Dime-a-Dog Night Rocks!

Bailey suggested it this afternoon (she's on the far right in the picture... with Don, Marcus and Mikaela). She and a band of merrymakers from work were heading out to see the Columbus Clippers play the Rochester somebodies. But, more importantly, it's Dime-a-Dog Night! Every hot dog is only 10 cents! It's like an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord for less than a dollar!

It's a whole new twist on "dinner and a show."

Don and I got to Cooper Stadium shortly after the game began... and immediately jumped in line for dogs. The lines were long enough that I was able to go to the ATM and grab a couple of beers before he was anywhere near the counter. But when we finally ordered, sure enough, five dogs, fifty cents. Sweet! We gorged.

The Clippers were down 5-1 until the eighth inning. They pulled out a spectacular, come-from-behind win, scoring six runs in the bottom of the eighth then holding off Rochester's attempts in the ninth.

It was a blast! And now we can say we've seen the Clippers play at The Coop. It's going to be great when they move to the new stadium in the Arena District next year!

An Incomplete Team Photo

Q's Bottoms of the Ninth:

Mark - "Breeder"
Josh - "Butchie"
Justin - "Cider"
Becca - "Wild Thing"
Chase - "Baby Huey"
Dana - "Shorty"
Shaun - "Kitty"
Michael - "Dutchess"
Marshall - "Radar"

This is the End of the World As We Know It

Oh. My. God.

Every muscle in my body hurts.

They hurt before we hit the field this afternoon. Now, every fiber of my being is telling me how much it hates me. There aren't enough Icy-Hot patches in the world to help me turn my head to the right. Or help me lift either leg higher than a few inches. Or un-stove my thumb.

Yeah. This was a good idea. This was fun.

At least we won!

"Q's Bottoms of the Ninth" beat the Chase bank team 12 to 11. In the third inning, we scored nine runs and the umpire called the inning (he forgot which division we were playing and thought the nine-run-limit was in effect).

I batted three times. (1) Out at first. (2) Single to center. (3) Walk.

Otherwise, I was in right field... thankfully. It's quiet out there. Except when a couple of lefties decide to bash the ball 834 yards into the back of the park.

We actually did pretty well today. Especially for a team that met some of its members on the field. The past couple of days' practice really helped Shaun and Josh put people in positions appropriate to their skills. (Again, this is why I'm in right field.) Everyone worked together pretty well. Sure, there were errors... it's a recreational league for goodness sake. But we all had a pretty good time.

What Part of "Come In Out of the Rain....?"

When you were little, your mother taught you to come in out of the rain. It's wet. It's cold. It's miserable. It's better to be warm and dry.

This is not the mantra of my new softball team. We spent our afternoon at the park, in the grass, throwing and batting. We couldn't use the empty diamonds because they were sloppy mud pits. At least we had the entire park to ourselves -- no one else was crazy enough to be out there.

After the first hour, the rain began to let up and we even had a few breaks of sunshine. The sun itself took pity on us by the end of the second hour.

After throwing enough that my arms began to feel that 39-year-old soreness, we began to get into a groove. The batting is okay. Need some serious work on grounders.

Oh, and by the way, we're playing our first game tomorrow. Excuse me? Yeah. Surprise! Tomorrow. We play the team from Chase bank. That explains the sudden, urgent need for all this practice!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

With a few drinks in me, it sounded like a good idea. "Sure. Let's do it!"

And I filled out the forms... signed them... handed them over.

Apparently, I'm an idiot.

I have signed up to play softball this summer. Every Sunday. And there seem to be practices to go along with it. Who knew?

We spent a good chunk of Friday afternoon at Berliner Park tossing around a ball and re-learning what it feels like to throw. Then we headed off to the batting cages in Westerville (the Berliner cages were closed).

I haven't played ball since I was 8 years old, running around a minor-league diamond in Bucyrus with a t-shirt emblazoned with the V.F.W. logo. It wasn't the game that I despised so much... it was the running. As Colleen would say, "Mama don't run!"

But here we go. This might actually be fun.

I'm a little surprised at how it all kind of comes back. Keep your eye on the ball. Keep that elbow up. I might remember how to do this after all.

More Backyard Pictures

The trees are gorgeous right now.  The Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry is in full bloom now.  It only lasts a few days... so now's the time to enjoy it.  The cherry and the unidentified fruit tree at the side of the house make the yard look great... right now.  They frame the yard in beautiful white blossoms. 

Spring Has Sprung!

It only took one day!

Walk out the door to go to work in the morning:  wintertime.

Come home in the evening:  springtime!

In one, warm day... all the trees blossomed, the tulips and daffodils popped and the forsythia brightened the neighborhood!

Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry in front of the carriage house

.

Magnolia in the front of the house.

Mystery fruit tree (and Pogonip).

Forsythia across the street in full bloom.

Mindy & Marshall on the Radio!

Mindy and Marshall crawled out of their beds early on a Friday morning and stumbled into the studios of Mix 97.1(WBNS-FM) to play with Kate and Matt. They're a blast! They both have a great sense of humor and they are the consummate professionals. Thanks for having us on your show!

What's Most Important In Life

Honestly. I hate these things.

This is one of those e-mail messages that gets forwarded and forwarded and forwarded... it’s almost like a virus. This particular one arrived from a friend the other day... and it actually struck a chord with me.

I think it was something she knew I needed to hear right now... in the midst of some of the drama in my life.

It’s worth the time to read. You’ll understand.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

A Young Man Learns What Is Most Important In Life From the Man Next Door


It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old news reel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture... Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mail box "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was... my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
5. You mean the world to someone.
6. If not for you, someone may not be living.
7. You are special and unique.
8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you have trust, sooner or later, you will get it... or something better.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
11. Someone you don't even know exists loves you.
12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
13. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.
14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

To everyone I sent this to, "Thanks for your time.”

2007 NLGJA Convention

What a great time! More than 600 LGBT journalists converged on San Diego in August for a great weekend of conventioneering and sightseeing. San Diego is such a fun town! And the weather rocks! Here are some of the photos...