Baked ziti: Cure for what ails you

We're baaack! And so, what happened? How did the big leftie throw? Did he start the game? Or did he come out of the bullpen to save it? Did I wear the lucky sneakers? Were the jeans too tight?

Ahhhh...so many questions to be answered....let us begin at the beginning....

It was a glorious morning in the northeast as we prepared for our journey north through the mountains. With autumn leaves at their peak, I was ready for some scenery and change of venue....the car was packed with Halloween goodies and dinners for my little guy. Tink, dad and I hit Starbucks on the way out and I could not be happier....a good start to a hopefully wonderful day.

As we drove north, the bright day turned dark and the temperature dropped precipitously. In other words, it was time for baseball in the northeast. The problem was that in my excitement, I forgot how cold it could get and left the "Tims", coat, scarf, and gloves at home. I guess that I was way too optimistic to think this one out....duh!

OK, we arrive as the game begins and found a seat in the sun. As the game continued, we looked for our favorite player and found him leaning on the rail of the bullpen. This was an excellent sign. The game was an inter squad match and it was team mates against team mates. Since it was the last weekend of scrimmages, cuts would be made this week.

And so, we watched....the pitching was horrendous. No one could find home plate. The batters were teeing up on the pitches and hitting them over the outfielders' heads. Since we did not attend any games last year, we did not know the names of players since they were not on their jerseys.


So what did we see besides terrible pitching? Well, we saw one player who did not hustle and was thrown out at the plate. He also had a really bad fielding error and all I could think of was this guy would be cut.

As the game progressed, we saw Buddy's room mate at the plate. He was called out on three strikes. It was startling and I could see that this kid might not make it to the season either. The bright spots were the play of Big Red and Angel. They looked great. Red won his job back after having a terrible year last year and losing his starting position to a freshman. He came back from the summer in shape and ready to fight....which he did and now he is the starting catcher.

OK, where is Buddy? Why isn't he warming up? Where could he be? So dad asked Tink to find him in the bullpen and ask him when he was going to pitch. When she returned, she reported that he was NOT pitching and had an injury.

Huh!? What? Are you kidding me? What kind of an injury? He's healed, right? What did he do?

With that said, it began to rain and we left the ball park since there was no reason to stay. We had seen enough, were cold, and very hungry.

After the game, we picked him up at the bus stop and asked a zillion questions. Basically, he has a strained bicep and he is working it through. It is nothing to worry about but since the surgery, he is being cautious. A good thing....

OK, so who was the kid who could not run or field? Was he a freshman or just someone who thought that he could play? With that question, he slowly mentioned that the player who was obviously  not up to D-1 standards was....Gopher....his new room mate. Oy! Here is a kid that they recruited and gave scholarship money to in order to bring him to campus. And so, unless he performs better in the spring, a very expensive Midwesterner will be taking space up on the bench.

After dinner, we bid adieu and headed home. As we drove down the mountain, the phone rang...."uh dad, I think that I will be able to pitch tomorrow. My bicep feels better...." Nice, it's amazing what homemade basked ziti and a pumpkin filled with goodies can do for a musculoskeletal injury.

Time for me to catch up on my laundry. Have a great day!

Go time

Hi
It's "go time"...what do I mean by go-time?

Well, the kid is pitching in a simulated game for the first time in over a year. I have had to prepare for this...not sure what he is doing, but I am almost ready....

After showering and finding my "not so fat, but wearable" mom-jeans, I added make up (yes, full caking of the face) and earrings. My lucky sneakers are sitting by the door as I look for lucky socks. The camera is charged and waiting. The kids and I made the baked ziti, pulled pork, cupcakes and whoopie pies. There is a plastic pumpkin filled with candy and a case of rice krispie treats thanks to Sam's Club. The kids made posters for him that I will post after I photograph them (so cute).

Dad and Tink are loading the car and the dog walker is set to stop by and take care of Diva Dog. All in all, we are headed north into the mountains to the unknown.....

More tomorrow.....

whoa~

Hey! Another great day....why is it so great? "cause I had no idea that it was fall break at school and I had the day off. My students informed me last week that we did not have class today...what a break indeed...One of these days, I will have to keep better tabs on the school calendar...Once I put Tink on the bus when she did not have school....when the bus did not show up, I called the district to pick her up. After putting her on the bus, I looked at the schedule and had a meltdown.....She kept telling me that she had the day off, but I did not believe her.

Lesson learned....I ran after the bus and did not find her until an hour later when she was sitting in the driveway with her father after the bus turned around and returned home. Needless to say, I understand why people need antidepressants and anti anxiety medication...I totally get it....therapy would be a bonus too....

On another note...we had a meltdown as we received a letter from Buddy's landlord yesterday....gee, I wonder what she wanted? I will give you three guesses and the first two do not count.

That's right...she has been cited by the borough for trash strewn around the yard. There were three police citations rendered to the landlord. She may be losing her permit to rent her house to college students and therefore with the next citation, the guys will be evicted. But according to the lease, they will continue to pay rent, even though they have to find a new place to live.

