weekend OFF

I forget that people who work typical jobs get two days off each week. I've had a lot of time off lately, just because the team has been on the road and they've been trying to recharge us all while it's possible. The Rox played their half-way mark game on Saturday, so we've got a good 47 left! They were out of town on Friday but we hosted the Cranberry League All Stars. They got through 5 innings just in time for the sky to open up... we were drenched in seconds. We had to pull the tarp, but it was raining so hard and we were split staffed so we didnt even get it all the way onto the field. So close. Thankfully a few of the players got a clue and came out to help us, albeit a little late. Soon thereafter the game was called but we ended up taking the tarp off the field so that we'd not have to get up early to come in and take it off the next morning. I cant explain to you how heavy a tarp with a lake on it is. You pull and pull on the tarp and your leg muscles burn like they're going to give way by about 3/4ths of the way during the first crossing of the field. I have a lot of fun doing it but there is definitely pain involved. Finally, we got the tarp rolled off the field and got a quick pick-up done with. SOAKED. we were all soaked. I was thankful to have extra clothes for the ride home.

When I awoke the next morning, I had no idea as to what I would be doing for the first of my two days off. Showering was a must so I had time to consider whether I'd go to a Scottish festival with my friend Heather, see Inception, go to a Spinners game, take a walk around Cambridge and Boston, go to the beach...... it was a pretty low key day up until 2:30pm when I was checking facebook only to discover that the softball team I've been a part of for the past couple years- The Juice- was playing in Boston at 3! I immediately got up and walked out the door, headed to the T Station, and go to the Boston Commons in time to watch The Juice bring home a win. My great friend Dave pitched a 3 pitch inning... pretty sweet. As I was sitting on the bench I learned that a bunch of them would be taking advantage of a Suite at Fenway that very night... and they had one extra ticket! 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

saw petey!! (center of the pic, right next to the camera)

Happiest night. So I went to Fenway that night, after making a quick stop at Dave and Rachel's house for pizza with some of The Juice. I got to spend that warm summer evening with Jayne (church/Juice friend extraordinare- saw her when I was in LA), Dave (we used to live in the same house in Somerville, close friend), and Rachel (Dave's wife) among others. Beautiful friends.

 I had missed Fenway so much... almost as much as I had missed the friends I havent really had a lot of time to be around lately. They're incredible people. I miss their consistent presences in my life. They're people I can look up to, people who care about each other and this city and our world. People who care about me even though I've been MIA. Not once did I feel cut down or discouraged this weekend by something that someone said or did. It was entirely refreshing. It's encouraging just knowing that they're out there still. And hey, like I've written, I know some quality people in the Rox organization. I'm really just glad to have had such a memorable day with friends who will still hang out with me once the summer is over with :)

The game was a ton of fun by the way. We won 3-2 in extra innings (11). Always fun to get a little extra baseball in. Lackey vs Lee, who pitched a complete game. Rangers took the other two games in the series, so I'm glad I got to witness the win :) Youk was the man of the hour.

Sunday afternoon came very quickly. Church was a blur, and then I was driving to meet Robin somewhere in York. She treated me to lunch at Stonewall Kitchen (all i can say is wow.. that place... huge and yummy-smelling) and we hit the beach for about 3 hours. Quality time is definitely my love language so even the basic gesture of her coming to hang out with me meant a lot. We talked, prayed, killed little jumping spiders, and I got reaaallly sunburnt:

(even my eyes are red... hopefully thats just tiredness and not an effect from too much sun exposure)

...yeah. i'm using an icepack on my legs right now.

Basically, it was another stellar day. I really made good use of my time off this weekend. Ready to get back at it! We've got three home games starting tomorrow, then they're gone for a week, then it gets a little busier. Right around the time my dad's side of the family is having its reunion. And right around the time Mehdi is getting married. Oh well. When it rains, it pours.

PS, Dusty Brown got called up to the Red Sox last night. Michael Bowden got called up today. Both have already seen some playing time. AWESOME times. Let's see what happens....

