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    Tuesday, August 29, 2006
    A Daughter's Version
    My mother often quoted a saying to me as I was growing up. "I wish for you two things, to give you roots, to give you wings".

    It wasn't until I left home that I realized how much conflicting emotion was contained in that sentence. Roots run deep, and serve to keep you grounded. Roots support you, they sustain you, they bring you life. Wings serve to lift you up, to help you travel, to let you fly. The two are as opposite as they could possibly be.

    In theory, having both seems like a terrific idea. And my parents succeeded. They gave me the foundation to know myself. To feel secure enough with who I was and where I wanted to go, to use my wings and find my own way. My roots gave me wings.

    But in practice, even 8 years after leaving home, being in possession of both roots and wings can feel like both a blessing and a curse. When things go wrong at home I feel guilty for not being there. But when things go right here, when my mother says she's proud of me, when she tells me my dad told a story about me to his coworkers, I am elated that I've done right by them. They're proud that I've moved to New York and have made it on my own. And when things go wrong here, all I want in the world is a hug from my mother, and again the conflicting emotions begin. Shouldn't I be old enough to not want to run home to mommy every time something goes wrong? But who would I be without her? And how do you undo 18 years when every bump, every bruise, every broken heart, every bad grade, every disappointment was met with a comforting embrace?

    And I know that the same things happen with my parents. I know that they are happy for me, and excited that I'm doing what I always dreamed of. But I know too that it's hard for them that I'm not around. That they miss me daily. And it shows in the fights my mother and I have when I don't come home often enough. Or when I do come home and try to balance my family time with the time I spend with my childhood friends I don't get to see often. It shows in the daily phone calls. In the emails. In the half-hour long cuddle sessions that occur the minute I walk in the door of my parent's house.

    And that's where my roots are. In a small town in Rhode Island. My wings serve as freedom. The freedom to fly back to those roots whenever I so choose.

    Mom, Dad - I miss you and love you.

    This post inspired by an article my mother sent me this afternoon. My little brother, my only sibling, started college last Saturday. This article, from the Boston Globe, is apparently exactly the way my mom feels. Read it, it's very well written.

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    posted by FINY @ Tuesday, August 29, 2006   3 comments
    Sunday, August 27, 2006
    Excuses, Excuses
    Reasons I haven't been blogging lately:
    1. I'm moving in less than a week. My apartment is now a maze of boxes.
    2. There is no way to even describe how I feel about the Red Sox play of late.
    3. Due to the upcoming move I have been notified that I must paint the entire apartment back to it's original color upon my leaving. 3 years in one apartment - yeah, every room was painted some other color than the original white. I don't think I'm ever getting the primer out from under my fingernails, and who wants to get paint on their keyboard?
    4. I was gone last weekend at the Little League World Series.
    5. Things last week with the Twin were ... a little interesting. Just your kind of typical bump in the road stuff I guess, every relationship goes through them. But for a few days I was genuinely scared. Things seem to be on the up and up, we've got our shit to work on, but who doesn't?
    6. Have I mentioned I'm moving in less than a week?
    So yeah, sorry I haven't been around more. And sorry I can't promise that I will be for the next week or so. It's been stressful, and chaotic, and has involved more than a few emotional outbursts over the last couple days. But I'll be back soon. Promise.

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    posted by FINY @ Sunday, August 27, 2006   6 comments
    Thursday, August 17, 2006
    Red Sox. Yankees. Beer. A Good Cause. Doesn't Get Much Better Than That!
    Well, as you can see under the "Organizations I Care About" Links, one of the causes I am tied to is the National Down Syndrome Society. And tomorrow, I get to combine that, with a Red Sox v. Yankees game and my favorite bar. Can't get much better than that now can it.

    For those of you who don't know about the organization, NDSS is committed to being the national leader in supporting and enhancing the quality of life and realizing the potential of all people with Down syndrome through education, research, and advocacy initiatives.

    So here's how you can help. Show up at the bar. Drink beer. Watch the Red Sox Game. Buy some raffle tickets. I know, I know, it's a tall order. Here are the details:

    WHEN: Friday, August 18th. We are building the fundraiser around the 8:05 RED SOX v. YANKEES game, but I would get there early, Prof. Thom's always gets packed for these games. Oh wait, I haven’t told you where yet …

    WHERE: Professor Thom's. Located on 2nd Avenue, between 13th and 14th Streets

    WHY: Because you were going to watch the Sox game anyway. Because you were going to be drinking that night anyway. Because you want to win one of the many great raffle prizes we'll be having. Because you support individuals with Down syndrome (hmmm, maybe I should have put that first). Because you support ME damnit!

    Anyway, it's sure to be a GREAT time, so I look forward to seeing some of you there.

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    posted by FINY @ Thursday, August 17, 2006   8 comments
    What Do You Need to Accomplish to Consider Yourself a Success?
    Whenever a group of friends gathers every year, wether it be on a river, at a concert, or even just at a bar, certain traditions are bound to begin. For my high school friends, the tradition IS the trip. Every year we gather at a Dave Matthews Band concert in Boston. For the college friends that I just took a trip with, the traditions are many. Friday night is supposed to be the calmest of the parties (though it's never anything close to calm). The first person to pass out must get written on. Chipotle must be had for lunch on Sunday afternoon. These are just a few. Some of the others aren't so "Mom" friendly.

