So long scarecrow

Waiting for someone to pass is easily in my top five of worst feelings in the world. Last night I got word that a former boss, and all around amazing person is not going to be with us much longer. Rick Pirko was the definition of non-conformist, he did things for humor and the pursuit of knowledge. He has the heart and mind of a curious child most days. Rick was never arrogant, and never once would I question if he would be there if I needed something.

It seems that Rick's heart stopped suddenly yesterday, and know we're all in this awful waiting game. It seems fitting however that Rick would go at his favorite time of the year. If you ever had the opportunity to see the Halloween Laser light show at the Ward Beecher Planetarium in Youngstown, you enjoyed a genuine treat. It is because of the planetarium that I have some of my closest friends...in the least, we became better friends because of that place. I have many memories of very late nights getting ready for the most attended show at the planetarium. I will never forget watching Rick take a broken piece of a band saw blade to a belt sander and filing it down into one of the sharpest damn knives I ever held. It was with those knives that we carved countless pumpkins grown from Rick's own garden. Most of the decorations for the show were from Rick's garden....Rick is the only man I have ever known to eat raw pumpkin with sheer joy on his face.

When Tim and Kate got married, Rick and I were partners in the wedding party. The planetarium clearly was a special place for Tim and Kate, as they held their wedding their. I can't imagine ever forgetting Rick and I dancing at the wedding...apparently I led the whole time. A brilliant awkward man and a lesbian made for a dreadful dance pair...thankfully all eyes were on the newly married folks.

To this day one of my favorite stories about Rick has to do with his fight for religious freedom. It may not be as noble as that, but I will always tell the story that way. See, anytime Rick would stay in a hotel, he would open the drawer on the bed stand and smile when he saw the bible ever so generously placed there by the Gideon's. Before leaving the room, Rick would steal the bible. He must have had 100 bibles the last time I saw the collection he so proudly would show everyone in his office at the planetarium. If I could have one item to remember Rick by, it would be one of those bibles. I know that I have never stayed in a hotel since knowing Rick without thinking about taking the bible with me. For all we know, it could be a Muslim staying in the room, and I doubt there are any free copies of the Koran laying around. Not that it matters, but Rick is a very proud atheist...but if you need a bible, he would gladly hand you one of the countless copies sitting in a drawer.

As far as I know, Rick is still alive, at least in the medical sense of the word. I'm sitting here at work waiting to hear...and in my own way praying that he will pull out of this. I almost expect Rick to suddenly wake up and wonder why everyone is sitting in a hospital room staring at him. If I were in Ohio right now, I would head to the truck stop by his house and have a bowl of truck stop chili...and then go to bw's and raise a glass in his honor.

Without a doubt, Rick Pirko is one of the best things that I got from YSU.

Needing more

Having worked in call centers for nearly 4 years, I have mastered customer service and sounding as if I care.  In the past few weeks I have developed complete and total hatred of my job.  Either I'm becoming over sensitive (which I doubt) or customers are getting meaner.  I've had more people scream at me in the past few days than I care to count.  I respect that everyone is having money issues, and that auto insurance seems like a racket.  However, does anyone realize that nothing I say or do will change anything in the minds of the executives?  When I first began working for the big P, there was a great deal of opportunity for advancement, which is something I have always wanted.  I'm entirely too smart and driven to sit at a desk answering phones for the rest of my life.  In moving to Colorado, I was advised that there weren't many opportunities for advancement.  I wish someone would have been honest...there are no opportunities out here.  It's great that I am getting my MBA, but it would be useless for me at work.  I learned earlier this week that IT people get a larger tuition reimbursement, once again reminding me that IT people are king at work, everyone else is there to keep IT working.  I have been applying and interviewing like crazy to just about anyplace.  I have my fingers crossed and am holding my breath that I get a call this afternoon from a bank.  It's another call center job, but there is a great deal of advancement opportunity, so I'm willing to tough it out long enough to move up the ladder.  For those who are the praying type...I could use any help I can get.

Christine and I are doing very well.  Communication is a billion times better, having had a handful of long talks has made all the difference.  Sadly Max has been sick all week, we think he might have pneumonia.  He goes back to the doctor today, so we'll see.

The loss of Stephanie Tubbs Jones has struck an odd chord with me...I feel quite saddened by it all.  Political opinions aside, she did amazing work for women, blacks, and Cleveland.