More than fine, more than bent on getting by

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's amused by the fact that this summer is on pace to be one of my absolute best ever. It doesnt match up on paper- the amount of "grunt work" I've put in, the hours, any number of less than ideal details of my circumstance. All I can tell you is that I havent been this energized, focused, driven, motivated, joyful, thankful, and filled with momentum in a long time.

Two nights back I started to attempt to recount everything that has been so good about the past week but I failed miserably. So instead of a chronological listing off of events, I'll try for my own sake to be a bit more general. For one, Leo found me a lefty glove and it's a pretty nice one. Ever since, I have been knocking down doors to get people to play catch with me. From experience over the past two days, I can tell you that playing catch in 99 degree weather (Tuesday)- or even 89 degree weather (yesterday)- feels more like playing soccer in 65 or 70 degrees. Or maybe it's just me. I do run around quite a bit at work, and I mean that literally... working or playing, it seems like half of the time I spend in motion I'm running. In fact, while I was playing catch with Grant (clubhouse attendant) yesterday on the field, the interns were sitting around talking about what an Intern Calendar would look like, and decided that my pose would be mid stride (running). Anyhow. I'm working my arm a good deal these days, and I'm feeling it. I seem to get a little overexcited every time I play, and there's always that one launch where I throw it just a bit too hard or a bit too far for my arm's current looseness.  It throbs from the elbow up to the shoulder, mostly at those two points. Then it gets worse until about 30 minutes after I'm done playing. Falu told me I should go see the trainer.. and I'm thinking it's probably not a bad idea. Figure out some stretches at the very least.

I'm getting to know both Dom and Falu in particular better every day. It's a point of confidence for me to even just know that they're around for the latter half of my day most days, and I am realizing the value of positive interactions, how much energy I get from them, how they impact my mood significantly. These guys, as far as I've experienced them, are always good for some positive energy.. not trying to sound new age-ish. Jack, Michael, and Andy (not players) also tend to leave me feeling encouraged. Now that I'm consciously starting to realize this, I try to gravitate towards these people more and more as they build me up. The Christian connection with Dom and Falu is a key one though.

Yesterday was excellent. On top of playing catch and running around a lot, it was pure fun. We had put together World Cup Night and our promotions were themed around soccer. Highly entertaining night! Before the game we let kids on the field for a free dribble so I got to hang out and get really hot running around with little kids for 45 minutes. We all wore soccer jerseys and encouraged fans to come decked out as well. The between-innings games were a blast, serious entertainment.. we had a sumo show down where two girls got in the sumo suits, dribbled soccer balls around cones, then ran and threw themselves into human sized soft bowling pins while racing each other.. and they did it up, one of them laid the other out and then got owned by her opponent at the end after jumping into the pins. There was a diving contest to see which kid could do the best overdramatic fake fall. We slingshotted a soccer ball at a kid wearing goalie gloves out in left field. Oh it was just a great time. Raffles, launch-a-ball, etc. Vuvuzela sound effects :)  ...and our group's latest thing is putting our hands in and on the count of 3 singing Blame It On The Rain. Yes, I love my life. That's how we ended the night last night once everything was broken down after the game. So all of this was extremely fun, but the thing that made it SPECIAL was that the Sidders took time out to come. Greg Sidder is the new pastor at my parents' church up in Maine- I wrote about visiting them when I was in CA- and they are in the process of a cross country trek from Temecula to Yarmouth (almost there guys!) ...... amazingly, they had enough time to spare last night and kind of on the spot decided to swing by Brockton as they were staying in Dedham that night anyhow. It was great for me to be able to share what I do with the Rox with them. They're fantastic people.

Michael Bowden is doing so well.



