I'm not afraid to say it

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I just got back in Springfield a little bit ago after a 4 day weekend in St. Louis. It was oh so wonderful, and, of course, went way too quick. I got to do a little of everything in my time off... went out with friends, relaxed at home, and spent lots of time with my family and Jason's. The ride home was rough though. The weather was clear, the roads weren't too busy, and the ride went by fairly fast... I'm just such a home-body sometimes, so it makes me sad to leave.

What's also sad is it takes times like the holidays to make many people realize all there is to be thankful for. I'd like to take this time and space to express how much I appreciate everything in my life. My Mommy is amazing; Unfortunately, I don't think she knows that, but she is. For endless reasons I am thankful for her, her thoughtlessness, and her strength. My family is much more to me than their titles of "aunt", "cousin", etc. They've helped me grow and offered so much support and encouragement along my journey to adulthood. And my friends, even though I don't get to see them as much anymore, are great. I've always thought I couldn't ask for better friends in the world. As far as Jason goes, he's just perfect for me. He's tolerant and understanding, and, to put it simply, I can't ask for a better boyfriend. Besides these people, I'm just plain grateful for everything in my life... my health, my job, and all the love that's in it.

In the midst of presents, traffic, and finances I hope everyone can take some time to reflect on the good things in life. Happy Holidays.

Too much reality?

Since when did I become such a reality TV junkie? How did this happen? I just realized the other day the bulk of TV I take in is reality-based. It's hard to avoid, and in the next coming months, with the writers' strike and all, it will only get worse.

So, how bad is it now? Let's go through the list starting with my TiVo "Season Passes"...
- Real Housewives of Orange County (guilty pleasure #1; I don't like that new girl they just brought on)
- Ghost Hunters (these are my top 2 right now... opposite ends of the spectrum, but they keep me entertained)
- Man vs. Wild
- Bridezillas (guilty pleasure #2)
- Paranormal State (not nearly as good as Ghost Hunters)

And some recent favorites...
- Rock of Love with Bret Michaels
- The Pick Up Artist

Not to mention my absolute favorite show that's (kinda) on TV right now, The Office, is scripted, but meant to look like a reality show.

It wouldn't be a balanced entry if I didn't go through the non-reality shows I watch. It's a pretty short list... Seinfeld, My Name is Earl, Conan (that doesn't count as a reality, right?), and that's about it.

I've always viewed reality TV shows as too easy for networks; it's kinda hard to explain, but basically I disappointed myself when I realized all the reality I'm watching.

Come on, writers!

I am officially annoyed by the Writers' strike. I want my Office back. I'm just now realizing there will be absolutely no holiday episodes. Those are always the best ones. One of my favorite all-time Office moments happened in Season 2's Christmas Party episode. You can see it below. I did a little research and it appears there are no episodes in the can. Nothing. Production shut down a month ago; the last original episode aired a couple weeks ago. I also read if nothing gets resolved by the end of the year there will be no new episodes for the rest of the season. Only 8 episodes in Season 4?! What a tease! Especially since the last episode was okay at best. I'm frustrated.


A little scenario for this scene: It's Secret Santa time in the office and Jim gets his gift from Creed.

Look-A-Likes: Huckabee/Spacey

One of my weird little quirks is I think just about everyone looks like someone else. People usually think I'm crazy. This is something I've been meaning to do on here for at least a year now and never really got around to it. Well, my friends, tonight's the night. Prepare yourself for the 1st edition of "Look-A-Like." Today's is in honor of a new ABC/Washington Post presidential candidate poll released today.


On the left: Former AR Governor/Republican Presidential Candidate, Mike Huckabee
On the right: Actor, Kevin Spacey

I really don't think I'm crazy with this one... how could someone not think they look alike?! It's something in their eyes, they have those droopy eyes or something.
Actually, Spacey even kinda looks like Norm McDonald in that picture. Oh, it never ends.

Also, in case you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch the Chuck Norris endorsed Huckabee ad. I was never really big on that huge Chuck Norris phase, but this is pretty good.

