Time to travel

Good morning! It is raining and my car is in the shop....is the weather an omen about the amount of $ it is going to take to fix it? I am hoping that I am reading too much into these little signals.



Hey! Finally, we have some good news about Big M. It seems that his cancer markers will respond to a pill that is going to shrink the tumor and allow for radiation. Finally..finally...finally... good news. Did I say 'good news?' I mean 'great news!' As I left his room yesterday, he made plans to take Big Sis, Scoob and me to Naples, Florida (not Italy, although I could certainly enjoy a trip there too). His plans have us all elated since he is looking ahead and ready to enjoy the sunshine of the south. In the meantime, his son Leftie has taken over his business and doing an amazing job. Kudos, dude.....Not only did he help to save his dad's life but also his business....



How is my big boy? Hmmm....he called again yesterday to let his dad know that he might not be home this weekend, because the coach called a team meeting at 3 pm and these meetings can take up to three hours. Leaving late on a Friday and driving home in the dark when he is exhausted is not an option. Can anyone say 'disappointed?' I was already sitting at a table at Big Fish having a fish taco and pinot grigio with the kid in my head...now, I will be at a table, but it will be in my own kitchen cracking into the box of wine with Diva.



I do have some uber-cool news....the 2014 baseball schedule has been published....guess where we are going? Why am I say 'we' rather than 'him'? Well....I want to go to North Carolina, Tampa, and California!!!! Yahoo! I do, I do, I doooooo! Can I afford it? Can anyone say 'charge it?'



Yeah, the schedule is put together in an amazing way. The team will have the opportunity to play all over the country and see so many new sites. This is what it is all about.....the journey. Whereas it is true, that all he wants is to make the MLB, he has to realize that the travel and camaraderie is part of what makes this such a special life. Dang....a week in California hanging out with the guys, having all expenses paid for, and living a dream is too great not to appreciate.


I want to go not only to support the big guy, but to see the sites and take time off from the home grind. In NC, I can visit with Blue Devil. I also have cousins in California and friends in Tampa....wow! If it all works out, it could be a spectacular season of travel. I am actually not sure how good the team is, so I will save judgment for the first few games.



And so, the future looks amazing. Although I want the leftie to understand that no matter how things settle in the future, he is to savor each delectable moment of this season. Win or lose, remember it is the journey together.....


As Wildcat, my former college doubles partner will attest, those days with the team were filled with angst and elation....ups and downs...ying and yang...bagels and cream cheese (oops)...Honestly, these days were very special and I want my son to know what a privilege it is that he can play at such a high level and enjoy the accoutrements associated with division 1 baseball.


Ok, no more pontificating....time to work.

hasta luego!

Ring a ding ding

Good morning! It's a nice day, right? Actually, I am  not sure....on my last day alone with Diva, I considered a slow, uneventful morning before the trip to the airport and class. But all best made plans are generally not achieved, so why bother....Let's begin....

 

Diva and I settled into bed early last night to read and relax. Ahhh....so nice.....eyes are closing....feeling relaxed...hmmmm....ring...ring..."Did I wake you up?"

Shall I be honest or just say: "Hey, no problem. Glad that you called...."? Ok, I lied and had a nice conversation with Tink as she shared the events of the evening. As you probably know, with cell phone technology, we speak to one another multiple times a day. But sweetly, she wanted to say "good night." She is such a nice person....

Eyes closed.....deep breath....in and out.....

Ring ring..."Do you know where dad is? How is going?" It's going well. How about you? "Well, in class we......"

Eyes wavering....Diva is asleep and I am ready to join her.....

Ring ring..."Did you speak to your son?" Yes, I spoke to him, why? "Just asking....see you tomorrow at 11." OK, see you...night....

Ring ring....Is it possible that it is 6:30a? Remember Olympia Dukakis in Moonlight when she answered the phone by saying "who died?" Well, for a moment, shivers went up my spine when it was the big kid....hello, what's up?

