Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 63 of 68)

An old guy’s perspective on all sports

Retirement is not without Hassles: Martinis #208

August 9, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

It’s the last day of being Grandpa J., as all of us leave San Francisco and return to normal lives. I will miss the kids and even some of their whining. When I get back to Portland, I’ll be totally on my own – a life of retirement, Uncrustables, and seclusion. My wife left for business meetings in Chicago this morning, as well. I’ll have two days to do laundry, clean the house, and resume my dog duties. It should be cooler than the 100 degree temperatures that I left behind last week, but hopefully warmer than it’s been in the City by the Bay.

The city was crowded this morning, as the workforce returned to their offices here in the Financial District. I felt fortunate to be beyond those 8 to 5 responsibilities, and instead enjoyed another day to fill of my own choosing. My flight isn’t until 5, and the rental car will finally be moved from its $62/day parking spot. Our plans got twisted a bit yesterday, and we ended up at the Children’s Creativity Museum, making an animated film with clay-molded characters. In fact, I still have clay under my fingernails this morning. I think we were all a bit burnt-out from the hectic nature of vacation travel, and the fog made the Golden Gate Bridge and any plans to photograph it disappear. My son and his family have been here four days longer, and got got use of the rental car to visit Yosemite Park, but beyond that it has just sat waiting for a clear day to drive over the bridge and into Sausalito. We’ll try again today!

Yesterday’s dining was limited to first names – Carl’s, Jr. and Roy’s. That’s about as wide of gastronomical spectrum as you can get – not-so-fast-food to fine dining. We never did get a table at French Laundry, a restaurant goal that still eludes us. I would never have taken the grand kids along, anyway! Roy’s has always been a favorite of mine, and it was just too close to pass up. Misoyaki butterfish, their delicious chocolate souffle, and a couple of martinis hit the spot. The kids were remarkably well-behaved, but in the background, the Cubs were a disappointment. I’m glad we picked the night before to go to the game, when they won.

It’s time to check-out, pay that $250 fee for rental car storage (what a waste!), and cram-in another day of sight-seeing. Hopefully, the fog will lift, or is that just the after effects of the martinis?

Retirement is not without Hassles: Heart City #207

August 8, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Another cool morning in San Francisco, and I’m enjoying some “my time.” My grand kids are probably in the pool, and my ambitious wife is out making sales calls. She’s off to Chicago tomorrow, while I finish my grandparent duties here in the city. The kids have won my heart, but I won’t see them again for awhile. Also, my wallet has really taken a beating, so it will be good to get home and regroup. We’ll get some Golden Gate pictures today, visit the Presidio (I should have brought along my lifetime senior pass), and maybe go to Muir Woods and/or Sausalito. My wife will join us for dinner tonight.

I just missed another re-connection at the ballpark last night. One of my former co-workers was apparently in the house, but unfortunately didn’t catch his message until this morning. This wasn’t the first time a Face Book connection happened through a post at the ballpark. (See Post #157). I’ll try to catch-up with him today. The Cubs won last night against the Giants – and I saw a first – an inside-the-ballpark home run by Javy Baez. Metallica sang take me out to the Ballpark- another unique experience. There were probably more Cubs fans in the crowd than Giants fans, so it was good to get the “W.”

As usual, we’ll be taking more home than we originally brought. This always accounts for about 10% of our travel budget, but in this case it was closer to 20%. We’ve bought baseball gear. a Limoges box, snow globes, Chinatown junk, jewelry, chocolate (most of that won’t be going home), and souvenirs. We’ll also be taking home a lot of dirty laundry. Major expenses included airfare for 5, rental car, gas, tips, taxis, Uber, two rooms for 5 nights, 6 game tickets, airport/valet parking, and dining for 6, plus admission, trolley, and tour bus tickets for all of us. All in all, it probably cost about 4 months of Social Security for one week of vacation. It is one of the most expensive cities to live-in or visit!

Only 17 days until the Hood to Coast, and I’ve continued to train every day. I’m averaging 4 -5 miles a day on the flat surfaces along the waterfront. When I get back to Portland, I’ll have to do another week of hills before starting to taper-off for race day. I did manage over 26,000 steps yesterday, including the 4.5-mile run, so my legs are tired. I doubt that I’m losing any weight, because ice cream stores keep getting in the way.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Grandpa #206

August 7, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Part of the joy of retirement is having the time to spend with family. I’ve enjoyed being with my grand kids in here San Francisco. They are a bit over two years apart in age, the oldest a boy 10 and the youngest a girl missing her two front teeth. He’s into computers and video games, while she wants everything she sees, and seeks the shiniest objects. My son and his wife went to a Green Day concert at the Oakland Coliseum, so my wife and I got babysitting duty. I think they were excited just to get some time on their own together, while my wife was not so excited to not have some time with just me. The compromises we make in life!

