MyTravels

Save a Horse RIDE a COWBOY!

Well giddy up, yo.   I have not posted to my own blog in quite a while, besides everyone out there now is trying to be cool on MySpace.com, the new blog madness of the 21st century.   Are you on MySpace (insert vomit here)??

So the ladies of Latitude 42 are heading to Austin, TX this year to compete in the USA Volleyball Championships.   We are having our big fund raiser party at Kitty O'Sheas Irish Pub in Beverly, MA this Friday Night @ 8pm, 04.27.2007.   If you are into girls in hot pants (really really short spandex), I would suggest you come on out and party with us.   

We are also raffling off tickets to the Red Sox vs. the Yankess @ Fenway Park, Boston MA on June 2nd, 2007.    Really good seats too...

My work blocked my blog so I cannot use this as my stress reliever of written nonsense anymore.   To all my fans if you are still out there, thanks for checking in with me and if you are interested in my beach doubles league out at Carson Beach in South Boston, MA this summer, drop me a line at MLDBoston@gmail.com or check out my "other" website  http://mldvolleyball.com

PEACE OUT

Hermosa Beach

Well, they say you may only get once chance at fame, and I certainly missed the boat while out in California on vacation.  I went to check out the AVP Huntington Beach Open and it was awesome!   I won a hitting contest called the "CRUSH" Contest sponsored by CROCS the offical sponsor of the AVP.   A bunch of girls and guys had to hit 3 balls with Pros judging holding up scores between 1-10 for the best 2 out of 3.  I won for the girls on Saturday.  The following day, they ran the contest again and the winner that day and myself would compete on CENTER COURT before the women's finals!   I was so pumped up, excited, text messaging my friends etc.   Well, it would seem that they changed the time of the contest to occur during the women's semi-finals and I was up in the stands in the VIP Section that AL-B got for the Volleyball Vacations crew.   I missed my chance for 5 minutes of fame.   The stands were full, and at this point of my life, I know that I will never have another chance to hit a volleyball on center court at an AVP Open event... A day late, a dollar short, story of my life...

Cheers~

California Dreamin'

On Friday I will be watching the preliminary rounds of the Huntington Beach, CA AVP Open Volleyball tournament.   Lots to do before I take off to the land of sun and sand!

Stay tuned...

RESULTS: Poker Night 5/12

In the $$$$

1st Wingsze (I am seeing a trend here???)
2nd Jonah (I am so close to #1, I can eat it, as long as it is low-fat, low-carb)
3rd Thomas (NEW COMER, he "claims" he didn't know how to play....)
----------------------------------------------------------
4th Todd (the suckout river master)
5th Bob (the nemesis to MLD, trips what!???)
6th MLD (Is it possible to suck this much>???)
7th PaulShao (The two hand ALL-IN MASTER!!)

Best Spectator Award goes to TEX!

We had a fun night, I know you WISH you were there now! We broke the all-time "GO BUST" record via PaulShao losing his second hand to take a guess (hint #1 twice in a row)... What was he thinking?!

We had a little "re-construction, Tex and Jonah hung up my door for the bathroom, figured it was time having all these guests and all at my place. Jonah "conveniently" had am electric SAW in his trunk... hmmmmmm

The loser's lounge featured some professional men's volleyball, USA vs. Italy.

All in all, a great time was had by all... Except for MLD because I HATE LOSING!!

:-)

Sometimes you can't make it on your own

U2
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

Tough, you think you`ve got the stuff
You`re telling me and anyone
You`re hard enough

You don`t have to put up a fight
You don`t have to always be right
Let me take some of the punches
For you tonight

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don`t have to go it alone

And it`s you when I look in the mirror
And it`s you when I don`t pick up the phone
Sometimes you can`t make it on your own

We fight all the time
You and I... that`s alright
We`re the same soul
I don`t need... I don`t need to hear you say
That if we weren`t so alike
You`d like me a whole lot more

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don`t have to go it alone

And it`s you when I look in the mirror
And it`s you when I don`t pick up the phone
Sometimes you can`t make it on your own

I know that we don`t talk
I`m sick of it all
Can you hear me when I Sing,
you`re the reason I sing
You`re the reason why the opera is in me

Where are we now?
I`ve got to let you know
A house still doesn`t make a home
Don`t leave me here alone

And it`s you when I look in the mirror
And it`s you that makes it hard to let go
Sometimes you can`t make it on your own
Sometimes you can`t make it
The best you can do is to fake it
Sometimes you can`t make it on your own

//

Bono 'I sang 'Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own' at my father's funeral. He was a very tough, old boot of a guy, Irish, Dub, north side of Dublin, very cynical about the world and the people in it, you know, but very charming, and funny with it. 'His whole thing was, 'Don't dream - to dream is to be disappointed'. That was really what I think was his advice to me. He didn't speak it in those words, but that's what he meant, and of course that's really a recipe for megalomania isn't it? I mean I was only ever interested in big ideas, and not so much dreaming but putting dreams into action, doing the things that you have in your head has become an important thing for me. 'The song 'Sometimes You Cant Make it On Your Own', was dedicated to him, and, it's a portrait of him - he was a great singer, a tenor, a working class Dublin guy who listened to the opera and conducted the stereo with my mother's knitting needles. He just loved opera, so in the song, I hit one of those big tenor notes that he would have loved so much. I think he would have loved it, I hope so.'

