I love airports. The anticipation of going someplace new and exciting. Or sometimes on the other side, the anticipation of seeing a friend or loved one from too long ago.
Sitting in the pre-boarding area at LAX, it's fun to guess the purpose behind each traveler's trips. There are the usual visits to grandma and grandpa, but the mid-40s guy with the 20-something Asian chick? What's their story? How about the Phillipino family that just popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and is using it to wash down crackers and sub sandwiches! WTF?!?!
A big part of the airport experience is the drama that unfolds at baggage claim. While there are several anonymous drivers holding up signs with names for business pick-ups, all I see are the single and (sometimes) married men who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their lovers. Some of these men bear flowers and balloons. Someday I'd like to have someone anxiously waiting to pick me up at the airport with flowers and a kiss.
Someday.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
Congratulations World Series champs!
It's the day before I leave on vacation. Twenty-four hours before I jump on a plane and remove myself from this humdrum existence and insert myself into the fun, sun and party that is Australia.
But I'm not quite excited yet. Not in "vacation mode." It took a while, but today I finally figured out why I've been distracted.
Usually, my thoughts of baseball are long gone by late October thanks to my Cubs' habit of fading fast. But not this year. Chicago hasn't let go of its summertime distraction...long after the leaves have changed and t-shirts have been replaced by sweatshirts.
The Chicago White Sox have won the 2005 World Series! For the first time in 88 years, Chicago has a baseball champion and today was the official celebration in the Loop.
No, I haven't changed allegiances. I am still a true, blue Cub fan.
But I am also a baseball fan and can completely respect and appreciate what the White Sox have accomplished. The Sox played ball with passion (if not always intellect) and with the blue-collar, never-give-up attitude that the South Side of Chicago is known for.
During the baseball season, I've had an ongoing discussion/argument of baseball fandom with one of our management team, a fella who claims to be a diehard Sox fan. It's usually a bit of bickering of "my team is better" and "I can't believe what your team did last night." That type of thing. This guy grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and periodically wears a gray and black tie with the Sox logo on it.
Did he wear the tie and/or a Sox hat the day after his team captured the World Series title?
No.
Did he wear a Sox jersey, hat or even a black shirt (for cryin' out loud!) today for the celebration?
No.
Did he join the thousands of Chicagoans in attending the wild, ticker-tape parade that rolled through downtown within 2 blocks of our office?
No.
The baseball fan that I am, I attended the rally that was held at the end of the parade route and then shuffled through ankle-deep ticker-tape to get back to work. I even grabbed a handful of shredded paper to keep as a souvenir along with World Series stories in the local newspapers. I know history when I see it.
I asked him why he didn't go to the celebration. Why he didn't wear a Sox jersey to work (on a casual Friday like today). He claimed that it was all band wagon stuff and that he's a true fan.
"But I've really held back. I've backed off. I really could've gone off on you. There's so much I could've said," he said. And then I realized it.
For him, being a true White Sox fan would have been to rip the Cubs for not winning anything (again!) and rip me for being a fan of a team that hasn't won a World Series since1908. For him, showing his Sox loyalty would have meant tearing down me and my team.
Wow! How sad. I wonder how many Sox fans feel that way. Or how many Cub fans feel that way about the Sox for that matter?
I am a Cub fan and I'm proud of my loyalty. But I've never said a word against the White Sox team or any other team that plays the game the way it SHOULD be played. I'm happy for the White Sox and proud that they could bring this kind of excitement to Chicago.
I don't think a fan is any less loyal to his or her team if they respect their opponent. On the contrary, isn't that a big part of the game? Respect for yourself, your team and your opponent. Wasn't that what they taught young boys in Little League?
Guys! Help me out here. Am I right or am I being naive to think that a fan can be a true baseball fan without belittling the other team?
Belittling the fans of the other team? Okay, that's another story.
But I'm not quite excited yet. Not in "vacation mode." It took a while, but today I finally figured out why I've been distracted.
Usually, my thoughts of baseball are long gone by late October thanks to my Cubs' habit of fading fast. But not this year. Chicago hasn't let go of its summertime distraction...long after the leaves have changed and t-shirts have been replaced by sweatshirts.
The Chicago White Sox have won the 2005 World Series! For the first time in 88 years, Chicago has a baseball champion and today was the official celebration in the Loop.
No, I haven't changed allegiances. I am still a true, blue Cub fan.
But I am also a baseball fan and can completely respect and appreciate what the White Sox have accomplished. The Sox played ball with passion (if not always intellect) and with the blue-collar, never-give-up attitude that the South Side of Chicago is known for.
