2 more days till Hawaii.  I.  CAN'T.  FLIPPIN.  WAIT.  Just means I'm less productive at work.  If you want a postcard, give me your address and I'll try my best to remember you while I'm soaking in the gorgeous scenary and the perfect weather.  I packed the vital items first...swimming trunks, sandals, sunglasses.

I realized that I'm addicted to shopping.  Specifically bargain hunting.  I think there are group therapy for these things like Aloholics Anonymous.  My mind tricks me by justifying that the purchase is OK..."sure you have 4 pairs of goggles already...but do you have the Spy Orbit with mirrored spherical lens?  These will be your nice pair while the others will take a back seat.  And they are only a third of the MSRP."  And then this jacket...$30.  Hmm...it isn't exactly what I'm looking for though it is waterproof.  Then I look at the original price...$150.  Damn, how can I be Chinese and pass up this deal?  I'm slowly amassing more of EVERYTHING.  I do hit a point where I stop...such as with my ties.  I think 50 would be more than enough.  Anyone want to buy snowboarding gear off me?

Aches and pains only get worse as you get older.  Current locations of ailments: both ring fingers, left middle finger, left quad, left wrist, left shin, right pinky toe.  And that doesn't include my constant bad knees.  Kids, get out there and enjoy your pain free life.  Old people (Sam), how do you cope with this??

A few years ago my friend asked me, would you leave your significant other if you find someone better?  Pretty legit question I thought.  My immediate answer...no.  I asked the same for him and he said yes.  His point of view is understandable at the time...if you are going out with someone, say 8 on the scale of 1-10, there's a possiblity of finding a better match.  "Why stay with that 8 when you can be happier with someone else?" he replied (something along those lines).  True.  The question has always lingered in my mind.  What if I'm in that position (highly unlikely), what would I do?  I put my brain to work and analyzed it.  The conclusion - it's pretty fucked up if you do.  If you love someone, stick with them.  Like family, sure they get on your nerves but that's something you should be able to take for granted.  It's not like a job where you should be able to leave so easily.  Relationships are long term contracts that should carry heavy fines for breaching.  Unfortunately loyalty is not rewarded in any special way.  Part of the issue is that it's acceptable to get divorced.  High profile celebrities do it all the time.  JFK's wife would have never left him until he had his head shot.  Times have changed.

Anyway, I'm tired.  Freakin Will Yiu from CA calls me up at 12:40AM and had me stay on till 2:30AM.  Thanks Will...I hate you.  haha.  I still gotta pack so I can make it to my softball game tomorrow

Today was one of those days that seems to drag on forever and it's only 10:30PM at the time of this blog.  For the past week, haven't had good sleep because my leg is killing me.  Took a line drive right off the left shin 2 Saturdays ago.  Pretty digusting looking.  Every morning I wake up, try to take my first step and sharp pain shoots through my leg.  For those who know me well, I catch up on my sleep every Saturday.  I normally sleep till 1 or 2PM.  Not this one because I was on call at work.  I slept at about 5AM Fri night/Sat morning, then an attorney emails then immediately calls me at 9:20AM.  Not my favorite attorney so I slept for 45 minutes before I emailed her back.  Then at 11ish, another dude emails me.  Then another call at 1ish.  Fuck it...I can't deal with it.  True, it's not that early but it's the weekend.  Attorneys, get a fucking life so I can have mine.  Argh.  Then today I had one of those don't-give-a-shit moods.  I did work but wasn't really trying because I feel like I've done more than plenty over the weekend and was screwing myself over for work.  What do I get?  Yeah, overtime but it's sooooo not worth it.  As I was about to leave work, the email service went down.  Then started getting calls so I stayed till past 7.

At the end of the day, I realize that this is NOT what I want to do with my life.  It's so unfulfilling.  Nothing to show for.  Who cares that I work the long hours?  Helping out spoiled-ass attorneys day and night is a horrible fucking job.  Kids, don't ever do it.  You'll regret it no matter how much they pay you.

Onto better topics, I'm looking forwards to the snowboarding season.  Got new boots I want to try out.  Still have a new board to break in.  Got new goggles.  Would like to get a new jacket.  We'll see.  Seems like I've been meeting more snowboarders recently...hope people will be as amped as I.

BCCC 2006 pics

BCCC...post camping dinner

Henry is now known as Fez from That 70s Show

Kim's dog stretching

Jen, smitten.  Henry, entertained.  Danny, the only time he's not doing something stupid is when he's playing the guitar.

