Ireland Countdown: One Month

Yesterday my co-worker approached me and asked me how I was surviving now that all of my fantasy sports seasons have ended. I had to stop and think about that. How was I surviving now that all of my fantasy sports seasons have ended? Then I remembered I was in the middle of planning my FANTASY vacation to Ireland, which has kept me from blogging about such things as the CAVS in the playoffs (DeShawn Stevenson is a moron), the Browns draft (they did a lot with very few resources) and politics (This just in: disenfranchised white people do turn to religion and guns...Obama was correct).

Instead I am thinking about where I will be a month from now, and one month from today I will be taking a flight from County Cork to Belfast in Northern Ireland and from there we will be heading to Giants Causeway for the weekend (see red arrow). In other terms that may be easier for some of my readers (including myself to understand): we are flying from the city that brews Murphys Irish Stout and then driving to the oldest Whiskey distillery in the world: Bushmills, which is located near the Giants Causeway. My trip is definitely a combination of Carmen San Diego meets Jose Cuervo.

Happy Birthday To Me (6 Months From Now)

I was partially joking when I told Julie I wanted to go the Monday Night Football game between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants on October 13, 2008. By partially joking I meant it in that way when you hope someone takes you seriously, and if they don't, you can just say: "What? I was just joking-I would never really ask for something like that for my birthday six months away from now." Thankfully she took me seriously. Today I got my birthday wish six months in advance when she purchased this view for that evening:

Bummer

I love irony. Today I found out LeBron James will be sitting out tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons because the CAVS clinched their playoff spot. That isn't the ironic part, this story from the Plain Dealer is:

They could pick any spot in the country. Yet six teenagers from Nulato, Alaska, chose to visit Cleveland for their senior trip.

Why not Hawaii, like last year's class? Or New York City? Or Florida?
Senior Arnold Demoski offered one word: "LeBron." King James. Basketball god. Superstar they've scrutinized so many nights on satellite TV.

"They live, breathe and die basketball," said Mike Day, principal of the 60-student, K-12 Andrew K. Demoski School. "Winter months are long when you've got negative-50-degree weather. There's not a lot of outdoor activities."

And so the students, chaperoned by school counselor and Shaker Heights native Laura Barnett, raised nearly $20,000 and flew for 24 hours to see the Cavaliers.

They packed visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the zoo, movies and the mall and an Indians game -- where they froze, by the way -- around two Cavs games. They plan to visit Niagara Falls on Thursday.

"They love LeBron. They just think LeBron is the greatest player ever."

The students hope the King will grant a private audience at tonight's game. The Cavs helped the group buy tickets and gave them hats and t-shirts, but had no plans to help them meet their idol.

About Face

People say Hillary Clinton is two-faced, but I beg to disagree. I believe she has so many more faces than two. I can't decide if she is the least or most photogenic person I have ever seen. Decide for yourself:

The Rack Is Back!

We decided to take advantage of the first sixty-degree day of the year by putting the bike rack back on my car and biking in the Cleveland Metroparks. It has been nearly six months since my last bike ride outside, and I was beginning to wonder certain things out loud: "I can't remember what gears worked best for me." "How high do I like my seat?" "How do I switch gears on my bike...I can't remember!" Finally Julie said: "Relax-riding a bike is going to be just like riding a bike-it will all come back to you!"