It feels like years since it's been here

I miss the sun.



That's all for now.

Christmas Time in the City

There's no doubt the holiday season is upon us. And this past weekend while in St. Louis I got to see my favorite thing during the holiday season... lights! In particular-- Kiener Plaza. This is the third year in a row Jason and I have visited the light display. It's pretty much the same every year, but it still makes me happy. So I'd like to share one of my favorite things with everyone with some pictures I took. The night was a little chilly and there was a full moon. I got a good vibe down there. A lot of people were walking around looking at the lights and no homeless people harassed us (Jason) for money or to buy flowers.

They added two new identical Christmas trees down by the entertainment/seating area... They were pretty and I enjoyed them. Here's a pic of one of them with the full moon up in the sky.


Kiener Plaza is right in the heart of Downtown and has a great view of the Arch and Old Court House. This is "the tree" Mayor Slay lights every year. It's the centerpiece of the Downtown lighting big to-do. The tree's pretty, but boring at the same time. It's the same every year from what I remember.
This is my favorite picture. Maybe it's just because it reminds me of the first time I went to see the lights a couple years ago. The picture on the left is from 2005. The picture on the right is from this year.
While I'm on the topic of Christmas trees I feel the need to share my quaint (or pathetic, however you want to look at it) tree in my apartment. It's a 3-footer! I'm pretty sure I wandered the aisles of Target for about an hour trying to pick out the ornaments and exactly what color scheme I would go with. I tried to make it pretty, but personal at the same time... it has decorative ornaments and ones that actually mean something to me.I have two ornaments that look like my two cats that are alive, and a third one that looks like my cat that just died. It has angel wings and a halo.

The ornament Jason's grandmother gave me on our first Christmas is also on the tree (you can see a corner of it in the picture on the left). And I have a little souvenir from one of the new trees in Kiener plaza. I really liked one of the sparkly ornaments on the tree, so I thought I'd bring a little bit of the Lou to Springfield for my tree. :) And yes, those are Cardinal ornaments in the tree, and under, and on top. I didn't really see any tree toppers I liked so I figured I would just continue with the Cardinal/red theme and put that Cardinal beeny baby thing on the top. To me, the tree says, "Dori". It works for me.

Mizzou is #1

Unbelievable. That's the best way I can describe the latest BCS standings. Mizzou is #1 in the country! I can't say that I ever thought I would see this happen.

The scenario couldn't have been any more perfect. Number 2 undefeated Kansas playing arch rival #4 Missouri, all in a neutral site. So much more than pride on the line... Big 12 North title, a spot in the Big 12 Championship, from there a shot at the national title. That's a storyline made for the big screen, well at least your big screen TV. I was really glad ABC picked up on the heated rivalry and explosive atmosphere at MU-kU games.

About 2% of me thought Mizzou would lose. I don't even know why I was that worried. I've known since summer kU had the one of the easiest schedules in NCAA football, let alone the Big 12. I said all along their team was overrated. The way we dominated Saturday solidified that fact.

36-28. A very deceptive score if you ask me. There were only two times in the entire game when I thought, "Hey, this is kinda starting to be a game." The jayhawks were never really in it. I'm glad kU finally got to play a real team.

The jayhawks' last play of the game? Let me just say there couldn't have been a more perfect ending. I'll let the video do the rest of the talking.



There are few things better in this world for a Mizzou fan than beating the jayhawks. This year not only did we beat them, but we bitch-slapped them off their overrated pedestal. Ahh, all I can do is smile.

Now it's on to San Antonio where the Tigers will play #9 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. If Mizzou wins it's on to New Orleans for the Bowl Championship Series National Title game. I can't even imagine how exciting that will be. Taking it game-by-game seems to work for Pinkel, so I think I'll take the same approach right now.

