Tracie's World

Finally - an action shot of me taken during the indoor skydiving event...

Had a fun Friday night and Saturday, which I was definitely in need of. Friday I went with some friends to the Living Traditions Festival. It's held downtown at the Library and City/County building, and celebrates crafts a nd culture from all over the world. We got to see traditional Sudanese pottery being made, Bosnian wood-carving, Native American pottery, Swedish weaving and crafts from several other countries. We tried food from Scotland (meat pies), To nga (BBQ'ed chick en), Thailand (Pad Thai and fried bananas), and Spain (Basque churros). The evening was topped off with a free concert by a Cajun Zydeco group called The Pine Leaf Boys, who were just awesome. People were dancing and having a great time. It was a really pleasant evening. Saturday morning I got up early to meet the Ward and participate in the annual 5K Fun Run/Walk at Sugarhouse Park. It was a beautiful morning - sunny, clear, not too warm. I even bettered my time by 10 minutes over last year. The

Or in my case, Wednesday June 3. For that is the night I will be at the Fleetwood Mac concert. I'm so excited for it. They are my all-time favorite band. My seats are totally nosebleed, but I will be in the same building as Stevie Nicks. I just think that is so cool.

Bad news and no joy in Mudville today. It was announced this morning that my man Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance, and has been suspended for 50 games. He won't be seen in uniform again until July 4. I'm totally devastated. According to his press release, if it can be believed, it wasn't for steroids, but for a doctor's prescription that had a substance in it he didn't know was banned by the league. I know the guy's got attitude, and he's a lousy defensive player. But for some reason he still had a certain free spirit and goofy charm that appealed to me. And he seemed to really love playing the game. But here's a guy with over 500 home runs, who until now has never been known to be associated with drugs, and who may have lost his chance for the Hall of Fame. Not only that, he's lost all credibility and respect with the fans, his integrity, his good name, and also now seriously impacted the Dodgers' chances to repeat as