Im Seeing Nothing But RED: Derrick Rose Edition!

April 23, 2011- Let me first start off by saying I am a Derrick Rose fan and he happens to play for Chicago. Hey, so I'm a little disconnected from my hometown team, the Pacers. I still bleed Blue & Gold, but right now all I see is RED. Derrick Rose, this year's NBA season MVP, has played some of the most amazing basketball I have ever seen. Then there is Carlos Boozer, who because I openly hate Duke, I should hate also. Except I love him as a player. His intensity and frequent use of "ssshhhh" BAD WORDS pumps me up. Also what type of freak grabs 22 rebounds in a game. Yeah, a good one. And how can you not love Noah? Yeah right! I loathe him. He's that mosquito that hangs around you annoyingly bugging the crap out of you. Always in your ear. But I must give it to him. He does pump me up and brings intensity as well. He gets in your head! Every team needs that guy. *See Dennis Rodman. Okay and I'm not going to sit up here and act like Kyle Korver doesn't exist on this team. Like thousands of ladies across this world, I too have a crush on the that sharpshooter with the emo bangs. But for me its more than that. I respect him as a basketball player. Contrary to what everyone says, his shot is water. He has the ability to spread the floor so much for Derrick Rose, which can be a headache for many teams.

With all that said.... I want to continue to reiterate my loyalty to the Pacers. I grew up in the 90's with the Boom Baby Pacers: Reggie Miller, Chris Mullen, Rik Smits, the Davis'. But I too am a little distanced from them. Could it be the that I moved away for college? Or Ive been overseas? The Brawl in Detroit? Maybe. Like many other Hoosiers we are all a bit ambivalent in this matter of the Pacers. Before these playoffs, I couldn't name the starting five or the coach of the Pacers, but I always want to cheer for my home team. The only thing that broke my heart was that the Bulls played the Pacers in the first round. Loyalties divided. There's my new found love for this basketball artist Derrick Rose or my Hoosier roots. What better way to test this out then to make an appearance at Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs downtown in my home city at Conseco Fieldhouse.


I arrived downtown a couple hours early. Wearing my Rose shirt was a last second game day decision. But trust me I was not alone. I thought maybe I would be taunted by Pacer fans. Boy, was I wrong. As soon as I stepped out my car, I was engulfed into a sea of red. Were they really loyal Bulls fans that made the 3 hour trip? Were they band-wagoners? Who knows for sure. I just know it was the Pacer fans, not the Bulls Nation that were outcasts this day. I toured Conseco, took pictures and bought a shirt to ease the awkward tension of confronting a fellow Hoosier.




Going to my seat was unreal. Section 11, Row 9. I would say it was the closest seat Ive sat in at a professional contest. But then again I was in Row 4 at a Getafe CF Futbol Match in Madrid a couple of years ago. Still great! I dunno if I can ever return to nose bleed seats. Right behind the basket and next to the Bulls bench I had a front row seat to all the stars. I purposely bought these so I could get a couple of autographs, but I toured Conseco too long and missed all of them. :( But seeing was great also. Other than the the entire Bulls Roster, Scottie Pippen, John Paxton, and Randy Brown all walked by. Even the White Mamba himself: Scalebrine! How cool is that?

Both teams came out to totally different cheers. The Bulls received cheers and chants like we were in the United Center. The poor Pacers actually came out to boos, if I heard correctly. Unless of course they were saying Booz to cheer on Carlos Boozer.



Non of that mattered, because the Pacers came out with a vengeance. A chip on their shoulder. Like they not only had something to prove to themselves or the Bulls, but to the the city. It felt like a very hostile environment in there. One Bulls fan was thrown out for catching a t-shirt and then throwing it back, upon request by the BullsNation. Another fan wrote via Twitter " Hey Bulls fans, maybe you can use those brooms to sweep up all the mess in the street you left. We are hosting the Super Bowl you know." As much as I wanted the Bulls and D Rose to do well, I didn't want to see the Pacers get swept. Especially since they probably should have won at least one game up in Chicago, if not both. It just was not the Bulls day for a sweep. After Rose hopped off the court and to the locker room, it seemed as if this series would be headed back to Chicago.



