I'm Sorry It's Been So Long

It's been quite some time since I've gotten down with some writing here on WRT, but the wait is over - for all five of you who might see this. Here, I'll just give you a brief synopsis of what's been going on with me.

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I've been busy taking on a new job in a school system here in Connecticut with hopes that it'll lead to something more substantial. And by substantial I mean a full-time job. I'm also teaching a GED class in Waterbury, which is surprisingly pretty fun. The kids seem like they want to be there and it's only a few minutes from my first part-time job. So two part-time jobs = full-time, right? Hardly. The money is squat, but again, it's a means to an end.

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Nolan is doing well, he's almost two years old, which is kind of scary. Time has flown by and I really miss the days when I was able to stay home and take care of him.

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Lindsay is enjoying her new job at UConn. It's a bit of a haul for a commute, around an hour but again, if I can secure something full-time, we'll look to move closer to Storrs to ease the commuting burden for one of us. It's about an hour for me each way as well.

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Christmas is almost here and I'm looking forward to a few days off to spend with Lindsay and Nolan (and Nathan) and then see the extended family a little too. It's a nice refresher for my mind.

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I hope everyone has a great holiday and in 2013, I hope to post on WRT more consistently. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And Kwanzaa.

Thursday in a while

I know it's been a very long while since my last post, and for good reason.  Things are a little uncertain around here for the time being.

Had an interview for the head coaching job here at Manhattan College yesterday.  I thought it went well, but it is still a very stressful time for me and my family - waiting to see if I have a job here in a few weeks isn't easy to sit back and wait on.  I'm hopeful but reserved.

Moving on, here's a little post about some of the most interesting stories I've seen today:

1. Great story for Mariners prospect Kyle Seager getting called up to play with the M's after already playing a game for AAA Tacoma earlier in the day.  (no relation for rock legend Bob Seger).

2. Former Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton gave his 1999 Mercedes SL500  to a cafeteria worker before leaving for his new role with the Arizona Cardinals as defensive coordinator.  Actually, he told the worker, Maurice Matthews, to give him the money he had in his pocket - $20.  That's all it costs this guy.  Pretty cool story.

3. Wasn't it just a few short weeks ago that everyone was talking about the dream season the Pittsburgh Pirates were having?  I thought they were tied for first in the NL Central before losing six straight recently and falling an unmanageable 6.5 GB in the standings.  It was a good run for the Bucs but once again, they disappear into obscurity.

4. Yahoo! has released a "25 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day" article, which always seem to be ridiculous with the content and what you could do.  Here's a few of the ways to cut calories:
     - tap your foot:  fidgeting burns 350 a day - yeah, sure!
     - use smaller plates:  unless you pack all you can on the smaller plate.
     - skip the whip:  oh yeah, because I always put whipped cream on everything I eat/drink
     - nix that smoothie a day:  again, I'm not visiting Jamba Juice every day (although I'd love to).
     - ditch the buttered movie popcorn:  at $12 a ticket, I'll just ditch the movies.

Time to get something in my stomach, getting a little hungry and I'd hate to get a migraine.  Heading up to Massachusetts Saturday to meet up with Lindsay - we have a wedding in Easton, MA.  She headed up to Martha's Vineyard this afternoon to stay with her mother for a few nights before the wedding.  She took the little guy, and I am here with Nathan.

Miss those two.

Later.

What the ...?!?

With our impending trip to the American Museum of Natural History tomorrow, I had a few things I wanted to look up before we headed down to NYC.  It has been probably close to 15 years since I've been to a museum, so I am pretty excited.  Here's what I wanted/needed to know:

1) I wanted to know about photography.  I am alright on that one, because all I'll bring Linds' Sony handheld.  One for one.

2) I wanted to know the policy on strollers, since Nolan can't walk at two-and-a-half months (I know, what the hell?!?).  So I Google'd "are strollers allowed at the AMNH?" and came across the answer - Yes.  However, the irony is in the museums where strollers are not allowed:

Museums Where Strollers Are Not Allowed:

American Museum of the Moving Image

Children's Museum of Manhattan

Noguchi Museum

Really?  The Children's Museum of Manhattan prohibits strollers?  Maybe it's me, but that's pretty much the definition of irony, wouldn't you say?

Headed to bed, in the air conditioning.  The storm that blew by cooled things off a little but it's still unbearable and there is never a breeze here on the 10th floor.

