Please Don't Pick Us! Signed, Cleveland Sports Fans

I came across an article in USA Today today titled: "Revived Browns to feel the pressure of high expectations." Not only do the Browns feel the pressure, I speak for all fans of Cleveland sports when I say: Please don't pick us to win anything. We aren't good in those situations. We never win when people think we should. This years Cleveland Indians team was supposed to go to the World Series and they currently sit in last place in the Central Division. Do you want more proof? Remember when Sports Illustrated picked the Indians to win the World Series in 1987 and the team went on to lose a league-worst 101 games that season? I still have the cover, which jinxed us, etched in my memory. As a 12-year old I completely believed the experts when they picked Cleveland. I no longer feel that way. I am warning the young children of Cleveland now about the Browns season because I am sure I am not the only Cleveland child who has been scarred by the experts.

I Left My Heart (and my sunglasses and my camera case) In Ireland

It's been two weeks since I have been back from Ireland. My life has finally gone back to normal. I no longer feel worldly, I just feel grounded. I no longer feel like every turn is going to be a new encounter, I just feel routine. I now remember how much I hate feeling these ways. The trip to Ireland was a once in a lifetime experience that I am going to try and duplicate as often as possible. One problem with life-changing trips. They are also checking-account changing trips, and this means it will probably be awhile until we head out of the country. So now what? My favorite question as my blog title attests. Now I am going to the Ohio Brew Fest in Athens Ohio next month. It's not Ireland and I don't need a passport to get there, but it is Athens, one of my favorite places in all the world, and it does involve a lot of beer, one of my favorite things in all the world. The good news for you is that there will be a lot fewer pictures to look at upon my return, though probably the same amount involving beer.

Remember When?

Remember when I left for Ireland and many of you told me to take a lot of pictures, and then I came back and you found out I took over 1000 pictures? At that point I am sure many of you hoped and prayed I would not make you sit down with me and go through the story of each picture. Well...fear not! I have gone through all of my pics, cut them down in half, and created a link so that you can go through them as you like or not like as the case may be. This link will bring up all the pictures on one page and then you can either click on a specific picture if you want to see the caption, or you can click on "detail" on the left hand side, and it will photostream the pictures for you, so that you can view them all with the captions. Enjoy my Ireland Pictures!

Back From Ireland!

I am back from Ireland! I have over 1000 pictures to go through, which will probably take me weeks to sort and label. However, I was able to find about 20 pictures, which should reveal quite a bit about my trip and what an incredible adventure it was! You can click on the slides to see the pictures and captions better. I am feeling lazy and just took the pictures off another website, but that's what happens when you are up for 20 hours traveling, and then go to work the next day.

Where Am I? What Day Is It?

Normally I ask myself these two questions after a night of drinking. Now I am asking these questions because we are going to be traveling all over Ireland and Northern Ireland in 12 days, so I might be a little confused. Follow along for yourself:

Day 1: Fly into Dublin, tour the city and go to the Guinness Brewery*
Day 2: Fly to Galway on the west coast, pick up a car and head to the Cliffs of Moher*
Day 3: Drive the southwest coast of Ireland for 8 hours and end up in Cork*
Day 4: Drive to Cobh and then head north to see the Rock of Cashel*
Day 5: Walk around Cork, check out Blarney Castle, go to the English Market and then fly to Belfast, Northern Ireland*
Day 6: Spend the day touring Belfast*
Day 7: Pick up a car and drive the north coast of Northern Ireland ending up in Bushmills*
Day 8: Tour the Bushmills Distillery, Giants Causeway and bike on Rathlin Island*
Day 9: Drive back to Belfast and take the train to Dublin*
Days 10-12: Enjoy Dublin including a day trip to the beautiful town of Howth*
*Enjoy local pubs

The Bright Side Of The Cavs Losing

Yes, it was heartbreaking to watch the CAVS season end yesterday. Yes, I wish they were going up against the Pistons in a conference finals rematch from last year. However I have to look on the bright side of yesterday's loss and think: At least I won't be walking around Ireland the next two weeks trying to find a CAVS score. I have a feeling their games are not front page news over there.

