Another feel good, bad guys lose, good guys win, movie.
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Door Prize
I won the door prize at Emily's baby shower. They played the "guess how big new mama is" game and I was only about 1/2" off. Some people were unintentionally not very kind to her. :DI figured, since she looked like a thin girl with a basketball stuffed under her shirt, that the circumference of a basketball is about 29 inches, add ten more inches for the rest of her, and there you have it! My strip was 39 1/2" long, and she was 40" around.
It's all about the math. :D
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Casey at the Bat - Ernest Thayer
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
"Phin"
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
"Phin"
Retrieved from http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_case.shtml
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Mythbusters
Ian's new FAVORITE show!
Adam Savage
(They blow stuff up. Kind of says it all, doesn't it?)
The Awesomeist Kid...
...has begun posting on his blog again.
I finally received his scores on the State-mandated tests. While his Math scores are off the charts (is anyone surprised?), his ELA scores fell below proficiency level. He is an outstanding reader, but the problem is his writing. Truth be told, he hates it.
Our compromise?
If the physical act of writing bothers him, instead of writing in his journal every night, he must post on his blog.
We'll see how it goes.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Summer Game
Baseball's time is seamless and invisible, a bubble within which players move at exactly the same pace and rhythms as all their predecessors.
This is the way the game was played in our youth and in our father's youth, and even back then
back in the country days
there must have been the same feeling that time could be stopped.
Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you I have to do is succeed utterly;
keep hitting,
keep the rally alive,
and you have defeated time.
You remain forever young.
- Roger Angell
This is the way the game was played in our youth and in our father's youth, and even back then
back in the country days
there must have been the same feeling that time could be stopped.
Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you I have to do is succeed utterly;
keep hitting,
keep the rally alive,
and you have defeated time.
You remain forever young.
- Roger Angell
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Movie Night
My friend Denise badly needed a break from reality for a couple hours, so we had
an impromptu movie night with an oldie but goodie. LOVE James Garner!
Sunday, October 02, 2011
A. Bartlett Giamatti
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game beginsin the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in thesummer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chillrains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count onit, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshineand high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, whenyou need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and brokenbranches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summerwas gone...
-A. Bartlett Giamatti, the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball
Making Strides for Breast Cancer
Hope, Trisha, Ian and I made strides for a cure today. It was about 50 degrees, raining, and hours later, I'm still freezing. Thank goodness for electric blankets!
For more information, please see the Susan G. Komen website here.
For more information, please see the Susan G. Komen website here.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
In Memory of Bradford Bosley
My uncle, Bradford Richmond Bosley, passed away on September 12th. This is the obituary my cousin, Dorinda, wrote.
****
My father, Bradford R. Bosley was 79 years old. He served in the Korean War. He retired from American Airlines at age 55. After he retired, he had a few rental properties he maintained and he spent a good amount of his time serving the god he believed in. He later moved south and ended up living in Andalusia, Alabama with my youngest brother, Mark. He was an avid Jehovah’s Witness and part of my family remains in that religion. I had recently been reacquainted with my father through my brother, Mark. My last visit with him was last February after he had recovered from his most recent stroke. He was speaking slowly and sometimes the words he wanted to speak would not come out the way he wanted them to, and he was walking slowly but surely. He had been in the hospital in Buffalo again after that in May of 2010 and had seemed to recover okay. He and my step mother maintained a home in Buffalo, so he would travel back and forth to a home in Andalusia.
He died in his sleep Monday morning, September 12 and we believe that he may have had another stroke in his sleep or perhaps a heart attack. He is survived by mom, Mary (Mike) Holmes; my step mom, Evelyn Bosley; my step siblings Uland (Janice) Gladden, J. Daniel (Donnis) Gladden their daughter Leandra, and Yolanda (Terence); my other siblings Barn (Marlene) Black and their daughter Amanda (Jeff) Buchholz their children: Nolan, Eliana, and Easton; Laureen Black (her children were deceased Darrell at 16 and Davina as an infant); Karen Soccio her son, James Soccio his son Rocco; my brother Dan (Laura) Bosley and their daughters McKenna and Natalie; my youngest brother Mark (Toneishia) their daughter Alasia; my sister Jodie Judd and her son Joshua; and finally me (and Bill).
