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DC. Driving. Bleah.
Jun. 16th, 2012 09:15 pmIt was DC Horde meetup day in Alexandria, so I saddled up and drove to Virginia. Easier said than done. They're doing 1812 stuff in Baltimore, so had to go around the long way to avoid traffic/etc in the city. Get to DC and discover oopsie! I never checked on the Nats' schedule. They're home. Day game. Crawl through the city. Found the park in Alexandria just fine, found the people, we picniced, we rambled, we petted dogs and fed ducks, we played Cards Against Humanity. I have been deemed sick and twisted (and also useful, as only I thought to bring paper towels to a picnic.) The ride back - over two freakin' hours. First I gave Carlos the Dwarf a ride back to the Metro, except not only was traffic bumper to bumper, we couldn't figure out how to get into the station. Then I tried to find a place nearby to get a cold drink, but when I left the store to return to I-95...the ramp to 95 is closed. The closing forced me back into downtown, where I wandered in gridlock before (almost accidentally) finding my way back to 95. Hooray! Not so fast, sucker. There was an accident on the Beltway just in front of the ramp. I was stuck there for a while. Finally freed and back on the highway until...BW Parkway, packed solid. At dinnertime Saturday. Uh, why? The one good thing was I listened to 3.5 CDs that have been sitting in my car for months because I never seem to get past the radio. But sheesh, 4+hours in the car today. I'm not used to that.
Spiffy, It's Summer
Jun. 10th, 2012 09:33 pmEvery year, I have more and more trouble coping with the heat. It's one of the big reasons I gave up baseball, I just couldn't hack it outside all day. Last Sunday at the softball game, I hung in there as it wasn't quite 80 degrees. Today...it was 96 at one point. The car's AC was going full blast, I'm sucking down a giant frozen coffee, and after looking at four houses, I couldn't take the heat anymore. Less than 3 hours, mostly in AC and with a cold beverage, and I'm down. Canada looks better all the time, I tell ya.
RIP Danny Clyburn
Feb. 8th, 2012 08:21 am( Former Orioles player Danny Clyburn Killed )
Another piece of my younger days. Danny was, well, a blue-chip prospect and he knew it when he was with the Pirates. Pretty arrogant young fellow. But after being traded a few times and landing with the Orioles, he mellowed out. He spent a few years with Bowie and Rochester and I saw a lot of him then. He gave me one of his bats after a game in Binghamton - he had hit a home run with it that night, and he believed each bat had only one home run in it, so he gave it to me as the only Bowie fan there. I wonder what's been going on with him since he left baseball, and how this came to happen. Sad.
Writer's Block: Hobby Lobby
Nov. 9th, 2011 07:38 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]I don't really collect anything these days - I still get games, DVDs and CDs from time to time, but I don't get much and I don't really consider them collections.
In the past, I collected baseball and hockey memorabilia (including a lot of autographs), and as a kid I collected glass animals.
In the past, I collected baseball and hockey memorabilia (including a lot of autographs), and as a kid I collected glass animals.
Documenta-Mania!
Aug. 8th, 2011 03:12 pmAs I have HBO free for the time being, I’ve been indulging in their documentary offerings. And there’s a lot of them. I’ve watched most of this summer’s offerings and a few that have been rerun from last year/earlier this year, and I’ll take a swing at short-reviewing them. They are behind a cut, not because of spoilers (this is non-fiction; either we already know the end, or it isn’t over) but for length.
( To infinity and beyond! )
Tags:
Everybody, Sing It With Me!
Jun. 27th, 2011 10:39 pmTo the tune of 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame', of course.
Take me out of the ball game,
Drag me before the judge.
Attach my assets and property,
It's not fair, 'cause I own the team!
They all root, root root for my ex-wife,
Baseball's glad for my shame.
'cause it's one! two! Three strikes I'm out
Of the old ball game!
Hey Dodgers! Have fun in bankruptcy court!
Take me out of the ball game,
Drag me before the judge.
Attach my assets and property,
It's not fair, 'cause I own the team!