"Mom, I am in trouble...." Yes, a mother loves to be awakened from a sound sleep by the sound of her son's voice who claims that he is in trouble.

"Mom, my chest is burning." Why is your chest burning?

"Some guys cut classes. So the coaches made us run these crazy sprints and drills this morning. Everyone vomited including me. Then a freshman passed out. My chest burns and I am not sure why."

 


OK, I do know why. It seems that you were pushed beyond your capacity to breathe. As a punishment for cutting class, which you did not do, it ranks up there with water-boarding and the Medieval rack. It seems somewhat inhumane especially if the guys were throwing up and someone passed out. Was the coaches' message received? Once the guys are discharged from the infirmary, I am sure that they will be sitting in class as they consider a variety of ways to 'off' the trainer (kidding).

"Mom, I just want to come home." Dude, I hear ya....how about happy hour on Friday night? I'll buy the fish tacos....K? He hangs up to shower.....

It's still dark out as Diva and I close our eyes again and.....

Ring....

"Mom, I just wanted you to know that we landed in Atlanta...." Super! The first part of the flight is over and you are closer to home...yahoo!

Sigh....Diva, we are sunk, let's get going.....and so, the dog and I got out of bed and for some reason, she had the expressed need to wipe her bottom on the carpet in my bedroom and voila! a lovely streak of poo for me to clean....yes, this is destined to be a wonderful day....I am feeling it....

As we sat to drink coffee, I was missing one more call. And then it came...."We're on the plane and will be arriving on time..."
 


Goody. Time for me to shower and get to the airport. Once I grab the bags and put them into the trunk, I am sure that I will hear the sentence: "So, did you enjoy your time alone?"

Hmmm......



Have a great day!

It's all about the dog

Good morning! It is cool out there. How do I know? Well, without Tink in the house, I am on Diva-duty. That's right. She has decided that she has a tiny bladder and therefore needed to go out multiple times last night and early this morning. What happened to my pre-Scientology Tom Cruise-RayBans long weekend? It's not about me and my mini vacation. It's about the dog...naturally.

Yesterday's culinary therapy was cut short with the news of Big M's readmission to the hospital. I won't go into many details but Big Sis spent the night with him. He has been admitted to the new wing in the hospital which I can only compare to the Ritz Carlton. Meals are called into the kitchen then delivered as room service. The patient decides when he or she wants to eat and then the dinner is delivered. Yesterday, while Big Sis ran home for supplies to spend the night, I sat with my big bro as he slept. He was one tired guy especially after the big homecoming activities. Anyway, while he was in the hospital a few weeks ago, he had a craving for peanut butter and jelly on white bread, which is his comfort food. The kitchen actually made him a sandwich and delivered it to him. That's what I call service!



Speaking of culinary therapy and cravings, our own Wildcat decided that she would create and treat us to Ina Garten's lasagna. Yes, next to cupcakes, lasagna is my secret indulgence. There is nothing better when a person is feeling blue than a warm slice of pasta with all of those gooey ingredients in it. The lasagna that she made was so amazing that I had a second piece with the family. Do I regret it? hmmmm....nope. It is one of those meals that rather than slice it, Big Sis and I would grab a fork and eat it in the pan. No regrets....none....

How is my big boy in the mountains? Well, I did not hear from him yesterday. That's right. He was in-communicado......which I think means...no phone calls or texts. There was one last scrimmage and now all he has to do for the week is work out with the team.

He plans to come home on Friday to see his crew....which is nice. And so, I have to prepare the house by stocking the pantry with the guy's favorites such as granola bars, peanut butter, bagels, bread pudding, baked ziti and so on....Hey! He's 21...we can have Happy hour together as we tackle the problems of the world and search for another way to provide health care for all without tanking the government and raising our taxes.  He's a pretty smart guy; perhaps he can construct another system of third party payment for the US. After all, he has had one half semester of finance, which is probably more than our representatives have had....miffed? What do you think?



