Blog Maintenance / MLB.TV

Well, I'm just popping in here today to give you a quickie post today.

I took the opportunity today to do a little "behind the scenes" work on my blog, and if you look at the sidebar you will notice a couple of things.

First off. I did that poll on whether or not I should create a Picture Fiction Archive, and the result spoke a clear language indeed. 18 people voted. 15 of those wanted the archives while 3 couldn't care less. No one said they didn't want an archive. So today I added the "archives" link to the sidebar under the PFC logo picture. All future PFC stories will be collected on that post (which for now hopefully appears below this one).

Second. I updated my blogroll, since that has fallen way behind. I've started reading so many new excellent blogs lately, and I've not taken the time to honor them by adding them to my blogroll. This has now been fixed, and you should now all be included there. If I missed you, let me know and I'll fix it ASAP!

Third little thing. I've been contemplating doing more "music" posts to share my excellent taste in music with you all (yes, I do consider myself lucky enough to have a very refined taste in music). But, while making many boring posts speaking of how freakin' great a particular artist, group or song is would be boring in itself, I came up with this little idea.

I added a "playlist" to the sidebar. You will find that there is only one song available today - and that is Savatage's "Morphine Child". What I aim to do here is add a new song every now and then, mention it in that days blog post, and if you want to you can take the opportunity to listen to the new song. The playlist will grow, but as I get (say) 30 songs or so on there, I will probably start taking the oldest one's out - unless I decide to repost them. Feel free to offer your opinions on the music I've chosen for you at any time.

I chose that song today because Savatage is one of my all-time favorite bands, and that song is one (of so many) of their best songs. Taken off their latest album, and quite possibly (sadly) their last album. It's a 10 minute masterpiece which during it's second half is absolutely mindblowing.

Give it an ear, will ya?

MLB.TV! Yes, I decided to pay for a yearly subscription to the MLB.TV today. Grapefruit league started the other day, and I saw that MLB.TV would show quite a few of these games. I couldn't live any longer without some baseball, so I decided to sign up right now and get the best of pre-season training.

Today, the Braves were playing the Dodgers and I was particularly looking forward to seeing Jair Jurrjens in action. He was slated to start the game, and is a young prospect that was acquired in the Edgar Renteria trade at the start of the off-season.

Jurrjens had a couple of good innings, although a little shaky in the middle of the first when he issued a walk and allowed the Dodgers a one run lead. I still think this guy can be something special. Buddy Carlyle got the win, and was very impressive in the two innings he pitched. He sure showed more than I expect from him, which is a good thing.

The offense was looking good. Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira are going to be a lethal 3-4 punch in the middle of the order, and quite a few opposing teams are going to have some problems facing up to these two guys. Jeff Francour will likely bat behind them, and he looks like he will continue to improve his game... so the middle of the line-up is looking really good.

Only thing I wasn't too happy about - and judging anything from just one pre-season game is futile anyway - was Brandon Jones. Now, I have been of the opinion that he and Matt Diaz should platoon in left field, just like Diaz and Willie Harris did last season. But, after Brandon missed a routine fly ball, and didn't even seem to hustle after the ball after he dropped it, made me think he might benefit from at least beginning the season in Triple A ball.

Sadly, Andruw Jones was not included in the Dodgers line-up. I was kind of looking forward to seeing him play (even if it would have been in the wrong jersey).

Anyway... I've got plenty of good baseball ahead of me. Now I can barely wait for the regular season to begin.

The Braves really are going to win it this year!

A Day Off.... HELL NO!

You know... according to my work schedule, today was a day that I didn't have to get in to work and slave the day away for some hard earned pennies.

Today, I had things planned for a beautiful day off. Mainly these plans consisted of a whole lot of relaxation, some browsing other people's blogs, and then a little more relaxation. I also thought I'd be a good boy and go to the gym two days in a row.