They all root, root root for my ex-wife,
Baseball's glad for my shame.
'cause it's one! two! Three strikes I'm out
Of the old ball game!
Hey Dodgers! Have fun in bankruptcy court!
Wait, Wait, Who?
Apr. 20th, 2011 08:16 pmLess than 24 hours til Wait Wait, and I'm fairly stumped as to who the guest will be. They don't put it on the show's web site, but it's usually a local person with some national status. They've already had Mike Rowe, Cal Ripken Jr, John Waters, Laura Lippman and last week((!) they had David Simon. I can't imagine Will Smith doing something like this, probably not Jada Pinkett either. Molly thinks perhaps Ray Lewis, and the only other people I can think of would be John Astin or Ace 'Duff' Goldman. And yes, I want to know who'll be there for autograph purposes!
Less worried about the Wait Wait gang themselves, I'm sure there'll be programs or books for purchase & signing.
Less worried about the Wait Wait gang themselves, I'm sure there'll be programs or books for purchase & signing.
Just Sleeping
Dec. 5th, 2010 07:33 pmAs much as I can, anyway. Managed to escape babysitting Friday, because I had a show Saturday no one wanted me loading the van while stepping over kids at 5am. But didn't sleep well, and got up early for the show. Seems Annapolis has changed quite a bit in the last 6 years or so - it looked nothing like it did the last time I was there. Tons of new developments and business complexes, etc, which have kind of ruined the whole historic thing the town had going on. Anyway, my helper for the day was Cecil, who is my nephews' second cousin. He was a ton of help, and there were a few times I really needed it. The kids at the school were very helpful as well, I was completely packed and loaded out 20 minutes after the show ended. Awesome. Oddly, I sold out of...The Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Oklahoma Sooners and South Carolina. Huh? In two shows, I've sold 1 Eagles and not a single baseball ornament. Weird. Ordinarily I'd have been thrilled with the sales - second best total I've ever had - except that the best show I ever had was last year in the same place, in the snow and rain, and I was down 25% from that show. All in all, I made very little money at arts and crafts this year and it's just as well I decided not to run it as a 'business' this year. The numbers just don't warrant it.
Got home and huddled, because I'm getting a cold and I was definitely overheated after the show. Watched Auburn/SC until it got out of hand, then the Merlin finale and some Spooks. Down to one ep of Spooks left. Slept 12 hours straight in the hopes of losing the cold, but I don't think it helped, I'm stuffy today. I took Mom to PetSmart for dog food, and the place was packed with critters. Lots of dogs including an incontinent Lab, a talkative greyhound a teensy husky pup. The adoption crew for the day was there trying to home rabbits. And the whole lot of them were completely upstaged by...a goat. Yes, someone brought a goat to PetSmart. Esther is a 7 month old La Mancha dairy goat with incredible calm. Even with dogs sniffing her all over, she dozed off. Talked to her owners, Esther was bottle-raised in the house after being ill when she was a week old, and even now she lives in a shed attached to the house and spends half her time in the house. She's so people-acclimated she's already going to nursing homes. She was our highlight of the day :) We picked up some seafood (crabs!) and went home to settle in and wait for the Ravens/Steelers game. Was going to watch the last Spooks, but it turned out instead of having eps 7 & 8, I have two copies of 8. Eesh. So I indulged Mom's sudden crush on Matthew Morrison (CBS Sunday Morning did a segment on him) and played the Glee pilot for her. Now waiting, semi-patiently, for THE BIG GAME. Nervous now...
