Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Food for Thought in the Meantime...

So yeah, I've been pretty uninspired on this blog, after the incident last week. In lieu of actual subject matter, I'm providing some interesting links to check out:

Post Secret - bring along a tissue, folks, this site will touch you deeply.

Recently, a client told me that in 1960, the value of the work done by a stay-at-home mom was estimated at approximately $60 grand/year. That made me wonder what it would be today. Well, here you go, I found out.

Also, there are tons of blogs out there, but unless very well written, most aren't too interesting to complete strangers. I found one the other day that was worth going to.

Really, I'm not going to bore you folks with frivolous posts about nothing, so you'll hear from me when I have something to say. Stay tuned...

Friday, May 20, 2005

Doggie Snatchers

I want to throw up from this.

Yes, you are going to have to read it. I don't know how this could happen in a free country. I can't even summarize - I need to NOT even think about it. Why is my blog about dying mammals today?

Deer Crossing

I have never been personally involved in a collision with a deer. One thing I know: It tends to do a real number on the vehicle. There are many deer around here; Lots of woods and windy roads around here, too. Sometimes I see them on the road - usually at night, and so far have managed to slow down and avoid harm. The image of my car slamming into the body of an animal - that really freaks me out. I think we all would love to reduce the number of such horrifying experiences.

It's clear that the deer population as a whole does not respond to negative reinforcement. They see others get hit, and yet still they insist upon freezing up right there in the middle of the road, staring at the scary bright headlights.

Sometimes I see signs, warning of deer. But these are general... they basically mean that deer could pop out anywhere on the whole road. That's how I got this idea: the deer crossing.

Deer are creatures of habit. They roam through the woods with no regard to property lines, yet they seem to have a system. Ask anyone who have deer pass through their yard... it's roughly the same time every day. They are grazing. Deer cross the roads at will, often paying no attention to the possibility of cars. So if they are creatures of habit, wouldn't it be nice to be able to predict where they cross?

We can lure them to more likely cross in certain places. We could have leaping deer signs that actually mean something...

This would require the use of a bit of land on each side of the road, in sporadic places determined to be convenient for the deer's nomadic lifestyle. "Adopt a Deer Crossing" sponsers can fund the planting and "maintenance" of abundant deer treats. The idea is to have plants that will attract deer to the area each day. Then, directly across the street, there are more of the same plants visible. Deer will see this, and then cross the street to get more. Then they will come back each day, always crossing the road in this same place.


Deer crossing locations would have to be chosen very carefully. It should have good visibility for drivers, and they need to connect areas of woods in convenient locations for the deer. Studying the daily travel path of groups of deer would help us greatly to determine crossing locations, as well as whether the idea would work at all.

It seems like a great idea, but it has some serious kinks. Will the deer adjust their roaming patterns to cross in only these locations? If they cross at the crossing, but continue to cross at other random locations, the deer crossing will not help us. On the other hand, if it does work, providing areas of plentiful food and reducing the fatality rate due to cars would certainly effect the overall population. Aside from raising the number of kills allowed for hunting licenses, we have little control over a possible explosion in population.

A rise in deer population could mean more deer than the area can support. Ecologists would need to consider the full ramifications of this plan; it's effects on the environment and the overall food chain would need to be monitored carefully. More deer would also mean more deer ticks, an idea that would not be popular around here, I can assure you. It is possible that deer realize the danger of oncoming headlights, and freeze on purpose, because they are starving, and would rather die. In this case my idea is pretty worthless, isn't it?

Neglect

My sister Barb has pointed out the sad reality: I have been neglecting my readers of drivel.

The cold I mentioned last week has recently been diagnosed as bronchitis. Congestion clouds my head, and cuts off channels of my creativity. If you look at my other blog, you can see I have not been exactly inspired lately. Fortunately the Biaxin is slowly kicking in, and I should be crawling back to normal soon.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Announcement: Changes in blog

Having a blog has turned out to be more stress than I anticipated.

I started this blog as an outlet for my sports fanaticism. You see, I tend to have a lot of things to say regarding the worlds of football and baseball, and people around me generally don't want to hear it because they don't know what I'm talking about. So having a blog seemed like the perfect solution, except for one problem: people I know want to read my blog. (yes, the same people who don't want to hear about sports.) Also, I tend to have many random thoughts I'd like to blog about, and people looking to read about sports probably don't want to read that kind of drivel.