I'm working on my first item on today's agenda. I'm relaxing at around 10AM this morning. I've got my cup of coffee, and I'm watching the press conference with Tom Glavine as he speaks of his joy of re-signing with the Braves. I had as of yet not had time to view it.

Let me just take a quick break and tell you how excited I am about that! With Glavine back in the rotation next year, the Braves could have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors (again) next year. With Smoltz and Hudson already in place for the #1 and #2 spots, and now an ace like Glavine (probably) stepping in as a #3 guy. Add to that the recovering Mike Hampton, who seems to be progressing very well after 2 years on the DL. He's likely to take the #4 spot - so through there we have all stellar pitching. Then there's some stiff competition for that last spot on the rotation with Chuck James, Jo-Jo Reyes, Jeff Bennett and new signing Jair Jurrjens most likely to be considered for that final spot in the rotation. If only we can find a decent center fielder for next season (now that Andruw Jones is no more), I have no doubt in my mind we will seriously battle for the division title again... and quite possibly a return to the World Series as well....

Enough of the baseball talk!

It was 10AM in the morning. I was having my coffee and watching the press conference. My cellphone rings. I notice that it is from work, but stupid as I am, I decide to answer. You know, quite often they will call me to ask about some customer I've talked to, or where I may have hidden something they're looking for... so it's always a good idea to answer when they call.

"Yeah, R.E.H. here", I say as I answer the phone.

"Hi, it's your boss. How are you?". Indeed. It is my boss, and usually when it's her calling - that means trouble of some sort is on the way. Either I have fucked up and I'm about to be scolded for it, or she wants me to come in and do some extra hours.

"I'm ok. Just poured me some freshly brewed coffee"

She decides to cut right to the chase.

"Can you come in to work today?"

I quickly decide to lie.

"No, sorry. I've got things planned all day"

There is silence on the other end. My boss is a nice person, actually. Not the kind who likes to raise her voice or be a bitch about things. Finally, she speaks up again... oh, she's good at sounding all hurt and depressed - that's her way of getting what she wants.

"Oh... are you sure? We've had 3 people call in sick today. After 3 o'clock today it'll only be me and Abbie for the rest of the day".

Abbie is a female co-worker of mine. (I should just go ahead and write down a list of fictional names for all my co-workers, because it becomes hard to replicate conversations when you find the need to use a name in dialogue like this). We should really be at least 5 people on a day to cope with the steady flow of customers and sales... 2 would be absolute horror.

Yes! She played the sympathy card, and nice guy like I am... it is becoming increasingly hard to say no.

"There's no one else?" I try, desperately.

"No. If you can be here by 3 it'll be good. Then you'll have time to do what you need to do before you come in"

"Aw, shit. Alright. I'll make it happen"

She lights up. Yes, I can hear it in her voice.

"Great. See you at three then. You can stay 'til closing right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure... I have no other life. You don't want me to stay 'til midnight do you?"

She chuckles a little.

"No. Just until we close is all. See you later"

She hangs up. And there goes a perfect day of relaxation straight to hell. And, let me tell you - things would have been completely out of hand at work if I hadn't decided to show up. All three of us had to work ourselves to the ground in order to keep up with sales today.

I did go to the gym after work, however. I stuck to that part of my plan for the day. I am such a good boy. And now I am totally exhausted. Went to a boxing session today - don't know if you have those at the gym's you guys go to. But, it is inspired from regular boxing training, where you do a lot of hitting, kicking and jumping around. Sweaty and tough as hell! I haven't been to one of these sessions in three months (one of the girls who work at the gym talked me into it today). I had forgotten just how tough that hour really is...

Rest of the week - I got extreme work hours. 7:30AM to 7:30PM on Wednesday - not looking forward to that 12 hour day.

I will end today's blog with a message to the people whom it concerns:

Re-hire the fucking staff you morons decided we didn't need! We can not, will not, should not have to put up with this crap! We need employees!!!

