When we do something, ...

...we REALLY do it well.. Have you ever seen such epic vehicular over achievement of fail? Want to try it yourself? Call now for a free trial lesson! Operators are standing by!! (The good news is that so far we are safe, and Rick has everything under control. Stay tuned!)

At least it's not raining...

...though having said what's NOT happening, should I now expect it? Of all visits to the farm and the cabin, this was the *one* we really needed to be on time for. Nice one.

Fairview H. S. '88 and younger Reunion

Mmmmmmm. Water. And another glass of other yummy unmentionables. But better than that, reuniting with some old-newish friends and getting to know some new ones. Yay for friendship!

They ARE gonna bring me a broom!

Yeah. THAT'S not gonna happen.

Jesus.

EVERYONE use un-popped popcorn in your stuffing on Thanxgiving, OK. Really. Just try it.

SECONDS before Jill's shirt exploded!

So. DAMNED. Funny.

Jill-arious!!!

We are at the Bedford Winking Lizard. I ripped open my empty Stoudt's Double Chocolate Stout (orgasmic) can of beer in search of the elusive little ball of whatever-it-is-that-makes-the-drinks-effluvious. It wasn't enough. ANOTHER Young's has been ordered for me, for the express purpose of Getting that little ball of fascination. Sharon? Doug? Where ARE you?? Mostly cuz I NEED your help. D&S: JEBUS. Help me.

Mmm. Long Island. (NOT d same thing...)

Mmmm. Long Island. TOTALLY *NOT what.* (criminy i can't remember what I was trying to type. Too many distracted. SO MANY funny things are happening!!) Rick is thirsty.

Mmmmmm. Five Guys. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Too late!!

Leaving beloved Bar Cento!!! Next time? Hope so!

Mmm. Bier Markt/Bar Cento. Mmm. JOIN US!

We are, RIGHT THIS MINUTE, at Bar Cento (pron. Bahr CHEN' toe) on W 25th St. There are few folk we are possibly waiting for (Lavonne!?! Maggie!?!) so come on down! The food is good and the beers are varied and diverse. Call me at 216-233-8299 if you are coming, too, and we should wait for you.

Home Sweet Home

Our house is repainted. It was an ordeal, to say the least. First, the paint job we originally paid for 2 years ago had been peeling off in large sheets. Now, the work was guaranteed for 3 years, and we'd hoped to hold the guy and his crew to this guarantee - it's only fair, right? Sadly, the phone number provided was no longer in service, so we were stuck with our house looking like it was suffering from a severe case of green exzema. I mean, I can't properly describe how disappointed we were with the first painters!! These same painters had the gall to, only about 3 or 4 weeks ago, drop off an unsolicited estimate to repaint the house... this house which ought to have had another full year on the original paint job guarantee. Whatever. We had already arranged for someone else to repaint the house. It took a little over a week (interrupted by a little yucky weather) to complete, and I think it looks really great. I think this time around, the job will stay done!

Oops!!

THIS snowman is sleeping.

Snowman Construction Practice

Ivy needed a snack before lunch (Really? REALLY? Ok, whatever.) so I suggested cold cream of wheat. And THEN I suggested she could build stuff out of it. We agreed a snowman would be perfect for a cream of wheat sculpture. Now Ivy's hands are all 'cream of wheaty'. She's so funny!

A new proverb in the making.

You know that saying, "what's good for the goose is good for the gander?" Cleo is apparently in favor of an update: "what's good for the cats is good for the dog"! Silly basenji.

Girlfriends!!!!

Yeah. All three of 'em. GIRLfriends.

The New Bag Ladies

Really. What makes a Coach bag more able to carry your crap than an average paper grocery bag?? Yet, these fasionazis seem to think it's the ultimate accessory. Posers.

It's good that you can't see an image...

...because it's Channel 19 (the local CBS affilliate, to you out-of-towners). This is the ultimate in tabloid news. They have just reduced the horror of a serial killer in Cleveland to the very minimizing name, "the Cleveland Strangler". Effing losers. Just watch their broadcast sans sound, you'll see what hysterical sensationalists they are. All they need is hastily and poorly pasted together mock documenting photos, and they are almost as professional as mid-80's era National Enquirer. Though sadly they will never attain that level of credibility. 'The Cleveland Strangler.' I'm sure that gives the survivors a level of rationalization to lend comfort. Totally.

