SYRACUSE - Today was the first of our two originally-scheduled doubleheaders.

But first, our route took us past Newtown, home of Sandy Hook Elementary School. And for a place where some people think nothing happened, there’s sure a lot of security in place in the parking lot.

The first game of the day involved the Hudson Valley Renegades, located ( Read more... )

The road home first brought us to the home of another West Virginia leaguemate, the Asheville Tourists. (Of course, this means their scoreboard humorously reads "Tourists" instead of "Home ( Read more... )

This year's recession-friendly costume: Jon & Kate + 8.

JON: Me, holding a kitchen magnet-board scribbled with "Jon" plus random messages. See below.
KATE: Gary the Gargoyle atop a split-level end table, carted out to the driveway.
+8: Eight bobble-head dolls collected over the years from various promotional nights at the ballpark. (The president ( Read more... )

MONTICELLO MN -- It was another long drive back to the fringe suburbs of the Twin Cities ( Read more... )

STEPS:
(1)Take a sheet of paper and write "JOE" on it.
(2)Pin it on your shirt or jacket.
(3)Grab a plunger.
(4)Head outside and hand out candy.

In reviewing my hour outside, I must say I was impressed that some of the older kids recognized who I was supposed to be -- except this girl who thought I was Joe from the Saw movies...? Obviously, the ( Read more... )

In class yesterday, Katilynn kept muttering about Mr So&So being "a total perv." While I didn't discount her statement, I told her that, until I met him, I couldn't agree ( Read more... )

Waiting in the church vestibule for the adult Sunday School class to finish up, Cheryl (the other kids' SS teacher) and I were keeping an eye on the little ones as they eagerly anticipated waving their palms into the sanctuary ( Read more... )

Saturday evening, in the face of snow and blowing snow, was our 31st annual Wild Game Dinner ( Read more... )

Composed 21:59MT 12/31/2007ABOARD AIRTRAN 538 (ATL-PHX) -- As expected, I couldn't rent a car without a driver's license. So that set off a rash of cancellations, and bumping up tonight's hotel to this week's hotel. (However, based on its change/cancellation policies, I couldn't modify the reservation to add the three other nights. So I ended up ( Read more... )

I'm not saying that this says anything about mamallama; I'm sure it's purely coincidental.

But according to this NPR story, the country-club set has decided that four (or more) kids is the new status symbol.