Renteria Traded / WWC Debut

Well, things are already beginning to happen with the Braves preparing for next season. I'm not too sure about what they did today though...

Edgar Renteria was traded to Detroit for a couple of virtually unknown players (at least unknown to me). I mean, I expected Renteria to leave the club during the off-season. Partly because of the success and maturity shown by exciting prospect Yunel Escobar, who was handling the short-stop position very well in the absence of Edgar. Escobar hit the ball well, fielded the ball with great success and apparently had improved his off-field behaviour quite a lot. Escobar will be ready to man short-stop next season, I am confident of that.

But... I really expected the Braves to trade him for some other great player... either a starting pitcher or a new center fielder to make up for the departure of Andruw Jones.

Well... the two young prospects acquired look like good investment for the future, so if the Braves decide to utilize the cut-down on wages to bring back Tom Glavine in our starting rotation and someone of Torii Hunter's stature on the free agent market to play center-field, then I'm all for the deal. Though... any interest in Torii has been denied by the Braves. Does look very much now that Glavine will return though, and that will be exciting enough.

Well... that'll be it for today. Some baseball thoughts.

Oh, wait!

That's right... I present to you my first ever participation in the WWC (Weekly Words Challenge). Couldn't get the pictures I wanted today, so I had to put these to together hastily and without much thought... I'll improve my contributions in the future...

These are the tools I use to CREATE my next movie script.

**********

This trophy INSPIREd my team's road to victory in our first baseball tournament

Cousins, Beer and Carefree Making Out

It all started out innocently enough... my cousin Ellie's* 30th birthday party. Some of her friends and of course the family all gathered together in a house somewhere in the middle of nowhere... far from the city.

There was food, coffee and the traditional birthday cake, and talk was mild and pleasant. We had some fun and games as well, drawing portraits of one another using our left hand (right hand, if you were left-handed). The one on the left here is of me, drawn by my other cousin Deena, thank you very much. Never knew I looked that much alike Edvard Munch's "The Scream". Maybe she's clairvoyant though, because I'm pretty sure I looked very much like that before the night came to an end...

We have a close family. But, since we don't live in the same city, I don't really see them except for when we have those family get togethers. On those occasions, one rarely notices how they act and behave among friends. Since we don't drink alcohol when we meet (partly because my grandparents never approved of such behaviour, partly because of a history of alcoholism in our family) we haven't often seen that side of one another.

Now, I've partied with my cousins before... Ellie, Deena and Annie on occasion, quite often with cousin Andy who grew up close by me... first time I ever had a beer, he was there too... what a night that was! But, my youngest cousin Aimee... I don't believe I had quite figured it out until recently that she is no longer a little child. Somewhere along the line she's turned 19, and has become quite an attractive young lady.

Well... anyway. Family leaves at 6 PM. Friends arrive at the same time, and coffee and birthday cakes are replaced with bottles of beer, whiskey and vodka. Food becomes bowls of chips and the like. Mild and pleasant chatting is replaced with loud music and deafening laughter and talking.

Party time!

When I drink... I usually start slowly, and as the night progresses my drinking speed escalates. I think it's only an hour into the evening that I'm sitting at a table noticing my youngest cousin (19 years of age, I remind you) with a can of beer held firmly in her hand. I try to understand when and how she grew up so fast... she notices me looking.

"Now, that's something I'm not getting used to any time soon", I tell her, letting my eyes fall down to the can of beer she's holding.

She looks at the beer, takes a mouthful, and laughs it off.

"I'm not a kid anymore", she replies.

"Yes, you are. If you weren't I'd be old", I say.

Thankfully, she does not comment on my age. Lately, I've gotten to the point where I am not comfortable about what my birth-certificate has down as my birth year. I'm still in my early 20's dammit! I'm single... no kids... I must surely still be in my early twenties.

