My heart goes out to the family of Mike Coolbaugh. I work with his sister, Lisa.
On Monday, July 23, we got word from Lisa that her brother had died on the baseball field. Mike was the batting coach for the Tulsa Drillers. Mike was positioned at first base while his team was hitting. Tino Sanchez, a left-handed hitter, hit a foul ball and it headed towards Mike. He raised a hand to block it but it was too late. The ball ruptured Mike's carotid artery and he died.
It truly is such a rare kind of accident and it was so awful to hear of that happening to such an outstanding man. Mike leaves behind a growing family: Joey age 5, Jake age 3, and his wife, Mandy, who is pregnant with their third child. She said that if her unborn child is a boy she will name him Mike.
On Sunday, July 29, some coworkers and I traveled to San Antonio to visit Lisa and pay our respects to Mike. It broke our hearts to see Lisa because, like Mandy, she is pregnant also. They both have a hard time eating and the emotional stress effects your entire body. Seeing the two of them grieve so deeply while trying to maintain a healthy pregancy was so hard.
The media swarmed the Coolbaugh house in San Antonio after word of this rare accident got out. But after a family press conference they backed off and gave the family their privacy. Some of them did write beautiful stories about Mike. Here are a few of my favorites:
Brian Anderson
ESPN
Fox Sports
The Tulsa Drillers
Please keep the Coolbaugh family and the Sanchez family in your thoughts and praryers.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tales from the Dungeon
First of all, Happy Belated 4th of July. I didn't do anything wild and crazy for the holiday. I just provided my own body as a smorgasbord for all the mosquitos that are a result of the Biblical Rains.
Anyway... my office is getting remodeled so our entire department has been moved to a high school across the street from our building. Normally, this would be no big deal. Except the high school has limited, if any, air conditioning. And it's going through renovations so I have to smell that smell that happens when old carpet comes up and new carpet goes down. Icky!
We get no cell phone reception and only one bathroom has running water. Also, since we are used to packing a lunch, we were ticked to find out we have no refrigerator, no microwave and no kitchen-type area in which to eat our lunch. The computer lab we are sitting in at the high school is called The Dungeon because it has brown cinderblock walls and no windows. And somehow it has become infested with flies and gnats.
Hot, muggy, stinky, no cell phone, only 1 bathroom, insects and packing lunches that need no refrigeration or heating. So it's kinda like camping... but indoors with Internet.
My "indoor camping" did include a hike through the halls of the school. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything interesting... just a McGruff The Crime Dog puppet and 17 yearbooks from 1989. I hope my new office gets done quickly.
Anyway... my office is getting remodeled so our entire department has been moved to a high school across the street from our building. Normally, this would be no big deal. Except the high school has limited, if any, air conditioning. And it's going through renovations so I have to smell that smell that happens when old carpet comes up and new carpet goes down. Icky!
We get no cell phone reception and only one bathroom has running water. Also, since we are used to packing a lunch, we were ticked to find out we have no refrigerator, no microwave and no kitchen-type area in which to eat our lunch. The computer lab we are sitting in at the high school is called The Dungeon because it has brown cinderblock walls and no windows. And somehow it has become infested with flies and gnats.
Hot, muggy, stinky, no cell phone, only 1 bathroom, insects and packing lunches that need no refrigeration or heating. So it's kinda like camping... but indoors with Internet.
My "indoor camping" did include a hike through the halls of the school. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything interesting... just a McGruff The Crime Dog puppet and 17 yearbooks from 1989. I hope my new office gets done quickly.
Monday, June 25, 2007
I Don't Like The Cell Phone Lady
I have a very observant boyfriend who said that in the early part of our relationship he noticed I was very picky and sensitive. But it is just now beginning to surface in our conversations. And I guess I am picky... or maybe I just have a ton of pet peeves. Here are some examples:
- I went to Las Vegas with M and I only wanted to use the restroom in the Paris casino because they had the softest toilet paper.
- If I sleep in any bed other than my own, I wake up with severe back pain because I need a feather bed.
- When I call a cell phone and get voicemail, I hate having to wait for the "lady" to say "To leave a message press 1 or press pound for more options...blah, blah, blah" I had it removed on my phone. You should do the same.
- After 2 alcoholic drinks I immediately vomit...unless it's wine then I can drink a whole bottle.
- I do not touch door handles, elevator buttons, public pens, etc... because I am terrified of germs.
