Chapter 87: A New Leaf on Life

As you may have noticed, it's been a long time since I posted anything here. Life gets in the way. In fact, it has been so long that I'd forgotten about my little redesign. I'm still not used to it.

When last we spoke here, it was summer. Now, the air has gotten a bit chillier, Halloween decorations have begun to sprout on yards and houses, and a school year is in full gear as we sprint toward the holidays.

Me, I'm trying to catch up on my summer vacation, which evaded me. Until now. I'll be away for a week (not that my missives were regular enough that a week would make much difference.) But to be honest, my writing-related blog, the Elephant's Bookshelf, has been my primary blogging location lately (though I've not done much there either.) So if you'd like to read my little missives more often, feel free to follow me there. It's different: it's got a definite writing and reading focus. But that's a big part of who I am. Still, this was my first blog and I'm not abandoning it. Not in the near future, anyway.

So here is my leaf-season resolution: I will post at least once a month on this blog through the end of the year.

What's that? Oh, the llama... Yeah, well, lately I feel like I've been trying to stuff too much into my life, which is kinda why the blog has been back-burnered. But you know what? Life can be interesting even when crammed full of stuff. Hence, the llama.

Rediscovered Quote

I'm in the midst of cleaning a desk and found several old notebooks from conferences I covered as a reporter. Written on the inside cover was this quote. It's probably not mine, but I'll claim it if no one else will. It sounds like something I'd write.

If you stand around waiting for destiny, you will only meet fate.

It seems appropriate today, as we start a new month. I've had a sense of destiny lately. Some things are clicking, and the revisions of my "completed" manuscript are moving ahead nicely, though I've put the work-in-progress on hold for the summer. Of course, as we discussed in a previous post, we're always writing and I know of some significant changes I'll be making to that manuscript once I return, and I'm sure it'll be much improved.

So, welcome to August, friends and fellow writers. What are you working on?

Chapter 86: Thoughts on a Rainy Day

It's one of those days. You know the type. They start off with such promise: a cool breeze, a well deserved restful night, and soothing silence. Then things change. A stink arises, a hunger emerges, and out of nowhere come the rains. These things can be dealt with and handled. And they even lead to promising results. A diaper gets changed, babies and parents get fed, and thirsty lawns welcome the water.

Today I intend to reflect on the simple things. Like a neglected blog. Tune in again and I hope you will see newness grow. Happy day, y'all.

Chapter 85.5: New Look

I'm not the fickle type. I tend to look the same day in day out. No purple hair on Tuesdays and red on Friday. Just increasing specks of salt among the pepper.

But I've been growing bored with the look of this blog, so when Blogger offered a few new design, I dove into this one. It may change again soon. Let me know what you think. Like it? Does it suck? Do you want me to spring for a more professional looking blog?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below. I'll post them.

Chapter 85.4: Perfect Imperfection

A moment to write on this blog. Perfect.

You know what else was perfect? Armando Galarraga's performance against Cleveland the other night. By retiring 28 consecutive batters — including the call that umpire Jim Joyce screwed up — he accomplished something few others have done. But more important, I think, was the class with which he comported himself. He could have been furious. Instead, he spoke with graciousness and understanding. He's a credit to the game, the Tigers, and to his family.

As a baseball fan, I totally understand the desire to rectify the situation so that he could have received official credit for the perfect game. After all, he deserved it. But personally, I think there's no recourse. It was not a rule violation that caused the incorrect call; it was simple human frailty. A mistake. This was not akin to the Pine Tar game, when George Brett's home run against the Yankees was initially ruled an out because the pine tar on his bat extended beyond the allowable amount. In this case, the umpire made the wrong call — and he's a guy who usually makes the right call.

Jim Joyce will probably be remembered forever for this call, which is unfortunate. But I bet the next time something comes along in which he's making an instantaneous decision about something that affects a game in which Galarraga's playing, he'll do the same thing. I don't mean make a mistake, I mean call it the way he sees it. He knows what he's doing, and in this case, so does baseball.