I need a new job, before I lose my mind.

grrr

a post is coming, I promise...

but on an un-related note. today sucks...it's one of those days where I don't make enough to deal with the amount of stupidity that I am being attacked with.

Getting my Gay on

It's gay pride month, which usually means all sorts of events filled with rainbows and extreme gayness. When we first moved to Colorado, we were worried about where we might find community. Little by little we are finding nice places to spend time and such. Tomorrow we get to celebrate our gayness. It's gay pride weekend in Denver, and as is that standard for pride events, all sorts of FABULOUS things are happening. Allow me to digress for a moment. In the past several years, I almost always enjoyed attending pride events in Cleveland. To me Cleveland was a small fesitval full of familiar faces. Columbus has a much bigger event, I once read that they usually have about 70,000 people show up. I always saw Columbus as a huge festival.

Denver, will be an all new experience. Aside from living in a relatively conservative state, I imagine I will see all sorts of gay cowboys, baby dykes, and hopefully some fabulous drag queens. Oh, and here's the kicker...Denver's festival anticipates their attendance of over 200,000.

HOLY GOOD GAYNESS BATMAN!!! Nearly a quarter of a million gays...Fred Phelps would want to pass out and die. Yes, pictures will be taken...and you can bet that I anticipate some rather large religous protests...and I will take pics of that too...nothing makes my pride festival as much fun at a 5 year old holding a sign that says "Turn or burn fag!"

Bon Voyage

I leave Cleveland today to head home.  I have had many thoughts about what home means, and I once thought Ohio would always be home for me.  The house I grew up in as a child is up for sale, and it is in deplorable condition.  I had to laugh when it was discovered that in a matter of two years, it will be registered as a historical home and a special permit is required to tear it down.  It should have been wrecked long before I ever lived in it.

I enjoyed seeing my dear friends, as they are missed daily in Colorado.  I have a long list of things I want to accomplish once I return, and I look forward to the work.  I can't say that I will miss Ohio, but I will miss the loved ones I have here.  I hope that one by one they will come to visit.  Being here has shown me that my future is bright, but that bright future involves mountains, wildlife, and a family that I cherish.  

Flying blind

One of the aspects of living in Colorado Springs that takes some getting used to is the fact that I now live in a military town.  I have an army base about 20 minutes south of me, and about 15 minutes north of me is the Air Force Academy.  One of my favorite things about living near the academy is that almost every day driving home, I get to see cadets learning to fly in bi-planes.  This weekend I was able to see the Thunderbirds from work.  Today is graduation day for the cadets, traffic all along the freeway was very slow, and I think just about every police officer and state trooper was out making sure no one stopped along the freeway to watch the flight events.  Anyone who watches the news knows that our dear president gave the commencement address.  There have been a number of times in my life when I was in close proximity of the president.  I have never met one, and really, as a species, I'm not all that interested in politicians.  

My official stance on the upcoming presidential election is to wait until both the elephants and the asses have picked their front man or woman...and go from there.  The things that are important to me may not be important to who ever becomes president.  Perhaps it's because I don't fit the mold of what most lesbians are, but I'm not worried about marriage, adoption, or most other issues that the gay community unites over.  I want to be able to fall asleep at night knowing that I'm safe, that I will have a job, and that my family will have a roof over their head.  Maybe it's naive, but I have so little faith in politics, that I've almost stopped caring.  Maybe it's not the best way to view things, but it sure beats being stressed out at night watching the news listening to candidates argue over who is more wrong.

a useless piece of paper

The recruiter for the IT position I applied for called me.  Initially I was very excited, afterall, it would be a new challenge, a new work group, and all sorts of other good things.  I was informed that because I have a degree in English they aren't even going to consider interviewing me.  Now, IT help desk at Progressive is just like any other help desk...follow some steps, if those don't work, pass it along.   Not once did the recruiter ask me if I had any IT experience, they just judged the book by it's cover.  I told my boss that the entire situation was handled very poorly, and it makes me lose respect for the hiring practices of such a large company.  Oh well, I'll just keep trucking along and see what happens.

I was very excited to hear that Mr. Pistorius is able to run in the Olympics.  I will be even more excited if he takes home some medals.  I have learned a great deal in the past few years from Breda about all things amputee.  I'm thrilled that many major marketing campaigns feature amputee athletes do anything and everything.  Now that I'm focusing my MBA on marketing, I notice all sorts of little details.  

