Creatures of habit

I'm talking about homo sapiens, menschen, esseri umani, humanos, 인간, human freakin' beings .  And not just myself - all of us.  Example:

I just realized it better than ever as I walked Nathan down the block.  I saw the same two guys the past three times I've walked Nathan.  Standing outside the same door and smoking the same cigarettes..  Now call it coincidence, call it what you will, but this wasn't over a span of several days, it's been  only two days, and I've seen these two guys like clockwork.  Maybe outside of that door is their "happy place" or "safe zone" to smoke their cancer sticks - only they know. 

I tend to stray on side of caution, walking on the other side of the street - not because I'm afraid of them, as a matter of fact, I'd probably kick the crap out of one or both of them, at once.  I just don't want them ashing on Nathan's head.  They wear thick eyeglasses, and the one time I walked on their side, they damn near stepped on his paw.  (His thick glasses have nothing to do with anything whatsoever)

I don't think humans are strictly lazy, which directly leads to them performing the same tasks in the same spots at the same times.  I'm not really sure what causes us to do what we do, but we do.  And sometimes it's creepy. 

When I was in college back in 1999-2003, there was a local we called "The Denim Creeper."  He had the illest Canadian tuxedo I've seen to date, and he had one walking path - up and down Waldo Ave.  Top of the hill to the bottom, and right back up.  It was unreal, almost surreal.  At any given point during the day, poof, there he was - patrolling the sidewalks of Waldo.  Then there was "Window Tom," who hung out in his window all day long, greeting passers-by.  He had this giant powder blue car, comparable to a 20' Sea Ray.  With alternate side of the street parking a law here in NYC, he had to move it, but I'll be damned if he didn't get the same two spots on either side of the street every freaking time.  Those two guys are prime examples of creatures of habit.  I can also recall a guy who used to wear a NY Mets hat and ate lunch at Burger King practically every day - but again, I'm guilty because I saw him every day.

Reflecting on my years spent here in the bastard borough of the Bronx, and as weird as some encounters and individuals may be, I've learned.  I've learned from the strangest of people.  I've seen some of the strangest people.  And I've met some of the most unique people.  Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get the hell out of the Bronx and have some normal neighbors to invite over, BBQ with, shoot the shit with.  But you take your situation with a grain of salt - what can you do but try to make the best of whatever life hands you.

We are all creatures of habit, until someone or something can prove otherwise.  I know I bite my nails when I get nervous, I wear the same shorts to bed most nights, I always put my socks on left foot first.  I always put my left leg through my pants before my right.  Lindsay pours her milk into the bowl and then adds her cereal to it so it remains crunchy - me, I can give a shit, I dump half the box in there, and pour milk over it.  It's scary if you think about the way you do things, even things as menial as getting dressed - I bet you do it the same way 95% of the time, you creature of habit.

I WANNA ROCK!!

Google search question

not quite sure why the Trent Reznor page is the first one shown when you put "waxed red threads" into the Google search bar - anyone know why that is, because I am stumped.

more people need to check this page out, so tell a friend to tell a friend - i want this thing coming down in the pop-up bar on Google.

One week to go

Before the much anticipated ML-debut of Stephen Strasburg.  He will take the hill June 8th for the Nationals, as they play host to the Pirates.  So basically, he will still be pitching against a AAA team, even in his debut.  Sorry, that was too easy to pass up.

He's putting up some sick numbers in the minors though:  between AA and AAA, he's 6-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 60 K in 50.1 IP.  He's only let up 28 hits and walked only 12.  His numbers are nothing short of staggering, and I expect him to dominate in his debut, and possibly his next start (it's looking like the Indians).  We'll see, I can care less about this guy, but I am anxious to see what all this hype is about.  I doubt he'll put up Ubaldo Jiménez numbers right away, but we'll see.

Good luck Stephen.

June 1 - History in the Making

Several things to cover on this most glorious day - my birthday.

Birthdays - First and foremost, I'd like to thank God for making this all possi...oh wait, I didn't win an award - I did make it to my 29th birthday.  Thanks to all those close to me, and far from me, and those who I've yet to meet.

Ryan Darcy is 29 years old today.  He is the man, a loving husband (to Lindsay), and a dog owner (Nathan).  I will not go into too much detail, as there may be some creepy stalkers out there (as if anyone reads this blog anyway).  Today, I plan on doing whatever the I want, so tough shit trying to reign me in.  Got a nice Bose sound dock for my iPod, since all I have as far as audio equipment is lousy laptop speakers, a nice dinner and show from my dog, and Red Sox tickets for July.  I am steadfast in my allegiance to the Yankees, but taking in a game at Fenway will be fun.  I share my birthday with plenty of famous people, although I've never rubbed shoulders with any I'm about to mention.

