Patience

Hello. I would like to start with sharing my condolences to Wildcat and her family as they continue to mourn the passing of their mother. After attending her funeral yesterday, I could see that this lady has left quite a legacy starting with her family. A great bunch of people who will continue to band  and heal together will continue her good works and make a difference in their communities just like their mom.

I also had the opportunity to see my nephew and brother in law while in NY. It was great to see both of them and I wish that we could see each other more often.

As far as the trip is concerned, I am not a big fan of NY highways. In fact, I really hate driving there. The traffic and craziness is overwhelming. As soon as I entered NY, I felt that my driving became more aggressive. I was more like Maria Andretti as I avoided the fast and slow drivers as well as the truckers who delight in cutting off the smaller cars. Tink and I did not eat Skittles; all of my crazy driving was fueled by my own adrenaline and desire to live.

I also want to send a shout out to our Tink. On Friday, she donated her hair to Locks of Love. This foundation collects long hair in good condition for children with cancer. I have to say that she looks amazing with short hair, but what is more amazing was her desire to grow her hair out for sick kids. Nice going, Tink!

On to the big kid who is mentally struggling these days. His bullpens and time on the mound are top notch but he is not given innings. What makes it worse for him is that the team is losing. He sits in his bullpen and mutters to himself: "That guy stinks. I could have struck him out....what a loser....I could blow the ball past these dorks...." and so on....

I am thrilled with his confidence and can understand his plight. The coaches have their core favorites and the kid needs to bide his time and wait for his chance. When this happens, he can blow the ball past his opposition but until then....he waits and waits and waits.

After the games when he does not pitch, he sends salty messages home in which I have started to ignore. Perhaps the coaches are right and he is not ready yet. Remember the flower and bud analogy? He cannot bloom until he is ready and a person cannot rush the process or the bud will die!

Therefore, he is learning to be patient. Wait his chance....have his number called...and...

Boom!

Flick!

Zip!

You're out!

That's right. Stop worrying. Enjoy the travel and hanging with the boys....good things come to those who wait BUT he also must continue to prepare.

Until then, no drawing the folks into the pity party. Nope. Not attending. I have other things to do like wash my hair or shovel snow. Oh yeah, and Diva has another appointment with the eye doctor tomorrow. Yep, I have a very exciting life.....

Time to roll. Enjoy the day!

California Dreaming: NOT!

I am done making plans. Done....done...done....really done! Why? Well....fade to black....

The minute I clicked "publish" on yesterday's blog, I began to smell a burned oil scent on the second floor of the house. I said to myself, "Hey, this is not a nice odor...pungent....stinky....a fire perhaps?" And so, I investigated and went from room to room to find the source of the odor. Could not find a thing...and so.....
 


I called George, my heating guy back to the house. Rather than getting George, Vinny arrived. Naturally, he could not smell the burnt odor. Calling me a liar? Nope, he went to the basement and immediately discovered the source....


Yep, the upstairs heating unit's motor burned out and leaked oil. Nice....no, not nice! Bad! OK, Vinny, what's the damage?

Vinny took a deep breath...."well, you need a new motor. I have to go and get it. I'll be here an hour and half installing....$550.00."

"Vinny, you better tell me that this thing is under warranty since it is only 5 years old."

"Uh, your warranty ran out in July."

Rats! Double rats! Triple rats! That money was supposed to be my air fare to the coast. Remember, I was California dreaming yesterday and packing my bag and sunscreen. No sooner did I get the information off Orbitz, did my heating unit blow up oil and other crud. What the heck? This has nothing to do with Mother Nature...or does it?

After all, we have had the heat on non stop while nature snowed and blew frosty winds on us. Maybe I can blame Mother Nature. OK, I will.

It looks like my adventure is postponed unless I hit the scratch off lotto ticket . Crud! Double crud!! Triple crud!!!

Should I complain? After all, I have a roof over my head, a new motor in the heating unit, and a dog whose eye is still swollen and in need of another trip to the eye doctor. Oh yeah, new car brakes are on their way. No complaints. After all, it would have been oh so cool to go to California, but I have to be realistic and hang out at the house with a dog that looks like a cyclops.

