2012 Resolutions

Well, I made it. Another year and another 365 blog posts. Just like my t-shirt blog, I had a lot of help with this one. Many people scanned for me, emailed me scans, and gave me (this year and in years past) a lot of the items that I scanned. Thank you to my family and friends who helped me and all of my 2011 projects like this blog and Skating for Hope – I couldn’t have done them without you!

I hope at the very minimum people enjoyed at least one of these scan blogs. And I hope both this blog and last year’s blog show at least one person that if you put your mind to it and promise yourself to do something, it’s possible. Here are some of the things I’m going to do for 2012. The end got cut off, but it says: “Be the change I want to see in the world” (from the Gandhi quote). I also forgot to add starting the website I’ve been working on, but that will come soon enough!

Thank for reading, and I hope you check out my video blog for next year! Happy 2012!

Christmas Card (With Hope Lodge Donation)

I wrote before how I thought that homemade gifts were the best ones. Well, one like this is a very close second. When I read this card, there was a huge smile on my face – someone helping Hope Lodge is a gift to me and anyone who has stayed there. If you’ve been thinking about it, you can read more about Hope Lodge here and (if so inspired) make a donation here. Thank you to my awesome friends who made this donation and to all who support the Lodge!

Pictures with Andy (1992)

Regardless of if it’s Christmas, a birthday, or any other time of the year; the true gifts in life are the people you have in yours. I am really lucky to have my friend Andy in mine. It’s hard to believe we have known each other for (ugh) over 20 years, but math doesn’t lie. Pictures don’t lie, either. We may look a lot younger in these shots, but the smiles and having fun hasn’t changed one bit (The tightness of the jeans and curve of the hat’s brim have been altered since).

Of course, Andy and I have shared more serious moments too. There was the time in college he bailed me out of a drunken beat-down and went back on the T to Harvard wearing a t-shirt stained with my blood. There were visits to the hospital and talking about our traumatic experiences with each other. And there were even times we did or said things that upset one another. But now, we look back and laugh at all of it.

Even though I only get to see Andy once or twice a year, our connection and friendship remains strong and picks up right where it left off. Looking forward to spending some time with him and his family tonight!

(L-R: brother Jon, me, Andy, cousin Matt, brother Tom)

Christmas Card for Carl (2011)

Sometimes, you find the perfect gift and card for someone. For my friend Carl, the gift was this Spaceballs T-shirt. This was the card:

Love you, man!

McLean Discharge Summary (5/10/95-5/17/95)

It was the end of my junior year, and the thing I cared about most was getting drunk. I usually didn’t drink during the week, but when Friday rolled around, I was salivating for my first sip – which was usually a gulp followed closely by more and more gulps. I didn’t like where my life was romantically, I was still angry about cancer (both my own and a friend who passed from leukemia that November), and I turned to drinking as my way of release. Even though drinking had led to interactions with the BC Police, ER visits, and many apologies; I wasn’t ready to stop.

Then on May 7, 1995, I started drinking to excess. I drank everything in the apartment I shared with my roommates. Drinking made me not care, and that night I didn’t care if I lived or died. Again, it landed me at McLean’s. This time, I was ready to stop.

Of course, when I got there, I had other things on my mind. The Bruins were playing the Devils in the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs and they had lost games 1 and 2. Game 3 was a must win, and I had to watch it. As you can see in the Mental Status Examination Upon Asmission, I made that crystal clear:

Then while in one of the groups at McLean’s, a man in his late 30s/early 40s said something that made my decision with alcohol final. All he said was, “Hey, my name is Mike and this is my 8^th time in rehab.” I said to myself that I never want to be saying that. I wanted this to be the last. And I knew the only way it would be the last is if I never drank again.

My decision was made final when my father gave me some depressing news. My friend Justin, who I had met at UMass (he was 10 when I met him and getting treated for cancer on his brain stem) had passed away.