I tried to get as many good shots with the limited memory in my camera (I left my SD card at home) and my iPhone. I didn't miss the love lost between a former Dukie and a Tarheel. The physicality of this game was so intense. I was sitting close enough and I could hear the hard fouls, the squirms, and bodies hitting the floor. Unfortunately I could also hear the words coming out of their mouths and there are a couple players mentioned earlier that need to wash their mouths out with soap. lol

In the end, the Bulls did not have enough to overcome the Pacers that day. Sad, but I guess it serves me right. See what happens when you band wagon from team to team. It was still a pretty awesome day and in the future there are other arenas I would love to have this experience in, including the United Center. Hey live your life, smile, see a playoff game. Go Pacers & Derrick Rose!

For more photos and videos checkout my YouTube Channel> www.youtube.com/treehoop

Destin

Destin, Oh Destin! K first it started out like this But I suppose by the time I left, it ended like this >

So much to say about Destin. You ready for a story of danger, pain, restless nights, reunions, tornadoes, beaches, lost wallets and four guys dressed like the guys from tombstone. Just wait and read.

We venture out on our trip after work. 12 hours and boom we are chilling with a corona on the beach. My car buddies Cisco, Trent, Hugo, Sara and myself all packed in a jeep and headed south. Started off cool until we noticed the car jumping and doing some weird stuff. The first immediate reaction was that it was the transmission. Mid way through Tennessee, we finally stopped at this Inn to seek help, but the Inn keeper or whatever was suck a butt-head and racists if you asked me, and who wouldn't be with a car with two Mexicans and one black girl. :o That's neither here nor there. We stopped at Wal-mart to fix what we thought was the problem and headed on our way. Unfortunately luck still was not on our side, but God definitely was. Since we were stalled due to car troubles, we narrowly missed the massive tornadoes rampaging through Alabama, the place we were in direct route to.


So here we were stranded in between Tennessee and tornado ravished Alabama with a broken down car and really no place to go. All the power was pretty much out and folks are in panic mode. Me and my 6'2 body is squished in the middle back seat position, knees just a cramping, tired hungry and frustrated. But when you put it all in perspective it could have been a lot worse. Finally a rental car we headed to our destination safely... like 20 hours later.

Got to our condo and it was simply beautiful. Headed to the beach and it was breathtaking. The water was this 2 toned blue color. It was a little salty for my taste... lol

Our other main reason for being in Destin other than being lazy, relaxing and playing some pick up ball was to cheer on our Indy Go Go girls- Sara D, my car mate, Julie, Mitzi and Poff, four fierce beach players. I know cuz they kick my behind all the time in quads.

Its always good times with these folks. They can get a little rowdy at times, but its all in good nature. We like to have fun. Who doesn't?

Love these guys.

Hey its El, my Finnish Bombshell, Baller at volleyball friend

Between partying with fellow vballers, to hanging out with peeps in the infamous hot tub, to smashing fish tacos at the Swamp (they are delicious), it was a blast. In the end the Indy Go Go girls were eliminated in the playoffs, but played pretty darn well if you ask me. Maybe one day I will have an opportunity to play in this tournament. Thats if I give in to the temptation to actually work and play outside on the sand. Whew... Maybe one day.

