Good luck Rays!!

For the Rays, the playoffs begin today in St. Petersburg.

Playoffs? (Insert your best Jim Mora impression here!). Playoffs?? That's right, post season play at the Trop. It has been an incredible season thus far and the ride continues. After attending a game on June 21, 2006 in which James Shields made his 2nd start at Tropicana Field (http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore;_ylt=AnsGDZNrjTpXq9ZNY0dRu9jJbQM6?gid=260621130) I called my shot, boldly proclaiming that "there will be playoff baseball at the Trop!" Ozone, Roame and QJ barely acknowledged me. I'm sure they thought it was merely a Maltus moment. But, as I stood there applauding and taking it all in that night, I really believed it would happen someday. I'm not at all saying I thought things would go down like this. This has been absolutely amazing and they deserve all the credit in the world for the season they've put together. This is a special team and I hope they do some serious damage in the playoffs. Why not? I'm only writing about this because Ozone insisted that I "own it". So here's a shout out to ya fellas. Regardless of how it works out, you've done yourselves proud. But, since you're there, how about bringing it all back home!?!

Devil Ray Red out...

-A

Axis and Jane in So Be...

-Breakfast at the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club

Miami, Florida

The Queen and I just returned from a weekend away in South Beach. Love it! The beach, the international flavor, the whole scene is just fantastic. Living in Tampa is great but, it's still much more like a town than a city in many ways and it's fun to go down and experience the energy in SB. Each time we go we find something new and exciting and this trip was no different. We were there with QJ's sister and brother in law celebrating sis' 40th. After a late breakfast out on Espanola Way, the girls headed off for a little shopping, hubby went to take in the Gator game, and I went for a little stroll to see what this little district had to offer. Almost immediately I discovered Espanola Way Artists. This old building features collections of art from several of the district's artists and is home to their personal studios. Unbeknownst to me, our favorite South Beach artist, Mark Rutkowski's studio was there (http://www.markrutkowski.com/). We've got Mark's art on our walls at the New Blue, so to be able to stumble upon this was an absolute delight! I spent a considerable amount of time checking out his work and then left him a little thank you note by the door of his studio. Totally cool.

Whenever we go down, part of our "mission" is to scout around for a place to stay on our next trip down and the Clay Hotel (also on Espanola Way) is definitely on the short list. This trip we stayed at the Shore Club on Ocean Drive. This place has the coolest pool bar, patio, night spot on the beach (in my humble opinion). Just around the corner from the hotel is the Townhouse, a rooftop lounge which ended up being the perfect place to chill following our celebratory birthday dinner at the marvelous Table 8. I wish we could've stayed longer but, it's time to get back to work.

See you next time ol' friend!
-A

The Lighter Side of Roame...

Haven't felt like myself in a while. The economy, this election have really soured my mood. I'm very angry.
I feel my blood pressure rising at the mere site of a McCain/Palin bumper sticker. I want to get out of my car, walk up to the offending vehicle and occupant and scream, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, YOU GOD DAMNED LEMMING!" I don't understand what these people are seeing in these two. I mean, I'm an open minded person. Ask anyone who knows me. I have no trouble seeing another person's point of view. I can admit when I'm wrong. But how the hell can you look at AND listen to Sarah Palin and think, " That's a person I can stand behind." Are these people that gullible, that narrow minded that they'll vote for ANY Republican candidate? Wake up, people! Having lived longer is not a qualifier for the office of President nor does living geographically closer to a foreign country give you experience in matters of foreign policy.
I read the paper, watch the news regarding the status of our economy and my mood starts to darken further. I can't help but feel major contempt towards Wall Street and the individuals who run these investments firms and the others involved in creating this sink hole that is our economy. You know what pisses me off even more? The fact that these fucks couldn't care less. Oh, believe me, when this gets sorted out and the Federal Government starts to parade the few sacrifices in front of the courts, those few will feel inconvenienced that they've been put on display. They may even have to spend a little time but when they get out, it's back to the lavish lifestyle. They've socked their money away off shore, Switzerland, wherever and won't have a care in the world. The thought of that makes me go to a very dark place and it takes some time to come back from there. My only hope is that somebody will say,"Enough!" and really start to punish these people. If somebody out there wants to put ME in the position of doing that, I'll be happy to oblige. I'm tired of this injustice and the unfairness of it all. I feel like my voice isn't being heard. It's very frustrating.
So, the dreaded "spectre of layoffs" has reared his ugly head at the company where I am employed. I work in finance as a credit analyst at one of the few banks who are not in trouble but they want to cut costs. Senior mangement paid us a visit from corporate HQ last week and informed us in so many words that due to the economy, consumer market, blah, blah , blah..that cuts may have to be made and they'll know more in a few weeks. At which time they'll be back with the ax, or something to that affect. The kicker for me was the positive attitude approach that we as employees should take in the coming weeks. That we should not dwell on the possible unemployment that may be in our future but keep doing the good work that we're doing. No use worrying over what you can't control. Really? Easy for you to say, you're not in danger of losing your fucking job! How very Zen of our senior management to pass on that little philosophical gem. Being in senior management I reckon your green is a little longer than mine and certainly your severance package would probably get you a little further than what I'm going to get. So, fuck you and your advice. I'll continue to do my work and do it well as is my nature and work ethic but spare me your thin concern and your pep rally.
These are some of the things that are weighing on me and preventing me from being the jovial, being of light that I'm capable of becoming. Thank you for reading. I appreciate your time. Oh, and I'm awfully sorry for the off-colour language I use in this post and my others. Often times I find the Queen's english fails to accurately convey the emotion I'm feeling at the time I'm attempting to express myself. You do understand, don't you? No? Fuck off.

