Off-Day Open Thread/Therapy

by Ian Casselberry on Apr 7, 2008 12:56 PM EDT in News Comment 18 comments

Hey folks, how's it going? Hopefully, you had a good sleep last night. Or maybe you had a therapeutic run, kick-boxing session, or lunchtime pub-crawl to take your mind of our Detroit Tigers. The guys on the field are taking the day off, so we probably should, as well.

Me, I told myself I'd be taking most of the day away from the computer on this gorgeous spring day in southeastern Michigan to recharge a bit. But I thought that maybe we could also use a place to commiserate, to get to know each other a bit and remind ourselves that we all live rich, full lives that are bigger than this baseball team that is currently crushing our early, hopeful aspirations.

So let's talk. I'm listening, and hope you are, too. We're here for each other. I'll put some topics (baseball and non-baseball) on the table to get the ball rolling, and maybe we can remind ourselves that things ain't so bad.

My little sister is getting married on April 19 in Charleston, SC. Will the Tigers have won a game by then?
Boy, I like ice cream on warm days like this. What's your favorite flavor? I'm a fan of cookies 'n cream, but in warmer weather, I often prefer a fruity flavor like strawberry or black cherry.
Now that all the snow's melted, my lawn looks dead and yellow, kind of like a canary that was left outside all winter. Anyone out there have a favored fertilizer or lawn treatment that they use this time of year?
Speaking of dead and yellow, doesn't Nick Swisher's bleached facial hair look stupid? Sure, the White Sox just got done stomping the Tigers like bags of poo that had been lit on fire. But don't all those guys look like douchebags?
They played some stuff from the new R.E.M. album on the Sunday Night Baseball telecast last night, and it's good, but the Counting Crows' new album is also very good.
Have you ever actually gotten some useful help from a Best Buy employee? Or do they usually just stand there blankly while you answer your own question? (If you work at Best Buy and you're reading this, I'm not talking about you; I'm talking about your co-worker that everyone else hates, too.)
Does anybody else want to spend a summer as Anthony Bourdain, traveling the world and eating whatever funky food gets put in front of him?

Okay, that looks like enough to get us started. Feel free to add anything you'd like in the comment thread. Just be nice to each other.

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It's lame

I'm a vanilla fan, especially if it's in a cone. For a dish I'm willing to branch out to something chocolatey.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Apr 7, 2008 1:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Follow-up

The natural follow-up question: Sugar cone or cake cone? Or do you splurge for the waffle?

Bless You Boys

by Ian Casselberry on Apr 7, 2008 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if it's a cone...

...it's gotta be waffle

Usually go with the dish, though, because I like savoring ice cream, and that gets a little messy on the hottest days.

by ahtrap on Apr 7, 2008 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ignoring all things baseball today

I'm doing my best to just stay away from all things baseball today. TV is off, I'm not paying all that much attention to the sports blogs or sports talk radio, and enjoying the nice breeze on the best weather day of the year so far. I'm also quite glad the NCAA hoop finals are tonight, as that will take everyone's attention, including mine, away from the Tigers for a night.

If I didn't do these things, I'd be using the medical advice Otter gave Flounder in Animal House..

."I suggest you start drinking heavily."

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on Apr 7, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good topics

Congrats Ian, on your sister's impending wedding.

Vanilla is a fantastic flavor and, done properly, is the best of all I think. Back in the day (and I mean WAY back in the day), it was considered quite refined. Cake cone for me, as I like to taste the ice cream. Better yet, get me a fantastic hazelnut or dark chocolate gelato and I'm in heaven. No cone with those, of course.

I'm interested to hear what others use to spruce up their lawn, because mine looks like crap, and this is the first spring that I've been a homeowner, so I'm basically clueless. I have clovers, dirt spots, dead spots, and spots that don't look half bad.

Oh, and I would LOVE to do the Anthony Bourdain thing, as long as most of my time was spent in Bella Italia.

by ViolaHalo on Apr 7, 2008 2:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

REM is still alive?

In other Tales from the crypt, the B-52's have a new album coming out....I'm actually looking forward to that one, more so than new REM....

by ahtrap on Apr 7, 2008 3:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The new REM

It was one of my CDs for the drive up to MI. If you're a REM fan pick it up. Also glad that the warm Georgia weather followed me up here as well

"WOO HOO HOOOOO...HOO" - Rod Allen

by rock n rye on Apr 7, 2008 4:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A fan of which REM?

Pre-Green? Post-Bill Berry?

I ask seriously because I listened to their first 5 albums continuously, but missed much of the subsequent years.

by Twas Brillig on Apr 7, 2008 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pre-Monster

That was Bill Berry's second-to-last album, wasn't it? That was the last R.E.M album I truly enjoyed, though of the post-Berry stuff, 'Around the Sun' was okay.

Bless You Boys

by Ian Casselberry on Apr 7, 2008 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Weather

Gotta love a real spring day in Michigan, really makes me want to pull out the glove and go play some catch. Plus the weather allows me to go back to riding my bike to class.

While our beloved Tigers may be struggling at least we currently have two other Detroit teams gearing for what I hope are long playoff runs, so its not all gloom and doom in Motown.

by jgrubbs on Apr 7, 2008 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Played some catch with my son yesterday

I was out there in shorts and a T-shirt. Man, that was sweet.

Amazingly enough, even though it was the first throwing I had done all year, my elbow and shoulder aren't barking at me. I guess I really was taking it easy.

by mparks on Apr 7, 2008 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lawn Care, Ice Cream, and anything but the Tigers

I have been the proud owner of a canary piss yellow, cloved, dirt spot lawn for the past 2 summers (w/o doing anything.)
Last winter I decided to change that and bought some winterizer fertilizer and all that did was bring more clovers to the dirt spots. This spring I have put down Scot's turf builder, w/ hopes that I can start to bring my lawn around. We will see.

I can't say I have a favorite flavor but I do love anything that has chunks in it. ie Carmal, cookie dough, fudge, you name it, I love it

Lastly, I love this great weather, it lets me get out and clean my garage so I can watch the Tigers (DANG IT, I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT THEM) so I can watch sports and play poker. Can't wait for that

Water covers 70% of the earth, Curtis Granderson covers the rest!!

by BigReg on Apr 7, 2008 5:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

spring? lawn?

We live in the same state?

Well the snow did melt in some places but another 7-10 inches is forecast for the part of the state most people believe is canada.

and chocolate chip ice cream or mackinac island fudge ice cream, definitely.

by MackAveKurt on Apr 7, 2008 6:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh

or COOKIE DOUGH!

AHHHHHH COOKIE DOUGH

by MackAveKurt on Apr 7, 2008 6:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Vanilla

Sugar cone.

Homemade hand cranked is still the best.

The weather in CT is tolerable, but I'm flying out for a three day golf trip to Florida, all expenses paid.

by pfuhrmeister on Apr 7, 2008 6:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Lawn

I've been out in Colorado for 10 years. You Michiganders have no idea what a yellow lawn is.

Growing near Detroit, we always had a green lawn. I have no idea how my Dad does it, but I don't have the touch.

by Twas Brillig on Apr 7, 2008 7:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ice Cream

What about some rocky road in a warm waffle cone? Or something from Cold Stone, delicious....

by Tony K on Apr 8, 2008 9:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Rocky Road!

An almost criminally underrated ice cream flavor. Gets no love from the kids these days.

I just wish the Cold Stone kids wouldn't sing at me. And if they ARE going to sing, for the love of Frosty, put some heart into it. No one wants lackluster.

Bless You Boys

by Ian Casselberry on Apr 8, 2008 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs