Hodgepodge (or I'm burying this lead....)

Well. Some changes have come about.

• Today's Dinah's birthday. And next week is our 1st year anniversary. These two events being so close together again underlines some great planning on my part. I'm not a good shopper (especially for her it seems), so having these two gift-related events together doesn't play to my strengths.
• I contacted my father last month for his birthday. I didn't say much besides happy birthday and left open the possibility of us talking through our issues. He was away, so it took him a week or so to get back to me. His message was fine. He told me where he had been, what he'd been up to while away, and said he wanted to get together with Dinah and I and his woman-friend (wife?). And, me being me, it took me a while to process through everything and figure out what I wanted to say and how to say it. But, I finally did that this morning. I pretty much just said I didn't want to argue it out anymore, but I felt he'd acted inappropriately during the divorce and I don't think he's gonna change me mind now. And if we're gonna get together and figure it out, he'd just have to accept that's how I felt. I don't know how fair of me it is, but I really think that's the best I can (or am willing to) do. So. We will see, I guess.
• The gumshoe stuff is coming, but I've run into editorial decisions that I'm over thinking. I have two and a half posts just about done, so they'll come soon (hopefully at least one this week). Sorry, I know I said there'd be some this week, but I just couldn't make up my mind.
• The Great Buck Howard. Dinah and I saw a free screening of this movie on Wednesday and I was impressed. I'm really starting to like Colin Hanks. And John Malkovich is always solid. It's a good movie and worth seeing. And I liked it. I wanted to really like it, but. The overall message of the movie--(Sort of a SPOILER here) that if you're doing what you love, you'll be able to find the money to make everything work out--is one that I think would be better accepted if the economy weren't turning to shit around us. The theme, though, seems to be a constant from Hollywood. Which makes sense, I guess. I mean most people who make movies have money now and probably didn't have money when they started. And they're doing what they want to do now. So, yeah, if they can do it, I'm sure they wonder why everyone else cannot. And truthfully, I want to believe it. Everyone probably wants to believe it, right? But, yeah, this is not true. Maybe the economy is making me pessimistic (or I'm just getting old), but it just seems like this kind of theme was something I would've loved a couple years ago (five years ago for sure). But I couldn't quite get my head around it on Wednesday. Getting back to the movie, I think there was just too much going on in the world outside the theater for me to completely believe the story inside.
• I got a job. This is probably the biggest news for me. I had an interview last week and got an offer last Monday and start work tomorrow. I'm excited and nervous. It's a paralegal position, so this is good.
• I've also made the decision to not talk about my work stuff online anymore. Becoming a paralegal there are issues of client anonymity, but more than that, I just never really got the enjoyment of talking about my work crap that I thought I would. After I was outsourced, it helped to have this outlet, but mostly, I don't think it helped me think about things. If anything, I think it made me angrier. So. It's not like it's been a big staple of my blog lately anyway, but there you go.
• It's funny. I was laid off right before labor day, so holidays were always on my mind when thinking about getting a new job. Initially I wanted to be employed by Halloween, but that didn't work out. Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, New Year's, MLK, President's Day and Valentine's all went by as my new "deadlines", with nothing. I got the job just before St. Patrick's Day. It probably wasn't the best way to think about it. I mean getting a job in this climate is hard, and doing it by a deadline is impossible. You can't control who's going to call you. All you can do is put together a good resume (which I'm never confident I do) and a good cover letter (which I'm only a little more confident in than my resume) and hope someone sees what they want in there. I'm a smart guy. I'm a good worker, but I don't know how you'd see it just from a resume. And truthfully, my interviewing skills aren't always the best either. I have a tendency to over think things and become really nervous. So. Next time I'm looking for a job (and God willing that'll be years away), I've gotta remember that it's just about doing it and not always about doing it fast that's the important thing.
• MLB package this year. Which is good, because I've got a good feeling about this Cardinals team. I think Carpenter's gonna be good (and healthy, I say knocking on wood), which combined with Adam Wainwright could give us the best 1-2 in the Central. Pujols is gonna be Pujols. I think Molina's bat is on the upswing. And I'm really optomistic about Khalil Greene. And Tony will figure out the bullpen. He will. It's what he does. I'm not one for making predictions, but I think this team will be fun to watch and in the hunt. Which is all I ask for.

Spring Break...and some random thoughts.

• I'm about 4 hours away from my first spring break in almost a decade. Which is a little more daunting than you would think. See, last spring break I had, I went with a college choir on a tour of Eastern Europe. That was a completely awesome, different, and fun thing to do. This time I'm probably going to try to finish up my reading for my classes and any of the homework assignments I can. So, yes. I would say things changed for me after I turned 30.
• It's St. Patrick's Day parade day in Chicago, so there's a bunch of people trolling around downtown. Which would be fine if they weren't mostly a bunch of idiots. Hey, I'm all for parades and dressing up in all green and wearing beer hats and being really proud of being really Irish, but I don't think any of these people could tell you anything about St. Patrick, Ireland or Irish culture. Sure, they could say something about Shamrocks. Maybe they'd know Dublin was the capital of Ireland. But I think a lot of people would say something about potatos, corned beef or whiskey. And that's fine and all, but can we at least pretend we're not celebrating a stereotype? I mean, it's another excuse for college kids to drink hard and throw-up, which is good, I guess. I always like a theme to my vomiting.
• And it would be too much for someone to read some Yates, Joyce, Keats, Swift, Wilde or Heaney? You know, just a thought.
• Working on more Gumshoe, but I've been a little caught up in my studies and job search. Should be more time this week, so hopefully I'll get one (or two) up this week.

Matty Mo.