AntiBudweiser

It's the ONLY way to consider it.

Is THIS what that song's all about?

"All we want to do is eat your brains. We're not unreasonable, I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes..."

Tombstone. Dalek. Message, much?

As I was cutting out the cookies I noticed that the 'skull' shape looks very much like a Dalek. So when I mentioned it, I was delighted to see others pick up on it!! Skulls. Daleks. Good times.

Mmmmm. Ectoplasm.

Mike is about to devour the flowered-pajama ghost. Stylish.

Cavs' first homegame

I love the crowds' manic response to the introduction of King James.

WTF??!!?!?

Oh. I get it. We're playing the Celtics, so there's gotta be a leprechaun joke SOMEWHERE. These are 'The Dancing Leprechauns', going up against Moondawg. Silly.

Not coordinated enough for a straw.

Yay, food! Soon we go back to the hotel.

This is why Rick ran: the American Brain Tumor Association. So far the 50-member team has raised a bit over $80,000. Every little bit helps! Please donate at hope.abta.org/goto/rickgarcia and help give hope and aid to families like ours.

Dialogue of Win +50

ME: 'Sweetheart, I'm so PROUD OF YOUUUUUU!' RICK: 'Don't spill my beer.'

Awesome, indeed.

FWD:This is where we part for now.

FWD:Micigan Avenue at 6:30am on a Saturd

Ha!

In the window of WGN.

Millenium Park

El.

That's what it's called. No runners, obviously, but a cool view of Chicago.

At the Calder

Dave has already dropped out. Good for him for listening to his body's limitations, and also: WUSS!!! ('Course, you won't see ME doing a marathon. EVER.)

FWD:About a mile from the start...

...and Sister (??) Mary Velociratus and the Bishop of Deliver Us Speedily From Evil have arrived. Hallelujah, and pass the offering plate!

FWD:

On the walls outside of Niketown's Michigan Ave store they have listed all 50,000 runners' names. It's tremendously impressive. Those of you Who don't know it, my husband Rick's first name is Serafin, and it appears that there is only one Serafin Garcia running today...and he's mine!!! :-)

FWD:The Wrigley Building at Sunrise

FWD:Well, the race has started...

...but no one waaaaaaaay back here has moved yet. Last time it took Rick 17 minutes to get across the start line. But people are starting to cheer, so it shouldn't be too long before they can start moving!!

FWD:American Gothic on tour and up close

En rte to Start

The Nike store on Michigan Ave has all of the racer's names posted outside the doors. 40,000 names, tiny, on both sides. Sobering and impressive.

Leaving the marathon expo.

That was fun. We are loaded down with free stuff and all warmed up from walking around. On to the hotel!

Soooooo appropriate!

That's pretty funny. Beetles are made in Mexico.

Rick's personal 'you are here' sign

Rick is pointing toward the very scary back of the marthon crowd to indicate where he will be tomorrow morning. Yes, that staticky-looking photo is a bird's eye view of the starting line. Crazy.

AWESOME idea.

VW is giving out free t shirts with your choice of one of 4 logos freshly printed. So. TOTALLY. Cool.

Bananaman!!

This guy is raising $$ for Imerman Angels, a cancer-fighting organization. Send him money to fight cancer (and ensure that he wears this banana suit for the race tomorrow) at: www.giveforward.org/ethan. You might even win a prize--there's a raffle involved! But more important is the fight to eradicate cancer, and to assist those suffering from it. What are you waiting for?? Donate now! Please.

My new challenge!!

Yeah.

I'd say that's about it.

Let the insanity begin!!

I love how people get all gussied up for the marathon! This guy --apparently the HiGuy -- is in the spirit already.

'Nother update.

That's McCormick Place. At this point, we are exploring the vast underbelly of this great beast of a building in search of a parking spot.

The Chicago Skyway

I like this bridge. Rick asks, "So, what did we just go over? The port? The Illinois River?" and I have no idea what the answer is. Maybe just industry. Anyone know? We don't have internet on the run, so we can't search yet.

Yay! Thank you!

Still in Indiana, but...

We're definitely in Cubs' country. Ni-i-i-ice.

I may have now seen everything...

This Hooters has had a mastectomy. Thank you Fort Wayne!! We'll be here all night. Try the veal!

BOO!!!!