Dad emailed her today and asked her to stay on top of the cool guys and keep him informed of further infractions.Honestly, I raised him better than this...I covered the use of a trash can, picking up objects on the floor, porch, and lawn, and caring for your environment. Do I blame him? Oh yeah...I do....in fact, as far as I am concerned, we are going to have a sweet lil meeting on Saturday when I drop by campus for the baseball scrimmage. I have an agenda and Tink will take minutes.

Obviously, these knuckleheads do not have critical thinking skills and cannot think past their next beer or party. I noticed on the letter from the landlord that all of the parents were notified...nice....now each guy will have the pleasure of muting the telephone as their moms and dads scream into it. Dad and I do not usually raise our voices, BUT this time, I might use some nonverbal communication tactics and shrug my shoulders as he tries to explain how well this open door policy is working.....

Do all guys behave this way? I don't think so. I generally keep my mouth shut when my friends share their stories of their kids being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, engineering honor societies, and offered fellowships to discover new treatments for cancer. Should I mention that my kid can drink beer while standing on his head? After all, this is quite a skill as he defies gravity.

With that said, I am taking advantage of the beautiful weather and going for a long long walk to practice my speech on "cleanliness is next to Godliness" on Saturday. I may use PowerPoint and videos to make my point...have a wonderful day!

Culinary Therapy

It's Tuesday! Why am I so excited? No reason...just had coffee and am on a caffeine high. Not much going on....the semester is now in a full swing and I have less down time than ever, but I try to teach a year's worth of classes in 6 months so that I can be free to attend baseball games anywhere in the country. This way, I am tired and stressed, but it is temporary. The fun begins in February in Florida (oh yeah).

This weekend is a biggie for the big kid.
He is going to be on the mound in a scrimmage and is having some mental misgivings. I completely understand it. After all, his physical therapist mentioned that all athletes who have had injuries go through an odd mental process as they have to get over the injury and perform to their best abilities.

Not that I am on this level, but I did struggle when I held a racquet again. Not so much physically, but mentally, I did not want to re injure myself. Likewise, I attended Zumba Sunday after months of not even considering attending a class. There was no way that I was going to bounce up and down on a knee that does not have cartilage. Yet, once I got my nerve back, I discovered that I can do just about anything but have to be aware of discomfort and not over do it. 

I am assuming that Buddy will go through this process too. Unfortunately, he is thinking that he is going to come to the mound and blow the ball past the batters. This could happen and all would be well....but what if it does not happen? Then what? Therapy? Physical and mental? Stress management? Guided imagery? Aroma therapy? Or should he just 'gut it out' and work through the thoughts that are going on in his head? Remember what Coach T says: "throw the ball as hard as you can....don't think."

Hmmm....I don't know...but I will be there for culinary therapy...that's right...all of the kid's favorites made by his momma.



Sure, Tink and dad will not be allowed to touch it, 'cause it's for my little guy. They'll get over it. After all, they have the pleasure of living with me and eating my food all the time. My little boy needs some home cooked meals to boost his spirits. And that is exactly what I plan on doing. I might not be able to throw the ball for him but I can certainly fill his stomach and add a dash of love.

With that said, I have a class to teach....enjoy the day!

Bakin' for the boys

Hello! A breezy, beautiful day with the leaves changing in the northeast. The day could not be more perfect. It's time to celebrate!

Speaking of celebration, I was able to attend Zumba class today without crippling knee pain. Whaddya know? The surgery was successful! Actually, I did not go full throttle with the moves since I was babying the legs, but it was fun to be there for a change.

I have not heard from the big kid for a few days and from what Tink tells me, he is exhausted....how can that be if it is a football-free weekend on campus? Oh, perhaps there was no football, but there  definitely were a few parties going on. If the guy is tired, why is he staying out all night at a party or three? What ever happened to the statement: "I have gone to enough parties and met enough people."? Does he forget these famous words?

And so, I have not heard anything except he will pitch next week during a scrimmage and I have an invitation to attend....along with some homemade pulled pork, cupcakes, cookies, and Halloween candy. Let's not forget the baked ziti.....Gonna start cooking on Thursday with my new friends.

Who are my new friends? Well, I am glad that you asked. It seems that the quints who live at the end of the street have an affinity for Diva Dog and one of the girls stops by each day to walk her. Once she found out that I bake with my next door neighbor who is also seven, she has decided to participate in this action. So, on Thursday, I will start baking with my little girl friends. There will be no Merlot offered to the gals as we roll the dough for the cookies.

What about the quint brothers? Well, they are interested in Buddy. One little guy rides his bike to the house every day looking for Buddy. "Is he home yet?" This young fella is having a hard time understanding that Buddy will not be home until after Halloween. In the mean time, he stops by daily to look at his baseballs, bats, hats, and equipment. I give him a ball every day and he glows and runs home to show his mother. The kids watch for me to drive down the street, hop on their bikes, and ring the door bell. Then the fun begins as I look at my computer and work on my desk, sigh, and leave it for a later time. After all, I gotta hang out with the kids for a while. They call my house the 'big pumpkin' house as they take turns sitting on the big gourd.

