Good Times Never Seemed So Good ...

I had a ball in Boston. The conference was good, the games at Fenway were awesome and I saw a ton of incredible sights.

Here's a shot of me with some new friends I made in Beantown.

On Sunday, part of the conference was to tour some advertising agencies in Boston. There were some really fun stops ... like this one:

And this one:

It was also inspiring to see all of the cool work and talented people along the way. Check out these awards at one of the larger agencies:

After the tours, I was onto Fenway Park to see the Red Sox take on the Milwaukee Brewers. This is somewhere I've always wanted to go, and it was even better than I'd imagined.

I got to see the Left Sock and the Right Sock:

Fenway is known as America's Most Beloved Ballpark, and I can see why. It's not just going to a game, it's being a part of something.

I ran into a guy with a hilarious t-shirt. I smell a business venture here! (Or maybe that's my garlic french fries.)

One day for lunch I ate a lobsta roll, a cuppa chowda, and some Boston Creme pie. I believe in the 360 experience!

The next night I was back at the game. And what a game it was! Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter. Incredible! Here's the final box score shot:

Me outside Fenway...

I got a good dose of Boston and then it was time to move on down the road. Or in this case, the tracks. I took the Acela Express (Amtrack) from Boston to NYC.

As noted in previous posts, I had tickets to a Yankee game for me & 3 friends. We were a little scared it might get rained out, but everything turned out fine. The friend who was responsible for transportation to & from the game surprised us all by booking us aboard The Yankee Clipper - a ferry that takes fans around the island to the Bronx. This was so much fun it was just ridiculous.

We got to the game and endured about 1 inning of rain, then it cleared up and the Yanks won big over the O's.

A-rod hit one homer, then had another called a ground-rule double. Then with bases loaded, new Yankees Manager Joe Girardi pulled him for somebody the Yank's don't even have a photo of ... check it out:

Didn't matter though. It was another great game and I saw some incredible things. I literally thanked God for all the neat things I did & saw.

The End (for now).

For the Love of the Game

Well next week I'm off to Boston for a design seminar. As luck would have it, the Red Sox are in town each night I'm there! I have a seat in the bleachers for the Sunday afternoon game, and then for Monday night I have a Row 2 seat behind the Sox dugout. I'm so excited. I might event sign up for a tour of the stadium as well. I have a book on Boston so I'm going to be sure to hit as many of the cool sites as possible. I'm also staying at the Nine Zero hotel, so that will be really nice!

But wait, there's more! After my seminar ends on Wednesday, I'm hopping on the Acela Express train in Boston and speeding toward New York at up to 150 MPH. This is all to sit in the FRONT ROW at Wednesday evening's Yankees/Orioles Game! For my regular readers, you'll recall I did this about a month ago and it was a once in a lifetime experience. It was truly magical and I'm very fortunate to get to do it again. It's not often when you get to live a dream once, let alone twice. Stay tuned for lots of pics and stories! If you have pic requests, as always - send them my way via email or a comment on this entry.

Finally, yes yes yes I'm fully aware that it's virtually impossible to be a Yankees Fan AND a Red Sox Fan. I'm still working on those issues, but c'mon! You know if given the chance to go to a game in both stadiums in the same week, you'd do it! I am doing it. And that's why this post is called for the love of the game. :-)

Skydiving Video

At long last, here is the video of me skydiving. Enjoy!

Getting My Hair Done

My mom has done my highlights the last few times, as a cost saving measure. She’s actually getting really good at it. What’s really funny is that the whole time it’s going on, our little dog Mickey wants to be in my lap giving me kisses.

I think he thinks it's the equilavent of me having to go to the vet or something and he feels bad for me. Below is a pic from the latest session. My mom digs in kind of hard with the hook thing but if I complain she tells me to shut up and that she will give me Paulie Walnuts side wings if I say another word.

The last part is the best. When my mom gets done pulling my hair through the hat and applying the solution, we wrap it up in a plastic bag just like at the real salon. But then I hop in my car and head home to wash it out. I've got things to do! LOL

Pimped My Gas Mileage

This is my new ride.

It's a 2005 Kia Spectra and it gets close to 30MPG. My former ride was a 2001 Lincoln LS with a V-8 engine. It got about 15 miles to the gallon.