Goodnight and travel well.  Off to see the dinosaurs tomorrow!  (photos to follow)

Daddy Duty

Lindsay is out at the church rehearsal and then the dinner and I am hanging with the little dude, who just fell asleep (hopefully for an hour or so). Criminal Minds is on, over and over, so that'll help me pass the time until Lindsay gets back.

Nolan and I went over to the Carousel Center this afternoon while Lindsay was getting her nails done with the rest of the bridal party.

It's been a pretty good bonding day - besides the 4+ hour drive this morning - but he's been very good. I took him to Build-A-Bear and he built his own bear, who's been dubbed "Cam" because of his fur color. Nolan is smitten with the bear, as is evidence by this picture:


I'm going to lock in on this CM marathon - and also some college baseball. Florida is in the championship series, so that's some sort of reassurance hat the ass-kicking they gave us wasn't all that bad. They're one of the two best teams in the entire country. My guess is they'll be the best when all is said and done.

Wedding is tomorrow from 5pm to 12am - not sure if that's doable for this guy. Julia is taking the train up to help out with Nolan - Jesse was supposed to but that all got fucked up somewhere along the line.

We miss Nathan too.

OK...signing off from the Cuse.

Location:Crown Plaza

Looooong Day

I just sat in traffic for an hour and change on a 2-mile approach to the GWB - which has to be the most heavily traveled bridge in the entire world.  I blasted Glassjaw and ETID the entire way (not kid friendly music) but it was the way my mood was taking me - angry.

When I walked in the door to the apartment, all was well - even though Lindsay was mad because she severely stubbed her left pinky toe on a pair of sneakers I left on the floor - my bad.  Then Nolan was sleeping, which is always something/someone I enjoy seeing.  Poor Nathan, he is in Long Island for the weekend while we head to Syracuse for a wedding.  My father said he was sad this morning because he was looking for us, but then he goofed around with him and gave him a treat, then he passed right back out.  We miss that little dude.

Then I popped on over to the newest member of the blog community - Nolan's Newsstand - a blog dedicated to our little man, Nolan.  Linds is the main contributor to that site - especially since I just created it for her last night at around 11:00pm.  I'm sure I will guest post from time to time, and when the little dude can use his hands, maybe a few gibberish posts will appear.  It's more of a blog to keep up with the news that Nolan brings to our lives.

Time for Lindsay to get a haircut and dinner.  Long day in Plymouth Meeting for me, recruiting, since I got 100% on my test and all, I am still eligible to find new players for Manhattan College.

Is the world coming to an end?

I am just thinking aloud, because earlier today - prior to the rain storms - I took a stroll with the little man over to Starbucks.  I was craving an iced coffee.

I used a $10 speaker thing my mother got me to play Nolan some blues on the walk over so he was pretty much at ease when we got there.

A behemoth blond woman was there ordering 6 drinks - five of which she had never heard of, but insisted they weren't made right.

I ordered up my venti iced coffee and added the sugar and milk.  Then, unbeknownst to anyone in the place, they asked if anyone wanted a free drink.  No one wanted that shit, so I took it.  Are you kidding me?  It's freaking $5 for a coffee at Starbucks ($3.21 for a venti iced).  I brought it home for Linds.  Free and Starbucks never go in the same sentence. 

Were the people inside deaf or were they all too high and mighty to accept a free coffee?  Either way, I won, Starbucks lost, and the people there are uppity assholes.

Bye now.

(Oh, and for the record, I much prefer Dunkin' Donuts' iced coffee to Starbucks)

Home Alone

Before you get too excited, I am not talking about the movie with child-prodigy Macaulay Culkin and classic crime duo Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (Harry and Marv, repsectively).  But before I go into my rant about me being home alone with the two N's - Nolan and Nathan - I will elaborate on the movie with a few facts:

Released: 1990 - Really? I was 9-years-old at the time?

Runtime: 103 minutes - Time well spent.

Rating: 7.1/10 - This rating is total bullshit - this is a classic Christmas-time movie for anyone who wants to laugh.

Budget: $15 million - Total earnings exceeded 35x that amount worldwide, I'd say it was worth the price tag.

Fun Fact #1: The "evil furnace" was done by two guys with fishing lines and flashlights

Fun Fact #2: The movie Kevin was watching was actually made specifically for the movie.  It was titled "Angels with Filthy Souls" - keep the change ya filthy animal!

Fun Fact #3: Robert DeNiro turned down the role of Harry.