I honestly don't really know how to feel about Saturday's game. I know we're going to bring an even better game to the turf than we did in Norman a month ago. We kept that game close. Right now the Sooners are favored by 3. I'm gonna take this number with a big grain of salt. kU was favored by 2 points last weekend. Numbers that low only tell me it's going to be more of a toss-up than anything. The only thing I know right now is this year's Big 12 Championship game is going to be an exciting one. And man, I can't tell you how excited I am about Saturday. M-I-Z... Z-O-U!!!

Farewell Fall

It seems as though Fall is gone for good. We had the first reports of snow in the area this afternoon and tomorrow's temps will barely reach the 40s. So as an ode to Fall here are a couple pictures I took in my neighborhood back in St. Louis.

Everyone talks about how Fall colors are so beautiful in the Ozarks. On my way home two weekends ago I would argue the colors got prettier the further away I got from the Ozarks. I especially noticed more variety of color in the Eureka/Pacific area. I know it wasn't optimal Fall weather this year though, so I'm looking forward to next year.

Paris Hilton Urges Elephants to Stop Binge Drinking

GAUHATI, India (AP) - Paris Hilton is urging an end to a problem
in India that most people in this country probably don't even know
exists: binge-drinking elephants.
In a statement posted on World Entertainment News Network's Web
site, Hilton says the elephants "get drunk all the time." They
get into rice beer made by farmers and go on rampages.
Hilton says "we need to stop making alcohol available to
them." Just last month, six drunken elephants were accidently
electrocuted.
Conservationists are praising Hilton for raising awareness of
the problem.

About 6 hours later on the wires...

AP-Hilton-Drunk Elephants BULLETIN KILL
Stations: KILL story slugged Hilton-Drunk Elephants, sent at
12:17 p.m. as V3374. A publicist for Paris Hilton says Hilton never
made any comments about helping drunken elephants in India.


There are so many different routes to take with this one. I'm gonna keep it simple: Bravo to the mastermind that got this through the wires.

Merry Thanksgiving

Who would have thought buying Thanksgiving decorations two weeks before the holiday would be nearly impossible? Apparently I am too optimistic and a bit of a procrastinator.

You could say I'm on the "Party Planning Committee" at work. Actually, it's more of a "Committee to Plan Parties," minus the brightly colored fliers. Tomorrow is the company's monthly luncheon deal and I volunteered to take care of decorations. Little did I know finding appropriate decorations would take me to 4 different stores around town. My journey took me from Wal-Mart...to Dollar Tree...to Hobby Lobby...to Dollar General. I had the most luck at Hobby Lobby with a whopping aisle and a half devoted to Thanksgiving/Fall decor.

We had a little discussion at work about what seems to be the new "Black Friday," aka The Day After Thanksgiving. Nope it's not tomorrow, not next Friday, but last Friday...yes, 2 days after Halloween. Branson kicked off its huge holiday season, some radio station started playing holiday music 24/7, and Wal-Mart had some huge deals on its website. As if Black Friday doesn't blow things out of proportion enough, this was just a little too ridiculous for me.

It appears Christmas is officially overshadowing Thanksgiving in St. Louis this year. To add to my Thanksgiving distraught, I just found out the official lighting of downtown is held the day before Thanksgiving. What the hell?! Jason and I were planning on going to the official lighting at Kiener Plaza. It's so pretty during the holidays, honestly one of my favorite places in St. Louis in the winter. I actually have Friday off so I figured we would be able to see it. Who's idea was it to light the city for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even here? Retarded. I'm officially upset.

I really do enjoy Thanksgiving. It's such a laid back holiday. That's one of the reasons why I like it so much. It's not marketed to hell like Christmas and Valentine's Day. The principles of the day are simple and good. A lazy day with good food, fun times with the fam, a little football, usually a nap, and enjoying a typically beautiful Fall day. The best part? No pressures in buying/receiving gifts. How could this day get any better? Jason and I talked about this last night. All the marketing that goes into Christmas these days really takes away from the holiday. It's kinda sad. By the time the day finally comes around you just can't wait for it to be over. At least so you don't have to hear Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas for the 724th time. Although, I think I could stand listening to that Trans-Siberian Orchestra song quite a few times.