No worries....I'll get a blow by blow description of the games from the big kid who will pepper the events with his own unique spin.

The first game is tonight at 7 pm west coast time. Go team!

California Dreaming

Good morning! The sun is shining and the snow is melting...yuk. I actually like a little snow during the winter, but this has been too much. Although Uncle G who is an orthopedic surgeon has been LOVING it. Yep, anyone who slips on the ice and breaks a bone is headed to the OR to be fixed up by my lil bro. I believe that he smiles every time that he sees a snow flake. Perhaps he is the one who has been taunting Ma Nature to continue bombarding us with flakes.

On to the big guy....yesterday's phone call yielded a great deal of happiness. Yes, he is one happy guy whereas a day or two ago, he was miserable. These ups and downs are making me nuts.

Anyway, the team leaves today for their great adventure on the west coast. And guess what? My whining has led to a "if you want to go, then go..." conversation with dad. Seriously? I can go? Huh? Me? Alone? No Tink? No Diva? Fly out to the coast and stopping three times along the way since I will have a super saver fare? Can I? Huh? Did he find more change under the sofa cushions? Should I go? Why not? Why?

Here's my take on it.....I killed myself for 6 months teaching 90% of my work load. I became Jekyll and Hyde knowing that I would need time off to travel. When the car needed new brakes and the heating system broke, I knew that I had sucked the last of the extra cash to fix them. And so, I settled back and figured that instead of going to all of the games, I would work out every day and catch up on my reading. Perhaps I could lose a few pounds.

However, after the conversation that I had with dad this morning, he thought that it would be a good idea for me to see a few of the games. I jumped so high that I scared Diva. On the other hand, I did not tell Tink that I would be traveling alone since she has to work. This is our secret, for now.

And so, the great adventure continues as I sift through the air fare on Expedia trying to find a fare that won't break the bank or have me fly north then south then back east then west to get to my destination. Stay tuned for more details.

Peace!

No whine zone

Good morning! There is not much going on. The snow is still on the ground. We continue to wear heavy sweaters and boots and it seems that the entire country is miffed about the weather. Nothing to complain about....I think...

Well, the team is preparing for its great California adventure. Sadly, I will not be traveling for this one....unless we have a sudden windfall and win the Powerball. With the new car brakes and the prospect of sending the big kid to Illinois this summer to play ball, it is best that I stay home and listen to the game on the computer. Gee, I would have loved to go, but I have to be realistic. My sofa cushions and pocketbook have a limited amount of change in them. Definitely not enough to pay for airfare and accomodations.

And so, I hang out in the comfort of my home and put warm soaks on Diva's eyes to alleviate the redness and swelling.

Yep, her eyes are still red and swollen and she hates that cone. But, the swelling has gone down, so the doggie eye doctor has earned her money....We will know more when we take her back on Monday for her check up.

So, as the team prepares for the week, the kid had a bullpen session yesterday with his coach and did quite well. He is still frustrated about not playing this weekend, but who can blame him? When he texted me while on the bus, I decided not to attend his pity party and RSVPed 'no'. I would not be sucked into agreeing with 'whoa is me.'

As I said to him yesterday, he has the life that 99.9% of the country wants....travel, meals, part of an exclusive team, baseball cards made with his image, score board with his face on it, broadcasters looking for trivia about him to share with the listeners. Also, he is the big man on campus as he is stared at when he walks into a room. He also has his first stalker. This is huge for a young man. And so, I chose not to commiserate rather I socked him between the eyes (in a figurative sense).

"I didn't play."...Yeah, so.

"I'm not coming back for a 5th year."....OK

"This guy is nuts..." ...Uh huh

Silence. Are you ready?

"Yeah"

"You have been blessed with the athleticism that men and women crave. You are on a division 1 team. You are tall, handsome, and intelligent. You have experiences that you will never forget. The girls in Florida and Iowa love you and your team and search for your hotel on Twitter. You are on the Dean's List. You have met people who can make a difference in your life as you leave baseball. What is the misery? If you want to play more, you have to work with the guy. That's it. Figure it out. Later."

Click.