Lindsay had to head into work for a meeting at 10am.  Nolan woke up right as she was walking out the door, so the little dude got a bottle from me.  Everything else seems to be going swimmingly - he's napping as I type this - don't think I totally neglect my son.  Nathan is also catching a few zzz's on his blanket.  I haven't showered yet today, but this is what Lindsay goes through every day.  She's doing a hell of a job with everything.

Gotta run, Nolan is farting, which means one thing (well, one of two things) - he's pooping and/or he's waking up.  Sorry to be so graphic but if you have kids, you understand.  If you don't, go fart in a shoebox.

2,994; Survivorman

2,994
With a single in the first inning against the Indians,  Derek Jeter got himself 6 hits away from immortality - according to some Yankees fans, he's already immortal.  His quest, however, could have hit a snag after he pulled up lame with an apparent calf strain.

It's a Grade 1 strain (on a 1-3 scale of strains) but since he is a little older than the average shortstop, this could be some sort of nagging injury.  I mean shit, I'm 30 and I was stretching out my legs in bed upon waking up and got a vicious charlie-horse in my left calf - I felt that shit for like 3 days.  I couldn't kick that thing - sure I was able to go about my everyday living, but I didn't have to range up the middle for a groundball or bust it down the line to beat out a double play (as he does regularly). 

I mentioned in a post several weeks ago that in order for him to do it at home, he would need 14 hits in 10 games - well, he managed 8 in 7 games and it doesn't look like he'll get the final 6 in this 3-game set with the Rangers.  It would have been pretty neat for him to do it in NY - and he still may, depending on the severity of this injury.

Survivorman
As Nolan sleeps and Nathan lays on the couch, I sit here typing a post and watching Survivorman on television (Lindsay is out running some errands for herself).  He just caught some arctic char and fileted it up and was eating the eggs like they were so delicious.  Then he said he needed to get a fire going to cook the livers, because they're his favorite.  What is wrong with this guy?  Does he really think arctic char liver is better than the actual meat?

I used to watch Man vs. Wild religiously, but I am not sure where that went wrong, but I got away from it.  I know there was a big scandal that he slept in hotels and just filmed throughout the day to make it look like he was living in the wild.  Either way, he did some pretty gruesome shit.  I saw him one time skin a dead zebra and wrap himself in the skin to stay warm - I mean that shit is sick.

This guy, Les Stroud, is eating these "witchity-grubs" or something - it's basically a worm and he's acting like he's eating a fucking gummi worm.  It's "tasty" and will give him lots of energy and are full of nutrients.  He cooked them though, so I can see how they taste much better than they do raw.  I almost threw up when I heard the crunch and I wasn't even watching.  Now he's cooking them over cow manure - I'm sure burnt manure and grubs are a great combo.

Do I think what these guys do is cool - you bet your ass.  And I think, given some time, I could get the hang of what they do, but I would never refer to eating a grub as "tasty".  It's survival and eating a bug out of a tree is a necessity, not a delicacy.



Forgot to publish this post, sorry.  Love Ryan

Poker Face

Today as Lindsay, Nolan, and I were walking back from lunch, we walked by a Starbucks.  Yeah, they've got those in the Bronx too.

As we strolled by, there were four people in there, right next to the window, PLAYING CARDS!  In a coffee store - are you kidding me?  We live in NYC (or thereabouts) - there's plenty of outdoor places, I think they're called parks - go sit at a table outside and play your cards.

The funny thing is, as is the case with many of the random topics I post about, I knew I was going to write about this as soon as I saw these jerks.

Maybe it's not as weird as I am making it out to be, but it was a pretty decent day here in NYC.

That's all I've got today - tomorrow I am heading to the scene of our 2011 MAAC Championship celebration - Trenton's Waterfront Park.  The Area Code Day #3 Tryouts are tomorrow from 9am to 2pm, so it'll be good to get out and watch high school kids - it always takes some getting used to because it's a much slower game. 

Anyway, I will be back tomorrow.  Nolan sends his regards - he's been napping for increments of about 30 minutes.  It's actually kind of annoying - I wish he'd just sleep for 90-120 minutes - that's a normal nap.

Good night.  Time to scrounge for some food. 

Street Fair, Prom, or Wake?

This is a post that has to do everything to do with common decency.

We were up in Newburgh, NY for a wake.  It was Lindsay's grandmother, who was 88 years old when she passed.  There weren't a whole lot of people there due to the fact that the people she knows are: a) in homes, b) dead, c) too old to remember anything, or d) all of the above.  Those of us that were there, we were dressed like normal human beings - black dresses for the women, khaki or dress pants and a button-up for the guys (or a suit).  Pretty standard given the circumstance.

