You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May 2007.
Sunday we went out the East-West Connector to a little batting cage and took the 2 little bats we have for Buddy and Sweetie. This would be Sweetie’s first time ever hitting a baseball, so all the way there I was coaching… “don’t be upset if you miss every single ball, OK? this is your first time, so it is totally OK if you miss every single ball…” trying to emphasize there was a really good chance she would miss every. single. ball.
Get ready…
Get set…
Swing!
She wound up hitting 4 pitches! Granted that’s a 0.083 average, but that’s 4 more than I was counting on! Her biggest problem was the t-ball bat we had was too short, and the next one was too heavy, so after the first round of it, she was lagging a bit. She had a good time, and didn’t get upset, so that was what counted.
Buddy played ball for 2 years (hence the 2 bats, one from t-ball, one from little league) but it had been a long time since he had taken any swings, so I wasn’t sure how it would go. EGlenn pulled a genius, and got a slightly longer bat up front when we bought the tickets, and Buddy used it for most of his rounds.
Step and swing!
Here comes the ball…
Follow through!
He did great! He got at least 2 hits each round, and the last round he hit 6 or 7 with 4 in a row! Sweetie cheered him on – she was a great sport.
I put in several rounds myself, and feel a little better about my swing. I was still occasionally getting too much of the top of the ball for a grounder (my old body doesn’t like running out those grounders anymore!). Now we just have to get EGlenn in for a round!
It’s a 3-day weekend, and we’re mixing in being totally lazy with doing stuff.
We worked in the backyard a little while the kids played in the swings, and we went to see a 10am play of Shrek the Third. It was good, although the 1st is still my favorite. I have to definitely recommend the 10am shows. It was $5 a piece. The 4 of us saw the movie for $20! EGlenn and I couldn’t go to a weekend “date” play for that much.
Buddy’s on 2 week super secret probation because he brought home 2 C’s. Not for the C’s themselves, but because the grades are from his lack of doing the work. I told him I’d never be upset with a bad grade if he tried and just didn’t get it, but he didn’t try. So now he’s off TV, computer and video games for 2 weeks.
He had a reprieve for the movie since we’d planned that pre-grades, and it wasn’t fair to Sweetie to back out then. He’s only on day 4 of the 2 weeks, and it’s starting to dawn on him how hard this is going to be. He’s begging me and EGlenn and Sweetie (even Sweetie!) to play board games with him. They’re playing checkers now. He sat in his room (which has all toys and games out of it) and twiddle his thumbs for about a half hour last night. It’s going to be hard to hold out for the 2 weeks, but I think we’ll be able to hang in there.
I love new music. I got my iPod in 2003 (3rd generation). It’s the 40gb version. It’s about 3/4 full. Did I mention I love music?
I have 2 new albums, and I can’t get enough of ‘em.
Feeling Good…. the very best of Nina Simone
and
Now, Nina Simone is classic. Can’t get much better than that, maybe Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
But before you “poo-poo” the William Shatner album, try to listen to a few tracks. It’s amazing. There’s nothing out there like it. I can not get enough of it. Really.
Buddy joined us in this big world. I can’t believe he’s 10!
He had a great day – 8 friends joined him at the YMCA for swimming, pizza, cookie and fun.
He got a refurbished Nano from us, and a Pokemon game for his DS. He was really happy.
Sweetie, was not happy at all. She had fun swimming, but had a couple of meltdowns when it came time for his friends to be with him and not her, and when he got his presents from us.
We started out yesterday really well. We beat Trouble 14-5… just couldn’t get that extra run to end the game early, and then staged a sweet comeback on the Bounty Hunters to win 13-12. They are the team that beat us in the last tournament to take 1st to our 2nd.
But then we had a break, and when we came back, we didn’t bring out bats. We lost the next game to the Lady Roadrunners 6-3. They only scored six runs and we couldn’t put together more than three! In slow pitch softball! Wasn’t pretty.
Another smaller break and we go up against…. the Bounty Hunters again. We lost 11-1. OMG – in two games we scored 4 runs?!?!?!? It was … not good.
I’m adding pictures to my flickr account soon, and hopefully everyone will chill out, forget the weekend, and be ready to play together at our next tournament on June 1st.
Me personally, I just never got into a groove. I didn’t field well (3rd base) or hit well. The first two games I was hurting — knees mostly — but after that I was never comfortable at 3rd or batting. I’m going to try and go to a batting cage once or twice this week.
We dropped to 0-3 in the competitive league last night. This time our bad inning came early, which didn’t help. I went 1-2 with a stupid pop out to short and a nice single to center.
I played right field and had 2 balls hit to me, which I misplayed on both occasions. It was the 8 o’clock game, so not quite totally dark, and both times I lost the ball when it went above the tree line and into the sky. That makes me almost as angry as “the stupid girl.”
