R.I.P. Climber- End of an Era

Climber ~Febuary 14, 1987-September 25, 2007~ Today was one of the hardest days in my life. Today we had to put down our beloved cat, Climber. He was 20 years old. He was ready to go; at the Vet's office he allowed us to cuddle him in a towel and play with his paws; when he was at his best he never allowed us to do either. His fur was severly matted and lumped together, you could almost feel every bone in his body and he was constantly hungry; he could never get enough food in his stomach. Poor baby.
We adopted Climber from the Humane Society of Missouri when I was in Kindergarten. Show and Tell was big back then. Pet week came and all we had were fishes; that didn't cut it. So we went to the Humane Society and I got to choose a kitten. We got to one of the cages; and I pointed to this white fluffy kitty. However, there was this kitten with four white paws who had climbed up three feet on the fence seperating the kittens from the visitors. While I may have originally wanted the white fluffy one, we got the climbing kitten. Hence the name, Climber. We brought him to show and tell. All of those kids with grabby hands; Climber freaked and hid under a cabinet. A year after we got Climber, we adopted Sparkle, our second cat (and my first cat). At first, Climber was very wary of Sparkle. Eventually he warmed up to her and they became best friends. They were always cuddling and doing everything together.
Climber was never a cuddle cat; oh no he was a biter. He was a definate lap cat; he would plop himself on your lap and stay there until either he got bored or you pushed him off. He also liked to randomly attack people. He once attacked a neighbors son for absolutely no reason (or at least to us). Most cats when they roll over and expose their bellies, you think awww what a cute kitty they want a belly rub. When Climber did this, we were like "Oh crap, the cats up to something". Over the years Climber accumulated a variety of nicknames; Fat Cat, Tub of Lard (at one point he was quite fat, he got sick on his 19th birthday and lost a lot of weight and never gained it back), Tyrant, King Tut (he acted like he was the king of the house and everyone must obey him), Climy, Clim-Clim, and many others which I can't remember.
Mom and I cried like babies at the Vet's office when it came time to say goodbye. We put his "lovie" (an old golf sock which he used to sing operas to) with him. Luckily, the people at the Vet's understood what we were going thru and gave us tissues. I am going to miss him something him fierce. Climber was with me all thru school, from Kindergarten to college graduation. He was 20 years old and was well loved. He is in a better place; he is no longer in pain, no longer hungry, his furry is all shinny and soft, he is back with his best friend/wife Sparkle. (Yes, we married the cats; Shadow was a bridesmaid- very comical). He is in heaven now and he is much happier. A part of me is screaming "No, no, no, I want my kitty back now!!", while the more reasonable part of me relizes that this was the right thing to do. As hard as it was to do, I know we did the right thing for him. I just hope he is not upset with us for keeping him so long and not allowing him to go out with more dignity.

Let's Go Cardinals!!

It is officially September and the Cards are turning up the heat. They beat the Pirates 6-2 last night. Joel Pinero picked up another win last night, proving why he should remain in the starting rotation. A lot of Cardinal news here so here we go:
*Right Feilder Juan Encarnacion is done for the season. Due to an eye injury. He was standing in the on-deck circle when he was hit by a foul tip off the bat Aaron Miles on last Friday nights game. Encarnacion was hospitalized for a few days, he is now at home resting. The prognosis is unsure. All that is offically known is that he can not play baseball right now. For more on this story click here and here.
*Rick Ankiel is still HOTT! He continues to get great and timely hits. He also has been showing off his arm, runners might want to think twice about going for that extra ball if Ankiel is the recipient of the hit ball.
*Catcher Yadier Molina is heating up. He has been hiting a lot more, and picking up some more homeruns and RBI's.
*It appears that third baseman Scott Rolen is out for the season. He will be having shoulder surgery some time soon and his 2007 season is over. Recovery time is expected to be six weeks as he is having a "cleanout" rather than a major surgery. This should not affect his ability to play in the 2008 season. Lucky for the Cards, they have newcomer Russel Branyan (who hit a homerun last night in first game in a Cardinals uniform!!) Branyan comes to us from the Phillies.
*Miguel Cairo has also been added to the roster, and he is proving himself a valuable asset.
*September call ups!! Those returning to the fold are Skip Schumaker, Brad Thompson, Kelvin Jimenez, Andy Cavazos, and Kelly Stinett. Reliever Brian Falkenborg,and infielder Brian Barden also have been called up. Unfortunately, John Rodriguez (J-Rod) will not be called up as he had knee surgery (?) and is done for the season.
*Starting Pitcher Mark Mulder is back!!! He is making his first start tonight since the 2006 season. While I am excited about his return, I am unsure of how his debut will go. I am hopefull that he will be the Mark Mulder of old and provide us with another reliable pitcher.
*Mike Maroth is also back, he will be on the mound Thursday night. If he can get back in shape and Mulder has his old stide back, we will have a great rotation of Joel Pinero, Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Mike Maroth, and Mark Mulder. If Kip Wells can get his act together the Cards stand a decent chance of going to the playoffs.
*The Cardinals are 1 game out of first place in the Central Division.
*Should the Cardinals win tonight they will be 2 games over 500, something they have not done all season.
*Tonight's Game: Starting pitcher Mark Mulder returns to take on Pitsburgh Pirates Righty Tony Armas (2-5 w/ an ERA of 6.75) at Busch Stadium. Game time is 7:10 PM. However, it was raining earlier, so I expect a delay.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

The Rally Squirrel

Last night, Busch Stadium had a very interesting visitor; a squirrel. The squirrel was perched on top of a foul poll when the fireworks went off. Apparently these fireworks, gave the little guy quite a fright, and he subsequently jumped 40 feet to the field. He lay a bit stunned near the Bud Light sign in the outfield for a few innings. FSN had cameras focus in on him a coupla times, as they were getting a lot of concerned emails regarding the little critter. Cardinal players dubbed him the "Rally Squirrel". He enjoyed the outfield before going into the Cardinals bull pen. The players attempted to catch him, but he proved smarter and went back out to the outfield. He enjoyed a piece of popcorn, and then visited the visiting team, The Pirates, in their dugout. He was eventually caught in a sunflower seed bucket. Click here for the tale and the amusing video! Hopefully the squirrel will be back and give the Cardinals some luck.

CARDS = Come August, Ready Division Series

The St. Louis Cardinals have been much like the August weather in St. Louis; HOTT! The birds on the bat seem to be putting the pedal to the medal and starting to shift gears towards winning more games. They swept the Brewers in a crucial series last week and now sit just 3 games out of first place in the central division. Cards bats are heating up; The MV3 (Rolen,Edmonds, and Pujols) are starting to hit w/ more consistency. The Cards have also gained more power in Rick Ankiel who has been hitting the ball hard and making great plays in the outfield. Cards also picked up Joel Pinero who has been doing well. Kip Wells also appears to be doing much better; he is finally getting run support and keeping the opposition from scoring, much less hitting too much. Adam Wainwright continues to impress, with a record of 11-9 and an ERA of 3.99. Overall for the month of August, the ERA's for the Cardinals pitching as a whole has gone down. Their hitting percentage and winning percentage have gone up.
Good news for the Cardinals in regards to pitcher Mark Mulder; he is getting closer to returning. With ace Carpenter out for the season, the return of Mulder is much needed. Mulder made his second start in his rehab assignment; and was efficient throwing 48 pitches- 34 strikes and 14 balls- through four innings. For more on his progress along with progress on Todd Wellenmeyer and Mike Moroth click here. Also mentioned as being banged up and getting some rest are Scott Rolen and Chris Duncan.
*Por Siempre; Let's Go Cards!!