Instead, Galarraga will go down in history as having almost pitched a perfect game. As Casey Stengel used to say about the oddities of baseball, "You can look it up."

Chapter 85.3: Monkeying Around

As noted in this recent bit of reportage in the New York Times, when Jane Goodall discovered chimpanzees making and using tools in order get food, humans were left having to rejustify their superiority: "Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as human."

Well, obviously they're not human, but like many people I have known, they seem to have some pretty kinky ideas if left to their own devices. In this case, the device is a leaf — and it's not for hiding behind. Not at all.

Apparently, this leaf is sex toy nonpareil in the animal world. Horny male chimps use the leaf to make noise in order to draw a female chimp's attention to their erection. This apparently is chimpanzee for "subtlety." There's probably a YouChimp video of the simian equivalent of Justin Timberlake singing "Leaf in a Box."

I kinda wish I'd known about this leaf method years ago. Back in high school and college, there were many times when I sat idly in class or the library and spied an appealing female student for whom I'd have loved to tear a leaf or two or six. Such tactics probably couldn't have fared any worse than my usual approach (which back then typically included too many beers and ill-timed jokes.)

Be that as it may, I suppose it's good to know that we're not the only species on the planet that devises its own sex toys — or has to. I'm glad that there was an intelligent, possibly nerdy chimp who got laid primarily because he was literally inventive. Here's to you, Cheeta, I'll be your wingman any night.

Chapter 85.2: A Song in My Heart and Head (in Praise of Teachers)

I try not to write too much here about my kids, but lately their music has meandered through my brain a lot. Silly songs, educational songs, songs that should never be played to anyone over the age of three...

But as my girls graduated from the Baby Einstein videos to Sesame Street and Barney, I noticed something shocking: I knew some of these songs! Sure, there were standards like The People in Your Neighborhood and Rubber Ducky. But there was also one about lady bugs that I'd completely forgotten about.

I asked a co-worker what shows she remembered from her childhood. She was born to one of those families that didn't believe in television for many years, so she hadn't seen too much. But as she thought about it, she remembered seeing Barney. To this day, she said, she hums a song about cleaning up as she washes the dishes.

I've always had a thing for songs and song lyrics. I've entertained/pissed off people by singing the lyrics to a shortlived show from the late '70s called Hello Larry, which starred McLean Stevenson, after he left MASH. Long after I composed songs in my head as I walked to school as a kindergartner, I would find music offered me the first entree to a world of creativity.

It pains me to see the arts decimated in public education. I hate to hear about teachers losing their jobs or ridiculed by people who've never tried to teach that they get paid too much. Teaching children is perhaps the most important job in the world. Those that do it should be continually trained to do it better, and classrooms should be kept at relatively small sizes so that children receive the attention they need and deserve — which means that more teachers are necessary.

I know people will disagree with me. I've heard the arguments. Sometimes, those people make excellent points. But if it weren't for my parents and my teachers, I'd not have been able to succeed in the ways that I have.

Chapter 85.1: Initial Thoughts on the 2010 Baseball Season

As usual, my life has been a fast-paced, loony series of days that band together to call themselves weeks and months. They get larger and more unruly as I get older.

For example, not many years ago I'd have been incredibly excited about the beginning of baseball season. I'd watch spring training games on television, read up on the next Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays coming up through the ranks, and prepare for a fantasy baseball draft or two. These days, I grumble about how my fantasy draft got moved to the girls' bedtime and whine (to myself) about how I rarely get to see an inning of baseball, what with the Elmo and Barney DVDs that play almost nonstop on our TV these days.

I can't even prepare for my usual World Series predictions properly any more. I don't know who half the pitchers are in baseball these days, and without that, such forecasts are about as accurate as predicting the weather for August 22 while looking out on the darkened streets on an April evening.

So here goes — my abridged predictions for the 2010 baseball season.

