Czech Fest

Oct. 1st, 2006 10:13 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Why is it that every time I look forward to something, I always seem to be disappointed when the day finally comes?

I had been looking forward to our church's annual bazaar, the Czech Fest, for the past couple of months. It had been a long time since we had gone, and I remember that it used to be a ton of fun when I was a little girl. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the same. We only stayed for about twenty minutes or so, and out of the $25 Mom gave me to blow, I only spent a dollar at the cake booth. A dollar! That's how lame it was.

Well, it might have been fun if it wasn't so hot and Mom hadn't decided that she wasn't interested in any of the booths that required more than picking numbers and someone spinning a big wheel. Sure, I suppose I could have gone off and played the actual games myself, but Mom clearly wasn't having a good time, so when she suggested we go, I didn't argue.

However, the day wasn't a total bust. After we left the fairgrounds and got groceries, we decided to go to the grand opening of Cato's, which had just moved to a new store, and I got some cute new clothes. ^_^ The $24 I had left? Much better spent on a blue twinset.

(Another disappointment: The Astros lost their last game of the regular season, so they didn't make the play-offs. :( Oh, well, at least I don't have to worry about missing my favorite shows to watch them.)
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Yanked from [livejournal.com profile] amazonqueenkate

You have seven days of dream-dates (all of which, of course, end in mind-blowing sex, hence the title of the game, if, of course, you're into that. You can also just cuddle with your date, if you'd rather). You are allowed to choose one celebrity date for each night of the week and one alternate for each night, in case your first choice dream date is, say, arrested or is away on location. The remainder of the rules are as follows:

1) The definition of "celebrity" varies according to the group with whom you're playing. Basically, everyone in the group needs to be able to pick your choices out of a police line-up.

2) No time-traveling. I'd like to date Paul Newman, circa Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but that's against the rules. Everyone you date, you date right now.

3) It doesn't matter if you and your friends all have George Clooney as your Saturday night. This is bound to happen and it's fair within the rules of the game: having to cross check your schedule with your friends will add a level of difficulty to this game that you don't need. It's hard enough to decide whether So and So is a Tuesday or a Wednesday without having to make an Excel spreadsheet to make sure you're not stepping on your officemate's toes. You'll see.

4) You can't use, say, "the cast of Band of Brothers" as one night. One man or woman per night. Nice try, though.

ExpandDrumroll, please... )

It's over

Oct. 26th, 2005 11:14 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Backe was actually really good tonight, going seven scoreless innings and almost tying the World Series record for most strike-outs in a row, but unfortunately, Garcia was practically just as good and we couldn't score any runs, so the Sox are the champs, winning 0-1.

Can't say I'm too disappointed. I wasn't expecting us to win anyway. Backe's performance was a pleasant surprise, but when we weren't getting any runs, I knew it was pretty much over.

Plus, tomorrow I can enjoy watching Smallville and Everwood without being distracted by the game. ^_^ I've missed my usual schedule. Now maybe I can get back to going to sleep at a decent time.

Anyway, enough about baseball, at least until next year.

I also got the third disc of RahXephon and The Wedding Date today from Netflix, which I watched while waiting for the game to start. Word of advice -- if you've wanted to see The Wedding Date, don't bother. The plot had potential, kind of like Pretty Woman in reverse, but the execution totally sucked and it wasn't even funny. I don't even know when Kat and Nick fell in love. It seemed like they had one "moment," (if you could even call it that) and the next thing you know, Kat got drunk at her sister's bachelorette party and decided to sleep with him with no real build-up at all.

RahXephon, however, continues to be quite good, if getting a tad bit confusing. I was disappointed that the disc only had three episodes on it. *pouts* Haruka continues to be my favorite character, but I also like Ayato and Itsuki. Quon is also getting a bit more interesting.

Game 3

Oct. 26th, 2005 01:24 am
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Well, we just lost 5-7, but quite frankly, I really don't care. After watching fourteen innings, I just wanted the game to end! ^_^

It sucks though, because if it wasn't for that disasterous fifth inning -- I have no idea what happened to Oswalt -- we probably would have won.