    But by far my favorite tradition of Eddypolusa is Sunday night. for while there is a campfire every night we're on the St. Croix, Sunday night is the night that we all sit around together, lazily sipping our drinks, and ask eachother questions. Each person asks one, and everyone in the circle has to answer. The questions range from raunchy to thought provoking to all out odd, but laughs and tears almost always involved.

    This year, a question was posed that stuck with me. "What would you need to accomplish to consider yourself a success?" My placement in the circle put me as the last person to have to answer the question, and almost immediately I began thinking of answers. I want to publish a book someday. I want to raise a family someday. The list goes on. But as I listened to all of my friends answers, all of them legitimate, I realized something. I'm already there.

    It sounds cheesy and stupid, and I read somewhere that "happy blogging doesn't work" but I just don't care. See, I'm twenty-six years old. I've lived a life that a lot of people out there couldn't have dreamed of, even if I deem it relatively ordinary. I have the most amazing family in the world, friends that would stand by me through anything, I've loved, and I've lost, and I've loved some more. I don't need people to remember my name generations from now, I just need those that I love to know I love them (and let's be honest, I'm not exactly shy about telling people) and to know, in my heart, that I've lived as much as I could.

    So now I pose the question to you, dear readers (if anyone is even still reading since I have been slacking lately with the posts - bare with me everyone, it's been a busy couple weeks): What do you need to accomplish to consider yourself a success?

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    posted by FINY @ Thursday, August 17, 2006   5 comments
    Tuesday, August 15, 2006
    I Made It ... Barely

    The view from the deck during the day


    There's too much to post about, too many themes I want to write about. But for now, in my day-after-i-am-a-total-waste-of-space zone, a quick list. This weekend included:
    * A flight that was 5 hours late
    * A connector that never continued on to MN
    * A hotel room in Chicago
    * Swimming in the St. Croix river
    * More to drink than my liver could handle
    * Old Friends
    * New friends
    * Guys wearing womens underwear over their clothing
    * Girls wearing womens underwear over their clothing
    * Using a sharpie on the first guy to fall asleep
    * 12 kegs
    * Skinny-dipping
    * Campfires
    * Karaoke
    * Movies on the beach
    * More swimming
    * Jet skis
    * BBQ
    * Grilled sweet corn
    * and absolutely no interuptions from cell phones

    I'm tired, hungover, emotionally drained and completely unproductive. But good lord was it worth it. Here's to Eddypolusa 2006. *Finy raises her glass of water* Because life's too short.


    The view from the deck at night

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    posted by FINY @ Tuesday, August 15, 2006   5 comments
    Thursday, August 10, 2006
    Hastings Here I Come
    Hastings, MN that is. For a weekend of lounging on the St. Croix river, getting ridiculously drunk with all my friends from college, playing wiffleball, sitting by the campfire, and basically getting rowdy.

    But first? I've got to get to the airport.

    Does it make me a bad person that I am not thinking "Gee, it's a good thing they stopped those guys" and am instead thinking "Crap, why today? Seriously, one more day and I would have been fine."?

    So wish me luck. Flight is at 7 tonight. Have a great weekend everyone. There will be many pictures and drunken stories to follow, I promise. Jason, THIS time, there will be debauchery to report. Promise.

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    posted by FINY @ Thursday, August 10, 2006   4 comments
    This.Is.Not.OK.
    I know I haven't talked about the Sox much lately, and I know it may look to the casual observer that I'm not paying attention to my beloved team. That is not the case, a girl can just only write about so much stuff at once. So let me just say this about tonight's game.

    It's not Ok.

    Sitting at Shea Stadium tonight with The Twin, The Welshman, and a host of others for Alzheimer's Awareness Day at Shea, we watched the score of the Sox game on the scoreboard. And maybe I got too comfortable with it. It stayed at 4-3 for so long, I stopped looking. Even when I got home and called the Twin to let him know I had arrived safely, the game was still tied.

    And then, just now, I checked in. 5-4 Royals. The mother-fucking Royals. Game over.

    Not Ok.

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    posted by FINY @ Thursday, August 10, 2006   1 comments
    Monday, August 07, 2006
    Apartment Living
    I have lived in the same apartment in New York City for three years. Sure, roommates have come and gone, but you know what? I love it. It's a cute and charming three bedroom, we've got a full dining room, a full kitchen, and access to the roof deck. And to be honest, the thought of looking for another apartment scared the hell out of me. Why, you ask? Because NYC real estate moves faster than I can ever get used to, and you've really got to hunt for a place you could actually live.

    Take, for example, this listing on craigslist. Wow, you think, located in the East Village?! Only $1195/month! I'm in!!!