One bad call after another

Maybe it's the producer in me, but I can't follow up the last entry with something cheery or whatever other random thing I normally would write about.

They say bad things seem to happen all at the same time. Well, Libby passed away on October 17, and not even two weeks later I got another bad call from Mom. We were talking on the phone sometime early last week, I think it was Monday. While I was talking to her she mentioned Rachel (Ray) did something weird, like she just jerked in an odd way all of a sudden. Mom didn't make much of it at the time. I got a call from her around 11:30 that night, which, if you know my mom you know she's asleep by 10, so I immediately got worried. She said after we got off the phone Ray kept acting more and more weird, so she ended up taking her to the veterinary emergency room.

The vets said her blood pressure was so high they couldn't even read it and her body temperature was a little low. They said they needed to keep her in overnight and weren't sure if she would make it.

I got a call from Mom the next day and things weren't looking promising. She couldn't walk, didn't have any energy, wasn't eating, and barely opened her eyes.

They ended up keeping her there until Thursday. She gradually got better and got her blood pressure down. It just got to the point where they couldn't do much for her there. The vets also noticed how much more alert and energetic Ray was when Mom was visiting. It was for her best to just go home. They said they didn't know how much longer she would be with us, maybe a week, maybe a month, maybe longer.

Well, I just got off the phone with Mom and she's still here. She's making improvements in big strides--literally. When she first got home she wasn't moving around at all. Then she worked up the energy to sorta scoot herself around the house using her front legs. Now she's kinda limping/walking her way around. And Mom just told me she even ran a little earlier today, she's just very clumsy still.

So needless to say I'm going home this weekend to see my baby and check in with Mom. I've had Ray since I was 5, making her 16, but she's really more my Mom's lap cat than anything. I just want to be there for her.

To my Sidekick and Shadow

Home was a little more quiet this weekend, but that wasn't a good thing. As soon as I stepped in the door Mommy told me the bad news. My youngest cat Libby died. The news was extremely hard to take. She was only 11. If you know me at all you know my cats are very important to me. Libby was a little different from my other two cats. Ray clings to my Mom, Jamie is very social and likes to mingle with everyone, but Libby really only liked me. I called her my sidekick and shadow because she never left my side.

Libby had a lot of little quirks besides being my shadow. She was very skittish. We called her a squirrel cat. She was also very talkative. When I would call Mom at home I could always hear her in the background. Mom put her on the phone so we could talk many a times. It's kinda weird I know, but I think she knew it was me, and I missed hearing her meow. She also loved to just sprawl out on a chair arm or back... she looked like a flying squirrel when she did that. One of her favorite things to do was tip over glasses and then run away...no glass was safe around her. Also, if you weren't giving her enough attention it didn't matter. As long as your hand was around she would rub her head on it and pet herself. Libby had her own little way of "blessing" me when I sneezed. She would make this cute little noise, something in between a purr and a meow, every time I sneezed, and she only did it for me, no one else. Throughout the years I tried to trick her out many times with a fake sneeze, but she never fell for it.

Libby loved to impress me. She did this weird thing that Mom calls a "hunting mode." She would bring me articles of clothing and drop them off in front of me or in my room. I wrote an entry about that back in 2005, you can read it here. She made this awful meowing noise and she looked so darn proud when she brought the things for me. Last time I was home I got a black sock in my room.

I think she was a very smart cat. Every time I came home it would take at least an hour for her to come around to me. With her being my sidekick you'd think she'd be all over me as soon as I stepped in the door, right? Wrong. She was mad at me for leaving her for so long. Once she did come out of hiding, I heard nothing but complaining from her, I would even have to chase her around for a bit before she would warm up to me again. After that, it was like I never left. Then Sunday afternoons she would disappear again. I say it's because she knew I was leaving and was mad at me again. For that reason I didn't get to say goodbye to her last time I was home. However, when I came home that time she did greet me at the door, which was really strange.