Ironic that the home run that finally broke the tie in the 14th was hit by a former Astro, Geoff Blum.

Anyway, I doubt we'll be able to pull off a win tomorrow with Backe starting, even though he's pretty good, so I'll just concede to Kate. Pre-congratulations, Sox. ^_^

But you have to admit, the Astros put up a very strong fight. The Sox didn't win any of those games easily, and for that, I'm proud of them.

*yawns*

Now, time to head to bed.

*screams*

Oct. 23rd, 2005 10:44 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Come on, guys! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?

First off, in response to my last post, in the end I decided I would still do my flipping, except in reverse. I decided to mostly watch the game and flip to my shows during the commercials so that I would at least get the basic idea of what the episodes were about.

Was that ultimately a good decision? I'm not sure. I thought it was through the first six innings. Pettitte was pitching well, and we were up four to two. Then they went to the bullpen in the seventh inning. Now, we have an awesome bullpen, widely regarded as one of the best in the National League, but Wheeler and Qualls were just not on their game today. Wheeler let the Sox load the bases, then when Qualls went up against Konerko, he hit a grand slam, giving the Sox a two-run lead. After that, I figured the game was a loss, so I flipped over to watch the end of Grey's Anatomy. When that was over, I went back to the game to await the inevitable.

But wait! It turned out the game wasn't as over as I thought. In the ninth, against Sox closer Jenks, we actually managed to get hits! In fact, thanks to Jose Vizcaino, who came up as a pitch hitter, and his two-run double, we managed to tie the game! I was esctatic, screaming "Yes, yes, yes!" at the top of my lungs. It wasn't a lead, but it gave us a good chance of going into extra innings if we could keep the Sox from scoring in the bottom of the inning.

Unfortunately, the Astros decided to go with our closer Brad "Lights-Out" Lidge to pitch in the ninth inning. No offense to Lidge, who was the closer for the National League in the All-Star game, but he has not been doing well lately. In Game 5 of the NLCS, he gave up the winning home run to Pujols, and again, he gave off another home run in the ninth, this time to Podsednik.

No extra innings. We lost 6-7.

*sigh*

Well, anyway, I think next Tuesday's game will be ours. Oswalt will be the starting pitcher, and for some reason, I never really worry when he pitches. Not to mention that I think it will do the Astros good to get out of that horrible Chicago weather. They are just not used to playing in such cold temperatures. That's winter for us.

I just worry that the Sox will take advantage of how easy it is to hit a home run in Minute Maid Park...

Game 1

Oct. 22nd, 2005 10:43 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Well, Astros lost the first game of the World Series to the Sox, 3-5, but the night wasn't a total lost. Josh Groban sang the National Anthem before the game, which I didn't know he was scheduled to do -- glad that I decided to put on the pregame show even though I was mostly working on one of my websites -- so that almost made up for it. Not quite, but almost. ^_^

Honestly, I think we did rather well considering that our starting pitcher Roger Clemens only lasted two innings due to problems with his left hamstring. That was a bad break for us. Can you believe he threw a little over fifty pitches just in those two innings? The Sox batters just kept fouling and fouling the ball out of play with two strikes in the count. Annoyed the heck out of me. I also have to question the wisdom of having Clemens even start the first game when he does have that left hamstring injury he's been battling. As long as it's not a complete shut-out, that means he will most likely be pitching the fifth game as well and I think I would rather have Pettitte or Oswalt, who are both healthy, in that kind of situation. If it had been up to me, I would have either kept the order of the NLCS (Pettitte, Oswalt, Clemens, Backe, Pettitte, Oswalt, Clemens) or had Clemens pitch games two and a possible six, leaving game 3 and a possible Game 7 in our hero Oswalt's very capable hands. In any case, I think they should have gone with Pettitte for this first game. I have a feeling they went with Clemens just for the sentimentality and history (second oldest pitcher to start a World Series) value.