I had another interesting medical experience today. Not only did I see a doctor that reminds me so much of my brother it's scary...but I endured a new treatment.  Trigger point injections.  All totalled, it was 4 shots, two in the neck, two in the shoulders.  By the time I die I have a feeling that I will have had injections in all sorts of goofy places.  My eye still takes the cake at this point though.

Nelson

I can't even begin to express what a sad and pathetic disappointment this is. Once again our government not only drops the ball, but makes us look like fools in the process.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-04-30-watchlist_N.htm

drilling

Everyone hates the dentist...at least a little bit. I tend to hate them more than most. I had the worst dentist a child could ask for early in life, and ever since, the mere mention of going to the dentist makes my stomach turn. My fear of going to the dentist has helped me build up an enormous bill, and I still have more work that needs to get done. I have been avoiding a root canal for 4 months. I finally bit the bullet, found a new dentist here in town, and tried not to throw up on my way to the office yesterday. I am a snob when it comes to dentists, if it doesn't look like they've spent a mint making the office pretty, I'm not going in. This guy, fits my bill for snobby.

So, after all is said and done, I didn't feel a thing, which makes me a very happy camper. Even better, when the novacaine wore off, my tooth didn't hurt. It was what happened at around 8:30 last night that shocked me most about my dental experience. My phone rang, it was the dentist calling me from his home to see if I was feeling ok. Any doctor that calls after a visit wins points in my book, but a dentist...oh yeah, he's getting all sorts of referrals through me.

I go back today for a regular exam and to schedule any other work that needs to be done. For the first time in years, I don't feel sick thinking about going to the dentist.

DT'S

Having had migraines since the age of 16, I don't think there is a medication I haven't tried. One particullarly nasty spell in college left me with a migraine for 10 months, and I had tried 27 different medications in that time. For the past several years I was seeing a doctor that I adored, as she listened, explained what she was prescribing and why, and laughed at all of my stupid jokes.

After moving to Colorado, the task of finding all new doctors is time consuming. I finally found a neurologist to treat my migraines, and what he told me after my first visit taught me more about my headaches than I had previously known. What was most interesting though, is his plan for treatment. For the past 15 years, not a day has gone by that I haven't taken some sort of medication to treat my headaches. This is all about to change. My doctor s taking me off of all of the medications I take, except for the birth control. Yes, I have already made all the jokes I can think of about lesbians taking birth control. The process however, is a touch rough. I have barely slept in several days, and has probably lost 5 pounds of water weight from sweating so damn much. If this is what a drug addict goes through coming off of stuff, my heart goes out to them. I know ultimately on the other side of this I will be a much healthier person, but the journey, well, it should make for some interesting blogging.

In other news, I started classes towards my MBA. It should be another interesting trek. The plans are in the works for our Cleveland trip. It looks like it's going to be about a week. Fire up the bbq's and bring on the good times! Chrsitine will be working for most of the trip, I will most likely set up shop in a coffee house and study a whole bunch.

So it begins...

plans are in the works for a June visit. I should know within the next week about all the final details. We think we're staying in downtown Willoughby. I will need Thai food...and a t-shirt from a certain brewery...and Donato's pizza....

stay tuned

Wild Ginger

After finding out that I am essentially allergic to wheat...learning what foods I could and could not eat was quite a challenge. Thai food became a favorite, especially Pad Thai. Rice noodles and I get along quite well. Christine also enoys Thai food, which makes going out for dinner lots of fun. We had a favortie Thai resturaunt in Cleveland...and I knew that I would feel quite at home once I found a good Thai place here in Colorado Springs. Not more than 10 minutes away is Wild Ginger. I swear they puts drugs in their food, as I could eat there every night. They have a soup that is to die for. We were a bit bummed out when we coudln't find Pad Ke Mao on the menu. They have all kinds of yummy options, but Christine and I both have our belvoed favorites. My favorite part of Wild Ginger is the wait staff. They are such fun.

The last time we went (we ate there twice in one week) Christine asked about Pad Ke Mao, and the waitress quickly responded with "We can make that, we just have so much on the menu...but yeah, we can make that". Christine was thrilled. So when all of you come to visit (hint hint), we are going to Wild Ginger.

I have made it my personal mission to eat my way through all of the curry dishes on the menu. And I have replaced my love of Thai Iced tea for Thai Iced Coffee....mmmmm yummy caffienated joy.

