EDITOR’S NOTE: I’d like to welcome my friend Beau Colburn to my blogroll.  Beau is awesome.  He’s also my second favorite person to follow on Twitter (@beaucolburn) behind Shaquille O’Neal.

This is my 200th blog entry on Truth About Mike.  Because I did a little too much celebrating last night, I am mailing it in.  I read somewhere that it is normal blog-itary custom to “mail in” your 200th entry.

My celebrating consisted of a nice dinner at Giacomo’s (yum) with Phil, then we met up for some spontaneous beers in Pleasantville with Cal and Flah (thanks for the texts, guys).  Congrats to Phil who told us he is expecting his first child in October!  I’ve watched him go from bloody noses in the Cutlass with school lunch chicken nuggets in his pocket, to now becoming a father.  Between my family and close friends, there are like six new babies entering my life this year.  For this reason, I’ve gone ahead and declared 2009 as the year of the dirty diaper.

200 thanks to Tim for hosting the site, Mike for his tech help, Lindsay for creating my awesome banner, Keri for inspiring me, and to all of you for your encouragement and for checking in.  Here’s to 200 more!

Lastly to M.M.F.L.E. – Do not get discouraged.  I’m in your corner (wish we lived closer) and I know things will get better for you.  Keep smiling because the world is an infinitely better place with your smile in it.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

I’m going to continue celebrating #200.

(Gotchu Marotta!)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Happy Birthday, SoSH!

Today is also my cousin Leslie’s husband Dave’s birthday.

Dave is unlike anyone I have ever met. He can light up a room with his effusive personality, sparkling demeanor and is great with kids.  When you hear/see his infectious laugh, you can’t help but laugh yourself.

Furthermore, he one of the most passionate people I’ve ever met. He is loyal, loves life, sports and everyone he is close to. He’ll talk to anyone and will be laughing with that person like they were long lost buddies within minutes. It never surprises me to see him laughing and joking with his arm around someone he just met or holding court at a poker table full of strangers. I wish I knew him before he started dating my cousin, because as my wingman, we could have done some serious work in bars around town.

We call him DEVID because one time at Foxwoods, the woman behind the counter at El Pollo Loco messed up his name on his order and it totally stuck. Last spring, at his bachelor party I was talking to his father (the Beachman). The Beachman wouldn’t stop talking to me about his son’s basketball skills (“Michael, you should have seen David play. Mannnn, he was good.”). I wrote it off as the Bud Lights talking or your typical “proud father” talk. Either way, you could practically feel the pride oozing out of the Beachman’s pores as he waxed poetic about his son. It was even more intoxicating than those cheap domestics we had been drowning ourselves with all night.

A few weeks ago, I decided to check out this hoop prowess for myself. Devid plays in a basketball league on Wednesday nights downtown at Basketball City. The Beachman was right. The Kid can flat out ball. He was the best player on the floor and lead his team in scoring while hitting his first three shots (all three pointers). He was active, vocal, spread the ball like Rondo, and even dropped some sick trash talk after one of guys on the opposing team started with him.

The bond Devid and I have developed became completely apparent to me at that same bachelor party. It might have been those cheap American lagers talking, but (to me) it spoke volumes just the same. We all were sitting around late night and Devid quieted the room and got everyone’s attention.  He proceeded to say something that I will never forget (and I will paraphrase because it was a wild night and the details are rather hazy).

He pointed at me and said:

“Out of everybody here, THAT is my guy. THAT guy right there.”

I was floored and didn’t know what to say. I was probably the guy that knew Dave the least amount of time out of anyone in the room. Everyone important in his life was there: The Beachman (his father), his brother, his Godfather, future-brother-in-law, close friends and many of his cousins. Out of all those important people (to him), he chose to single me out.

I was honored, humbled and embarrassed all at the same time.

A few weeks ago, I gained a new sister-in-law. Over the past year, I also feel like I’ve gained someone who has become like a brother to me.

Devid: Thanks for all that stuff you said at On the Border.  Thanks for putting up with my numerous(!) silly text messages each day.  Thanks for always asking me to text you after I get home after a big night out, and sorry for all the cigar ashes I left all over your basement/furniture last Saturday night.