And so, as fall ball comes to an end, we will reflect on how the Ranch and Pitching doctor impacted his success. Was it worthwhile to spend the summer in Texas? Was it a good investment? Does he have more confidence now? How about that fast ball? All of these questions will be answered and more in the next few months. In the meantime, I have some work to do and a dog to walk....

Enjoy the day!

Packing heat

Good Sunday morning! It looks like a gorgeous day. I haven't been out yet since Diva and I took the opportunity to sleep a little later today. It amazes me that a 7 pound dog is a bed-hog, but she is. I was sent to a corner of the bed as she took the middle. Naturally, I did not disturb her since I did not want her to wake up to have her plead to be taken outside at 2 am....Who's in charge here? Obviously, it is not me.

Yesterday, I did not hear about the scrimmage until it was well over. He had a so-so outing but was feeling OK about it. he says that his elbow hurts and I just let that go on one ear and out the other. He's going to have the trainer stretch his arm out today. It amazes me how the sun rises and sets on how this guy's arm is feeling. When did we become so interested in the arm? Do we insure it? Do we have to? When is fall ball over? I know that he needs a break, but so do I!

On to Homecoming! Well, Big M was the star of the show. He was an honorary captain and able to gather half of the players on the only undefeated football team in the school's history. There were cheerleaders (who were lame), a homecoming court with a crowned queen and king, a band that I could not hear, the half time ceremony, and the game.  Our own Tuna was the defensive star of the first half. Last week, he had an epic game as he played with a torn labrum and shoulder strap. As he helped to win the game, the team signed the ball, gave it to Big M, and multiple stories were written in the newspaper and about the kid who played his heart out injured for his dad with heart cancer. Fast forward to this week, Tuna was going crazy as he hit, blocked, and tackled.....all was going according to plan when it happened in the second half. One of the opposing players knew about the torn labrum and took a cheap shot at it. Tuna, in searing pain, hit the ground and had to be attended to by the team physician. As he was helped off the field, we could see that his shoulder has separated and he was in agony. After the doctor 'popped' it back in, it was iced and so was Tuna. No more football this year AND no rugby in the spring. It seems that our Tuna is out for at least a year as he has surgery and rehab. He and his family are pretty devastated. How much more can they take as they deal with Big M and the Tuna's injury?

Well, I will tell you....they are tough and handle problems as they come on. The are victors and not victims. They will continue as a family to tackle shoulder separations and cancer and will win these wars. Next week, Big M will start his cancer treatment and I know that he is going to beat it. Big Sis and I have a feeling....perhaps it is faith. Nonetheless, he will get better. He has the thoughts and prayers of an entire community behind him. The pink sisters and the retired IHM nuns are praying for Big M and his family. So, with the support, he can and will make it.

**Just a quick note to share how tough the family is....Tuna had a prom date last night and he did not miss it. He put on the tux as gently as possible, then went to the dance. This kid can do all kinds of things....I am impressed....he did not let his date down and refused to wallow in pity.

After yesterday's game, Big M hosted a party at the tavern across the street from the school. He was the star again as everyone wanted to chat and hug him. I got a little worried because he gets short of breath easily, but it was his and the team's night, so enjoy. Anyway, as I walked into the party, I saw a classmate who remembered me from Latin class. Yep, Latin....we did not exchange greetings in Latin, 'cause I have never used it except for mass when I was a little kid. Standing next to him was a very big guy who was shocked that I never heard of him. After all, he was the star of the basketball team during that era. Ok, honestly, I remember hearing the name but not the face. Thankfully, he had a name badge on. As he tried to refresh my memory as to who he was, he bought me a drink. Now, I will never forget him.

