EDITOR’S NOTE: Check out my brother’s new song on youtube!

Now that the Olympics are over, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the games in Vancouver.  Every time the Olympics start, I tell myself that I am not watching and every time I get sucked in and caught up in them.  This year was no exception.  Also, Vancouver has been added to my “cities I have to visit” list.

As great as the games were, there was one moment in particular that I will remember forever.

Last Sunday night, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette lost her mother to a sudden heart attack.  Two days before she was set to take the ice, she (and her family) was hit with this horrible tragedy.  Rochette had trained her whole life for these Olympics.  Many wondered if she would even remain in the competition.

I can’t imagine what she went through.  She not only had the pressure of competing in the Olympics, in front of her home country, as a member of the host nation, but also had to deal with the extreme grief of losing a parent.

Rochette decided to continue on and last Tuesday night she took the ice to perform her short program.  Watching her skate that night was as inspirational as anything I’ve ever seen.  She was brilliant.  She nailed every jump and after the performance, she doubled over and began to sob (5:20 of this NBC video).  Seriously, check out the video.  If it doesn’t elicit an emotional response, you have no soul.

After seeing Rochette during her short program, I wanted her to win gold.  Forget the fact that she wasn’t American or wasn’t the best skater in the field – what she had done and overcome was greater than anything any of the other skaters could accomplish.  This is saying a lot; This year’s field of women figure skaters was the most talented group the sport has ever seen.  Thursday night, she skated again and did well during her long program.

What Rochette did last week was an example of why I watch sports.  To see someone triumph on the grandest of stages, under the most dire of circumstances, was a reminder that anything is truly possible.   She epitomized not only the Olympic spirit, but the human spirit.  Furthermore, she is a shining example of the great things we can do – when our hearts are true and our minds are focused.

The best moment of the Vancouver games was not a gold medal performance, but the bronze medal performance by Joannie Rochette.

WARNING: Language not safe for work!

Happy Birthday Mike!

This year I wanted to do something different and hear from some of your dearest friends.  I asked them to give me a memory to share.

Here is what I got:

My daughter was born at 3am on October 5th. The rest of that day was a total blur, with my parents flying in to town, etc.

That day, Mike came to see us in the hospital, bringing with him a stuffed elephant, which is a good luck charm in the Philippines. He was the first non-family member (on both my side and my wife’s) to see my baby.

When I thought about it afterwards, I realized that if you had asked me 20 years ago who the first friend to see my first born child would be, I would have answered Mike.

-Phil

Rear wheel drive Mustang
Snow covers 128
Turn up the J Geils

-Lenny B.

One time we went to Seabrook to bet on the dog races. We were sitting inside. The seats were somewhat like plastic cafeteria chairs that were fixed to the ground in rows. As we were watching a race, Mike was messing around and using his feet to press on the back of the empty chair in the row in front of him. He kept pushing it back and forth, back and forth, seeing how far he could flex it. Then all of a sudden *BANG* the back of the chair shatters. It sounded like a shotgun. The guy a few rows ahead of us covers up and then swings around quickly. After he realizes what happens, the guy says something along the lines of, “It’s bad enough I’m losing my shirt, then I think I got shot in the back”. I’m not sure, but perhaps some chair shrapnel hit him. We sat there nervously pretending like nothing happened. A minute or so later security came and took Mike to the office. He was gone a long time. We thought he was probably getting roughed up out back. He returned a few races later. He said they made him pay for a new chair. We were hoping they were going to put in a red seat, like at Fenway. It would be nice to admire it every time we returned. No such luck.

-Paul

Mike and I share a mutual friend, Chief Creative Consultant Keri. A few years back, Keri had invited me up to Pleasantville to watch the Sox. She mentioned her friend Mike may also join us.  This particular night, the Sox were at Tropicana Field for a tilt against the lowly (at the time) Devil Rays.  I couldn’t tell you what happened during the game because from the time the NESN cameras first captured the scrawny, annoying Rays shortstop, the night turned into a three-hour Julio Lugo roast.  Prophetic, no? We spent the duration of the game ragging on Julio for a lot of the things that we’d continue to after he joined the Sox….the high pants, awkwardness, 12-year old boy stature.  Lost in Julio’s transition from Devil Ray green to Sox of red, were the sleeveless uniforms and accompanying four-sizes-too-small Under Armour.  Many a quip along the lines of Julio shopping in the kid’s department constantly filled the room.

