Baseball is my refuge and my strength

I can't concentrate.  I've been less than productive at work for days on end now.

I'm restless.  I can't sit still.  Nothing is holding my interest.

And on top of that, I'm incredibly bored.  None of my usual activities is making me particularly happy.

I just wish I knew what's wrong.

9:00 p.m. ETA: Now I feel really depressed on top of all of the above.  Maybe it's hormones.  Maybe it's because I stayed up too late last night.  I'm watching the game...sort of.  My heart's not really in it.  I may end up cutting out and going to sleep just to escape.  I hate when I feel like this.

Just trying to catch up here.  Lots has been going on this week so I'll just touch on a few things.

First, baysbawl bizness: I'm not happy about the breakoff in contract talks with JayBay.  That? Is worrisome.   ::::clings:::   As for My Little Guy, word around the media is that he's working out at the Mets training complex in the Dominican Republic, so it sounds like he may have a new home soon.

( Cut for blathering... )

On a totally different topic, on Wednesday I had a short but sweet visit with my maternal aunt and one of the other cousins in that generation.  They flew into Asheville and stayed overnight at my mom's before heading to a "senior generation" cousins' reunion in Nashville for a few days.  It was great to see them, as it's been a couple of years and will be a couple more before I see them again at the big family reunion.

Last but certainly not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (#32) to my cousin Andre', who is currently on a Caribbean cruise that he treated himself to.  It's also birthday #38 for my cousin Mark out in California (the classical guitarist who I mentioned here a few months back).

Okay, enough blathering for me.  Off to work on e-mails.  Hope all my friends have had a lovely weekend!   :::waves:::

I was planning to make a catch-up post, but this needs to come first: Is anyone else getting a weird icon about "the things I saw" when they click on the "home" link for their journals?  As in...hacking issues?  I'm doing some tags cleanup at the moment and just ran across it.  At least I can get to everything i need via my profile.  I haven't seen anything else amiss, but folks may want to be on the lookout.

ETA: Whatever it was, it's gone now.  Still pretty creepy, though, to click on one's "home" link and find nothing but an animated GIF.

Meme from

horsecrazyliza:

Stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW and screencap your desktop. (If you're reading this and haven't yet done it, SHAME ON YOU.) You can edit it a bit, but only if you need to scratch out a name or something.

This is my very first screencap, as I'm just learning how.  Thank you, Windows Vista, for providing a "snipping tool" program that came with instructions, because at first the "print screen" method yielded no results (I've got it now...I was missing a step).  I'm posting this in the small format because I'm too lazy at the moment to sit down and learn how to use Tinypic.  Soon, soon, soon.  And I'll be posting another entry later, but couldn't resist taking the opportunity to do this meme.  So, without further ado, here is my current desktop.




 

 

I'm not going to pretend that today was an easy one for me.
 

( Matter of fact, it rather sucked... )

That's really about it for now.  I have more things to post about over the weekend; I've been saving them up because I've been busy over the last several days.  I also need to clean up my tags a bit, and will probably delete a couple more of my Julio icons, but not all of them, because I'm pretty attached to them.  So stay tuned.

P.S.  On a happier note, Albert hit two HR tonight, bringing his season total to 34 and his RBI total to 89.  I guess he had a slow time of it during the All-Star festivities because he was saving up to do that.  :::smile:::

This question is for anyone who has ever sent fan mail.  If I send fan mail to a ballplayer, how long do you think it takes until they actually receive it?  I'm discounting mail transit time from here to the home office.  How long does it take from that point until it reaches their hot little hands?

More later, as I haven't posted for a few days.  For now, I'm holding down my department solo today and had best get back to it.

I  couldn't resist...

Picture snagged from USA Today.

Good luck in the Home Run Derby, big fella!

Josh Beckett was LIGHTS OUT today, pitching a complete game shutout of the Royals.  Congrats, Josh, on your 100th career win!

Secondary congratulations to Aaron Bates for a stellar performance at the plate today, going 3 for 4.  Kiddo is being very impressive thus far!
 

I had another bizarro dream this morning. It largely revolved around Julio and high schoolish settings. The other people mentioned are all doctors (past and present) where I work. Sometimes I wish I knew what my brain is trying to tell me when I dream.
 

( Cut to the strangeness... )

I want to watch baseball tonight...I want to participate over at Center Field tonight...I want to catch up on comments and e-mails tonight.