Less than an hour after that I start noticing guys hitting on her. Hold it right there, mister! That's my cousin you're slobbering all over. Birthday girl Ellie notices the same... the two are sisters, but live some distance apart so she's not really used to adulthood Aimee either... she's never seen this side of her sister before.

I start looking for my gloves... my metal studded gloves. Touch her, dammit, and I'll start swinging. You better believe it.

Yet another hour later, I'm starting to be quite intoxicated myself. The half hour to forty-five minutes it took to down a can of beer earlier is now reduced to 15-20 minutes per can. And Aimee is on the couch making out with some 27 year old dude.

Now... I'm an adult, and I can do whatever I damned well please... so just because I'm in love with a girl 10+ years my junior, does not mean she can fool around with some guy older than her... guys like that want to do things she must never, ever indulge in... I cannot even bring myself to writing it down.

"Maybe I should go out there and pry him loose from her lips", I say to the people around me.

"Nah, he's a good enough guy. The other one would've been bad for her though", one of Ellie's friends tell me - one who knows this guy. Another guy had tried to get it on with her earlier that night, but I guess she can tell the jerks from the good ones after all. He was mercifully given the cold shoulder.

I step outside for some fresh air. Of course I can't do anything about the situation I've been witnessing. Cousin Ellie's best friend is outside smoking a cigarette (I don't smoke myself, just went out to breathe some cold air). I have my jacket on, because even after all that beer I can feel the cold outside.

"Isn't that jacket a little big on you?", she notices.

I bought the jacket last winter, paid good money for it too, and now that I lost all that weight... it doesn't fit very well. To hell with it, I can't afford to buy a new jacket every winter... I'll wear it.

"Shit... I think I am a little drunk tonight". She never waits for my response about my over-sized jacket. "I think I need some random, carefree making out". That's how she put it... not my words.

My cousin comes out at that, and starts talking to her. I'm thinking I could use some of the same as she mentioned. Later... that happens.

I'm in the kitchen, jacket still on, and again that jacket comment resurfaces. Now, I'm really drunk and I have a response.

"Yeah, it's big. It's so I can fit you inside of it as well". I open it up, arms outstretched in a welcoming manner. She comes close, wraps her arms around me... and believe it or not, but the jacket reaches around the both of us, and I can even get the zipper closed a little. Not much, maybe an inch. We're very close now, face to face... so I move in for the kill. I'm looking to cash in on some of that random, carefree making out she wanted.

Why choose my cousin's best friend? I mean, really. I have no interest in this girl... I don't even find her very attractive. I don't really like the fact that the few times I've seen her she's been a little too wasted to present herself in a decent manner. But, she was there - ready and willing, and I needed someone/anyone to take my mind off The One for a while.

I felt sorry for cousin Ellie, because now she not only had to worry about her young sister making out with some guy... now I was foolin' around with her best friend as well - right in front of her. It wouldn't matter, except for the fact she knows about me being in love with someone else... so surely she understood that my intentions with her friend were less than noble.

I spoke to Ellie the morning after, and initiated the discussion about Aimee and that guy she was with. Can you believe it?

"Who's talking", she says. "What about you and my best friend? Care to comment on that?". She's not angry... just busting my balls about it.

All in all... it was a great party, well worthy of the terrible hang-over I suffered yesterday. There were girls, lots of beer, good music, broken glass windows**, and many laughs.

I remember another strange conversation that took place in the kitchen (for some reason I found myself hanging out in the kitchen most of the night). Another of Ellie's friends were on the phone with some friend of hers who lives in the same city as I.

"You gotta meet this guy... Yeah, you'd like him. He reminds me a lot of Benny". Laughter. "He's got that same sick sense of humor. He's really goofy".

"Hey...", I'm trying to get her attention. "I'm not goofy".

She looks over to me. Then speaks to the phone.

"He's standing here next to me. 'I'm not goofy', he says". There's more laughter.

"She hot?", I ask pointing my finger at the phone. "How old?"

