Day Ball!

There are benefits to being jobless. You're boss to no one but you (ok, I'm answerable to Pumpkin, but not an insufferable blowhard behind some fake oak desk), and you can pretty much do what you choose. The easiest thing for me to do during this four and a half months of "freedom" would be to drink, gamble, and sleep. I'll go out and sample a beer or six every so often. That's usually the time I'll gamble, as well. As far as sleep, instead of waking up at 3am, I usually awaken by 4:30. Maybe I should've taken on a paper route during my downtime.

I went to the 51s game yesterday. The 51s are the Triple A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they rarely play day games during the week. It was an odd start, 10:30am, but that was only because it was "Cox Kids' Day" at the ol' ballpark. Kids from about 20 local elementary school packed the general admission section to......I'm not sure. Watch a ballgame? No, not many seemed to do that. Get a hot dog? Nachos? Snow cone? Yeah, that's more like it. Can't say that I blame them. When you get right down to it, baseball is by far the dullest thing to watch. Very very little action happens, certainly not enough to hold the attention of a ten year old for more than a few pitches. For me, it was about the ability simply to be able to go, to thumb my nose at those stuffed in a cubicle until 5pm. I'm not going to wax poetic on the "beauty" of the game, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the aroma of (half price!) hot dogs, the taste of lukewarm beer. That all seems well and good in the bottom of the first, but by the end of the 4th, my butt's ready to be taken out of the game. Thankfully, yesterday's game was played in a brisk 2:29, and it took precious little time to get out of the parking lot. I was home in 20 minutes.

I asked mark Stevens to join me. He and I went to a "Cox Kids' Day" game last year. He had too much to do and had to regretfully pass. I felt sorry for him and, briefly, sorry for myself. Thankfully, that feeling of self pity is less and less each day. Maybe it's the caffeine shot I get from my coffee, but I really feel good lately. The weather's been beautiful, I treasure the time I spend with Pumpkin, the dog is feeling fine, my friends are dependable, and the Brewers have a winning record. That's five for five. That'll get you back to the bigs in no time.