Movin on.....Lights out

Good morning! It's a windy and slightly rainy day and I have class in an hour. It should be interesting since I have received word that there is a power outage on campus.



This means....no power (duh). What it really means is that I have to work without a net. That is...no internet sources, no Powerpoint slides, no You Tube informational videos. it's all left to me with some laryngitis to carry the class. Can anyone say "Group work?" Now all I have to do is figure out what kind of group work so I am not accused of making them do busy work. ..ah, the life of a professor.....so glamorous....as I sit my box of Puff Plus with lanolin Kleenex on my desk and fill the trash can with dirty tissues. I love having an audience when I blow my nose. Oh, how I love online education....

How is the big kid? Well, we are still waiting to hear back from the insurance company about his medication. In the meantime, he signed up for his own insurance plan to stay on Independence Blue Cross, per advice of doctor. This also means that we have yet another big monthly bill until he goes into remission and can go back onto the family plan.

Tink was offered another job last week which makes two jobs in two weeks. Follow that one?

She has her options and  weighing the pros and cons of each. She favors the job that pays less (naturally......) and will have to submit her resignation to the other job after working two shifts. In other words, she is turning in her apron.

Why is Tink job shopping? Welll........

Fade to black.....

She was offered a great job last year on a local campus. She started off on the day shift and was moved into the evening shift. She would get home after midnight. The dogs whined and barked as they missed her. Then she would stay in the car for a few minutes after she drove to the house and the dogs would go crazy at 1 am....Then, she would be up until three am and sleep until 2 pm, then go to work. This job was not conducive for a healthy life style for her or for us. Naturally, I would be waiting for her to get home and have to get up early in the morning. So, it was not conducive for a healthy lifestyle for me either. She begged her manager to give her the day shift and was ignored. She was also promised health insurance which never materialized. Eventually, we decided to pull the plug on this career path and move down another one. She then got a part time job at the health and racquet club which she loves but does not offer benefits. Hey, it is time to get your own benefits so I can start saving for my long term care facility in the mountains of Wisconsin (does Wisconsin have mountains?).....just sayin'.....

And now, she is going into a new position and is excited about her future. Me too! After all, what do we want as parents? Well, if you ask me.....

We want for our children:
1. To be nice and kind
2. To love God and neighbors
3. To do good works for others
4. Be productive
5. Be independent
6. have their own benefits and 401K plans and savings!
7. Have someone to love them and for them to love back.
8. To pay for their own cell phones, car, and insurance premiums
9. To live dependently....oops, did I write that one twice? uh, my bad.....

OK, I have to figure out what I am going to do in class with the lights out......

Peace!

Movin on....March Sadness

Hi! The thermometer hit 45 today and it feels balmy. The snow is melting and the car is coated with crud. You know what crud is....it's the salt and dirt from the road making your car not only cruddy but grimy too.



Anyway, not much going on....except....

Yep, this is my fault.....

I picked Villanova all the way as opposed to last year when I did not.

AND....

They lost in the 2nd round thereby confirming my theory that it is all about me. If I had listened to the class and not selected them, they may have pulled it out. As it stands, my bracket is busted and I have to buy a cake for the class on Wednesday. 

I vow that I will never participate in March Sadness gambling again....

Nor will I select a Fantasy Football team. My team last season came in last.



Dead Last.

Carson Palmer was my quarterback. That says it all, right?

Oh, I also had RG III. Again....what do I know? I called the team the "Avengers..." Yep, they avenged, all right.



Sometimes I take BP Grandmom to Harrahs to play the penny slots. I take $20 and try to make it last 90 minutes. I walk away with 3 cents, she has over one hundred dollars burning a hole in her pocket that she won. I could learn from her. Maybe, I should let her pick my brackets next year.



Maybe I stop gambling today...no more raffles....lottery tickets.....sports betting....penny slots....

Done!

The only way to have money is to earn it, so I will get back to work.



peace!

Hitting and throwing balls

Good morning! We are going to continue to have amazing weather for the next several days. How great is that? Now all I need to do is get outside. Although I first have to catch up on my house related issues, namely the shattered window, towel bar, oil change for the car, and dog's bottom.