Dakota keeps her distance from Scary Rick and his Fingers of Tickling+50 (right hand) & +45 (left hand). Smart girl!! What she really has to watch out for is the Ominous Bottom of Sitting-Upon+120.

Boo!!

We went to see a financial planner tonight. Isn't it obvious??

Oh REEEALLLLY.

Cleo has been helping me bake. How in the world did I miss that?

Mmmm. Food.

Food Is Good. They'll even tolerate each other, as long as there's food involved.

40th Anniversary!!

Mom & Dad Garcia, Tony, Leonor, and Rick (+me on the camera, and Johnny later) celebrate together with a meal. It's their 40th wedding anniversary. A very good reason to celebrate!!

CLEVELAND LANDMARK

Argument SOLVED. It's *not* a Lutheran church behind Lutheran Metro-Ministries, it's St. John EPISCOPAL Church. NOT Lutheran. It is the oldest church in Cuyahoga County. But NOT the first to display a Christmas Tree. THAT would be Zion Lutheran at Prospect and E30th, *much* further east from Ohio City. So THERE. (SUCH an unrepentant local history geek.)

Time to go!

Mmm. Good supper!

Guess where I am?

EVERY bar bathroom should be so amply and considerately stocked.

One Elephant. Pink.

It's a beer. (Big surprise.) Belgian. (Another surprise.) And we're at Bar Cento. (Will these surprises never end?) Good end to a good day!

This Couch Is Past Its Capacity

From the left: Rick's arm, Dakota, Logan, Ginny, and Daddy. We're celebrating Kota's birthday in front of the Ohio State game (follow Daddy's gaze and you'll know where the tv is...) and having periodic spontaneous Tickle Fights of Ferociousness+70. Fun!!

Poof!!!!! Goes the Dust!

The old Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine is coming down in a rain of masonry and asbestos. Impressive.

So many references...

New Philly continues to rock the wackier-than-thou business name trend...

New Philadelphia mural.

It still kinda looks like this. Seriously, WHOSE bright idea was it to mothball the streetcar system? Public transport in even the smallest, most backwatwery town.

Solemn in Sunshine

Ther's a reason why this man is smiling.

He's on his way to snap a pic of a law firm's sign. The law firm is Bair Goodie. Tell me: could YOU answer a phone for this firm with a straight face?

New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Pretty. This is a very old town, frontier-wise.

Dusty musty legal stuffs

"Seduction to State of Ohio"??!? Maybe this library's not so musty and dusty after all.

Mmmmmm. Steak & foil. Mmmmmmm.

Labor Day isn't Labor Day without several cookouts. And you can't have a cookout without bodacious chunks of animal flesh smack on the fire and vegetable matter smothered in butter wrapped up in tin foil to steam in the grill. Lordy. Let's eat.

Seen En Route to Mohican.

Heh. NICE..

Miss Spider's Dinner Guest

The back porch Big Spider has a bluebottle fly for her evening meal. Fascinating.

Sky View

It's raining, and the sound of raindrops falling on the car is very soothing. The way the drops pool together is rather pretty. It's nice.

Sunshine Pizza

Mmmm. Pizza with 'bacon' (prosciutto and pancetta) & eggs. Also on the table: pomme frites, french fries fried in duck fat. Heaven and Nirvana all wrapped up in ecstasy.

The Label of Awesome+30

Mmmmmmmm. Beer. In Flemish and in French, they want us to be healthy. So they make us beer that SO doesn't suck.

Aaaahhhh. Kwak. In a cool glass.

Belgian monks are the gods of beercraft. No one makes better beer. No. One. In my next life, if I'm good enough in this one, I hope to come back as a Belgian. Even a monk. Gods, I love beer that's good.

Finally! Crafttime!

End of the shower, and it's mostly AntiCrafters left over. String of various sorts have emerged. Giggling doesn't miss a beat.

We're not very focused today.

Mel and I have a photo showdown! I don't know who won...

Cake!!

You can't have a shower without cake.

Aaron plays with his cucumber...

This has been THE joke of the baby shower. TOO much fun.

Not for rockclimbing!

Aaron is mystified by a onesie...

Pre-Shower Activity

These crummy plasti beads need to find a new home, so Belinda and Sparrow decided they'd be a perfect shower game.

Can you read this??

If you're laughing, you probably could...

CumuLOVE.

So beautiful.