Today is my day off. This inevitably means that the Sox are out of town, and so I'm not going to Fenway. I am however going to Worcester to actually watch a full Rox game. I understand very much why no one else I work with would dream of going to a Rox game on their off-day, and I know that someday I too might want nothing to do with the team I'm working with at that point or baseball in general when I am allowed time off from it, but that's just not where I'm at. Grant in all his wisdom very recently insisted that whenever I am fortunate to have a day to myself, I find something to do that is far removed from the Rox. I'm really interested in the team though, especially as I meet more and more of the guys on it. I dont get to watch games, and on the two occasions where I've been afforded that luxury, I've still been working (running the scoreboard) so my attention was on the very basic technicalities of what was going on as opposed to being able to have the full experience of minor league baseball. Falu is comping me ticket and I'm good to go! First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm. Before that, I need to get myself to a bank, purchase a FAN, and get over this stomach ache. Today will be a great day. Baseball, and I'll get to use my camera. Why not, right? I miss spending time with my camera. Night games are tough but I can get there for warm ups while it's still light out. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night (up too late facebook chatting. not sure what in the world i was thinking.. and then automatically awake and alert at 6:15am) and I'm hoping i can improve on that tonight. Tomorrow I work with Leo and John among others... we're split staffing so half of us are working an event today (the team is away) and half of us are working tomorrow. Tomorrowwwww... is movie night put on by the Town of Brockton. Or is Brockton a city? I dont even know.


I had a less than restful time at home but I got to see a LOT of people who are entirely important to me, from my parents and Grandma to my best friends from both elementary school and high school respectively (and their families, who have had huge impacts on who I am today, no question). Got to see Robin, and spent time with JVP... and even went down to Camp Agawam where Pat is working and had lunch with him and some campers there. It was cool to run into his friend Brendan, who's from Belfast in Northern Ireland and who I had met last fall when Pat and I went over to travel Ireland. Pat is now sporting a Brockton Rox hat. So good to see him... we're both so busy this summer, I dont know the next time we'll have a chance to spend time together. Too bad neither of our schedules will allow us to hit the Glasgow Celtic vs Sporting Portugal at FENWAY this month. That would've been so sweet.

That's my non-recap. Every day is the perfect combination of routine and newness. Nothing is mundane (...ok, sweeping the mulch off of the walkways every morning isnt exactly my FAVORITE part of the day, I'll be honest).

...and, an accident just happened right outside my house. Gonna go check it out. Thanks for your prayers, I'm getting so much out of life.
PETEY COME BACK SOON :(

Oh, lots of little things..

I've got plenty to write about today... let's see if I get to everything before running out of steam.

So first of all, yes, it's Friday night and I'm writing in my blog. The Quakes are away for the next week. I dont know if the Dodgers are home or away but I havent really had the heart to go back to Dodger Stadium since that one game I attended. Guess what! After searching my mind for the past week or so, I came up with a couple things that I'll miss about Los Angeles (besides the wonderful Acker family, and a very few friends that I've spent time with). First, I'll miss the Quakes. Of course. I dont remember if I posted this here or on my baseball blog, but I've come to love the Quakes somewhere between how I love the '09 Spinners and how I love the Paw Sox. I know all of the typical starters on the team, and have a general sense of how they've been performing in 2010. I like them enough to drive all that way (sometimes through horrendous traffic) so I will definitely miss them, but at least I have plenty of teams to fill that hole with back in New England. The other thing that I'll really miss is a bit more irreplaceable- they REALLY know how to do movie experiences in this town. I've never been to a movie theatre here that didnt really wow me- granted, I've only been to 3 or 4. The screens here are MASSIVE. The picture is so clear and so large. My friend Roxy and I had to sit in the front row as we were late to the premiere of Remember Me and place was packed- the screen was soooo big that my eyes and my mind literally couldnt take it all in at once. The sound is just about perfect. The seating is always staggered stadium seating so there's no chance that you wont be able to see because of the tall guy or the girl with the big hair in front of you. The seats are cushy and leather-like, and lean back as far as is necessary. There are a billion previews, which I actually like, because I dont watch TV and otherwise have no idea what's going on for new/upcoming releases (i realize that many people actually wouldnt like this); and before the previews, for people who get there extra early, they show inside/behind-the-scene peeks into tv shows, other movies, celebrities... none of this business about trivia that cycles back around after 10 slides. Even better... I have as many coupons and more that get me to different theatres around the area for $6, $7 a pop. Hours of entertainment are definitely worth the financial cost.