I hate when my asthma acts up...summer can be such a bear in this regard.  I've had to use my inhaler two days in a row, which doesn't happen often.  I'm not sure if it's partly due to anxiety -- work is being pretty stressful this week because there's too damn much to do and not enough people or time to do it.  I'll see how I feel after I get out of here at 6:30.  But...if my lungs don't start behaving, I may have to can all my evening plans and just go to bed after dinner.

This sucks.

ETA:  I did feel quite a bit better once I had a chance to chill, and I ended up doing the first two of the three things on my list.  Now I'm watching the top of the 9th -- GO SOX!  :D    And then...to bed.

 

( Stupid computer! )

In other news, per MLB.com, Coco is having a second surgery soon, this time on his other shoulder, and hopefully will be able to play by Opening Day.  Rumor around the Kansas City blogs is that they won't pick him up for next year.  I do hope he heals up and finds a new home somewhere.

In happier news: We won today!  And six Sox made the All-Star roster!  Way to go, guys!

Just a little while until I go to bed and the sun sets on my vacation for real.  It was nice while it lasted.

So...my landlady, after a couple-three years of letting her furnished basement apartment sit vacant, must've needed some extra money, because a couple of days ago she informed me that she has a new renter.  He happened to show up to get his keys while I was finishing paying my rent, and we met briefly, and later he stopped by my place to introduce himself at greater length.  He's about as different from me as one can be...an older and rather weatherbeaten local guy...retired long-haul truck driver who is supplementing his Social Security with some construction work...drives a pickup truck with Fraternal Order of Police stickers all over it, etc.  He seems nice enough despite the lack of common ground. Only one problem...his truck desperately needs maintenance (I suspect he doesn't have the money for it) and it sounds like it has absolutely no muffler whatsoever.  As a result, it sounds like there's a whole gaggle of motorcycles in the yard every time he leaves or returns.  It's almost as pleasant as when my landlady's brother comes over to mow the lawn on a weekend morning "before it gets too hot," in other words, early enough to wake me from my sorely needed sleeping-in time.

One thing that did make me laugh: While we were talking the other evening, he asked me about the neighborhood (like me, he must have moved in without really knowing what it's like here), and one of the main things he wanted to know was whether it's quiet here.  LOL...funny that he should be asking that.

Yes, I've finally gotten it together to make a post.  Took me long enough, I know -- vacation was great but it did take a lot out of me, and getting back into my routine has taken longer than I expected. 
 

( Yay for vacation! )

Right now I'm waiting for tonight's game to start.  What a rollercoaster the past few days have been, what with the epic fail of the collapse against the O's, followed by the huge comeback the next day (and yes, of course, I was insanely proud of My Little Guy for getting the game-winning hit).

Speaking of all things Sox, congratulations to Jason Bay on becoming a U.S. citizen just in time for the Fourth.  Nice timing -- and I'm sure everyone has seen the pictures from the ceremony, so let me just say that he looked terrific in that suit and with that hairstyle.  Easy on the eyes, our JayBay is...

Off to stuff my face a little bit before the first pitch...

Holy fucking shit...Albert has just hit his second HR of the night and so far has 3 RBIs.  This brings him to 30 HR and 77 RBIs on the season.

:::head explode:::

I'm baaaaaack...

Actually got back last night around 8:30 after a wonderful but very exhausting baseball vacation and was so tired that I didn't even boot up the computer.  I spent today being a slug because I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I haven't been terribly productive.  Watched the game until it went into rain delay and was of course greatly enjoying all the Sox awesomeness -- Smoltz doing well, our boys hitting the tar out of the ball, and the extra bonus of having Julio in the lineup with two hits (so far) as well as a stolen base, which makes me very happy because I have to grab every opportunity to see him play before he gets gone (which he almost surely will).

Anyway, there's still much to tell about all the fun I had in HOTlanta, but I do have a pile of e-mails to catch up on and would like to get cracking on those while waiting for the rain delay to end, and whatever happens with tonight's game, I'll still need to get to bed at a reasonable hour so I can deal with work tomorrow.  So...a full-blown vacation summary will have to wait a day or two (sorry, Bethie!).  For now? Just know that it was fabulous!