I decided to take the kids to see the classic movie, “Mary Poppins,” starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It was a “sing-a-long,” so the words to all the songs were in subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I expected the theater would be filled with screaming kids and their parents. Not in San Francisco…and certainly not at the Castro Theater! As my grand daughter astutely mentioned on the way out,” It was mostly adults….and most of them were men!” I had to agree, since the restroom lines were uncharacteristically longer for the Men’s Room. We were all given a prop kit that consisted of a crown, popper, comb, glow-stick, and bubble-maker, and were left to our own to decide what to do with them. My wife, of course, had it all figured out, knew all the songs even without the subtitles, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My grand daughter was right with her, wearing her crown, and trying to keep up with the songs, applause, and rhythm cues. My grandson and I watched the spectacle – not quite sure what to think. I thought Dick Van Dyke’s dance performances were amazing, and the glow-stick waving added a lot of pizzazz to the show. I had already promised my grandson some X-Box games if he would just go along with his sister. He patiently played with his bow-and-arrow made from balloons at the Rainforest Cafe, where we all dined before the show.

We then did all the touristy things together, including the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, Sea Lion watching, the street performers along Pier 39, Boudin Bakery lunch, Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream (it was national Root Beer Float day), and Alioto’s for dinner. I spent a good chunk of my retirement savings on these adventures, with three more days to go. They had already been to Yosimite for a couple of days before we all met in San Francisco, so this has been quite an adventure for all of them. Tonight it’s the ballpark and the Giants against the Cubs. We’re all Cub fans, looking for a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious “W!”

My wife and I are enjoying some quiet time while the kids are with their parents at the pool this morning. I get easily exhausted being a grandparent, and don’t know how I ever succeeded as a parent? She has two girls of her own and has somehow eluded being a true grandmother, but does a great job helping me be a grandfather. She walked and I ran through the throng of people trying to get to work this morning. Our hotel is in the Financial District, and so there was a lot of dodging around subway-seekers, bicyclists, and cars, trying to make our way to the waterfront. It was vastly different from my typical morning jog, and to circle back on occasion to join my wife’s slower walk pace allowed me to get some decent training miles in before my grandfather duties start again. We’ll all go to In-N-Out Burger for lunch, a treat-repeat for me from my last trip to L.A. (See Post #41).

Old Sport Shorts: Minor Stars #203

August 2, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

It’s been an “All-Star” retirement year for me, so far. Never in my life have I attended one professional All-Star Baseball games, let alone two! The major league event in Miami was all about New York Yankees rookie sensation Aaron Judge and his home run power. Since that time, his batting average is hovering at .300 compared with .329 going into the break, but he still leads the regular season home run race with 34 to go along with a top .632 slugging percentage. All that, despite getting off to a relatively “slow” second half start. The American League won again, and Cubs pitcher Wade Davis let Robinson Cano’ steal the show. It was an exciting first All-Star Game and Home Run Derby for me.

As an encore, I also got to attend the Northwest League (NWL) versus Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) game in Hillsboro, Oregon (Portland). Although it was a “Minor” affair as opposed to a “Major,” I found it to be just as enjoyable. The temperature at Ron Tonkin Field, home of the Hops, was 102 degrees, as opposed to the air conditioned comfort of Marlins Park. I was not familiar with many of the participants, having not yet attended a Hillsboro Hops game. The only name that struck a connection for me was Craig Dedelow of the Great Falls Voyagers (PBL). I knew him from my alma mater, Indiana University, and as a recent 9th round draft choice of the Chicago White Sox. Just like the Futures game in Miami, it was a White Sox connection that drew me to the autograph table. (See post #179) Yoan Moncado was just promoted to the big league club and got his first major league home run the other night on a tough pitch by Jake Arrietta of Cubs. It will be a while, if it all, before Dedelow makes that jump to join college teammates, Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis. The other White Sox future that I met was Anthony Villa, Dedelow’s current teammate. Villa got a hit in the game in a pinch role, while Dedelow narrowly missed the finals of the Home Run Derby.

