Home again

This is something very strange indeed. I'm not (and rarely have ever been) a breakfast person. I don't even drink coffee most of the time! Since moving back to Somerville, though, I've awakened with a slightly rumbly stomach and- been able to take down food. My brain's food-enjoyment-receptors aren't typically working until 10am on any given day. Must be something in the air.

Several incredible things are present in my life.

1. iYo.

Frozen yogurt, self-serve, with unusual flavors and exotic toppings... just like Yogurtland but HERE! Not 3000 miles away! Yes, I had made a similar find last year with Mixx over in Allston, but coming from this end of Somerville, that seems oh-so-far away.. and not easily accessed by T. Now I've got my OWN lovely shop right here in Davis. The interior of the place is impressive- what used to be an ordinary, slightly dingy convenience store has been revamped into a much more fitting (Davis is no place for "dingy" or "ordinary"), industrial-style, open space. I can see myself becoming a regular. The only complaint I have is the price- where Yogurtland (my first experience with these types of establishments) charges 30 cents/ounce, and Mixx charges 42 cents/ounce, iYo charges 49 cents/ounce. Yowch. That cup (less than halfway full) cost over $4. But to be fair, what's in the cup? Small amounts of sea salted caramel pretzel yogurt, cake batter yogurt, and espresso yogurt with toppings like mochi, cherry and blueberry juice poppers, and oreo. I'm pretty frugal, but this treat will be MINE at least weekly. Also available- make your own waffles, and coffee/pastry fare.

2. Reality.

I guess I need to snap a pic or two of the Villa Victoria now that it's been revamped into Reality. The building is awesome, and the people I've met thus far are pretty rad. I'm excited for my first time at Reality's prayer group tomorrow. I went out with new friends on Monday. The lot of them strike me as glamourous people, at least compared to the typical brother/sister in Christ that you meet around the Boston area. Maybe it'll rub off on me.. I could use a step or two up in my fashion game :)

3. Grandma.

4. BOSTON!

Simply so very thankful that I am here. That I have the ability to get back here and adapt and still be able to pay the bills while God works something new in my life.

What's not so great? The Red Sox. Thank goodness that this is the last day of the regular season. Go home, boys. Go home, relax for a few months, and please come back next season ready to win some games.

Also worth noting- I have largely skirted around sci-fi shows. I watched Buffy but that was bigger than sci-fi, had a much wider appeal, so I could hide behind that reasoning. Well, no longer. I love Doctor Who. I LOVE Doctor Who! It's cheesy-ness is endearing. It's characters find various avenues into your heart.. and then they leave, making you realize all the more how darn attached you had become to them. David Tennant- who I despised and was essentially repulsed by in Harry Potter- has become the most lovely face and voice to me. And watching Doctor Who got me turned onto the band Chameleon Circuit, which plays "Trock" or Time Lord Rock. Yes, the geekiness continues. They're pretty good.

And now I'm off to find something great to fill today with. It's rainy/overcast. And quiet.

Sitting out on the porch

I have no idea where to start. So much has happened, so much has changed since I wrote last... maybe the point isnt to record every single thing though. For starters, I had a fantastic birthday. I had no plans for the night of the 3rd, it being a Tuesday night and all. We had work that day from about 10-5 (team was on the road), and at 4:30pm the VP comes into our office and gathers us around. "I hate to do this to you guys, but I've got a task, and you're not going to like it. I need 4 volunteers." Everyone shifted from foot to foot for a few seconds, because we were so close to being able to leave for the night, and someone asked how long it would take. "It'll take about 3 hours.. but you'll have to wait awhile for it to start." More hesitation from all of us, but I like the VP a lot and figured that I didnt have anything else going on anyhow. I volunteered, and after another long unhappy pause a few others finally offered their time as well. "Great... you guys are going to the Red Sox game tonight!" WOOHOO!! Talk about 0-60 in remarkable time... all of a sudden my birthday stood a chance at being celebrated after all. The tickets were his friend's season tickets in row 2 of Grandstand 16 (in line with Red Sox on deck circle more or less) and after I picked them up across town, I headed to Fenway. Traffic was terrible and after parking at Roshan's and walking to the ballpark it was the middle of the 1st. Great game!! I made a bee-line for the bullpen and ended up finding a handicap seat in my favorite spot, right over where Mani (bullpen catcher) keeps his glove. Awesome view of the field. I ended up getting myself on NESN somehow ... THREE TIMES. How many games did it take me?! But there it is. And there I was.

after Lowell's hr

a recap of Lowell's hr shown later in the game

just before Papelbon's last pitch. I was shouting something like here we go Cinco Ocho!

[there's a party happening down the street here, and Dont Stop Believing is now being followed by Sweet Caroline.]

So, pretty sweet huh? There was a bench clearing brawl and we won in the end. After the game Mani gave me a ball. Also pretty sweet. We dont really know each other but I think we are on friendly enough terms. I sit right there whenever I'm at a game, which was quiiiiiiite a bit last year. We've talked a few times. Nice enough fellow. All in all the game was a success and then some.