Division leaders
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies.
I don't think my Mets will do any better than third place. Even that might be tough to achieve. The Phillies, Braves, and even the Marlins all appear to be more potent than my inconsistent favorite team.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals.
Strong pitching and weak competitors should make it look easy for the Redbirds.

NL West: Colorado Rockies.
Because the whole division sucks.

NL Wild Card. Atlanta Braves.

AL East: Yankees.
I hate them, but they're strong.

AL Central: Minnesota Twins.
They've kept Joe Mauer. If they can pitch well enough, they might be able to do some serious damage to other AL teams.

AL West: Los Angeles Angels.
I wanted to pick the Mariners, who've made some great acquisitions during the winter (and one terrible one by getting Milton Bradley). But even I have heard about the injuries that keep happening.

AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox.

World Series: Phillies vs. Red Sox
The Red Sox will win in seven games in what will be a classic.

Ok, for all you non-baseball fans out there, I suspect you'll be able to keep following this blog because this could be the last baseball-related item I'll be able to write, seeing as how my Mets will embark on a seven-game losing streak by the beginning of May and I'll just lose heart.

Chapter 85: Thoughts During a Vacation Rain Storm

Earlier today, while measuring my ark cubit by cubit, I was thinking about spring. There are lots of aspects to the season. Baseball, as usual, is toward the top. Love also, though I don't know that spring really has cornered the market on that. I've enjoyed snuggling down on a cold winter's night, summer romances, and fall... No, love pretty much sucks in the fall.

Anyway, spring brings with it a bucket load of change. But like most change, you don't really feel it until after the change has occurred. A couple weeks ago, it still felt wintry enough, with snow and chill and stomping of feet. But the tell-tale signs of spring were there if you looked.

For example, the sun has been still visible when I get out of work. This practically never happens during the winter. But just last week, some friends and I walked in sunlight to a relatively nearby pub for our first-ever post-work, pre-season softball team pep rally (basically, an excuse to get together for a couple pints with people who we'll be spending time with over the next few spring and summer months).

And St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us, which is another sure sign of spring. St. Patrick's Day is that special day when a bunch of people decide to insult everyone of Irish heritage by claiming that since they've had five pints of Guinness they're actually Irish, despite the vowels and collection of Ys and Zs at that end their names. No, that just means you're drunk. And that's fine; I don't hold that against anyone. Most of the time.

As someone of Irish descent — who learned how American I am by going to school in Ireland for a semester of college — I find spring and St. Patrick's Day to be kinda special. Like I said earlier, it's a time of transition. I used to be a summer person. But at this point in my life, I like a good mudslide, a mild rainstorm (not like this windy crap that's tormenting me now), and a nice week off to try to relax.

For what it's worth, a portion of my relaxation will take place on Tuesday, when a buddy of mine and I head over to the Diamond Bar in Brooklyn to enjoy a night of mayhem with Zane Lamprey (which must be a madeup name), author of Three Sheets: Drinking Made Easy. So if anyone in the neighborhood feels like enjoying a little spring break adult style, feel free to join me. I'll be the guy with the leather trench coat and all-season beard.

What does that have to do with change? Well, I don't usually go out now that I'm the father of a pair of beautiful ankle biters. Especially without the wife. So this is a sign that the world is in transition. More certain than the destruction of the planet in 2012, I will be enjoying a pint on Tuesday night. Maybe even two. Can spring be far behind?

Chapter 84.7: Olympics Fever

Lately, I've been extremely busy. Not just at work, but in my personal life, too. Important things have been back-burnered or tended to in dribs and drabs. I recently completed a piece that I'd only been able to write at random moments — not the way I like to write.

There have been some evenings after I've gotten one of the babies to sleep to find the other one not quite there yet, and I spend another 15-30 minutes trying to get her to sleep too.

And in the background, we've kept the Winter Olympics playing.