And so, I left the motherly 'oh, honey...everything will be fine....' in the back seat of the car. I am tired of the whining about fatigue and no one understanding him. This is the life that he has chosen. He could have said: "I am majoring in pre law" and joined the frisbee team. But, no...he wanted this life. Well, dude, you got it. Now put on your big boy pants and let's get going.

Work with Psycho. Do what he wants. Stop complaining. AND...MOST IMPORTANTLY:

Enjoy this journey, because it will be over soon and you do not want to look back on it and say: "I wish that I took the time to appreciate what I had..."

By the way, he now has decided on his walk out song...some Marky Mark song. I have attached it for your personal enjoyment (or not).

Peace!

F=frustration

Good light snowy morning. It's not so bad today...just a few inches...not the blizzard that the news team had been projecting. Snow...snow....more snow....yuk

Yesterday, Auntie Blue Devil had the real BP momma/auntie experience....will he pitch? is he warming up? Why isn't he in? What the heck? She sat in the cold weather, watched an entire game, and wants to see her kid play! What an experience...the highs....lows...lows....lows...highs...lows...lows....lows...

And so, he spent an entire weekend with the team in NC and did not play. As dad says: "It's a long season." Yet, I understand his frustration. If he does not play, he cannot improve. if he does not improve, then he does not achieve his goal.

Here's the reality....his ultimate goal is in the hands of a mad man. He is powerless to do anything about it. He sits and waits for his opportunity. When he had it last week, there were 6 fielding errors behind him. Again, he has no power except to try to field the ball himself. But he cannot play first base, second base and short stop as well as pitch. It's impossible, so he has to learn to not let himself get upset about the powerlessness of the situation. But I understand it completely. He is doing his part, yet he is not getting his opportunity.

With that said, all he can do to stay sane is to stay positive, throw each ball like it is his last, and keep calm. This experience will serve to help him in the future.

Time to take Tink to work. Enjoy the day!

Atta boy

Good morning. We are waiting for another blast from Mother Nature. I think that Mother N is menopausal, hence the unpredictability of our weather. And rather than having hot flashes, she is having cold flashes. Quick, someone get her some Primrose oil. Stat!

How was the kid's birthday? Let's say that it was 'disappointing'. He did not pitch in the double header loss in NC yesterday and was mildly displeased. It hurts sitting on the bench with a good team. It is extremely painful  to watch when you are on a not so good team. Although, today they play one more game. This time, Blue Devil will be in the stands taking my place as she waits and waits...and waits some more for an appearance. Something tells me that he will play today...maybe a little cold birdie.



As we chatted on the phone for our obligatory post game conversation, he was salty as he started to talk about Psycho again. Apparently Psycho does not just focus on him, he tears into anyone who is in his way. For example, in a bullpen session this week, the catcher uttered the phrase "atta boy' which is consistent with pitchers and catchers. Well, he said 'atta boy' when the pitch was not an 'atta boy' pitch.



Then Psycho wound up and POW! He let the poor catcher have it with both barrels. The freshman was defenseless against the tirade. The coach started with....



"what are you saying that for?"


"Was that a good pitch?'


"What does the pitcher think?"


"Why are you congratulating the pitcher with a ball that could have been hit over the fence?"

Then he went ballistic...."YOU ARE NOT DOING HIM ANY FAVORS FOR CONGRATULATING HIM ON A $##^*& PITCH! YOU ARE A $#&))^$^&))"..........



The poor kid stood there 10 minutes until the tirade was over. The big leftie could do nothing but stare at the pitiful scene.

And so, my friends....what am I doing as a parent as I allow these stories to be part of a book rather than acting upon them? Am I doing the right thing for not reporting them to the correct person? Do I have to stay out of it so that my son is not punished? What do I do from an ethical perspective? Am I a coward? Or, is this the way that it is on a number of levels?

I don't remember any coach yelling, belittling, and mocking me....except one salty tennis coach who threw his racquet (not at me but at the ground)...I especially do not recall anyone using profanity (OK, just that one coach...but he is a different story) to send a message to me that I need his permission to even breathe. What am I doing? Why am I letting this happen? Is this normal? Are these players going to be traumatized for the rest of their lives from this experience?