It was good to see Jeff Bagwell in the game again, though, serving as the designated hitter. (I'm not that familiar with AL rules, but I'm guessing that's the spot that would normally be for the pitcher in the National League. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.) Due to his shoulder injury, he's mostly been used as a pitch hitter, so I'm glad that he got to really play in at least one game. He and Craig Biggio have been waiting a long time for a chance to play in the World Series with the Astros.

As for my first impressions of the White Sox, I have to admit they are really good, but not totally unbeatable. It'll be tough, but I think the Astros can give them a run for the title, as long as they make sure to get a good lead before the Sox closer Jenks comes up. I'm scared of him. >.< Hundred mile fastballs? Our pitchers are fantastic, but I don't think any of our guys can match that.

Then there's Crede, the third baseman who kept getting in our way with incredible plays and hit a solo home run. I'm not one to wish injury on somebody...but I have to admit, I wish we didn't have to face him again. Really good all-around player, from what I saw.

Other than those two and the other starting pitchers who are apparently pretty good from what I hear, I think the rest of the players are tough, but manageable.

Here's hoping that tomorrow's game will be better.

YES!

Oct. 19th, 2005 11:13 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
5-1.

Astros won.

We're going to the World Series, baby!

I won't bore you with the details, since I'm probably the only one who really cares, but I will say that Oswalt was awesome tonight, even better than he was in Game 2, and totally deserved being named MVP of the series.

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

You know, I don't even care if they win or not (although I certainly hope they do). I'm just happy that they made it for the first time in franchise history.

This is awesome!
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Trying not to think too much about tonight's Astros/Cardinals game, so here's some quizzes I did to distract myself.

You Are Chinese Food

Exotic yet ordinary.
People think they've had enough of you, but they're back for more in an hour.


Chinese food? I've never even had Chinese food, but I guess that description can be true sometimes. I often wonder why people remain my friends once they discover how absolutely boring I am. ^_^

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy.
You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts.
People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused.
But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.


Eh, kinda true, I suppose.

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy.

They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder.

It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment.

They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.


I don't know... Is that how y'all see me? I certainly can see that.

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Ditzy Poet.

Where You Lived: Mongolia.

How You Died: In Childbirth.


No wonder I have no desire to give birth... *laughs*

Your World View

You are a fairly broadminded romantic and reasonably content.
You value kindness and try to live by your ideals.
You have strong need for security, which may be either emotional or material.

You respect truth and are flexible.
You like people, and they can readily make friends with you.
You are not very adventurous, but this does not bother you.


Mostly true, I guess.

How You Life Your Life

You are honest and direct. You tell it like it is.
You tend to avoid confrontation and stay away from sticky situations.
You tend to have one best friend you hang with, as opposed to many aquaintences.
You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.


Very true.

Your Summer Ride is a Mustang Convertible

You're out to experience the very best of summer.
From the best beaches to the best tan, you want it all!


Not true at all. In the summer, all I care about is staying inside and keeping cool.

I always wanted a Mustang convertible, though. You know, if I ever actually got around to getting my driver's license. ^_^
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
So close!

Just one more out in the ninth and the Astros would have been on their way to the World Series. We were ahead 4 to 2, but then Pujols had to come to bat with two runners on base and hit a home run.

*sigh*

Oh, well, it's not over yet. Sure, it would have been nice to clinch it here at home, but there are still two games left in the series, and we still lead 3-2. Besides, I feel really good about Wednesday's game in St. Louis. Roy Oswalt will be the starting pitcher, and even though Pettitte and Clemens are the big names, Oswalt is the one who really stepped up in the series in Game 2, giving us the first win. Clemens was just okay in Game 3, and we lost both games that Pettitte started.

Go Astros! I still believe!
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
...I just sound like one. ^_^

No, really, I'm only interested in two sports -- figure skating and baseball. All other sports bore me to death. (Unless it happens to be an Olympic year, that is.)

And as it so happens, I got to watch both today, making a very happy Yume.