On Thursday night, as we sat down to dinner, Tink, dad, and I watched our teen age neighbor practice his golf swings. He has nice form but a bad aim. Tink found another ball when she walked the dog yesterday. We have quite a collection. From looking at the bathroom window, it could be due to a defect since there is no sign of a ball striking it. The window shattered but did not disintegrate into the tub or on the lawn. It is still in its frame. 

And so, I really cannot approach the neighbor....although one day, I will return the balls in a gift bag with a note if the parents are not home to receive their gift. I am also going to take a picture of the window to hold on to....I am not annoyed...just perplexed. When we watched him hit the balls, he was facing his own home....he must have a wicked hook.

This morning, I had a interesting conversation with the big kid. Yep, he is exhausted. Late nights, parties, alcohol, and clogged toilets added to classes, work outs, rehab, assignments, and papers yield a cranky boy.

After having a mom-son discussion, he has decided that there will be no more blow out parties in his house and cannot understand why the room mates do not want to hang out with pizza and a movie. He doesn't get it....hmmmm...college...no parents....booze....freedom....what is there not to get?

And so, he continued to speak of his journey and baseball goals. He asserted that his room mates will miss baseball and that they are not committed to keeping their quest to the MLB alive after college...but he is. Nice....He does not want to look back on these years with regret that he could have been more focused. Therefore, he is now over the party scene (unclogging a toilet with a fork always helps to put life into perspective) and wants to eat, sleep, go to class, and play ball. Let's see what happens.

On to LW's arm...he continues to play with less strength and a great deal of pain. Will the trainer finally stop him and work to identify the issue OR will they wait until there is permanent damage? Where are the folks? Why is he still playing....coaches....it's only fall ball....

Tomorrow, I have to drive to campus and pick up the kid to take him to a physical therapy appointment. The therapist may give him the permission to start throwing at full strength. This is what he has been waiting for since January. If all is well, he can begin to pitch next week.

Here we go....was the surgery successful? Is he ready physically and emotionally? What is fall ball going to look like? More questions than answers....more later!

Peace..out!

Making the playoffs

Good morning! Another beautiful spring day in the northeast and the kids have been settling into a routine of sleeping late and retiring to bedrooms early. What is so interesting in those rooms? not sure...perhaps they are reading some of the classic literature or self help books....nah....they are online chatting away with their friends.

Today is a special day. It's the day that I have been waiting for and fearing at the same time. I am going to hit tennis balls today. And the trepidation is whether the knee will hold up in competition. I wanted to start slowly and hit against a ball machine. Then I am going to hit with a tennis pro who is probably the age of Cupcake. Lastly, I have been booked for matches on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The butterflies are beginning to fly in the stomach and I am way too nervous about this. After all, I have been playing tennis competitively since I was twelve. Now I am nervous....crazy? Yah....And so, I grab my racquets, dust the mold and dirt off them, strap on my lucky sneakers, pick up the pink mother's day wrist bands given to me by my son who took them from the stadium on Sunday, rub in the sunscreen, grab a hat and sunglasses, and squeeze into my tennis skirt. If this does not scream: "Start your diet!", nothing will.....wish me luck!

As far as Buddy is concerned, he worked out yesterday and worked at the bakery until late at night. The cakes are baking and the floors needed mopping. It's a great job for him. Love their vanilla cake with vanilla frosting....this is not good for the diet, is it?

His team won the first game of a three game series yesterday and have made the conference playoffs in Ohio (yep, Ohio).  Rather than being totally thrilled for the guys, he is saltier than ever because (once again) he is not there to either sit in the dugout, stand in the bullpen, spit seeds, or be called into the game to save it. His ego is taking a blow and rather than talk about it, he is moody and sullen with a bit of a salty edge.

I understand his sadness, yet as Kelly Clarkson sings: "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger....." Perhaps the time off from competition is the best thing to happen to him. In fact, he gets another year of college to work and complete (according to dad) a masters degree...'cause according to dad, he WILL finish his bachelors degree with the rest of his class. No ands, ifs, or buts....we did it, he can do it.

On Sunday, Big Red moved out of the apartment because he could no longer take the immaturity of Buddy and Angel and living with LW. So, he left early....dude....what about the cable bill that I have been paying? Time to complete all transactions here. It was ironic because he told his girlfriend that his room mates were holding him back from being a top player. He has been relegated to second string since he dropped his batting average to less than .200. Furthermore, he blames his room mates for this action by the coach.