I got to spend some quality time with the McClellan side of my family. First family reunion!! Very fun. I love them all. Great getting to catch up with my cousins and actually getting to know their kids too. A beautiful smiley bunch of kiddos. I wish I had been able to stay longer, but such is life, and that's OK. I'm blessed to have loving family on all sides of me. Got to speak with my Grandma today and that woman blesses me with every card she sends and ever anecdote she tells. I dont know what I'd do without her, I love her so much.

Work is still such a good thing. Still enjoying the people there, still getting things done, still learning. Starting to think about what happens come September. My friend Jeff, who was picked up by the Rox in mid-July, got released yesterday after a pretty strong showcasing of himself over the past few weeks. Unfortunately he wasnt getting playing time everyday, but when he did he generally made the most of it. We were fast friends, pretty much from when we met while working at a baseball camp clinic at the stadium, and I felt the sting of how abruptly things can shift in this business. Everything happened so fast yesterday... he wanted his walkup music changed and texted me to meet him so he could give me a file of the song... and by the time I got to him a handful of minutes later, he had been released. By the time another hour and a half had gone by I had helped him pack all of his belongings into his Jeep, and by the time gates opened at the park he was headed out of state. My head was spinning just a little bit, but the show must go on, and I spent that night- our busiest night of the season to date- monitoring a prize wheel game and wearing a smile that hurt my jaw. No rest for the weary, though, because 5 of us were staying overnight at Campanelli to chaperon Boy Scout Sleep Over night. 600 people. "UP!" was shown on the video board, and I got a very restless few hours of sleep on the floor of a suite. Sort of a traumatic day, not a lot of time for emotion or processing. Something that has helped me deal with the relationships I've been a part of this summer is the realization that they are potentially extremely fleeting. It's counter-intuitive to a personality like mine to think this way, and it doesnt mean that I dont still strive to treat everyone I come into contact with with respect, but it helps me to keep from excessive people-pleasing. I probably wont see Jeff again, even if he does come back to Brockton to play next year, because there's a great chance that I wont be with the Rox. I will take a baseball gig but have no idea which gig - or where - that will be. It's similar with the people I work with- I always want everyone to like me, but in the end, my lifestyle is a lot different. And that's ok, even if people think I'm lame or no fun because of it. (Though I feel like we all accept each other pretty well, for the most part. )

Anyhow, as it always is, I felt a lot less angsty when I woke up this morning. For one thing, I awoke (albeit at 5:50am) to a text from Ally telling me that Layla Mae was born that evening (she's in NZ, evening for her)!!! Also Ally's birthday. Big day!! That's child number two for her. So the AM started off with some joy. After getting all the scouts out of the park, we dispersed and I headed to Cambridge to get a little bit of sleep. Rest was short-lived, as I had things to do and places to be... Mehdi's wedding was this afternoon at the Vineyard! Lovely ceremony, and I got to spend it with lovely Jayne. Unfortunately the reception was moved from 5pm to 6:30pm, which I only discovered when I got to the wedding ceremony, and as I had committed to work later that evening... well, at least I got to be there to see him get married, even if I couldn't party with them afterwards. The game went so quickly... after a couple of key conversations with Linc and Maxine (Reyes' great great aunt... will get to that in a bit) it was pretty much over. After a little bit of implosion on our starter's part, we won it 6-4 (vs Pittsfield).

Jumping back in time, I'll mention another person who has been a fun part of my summer. His name is Reyes and he's 11- came to visit his great great aunt Maxine for a month all the way from Colorado. At first, it was basic recognition, seeing him every day at the game. Then, we interacted during a between-innings competition, and from that point on he was my little buddy. What a kindhearted kid. He would sneak me little pieces of fried dough (despite many many protests on how illegal that kind of thing is for me... no eating on the job!), he came to one of the baseball camps that I helped with (i love those camps. working with the Rox's base coach Dan is a joy, he is one of the great encouragers that I've encountered this summer; he and Jack in particular feed energy and encouragement into me; hanging with the kids and getting to play baseball all morning with the kids and some Rox players is just as much of a perk), and a couple days ago he sent me a birthday card even though he had already left to go back to CO. Sweet kid. I still have Maxine around who is another amazing soul, and who made sure my birthday got announced during the game on the 2nd (i missed the announcement and the slide on the video board! but totally the thought that counts in this case).

Cant wait for the team's series in Worcester this week. I better get some time off! But even if I dont, I could get to the games after work is through for the day... just a lot of driving on a deadline. Tomorrow I'm going with Dom to see Jean, who runs chapel time for the players, speak at his church. Should be awesome. Jean gets going when he only has 10-15 min.. cant wait to see what he does with a primetime slot :)

I've gotta end this here... need some sleep. Right now, I'm content. I've got everyone I love actively in my life, even if some of you are farther away than others (Old Town... Raymond... Yarmouth... Virginia... New Zealand). I look forward to getting to Brockton every morning, and hate when the team is away because I miss the guys and I miss the fans. My friends from before this summer still love me and are hangin in there till I can get some sort of rhythm to my daily schedule (yeah, I've got some great friends). God is good, and that one never changes. Cant wait to see what's coming in the next two months.

