Game 6

NLCS Game 6...Astros 5, Cardinals 1
Alright so this one has been a bit delayed, mostly due to the fact that we barely have one functioning laptop in our house, but also because this has been a bit of a sore subject for me. My boys lost. I cannot say that I am pleased with the way they played in the NLCS, but I can say that we deserved to go to the World Series more than the Astros. We had an amazing year. The Astros had a decent second half, just like last year, and they still finished 11 games behind us. Alright back to Game 6...it was storming in CoMO and our cable definitely went out about 10 minutes before the game started. Luckily Jason was at the game and gave me a couple score updates. I missed the first four innings and that's when I gave up on MediaCom and went over to Katie's to catch the game. It wasn't the most welcoming environment seeing that there were Royals, Cubs, and White Sox fans screaming every time they passed by her room. I seriously wanted to punch them out. After the game was over I couldn't bare to sit there and watch them give the trophy and congratulations to the Astros in our house, so I left. I would be a liar if I said I didn't shed a tear that night. What got to me the most was that it was the last game at Busch. It finally hit me that night after we lost. Not a good feeling, it made me very sad. So aaaaanyway, I guess all I have left to say is, Go White Sox. And, no, I am not just rooting for them because Houston beat us. I'm cheering for the White Sox because they hate the Cubs just as much as we do.
Thank you Cardinals for another excellent year.

Game 5

NLCS Game 5...Cardinals 5, Astros 4
Holy Shit. I can't believe that game. I'm still in awe and disbelief. I'm almost at a lost for words. Almost. Wow, I don't even know where to start. OK. Houston took the lead in the 2nd inning, a bit discouraging, but we answered with 2 runs in 3rd. The main problem the whole game, and this series if you think about it, is that we still weren't banking on opportunities with runners in scoring position. Then the bottom of the 7th Berkman came to bat with two men on and homered...4-2 ballgame. Hopes and confidence increasingly started to fade as the game reached the top of the 9th. Oh shit, Rodriguez and the Mabry are the first two up. They both strike out. At this point I can feel the tears forming in my eyes. I don't even have the heart to watch the rest of the game, instead I just stare at the beautiful poster of Busch we have on the wall right above the TV and think about how Busch has seen its last game. Then a little hope in me returns because Eckstein is up and he is sure to make some contact with the ball and get on base. The Astros are one out away from their first World Series berth and bam, Eckstein singles into left field. That's my boy. Jimmy is up. Eckstein steals, and then Jimmy walks. Oh man, here comes Pujols. If there was anybody I would want to be at bat at that exact moment, it was him. He's been known to come through in the clutch many a time. Rejuvenated hope, despair, disappointment, and faith were all competing inside me. Then POW. And at that moment I heard the most beautiful noise ever, silence. The crowd was dead. No annoying bee buzzing, no train whistle, no cheering, nothing. Disbelief and celebration followed. I was shaking so bad. I knew it right off the crack of the bat, that ball was gone. Not just gone, demolished. I can only imagine how far it would have gone if the roof was open. Apparently the ball got lost in the train tracks in there. And that homerun is the motivation we need to go to the World Series. Jimmy's homer from Game 6 last year got us there. Pujols' monster of a shot this year can definitely get us there. Busch has not seen its last game.

Mom sent this to me.

My Mommy also sent me these amazing pictures from Game 5, there's too many otherwise I would put them in here. Make special note of the graphics on the screen.

"There were 45,000 people, and when I hit that ball, it was like when you press mute on the TV. Nobody could say anything. That felt great." -Pujols

Games 3 and 4

Oy. I really don't wanna talk about it, but I will anyway, just because I've talked about the first two games I feel the need to talk about them all.

NLCS Game 3... Cardinals 3, Astros 4
Honestly, I kept falling asleep during the game. I saw the first few innings then I kept dozing off. Oops. I did wake up to see Nunez get hurt, but then I was out again. I woke up and the first thing Mom told me was that we lost, but almost came back thanks in part to Johnny Mabes.