So I figured out a solution... get a new blog. Anyone who actually wants to read about sports can now go here. If you are one of the few people who actually want to know what I'm thinking about Tom Brady's new contract or Jason Veritek's clutch hitting and massive workhorse theighs, you should change your link to Reb's Sox & Pats. If you would rather read drivel, than just keep it here.

Sick

Scratchy throat; that might go away...

Then, maybe the next day, you start to feel the stream trickle down your throat from your head. That's when you know it's really happening: cancel your plans; you're SICK.

Shivering from cold, you bundle up... Yet you start to sweat, and the very layers you are depending on for warmth are now making you colder.

Your head feels attached to an invisible vise, slowly tightening around your skull. As the pressure builds up, your head starts to feel, um, somewhat larger. You tell people that you are sick, and they act surprised. You wonder: How can they not see that? You feel so different... Surely you must look different.

You go to the bathroom to blow your nose, and catch yourself in the mirror. Are you ever surprised by what you see?

I don't know why, but I always expect my head to appear larger or something. My reflection seems so incongruously normal. Ok, so my nose is a little red from just blowing it, but otherwise who could tell? People who know me well can hear it in my voice... If they're listening.

It kind of makes me wonder if people think I'm lying. But mostly I worry about the lies that my body is telling me, like my head has swollen up to the size of a watermelon. Or that the room I'm in is about forty degrees Fahrenheit, and the down comforter I have wrapped myself in actually has no warming qualities at all. And since the synapses of my brain seem to be greatly hampered by the pressure of my skull clamping down on it, I really don't have the power to worry too much about what other people are thinking anyway.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Cold Day at Fenway

I barely have time, but it seems jere & empy are sending people my way to check out my first ever visit to Fenway. Scoff all you like; I don't blame you, but at least I'm efficient. One visit, two games.

How did it take so long for me to get to this hallowed place? Well I must confess, I am the lazy type of fan, who would usually rather sit in the confort of my own home, getting a much "closer" look on tv. (Or, MLB.TV, as I am usually limited to with the sox.) A day like yesterday usually has me curled up in my covers, and thankful for that luxury. And surely I could have used a blanket yesterday, but I am pleased to announce:
It was worth it.
Every last shivering second was a joy unknown to me before. I barely noticed the narrowness of the seats, as proximity to others was rather a benefit on such a raw day. The bitter weather actually created a special bonus for me: during the only truly painful moment of this long day, (yes, the noteworthy-and-not-in-a-good-way major league debut of Cla Meredith) I was in line for hot chocolate, and had no idea what was going on. By the time I found out, well, at least I had my hot chocolate.
I must say this about Fenway: the field is tiny. Sure, I expected the stadium to be small, but compared to shea & yankee stadiums... that field looks about the size of my community softball field, maybe even smaller. No wonder people have been describing Comerica as "cavernous." Comerica, compared to Fenway, must be kind of like the first time you let your cat outdoors, and it stares at you as if to say "I had no idea the world was this huge."
Due to inclement weather (and perhaps the time switch-eroo) we pretty much had our choice of seats. We could have gotten a lot closer, but the blue seats came with shelter, and the view pretty good behind home plate. A tip in case you're planning to move up: Avoid the first two rows of blue, directly behind home plate, to the left facing the field. The security guard waited 'till we got up the stairs to tell us "You can sit anywhere in the park, just not those two rows." We sat nearby in the 2nd game, and saw the same security guard kicking people out of the same rows. I don't know who they're saving those seats for, but most likely it's not you, so don't even bother.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Happy Birthday to Me

I wasn't able to see the game yesterday. I know, most of us were screwed. That we are ever forced to work during a Red Sox game is a travesty. There's an interesting re-cap over at Surviving Grady - Happy Anniversary,guys!

Bronson - wow. I mean, wow. Poor guy is "lucky" to not be in the 'pen right now, and look at him. The sad part is, if we ever get 6 healthy starters, he's still the most intelligent choice to lose his start... just because he's the only one who could do it well. As in, he's so good, doesn't matter where you put him. Pitch every five days, or pitch every day - don't matter, he's Bronson.

But about Bronson's "run support," (as in, lack thereof) did anyone other than me notice who was not lubing up the line-up yesterday? And that the alternative, hot as he is, was not exactly burning up the bat? Since I did not actually get to watch the game, I think I would've preferred KY, but all's well that ends well.

