The 43

I haven't blogged since the end of last summer. I also hadn't had a PTO day since last summer. Michael and I have been in Denver for a basketball tournament since Thursday, seeing my dad and stepmom who came in from Chicago, and also spending time with siblings. After three cold days, the weather was beautiful today. We fly back in the morning, but after the wintry redux, the pleasant evening seemed the perfect reason to write a blog post. I'm sitting in my sister's backyard, typing away until I get tired enough and confident enough that when I go to bed early, I won't wake up in an hour, my body thinking it was just a nap. Bad weather notwithstanding, we enjoyed the weekend. Michael's team went only 1-4 in the tournament -- they have a long way to go, but he played hard in the tourney and impressed his grandparents. I didn't worry so much about what I ate and will resume the healthier eating (I lost about 12 pounds so far in lent after giving up bread and...

I jumped off. Actually, on the diving board, I really just step off. I go from the warm air to the cool water, use my arms and legs to surface with all my might, and swim back to the side. Another last time on the diving board, another summer concludes. This was actually Sunday; Ben and I went to the JCC, and after attempting a BodyPump class (my first in at least a year, I didn't make it the whole way and wasn't helped by a broken inahler), we sat by the pool for four hours. It felt great lounging in the sun, staying cool in the water. Monday was Labor Day, and I tried not to labor. Cleaned up some email accounts while relaxing in the backyard, took the dog for a walk in the evening. Tuesday was a long day of work and a long walk in the evening. Today was working downtown and at Ben's first swim practice of the new season, co-oping, an unsatisfying salad at Harmon's, and a short evening walk. The first NFL game of the season is tomorrow, which, according to my ...

The rest of the week was kind of a slog. Honestly, it wasn't terrible, just tiring. Had two fantasy football drafts, co-oped on Wednesday, ran soccer practice Thursday, and seemed to work whenever I didn't have something else going. I'm glad the week concluded. Ben and I played Small World: Underworld last night to kick off the weekend (after I grilled burgers for dinner), and I took the dog for a five-mile walk this morning. I lounged the rest of the afternoon, napping and sitting in the lawn chair in the sun, doing puzzles and listening to '70s music. This was the Saturday I needed, and it makes me a little sad that summer is wrapping up. Tonight, we went to the wedding reception of Ben's swim coaches who eloped a couple months ago. It was a nice low-key affair. I'm thoroughly stuffed from the taco bar, a cupcake and a churro, and a couple glasses of wine. Going to finish off the night listening to my iPod and doing a logic puzzle.

Summer is officially in the home stretch. The weather has even cooled. Today was a slow Monday. The weekend was lazy. We had a soccer practice last week. I took the dog on a long walk yesterday. Lori's aunt visited yesterday and today. I lounged in the sun for a little while Saturday. Work seems to be trudging along. We had a cloud day that is a sure sign of August and that summer is concluding. And last week, a good friend from the boys' school who had been battling leukemia and finally winning against the disease developed meningitis and died kind of suddenly. I read the news while standing outside my car, waiting for Ben after school, and yelled out an audible "Fuck!" Her death was a gut punch to everyone. So maybe we call summer here. I've done this before: a tragedy drains any enthusiasm I had left for the season. I'll keep writing about these last days, and I want to get to the pool one more time. And I'm not going to stop enjoying working in...

The last two days for work have just seemed slow. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm needing long time to get chugging along. I'm hoping tomorrow is more productive, even though I'm co-oping for Ben's class in the morning. A mild storm rolled in this evening, with a lot of thunder but only a little rain. Still, it feels nice outside right now, with a nice breeze pushing through. I helped Michael trim back the wisteria that had been wrapping itself around what we think is the internet cable. Made macaroni and cheese and kielbasa for dinner. Ben and I played a game of Queendomino to cap off the night (I won).

Another week down. It's at that point of summer when I'm sad that I know it's coming to an end, but I'm ready for the routine of fall. Just a few weeks left, and that feeling of inevitability and focusing on the next thing is setting in. The last seven days weren't that eventful anyway. Ben started school today; Michael has survived his first whole week of high school. Lori and I went to the parent orientation on Friday and stayed for the football game (which Judge lost 41-0, but we only stayed for half when a thunderstorm moved through; it was only 13-0 at halftime, and I was surprised they even got the second half in. Ben's first soccer practices of the season were last week, and his first game was Saturday (we lost 8-3; we need more work passing and getting back on defense). The two of us played many board games the last week. I lounged in the yard a little bit over the weekend, and it felt good. The weather cooled off a little, and the haze set in over t...

I had a love-hate relationship playing baseball when I was young. Besides enjoying watching the Cubs on TV, collecting baseball cards, watching "This Week in Baseball" every Saturday, playing All-Star Baseball and Strat-o-Matic, and going to the ballpark, I also generally loved playing the game. Unfortunately, sometimes, the game didn't love me back ... In 1978, I played in a baseball league for the first time, t-ball at Norwood Park. I'm not sure why my parents just didn't sign me up to play ball at Oriole Park, which was closer, but I had fun nonetheless. The next spring, Dad signed me up to play at Oriole, and I was ready to move up to a league in which I could bat without a tee. This is from the year before Instructional League, when I enjoyed playing t-ball and avoided busting my face. However, because of my birthday and the fact it was my first year playing at Oriole Park, I was placed in the Instructional League. We went to the informational night f...