NLCS Game 4...Cardinals 1, Astros 2

It's really killing me to see my Cards lose by one run...soooo close! It's frustrating. I feel like I'm watching another team out on that field for some reason. It just doesn't feel like they are playing like they did in the regular season, or even last week during the NLDS. Tony and Edmonds got kicked out of the game. Tony put up a hell of a fight and gave those umps a piece of his mind before he went down. The umpires did a horrible job of calling the game.

Tony telling the umps what's up.

I Wanna Rock

Alright, so I've had a lot going on in my head lately, mostly dealing with school. I've seriously been considering changing my major the last 2 weeks. Not just, omg my classes are hard I wanna change majors, like I'm seriously considering getting out of the J-school. I looked into the Communication department in the College of Arts and Sciences and a lot of the classes seem pretty cool. They have classes like Audio Production and Television Studio Production. So basically, it's like the J-school without the news aspect of it. Perfect! The only thing is if I actually do this, I don't know how long it will set me back. I was talking to Angelique the other day and I think she said she just got into the Communications school and she is graduating in May, so I don't know about that. But, I'm not even sure if I'm going to do this. All signs are pointing to yes right now. I've got so much stuff going on with other classes right now. I don't have time to meet up with professors and talk about what all it entails to switch majors. That, and registration is coming up really soon. I found out my day today, October 25. So, I'm thinking I need to have this all figured out by then. Grr! I don't know what to do. The worst thing is that since I have these thoughts going around in my head that I might be changing majors, I have this fuck it all attitude in the back of my mind about my broadcast class, and that's not good at all.

NLCS Game 1...Astros 3, Cardinals 5
I am slightly disappointed in myself because I did not pay nearly as much attention to the game as I should have. I was kinda distracted by the guys because they were finding ridiculous people on Facebook and adding them as their friends for pretty much the whole game. From what I saw Reggie had another stellar game, and my boy Eckstein had a pretty good game as well.

Reggie's pretty much been a stud since coming off the DL.

NLCS Game 2...Astros 4, Cardinals 1
This time I wasn't disappointed in myself, but rather my Cards. From the 1st inning on they just didn't seem to have it together. They were bobbling the ball all over the field and we just couldn't manufacture those runs like we did yesterday (our only run today came from a solo shot by Pujols). The 'stros did have pretty good pitching today, so I think that really helped their cause. I think that's the only way they have a chance to get to the World Series is through their pitching. But I think our pitching can be just as good, and we have a great offense. But, that's just what I think.

I think this picture sums up Game 2.

League Championship Series Predictions:
Chicago White Sox over the Angels (whatever the hell their name is) in 6
St. Louis Cardinals over the Houston Astros in 6 (If my prediction is right, Jason, you are a lucky, lucky man.)

I get to go home this weekend! I've only been home for one day since school has started and I wasn't really around then because that was when we went to the Cards game and took the tour of the new Busch. So I'm excited to say the least. I get to feel the play-off atmosphere, and hopefully go to a bar or something downtown with Mommy Saturday afternoon while the game is on. Of course, the Rams are on Monday Night Football this weekend, so I can't enjoy the football game at home with Mom and Roger :(

Oh yeah! I've started learning to play guitar! It's exciting, I'm pretty bad, but oh well. Jason taught me "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream and a little bit of "Wipe Out", but that one was kinda confusing. So next time you see me, ask me to jam for ya and I will, but don't expect too much of me.

And, the next couple of weekends are gonna rock.

Mood: relaxed
Music: "I Wanna Rock" -Twisted Sister

Oooh yeah...Chhheeese...