Across the hall was another wake - I think it was a wake.  Here's some examples of how people were dressed - I will try to be as descriptive as possible, for your reading enjoyment.

Booty Lady:  A tight pair of teal booty shorts, with  the bottom of her ass hanging out a wee bit.  Oh, and she was toting around a child no older than 4 years old.  Role models.
Prom Woman:  A floor length black dress with silver sequins shaped like flowers that was at least four sizes too small.  Like a sausage in a casing.
Balla #1:  A dude with a red Detroit Red Wings cap on with a hair poof out the back and jeans hanging off his ass.  I didn't know the Red Wings wore hats.
Balla #2:  Wife beater, camo pants on, black Timberland boots.  He must have done bicep curls before he got there.
Biker Lady:  Not of the Harley variety - she had on tight black spandex (again, four sizes too small) and a white t-shirt with a Polo Ralph Lauren satchel.  She was styling.
Aero Man:  A grown ass man (40+ at least) wearing a white t-shirt with "AERO 1987" blasted on the front.
Fruit Lady:  Her top was pretty decent looking, a form fitting black thing - with a pair of Apple Bottom jeans.  And no, her boots had no fur.
Is that a ...?: This lady had on a long black dress with an open back and a black bra visible for all to see.  Nothing but class, lady.  Really.
Smoke Show:  A lady who every time I looked outside had a cigarette in her hand making a bee-line for outside to smoke her sorrows away.  She'll be next in the box.
Leatherman:  It was 97 degrees out and this guy had on a leather bomber jacket.  He must have been from equator.

But this was a fucking wake we're talking about - a place where people pay their respects to the deceased.  I saw more blue jeans than anything.  At least try to fool a few people and throw on a pair of black jeans and try to fool someone.

It just goes to show you that people are fucking clueless.  I refuse to give a shit what I look like when I walk out the door (as far as trying to match colors) because there's always people like this out there that make me feel like I am a fashion icon.

A few forgotten photos...

Was browsing my Picasa and found these, from my wedding day, courtesy of my photographer and friend Bryan Avigne.

First, at the barber shop getting an old school shave:


Next, me and the boys waiting on the limo to the church for the ceremony. We look good:

Going a little batty...

This weather has got me all flustered Yeah, I like the warm weather, but this is ridiculous. I can't even go a minute without wiping my brow. Unpleasant.

Today was OK - 87 or so, humidity was low (at least that's what the news said), and the sun was out. Tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to feel like triple digits - throw in some humidity and I am going to want an ice bath (which I will never take).

Showers will be more frequent since as soon as I dry off, I will probably begin to sweat again. I have a sweating problem and it's something I've dealt with my entire life. I pit out almost every t-shirt I put on, regardless of temperature. I know - this is probably too much information for most of you - but it's me, and you read this, so tough shit.

The one thing I find a little humor in when it's unbearably hot like this is the news story that is sweeping the nation - the Weiner Scandal. For those of you under rock, he's some sort of political guy who posted links of, well his "weiner" on Twitter. Not a real good idea there dick.

There is no way you cannot laugh when you hear this phrase on television - regardless of how old you are. The word "wiener" is just something you naturally laugh at, unless you have no sense of humor. It's immature - sure - but it's funny. And the newscasters here put a pretty good emphasis when they say "Weiner" - if it were me, I'd be laughing the entire time.

Also something that made me laugh - and shake my head - was watching a 40-something year old man walk through the supermarket with Natural Light 12-packs in his arms. I thought that was strictly a college-aged beverage because it is so cheap? I guess the economy has yet to turn around. But beer is beer, and there really isn't a beer that tastes "good" so the more I think about it, the less head-shaking I'm doing.

Time to take Nathan out. Nolan is sleeping as is Lindsay (on the couch). I'm watching (half watching) Chopped.

Later y'all.

Gators 17, Jaspers 3 - Regroup

Florida is a pretty good team. Actually, they're a very good team, the #1 team in the country.

To our credit, after the first 3 innings, we won 3-1. Problem is, we let up 16 in the first three and lost 17-3. Our starter didn't have his good stuff and they made him pay - they hammered mistakes and basically anything else we threw up there. I made a trip out to the mound after three batters - and I'm sure I was on TV - so there it was, that's me for you followers out there. Tomorrow I will vow to make a few more trips and get myself seen on national TV again.