Random Update

Good grief, I haven't blogged in a while (almost a month exactly since I last blogged to be exact). So here's what has gone down in the month of August:
*NVC was amazing!!! I had soooo much fun. I stirred up trouble in all of the workshops I attended. I finally got to meet a brother I've been friends w/on Facebook; he has now "banned" me from his future workshops; yeah right, good luck w/ that Brother Justin!
*Mom got a new car! Its a 2007 Pontiac Vibe! It's an SUV- kinda. Mom calls it a wannabe: it can't decide whether it wants to be a car, a minivan or a SUV. It gets great milage so far 28 mpg. She is very happy with it.
*My little brother, golum, got a new car...kinda. He inherited my mom's red '99 cavalier. Mom traded in his '99 Sonoma Truck when she got her vibe. So now I'm the only one in the family w/o keyless entry and power locks and windows. Granted my car is a year younger than Marks, its still a very basic model- I love it tho. My next car will be a SUV tho. Don't know when I'll be getting said SUV, but whatever.
*Cardinals have been heating up. They swept the Brewers in a crucial series. They then played the Cubbies where they went 1-2, with one game rained out. Cards now are 3 games out of first place. Cub (major suprise here) are in first place (no really they are). Brew Crew are even with the Cubbies.
*I get to go to my fourth Cardinals Game on August 24th w/ the EMAA crew!! I also have tickets for the September 17th Game- Yadier Molina Bobblehead night!! Whoohoo!!
*I am 8-12 in my fantasy baseball league. Not bad but not the greatest either.
*Went to see Les Mis w/ EMAA at the Muny. Loved it! Music was incredible, good voices, excellent orchestra. It was hot, but overall a good night.
*My job hunt continues (suprise, suprise). I try to be optimisitic, but its hard. I have a hard time wondering what makes me so unemployable. I thought that my education would be a great assest and now I wonder why I spent so much time earning my bachelors if all I'm going to do is random temporary assignments?
*New living room furniture and a new dinet set are on their way; well kinda. Mom and dad selected a new sofa, loveseat, and rocker for the living room, as well as a new kitchen table and new chairs for the kitchen. The living room stuff should be here in about 2 weeks or so. Kitchen is going to take longer, anywhere from a month to two months. I think its crazy, but mom tells me that's typical. I woulda negotiated an early arrival of the furniture but hey we've been dealing with the furniture we currently have for a long time, we can live with it until the new stuff arrives. The living room furniture is kinda of a sage green and the fabric is a micro suede, and very comfy ( mom took me to American where they ordered the stuff for me to see). The kitchen table is almost identical to the one we have now except it has some fancy engraving on the sides which matches the engraving on the back of the chairs. The chairs have cushions built in, so puppy can't steal the cushions (as she does now).

Random

Okay, lot of stuff to say, so here goes:
*Recently had to get new sunglasses as my darling puppy, Loki, ate a second pair of sunglasses. Plus my backup pairs also decided to break. I like to keep a pair in my car for various reasons; mainly I can't drive w/o sunglasses.
*Picked up two cute tops from New York and Company. One was 50% off! I love sales!
*Got a new pillow b/c the one I had was shot.
*Got a 1 and 1/2 inch memory foam mattress pad for my bed. My mattress is rock hard and I have a bad back and I hate sleeping on it. This mattress pad is heaven sent! I slept w/ it on my bed last night and was sooo comfortable for the first time in eyars.
*Had my ring checked at the Jewlers today; the stone is firmly in place and they shined it up for free. So it sparkles now! Yay!
*Leaving for Independence, MO t/m for Alphi Phi Omega's National Volunteer Conference!! So excited! Amy and Katrina are driving with me. We are stopping in Columbia and having lunch with Robert.
*Will be at the NVC Thursday thru Sunday. Get to see a lot of brothers and have fun!
*Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is out for the season; he will be having surgery on his elbow. No idea when he will be ready to pitch next season.
*Attention all texters; I have disabled my text messaging abilities. Meaning I won't be able to send or recieve texts; which is good b/c I despise texting. I also was being charged for incoming texts (which I don't understand why I'm charged for something that I have no control over).
*I have been sunburned three times so far this summer, and theres a lot of summer left. I hate having such fair skin. Mom and Mark have the Puerto Rican skin; so they don't burn; they just get brown! So not fair, I blame it all on my gringo father! He just laughs.

That's a Winner!!

Cardinals won today, delivering the Phillies their 10, 000th loss. Cardinals beat the Phillies 10-2, Adam Wainwright getting another win. Pujols hit two homeruns today. Other players to go long today were; Adam Kennedy (his first of the season), Juan Encarnacion, Chris Duncan, and Ryan Ludwick. Wainwright was outstanding getting out of loaded bases w/ 2 outs not once but twice. Wainwright pitched 7 solid shut out innings. Pujols is on fire, he was 3 for 4 today; a single and two homeruns. Cardinals managed 3 homeruns in one inning! The game was on ESPN today (grrr), and the announcers were all ragging on the Cards and going on and on about how great the Phillies were. Yea, uh huh, the Phillies are so great they lead both leagues in losses. Cards are now 8.5 games out of first place.
*Up Next: Cards vs. Marlins at Florida 6:05 PM on FSN (yay!)
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Cardinals

Well I have been to three games so far this year. My record is 2 for 3. Last Sunday, the Cards put on a great show. I went to said game with my family. Gimlet and Froggiegirl were also in attendance, as this was Martiz Day at the Ballpark. Martiz did well in selecting seats; we had a nice view off of third base, got a free soda and a hot dog. Down side: I got sunburned. Bad. My knees are peeling now. As mentioned in my previous post, I got burned again, so I'm recovering from one sunburn only to get burned again. Not fair! Stupid gringo blood!
Anyways, the All Star game has come and gone. First baseman Albert Pujols was the only Cardinal player that got to go; and LaRussa selected him as the fans failed to vote him in. Pujols participated in the HomeRun Derby for his son (who was bummed when his daddy told him orriginally that he was not going to play). AJ (Pujols Jr.) was an absolute doll to watch! The expressions on his face when Pujols hit homeruns.
*Yadier Molina came off the DL and threw a guy out when the dummy tried to steal second, his first day back.
*Short stop David Eckstien has come off the DL and is doing well.
*Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is making progress and is hopeful to be returning soon.
*Jim Edmonds is still on the DL, no word on when he will be returning; hopefully soon.
*Starting Pitcher Kip Wells started last nights game andlost....big suprise there. Word to LaRussa and Jocketty: either trade him or keep him in the bullpen permanently.
*The second half of the season has begun, but not very well... two losses so far. Hopefully the second half will be better than the first half.
*I am still hopefull about the Cardinals finishing the season on a high note; I am an eternal Cards fan.
*Amazingly the Cubs are still in second place...but for how long?
*The cardinals have made some outstanding plays so far this season. Chris Duncan made an amazing catch last night in the Cardinals loss to the Phillies. Duncan continues to improve as the season progresses.
*Up Next: Cards at Phillies 5:05 PM. Adam Wainwright goes to the mound to attempt to prevent a sweep. He will be facing off against Adam Eaton.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cards!!

Loki

Our little girl is officially one year and four months. I can still call her my puppy as Labs are puppies until they are three years old. She continues to act like a puppy and never seems to tire. This week Loki has learned a new trick; she now knows how to open the cabinets and steal tupperware. While this is highly amusing, she is putting dents and tooth marks in our tupperware. Today we took Loki down to Lost Valley Lake and she got to go swimming. We threw her retriever several times and she happily swam out to get it until she finally got tired. Unfortunately, her retriever was still out there... we had to wait until the wind blew the retriever closer and Loki finally decided to swim out and get it. Then I walked her up the hill to the showerhouse and from there mom walked her to where our friends were camping. Mom gave her a bath and we enjoyed talking with our friends while she dried off. She snoozed on the way home; she went swimming,went on a long walk, got attention: that was one tired puppy.
Yours truly got sunburned again; on the back this time. Just once I would like to be able to go out in the sun in the summer and not get burned.

Cardinals!

Okay, so the Cards have been less than stellar so far this season. I have been really busy with work and not feeling well, so I haven't blogged on the Cards lately, so here is a summary of whats up with The Birds on the Bat:
*Catcher Yadier Molina was placed on the DL yesterday, he has a fractured wrist and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks. This is a double blow to the Cards, not only will they miss his defense, his offense is much better this year.
*Starting Pitcher Chris Carpenter is on the DL and is expected to return mid July- early August.
*Starting Pitcher Braden Looper appears to be the best of the bunch and the biggest suprise. Looper has a record of 6-4.
*Starting Pitcher Kip wells has two whole wins under his belt. Hopefully, his time with pitching coach Dave Duncan is starting to pay off.
*First Baseman Albert Pujols seems to have shaken his slow start. His batting average is up and he is looking more comfortable at the plate.
*Third baseman Scott Rolen and Center Fielder Jim Edmonds have also started hitting more consistenty.
*Closer Jason Isringhausen is phenomenal! He has had 13 saves in 14 opportunities. He appears to back to his old self. Finally!
*Short stop David Eckstien is on a day to day DL. He is suffering from soreness in the middle of his back and hasn't played since Sunday. He is doing better.
*Left Fielder Chris Duncan is temporarily sidelined with bursitis in his left knee, and also has an ifection in the same knee. He is resting at the hotel and staying of his feet as much as possible. Duncan was sent back to St. Louis for some testing today.
*The Cardinals are 6 and a half games out of first place. The Brewers, The Pirates and (shocker of shockers) The Cubs are ahead of them.
*Late reliever Josh Hancock is being honored for the rest of the season with all players wearing the number 32 on the left arm of their jerseys. His jersey also hangs in the bullpen.
*The All Star Game is fast approaching. All members of the Cards starting line up are eligble but 2 questions, (1) Do any of them deserve to go? and (2) Will any of them make the team. Manager Tony LaRussa is managing the National League team and can bring whomever he chooses.
*Anthony Reyes was optioned to Triple A and righty Todd Wellemeyer was brought up. Wellemeyer got his first major league win last night with a Cards victory of 8-4.
Do the Cards have the chance to repeat and win the World Series? Sure, its a possibility. Is it a sure thing, no it never is. As much as we would all like to see a repeat, at this point, I am doubtful on that happening. Cards need to pick up the pace, stop making costly errors, and start giving more run support to the pitchers. Also their players need to get healthy. With aces Carpenter, Mark Mulder on the DL and not expected back until August, and Molina out of the picture for at least 4 weeks, getting everyone healthy is not going to happen any time soon.
I am still a fan of the Cardinals, always have been and always will be.
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cards!!