Got home and huddled, because I'm getting a cold and I was definitely overheated after the show. Watched Auburn/SC until it got out of hand, then the Merlin finale and some Spooks. Down to one ep of Spooks left. Slept 12 hours straight in the hopes of losing the cold, but I don't think it helped, I'm stuffy today. I took Mom to PetSmart for dog food, and the place was packed with critters. Lots of dogs including an incontinent Lab, a talkative greyhound a teensy husky pup. The adoption crew for the day was there trying to home rabbits. And the whole lot of them were completely upstaged by...a goat. Yes, someone brought a goat to PetSmart. Esther is a 7 month old La Mancha dairy goat with incredible calm. Even with dogs sniffing her all over, she dozed off. Talked to her owners, Esther was bottle-raised in the house after being ill when she was a week old, and even now she lives in a shed attached to the house and spends half her time in the house. She's so people-acclimated she's already going to nursing homes. She was our highlight of the day :) We picked up some seafood (crabs!) and went home to settle in and wait for the Ravens/Steelers game. Was going to watch the last Spooks, but it turned out instead of having eps 7 & 8, I have two copies of 8. Eesh. So I indulged Mom's sudden crush on Matthew Morrison (CBS Sunday Morning did a segment on him) and played the Glee pilot for her. Now waiting, semi-patiently, for THE BIG GAME. Nervous now...
No Ball Game
Aug. 29th, 2010 06:35 pmYeah, I talked myself out of it. I was still tired this morning and had a headache, so outside on a hot day didn't seem like a good idea. Made use of it all the same - worked out, gave both dogs a bath, went to PetSmart and met some greyhounds, took Mom for a drive through nice houses/scenery and we went out to dinner. Finally starting working on ornaments, as well, and now running through a few shows I've never watched but had an episode of each. Productive, at least.
Baseball And I, Not Meant To Be
Jul. 26th, 2010 02:17 pmI decided a few weeks ago, that come hell or high water, I was going to a baseball game on Saturday the 24th. Hell came. 103 degrees, high humidity, etc. So I passed on the game. This coming weekend, should my mother decide not to go to Williamsport, is completely free. Forecast as of now is for high 80s and clear. You guessed it. Every local team...is on the road. Emphatically on the road, in most cases (only one is within a 2 hour drive).
The fates really don't want me at a game, do they?
The fates really don't want me at a game, do they?
Just a Few WTFs
Jun. 5th, 2010 11:14 amThe Brevard County Manatees have decided that, considering the damage being caused to Florida, continuing to hold batting practice and calling it 'BP' isn't appropriate. From now on, the team will have 'hitting rehearsal'.
Speaking of BP, a small Louisiana business damaged by the spill submitted 1700 pages of documentation to BP showing how the oil spill was destroying the business. BP responded that this information was inadequate and they needed more proof.
No wonder I'm still sick...
Speaking of BP, a small Louisiana business damaged by the spill submitted 1700 pages of documentation to BP showing how the oil spill was destroying the business. BP responded that this information was inadequate and they needed more proof.
No wonder I'm still sick...
Dog Days at the Park
May. 16th, 2010 08:10 pmTime for the annual 'Bark in the Park' at the Bowie Baysox game. Got a fair amount of sun, an enormous amount of dog-related swag, and plenty of sniffs and kisses. Mostly labs & poodle mixes out there today, although there was an Australian Kelpie/? mix that looked remarkably like CJ, minus the tan markings. So now I'm wondering if that's what's mixed into CJ. Hmm. The dogs were more interesting than the game - the visitors had a no-hitter through five innings, and the Baysox didn't allow much offense either. Photos aren't cropped yet, the netbook doesn't have a good photo program on it yet.
Anyhoo,
Anyhoo,
A Long Day
May. 8th, 2010 07:43 pmOy. CJ is continuing with early wake up calls and non-stop yapping until I get up. 6am today. And as per the usual, I couldn't get to sleep in the first place last night. Took Mom out shopping for rugs, shower curtains & a welcome mat, then took her for Mother's Day dinner at Carabba's. She had her first cosmopolitan, which made her loopy and gave me sticker shock. I had a seafood cannolli (yes really, and it was quite good), a really first rate salad and we shared a fruit/pudding/cake concoction topped by a strawberry almost as big as my fist. Then home to build furniture. I've made a serious mess of my hands, back and shoulders between the shopping and the construction. Finally called it a day and settled in for telly, Bill Maher just finished and now it's on to Ashes To Ashes. Not sure I'll stay awake past it though. Needless to say I passed on the ball game, although the way the wind is blowing I wouldn't want to be sitting in stands today. Wouldn't want to be an outfielder either.