I am not going to sit here and make excuses about this and that - they dominated every aspect of the game and we and are a better team than us. And they should be - everything is in place to succeed at the highest level.

Tomorrow is a new day, a noon time game. And we did win one thing today - the coin flip - so we'll be the home team against Jacksonville tomorrow. Again, it's on ESPNU.

There's really nothing you can do about a game like this - 4-3 or 17-3 - a loss is a loss is a loss.

After tomorrow, I will create a timeline of events on both WRT and DDP - a little documentation of our trip by means of photograph.

As for now, family time. I hope this kid sleeps a little tonight. Him and Lindsay both had a long day - first flight for the little guy and Lindsay hates flying.

Good night!

Location:UF

Game Day is Here

The day ha finally arrived - NCAA Regionals - Day 1.

The first game of our regional - Jacksonville vs. Miami - is probably right around first pitch. We aren't going to the field until 1:45pm, then we hit, then we get it going.

This morning, we went over to America's favorite interstate restaurant - Cracker Barrel - for a team breakfast. Talk about bang for your buck, you spend $9 for breakfast and walk out of that placed stuffed to the gills. I got me some french toast and grits with two scrambled eggs. I tend to get something in the country store every time I frequent a CB, but not this time. Sure, they had some cool little birdhouses, but I don't know if I have any room in my travel bag to transport it back to NY. So I saved some $$ there.

I spoke to Lindsay right after she boarded the plane and heard Nolan crying in the background - he was hungry. She said there were a lot of kids on the plane, headed to Disney no doubt. She's with the head coach's wife and two kids - she mentioned that it's a good thing our kids are too young to realize they're going to baseball games instead of to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Sooner or later, we'll take Nolan down there for some Disney action.

I am about to take my pre-game shower and relax for a few before we depart for McKethan Stadium. I am getting anxious - I mean it's not often a school of 2,800 students gets to play the best team in the country in an NCAA Regional and have it be nationally televised.

You can follow it on ESPNU or on the web (for those of you who are at work) at D1 Baseball. It's an exciting day to be in green.

Be back later on after the game to give a little recap. The best part is - win or lose - we're playing with house money. We're not supposed to win these games - any of them - so we should be loose. It's a great experience for the kids on the team and something they'll never forget.

Play Ball and Go Jaspers!

woo!

Fat Sightings

Is it just me or is there an inordinate amount of larger - even obese - people sitting in the stands at the NCAA Softball CWS? Every time they show a close up of a player in the on-deck circle, all you see is three or four huge loads in the stands eating something.

I have stated before on WRT about the laziness of people nowadays (taking the elevator 1 floor) but I think it's a real problem, no joke.

Me and Lindsay were watching some games before I left to Florida (yes, we were watching college softball) and she mentioned that there are so many fat-so's in the stands. She even paused the television to show me four tubs sitting net to one another. It really depicted the fat epidemic in America.

Anyway, the Mavericks/Heat game is on, and I'm watching. Not because I give a shit who wins, because I don't, but because there really isn't anything else on besides the NCAA Softball CWS. I refuse to watch that any longer.

I am going to take down the piece of key lime pie I got at dinner tonight - I got it to go. It's a guilty pleasure of mine - any time a restaurant has key lime pie on the dessert menu, I get it. It is probably the best pie ever invented.

Goodnight. ESPNU at 4pm tomorrow - Jaspers vs. Gators. Get excited!

woo!

On to Phase 2; Lindsay's Night Out; Tiny Zoo; Pickup Football

On to Phase 2
With us having completed the regular season in the MAAC and finishing as the #1 seed for next weeks MAAC Tournament in Trenton, NJ (at the home of Yankees' AA affiliate Trenton Thunder), today is a day off.  I can't really say it's much needed since the rain earlier in the week coupled with commencement setup in the gym meant that we had two days off from practice (Monday, Tuesday) but it certainly isn't something I'm complaining about.

We had a game Friday and two Saturday with Iona, who always plays us tough, but took care of business and hopefully built up some momentum going into the four team playoff.  With the sweep, our regular season record is 21-2 in MAAC games (31-17 overall).  A pretty good year by any standards, but it really means nothing without some hardware at the end.

And that hardware is the MAAC Championship ring. 

