h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Italian leftovers? Why did I have a vision of bringing a few people when you said that?

I think the blockparty tomorrow really depends on the weather. They keep saying we're going to have scattered thunderstorms, and it really feels like rain right now. If it's yucky, we're not going.

Have a great weekend, elwood!

We went to a street art fair yesterday even though it was raining and cold. Weather more suited to our local October Applefest. We just had soggy fun instead.

Hey the Tigers are starting tick off landmarks now; fastest team to 100 losses, fastest team to clinch last place...let 'em roll!!!



And now opening day to my favorite sport - football.

Go Lions! ... you remember the rest.

Do your ears ring? Every time TJ and I have another "now my team is better than yours" discussion, we always say "at least we still have the Tigers" which always ends with "poor elwood!"

We *did* go to the block party, and we had a great time! It rained on and off, but we were in a tent. All the food was wonderful! TJ ate so much he made himself sick ... and here I thought we were all old enough to know better than to eat ourselves sick. He just can't pass up delicious food! After dinner, he must have had 5 or 6 zeppoles before he even started on dessert ... and I think he tried every one of them ... there were 6 different cakes that I can remember ...

...and take the Tigers with you! Yeah, yeah I remember. But at least with football it's a new season of optimism, ha! But I still have to take Little Ellie to a Tiger's game this year she's gone to at least one game every year since she was in the womb. Is that considered child abuse?

I always thought that ringing in my ears was from listening to loud rock music in my youth.

Thumbs up to TJ! Eat til you hurl!! Good man.
(I'd say give him a pat on the back from me, but I'm afraid of the consequences)

We did it all at the Arts, Eats and Beats fair. Ate from various fine restaurant's food booths, listened to some countryish singer Elwoodina liked (spitting image of my father song)looked at much art (that always depresses me that I'm not doing more) and put Ellie on many kiddie rides except one I had to ride with her the "Flying Dumbo" attraction. (I know who looked like the "Flying Dumbo" squeezed into that tiny elephant)

Hey! What are you doing up so late, young man?

I don't think it's child abuse to take Little Ellie to Tiger's games. I think it's preparing her for life! Don't you see how it's shaped our characters by having to root for teams that constantly lose! You're doing her a favor, teaching her to never get her hopes up too high!

TJ didn't exactly hurl, but we think he might have given himself a bit of sugar shock from all those desserts.

Country music ... how nice.

I know what you mean about feeling bad when you look at art! My friend insists it's supposed to inspire me to do more, but it just makes me feel bad that I'm not doing it! *sigh*

The Dumbo ride? You took her on the Dumbo ride? Just know that one of the traumas of my childhood was not getting to ride on the Dumbo ride at Disneyland! We went there twice when I was 3 (we lived in California for about 6 months). I wanted to go on the Dumbo ride so badly! Dumbo's my favorite! The first time the lines were too long, and my parent promised me I'd get to ride it the next time. Guess what? It was closed for repairs! It scarred me for life! You've given Little Ellie a great gift, don't ever say you were being a Dumbo!

It wasn't riding it that made me look silly. It was having to get three carnys to extract me from the teeny car!

Sorry to bring back that traumatic period of your life, but I'm sure I'll find something to scar Ellie with.

I was up changing my fantasy football line-up. My 18 year old nephew got me into his league with more kids 30 years younger than me and my running back (which happens to be the Lions starter) was injured and knocked out for the season. So as long as I was on...h2g2!!!

I find I can't go online at all without having a bit of a peek here ... it's an addiction, no doubt about it!

You didn't happen to have a photographer handy when they were using the jaws of life to get you out of the Dumbo ride, did you? Just wondering ...

There was no jaws of life needed!!!

They just rubbed my flanks with one of those greasy funnel cakes and I slipped right out! Disgusting but effective. They would use this technique in car wrecks except for the fire hazard!

Hey the Tigers have won two in a row! (the longest streak of the season - you know when you've only won 30 that's a long streak) But it is the Tigers after all, the star minor leaguer they just brought up that day won the game for them with a Grand Slam and a double then his next at bat he hit a single and as he rounded first his knee buckled, torn ACL out for six months! Jeez.

There was no jaws of life needed!!!

They just rubbed my flanks with one of those greasy funnel cakes and I slipped right out! Disgusting but effective. They would use this technique in car wrecks except for the fire hazard!

Hey the Tigers have won two in a row! (the longest streak of the season - you know when you've only won 30 that's a long streak) But it is the Tigers after all, the star minor leaguer they just brought up that day won the game for them with a Grand Slam and a double then his next at bat he hit a single and as he rounded first his knee buckled, torn ACL out for six months! Jeez.

But look who they're beating! TJ's Indians! He's kind of upset about that ...

Tell TJ I'm sorry about that, but, it's not as if the Idian's are going anywhere this year. They could sacrifice a few losses to help the Tiger's cause. Just 5 more wins and they avoid that horrible ignomy of replacing the Mets as the worst team in modern baseball history. But didn't they win a World Series shortly after that '62 season?