Thank you Wild Ginger, we love you

So long Uncle George

When I was a kid, every Christmas we would get together at my aunt's house for food and family. Over the years my father's side of the family didn't grow apart per se, but I don't know as we were ever super close. The last time I saw the bulk of my family in one place was during a family reunion when I was in my early 20's. It was nice to see that whole side of the family together. It seems that the family will all be getting together again this week...my Uncle George passed. He was 78, and while I haven't seen him in 10 years...it still sucks.

Until today, I never knew anyone in my family to pass. My grandparents all died before I was born. My head doesn't even know how to process things at this point. Sitting here at work, everyone with their petty bs is just unreal to me.

The notice says the services are private, I have no clue what that means. I can't be in town for any funeral or service...at least not physically. The weather out here is gloomy and cold, very much like Cleveland. I'm there in spirit.

Ah, Grover...

To this day I ahve never seen an episode of sesame street. I had afternoon kindergarten when I was a kid, so I learned to sleep in at an early age. Despite my children's tv deficiency, for many years, I was dear friends with Grover. I have to tell you, he's not blue, but he is tall...and has very messy handwriting. Back in my high school days I was friends with a guy who's signature was so messy that someone thought his last name was Grover. The name stuck, for many years. I haven't seen or heard from Grover in several years, until today. On slow days at work, I'll check into Myspace just to pass the time. And there he was, one of the funniest guys I have ever met, sending me a message. Low and behold he recently set up a myspace account, and he said I was one of the first people he went looking for. I'm pretty shocked by that, mostly because I don't think I'm all that note worthy. No, this isn't a pitty party, I just have always thought of myself as an average girl. I'ts been fun talking with him, we had some of the same friends in high school, although we went to schools that were nearly an hour apart. The last I had heard, he was planning on becoming a pastor...that didn't happen, and with all of my hang ups with organized religion, I can't say I'm unhappy for him. From the sounds of things, he's a very happy man, married, job, house...all those adults things we didn't really picture having in our high school days.

The timing of people showing up in your life never ceases to amaze me. I often wonder what happened to some people...others...not so much, but I suspect we are all like that. Today was my two year anniversary at work, and I talked with co-workers I haven't heard from in ages...and now friends from days of old are popping up. I don't know if it all has some grand cosmic meaning, but I enjoyed the people I talked to today.

Christine and I have been enjoying a very peaceful week. The things that weigh heavy on my mind are not inside my home...they are in far off places...and I hope that my semi-paranoid suspicions aren't true. Although time has taught me that when I have a gut feeling, I am usually right.

Spirit of the Games

For as long as I can remember, I have loved sports. I have tried to play a number of them, but my body prefers warming the bench. I have accepted that I will never be a world class athlete, but that doesn't stop me from watching all kinds of sports. Over the yearsI have come to dislike professional sports, as it becomes less and less about the sport, and more about the contracts, endorsements and other drama. There is one area of athletic contest that seems to not be polluted by consumerism, is the Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I know there is unbelieveable amounts of money thrown and sonsorships and advertising, but the athletes seem to be in it for the pure joy of competing. And I have been getting more and more excited about the upcoming summer games in China...until recently.

I have high hopes that the fighting, bickering, and finger pointing will come to an end. Threats of some countries not sending their athletes....it makes me a bit sad. On August 8, I want to be able to sit down and watch the opening cermomonies and enjoy all the the Olympics are to me...

I Remember You

I was reminded this evening while watching another one of my TV addictions, of how important music has been in my life. On any given day, a few notes will spark a memory of a time in my life, good or bad. Whether an ex, a crush, a friend, whatever the case may be, some songs will automatically take me to a different time.

In no particular order...
Cher - Believe...Kate, the blue truck, and YSU.
Skid Row - I Remember you...Hope, middle school, and angst.
AC/DC - You Shook me...Sarah Edwards
Captain and Tenile - Love will keep us together...Kellie
Dirty Vegas - Days go by...Ivy
Indigo Girls - Power of Two...Angie
NIN - Closer...John, and my senior prom and his black pick-up truck (not for that reason)
Weird Al any song...my brother Steve
Phil Collins...my brother Pete
Simply Red...my dear old mom (happy birthday mom)
Hanson, Michelle...and the night she met her husbands

There are a million more memories, and many more songs...except for perhaps one person.

