Friday, October 24, 2008

October ball

Well, I can't help but stare at the television and wonder "what if".

If we hadn't won a record number of games, for our team at least, I probably would have given up long ago.

You see, I believe it's much less painful to come in fourth or fifth... than second. In virtually anything.

Second means you had a chance. Second means you were this close. Second means you can taste it.

No one really remembers who came in second, anyway. Or third or fourth or fifth. We remember the winners.

It's good baseball. I guess I'm rooting for the Phillies but either team's got a good story.

Sigh.

It's gonna take me some time to get over this one.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Well... that certainly sucks.


Oh, really? ;)
The National League playoffs have begun, and it's the Dodgers versus the Phillies.


Not a Cub in the bunch.


Maybe the Cubs shouldn't have rested after clinching so early. Maybe they shouldn't have rested their pitchers. Maybe the Dodgers were that good.


Maybes aside, it's all for naught.


Why did they discombobulate right when it mattered most?


I guess we'll never know.


I guess we'll just have to say it, like we've said it again and again and again.


Wait til next year.


Thursday, October 2, 2008

Stroke... what an ugly word

It figures.

I had my total physical (EKG, blood work, tetnus shot included) and came out fine. Diabetes under control, blood pressure under control, weight under control. I'm feeling pretty darn good.

Cubs are due to start playing their first game in what hopefully will be a long series - wow, I'm feeling pretty darn good!

I get to my cell phone - and have eight messages.

I NEVER have eight messages.

Turns out, my father had a stroke and is in the hospital.

Coming back from San Francisco, he started driving erraticly - swerving in and out of lanes. My mom thought he just was a little under with his diabetes, and they stopped and he ate something...

But later that night, he started talking goobledegook and it went downhill from there. Luckily my brother-in-law was there to flag down the ambulance (my parents live far back off the street and it's DARK there) and my sister was visiting from Atlanta so she got to take care of my grandmother while my mom and other sister followed the ambulance...

Sigh.

I mean, we had seen this coming, kind of... but not so soon. My Dad hasn't reached seventy yet.

He doesn't take care of himself. Doesn't go to sleep until early morning and then sleeps in until noon or so. Just sits and watches TV. What happened to my Dad?

Look, I know bad stuff happens.

To a lot of good people.

Heck, I caught up with my sister at the pulmonologists for a three year old, just got out of the hopsital - again. Breathing problems, collapsed lung - you know, the usual.

It's just... well, until fairly recently, my Dad was a big, bold man who lived life heartily and all, and now he's... old. Rapidly growing older.

Who knows, it maybe a transient ischemia - that means it just goes away.

But it never goes away entirely. Life is going to be changing in big ways for not only my parents, but for Shannon and Ben and their three kids (live only eight miles away) and my grandmother, who's got her own set of problems but hey, she's 95 :) .

I know there's really no sense complaining about it - although I hope I'm venting, not actually complaining. You deal with what life deals you and go on, I know that.

You can't do much else, really.

It's just, well... he's my Dad.