Along with the hilarity of lampooning Julio, I also got my first exposure to Mike’s passion for Pleasantville.  He spoke of his town in the way that an old-timer at the local diner would.  Of course there were a few jabs at Olympian Way (named for Pleasantville’s own silver medalists, the Carruthers) being the shortest street in the town, connecting an alley to a now defunct pizza joint.  But, there was a noticeable change in the tone and atmosphere as these individuals spoke of their town that really resonated with me.

My favorite things in the world are (in no particular order): laughing, beer, friends, Sox and pizza. I had them all that night. Thanks for being a key player in a great night, Mike! Thanks for the memory.

Happy birthday! Make the most of your day!

-Megan

As some might know, my husband Henry and I are part of Rainbow Tribe Dance Company. Mike has been a HUGE supporter of us and the dance group and has come to pretty much all (if not all) shows since I joined the company in 2001. Mike does not lie when he says he invests in people and their passion(s) and for him to come out and support really means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to Henry too.

There are so many great memories, that it’s hard to think of them all at once and write them down. We were really sad when Mike and his family moved to Ohio , but Mike did come back to Boston and he stayed with my family while he worked at my Dad’s office. He had the privliege of driving my Dad’s super cool station wagon so he could hang out with his friends. haha.

BTW – I still don’t think my parents know about the little “get together” he had while we were away on vacation

-Mel

I’m very lucky Mike is my brother.  He is the best older brother in the world.  I wanted to write about my favorite memory with Mike.  However, there were too many so I made a list.  Here are some things he has done for me, funny stories, and good times:

-  The surprise Vegas trip he took me on in November.  What a great time watching Buckeyes, Pacquiao, and 4^th and 2.  Pacquiao fight was the best!

-  Every Patriots game we have watched together has been special.  My favorite game we attended was the AFC Championship game vs the Colts.  The best game we watched together was the Superbowl vs Carolina .  It was dead quiet when Adam Vinatieri was getting ready to kick the game winning field goal.  After it was good, Mike started jumping up and down chanting, “DYNASTY, DYNASTY!”

-  The time I watched one of his basketball games.  He went in for a layup and hit the back of the backboard!  Worst shot ever!

-  The time we were driving in a blizzard and he smashed his car into the BHS guard rail.  He hit it pretty hard, but there was so much snow that we just bounced off it with no damage.

-  When I was about to have my first day at my new high school in Ohio , I was really nervous and missed Burlington .  I received a card from Mike.  It was a “Little Engine That Could” card.  In the card, he wrote a motivational message.  His card and 2Pac’s music was what helped me the most at that time.

-  When I was in fourth grade, my baseball team played in the championship.  I gave up the winning homerun at Regan Park .  I was really pissed and sad.  I remember going to my car with my head down.  When I reached the car, he gave me a hug and told me I still played well.

-  When I was in high school, my coach was announcing everybody’s batting average.  Mike was sitting directly behind the bench so he could hear.  The coach said, “John Espejo .093.”  Again, I was pissed and as I walked onto the field. Mike yelled, “Hey John!  Nice average!”

(The last two stories makes it sound like I sucked at baseball.  I ended up being an all-star every year.  Just wanted to clarify that.)

- Mike helping me complete my Master’s degree.  He let me stay at his house (for the second time) so I could attend Cambridge College .  I was planning on moving back to Ohio .  If I moved back, I probably wouldn’t be teaching and would not have met Courtney.

Happy Birthday Mike!

-John

Mike,

Happy Birthday again.  I know you had a bad year, but things are looking up. You have friends and family who love you.  Our time together is limited but we always make the most of it.

Thanks for being you.

Love, Keri

EDITOR’S NOTE: Congrats to Phil and Sara for the hatching of their new daughter, Vivienne!

to remember. Cause it may not last forever.