There were also a few future Cubs that I enjoyed chatting with at the autograph tables. Gastavo Polanco, Aramis Ademan, and Luis Aquino all represented the Eugene Emeralds (NWL). None of them was a factor in the actual game. The MVP was Luis Asuncion of the Tri-City Dust Devils (Padres PBL), his teammate Henry Henry (signed autograph as H2) was credited for the win, and his other teammate, Jose Galindo got the save. Seven Hops players made the squad, along with the entire coaching staff. The NWL winning runs came in the bottom of the 5th, after the PBL took an early 4 run lead in the 2nd inning. Daniel Jipping of the Boise Hawks (Colorado Rockies NWL) won the Home Run Derby, and the Northwest League (NWL) remains unbeaten in the All-Star Series games.

Next stop on the retirement tour is AT&T Park, where the Giants will host the Cubs in the opening game of a 3-game series. Hopefully, the Cubs can continue to roll, and maintain their lead over the Brewers. The Giants have the worst record in the National League, but the Cubs did manage to lose an entire series to the Padres, who were in that lowly position the last time the Cubs visited California. Please leave the “Anchorman” costumes back in Chicago!” (See Post #101)

Retirement is not without Hassles: San Francisco here I come #200

August 1, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

My son and his family leave for San Francisco later this afternoon. My wife and I will join them later this week. “San Francisco here we come!” I probably worry more about their travel than my own – I think this is just the parental instinct. They are renting a car and driving down to Yosemite Park, whereas we’ll focus strictly on the city. There is a tropical depression down in Florida in the area that they’re flying from and forest fires in California to worry about. If they can maneuver around these challenges, it will be a memorable family vacation.

Most of my family vacations were to Florida. My parents were maybe just a little more adventurous when they drove us through the Badlands and into Yellowstone Park. I have yet to recreate that excursion, but would definitely like to see Old Faithful and the mud pots again on one of our retirement journeys. I’ve not been to Yosemite, so my grand kids will see parts of the country that I’ve never experienced. In fact, I would have never gotten to many areas in California if it weren’t for a college road trip. As my dad once said of that trip: “Thank God there’s an Ocean.” If not, there would have been nothing to stop us from continuing our drive West. It was his car that got us there, and snow tires that brought us back. I’ll write more on this later.

My son and his wife are going to see the group Green Day at the Oakland Coliseum. It’s the same venue where I saw Led Zeppelin nearly 47 years ago. There’s something about going to a concert far from home that makes it even more special. We’ll watch the grand kids while they do this little side trip via BART. We’ll visit the sea lions, ride the trolleys, eat chowder out of bread bowls, dine at the Rainforest Cafe, sample some Ghiradelli chocolate, maybe see Alcatraz, watch the Cubs play the Giants, take the ferry to Sausalito, and stroll through Fisherman’s Wharf. All the touristy stuff! My wife and I are hoping for our own little side trip, including dinner at French Laundry, but the best I could do was the waiting list.

On their way back from Yosemite and Sequoia, my son hopes to visit Monterey and the scenic coast line. It’s one of my favorite areas of California to visit. We’ll definitely miss seeing Big Sur, Pebblebrook, Carmel by the Sea, the Lone Pine, and Highway 101 on this trip, but I hope they have the time to see some of these beautiful landmarks. I’ve dined at Clint Eastwood’s Boar’s Head restaurant in Carmel, had lunch by the 18th green on Pebblebrook, enjoyed a couple days at the Spa at Ventana, toured the Monterey Aquarium, and watched the Monterey Grand Prix. We’ll get back to California coast numerous times during our retirement years, but I’m sure the kids will enjoy the cliff-side views of the Pacific Ocean on this trip.

While they get a head start on the California Adventure, I will continue my training for the Hood to Coast relay here in Oregon. We have a team logistics meeting this afternoon, and in the next couple of days I plan to run some of the segments along the course. I did about 35 hilly miles last week and plan to match that again this week. I still have yet to conquer our hellish neighborhood hill, but have battled through most of the other smaller inclines. Hills will always be my biggest concern, having grown up in the flat-lands of the Midwest. I could practice on Filbert Street or 22nd Street in San Francisco, two of the steepest in the city, but I don’t want to “leave” my lungs and legs in San Francisco, along with my Heart.