15 days since the last post

C'mon guys. If this continues on, we'll have to put ourselves on the Wet List. I have no excuse either, don't get me wrong.

I contacted Brother Nanuk of the North. I think he's finally settled in Juneau. His recent Acushnet missive was tailor made for the MRF. I urged him to post it.

Do I have to get a mohawk? Listen, I will get a mohawk if it means keeping this blog alive.

~Ozone

September Mourn...

If you were not previously of the opinion that the upcoming general election is of paramount importance, then maybe the last few weeks of lipstick, hockey moms and horse hockey have convinced you.

The Republican National Convention was just weird. A friend of mine said she felt as if she was looking in at "another world". The Boy Wonder's 2nd grade teacher recently reminded all parents that "you can learn a lot from a box of crayons". Apparently the RNC hasn't heard this little anecdote because I don't recall seeing a single person of color in the whole damn place. The joint was crawling with prehistoric, pale faced drones, sluggishly milling about as the convention got underway. There were signs of life as the week moved on however, and by the time Rudolph Giuliani gave his rah rah speech, the pasty crowd worked itself into a lather and hawkish cries of USA USA began to rain down from the rafters. Big fun! The intermission activities included chants of "Drill Baby Drill", "Drill Baby Drill"!! Now, just think about how messed up that is? HELLO, it is NOT good news for our country that we find ourselves in this position. Whether or not we need to drill may be up for debate but, I think that celebrating the idea really tells you something about these folks.

Of course the highlight of the convention was far and away the Mayor of Methville, Sarah Palin. The Church Lady came out swinging, scored some points and provided a much needed boost to her doddering running mate's presidential bid. (On a side note, both conventions were marked by police using strong armed tactics that should serve as a stark reminder of the militarized state of law enforcement in America. But that's another entry entirely...)

As convention season came to a close, and the anniversary of 9/11 was upon us I couldn't help but feel especially solemn this year. When I think about how unified we were as a country immediately following September 11 and compare it with the ugliness that now exists as a result of the way this administration has repeatedly used that day as a political club on anything that dared to stand in the way of furthering its imperial agenda, all I can do is shake my head. Our constitution is in shambles, we're divided at home, estranged and isolated abroad and oh by the way, the reckless foreign policy that we've employed has no doubt created more Bin Laden's then we care to know.

Then the bail outs started coming fast and furious! Further proof that the ol' train has left the tracks. The future of what's left of this Republic hangs in the balance. We are teetering in the brink. Things are THAT dire. So after all of it.. the lipstick, the pit bulls, and the bullshit, in my mind we've got one more chance at change. Of the two top candidates for President neither is perfect but, if the American people truly search themselves, one candidate is head and shoulders above the otherc. We can only hope that the direction this country is headed will change drastically. We have to believe and we have to remain hopeful; the alternative is unthinkable. But, how much can we expect in an age when corporations control the political purse strings?

Will America be able to get over itself on November 4th? Racism is still very much alive in the good ol' US of A and it's a given that some people won't vote for a minority under any circumstances. And there will be a fairly substantial number of voters who will be wrestling with pride and prejudice all the way up until the moment of truth. Most of us have had to deal with reconciling prejudice, preconceptions, and mischaracterizations that worked there way into our psyche early in life. Some people break down those barriers and some aren't willing, or able. We will learn a lot about ourselves in a little more than a month.