Ahhh. I honestly don't know what I should do. I am supposed to be taking care of the vulnerable and these kids (and yes, even though they do not shave to look older, they are still kids in my book) are powerless to do anything to help themselves and are afraid to make a mistake, cross their eyes, talk, eat a donut, or order french fries at a McDonalds.



Do I let it continue? Or, am I going to be perceived as a butt-inski helicopter parent...which I am definitely not. I do have a strong sense of right and wrong and this is most assuredly wrong.


Last night as we continued the conversation, he said to me. "Mom, don't be surprised if Psycho is arrested for hurting or killing someone. He is certifiably crazy."

Well, at least I know that my kid is not the only one who is on his hit list. There are other kids such as the poor freshman catcher who are in his line of fire.

I have a lot of thinking to do about this one. Dad will say: "Stay out of it." The big leftie will say: "Stay out of it." But can I? Do I? What of someone is hurt and I did not do anything? How can I live with myself knowing that I could have prevented it? Am I making too much out of this?



OK, so, I will think....

We stayed on the phone until 8:49 pm which is the time when he was born and I wished him happy birthday again. He has been such a wonderful son as his sister has been a wonderful daughter. The four of us are our own team with lots of extensions from our beloved family and friends to the neighbors and co workers. We are truly blessed. Last year for his 21st, I wrote a long letter telling him how proud I was of him. There are things that you want to say but don't for fear of rejection or embarrassment, so I put them in a letter. In return, he left a letter for me when he left for school in January.

I don't know what the future holds, but the present has been just that...a gift. We have been blessed to have had each other over the years. I am now getting mushy, so I will stop. But let me end with one more thought....God puts people into our lives for a reason. Some I would like to ship back...but on the whole, looking back and forward, each day has been special as we interact with and support one another. If I was to stop breathing tonight, I would die a happy person (and miss the Oscars)......Also, if I do succumb, it will probably be due to Skittle toxicity, since I still have the bags full of those stupid colorful round sugar bombs in my system. I doubt if any death certificate ever had 'skittle toxicity' as a cause of death. But CSI would figure it out with their state of the art lab and incredibly smart staff. Let them have a go at figuring this one out. By the way, I am Skittled-out. In other words...no more Skittles...ever....never again.....toss the rest of the bag....keep it away from me. Blech.



Off to Zumba....Peace!

Like 22

Hello! I would like to start with sending out my most heart felt condolences to friend Wildcat whose 90 year old mother passed away today. Six children and six grandchildren plus a lifetime of love and happiness..... May she rest in peace.

And now, I sit on the sofa babysitting Diva. I can't allow her to scratch her eyes, so I put the cone over her head. She can't relax with it, so I take the cone off and keep her on my lap. Where does my lap top go? I just had a Skype interview with a student with Diva in my lap. Is this professional? With all of the snow, I have been working at home and instead of meeting face to face with students, Skype has come in handy. What a great invention.


I also just signed up for a Twitter account to follow the baseball team. Since I did not travel to NC this weekend, I have the Game Tracker system on the computer and activated the Twitter account. I always said that I would not have a Twitter account, but some how, some way.....I have it. Just one more thing that I really do not need.



The team traveled to NC this weekend since the Maryland game has been snowed out. I had a Maryland trip in my system but did not have a NC trip. After taking three days to drive home from Florida, I was in no mood to grab the lucky sneakers, bag of Skittles, and stay at another Hampton Inn. I might regret this decision especially since the big kid is 22 years old today. That's right. My baby is 22 years old...sing it Taylor Swift!

I miss the early years of traveling with the little guy in the child's seat behind my driver's seat. For five years, he was my little buddy. We dropped Tink off at school, ran errands, shopped, played with his pals, and watched a number of Barney the Dinosaur shows. Every day, I went into the convenience store and bought a coffee and a little donut. The lady at the register called him Mikey, 'cause he looked like a Mikey.



Now Mikey is a big boy and celebrating his birthday not with his family but with his team mates. Here's hoping that the double headers are wins and he gets to pitch.

With that said, I have to put the cone back onto Diva's head. She is not keeping her paws out of her eyes. Sheesh.....poor dog....

Later!