OK, what are we missing here? I'll tell you....here is a guy who is struggling on the field and his explanation is his room mates are crazy. Hmmmm...yeah, perhaps they are real knuckleheads, but when a person has a problem with hitting, it is not because their room mate is standing next to them on the field making them laugh during a game. During a slump, he blames someone else. What about looking within and checking his batting stance or rotation? How about changing his diet, sleep regimen, walk out song or even lucky underwear and shoes. Every spring, I had Buddy's eyes checked for changes. Inevitably, we would have to change the prescription in his contact lenses and he would see the ball and plate better. Has Red checked his vision lately? Perhaps he is not seeing the ball well.

With that said....I have to see Cupcake and Buttercup.
Go team!

Labor Day!

It's time! Time for what, you may ask?

It's time for Buttercup to become a mommy. She is the first daughter of the first daughter of the first daughter and about to deliver her first daughter. Buttercup is also my niece and goddaughter and   going to burst after 9 months of pregnancy.  Impending delivery signs include: contractions, sleeplessness, inability to find a comfortable position, and nesting. Oh yeah....some dilation and effacing per her obstetrician. And so, she is ready to go.

Am I ready to become a great aunt? Hmmmm....this does mean that the next generation of the BP is beginning to procreate. This is pretty natural, eh?

I look at myself in the mirror (only for a split second) and wonder when the lines came. Could it be from sitting in the sun watching too many baseball games without sunscreen and a hat? Or could it be that I have passed the midlife number and am on the slide toward the ultimate home plate?

It's probably a combination of both. Warning to Buttercup's baby: Always use sunscreen and moisturizer....some other tips that I would like to share with this child are:

1. Mom is mom...she'll be your mother forever. When she becomes too much to take (as all mothers do), you can call or text Bullpen Auntie....She will be your confidant, mentor, and pal. She'll take you out for an ice cream, to the mall, long walk, or a movie. She loves babies especially someone as special as you....don't hesitate to call, cry, or whine.

2. Your granny (my Big Sis) is really an OK person. She might seem a bit overwhelmed at times, but she has things all under control. Granny is one of the best multitaskers around and will teach you a number of things, like keeping life long friends, making an Easter lamb cake, and hanging in there repeatedly when times are rough. She is the most loyal person you will ever find. Just don't take her for granted.

3. Your poppy has been battling and winning the fight against cancer. This requires guts and determination. Observe how he never gives up. If you absorb this lesson, you will be a winner at life.

4. There will times when you want to run from your problems, but don't. You have a loving family who will support you and walk you through the happy and tough times.

5. Your family loves celebrations and getting together for no reason at all. We will be a constant presence in your life and watch as you grow your first tooth. We have a family tradition, that the person who finds the baby's first tooth has to buy the first pair of shoes. It's a tradition, so smile when I see you. I'll pick up a pair of cleats or tennis sneakers for you.

6. Your uncles and dad are already watching the neighborhood boys. No dating until you are finished with medical school or score your first gold medal in track and field.

7. Your Aunt Scooby will help you to find the best deals on the east coast. She has a knack of locating items for a fraction of their cost. This is a talent that takes time and effort to learn. Observe her in action, you will be impressed.

8. Fruits and vegetables are important nutrients to staying healthy. Don't become 'carb-hounds' like the rest of our family. A bagel or piece of cake for breakfast is not the best choice unless the bagel is multigrain and the cake is carrot :-D.

9. Never go to bed unless you have said your prayers and thank God for your family, friends, health, toys, bed, house, and blessings. BP Grandpop and Grandmom will teach you the prayers that they taught their children who taught their children. Tag! You're it! Great Grandmom and Grandpop have been praying for years and we feel it. So will you....

10. Believe it or not, you have been loved before you were even born. We'll be watching and there in a flash when you need someone. Don't worry, we've done this before...so we know the drill. You are new at this life, so enjoy the ride. 

There are so many other tips to give this child, but it is time for me to head to physical therapy and see Tank. I need to keep up with this kid, so off I go.

Have a great day and happy labor day to our Buttercup!