He was 13. When they could tell his battle was nearing the end, he asked his mother to call me so he could see me. I was in the hospital getting my stomach pumped, and my parents and the doctors agreed it would be best to keep me somewhere safe. Of course when they told me, I lashed out and was pissed that they didn’t tell me right away. But I knew the real reason I wasn’t there for him was because of my drinking. I failed being there for a friend in need, and it was because of alcohol. I don’t want that to ever happen again, so again I arrive at the decision not to drink again.

When I left McLean’s, the “experts” there were convinced that if I returned to Boston College for my senior year, I would drink again. They had known me for a week, and were that certain. I am happy to tell them they were wrong. Not only did I not drink my senior year at BC, I had the best GPA of my four years there. And I haven’t had a drink since May 7^th, 1995.

My non-drinking is not because of anything any psychiatrist at McLean said to me. It’s not because I think drinking is evil and no one should do it. It’s because I know what road it leads me to: not caring for my family or friends, the ER, police, and McLean. I promised myself I wouldn’t let drinking take me there again, and I’ve lived up to that promise. But it’s easy to keep a promise like this when you have supportive family and friends like mine. Thank you to everyone who helped me get through this…I couldn’t have done it without you! And of course, GO B’S!!!!

Pictures of Me with My Brotha Gary (8/28/94)

It’s not too often you run into a long lost brother. It was the summer of 1994, and I was a counselor at a camp in Maine called Med-O-Lark. Gary (who had arrived from Scotland) and I hit it off immediately by quoting Fletch and Mike Myers SNL skits back and forth to each other…(In my best Scottish accent:“Gary, you’re my BROTHA, I LUV YA!”)…We haven’t really stopped quoting to this day.

The summer I met Gary I was also well into the 2^nd year of my destructive relationship with alcohol. Gary was always there to take care of me, carry me, and get me back to camp. 17 years later, and I know Gary still has my back. Like the day we hung out and played wiffle ball in 1994, I’m glad I got to hang out with him these past couple of days, and hope he moves to the northeast sooner rather than later. Love ya, my brotha!

Picture of Me and Scott at B’s/Islanders (3/14/09)

I really love sports. I have my whole life, and will never stop. I’ve been rooting for the B’s, Sox, and Pats since I can remember, and BC since I was accepted there my senior year in high school. Although recently these teams have been very successful (9 championships in the last 10 years), it wasn’t always like that.

When I was young, the Celtics were the only team that won anything. The B’s would lose to the Habs every year in the playoffs, and the times they managed to make it past Montreal, they lost to Edmonton and Pittsburg superteams. The Sox invented new ways to lose each year, and even better ways of choking in the playoffs. They even set an MLB record for most consecutive playoff losses. We were lucky if the Pats even made it to the playoffs, and the year they made it to the Superbowl was an embarrassment. While I was at Boston College, the football team did well and made their usual bowl game but the hockey team struggled (the only highlight was their 1994 Beanpot victory).

This year, I’ve been reminded what it felt like to root for Boston teams when I was younger. The Sox season exploded with two walk-off games that ended within minutes of each other. And last night, Boston College lost to a couple of their biggest rivals (86-64 to Holy Cross in basketball and a 3-2 overtime loss to Notre Dame in hockey with 1.1 seconds left). Ouch.

But, at least I don’t root for the Islanders. My friend Scott, a lifelong fan of The Isle, became a fan of them when he was a kid. He enjoyed their 4 consecutive Stanley Cup Championships, but has been paying the price ever since. But even though the Islanders haven’t produced lately, Scott is a great sport about it and is one of my favorite people to talk hockey with. He understands the game, loves the game, and I’m sure he’ll proudly be wearing one of his 10 Islanders jerseys tonight – just like he did in their 2-1 loss to the B’s when this picture was taken. Go B’s!

50,000 Rupiah Indonesian Bill

Thanks to xe.com, I found the US value of this Rupiah bill is about $5.60.

My friend Andy, who spends his summers in Indonesia doing anthropology research, gave me this a while ago after one of his trips.