I got an iPod!

I have joined the modern world. I have my very own iPod nano. It's a 4GB blue iPod Nano. I am very happy with it so far. I split the cost with my parents w/ my brother giving me $20 towards it. The picture on the side features my new iPod nano and Bandit (my newest Build-A-Bear edition).

St. Louis Zoo

Last Sat., May 5th, was my 25th Birthday. Since I couldn't get Cardinals tickets, I decided to got to the zoo. I got to see Maliha, Raja's first baby, for the first time. She is adorable. I took lots of photos and laughed at the animals and how they sleep. Apparently "nap time" at the zoo is around 11 AM. The majority of the animals were snoozing when mom and I visited. I also visited Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Zoo and picked up a birthday present for myself: a ring tailed lemur (monkey). I dressed him in a railroad conductors outfit and have since named him Bandit. Click here to see my pics of all the animals including Bandit.

Gardening

I love spring! Spring means flowers! I love flowers; I love looking at them, smelling them, buying them, planting them, and watching them grow. Basically I love to garden. Now that it is officially spring, I can go flower crazy. I have been busy beautifying my garden and the front garden. The back garden still needs some work, but not done with the front garden yet. Home Depot has some great geraniums and Marshall's Nursery has some great snapdragons. Home Depot and the Nursery are the best places to find flowers. Walmart is another good source of flowers. The next step is to get some more hanging baskets. We already have two "tropical looking ones for the back, but we need a few more. At least one for the front and I think 3 for the backyard. Click here to see my work so far.

Cards mourn the loss of Hancock

Tragedy has struck the Cardinal team. Pitcher Josh Hancock was killed this morning in an auto accident westbound on Highway 64/40 within city limits. The St. Louis Cardinals and the Police department will make a brief statement in an interview set for 3pm today. Major Leauge officials have been notified and tonights game against the Cubs has been postponed. Hancock has been a member of the Cardinals since Feburary 2006 and helped the 'Birds win World Series. Please take a moment of time today for a moment of silence in rememberance of Josh Hancock. Please keep his family and friends along with the members of the Cardinals in your thoughts and prayers.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals.

New Brothers!

Thursday night, the Sigma Alpha chapter, welcomed 9 new brothers! Although 4 of these brothers are returning to their home countries, it is still exciting. The ceremony was nice, and very formal. As an alumni I even had a speaking part; I filled in as the chapter advisor. After the ceremony, they nominated people for positions for next semester. Next Tuesday, the new officers will be elected. After that, we went to Applebee's only to discover that it closed at 11. It was close to 11 when we got there. So we went to Steak'n'Shake. That was just as good. It was fun hanging out with my brothers again. Its good to see that the chapter is faring well, after a rough semester. So Congrats to the newest brothers of Sigma Alpha!
Also, Congrats to the new brothers to Section 49 as a whole! Welcome brothers!

Cubs 5, Cards 3

The title explains it all. We lost to the Cubs last night. We were doing better until LaRussa (in a move I highly disagree with) decided to let Preston Wilson pinch hit, even tho Wilson has a BIG tendancy to strike out with runners on base. So what did Wilson do? Drive in the winning runs? No! He struck out! Then Adam Kennedy popped out. I think Wilson needs to be sent down to the AAA league in Memphis and have John Rodriguez brought up. He can hit with runners on base. He is a decent player and deserves a chance to be on the bench or as a regular starter. That's my personal opinion. Hopefully, he will brought up to the majors soon.
On another note: Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa was none to happy with the Post Dispatch's poke on the Cubbies. He stated that he would not answer any questions from them until the series was over. Click here to get the full story.
*Editor's note: I am a bit biased towards Preston Wilson. The comment he made in Spring Training has not sat well with me or my father (a die hard Cards fan). He said that Spring Training wasn't important. That a player really didn't have to work hard. Yeah, tell that to the major league hopefuls like J-Rod (for example) who fought hard to earn a ticket to the big show.

No Tinker. No Evers. No Chance.

I found this highly amusing little poem* (a new twist on the oringal one) about the Chicago Cubs today in the Sports section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

These are the cruelest of echoing words:
No Tinker. No Evers. No Chance.
Spend all they can, Cubs still chasing the 'Birds.
Since Tinker and Evers and Chance.

A goat and his curse; a scapegoat and his error,
Black cat greets Santo, raising defeatists fans' hair.
Ernie Banks-one of the greats who never got there.
No Tinker. No Evers. No Chance.

Sweet Lou brings his brash to friendly confines.
He once won as much as Frank Chance.
Cubs renewed hopes flourish wehn Soriano signs.
They tinker, forever, for a chance.

When other clubs reversed curses, Cubs knew they should,
But roster was flimsy, built on Prior and Wood.
Up comes the hymm: "Wait 'till next year. Then we'll be good."
No Tinker. No Evers. No Chance.

*In 1910, New York columnist Franklin Pierce Adams wrote a poem that immortalized the Cubs' double-play combo and, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's website, helped "them gain admission to (Cooperstown) as a trio 36 years later. Click here to read the article on the front page of the Sports page.

Zeta Beta

I have recently learned that all of the brothers of the Zeta Beta (Alpha Phi Omega) chapter are safe and accounted for. I very happy to hear this. Yesterday I was wondering if there was a chapter there and if the brothers were okay. I received two notices letting me know that there is indeed a chapter there and that the brothers are okay. I was also sent the following;
Hello Brothers,I'm sure you've all heard about the tragic events today at Virginia Tech, and I know that I'm wondering what if it had happened on my campus. The brothers of the Zeta Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega at Virginia Tech have had this tragedy occur right where they live and study. They could use as much support and encouragement as possible right now in light of this tragedy, so it'd be great if as many chapters as possible could send cards and letters of encouragment to them. Their mailing address is below:
Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity
PO Box 1011
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Thanks.
In LFS, David Erickson Alpha Phi Chapter

I encourage all of my brothers to do this, this is a fantastic idea. I was just thinking of what other chapters could do, and this popped into my inbox via facebook. All of my thoughts and prayers are with the brothers of Zeta Beta, as well as the rest of the people affected by this horrible event.
LFS,
Jenny

Virgina Tech

This morning I was watching Ellen, when it was interupted by Breaking News; There had been a shooting at Virgina Tech. At this time, around 11 AM, they were reporting 20 deaths and at least 28 injured. Broadcasters were saying that the shooting began in a dorm and then moved to an engineering building; this is where the majority of the shooting took place. A half hour later the death count went up to 22; 20 killed in the engineering building, 1 in the dorm and the last the gunman himself. I am horrified by this, especially since the death count has risen to at least 31 deaths. All classes for today and t/m have been cancelled. According to KMOV.com, this is being recorded as the most deadly shooting rampage in U.S. History. According to authorities, the shooting began about 7:15 AM at West Ambler Johnson, a coed dormitory, and then continued two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building about half a mile away. No one is exactly sure on what caused this or what exactly happened. Details are still stetchy; different reporters are reporting different death tolls, with KMOV citing 31 deaths, and Y98 citing 32 deaths. Why do ppl do this?! I am absolutely horrified by this, I can not believe that someone would resort to violence at this scale for whatever reason. My thoughts and prayers are with the students and family at VA Tech. As the day progresses, more details will come to light. Hopefully, the reasons for why this horrific event took place will be revealed. I ask everyone to take a moment of silence for those victims affected by this.

