Part of a series on the History of Ukraine
Hey all, it's been awhile since I rapped at ya, but I been real busy.
As I'm anxiously awaiting the first game of this year's American League Championship Series between my beloved Cleveland [Buckeyes] and the Toronto Blue Jays, I have to keep reminding myself this:
Nothing that I do, say, or wear has any affect on the outcome of a professional sporting event.
I've got the movie Major League on for the fourth time in a week (I've had it on the background while at work for every Cleveland playoff game so far) and I'm agonizing over what t-shirt to wear under my Cleveland Buckeyes (like the actual Negro League team jersey, not a Cleveland [Buckeye] jersey). I've been regularly wearing my Cleveland Buckeyes (like the actual Negro League team hat, not a Cleveland [Buckeye] hat) and I'm going to keep with the Buckeyes hat/jersey combo, but last week I wore a Michael Bourn "Cleveland Blues" t-shirt to the first game in the ALCS, a Cleveland Spiders t-shirt to the second game, and then an "I *baseball* CLE" shirt to my buddy DRoll's house as we watched them close out the Red Sox in Boston on television. But what do I wear tonight? I got a "Lonnie's Johnnies*" shirt a few weeks ago and a "dry-fit" block C shirt earlier this week. Do I keep rolling with a new shirt for every win? Do I avoid ANY connection with the Cleveland Indians (even the block C) and stick with generalities or old team names?
THIS IS THE KIND OF STUPID SHIT THAT HAS BEEN STRESSING ME OUT ALL WEEK.
Which is why I have to remind myself that nothing that I do (watch Major League on game days), say (general cheering), or wear (specific hats, jerseys, shirts, socks, underpants) has any affect on the outcome of a professional sporting event. It's really just to make me feel better and more connected to the team. Idiotic, yes, but not entirely without merit. There is no such thing as a sports curse, there is no such thing as "juju" or anything like that - it's grown-ass men playing a sport, and whichever team wins a game/series depends on athletic abilities, health, and preparedness. Maybe something else that I'm not thinking of, but certainly not whether a 32 year old male fan decides to wear a block C dry-fit shirt under a jersey or not.
For tonight's game, I'll be joined by Kruszer, my brother David and his wife/father-in-law, my Dad, and DRoll and SRoll.
On Sunday, Roni and I saw Coheed and Cambria headline a show with Saves The Day and Polyphia at the Agora Theater. We missed Polyphia, Saves The Day was predictably mid-tempo/boring, and Coheed and Cambria ruled. Crazy to think that I saw them for the first time 14 (!!!) years ago this month at the Beachland Ballroom, and that they're still as killer now as they were then (though with a lot more chart-toppers in their repertoire). Their set list went like this:
1. Ghost (The Color Before The Sun)
2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
3. Blood Red Summer (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
4. Island (The Color Before The Sun)
5. Everything Evil (The Second Stage Turbine Blade)
6. Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant (The Afterman: Descension)
7. Favor House Atlantic (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
8. Eraser (The Color Before The Sun)
9. Here To Mars (The Color Before The Sun)
10. The Crowing (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
11. Delirium Trigger (The Second Stage Turbine Blade)
12. Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial) (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
13. Peace to the Mountain (The Color Before The Sun)
*Encore*
14. You've Got Spirit, Kid (The Color Before The Sun)
15. Drain You (Nirvana cover)
16. Welcome Home (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
I wouldn't have minded hearing some tunes from Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow or The Afterman: Ascension, but by no means was I upset by that set list at all, or would I have swapped out songs if I had the influence. Just wish they could have played their entire discography, I suppose.
Last night Roni and I saw Tig Notaro do stand-up at the Capitol Theater in Gordon Square (and ran into/sat next to our friend Angela and her boyfriend Justin, and ran into/chatted with fellow RHS graduate and former Jam Session softballer, Dustin I. and his wife Kate). She killed it, just like she did when we saw her in I thiiiiink February of 2014 (which I can't confirm because I've been an asshole and haven't updated with any regularity in the last 3 or so years). The show opened with a showing of her short film "Clown Service," which was amazing, and then some comedian whose name I can't remember did a set (sorry, buddy. He was a runner up on "Last Comic Standing" if anyone is wondering/if future me wants to update this post and forgets that detail). She repeated a few jokes, but they were still amazing because of how she interrupts the jokes to riff off of what is going on around her or in the audience. She ended her set with a bit on how she loves music and how she is friendly with the Indigo Girls, and how they were going to appear on stage and play a song for the audience. She kept introducing them, they wouldn't show up, introducing them, they wouldn't show up, etc., and then finally she acknowledged how funny it is that people weren't quite sure if they would actually be there or not. She started to lose me for a second, until she was interacting with an audience member that was trying to peep behind an ajar door offstage:
"Ma'am, do you even know what the Indigo Girls look like if they were back there?" - Tig
"No, I don't" - Audience member
"Well, wonder no more. Ladies and gentleman, THE INDIGO GIRLS!" - Tig
That sequence brought me right back in and just killed me. If you get the chance to catch Tig Notaro live, I can't recommend it enough.
Man, between Coheed and Cambria, Tig Notaro, and two ALCS baseball games, this has been a pretty goddamn great week. So treat others how you'd like to be treated. You're beautiful. Peace.
<3dane
xoxo
* - Lonnie's Johnnies, for those wondering, is described thusly: "Grady had his Ladies now it's the fellas' turn! We are northeast Ohio's preeminent all-male Lonnie Chisenhall support group. Dedicated to legendary batsmith and all around good guy, Cleveland [Buckeyes]' right fielder, Lonnie Chisenhall."