I saw Robin Hood today, as it just came out. I really enjoyed it for what it was, but was hoping for and am reading for the story of his outlaw adventures. The movie was about his road to being declared an outlaw. I need to read the true account again because every movie has a different take on Robin Hood and a different story to tell.. so I actually dont know the real deal. Anyhow, Russell Crowe was wonderful, intense, genuine as always. And Cate Blanchette wasn't the Marian I imagine being the love of Robin Hood's life but she was a lot better than I thought she'd be in the role. (I have nothing against her as an actress but NEVER would have singled her out to play Maid Marian.) Surprise appearance by the guy who plays Martin Keamy on LOST! WOah! He's Little John. And... wow, I really liked him! He was great. In LOST, of course, he plays the most despicable, contemptible character. As the movie was about Robin Hood and not his entire band, we didnt see much of Little John but he was a presence for sure, for the role that he did have. Alan-a-Dale and Will Scarlett were present as well. Makes me wonder if they might do a second installment. There's definitely room for it and the first was good enough in my book that I'd go back for more.



Aside from the movie, I've been searching for housing around Boston and putting my car on the market all day today. It's tiring, and a lot of it is a waiting game. Trying to put the information out there, and also find out who is searching for a car/roommate, and waiting for responses. Time goes very slowly, it seems, when I'm trying to make craigslist work for me. I also stuck my car up on cars.com so hopefully that will be a helpful tool. There's a place in Brighton Center, a handful of miles from my church and definitely in the right price range, that I'm waiting to hear back about. Prayers? That if this could be a good place for me, that there would be little resistance in working out the details. You know how these things go... back and forth, rollercoasterish, until they finally settle.



Last night I drove down to Temecula to meet and visit with the Sidders, who are to be the new pastor-family at my parents' and cousin's church. We hit it right off and it was fully worth the 2+hour drive down there. We chatted for a number of hours, had pizza and chocolate cake (oh, how long it had been since i had eaten pizza! mmmm), and got to know each other. I'm excited for their move and I'm excited that we'll all be a part of each others' futures. I know that everyone in Maine loves them already and cant wait for them to arrive, and I can assure you that they're all just as excited, if not a bit more stressed out with selling the house, packing everything up, and finding a new home in the next couple of months. For those of you who have met the Sidders, I'm happy to report that while Robin is definitely off her feet for the most part, she is in great spirits, or was when I was there! Greg is clearly being a great support to her and had the house actually SPARKLING-clean for a realtor/potential house-buyer that came by while I was there. The kids were very well-behaved as I rambled what was probably mostly-boring talk about life here and life in Maine. Their oldest, Sean, is a photographer and we talked about that for a while- he had some pics of Fenway from when they visited Boston a few years ago!! Beautiful.
Around bedtime, I headed to destination #2 of the night- the church that Greg used to pastor, where some friends were playing a show. It was great to see slices of home in Doug and Darren (didnt run across Karl, and Joe was back in Maine with his wife Adrienne who had child #4 that day!). Not only slices of home, but the encountering of something, someone who runs deeper than just the past few years of my life. We're not close now and havent been for a while but there was a time when I spent a lot of time with Doug and his wife Angie, and with The Kingpin Wrecking Crew as a unit. There's history there. It was good to be there with them, even for such a short period of time. In the process, Doug introduced me to a guy in one of the other bands on the tour who was childhood best friends with Clay Buchholz- was one of the people who rented a hotel room out of town with Clay, Clay's dad, Clay's agent around the draft because Clay needed to escape his friends' and family's excited "hounding"... this guy played ball with Clay when Clay was both a pitcher and a shortstop. He told me that Clay led their team in homeruns ( I guess for a season... we didnt get to when that was or with which team)! This guy (I'll have to ask Doug to remind me of his name but he was really nice) played 2nd base and loved meeting up with Petey at Clay's wedding. He said Petey is his favorite... was a pretty funny guy. Time was short, we probably talked for about 7 minutes and then all of the members from each band went out when the show was over and hung around their merch tables. Really crazy to stumble across Buchholz's close friend like that though. (Clay and the Red Sox won vs Detroit today, woohoo! Petey hit his 8th homerun of the season, WOOHOO! And they were wearing their blue jerseys. And Petey had his socks showing?)