This car doesn't match the profile of the last few vehicles I've owned, but it's time for a change. Out with luxury, elegance and frozen leather seats in the winter. In with zipping around, great mileage, and parking in tight spaces.
This Kia also has a spoiler, fog lights and a moon roof. So I've still got some features to enjoy, plus it has a Five Star Crash Rating (airbags galore). And as you can see, they transferred my "BUFFETT" plates over, so I'm in great shape.

Again, this car is a 2005 Kia Spectra EX. Not to be confused with IKEA, although they offer a fine product line as well.

Two Cool Paintings

Now that I'm all moved into my new apartment, I need some artwork. I found two pieces that I LOVE! They are shown below and are entitled "Seaside Sleep" and "Grand Manor". And I just made the last of the payments I owe on these beauties. :-)

Seaside Sleep is really cool for a number of reasons, but in particular because it's an old wooden boat made into a bed. Now I love to sleep, so thus this work is perfect for me. It's also very peaceful and romantic. It just needs a TV next to it and it would be perfect. LOL j/k.

Grand Manor has my favorite colors in it, and it just looks like a really cool place that I would like to go someday. Or maybe I'd even like to live there, who knows?

These works were both painted by an artist I know personally. More of her and her husband's works can be seen on their website at http://www.dinapolistudios.com/ .

Seaside Sleep

Grand Manor

Mickey

Several of you have inquired about my dog Mickey, as I haven’t updated in a while. Here’s the latest:

• He turned 3 in April


• He’s now 9 ½ pounds (the diet isn’t going so well)


• He is going for walks daily now that the weather is nice (he doesn’t like to walk on snow, ice or anything wet)


• His favorite thing in the world is “Pinecone Hockey” – a game where we roll pinecones at him one by one and he stops them with his paw in the driveway


• He is on diet food, but he really likes an occasional spoonful of ice cream (now that the DQ is open)


• He brings his plate to one of us when he’s hungry and slams it down


• He still doesn’t like to go anywhere in the car (he thinks it’s a trip to the vet or groomer), so I’ve been taking him on some non-dog maintenance drives to restore his faith in car rides

Here he is going for a pleasant Sunday drive…

The Little Give

I'm a proud Lender at http://www.kiva.org/! This is an organization that provides entrepreneurs all over the world with the opportunity to seek small but meaningful loans from people who want to help.

I made my first two loans this week and it feels really good.

Here's the link to my lender page: http://www.kiva.org/lender/wendy1369

More info on Kiva:

The New York Times, March 27, 2007

“You, Too, Can Be a Banker to the Poor” “For those readers who ask me what they can do to help fight poverty, one option is to sit down at your computer and become a microfinancier. That’s what I did recently. From my laptop in New York, I lent $25 each to the owner of a TV repair shop in Afghanistan, a baker in Afghanistan, and a single mother running a clothing shop in the Dominican Republic. I did this through www.kiva.org, a Web site that provides information about entrepreneurs in poor countries — their photos, loan proposals and credit history — and allows people to make direct loans to them.” Watch the video

Considering a new hairstyle...

It's been a while since I last visited the salon. As such, my hair is a little longer than usual. I'm thinking of going with the polygamist/FLDS* style. What do you think?

*For those keeping score at home, the Members of the LDS church (often referred to as Mormons) are not associated with the FLDS in any way. LDS = people who love God, Jesus, etc., and conduct themselves as most people in our society do. FLDS variety = the ones who marry off their kids at 12, have a bunch of wives, live in compounds, and insist on dressing like Laura and Pa Ingalls.

The aforementioned style can also be easily altered into The Pet Detective Look. Just add a Hawaiian shirt and a smile!

My Line Up

I heart TV. Everyone has their favorite programs. Here is my line up.

Monday:
Little People Big World (see photo)
LPBW (New)
Dirty Jobs
Verminators

Tuesday:
Deadliest Catch
(Break)
Law & Order

Wednesday:
Big Brother
Real World
Real World
Men in Trees
*Lost will take the middle slot when it returns.

Thursday:
Survivor or Earl
The Office
(Break)
ER

Friday:
(Varies if I'm home)
Dateline
20-20

Saturday:
Usually outside or not watchin' the Tube

Sunday:
Dirty Jobs
Sports or Law & Order

** I also intermittently watch Deal or No Deal, Extreme Home Makeover, The Big Give, Chimp Eden, Man vs. Wild, Survivorman, Prime Time Price is Right, and anything else that catches my eye.