Home this weekend was just not the same without her there. I know some of you probably are thinking I'm crazy for being so upset about this, but she was more than just a pet to me, as are my other two cats. Growing up it was just Mom and I at home. I've had Ray since I was 5, Jamie since I was 6, and Libby since I was 10. Needless to say, the cats were (and still are) a part of the family. Libby went to bed with me every night, and woke me up every morning. She did annoy me a lot, but she only wanted to be petted and loved. In the back of my mind I always told myself not to get annoyed by her because one day, like today, I would regret it. This is my first experience with someone or something close to me dying, so I'm taking it pretty hard. She didn't show any big signs of pain before she passed. Mom said she was coming around more than she usually does and maybe even meowing a little more, but she didn't sound like she was in pain. I had been thinking she was getting thinner and even thought I felt a bump on her hind leg, but I never thought anything of it and just figured I was imagining things.

Libby truly was a special cat. I've never heard of or seen a cat that loved her owner as much as Libby loved me.

Mommy misses you, Libby Lou.

Jeopardy vs. Dangerous Tornadoes, hmm...

People just blow my mind sometimes. I just got two calls from viewers pissed we interrupted JEOPARDY! (all caps with an exclamation point) to cover very severe weather coming into our area. Now, I can understand why they would be upset if we interrupted with just a severe thunderstorm warning...I would be pissed, too, that's "culture of fear-ish." However, we're not talking thunderstorms, we're talking tornadoes, hail, and very strong winds. For the viewers in the affected counties this is very crucial information, for all the others, just something preventing them from seeing Final JEOPARDY!. The first lady, a crotchety old one, wouldn't even let me get a word in edge wise. I politely asked her where she lives, and she continued to yell at me for interrupting her beloved quiz show. I just don't understand people. If the way they wanna go is sitting on their couch watching JEOPARDY! not knowing a tornado is about to take out their house, that's their thing.

He was just looking for a place to sleep

Volusia County, FL
Tuesday

Jeremy Hinson/Man Slept on Sofa
Brandi Bell/Man Slept on Sofa

--INTRO--
A FLORIDA COUPLE COULDN'T BELIEVE THEIR EYES.
THEY WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING TO FIND A HALF-NAKED MAN SLEEPING ON THEIR COUCH.
HE APPARENTLY BROKE INTO THEIR HOME AFTER LEAVING A BAR.

--PACKAGE--
IT WAS AS EASY AS POPPING OFF A SCREEN, FORCING OPEN A WINDOW, AND HUGO ACOSTA HAD A PLACE TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT.
"Still a little weirded out about it, but it's something I'll probably laugh about in about a week."
6:30 SUNDAY MORNING JEREMY HINSON WALKED PAST HIS COUCH AND SAW SOMEONE SLEEPING THERE... HE THOUGHT IT WAS HIS GIRLFRIEND, BUT THEN REALIZED SHE WAS STILL IN BED.
"I came back in here and looked, saw it was a stranger, by that time it was when the fear set in."
THE COUPLE CAME BACK OUT TOGETHER... WITH A GUN... AND FOUND ACOSTA, MOSTLY NAKED, COMPLETELY PASSED OUT.
"There was a guy on my sofa. He left his shoes and pants and everything else along the way."
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS THAT AFTER A LONG NIGHT AT A NEARBY BAR, ACOSTA CRAWLED IN, SCATTERED HIS CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR, GRABBED FOOD AND SOMETHING TO DRINK FROM THE FRIDGE, HE EVEN FOUND A SHEET FROM THE CLOSET TO COVER UP WITH... AND HE WAS QUIET ENOUGH THAT ONLY BRANDI WOKE UP AFTER HEARING A NOISE, BUT NEVER BOTHERED TO CHECK IT OUT.
"Didn't think anything of it. Went right back to sleep and woke up to find a half-naked man, on my sofa!"

--TAG--
THE MAN THEY FOUND IS IN JAIL TONIGHT.

Gettin' with the times

I finally have a DVD player in my apartment! Let the Seinfeld marathon begin...