Cards defeat the Brewers, 10-2

Friday nights game: Cancelled due to rain. Former Cardinal Jeff Suppan (now a pitcher for the Brewers) recieved his World Series ring.
Sat game: pushed back from afternoon start to evening start. Jeff Suppan was bumped up in the rotation, and got his first win w/ the Brewers. Brewers beat the Cards 3-2.
Today's Game: Cards got even with the Brewers, smacking them down with a score of 10 to 2, thus winning their first home game. First Baseman Albert Pujols slammed two Homeruns- his first off of starting pitcher Ben Sheets in the 3rd inning with 2 on and nobody out (the center fielder knew it was gone and just watched it sail into the bullkpen), and his second in the eigth off of reliever Elmer Dessens with no outs and nobody on. Pujols got 5 RBI's today. Outfielder Chris Duncan also slammed a homerun off of Sheets in the 5th innning w/ no outs and noone on base. Catcher Yadier Molina made a great defensive play by picking off Prince Fielder at first base. Molina also went 2 for 3, his batting average is at .273. Starting pitcher Braden Looper got the win today, his second for the season. Outfielder Preston Wilson made a spectacular catch in right field, Chris Duncan continues to amaze as he is making catches that he missed last season.
*In Honor of Jackie Robinson-baseball's first African American player, all of the players for both the Cardinals and the Brewers wore the number 42. Today was the 60th anniversary of Robinson's breaking the color barrier. It was a little confusing with everyone wearing the same number, but after a while it became easer to discern who was who.
*Up Next: Monday, April 16 7:10 PM.- Birds onthe Bat vs. Pirates. Pirates are sending Ian Snell (0-1) to the mound to square off against Cardinal starter Anthony Reyes (0-1).
*Cards take on the Pirates at home and then travel to San Francisco (stupid West Coast games) to challenge the Giants.
**Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Allergies!

Allergies majorly suck! For the past two days, my eyes have been swollen and painful. I thought when the weather got colder, the pollen and mold counts would go down. Wrong! I have been exhausting the tissue supply and putting cold washclothes over my eyes. So at the moment, contacts and any eye makeup of the sort is out of the question. Hopefully, my eyes will get better soon and I will get to wear my contacts again! Loki also suffers from Spring Allergies. In fact, she is on medicine for it. At one point, poor Lokilu was suffering so bad from allergies, she had to get a shot from the vet. Poor baby was so miserable, scratching and biting everywhere. Her eyes and snout were all red and puffy. She is much better now. The medicine is working wonders.

Baseball Season Is Officially Here!!

That's right folks, my fave time of the year is here; Baseball season! The Cardinals were presented their World Series ring on opening day in a grand ceremony. The rings are outrageous. 40 diamonds, 32 rubies, and the top of the ring is as a big as a bottle cap. Too much bling for me. The Cards opened the season against the New York Mets (who they beat in the NLCS to go on to the World Series). The Mets, unfortunately, beat us all three games. We went on to Houston to play the Astros, where the Cardinals won the series 2-1. Then they went to Pittsburgh to beat up (I mean play) the Pirates. The Cardinals won all three games. It was a very successful road trip (5-1). Currently the Cardinals record is 5-4 and they are a half game behind Cincinnati. The Chicago Cubs are in last place (suprise suprise). Here's some Cardinals highlights:
* First baseman Albert Pujols has gotten off to a slow start w/ .176 average. Very un-Pujols like, but its early in the season, we have a lot of games left to play.
*Third Baseman Scott Rolen sat out for two games due to back spasms. He is back in the line up for Friday, April 13th's game. Scott Spezio filled in for him and did a great job.
*Star pitcher Chris Carpenter is on the DL due to an elbow injury. According to the team doc, he is not expected to return to the lineup until May. Randy Kiesler has been called up from Memphis to take his place until his return.
*Adam Wainwright has made an impressive start-1-0. Braden Looper has also gotten off to a nice start 1-1.
*The Cardinals are playing musical chairs in left field; Chris Duncan starts one night, then So Taguchi, then Skip Schumaker, then Preston Wilson, and then Scott Spezio. Jim Edmonds is the only constant in Center field.
*New comer Adam Kennedy is also struggling at the plate; he is off to a 3 for 22 start for the season. Aaron Miles has been filling in for him. No worries thou, Kennedy will figure things out.
*Rookie Anthony Reyes gets the start tonight agains the Milwaukee Brewers, new comer Kip Wells will get the start on Saturday. Braden Looper will face off former Cardinal Jeff Suppan on Sunday. Jeff Suppan is being presented his World Series ring Friday night.
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cards!!

Busch Stadium- smoking ban

Hooray!! Busch Stadium has joined the 15 other stadiums in banning smoking from inside the stadium. Smokers will now have to go outside to smoke! Meaning I can breath freely and won't gag on any of the smoke from the smokers who don't pay attention to the rules. I know the smokers are not happy, but whatever. I am really excited about this and commend Busch on this action! While I do not have any tickets for any of the games yet, I will have a few tickets later and will enjoy the new smoke free environment!!
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cards!!

Tired puppy just won't quit

Last night, Loki was soo tired from running around the house. She wouldn't quit playing. She was exhausted, but she would not lay down to take a nap. She pulled what we refer to as "tired toddler act". Loki just wanted to play and play and play. We took her to Petsmart last night and weighed her- she weighed in at 51.5 lbs. Mom thinks Loki is a bit pudgy and wants to call her "Porkylu" I keep insisting that Loki is in perfect shape. I think she is even stronger than Shadow. Loki is solid muscle; she almost rips your arm out playing w/ her tug toy! Last week, I took Loki up to the new grooming place next to our vets office, Rub A Dub Doggie. We normally take Loki to Petsmart for nail clipping and grooming when we can't hose her down in front of the house. So we decided to give Rub A Dub Doggie a try, they are very close to home. It was well worth it. I asked them to use a gentle shampoo on her as she has very sensitive skin, so they used an oatmeal based shampoo and didn't charge extra. Overall they did a great job on her at a much cheaper price than Petsmart! We have a new groomer! They also put a nice green bandana w/ shamrocks on her. They must have put the bandana on her while her fur was a bit damp b/c her neck turned green! Its a very light green and she doesn't seem bothered by it. My younger brother vows he is going to dye her green one year and bring her downtown for the parade; that isn't going to happen so long as I live. Number 1) her skin is way too sensitve for dyeing-she would be itching like crazy 2) I am NOT having my puppy dyed green, end of story! The weather has turned warmer and with that the ground is dry and safe enough for us to toss Loki's orange retriever down the hill. She loves it! She can't get enough of it, this is why we had to hide it the majority of the winter what with the mud and the ice on the ground. Not only could she get hurt, she also got quite muddy. Not that she minded. As the warmer months get closer, Loki will be going on long walks again (I have missed those!) and spending more time outdoors. We could be BBQing on Wed, which would be great, b/c I have missed Daddy bbqing and the weather for it! But we're not out of the woods yet; it's St. Louis, anything can happen!

Cardinals! Cardinals!