- At a recent family get-together I didn't eat 90% of the stuff because I don't like it. Watermelon, beef fajitas, menudo, steak, etc... None of it was going near me. My sister, A, did try to force feed me and I have have proof.
So, maybe I am picky. Are you picky? What are your sensitive spots?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Gmail = Junkmail
I rarely use my Gmail account. I logged in yesterday, cleaned out the junk and today I logged back in. This is what I found...207 junk e-mails in ONE day:
And this is a brief clip of what the junk e-mails look like:
Does your Gmail junkmail look like that after one day also? It should not be this way. Especially after they arrested this guy. Ugh!
And this is a brief clip of what the junk e-mails look like:
Does your Gmail junkmail look like that after one day also? It should not be this way. Especially after they arrested this guy. Ugh!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Maybe Flies Are Good
If you have ever shared a meal with me in a restaurant, then you know I'm picky and I ask a lot of questions... but I'm always nice to the wait staff. So you can only imagine my shock and horror brought on by these two events:
El Fenix - 05.01.2007
My boss decided to take our group out to lunch to honor the administrative professionals in our office. It was a week after the official week...but better late than never. They decided to go to El Fenix. I looked through the menu and was surprised to see their lunch specials were around ten bucks each! Ten bucks for tacos...are you kidding me?? Anyway, I went with the flautas and hoped for the best. The rest of my group got their food and our waiter informed me that mine was still cooking. When it arrived, it was still pink and cold in the middle. I didn't want to cause a stink so I just kept quiet. Good thing I wasn't paying.
Scotty P.'s - 05-02.2007
After the mess at El Fenix, I didn't have a good feeling about attending a birthday lunch for a co-worker at Scotty P.'s. I took a leap of faith and ordered the greek salad. I took 3 bites. On the 4th bite, I discovered a HUGE nasty fly in my salad. He probably drowned in greek dressing. There was a long line of hungy people waiting for a hamburger and I didn't want to gross them out. So I quietly approached the register and whispered, "There's a fly in my salad." The employees blurted out, "WHAT? A FLY IN YOUR SALAD? WHERE??" I showed them the fly, they called a manager and he said to me, "Would you like another salad without the flies?" I said no. He said the only thing he could do for me was a refund or a gift certificate for a free meal. I took the gift certificate. So if I don't like you, please be expecting a Scotty P.'s gift certificate on your birthday. Maybe flies are good!
El Fenix - 05.01.2007
My boss decided to take our group out to lunch to honor the administrative professionals in our office. It was a week after the official week...but better late than never. They decided to go to El Fenix. I looked through the menu and was surprised to see their lunch specials were around ten bucks each! Ten bucks for tacos...are you kidding me?? Anyway, I went with the flautas and hoped for the best. The rest of my group got their food and our waiter informed me that mine was still cooking. When it arrived, it was still pink and cold in the middle. I didn't want to cause a stink so I just kept quiet. Good thing I wasn't paying.
Scotty P.'s - 05-02.2007
After the mess at El Fenix, I didn't have a good feeling about attending a birthday lunch for a co-worker at Scotty P.'s. I took a leap of faith and ordered the greek salad. I took 3 bites. On the 4th bite, I discovered a HUGE nasty fly in my salad. He probably drowned in greek dressing. There was a long line of hungy people waiting for a hamburger and I didn't want to gross them out. So I quietly approached the register and whispered, "There's a fly in my salad." The employees blurted out, "WHAT? A FLY IN YOUR SALAD? WHERE??" I showed them the fly, they called a manager and he said to me, "Would you like another salad without the flies?" I said no. He said the only thing he could do for me was a refund or a gift certificate for a free meal. I took the gift certificate. So if I don't like you, please be expecting a Scotty P.'s gift certificate on your birthday. Maybe flies are good!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Keeper of the Gems
Do you know who Leslie & The Ly's are? If not, then we seriously cannot be friends any longer. Just kidding. But you really do need to find out about this group. Specifically the lead singer, Leslie Hall. Leslie had her very first Denton show yesterday and I was there. It was fan-flippin-tastic! My brother, L, went with me and we had a great time!