First up was the Campbell's International Figure Skating Challenge at noon. Man, you have no idea how relieved I was when I saw the commericial for it yesterday. I was beginning to think that ABC wouldn't show any skating this year -- they significantly cut back on their coverage last year, not even showing the world championships -- but in addition to today, they will be airing the ladies' and pairs' competition of Skate America over the next two weekends, so that makes me happy. I just don't know why in the world they decided to air the pairs' competition since the U.S. is very weak in pairs. I would rather see the dance competition with Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto *crosses fingers that Tanith will get her citizenship in time to compete at the Olympics,* but whatever. I'll take what I can get.

Anyway, the competition. Well, I hate to say it, but the mens' competition stunk, and I don't understand why they decided to show Evan Lycacek's and Johnny Weir's programs over Michael Weiss' and Timothy Goebel's, the two Americans who actually got on the podium. (The winner was Japan's Takeshi Honda.) Sure, the up-and-comers Lycacek and Weir had good seasons last year and are favorites for making the Olympic team, but Weiss and Goebel are right up there as well. If ABC only planned to show three of the men's programs, they should have chosen the top three. It just makes good sense. Nobody wants to see badly skated programs for the fourth and sixth place skaters, although considering that everybody was fairly bad, I guess it doesn't matter that much. I just really wanted to see Michael Weiss. *pouts*

The ladies were somewhat better, at least. Not brilliant, but at least Sasha Cohen (1st) and Kimmie Meissner (2nd) skated well, only making a few minor mistakes. Together with Michelle Kwan, who wasn't there because of a hip injury but still plans to compete at Skate America, I think the ladies' U.S. Olympic team will be really strong this year assuming that Meissner makes it on. Kwan and Cohen are virtual locks, but Meissner, who has a triple axel in her arsenal, is my favorite for the third spot.

Then at around four, Game 4 of the NLCS started.

It was a rather exciting game, especially near the end. Boy, were the Cardinals frustrated. ^_^ In the seventh inning, their manager Tony LaRussa was ejected from the game for arguing with the umpire who gave Lamb a walk, giving us bases loaded (we only got one run, though), then Edmonds was taken out of the game while he was still at bat in the eighth for cussing out that same umpire for a strike call he didn't like. The bottom of the ninth was nerve-wrecking, though. We were leading 2-1 and only had to stop them from scoring any more runs to end the game, but they almost managed to score twice. If it wasn't for that awesome double play at the end, they probably would have scored, but we managed to squeak out another victory in the end.

Only one more game and the Astros will be going on to the World Series!

*crosses fingers*
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Astros squeaked out another victory, 4-3, which means they now lead 2-1 in the series. Just two more wins and we'll be going to the World Series for the first time ever!

Today's game was a little nail-biting near the end. We had a two run lead at the bottom of the ninth, but the Cardinals managed to score one run and had a pretty good chance of scoring another to tie up the game. Luckily, though, that didn't happen. Whew!

We did cause another one of their players to be injured, though. (Sanders, the guy that got hurt in the last game, was replaced by So Taguchi for today's game, but he's hoping to be back tomorrow.) Lane was on first when Ausmus (I think) got a base hit by hitting into the far right field. Instead of just going to second, however, Lane decided to try for third and ended up knocking the Cardinals' third baseman Nunez right off his feet while sliding into the plate. It wasn't quite as ugly as what happened to Sanders, but he did have to be taken out of the game. I think they said he has a bruised thigh or something like that. We'll see if he'll play tomorrow.

Heh, wouldn't it be amusing if everybody on the Cardinals' starting line-up managed to get injured during the course of the series? Not that I'm hoping that anybody gets seriously hurt, but with the way things are going for them, you have to wonder...

I also got the first disc of RahXephon today from Netflix. I have to admit, after I got to see a dubbed episode while were at my uncle's house during Hurricane Rita, I wasn't too enthused about it, but it's actually really good so far. I can't wait for the next disc to come in. My favorite character so far is Haruka, I think. She's pretty cool, and I got a kick out of the fact that when she and Ayato first meet, she calls herself a "champion of justice." Her seiyuu is Hisakawa Aya, who also is Sailor Mercury's seiyuu, so that was a nice little in-joke. I also love the opening song "Hemisphere". I've been humming it all day long.

I told ya!

Oct. 13th, 2005 11:22 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
YES!