I have discovered the one thing that pisses me off more than anything else in the world. Or at least I'm pretty sure I have, but please don't test me. I hate it more than anything when someone talks shit about my friends. I think it's pretty obvious by previous posts that I've had on here that my friends are extremely important people in my life. Anyone that halfway knows me should be able to tell that I treasure my friendships. I had a recent conversation with someone who completely dissed my friends and accused them for the way I am today, like that's a bad thing, like I'm a horrible person. Apparently I'm not a nice person anymore or something. I haven't had that much frustration built up inside of me for a good month or so. I just wanted to beat the shit out of something I was so pissed. Yes, I know some of my guy friends can be assholes, but I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume that all guys can be assholes at times. I've heard a lot of guys say that themselves. I don't exactly agree with some of the things that they do, nor do I have control over them, but I still love them anyway. And yes, I will back up my friends up and down; they are my friends, and that's what you do for each other. I would expect my friends to stand up for me if they were in the same situation. I still just can't believe some of the things this person said about the friends that I have. This person knows how important my friendships are to me, and yet they still said all kinds of shitty things about some of the closest people in my life. I WILL NOT put up with any shit from anyone who talks shit about my friends. Grr. I'm getting frustrated just thinking about this. Yes, I am the person I am today partly because of my friends, but I am my own person, too. I have a mind and personality of my own. I'm not going to deny that my friends have rubbed off on me some; I know they have, but it goes both ways. I see most of my friends as more like brothers and sisters to me, and for someone who knows how important they are to me to put them down really makes me TO'ed and slightly disappointed in them.

Ok, now that I got that off my chest let's move on...

Laura and I built our own fire and BBQ'ed all by ourselves for the first time yesterday. Ok, ok, Jason fanned the fire to help make it bigger, but that was my idea to begin with. We still did it on our own though, and man, those Hunter hot dogs were delicious!

Random observation of the day: We don't have a lot of food in our fridge, however, we do have 6 different kinds of cheeses in there.

Other than that, I am rather excited about the argyle socks I bought to match my slip on brown suede house-slipper looking shoes that I have.

Mood: Extremely exhausted
Music: "Movin' On" -Bad Company

Ahhh, I love October

The seasons are changing from hot and humid Summer heat to a cool and stormy Fall breeze. There's nothing quite as nice as sitting out on our front "porch" in our newly acquired rocking chair. To be able to wear hoodies and fall asleep with my bedroom window open is also great. Halloween is on the horizon along with the excitements of picking a costume that can give me an excuse to be crazy and ridiculous without being thought of as weird. But, most importantly of all October means playoffs, and, of course, my boys made it into post-season play without a problem. First round is against the Padres and seeing as that they finished the regular season just over .500, we shouldn't have too much of a problem with them. Game 2 is today at 3 and I'll probably have to miss a good portion of it due to my over-demanding Broadcast 2 class. I have confidence in my Cards though. With all the hype of the playoffs, reminiscing of last year's playoffs, and then reading Jason's most recent blog, I'm starting to get homesick. And that ceremony they did after the last regular season game at Busch didn't help me much either. I would have given almost anything to be at that game. I can't imagine how I'm gonna feel when it actually comes down to the day they blow it up, oh god, it hurts me just to say such harsh words. But anyway, I got so homesick last year during the playoffs. I wanted so badly just to go downtown and feel that excitement in the air. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go this year, especially if we make it all the way again. I don't think I can go another year of just sitting around in Columbia while everyone is going crazy in the Lou. And as I've noticed a lot recently, Columbia is biased towards Kansas City sports. There's a Chiefs billboard right by our highway exit and all the sporting stores just seem to promote them more. So therefore, it seems like the people here are more favorable to the Royals (which also means Red Sox) and the Chiefs. However, last year back in the dorms I was lucky enough to find some of the most die-hard Cardinals fans I know. When I wasn't working the desk, you could find me in our suite-ies room watching the games and going absolutely crazy. Me, Katie, Maggie, Emily, Andrew, Abby, and Steve was the usual crowd. I could not have asked for better suitemates...girls that are just as into the Cardinals, if not more, than I am! So having them around kinda helped the homesickness go away because they made me feel like I was home; we created our own awesome October atmosphere and shared it with our floor (we got pretty loud) and with campus (after we won Game 7 me, Maggie, and Abby ran around campus screaming at everyone that walked and drove by that we won). This year, we plan on watching what games we can together and making t-shirts. I'm so very excited! :) And I also have Jason and Steve around and they are hardcore Cardinals fans, too. It just makes such a big difference when you are surrounded by people who are as passionate about a team as you are. So, basically, I would like to thank all my kickass Cardinals friends for being so amazing awesome. You guys rock.

Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up

I had a realization the other day that really freaked me out and is kinda starting to worry me. I'm a junior in college. That's it. It just hit me all of a sudden when I was walking on campus. I'm over half-way finished with college, crazy! I'm not exactly sure when I'll be graduating, but I'm guessing May '07...I should probably look into that. I don't wanna grow up yet; I'm not ready for that. I think about how I'll be out in the "real world" within the next couple of years, but then I say to myself, "Hey, you're still only 19. You're still young," and after I ponder that for a minute I calm back down. But still it's a crazy thought and I don't like to think about it.
My laptop is f'ed up again. Silly piece of shit. It frustrates me. So I'm gonna get off of Jason's and go to bed.

Music: "Learn to Fly" by Foo Fighters
Mood: Sleepy

My mommy thinks I'm a celebrity

I can't seem to keep this thing updated. I could say that it's because I've been busy with school work, but, honestly, I haven't been. Instead, every day I've been busy looking for places to sleep on campus, and I've found a few good places, too. Every night I think about how much work I need to do and that's about it. I just think about what I need to do, but don't actually do it. I'm not really sure what I'm doing with my time every night; I guess just sitting around watching TV and hanging out with the roomies. I should really get down to business sometime soon. Maybe I'll work on that tonight, maybe. School is kicking my ass right now. I think it's safe to say I'm failing my classes, but you can't really judge this early in the game. I haven't had any tests or big projects really, just small quizzes. Got my poli sci quiz back today, and I thought I did decent on it for not doing any of the readings, but apparently I was wrong. I also picked up some of my broadcast quizzes. Opened the first one, 10. Sweet! Opened the second and third one, 2 and 4. Ouch. Eh, you win some you lose some.
I've talked it over with Laura and I actually realized it myself, but I've drifted away from my typical blog entries. My blogs have been too thought out and prepared lately, so I'm going to try to revert back to my old school ways of blogging- complete randomness. So stay tuned for more of that.
Do you ever get the feeling that all black people know each other? All the time when I'm walking around campus (especially in Brady) black people always acknowledge each other in some way (say hey, shake hands, hug, ect.). Half the time I don't think they really know the other person, but they are just acknowledging that the other person is the same color as they are. It's like they think they're some kind of poorly treated minority and they all gotta "stick together." Does anyone know what I'm trying to say? I swear I'm not rascist.
Oh man, Katie, Maggie, and I got to tour the new Busch Stadium because Katie's dad is a foreman with a construction group there. It was amazing! We got to go in the Cards shower and locker rooms, and just about everywhere else in the stadium. I can't even tell you how awesome it was. We also got a brick that they didn't use from the new stadium. The next day a group of us Cards fans from MU went to the game. It was probably my last game at Busch, so sad. And we lost, too, even worse.
Oh! I'm on the Mizzou website now. Check me out here. Now here's the story behind that...
Last year I had some connections through ResLife because I worked the desk. ResLife was working on a new website for admissions and they needed to take pics of some student rooms, and Katie and I let our Hall Coordinator know that if they needed to they could use our room and she knew that it was usually pretty clean. So one day I was working the desk and Beth (the HC) asked me if they could use my room and of course I said yes, so I cleaned the room and everything then waited for them to come. The guy walks in and hands me a consent form and a sheet with some questions on it. Pretty standard I thought. Then, he's like "Alright, why don't we have you sit at your desk and put your hand up like this." I was like, okay... They ended up taking seriously at least 75 pictures of me sitting like that at my desk. After that they were done and left. I was so confused. I had been under the impression that they were gonna take pics of our room because it was so cute. But no, they took pictures of me. So of course I wasn't prepared at all-hair not done, barely any make-up on, ect. Then I found out the website was up so I went and checked it out. They had to of picked the worst pic of them all! I have the weirdest look and smile on my face. I wish I could have picked the one they used, but oh well. I'm famous now :P Angelique is on there, too, if anyone is interested.
There's your Dur fix for today.

Why is Dori a Journalism student?

Well, honestly, I've been wondering the same thing lately. I don't like to write. I don't like to interview people or just walk up to them to talk. I'm afraid to talk in front of people, let alone a camera. I absolutely hate coming up with story ideas. And I hate reading the newspaper and following the news (I wouldn't mind watching the news if I did it because I wanted to, not because I had to memorize everything that is going on with all these strangely named people in obscure countries). So all signs point to majoring in math or something science. Blah. The thing that sucks about going to the best journalism school in the country is that they want us to be well-rounded in all things journalistic. This means that I must go through the reporter aspect of the major before I can get to what I really wanna do. And what exactly do I really wanna do? I have a few ideas. My ultimate dream job would be operating a camera for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ahhhhh, what an amazing job that would be. Other than that I kinda wanna be a producer for a news station. But I really wanna work with the camera in any aspect. I really like editing video to the story (preferrably not written by me). Or I wanna work in the control room where all the TVs and control and sound boards are. Basically, anything NOT in front of the camera. So there you have it. The reason why I am a Journalism student at Mizzou. I might have to read this a few times this semester to remind myself why the hell I'm putting myself through all the hard work.

Back in the summer of '03

I was listening to the radio this morning and the DJ was talking about the best summer of his life, and that got me thinking which summer was my favorite and what made it so great. The best summer of my life without a doubt was the summer of 2003. Let the reminiscing begin...
Summer started right after Project Graduation. Laura, Jess, and I were still pretty slap-happy at 6 a.m. when they let us out so we decided to go to Jefferson Barracks and walk the trail (I don't know how we came up with that idea), and our first trail experience began, and quite an adventure it was. Those obstacle course things can be pretty fun when you're extremely sleep deprived. From then on we walked the trail on a daily basis and became some of the usuals at 10 a.m. Every day we saw our cute old couple, "the coaches", and every now and then the scary guy that wore the garden gloves and straw hat that would all of a sudden be scooting his feet behind us. We also started Sunday Night Tradition. Jess, Tina, Laura, Lyndsey, and I would go to the playground in JB to swing and girl talk and then we would go to Chrissy's for ice cream (remember the Stevester?). Then there were all the graduation parties and the many icing fights and Twister showdowns we got in. I didn't have a job that summer, so I'm not exactly sure what I did all day, I think I slept, so that's always a good thing, too. I did have a boyfriend, well kinda. Matt and I were on the outs and with college quickly approaching we both kinda knew that we wouldn't stay together when we went our separate ways. Me and the girls had a theme/anthem that summer, the song "Manhunt" by Karen Kamon. Jess and I came up with the idea of a Last Blast, one last get-together with everyone before we went away that included swimming and a BBQ. And I remember we were so excited when we were planning it on the 3rd of July at JB while waiting for the fireworks (man, I have a good memory sometimes). Last Blast was soooo much fun. Then like two days later Jess, Laura, Tina and I roadtripped it down to Branson for the weekend and that was a lot of fun, too ("Dur's got boobs!", Bad Charlotte, and the go-carts guy). At the end of summer we went to O'Charlies and got all dressed up for a last dinner together and then went to Jess's and sat outside and cried as we said our goodbyes. It was a summer filled with Tower Tee, Fortel's, good times, heartbreaks, ice cream, but most importantly, my friends. The summer of 2003 was a turning point for me, and I think for them, too, we all just became so much closer that summer, and it's had a lasting impression.

Music: "Joy to the World" -Three Dog Night
Mood: drained