Most of all, thanks for being someone I know I can always count on for the rest of my life.  Love you, man.

You’re always going to be my guy.

Happy Birthday.

EDITOR’S NOTE: From the first time for everything department: Hi to Katie, whom I “met” via Twitter yesterday. I hope you’ll keep checking back in.

One thing I will say about my two least favorite days of the year: They inspired me to write two of my favorite blog entries so far. For the first time on this blog, I will say this:

I absolutely loved yesterday’s entry.

It literally wrote itself.

Let’s lighten it up a bit, shall we?

I have a problem. It’s a maturity issue. I have the maturity of a teenager. Yesterday was a perfect example. Maybe it was because I was freed from the shackles of February 23^rd, maybe (probably) not.

I think I have some issues.

Exhibit A, your honor:

My facebook status:

“Mike is not gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe.”

One of my favorite movie lines ever, right? After I set it, I realized that some people may construe this as a gay joke. Some people do like “bananas” in their “tailpipes.” So what? I began to stress out that people would think I’m more than a slight homophobe.

(See what I mean about consummate over-thinker?)

Exhibit B, your honor:

A few months back I wrote about Five Guys burgers which recently came to New England. As Jules from Pulp Fiction says, “That IS a tasty burger.” Yesterday, my friend Cheri’s facebook status read:

“Cheri is going to have Five Guys for lunch.”

Read it again.

For a good two hours, I

could

not

stop

laughing.

(See what I mean about maturity level of a teenager?)

Finally: Exhibit C, your honor:

I was talking to my co-worker Dan about a client of ours (as an aside, it seems like are a million Dans and Mikes in my life). Anyhoo, Dan told me that “with my charm blah blah blah, we should be able to win her over and get more of her business.”

When he, as serious as a heart-attack, with no other intent than of talking business, said the line:

“If we double-team her, together we could hit it.”

I proceeded to fill the halls of my office with raucous, overly-aubible laughter for the next (what seemed like) 4 hours. Again, I

could

not

stop

laughing.

School-boy heart indeed.

Let’s try and grow up a bit Michael, yes?

(Yes)

Dear February 24th-

I’m so, so glad you’re here!

Yesterday was my ex-wife’s birthday. If you’ve been following along, you know I’m a big fan of birthdays and always try and remember people on their special day (even if it is a text or an email). I figure you only have one birthday and it is the only day of the year you can truly call your own.

It seems like the older I get, the less people are receptive to this. Thirty-somethings don’t want to be reminded of their birthdays because soon they will be forty-somethings. I counter by telling my grumpy thirty-something birthday party-pooper friends that we still have many years left. We’re not even half way done.

Hell, I’ve always remembered my friend Dan’s birthday because it was the same day Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners in 1986. I still remember Gorman Thomas taking the Rocket deep that day – it was almost unnatural. Yeah, yeah, I know. Today, Clemens sucks. The Big Texan left Boston to sign with Toronto to “be closer to home” (wha?). He then eventually ended up on the dreaded Yankees. I still remember the picture of him on the front page of the newspaper; He was donning the faux pitchfork that is otherwise known as the logo of that team from the Bronx.

Back then however, Roger Clemens was the man. I was 13 in 1986 and Clemens was my guy. He was the guy I’d pretend to be in the backyard as I ignored my mother’s calls at dusk. He was also the guy that broke my heart every time he lost to Dave Stewart and the Oakland A’s in big games. It didn’t matter, though. I always thought he’d be my guy. It was never the Rocket’s fault: It was reporter’s fault for asking the wrong questions, the ump’s fault for squeezing him, or the manager’s fault for leaving him in too long.

So, yeah. Yesterday sucked. There are two days that get me and will probably always get me: Yesterday and August 7^th (look what I wrote that day – I especially liked the comments!!). They really shouldn’t suck. I’m over the whole thing, but will probably never be over the guilt I feel for what I did. I’m just not wired that way. For the rest of my life, 363 days out of the year, I will be fine. My penance is two doldrum days.

