Spam & Mullets: The Return of the BAM???

Happy Birthday Mary...!

(You must finally now almost be of age now. Chris can finally breathe easier...)

bigblaster:

"Wheeze" easier is more like it.

Wheeze?!? Need I remind you that you are some four months older than me? Maybe a little shortness of breath, but no wheezing here.

grabarkewitz:

Nice. I admit cradle-robbing, but I am no worse than her dad. He married Mary's mom when she was sixteen and three months preggers. Oh yeah, he was 31 at the time, same age as me when I married Mary (she was nineteen, at the time). At least I didn't put the cart in front of the horse....

Stop comparing yourself to a horse...! This is a family board...

We really need spring training to start.

ItTakesFaith:

LOL...!

Problem is: when it begins, we will only begin to bemoan the "State of Dodgertown"... and plot ways in which we can IMPEACH THE MAYOR...! Time to break out the pitchforks... Grabs, me thinks most of them are still stored in your garage, from the last time they were used... (the switch from paper to plastic grocery bags?)

Last time I broke out my pitchfork was when they tried to foist that "new coke" on me.

grabarkewitz:

Kid has his first scrimmage of the season, today. If the weather holds. He has been saying his shoulder is killing him and if it doesn't get better, I am gonna run him to the sports doc to have a look. He says it has been sore for the past week and a half, not a good sign.

We really ought to have a "Crew Kids Baseball" thread... Update the kid's seasons. Anyway, sitting in the local Peet's (Sumatra is very good today!) passing the time while the kid participates in day #3 of baseball tryouts. [For those that don't know, last Wednesday (Feb 10) was the first day the high schools' could start Spring sports.] His high school has somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 talented young men trying out for ... a mere 18-20 Freshman team roster spots (gulp!) Though he's played on some pretty elite teams, it has me nervous (Though he has nerves of steel... don't think it even bothers him! Not sure if I'm more proud, or jealous when he is better than his old man...!) Their first true scrimmage isn't until next Saturday, where they will play in a three team double-header against another N. California power, Stassi's Yuba City & Dustin Pedroia's Woodland. Somewhere before then, will loom Cut #1.

Yesterday, kid was pretty quiet... I assumed practice was pretty average (bad). I later learned (during dinner) that his practice had gone quite well (surprise!). In a squad scrimmage, Ezra had one of the only hits of the day (a hard hopper to the right side of second base on a pitch down and away). His first AB consisted of four straight balls (two behind his head), and he was just itching to swing the bat! In the field - they played him at second - made all of his plays, including a sweet DP that he started with a perfect glove and pitch...! That one even earned him a "high five" from one of his coaches in the dugout, who sought him out between innings.

As a recovering coach (and umpire!), it just kills me that I can't be there to see all of this... (though I must admit, it is prolly better for the kid!). Speaking of recovering, Ezra is still not up to 100% after breaking his ankle in the first few weeks of school (which caused him to miss the entire football season). Doc says he'll get there... but it just takes time... Heck, the last few months have consisted of 4:30AM morning workouts with a trainer/physical therapist... (I think he knows how to spell "commitment" much better than his dad!) To top it off, the boy hasn't had his growth spurt (typical late-blooming of men in the family); making him the five-footer ("5'1" dad...!" amongst 6-footers. It's a good thing he has local boy Pedroia to look to for inspiration (he even played on the same NorCal team at one point, so we hear plenty of stories). If he can overcome the obstacles and possible coaching prejudices (small kid plays small... which couldn't be farther from the truth!), the kid has plenty of talent to be a starter/leader on this team... We shall see...

Assuming the outcome, Chris I see games against Archbishop Mitty and Dublin on the schedule... and you've been just named Advance Scout... Best wishes with Drake's scrimmage... baby that shoulder (Motrin is my friend!)... Weather is beautiful here, due East of Moraga... bet the game went off without a hitch...

Kid just called, coffee is cold... time to roll.

ItTakesFaith:

Stop comparing yourself to a horse...! This is a family board...

Horse, Chris?

thebrazilian:

Horse, Chris?

This will not go over well at the Elks Club... the secret is out.

Is it just me, or does this Olympics feel like the Junior Olympics this year...? I just can't seem to get into it, or the athletes (but give me a shot of Lindsey Vonn, though...!).

bigblaster:

I think I'll be more into it as the competition starts, but I used to be a total Olympics geek (trivia expert, etc.) My favorite part was always the Opening Ceremonies (best: Munich--1972). These were REALLY lame! I'm sorry, the special effects were cool, but honestly? FIVE HOURS? Artsy-fartsy "cultural extravaganzas," k.d. lang (looking like Wayne Newton) singing one of the most inappropriate songs for a celebration I could think of, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," overblown attempt at Olympic cauldron coolness turning into an epic failure (although watching the expression on Gretsky's face as he did that slow burn was almost worth it), one of the worst renditions of the Olympic Anthem ever performed, LIP-SYNCHED, no less by a total diva? I hate to say it, but all of this over-the-top "we need to outdo the last guy" ceremony started with Los Angeles 1984 and, what started out as jaw-droppingly cool then is now just self-serving crap. Look, NOBODY is ever going to top the Beijing Opening Ceremonies for epic grandeur, so what say we stop trying and let's all move to spend the money it cost to build that 3/4 cauldron and the world's largest touch-screen on the floor of BC Place to feed the homeless or something instead?