Man alive- no matter how Bowden pitches, he cant get a Win to his name to save his life. It's a TALENT of his- either taking the loss, or not factoring in the decision for a victory.


Crazy, Pat's coming here really soon, and then I'm leaving. Hopefully things are put together by that point but life just has this way of moving forward so whatever happens, happens. I think I actually covered all of the different things I had on my mind to write about. Good night East Coasters.

Happy that things are in full swing again. Really, I am.

MLB.TV has been horrible. I havent been able to get the site to allow me to access games. Thankfully, someone pointed me in the direction of a video client called Boxee, by way of which i can channel the MLB.TV feed to watch. However... I miss out on all of the cool things that I'm paying for, like fantasy baseball player stat tracking, a live in-game twitter feed showing everyone who's watching and talking about the game I'm watching, and the option of having up to 4 games open at once. I splashed out for the Premium package (which, when broken down, is worth the splash) and so far I havent been able to take advantage of all of the REGULAR PACKAGE's features. I've spent about 4 hours on the phone with dimwitted (truly, dimwitted) customer service reps. And I'm not the only one experiencing this issue. It's a joke, and it's robbery.

Alright, enough of that. Today was the first day that I really questioned what it is that I thought I was doing in moving here. I'm sure this frenzied panic I'm feeling at the start of this baseball season will subside, will dull. Ugh, i dont want it to.. I like strong emotion, I think it's a good thing, that it tells us about ourselves. But as long as I feel this way, I feel like I'm lacking objective perspective. Have I been like this for the past 2 years? Because if i have, then I think that's something I should explore further. If those of you who would know would say that this baseball thing has come in concentrated fits of passion, well, then I'll wait for it to cool off and have faith that it will; that it'll feel ok soon enough.
The Paw Sox season started today. I listened to the broadcast- Paw Sox blew Rochester away 11-3. I had emailed one of the voices of the Paw Sox, Steve Hyder, and to my delight, he read most of my message on-air. He read it so well. I had written it of course, but the way he spoke it made me laugh, made blood rush into my cheeks, sent a wave of warmth wooshing through me, and made me ache. It also made me feel like the Paw Sox missed me, too- as funny as that sounds. So, silly me, I sit here listening to a mix of songs that largely defined my baseball excursions last year (doesnt this just sound like a breakup? sitting on the floor against the wall with tissues and ice cream, putting on a mix cd of all your favorite songs that remind you of him or her..) ...Michael Bowden wrote on my Facebook wall this morning. I guess it's all just been a bit too much for me, everything this week. Fenway, Red Sox, McCoy, Paw Sox, players traded, fantasy teams picked, MLB.TV working and not working, Dodger Stadium being a let down, the game i'm going to tomorrow in Rancho Cucamonga... I've been watching baseball all day since I got MLB.TV. I watch starting at 10am, throughout work on and off, till I'm done for the night. It's so familiar. Someday when I miss home, and I feel like crying about it, I'll go to the MLB.TV archives and watch the beginning of the second Red Sox vs Yankees game. Before it started, they showed about 60 seconds of a view of Boston from a blimp or helicopter that was above Fenway. I could see the river, I could see up near Boston Common, and it was just stunning, my Boston. And then the views of Fenway during the games this week have been the most familiar thing I've experienced since I've been here. It's mesmerizing. I spent so much time in that place, in and out and under and through and all around it. I see security and field attendant friends and acquaintances on camera during the games. Every view evokes a memory. It's acute and it's overwhelming, overstimulating even.
I think I just realized today (not for the first time) that there are certain things that cant last. For instance, how long until Fenway isnt mine anymore- till half or more of the team I loved for the last 2 years is long gone, till the bullpen catcher Mani is no longer with the team, till Mike and Mike arent on the security team, till Dave isnt reselling tickets every game outside the park...? And I doubt that I'll ever again have the experience of sitting at McCoy with Victor, or Mehdi, trying to keep my eyes on the game while they sit beside me, updating me every few minutes on the progress of Michael Bowden's stares. Their reminders, in teasing and excited tones, always faux-annoyed me while giving me a sense of triumph. Of course, a great portion of Pawtucket's 2009 team has dispersed, so that certainly cant and didnt last, but that's how the Minors go. Still, I miss Charlie Zink and his knuckleball- watching him allowed me to experience the fascination of the knuckleball. I'd watch him warm up in the pen before his starts, could stand directly behind him or behind Dusty Brown, his catcher- and had a great view either way of how he gripped the ball, how he released it, how it traveled through the space between the mound and the plate.