During the baseball season, I've had an ongoing discussion/argument of baseball fandom with one of our management team, a fella who claims to be a diehard Sox fan. It's usually a bit of bickering of "my team is better" and "I can't believe what your team did last night." That type of thing. This guy grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and periodically wears a gray and black tie with the Sox logo on it.
Did he wear the tie and/or a Sox hat the day after his team captured the World Series title?
No.
Did he wear a Sox jersey, hat or even a black shirt (for cryin' out loud!) today for the celebration?
No.
Did he join the thousands of Chicagoans in attending the wild, ticker-tape parade that rolled through downtown within 2 blocks of our office?
No.
The baseball fan that I am, I attended the rally that was held at the end of the parade route and then shuffled through ankle-deep ticker-tape to get back to work. I even grabbed a handful of shredded paper to keep as a souvenir along with World Series stories in the local newspapers. I know history when I see it.
I asked him why he didn't go to the celebration. Why he didn't wear a Sox jersey to work (on a casual Friday like today). He claimed that it was all band wagon stuff and that he's a true fan.
"But I've really held back. I've backed off. I really could've gone off on you. There's so much I could've said," he said. And then I realized it.
For him, being a true White Sox fan would have been to rip the Cubs for not winning anything (again!) and rip me for being a fan of a team that hasn't won a World Series since1908. For him, showing his Sox loyalty would have meant tearing down me and my team.
Wow! How sad. I wonder how many Sox fans feel that way. Or how many Cub fans feel that way about the Sox for that matter?
I am a Cub fan and I'm proud of my loyalty. But I've never said a word against the White Sox team or any other team that plays the game the way it SHOULD be played. I'm happy for the White Sox and proud that they could bring this kind of excitement to Chicago.
I don't think a fan is any less loyal to his or her team if they respect their opponent. On the contrary, isn't that a big part of the game? Respect for yourself, your team and your opponent. Wasn't that what they taught young boys in Little League?
Guys! Help me out here. Am I right or am I being naive to think that a fan can be a true baseball fan without belittling the other team?
Belittling the fans of the other team? Okay, that's another story.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Is it time to leave yet?
This time Saturday, I'll be winging my way to the West Coast en route to Australia. Yep, I'm going Down Under (I know that will excite some of you, but don't get too obscene!)
But this week has been truly bizarre. Kind of a "screw with The Writer before she leaves" type thing. Where do I begin?
My mom wanted to gather some of my siblings together to have a birthday dinner for me. Funny, in my 39 years on the planet, we haven't made that much effort. Needless to say, I declined.
I got a booty call (okay, I didn't ACT on it, but the call was received.)
Let me back up a bit...I attended a FABULOUS cocktail party at a ritzy suburban home last year at Christmastime. Since I didn't know anyone (not really) and the rich bitches at the party were being nasty to me, I stood by the bar and chatted up the pretty cute bartender.
By 2am, I had decided that I needed to go home. After all, I had to work in 6 hours! The neighborhood included a lot of very small curvy streets with very few streetlights so I wasn't sure how to get home. Bartender guy left around the same time as me and waited for me in the street. He offered to let me follow him to the on-ramp for the highway I needed to get home.
NOTHING HAPPENED!!!! (I could just tell that you guys were jumping ahead on this one!)
I gave him my business card and he called me a few times, but we never went out. He was too young, immature and bragged about all the "older women" he had slept with. Yuck!
Anyway, fast forward 10 months and he's calling me at 10pm on a school night. Apparently, he found my business card and decided to see "what I was up to." (Isn't that code?)
We talked for a bit and I discovered that he's moved to the city (renting a room! do real people actually do that? I thought only in old movies) and he's also an actor! Geez! Help me! Are there any adult men with steady jobs out there???
Needless to say, nothing will happen there. I didn't even keep his phone number.
Oh, one more thing. The Romanian martial arts teacher called me. I asked him if he was married and he said no, but he has a "friend." I asked if he has kids (since he loves teaching them so much). He hesitated but finally admitted that he has a baby.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with inviting me out for coffee or dinner. This sounded familiar. My European colleagues often got together for dinner or movies, even those of them that were married or "involved." The difference, however, is that the spouse/partner always knew us and often came along.
Romanian guy said he didn't want to hurt me (?) and doesn't think there's anything wrong with the invitation. (At the risk of sounding like a cultural enlightenment guru), I mentioned that in the future, it would be better if he owned up to having a girlfriend and baby before he invites single women to go out with him.
We'll see if I hear from him again...
Two guys calling me in one week. Boy! It's been too long since THAT happened. Wonder if Aussie guys are any better?
Oh, and YES, I do plan to post occasionally in Australia so stay tuned.
But this week has been truly bizarre. Kind of a "screw with The Writer before she leaves" type thing. Where do I begin?