For more photos check out the album > https://plus.google.com/photos/105088620159792780931/albums/5734810691793796417

And for your viewing pleasure

Chitown Get Down: Birthday Adventure

Happy Birthday to me indeed! This year I wanted to actually do something on my birthday. Previous years have been horrible days. Lets remenise. My 23rd birthday I saw th Reaping with some friends, you remember that movie with Hilary Swank about a possessed girl. It was cool, but I also got in a big fallout with my best friend. So somber! My 24th birthday was spent in a German hospital room recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Yeah I try to forget. Not to mention my grandfather was laid to rest on that day. Thousands of miles away from my family. So very sad. My 25th birthday I spent in the back of a team bus travelling for about 15 hours back home from a game. They sang happy birthday to me. My roommates gave me some pretty rad gifts though. Thanks Amanda & Erin. Oh and my 26th. Yes, I was stuck in Finestrat, Spain. Broke with no money. It was a holiday there so everything was closed. FUN!

Yeah so I was indeed due for a spectacular birthday. And I did not disappoint myself. :)

I found out that two of my favorite artist, Melanie Fiona & Marsha Ambrosius, were coming to Chicago, like the best city ever! How could I not go. Chitown is about 3 hours away, the tickets were cheap. Must do! I convinced my cousin Tiff to come along and we headed to the House of Blues in the Chi.



I was conflicted that day because Butler was playing in the NCAA tournament for a chance to go to the final game for the second year in a row. I threw on a Butler shirt on the way there to show my support. The game was taking place right as we were getting ready to head downtown Chicago. :( Thank God for smart phones.

Got to the venue and gave up the car to the valet. That was something us Indy folks are really not accoustomed to, but is a must in Chicago. Line wasnt too bad. Towering over everyone in line ofcourse in my heels. Sorry had to wear them because they matched my outfit. The House of Blues was not bad at all. Its a very intimate setting and you feel very close to the performer. BUT!!!! Since I waited so long to buy tickets, we had to settle for the balcony. Which still was good seat except for one big blind spot. But I wasn't trippin. Still have a good time.

First up was Melanie and that girl can sang. Always a been a big fan of hers since I ran across her page on youtube. And who doesnt love the song... It Kills Me. I love that she performs with a live band almost everytime I see her.


Melanie Fiona



Then came Marsha. You guys probably know her as being one half of the group Floetry and they sang the song Getting Late. My friend Lexi actually got me into their music. She has a very distinct and unique voice I think. Her new album is Late Nights & Early Mornings. Definitely played out on my iTunes. May I add that ole girl was wearing that dress and pumps too. As she was closing her set with Tear, one of my favorites, we all started to exit the building. Low and behold the curtains opened back up and she sang for 30 minutes longer. So super stoked, I think I started to cry because I absolutely love that song. By this time I had moved downstairs and had mixed in with the bottom level folks.

Marsha Ambrosius




Had an amazing time. So happy I went. That city just makes me feel grown and sexy for some reason. The Sears Tower (What is Willis?). Michigan Ave, the hustle and bustle of downtown, Soldier Stadium, Derrick Rose ;) Lake Michigan. I honestly feel like a country girl coming to the city for the first time. I remember coming here as a child with my family and visiting all the musuems and planetarium. Ooh ooh Ooh and lets not forget Chicago hotdogs. Being the foodie that I am, we had to make a stop at Portillos. Hmm Hmm Hmm! Love me some Chicago Hotdogs. Well we actually went there twice. No worries, I will hit up Harolds next time.

On the way out that Sunday, my cousin wanted to make a stop at Garrett's popcorn. I had never heard of it, but supposedly it is the best popcorn that was ever created. I didnt know how good it was until we arrived and there was a line all the way outside the door and down the street. Waited there for about 35 minutes. Yes, that long! The verdict is.... YES, its Great! I recommend the caramel and cheese mix. DELISH!

Overall, I would pick up everything and move to Chicago in a second with the right circumstances. Great sports city. Great Food city. Great monuments! Awesome volleyball there as well. Okay it might be expensive, but since when am I not a big spender. Shopping is my hobby. My ultimate wish is for the US to finally get a professional volleyball league and yours truly just happens to be on the team located in Chicago. Oh the Dreams!

More pics check out my album.