So the AL won the All-Star game last night.  And the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning is: "Damn, that means when the Sox sweep it again in four games, they won't be home again when the win it all." 

Yeah, I like my dream land :)

One thing I do hate about LJ is the friends list.  It's very handy to read all the updates on one page, and to share things with only certain folks.  But it sets up cliques and dynamics that just suck.  And yes, I did a bit of housekeeping on my list today - and if it was just about not reading posts, that would be cool.  But LJ had to go and call it "friends list".  Ugh.

So my boys managed to pull it off and end at the All-Star Break in first place; a mere 1/2 a game ahead of the Rays.  The Rays are currently on a 7 game losing streak.  But with any streak, they don't last - hence the name.  So come the 2nd half of the season, it's going to be neck and neck.  Now wouldn't it be awesome if the Yankees didn't even get the Wild Card this year and either Boston or the Rays did?  *grin*

I actually cheered for the Yankees to win. 

Yes, I'm still a Red Sox fan, die-hard, that's not changing!

But this year, Tampa Bay Rays are just hot - blazing hot!  They've been in first place more days than not so far this season.  This is the same team that is normally in last place every year.  Last place by 15-20+ games out of first place.  And this year, they're 1st, and several games ahead of the 2nd place Red Sox.

So when the Yankees are beating them (the Yankees being in 3rd place by several games), I just can't help saying "Yay, the Yankees won!"

And then my Grandfather turns over in his grave.

It's rather amazing how many folks have little to no knowledge on service dogs.  Poi Girl has one, for her PTSD.  Would you believe that she has been confronted at places of business that she doesn't look like she's blind - or that the person can't see her disability.  Or that the dog is "too small to be a service dog".  Or whatever reason they want to use to pick a fight.  Damn people!  It's the law, you can not deny her or her dog access to any place that anyone without a dog can go. 

It's bad enough that she travels with the ADA law and the FAQ just to flash at folks. 

So for those of you playing along at home - here is the cover letter law and the FAQ

So this weekend, Poi Girl, Mr Fins and I went camping.  A few things to note for next time - sleeping bags are not optional.  It can get damn cold in May.  Two - try not to sked camping for a time when the tree pollen is high.  And three - maybe not on a holiday weekend?  Too many city folks who brought the city with them.  Each site had water and power, so these folks brought the 50,000 candle lamps and left them on all freaking night.  Ugh!  The only thing we did with our power was charge up the cell phones so we could stay in touch with each other.

All in all though, we had a good time.  It's the first time that we've gone camping just the three of us - and KC too.  We went to a place I hadn't been before, but was highly recommended by several friends.  And I could see why.  The rangers were there all the time, which was very nice.  The sites were crowded, but you weren't on top of each other for the most part. Yes, some sites were definitely better than others, and some sites weren't made for tent camping (they had a lot of trailers there too).  But the bathroom was always stocked and working, the water was hot enough for a decent shower and it was a pretty site.  I'd definitely camp there again - I'm just not sure about doing it on a holiday weekend though.  Some folks were very obviously city folks going camping for the first time - with the lights and the like.  Others were just plain idiots - like the folks who started a fire and then sat in their tent, leaving the fire unattended.  Or the ones who didn't bother to recycle their bottles, even though the recycle bin is right next to the trash bin (oh did I mention that *each* camp site had its own trash and recycle bin? And they picked it up every day??  Damn!)  Or the ones who came in at 10 or so to set up camp - and did it while shouting to each other.  Yuck!  But a lot of those idiots left on Sunday, which made for a peaceful Sunday night and nice Monday.

We also lucked out by finding a farm down there that was selling firewood damn ass cheap.  Cheap enough that I sent Fins home on Sunday to take care of the cat with a truck full of wood for the rest of the summer season - it was that damn cheap.  And sold by super nice folks too.

So yeah, camping was good :)

When the Sox passed on the chance to sign Pedro Martinez in the '04 off season because they didn't offer him as much money and years as he wanted, the Nation screamed bloody murder. Well, some members did.  I didn't.  I think he's stuck up and egotistic.  He constantly complained that he wasn't getting enough respect.  Afterwards, management explained that they didn't match the Mets offer because they didn't believe he could stay healthy through those four years.

So, now it's 2008.  Pedro is once again on the disabled list, now until May or June.  He spent all of last year on the list after recovering from surgery.

And the stat I like best from ESPN?

[Pedro] has made just 60 starts with New York [Mets], compiling a 27-17 record.

Ouch! :)b

Last night, I was visiting a friend on the 2nd anniversary of her Dad's death.  She was commenting that the grief was hitting her harder this year than last year.  I replied that grief comes when expectations are over. 