The party continued and I hung out with Dr. G, Lil A, and Really Big K and his wife. Really Big K was Big M's room mate in college and best friend. During the college years, RBK was ferocious on and off the field. He was crazy. He and Big M roomed with a former NFL player turned announcer for a year. According to legend, the NFL player lost RBK's varsity jacket. He used to wear the guy's clothes and discard them wherever he went. Anyway, RBK went ballistic and carved up the NFL player-to-be's books and threw them and his clothes out the window. Their roomie was officially expelled from the dorm room. To this day, I do not know if RBK and the former roomie reconciled. Hard to say....perhaps one day I will ask him.

The party went on late into the night. Unfortunately, I had Diva at home and had to walk her. I was the first one to reluctantly leave. Before I did, Scooby walked in and the guys from her class ran over buying her drinks and trying to get close. Yeah, Scoob was and still is the 'bomb' and the guys, although married, still love her. One of the groupies was a cop in Jersey. He deals with lots of tough and crazy people. I told him that I was still miffed at him for scaring the heck out of me. A few months ago, Scoob, Tink and I were in Philly for a benefit when a cop pulled me over. I thought that I had gone through a light or stop sign. Nope, it was this guy who wanted to say hi to Scoob....I shared with him that he scared the begeezus out of me and hoped that he was packing heat, 'cause he was going to need it when I finished with him. Guess what? yep, he was packing all right...it was located on his right hip under his shirt. And so, I let my little grudge go....this time....OK?

All righty, time for me to head to the Y for Zumba class. Wildcat is headed over later to make some comfort food. Yep, it's good to have friends and family. No need to carry a concealed weapon, a not concealed lasagne is much better.

Enjoy!

***Just got a call from BP Grandmom, Big M is being taken to the hospital right now. He is not feeling well. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.....

Queen of the supermarket

Good morning! This is a very early morning post since I had to drop Tink and dad off at the airport. It was so early that Starbucks was not open yet as I drove by to make absolutely sure that it was closed, I spooked the kid who was filling the salads in the dark. Yep, she never turned on the lights so my headlights scared the heck out of her. Ah, no big deal although I must admit there is absolutely nothing on television before 7 am.



As I watch the Fox and Friends news (truly, there is nothing on), it seems that Tom Hanks has been named the nicest guy in Hollywood. As I think about it, I can see it. I like the guy and can see myself having a glass of boxed wine with him chatting about the weather. After all, he is the iconic Forrest Gump. Interestingly, the big kid rewatched Forrest this week and commented that he felt Jenny had taken advantage of Forrest. I did not see that in the movie, but he did. I thought that Jenny was misguided and loved Forrest in her own way. We have agreed to disagree on this issue.

Another newsy tidbit that I have is that Halloween is the second biggest candy holiday of the year. Candy corn was once known as 'chicken feed'. Lastly, a full moon on Halloween is as rare as me finding enough cash in the bottom of my pocketbook for a cup of coffee.

And so you have it....on to last night's big smack down in the mountains as the team was broken in half for the end of fall ball. At the end of the week, there will be come broken hearts who will be cut. For now, my big guy is safe.

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a strong desire to attend last night's game 'cause I knew that he would play. As usual, I was and continue to be...wrong. It seems that he was set to close but first the score was lopsided, so there was no need for a closer. Then his team came back to win in the bottom of the 9th so he did not need to pitch. Mind you, it was 30ish degrees there and he needed enough time to
warm up his arm.      

The coaches promised him that he would play today. Sadly, I won't be making the climb up the mountain since it's the big Homecoming anniversary football game. Here are the details:



Big M was the star player and captain of the city championship team that won 40 (gulp) years ago. I was there and remember when he caught the winning touchdown pass in the end zone as the team pulled out a narrow victory. I cannot tell you who I went with or sat with at the game but I absolutely have the winning catch in the corner of the end zone in my mind.



