The Loneliest Spot In The World

...is the pitching mound in Yankee Stadium. That's according to the Costner movie For The Love Of The Game. Or it could be Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati, according to me. Yes, it's a baseball post. And yes, I misled you on purpose.

The day before this picture was taken I was actually also at the Great American Ballpark, watching the Reds play the same Boston Red Sox team that beat them this Sunday. I accidentally got in without paying by going through the Reds gift shop. I'm not talking about bleacher seats, too; these are like, Perfect Catch seats. (More baseball movie references.) Too bad I didn't have my camera then which is why I went back again the next day.

Of course I didn't know that I was actually getting in for free that Saturday so when I went back and tried to pull the same stunt I got caught. "You're gonna have to wait outside, son." Ah my short stint as an outlaw.

I'm also guilty...of now being able to cook pasta noodles! I didn't take pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. And that it tasted effin' amazing.

Spaking of a Boston team beating the crap out of the competition and winning a series, the Celtics closed out the Lakers in probably the biggest letdown of a game I've seen in years. Impostors in purple and gold showed up, and there was a stretch where the Celts were getting any shot they wanted when they wanted. I especially like how Dime magazine describes the Boston defense as a box-and-one, except that the box is on Mamba. The Big Three get their rings and tear up their membership cards for the Karl Malone/Pat Ewing club, while John Starks and Nick Anderson thank Odom and Co for taking the top spot in forgettable Finals appearances. OK, maybe not.

Propinquity

Celtics are rallying from being down twenty-four in the third to just two at the start of the fourth.

These past two weeks, I learned:

• How to iron a dress shirt (from YouTube)
• What a dryer lint filter is, and how to clean it
• A new word
• Two scoops of ice cream is more than enough here
• That microwavable rice isn't half bad
• How to drop trash down a chute
  
• That 90% of the Filipinos in Cincinnati are in Benihana...working
• That I comprise 5% of the remaining

Walked to Newport, Kentucky over the weekend to re-enact my favorite Walk To Remember scene. Oh, and to get away from Ohio. Got to eat at Zari's highly recommended Dewey's and it did not disappoint. So much so that Jenny can't hide her fandom of a 17" half-and-half.

Finally got to see a decent bookstore here (B&N) and I promptly offered my the contents of my wallet.

Random US moment: I found a Journeys store and got myself a pair of the controversial K. Cobain chucks, well, because I can. I already wore them the following day, and while I was walking around town Sunday a black couple stops me in the mall and asks me to raise my pant leg. They examine my kicks (they're called kicks yo) and the lady asks me a couple of questions regarding where I bought my shoes and I answer the Journeys store down at Newport. She ends the conversation with, "That's fucking gangsta." I'm sorry, but that made my day.

Celtics overcome the largest halftime lead in the shot-clock era (18 points) and win 97-91. Note to McFarlane toys: Wanting to buy: Allen #20 with Larry O'Brien trophy icon on the jersey.

Beat L.A., Go Reds

Tonight, the Celtics are up four entering the fourth quarter of a see-saw Game 1.

I've been in Cincinnati for almost a week and a lot has gone down already:

I have a new dream: to go to Japan. At first I was disappointed with the Nagoya airport (because the plane didn't transform into a giant robot after we got off), but then I got through the rest of the place and there were Japanese girls everywhere! Everywhere! Who would've thought?

Twelve hours later, I was stopped at border control (again) and ended up spending close to an hour inside Homeland Security because apparently no one there knows what "software requirements engineering" is all about. So after thirty minutes of waiting and another fifteen explaining CMMi to immigration I was re-booked on the next flight to Cincy (since I missed the one I was supposed to get on because of all the waiting). This trip is exciting already.

Oh, I also thought I lost my luggage while waiting and actually almost left for Cincy without it as advised by the airport staff. Thank God I procrastinate like crazy.

Cincinnati itself is kind of a quiet place as warned by everyone who's been here. The weather here is more exciting than its night life. Yesterday I received my first tornado warning, and today the city is on a heat warning. Not that the heat warning means anything, though. There are hotter Philippines winters. Sissies.

I think the only thing they do here is watch Cincinnati Reds games. And drive with the windows down with the radio at full blast.

The apartment I got is huge. I think I actually squealed when I stepped through the door. OK, too much information, sorry. There's a Thirties vibe going through the building and it's actually pretty nice. There's also a "fitness center" on my floor. And that means as much to me as it does to you. Walgreens is around the corner, and four days out of five Jenny and I are there shopping for "emergency" dinners in case the tornado hits. Suuure.

Pictures in Multiply. I'll talk about work stuff if it gets interesting. In the meantime the weekend is near so maybe things will pick up.

Maybe it already has. Celtics win, 98-88.