I wasn’t a very good sport last night. The way my team was playing was frustrating, and the other team had a girl that showed up right as the game started… let’s call her Jennifer because we can. Jennifer was mouthing off to her team because they didn’t hold the game up for 2 more min’s so she could be in the lineup — don’t worry that we didn’t start until 8:15pm, which meant she was really about 30 min’s late — it’s common courtesy to show up at least 15 min’s before game time so the coach can make out the line-up. So I could tell then that she was “a loud one.” Which is cool, I’m loud too, but I hate the trash talk that some teams think is part of the game. Hate. It. I have a hard time watching men’s teams play because of that.
Well after sitting in the dugout for an inning, she went over to the parking lot to a couple of the guys from the previous game, and starting “talking” (ok really kind of yelling) to them. She used just about every curse word I know, except perhaps any mention of the male anatomy (the female anatomy was brought up a couple of times, in terms of some guy was no longer getting any of hers). This tirade went on for the entire half inning.
She got back over to the dugout and then started in on us. She wasn’t too bad, just CONSTANT.
And it pissed off a couple of our players – who as I said were frustrated because of the way we were playing. So one time she laughed and dissed one of our guys when he grounded out to the shortstop, and he said something to her as he passed the dugout. The umpire walked out and gave the “I’m giving both teams a warning right now – it’s done.” I was coaching 3rd across the field, and she (again very loudly) said “I’m just cheerin’ my team on, he’s the one done cursed at me!” and I let it get to me, and shouted “You’re one to talk after what we all had to listen to when you were in the parking lot!” The umpire looked my way and I thought, well I’ve done it now. But he must have heard it too, because he didn’t say anything.
Of course, now she’s cheering REALLY loud for her team. One time one of her guys grounded out to the guy that said something to her, and she shouted, “That’s ok, honey, you just showed him how to hit the ball though.”
So when the game was over, and we all lined up and shook hands, I passed her up. Oh, she just loved that… talk talk talk… “Oh, they showed me, oh my, I’m so upset.” and I turned to my team and told them I chose not to shake hands with her, because after hearing how dirty her mouth was, I didn’t want to touch the hand that went with it.
Now… I will admit I have a pretty dirty mouth myself, but I just did not feel like saying “good game” to some stupid drunk redneck trash that didn’t play an inning of the game.
So, sorry to my team for being a poor sport. I should know better.
From way back in our dating days, haircuts are a group effort. Mostly because that was the only way to get EGlenn to get a haircut. Now I hit a salon, but the other 3 in our family go to Great Clips.
The edict was “it’s time for summer cuts” and so that meant Buddy needed to lose some serious inches…
I actually REALLY like his hair long, but the timeless parental complaint was uttered, “I don’t care, I want to see his eyes.” So, he was given some leeway — get a buzz cut, or just a shorter version of what he had. The end result…
Of course, Sweetie adores the ground he walks on, so pipes up from the backseat on the way over “I want mine as short as his!” to which EGlenn blanched. Her hair used to be longer than shoulder length, but she has so much and it’s so thick, that Ms. Inez and I conspired to shorten it — less tangles, and dries in less than 2 hours now. So it was time for a summer cut for her too…
Sweetie before…
… and after.
She is looking through her lollipop at the window….
That’s Ms. Inez in the background there… she’s been cutting Sweetie’s hair for about 5 years now. Sweetie is quite the comedienne. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if she went into stand-up.
Mark, his wife and I crossed the finish line at 1 hour, 1 minute. The whole thing was just amazing. Our team raised $12,480.00! Jack and Nancy were the #2 and #3 individual fund raisers for the WHOLE event!
It was just really, really cool. Check my flickr on the right …
We’re too good for the rec league, but it’s looking like we’re not quite good enough for the competitive league. We were winning until the last inning, and they batted around a couple of times to take the lead. Our last at bat we fought back a bit, but not enough and lost 20-14. I had a single, a “reach base” single (the guy had to move back to catch it and dropped it), and a triple that I hit off the handle – might have hit the fence if I’d hit the fat part of the bat.
My coach from the Y – C.F. – came and watched the game – thanks C.F.!
I’m now the proud owner of a temporary veneer and cap. I go back on June 4th to get the permanent ones.
The last time I had my cap put on, my dentist bonded the other “big” tooth to match. She did an awesome job, but after 12+ years, they were past their prime. My current (and new) dentist suggested a veneer for the other tooth – it’s like a cover… not quite a cap. Since that required reducing that tooth’s size by a milimeter or two, it was sore that night and the next day.
So, how did I crack my tooth to start with? I was a kid – 10-ish I think – and I was playing with my little brother (6-ish) and we were in our “climbing tree.” I decided to jump out, but I was holding something in my hands. When I jumped my head went down, hands came up and crack – right in the face. It was bonded until a year before we got married, and EGlenn’s dad put the first cap on for me. About 4 years later I got the new cap with the extra bonding on the other tooth.