Spring Training officially started Monday! Here's whats going on:
*The 2006 World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals will recieve their World Series rings on April 3rd, before their second game with the Mets. Fans in attendance will recieve replica rings to comemerate this momentous event. Tickets for this game are available through the Pujols 5 pack.
*Albert Pujols is an American citizen (old news, I know), so congrats to him. He was interviewed by News Channel 5 which featured his adorable son A.J. Wherever Pujols goes, A.J. goes.
*Yadier Molina played winter ball in Puerto Rico this winter so his family could see him play. Molina is very confident in his hitting abilities for the upcoming season. He told reporters that he is going to be a 300 hitter this year. After his amazing post season, it would be nice to see that he can keep the momentum going.
*John Rodriguez has also changed things up over the winter. According to News Channel 5 he started running(why run? who is chasing you?), and gave up pizza (the horror! Pizza is an essential American food, plus its yummy!) J-Rod claims that giving up pizza was the toughest part of his offseason. Rodriguez is also blogging again. Hopefully he will keep up with it all season.
*Jason Isringhausen is recovering nicely from his postseason hip surgery. He is being cautious but he is confident in his return to the reliever role.
*Jim Edmonds is recovering from toe and shoulder surgery, so he hasn't started workouts with the team yet. He is going to be held back another two/three weeks. Edmonds is not feeling any effects of the post-concussion sydrome that plagued him at the end of the season. Edmonds has a known aversion to Spring Training, so well known that it is a running joke in the Cardinals clubhouse.
*Scott Rolen's shoulder is feeling fine, and Rolen says he is in a better position than he was last Spring Training.
*Chris Carpenter is looking to add to his already impressive arsenal. Carpenter wants a better handle on his change up and his curveball. Batters that have faced him have made little contact with the balls Carp has thrown. Carp is also the undisputed leader Cards corps. He is the only starter still on the team from the fantastic 2004 season.
*Chris Duncan is hitting the batting cages hard and is constantly working on his outfielding.
*Edmonds and Juan Encarnacion are the only definate outfielders, so left field is up for grabs. Both J-Rod and Duncan are going to give it everything they got to win that position.
As always everything read here can be read in more detail on the cardinals website: www.stlcardinals.com
I am super excited about the upcoming season which can not come soon enough. Meanwhile, I am reading everything available on the Cards website and in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Football season is over, so I am going through sports withdrawl. I want my baseball! Opening day is April 1st, I will not be one of the lucky people in attendance, but you can bet that I will be watching every minute of it. If I can't watch it (Heavan forbid) I will be either listening to it or "watching" it via the amazing feature on the Cardinals website that allows viewers to see the location of the pitches, and keep you up informed of whats going on when you don't have access to the radio or the tv.
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cardinals!! :)

Presidential Hopefuls

Presidential Elections are not until November of 2008, that is two years from now! And yet we are already hearing about canidates who are hoping to run. Hilary Clinton was one of the first to put her "name in the hat". I can not in good conscience vote for her; I would love to see a female president, but she cheated her way into the senate and besides she has already had 8 years in the White House. Bill was in charge? Yeah, right. Then there is the freshman senator Barack Obamba. Senator Obama if elected to president would be the first African American President. I am all for that however, I do not believe that Obama is the right choice. Not now at least, maybe after a few more terms in the senate, then maybe he might be ready. He does not have near enough experience to run this country. Obama has only been a senator for 2 years; he does not have anywhere near the experience needed for being president. Just b/c he is African American and young is not a good reason to rush him towards the White House. We need a president who knows what they are doing; not someone who is still learning the ropes. Being president is a major job; it is on a whole other level than being senator. Everybody is raving about Obama; but what has he done? I haven't heard anything about him; what issues has he spearheaded, or what changes has he helped implement? We have at least a year and a half before the real campaigning and mudsinging begins. I don't know who I am voting for, but it will not be for Obama or Clinton. Its too early to tell. A lot of people say they are going to run for president, but they end up dropping out before going before their party for the right to represent. All I know is that I want a president that has experience in politics; lots of experience. I am merely expressing my opinion here; everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and politics is one of those touchy subjects. Don't start a debate with me b/c I will not engage. We have a lot of time left, and right now, I am focusing on who is charge at the moment, not who could be in charge. Personally, I support Bush (yes, I'm republican) and I tend to vote Republican. I really just want the person is most capable of doing a good job.

Spring Training has arrived!!

Pitchers and Catchers reported to Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida today!! They didn't have to do anything today, but about 20 players participated in a light game of catch. A few position players were also in camp; Chris Duncan, who has been down there since December working on his outfielding skills, Skip Schumaker, Albert Pujols, of course. Workouts begin t/m. The rest of the team reports to Jupiter on Monday February 19th. A bit of interesting news; Braden Looper is in competition to become one of the 5 starting pitchers. Looper is excited with the prospect of being a starter instead of a reliever, his usual role. Click here for the official report.
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cards!!

Molina vs. Wainwright

After Adam Wainwright struck out the last batter in Game 5 of the World Series, catcher Yadier Molina pocketed the ball. Wainwright spoke w/ Molina, and said that since he threw the last strike of the game he got the ball. Molina agreed. However, the ball in question is sitting in Molina's home office in Puerto Rico. Wainwright and Molina are still playfully argueing over who gets the ball. When asked if he will give the ball to Wainwright, Molina repllied "I don't think so". Molina's agruement for keeping said ball is that he didn't have any other momento from the other games and he worked really hard in the post season so he deserves to keep the ball. It was an interesting article in the St. Louis Post Distpatch; it made the front page. Personally, I think Molina should keep it for a year, then Wainwright gets it for a year, then they give it to the Cardinals Hall of Fame. Click here for the official report!
*Spring Training starts February 15th!!
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cardinals!!

Loki is one year old!

On February 8th, Loki turned one year old. To celebrate this happy event we gave Loki a new fleece blankee. It is pink with sheeps. We also took pics of her with a SpongeBob Square Pants party hat on while she sat on her new blankee. New pics will be posted soon. Even tho Loki is a year old, she hasn't been with us a full year yet- when she has been another celebration will take place (very minor).

PC Sucks

Superbowl Commercials are often the highlight of the Superbowl event. Every year advertisers try to do outdo each other by creating the best commercial. They spend millions of dollars just for a 2 or more seconds blip. Well, Snickers managed to pay the hefty due and landed a commercial during the Superbowl. The commercial featured a guy eating a snickers bar while working on a car, then the other guy who is helping him takes a bite at the other end. They end up redoing the famous scene from Disney's Lady and the Tramp. *Each eating a string of spaghetti and end up kissing each other* After this "kiss" the guys freak out, and then declare they must do something "manly" to erase this act. So they rip out a section of their chest hair. It was kinda funny, and some people liked it. Where is this commerical now? Its off the air, it's been banned. Why? B/c members of the gay community claimed it was too "homophobic" and therefore damaging to their image. So in an attempt to apease them and be more "PC", the commercial was pulled.
Everything in this day and age must be PC. It sucks. So much for freedom of speech.

Colts win the Superbowl!!

Congrats to the Indianapolis Colts! 2007 Superbowl Champions!! I was actually cheering on the Colts mainly to tick off the parents who were cheering for the Chicago Bears. I really didn't care who won, but it was cool that the team I was cheering for won. Chicago struck first scoring a touchdown on the kickoff. Then Indy scored. Indy gained the lead berfore the half, and kept the lead for the rest of the game. The entire game was played in the rain, but that didn't stop the Colts from becoming the champs! Colts beat the Bears 29-17. The game was great. The commercials were great! Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was named MVP for the superbowl. Click here for the exact recap of the game.

Cardinals Update

*Cardinals resigned Preston Wilson to a one year contract.
*Pitcher Jeff Weaver signed a one year contract with Seattle. Dumb move on his part, he was having a horrible year and then the Cardinals picked him up and Duncan worked his majic. W/o Duncan, Weaver will spiral downward once more.
*Anthony Reyes could be a starter for the 2007 Season.
*If Jason Isringhausen is even close to being ready, Adam Wainwright will be a starter. Wrong move. Adam Wainwright shined as a closer in the post season, let's keep a good thing going! Click here for rotation information.
* The health of the outfielders is an issue for the Birds on the Bat. Jim Edmonds is recovering from a offseason shoulder and toe surgery. Juan Encarnacion is also recouperating from a winter surgery on his left wrist. Newcomer Chris Duncan will be one of many putting his cap in for a posisiton in the outfield. John Rodriguez and So Taguchi also want a chance. Don't forget about Scott Spezio and Skip Schumaker.
* It will be an interesting spring training to see who does what. Hopefully the players will all be healthy and ready to go by opening day.
Por Siempre, Let's Go Cardinals!!

Cards will host 2009 All Star Game!!

*It's official! The St. Louis Cardinals will host the 2009 All Star game! By then the ballpark village should be up and running. This is an awesome opportunity for St. Louis and the Cardinals. It should bring in a lot of revenue for the city and many tourists! St. Louis will get the chance to show everyone why we are the best baseball town in the world!
*The 2006 World Series Team visited the White House and the President yesterday. About 20 members of the team including Manager Tony LaRussa and some coaches were in attendance. Former Cardinal Jeff Soupon was in attendance, however Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols were missing. Pujols is in the Dominican Republic for the next month for his charity organization.
*So Taguchi was signed to a one year contract with an option for the 2008 season. He will being going against Chris Duncan for a spot in left field. Click here for the details.
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cardinals!!
Spring Training starts on Febuary 14th! Let the countdown begin!!