My mom wanted to gather some of my siblings together to have a birthday dinner for me. Funny, in my 39 years on the planet, we haven't made that much effort. Needless to say, I declined.
I got a booty call (okay, I didn't ACT on it, but the call was received.)
Let me back up a bit...I attended a FABULOUS cocktail party at a ritzy suburban home last year at Christmastime. Since I didn't know anyone (not really) and the rich bitches at the party were being nasty to me, I stood by the bar and chatted up the pretty cute bartender.
By 2am, I had decided that I needed to go home. After all, I had to work in 6 hours! The neighborhood included a lot of very small curvy streets with very few streetlights so I wasn't sure how to get home. Bartender guy left around the same time as me and waited for me in the street. He offered to let me follow him to the on-ramp for the highway I needed to get home.
NOTHING HAPPENED!!!! (I could just tell that you guys were jumping ahead on this one!)
I gave him my business card and he called me a few times, but we never went out. He was too young, immature and bragged about all the "older women" he had slept with. Yuck!
Anyway, fast forward 10 months and he's calling me at 10pm on a school night. Apparently, he found my business card and decided to see "what I was up to." (Isn't that code?)
We talked for a bit and I discovered that he's moved to the city (renting a room! do real people actually do that? I thought only in old movies) and he's also an actor! Geez! Help me! Are there any adult men with steady jobs out there???
Needless to say, nothing will happen there. I didn't even keep his phone number.
Oh, one more thing. The Romanian martial arts teacher called me. I asked him if he was married and he said no, but he has a "friend." I asked if he has kids (since he loves teaching them so much). He hesitated but finally admitted that he has a baby.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with inviting me out for coffee or dinner. This sounded familiar. My European colleagues often got together for dinner or movies, even those of them that were married or "involved." The difference, however, is that the spouse/partner always knew us and often came along.
Romanian guy said he didn't want to hurt me (?) and doesn't think there's anything wrong with the invitation. (At the risk of sounding like a cultural enlightenment guru), I mentioned that in the future, it would be better if he owned up to having a girlfriend and baby before he invites single women to go out with him.
We'll see if I hear from him again...
Two guys calling me in one week. Boy! It's been too long since THAT happened. Wonder if Aussie guys are any better?
Oh, and YES, I do plan to post occasionally in Australia so stay tuned.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
It's a cultural thing
Remember the Romanian martial arts teacher and former exotic dancer??? Well, there's good news and bad news on that topic. The good news is that he called me on Saturday afternoon as I sat at Starbucks, sipping a chai tea and absorbing my baseball encyclopedia.
The conversation started awkwardly with him apologizing for bothering me, for taking up so much of my time on a weekend. (He wasn't bothering me.)
He also said he hoped it was okay that he called me. Um....why did he think I gave him my number if it wouldn't be okay for him to call me??? And how were we going to make the dinner plans (as he suggested) if he didn't actually call me?!?
This guy's got FLOOR MAT written all over him. Not a good sign. When will men realize that a lack of self-confidence is such a deal-breaker?
But the piece de resistance came today when I spoke to the Mexican ladies who introduced us at their party. They were busy at the party, but did notice that we seemed to be having a nice conversation. (I never told them about the date potential.)
In our conversation this morning, one of the ladies mentioned that martial arts teacher has a son who's about 6 months old. So I casually asked if his wife is Romanian too. No, apparently, she's Bulgarian or Hungarian or something like that.
Oh, did I mention that he never SAID ANYTHING ABOUT BEING MARRIED OR HAVING A CHILD!!!?!?!?
It sure would be easier if they just put "TAKEN" in a huge tattoo on their forehead!!
The conversation started awkwardly with him apologizing for bothering me, for taking up so much of my time on a weekend. (He wasn't bothering me.)
He also said he hoped it was okay that he called me. Um....why did he think I gave him my number if it wouldn't be okay for him to call me??? And how were we going to make the dinner plans (as he suggested) if he didn't actually call me?!?
This guy's got FLOOR MAT written all over him. Not a good sign. When will men realize that a lack of self-confidence is such a deal-breaker?
But the piece de resistance came today when I spoke to the Mexican ladies who introduced us at their party. They were busy at the party, but did notice that we seemed to be having a nice conversation. (I never told them about the date potential.)
In our conversation this morning, one of the ladies mentioned that martial arts teacher has a son who's about 6 months old. So I casually asked if his wife is Romanian too. No, apparently, she's Bulgarian or Hungarian or something like that.
Oh, did I mention that he never SAID ANYTHING ABOUT BEING MARRIED OR HAVING A CHILD!!!?!?!?
It sure would be easier if they just put "TAKEN" in a huge tattoo on their forehead!!
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