Trot, however, now HE was ripping it up. Guess he wanted to make up for time off? Captain was ON as well - seems like that guy is always on. I say $10 mil is nothing in exchange for what he brings to the game.

In other news, indeed the yankees have been dropped to last place. Thanks a million, devil rays. I almost don't begrudge the games they took from us 2 weeks ago, since it means I get to see the yanks in the cellar.

Didn't see this either, but Boston continues to be a happy place for all sporting teams, as the Celtics live to play another game. I haven't really been able to get into B-ball since MJ retired (that guy was like watching a Matrix scene,) but the boys in "the Garden" are starting to inspire me.

Ok, so I was just nosing around last night, and I found this:

"There's still lots of creepy love for Keith in the female blogger community." -T

I can only assume he's talking about this, which by the way, Beth, rocks my sox off. Plus it really seems to have made an impact, though it's hard for me to evaluate pitching on MLB.TV. Got something to say, guys? Do you not appreciate our drivel? TOO BAD!

Just so you all know, I was born at 10:15 AM in St. Louis, MO. I will not consider myself 30 until then... 11:15 EST.

So um, I have lots to do today, and drinks tonight with my sis (Beth,) and who knows what else. Then tomorrow, I will be at Fenway. For the first time. EVER. I will see jere there, and I bet I meet Empyreal, too. I will have my camera, and I will take lots of pictures. Maybe I'll even figure out how to post them on my blog ;-) of course I will. I will post something at least on Sunday at my sister's (Barb.)

From there I will head to NH, where I get to stay with my man for a whole week while I do a job up there. On the plus side, I will get NESN there; on the other side, I will have to make sure my jaw doesn't visibly drop when Billy Mueller's at the plate. And also I'm sure I won't catch anywhere near all the games. Now on the super-plus side, my man knows this HTML stuff pretty well (which I just don't,) and I bet I can get him to help me with the overall aesthetic of my website - technically, that is.
On the other side, you might find my posts a bit scant next week. Oh, don't you worry, I'll be back to my verbose self soon enough, but I have many people to catch up with up there, not to mention the fact that my man & I are usually three hours apart... I just might be pretty busy. It's not that I won't post, it's just that- well, they may be brief.



Thursday, May 05, 2005

This time Foulke does his job

More crap on the tigers hat (hey it worked last time) and once again, not home until nine. This week is killing me. The one night I get to see it on my TV, and I miss most of the game... got home just in time to see Wake finish off the 7th. Kudos, Wake, we really needed that. With our rotation screwed as it is right now, and our bullpen just sucking in general, getting through the 7th was key.

With Bellhorn back from the Billy-bug, I am psyched to see KY still in the line-up. Alright, KY is nowhere near as hot as Billy (and unlike the very cute omar infante, in a real man sort of way,) but who had the very clutch, tie-breaking base hit in the 8th? That's right, KY, slick as ever. Hopefully they're not just giving him some at-bats before they send him down again.

Runners at the corners, 2 outs, and I hear "with Rentaria at the plate, the Red Sox still have a chance to do more damage in this inning." These guys have obviously not been following the sox this spring. My cat is now clawing at me, and bellowing, but I wanna see Edgah strike out here... and there it is. (ok, Piter, now I can see to your needs.) What is your problem, Edgah? We're ALL pulling for you here, even Sarah. With this kind of start, you had better be red hot down the stretch, and I mean smokin'. I still believe you will be, but mostly out of my deep faith in Theo.

Then my boyfriend calls. Damn, I'm missing more of the game, and I don't have the heart to tell him "I have to go; the game is on." He is not a sports nut; he just wouldn't understand. I tell him I have created a blog, and *sniffle* he does not even ask me how to find it. Guess that means *wink* I can expound upon the hotness of Billy and Matt Mantei all I want. He makes up for it though, by telling me that someday I will not have to watch sox games on my computer, as he will get me MLB extra innings AND NFL sunday ticket. For someone who could not care less about professional sports, I think this is rather considerate.

I was off the phone in time to fully focus on Foulkie in the bottom of the 9th. This guy is supposed to be our CLOSER, so why am I having to clench my teeth and tap my nails in terror at seeing him on the mound, with only a one run lead? Torture. But he gets out of it, with only one hit- and not the long ball, as we have become disparingly accustomed to seeing this year.

