Say it ain't so!

Apparently Brown Sugar Cafe in Fenway is closing. I don't get it. This place has been always busy. But thankfully only Fenway location. One near BU remains opened. However it'd become inconvenient since it's close to my home.

My old job used to order lunch from this place. One day the company was ordering from Brown Sugar Cafe, the office manager sent out emails to employees to pick a dish from the menu online. It was careless of her, she just assumed that Brown Sugar Cafe's web address was brownsugar.com although it was actully brownsugarCAFE.com.

Little that we knew, we all clicked on the link in the email to look up the menu. And what we saw was.... Why don't you click that link and find out.....

Obama's favorite TV shows.

In this "The Young Turks" youtube clip, the host talks about "50 Facts You Did Not Know About Barack Obama". According to this, Obama's favorite TV shows are "Mash" and "The Wire".

I like his choice of "The Wire". I love that show, too. And I really wonder if he dubs himself with one of the characters, "Mayor Carcetti" who was righteous and ambitious Baltimore mayor. What Barak Obama is about to get into is just as same as Mayor Carcetti went into - Disastrously massive mess inherited from previous mayor. Good part in Obama's case is that he KNOWS that he'll inherit them. Carcetti didn't see that coming and couldn't keep the promise he made before he got elected.

I thought I was unique

I was debating whether to go to the Halloween party til very last minute. I was working at the gym that night. Thankfully I was able to leave work earlier as there were not very many people at the gym. Because of lack of preparation, I recycled the costume from the last year - Bob Ross.

This costume was super well received last year. A lot of people seem to know Bob Ross but often forget about him at the same time. That's what makes this costume very unique.

However, this year was different. I arrived to the party and I wasn't the only Bob Ross.

He had real afro(Jewfro to be exact) and real beard and mustache. Only fake thing was the pallet(oil paint was real).

Good for them

From the bottom of 6th inning, I hauled my ass down half a block from my apartment to huddle around with fellow Sox fans at "Baseball Tavern". Living in Fenway for past 12 consecutive years(15 years total. I lived in Allston for a year). Sox fans' reaction has been always immediate to me regardless I was a fan or not.

Tonight, they(I probably say "we" as I am also one of them) were rather quiet. Right after the final outing, they swiftly closed their tabs and left the bars. Most of them were hurrying their way home. There was no need for city of Boston to dispatch the riot police. I don't know if they needed to kill sometime or needed something to do, I saw them marching with some chanting on my way home.

After the final outing, I heard some people immediately chanting "Let's go, Phillies". On the Facebook status, I saw that a lot as well. Me? I rather root for Rays. Here are why.

1. Rays aren't Yankees.

If we lost to Yankees, I am not sure I'd be able to sleep tonight. But it's Rays that beaten us tonight. They are not a rich team like Yankees or us. Or the team who's kept us from world series victory.

2. Carlos Pena is in Rays

He once was a Sox player. But what makes him more genuine masshole is the fact that he is Haverhill's own and a Northeastern grad. There are no players in Yankees with any strong connection to Boston/Mass/New England.

3. If Rays lose to Phillies, it'd make us feel placed 3rd.

Enemy's enemy is your friend. Therefore, Phillies is our friend. We could take it that way. But it'd make me feel we'd be placed 3rd if Rays lose to Phillies.

Indeed, our offense sucked, but it wasn't that bad for Manny/Lowell-less line up. But I wouldn't give a break to Theo on this issue. I get an impression that Theo relies on players' talent too much on offense. I think that he needs to acquire better batting coach. Look at Pena. He blossomed after he got traded to Rays!

So, fire current one because he obviously didn't do very good job. And get better one like Rays'.

Invisible Jap, invisible again....

In 2007, while the media was paying most of their attention to DiceK(including Japanese media), I was paying attention to Okajima. Rather than paying attention to him, I felt bad for him of not getting any credit despite of his excellent performance especially after I witnessed him shutting out the Yankees clean up at the first series of the year.

Because of lack of media attention, I referred him "Invisible Jap". But his sub zero like ERA couldn't stay unnoticed. Eventually the media turned to him and he was also selected to be in the all star that year.

Contrary to his success in '07, he sucked most of this regular season. Then he became a bashing target/punch line by both Boston media and the nation(Red Sox Nation, I am referring to).

However, this post season, particularly past 2 games(game 5 & 6 of ALCS), he has been superb. And I wanted to watch his performance again on mlb.com. But there were only clips for Paps and Masterson.... Oki walked none and allowed no runs for 2 innings... His excellency came unnoticed.

Again... he is invisible... an invisible Jap....

Something's going on.....

After Pap allowing inherited 2 runs by Delcarman, I said to myself "Fuck this!" and went to bed. 7-0. Last hope, DiceK got crushed, Bats silenced, and Pap already pitching in 7th, etc.. There were just no hope.

Living so close to Fenway park(within 50 yards radius), I just cannot avoid the situation happening in the Fenway no matter what. As I was browsing Hulu to find something to fall asleep on(to avoid insomnia by Sox irritation), I couldn't help noticing the occasional crowd eruption. But just like other pessimistic Red Sox fans, "eh... they must have score a run or two...".

But the eruption became louder and louder and frequent more and more. So I turned the radio on and found out Coco was up. And looked at "gameday" on mlb.com, 7-6, Rays in bottom of 8th. "Wow.. when did that all happen?".

Then there they went, dramatic walk-off by Drew. Whenever this sort of unthinkable come back made by Sox, we, Red Sox Nation, should get down on our knees and say a confession written by "Survivinggrady.com".

Bless me, Big Papi, for I have sinned.

After [insert the reason you stopped believing. In current case, game 3], I stopped believing.

I did NOT stop hoping.

I did NOT stop rooting.

Does anyone remember "Event Horizon"?

A movie, I am talking about. I think that this movie is the only movie that literally scared me. Most of horror movies don't scare me much except this one.

This movie is about a small group of people investigating an abandoned space vessel where all its crews were mysterious disappeared. And this abandoned vessel has special transportation device which utilizes man made "black hole".

Now an experience that takes place in Switzerland tomorrow will create small black hole. It's very erring, but that Sci-Fi movie is coming true tomorrow... I am excited but somewhat frightened at the same time.....