Mohegan Sun

Friday, we went down to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut for a night of gambling. I had never been there, in fact I don't think I've been to a casino in about 13 years. Normally, I'm too cheap to enjoy gambling, but we had a real good time and will return. Played craps for a couple hours, thanks to the help of other players and the dealers, since we didn't really know the game at all. Then we took in some poker and slots and ended the night with a few more hours of craps. We left them most of the money we brought to play with - but that is what I expected. The only way I know when I'm done gambling is when my money's gone. At craps and on slots there were a few occasions when we had doubled and even tripled our money - but we just gave it right back playing something else.
One of the coolest things was that there was a live show going in the middle of the casino - some band called ScrapMetal was going to be playing in the Wolf Den, which you could see into from the surrounding gaming tables. I was kinda psyched, since that name sure sounded like it would be some sort of 80's Metal cover band. I was not disappointed. In fact these guys sounded so good, I stepped away from the craps table for a closer look and realized this wasn't just a cover band - these were some real people from some 80's bands. ScrapMetal is a collection of Gunnar and Matthew Nelson (NELSON), Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER), Kelly Keagy (NIGHT RANGER), Eric Martin (MR. BIG), and Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW & DEEP PURPLE). I recognized all the songs except for what I assume was the Nelson stuff - I was never a fan of those twins. Marc Slaughter was the only one I instantly recognized, though as soon as Eric Martin and Joe Lyn Turner sang, I realized who they were too. Being serenaded by 80's leftovers made losing money much more fun.

Now we are just waiting on Super Bowl 41 1/2 - Patriots vs Colts!

10 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Oh My God. Lori and I have been married for 10 years. A decade! I'm not sure what part amazes me most about this - how quickly 10 years have gone by, that I'm married at all, or how much I still love that woman. I can't imagine life without her and don't even like going a single day without seeing her. My only regret is how much I take Lori for granted. I hope that I let her know how much I love her often enough, and not only during shitty times (yes, there's been a few of those scattered in over the years too). I never could have predicted the things we've done and places we've seen over the years. No New Englander in their right mind would ever dare to dream of two World Series Championships for the Red Sox in their lifetime. Here's to another decade of surprises, happiness and fun. It kicks off soon - in December we are headed to Chile for a week of white water rafting and then on to Easter Island for some giant heads.

Check out the Wedding of The Damned

Dueling Dynasties

Simply amazing. The Boston Red Sox have won their second World Series championship in four years and the New England Patriots are destroying every team put in front of them as they march to another Super Bowl. And the Sox once again did it with a four game sweep - I really thought the Rockies were going to make it a fight. I thought their amazing playoff run of winning every game (until they ran into the Red Sox) made them the team of destiny this year.

"Once in a lifetime" events are becoming common place in New England sports. This is just a remarkable time - but I'm sure glad I'm old enough to have lived through some of the heartbreaking years to appreciate this even more. Lots of kids growing up now will just expect this sort of magic every year. Who knows, maybe this will become an 86 year dynasty.

Oh, To Be A New England Sports Fan

This is truly a blessed time for every sports fan in New England. The New England Patriots are on pace to go down as the greatest team in NFL history and the Boston Red Sox are headed to their second World Series in four years. Plus, even the Celtics and Bruins are looking like they will be good again and it is in the 80's today. New Englanders love to complain - but there is nothing to complain about anymore (at least in the sports world). What an amazing time.

Earthquake!

We were awoken this morning around 1:30am by a loud bang that shook the house - turns out it was a 2.5 magnitude earthquake centered just a few blocks away at the center of Littleton Mass. This is about the fourth quake I can remember feeling here in New England, but this was the first time it was just a loud, single bang. Growing up in Leominster I recall a few that were a couple seconds of rumbling and shaking. Lori wanted to get up explore the house to see if anything was wrong, but I opted to just go back to sleep figuring it was a gun shot from early morning hunters or a late night celebration for the Red Sox win in Cleveland in the American League Championship Series. It was only upong seeing the news this morning that we realized it was actually an earthquake. Been hearing for many years about how overdue New England is for a major shake, but I'm happy with just the occasional 2.5.