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....

Enjoying Massachusetts

I've been shuffling my life around since I last wrote- I think about posting at the end of most days but am usually too lazy to do so.

Pat and I had a good time in Los Angeles- he got to spend time with his friend Morgan, we went to the Grove, we caught a movie almost every day, took him to Universal City Studios, drove up the PCH, hit a Quakes game (of course!), Nadine treated us to a meal at the country club (she really liked Pat), we went to RealityLA (one last time)... ah, and watched the final episode of LOST before getting in a car to head to the airport. We spent that night at LAX and it was a sleepless one- Return of the King kept us more or less awake. That movie still gets me choked up.

Since it was the last Quakes game I would be going to, I left Pat to meet and talk with some of the pitchers who were sitting in the stands behind home charting the game. One in particular was Tyler Chatwood, and getting to know him was my goal for the night. Manaurys Correa and Matt Shoemaker were the other two, and I spoke with Manaurys quite a bit too. He and Tyler were the two nicest ballplayers I've ever had the chance to really converse with. Poor Pat- I sat with those guys for 5 or 6 innings! Very thankful that they were worth introducing myself to.

So now I'm here- hardly any thanks to Delta. I cant stand that airline. I have twice now arrived at my seat to find a significant amount of cookie crumbs on it. The overall cleanliness is subpar. The second leg of the journey from Salt Lake City to Boston was the most turbulent flight I've ever been on. I was so happy to touch down in Boston, albeit about an hour later than scheduled. I spent that night at my parents' house in Maine, drove up to my grandma's house (saw Joe in Bangor!) and stayed the night in Old Town, got up and drove down to pack my car at my parents' house and then drive a few more hours down to Cambridge to move in to my new room. I'm quite settled in- craigslist does it again- comfy papasan chair and large but room-sized fridge among several pieces of furniture acquired for cheap or free. I started with the Brockton Rox baseball team on June 1, but before that I caught a Red Sox game (vs KC, compliments of Jayne! mwah) and a couple (no, 3) Paw Sox games. That was quite a weekend- a Sunday game after my first service at Vineyard in many months (Michael Bowden started and did exceedingly well), manning a merch table for my friends in The Wrecking before/during a show that they had at McCoy after Monday's game, and then after work on Tuesday as the Paw Sox had a twitter/facebook friends promotion running that made it worthwhile! So far, the Red Sox are 0-1 in games I've attended this year... but the Paw Sox are 2-1! Huh.

The Rox gig has been a good time thus far. I have my eyes on the prize as they say, though I havent been put through the fire yet and wont be until our long homestand that's coming up in a week and a bit. I took my lunch out in the stands on my first day. You can probably imagine how happy this simple detail made me. I've been learning ticketing; I've been working with other interns to promote the team and distribute pocket schedules; and today I was KO, the mascot! They have a hired mascot for games, but everyone pitches in for appearances- today's was at an elementary school in Braintree where there were two reading award assemblies taking place. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to really describe the experience to you or not... suffice it to say that most of what I've heard from others is that being K-O is the least desirable job for a number of legitimate reasons. First off, from experience I can confirm that yes, it does get very hot in that costume. I was in there for about 2.5 hours today, and I may have well been swimming as sweat was pouring off me. Despite that, the heat wasnt overwhelming- I HAVE had heat stroke before, and I have been in other situations where I felt like I just couldnt go on- but this was just very warm. Ok, so besides the heat, it also smells. I wasnt sure what to expect along those lines, because I've heard tales from 4 or 5 other young adults who have paraded around in the costume, and we young people like our drama, our exaggerations :) Well, fair enough, it did smell bad- but having done athletics for my whole life, I quickly registered this smell as the "locker room" smell and moved on. Yes, smelly, but that smell hasnt phased me for many many years. Actually, those were the two big issues that had been talked about at length, and so I was very pleased that neither ended up bothering me much in the end. The tough part was seeing. The little mesh circle for breathing and seeing is not only small (and doesnt allow for peripheral, which made things interesting!) but is actually more situated where my nose and mouth are than where my eyes are, so out of the hundreds of kids I high-fived, fist-bumped and hugged today, I saw maybe a handful of them from the neck up. That was the part that got old, but I made it through and am happy to say that when (if) it's my turn again to be K-O, I wont have a problem making it happen. Nary a grumble will be heard from this mouth. In fact, I've started to think about how I can make it a better experience for me- maybe put some padding between my head and the top of the inside of the costume head so that my eyes are better lined up with the mesh. Anyhow. The most helpful thing was having another person there - my "escort" though I got laughed at by the principal (behind my back!) for calling John that. John is also with the Rox for the summer and when K-O goes out he is always accompanied by an "escort". John was instrumental in that I got him to kind of be my eyes, as I had tunnel vision. He'd tell me where different kids were coming from in the room, or let me know that someone behind me wanted a high-five, and he hopefully would have helped me not to fall on the steps I had to descend and climb from the stage to the cafeteria and back again (I had to do that at each ceremony- so much room for trouble but it went just fine!) Parents took pictures of me with their kids and it was surreal to think that I, as K-O, could end up in some family photo album- or somewhere on facebook!
By the way, if you're wondering what K-O looks like, you can see him on the front page of the Rox website: http://www.brocktonrox.com/
He's a kangaroo which is sweet.

