Tribe sucks. My heart is broken.

One of the hardest things to write...

On Monday, Oct 1st my parents officially divorced after 28 years of marriage. I've thought about for a while if I wanted to post anything about it, and I figured I would (for all my fans who are wondering how we're doing). :)

I'm actually doing fine...I've totally accepted what's going on and the changes in my life and moving on. I know that I have a lot to look forward to so I'm not really dwelling on what's happened. I know that this may be semi-controversial, but this isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I've seen a parent bury his child and to me nothing is worse than that. So I know that there are worse things in life than my parents splitting up.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not glad that my parents are divorced but nor do I want them back together. I think that my mom is better off without my dad. I can't say vice versa but that's only my opinion. I'm not going to use this post to bash anyone (sorry mom) but it's no secret that I'm sad, hurt, and disappointed as how things were handled on both sides. This whole situation could've been handled a lot better on both sides, with a lot more honesty and openness. It wouldn't have erased the hurt and betrayal but it would've helped. Along with an apology.

On the flip side, this whole experience had made me truly cherish and value my mom, Angie and Rachel, Craig (and by extension Milo), my friends, and my extended family (blood-related or not). We're all so much closer having gone through this together, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. My mom has her moments where I just want to move to Australia, but for the most part she's held up OK...just recently she's sorta backslid into depression. Hopefully she'll see and realize that she has so much to live for and be happy about...like little Maximo. That awesome, wonderful little boy. And me. Seriously, how can you not be ecstatic to have me in your life???
:)

I don't think I'd ever be able to willingly walk away from my entire family for any reason. I love them all so much and the thought of living life without them scares me more than anything. I can't speak for my mom and sisters, but I think that for the most part we're all OK and moving on. This whole ordeal has changed me in so many ways...I've tried very hard not to be bitter or full of hate and I think I've done that OK. I have my moments, but I really don't regret anything I've said or done. Even before this happened I had the mindset of appreciating everything that you have, and this has only reinforced that. I may not have my dad in my life anymore but I'm OK with that. Really and honestly. There's no point in me moping and whining about what I can't change so I try not to. Not to say I don't miss him but that's just the cards life dealt and I have to deal with it.

So I guess to make a long story short: we're OK, I'm OK, I love everyone very much, and you never know what life is going to throw at you. :) Thanks to everyone who's ever heard me bitch and moan and cry, and who has given me a shoulder to cry on. And to those who have drank many a beer (or stronger) with me while ruminating on life's mysterious ways. You guys rock.

Take care and just keep in mind: THE INDIANS ARE ONE GAME AWAY FROM GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!! If they actually get there and win it all I think I may have to be hospitalized...I told Craig that if they get there we're going no matter where we sit or how much it costs. Just remember to GO TRIBE!!!!!

Best.Thing.EVER.

GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Faithless is he who quits when the road darkens."

From today's fortune cookie. :)

Editors note...

Like I said before, I have quite a few posts I want to put up. However, due to some technical difficulties, any posts that include pics are taking forever, so those are taking a bit longer. I will get up pics from our haunted tour of Cleveland, mine and Craig's trip to Chicago, and some of our home improvement pics as soon as I can . Thanks for your patience. :)

Just so people didn't think I forgot about them or am slacking off...

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!



FINALLY, some pics (courtesy of Kristen's camera) from a tour a bunch of us took a couple of weeks ago. The tour is called Haunted Cleveland, and we went to spots in the Lakefront area that are allegedly haunted. We didn't really see anything while we were there but some of the pics make you wonder. It was sooooo fun, because we had such a fun group of people: Brian, Kim, Brian's friend Don and Don's wife Kathleen, me, Craig, Kristen, Jeff, and our friend Chris. We were like the bad, smart-ass group that would make fun of what we saw and make smart-ass comments the whole time. So it was great. :) The other cool part was that our tour was beig filmed by Channel 3 news for a segmet to air on TV. But I can't seem to find the link anywhere...

Anyhoo, here's a selection of some of the pics that were taken. Some of the pictures where you see white "orbs" are just dust, but others (if you enlarge the pic) you can see are not solid and seem almost plasma-like. Just my opinion though...

Ghostbusters circa 2007:




From the William G. Mather:



From a sunken sub off of Lake Erie (and if you're wondering why there's pics of Jeff and Chris climbing out of the holes, it's because it was soooo funny to see guys who were 6'2" and 6'5" respectively trying to climb out of these really small spaces. Kristen and I laughed and laughed...):




Squires Castle:




Erie St. Cemetary (right across from Jacob's Field). This was one of the top two creepy. If you look closely at some of the orbs (or blow up the pic) you can see that they are not solid, sorta plasma-like:




And finally, Franklin Castle, allegedly the most haunted place in Cleveland. It is under construction right now but is still supposedly haunted:




Now, this was the freakiest thing of the whole night. I was taking a bunch of random shots at Franklin Castle. Look at this series of pics, focusing on the curtain to the left in each shot. Note that there were no open windows or anything to cause a breeze. That room was in fact closed off but someone opened it (and no one went in). This gave Kristen goosebumps when she saw it:



If anyone wants any of the pics from the tour I can make you a copy of the CD that has the pics; just let me know.

GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!

I have a lot that I want to post while I'm vacation this week, so brace yourselves for a barrage of posts coming soon.

On a much happier note, the Indians are in the playoffs!!!!! First game is tonight against the Yankees. Go figure, the first year my dad and I don't go to the home opener is the year that they are really good. Oh well...

I tried to get tix for the game either today or tomorrow, but I wasn't about to pay $185 for two bleacher seats. So Craig and I will watch the game somewhere else. I'm just happy that they are in the playoffs...I've been such a fan for so long that I've tempered my enthusiasm as a defensive mechanism in case of disappointment. I actually had tears in my eyes when I watched them clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Like I said above, I have a bunch of posts that I want to put up, so I will try to do those tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime: GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!