    And then you look at the pictures. And suddenly it all makes sense. That's it, ladies and gentlemen. That's all you're going to get. For almost $1200/month, you get a hallway with ugly tile. Welcome to NYC apartment hunting.

    Plus, when it comes down to it, the apartment I am in now has become home! I've lived there longer than any other place outside of my childhood home. Basically this was MY first home. And as I paused this weekend, having half painted my dining room back to white after two years of it being this great orange color, I realized I'm going to miss this place.

    Because it's finally happened. I have finally signed a lease on my own studio apartment.

    See, MM is moving in with her boyfriend, and in true New York style, I immediately jumped on the chance to apply for her apartment before it was even listed with an agent, thereby avoiding a brokers fee, and well, the entire searching process in general, which is really the best way to find a place in this city. If you hear about someone passing away or moving out, no matter how cold hearted it seems, you immediately inquire about the vacancy.

    So as of Friday, after handing over a check that literally made me hurt inside, and signing about ten thousand pieces of paper, I officially was cleared to move into my own place on September 1st. No more roommates. No more messes that aren't my own. And the best part, the part I didn't even realize until this weekend? I'll have an entire bathroom all to myself. I'm going to be in heaven. The apartment is in a great neighborhood, is pretty spacious, the bathroom is down a hallway and the kitchen is it's own separate room, so it doesn't feel as cramped as most studios, and well, it's just freaking fantastic.

    So this weekend was spent starting to pack. And painting. And creating a Target wishlist to help me keep track of all the things I need to buy. It's going to be a crazy couple weeks around here kids, hold onto your hats.

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    posted by FINY @ Monday, August 07, 2006   9 comments
    Wednesday, August 02, 2006
    Search Results
    More often than not, the search words people use that direct them to this space are entertaining. Two of the top ways people get here are by searching for CFBs (Casual Fan Bitches) or Red Sox thongs. What can I say, this is a classy space.

    But today I took a look at sitemeter and had dozens of hits looking for "pregnant woman dies at Fenway" or something similar. Having not checked Boston.com yet this morning, I did my own search, and here is what I came up with:
    The husband of a pregnant woman who died after collapsing at a Red Sox game Saturday does not know why his wife died, but Todd Quickenton is relieved his newborn son is doing well.
    "I've just got to try to stay strong for Maxwell's sake," he said yesterday in a telephone interview from his home in Schenectady, N.Y., where he is awaiting autopsy results. "We're going to help each other. I look at him, and it doesn't hurt so bad."

    Denise Quickenton, 29, went into apparent cardiac arrest at a Fenway concourse picnic area after the couple moved there from sunny bleacher seats. Temperatures reached 90 degrees that afternoon.


    Such a sad story, I don't even know what I can add to it that won't sound trite.

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    posted by FINY @ Wednesday, August 02, 2006   6 comments
    Tuesday, August 01, 2006
    The Home Stretch
    The All-Star game has come and gone. The trade deadline has passed. Save some unlikely waiver wire movement, the teams are now set for the push to October.

    I sat and listened to WEEI online all day yesterday while at the office. As rumors were thrown around about Andruw Jones I started to feel uneasy. The rumored deal would have given us Jones, but sent Crisp, Hansen, and Lester.

    I've always been of the opinion that cultivating a farm system is the way to go. And right now the Sox farm system has quite a few players who, while not ready for the bigs quite yet, have the potential to really make an impact with the Sox in 2007 and beyond. Was Theo seriously thinking of getting rid of them to fill holes with a few rent-a-players? Were we going to turn into the Yankees? Hasn't done them much good in the last six years.

    Luckily Theo stood pat. And now we're hearing about all sorts of deals that fell through, the most notable being a deal that would have landed the Sox Roy Oswalt. Of course there are still concerns. The Yankees landing Abreu is troublesome. The Sox DL list getting longer and longer has also got me worried. But hey, Wily Mo went 3-4 last night, with a monster home run, just a double short of the cycle. Not a bad replacement for Trot until he's back. And is there even anything left to say about David Ortiz? I think the world has officially run out of adjectives to describe this man.

    As the game was winding down last night, I was on the phone with The Twin. He was listening to the game, I was not. "The Sox have three outs to score two runs to tie it," he said. And then Alex Cora hit a single. And then Youks walked. Papi was at the plate representing the winning run with one out.

    He couldn't do it again. Could he?

    Oh, oh he did. And I'm out of ways to say how much I love that man. And Boston's love of Big Papi is to the point that if I offered myself up to him, I'm pretty sure The Twin would give me his blessings. To watch him swing the bat, you just know, you KNOW that someday, years from now, we're all going to be telling the generations that come after us that we saw David Ortiz play.

    Coco Crisp was quoted in the Globe this morning as saying:

    ""You know how they say that it ain't over till the fat lady sings?" Crisp said. "Here, it ain't over till the big man swings.""

    Too true, Coco, too true.

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    posted by FINY @ Tuesday, August 01, 2006   6 comments
    About Me

    Name: FINY
    Home: New York, New York, United States
    About Me: Just a New England girl trying to make it in NYC. Email me at: soxfaninnyc [at] gmail [dot] com
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