Today, at Homecoming, the school will honor the team at half time. Nephew Tuna will be on the field as nose tackle. Big M is the master of ceremony. It should be a lot of fun since I have not been to homecoming....ever....will I see anyone that I know? Hmmm...maybe....will I recognize them? Hmmmm...probably not. You see, I had over 900 kids in my graduating class. Therefore for me to recognize someone as a classmate, they will have to hit me on the head and tell me their name and that he or she sat behind me in geometry. Although I would like to see a few selected guys again. They helped me to get through physics. I was so clueless that when the guys around me tried to cheat off my paper, they reverse cheated. Yeah, they knew that I had no clue  from the looks of my answers, so they whispered the actual answers to me. Hey, I did not ask for their help. I knew that I was absolutely helpless in this class. But they took pity on me and did not want to see me buried in numbers and vectors. Believe it or not, it was two years later when I was in college that physics finally made sense. Do I use it now? What do you think? I don't even know my math tables anymore. And with the computer, my handwriting is now chicken scratch.



Speaking of bad handwriting, as I type this note and am a bit nostalgic about my school days, I do remember a time in the fourth grade. I had a very very very old nun. She was mean too. Anyway, she was calling kids up to the front of the class to place a piece of straw into the manger since it was Christmas. When she called my name, she told me to sit down because my handwriting was so bad that I did not deserve to put any straw into baby Jesus's manger. Yep, arrest me....I could not make a capital Q or Z without messing up the Palmer Method. Another kid and me were the only ones in the class that day who did not make the baby's bed of straw. Now that is something that I do recall and was horrific at the time. I am pretty sure that I am scarred by it which could be one of the reasons why I am a bit nutso today. I cannot blame BP grandmom or grandpop for this one....

Oh man....on Fox and Friends, the chef is making pumpkin dumplings and pumpkin risotto. Dang, I am hungry......

Well, it is time for me to think about getting caught up on some work. With Tink and dad out of the house for the weekend, I am feeling a bit like Tom Cruise as he danced in the foyer with his RayBans on. Do I miss them? Uh, sure. Of course....you bet....it's just me and Diva until Tuesday.

By the way, our Tink has a job and is returning to school! Can anyone say: "Produce" or "Paper or plastic?" Bruce Springsteen sings a song, "The Queen of the Supermarket." Could he be singing about our Tink? That's right....she is now a member of the illustrious supermarket industry. This is great for me. I may never have to stand in line again. Although, she said that it is against policy for me to go through her line in the supermarket. Frankly, I will stay away and let her focus on her bagging and re-stocking....  After all, there is a special on canned pumpkin this week.

Ok, I have rambled on enough...more coming about homecoming and the big scrimmage today.

Road blocks

Good morning! It looks pretty outside but it is COLD! In fact, is was snowing in the mountains  and there was more than frost on the pumpkins. Yesterday, I wrote about my big trip to Home Depot for my heating unit filters knowing....just knowing that I would walk home either with the wrong size or nothing in my hand.


Why? Well, I was prepared for the excursion as I had the unit model written beautifully in my hand. But....yeah...once again....my little helper had no idea what I was talking about. Then I was handed off to "Ed" at the desk who did some online research and asked me the dimensions of the filter at home. Uh, Ed, I have the model here. You guys are the experts. I am just a stooge who wants to save a little money in a service call. How hard is this? Well, you guessed it. It is a lot harder than one would suspect and naturally, I do not have the filters since HD does not carry them. Is it too early to open the box of wine?

OY! On to the big leftie....on Facebook, I received a notice from the team that they were advertising the scrimmage tonight and tomorrow as the blue white games of the season. For the record, the big guy is on the white team. Anyway, tonight, the team expects a big crowd as they finish the fall season. Guess what? The big kid with the bigger fast ball is not starting. He is closing. Huh? What?








That's right....closing the game 'cause he has the best stuff. Nice to hear about the best stuff, but shouldn't he be starting? Am I missing something here? After all, you generally put the best pitcher on the mound on Friday nights. So, what's the deal?

Apparently, they love his pitching and feel that he would be more effective as a closer, i.e. Mariano Rivera, Papelbon, and Brad Lidge. Hmmm....I thought that he would be peeved but the opposite is true. he says that if he throws 90....no one will care if he starts or finishes....nice. And so, I will not be concerned and wait for the call to come in around 9ish for a game summary.

