Weekend excitement Sep25 '05

Cancer benefit, raffle prize, sheer luck, and "just take the camera!"

Last night I attended a party for a friend with re-occuring cancer. It was a "benefit" - with a goal to raise money for cancer treatment.

The party was at Howard Street Inn, and I got a chance to see some "old faces" - people I haven’t seen in a long time.

I also walked away with a brand-new flat-screen TV!

It was the biggest raffle prize of the night, and after about six or seven beers, I was pretty confused when, all of a sudden, my name was called, and everyone was shouting to me, "Matt, go up there!" Needless to say, I certainly wasn’t expecting it.

I stumbled on stage, where the band members proceeded to call my cell phone as a joke (the phone number was included on the raffle ticket), and I put it on loud-speaker (from my cell phone), and played it over the microphone.

After that, I walked back to get my TV - it’s a Toshiba 27-inch, flat-screen - and they included an external DVD player with it. Overall, I’m guessing about an $800 value, at least.

Pretty nice for someone who doesn’t watch TV!

I considered giving the TV to Shell, who actually paid for the raffle tickets (a good portion), but which I put my name on. Now now... before you "second guess" - I bought all of our drinks, and I drove, and well... that’s enough, I think.

It is "our" TV anyway - because as soon as we move in together, it will be in one of the rooms.

And, most importantly - I think that it all comes down to "chance." My name getting called wasn’t just about "facts and figures," and "who paid for what," - it was more about just sheer luck. And when you get lucky, like that, you have to enjoy it, and not question it.

So... for now, I think I might put it in my room - and maybe use it for Netflix DVDs, but I think it’s too big for my current "computer/TV" setup. (I currently have an old 12-inch TV next to my computer, which fits on the desk real nice.)

Or... I could just give it to my parents, if they are looking for a new TV - after all, they’ve given me enough.

I have no pictures of the night, because, well... I didn’t bring my camera. I thought there would be no opportunity to take pictures. All I gotta say is... if you feel that "taking pictures" could be possible - take the camera, and cry about it later. Just take it.

Bears game

To continue the excitement, I am leaving for Soldier Field shortly, to see the Bears play the Bengals.

That Google Maps view (that I just linked to above) is funny, because it’s shows Soldier Field during construction, which occured a few years ago. So, the whole stadium (in that view) is rubble.

Soldier Field, as it stands today, is an incredibly massive structure that shoulders Lake Shore Drive, in downtown Chicago. Some say it looks like a "space ship" landed in Chicago - due to the size, curvature, and shine of the new stadium.

Flickr may have some more up-to-date photos of Soldier Field.

In any case, it’s gonna be a wild Sunday. Football games in Chicago are absolute nuts - the fans are crazy beer-drinkers, with a passion for beating up the opposing team, as much as possible - which we did last Sunday, against the Detroit Lions (the final score was 38-6, Bears).

So, yeah - the Bears defense looks really good, and I’m hoping they bring that again today, against a tough-looking Bengals team, who are already 2-0.

This time, I will make sure to bring my camera - and get all "Flickr crazy."

I’m currently going on only four hours sleep - so more beer will certainly be an interesting mix. (By 4 PM, I’ll be ready to crash for the night.)

We’re leaving by 9 AM - in order to "soak up" all the atmosphere outside the stadium, before the game, which starts at noon.

Categories: Events , Personal , Sports , Television

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