Trying to get a handle on all the chaos and make some sense out of all of this is a real chore. I'm looking forward to a little break in the action here shortly so I can recharge for the home stretch of '08.

As the song goes, "Wake me up when September ends..."

9/11/2001

Empty Sky

I woke up this morning
I could barely breathe
Just an empty impression
In the bed where you used to be

I want a kiss from your lips
I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Blood on the streets
Yeah, blood flowin' down
I hear the blood of my blood
Cryin' from the ground

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to the empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to the empty sky

On the plains of Jordan
I cut my bow from the wood
This tree of evil
This tree of good

I want a kiss from your lips
I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to the empty sky

- Bruce Springsteen

~Ozone

Rambunctious Rays Roll Red Sox

It's been difficult getting into the Buccaneers this year. As a hardcore baseball friend of mine likes to say when the NFL kicks off, "It's still baseball season!" Indeed. I've never had more fun watching baseball than I have this year.

The Tampa Bay Rays' reversal of fortune has been well documented, both locally and nationally. Last night's game against the Red Sox (it actually bled into "today") was a humdinger in a season filled with humdingers.

The Rays were at Fenway last night, and their first-place lead in the AL East had been gnawed down to a nub. The 3 game series was tied 1-1, but the boys in blue and grey battled back (again), taking the formidable Sox into extras with the score tied 1-1.

The pitching from both teams was simply amazing. And to see the Rays match the Sox' payroll-heavy arms with their own deft pitching was a thing of beauty.

It went on into the 14th inning (!), the tension increasing minute by minute, pitch by pitch. Iwamura-san came up and swatted a single, and then my favorite Ray, Rocco Baldelli, followed up with another single to put 2 Rays on base.

By the way, Rocco (Snakes and Arrows) Baldelli's comeback has been one of the truly great stories of the 2008 season. This man is a tough son of a gun, and his story has been truly inspiring. Betrayed by his body, he willed his way back into a Major League lineup. Do we truly understand how difficult it is to play baseball at this level? Rocco stuns me. I've never seen a comeback like this. I'd like to be his cabana boy if he'll have me. I have all the Rush albums on CD. Remastered even!

At any rate, there were two Rays on, the game was tied 1-1, and up came Carlos "Scoop" Pena. Another tough-ass Rays gamer, this man defines intensity. He's in it to win it. And what do you know? Carlos blasted a 3-run home run to give the Rays a 4-1 lead!

I was cheering like a besotted baboon! (Hail Maltus) It was the very defintion of clutch! I immediately called Brother Axis. He was on the road, working hard, but eager for the update.

It wasn't over yet. The Red Sox had one final chance, and they took full advantage. Soon there were two Sox on base, and then David Ortiz came up to bat, with no outs! Jason Hamel was on the mound, and the young pitcher walked the big slugger to load the bases.

My sphincter was in open revolt. Clinching, unclinching. I needed Depends! There was no time for that. Kevin Youklis (does this guy look like an Irish mobster from Southie, or what?) cranked a blast deep to right. Oh no! A grand slam! But the ball died and came down on the warning track for an out. Phew!

One out later and the Rays secured the win! And they took a series from Boston, IN Fenway, for the first time since 1999! The lads now lead the AL East by 2 and a half games.

Congrats Rays. You're the most exciting team in baseball. Now, if you don't mind, I have to suck down a juice box, and then sit in the corner and rock back and forth with my blankie. La La - La La. Jesus H. Christ on the Steppes of Galilee!

~OZONE

Labor Day Weekend 2008

Here are a couple of shots from the Front Porch gig on Labor Day weekend. As he so often does, Roame stole the show when he joined me at the end of the evening. After singing lead on "Fire and Rain", he delivered "Friends in Low Places" as only he can by adding a previously unreleased but, now semi famous "Aw fuck" 3rd verse! Thanks for coming by mateys...

Roame and Ozone

Axis

After the festivities, we dipped back to the "New Blue" for an early morning/night cap. Ozone, Queen Jane (aka me sweetie pie) & I got up in the am and took the Boy Wonder to a Sunday matinee at the Trop. We had a sensational time watching the Rays punish the Orioles and enjoyed some quality wing products at Ferg's after the game. Good times!

Cheers,

-A

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