manny

Well, this has been "old news" since 4:35 pm yesterday, but I'll comment nonetheless. Manny is now part of the LA Dodgers, thanks to his repeated requests [over the past several years] to be traded and his inexcusably bad behavior in the past few weeks (including but not limited to: publicly insulting owner John Henry, contracting injuries that were unverifiable, barely playing the sport, and speaking badly about the Red Sox -- "They don't deserve me."). He was fun and we put up with his antics for a long time. He was a great hitter and enjoyed his 500th home run at Fenway Park this summer. He'll be missed, but, not really.

One more note, Manny's agent is Scott Boras, a take-no-prisoners kind of guy (see The New Yorker's Article, The Extortionist, for more). He undoubtedly had his hand in this mess.

On to better things, like the upcoming weekend. I can't wait! Have fun :)

Go Red Sox!

Connor got Mattie a special birthday gift. Isn't it cute?

The lengths we go to as Red Sox fans...

What Fiona really wants is for Mattie to wear a tutu like Ballet Kitty.  I found this image online. It isn't Mattie, but maybe we can convince her...

 

The little guy named Zimmy also dresses up as a cowboy...

I think Mattie should be counting his lucky stars that all he had to wear was Red Sox hat!!!

Smiles!

Recap of Red Sox from May Day

The past few days have been so busy with birthdays and our anniversary that we have not been able to share our Red Sox experience from May Day (May 1, 2008). Here goes!

We parked down at Mike's office near Government Center and took the green line to Fenway Park. We arrived and had dinner near the park, then headed in. As soon as we went through the ticketing/security, we were approached by someone with one of the World Series rings. The Red Sox Foundation is raffling off 9 of the real rings (worth $20,000 each) on July 7, 2008. They let us take pictures with David Ortiz's ring and we bought two chances. Wouldn't that be cool!

Our seats were outstanding. We had a clear view of third base from Section 25. We got all settled in and watched the team warm up. We took a few quick photos then returned to our seats for the National Anthem (both Canadian and US since the visiting team was the Toronto Blue Jays), the first pitch, and the announcement to "Play Ball!"

The Red Sox Foundation began their messages in the middle of the second inning. Messages are alphabetical by first name, so Mike's was too far down the list. His message displayed in the middle of the third inning. I had the camera on and said, "Look at the board!" He seemed very surprised, and I [of course] got all teary. His message displayed in front of the 404th sellout crowd at Fenway (the 5 year record of sellout games will be reached on May 15). His message was the last to show before the Red Sox were at bat in the third. It was really exciting :)

Unfortunately, it was not in the cards for the Sox to win. Wakefield had a so-so night, and the bats were not hitting the way they usually do. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our experience anyway.

Some photos are below... I tried my hand at a bit of photo effects. Hope you like them!

Have a Happy Day!

Mike's Birthday, unveiled... And the weekend

We celebrated Mike's birthday at McCormick and Schmicks at Fanueil Hall.



I told them it was Mike's birthday, so they made him a special menu. Isn't that sweet?!



Mike unwrapped his gifts when got home (warning, I did not check the viewfinder before filming, so this is a little off).



He loves everything and says "Thanks to Everyone!"

The rest of the weekend was quite eventful. We cut some tree's at a friend of Mike's and had lunch with him and his family. Gifts from his family and a birthday dinner at O'Connors followed.

He decided to check into the emergency room Saturday night, because his calf (injured April 24) was bruising and extremely painful. He was diagnosed with a partially ruptured achilles tendon (at the top). Recovery will be natural, requiring 8-10 weeks time and some physical therapy. As he we being discharged he had a vasovagal syncope. This resulted in quite a scene with the code cart being used and 8 doctors and nurses working to stabilize him. Needless to say, he was readmitted and taken to a room. His heart has been thoroughly checked out and deemed fine. He was seen by a team of doctors throughout the day and released this afternoon.

I won't be complaining about a dull weekend if one ever comes our way (not that I have in the past).

Smiles

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Well, the day has arrived. Mike is officially another year younger. Yep, younger. Why get older when we can keep having fun being kids?

That thought worked toward the inspiration for Mike's card... I didn't make it; I didn't have to. Crystal over at LittleBitFunky does such a beautiful job, I'd rather buy her cards :)



In one of our late night chat sessions, Mike and I got into a long discussion about The Red Balloon. It was my favorite movie as a child and his favorite book. It seemed fitting to get him something he loved from his past to enjoy in his future (besides me, of course).

I did a couple of other little things yesterday to get him warmed up... He is officially a member of Red Sox Nation now.



I also ordered a Fenway Park Scoreboard message (below is a sample) that said, "Happy Birthday Mike Horgan. Love Tracy"



That seems to be what a true Sox fan would do :)

He has a few other small things on the way, too...

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Red Sox Home Opener at Feway Park

[Updated 4/8/08, 6:01 pm)

photo copyright MLB.com

Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch the home opener against the Tigers today at Fenway that begins at 2:05 pm. Affectionately known as "Dice K" to Red Sox fans, this is the pitcher's 3rd start of the season and things are looking far better than they did last season.

Bill Littlefield, of NPR Boston and Only a Game, recited the following poem this morning on
Morning Edition (copyrighted)

Launch in external player

If you don't want to listen, the text is here (also copyrighted):

First they traveled to Toyko, went one and one,
Then they played in Los Angeles merely for fun,
'Cause those games didn't count in the standings, you see,
(Although no one was let in to see them for free.)

They next played in Oakland, and twice they prevailed,
But it wouldn't have mattered if there they had failed,
They'd still have been trav'ling come the next day
To the third of the countries in which they would play
Before reaching the park they have long called their home...
And in less than a week, they will once again roam.