Hmm. I felt like I had so much more to write about, but I guess I dont. I started watching Glee about 2 weeks ago and am all caught up- the season finale is on Tuesday. If you watch an episode you'll understand why I like it... very much up my alley with the whole singing thing. I wish I was good enough to be on that show, it looks like so much fun :)

I'm going to a Bocci BBQ tomorrow ... please no rain!! I'm pretty thrilled. My friend Heather is hosting and I havent really seen her in quite some time. Since I've been back I've had the chance to connect with some of my friends here... unfortunately, most of my close ones are guys and they're all getting married or in pretty serious relationships, so consequently their respective relationships with me are changing. Isnt this the story of my life?


Finally, I was informed by a pretty reliable (or perhaps conniving) source that my parents will be buying iPhones for the family in the near future. .......................

Titles dont always come so easily

Of course, on the one day I would be waiting by my phone, it runs out of juice. That's ok. By the time it went dead, it was already late by EST standards. It may come tomorrow, then, and if/when the call does come... oh how I wish that they'll say yes to me.

I had the chance to see 20 year old Tyler Chatwood pitch for the Quakes. Solid, though he threw a lot of pitches. I'm surprised that they didnt yank him earlier than they did, but he hurled 105 pitches before leaving the game. The kid is sort of like a nearly-grown puppy. Still gets emotional, excited with every strikeout and devastated with every walk that he issues. I dont know if I've ever noticed another pitcher being so reactionary on the mound. But especially for his size- not a tall guy by any means- he has a lot of power and a couple "plus" (really good) pitches. I read a scouting report on him before seeing him play, and can vouch for his curveball and his fastball- which sits between 92-94, has reached 97 but I only saw up to 95 today. He reminds me of Michael Bowden in one way- he relies heavily on his upper body, and I imagine it would only improve his effectiveness if he used his legs more. Going along with that, he has an over-the-top armslot, and though I've heard that Bowden has significantly altered his mechanics this season, I can only remember him with that unique, extreme up-and-over winging motion.
Anyhow, he didnt let up any runs, only allowed 3 hits, issued 4 walks but struck out 6. I'm excited to meet him. I could have by now but the rules are different here.. I dont know if he's allowed to talk to me during the game when he's in the stands. Also, I'm not entirely clear on exactly when he is in the stands. They have three guys charting instead of 2. The rule of the 2 charters is that it'll be the guy who just had a start, and the guy who's start is the next game. The rule of the 3 charters remains unknown- Tyler pitched today, but was in the stands on Saturday. (??)




Alright, now that I've lost 90% of my readers...
I dont know, it's sort of hard to tell, but I'm thinking that I'm tan. I dont even have to try. I havent gotten a painful burn thus far and I'm not sure why- the sun is more powerful than I'm used to.

GUESS WHAT! Sorry, back to the baseball for just a sec... I only have room for one more game in my scorebook!! I need to get another one. For some reason, this feels like an accomplishment. It's exciting to me.

I have a lot of frozen shrimp. I need some ideas here... what do i do with all this shrimp? Monday nights are unsettling. It's generally free and I'm never quite sure what to do with myself. I often cook, but I did some cooking this past weekend and have two different left over meals to take care of first. LOST isnt for another 24+ hours. I'm not going to another movie until Robin Hood hits the big screen this coming Friday. I've taken care of all of my chores, and am still unsure of what the immediate future holds- so I cant even go much further than I have in looking for accommodations. I guess I'll write, and watch some Red Sox baseball, and think about the rest of the week. On Thursday I'll head to Temecula to meet the new pastor/his wife of my parents' church... and The Wrecking is in Temecula that night so I'll swing by their show as well.

I received a letter from my Grandma a couple days ago, and it made my heart sing. It was very descriptive of the events of her day and it was just perfect. Today, incoming from none other than Mr Howard W Merrill! I kid you not. It cracked me up:

If any of you want to help me translate some of this letter... by all means, please do. :)

The Coffee Bean

Today I got some good mailing action taken care of. I did something very stupid, and uncharacteristic for that matter, by mailing something that ended up costing me about $14 when I could have thought ahead and gone the flat rate route. Pretty dumb.