The Sports Gods are Smiling Upon Me

...and it feels so good. Wow this past weekend was great. Let's start with the Mizzou game. I had been eagerly anticipating the MU vs. Nebraska game for quite some time, especially after I found out it was going to be broadcast on ESPN. It brought back very fond memories of Freshman year. What a magical year for the Tigers...6-0 at home, with the highlight of the year, for me at least, being that game against the Huskers. It was very similar to this year's game. It was at night, broadcast on national television (TBS) and there was a lot on the line...like ending a 25 year streak of losing to them. We ended up winning that freezing, wet, pneumonia-bound game, and of course, those goal posts came down (see picture). Okay, back to this year. You could just feel the excitement in the air. I got this warm, fuzzy feeling while I was at Wal-Mart buying cups for jell-o shots. There are few things greater than Columbia on a Saturday when there's a football game in town. I would guesstimate that at least 80% of people in that Wal-Mart were wearing gold or Mizzou related apparel. It's just amazing how much the community backs up the team. Seeing us win on national television was just amazing...and not only win, but kick some major ass.

Now on to baseball. It was the cubs year. At least that's what cubs fans said...and have been saying ever year since I can remember. They were pretty hot going into the playoffs and their chances were looking good. I'll admit it, I was getting a little scared, but not nearly as scared as others. I knew deep down in my heart they would some way, some how, screw up like they always do. I was hoping for one of two things: they make it to the NLCS, get all the fans hopes up, then crap out '03 style, or, get swept in the first round. It turns out they didn't need Steve Bartman. We were at Hooters when I found out they lost the series. I screamed pretty loud (I might have been a little drunk) and an alleged cubs fan behind me made a comment and of course, I put him in his place. I couldn't stop smiling for probably about 10 minutes. The cubs losing in the playoffs is almost as good as the Cardinals winning in the playoffs. 99 years and counting. I can't wait for next year.

There's growth!

Before I left for Mizzou Friday, I made sure to give my future Christmas tree plenty of water, and it helped! When I checked it out today to give it the daily squirt of water, I noticed the first sprout! I honestly didn't think this thing would grow at all; that's about half the reason why I'm so excited. I'm also pretty excited that I can actually grow something. You don't even wanna see what my Chia head is looking like right now.

We Want the Funk

This commercial kills me. I absolutely LOVE it! There's just something about those dorky little kids, their awful dance moves, and how small their huge backpacks make them look. Just wanted to share.

The Cardinals <3 me

I am a woman of many mediums. I am in the current issue of the Mizzou Alumni magazine (running live truck, I look very sad, but it's probably because I'm running live truck). I am in the background of many newscasts. Here's an example. And now I can add the internet to my portfolio. I'M ON THE CARDINALS WEBSITE!!! I feel so famous. Is that sad? Who cares. I'm in a picture with one of my BFFs. You should check it out. I don't know how long it will be up there, so do it NOW! I look like a huge dork compared to the little kid that's next to me, but oh well. I know you're jealous :)

Oh, Christmas Tree

Christmas is three months and a day away. That's a little far to start preparing for the holiday season, but I have one little thing I'm starting now to get ready for then. While shopping at Michael's with Mommy this weekend I found a "Christmas Tree Kit" for $1. So I said, What the heck?! and got it. So I started my Christmas tree, and I'm sooo excited. I've never had a real Christmas tree before so if this thing actually grows it will be my very first one. As you'll be able to tell from the picture it just might grow into the most pathetic little thing ever, but I will be so incredibly proud of it. Below is a picture of Day 1. Hopefully I'll see some signs of life soon.

The day has come

Go Brewers.

Them other drinks, they don't taste quite like that

Only in Nebraska

From time to time I will share interesting stories I find on the wires while I'm at work. There's a lot of weird people out there and a lot of crazy things going on. Here's the first installment; a very interesting one from today...

DATE: Monday, September 17, 2007
SOURCE: KMTV/CBS/Omaha, NE

INFORMATION:
God is getting sued by a Nebraska state senator.

