Folinazzo

Ha ha… I love it!!

EDIT: Any Cubs fans want to join me tonight at McNally’s for five-cent beers since the Cubs swept the White Sox??

Aw, Ozzie, all you can do after the Cubs win one game against your squad is talk trash about Wrigley Field. How classy of you. Complaining about the rats in the tunnel where the batting cages are… you’re the biggest rat of them all and the Wrigley Field folks still let you in. And I will not be surprised at all if Aramis Ramirez is hit by a pitch in today’s game. We know the way you operate: Ramirez hit two home runs yesterday, one of them the game-winner. You’ve done it before, instructing your pitchers to hit opposing players, so Ramirez should expect to get beaned today, yes? I don’t often agree with Jay Mariotti but you definitely are “one of the great crackpots in the history of professional sports.”

Francesca

Happy Vega!, originally uploaded by superstarsinger.

Today is Vega’s 9th birthday. I can’t believe I’ve had him for so long. He has become such an important part of my life and I love this dog so much. Here’s to many more happy birthdays for Vega!

This is the best news ever!! The Blackhawks reportedly will play an outdoor, non-exhibition game (meaning it will count in the regular season standings) against the Detroit Red Wings on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field. How cool is that?! My first love, the Blackhawks, playing hockey in my personal cathedral, Wrigley Field. When I heard the news, I started screaming and jumping up and down like a five-year-old who’d just won the Grand Prize Game. This past New Year’s Day when Mark and I watched the Buffalo Sabres play the Pittsburgh Penguins in an outdoor game in Buffalo, New York, we both said that if the Blackhawks ever did the same thing here in Chicago, we would definitely be there! That plan is still in place. I don’t care how much we have to spend for tickets; we will be there! And if the news couldn’t get any better…. I heard on Channel 7 news yesterday that there is talk of playing a second outdoor hockey game at Wrigley on January 2nd. It would be a NCAA college hockey game. The teams mentioned were Notre Dame and - are you ready?? MICHIGAN STATE!!

Oh.My.God.

Posted by Francesca

I am already looking past this summer’s road trip and thinking about where Mark and I should go next year, preferably in the first few months of 2009. We have long lists of where we would like to go; it’s just a matter of prioritizing and getting the most for our money. Last year when we were deciding where to go this year, I started by searching for affordable airfare to various places and that is how we wound up in Costa Rica. I am taking the same approach this time and here are the places I’m considering: Curacao; Cape Verde; Ecuador; Lithuania; South Africa; and, of course, Italy (I was surprised to find round trip airfare to Rome for just over $700).

So, any suggestions??

Posted by Francesca

Francesca was picked to “train” Ana Belaval of WGN’s Morning News on how to call-take at our City’s 911 center. Check out the video here. If the video doesn’t immediately load, look for “Around Town at a 911 Center.”

How do you think she did???

Posted by Felicia

It was the weirdest thing. I was half-awake, just lying in bed, and I felt the bed moving - not really shaking, but moving. Mark had already left for work so I continued to lie there with my eyes shut, thinking it was the dog, who normally sleeps in the bed with us (I know, he’s spoiled), just scratching himself. I sat up to tell him to stop and I noticed he wasn’t in the bed with me. I looked over and there he was, fast asleep on the floor. I thought, “Ok, what the hell….??” To prove I wasn’t losing my mind, I lay down again but the bed was still moving! It wasn’t as strong this time and I felt a weird sensation, almost like a tingling feeling, in my lower legs. Then I started thinking that maybe I did something weird and screwed up my calves at yoga class last night. But would that cause my whole bed to move?? I finally got up and started about my morning routine when my mother called to me from downstairs. She said, “Francesca, the whole house was shaking!” I won’t tell you where she was or what she was doing at the time (hee hee…) but she said it felt as if the foundation were going to cave in. That’s when I said, “We had an earthquake!”

I immediately turned on WGN radio, AM 720, and people were already calling in reporting the same experience as I had. The station hadn’t received any official word yet at that point but it wasn’t long before we learned that we had experienced an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was about seven miles outside of West Salem, Illinois (about 45 miles NW of Evansville, Indiana). Knowing now that there have been no reports of injuries or major damage, I can say that it was pretty damn cool. I’m a geek so I’m amazed by science and the natural world; stuff like this is right up my alley. It was the first time I ever felt an earthquake. There was another measurable earthquake in the area in 1987. I remember when it happened but I didn’t actually feel anything. At the time, Mom and I were shopping at the mall in North Riverside. But I definitely felt the one today!

Before last night, it had been almost two years since I went to my last Cubs home game. It was good to be back at Wrigley and see the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-5. Felicia and I had seats way up in section 509, row 6. We had a pretty decent view from up there; there was only one pole obstructing our view of left-center field. But I had my fancy camera with the super zoom lens so I was able to get some surprisingly good shots of the players on the field and the signs and rooftops across from Wrigley. I didn’t need any lens to see some interesting things at the ballpark, though. The first was the extraordinary number of “Glamour don’ts”. Seriously, ladies, you’re going to a ballgame, not an audition for “The Bachelor”. I’ll leave it at that. The other was the amount of White Sox fans. A fan of any team is welcome at Wrigley Field. But when your main intent is to go to a ballgame, dressed head to toe in the home team’s rival team’s gear, and proceed to cheer on the opposing team, you deserve to be thrown over the railing from the 500 level. Felicia and I lost count of how many Sox fans were there, talking trash about the Cubs and cheering on the Reds. Seriously, what’s your point? These are the people that give the rest of the Sox’s fans a bad name. I’ve gone to White Sox games and, even though the Sox aren’t my top team, I’ve cheered them on. Even though my loyalties lie with the Cubs and they always will, I still like to see the White Sox do well. But it’s their jerk fans that make me want to hate the White Sox. What would happen if I went to a game at U.S. Cellular Field, decked out in Cubs gear, and cheered for whichever team the Sox were playing? First of all, I’d never do that because I have class. But if I did, do you think I’d leave that park in one piece?

It’s just annoying and frustrating that so many people can be that ignorant and close-minded. I know it’s just baseball but it makes you wonder what their views are on the more important things in life.

Today I took down the 2007-08 Blackhawks schedule that was hanging on the refrigerator for their season has come to an end. The Hawks ended it on a very high note, coming quite close to grabbing that last playoff spot, and we do have a lot to look forward to next season. It’s the Chicago fan’s mantra, “Wait til next year”, but with this Blackhawks team, next year has the potential to be absolutely awesome. Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough have done a tremendous job of getting Chicago excited about hockey again. All Blackhawks games will be televised next year. That’s right, ALL games, even the ones played at home. We’ve got a roster full of young, talented, gritty players who can skate, score, and hit. They’re not afraid to fight, either. I’m already looking forward to again seeing Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien, and Adam Burish on the ice next season. I’m not predicting the Hawks to win the Stanley Cup or anything, but I do expect their season to last longer than it did this year. These kids are for real, and they’re only going to get better. The buzz definitely is back.

Posted by Francesca

Joseph William - 10 days old, originally uploaded by superstarsinger.

Born March 20, 2008 at 9 lbs. 15 oz and 22 inches long, Joseph William is the first son to Andrea Palmisano & Willie Morales. Andrea is my boyfriend Joe’s sister. Joseph William is the first grandchild for Mom & Dad Palmisano and the first baby in this family for 24 years. Needless to say, little Joseph William will be SPOILED. And, how could you not spoil this child? Look at how freakin’ adorable he is!!!

Posted by Felicia