Some job searching, some cover letter writing, some gchatting with Roshan, Julie, Kenny, and Nicole, some reading, some coffee drinking. Currently, I'm listening to the Red Sox game (the video feed is blacked out because the Angels are playing the Sox and Angels games are all blacked out for me... how stupid!!!) and enjoying the Papelbon/Dunkin Donuts commercials. What a combination. Red Sox kicked some behind last night... taking out their angst from being swept by the O's over the weekend. Understandable. Embarrassing. And now Jon Lester is pitching insanely well. Without going into it too much, this is his second consecutive start in which he has pitched dominantly which is a key sign that we're seeing the real Jon Lester once again, after a tough first few outings at the start of the season.He's gone for 7 innings, 106 pitches, 4 hits/1 earned run/1 walk allowed, and he's struck out 5. That's a really nice night right there- unfortunately, the game's tied at 1, so our boys better step it up and get Lester that W.

What a glorious, sunny day. Tonight we've got a new episode of LOST... not sure what to have for dinner before then, if anything. This coffee might be enough for me. Hopefully by now everyone has received their pictures of my norcal excursion.

Julie just sent me this picture of Boston, taken this evening:

The Coffee Bean is the closest coffee shop, so if I'm wanting coffee or a place to hang out, The Coffee Bean is my go-to place. Today, I decided to give Peet's Coffee a shot, and judging by today's brews at either coffee shop, I can say that The Coffee Bean's coffee is much much better. I suppose that this is good to know, and if I was really interested in investigating this matter I'd enlarge my sample size but The Coffee Bean has never once let me down. It's sad that there are no cheap places like Dunkin Donuts- at least, I havent found them- but The Coffee Bean is a comfortable hangout spot for studying, writing, and job hunting/dreaming.

I have to wonder why Dunkin Donuts has not moved into California. I know that there's a demand. People would love it out here, cheaper coffee, donuts, bagels, breakfast sandwiches all together. The major coffee joints around are all alike- fancy coffee, decadent-looking bakery items. What about those of us who dont WANT all of that quality stuff? Just a plain old bagel or an occasional treat donut hole will do the trick, thank you.

Well, it's pretty cool to see that at my blog has over 700 views. Tell your friends, and maybe the pressure will get to me and I'll start writing something interesting here :)

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.

Easter Recap and MLB 2010!

Easter was lovely. Dinner at the country club was extremely nice, very impressive. Most of the family was there, along with Rob W, who i had met once before when the Ackers had invited a handful of 'young people' to Nadine's about a month+ ago for dinner. The food was incredible, and it was great to be with the Ackers, who have all made me feel very welcome. The biggest excitement of the dinner was when one of Nadine's Easter gifts, sitting in front of her almost in centerpiece position on the banquet table, caught on fire. The flames blazed maybe a foot high before the waiter who was refilling water glasses doused the blaze. Almost no one noticed at first, including myself.

Well, actually, the biggest excitement of the dinner was the updates that Kathleen and Andrew would sneak to me. Negatively charged excitement. They were pretty much all the same- seemed like the Yankees had scored another run everytime they checked the score. I was wallowing but trying to concentrate on other things. Trying to be a good sport, trying to act like it was just a game. By the time I got home, i figured it would all be over... but instead, when i arrived home 3 hours after the first pitch, it was only the 7th or 8th inning! AND, the Red Sox were ahead! There's no describing how the next 45-60 min went for me. What a come from behind victory!!! It was so good to see the guys on the team, so comfortable catching glimpses of the park from all different angles. I felt at home. So much familiarity.

Of course, things havent gone the way Sox fans would have wished since that game. But what more can we ask for than long intense games vs the Yankees? I cant stand the statement that that ump made- about how the length of the Sox/Yanks games are a disgrace to baseball, are embarrassing. That doesnt make sense to me at all. I get so much enjoyment out of that matchup- I'd watch for longer than 4 hours, I'll tell you that much.

Lunch break just ended. Chad Billingsley and CJ Wilson were incredible today, kudos to them. Tough loss for the Rangers after CJ's great debut as a starter. And there's something wrong with this picture... the Nats are beating the Phils.   ???




PAWSOX OPENING DAY TODAY! I'll miss watching you from the stands, Michael Bowden. Maybe you'll miss that too. Cant believe that Jeff Natale and Sean Danielson have moved on to different teams. The minor league teams are so shifty, it's insane of me to get attached to players. They come, they go.


PS, MLB.TV is terrible. but at least i can see the game. more later. they need to fix their issues, i'm paying too much to only be getting a fraction of the product i paid for!

Lake Erie Rainfall

Well hello.

Honestly, there hasnt been a whole lot to report on lately. Things have calmed down quite a bit, in some respects. I worked from home all week, and I stayed close to home for most of last weekend. Jennifer Love Hewitt was doing a book signing at The Grove last Saturday, so my mild interest paired with the knowledge of a much stronger interest on the part of my friend Victor was enough motivation to get me over to the Barnes and Noble to check it out. She wasnt very personable. Just my experience of her. The next day, it hit up Reality LA for church and then spent the rest of the day up the Pacific Coast Highway on a small section of beach in Malibu. It was delightful. I read, and didnt get sunburned. Yes, that's right, I remembered sunscreen. This is no small thing.

