The Summer of George

Lincoln Park Zoo & Wrigley Field

I played in two poker tournaments late last night at the time I usually post on SOG2k6. In the first, I put in an absolutely miserable performance and ended up something like 2500 out of 3500. Frankly, I'm amazed I outlasted 1000 other people. In the second tournament I fared much better, and was even 22 out of 2400 at one point. I was on my game. But then a cold streak hit and I wasted all of my chips, and my patience decided to go, too. I ended up 359th out of 3500 total, and even won $.18, which is $.8 more than I posted to get into the tournament. I was so upset, though, that I slammed my headphones down, turned off the computer, and went immediately to bed. So, as a result, I missed...

The Lincoln Park Zoo - Monday

Annie had the day off Monday because she has these awesome new hours where she only works four days a week (albeit at ten hours a day). She gets either Wednesday, Friday, or Monday off once a week, and on the weeks she gets Fridays off, she gets the following Monday off, too. Hooray for four day weekends!



We did a lazy little jaunt around the place, stopping at the must sees: seals, gorillas, new African Apes exhibit, lions and tigers, and the small mammal exhibit. The tiger above is doing her best impression of the Chicago Cubs. Spot on.



Really, though, the whole trip was just an elaborate excuse for ice cream and root beer floats. Mmm... root beer floats. Kind of a strange name, though, don't you think? Doesn't the ice cream actually float? Best not to think about it, I guess. The whole trip was highlighted by the fact that I got a killer parking space on Lincoln Park West, and we only had to walk a smidge to the front gates. Free, close parking spots do not exist in Chicago, unless you're riding with me.

Brewers 8, Cubs 5 - Tuesday
Tonight's Cubs game was a mirror image of my day. They pussy-footed their way through innings one through four, giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead. I pussy-footed my way around the house from 10am through 3pm, doing absolutely nothing at all, though I know I have a zillion tasks to finish in the very near future. In the fifth and sixth innings, the Cubs scored a total of three runs to tie the game 3-3. At 3pm I reheated last night's spaghetti and garlic bread and had a decent lunch for once. Also, I watched the news while I ate. They failed to score a run of their own in the seventh, though they did allow the Brewers to take the lead 4-3. I failed to complete a mission in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City though I (a) played it five times, and (b) have beaten the same damn mission before when I was in college. In the eighth, the Cubs went ahead 5-4 on some clutch hitting. At 4:45pm, I realized that I better shower and get my stuff together quick-fast-and-in-a-hurry because I was supposed to meet Annie downtown at 6pm for the Cubs game. In the ninth, the Cubs blew it all by allowing the Brewers to score four runs to win the game 8-5. Annie and I had a wonderful time at the Cubs game, only to eventually have our hearts broken in the ninth when the Cubs allowed the Brewers to score four runs to win the game 8-5.


Guess who we saw there? Just guess. Scott and his dad have partial season tickets in the right field seats. Check out Scott's new hat. He wanted it last time we were there, though they didn't have it in his size. Our wardrobes, thankfully, are starting to diverge.


Our seats for today's game were in left field. In fact, we messed up initially and sat one section over until a couple came and gave us the "you're sitting in our seats" look. We shyly moved away and took another stab at where we thought we were supposed to sit. Eventually, I calmed the fear we both had about having to go through the same embarrasment again by checking with an usher to make sure we were in the right seats. If you look very carefully you can see Scott in this picture, just to the right of the right field foul poll. You see him?


It was wonderful to see Derrek Lee back in action, though he did go 0-5 for the night. I can't blame him, though. He probably came back a week too soon, don't you think? Honestly, and it pains me to say this, the Cubs are a bad, bad, bad baseball team. Who would have thought that just before Spring Training? We added Pierre. Murton was supposed to be solid. Jones and Cedeno were two question marks, though they've both turned out to be the de-facto top dawgs for the moment. Ramirez is slumping. The Walker/Perez/Womack/Bynum/Hairston thing isn't quite working out (which is sad because Todd Walker should be the EVERYDAY starting second baseman. Neifi got the start tonight. Ick!). Lee, Prior, Wood, Bynum, and Womack are all hurt. Pierre blows (and he's killing my fantasy team, too)! We suck. That's all there is to it. We're a bad baseball team.


At least we have good old Wrigley Field, which is a strikingly beautiful place to be able to watch a ballgame.


And at least we have Carlos Zambrano, who got the crowd on its feet with a two-run homer in the fifth inning. Vive la Zambrano!

Off to bed. I am quickly making my way through Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Highly recommended. Tomorrow I am going to work early. I have procrastinated for too long.

posted by The Nightmare @ 11:15 PM