D and I have decided we�re not going to the parade tomorrow. The city is expecting about 4 million people to be there, and they�ll all be crammed onto a 3 mile stretch of the streets of Boston between Fenway Park and City Hall Plaza. It�s not going to be pleasant. People will be packed in much tighter than sardines. There was a guy on WEEI this morning that figured in order for all of these people to fit into 3 miles, they�d have to be 200 deep along the parade route. That�s insane. So, since we�re both still trying to shake whatever it is we�ve got (D came down with it last weekend and is still trying to get rid of it), it�s not necessarily a good idea to stand in the rain for 3+ hours with 4 million other people while trying to feel better. We�ll watch from the comfort and warmth of our living room. We�ll see a heck of a lot more anyway.

I saw the �We Forgive Bill Buckner� banner during Game 4 of the World Series. He�s apparently, and in my opinion, rightfully, a bit sour about this. He didn�t deserve the ridicule he received in the first place so I can understand his reaction. Fans ran him and his family out of town. Over a bobbled ball. That�s baseball. Stuff like that happens. Besides, even if he hadn�t bobbled the ball, I�m not sure a play could�ve been made anyway.

The first year I lived here, the Mets were coming into town for interleague play. I was psyched we had tickets for one of the games, but was absolutely petrified to go to Fenway Park wearing my Mets hat. I ended up wearing a red shirt and wore a blue and orange bead necklace that my niece made for me instead. I was amazed that the few people sitting around us who asked me about the necklace were friendly and good-natured about me being a Mets fan. I received minor ribbing, but none of the viciousness that I expected. The only fans that Red Sox fans seem to genuinely give a hard time to are Yankees fans. Even then I don't think it gets out of hand, unless a large amount of alcohol has been consumed by one or both parties � then it gets ugly and security makes an appearance. This is another reason I prefer to sit in the family section, where the consumption of alcohol isn�t allowed. We had the best time going to games this past year because we weren�t surrounded by drunken idiots. After just our first game in that section, we decided that we want to sit in that area from now on. Just hope we can get a little closer to the field next year. Monster seats would be awesome, but I won�t hold my breath. The seats behind home plate are nice too. They have a little more leg room than where we sat this past year. Your knees aren�t crammed into the seat in front of you.

Waiting for a call from my sister. In an attempt to make a very long story short, they�ve discovered what caused his stroke and he needs to have surgery ASAP before he has another one. He�s got a pretty big hole in his heart and one of the valves isn�t working properly, so blood isn�t pumping through his heart properly. Plus he has a clot in his heart. The cardiologist told him yesterday that at this point, a simple sneeze could cause another stroke that could potentially be deadly. So, the cardiologist is sending him out here for the surgery, but the insurance company is refusing to pay � for a procedure that will SAVE HIS LIFE. Assholes. So my sister�s in the process of fighting them on it. As soon as they get it all straightened out they�re heading out here. Not sure what hospital the cardiologist is sending him to yet, or if my sister will be able to sleep overnight at the hospital either. Either way, I�ve got to get ready for them to come out here, and need to figure out a driving route to get them there and stuff. Figure if she can�t stay overnight at the hospital, I�ll have to get her in there as early in the morning as possible and head back in after work to spend time there and then bring her back home with me. Depending on what procedure is done will depend on how long he needs to stay in the hospital. There�s a new minimal invasion surgery that shouldn�t keep him in the hospital for much more than 24 hours. If they do actual open-heart surgery, God only knows how long he�ll need to stay in.

Worked the whole day today. About 2 o'clock I wasn't sure I could make it to 4:30, but I hung in there. I'm ready to fall asleep until tomorrow, though. Dinner tonight is going to have to be either take out or from a can. Hmmm... now that I think about it, soup would be really good right now. Hope D doesn't mind!