One of my favorite Andy stories:

When I had cancer, Andy asked me if there was anything I wanted. I told him there was a certain street sign that I really hoped to add to my collection, and he went to work with his brother and one of their friends.

While his brother and friend went to acquire my “make a wish” sign, Andy stayed in the car as a lookout for any authority figures. A local cop just happened to drive by, and asked him why he was pulled to the side of the road. Quickly thinking, Andy told him that he was diabetic and that his blood sugar was running low and he was feeling light-headed.

The nice officer not only believed him, but he went to get him a candy bar. No arrests were made, and Andy got me the coveted sign.

For Dave! Note

Like I expressed in my EA Hockey video, a lot of times it’s the little things that make me happy.

Today, even though I returned to a still powerless Hope Lodge, this note was waiting for me on top of a brownie that was so good it made me moan in between bites. Thanks again to Katie K for making those amazing brownies for Hope Lodge and the weekend manager who saved one for me! Mmmmmmmmm, brownies.

Halloween Pictures

Here are some Halloween pictures from over the years…

The earliest one is of my older brother as a werewolf, me with a random monster mask I picked out, my younger brother as Snoopy, and my sister as a gypsy. Then, there’s my younger brother as an old man, younger sister as Annie, and me as Indiana Jones. Another year, I was another random monster terrorizing my princess sister.

In 1997, I made myself up to be Freddy Krueger, followed in 1998 with an Indy encore – with teachers I knew from my student teaching job.

In 1999, I was The Punisher. There’s me saluting with my sister, Queen Elizabeth; and with my roommates Patrick and Amy. That same night, my friend Carl came dressed as Carla, the bearded lady – classic.

Queensryche Ticket (House of Blues, Boston, 10/26/11 – make up date from 8/6/11)

(See 8/6/11 blog here)

Music is a great and funny thing. I love the bands Pearl Jam and Extreme. I listened to both bands extensively during my chemo and “drinking days”. They helped me through difficult times, and their songs just got inside me. Last year, I even had “Tragic Comic” tattooed on my shoulder.

But, music is a funny thing. Different bands impress people differently. Instead of Extreme and Pearl Jam, my friend Carl loves Queensryche. He has their symbol tattooed on his shoulder, and he doesn’t miss any of their local shows. And just like me and “my” bands, he will defend their skills and songs until death.

Although Carl and I would love to believe we could convert the other into super fandom, it’s safe to say it will never happen. I have a fantasy where I convince Queensryche to let Gary and Nuno secretly write an album for them, and after Carl tells me how great it is, I triumphantly do my best Dark Helmet, “Foooooled you!!!”

Even though Carl and I will never agree who is the better guitar player or band (Nuno Bettencourt and Pearl Jam in case you were wondering), we still are willing to go see what all the fuss is about. Carl came with me to see Extreme in 2006, and I went to my first “Ryche” show on Wednesday. Going to my 2^nd Ryche show tonight, so now I will either have to make Carl see Pearl Jam with me or we can watch the Pearl Jam Twenty DVD I just bought.

Here’s a couple pictures and a clip from Queensryche signing “I Don’t Believe in Love” – only a minute long, and you get to see Carl headbanging away…

Paranormal State 3 Ticket (10/22/11)

I thought with tonight being the 25^th anniversary of Game 6 and Buckner’s error, I’d also write about a horror movie I recently watched.

First, Game 6. I was a 12-year-old in 7^th grade at Westboro Junior High. My favorite bands were Ratt, Motley Crue, and Cinderella, my favorite coed was a girl named Suzy, and my favorite teams were the B’s and Sox. And the Sox were on the brink of winning their first title since 1918.

That day, my younger sister (who was 6) accidentally shut the van door on her finger. We should have taken it as an omen for what was to come, but once she was stitched up and AOK the McGraths continued with the evening’s plans.

That night my younger brother Tom had a bunch of his friends over for a World Series/Birthday party. After the cake and presents, we all glued ourselves to the TV. The game went back and forth and was tied after 9 innings. When the Sox got two in the top of the tenth, my whole family started freaking out. Then when the first two Mets got out in the bottom of the 10^th, the screaming and jumping started. They were really going to do it.