(You can also mention to TJ that his Cleveland Browns are safe this year that powerhouse Lions team doesn't face them.)

We've got a personal competition about whose team comes out better (sound familiar?), so even though neither of our teams are going anywhere, we still get bragging rights around the house!

The Mets won a World Series in '69, so they overcame '62!

I'll let him know about his Browns ... he's not as much into pro football, because he concentrates on his beloved Ohio State.

I'm the opposite I ignore college football to concentrate on the Lion's (big mistake considering how good the Michigan Wolverines have been over the years and how close I live to Ann Arbor now)

So I have to wait seven more years to match the Mets turnaround!

Will you get in another game before the end of the year, you know one of those coats and blankets games? I still have to get Ellie to a game and there's limited seating for the Tigers - just 42,000 seats to choose from.

I know the feeling!

I've found that the Mets get into the playoffs once a decade. They've already done it this decade, so I'm not holding my breath.

As a matter of fact, we're going to a day game tomorrow. We have a silent auction every year at work for the United Way. I won the auction for these amazing Mets tickets. We're also going next weekend with my brother. He bought a bunch of tickets on sale.

How was the game? I think were going to the last home stand against Minnesota. They should have the loss record out of the way by then.

The Mets make it to the playoffs once a decade and we haven't been over .500 in a decade. I remember as a kid I thought it was forever between the '68 Tigers World Series and the '84 team, but it's been 3 years longer than that drought with no hope in sight.

Are you and TJ starting to do fall-type things? Cider mills and apple festivals?

The game was great! We were a few rows up from the visitor's dugout. They lost (surprise), but TJ got to finally see a homerun and watch the apple pop out of the tophat, and it was a lovely, sunny day.

We were supposed to be going again this weekend. My brother had gotten these tickets months ago. But last weekend, my company was having it's "picnic" at a local amusement park, and they cancelled it due to bad weather. I didn't want to disappoint my nieces, so we're going on the raindate this weekend. I figured that choosing between a nice day at an amusement park and sitting in the upper deck watching the Mets lose wasn't much of a choice.

We haven't done any cider mills or apple festivals. Probably never will, to be honest. We *are* planning on visiting some friends in Massachusetts for the foliage next month, and are going to take a jaunt through Central Park when the leaves start changing here. I did a big project on the park's 150th anniversary, and now know all sorts of cool things to see there.

I loved Central Park when we were visiting. But we did need a guide because I think we missed much that there is to see. I HAVE TO GET BACK SOON!!! Maybe to take Ellie to see one of those Disney Broadway shows then Elwoodina and I can see all the other shows and ditch her with Grandma.

Do you have Cider Mills that are set up for kiddie fun with petting zoos, hay rides, pumpkin carving and such? Then again you might not have apple orchards in abundance, as Michigan does, on Long Island. Is your amuaement park on the island and is the hurricane going to affect your weekend weather?

I'm the amusement park this weekend here. Ellie is having a sleepover so I'll have 3 tiny girls all day Saturday while Elwoodina has her school open house. Wish me luck!!!

Good luck!

We have one cider mill that I know of, but it's a real cider mill, and not really set up for the kiddies, although they give tours. The big thing here is pumpkin picking, and they set up mazes in the corn fields. That's out on the island, where it's still pretty rural.

It's a small amusement park, and it's just about a mile from where I work here. Isabel is just bringing us tropical storm conditions tonight and tomorrow. The weekend is supposed to be sunny and in the 70°s, so I'm looking forward to it!

Well I survived...barely. They had a ball on that new playscape. (and elwoodina was a little appauled on Sunday when she saw I had taught them all to fake throwing-up when then spin on the tire swing)

How did the amusement park trip turn out? Did TJ go?

Well tomorrow is the day we go to the Tiger's game. It also happens to be the day they can set the new loss record. A month ago all they had to do is win 6 out of 23 games and I thought that would be no problem with this hanging over their heads, but here we are needing to win 4 out of the last 5 to stave off this ignomy and facing the first place team for the final 4.

Well they won the first two they needed!*crosses fingers* Hey weren't the Mets an expansion team when this happened to them?

Hey! elwoodina should know that you can't take full advantage of swinging if you can't fake vomit on it!

The amusement park trip was a lot of fun! TJ certainly *did* go, and I'm so glad he did! I don't do heights, but he loves them, and so do my nieces. He happily took them on all the rides I wouldn't go on. He had a great time too, because when we went to Hershey Park, he wouldn't go on the roller coasters without me, so he only got to go on one. Here, my nieces wanted to go on the scary rides ... repeatedly!

It was the first year of the Mets when they lost 120 games. In those days, you didn't get the choices you do now as an expansion team, and they had a ton of has-beens on the team. They lost, but they were loveable losers, and the people of New York were happy to just have National League baseball back (this was years after the Dodgers and Giants left)! You might find this interesting:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-worst093447289sep09,0,4589955.story

I hope the Tigers can win.