101 and counting...

The Chicago Cubs were officially eliminated from playoff contention this week, which was terribly disappointing given their success last year and amount of money they spent on their payroll.  (an ESPN poll recently showed that the Cubs season was far more disappointing than the recent loss of the Olympics)  I had been following the team closely until the last two weeks...at which point I realized they wouldn't make it again.  Being a Cubs fan is a lesson in faith.

Here is a graphic by the Chicago Tribune that shows the last 101 World Series winners since the Cubs last won it all.  I'll now turn my patronage to the Phillies for the remainder of the 2009 baseball season.  Go Phils!

Beer thrower turns himself in

The photo on the Tribune's website was correct: that was the guy who threw the beer at Victorino. Here he is after he turned himself into police.

Cubs/Phillies, part 2

About a month ago, we got a group of 25 fans to go watch the Phillies battle the Cubs while they were in Philadelphia. The game went into extra innings, but the bad guys won (sense a theme with the last post?). Here's a clip from singing the 7th inning stretch:

Beergate

Last night, the Cubs played the Phillies at Wrigley Field. I watched the game while playing Quizzo at Urban Saloon--a local restaurant/bar in my Fairmount neighborhood. The game wasn't actually much of one, as the Cubs lost 12-5. But that wasn't the real excitement in the game. In one of the later innings, one of the bleacher bums had had enough: when Phillies player Shane Victorino tracked down a fly ball, someone threw his beer on the center fielder. Victorino caught the ball, but was doused in beer. Security saw a man heckling Victorino, thought he had done this indecent act, and escorted the wrong guy out of the stands! Here's a photo provided by the Tribune:

Booing the other team is one thing; throwing a beer at them is extreme fan interference. First the goat, then Bartman, now this beer-tosser...what's going to happen next at Wrigley?!?!

Parents to Philly

This weekend, our De Boer parents came to Philadelphia.  We had perfect weather for it!  Our fun events included eating outdoors multiple times, touring City Hall, going on an Old Original Walking Tour, watching the Phillies/Cubs game, and reshuffling our living room decorations.  Here are a few photos from the fun:

America laughs at Cubs fans

You know your team has struggled when two major networks poke fun at Cubs fans.  Here are two clips--one from Jon Stewart's Daily Show and one from Saturday Night Live--that joke about the intelligence of Cubs fans.  I see it as faith: belief in something I cannot see.  

Breaking the silence

Anyone who knows a good deal about me knows how much I care about the Chicago Cubs.  Their last World Series victory came in 1908 (depressing fact?  Teddy Roosevelt was president.  Even more depressing about that?  He is on Mount Rushmore.).  This year, the Cubs had great pitching, very good defense, hitters who were dangerous in every part of the lineup, and a match-up with the worst team allowed into the playoffs.  What did that get them?  Swept in the first round for the second year in a row.  Despite coming in with the best record in the national league, the Cubs didn't win a game.  The only other time that has happened in 40 years was once to the Astros. 

After the first loss, I had a bad feeling in my stomach.  I held off posting a blog entry with all the dates and times of future playoff games in fear that the Cubs wouldn't make it.  Unfortunately, I was right. 

Sarah and I watched the games together.  After the second loss, I felt numb.  Not tearful or sad...a feeling even worse: apathy.  This feeling continued throughout the Cubs game three loss and into this current week.  I know it will go away as spring training comes up in March, but for now, the winter looks pretty bleak.  The one light in this darkness of a situation was that Sarah lived and died with the Cubs right next to me.  She now understands the pain and heartache required to cheer for the Cubs.  Sarah, welcome to the family.

Reading articles about it just makes the situation even more depressing:
Here
Here
or
Here

But hey--wait until next year!

In sickness and in health

This weekend, I caught a bug from one of my fifth graders. Welcome back to school! Fortunately, I only had a mild case--no fever...only headache from stuffy sinuses and sore throat. Well, Sarah and I have been doing a good job at sharing recently; too good in this case: she came down with my bug today. Her doctor friends did her a favor and sent her home at 4 instead of the usual 6. So, she and I enjoyed some grilled cheese sandwiches as some comfort food tonight.

School continues to go really well. I feel like God has been very present this year in my students and even in my attitude. I haven't let class situations bother me, I'm not taking things personally, my creativity is coming out more in lessons, I feel fresh and recharged most days (well, Monday mornings are still hard!) and the girl students in my class even come up and hug me! It's a huge answer to prayer.