I intended to write this last night, and am so sorry to disappoint my many readers (yes, all three of you.) Unfortunately I decided to check out Samcat, whose post promised to be short, yet if you look at the links, you could be there for hours. Seriously, Sam, how do you find all these things? Is it your job to surf the web all day? You are my IDOL. And Beth, thanks a million for that summary on Damon's book (that must have been painful) for saving me not just $24, but A LOT of TIME. (with all those separate links from Sam, your hit count must be out of control right now.) I have to admit, now that I have my own blog, I'm a bit intimidated... I would really like to think I am contributing something of interest. I need to get some pics up, and have not even had time to figure that out yet, this week has been so crazy. Forgive me, if I am boring the crap out of all of you; it will get better, I promise, and not just in a someday-Edgah-will-get-a-clutch-hit sort of way.

So, did y'all see that bean Giambi took last night? Love it. The hits just keep on comin' for the evil empire, and not the good kind this year. I feel a wee bit guilty about rejoicing in someone's actual bodily harm, but then again, they did sell their souls to Georgie. If you're even bothering to keep track anymore, the yanks are now 11-17, and the devil rays have a shot at putting them in last place tonight.

I half listened to all the fuss about Barry Bonds on ESPN last night, and although personally I could not care less, the utter selfishness displayed by some of these hot shot athletes disgusts me. TO, I think you're an attention-hounding fool (is he an only child, does anyone know?) and I could not agree more with Brett Favre when it comes to hold-outs. As far as Bonds is concerned, I have to wonder if he is intentionally getting the wrong treatments as a stall technique while the juice works it's way out of his system.

Speaking of juice, my dad's been laid up for ten days after throwing out his back. He has been going to the chiropractor, and faithfully doing his exercises, and has seen such miniscule improvement that his doctor finally caved and gave him some steroids. Suddenly the man can walk again. He says he can see why people get addicted to this stuff; he feels like superman.

On a final note, I seem to have inspired my sis Barb to get herself a blog. I warn you, she is a yankee fan (and therefore not likely to write much about baseball right now) and she is even more random than I am, but she is really funny, and you can check her out here. (Yes, I know I need to get my sidebar links going... I will get to that soon.)

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Superstition

I missed most of the game tonight. I got in at nine, fortunately in time to see that hottie Mantei on the mound. He immediately walks two batters. Has someone slipped him some of that bullpen water? I hear mention of a grand slam by Mirabelli, yet 'Tek is back there catching. (Let's just say I was still confused about this until Papi pinch hit for Belli.) Suddenly I realize I still had my tigers hat on. I wore it today to get it nice and dirty, crap it up as much as possible while giving a fresh coat to some ceilings in my sister Beth's new house. I toss it off, throw on my Sox hat, and just like that, inning over.

I am not a superstitious person in general. I like black cats just as much as any other kind, and to me, a broken mirror's just a big mess. I step on cracks, I never forward those stupid, threatening e-mails that claim catastrophe if you don't, and let's just say I walk under ladders all the time (after all, I am a painter.) So why do I feel the need to crap up my tigers hat? Why won't I wear my Sweet Pea t-shirt while the Sox are playing, just because every time I've worn it they've lost? Game 3 of the ALCS was the last time I wore that damn thing, and right now I'm contemplating burning it in the firepit I have in my backyard. In 2003 I was wearing a very comfortable pair of red socks during ALCS game 7... did not wear them for the entire season last year, despite loving those socks. I KNOW that my actions have absolutely nothing to do with the results on the field, and still I feel compelled to be very careful with anything that might have the slightest association with the Sox (or the Pats.) I hand-painted a lighter during the postseason last year, with the "B" in red & white nail polish on a shimmering navy backround. I loved that lighter, but somehow felt it was wrong to carry it into the next year. It still had a bit of fluid on New Year's Eve, so I deposited it at a friend's house in Boston, with specific instructions: Make sure it's dead before pitchers & catchers report! I called twice in February to remind him of the date. (And yes, if you're holding your breath out there, he used it up about ten days before, but it's still kickin' around just for looks.)

My mind tells me this makes no sense; my heart tells me it must be done. These superstitions make me wonder if I'm crazy (as jere has apparently inferred,) and yet I know I'm not alone. Am I?