I don't mean to suggest you should pity the boys,
For they each can buy plenty of shiny, new toys
With the money they got for agreeing to start
The '08 baseball season so deep in the heart
Of Japan. Nor do I think the travel will matter
Though some may complain, moan and whimper and natter...
About the tough job of adjusting to changes
In time, food, and sleep as the whole ballclub ranges
Around and around and from nation to nation...
Hey, welcome to baseball meets globalization.

But now they've come home, that's the note we should strike,
And that most ancient ball yard beside the Mass Pike
Will once again echo with shouts and with cries
As each fan daily lives or each fan nightly dies
With the team that has taught them both grief and elation,
And taught them as well to exalt Red Sox Nation
And buy all every t-shirt and jersey and jacket...
By heaven, a sports team can sure be a racket...

But that's not the tune to be singing today,
For the home team is home, and it's been far away,
And the spring is upon us, and grass grows as well
And the whole point of baseball, as clear as a bell
Is the lovely illusion, now starting anew
That we all can begin now to do what we do
With the hope and the courage and maybe the luck
To believe that it's true that we'll rise from the muck
Of the fear that the market will crash down to nil
And the dollar, near worthless and tumbling still,
Will continue to fall until one day, it's true,
We'll need hundreds to just buy a Sox cap that's new.

Ah, no matter the problems, no matter the mess
That the greedheads have made of the nation, for, yes,
Though one nation we know is at war and depressed,
There's another big nation by which we're possessed...
And today its brave banner is finally unfurled...
So hooray, Red Sox Nation, who needs the real world?

If you are one of the lucky ones, at work without access to seeing the real game, MLB Gameday offers the game online in the virtual world. It's not Fenway, but it is as close as some can get :) Red Sox take the game, scoring 0-5.

Red Sox Season Starts Today

At about 6:00 am Eastern time, the Red Sox began playing the season opener against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo, Japan. Right now, it is the bottom of the eighth inning with a score Red Sox 3 - A's 4. I am hopeful the Sox will pull ahead. We hoped to watch the recording tonight, but our DirecTV was out this morning so I could not tape it :( Hopefully NESN will have replay.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, a Japanese native, pitched the first 5 innings. That's him pitching, right. Photo credit is the Boston Globe.

I am dressed in Red Sox apparel and ready for the new season!

Update: Red Sox win Game 1 6-5 in the 10th inning. Woo hoo!

A Full Work Week?! NOOO!!!

I was quite shocked when I realized this morning that this will be my first full week at work since December 7! Between traveling (KC and DR), the holidays, and being out sick, I have had abbreviated weeks for a while. Weird to think about. I really like the short weeks.

When we had dinner with Paul and Deb on Friday, Deb and I were talking about that exact subject. We concur that a regular work week really should be limited to Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I'd work 12 hour days to cover that. Really! Alas, it is not meant to be...

We had a fun outing with Steve and Helen on Saturday to see the Red Sox World Series trophies. Algonquin High's girls basketball team had an even from 1 - 3 pm inviting anyone to come and take a look. It was very cool!


We watched Eastern Promises (Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel) Saturday night. It was very good. There was a bit of graphic violence (it is a mafia movie, after all) but nothing on par with Reservoir Dogs... It was different and, I thought, well done. Thursday night we saw Shattered (Pierce Brosnan, Maria Bello, Gerard Butler). We'd both been putting off watching it, kind of out of fear it would be another bad Pierce Brosnan movie. Boy, were we wrong! We were on the edge of our seats through the whole thing. It was great. The downside of our movie watching is that we've depleted our supply. Hopefully more movies are sent to us soon :)

I think I will end things for now. Tomorrow I'll tell what I am reading... Smiles!

All Saints Day

Today has been a day of reflection for us. We attended an All Saints Mass this morning at Saint John's Catholic High School. The mass was held for All Saints Month, and recognized alumni who had passed away in the last year. Mike's father was an alum of the class of '54 and was devoted to the school. Both Mike and his brother, Brett, attended St. John's as well.

The mass was a family event. Connor and Fiona behaved quite well for not-quite-3 year olds. The mass itself was attended by all students, teachers, some families, and families of the deceased alumni. It was done beautifully.

During the homily, the priest talked about a bumper sticker he saw in traffic one day. It said: "When power of love overcomes the love of power the world will be at peace." I thought it was very interesting. His message of the love of saints and of the departed was touching to all.

The photo at the top of today's post was taken last summer at Fenway Park (home to the Red Sox). Mike's father was a huge Sox fan. We miss him very deeply.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Ok, the Red Sox have won and baseball season is officially over. You won't have to read anymore baseball stuff here until April. The other part of this good news is that Mike and I will actually return to our normal bedtime schedule. Thank goodness! We've been pooped.

So what do we do now? It will be the fun of raking leaves and getting ready for winter. We started a bit this weekend by cutting down about half of our plants. The remainder will be tackled this weekend. The yard looks bare!

We've also started getting our music organized again. Tonight I will go through CDs and make sure that music we've purchased online is on our NAS. Eventually our goal is to have our Mac Mini hooked up directly to our TV so that we can listen to music with our new A/V receiver, watch movies, and view pictures. This should be straightforward once we are all organized.

Have a happy day!

Red Socks ROCK!!!!!

I guess there really isn't much to say... The papers below say it pretty well. I still have a headache from staying up late to celebrate!!! The parade is set for tomorrow. SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD! What a great end to the season.

And, we should not forget our New England Patriots. 7-0 for the season. Boston sports are on top. Hopefully we'll have another Super Bowl this year!

WOOO HOOOOO We Won The World Series!!!!

We are so dancing around I can't even type at 12:23 am... More to come ....


I will lose my voice...