Marilyn Monroe would have been 84 today, but she passed away in 1962, so we won't go too deep into her life - she was an actress, singer, and model in her time, and for good reason.  She dated Yankee great Joltin' Joe DiMaggio for a short while - they even eloped in 1954 and went to Japan, of all places, for their honeymoon.

Also checking off another year on their calendar is actor Morgan Freeman, of Shawshank Redemption and Lean on Me fame.  He's a hell of an actor and turns 73 today.  He also played the role of God in Bruce Almighty as well as Evan Almighty, both very funny movies.  Happy birthday Mo.

Supermodel Heidi Klum turns 37 today, but doesn't look a day over 25.  I guess that's the whole idea of a supermodel.  She's married to Seal - I can't figure out what the hell is wrong with that mans face.  She hosts "Project Runway," but she has also done Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue several times.  Tough life.  Happy Birthday to all.

Big Z also turns 29 today.  Carlos Zambrano, happy birthday you nut job.  I hope you keep dominating in the bullpen out there in Wrigley.  Don't let the boo birds get you down - you can always pull a Rick Ankiel and start swinging it, you got a mean stroke. 





Local News Today - There have been several manhole cover explosions today - one on Jerome Ave., one on DeKalb Ave., and one on Bainbridge Ave.  There are also high CO levels detected.  The authorities are on the scene, if you know what I mean.

Also, a woman in her 20's was found and pronounced dead at 5:40 this morning on E. Gun Hill Rd. with an apparent gun shot wound to the head.  Police are investigating.

Thank God everything bad happens on the other side of the Bronx.  Knock on wood.

Events - In 1792, the great state of Kentucky became the 15th state.  Four years later, Tennessee was granted it's statehood.  KY was never a territory but was part of Virginia and TN was part of the Southwest Territory prior to its statehood.  Good BBQ'ing down there, from what I hear.  Only been to Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN.   Lot of Elvis wannabes as well.  There are nine minor league baseball teams in Tennessee and two in Kentucky.  The state drink of Kentucky is milk, while the state fruit is the blackberry.  The state fruit of Tennessee is the tomato and the state wild animal is the raccoon.  Who knew states official wild animals.  Only in the South y'all.

Sports History - In 1925, Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp, which consequently started his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

Misc. History - In 1941, 12.59" of rain fell on the plains in Burlington, KS, still a state record.  The rain must fall mainly on the plain, in Kansas.  In unrelated news, in 1880, the first pay telephone was installed, so go ahead and drop a quarter in and call someone you love, just to say hello.

Back to work, blah!

Bricco & Rock of Ages

Courtesy of Nathan, we went to Bricco (56th St. b/w 8th & 9th) and then to see Rock of Ages, starring ex-American Idol reject Constantine Maroulis.  What a great night.  Although everyone wasn't in the aisles dancing the entire time, as previously reported, it was an awesome time.

Bricco:  We were the first two patrons of the night, and were only joined by two others during our meal, an older couple who rarely looked at one another.  I ordered my standard, an Amstel Light, and Lindsay opted for a glass of Chianti, circa 2008.  We started with the boiled asparagus drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette topped with a hunk of melted mozzarella di bufala - when it came out, I noticed three sprigs of asparagus on the plate and thought to myself, "No f'ing way", but when I saw he had two plates, I refrained.  It was actually pretty good, a little heavy on the pepper, but I forgot to tell the pepperer to stop.  I got pappardelle with a veal bolognese sauce, which was pretty damn good, and Lindsay mixed it up with some spinach and mozzarella ravioli.  Dessert was a piece of cheesecake with a raspberry lemon sauce, topped with a candle, signifying my birthday.  Much to my delight, no one sang - there was only a staff of about four (five including the chef).  The hostess was kind, although the only thing she seemed to know how to say was "Bon Appétit".

Rock of Ages:  Never having seen a play before, or show as I will refer to this (sounds more masculine), I was pleasantly surprised that Rock of Ages was next on the agenda.  The Brooks Atkinson Theatre was rocking, as I was kind of hoping for - all 80's hair metal, all the time (or at least for 2+ hours).  Constantine Maroulis was great as Drew, but Lonny (narrator) played by Mitchell Jarvis was almost like watching Jack Black from two rows back.  It was scary how eerily similar their mannerisms are.  The show was great, but there were these little pissants behind us who knew way too much about shows like this one, and were quoting lines all night - they were 13, 10, and 6 maybe - all boys, all who will no doubt get their asses kicked in high school.

Walked uptown for a few blocks to get on the subway, which was abnormally packed for 11:00pm on a Monday night.  Took the train back to the Bronx, eavesdropped on a few bewildering conversations between equally strange people, walked home and walked Nathan.  Now I sit here next to him as he chews on his rawhide, which will hopefully tire his crazy ass out.  OK, making a break for bed, I think he's tired.

Bon Appétit