"He wants to know if you're hot". I'm still being ignored in their conversation. But it's about me, and they're laughing.

"She's a bartender over at This Place. She's 25".

That's the first thing I'm being let in on. And, that's all I need. This Place is one of the most popular spots in the city I live, and I am yet to see a female bartender at that place who isn't above average looking.

"Give me the phone", I say reaching for it.

"Do you wanna talk to him?". She nods, and hands me the phone. I take it.

"Hi there, good looking. Why aren't you here with me?", I speak into the phone. Mind you... I have absolutely no idea who I'm talking to here.

"I don't know", she laughs.

"So, what you been up to tonight?", I ask.

"Been at This Place with some friends. Not working tonight, and I got bored. I'm on my way home now".

It was only 11:30ish at the time. Sounds like a responsible good girl to me, going home to bed early on a Saturday night.

"Wish I could join you... We should get together some time".

Again she's laughing. "Maybe we should".

"I'll have your friend here set it up for us".

Her friend is still listening in, having a good laugh herself.

"Ok... I'll give her back to you now. You go get yourself a good nights sleep, and dream about me ok?".

"Yes, I will. I'll dream sweet dreams about you".

I hand the phone back to her friend... and resume to randomly, carefreely make out with my cousins best friend.

We'll see if that getting together will ever materialize... it could be fun.

* Names used in this story are not their rightful names. But, if I blog about them again in the future, these are the names I'll be using.

**The broken window was the result of two guys showing off how strong they were, pushing each other back and forth, during which one of the guys went through the window... it was that kind of party. No injuries though... but some cleaning up to do. And bills to pay, seeing as the place was rented.

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

So, the Red Sox are World Champions. Congratulations.

I was trying to watch the deciding game last night, but being hung over made me sleep through most of it. I woke up in time to see Atkins' 2-run homer which made things interesting in the bottom 8th.

Next time I opened my eyes, celebrations were on-going. I had fallen asleep again, missing that moment when the game ends and the players go crazy... That moment I love to see.

Oh, well. Next year I'll be fully awake as the Braves are going to win it. Yes, they are!

It's just one of those weeks...

Thought I'd stay in tonight as well, after originally thinking of going out. I decided that I would check out the Red Sox vs. Indians game 6.

See, I have an account with MLB TV, which I have believed to be really price worthy up until now. Lately I've gotten a lot of what you see to the left. Temporarily unavailable. During the times when it is apparently not unavailable, I still can't log in. Since yesterday I haven't been allowed to log on to my account, due to the application being "unable to validate my information for purposes of checking my location against their blackout system".

Now this is just great. No plans for tonight, except to watch the stupid ballgame, and it looks as if I will not be able to see it because of a software error. I've e-mailed their customer support (did it yesterday), but I am yet to receive a response.

All I wanted to do was watch the game and get my baseball fix... but, I guess it's just one of those weeks when nothing - absolutely nothing - works out the way I want it to.

Fausto Carmona vs. Curt Schilling tonight - an interesting match-up as well. Would've been a heck of a lot more interesting had it been the Braves waiting to face one of those two teams instead of the Rockies. As if you couldn't guess from that statement: I'm an Atlanta Braves supporter.

I remember that October back in 1991. I used to bowl with the Florida Space Coast League back in those days, and every night after the bowling ended all those monitors that show the score were tuned into the play-off games. There was no team in Florida then, so everyone was rooting for the Braves (my father became a Marlin after their inclusion, but my heart will forever remain with the Braves). Quite a few beers would go down on those nights, and quite a few cheers would be heard. John Smoltz became my hero right then and there... and he's still around pitching as good as he ever has. I always thought he reminded me of Richard Dreyfuss back in the day... am I the only one?

Next year... maybe Glavine will be back to pitch alongside Smoltz. The two of them would certainly bring the glory days back to Atlanta. Here's to hope!