Well. Clearly I just want to talk baseball. Reminisce.
Man do I miss the T. :)


Ok, some good things. Well, work is going just fine. Tomorrow I'm leaving home at 4 to get to Rancho Cucamonga for my first Quakes game. Scott Kazmir is slated to pitch as part of a rehab assignment (Kazmir is a pitcher I really like who has played for the Rays and now for the Angels in the last couple years). Very exciting. And, I imagine that my scorebook will arrive before I leave for the game- I had it shipped from Maine, haha- so I'll be all set, and it will feel good to hunker down at a minor league park and score the game. Maybe I'll fall in love with the Quakes. That would make life easier for me.

Last night Nadine took me to Louise's Trattoria. Lovely little Italian cafe. Guess what I had? "Cajun Jambalaya". Had a definite italian twist to it of course- and there was nothing that was recognizably Cajun about the dish. Still, it was stellar. Then we ended on an even higher note by splitting the largest square of tiramisu I'd ever seen served in a restaurant or elsewhere. It was perfect. Soft, light, fluffy-ish, and the non-cake parts were oh so smooth. Delightful meal.

This weekend I'll be attending a women's brunch in Westwood, put on by a church that I visited a few weeks ago. I figure that it'll be a good way to make friends in my area, even though I dont go to the church. That's Saturday AM... not sure what I have for the rest of the day. I'll definitely be outside at all costs, either at the beach, or hiking, or jogging (fancy that). I recently found a great site giving a solid list of free things to do in LA. Unlike with most lists of this sort, I found that this one had some really legit, interesting suggestions. Actually, not just some. The whole list is great. The plan is to check off everything. There are times where I've got nothing to do, but dont really know what to do to remedy that... well, now I've got some choices set out for me.
http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/activities-and-recreation/activities/free-things-to-do-in-los-angeles.jsp

Also, I havent checked this list out as extensively, but it too will be a source of inspiration I'm sure.
http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/activities-and-recreation/activities/100-free-things-to-do.jsp

Ok, ok, now I've worn myself out. Another beautiful day here in Los Angeles. My friend Tiffany comes in 2 weeks; my friend Jayne comes in about 3. My family+others come in June... maybe I can get Victor over here for the Angels/Red Sox series. I'm hoping to visit my cousin Mat up north, maybe next weekend even. Hardly a dull moment. Loving having a piano here, realizing that I should find a song to learn as I've been emoting solely through all the songs I already know. Time to add to the repertoire.

Good night Neverland.

Really. Best Buy doesnt sell USB cables?

Well let's see. What can I tell you?

