brook rocks

i was driving to hey you's house the other day, and realized i hadn't driven the WRX in a while. i don't drive that much to begin with, and i had been in AZ for a week.

i was singing OAR at the top of my lungs. and we all know my singing voice is AWFUL.

but this is why i love her so much. brook will never judge my singing. shes consistent in her responsiveness to me.

buying my car was one of the best decisions i ever made. who still gets into their car after 5 years and thinks "god, i love this car"?

thanks brook.

stupid idea

just for the record, even this this rumor turns out to not be true,

THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I WILL SUPPORT THE GIANTS SIGNING MANNY RAMIREZ

if the giants feel like they have the money for ramirez, they should attempt to spend it in better ways. they need multiple players for the roster, not to mention a personal pitching/life coach for barry zito. even a better marketing campaign to get more people to AT&T park would be ok.

signing a hothead like ramirez would be a huge mistake. remember how long it took to get rid of bonds? have we learned nothing from that dark chapter?

picking up randy johnson was a great move. don't negate that by picking up a douchebag.

sad day/deal

the cubs trade mark derosa for 3 scrub pitchers. i didnt want to believe it when i read the story, but there is no denying. what a down note to start a new year with.

im pretty sad. derosa was one of my favorites. mildly comforting is the fact that a lot of fan reaction to this trade has been negative. most fans know that derosa wouldn't have been re-signed for 2010. his amazing 2008 play priced him out of the cubs range -- they are too busy blowing millions on players who drop balls and hit next to nothing in the post season. but we were looking forward to seeing derosa in 2009 at wrigley. hes one of the few guys on the team who showed up every day wanting to play and win.

its too early to say what this trade means for the 2009 season. i think the 3 minor league pitchers are part of a bigger plan to get jake peavy, but who knows? san diego isn't talking about making attempts to trade peavy right now. im sure the cubs won't be keeping these 3, as the pitching well seems to run pretty deep these days.

what i do know is that derosa was a reason im still recovering from the failed 2008 campaign. he played hard every day and always seems to have a great attitude on and off the field. he deserved more than playing for a team that was swept in 3 games in the NLDS by manny the dbag. i'll miss his blog posts, and how he always seemed like a nice, normal guy who never took for granted how lucky he was to play for a living.

seriously, who can resist that smile?


i guess im going to have to start watching cleveland games this season. another team for the playlist. its going to be a busy season.

then again, i may only be watching toronto and cleveland on mlb.tv and the giants and As in person. im already preparing emotionally for the fact that the 2009 cubs may be another huge letdown. gods, please let me be wrong.

no deal

jake peavy is not coming to the cubs. derosa is still on the team. whew. for now.

i cant say im unhappy. i dont think it would have been a good idea to give up derosa and vitters, the #1 prospect. peavy is good at all, but the rotation is already good, and we need hitting more than we need pitching. i like having the 5th spot open for marshall, or maybe even samardzija. or rich hill (please please please baseball gods!!!!) i would have shed no tears for marquis or pie had they departed, but not even the padres are stupid enough to give up a cy young winning pitcher for a AAA superstar who cant hit in the majors and an overpaid pitcher who is amazing one day and then fucking awful in this next 3 starts.

here's the part that baffled me. the padres need to unload peavy due to payroll concerns. as good as he is, peavy was injured last year and he ain't cheap. the cubs would be doing the padres a huge favor taking him off san diego's hands. but they were too demanding, when they really were not in a position to be. did the padres GM study the cubs' current starting rotation? zambrano, dempster, lilly, and harden? its pretty dominating. peavy would make them even better, but it's not like we were hurting for a 5th starter. we're not the yankees (burn!)

how about concentrating on raul ibanez? just a thought...

the best friends... EVER!

despite a couple of gaffes, i had NO CLUE and was duly surprised and amazed on friday night by the best friends ever.

cuz had had sent an e-mail earlier in the week, asking if we wanted to climb in the city on friday night and then have some drinks. i had no other plans, and hey you wanted to make transportation arrangements right away, so the plan was quickly formed.

it was a long stressful week at work, so by the time friday afternoon rolled around, i was seriously considering bailing and just going to bed and putting the week behind me. but hey you would have none of it. we went to her brother's house and played with her 1 year old niece, possibly one of the sweetest kids i have ever met. rejuvenated (who isn't in a good mood after hanging out a happy baby?) we headed for the bart.

after some climbing at mission cliffs with cuz, hey you, bbq, mopey boy, and larry hagman, i was surprised to hear in the locker room that cuz had managed to secure a table for 6 at blowfish sushi. its a happening place, and tables for groups more than 2 usually require advance planning (as in, not the same day). but hey, who am i to question cuz's mad reservation skillz?

upon arrival, i was surprised to see b there. what a happy coincidence! as i hugged her, i figured she and baseball buddy were simply on a date to a nice fun place to eat. we simply happened to pick the same place on the same night.

nope. so wrong. behind b were 7 other friends, 4 of whom had made the long drive up from silicon valley. apparently they had been planning and plotting for weeks to surprise me with dinner and drinks to celebrate my 2 year anniversary of living in california. it had been a done deal by the time we went to joshua tree for thanksgiving. talk about pre-planning.

i was flabbergasted. and "feelings are for babies" ma was moved to tears when they presented me with a scrapbook cuz and hey you had made of all my california escapades.

its been a great 2 years for me since i moved out here. i have done things i would have never tried and challenged myself. i've learned a lot about myself. most importantly of all, i have made some amazing friends.

i never thought i would have better friends that my u of i girls. we've known each other for going on 12 years now, and, despite the fact that we all live in different states, still act as a unit on the few occasions we get together.

my new "california friends", most of whom i've known for only 2 years have proved me wrong. i've found an awesome place to live with awesome people to hang out with. i look forward to every party, every climbing trip, even every visit to the gym.

in all, there were 16 people at dinner to celebrate this milestone with me. how cool is that? here's the group shot the hostess took.

i look like i'm starting to stick my tongue out, but i'm acually laughing.
apparently i can only smile properly in 1 picture per night.

the rest of b's pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bshone/sets/72157610824231612/

i'm took some pics of the scrapbook as well, they are posted on flickr here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynkaryn/sets/72157610841871291/

i'm still in shock. my friends are great. i'm so lucky to have them.