I can live with that.

It’s totally worth it.

Even though I woke to great email (which made me cry – good cry even), I walked around in a malaise for most of the day. I joked on Twitter that I was going to have Indian food for lunch in honor of Slumdog Millionaire. I even contemplated trying to high-five my waiter. Normally, that kind of thought would have been quite funny to me.  I probably would have even attempted it. But yesterday, it wasn’t funny and it didn’t happen. I was quiet and almost apologetic to the man.

On January 7th, I stayed up until midnight agonizing as each minute slowly ticked away.  To escape February 23rd, I skipped dinner and went to bed before most elementary school kids were forced to brush their teeth.

But you know what?

Today is a new day.

Today Clemens still sucks, today a smile has snuck back on to my face, and today I’m definitely finding someone to mockingly harass with an unnecessary high-five.

February 24th, thanks for stopping by.

Thanks for being today,

ME

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.

A couple of quick things:

1) If you haven’t already, please check out Dinkstock which is today in Quincy.  The best explanation is here.

2) Happy Birthday, Rachel.  Make it a good one!

From the “I’m always behind the eight-ball” department:

Click me

I heard about Dinkstock through a friend of a friend’s blog I read. I think it is a really good cause if and anyone is looking for something to do tomorrow, you should defnitely check it out.

Thanks, Red.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Whenever I have my “Why am I writing here,” “Nobody even reads this drivel,” or “I really shouldn’t have gone there” moments, someone always seems to pick me up with an insightful comment or message.

To the two people who emailed me regarding yesterday’s entry (one sent this awesome link), I offer my sincere thanks. It is those types of messages that keep me plugging away each day.

Channeling my inner Linda Richman….

I always love it when I’m asked, “Are you a coffee drinker?” My answer is usually way more info then the person was hoping for. I go through 2-3 month long coffee phases. It is either a cup a day or none at all. Right now, I’m in a “coffee phase.”

I am very neurotic about my coffee. It has to be a small regular from Dunkin Donuts at the start of work. We have good coffee at work (Keurig machine), but I hardly ever drink it there. Once in a while, I’ll get wild and crazy and grab a white chocolate mocha (hot with light whipped cream – they always get this wrong) from Starbucks.  Usually though, it is all Dunkin, all the time. I cannot get any size other then small, because coffee tastes better in paper cups. For all of you outside the Northeast, Dunkin Donuts only uses paper cups for small coffees. Every other size comes in a styrofoam cup.

I learned about this from a guy I used to work with named Eddie. Every morning, Eddie would come into work with two small Dunkin Donuts coffees. Eddie is an odd duck, so for a while I never questioned it. One day I did and he told me that coffee tastes better in a paper cup. I tried it out and found out he was right. Since then, I have only bought small coffees. If I feel like I need an extra jolt, I’ll buy a large coffee but ask for a small cup as well. For anyone in the local area, I’ll offer up the “Dunkin Donuts Paper vs. Styrofoam Cup Taste Challenge” at anytime on my dime. Try it out, you’ll see.

Also, I don’t like it when the people at Dunkin Donuts know what I am getting. For this reason, I alternate between four different Dunkin Donuts on 10 minute commute to work (and yes, we have too many DD’s here). By doing this, and due to my sporadic coffee drinking nature, I am able to hide my coffee preference from Dunkin Donuts employees. The real reason for this is that I don’t want to tip at Dunkin Donuts.

While that may sound cheap, it really isn’t. I’m an excellent tipper. I always, no matter how bad the service is, start my tips at 20% and go up from there. I am usually the one who is adding to the tip at the end of a meal. I’ve never waited tables or tended bar, but I’ve heard horror stories from friends who have. I never want to be that guy or be associated with that group. All that said, I think the tip cups at Dunkin Donuts are ridiculous. I’ll never tip there or become familiar with anyone enough to feel like I have to tip.

I am eagerly awaiting the end of this “coffee phase” so I can stop changing my route to work every day and I’m now clearly getting verklempt.

Talk amongst yourselves.