I've watched the most recent episode of LOST a number of times since it aired. It was a fun one for me. I wont give anything away here though. My friend Kate had me over to view the show on Tuesday, and it was something else to drive through West Hollywood (where she lives) at night, all lit up. On Wednesday night, I went out with my friend Emily- we tried a coffee place near to where I'm living, but it closed almost as soon as she had purchased her drink (I'm only drinking water for Lent). Instead, we drove around. It was relieving for me to be able to just... talk. About nothing in particular. And again, the city is eye-catching and beautiful at night. Thursday... Rob and Kathleen came into town to see their son's lacrosse game, and came to Nadine's to have dinner beforehand. Mmmm, chocolate + coconut gelatos. So yum. It was great catching up with them. Finally, I went out with my new friend Roxy on Friday night. (The connecting factor between Roxy and me is Jay, a good friend who's in Boston.) She suggested that we go to The Grove, which is sort of like an LA-style Faneuil Hall (meaning, it's much more expansive, and instead of looking like Boston, quaint and bricked/cobblestoned, it looks palm treeish and just very nice)... I had wanted to see Remember Me, which came out yesterday, so we did both. Saw the movie at this large, beautifully architectured theatre in The Grove. The film was emotionally heavy, to say the least. And I guess that I will only say the least because unlike many other love stories, this one is distinctly and shockingly memorable.
There. My week, paraphrased.
Today I drove around quite a bit. Found a Goodwill and spent some quality time looking around.. got some stuff, mostly work clothes. Spent time with Nadine, who isnt feeling very well. Walked to Century City, tooled around the outdoor mall, made my first visit to Sees Candies. OOOOh, they give a sample of your choice. I was a happy girl. Hmm, went to Borders, looked around the nicest food court I've ever seen, listened to some live music out in the sunshine... I'm very happy to be within walking distance of a place with so much to do. Just the fact that there's a Borders is enough... but there's also a grocery store, Apple store, movie theatre, food, and lots of shops. Ahh, and it was an incredible day to be outside. Not hot, comfortably warm. Lots of sun. I was going to head to a park today but it never happened... and i didnt take any pics either. Well.. I took a few with my phone but you wont be too excited or anything.

...and I found this book in Borders. It was an interesting read for a few pages, so I bought it used on Amazon for $1.50 and will hopefully get it soon!

Did I mention that I discovered a tick on my arm last weekend? A little one too. Luckily it was just crawlin around still. I sliced that sucker in half.

Hmm. I think I'm going to Reality LA church tomorrow. It's east of here off of Sunset Blvd. Shoot, I should have gotten in touch with Ted and Barb's relatives who go there. I need to get back on connecting with people... I tell myself that I can only connect with so many new people at a time but if I think about that excuse, I dont buy it. How difficult is it to send a facebook message or an email? Yawwwwn. We're losing an hour tomorrow. Dadgumit.

Bowden pitched some today vs the Pirates. Got the save.. but it sounds like he had to work for it, wasnt very smooth going. I read that he's changed his pitching motion and that he's "reinventing" himself as a pitcher. This, I believe, just looking at him now. He's so much leaner than he was. I mean he wasnt fat by any means but he was just... big! Muscle mass. Not so much now. AND i hear that he's not showing his socks anymore. Sad. It was so much easier to instantly pick him out of the mass of uniforms. Oh well.

I bought 87 blank cdrs for $10 today. Craigslist is phenomenal. As soon as I got back to the condo I started burning cds... the ones I've been listening to in the car are by bands like Sanctus Real and Relient K... old-time stuff. I did pop in my Dropkick Murphys (with a few other random bands) mix, about a month early too, as I had decided back in October not to listen to "Tessie" till I was at my next game. Presumably, or at least presumably at the time, the Sox would win that next game, and I'd hear Tessie over the stadium's system after the game, and the season would be in gear. Agh, Fenway, what have I done? How will I get through the season without being with you? I hope my Grandma comes out here this summer so that I can take her to an Angels/Red Sox game.

At least fantasy baseball is about to start up :) First draft is next Saturday... along with a race I've entered into, starting and finishing at Dodger Stadium. It's a 5k through a park.
I'm about to go to bed.. but one more thing. Ryan Westmoreland- who is an elite Red Sox prospect- had to leave Spring Training and will be having brain surgery to remove a "cavernous malformation of the brain". He played with the Lowell Spinners last year so he's still a ways away from the bigs, but he's generally thought of as one of the (or THE) top position prospects in our farm system. He's 19 and he's even a hometown hero- from RI. Prayers for this kid please!