During our tailgate Sunday, my cousin Euell remarked that it was going to be a good day because “everything was falling into place.”  He was right.  The tailgate was one of our best ever.  We got to the stadium early, the weather was great, and sandwiched amidst a myriad of laughs, we feasted on lobster.  The game itself was an extension of the tailgate.  It was a very good day.

From my perspective, Euell could have been talking about this whole week.  This is will probably end up being one of those weeks I remember for a long, long time.

These are the days to hold on to. Cause we won’t, although we’ll want to.

The fun continued Monday when I visited Phil and Sara at Beth Israel Hospital (where I was also born, btw) to see the aforementioned new baby.  I don’t think I could be happier for them.  I’ve said this before, but I’ve watched Phil go from bloody noses to being a bloody (English meaning, not literal) father.  I always love seeing a baby on the day it is born.  It’s so new and it’s easy to picture the many great days that lie ahead.  I love seeing the joy overcome the fatigue that all people face on that first day as a parent.

The birth of Phil’s first child has hit me with a completely unexpected, yet completely pleasant state of bliss.  I guess BFF+baby will do that.

Sometimes it’s so easy to let a day, slip on by. Without even seeing each other at all.

Last night, the epic week continued.  I had dinner with a dear friend.  I hadn’t seen her in about two years and we picked up like it was yesterday.  We keep in touch with email and an occasional text, but it’s not the same.  It was one of those nights: where three hours goes by like three minutes, where because of all our gabbing, our food became cold before we finished it, and where the miles that separate us were finally overcome.  It was one of those nights where I missed the best baseball game of the season, missed a ton of texts remarking about it, and I don’t regret it one bit.

Let’s not wait two years until our paths cross again, MMFLE.

Some day we will both look back, and have to laugh.

My plans for the rest of the week will continue the week’s trend.  Tonight, drinks with a newer friend are on the docket.  I am really looking forward to it because he is someone who looks at things in a manner very similar (eerily similar, even) to the way I do.  The similarities in our outlooks never cease to amaze me.

This is the time. But time is gonna change.

The tail end of the week consists of watching some playoff baseball and culminates with a Sox/Pats doubleheader on Sunday.  There is nothing like fall in New England.  The leaves are turning and the air outside has a cool, crisp bite.  It is even better when the Red Sox are in the playoffs and the Pats are playing well.

These are the days to hold on to.

for a Truth About Mike dance party!

Please observe a moment of personal dancing.

Thank you.

Back to our regularly scheduled posting soon….

I just had to share this:

Clicketh here.

With regards to today’s blog entry, I woke to a plethora of supportive emails/texts.

You guys are too much and I’m very lucky (and blessed) to have such a great support system.

Thank you!

(and again, I will be fine!)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks to everyone for their awesome comments to me regarding yesterday’s entry. I thought it was a really dumb thing to post until I actually posted it. I am humbled by the reaction I’ve received from it.  Let the good times roll!!

Last night, I was feeling a little bummed out after work. After letting Miley run around like a wilderbeast sans leash around Regan Park, I remembered that it was Showcase Cinema Bargain Tuesday. After a $6 “I Love You, Man” viewing later, I was feeling much better. Great flick. I highly recommend it.

I had a big (not so) elaborate plan to post a “I am shutting down Truth About Mike” April Fools Day joke. As most of you know, I learned the hard way that it really isn’t wise for an aspiring (established?) blogger to f with his/her audience, so I decided against it. I did however, realize that today was April 1^st and what better time (for a fool like me) to make some First Annual April Fool’s Day Resolutions. Everyone breaks New Year’s Resolutions; Only a fool would break April Fool’s Day Resolutions.

So without further ado, the captain has turned on the “No breaking this list of seven” sign and we’re off!

1) I am going to get as many people as I can get to start watching “Friday Night Lights.” Beau gave me the heads up that it was renewed for two more seasons the other night. This is simply the second best news of 2009.  “Friday Night Lights” is the television equivalent of Truth About Mike!

TAM SPECIAL OFFER: For anyone within 60 miles of Boston, I will personally drive my “Friday Night Lights” Season One DVDs to your home in exchange for a promise to watch them. The show is that good, folks.

Try me.