The dogpile after the final out is recorded in the clinching game - that feeling (although I never experienced it as a player since our teams were slightly above average with talent and champions of boozing) was something I cannot explain.  It makes all the shitty practices at 6am in January with snow on the ground worth it.  It makes taking out and putting up the outfield fence (yes, we might be the only team in DI baseball that does this) worth it.  It makes not having music or a National Anthem (definitely the only school in the country not allowed to play it because the parks woman in charge is a complete piece of shit bitch) a little more tolerable.  But more importantly, it's something the players will never, ever forget.
We have a solid core of seniors, and for them, this is everything.  I just hope the rest of the guys realize what these four seniors have done for this program (almost 1,000 hits combined in 4 years) and play with a little pride for them (and themselves).  The most important thing though, is staying loose.  Remain focused on what it is we're there to do - win the whole fucking thing! (to quote the legendary Jake Taylor from Major League).  But we gotta stay loose, play loose, have fun, and just do what we've managed to do all year - win.

We just gotta go out there and do it.  Believe in ourselves. Trust one another.  And throw strikes and get good performances from our starting pitching.  When we go to the bullpen, we need tough SOB's coming into the game to get outs.  We need to scratch across runs anyway possible.  Solid defense needs to be paramount as well.

I can wax poetic about this and that and what everyone needs to do but in the end it comes down to one thing:  who wants it the most?

I'd like to think it's us.

Lindsay's Night Out
Last night was her first away from Nolan.  With me at a doubleheader until 5:30pm, my parents were nice enough to come in and help look after N & N while Lindsay got ready to go out for her friend Rosie's bachelorette party. 

She opted for the dinner portion of the party so she drove into the city to meet up with the girls.  She had some champagne and a glass of vino at dinner (at some Greek place on 60th) and got back to the apartment around 10:30pm. 

She had hangar steak, something I don't think I've ever seen her order at any point since we've known one another.  She never gets steak, but hey, I guess a baby makes you crave different things.

Overall she said she had a great time seeing everyone.  The next time we'll see them all is at the wedding in Syracuse sometime in June.  Jesse and Julia will be traveling with us to take care of the little man while we head to the wedding. 

Should be a cramped 5-hour ride to the Cuse.

Tiny Zoo (for iPad)
This game is seriously a safe version of crack.  The premise is simple - build the best virtual zoo ever!

And I am well on my way.  Call me a loser, go ahead - but you're a loser too because you're definitely checking it out right now.

I've got African elephants, jackrabbits, black bears, chimps, Indian rhino, red panda, an ocelot, cheetah, butterflies, and even a mustang.  I got plenty of shops and food vendors to keep my loyal customers happy.

I am currently waiting for the second expansion of my zoo to be completed (ETA 17h 50m) before I can add some more badass animals.
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=9171629383088672152
Seriously though, this game is like crack.  Remember FarmVille for Facebook?  This is that times 1,285.  At least.

Pickup Football
There's a park behind my building where all sorts of crazy shit goes on (see previous posts about boy's softball) but right now, there's a pantheon of men (some young, some with a full head of white hair) playing pickup football.  Maybe they're hoping to get picked up if the NFL is looking for replacement players.  They scream, hoot, and holler - and part of me wants to join the game, but I think I'd be a little too intense for the older guys out there.  I might be compelled to put on on his ass (yes, even though it is two-hand touch).

Sunday mornings year round is football in Riverdale.  There's some yarmulkes (pronouced:  YAH-ma-ka) out there too - I think they know they'll never make it the NFL as a player (however, as an owner, they might have their day). NY Giants QB Sage Rosenfels gives them a little glimmer of hope, though.  After doing a but of research - read: Googling "Jews in the NFL", the results indicate there are quite a few Jews in the NFL (here's a list).  Pretty surprising names on this list - and a lot don't even sound Jewish.  I mean San Diego's long snapper David Binn (apparently Jewish) used to date Pamela Anderson for shit's sake!  Binn there, done that - like most of Hollywood.

Mazel tov!

OK.  Nolan's been sleeping in his lamb swing while I've been sitting next to him writing this post and he's finally starting to stir, so I am gonna get going.  Lindsay is feeling a little worn down lately, so she's still in bed (it's 9:33am, practically a hibernation on a baby's clock) so she is trying to recuperate a little bit.  It wears me out so I can imagine how it must kick her ass - home all day with the dog and the baby.  She enjoys it immensely, I know she does - but that doesn't mean she doesn't get worn out.  I am sure she'll read this when she wakes up - hopefully feeling a little better.

Til next time knuckleheads.