I had considered traveling to the game to watch. But there were a few factors that placed road blocks in front of my travel plans.

Road block 1: It's three hours to and from, through the mountains

Road block 2: It's 30+ degrees there.



Road block 3: I would travel 6 hours back and forth, be home around midnight to once again....and I do mean it...once again....sit through another cold, frigid game to see my kid come out in the third hour at the end of the game to throw perhaps 6-9 pitches....Oh, shades of Bull pen mom......



Road block 4: dad and Tink are traveling to the south tomorrow on a 6 am flight and he says: "I am NOT paying $80.00 to park my car at the airport for 4 days." This is code for: "darling, love of my life, air that I breathe, woman of my heart....get out of bed at 4:30 am and drive us to the airport...."
Yeah, so I will joyfully (yeah, right) arise waaaay before dawn to drop the two travelers off at the airport as I seek to find an opened Starbucks to get me home.

With all that said, I wish that I could travel 6 hours to campus and back on a Friday, sit through the frozen game tonight, arrive home around 1 am, and arise at 4ish am to drive to the airport. Yep, that's me....wanting to do it all. But stopping myself after looking in the mirror and saying: "Are you nuts?"

And so, friends....I will take the evening off.... wait for the post game interview.....go to bed early.....and throw my warmest sweats on for my journey to the airport. Nothing wrong with that, right?

One bonus to these plans, I will be on time for my 9 am Sh'Bam class.....OK, now I have got to go and get some work done. I have been complacent and not as fussy with work. My mind has been all over the place so I need to focus and let my students know that I really do care.
Really. Honestly. I mean it.



Later!

I get knocked down

Good morning! It's a cold one here as we got out of bed early to bring Diva to the groomers. Let me say that she was not pleased. It was so cold in the house (61 degrees) that I finally caved in and turned the heat on without changing the filter. And so, before picking up the dog, I have to run to Home Depot and look like I know what I am doing. I wrote the name of the heating units on a paper so that I can memorize it on the way. Then I will look the sales person in the eye and give him the wrong information and naturally, buy the wrong filters. This is a first for me, so I am a bit nervous. Why? Well, my heating guys retired in April and I admit that I am helpless without them. I also feel like I would be cheating on them by hiring someone else. Also, and this is really demented, I am mourning their retirement. I could count on these guys day and night to fix our issues. In fact, one late Saturday night, one of the brothers came to the house because he wanted us to have heat. Such a nice guy...I hope that they are sitting on the beach with a margarita and looking back on how much money I put into their pockets. Perhaps they are smiling...maybe not, 'cause one of the bros was nipped by Diva....yeah, I know...a 7 pound menace....



On to Big M....he's amazing. Less than one week out of the hospital, he is out running errands and working on the big homecoming celebration. Yesterday, I had the honor of being his chauffeur. As we chatted over coffee in the car, he had a list of places to go. Nothing on the list was for him. It was all for the homecoming ceremony and reception. This is why he has to battle this cancer...Big Sis and family needs him...I need him....his alma maters need him....the world needs him. Always giving and caring about others.....

How is the big leftie? Hmmm....he aced the finance test and did well in his Spanish test. Yahoo! My boy could actually be a college graduate come the spring. That's right....a BA in something that will get him somewhere....right?



As far as baseball is concerned, he is happy today...He has found his rhythm by singing a Chumba Wumba song in his head as he throws. The beat is perfect for his delivery and so, he sings the song and throws. As the coach stood by him, he asked what he was muttering as he threw....as he told him about the song, the coach exclaimed: "You are one weird $%#((*#!"