That’s when the hits started. One after another, they got hits. Even though I was only 12, I knew I had to do something. I went into the kitchen and started watching it on the little TV we had in there. It didn’t work. The Stanley wild pitch and the Buckner error tore a part of my heart out. They lost. I went back into the partyless family room and my parents tried to console me with a reminder of game 7. It didn’t help.

I went to bed crying that night, trying to figure out how the Sox could have done that. How can you get so close to something and not get it? How could they ever bounce back and win game 7? Why, oh, why did Stanley throw a wild pitch with someone on 3^rd?

This game stuck with me for a long time. I never watched a replay of the Buckner error, turning my head away anytime it was on TV. Whenever I was watching the Sox on TV or at Fenway and they were ahead by two runs in the last inning with two outs I would remind those with me, “This is how close the Sox were to winning the Series.” It was an early life lesson that no matter how hard you work for something and how close you are to getting it, it can be taken from you right before it’s in your hand.

Thanks to the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox, this story has a happy ending. I am now able to watch replays of the Buckner error (and Boone’s homerun from 2003 - which I never saw because after the Yankees tied it, I left the house and drove around listening to the rest of the game on the radio), and I’m almost glad that game 6 happened because it made 2004 that much sweeter.

By the way, if you haven’t seen this RBI Recreation of the bottom of the 10th, you must. It’s really unbelievable.

Okay, time for another horror story that doesn’t have a happy ending – Paranormal Activity 3. If you liked the first Paranormal Activity and Part 2, you should like this one. It has a lot of the same elements, and parts that make you jump no matter how prepared you are. It’s hard for me to really judge this movie because I’ve lived with my share of paranormal activity. Although not as life threatening as the evil force in the movies, once you’ve lived it, it’s hard to be scared when you see it in a movie.

Drinking ER Toxicology Reports (3/20/94, 4/8/95)

Yup. I used to drink. And when I drank, I drank a lot. I wouldn’t say I was addicted to alcohol, but I definitely didn’t drink in moderation.

I think brain cancer at 18 left me thinking two things: One, my body could take a lot. Two, I thought it gave me the right do whatever I wanted to my body. And even though family and friends voiced their concerns about my drinking to me, I didn’t care. I loved the feeling that alcohol gave me, and I dealt with the consequences. I had emotions that needed to be let out, and drinking provided that outlet. Not the healthiest outlet, but one I chose to use.

The night of March 19^th, 1994 (during my sophomore year at BC) can be traced all the way back to the beginning of my freshman year. I didn’t start my fist year in college like most of the students around me. I was bald, puffed up, and had the track marks of a junkie. But, I wasn’t about to let brain cancer tell me when I could start at BC.

I made a few friends in my dorm, and assumed everyone in my classes was wondering what was wrong with me. Then, in one of my psych classes, M was there. I may have looked like a post-chemo freak, but my sense of beauty wasn’t impaired. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and everything else. I told my new dorm friends about her, and promised I would point her out if we saw her on campus.

After that first week of class, while most of my classmates went to the first home football game that Labor Day weekend; I was heading into my sixth round of chemotherapy to treat a cancerous brain tumor. It had introduced itself to me towards the end of my senior year in high school, and I was in treatment all summer. I knew it probably wasn’t the ideal way to start at BC, but I was glad treatment was coming to and end.

When I returned to BC, I didn’t have the courage to talk to M, but I talked to her a few times that year (including the morning after my first drinking experience – when I found out she saw me being carried back to the dorm), and I sent her a couple anonymous poems.

We were in the same history class sophomore year, and eventually I called her to ask her out…and she said yes (I know). After talking another time on the phone, we agreed to go out on March 19^th. I called her the Friday before to make specific plans, but by Saturday afternoon I hadn’t heard back form her. When I called her on Saturday, she answered and told me that she had auditioned to be in a talent show a couple of weeks earlier, and they called her that morning to tell her she had a spot playing piano. So, she was talented too. And, I was devastated.