After two opening acts, Leslie hit the stage. She was wearing her gold jumpsuit, blue eye shadow and oversized glasses. She rocked, she rolled, she shook, she danced. She was amazing. Her show started with her famous "Gold Pants" song. Then she went into her classics such as "Zombie Killer" and "Shazam I'm Glamorous." The whole crowd was totally into her and she had a room full of loyal fans. Her songs are hilarious, her stage presence is strong and her sparkly magic is incomparable. After the show, she came out to sign autographs, take pics and just chat with those who stuck around. That was the best part! I loved getting to meet her.
For those of you not familiar with Leslie, she is the owner and founder of the Gem Sweater Mobile Museum. She collects those sweaters that were attacked by the Bedazzler in the 80s. She even dubs herself "Keeper of the Gems." Also, she is a rapper from Iowa who writes all her own lyrics and her mom makes all her stage costumes. You really should check out her Web site to find out more:
http://www.lesliehall.com/
Enjoy these pics from one of the BEST nights of my life!
Even the girl in the wheel chair got down!
This was Leslie's big entrance!
Thank you for those gold pants!
My hero and me!
After two opening acts, Leslie hit the stage. She was wearing her gold jumpsuit, blue eye shadow and oversized glasses. She rocked, she rolled, she shook, she danced. She was amazing. Her show started with her famous "Gold Pants" song. Then she went into her classics such as "Zombie Killer" and "Shazam I'm Glamorous." The whole crowd was totally into her and she had a room full of loyal fans. Her songs are hilarious, her stage presence is strong and her sparkly magic is incomparable. After the show, she came out to sign autographs, take pics and just chat with those who stuck around. That was the best part! I loved getting to meet her.
For those of you not familiar with Leslie, she is the owner and founder of the Gem Sweater Mobile Museum. She collects those sweaters that were attacked by the Bedazzler in the 80s. She even dubs herself "Keeper of the Gems." Also, she is a rapper from Iowa who writes all her own lyrics and her mom makes all her stage costumes. You really should check out her Web site to find out more:
http://www.lesliehall.com/
Enjoy these pics from one of the BEST nights of my life!
Even the girl in the wheel chair got down!
This was Leslie's big entrance!
Thank you for those gold pants!
My hero and me!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
A Letter to Zach Braff
Zach,
Do you know what an Ultimate Hate is? It's a phrase we made up years ago to describe a celebrity/celebutard we despise. A long time ago, my friend S told me her Ultimate Hate was Tara Reid and her hubby's Ultimate Hate was Joan Rivers. My sister C's Ultimate Hate is Queen Latifah. In fact, her extreme distaste for Latifah is often the butt of jokes and pranks - including the anonymous family member who enrolled her in the Queen Latifah Fan Club.
So, are you wondering if I have any Ultimate Hates? Well, I do. Nicholas Cage. His voice gives me the heebie-jeebies and then there's that whole thing about naming his kid Kal-el. Oh, and then there's Jennifer Lopez which I think requires no explanation. And now, there's you. I read the May issue of Elle magazine and I also did peruse some lyrics of Mandy Moore's new album. And frankly speaking, you now appear to me as narcissistic and sanctimonious. Also, you shouldn't use movie roles/offers to try to get women you don't stand a chance with. (Natalie Portman and Rachel Bilson.) You are a repeat offender with those smarmy tactics and now I welcome you to my Ultimate Hate list.
Sincerely,
CJ
Do you know what an Ultimate Hate is? It's a phrase we made up years ago to describe a celebrity/celebutard we despise. A long time ago, my friend S told me her Ultimate Hate was Tara Reid and her hubby's Ultimate Hate was Joan Rivers. My sister C's Ultimate Hate is Queen Latifah. In fact, her extreme distaste for Latifah is often the butt of jokes and pranks - including the anonymous family member who enrolled her in the Queen Latifah Fan Club.
So, are you wondering if I have any Ultimate Hates? Well, I do. Nicholas Cage. His voice gives me the heebie-jeebies and then there's that whole thing about naming his kid Kal-el. Oh, and then there's Jennifer Lopez which I think requires no explanation. And now, there's you. I read the May issue of Elle magazine and I also did peruse some lyrics of Mandy Moore's new album. And frankly speaking, you now appear to me as narcissistic and sanctimonious. Also, you shouldn't use movie roles/offers to try to get women you don't stand a chance with. (Natalie Portman and Rachel Bilson.) You are a repeat offender with those smarmy tactics and now I welcome you to my Ultimate Hate list.
Sincerely,
CJ
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