Weird?! I will tell you how weird he is....in my tennis days (sorry....fade to BPM history book, chapter 11.....), I would play singles and hit the ball back and forth for hours....until my opponent would drop. What would I be thinking in my head? Uh, nothing....that's right, 'cause I was singing a song that I would hear on the radio right before the match. It could be anything from a Beatles song "Help!" to Hermit Hermits "Something tells me I'm into something good...." I never had the right words, but I had the melody and wrong words and would sing, hit, sing, hit, sing....sip water....sing....hit....I had a great singles record because I could go all day. I had a friend with whom I would hit with to practice. During one practice session, we hit the ball back and forth 500 times (I counted) without missing.


It was a good exercise and taught me that I had to outlast my opponent since I really did not have the talent to defeat the person in less than an hour. And so, I would hit the ball until she would drop over from exhaustion and head home.

    

Now that my kid is using this tactic, I find nothing wrong with it. Rather, I applaud him....Chubba Wubba....the words are appropriate for him too...."I get knocked down, but I get up again...." That's him...knocked down by life and baseball....but he is like a weebil....he gets up and up and up. Now that is what I call a winnnnerrrr! Not a weird @#%#^^.....

One last note....no one can call my kid weird ever....only me...and he's not....crazy coach...watch your language...didn't your momma teach you not to cus?



Dang....got to go and figure out this filter thingamajing.....

Shalom!

One armed basketball player

Good morning! Yesterday I waited for the electrician all morning and he did not come. Soooo, I ran to Target to pick a few items up and behold...by the time I had returned home, he came and went...he did fix the problem on the outside of the house but I also needed him to fix a wire on the inside....hence the flatness of my bottom as I sat on the sofa all morning waiting for the guy. It seems that one of the smoke detectors....one of 13+  ring during the dead of the night because there is a short in one of them that needs re-wiring. And so, since the guy was coming, I was going to have him check on the detectors...naturally, after waiting and waiting, I missed him. So what do I do? Oye! I call him again to fix the smoke detector before I have another middle of the night heart attack as they ring and chime unprovoked.







Mind you...all of this electrician stuff started when dad decided that he would change a light bulb by the garage....damaging the light fixture that is no longer manufactured, so we have to re-wire it...and did....then it burned out again....then fixed again....then burned out again....then other electrical problems in the house emerged and now....there are more problems. If the fixture cannot be fixed then we have to change all of the lanterns around the house....because they match.....hundreds if not thousands of bucks.....Moral of the story...dad is NOT now or ever to change a light bulb.....Just sayin'....stick to accounting....



How's the big kid? Well, he has a work out today with Napoleon and we'll see if anyone has reframed or altered their paradigm when it comes to working out pitchers' arms. He swears that even if he is screamed at, he will continue to advocate for himself....good deal...

On Sunday, we watched the documentary Knuckleball on Showtime. It is about the very few knuckle ball pitchers who made it to the majors.  With that said, it was an interesting story but what I took from it is that these guys have so many obstacles placed before them that the road to the major leagues is incredibly painful. The ups and downs that they experience are extreme. I have a friend whose son was drafted after high school by the Red Sox. He is still in the minors after five years and plans to stay until he is 29 or leave and return to school. There are long bus rides, loneliness, and boredom. He is also paid a stipend which is hardly a living wage. Although he wants to desperately make it in the majors, he is plagued with batting slumps and injuries. And so, to get his mind off his latest injury, he left the country to volunteer at a medical clinic in El Salvador. I think that this is an excellent way to get his mind off his troubles and see the world as it really is. If anything, this experience will be life altering.

And so, today I have to teach a class and run to PT. Tank has been unable to crack through whatever is ailing my right arm. Perhaps it is too far gone to be re-habbed...then what do I do with a problematic right arm? 



Do I really need it? I think so, although I saw on GMA today that there is a one armed high school senior basketball player who is amazing and just signed to play for the University of Florida. He can run, jump, play defense, and shoot the ball better than 99% of the high school seniors in the country. I hope that he achieves his dream...although playing college ball just might be the dream....until he sniffs professional ball....then his mom will be writing their story too. Thus, it will be way more interesting than my story as I wait for electricians. teach class and run to baseball games.



With that said, it's time for me to make a living....adios!