Instead of seeing if we could reschedule, I took it as a total rejection and immediately started doing what I knew I had to: drink and drink and drink and drink. Vodka was my poison of choice, and I started seconds after the phone was back on the receiver. It didn’t take long for things to get “fuzzy” after that. I remember watching Pump Up the Volume with my friend Chris who lived across the hall. I remember my friends Neal and Julia (who was my ex from high school) coming over. By that point, I was mixing screwdrivers with Zima (I know). I don’t remember much after that.

I don’t remember taking a chair and smashing one of the bathroom windows. I don’t remember passing out on the sidewalk in front of my dorm. I don’t know how my wallet went missing. I don’t remember the ambulance showing up and my friend Drew (an EMT) trying to persuade me to go to the ER.

Drew has since told me that it took a group (6?) of BC police officers to get me on the ambulance (I was really like the Tazmanian Devil when I was drunk). Once on the ambulance, Drew stayed in the back trying to calm me down. He wasn’t very successful. When St. Elizabeth’s radioed to get a status update, he said they couldn’t hear him because I was screaming expletives at the top of my lungs. I was completely out of control, but in my mind I thought I could stop whenever I wanted. I just didn’t want to stop, even after this episode.

Flash forward to a year later, and I was still drinking. Instead of vodka, it was “just beer” at this point. I had survived my 21^st birthday a week earlier, and heard about a party in The Mods (party central for the BC seniors). I don’t know if I found the right Mod, but I was went up to a party that some guy wasn’t letting a girl into. I wouldn’t let such an injustice happen to me, so I saw fit to tell off this senior. I vaguely remember getting into someone’s face, and then everything went blank. Apparently it was just two hits – me getting hit and then hitting the pavement.

The next thing I knew, I was in the ER and having stitches put into my head. The doctor told me that she was finishing up the stitches and the plastic surgeon would be in to see about covering up future scars I was sure to have. I told her I was a hockey player, and there was no need to cover anything up. At least I was only .28 this time.

This episode landed me with an appointment with Dean Ryan, and I tried to explain my love affair with alcohol to him. When he found out I was over 21, he couldn’t do much but offer me advice. I still wasn’t ready to stop.

But that day did come a month later. I haven’t had a drink since May 7, 1995, and I have no plans on starting again.

With my marks of .36 and .28, I was curious as to what sources would say to how serious those numbers are. I found Blood-Alcohol info from Party Smart, Wikipedia, and WebMD, and yeah, I could have died. But, I didn’t.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through my drinking years. I know it must have been difficult, and I know I did a lot of upsetting things. I hope you can understand I was dealing with a lot, and I thank those of you who have forgiven me.

Daily Show Tickets (2/14/08, 12/11/08, 4/15/10, 9/30/10)

I have a Jewish hero. He didn’t die on a cross or walk on water. He just keeps me informed of current events while making me laugh out loud every Monday-Thursday nights from 11:00-11:30. Although some have criticized Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for being sexist, the female DS employees responded to this with an open letter. Whatever he and the workers do over there, I think it’s working. And I feel lucky that I’ve been able to attend these show tapings.

I went to the show on Valentine’s Day 2008 with my friend Kerry. The guest wasn’t very noteworthy to me, but this bit about Roger Clemens was hilarious.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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I went to the December 11^th show with my sister Megan (it’s her birthday) and my friend Adam. We really lucked out with the guest (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Jon even took a copy of my poetry book during the Q&A before the show. We also went to see Mike Birbiglia a couple of days later.