 Hmm. This week I located a few other Trader Joe locations. Received a package of Easter candy (thanks parents!).. paid lots of bills. On Thursday, I went to my first game at Dodger Stadium. They played an exhibition game vs Cleveland, and I was first and foremost hopeful that I would come across Justin Masterson. No such luck- he was nowhere to be seen. This was, frankly, a huge disappointment. And in all honesty, my first Dodgers game was not a great experience. I sat in the Left Field Pavilion- think left field, bleachers- as in one long concrete plank to sit on, and a similarly-sized concrete plank as a back rest. I was in agony for most of the game, and i'm only exaggerating a little bit when i say that. I could NOT get comfortable, and had to shift every 5-10 minutes once the position I was in became unbearable. I'm talking pain here. I wont sit in that section again. Strange, but I noticed, from that vantage point, that much of the seating behind the plate and baselines was not very well-lit. Some downright dark sections, including an area that ranged at least 15 sections left to right in the Top Deck (I think that's what it's called.. the top-most level). By comparison, every place in Fenway is right in the lights. Hmm, what else? The bullpens are inconveniently wedged into either corner of the outfield, so unless you're seated in the very right-most or very left-most seats in right or left field respectively, you dont see anything that's happening in the pen. The seats directly behind the Sox pen became my favorite places to sit last season, so I had hoped for a similar sort of view at Dodger Stadium. Alas. And I'll end my complaints by saying that finding my car at the end of it all was next to impossible. The parking around this place stretches much farther than the eye can see, on different levels of the hill that the Stadium sits on. A concrete wasteland. However, the nighttime view of downtown LA from one particular side of the parking expanse is incredible. I had to stop and gaze for a few minutes.

All in all, I'm both pleased and distraught that Dodger Stadium doesnt hold a candle to Fenway. It was baseball- and granted, the game wasnt even a regular season game- but it held none of the beautiful intensity that I had become so accustomed to at Red Sox games. I'm not giving up, and I'll surely go back... but I left the park that night feeling  emptier and more sorrowful than I had in months.

...Didnt mean to bring such a depressing tone to this entry. Last night I took Nadine to Yogurtland, which was a nice little excursion. We had a good time but it was a chilly night, not the best for frozen yogurt consumption. Today I spent my morning and early afternoon on Skype drafting players for my rotisserie league team. It's a keepers league, so I only had 7 open spots on my roster to fill. I think things went very well, and I'm pretty excited about this team for 2010. Last year I heavily favored my other two fantasy teams, which were both Head To Head format. This year, we'll have to see. I'm in one other league, a Head to Head league. Not extremely fond of my team, nor am I satisfied with how they were drafted (automatically, by the computer... which landed me with some strange results, one of them being that I received NO reserve pitching (many people DID get reserve pitchers, some people got 3 1st basemen drafted to their team, and there were some other weird phenomenons)). Anyhow, the draft was a lot of fun even though I couldnt physically be there in CT with everyone. I didnt realize until later on how good it felt to interact with familiar faces. Sometimes I'll go into a store here, and get lost looking at clothes or books, etc, and forget where I am until I head back out to the street and find myself in the thick of this place they call Los Angeles. I felt that way today when I left my room after the draft- reentering my LA existence- as well as when I left the thrift store I visited today. Speaking of which... well, here are a couple new acquisitions. The dress was purchased at a nice clothing store in the mall... was on a rack of similarly pretty dresses and shirts that were "last call" kind of items, all $9.99. What a steal! And I found the Dodgers shirt at "Out of the Closet", the aforementioned thrift store. Awesome, because I've been looking for a Dodgers shirt when I visit thrift stores, but it's tough to find ones that arent tacky and that ARE my size. This was exactly what I wanted- simple Dodgers T with a decent player's name on it. BONUS: Furcal as #15. Dustin Pedroia is THE #15 in my life. Anyhow, some lazily-taken pics:

Like the coat? I loved it, over the top though it may be. My phone doesnt capture detail very well, but the coat was a likeable shade of crimson with gold trim. I wish I was brave enough to buy it, and then brave enough to wear it. Actually, I AM brave enough to buy it... I'm just not sure how long I would continue to think the coat was cool.