Five days until Ireland!

Popeye For Vice President

John McCain should be working at the Tarot Card shop in Ohio City. Apparently he can tell the future because he sees an end to the war in Iraq in 2013. It looks like he is already campaigning for his second term with this brilliant plan. In essence if you vote for him now, he will put an abrupt end to the war just in time for his second term. I don't know about you, but the first image that popped into my head was Wimpy from Popeye and now I can't get: "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" every time I see McCain on television.

One more observation for McCain supporters. Remember how you chose George Bush over McCain in the primary eight years ago, and now even you can't wait for Bush to leave office? In summary, you want to vote for someone that you didn't like as much as George Bush who now has the lowest approval rating of any U.S. president. That adds up about as much as McCain's proposed economic plan.

Home Tour Sweet Home Tour

Looking for something cool to do in Cleveland this weekend? Even if you aren't, you should go to the Ohio City Home Tour. The tour highlights houses, condos and businesses in the Ohio City neighborhood. These kind people let you walk through their houses and businesses to view either the unique history or the modern touches they have added to the neighborhood. Its a great way to become more familiar with the near west side of Cleveland or just a good excuse to stop into The Old Angle for a pint.

The Trials And Tribulations Of Tivo

I love Tivo. It has changed my life. Hopefully for the better. We have Tivo on three of our televisions. The main television in the living room can record two things at once, while the other two televisions can only record one thing at a time. Unfortunately you can not watch live television if the television is recording at it's maximum, which can create a funny situation, such as the one it created last night.

In the middle of the CAVS game, a message came up on the screen telling us to decide between the CAVS game and (don't laugh) Grey's Anatomy and Don't Forget The Lyrics, which were both about to start recording in one minute. I yelled: "Oh No!" I obviously wanted to watch the CAVS, but not recording those two shows is not an option in our house, so we had to move and we had to move fast. Julie ran upstairs to record Grey's Anatomy, but she realized we were recording The Office up there, so she then ran down to the basement and was able to record Grey's Anatomy in time leaving me with the ability to watch the CAVS game live in the living room as I cooked dinner. I felt bad as I watched her run back and forth because I had already given up on the game and the CAVS were down by 20 points, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

Don't let this blog fool you, we don't really like Grey's Anatomy. I could see how you might think we do from reading this entry, but we really don't. Seriously. Don't let the fact that we were frantic when we thought we wouldn't be able to watch it lead you to believe that we are actually in any way interested in this show, and if you do draw that conclusion from this entry, please don't tell anyone else.

In other more important, yet unrelated news: 15 days until Ireland.

Rap Stars And Pizza Wars

I am so glad the Cavaliers finally beat the Washington Wizards. Of course I am happy because the CAVS won, but I couldn't take this series anymore. It was giving me a headache. I couldn't take the trash talk, or all the new rap songs that were coming from it. I thought this would all be behind us after Friday night's victory. However with the series over, we are now dealing with PapaJohnsGate.

Last Friday, D.C. area Papa Johns Pizza stores handed out white t-shirts to Washington fans that had LeBron's number and the word "crybaby" underneath. This was probably not a good idea for a NATIONAL chain. Sure its good advertising in D.C., but Cleveland fans seemed a little miffed. There is nothing worse for a business owner than miffed consumers. In a surprising move to coutner the bad publicity, Cleveland area Papa Johns stores are now offering 23 cent pizzas and donating money to the Cavaliers' local charity. Talk about clean-up work. I am hoping for this next series against the Celtics that Boston area Buffalo Wild Wings will make t-shirts that say the same thing, so we can get 23 cent wings and beers. A sportygrrl can dream, can't she?

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!"