Senator Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit in the Douglas County District Court last week.
In the suit, Chambers claims God has made terroristic threats, caused horrific hurricanes and terrifying tornadoes resulting in widespread death.
He even accuses God of laughing when those things happen.
So he's seeking a permanent injunction against God.
The self-proclaimed agnostic said he filed the lawsuit to make a point that not every mistake has a remedy in court.
He noted a recent federal lawsuit filed against a state judge as an example.
In that suit, a 24-year-old woman said a judge violated her free speech rights when he banned the words, "rape" and "victim" in the trial of Pamir Safi.

Come on, Leno

Is it not Monday? I want my Tonight Show Headlines, dammit, not some old lady giving away cookies at the Emmy's.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Blah

I don't know what it is, but I am feeling pretty off today. I felt a little sick last week when it went from hot to cold, and now it's going from cold to hot and I feel the same way...just a little worse. The way I feel right now is comparable to the way I felt around 5 a.m. when I was producing the morning show...exhausted, with no energy, like I've been up for about 20 hours straight. I have so much stuff I need to get done, but it will all have to wait until tomorrow. I just hope I feel better then. I took one of those Flu Reduce pills that taste like laundry, so hopefully I will.

It's been far too long since I've talked Cardinals baseball on here, you knew it was coming sooner or later, so let's just get this over with. I had all the hope in the world for the Cards when we were about eight games out back in July. I thought it was silly people were already counting them out back then when there was still nearly half the season left...and I was right, almost. A couple weeks ago we were just a few outs away from being in 1st place; it seemed like everything was finally falling into place. Unfortunately not. It was entirely too easy for the Cards to just win right there and stay above .500. Now we're freaking 7 games out, the cubs are in 1st, and we play Milwaukee next week, which means I'll have to do something I've dreaded for the past month...root against my Cardinals. I hate even saying that. But when it comes down to it, if I know we're absolutely not going to make it into the post-season, and the cubs and Brewers are in the running for 1st...Go Brewers. Whatever it takes to make sure the cubs don't see post-season play, even if that means rooting against the Cardinals (when I know for sure there's no way we can make a comeback, I just wanna make that clear), then so be it. I fully intend on seeing the cubs go 100 years without winning a World Series. There's a party already planned. It's approximately two weeks from today in 2008 if you're interested. I just saw a commercial for play-off baseball and it made me sad. I love, love, love this time of year and Cardinal post-season play is a huge part of that. Who knows, maybe Lee, Soriano, and Wood will all hurt themselves soon. They're all pretty good at that, right?

I also just want to mention I had a great weekend. And goodbye is the worst word ever.

Hello from Springfield!

You read it right. I am now living in Springfield, Missouri...210 miles down I-44 from St. Louis, and about the same from Columbia. I am 95% settled in here. Once I actually have money I'll be able to finish decorating and buy the rest of my semi-necessities. But for now I have a couch, TV, cable, internet, and a bed, which I just got this past weekend, so I'm set. I have the place all to myself, which is good and bad...mostly bad, but whatever, I'll get used to it.

I have a lot to catch up on since I haven't posted in a while, but for the time being I'm just going to take this day-by-day and talk about what's on my mind right now, which is where I shine, if you ask me.

I just finished watching a full hour of The Office on TBS and I must say it was amazing. The Office is by far the best currently-running sitcom on TV right now, and probably one of my favorites of all time (nothing can top Seinfeld). It makes me smile that a station like TBS would pick it up. Basically I'm just glad the show is starting to get the recognition it deserves.

I've started working out again. I feel so out of shape right now it's not even funny. The little gym in my apartment complex does me just fine, so watch out! Because there's a skinnier Dori on the way.

So far Springfield commercials haven't lived up to CoMO's commercial reputation, but they are getting there. My new favorite commercial here? Boomerzest! I dare you to click on that link, listen to the pop-up window (which is the commercial that airs here) and NOT get that song stuck in your head for at least a couple hours, if not all day.