Ok, one more section and then off to bed. Sorry, this isnt going to end on a happy note. Baseball's Opening Day is tomorrow. More importantly, Easter is also tomorrow. I have to say that I feel like I'm being robbed of the amount of celebration I should be experiencing in light of the fact that 1) it is Opening Day! and 2) it is Easter! Another way of putting it- I'm experiencing what it's like to have December 25 as my birthday. Not exactly the same, but you see what I'm getting at I hope. I suppose that the problem REALLY only exists in the fact that, on the West Coast, Beckett will throw his first pitch from the mound at Fenway to Yankees batter #1 (Jeter?) at around 5pm.
Which is Easter dinnertime.
It's still a weird thing to have Opening Day on Easter, no question, but if I was back home... well, at least the game would start at 8pm. Church, fellowship, dinner, family.. there would be more than enough time to devote to these things. And once the day was through, it would be completely acceptable for the family to sit down together and tune in to NESN.
I dont mean to whine, I really dont. I know that most people wont understand why it's so important, and consequently so devastating, this Easter day start of the 2010 regular season- the fact that this commencement has an added bit of epic flair with the Red Sox and Yankees being pitted against each other makes it that much more exciting. This is not a problem with Easter- it's a problem with whoever was in charge of putting baseball in the midst of Easter and creating this conflict!! Honestly! I'm not the only one in this boat... there are millions of people in non ESTzones who will be celebrating Easter and spending time with family when their teams start playing- there's really no choice to be made, the priority is clear, but why on earth should we have to choose at all?? After diehard baseball fans everywhere have waited since November for this day (not a long time, but it can feel like an abyss when you're waiting for something) shouldnt we be able to enjoy Easter as Easter, and Opening Day as Opening day- the two being separate occasions as well as separate reasons on very different scales for celebration. Unfortunately, I will come away from tomorrow having participated in no real baseball game viewing- text updates re the game from friends and family would be nice, but I'll be having dinner at Bel Air Country Club starting at 5, and will be driving someone home before arriving home myself after the fact, so watching is not a possibility. April 4 2010 is Easter, and Easter alone. And that's enough- Easter is MORE than enough. I just wish that in a couple days, I'd also get an Opening Day.

Thankfully, there are thousands of baseball games to be played over the next 6 months.

But it doesnt feel good to put it into perspective like that, so I'll just assume that this will pass in about 2 days' time.

I didnt write about LOST. That's probably ok, because maybe 2 of you, if that, watch the show anyhow! I've heard that "next week, the conversation changes" and that has me very very excited. Still clueless, but loving the intrigue more than ever, still riding off of Richard's and Ben's respective episodes from the past month.

Reality LA tomorrow! Thank you Jesus for what You're doing in this city and for what You've done for everyone everywhere.

Parting thought... someday I'd love to have a grand piano. or a baby grand. do i ever see myself having that much $$? no. but the dream remains.........

Busy weekend

(Pictures ahead. Click on 'em for full size.)
So much for the weekend being a time set aside for relaxation and recharging.

The last time I really posted was Wednesday... which feels like eons ago. I went out with Emily on Friday night, and we got comically lost on Robertson St. Either we have very similar luck with directions or I jinxed her, because we really did manage to spend 30 minutes looking for a particular place to eat on one street. In the process I was able to ask a Red Sox fan for help with directions, so it was definitely eventful. Emily and I get along really well. And the kicker of our game of hide and seek with Thai Boom, the restaurant we were headed for, was that once we finally found it, the place was a tiny hole-in-the-wall. She had seen that it had high ratings on Yelp.com ,  and I had mentioned Thai earlier in the day as well, so that's what we had settled on, to try Thai Boom, but as the place turned out to be about the size of Nadine's living room, we opted for another Thai place that just happened to be across the street. I think it was something like Nathalie's. Not sure. Very cool place though. I got Naked Shrimp- 6 shrimp served in individual little square-shaped cups, each cup filled with fish sauce, cilantro, chilis, garlic, and probably some other stuff. Mmmm. Afterwards, we went to Yogurtland. I already talked about that a bit so I'll spare you. But it calls for another MMMMMMMM. So good, so close, so cheap. Westwood Village is a great area, right by UCLA, lots of stuff to do.

Wow, just realized I didnt write about my dinner out with Jess, who is a friend of Gussy's, who is a friend of Robin's! Yes, friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend. That's what this town's all about, after all! Jess works at Dreamworks as an animator. Pretty cool right? I definitely think so. Everyone I've had the chance to spend time with has been incredible. Very interesting people, all of them. Easy conversationalists. Good stories. Good advice. We tried a new restaurant (the name of which neither of us caught, shoot!) in her area of Los Feliz. Another example of how easy it is to drive around here- I would have been hopelessly lost several times on the way there if LA's roads didnt make so much sense. I dont know why but sometimes I decide to deviate from the directions that googlemaps has given me. LA's roads are so formulaically laid out, for the most part, that it was easy to set myself back on track once I realized that my plan wasnt quite right. The restaurant had very slow service but the vibe was ... just lovely. We were all seated outside, and each table was sort of its own island. There were leafless tree-like saplings, one by each table more or less, and so the whole space was broken up nicely this way. Each table had votive candles, a wine bottle of water, and around the space were different very fragrant, subtle-but-beautiful flowers scaling intermittently placed trellises. I'll definitely go back- the minestrone soup was much different than I've ever had, with large chunks of vegetables and no beans or pasta. Yum.