The Cubs clinched the division title this weekend! It's their second title in two years. The last time this happened? When they last won the World Series in 1907 and 1908. Yup...exactly 100 years ago. Go Cubs Go!

Sabbatical no longer

My wedding sabbatical has ended: I am returning to my weekly blogging. While things haven't quite settled down in the De Boer household yet, they're close enough. Actually, Sarah asked me the other day if I felt settled. I responded that I did, and she said that she wasn't quite yet. Maybe it's the stack of five crates in our hallway? We've made progress though, and that's what counts.

I am approaching the four week mark of school. At times, it seems really far away. Other times, it seems really close! I know it'll be over before we know it. This week, my students have been pretty good. We've had a great understanding and expectation for how things are supposed to run in our classroom. The warmer weather and excitement for special events has made things more talkative in the classroom, but there are fewer conflicts.

My allergies have been awful the past week. Sarah and I made the financial decision to leave the windows down yesterday after my fauc--I mean nose kept running all night for a few straight days. Today's rain helped though; I feel leaps and bounds better than any other day this week. I even had a student bring in a note from her mom saying that she needed to stay inside during recess to avoid the pollen.

With my new move, I'm carpooling to school now! Laura (the 4th grade teacher) and I drive from Fairmount together. It's been great having company in the car and saving on gas!

Sarah and I are still developing new routines in our new life as a married couple. One of my favorites so far has been our bi-weekly trip to New Jersey, where we go to Wegman's for groceries and get the cheapest gas in the country (only $3.40 last week). We've also stopped at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to spend our gift certificates and fill out our home. Who'd of thunk shopping would be fun? Certainly not me!

I'm pretty excited about the Cubs this year. Even though they've been in a funk recently, their offense has played well. Half their starters are reliable, and the other half should only be used as middle relievers.

This afternoon, I got an e-mail from Walden (where I'm getting my masters in reading). They approved my request to take two classes at a time this summer. Consequently, my final portfolio is due on September 15. After I turn that puppy in, I'll be done!!! Can't wait.

Cubs stats

The Cubs have
-the 2nd best ERA in the NL
-the 2nd best batting average against
-the most strikeouts by opponent
-won 20 of the last 27
-the fewest unearned runs (a sign of good defense)

They're heating up at just the right time! Not bad for a team that had the worst ERA in all of baseball last year. =)

Pomp and circumstance

What does that title actually mean, anyway??

Yep, I made it home safely from Philadelphia. Mom, dad, Maria, and I attended Calvin's BBQ and education convocation last night. Things went well--dad reconnected with friends from Chicago and his childhood, Maria ran into a few friends and picked up a nice "Calvin College Education Department" key chain, mom enjoyed the experience, and I ate plenty of free food. All parties were satisfied.

Back on the home front, my dad and I tested various bluetooth devices for my cell phone, with mixed success. I've become fairly frustrated with bluetooth, as I have yet to find the perfect combination of microphone, speaker, and charging battery elements. Maybe I'll find something today.

Jordan and I played a little guitar last night. I felt like I had to relearn several key chords! To my shame, I haven't been playing as much as I had hoped this year. When Peter, Brian, and Scott visited in January, they all recommended that I get a stand so my guitar isn't hiding in its case all the time. I didn't listen to their advice, and now I'm wishing I had done so. Perhaps I'll do a better job of picking it up this summer.

Today, my grandparents are driving up from Chicago to see Maria's graduation this afternoon. I last saw them in Florida, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

While we were at the Cubs/Phillies game on Mother's Day, a website called Philly2night.com came and took our picture! It's a good way to easily drive traffic to a website...hey, it worked for us!

The Cubs are comin' to town

The Cubs are in Philadelphia! Will, my local Cubs fanatic, and I are going to the game tonight and Sunday. Sarah and some other friends will be joining us, too. One of my fellow teachers told me that tonight was teacher appreciation night, so the timing couldn't be better!

My school had our monthly faculty meeting today. Our discussion was mostly about end-of-the-year events. It's crazy to think that school will be done in a month. Didn't it just start a few weeks ago? Yowzers.

Speaking of teacher appreciation, this week was national teacher appreciation week! And nurses and hospital appreciate week as well. Kinda nice that they grouped the service professions together like that. =)

One of my new friends in Philly was in the hospital this week. (Christen Conner introduced me to him, despite the fact that she's in Michigan...kinda cool how the Internet works!) His name is Erik, which obviously means he's a strong, good-looking individual. It turns out that he developed a blood clot in his arm. Thankfully, the doctors fixed it temporarily; he has a follow-up surgery this fall to permanently rid himself of the little beast.