Did we really have to drag every single NBC sports and news commentator out to do inane crap last night? (Cris Collingsworth interviewing US Athletes who clearly wanted to be left alone to party on their big night?)

And, one last rant. I realize it was big news, and sad news, but did we have to open with graphic and slow-mo images of that poor luger getting his bell rung on the Run of Death? We couldn't have just shown his picture with his birth and death dates and press on? Did we HAVE to hear the sickening clang of his impact with the unpadded (?) beam? SHAME on you, NBC! If I wanted to see that, I could have youtubed and gotten my macabre fix that way!

Okay, rant over. Let the games begin.

I had a feeling the ceremonies this year would be lame, so I didn't feel too bad about missing them for a show. I mean. It's Canada.

ItTakesFaith:

This will not go over well at the Elks Club... the secret is out.

Is it just me, or does this Olympics feel like the Junior Olympics this year...? I just can't seem to get into it, or the athletes (but give me a shot of Lindsey Vonn, though...!).

I got blackballed by the Elks. I wouldn't trust Herself on measurements - she thinks it is only five miles from here to San Francisco (closer to 90).

I tried to watch the Opening Ceremonies, but had more fun giving Paula a hard time. By 9pm I was watching a decent scare 'um on the IFC. Herself fell asleep by the third hour of the marathon broadcast. As openings go, I loved the 1984 LA Olympic opening. Real cool with Rafer Johnson lighting the torch.

Parabens Mary!

ItTakesFaith:

(but give me a shot of Lindsey Vonn, though...!).

If you check out this year's SI: Swimsuit Edition, you'll get more than just a shot of her, as I was finding out, today...

PhillieBlue:

Hi Mary. Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry I missed it, and hope it was happy!

Thanks Linda. Sorry I did not get back to you. I have been sick. Stupid flu. I just started to feel better. The only nice thing about being sick is that Chris is a pretty good nurse. He kept me in hot tea and soup. He did not get mad when I did not make it to the bathroom. It was a really good birthday, though. Chris made me dinner and neat birthday cake.

I hope tomorrow is nice. Chris is thinking about taking a ride on his motorcycle and I want to go with him. I do not think I can ride my motorcycle though. I am feeling too weak to handle it. I did get down to my target weight but I do not want to do it that way ever again. Paula says I cheated. Now that I am down to 123, I do not like it. I felt better at 128-130. I am just not young enough to be that skinny. Chris told me it was a stupid contest anyway. He likes me with curves. He knows when to say the right things. Makes it really hard to be mad at him.

Sigh, sigh, sigh.

I just checked my bank account to find out I have $1000 left that I need to stretch out 'til mid-May, when my summer financial aid comes in. That wouldn't be so bad under normal circumstances, except that I need money not only for the typical expenses, but also to cover the cost of travel and lodging during my trips to NYC every week for my internship with Spin.

As if that weren't enough financial strain, my computer has recently begun making clicking noises. Which I am aware means imminent disaster. Losing data isn't an issue, because I learned the hard way with my last laptop and I backup all my files on two separate external hard drives. But, as you can see from the state of my bank account, I really can't afford to have to buy a new computer this semester, so I pray my laptop hangs on for dear life, as long as possible.

Add those issues to a health situation I've been having and have been putting off going to the doctor for (I know, not smart), I am a bundle of stress.

Sigh.

PhillieBlue:

Goodness, seems like we are all having health issues. Everyone had better take care of themselves!

Feeling better, today. Thanks for asking, Linda. We had a great day today. Chris took me on a long motorcycle ride to Marin County where we had lunch and then drove back. It was just fun to not worry about anything and just spend a day with each other. The weather was beautiful today. There was some fog but it was pretty warm and we stopped at a bunch of little shops to just look. Katja made dinner tonight. She does surprise me. She made some kind of fish stew with shrimp, clams and other seafood. It was really good. Even Paula had a plate, then she ran to the gym to swim a couple miles.

Right now I am watching some Japanese cartoon with Chris. It is pretty good. Everything is in the right proportions and there are no monsters, aliens or big chested women. The funny thing is the show is called Monster. I do not get the whole story but it involves doctors and policemen. Chris tried to explain it to me, but there are too many people in the show. Chris wanted me to remind everyone it is only 30 minutes to 24. That show is just boring now.

Time for me to watch my Tivos of Cake Boss. I love that show. Or I could watch the Kardashians. They are lots of fun.