My Mum

I hope that you are in heaven still reading my blog.   I know that you were my biggest fan and I miss you something awful.  I did not know when we took this photo last October for my b-day that you would be gone so soon.

No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents, you will miss them when they are gone.   

I love you Mom, and I miss you a lot.   Thank you for giving me life and for all that I have learned from you.   You were an amazingly strong woman and you loved your children as best as you could.   I think about you all the time and I wish that you were still here.   I miss your laugh, I miss your flighty ways, I just miss you.   I know that you are listening to me and watching over me.   I will be okay, but I will never be the same.

Love you,

MLD

xoxo

In Memory of Pamela Lee:   1/8/46 - 3/26/2006

Happy Mother's Day

Boston Beach Volleyball

BBVB - Bringing the beach back in style...

Player rankings, news etc.

http://mldvolleyball.com

Day #4 - Fasting...

Another successful day so far, almost through it...  Whoooooooooooooooa (as my nephew would say), this is very tough, but worth it.   I tested my own will power last night by accepting tix to the Red Sox Game while doing this fast.   I had a great time and even got the chance to sit right behind home plate in the box section for the last two innings.   We had Standing Room Only Tix entering the park but then my friend's brother managed to score the "bling" tix and boy what an unbelievable view of the game sitting 5 rows up from the field!    We had a ton of fon, there were 6 of us in the group.   One thing I noticed last night was that my sense of smell is back with a vengeance.   The fast is definitely working to clear up my sinuses.    I guess suffering from allergies for so long, now seemingly year-round, it was weird to smell EVERYTHING, good and bad at Fenway Park.   Some of the junk food smelled so good, even though I know that is soooooo bad for you.   Sausages, Fenway Franks, Deep-fried chicken fingers, french fries, popcorn.   Hell, I could even smell PEANUTS!  Weird! 

I drank my water and chewed my peppermint gum to keep my brain from thinking about food.  After the game, a friend and I walked from Fenway Park to Park Street Train Stop which is about a 2.5 mile walk.   The weather was great for a twilight stroll and we walked through the Boston Public Gardens which is simply GORGEOUS enroute to Park Street.  According to one travel website, the BPG is #2 of the Top 10 MUST SEE sights when visiting Boston.   I can see why!!

Perhaps it is the fast, maybe it is all that I have been through in the past several months, but I got such an appreciation for Boston last night.   There is nothing like attending a Red Sox Game at Fenway Park.    The weather is warming up, the trees are in bloom, and the city looks so brilliant at night.   I thought about how lucky I was to be alive and enjoying the moment.   

I have a lot more energy today, finally.   I am feeling up to playing 4's Volleyball tonight, my body feels a lot better than last week.   Exercise is helping and I know that this fast is helping detoxify my body while releasing unnecessary toxins.

Life is good...

mld

Day #3 - The Master Cleanser

I started my 10 day fast again on Monday, today is Day 3.    I feel pretty good physically despite the fact that I have not eaten any solid food in the past three days.   The lemonade drink does satisfy the hunger pangs and it is the end result that I am looking towards which is better health and hopefully lessened allergies.   I have done this once successfully and the results were amazing.   I have been under so much stress lately that my body took the full toll of unhealthy.  My complexion is horrid and overall I just felt like crap for the past several months.   The fast is my motivation to get back into shape and eat well.   I walked home last night from work (45 mins) and I felt a little weak towards the end which nixxed the idea of going to the gym.   I think by tomorrow I will have more energy and I can probably go to the gym without incident.   I was pretty weak this morning when I woke up but I think that was because I didn't have the 6 drinks yesterday, I only felt like having 5.   I know that my stomach feels great right now from giving my digestion a break.   

I won't lie, I needed a kickstart to my weight-loss goal as well and this is the perfect way to get there.   I do not have much to lose, 20 pounds would be my ideal in the next few months.   I am hoping that between exercise and eating better I can get there.   I am going to California at the end of May and I will be hanging around with EXTREMELY FIT and ATHLETIC Professional Beach Volleyball Players.   I do not want to look like some fluffy slouch from Boston.

So I figured I would write about my experience on my blog, even though I am convinced no one really reads it...lol    I am having trouble focusing (>>hence this post<<), but I am sure this will be better by tomorrow.  The first 2-3 days are the toughest, with Day #1 being most brutal dealing with the CAFFEINE WITHDRAWALS....Oh Dunkin' Donuts how I miss you so!   D&D Ice Coffee is my summer time vice!   I do not drink alcohol or smoke, so caffeine is my weakness!   I am hoping to make the GYM my next addiction... Right now it is painful for me to just get to the gym.   I am hoping that will change when I am done with this fast.   I figure if I can go without food for 12 days (10 day fast + 2 days off regime), I can most certainly get my lazy A$$ to the gym!

Cheers to you, Anonymous Reader

If you would like more information about the fast, you can check: 

http://mastercleanser.com/

Tuesday, in the city

Quote of the Day

How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.
  - Benjamin Disraeli

If there were no God, there would be no Atheists.
  - GK Chesterton

Go Sox!