And so, that's about it for the day....trying to get ready for a long work week....hang out with kids if they stop by and search for more baseballs that are going fast. Perhaps I will give out baseballs on Halloween as opposed to candy. I can start a new trend. Instead of sugary sweets, we can give out treadmills, tennis racquets, and cleats.

Have a great day!

Magna Cum Baseball

Good morning! A great day in the northeast and we have Cupcake in the hose. Naturally, Diva Dog has been replaced by a cuter baby and she does not like it. Although, she will cuddle next to the baby and allow the baby to pull her ear while she drinks her bottle. It seems that Diva is quite protective of Cupcake.

And how is our little Cupcake? Well, she started to eat cereal this week and seems like a happy little kid. Right now, she is napping and all is well with the world. She also has her stylin' pumpkin hat on and is waaay cute.

Ok, whazzup in the world of baseball? Well, plans continue as the big kid will travel home on weekends to work with Coach T. "Mom, I have had enough parties and met enough people. I don't need this every week when I am trying to achieve my goal." Hmmm...very mature for an underage partying, baseball playin', extremely tired college student. This is parent's weekend on campus and we have not been invited. When I mentioned it to the leftie, his response was "I would rather that you came next weekend to watch the scrimmage. I will be pitching and want you to come."

Wow!  a personal invitation to come to campus and observe the fruits of his labors. I must say, it has been laborious. With the surgery, rehab, training, and practices, this guy has not stopped. I have never seen anyone more dedicated to a goal in  my life....which now brings me to a statement: "I was wrong."

Yes, I was wrong. One day when the kid was in high school, he was lying in bed during the afternoon. Frustrated, I angrily said to him that he did not have the discipline to play Major League baseball. In fact, he did not have the discipline to get out of high school. Kind of rough, yes?

Yes, it was. In fact, years later, he remembers that day and how angry he was that I had the nerve to talk to him that way. Ooops.

Well, you have to look at the day, time, and what he was and was not doing. He was lazy, inattentive, and making me crazy. I hated when the kids would just ignore what they had to do such as homework and projects. When I would ask: "Finished your homework?" The response would be either 'what homework?' or 'later....'

As a parent, it would drive me crazy....come on dude, get your act together....

And together, he did. He has as much drive and discipline as anyone who is an honors student at any ivy league university striving to complete and defend his dissertation. The only difference is that rather than be passionate about statistics, he wants to create his own kind of statistics in the ball park. So, I have had to readjust my thought process and be happy that he is happy with his walk in life. That is...not as an honors student striving for Phi Beta Kappa but as a student of the game of baseball whose goal is Maja Leaga Baseballa......

With that said, Diva Dog needs a walk and I have to go....have a wonderful day!

Hallo-mas

Ok, it is not even Halloween yet and there are Christmas decorations in the stores. I am still looking for a lighted spider to add to my Halloween decorations, and do not like my Christmas shoved down my throat like this. I prefer to celebrate the holiday in December after I have put away my pilgrims and pumpkins. Yesterday the radio station that plays all holiday music starting conducting a survey to determine when the listeners want to hear the Christmas songs. In other words, if the listeners answer the survey that they want to hear Jingle Bells next week, the radio station will begin its holiday playlist.

This is crazy. We are not even at the midterm point in our semester and I refuse to think about chestnuts roasting on an open fire although Jack Frost has been nipping at my nose with this chilly weather.

OK, on to more current events. The big kid has a new plan of action. It seems that he feels that his pitching coach has absolutely nothing to offer him as far as coaching is concerned. Whenever he asks for feedback, the coach says the same thing. Actually, he offers the same bit of advice to every pitcher on the team. Naturally, this frustrates Buddy to no end and therefore he has developed his plan.

The plan has several components which includes coming home every weekend, Coach T, and paying for local pitching lessons. I hope that the plan also includes purchasing a bus pass. I am not inclined to travel to campus every week as a shuttle just to drive him to baseball....kind of like the old days when he would be in the back seat and I would take him to tee ball.

The flaw in this carefully calculated plan is that Coach T has been MIA for the past month and has not been answering his texts. After his minor league team finished the season, Coach T has vanished. Where did he go? No one seems to know and my son is planning to get to the bottom of this disappearance.

He's examining all clues and facts and will begin to interview people who last saw his beloved Coach. Where can he be? The answer is 'dunno'. My take on the situation is that he has taken a long vacation or is in the Caribbean for a fall baseball league. Any way you look at it, the big kid will find him.

Thinking about his plan to come home every weekend after fall ball has me a bit puzzled. Will working out with Coach T really make a difference? Also, what happens to the Party House chaperone if he is gone on Friday and Saturday nights?

Will the rest of the guys party without him? Will the house have more damage? Will fights break out? Will there be more tossed eggs? What about the girl's gymnastics team? Will they attend the house parties without him? Who will unclog the toilet with a fork?

So many questions, so few answers....stay tuned!