Miracle in Missouri part 2

Shawn Hornbeck, now 15, and Ben Ownby, 13, are both safe at home with their families. Neither boy has spoken to the press, and that's good; it should be a long while before either speaks to the news hungry media. More news regarding the story has come to light. The man who held both boys captive is Michael J. Devlin, a former employee of a Kirkwood Imo's and a funeral home. Last night on the news, lawyers for Devlin came forward and inisisted that Devlin is innocent. Yeah right. The guy took Ownby and held Hornbeck for over 4 years. Of course his family is saying that Devlin is innocent. A new group has formed on Facebook and it kinda makes me mad. Number one the some of the facts are wrong, 2) some of the comments are horrible (hes kinda cute-not appropriate), and 3) the spelling is awful. The guy who showed police the white pickup truck is Geoff Hadler. The most reliable source for details on this story is the news, not third hand stories.
Thank God for the safe return of both boys. Time is what these two need; time heals all wounds.

William "Ben" Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck found!!

Miracle in Missouri; that's what they are saying all over. ""We have some good news and we have some probably unbelievable news," (Franklin County Sheriff Gary) Toelke told reporters this afternoon."
Today missing boy Ben Ownby was found in Kirkwood, MO. Not only was Ownby found, Shawn Hornnback was also found at the same residence!! Ownby has been missing since Monday and Hornback has been missing since October 2002! Police had been at the apartment complex to serve a warrent the other night when they noticed the white pickup that resembled the one that supposedly took Ownby. They took pics of it and today found not only Ownby but also Hornbeck, who stepped forward and identified himself. Click here for all the details of this amazing story.

No Hot H2O = Not happy JBear

So our hot water heater broke sometime on Monday. I discovered the lack of hot water while taking my shower; I couldn't get the water hot enough. Later, it was discovered that the hot water heater was leaking and on Tuesday no hot water was to be had. I have been sick since last Wed, and felt absolutley horrible on Monday and all I wanted was a nice hot shower before my doctor appt. Not an option. So mom and dad went to Lowes and picked out a new hot water heater yesterday, which had a dent in it but was otherwise functional so the guy who sold it had to take off 279 dollars, so they got a hot water heater for 100 dollars with a nine year warrenty (I think). Right now our new hot water heater tank is being stalled. By who? None other than a scouter friend and his son, who happended to be in the same fraternity as me. That's right, it's Joe and his son Danny Flees! They have been here since 11ish, and had to leave and get a pipe, and just returned so hopefully they will finish soon, and then I will have to wait another hour and a half for a hot shower. Which I am sooo looking forward to. Tuesday night mom and I ventured to Riverchase to sit in the hottub and have a hot shower. Dad and little brother have taken cold showers, which I am not insane enough to even try. So now I sit here waiting until I can take my nice hot shower! At least I will be getting one tonight. Then I am going to Gloria Jeans, then Olive Garden for yummy Italian food, and then home to watch Chicago! Things will be much better when I finally get my hot shower!

25 Reasons to Date a Swimmer!!

1. We like it wet
2. We are used to wearing next to nothing in front of people
3. We are experts at putting on rubber and can do it fast
4. We know how to push it and work under HARD conditions
5. We believe practice makes perfect and will any time day or night
6. We are used to doing things till you can't go on any longer
7. Sprinters are fast and efficient. Distance swimmers can last a long time
8. We are always ready to dive in head first
9. We may get tired but never stop in the middle
10. We do it in the water
11. We start fast, stay strong, and finish hard
12. We are always wet and half naked
13. We are able to do it on our backs or our stomachs
14. We can do it fast or slow
15. We can do it 4 different ways
16. We know how to get dressed and undressed in no time
17. We are always improving our times
18. We are better when we put our hips into it
19. We have have excellent stamina and endurance
20. We are not afraid of pain
21. We always finish what they start
22. We always yell and shout
23. We can perform well anywhere
24. We've been well trained...lots of training to get this good
25. We are always looking for the perfect stroke

Random

Christmas season is over at the Noel house. Today I took down our lights from our bushes, I removed the candles from the window, and helped mom gather the random Christmas stuff scattered across the house. T/m the tree will come down. My little brother's bday is Jan. 5th so everything has to be down before then. This was done when we were little so that my brother could distinguish between Christmas and his bday.
*So I viewed the infamous clip of John K. Ottenad (former Region 8 Director) singing "I'm a Little Tea Pot". Very funny! I about fell out of my chair laughing.
*Loki is almost done w/ her giant bone that she got for Christmas. She has been working hard at it for a week now. She can now pick it up and wants to be in your lap and chew on her bone! It's cute, but when you are on the floor and you have a 48 pound puppy crawling all over you, you get lots of bruises!
*It is warm and sunny in St. Louis, while some enjoy this weather (froggiegirl for instance), I am hating it. I want my snow and cold weather! I have some really cute sweaters and I want to wear them! I have some hoodies I want to wear too! So the weather needs to get colder and snow needs to head our way. Hey Denver, send some of that snow to St. Louis!
*APO Nationals was a huge success or so I've heard. I wasn't able to make it, but several of my friends were in attendance. Lucky for me I have som GREAT friends who kept me updated and shared stories. Shout out to Robert R. who kept me in the loop in regards to legislation. The main issue I was worried about was the Toast song. Last Nationals in Denver 2004, we (the delegates) spent 3 and a half hours arguing about it. Luckily, the Toast song stays intact and I am happy for it! Tradition is important and I'm really glad it wasn't changed. I also got some friends who said they missed me or would miss me at Nationals- shout out to Steph, George, Katrina, and Marlene. I miss all of my brothers! I am hoping to attend sectionals in the spring, then I will get to see all of my brothers. Tho if you are in St. Louis, call me and we can do something!
*Soon there will be a countdown until Cardinals Spring Training begins. Catchers and pitchers report to Jupiter sometime in Febuary.
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Welcome to 2007

Well it's a new year, and with it hopefully comes some changes. I am hoping to get a full time job this year and start living in the "real world". Also, I am hoping to change some other things; my financial situation, my health, etc. Hopefully, I won't make as many mistakes this year as I did last year. Last year is over; this is a new year thus giving me a chance to start fresh. Something like working full time will give me a place to focus my energy and keeping me from bored. So bring on the new year; I'm ready for some changes and all that comes with those changes!!
*Last night, I was at Froggiegirl and Gimlet's house. While Gimlet watched football, Froggiegirl and I watched The Devil Wears Prada and munched on chips and dip. Along w/ jellybeans and choc. covered raisens (which I ate b/c Froggiegirl doesn't like them). It was a tame New Year's Eve, but great. The chinnies entertained us very well, jumping around and making funny noises. Fipsy and Roo liked sitting on my feet, and Sully made all sorts of noises as he moved around the room. Chinnies are soo cute and funny. Loki was excited to see me when I got home and as usual acted like she had never gotten attention in her life. Of course, I was too tired to give her much attention. Even tho I took a nap, I was still tired. So I slept really late today. *Now I am watching "Meet the Fockers", very funny. Earlier, we were watching "Posiden Adventure" (the newer version). Cool special effects, but the situations totally unreal. Golum has returned to his cave and and Dad is taking a nap. Mom and I are taking advantage of the ability to get on the internet via our laptops. Loki is out cold. Hehe, much better than her running around the house w/ the zoomies.
*Happy New Year to all!! May it bring you everything you wish and more!!*

Laptop & Loki updates

As I type I am sitting in my living room watching the end of "Paint Your Wagon". Yes, that's right, I finally can access the internet from my laptop. I got the laptop in the beginning of August, and it took me until December to get the wireless connection working. And I don't even need another internet port. In fact, we are going to try and return it. All we had to do was turn on a switch and type in a password. Lucky for me, my mommy did it for me so when I got up, my internet connection was in operation. So I am blogging for the first time on my laptop. Hehe, no more sitting at the dumb desktop complaining about the speed or lack thereof. My laptop is very fast and I love it. Now I can take it with me and access the internet at places that offer free connection like the St. Louis Bread Co.
* Loki is now 10 months old now and will be 11 months on January 8th. She is done w/ obedience lessons, she doesn't have an official piece of paper declaring her a graduate; but she is. She is very smart and did really well. She still acts like an idiot when ppl are over. Despite all of her training, she still acts like she has no manners when it comes to ppl. She is still very much a puppy, so it is forgivable. Labs in fact, don't really mature until they are about 3 years old. Shadow still acted like a puppy at times up until her last days.