Breda, you get no song, just bad poetry, my freshman year, and the library. You have said you aren't a music person, but it is your persistance that has gotten my words. You, this blog, and a lifetime of friendship.

awakening

Often I am asked about my job, which isn't something I would consider sexy or exciting. I work in a call center for an insurance company. It is not uncommon for someone to hear me venting a complaint or two about my job, and it hit me a minute ago what bothers me most about my job. I get yelled at and blamed for things that I have no control over. I have no control on how much your insurance is going to cost, nor do I know who does. With 28,000 people working here, I can't possibly know who specifically put together the numbers that determine your insurance rate. I also have no influence on the claims process, and I have never met the CEO.

If you have to call into a call center, don't scream at the person on the other end of the phone...they don't get paid enough to be the punching bag you want because you're unhappy. Write the CEO, or whatever, but really...leave me out of it. I'll take your payment, I'll make changes, and I'll try to help however I can, but screaming at me won't change a thing...and when you have a 16 year old son who crashes a car every week...please don't ask why your insurance is expensive...

Nostalgia

Out of the blue last night, I got a craving for some local music. One of my favorite artists while I lived in Cleveland was Anne E. DeChant. Good ol lesbian folk music, of which one can never get enough of (ok, you can, but shut up). When I was with my first girlfriend, we went to every show we possibly could, regardless of how far we would end up driving. I own many of her albums, and looked forward to listening to them on my way in to work today.

As I looked back over the countless times I saw her play live, I remember one with such clarity it's like I was there last night. It was a couple days after 9/11 and she was playing in Lakewood. Angie and I had a tradition of meeting at Tim and Kate's, taking them with us to a show, and then going to my place. Anne played her usual stuff, and then, at the closing of her show...with no musical accompianment, she started to sing Amazing Grace. Anne was outside of New York during the attacks, as adoring fans, we were all worried. As she sang, the normally loud bar fell silent. As she concluded, she nearly collapsed on her way off the stage. I don't think anyone knew how to deal with their grief and confusion over the event. I remember seeing the first plane in the sky the Saturday after, and thinking...wow, I never thought a day would come that I was taken aback by a plane in the sky.

I have so many great memories around Anne E. DeChant shows. Kate's mom getting tanked, birthdays, heartbreaks, and great music. If you live in Cleveland, I encourage you to see a show. Anne also happens to be a great story teller. and I have never been disappointed at one of her shows.

It's always funny to me how one memory can bring a flood of emotions. I have been extremely nostalgic lately, I miss everyone in Cleveland, and I miss things that were familiar. I am slowly learning the ins and out of Colorado Springs. I look forward to finding things that I enjoy doing, places to go, and all of the things that go with making a town feel like home. I look forward to friends coming out to visit, and seeing more of my future take shape (I start my MBA in April).

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my dear friends. And somedays I even think about jumping in my truck and driving home, even if it's just for the Thai food.

90 points

My family has always played board games together. Some games I loved playing, others not so much. I should have known something was amiss the day my brother Steve taught me to play chess. There is 6 years between us, and little did I know in my youth that the Bobby Fisher books he was reading after the chess lessons sealed my fate. It was this evil streak of his that made me hate word games. Scrabble, upwords, and the like, were evil. Steve's vocabulary was always impressive...and an 8 year old was no match for him.

Christine and the boys like board games too, and of course, Scrabble is Christine's favorite game. Last night she was playing with Max, who at 13 isn't much competition for his mom. I offered to help, only because I was quite sure I could come up with words that earned more points than "fat" and "fatty". In the course of my helping, Max disappeared. So, I continued to play for him, even though scrabble frightens me. Somehow (it had to have been an act of god) I was able to put down the word "vortexes". 90 points...yes, I kick ass. That handy little word pulled me out of the depths of the one syllable nightmares and actually gave me what I needed to beat Chrsitine. I have never played an entire game of scrabble in my life...and last night I won. I finished my evening my calling my mom and brother, who were very proud

Woot

Woot is one of my favorite websites, mostly because of the humor. If you haven't checked it out, go to www.woot.com and discover my latest addiction. They post a new item everyday, and I have found myself staying up until 11:00 pm mountain time just so I can see the new item that has been posted. Last night, speakers were the item, and I had no interest. Out of habit, when I checked this morning, it was something different. Today, is where internet addictions get created. Today is a Woot Off day. They post a new item everytime one sells out. I have been glued to my chair for the past hour, waiting for something that appeals to me. They also have wine deals and t-shirt deals. I love their t-shirts, they are funny and well made...plus cheap.