Astros won tonight, 4 to 1, to tie up the series!

*dances*

It really was a nice breather after the last couple of games. I was a little worried after Pujols hit that home run, but luckily he was the first at bat, so the Cardinals only got that one. We were ahead the whole time.

I feel kinda bad for Reggie Sanders though. He took a really nasty fall in trying to catch one of our balls and had to be taken out of the game. Mom was like, "Great, now we don't have to worry about him anymore," but it was pretty bad. I winced every time they showed a replay, which must have been at least ten times. Ouch!

Still, I have to admit I wouldn't necessarily be disappointed if he couldn't play for the rest of the series. He's one of the Cardinals' best players.

Bummed

Oct. 13th, 2005 12:28 am
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Astros lost to the Cardinals tonight, 5 to 3. I kept hoping they would pull off another amazing come back from behind victory like they did last Sunday in "The Game That Would Not End (or At Least It Felt That Way)," but it was not to be. They had a couple of chances to score, but it just never worked out.

*major sigh*

Oh, well, it's only Game 1 of the National League Championships. It's a seven game series, so there's still plenty of time. Tomorrow's game will be better. I can feel it. Victory will be ours!

Anyway, what else? Oh, I watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants after the game. Great movie. Made me cry like four or five times. I also finally finished watching I My Me! Strawberry Eggs, which was a pretty cute anime. I really liked the ending. I actually wasn't expecting it to end like it did, but I don't think any other ending would have done Hibiki justice. He made the right decision. (BTW, I'm adding Hibiki to my Harem of Bishies. Gotta love a guy who isn't afraid to get in touch with his feminine side.)

Guess that's about it. I should probably hit the sack.
heavenly_pearl: (Default)

It is official.

I have caught "Baseball Fever."

The Astros won the National League Division Series for the second year in a row! They're going the National League Championships!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

But, man, was today's game stressful. And long. In fact, running just about six hours over eighteen(!) innings, it was the longest post-season game ever. I'm glad that we just started watching around the fourteenth inning. (We didn't realize that one of the independent local stations was showing a simulcast of ESPN until Mom flipped through the channels and found it.) I don't think I could have lasted eighteen innings with my sanity in tact, especially considering that up until the eighth inning, the Astros were losing badly until Berkman drove in a Grand Slam (one of two in the game - wow!) and Ausmus got a home run in the ninth to tie at 6-6. It was bad enough in the extra innings. Both teams really went all out. Heck, the Astros even had to use Roger "The Rocket" Clemens as a relief pitcher - the first time he had done that since the mid-eighties - because they had gone through all their other available pitchers. It was all worth it, though, when Burke hit that home run at the bottom of the eighteenth. Talk about a celebration. Everybody went WILD!

Heh, and I thought Saturday's game was exciting with Biggio's (my fave) three doubles, which helped Houston win 7-4 over the Braves. That was nothing compared to today's game.

So now it's on to the NLCS and the St. Louis Cardinals, which, if I remember correctly, was the team we were up against last year in the championships and tragically lost to in the final game of the series, just missing the chance to go to the World Series. Here's hoping that this year, REVENGE WILL BE OURS!  

Bwahahahahaha!

In other baseball related news, I will be getting the Princess Nine boxset for my birthday. Mom just had me order it today from the B&N website. Yay! I can't wait! (Oh, it's going to be torture waiting until November...)

Is it bad that I'm now so in the mood to write that Seira/Coach fic idea I had when I first watched the series? >.

heavenly_pearl: (Default)
But for Halloween, I'll make an exception. ^_^

Also changed all my userpics to Princess Nine icons in honor of the Houston Astros making the playoffs. Go, Astros!

Again, nothing much to report other than I'm back to writing again, so here's a quiz I thought was quite appropriate considering I just changed my color scheme.

Your Blog Should Be Green

Your blog is smart and thoughtful - not a lot of fluff.
You enjoy a good discussion, especially if it involves picking apart ideas.
However, you tend to get easily annoyed by any thoughtless comments in your blog.


Green? Well, at least it's not orange.

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