As I'm anxiously awaiting the first game of this year's American League Championship Series between my beloved Cleveland [Buckeyes] and the Toronto Blue Jays, I have to keep reminding myself this:
Nothing that I do, say, or wear has any affect on the outcome of a professional sporting event.
I've got the movie Major League on for the fourth time in a week (I've had it on the background while at work for every Cleveland playoff game so far) and I'm agonizing over what t-shirt to wear under my Cleveland Buckeyes (like the actual Negro League team jersey, not a Cleveland [Buckeye] jersey). I've been regularly wearing my Cleveland Buckeyes (like the actual Negro League team hat, not a Cleveland [Buckeye] hat) and I'm going to keep with the Buckeyes hat/jersey combo, but last week I wore a Michael Bourn "Cleveland Blues" t-shirt to the first game in the ALCS, a Cleveland Spiders t-shirt to the second game, and then an "I *baseball* CLE" shirt to my buddy DRoll's house as we watched them close out the Red Sox in Boston on television. But what do I wear tonight? I got a "Lonnie's Johnnies*" shirt a few weeks ago and a "dry-fit" block C shirt earlier this week. Do I keep rolling with a new shirt for every win? Do I avoid ANY connection with the Cleveland Indians (even the block C) and stick with generalities or old team names?
THIS IS THE KIND OF STUPID SHIT THAT HAS BEEN STRESSING ME OUT ALL WEEK.
Which is why I have to remind myself that nothing that I do (watch Major League on game days), say (general cheering), or wear (specific hats, jerseys, shirts, socks, underpants) has any affect on the outcome of a professional sporting event. It's really just to make me feel better and more connected to the team. Idiotic, yes, but not entirely without merit. There is no such thing as a sports curse, there is no such thing as "juju" or anything like that - it's grown-ass men playing a sport, and whichever team wins a game/series depends on athletic abilities, health, and preparedness. Maybe something else that I'm not thinking of, but certainly not whether a 32 year old male fan decides to wear a block C dry-fit shirt under a jersey or not.
For tonight's game, I'll be joined by Kruszer, my brother David and his wife/father-in-law, my Dad, and DRoll and SRoll.
On Sunday, Roni and I saw Coheed and Cambria headline a show with Saves The Day and Polyphia at the Agora Theater. We missed Polyphia, Saves The Day was predictably mid-tempo/boring, and Coheed and Cambria ruled. Crazy to think that I saw them for the first time 14 (!!!) years ago this month at the Beachland Ballroom, and that they're still as killer now as they were then (though with a lot more chart-toppers in their repertoire). Their set list went like this:
1. Ghost (The Color Before The Sun)
2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
3. Blood Red Summer (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
4. Island (The Color Before The Sun)
5. Everything Evil (The Second Stage Turbine Blade)
6. Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant (The Afterman: Descension)
7. Favor House Atlantic (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
8. Eraser (The Color Before The Sun)
9. Here To Mars (The Color Before The Sun)
10. The Crowing (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
11. Delirium Trigger (The Second Stage Turbine Blade)
12. Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial) (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
13. Peace to the Mountain (The Color Before The Sun)
*Encore*
14. You've Got Spirit, Kid (The Color Before The Sun)
15. Drain You (Nirvana cover)
16. Welcome Home (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
I wouldn't have minded hearing some tunes from Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow or The Afterman: Ascension, but by no means was I upset by that set list at all, or would I have swapped out songs if I had the influence. Just wish they could have played their entire discography, I suppose.
Last night Roni and I saw Tig Notaro do stand-up at the Capitol Theater in Gordon Square (and ran into/sat next to our friend Angela and her boyfriend Justin, and ran into/chatted with fellow RHS graduate and former Jam Session softballer, Dustin I. and his wife Kate). She killed it, just like she did when we saw her in I thiiiiink February of 2014 (which I can't confirm because I've been an asshole and haven't updated with any regularity in the last 3 or so years). The show opened with a showing of her short film "Clown Service," which was amazing, and then some comedian whose name I can't remember did a set (sorry, buddy. He was a runner up on "Last Comic Standing" if anyone is wondering/if future me wants to update this post and forgets that detail). She repeated a few jokes, but they were still amazing because of how she interrupts the jokes to riff off of what is going on around her or in the audience. She ended her set with a bit on how she loves music and how she is friendly with the Indigo Girls, and how they were going to appear on stage and play a song for the audience. She kept introducing them, they wouldn't show up, introducing them, they wouldn't show up, etc., and then finally she acknowledged how funny it is that people weren't quite sure if they would actually be there or not. She started to lose me for a second, until she was interacting with an audience member that was trying to peep behind an ajar door offstage:
"Ma'am, do you even know what the Indigo Girls look like if they were back there?" - Tig
"No, I don't" - Audience member
"Well, wonder no more. Ladies and gentleman, THE INDIGO GIRLS!" - Tig
That sequence brought me right back in and just killed me. If you get the chance to catch Tig Notaro live, I can't recommend it enough.
Man, between Coheed and Cambria, Tig Notaro, and two ALCS baseball games, this has been a pretty goddamn great week. So treat others how you'd like to be treated. You're beautiful. Peace.
<3dane
xoxo
* - Lonnie's Johnnies, for those wondering, is described thusly: "Grady had his Ladies now it's the fellas' turn! We are northeast Ohio's preeminent all-male Lonnie Chisenhall support group. Dedicated to legendary batsmith and all around good guy, Cleveland [Buckeyes]' right fielder, Lonnie Chisenhall."