4 to 3

I played softball back-to-back nights on my gimpy knee and my primary team played quite well in the playoffs after a less than stellar regular season. My other team begins the playoffs tomorrow night, but since I'm so new there I don't feel the bond I have with my "main" team. And I don't think I ever will.

But, it came to an end last night in a 4 to 3 loss. That is an incredibly low score for two reasonably talented teams, especially if our 13.8 runs per game average is taken into account. We played pretty good defense but lost to a younger, stronger, faster and, to be frank, better team. No shame in that. We went down fighting but were left in the field as they scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

I get a bit sad when softball ends. April of next year seems so, so far away and since I'm 40 now the number of seasons left in me are finite. I've known most these guys for 15 to 20 years but our bond is primarily softball. We all have families and work and other commitments so I only see about 3 or 4 of them socially for a round of golf or something.

Even with my bad knee for the past 5 weeks or so, I only missed the one game after I had it drained and played when I perhaps shouldn't have. There's a certain camaraderie in the trenches of softball and I never want to be the guy to let my team down. But we lost. I could have played better too.

Aside from that, though, every year as I leave that park that last night in defeat, it hits me how much I'll miss the competition. How I'll miss the dirt, the smell of the grass, the badgering, the insults, the sweat, the action, the lights, the ping of a bat, the snap of a glove, the post-game beers, the stories, the bullshit and Sox games on the radio.

Its more than the game to us. Its about "the guys". We fight. We bicker. But in the end, we're a team. Not much unlike family.

I'll miss the guys.

Ouch!

Well, my knee was about 90% healed and I went and thought it'd be a good idea to dive for a ball in the outfield. It IS the playoffs afterall. Well, bad idea.



It didn't hurt much at the time or really affect me the rest of the game. I even awoke the next morning to nothing more than some discomfort. But as the day wore on the swelling increased as did my pain to the point where the pressure was unbearable.



At about midnight, Thursday, I went to the hospital. This time I had to sit a bit and I was dying in pain. I simply could not get comfortable. Eventually I got the doctor's attention (so not my style) and they gave me some Percocet. Wooooeeeee! That shit works!



It didn't kick in, however, until AFTER the Xrays which were devastatingly painful. There's no break and no real damage. Just swelling. So they drained me. Anyone who's had to have a fingernail drained knows the relief of that feeling. Pain went from a 10 to a 3. Night and day. Thank God!



I'm recovering quickly but think my softball year might be over.



Here's a view right before they drained me. I'm not sure it does it justice.

Laundry Day

Princess Fiona here in my office must do a hell of a lot of laundry as evidenced by the fact I think she wears only three different outfits. Three! It becomes quite apparent during a 5-day work week. Not to mention that, as far as I'm concerned, she has absolutely no fashion sense.

To wit --

Today features a burgundy velour too-tight mock turtle-neck shirt (she's maybe 50 pounds overweight) and black slacks that are too short (two of her three pants are too short). She combines these pants with Witch Hazel-type shoes/boots that are just.....well....hideous. But, to make it worse, she wears white athletic socks that are always on display because of the high-waters she favors.

I'm not kidding. I wish I was. She never wears a skirt or a dress. She even wore a work outfit to a wedding! Its always one of three pair of black pants with the Austin Powers shirt she's wearing today, or a too tight teal tank thingy that's not very dressy, or a gold button-up shirt which she chose for the wedding..

Therefore, she must be doing laundry almost ever day, right? I AM assuming she washes them between wearing them. I've never had evidence she doesn't.

Camping

Camping was great! We had a blast. Weather was perfect. The only real issue was we weren't able to camp at the shore as the two main state campgrounds were full. Thankfully, I have GPS which found the nearest campgrounds plus their phone numbers. So after a few calls and we were able to find a site, albeit 30 minutes away. It was a terrific family campground with a great big pool so we spent Saturday afternoon there rather than at the beach. Then, in the evening, we made steak, grilled corn on the cob and shrimp with cocktail sauce and had some adult-type cocktails. The weather and everything else could not have been more perfect. Sunday we awoke to more perfect weather, had a nice breakfast, packed up and headed back the shore where we enjoyed yet another great day.

Therefore, it sort of makes for a boring post, no?

Fear not! I DO have a camping story but its from years ago and its one of the reasons I've traditionally hated camping.

We were in Vermont and I was awoken to VERY loud voices at 5:20 a.m. A woman, in an incredibly shrill voice, was barking orders to her 12 year old son. They were packing up to leave. It was absolutely outrageous in her total lack of any courtesy for others. I could hear other campers muttering about what the hell was going on and even telling them to keep it down.

After a few minutes, of course, I had to pee. My trek to the men's room took me by her site which was perhaps two sites away from ours. Since I can't keep my mouth shut, I couldn't resist saying "Ma'am! Its 5:20 in the morning. People are sleeping. You have to quiet down. Please!"