The Wingmaster Strikes Again

We were invited to a chili cook-off this past weekend. One small problem: we have never made chili before. We figured if we were starting from scratch we might as well use our favorite food as inspiration. On Saturday our Buffalo Chicken Chili walked away with "Most Inventive" and tied for "Best Overall Chili" at the contest. I was going to post our recipe, but we literally created it as we went along and would have trouble coming up with exact measurements. The main ingredients were ground turkey, Frank's Hot Sauce, blue cheese dressing, celery, onions, carrots, a lot of garlic, stewed tomatoes and beer. We added the beer so the voter could get the full experience we have when we enjoy wings. Apparently the beer addition worked, or the voters were just drunk. Either way...it was fun. We are now looking forward to creating a Buffalo Chicken Sheet Cake if we ever get invited to a baked goods contest.

Ireland Countdown

In less than two months, we will be on our way to Ireland, and exactly two months from today (May 27th), we will be staying at a bed and breakfast called The Moher Lodge. I am really excited about this particular stay because this bed and breakfast is located next to The Cliffs of Moher, so we will be able to see the sun set and rise to this view:

I've Fallen And I Can't Get My Computer Up

I actually wondered out loud last night if anyone noticed I hadn't blogged in a while. It brought up that age-old question: If a blogger stops blogging in the middle of the woods, would anyone notice? I haven't exactly been in the middle of the woods, but I have been unable to find any time over the past couple weeks to blog. Today one of my favorite people, who I hardly ever get to see or talk to anymore sent me this message: "Just checking-there haven’t been any new entries and you usually don’t go this long before posting something and with March Madness and all I figure you’re busy but I just wanted to make sure."

Apparently my blog has turned into one of those necklaces older people wear to alert people when something is wrong. If I go three weeks without blogging, you may want to check in if you haven't heard from me just to make sure.

Speaking of March Madness, As many of you know, I always take the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament off from work, which I call my holy days (ironically Good Friday fell on MY holy day this year). On Friday afternoon I went to the gym to work out and watch the games. It was the perfect way to burn calories and stay up on the scores, and apparently a lot more healthy than sitting on my couch drinking beer. (If only someone had told me this 10 years ago!) I promised myself I would work out for the whole first game, which went a little longer than I had planned. I started working out during the Gonzaga-Davidson game which went down to the wire and lasted almost two hours, and then CBS immediately went to the Western Kentucky-Drake game which went into overtime. There was no way I could leave during an overtime game, so I kept working out on the eliptical machine. And working out and working out and working out. About 150 minutes later and 1200 calories burned, Western Kentucky won on a buzzer beater in overtime. I threw my arms up in excitement, or at least I think I did because at that point my body just kinda slumped over. It was almost as if I had played in the game, except it felt more like I needed one of those necklaces the elderly wear.

The Following Movie Has Been Rated Rx

I have trouble sitting still. Movies and live theatre scare the hell out of me. Julie loves the Clevleand International Film Festival, so I go evey year and try not to complain too much as she watches me squirm and sweat in my seat. I do this because: She never complains about playing in my fantasy sports leagues (which she always wins anyway), she lets me lay around and watch most sporting events, and when I ask her to pick up a 12-pack on her way home, she brings home the 18-pack because: "it's just a few dollars more."

This year I promised to attend six movies in an eight-day span. I went the easy route and picked three double features to minimize the amount of time I had to spend at the movie theatre. Everything about the experience makes me panicky, so I had to think ahead to avoid any anxiety. This year I also have added help. For some reason, my doctor gave me quite a bit of zanax for my plane trip to Ireland which is still more than two months away. When I saw how much she gave me, I went and got it filled last night...just in time for the film festival!

Hallmark: When You Care Enough To Watch All The Election Results

I had a co-worker come up to me this morning and say: "I am so sorry. I thought about you last night when I saw Dennis Kucinich had won his congressional seat." I thanked her as if I was at a wake. This then got me thinking that they should make election day-after greeting cards. In my case, it would go like this: "I am so sorry for your loss and the landslide victory the congressman you despise was able to win in your district. I want you to know I am here if you need me." Signed, Co-worker/friend/etc...