It Don’t Come Easy

Just watched (a portion of) the Cubs’ 11-5 win over the Padres.

They never make it easy, the Cubbies. However, they have won 8 of their last 9 games, so I am celebrating every victory and enjoying this lil’ stretch.

See? This is me, smilin’:

: )

I remember several summers ago, the summer my dear pal Patti turned 30, which would have made me 31, which would have been ... the summer of ’96. The Lovely and I were having some major communication problems, and they just seemed to be getting worse, so I did what any clear-thinking person does in this kind of situation:

I went out and got drunk.

My friends J&S took me to my favorite pizza place, Walt’s, and we ate pizza and drank beer. Which, surprisingly enough, is definitely NOT my favorite food ’n’ drink combination, but, whatever. (For those keeping score: I like pop/soda with pizza, preferably Coke or Pepsi; I like beer with chocolate chip cookies. I think it’s a salty-sweet thang. And for the record: I prefer milk with chocolate chip cookies ... and yes, I AM a dunker.)

: )

Back to that night: We continued our road trip at a microbrewery (which no longer exists). The place had a guy playing the piano, and I remember requesting “something by the Beatles,” and the piano player launched into his version of “Something” by the Beatles. (Took me a few minutes to notice, of course; yes, I was that tipsy.)

My friends ended up dropping me off at my girlfriend’s house, where I stayed for a while but quickly decided I wanted to continue this party at my own place.

“Are you OK to drive?” she asked me.

“Are you kidding? My car isn’t even here!”

She paused for a few seconds. “Well ... are you OK to walk?”

I made the trek across town without incident, stopped at the convenience store a block from my house, bought a 6-pack and headed home. Turned on the TV and discovered that the Cubs were in extra innings, playing the Padres at San Diego. Called Patti sometime in there to wish her happy 30th (I had planned to go up for the surprise party but had to cover a golf tournament instead). Watched the Cubs beat the Padres in ... gosh, I dunno what inning, I wanna say the 26th, but that surely cannot be correct (me: too tired to google). In fact, the date was the 26th of July, and now I am thinking they played 14 innings or so. I remember thinking the palm trees at the San Diego stadium were very cool.

: )

Speaking of tired: I honestly do not think I have been fully awake at any time today. Which is not a bad thing, necessarily.