I don't even know where to start and I'm utterly exhausted -- have had hardly any sleep the last couple of nights, what with hotel beds and excitement and getting back from the ballpark at midnight -- so this post WILL be incoherent, I promise.  But anyway...here I am in Atlanta with Bethie, and last night was my first MLB game ever.  It was wonderfully overwhelming from the moment we left the hotel via shuttle to the airport, where we caught the MARTA to the Atlanta Underground, where we ate lunch at a 50s-style diner, then caught another shuttle to Turner Field.  We walked in and the place was awesome. Just huge. We got there early to watch BP, and our guys were too much fun to watch with all their stretches and running around and clobbering balls all over the field and into the stands. And of course, so many of them are so pretty.  Faith loves eye candy.  Then Beckett pitched and did a bomb-ass job, Papi hit a home run (which put a huge smile on my face, as I was wearing a Papi shirt), and My Little Guy came out to pinch hit late in the game and hey, at least he advanced the runner.  We were up 4-0 in the top of the ninth and were exhausted (and I was in pain with my back, and way overheated), so headed out to the shuttle just as Paps came in to pitch.  We heard him give up that HR, but I remained optimistic, and my instincts were correct.  Our boys rocked, all in all.  It was beyond hot (for a NIGHT game!) and I'm horribly tired today, but it was so worth it, and we're doing it all over again today and tomorrow.

One thing I realized last night: I have been so spoiled by watching games on TV and using Gameday as a crutch to keep me up to speed if I have a momentary attention lapse.  Last night I can't tell y'all how many times I lost the trajectory of the ball, or was busy watching one thing on the field only to miss something else that happened at the same time -- watching where the ball went and missed the baserunning, for example -- and of course if I looked at the Jumbotron or the pitch count the same thing happened too.  So it was a really DIFFERENT way to watch the game, but now I'll know to adjust for it the rest of the weekend.

Okay, I've rambled long enough.  Please excuse the lack of LJ cut -- mouse-on-keyboard is my nemesis and I feel pretty accomplished for even being able to make this post!

I have to laugh at myself, y'all.  Even though he's replaced one of my main baseball cuties (who still looks utterly adorable pouting on the bench), I'm realizing more and more that Nick Green is indeed quite hot -- I can even overlook the oddball eye placement.  He's doing a great job at shortstop, too.  I'm quite impressed!

Looks like I'll be fooling with more iconage when I return from my trip.  Well, my new icon from today (jaybay WHUT?) will need some company, I reckon.

Hey all!  Just a quickie here, as I'm trying to pack for my baseball trip withlovinbecks19.  Of course, I'll be trying to watch the game tonight as well -- multitasking FTW!  So much fun, so little time.  At least I got all my errands done over the last couple of days and still had plenty of time to rest up for the trip.  I'm so glad I decided to take this whole week off...

I'm really looking forward to seeing our oh-so-awesome boys standing right before my eyes!  Tomorrow morning I'll be driving to Bethie's place (roughly 2-1/2 hours, mostly interstate), then it's a straight shot down I-85 all the way to Atlanta.  Our hotel isn't far from Turner Field and we should be able to get where we need to go on the MARTA, which will make things immeasurably easier in terms of parking.

MLB.com just reminded me that Papi is sitting on 999 RBIs at the moment.  I hope he makes it to his milestone tonight (much as I'd like to see him do it live, I don't want him to have to wait that long).

That's about it for now.  Game starts in just a few minutes and I have clothes to fold.  I may jump back on here later this evening to tie up some loose ends as far as comments, but otherwise, look for me Monday night, when I will be paging back through many, many f-list entries, I'm sure!

 

 

( Cut for rambling... )

I feel really blessed, y'all.

Long story short, the house three doors down from me sustained all kinds of damage from trees that basically exploded due to lightning strikes when the storm blew through here.  There are pieces of trees sprawled across the roof, on top of a car in the driveway, and scattered all over the yard (narrowly missing an outdoor dog corral -- thankfully, the dogs are fine).  All of this within roughly 300 feet of me, if that.  A house at the intersection above me (maybe 1000 feet away) sustained roof damage from trees as well.  No doubt this scenario was repeated all over my part of town, and actually, my neighbor (with whom I went walking around to assess the situation) spotted a partially exploded tree dangling at a weird angle across the creek from my house.  Not on my property, but probably over the weekend I'll check to see if it looks like it's in danger of falling on anything.  But for now?  Aside from leaves and branches scattered everywhere, the place where I live is safe and sound.  The power came on around 9:30, just as it was really getting dark.  The fridge had only warmed to the mid-40s and is now back to normal, so no harm done there.  My computer, which I had neglected to shut completely down this morning because it was gorgeous out, is miraculously safe, or at least no crankier than usual (and I'm shutting it down tonight and as long as we're in this stormy weather pattern).  So all's well that ends well.

And now I'm going to bed, because I have to make a grocery run on the way to work (I'm bringing fruit salad to the welcome lunch for our incoming class of interns) and fax that stuff to the courthouse, and then it's a long day of work, and then...I WILL BE ON VACATION!