2) After watching youtubes like this, I decided that I am going to see “Jersey Boys” sometime, somewhere before the end of the year. It is coming to Boston on July 23^rd so this shouldn’t be that hard. My cousin Gail is crazy about this show and I think I finally get it. Also thanks to a quick iTunes search, I learned that “Opus 17” (Don’t You Worry About Me) is the second best song I never knew the name of.

3A) Sometime before the end of 2009, I am going to sign up to volunteer at an animal shelter. The second best part about the Miley search was going to all those animal shelters and seeing all the great work the people in those places do. F my iPhone. You wanna talk about changing lives? What those people do changes lives for both people and animals. Where else can you say that?

3B) Speaking of the Miley Monster, my goal by the end of 2009 is to get her to walk next to me, under control, without a leash around the block. This actually may be the toughest one out of this whole damn list.

4) When I was in Hawaii in 1999, I vowed that I would go back in ten years. It is one of the greatest places ever. Looking at my calendar yesterday, I realized that I’m due. As I said with the dog, there are still plenty of considerations to mull over and this isn’t definite. However knowing myself like I do, I might be past the point of no return.  Hmmmmm….

And yes Jenni, this is all your fault. xoxo

5) PFlah, I’m sticking it through. I’m all in, dude hi.

6) I am going to continue to post wayyyy more information about myself than anyone ever needs to know on Twitter. I love that site. This will complete my aspiration to turn to the dark side and join Jenny in the ranks of becoming a social media monster.

7) Most importantly, I’m going to continue my New Year’s resolution of being better. I am going to continue living every month, week, day, hour and moment like it is my very last. I know no other way. I am certainly not looking back in 2019 and regretting that I didn’t do X in 2009. It’s simply not fucking happening.

So far, so good.

Oh yeah, in case you were wondering, the first freaking song played in the movie I saw last night was “Let the Good Times Roll” by of course

THE CARS!!!

(Insert picture of me shaking my fist at the heavens here)

*headdesk*

The “25 Random Things About Me” exercise has been going around Facebook for a while now.  I love reading them and wish more people did it.  Admittedly, I’ve cheated on a lot of these, adding more than one “thing” per line.

I had a draft on my Thinkpad for quite some time and wasn’t planning on finishing it.  The combination of case of the Sunday night blues, a mild case of writer’s block and reading my friend Mike’s (Mr. Baseball here) list yesterday has inspired me to finish mine.

Without further ado:

1 – I am an outstanding public speaker and am especially comfortable in front of crowds of people. Sometime next year, I’m going to deliver the mother of all best man speeches.  Thanks for giving me the honor of doing so, John.

2 – I’d literally take a bullet for anyone on my “people that matter” list. I’d also rather give something to them then receive something from them.

3 – I’m all about signs, numbers, songs and times. The time stamp (or time posted) on every blog entry here has meaning. I even literally switched numbers of sentences on this particular entry to “match” the lines to the statement.

Everyone who I care about either has a number, song, or something that always makes me think of them. I will often think of someone when the time is the same number as their birthday (love those digital clocks) or when I see their “number” on a receipt or cash register or something. I’m very good at remembering most birthdays.

4 – The Point Gammon Light on Great Island might be my favorite place to visit ever. It is even better at night. The top of Mt. Haleakala on Maui at sunrise is probably second. I’ve never felt closer to Heaven then when I was atop Haleakala.

5 – I can read people well and am an outstanding judge of character.  This ability has never failed me. I can tell within five minutes of meeting someone if they are worth my time or not.

6 – I ended a 6+ year marriage/10+ year relationship because she wasn’t the love of my life. It is the best and worst thing I’ve ever done.  Thanks to Lori, a complete stranger I met in the bleachers of Fenway Park.  She was the first person who ever heard me verbalize my feelings about being unhappy with my marriage.  Also, thanks to my team of shrinks and everyone else who helped me get through that ordeal.

7 – I am a late bloomer that is ahead of his time. Throughout my life, people have often humbled me with compliments that I really don’t deserve.  The best one was that I was told by several different people that they thought I’d be President of the United States someday.

Cause I got a school boy heart, a novelist eye
Stout sailor’s legs and a license to fly
I got a bartender’s ear and beachcomber’s style
Piratical nerve and a Vaudevillian style

8 – I am chronically early everywhere I go except work. I’ve spent more time waiting for people because I was early then I care to admit.