In the sense that, you're suppose to grieve through the wake and the funeral.  And then through the year, and the first anniversary is supposed to be hard.  But by the time the 2nd anniversary comes around, folks have forgotten, and backed off.  I find that it's at this point, when others are not looking at me to grieve that I finally grieve.

where a 2nd cup of coffee is most needed....

The baseball season has begun - with the Red Sox victory in the 10th inning over the A's while playing in Tokyo.  A great way to being the season :)

The bathroom is not the place to be having a private conversation on your cell phone.  No matter what the subject is.  

Someone from housekeeping decided to come through last night and clean up my desk.  How nice of them to put everything where I CAN'T FREAKING FIND IT!!!  Ok, yes, my desk was a mess.  It was on purpose.  I'm moving tomorrow and I had piles on my desk of various papers so that I could put certain things together in certain boxes so that when I moved I'd have all the critical papers immediately available.

I'm less than pleased - actually I'm rather pissed off.  WTF?

Oh and to top it off, as I look at my waste basket, they decided which notes were trash for me as well.

Great....

Not happy, just not happy.

is quickly becoming one of my most hated buzz word phrases.    

The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Because I just end up yelling at the screen.

Case in point: The Golden Compass



Ugh, there was just so much that I couldn't help picking at.  I really think I need to reconsider going to movies when I love the book.

Mixed emotions

By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff December 5, 07 12:06 AM

If the Sox do not trade for Johan Santana, an outcome last night as plausible as a deal going down, it may stem in part from some ambivalence on the part of club officials on whether they really want to do it. Theo Epstein and Co. enjoy watching the kids develop and win--going out and signing Santana makes them more like the Yankees. And surprisingly, there might be a greater willingness, at least on the part of some on the baseball ops side, to let Jacoby Ellsbury go in a Santana deal, and hold onto Lester, the belief being that 1) Ellsbury's value will never be higher and 2) Lester may have a higher upside than he's given credit for. At the same time, the Sox are well aware of the attachment many fans already have developed to Ellsbury. On the other hand, how do you pass up the chance to acquire Santana, a pitcher as special as Pedro Martinez was a decade ago?
These are the thoughts that get kicked around while waiting to see if anything develops at the midnight gathering of the Sox brass, development people and scouts.

I was talking to a co-worker, who is a Yankee fan, yesterday trying to express the same thing.  Yes, he's the best, BUT I like Lester, I like Ellsbury.  One of the things that I like about the Red Sox is how we nurture the young players.  Look at Youk, he's come up through the ranks.  Same with Nomar and several others.  Red Sox Nation is loyal to those who are loyal to us.  Did anyone ever really like David Wells when he pitched for us?  Could anyone really divorce him in their minds from the Yankees?  I know I couldn't.  He was just a pawn in the game, another player.  But he wasn't beloved.  And I think that Santana would be the same.  I don't see Red Sox Nation embracing him as one of their own.  Schilling was an exception, but he worked to be accepted.  I still follow Bronson's career, I'm still pissed Theo traded him. 

We are loyal to those who are loyal to us.  And Lester and Ellsbury have proved that they are loyal.

Started with me dragging my butt into the shower early to make my early morning. 
Which was rescheduled to tomorrow afternoon about 5 minutes before it was to start.

Then I asked a friend to get me a cup of coffee (see the above about getting into the shower early).  And he was a dear and did so.

And then I proceeded to spill the damn thing over my hand and my keyboard.  *sigh*

So, one burnt hand and new keyboard later I say I should have stayed under the covers today.

Eliminating Pests

Problem: Getting rid of household bugs without harsh pesticides.

Solution: Many insects are naturally repelled by lavender, citrus and peppermint oils. Leaving soaked cotton balls around the house repels insect invaders and makes your home smell great. To protect sweaters and other winter woolens, use sachets of orange and lemon peel, cedar chips, or lavender. For ants, spray surfaces with soapy water where you've seen creatures crawling. Or sprinkle corners of areas ants frequent with pepper, bay leaves, cucumber peelings, turmeric, crushed mint, cinnamon, catnip or borax to keep them away. For fruit flies, place an open wine bottle with a few centimeters of wine in the infested area. Flies will fly into the bottle to feed on the wine and become trapped. The small moths that frequent kitchen cupboards can be kept away with the same repellents used for clothes, but sealing all grains (even unopened packages) in airtight containers will avoid insect problems in the first place.

An old friend at work wrote to me last night asking if I had some old documentation from a system that we put live in '01 and was replaced in '05. 

And yes, yes I do have that documentation. *grin*  In a folder called "To Be Deleted" that I just never got around to deleting because, well, you just never know when you're going to need that stuff. 

It's not a good thing when you call the support group to take a look at a server that isn't working, and then have them call you back asking for the password to get into said server....