I'm torn. Do I go to the Keys game tomorrow night, or take Mom out for Mother's Day dinner? I haven't been to the Keys at all and only one ball game, period this year, and the rain has been taken out of the forecast. But if we don't go tomorrow, I don't know when we will (going to Alphabet Soup Sunday and she's out with friends today.). Debate, debate...
Home From Chilly-Ball
Apr. 10th, 2010 09:38 pmI exaggerate a bit - I left the Baysox game at 8:30 and while it was getting colder, it wasn't miserable yet. I'm told last night was not only cold, but the wind was blowing a lot. Thursday's game was suspended due to downpours. So tonight wasn't so bad. But my feet and back were killing me and I was dozing off with an hour drive ahead of me, so I boogied in the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. This year's Baysox include two guys with the last name of Britton (not related), two guys named Figueroa (as related as you can get - identical twins) and three pitchers named Zack. Name game time...and I'm feeling very old again. Two players on the team were born after I was already in college and I'm older than the pitching coach. I must be a geezer.
Also stopped by the last Hollywood Video in Maryland, which is going out of business. They weren't in full sale mode yet but I picked up a couple things in the $4-5 range, including a couple Alan Tudyk flicks I didn't have and the timeless 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. And a stop by a game shop, they didn't have the accessories I hoped for but I did snag a copy of Ubongo. And now I'm home and nearly asleep, so off I go.
Also stopped by the last Hollywood Video in Maryland, which is going out of business. They weren't in full sale mode yet but I picked up a couple things in the $4-5 range, including a couple Alan Tudyk flicks I didn't have and the timeless 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. And a stop by a game shop, they didn't have the accessories I hoped for but I did snag a copy of Ubongo. And now I'm home and nearly asleep, so off I go.
Updating Websites
Apr. 8th, 2010 10:52 amOn the one hand, I like when web sites are updated promptly.
On the other, it's a bit unnerving when they're updated while you're looking at them. Was that there a second ago? Am I hallucinating?
But in the long run, it is good to know the Bowie Baysox will start the season with 2 catchers and 3 outfielders after all. I'd just rather they didn't add the balance of the roster while I'm trying to read the initial roster!
On the other, it's a bit unnerving when they're updated while you're looking at them. Was that there a second ago? Am I hallucinating?
But in the long run, it is good to know the Bowie Baysox will start the season with 2 catchers and 3 outfielders after all. I'd just rather they didn't add the balance of the roster while I'm trying to read the initial roster!
What is the Deal With Late April?
Mar. 16th, 2010 01:06 pmSpecifically, the last weekend?
Every year, Maryland's biggest dog show is at the Fairgrounds that weekend.
Every year, Frederick, Bowie & Delmarva are all home that weekend.
There are usually 3 conventions I'd like to go to that weekend (2 this year).
Plaza's 'Celebration of Color' (aka free art stuff!) is always that weekend.
And Jeff's birthday is that weekend.
So, no baseball that weekend, and once I finally work out the balance between art, games & dogs, the whole cart may be upset by a birthday event. Spiffy.
Every year, Maryland's biggest dog show is at the Fairgrounds that weekend.
Every year, Frederick, Bowie & Delmarva are all home that weekend.
There are usually 3 conventions I'd like to go to that weekend (2 this year).
Plaza's 'Celebration of Color' (aka free art stuff!) is always that weekend.
And Jeff's birthday is that weekend.
So, no baseball that weekend, and once I finally work out the balance between art, games & dogs, the whole cart may be upset by a birthday event. Spiffy.
Jon Miller = Hall of Fame
Feb. 2nd, 2010 09:43 amMany congratulations to one of the coolest guys ever to sit behind the microphone, Jon Miller. He won this year's Ford C Frick Award, which means he's going into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And he deserves it many times over. A great broadcaster and a great guy.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-sp.miller02feb02,0,2147934.story
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-sp.miller02feb02,0,2147934.story