I've always enjoyed the winter games. There's something more accessible, more intimate than in the summer games. Indeed, now that there's no baseball in the summer games, I feel even more removed from them. I simply can't relate to men and women who can sprint faster than a stiff breeze. But I've skiied down a hill or two. I've sledded down hills. I've even fallen on my butt while trying to skate. The winter games seem more real to me.

After the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, I feared that something worse might happen and I thought I might avoid the entire games. But my wife tuned into the opening ceremonies, and we've had them running ever since.

I haven't regretted it. Too soon, the games will be over, and I'll be happy to welcome spring training and baseball. But for now, I am enjoying the games as they offer a small sense of greatness in an otherwise stressful winter.

I'm going for gold for the rest of 2010.

Chapter 84.5: Hot Stove on Low

Anyone who knows me fairly well is aware that I'm a Mets fan. And if they've spoken to me in the past several months about baseball, they know I have very little hope for the Mets this year. I haven't been optimistic about the 2010 season since midway through 2009 — if then. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that I lost hope for the 2010 season somewhere around July or August.

But I'd been starting to feel slightly better after the Jason Bay signing. Bay is a good hitter, has some pop, and will fill a nice role in the lineup, but I figured he'd be a way of offering protection to David Wright or Carlos Beltran in the lineup.

Then Beltran went down, and the same feelings of hopelessness arose like a AAA outfielder when a star goes on the disabled list. I could opine on the Mets doctors and who I believe said what, when, and blah blah blahdy blah. But I also recognize that there's been little to no word about what we can expect from Jose Reyes. What it comes down to is that the offense is still in bad shape, and the more important element — pitching — is as full of question marks as a three-year-old.

So, what do I think will happen? I think Omar Minaya will be sipping margaritas by Memorial Day, paying for them easily with the contract extension he received before the 2009 season. Probably Jerry Manuel will close behind him, if Omar doesn't ax him prior to his own departure. The Mets are a mess right now. And as lovely as Citi Field is, I don't know that I want to spend any major league money on a seat for a game filled with minor leaguers. Call me crazy.

Chapter 84.4: Resolutions and Revolutions

I like the beginning of the year. No, I don't have a hankering for snow and sleet and chill of night. Such inconveniences are fine in small amounts — when I'm inside and able to look out at them with little fear of having to subject myself to such evil elements.

But the new year brings with it the idea of a clean slate, a newness that bodes well for the future, even if past still serves as prologue for so much of life in general. For example, I'm hopeful that I'll finish the manuscript for my second novel this year. I have worked on it piecemeal since the end of November; I'd returned to it for National Novel Writing Month, which is November. That's more than I can say of what I did after November 2008 when I'd started writing it.

I have written more than 25,000 words, which isn't too shabby — nothing awe-inspiring either. It's progress, nothing more, nothing less. Anyway, I believe I can write another 65,000 to 75,000 during 2010. I have goals and the means to accomplish them. I also have lots of other responsibilities, which I also need to accomplish. Life, like politics, is often found in the choices we make about what we can accomplish and what needs more time.

The past five years or so, I've rediscovered an affinity in my life for the 18th century. I don't attend mock Revolutionary War battles or anything of that nature. But ever since I was a little kid, that era has resonated with me for some reason. I liked that a group of people stepped above their own personal needs to start a nation, ostensibly to benefit all of those who lived in what became the United States. I was enthralled by HBO's John Adams series. I've read a lot about John Paul Jones for a project that hasn't come to fruition. And a book that my great aunt gave me decades ago recently returned to me; it was about ordinary life during the time of the American Revolution. Some thirty years after the original gift — before I really had the capacity to understand much of its significance — I'm going to read it.

That's not a New Year's resolution. But rather, I'm resolving to have a little revolution in my life: to accomplish things for my family and for me that aren't necessarily easy but are easily necessary. I'm not quite sure how I'll do all that I need to do, but opportunities have a way of making themselves available to those who work hard to a goal.

So that basically is what I intend to do in 2010: To put a little revolution in my life for the betterment of my family.

How about you? What are your goals for 2010? Care to share?