Monday, April 23, 2007

My widget

Who took my attention-deficit ointment?

Moxie will not stop meowing. She sleeps nearly the entire day and then scampers around meowing for a few fleeting, baffling moments.

It's really humid here, but in a nice way.

I have daydreams where the Phillies recruit me as a pinch-runner, then I'm forced into fielding and hitting in a 20-inning game and I display just enough raw talent to start the next day, then I hit safely in 64 consecutive games and earn an eight-figure contract and hit an inside-the-park home run in the World Series.

A guy at the gym today smelled so bad (he was wearing one of those plastic track suits that make you sweat much more than you otherwise would, for weight loss purposes) that at first I honestly, truly thought someone had peed on the floor.

The streak is at three, and the Phillies are showing signs of offensive life.

I remembered something today when I was talking to the new guy at work: Once when Joel and I blew off work to go to Atlantic City, I called in sick to the wrong office. My friend at my old job answered, and once he figured out it was me, he of course told me he didn't give a crap what excuse I was making up because I didn't work there anymore.

Holly made tree-mendous fajitas tonight.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

It's a streak!

For the first time this season, the Phillies have won back-to-back games. What's more, Chase Utley had two doubles and Ryan Howard hit a mile-high home run to straightaway center field. Cool.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Day of Thunder

It's the day of Thunder over Louisville, a big citywide party (followed by big-time fireworks) to kick off Derby time. The weather's immaculate, we're barbecuing and playing bocce later, and I figure it's time for an update on something other than a disappointing baseball team.

My job's going well, and on Monday our two months without an education reporter come to an end, so that'll take a bit of the load off. One co-worker is planning a wedding, another's due to give birth around Independence Day and my boss is getting virtually no sleep after adopting a newborn a few weeks ago. As for me, March through June is all about driving and flying around to Abingdon, Exton, Stone Harbor, several points in Maryland, then Seattle to cruise to Juneau and back. Four weddings, a move and a vacation. So I'm leaving town on many weekends, which is a little distracting, but as I pointed out, distraction is pretty much an officewide phenomenon these days.

Holly is essentially done with classes for med school year No. 2 and is studying full-time for a gargantuan test called Step 1 that happens June 1. It's the 800-page elephant in the room at all the med school parties I've been to recently. Holly's also girding to next month be a bridesmaid for one of her best friends. In June, she gets to practice The Smiling Eye-Roll as we take zip lines across the Alaskan tree tops and I scream and curse in terror.

Mojo and Moxie are about 15 months old, still smaller than I'd expect the average cat of that age to be. They still have plenty of energy, channeled through Bungee Door Mouse and the Cubes, but they also of course sleep many, many hours a day. Mojo has 100 percent black long hair; Moxie's a tabby but still has a tail fluffier than a squirrel's.

I went many months without a reasonable amount of running or exercise, but I've corrected that in the last two weeks, running all but two or three days. I'd like to get back into shape enough to run the half or full marathon in Philly Nov. 18.

I'm inheriting the first set of golf clubs that will actually be long enough for me when my dad's new ones arrive in a few weeks. Whether we can make the transaction in time for the golf outing at my cousin's wedding in Stone Harbor May 5 remains to be seen. I've made a few friends in Louisville who either golf or have resolved to start, so I look forward to some weekend outings.

Haven't seen the inside of a casino since the first week in January. I'll probably hop over there about once a month after we get back from Alaska, I just haven't had the time or inclination recently. Another year goes by without me qualifying for the WSOP. Someday...

Finally, my niece Lea is five months old today:


She's getting insanely big, in my opinion, and rolling herself over nonstop, my sister says.

How's that for an update? That oughta hold the little bastards.

Much obliged, Flash

By throwing a needless meatball to Scott Hatteberg and blowing the game, you've opened the door to making Brett Myers the closer. And let's face it, if you're going to do something drastic like putting your best or 2nd-best starter in the bullpen, it might as well be to make him the closer.

Personally, I think the whole thing is ridiculous. Robbing the rotation to pay the bullpen makes no sense, even to stick Lieber in the rotation to bolster his trade value. Teams aren't going to trade for Baby Huey on the basis of one or two starts, and even by the time the Phillies are able to ship him off, what exactly are they looking for? If it's another reliever, they won't get much of one in return for Lieber.

I didn't see any compelling reason not to run Myers out for a second inning last night. He's about 10 times more confident in his stuff than Gordon is right now. And oh yeah, until recently, HE PITCHED SEVEN OR EIGHT INNINGS AT A TIME. You've got a 1-0 lead and a shaky closer, why does that guy automatically have the privilege to take it over? If today's game turns out to be a save situation, it's in Myers' hands, which is where it should have stayed last night, leaving Gordon available today. Garrrrr. Cole Hamels, no pressure, man!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

No theme, no ideas, no problem

To readers of Bluegrass Beginnings and Chyan Utlard, welcome. This blog is going to be a catch-all. Most likely items include:
  • Photos, news and ramblings about my baby niece
  • Louisville-related tidbits you Easterners, etc., might find interesting
  • Bellyaching about the Phillies
  • Random citation of things that have made me laugh in 27 years
  • Progress reports on my attempt to revert to acceptable running shape
  • Links to more widely read blogs in my circle
Later!