In other news, we are going mattress shopping this afternoon. I am so excited, as my neck is really displeased with sleeping on the couch for the past month. It will be so nice to sleep on something wide enough for me to roll over.

Otherwise, life goes on around here in the ever gorgeous west. I found out that we have a hot air balloon festival labor day weekend. Me and my crazed picturaking self will be there, hopefully I'll be able to enter a pic or two into the photo contest.

it takes all kinds

I stumbled upon this site while reading the news.

http://www.hookersforjesus.net/home.cfm

Oddly, this isn't a joke...well, at least the people who are on the site don't think so. I have a hard time not laughing.

on the mend

little by little, my eye is getting better. my pupil is so over dialated that I can't read very well, which is why I'm still on medical leave from work. Hopefully by next week, I will be able to see well enough to read the magazines that are piling up on my desk. This, is what mess up vision looks like...



And for your visual enjoyment, here is a pic of our little road trip to cripple creak. It's only about 45 minutes away, and the drive is breathtaking.

out of sight

I swear, I'm not trying to avoid blogging. My left eye has been dialated for almost a week now, which has made reading rather difficult. I promise, once my eye is back to normal, posting will commence. And pictures will be uploaded.

isolation

Despite being surrounded by beauty in every possible corner of my day, I find myself feeling a touch blue. Short of the people in my home, and the customers I talk to in a day, I don't have conversation with anyone. Sure, I have co-workers sitting around me, but we all seem so different.

Aside from one gay boy (my gay boyfriend) who I speak to for about 20 seconds in the morning, I don't know anyone. I'm sure with time I'll get to know more and more people. If not, I'll be prepared for monastic life down the road.

I tried

When a moving company comes in to pack your house, you try to clean up a bit and not look like total slobs. The funny thing about the moving company we used, is that they packed everything. Literally, everything, even things we had planned on getting rid of. Being an adult, I have some books. I'll let you figure out what kinds of books they were, but suffice to say that many of them have pictures, and no, I'm not talking about Dr. Seuss. Initially they were tucked away in a TV cabinet. I thought I would prevent some bright red faces on the kind gentlemen who packed our house and move the books. I had figured that if I put the books in my dresser, that they would be tucked away and left unseen. Afterall, it's a moving company, they would just carry the dresser clothes and all out the door right? Um, not so much with these guys. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when they opened those drawers. I can't help but laugh at the whole situation. We had been wise enough to make sure that other things had been pre-packed and taken with is. You know, tax forms, personal items like photos, and toys.

Oh well, I'm sure we made for great conversation during the long drive cross country for those boys.

In the beginning

Good morning from the blindingly sunny state of Colorado. I know it took a bit of time, but I am finally up and running in the world of the blog. My life was quite the sitcom for a few days as I was travelling cross country with the "padnah", her two sons, and three cats...in a minivan. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I almost want a mini van. However, the cost of registering a vehicle in Colorado is down right offensive to me...and it's based in part on vehicle weight. I am thinking about searching e-bay for a Pinto.

I must brag a tad, as my family has recently become significantly more handsome. Last week my brother and his wife welcomed their beautiful baby Matthew Logan into the world. You can see one of his first pics here http://www.alaskaregional.com/cpm/w-index.html scroll through the list looking for Matthew Logan born January 8. I couldn't be happier or more proud of my brother.

Now, pardon me while I have a bit of a rant. Last week it was announced that the Cleveland Indians has partnered (for a hefty price) with Progressive for the upcoming season. No longer Jacob's field, there is great debate about what the new name will be and if it's a good name or not. Personally, I couldn't care less about professional sports, what annoys me is the pitty party so many Cleveland residents are having for themselves. They are crying that they will only see it as Jacob's Field and whining about how money rules the world and then accusing Progressive of poor business practices for buying naming rights of a field shortly after there were layoffs at the company. What really sticks a thorn in my paw is that so many people are complaining and siting inaccurate facts. Having moved out of Cleveland a mere week ago, I can now see why so many people move out of state. Aside from gloomy weather, the economy is falling apart, and people overall just seem...crabby. The job outlook for the next 20-some years is dismal, whereas the job outlook out West gets more and more promising everyday. Many companies use a location in Colorado as a recruiting tool to hire quality employees.

Cleveland is very good at crying over spilled milk, and after reading so many negative comments about a company investing money in it's home city, and whining about things they know very little about, I am proud to say that I am a Colorado resident. (you just won't catch me ever rooting for the Broncos, I'm still bitter about 1987)