Old Sport Shorts: On a roll #198

July 31, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

A 13-3 record since the All-Star break is an impressive start to baseball’s second season. The Cubs are on a roll worthy of a World Series Champion. 10 of these victories have been on the road with only 1 loss, and a six-game home stand lies ahead against the Diamondbacks then the Nats. However, both Arizona and Washington have better records than the Cubs, so they’ll need a home field advantage to win these two critical series, before they hit the road again. It’s been pitching that has given them the edge, with starters going 11-1 since the All-Star rest, and being stingy with only 5 total runs to the Division-rival Brewers in these last three games. The acquisition of pitcher Jose Quintana from the White Sox sparked this Cubs surge, but he’s also the only Cubs starter with a loss, as the Brewers beat him despite only four hits. This particular game was a frustrating loss to open the series, but the Cubs rebounded in the final two pitching duels to gain a 2.5 game lead in the Central.

On the South side of Chicago, the Pale Hose somehow managed to snap both the Cubs six-game winning streak and the Indians nine-game string, but these were the only 2 games that they’ve won since the All-Star break. They had been swept by the Mariners, Dodgers, and Royals to start the second half at 0-8, to finally upset the opposite trending Cubs in the first game of the Cross-Town. Overall, the Sox are now 2-13 since dumping Quintana, Robertson, and Frazier in favor of building for the future. They’ve already lost 62 games this season, with only Philadelphia, Washington, and Cincinnati having racked-up more Ls. At this “rate,” they’ll be “guaranteed” a new field sponsor soon. I still like their uniforms, though!

I plan to go to the Minor League All-Star game tomorrow night in Hillsboro. The home team, Hops, host the Pioneer League All-Stars against the Northwest League All-Stars. The players will use wooden bats for the Home Run Derby that precedes the actual game. The Eugene Emeralds are the Cubs affiliate in this Region, while the Great Falls Voyagers represent the White Sox. Pitchers, Tyler Johnson and J.B. Olson, first baseman, Anthony Villa, and outfielder Craig Dedelow are the future White Sox stars. Dedelow also went to Indiana University, my alma mater and should compete in the Home Run Derby competition along with Villa. Both have 9 home runs so far this season, one behind leader Luis Paz of Ogden. Cubs futures include pitcher Luis Aquino, catcher Gustavo Polanco, and shortstop Aramis Ademan, although none are likely to compete in the Derby. Here’s to the future!

Old Sport Shorts: Cub No Dub #196

July 29, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The Cubs, hoping to gain some momentum going into the All-Star break, had a chance to reduce the Brewers lead in the Central Division with a home win in a make-up game. Instead, they fell flat on their faces, losing 11-2. Cubs starter Mike Montgomery gave up seven runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings, and the team then went on to lose 2 out of 3 against the Pirates. Things continued to go downhill for the Cubs even during the All-Star Game as the only two Cubs representatives, Wade Davis and Manager Joe Madden, were credited for the National League loss in the 10th inning.

As the second half of the season began, the tables slowly started to turn. The Brewers won two of their first three against Philadelphia at home, and then lost seven to the surging Pirates in a home and away series, and two out of three in Philadelphia. The Cubs won six straight, including sweeps of Baltimore and Atlanta, and then took two out of three against the Cardinals and three out of four against the White Sox. Suddenly the Cubs had a 1 1/2 game lead on the Brewers in the Central and all the momentum, going head-to-head in Milwaukee. Surely, the tide had finally changed for the Cubs, and they could extend their lead. Once again, the Brewers prevailed and the Cubs offense sputtered.

I’m very frustrated with this loss, and with the Cubs inability to win opening games of series this year. The Cardinals somehow took game 1 at Wrigley, and the Cubbies should not have lost even one game against the White Sox, let alone this key opportunity in Milwaukee. They just don’t have it this year! Sure, they could come back and win the next two against the Brewers, but they seem to lack that killer instinct of a champion. Even Kyle Schwarber, who has been on a roll, couldn’t make contact with the tying run at third in last night’s game. The result – No Dub.

Dubs are wins, and the Cubs need to win the next two against the Brew Crew, and then go on and have at least a 10-game winning streak to take command of the Central. The Cardinals and Pirates are hanging in there, and it doesn’t look like there will be a Wild Card chance for any of these division rivals. The Central Division is weak, and it will take a dominant leader to have any hope for a World Championship. All these teams will be making trade moves in the next few months, with the Pirates and the reinstatement of Starling Marte making the most noise so far in the second half of the season. The Cubs and Pirates will meet again at the end of August, just before the home stretch. If you’ll remember the Pirates swept the Cubs at Wrigley to start the season, before the Marte 60-game suspension. He’s back! Is there anybody out there than can enhance the Cubs chances for a repeat? The drama continues….