Tony has an extra Draw 4 Wild Card in his wallet to beat the kids in Uno.

Michelle and the dog are both very adorable

Christina toasts insanely perfect marshmallows

and Michelle eats them

Mandy and Nicky!

One of the many group pics

The sleep deprived (Mason, Nicky)

That's why you shouldn't fall asleep outdoors with friends around

And onto the softball pics...

The Assman and Mexican Jesus

Gash on my right leg...from softball

Bruise with blister on top on left leg...also from softball

Carrot's only hit of the season

Hmm...new interface to enter blogs on Xanga.  Thanks to the words of those who commented thus I feel like updating.  The main reason is below:

THE RED SOX WIN!!!  No, not a World Series or anything but it finally feels like they're righting a ship that has veered off course right into the Bermuda Triangle last month.  You know why?  It's because I went to the game!  The last Sox game I went to was last year when Manny pinch hit a go-ahead run after everyone found out he wasn't traded.  Now this game tonight was great...the 3 main guys who came back tonight contributed greatly.  Bottom of 9th when some fans (not the hardcore fans of course) had already left, down 2-1, Manny leads off the inning with a walk.  Trot (who had already driven in the first run) sacrifices and gets Manny to second base.  Lowell, the doubles-machine, drives Manny in with an appropriate double.  Varitek makes an immediate impact even without a hit because he got 6+ tremendous innings from Tavarez.  And then the Northeastern Univ pride Carlos Pena hits his first home run of the season towards right field where I sat.  Best of all this was all free because my coworker had some extra tickets.  I still haven't lost faith in my team yet...though odds are against them in the playoff push.  Until they are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, I will still care for them.

For Metro readers in Boston, Bob Halloran sucks.  I can't stand his articles...he's a hater.  And he's making me a hater...of him.  Every article written by him that I remember reading is always bitching and moaning about our local sports teams how they are not doing enough for us.  Kennedy once said "It's not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."  Shouldn't we be like that for our Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins?  As citizens of "Red Sox Nation", aren't we supposed to cheer on our troops in adversity?  Sure, there's bureaucracy in each organization like in the US Government - the Patriots big wigs refusing to cave in and pay branch...much like how the US refuses to negotiate with terrorists (no, I'm not calling Branch a terrorist but I'm pointing out the stubborness).  So back to Halloran, he is one of those people that jump on the bandwagon as soon as it starts rolling and the first to hop off when there's a bump on the road.  For good articles, look for Sarah Green (and she's kinda cute too).  I absolutely love the way she writes as a true Bostonian...the way our lives are intertwined with our sports teams.  Maybe not the way all Bostonians feel but at least she writes about what I think.

And a random Sox topic...does anyone else but me miss Pedro Martinez and Bronson Arroyo for the way they protect batters?  Remember when Petey and Arroyo would plunk opposing batters after one of their own was hit?  I still remember Arroyo's smirk after he hit a batter.  With guys like that, you better not hit their batters.  Just a random thing stuck in my head since Arroyo was traded.  I just hope Wily Mo can play to his potential.

Very sad news that I'm sure most of you know already...Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter has died.  That guy was awesome...his passion is on display each time he tackles or talks about an animal.  His enthusiasm for wildlife is unmatched.  Everything in nature is "gooooooooooorgeous" to him.  Steve Irwin to wildlife conservation is like Big Papi David Ortiz to the Red Sox.  Always true to himself.  Always smiling.  Constantly learning to become better at their jobs.  The face of their respective affiliations.  At least Steve Irwin died while doing something he loved.

My sleep schedule is all f-ed up.  And i drank a 20oz Pepsi earlier with a late dinner...now I can't sleep.  Hmm...if I manage to clean my room up, I'll post some pics up of my summer.

Stupid dinner reservation at 8:30...decided to stay here at work and surf the web.

A couple months ago while I was walking to Quincy School for some basketball, a somewhat decent looking blonde girl in her 20s asked me where the YMCA is as I pass New England Medical T stop.  I told her "it's just down the street and on the right".  It's the same direction I was walking anyway but being Mike Mach, I walked behind her for a whole block when I could have been chatting with her.  She finally turns around when she gets to the corner of the Y and I point "there's the entrance right there" and that was it.  In typical fashion I blanked when I interact with a cute girl.  God I hate myself.  And some of you wonder why I'm still single.