Frosted Mini Wheats; Nolan Rules!; Sunday Night; 30

Frosted Mini Wheats
Now here's a cereal I absolutely enjoy.   Sure, they can get a little dry at times, but damn they fill me up.  Normally, two bowls (and maybe a little into the third) will do it for a normal cereal, but this heavyweight puts me in the comfort zone after a bowl, bowl and a half.

My only complaint is that every one of those rectangular little edible Brillo pads isn't coated with a thick layer of frosting.  Maybe it's the kid in me, but the best Mini Wheats are the ones at the end of the bowl that still have that awesome white, sugary coat on them.  Milk be damned, you cannot wash this coat away.

So Kellogg's, maybe you wanna get on that one.  I mean it's not stopping me from purchasing them - I actually just got the Frosted Mini Wheats Big Ones and the new fruit filled ones - but it's something I certainly wouldn't complain about.

I'm sure other cereal aficionados will agree.

Nolan Rules!
The kid is a stud.  Although he's very unwilling at time to pose for photographs, there's still some shots I can get when he's awake and alert.  His hair is pretty neat too (he's got more than me).

We've got to start bathing him more, but tonight he was pretty good in the bath.  He cried a little early on, but once he was covered in water (no, not his head) he kinda enjoyed himself.

Here's a few photos of our little man:

Fresh out the bath tub - so fresh and so clean!

Chillen' in my tiger outfit

Me (looking tired) and Nolan in the dog run (Nathan not pictured)

Hanging on the Boppy,

Tattoo
When we went out to LI the other week to get Lindsay's push present - another of her wedding band - I was tempted to get a new tattoo, in honor of Nolan.  I did not, however.

I plan on getting a new stain eventually (read: within the next two months) it's just a matter of what I will get.  I have several ideas as to what I wanna get, but I haven't really sat down and thought about it.

Any suggestions you all have, feel free to say them aloud (or type them).

Sunday Night
Right now, everyone is sleeping but me.  Lindsay seems to have passed out in bed with Nolan (who'll move into that crib shortly) and Nathan is at the foot of the bed.

I am out here watching the new Iron Chef America, where it's Battle Mussels.  @bflay is the Iron Chef and I'll be honest, I really haven't paid much attention since I've decided to post.

When I'm done here, I'll key in a little more.

30
I will be 30 on June 1st, and am rather indifferent about it.  I have never been one to make a huge deal out of birthdays (except Lindsay's) but I guess it's a milestone in a persons life - 30 years old.

I am not yet over the hill.  I think those start on your 40th and occur again every ten years.

I'm already legal to drink - 21 was nine years ago.  Holy shit, now that I look at it that way, that was way long ago.

I'm going to pass out out here to ICA.

Be back soon blog-osphere!

Believe; Playlist-ism, Pt. 2

Let's try it again. After we scored four in the top of the 11th to break open a scoreless game, we let up five ... all with two outs ... to lose. Demoralizing. Sure. Embarrassing. You bet. Motivation moving forward proving to our guys that any team is dangerous (they were the worst team in the league). Absolutely.

We gotta regroup. We're still in a great position. Our bullpen needs to find their toughness. Strikes early are key. Location late is more important. And you know what? Confidence goes a long way - believing you're better than him. That can take you places. Pitching with intensity. Pitching like you're the best fucking guy on the field. That's what I like. I didn't have the best stuff when I played, but I was a tough SOB out there. I talked shit after I got someone out - I could. I backed it up and I believed in myself. O didn't doubt myself or my ability to execute a pitch. When I was out there, I was accountable for what I did. I wanted the ball. The results didn't always go my way, and when that was the case I was pissed off - at myself. I failed. If you've ever let 30 other guys down, you know what I mean. Unless you genuinely are that selfish and just roll with the "oh well" thing. Not "oh well" - it should fire you up inside when you fail - at anything. The next time out, I'd aim to be even better, tougher, meaner. We'll see if these guys have "it" or not the next time out.

Time for Playlist-ism, Pt. 2.  We've got three and a half MFing hours left. I want to see the family and help Lindsay out with the kid. He's being a handful still. I said a prayer he'd be good until I get home. We'll see if the big dude upstairs can help me (us) out.

Here goes.