Chrsitmas 2006

*Okay so Santa visited last night and left a nice loot of goodies behind. (apparently Santa thought I was a good girl this year ;)). Among the loot that I can claim as mine; boots (yay! finally some tall black boots!), a nice teal shirt, Hershey Kisses Fondue Set, Chocolate for the fondue set, Printmaster (program to create my own calenders, greeting cards, etc), a soothing neck wrap and face mask, a suit (which is going to be returned b/c its too tight on the shoulders and itchy), and a sign for my garden (very cute).
*I also recieved some lovely gifts on Wed from my friends when we met up at the Old Spaghetti Factory (yummy food by the way) for our annual Holiday Party: Very Sexy Lotion from Missy, Oklahoma! DVD & VS lip gloss from Jenny & Tom, Vanilla Bean Noel (my fave holiday scent from Bath & Body works) lotion from Liz, and a really neat candle set from Angie.
*So I braved the crowds yesterday to find some knee-high socks (I selected the boots myself, so I knew I was getting them and I knew I needed socks for them). The crowds weren't bad; just like any other Sunday. With the exception of it being Christmas Eve.
*Watched the movie Invincible- true story about Vince Papali a guy who got to play for the Eagles even tho he never played college football. Really good movie. Also watched a lot of episodes of Star Gate season 9 (Golum's present), Gremlins, and Fantastic Four. Christmas Day is great for doing nothing; all we have is opening gifts in the morning and then the family dinner at night. There's only four of us, so its a small informal deal, but very good food and important.
*T/m I will brave the crowds again, though not in the early morning. New York & Company is having a fabulous sale and I have a coupon for 15% off. There are two shirts I want and a suit(exchange for suit I got for Xmas). Going to NY & Co and that's it, maybe Best Buy or I just might send out Golum to get my stuff. Ah well, we'll see
* Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!!

2006 in Review

This survey is about the year 2006. Answer the questions thinking about the past year. My answers are below:


1) Overall, have you had a good year? yea I guess so
2) What has been your biggest achievement? graduating from college
3) Did you take any exams, pass? last summer, and yes I passed
4) Have you been on a vacation (list where and when)? nope...summer school and no money
5) Have you bought anything expensive? a laptop computer- my first!!
6) Have you had a job? some little assigments from Kelly Temps
7)Made any big decisions? um, researching a puppy?
8) Lost a friend or loved one? yea, RIP Riley Hughes, and Shadow- beloved black lab
9)Met anyone amazing? uh...that'd be a no
10) Made new friends? yep
11) Moved house? nope
12) Changed College? nope, I'm all done now
13) Tried something new? obedience training a puppy
14) Been more happy or sad? happy
15) Made any enemies? not on purpose...
16) What music will you remember from this year? my introduction to Raggaeton (ty Amber) and "Hips don't lie" By Shakira, and "Buttons" by Pussycat Dolls, "Promiscous" by Nelly Furtado, and "Switch" by Will Smith
17) What movies have you seen at the cinema this year? um.... Superman Returns,
18) What was your best night out? Jenny and Tom's Wedding
19)What was your worst night out? hmmm....I don't know
20) Best day? gettting my puppy Loki
21) Worst day? when we had to put Shadow to sleep
22)Best month?May- I found out I was going to graduate in August!!
23)Worst month? Febuary
24)Was summer a gooden'? I was in class most of the time, but having Loki helped
25)Have you made better friends with anyone? yes
26) Lost any friends? yes...it makes me sad b/c it wasn't my fault
27) Made any plans for next year? not really, getting a job and perhaps going to Sectionals to help choose new Railroaders
28) How many hair colours have you had? just blonde
29)Got pierced? no
30) Got inked? never!
31) Changed your image? nope
32) Missed anyone? yes- my brothers!!
33) Know what you want in the future? yup
34)Regret anything? yes, everybody regrets something
35)Have you had any relationships this year? no but I've gone on dates
36) Been to church? for Jenny and Tom's Wedding
37)Cried yet? yeah....
38) Been on a diet? yes the doctors have put me on a few diets to make my tummy better
39) Pulled an all nighter? yep- good old 4 AM visits to the ER
40) Drank Starbucks? YUM
41) Went Camping? define camping
42) Bought something(s)? lots of things
43) Met someone special? everyone is special
44)Been out of state? yea
45)Gone Snowboarding? no.
46)Gotten in a car accident? nope not this year
47)Gone over your cell phone bill? nope!

Snow, Snow, and more Snow!!

As previously posted, we got about 5 or more inches of snow last night/this morning. The trees are covered in ice and look wonderful. Mom and I managed to get some great winter shots. My highlight is the awesome Cardinal picture I got! For a while now, I have been trying to get a great shot of a bright red Cardinal in a tree. A nice close up. Well, today I got it!! It is awesome! Here is the link to the winter pics.
*Loki and I went sledding and had an absolute blast. Granted, Loki didn't know what exactly was going on. The reason I went sledding is b/c our pile of wood that is protected by a tarp is at the bottom of the hill. So I decided to sled down the hill and bring the wood up in the sled.
*Loki is enjoying her first taste of snow! She loves to push her nose in it and sniff. She also likes to run in it!

St. Louis's worst Snow Storm!

That's what people all over are saying. That is snow storm is possibly the worst one in the city's history. When they first said that a system was headed our way, I was a bit doubtful. Then again, this is St. Louis. If something doesn't make sense, the answer is- that's St. Louis. The stystem came and hit us hard and fast. First the temp dropped 30 or more degrees, then the rain started. It dropped some more degrees, then the sleet came. All Wed night the sleet fell, until we had at least 2 inches of slush. Loki was thrilled. She had sooo much fun chasing her retriever in the slush. Before I went to bed, I saw lightning, and then I heard a big crack of thunder, and I got really excited b/c I thought we were going to get Thunder Snow! Thunder Snow has only hit St. Louis once, that was in the winter of '82- mom was pregnant w/ me and said that they got 24 inches!! Unfortunately, no thunder snow. We did get about 5 or more inches of snow. Not bad for our first snow storm. The trees are covered in ice. Several big branches are down. We got lucky, other areas were hit a lot harder. Kirkwood for one; they lost power lines, trees, and power. Lucky for us, we still have power and only lost it briefly. So we are quite toasty w/ a roaring fire going on all day. Columbia got Thunder Snow- and 16 inches of wonderful snow! Friday the roads were plowed and were better than Thursday afternoon/night.
* For those of you who think the snow will be gone by Sunday- think again. Beneath all of the snow, there is a layer of ice- a nice solid 2 inches layer of ice. There must have been 6 inches of ice on mine and my brothers car alone. This stuff is going to stick around for a while as we are in for some cooler temps all week. Sure everything might have melted in the sun today, and the roads were better. However, it is about 24 degrees outsitde right now and everything is freezing over again. Tonight we might hit single digit degrees! So stay inside and stay warm. If you venture out, drive w/ extreme caution and bundle up!

Sales, Glorious Sales!

This year I was one of many who went shopping the day after Thanksgiving at 5 AM. I wanted to go shopping, just not at 5 AM! That was mother's idea. "I don't want to deal w/ the crowds, the rush, the traffic". Not a problem, JCPenney's opens at 5. The main store we want to go to is New York and Company. They weren't open (like I figured) that early. They opened up w/ the rest of the mall at 8. I did manage to get a sweater at JCPenney at 60% off, so that made me happy. Here's the sweater I got except mine is green. Plus, mom fed me- cinnabon! I made it out to NY & Co on Sunday- they must have been really wanting to move some merchandise b/c they kept sending me emails on discounts. $25 off purchase of $50 or more, or $50 off purchase of $100 or more. Had to take advantage of it. Mom wanted some navy slacks, but she doesn't like to shop, so she sends me out to get her stuff. I also managed to find a cute lacy red shirt. It is flirty enough to be fun, and high necked/concealing enough to wear at work!
*On another note: Thanksgiving was wonderful-the food was great, and we got to relax.
Rented the movie Ice Age The Meltdown- very funny.

Scouting for Food

This Sat is Scouting for Food Collection Day. Scouting for Food orginated in the St. Louis area, is the largest single day food collection and every year our city brings in the most amount of food. The scouts will hit the streets at 10 AM. I will be at the firehouse all day! I am soo excited, this is my favorite service project. I will probally be at the firehouse from 9-3ish. I will help w/ set up, making boxes, unloading cans, boxing cans, traffic control, and lots more. I want to remind everybody to leave a bag of food out on your front porch for the scouts!
Good Items: Soups, Beef stews, Veggie mixes, fruit cans
Bad Items: Expired things- if you won't eat it, neither will they, damaged cans, cans w/o labels. Candy- it is perishable- don't worry it will be eaten- the scouts will enjoy it!
We're at a new firestation this year, so set up will be different. Traffic will be much better tho. If anybody wants to join me, let me know- we always welcome help!