Don’t be a Dud….Fly The Dub.

Retirement is not without Hassles: What day is it? #192

July 26, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Bachelorhood ends tonight. I’ve slowly made the adjustment today with plant watering, pet sitting, vacuuming, dusting, laundry, and dishes. I even made room in the garage for my wife’s car that has been in airport parking lot for the last 4 days. I’ve also showered and shaved for tonight’s reunion. When the alarm goes off tomorrow morning, I’m back to a normal routine, and will actually vacate the house by car for most of the afternoon, as I work in a lunch and happy hour with former co-workers. The first question they’ll ask me is “how are you enjoying retirement?” I’ll smile and ask them, “what day is it?” I think that regardless of age, most people have distant aspirations for retirement. I hope they are also prepared to face the aches and pains, bladder issues, appearance changes, and other hassles associated with aging. I feel that I’m an excellent example of something to look forward to, but maybe trying a little to hard to be young again.

A rocking chair is not my thing, but I have nodded off the last couple of days in the afternoon after the longer runs I’ve been doing in preparation for the Hood to Coast relay. I’m still obsessed with getting up the “hill from hell” and really haven’t made any progress the last couple days of training. My muscles are tired and strained, but I feel good about the effort. We have a team meeting next week, and I would like to go for a drive this weekend to check-out my sections of the race. As a result, the pups may get a trip to the coast or a trip to Timberline Lodge, depending on what direction we decide to go.

When I was training for the Detroit Marathon 38 years ago, I accumulated over 116 miles in one week. Scared to death that I would fail, I logged every mile in a diary, had a specific time goal, and sometimes ran three times a day. I’m not that guy anymore! I’m about 15 pound heavier, at least 4 minutes slower per mile, and all those years older. I can honestly say that I was seriously addicted to running back then, and it took a series of injuries to get me to stop pushing myself. I’m still motivated to run every day, but I don’t have that competitive edge that I had back then. I’m equally scared of this event, but it’s 17.4 miles over two days compared with 26.1 miles in one day. If I factor in a 50% loss of speed, I’ll actually be running for more hours, almost 3.5 hours as opposed to just over 3 hours for the marathon.

I did not run twice today, and spent some time with my feet up. I did some reading on the back deck, walked the dogs five times, watched a couple of documentaries, including the HBO series, “The Defiant Ones,” and enjoyed the Cubs vs. White Sox baseball game on ESPN. The two Chicago teams have one more game tomorrow evening to complete the Cross-Town rivalry series. We’ll be back at the ballpark in 11 days, as the Cubs face the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I’ve been by the park several times, but have never seen a game there. When I come back home, I’ll be a bachelor again, with my wife back in the Midwest. I guess we’ll leave our hearts in San Francisco, fly back separately, and reunite 4 days later. I’ll be really confused on what day it is by then!

Retirement is not without Hassles: The Hill #188

July 25, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

It’s day two of the bachelor life. I slept a little later, did a hilly, four-mile run, and walked the dogs. I’ll try another two miles this afternoon, but my thighs feel like concrete, and I didn’t even come close to conquering the hill today. I have managed to shed about ten pounds over the past two weeks, with longer runs on more challenging terrain. I also have a two-day growth of beard, and have that youthful feeling of an athlete in training. Unfortunately, I still can’t regain any of my former speed, so I’ll have to be satisfied with endurance.

I always imagined what it would be like to be an Olympian. Your only job would be to train. I’m not sure I’m ready to give a full 8-hour day to training, but I will commit a couple of hours each day. There is a medal at steak here, and my team is counting on me to give it my all. There’s only 31 days until race day, and I’d like to lose at least another five pounds. I’ll need every advantage to combat the mileage, hills, and lack of sleep associated with the event. I should be just taking it easy in my rocking chair, but instead trying to find that guy inside me who ran track in high school 50 years ago. Insane but true!

I did hear back from the fellow “streaker” that I wrote to yesterday. No, we don’t run naked in public, as Ray Stevens describes in the lyrics of his hit song, “The Streak.” We simply run every day at least once. She and her husband operate a local running store, and have had a lot of experience with the Hood to Coast relay. I read their blog, and was invited to run with them any Saturday morning. Oh, you mean “everyone else is home day. (Post #66). I also know it as “movie night,” “popcorn dinner night”, or “run with the dogs” day, since Saturday is no longer a part of my new retirement language. Every day is the same now and that includes birthdays, holidays, weekends, and vacations.