Although I was too late to make it into the April 15^th show (and guest Tracy Morgan, dammit), my friend Suzie got to go for the first time. And because I didn’t get in, the DS gave me VIP tickets to a future show – which turned out to be the September 30^th show with Justin Timberlake. If you look closely, you can see me when Justin comes out – I’m wearing the “Stew Beef” t-shirt (watch the Tracy Morgan clip if you don’t understand). Jess couldn't believe how close she was to Justin (10 feet, maybe?)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Thanks for all the laughs, Jon. Hope to talk to you again, sometime…

Law Offices of Carl Brugnoli Business Card

Sure, he sued me (see document). But, he’s also helped me many times when I’ve had “legal issues”. If you live in Massachusetts and need a lawyer, now you know where to go. I don’t think the office, address, and phone numbers are up to date; but the email should work – if Carl happens to log on to his circa 2003 laptop.

Notes from 4th Grader and Elm Park Group (2004, 2009)

Eight years ago, I was teaching 4^th grade special ed students. Two of them were diagnosed with autism and the other two had Down Syndrome. One day, “J” was upset with me and told me that she was going to have her father kill me. She felt really bad about it, and this was the apology note she gave me. It was the only time I had to talk to the principal about her behavior, she was usually no problem.

I got this other note while playing wiffle ball at Elm Park with my friend Glen. There was a group there that was spreading positivity with little notes, brownies, and punch. Glen asked me, “What if there’s poison in this?” before we took our first sips. I told him, “Then, we’ll just have to continue the game in heaven – on a scaled-down Fenway wiffle field.”

Polaroids from 5th and 6th Grade – Old Ironsides and Nature’s Classroom

These pictures might make me feel old, but they also make me laugh. I will note here that for some reason (history’s sake or learning from my Dad), I labeled a lot of the Polaroids I took – even if it was with names of family members…

The picture of Adam, Mike, and “P.J.” makes me think of the morning that P.J. said, “Hi Chuck” to Mr. Fournier as he walked in the classroom one morning. To date, I don’t think I’ve had a more difficult time trying not to laugh. I knew I couldn’t look at Adam or Brian Caddigan without losing it, so I kept my eyes shut and bit on my lip. “Chuck” came back with a very authoritative, “What did you say????!!!!”, and told the rest of the class to leave while he reamed out P.J. Of course all the boys thought it was the funniest and coolest thing ever, and P.J. was hailed as a brave hero. I don’t remember much about Old Ironsides, but I will never forget that morning.

I love the look on Mike Fallon’s face in the Nature’s Classroom picture. Air Jordans on and staring the camera down like he’s trying to strike out a batter in the bottom of the 9^th. Mike Colangelo is proudly repping the Sox, while Chris Moulton looks like he’s sporting Brian Johnson specials. Dave Sullivan and Tufts are doing what they can to look cool simply because that’s what Daves do. You gotta love Pete Galea’s jeans-and-jean jacket-acceptable-in-the-80s look and Dave Noble’s brandless numbered t-shirt (I loved the red with blue #32 my brother Jon handed down to me). Also, I can’t tell if Dave Noble and Pete are blocking someone behind them? Ideas? I will say this about our year at Nature’s Classroom: What happened there certainly didn’t stay there, and they didn’t let the class behind us go.

Picture of 40A Crew (1996)

It’s been 15 years since this group has all been together, but luckily I remember most of the stories like they happened yesterday…

There was the party that one of the RAs saw us carrying in the keg and came to our door a few hours later to bust us (we didn’t tell him about keg #2 that was hiding in the bathroom).

One of my roommates turned 21 that September, and we rented the “Funky Bus” to take us from bar to bar carrying a keg to drink in between. Luckily, all of the crew from 40A and the guys we blocked housing with in 35B were very supportive of my non-drinking. The time on the Funky Bus ended with a beer fight, and as the sober one I took it upon myself to use one of my roommates as a shield.

One of my roommates had wired a phone (this was before everyone had a cell) downstairs to the bar. Whenever we saw that the RA who lived across from us was downstairs, we would call her just to see her run upstairs to answer then we’d hang up (Yes, we were juvenile and glad that caller ID was still a thing of the future).

When we got sick of all the sophomores walking through our backyard, one night a few of us started throwing and launching water balloons at them. This prompted a call to the BC police, and while two of us apologized and said we’d stop, another one was hiding in the shower.