Ok, what's next?
As of Friday, I started working from home. It's lovely so far. I love having lunch at home. I love dressing down. I love having the flexibility to get other things done. Tomorrow I'll be able to go to the DMV in the morning to finalize the registration process, as I had my car smog checked on Thursday and the DMV was closed on Friday. It'll be nice to have the door closed on that for a while. Got my insurance cards in the mail today too... the logistics are pretty much taken care of. Also got to talk to my Grandma for a long time. A bubbly 45 minute conversation, at the end of which I still had plenty more to say and I'm sure she had more to tell. But I needed to get back to work.

Friday night went on for too long... I stayed up till about 1AM, only to have to get up at 5:30AM for the 5K that I ran at Dodger Stadium. I didnt know what to expect, with regards to the course as well as to what my own performance level would be- but two things that I definitely did NOT expect:

4 Hill/Incline spots in 5K (exact hills not pictured)

Yep. Had to walk a couple times. Which is why I was also not expecting:

Less than 10 minute miles! I havent run since I was on the East Coast, and for anyone who's counting, that's been over a month now. Again, I walked  for a couple brief periods, so I was pleasantly surprised at my time.

I was planning to run with my friend Roxy, who also signed up, but we never met up. There were so many people there! The race was supposed to start at 8 but was delayed until about 8:30... terrible, terrible. See, on the morning of a race, people have routines. For instance, if you drink enough water to keep you "running" for about 30 minutes of a race, you drink it at a certain point not too far out from the start of the run so that you wont have to go to the bathroom before you're finished. The delay of the race by half an hour nearly proved to be a disaster for me!! At 8 I was already starting to think that I wished there was a nearby portapotty, but I knew I'd make it through just fine regardless... then they delayed the start by a few minutes every few minutes, and by the time I was climbing the last hill I was concentrating on just holding on for a few more minutes. Let me tell you, it was a close call. And I know for a fact that I was not the only on in this boat! It turned out fine, though, and after the race I hung around till about 1pm. There was a lot to do- so much free energy-this and protein-that. I have a backpack full of STUFF that I still havent really gone through. The LA Marathon was the next day (today, Sunday) so there was a whole Marathon expo happening. And the stadium was open! So of course I spent a lot of time exploring. I wandered into the luxury suites part of the park and talked my way into one of the suites (different rooms were rented out by various charities for post-race unwinding). Nice view!

 

Then I went up to the Top Deck area behind home plate and spent a good long while sitting in the sun. (Met an Aussie! He knew his baseball, I was impressed.)

..And other exploration pics..

And that's the race. I got home around 1:30pm or 2pm and started the resting process. I cleaned my room and watched LOST... man was I tired, but I couldnt make myself take a nap. Roxy texted later on and we went out to walk along the 3rd Street Promenade. Fun, busy street that's closed off to cars/only for pedestrian traffic. Lots of stores. We relived our respective race day moments of trial and triumph. Then we both went back to our homes and crashed! ZZZZZ

Today was all about the LA Marathon. The majority of the course ran down Santa Monica Blvd, and the entire west-bound side was shut down for the runners. I live off of a side street that connects to Santa Monica Blvd so I walked out to watch for about an hour. Races are really fun events. Inspiring. I saw children runners, runners that must have been in their mid 70's, blind runners, runners with only one leg, overweight runners, very athletic runners, average-looking runners. The whole time I was thinking about how great it would be to run a marathon. I was standing by the Mile 18 marker, and saw maybe 10 people out of the thousands I watched run past who looked like they were laboring, out of breath, red in the face. I guess it's all about pacing, walking when you need to. Lots of people were walking at that point. I was standing on an incline spot so I would imagine that by Mile 18 you're feeling any even slight upward slant in the road as if it's a mountain. Walked up the street a bit to where it was a downhill slant, and ended up talking with a guy and his family who were visiting from Lowell MA. He was sporting a Boston team print button-up so I had to chat with him! And actually, as I was running my 5K, I got about 10 GO RED SOX cheers from people in the crowd as well as people I passed/who passed me. I was wearing my Pedroia shirt, of course :) People dont wear sports shirts out here- that I've noticed, at least. And I really do look out for that. I talk to any Red Sox fan I stumble upon.

When I was tired of standing, I walked back across the street to the Century City Mall and sat in the food court area (it's outside, and a great place to hang out). Wrote some letters, listened to the live entertainment. They have live music there every weekend.

Since then, I've cooked myself some dinner (chicken, spinach, corn, garlic, lemon juice over pasta), watched some LOST. My body is saying, it's time to sleep. My mind and my will might just give in tonight. I have to be up early to get in line at the DMV, take care of this car stuff once and for all.

Long entry. I deserve to be able to end it abruptly. Have a great night everyone. Happy birthday, Grandpa. We all still think of you often. Miss you very, very much.