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.