Speaking of movie night and/or popcorn dinner night, we did go to see the new “Spider-Man: Homecoming” movie. I wasn’t particularly impressed. I’m not a consistent fan of these comic book action movies, but I did like “Wonder Woman.” We’ll probably go see “Dunkirk” next, especially after our recent trip to Normandy. I’m also not a big war movie fan, but the historical significance in that time frame just before D-Day is appealing.

I made a bachelor’s lunch platter of mini-peanut butter sandwiches. It’s various combinations with honey, banana, mayonnaise, and pickles on thin-sliced french bread. I’m apparently channeling Elvis, Kinsey Millhone, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. while watching the Cubs play the White Sox on television. These sandwiches are not exactly low on calories and hardly on any Olympic training table, but should give me enough energy to complete another two miles this afternoon, and another attempt at the hill.

I hope to get some sun this afternoon, read some more of Dennis Lehane’s novel, Prayers for Rain, and maybe pray for strength to get me up that hill that has challenged me since we moved into the neighborhood. I’m originally from the Midwest, so I’m intimidated by steep hills. It’s not Boston’s Heartbreak Hill or Hurricaine Point at Big Sur, but it is as tough as it gets in this hilly neighborhood. Before I load into that van at 2 a.m. on August 25th to head to the starting line, I want that hellish hill to be just a routine part of my daily run. Give me strength and some Advil!

Retirement is not without Hassles: Birthdays #187

July 24, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Most of last week’s hassles are now behind me. The plantation shutters are going to be replaced, the dog has stopped itching, and the air conditioning is working. Costs were under $500, but there was a lot of dining out, and even some antique shopping to expand on that total. It just goes to prove that when you dodge a bullet of expense, it is logical justification to spend it on something else. I will someone spend all this retirement money I saved – and quickly – even if it kills me! Let’s hope it doesn’t.

I’m celebrating a birthday today – my son turned 43. He just reminded me that I was a year off, having turned 21 for the second time last year, so that was worth a toast. I can’t even remember his 21st birthday, although I think we went to a baseball game. Since he has never been a drinker, it was not a much-anticipated event. He is probably working today at his restaurant, anxious to get home to some cake. It’s hard to believe that half of a lifetime has passed since he was born, and that I will be very fortunate if I can live long enough to see him reach my age. We’ll celebrate his 43rd in San Francisco in two weeks, and work on spending more of my retirement nest egg.

The birthday of a son or daughter is a mortality wake-up-call, often more sentimental than our own birthday celebrations. After all, I’ve stopped celebrating my birthday! (See post #58) I do remember, as if it was yesterday, the rush of excitement the day he was born. I wasn’t quite 24 years old, working in a factory while I searched for a career in-line with my college marketing degree. I was certainly not ready to be a father, but I was surely proud to be one, and shared my enthusiasm with my co-workers by passing out blue bubblegum cigars. He’s much bigger than I am now, but I prefer to see him as that tiny, helpless bundle of joy. He’s given me more birthdays to celebrate with a daughter in-law and two grandchildren.

With my wife out of town on business for a couple of days, I’m being a temporary slob. It’s four o’clock in the afternoon and I haven’t shaved or showered. I’m not usually this lazy, but the dogs can relate to me better when I’m sweaty and stinky. I just finished my second run of the day (see Post #186), that was hot and grueling. I’ll relax here at the computer for a while longer before I hit the showers. I’m trying to lose about 10 pounds by the end of August, but had a bit of a setback yesterday evening with a typical bachelor’s dinner of fried chicken, deep-fried potatoes, biscuits, and beer. I’m staying in tonight and watching the calories. Another training day tomorrow-maybe I can get up that hill! I thought that at age 40, you were over the hill – I guess I’m not there yet.

The only things that I have that are older than I am are in my collections. Some Photos, a baseball bat, jewelry, a cash register, coins, stamps, baseball cards, and some antiques have all “out-lived” my years. When I’m gone, they will become unwanted, sold, or donated. It doesn’t bother me what happens to my “stuff,” since they can’t be buried in some tomb along with me. I also won’t need them to pay the tolls on my final journey to the afterlife. Besides, a Sherm Lollar baseball card isn’t going to get me far. My only legacy will be these daily posts that will also someday disappear from the internet cloud. Today, however, I will celebrate the birth of my son, wishing that his life turns out as good or better than mine.