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Silver Lining

The yankees won tonight, and I don't care. Isn't it refreshing, that they suck bad enough for me to say that? (Yes, I know it may come back to bite me in the ass.) The Sox lost, and in the most exasperating of ways;
how can this lineup not score with the bases loaded and no outs? And don't even get me started on Alan Embree; next time I see him walking to the mound, I just might throw up. So I am trying to look at the positives:
  • Jeremi Gonzalez, despite a name that worries me into thinking every pitch will land in the stands, pitched a surprisingly decent five innings. A good sign, since I suppose he is a potential starter for the game on Saturday, which will be my first ever visit to the cathedral they call Fenway.
  • Mantei looked very good. If there's some kind of "make me suck" potion in the bullpen water (which there seems to be, eh?) that hottie ain't drinkin' it.
  • The O's lost.
  • It's the O's that we actually care about losing! It's only May, so I can delude myself into thinking that I might not actually care too much about the sox missing the play-offs, as long as the yanks do, too (and by a larger margin.)

I must admit, Omar Infante is actually cuter live. He didn't look quite as young... and technically he gets older every day, right? Nah, still too young for me. But definitely worth looking at. Seeing the Detroit logo everywhere tonight made me realize that I have a tigers hat, and have used it for years on painting projects. Unfortunately I realized this while the bases were loaded, and felt terribly disloyal as the outs kept coming. Are we Sox fans more superstitious than other fans? I suppose it's more about the individual. After all, I've always been superstitious about Patriots stuff, too, and I was a Pats fan first.

Speaking of the Pats, I was so excited about KY lubing the team up (0-2 tonight, no wonder we lost,) I almost missed the biggest news of the weekend. "Doug Flutie!" I said to my dad last night, "Why didn't you tell me?" He said he didn't think I was old enough to remember Flutie, and seeing as I'm turning thirty on Friday and feeling rather ancient right now, I'll just take that as a compliment. Truthfully, his Heisman trophy year was the year before I got into football, but since I've never watched college football anyway, I don't see how that would make much of a difference. The year I got into football (1985), the Patriots ran several flea-flickers, and every time they did, the network found that to be a great excuse to show Flutie's famous hail mary, which by now I've probably seen a zillion times, but it's still fun to watch. Bet they show it at least five times this year during Pats games. It's good to have the hometown boy at Fenway, catching foul balls, but even better to have him in pads, at the Razor (and hopefully on the sidelines all year long.)

Monday, May 02, 2005

Get Your Own Blog

See it up there, "get your own blog," at the top? It's been eating at me since I first saw it. I didn't know why it bothered me so much. I practically didn't know what a blog was a few months ago. I only found out about them in my desperation to find stuff to read about the sox this spring. Since then I've been perusing through them, occasionally making a nuisance of myself on the comment areas. I've become friends with a blogger, and perhaps piqued the interest of others. I've wondered why I was so fascinated, why so eager each day to see what they had to say... until I finally realized that I coveted their blogspots. I have lots to say, and need a spot to say it in. And so I've been saying, for awhile now, "maybe I should get my own blog."
It's kind of like the clock in my car. I know, how could getting a blog possibly be anything like the clock in my car? Well if you end up being a regular reader of my blog, you will realize how completely random I can be. I bought my car almost five years ago, and in that time I have never adjusted my clock for daylight savings time. I kept telling myself I was going to do it, but I never did, and occasionally I would think of it, and realize that the time would change in three weeks or something, so what's the point? I didn't know how to change my clock, and whenenver I was in my car, I was too busy trying to get somewhere to worry about figuring it out. Well a few weeks ago, shortly after DST righted the time on my clock yet again, I had to replace my battery. I got in my car and the time was no longer ignorable... it was blinking (and by the way all my radio presets were gone, too.) Sitting at a light, I glanced at my clock, looking for the buttons to set it. The traffic started moving again, but I had found what I needed, and while I was driving onto a highway, I reset my clock in about eight seconds flat.
Just like setting my clock, I wasn't sure how hard it might be to set up a blog, so I kept putting it off until I absolutely could not stand it anymore...only to find it was easier than registering for anything else on the internet, and shockingly, FREE!
So seriously, get your own blog (oh, yeah, you probably already have one.) I think I've wanted a soap box of my own my whole life.