Matt Morris. Not a pitcher who's going to the Hall of Fame, but one of my favorite all-time players. I've seen Matt pitch live twice. Both times were in Wrigley Field and he didn't win either one. The first was a randomn Sunday, I can't really remember what year. It was while McGwire was with the team, to narrow it down for you.
Funny story about that game. I'd been having a tough time. I think this was after a girlfiend of mine transferred to ex-girlfriend and I was having a tough time getting over the wreckage of that relationship. I was depressed. So depressed, in fact, that I went to church*. I hadn't been to a church, outside of familial obligations at Christmas, since before highschool. So. This was kind of a thing for me. I'd thought about it for a while, but the idea of picking a church (with all the perils that congregations inflict on themselves and the rest of us) and trying to fit in was not appealing. But. I talked myself into one. It was a picturesque church that stood like a country chapel in the odd location of Addison and Broadway. (They've since redone and expanded and it doesn't look nearly as out of place or charming.)
Of course. I misread the sign and showed up for the second service which was actually done in Ugandan. (Not kidding.) The current congregation was leaving and I talked to the minister. She was a nice lady who told me the mistake I'd made and encouraged me to come back. I knew as I walked out that I wouldn't. I was the sort of upset that didn't respond well to this kind of mistake. Especially infront of a person of God.
As I was walking back towards the red line, I saw a sign for tickets. If you know Chicago, you know that Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, is not too far from the red line. And right around the red line are all the ticket brokers. I'd never visited one before, but I walked in and bought a ticket for that night's game knowing that it was Matt Morris's turn in the rotation. Walking out to the train, I smiled a little and sat on the platform enjoying the cool May weather and laughing when I noticed the wooden owl** that sits on the building just east of the platform.
The game itself was odd. I went alone, which when you're a Cardinal fan in Wrigley field is not necessarily enjoyable. Especially when your team does not win. Not that anyone hassled me--generally they don't. But, baseball is a social game. It's meant to be seen with friends. And in a way, being there alone was not helping me.
But, still. I'd come early for batting practice and seen some McGwire bombs and watching Matty Mo throw is a good thing. He had an easy motion that looked easy and effortless to the crowd. But when you're watching at home, with all the close-ups on his sweaty face and cap, you can see the intensity. So, while the Cards weren't victorious that day, they played well and something about watching the game was comforting--even if not the perfect therepy.
The second game came amid better circumstances. A friend had gotten amazing seats--first row just one the first base side of the plate. Amazing seats. And it was a gorgeous day. Sunny. Awesome. And I'd just gotten a new Cards hat.
At the time, the Cards and Cubs were the top of the Central Division and these games really had an effect on the standings. I was into it. I was really into it. The Cards, if I remember correctly, hadn't been doing so well lately. And they'd been hurting in the bullpen. They needed a good start from Matt Morris.
Unfortunately, Matty Mo gave up four runs in the first inning. And I wasn't handling it well. I squirmed in my seat and was cursing Morris under my breath (though I think my breath was quite shallow, so it's quite probable it wasn't as noticeable as I would've hoped).
But. The Cardinals were firmly within the Pujols era. And a comeback was not outside the realm of possibility.
In fact. We were sitting near some rabid Cubs' fans. Rabid. Since we were right near the visitor's batting circle, they had the opportunity to taunt the Cards before they got to bat. Which was fine when they did it to Tony Womack and he dribbled a ball to the infield. But. (And this is my favorite baseball memory.) You don't do that to Albert Pujols. I remember them yelling something at him and Albert turned, looked at them, made note of them and laughed. It was an easy laugh. Nothing to worry about. No care in the world.
And then the greatest thing happened. Albert stepped to the plate and I watched him unleash, in a gracefull torrent, the most fluid display of strength I've witnessed from that distance. And the ball. It suddenly hung in the sky, flying high above the buildings and bleachers across the street. There was no doubt. And I was on my feet and happy. Jubilant.
And as Albert crossed the plate, he looked at the man who'd taunted him, put a finger over his lips and let them know.
I mean, if someone told me this story, I wouldn't believe it. But I was right there. Amazing.
It was a good game. And before I knew it, I was looking up at the 8th inning and noticing Matt was still out there. He'd given up nothing since the first and he'd gutted out a good start. He'd given the team a chance to win, but more importantly (I think anyway), he'd given the bullpen (except one guy who came in for the 8th and 9th) a night off. He'd done his job and given the team exactly what he needed.
So many times in sports we laud the people who win or who do the spectacular. Like I did with Pujols. It's easy to do. And if you asked pretty much any fan, they'd tell you they go to sporting events to see amazing things happen. And that's great, and I love that part of sports. But what is at least as important is noticing the people who tough it out. The people who do their jobs well, even if things don't go as planned. And that was Matt Morris. That day, he got behind and battled to stay on the mound and do his job.
I doubt that anything from his 7+ IP made the highlights, aside from the first inning. But it was a beautiful thing to be able to watch it happen. And it's too bad that kind of effort goes unnoticed so often in sports. Because that kind of effort is as spectacular as the spectacular. It is harder to describe, I'll admit.
But, when they pulled Morris, I was more than happy to stand and applaud. Matt was often doing amazing things on the mound, but watching that game was the one that made me really a fan of his.



*Note. It's not that I'm not a religious person, I'm just not an organized religious person.
**Note. It's still there. Presumably to scare pigeons away? Either way, I find it amusing.

Winner...

So, I mentioned in the Fargo post that I'd won an award from the University I attend, but they hadn't gotten around to announcing it formally on their website...but...now they have. It's at the very bottom of this page.
I post it for no other reason than to pump my ego a bit.