One night, our “7^th man” (each mod had 6 roommates, but we usually had an extra) got upset and threw a beer bottle from our backyard. It happened to break right in front of a BC police officer that was walking by, and he and another cop came to ask us what was happening. As we tried to explain why a 20-year-old was drinking (of course, NONE of us admitted to giving him a beer), the other was using his flashlight to look at all the stolen signs and traffic lights we had hanging up. They let us off with a warning and sentenced the 7^th man to sweep up the broken glass.

After seeing the RA making out with her boyfriend in her kitchen window (which was about 5 feet from our kitchen window) several times, one of my roommates was feeling daring (a.k.a. rather drunk) and took a picture of them. She knocked on our door a few nights later to tell us how upset she was, and one of my roommates took the picture off of our bulletin board to show her it didn’t even come out (that didn’t really help).

When the “7^th man” turned 21, we drove my roommate’s car (which he had equipped with a PA system) around the mods to outside of 7’s mod. We tried to publicly coax him out for a night of bday brews, but he didn’t want to do anything crazy for his 21^st. Once again, the BC police told us they didn’t appreciate our actions, and just let us of with a warning. The next morning, we left on our road trip to South Bend to see the BC-Notre Dame hockey and football games.

My 22^nd birthday party deserves a blog post of its own, but I will say unlike my 21^st, I didn’t drink a drop. I did repeat my best Mrs. Doubtfire impersonation by burying my face into a cake.

There are many more 40A stories to share, but you’ll have to wait for the book. I certainly lucked out with the group of guys I lived with senior year at BC. We had a lot of fun, and we all graduated (I actually had my best year academically). I think it’s time to get this group together again for our own reunion…

Red Sox / Indians Game 4 1999 ALDS Ticket, Pictures of Scoreboard (10/10/99)

12 years ago tonight I was at Fenway, and Fenway was rockin’. My friend Deb took me to many games when she had an extra ticket, and this one was probably the best.

After being down zero games to two in the best of five series, the Sox made a statement in game 4. Not only did they score in every inning they batted except the 6^th, the Bo Sox scored 23 times total and won 23-7. According to nationalpastime.com, they scored more than 19 NFL teams did that day.

The deciding game 5 that Boston forced was played the next night and on the back of Pedro’s 6 hitless innings of relief, the Sox won 12-8 and took the series three games to two.

Even though what happened in the ALCS that year was quite a different story, I wonder if any MLB team will ever score this many runs in a postseason game again. It truly was unbelievable to watch. Why did Deb have to get married and move to Montana?

Movie Tickets II

These tickets didn’t make it into my Movie Tickets Part I blog, but each has its own little story:

War of the Worlds – I saw this with my friend Cailin not long after Tom Cruise had his “couch incident” on the Oprah Winfrey show. Although I let that pass at the time, not long after I saw this movie I determined that Mr. Cruise had completely lost his sense of reality and I could no longer separate the art from the artist. I enjoyed War of the Worlds, but it would also be the last time I ever paid to watch a Tom Cruise movie. I will still watch classics he was in like The Outsiders and A Few Good Men, but I will no longer contribute to his career. See also: Mel Gibson.

Bruno: I watched this movie with my friends Glen and Krissy, and even though it wasn’t the best movie I had ever seen I laughed a lot. Glen and Krissy were living in Westboro at the time, so we hung out a lot that summer. Even though they broke my heart by moving out to Oregon at the end of 2009, I look forward to the day when I can afford to travel at will (I’m predicting somehow it will be here sooner rather than later).

The Town – I’ve always been a sucker for Boston/Massachusetts movies, and The Town did not disappoint. The shootout scene at Fenway alone was worth seeing on the big screen. I went with Jess, who soldiered her way through nausea for the entire flick. However, on the ride home, I had to hand her my travel mug to use as a receptacle. My car was spared of puke, and Jess slept for the rest of the day.