Sarah just finished her final exam for 2nd year medical school this morning. Her feelings were mixed (it was a tough one), but she's certainly glad to get 'er done. Starting Monday, she begins studying for the boards, which essentially are a review of the previous two years of medical school. The studying schedule is pretty ridiculous...the average schedule is about 12 hours of studying EVERY DAY. Fortunately, Sarah has an optimistic view on it--focusing on the fact that she will have a few hours each day when she can completely relax because there's no way she can learn everything for the 8-hour exam in mid-June.

I'm currently in the market for summer jobs here in Philly. I'd like to make a little bit of money, and do something that allows me to have the evenings off. We'll see what develops.

The weekend is upon us

This Thursday, I did something I've never done before in my life: sang karaoke. A few friends from our home group invited our group, and Sarah and I decided to take them up on it! Looking back, I would have liked to have changed a few circumstances around the situation: I was pretty tired, feeling more reflective than assertive, we didn't get there until 10PM, and there were a bunch of females from Drexel who were together (and they were all near the front...it made our small group feel like we were crashing somebody else's party). Having never sung karaoke before, I was a bit nervous. I also didn't know how it worked, so I was quite surprised when there was a teleprompter that went through the words for me! After combing through the song list for quite some time and feeling rather disappointed that there weren't any songs from the Little Mermaid, I sang "One More Day" from Diamond Rio (kudos to Chris Avery for helping me learn that song back in our Nykerk days!). People congratulated me and said I did great, but I felt a little sheepish. However, it will not deter me from attempting again in the future. My comfort level is much higher now with it, so I'll give it another shot!

Sarah, Michelle, and I are going to check out a potential house for the girls on 33rd Street in Philly. It'll be about the same distance from me as last year, but much less in the middle of the city.

Tomorrow is the 10 mile Broad Street Run. I'm excited! Two weeks ago I was pretty nervous about the distance. Now, I'm less nervous about finishing and more excited about the journey. I guess that about 10,000 runners run it! There are bands and church choirs setup alongside the race for encouragement, which I think is really cool. Too bad I won't have a camera to take pictures as I run!

Last night several students, gym teacher Stephanie, and Melissa and Erika (the two other students run coaches) went with a bunch of students and me to a Students Run Philly Style pasta dinner. While we were there, All-pro Shawn Andrews from the Eagles came! He volunteered his time and told the kids how good it was they were participating. The dude was only 24, but he's already played four seasons with Philadelphia, and he's as thick as a wall. A few of the guys on our team were doing the male version of swooning, and some of the girls were teasing them about it. I had forgotten to bring my camera, but I'll post pictures when I get them from the other coaches.

The Cubs came back from a 4-run deficit yesterday. They're suddenly in 2nd place in the NL Central! They're coming to Philly the weekend of Mother's Day. Will and I bought tickets for the Sunday afternoon game, and I think I'll catch the Friday game as well. =)

Jay Leno reported this week: "Statistics show that in a lifetime, the average person sheds 120 pints of tears. Double that if you're a Cubs fan."

I'd like to add that we should double that statistic with tears of joy when the Cubs win the Series this year. Go Cubs!

Speaking of Chicago teams, the Bulls begin a big series with archrival Detroit tonight! Makes me wish I was in Michigan for this one...I'd be teasing my students about it all day long.

Get your Cubs on

I recently submitted a picture of me with some Cubs items to the Chicago Tribune's website, and they posted it on their website. If you visit a few other pages, you'll notice I'm sandwiched between a few baby pictures. =)

Opening day

Go Cubs! Today was the opening day for Major League Baseball teams across the country. There's nothing like it! Unfortunately, the Cubs lost to the Reds 5-1. Good thing there are 161 games left in the year!

Other news for the Cubs today included the sale of the team to a Chicago billionaire named Zell. He purchased the Tribune Corporation, who owns the Cubs. Zell said that he would sell the team next year, which analysts say should sell for over $600 million. Not bad considering the Tribune Co. bought the Cubs for $20 million in 1981...

I wore my jersey to school and after school (it hung on the back of my chair during classes). I'm making spaghetti and meatballs tonight for Scott, a friend from homegroup. We're going to catch the NCAA championship game tonight--a rematch of the college football final between Florida and Ohio State. My money (and bracket) is picking Florida to win; I might be biased since I'm leaving for Florida in less than 24 hours, too.