9 – “Friday Night Lights” is my favorite TV show of all time. It absolutely kills me that more people don’t watch it.  **cough** NBC Friday 9pm **cough**

10 – I am comfortable in any social situation. I can get along with pretty much anyone, make them laugh and can have fun anywhere.  One might describe my sense of humor as dry and repetitive.

11 – Death completely mystifies me. Whenever I hear of a death of a loved one of a friend or acquaintance, it stops me in my tracks (even if I have never met the person).  I miss you and think of you often, Dan.

12 – SoSH changed my life.  Through my association with that community, I’ve made many dear friendships, stayed in different cities for free, seen a myriad of new ballparks, have an open invitation to visit Barcelona, held the 2004 World Series Trophy, met Curt Schilling, witnessed #17, learned the true value of a crockpot and tackle-twill, wondered shark or bear, and even enhanced my already rabid Red Sox fandom.

Thanks to some folks on there I’ve had the opportunity to attend to many different sporting events I probably wouldn’t have gotten near otherwise.  I have witnessed everything (in sports) I’ve ever wanted to see in person except one thing: Attending a Super Bowl that the Patriots win with my brother.  That’s next.  Thanks in advance, #12.

13 – I’m more like my ex-father then my mother. I wish it was the opposite. I wish I went to church as often as my mother does. I’m working on it and have been much better lately.

14 – I have an unhealthy addiction to romantic comedies. I’ve sat through hundreds of bad ones to find the few good ones. My litmus test for the good ones is if I cry or not. Because of this, I prefer going to movies alone rather than with someone.

15 – For the first time ever, I contemplated moving someplace warmer because of all the snow this winter. San Francisco and North Carolina were at the top of the list and they were all on the ocean. I’ll never do it because for me, there is nothing better then sitting at an airport gate with Boston as your final destination.  Another reason I’ll never move is:

16 – I am horrible at goodbyes, probably because of my traumatic move from 16 Heritage Way (I’d love to buy this house someday) right after high school. It could be goodbye for a vacation, because of a move or even when I part ways with someone at the end of lunch or a meeting.

17 – I met one of my best friends in the whole world because he just walked into my dorm room while my roommate Sean and I were playing video games. I don’t see or talk to him nearly enough.  Thanks for walking into a stranger’s room that day, Kevin.

18 – The best weekend of my life was attending Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans in 2002. I am still in touch with people I met on that trip. Thanks Mike/Mr. Baseball for offering your ticket to me.  I’ll never forget that.

19 – I miss my ex-dog more than I’ve ever missed any person.  I think about you every day, Tigerboy.

20 – I’ve opened up a lot to people since I started my blog and my favorite time of day is when I am writing.  Before I started writing here, I kept most of my thoughts and feelings buried inside.  People have told me that they have been learning all sorts of things they never knew about me because of this blog.  Also, I really don’t promote it enough.  One of my favorite things ever is when people leave comments on here.  Thanks for the inspiration, Keri.

21 – I’m the consummate over-thinker and a hopeless optimist. I’m moody and obsessive/compulsive about some of the smallest things and sometimes should just do and not think so much.

22 – #1 on my list of things to accomplish is to be a father.  I think if a woman were to ever give me that gift, she would be my everything.

23 – I am completely comfortable leaving #22 unaccomplished if I don’t marry my soulmate.  I will wait for her for as long as it takes.

24 – I’ve been truly blessed to know and meet some of the finest people on our planet. I search out the finest quality of each and try my best to emulate it.

25 – Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention. If I died today, I would go to my grave happily knowing that I lived every day, every hour, and every moment to the fullest.

I also know that I’m just getting started and that my finest hours are ahead of me.

Thanks for reading, everyone.  Thanks for reading today and every day since l started the blog exactly nine months ago.

Weekend updates on TAM!  Bonus.

If any of you out there are dog lovers, you have to read this link.  Warning: Grab your tissues because it is sure to make the room dusty.

It is well worth the time and I simply can’t believe I didn’t see it until yesterday.

Happy Sunday!  I’ll be back tomorrow with more verbal diarrhea.