- Feeling Good by Muse (1, so not feeling good)
- 6 Foot, 7 Foot by Lil Wayne (3+, just because he amazes me with the lyrics he comes with)
- The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows by Brand New (4, because they rule)
- Rolling In The Deep by Adele (5, this song is catchy and the album (yes I own the album) is awesome)
- Out Come The Bastards by This Is Hell (4+, aggression at its finest)
- Neon Tiger by The Killers (4, because I saw them in Boston and this song was great)
- Hurt by NIN (5+, "I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real" - epic song)
- Where Is Everybody by NIN (4+, they're a Top 5 band and every song is fuel)
- Sabertooth Tiger by Cage the Elephant (3+, fast, electro-rock)
- No Love by Eminem (5+, because all I can think of is Will Ferrell on SNL, ha, makes me laugh. Great song, and Lil Wayne is on it)
- Shake Me Down by Cage the Elephant (4+, love this jam because the lyrics ring true to real f'ing life)
- Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash (5, an American icon who cannot get anything less than a 5)

That's all for this edition. I hope maybe I inspired some to listen to some new music and I'm sorry if I went off on a tangent about believing in yourself.

Coming In

First off, a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there (especially Lindsay) who has the.misfortune of spending her first alone with Nolan until later tonight when I return from the B-Lo.

The photo is of an airplane coming in for a landing only a few hundred yards away. The airport is right across the street from the hotel.  Lindsay always likes seeing planes.coming in, so this is for her. She hates flying but loves watching them, weird but true.

Speaking of hotels, the Holiday Inn Express has the best smelling shampoo, soap, and conditoner I've ever smelled.  It's a smell that's hard to describe - maybe spiced oranges mixed with apple cider? Whatever the actual flavor is called, I would drink it if they made it into something edible.  Seriously, that shit is awesome.

Tomorrow we go to get Lindsay her push present. I may get myself a tattoo as well commemorating Nolan. The tattoo parlor is right across the street from the jewelry store.  Talk about one stop shopping!

We're headed to the field now so I'm going to cut this.short.  Going for the sweep today over Niagara. We won 9-7 and 4-0 yesterday.  Our bullpen tried to blow it but we had just enough to get it done. Here's to a win today, otherwise that 6 hour bus ride home is going to be pretty shitty.

Once again, Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy yourselves ... you deserve it.

And Lindsay, I hope Nolan let's you sleep a little today since he's been a pill the last two nights. I'll be home later to help.

Much love!

Sightings (and Listening's?); WWTBAM; Costco

We went over to the Cross County Shopping Center to get me a pair of decent basketball sneakers since I'm a baller now (pause for laughter) and stopped in Applebee's for a quick dinner (pause for a quick gasp).  Here's a photo of the kicks (and I shot the ball a whole lot better today with the new sneaks - it's gotta be the shoes!):

At Applebee's, Lucy was our waitress, or was it Lisa - me and Lindsay had conflicting opinions since the girl mumbled so neither of us could comprehend.  Her name came to us via the receipt - Lucirene.  Not sure what that name means and I doubt I ever will since I can't even find an answer on the internet.

Listening's
A table away, a perky male waiter was asking two ladies what they wanted.  He proceeded to call them ladies at the end of every sentence, in case they themselves had forgotten who they were.  Then he floated on over to another table he was helping and called a woman "mami" - as in the spanish slang for sexy baby.  That must have earned him a killer tip.  He's lucky the guy she was with (who looked flamboyant) wasn't dating her, or he woulda got TKO'd.

Sightings
I got home the other day and our building was getting a UPS delivery.  Day in, day out I see these (along with FedEx, PeaPod, and the ever present Kosher.com trucks) getting tickets courtesy of the NYPD traffic cops in their dark blue cars.  It pisses me off to no end that they help meet their quota by ticketing these trucks - it's NYC dingleberries, where the fuck is a giant brown truck going to find a parking space?

I know the driver isn't paying, but poor UPS gets bent over day after day.  What are their drivers supposed to do, drive around for hours waiting for someone to pull out of a parking space? 

Give me a break, so get the people who roll through stop signs or speed down the road behind our building - the same one people walk across with their kids, dogs, or old family members.

WWTBAM
Who Wants to be a Millionaire is on right now, and I'd like to think that if I was lucky enough to get on that show, I'd make some pretty good money - and then immediately get smooshed by the government because I'd take myself to a whole new tax bracket.

I really commend them for changing the game play - random categories and random prize amounts until the final four questions.  Brilliant.

Costco
Going to head up to wholesale giant Costco in a few to get some food in bulk so that when I'm away, Lindsay can eat normal meals (instead of cereal and Easter candy).  After all, she needs to nourish our little boy.

We don't really have a shopping list, but she is good at curbing me from buying shit we don't need.


OK, time to take Nathan out and head to the store.