Her response is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. She literally screamed back at me at the top of her lungs. "LISTEN HERE, MR. MAN! I JUST HEARD MY HUSBAND WAS HOSPITALIZED LAST NIGHT! I DON'T NEED ANY CRAP FROM YOU! WE NEED TO GO SEE HIM NOW!"

Unbelievable. I'm not sure what that had to do with the price of chewing gum in Guam. Nor have I ever been referred to as "Mr. Man" before or since. But! I have a big issue with people who encounter a problem in their lives and it becomes, by proxy, everyone else's problem as well.

I replied, "I don't see how that has any bearing on you waking up the entire campground. I'm merely asking that you NOT scream at this time of day."

"I WILL CALL THE POLICE FOR YOU HASSLING ME! JOHNNY! JOHNNY! COME HERE QUICKLY."

Even more unbelievable. I had no fear of the police because I'm sure they would see just how insane she was and I think perhaps some fellow campers would step forward as character witnesses. I got a few laughs from the surrounding tents when my response, in somewhat of a stage-whisper/growl was something like, "I don't really care who the FUCK you call as long as you SHUT UP!" Then I continued to the men's room.

The offending party continued to clang and yelled and slam car doors but eventually departed maybe 20 minutes later. Of course I was now awake for the day.

That, among other reasons, is one of the causes of me swearing off camping ever again.

Sincerely, Mr. Man!

Misc.

I just got back from lunch with my brother in law/best friend "T". We went to Hooters (barely down the road) and had a couple pitchers with our wings and sandwiches. It was a semi-working lunch actually. Surely, their food's not so great, but the scenery is not half bad. As a result of our indulgence, however, I have a nice glow on. Ever work with a buzz? Sure makes the afternoon more enjoyable. Having said that, its a slow Friday and I can't wait to get out of here to start my weekend.

****

Unfortunately, today I woke up to a scratchy throat. Mrs. B. has nursed a bit of a summer cold for a few days and I fear I may have contracted it from her. I didn't really get sick last winter and when I did feel something coming on I took "Airborne". Its an effervescent pill that tastes like grapefruit juice (a little) after being dropped in water; ala Alka Seltzer. It tastes like Fresca and I just downed one. Anyway, it works wonders for me and I'll swear by it in the future. Try it next time you feel a cold coming.

Fear not, it clearly states on the container "Created by a Second Grade School Teacher". If that kind of statement on your health products doesn't indicate high levels of integrity and quality, I don't know what does. Need pills for your ailment? What does a doctor know? Go see an elementary school teacher!

****

In other news, we had a major storm here last night and a tornado touched down about 15 miles away. To my Oklahoma friends that may not be a big deal, but its been a long time since there was a confirmed twister on the ground in these parts. I found it pretty exciting. Of course, it wasn't in my neighborhood.

****

Finally, for quite a while I've promised the Little One I would take her camping. We've camped in the living room before and lately she's taken to her new Strawberry Shortcake tent which has been set up there. But this weekend, its for keeps. The real deal.

While praying against tornadoes (weather looks to be fine) tonight I will pack our real tent, sleeping bags, comforters, board games, chairs, stove, grill, cooler, beer, instant coffee, wine, steaks, potatoes, corn, eggs, bagels, butter, plastic kitchen0-ware and beach supplies among the many other things I will no doubt forget. Then, tomorrow, after I return from golf (I can't miss that, can I?) we will trek the 40 or so miles to the Connecticut shore and hang out for the day before camping out for the night in one of the state park campsites. After which, we will spend Sunday at the shore for a nice holiday weekend even if not less than an hour's drive away.

I did a lot of camping as a kid and through high school and college and swore after I had the means, it would be only Motels/Hotels for me. Well, I have the means, but the Little One is all fired up for some camping and I can certainly handle one night of it. You could say I'm even looking forward to it. I'll just have to make sure I have plenty of reading material to fend off the boredom.

Unless one thinks I can talk Mrs. B. into wearing something slinky to bed? Hmmmm.....

13 Cool Things

13 Things I love about my wife, Mrs. Nouveaublogger (not her actual name,btw) --

• I love that she shares my sense of humor;
• I love that she is a fantastic mom;
• I love that she likes ALL kinds of movies*;
• I love her genuine compassion for others;
• I love that she will "go with the flow";
• I love how smart she is;
• I love her passion for music and how she HAS to sing outloud to every song she likes;
• I love how funny she is;
• I love that she likes ALL kinds of foods;
• I love how important family is to her - both hers and mine;
• I love how she looks out for me;
• I love that she's HOT; and MOST OF ALL --
• I love that she loves me :)

What's cool abour your signficant other? Post on your blog if you haven't any posting ideas.

** even if she consistently mixes up the Terminator and Robocop.

Edited three hours later (how'd I forget this) Let's call it 13a -- I'm a better person around her and because of her.

The Scene

Saturday, July 14, 2007, 6:22 a.m., sound end, Hartford, Connecticut

Golf, in its entirety, is not only about chasing a little white ball around 150 acres of property.