Cardinals Updates

Here are some Cardinal Updates:
Cards signed center fielder Jim Edmonds to a two year deal!! Edmonds will continue to patrol center field until 2009!!!
*First baseman Albert Pujols was awarded the Marvin Miller Man of the Year. This goes to players who not only make an effort on the field, they go above and beyond off the feild.
*Chris Carpenter placed third in the Cy Young Awards.
*Third baseman Scott Rolen picked up his 6th Gold Glove, and Pujols earned his first. Catcher Yadier Molina was denied his first gold glove, Houston Astros Brad Ausmus got it instead. The only Ausmus had over Molina was his batting average. Molina is the best defensive catcher in the league.
*Manager Tony LaRussa didn't even get a vote in the Manager of the Year award. The award considers regular season play only. The manager for the Marlins won.
*MVP players will be announced on November 21. Hopefully, Pujols will win again- he should, he had an awesome season and his team won the world series.
*The Cards will start their new season defending their NL title. That's right, April 1st its Cards vs. Mets! Down w/ the Mets!
*Cardinals do have a homegame on May 5- my bday- so I want to go!
*Spring Training starts sometime in Feb, it can't get here soon enough for me!
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que tu lo sepas!

I'm Borciuan, Just so you know! That's the translation. I stumbled onto this clip quite by accident. Boricuan is a Puerto Rican living in New York. My mom is from New York and is Puerto Rican ergo she is 100% Boricuan!! This show was all about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. I finally learned what Boricua means, and I learned about the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The first parade was held in 1958. My mom was only 7 or 8 at the time, but it is very possible that she went to this historic moment. If not this one, she had to have gone to at least once. I love learning about my heritage, so this clip grabbed my attention immeadiatly. Learning about my Puerto Rican heritage is extremly important to me, and not a lot is known about it. Mi bisabuela Florence Ernest(great-great grandmother) came to NYC from Puerto Rico w/ her husband, her daughter who was pregnant with my grandfather, and her two sons. She told them "We are in America now, we speak English" and that was the end of Puerto Rico for them. Mi abuelo knew about his home land, had visited, and from that the most we are able to gather is that they were originally from San Juan- the capital. Not really sure tho, and we probally have family there. Mi abuelo's brother's, Cecil Gonzales, wife supposedly went back to Puerto Rico w/ her two or three kids. But Gonzales in Puerto Rico is like Miller or Smith in the US. So any family history or any knowledge I gain about Puerto Rico is precious to me.

Cardinals Victory Rally!

I managed to get two tickets to Sunday's Rally at Busch Stadium. Nobody wanted to go w/ me so I went alone (Froggiegirl and Gimlet were the exceptions- they had family over).Unfortunately, I arrived so late I totally missed the parade. The tardieness is partly my own fault. I should have left much earlier. As such, I had to park a block away from the Metro link station in Shrewsberry. The train going there and back was packed like crazy, like sardines litterally. The crowd downtown was NUTS! I don't think I have ever seen downtown St. Louis that crowded! And they were all wearing red and screaming for the Cardinals!! When I finally got to the stadium, the streets were blocked b/c of the parade, but the crowd was at least 30 ppl deep on both sides. Naturally I couldn't see a thing. Being short didn't help matters. Finally I got accross the street only to get caught in another major traffic jam of people. After at least 45 minutes of being pushed and shoved I made into the stadium. The whole process of getting ppl into the stadium was not well thought out. Thousands of people wanting to get in and only a handful letting them in. One guy, tired of waiting, took matters into his own hands. He climbed the gates, and jumped in. He didn't get hurt, and came back later w/ a beer to flaunt. My seats were in the Redbird Infield club- an exclusive place, the ppl there check your tickets before you can enter, there you have your choice of places to eat, and mixed drinks. The seats were padded and offered a great view! I got there in time to see Mike Shannon talk and introduce General Manager Walt Jocketty. Jocketty spoke, Owner Bill DeWitt spoke, finally Tony LaRussa was called on the field and spoke. He came on amid cheers of "Tony! Tony! Tony!" The crowd went nuts! After some talk, the players and some of their family came out, and the crowd- already loud- got louder!! They talked to Molina, who had the biggest grin on his face!! He looked hot! All the players looked extremly proud and happy. Here are the pics to recount my adventure. I wish I had asked someone to take my pic, oh well.
*Felicidades a los Cardinals!! Congratulations 2006 World Series Champions- the St. Louis Cardinals!!!
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Cardinals are World Champs!!

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals!! 2006 World Series Champions!! Yadier Molina was Red Hot last night, he went 3 for 4. David Eckstien was declared the MVP of the World Series, well deserved, and he recieved a sweet ride for it. Eckstien was not only presented with a trophy, he was given a set of keys to a 2006 500 horse power Chevy Corvette- yellow! Jeff Weaver pitched an awesome game and Adam Wainwright came into the ninth, allowed a double, walked a guy and then got the next guy out w/ three strikes! And bam! Cards are World Champs! Manager Tony LaRussa became the second manager in baseball history to win a World Series in both leagues, just like his hero Sparky Anderson. Cards beat the tigers 4-1 in the series, and 4-2 was the final score last night. The town went nuts. I don't think the parying stopped until early morning. I predicted that we would win in 5, and we did! We weren't going to Detroit! It was destined to end last night! Now I gotta go out and get a World Champ hoodie for myself- I love hoodies! Once again, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, 2006 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!
*Up Next: Victory Parade downtown, Sunday October 29th at 2:00 PM. I will be there!

Magic Number is 1!!

Cards won 5-4 last night!!! Tigers took an early lead of 3-0. Shortstop David Eckstien started the rally, with an RBI double in the bottom of the third. Eckstien is my mom's hero- she thinks he is just great. I like him b/c he is only 5'7" (an inch taller than me) and he is playing in the major leagues! Shout out to all short ppl out there- we can do anything!! Okay back to the game summary; Yadier Molina proved that he is till Red Hot in October- he got a double that scored Scott Rolen! Eck came thru again btm of the 7th getting a double off of Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney. It seemed catchable but Tigers centerfielder slipped and Eck got another double. So Taguchi entered with the intention of dropping a bunt to get Eck to third, but Rodney slipped and badly threw the ball to third which allowd Eck to score. Preston Wilson got a single which allowed Taguchi to score. Cards lead 4-3, but those rotten Tigers came back in the 8th to tie things up. Rookie closer Adam Wainwright allowed a double from Brandon Inge which allowed Ivan Rodgriguez to score, but thats the only run he would allow. Joel Zumaya(he of the 100+ mph pitcher, and yet when they're that fast he can't find the strike zone) took the mound, walked Yadier Molina and little Eck came up again and hit it deep. Tiger's left fielder Craig Monroe tried to dive for it but it bounced off his glove and Eck got another double!!! Cards tooik a 5-4 lead and that was all the Cards needed! Click here for the official wrap-up. Also check out J-Rod's blog- a behind the scenes look. My friend Russ, is one lucky person, he got to go to Tuesday night's game and Wed night (now Friday b/c it was rained out). My buddy JR is going to get his butt kicked b/c he called me at 1:54 AM! I hate calls that late/early!
*Up Next: Game 5 at Busch Stadium vs Tigers 7:00 PM. Jeff Weaver vs. Justin Verlander.
* Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!! Let's win the World Series!!!

Cards up 2-1!

Chris Carpenter was flat out amazing last night! He looked exactly like a Cy Young Winner. Hopefully, he will get the honor of being the 2006 Cy Young Award Winner. The game was great. At first it looked like it was going to be a pitchers duel, then all of sudden we started scoring! It was a great game. Carpenter got the run support he needed. I got a little scared when Joel Zumaya came out and started throwing heaters at 99, 100 & 101 mph! But they were all balls!!! Carpenter not only pitched great, he shut out the tigers and shut them down!! Final score was Cards 5-0!! Jim Edmonds came through with a two-run double, and then two more runs scored off an error by Zumaya! Preston Wilson finally got a hit, and So Taguchi earned a start in right field!! Albert Pujols hit with two on and two out, he laced a groundball at Zumaya which normally means the end of the inning. Instead, he threw it away by throwing the ball behind the third baseman! Pujols managed to motor around to second while Preston Wilson and David Eckstien scored! Taguchi scored in the 8th on a wild pitch! Click here for the official wrap up.
*Up Next: Game 4 vs. Tigers at Busch Stadium 7:00 PM.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!