I've never been a fan of September. I think it's just the whole transition from summer to school and summer to fall that's kinda awkward. I prefer October. Anyway, there is one thing that I am absolutely LOVING right now...my screen door! If it's 60 outside why bother with A/C? So I have my screen door open and life is wonderful.

I don't know if it's the change in weather or what, but my head feels funny.

That is all.

The World Revolves Around New England

With another Yankees-Red Sox series upon us I have a few things on my mind (and I'm not alone) that need to be said.

There is far too much attention, especially media coverage, focused on the Yankees and Red Sox, particularly their rivalry. The reason? The world obviously revolves around New England. Think about it. Everyone knows about this rivalry, but how many people know about the Cards-Cubs rivalry? Maybe half as many that know about the New England one. I will refer, once again, to an excerpt from 3 Nights in August, which I think truly describes the Yanks-Red Sox rivalry.

"The rivalry between the cubs and the Cardinals is probably the oldest and perhaps the best in baseball, no matter how the Red Sox and Yankees spit and spite at each other. That's a tabloid-fueled soap opera about money and ego and sound bites. That's a pair of bratty high-priced supermodels trying to trip each other in their stilettos on the runway. But the Cards-Cubs epic is about roots and geography and territorial rights. It's entwined in the Midwestern blood and therefore refreshing and honest and even heroic. It isn't simply two teams throwing tantrums at each other but two feudal city-states with eternal fans far beyond their own walls, spread throughout not only the Midwest but also deep into the South and the West."

ESPN is a huge culprit of spotlighting not only the New England rivalry, but each team individually as well. Every week there is a "new" soundbite from George Steinbrenner about Joe Torre and his future with the Yankees. It's such a huge deal, but why? I hate to say it, but the reigning World Series champs are currently 3-7 in the last 10 games, and 16-25 (.390) overall. Do you hear a new soundbite every week from Bill DeWitt talking about possibly firing Tony LaRussa? NO! That would be ridiculous. I don't give a shit what Steinbrenner has to say about about Torre this week. If you ask me, someone needs to fire Steinbrenner (not sure if that's possible unfortunately). The whole Yankee system is messed up...the Yankees are just under .500 with a record of 20-23 (second in their division to the Red Sox) and they're talking about firing their manager?! The only thing that's a constant in that organization is their money spending, which brings us to Clemens, but I'm not even going to touch that subject.

In all, ESPN spends a majority of its time covering East Coast sports, even though that's maybe 1/5 of the entire country. No ESPN, I do not give a shit about the New England Patriots, or Duke, or Syracuse, or Connecticut, or the Mets, and I especially don't give a rat's ass about the Yankees and Red Sox when they play each other. If it's legitimate news (and I have a degree in Journalism so I think I can tell the difference between news and fluff), then that's fine, but when it comes to the East Coast that doesn't seem to usually be the case.

To further my case, the ESPN.com Sports"Nation" poll today was: How will the Yankees fare this year?

It seems like every Yankees-Red Sox series is covered on ESPN, so I took a look at the confirmed numbers. Keep in mind more games will probably be added as the season progresses. The figures below include Spring Training. Individual team figures do not include the series figures (ex., Yanks have 12 games on ESPN against teams other than the Red Sox). Here are a few ESPN coverage numbers to think about, maybe you'll notice a little bias, too...

• Yankees= 12
• Red Sox= 6 (+1 ESPN2)
• Yanks/Red Sox Series= 6 (they play each other 19 times this year)*
  

*When one of the games wasn't picked up by ESPN, FOX usually covered it

• Cards= 6 (+2 ESPN2...both from Mets season opener series)
• Cubs (not that they really deserve any either)= 4 (+1 ESPN2)
• Cards/Cubs Series= 0! (they play each other 16 times this year)**

** FOX usually picked up 1 game from each series

Bottom line is the Cardinals just won the World Series for the first time in a generation. Why can't they get the respect and recognition they deserve for once?

The Slap Game

This is a little game the guys started playing this past weekend. Not sure why they do it or where it came from, but it is ridicularity at its best.