His parents, my grandparents died in their mid 60’s. He had a sister Anne, who passed a couple of years ago, younger brother Frederick ("Teddy") who died quite some time ago; and my Uncle Tony is still living.
*****
The memorial service will be held on Sunday @ 7pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 185 Kensington Avenue, Buffalo, New York.
A eulogy, written by my brother, Michael, for those of us 'on the outside' is here.
A eulogy, written by my brother, Michael, for those of us 'on the outside' is here.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
School is Back in Session
So here it is, the first day of school. What have I already received? No, no, Ian's not in trouble for forgetting his homework....yet. I got:
DON'T FORGET...PICTURE DAY IS COMING!
Really? Can we not get the first week of school under our belts first?
DON'T FORGET...PICTURE DAY IS COMING!
Really? Can we not get the first week of school under our belts first?
Monday, September 05, 2011
Some completed projects
I spent some time today finishing up some projects I started. All in all, a very relaxing weekend.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Baseball
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Generations
Sir Tristan, his father Jeff, his maternal great-grandmother Doris, his maternal grandmother Linda, and his paternal great-great-aunt, Marlene.
Friday, August 05, 2011
I had a wonderful time Friday night, such a good time, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture. {heavy sigh} That is one of the main reasons why I'm never going to spend a small fortune on a camera. I always seem to forget I have one!
Camille's friend, Erin, came over for dinner, we killed at least three bottles of wine (but who's counting?) and we drove Mike crazy. We were all talking. Sometimes at the same time. I told Mike, that's what women do. :D
I wish we lived closer to each other. I'd love to spend more time with them. Mike is so lucky to have found Camille, and Camille is so lucky to have such a wonderful friend in Erin. I'm fortunate to have all three in my life.
I know I won't be able to afford a trip out there next year, but I'm definitely going to shoot for the year after. In the meantime, there is always Skype.
Camille's friend, Erin, came over for dinner, we killed at least three bottles of wine (but who's counting?) and we drove Mike crazy. We were all talking. Sometimes at the same time. I told Mike, that's what women do. :D
I wish we lived closer to each other. I'd love to spend more time with them. Mike is so lucky to have found Camille, and Camille is so lucky to have such a wonderful friend in Erin. I'm fortunate to have all three in my life.
I know I won't be able to afford a trip out there next year, but I'm definitely going to shoot for the year after. In the meantime, there is always Skype.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
The Science Experiment
Here are Ian and Uncle Michael looking (safely) at the sun:
Sun spots:
Michael said...
I use a pair of binoculars, aligned so the sun comes through them and is projected onto a piece of paper. You actually have to focus the binoculars in order to get a sharp image.
I'm holding the binoculars against the windowsill to steady them, and by my foot is a clipboard with a piece of white paper, onto which the sun is projected.
If there are sunspots, you can see them clearly.
Seattle Science Center
Here we are in front of the whispering dishes, a hands-on exhibit that teaches about sound waves. It was so cool. You can actually whisper into the little eye at the top of the pole, and across the sidewalk about 25 feet away, another person can hear you.
Here is Ian standing in front of the anti-gravity mirror. I absolutely loved the Science Center. Everything was hands-on for kids, but I have a great time and learned a lot, too. Most of the time I was so busy checking things out, I forgot to take pictures!
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Pretty Flowers
This is a flower in Jeff's front yard. It's beautiful, and I want one. I just have no idea what it is. :D
Blinded by the Light
So here is my brother, trying to look at the sun.
No, really. He's a very smart guy.
LOL!
No, really. He's a very smart guy.
LOL!
Actually, this was in preparation for a little science experiment he did with Ian later in the day.
Michael said...
I was gonna say... what the hell! The sun is behind me!
I never did figure out how to get that damned diffraction grating to work, but I did manage to show Ian the spectral lines from a fluorescent lamp. It's part of the foundation information he needs to understand how we know what stars are made of, and how we know which direction they are traveling.
Serena said...
I couldn't help myself. Actually, if someone looks at the shadows, it's obvious you're not trying to blind yourself. :D
Ian had a great time. I've answered all kinds of questions about the sun, the earth's rotation, gravity, sound and light travel, and all of the questions came from out of the blue. I love it when he thinks. :)
Vacation Update
Sunday, July 31:
After finally getting up around 10 in the morning and eating some amazing blueberry pancakes Camille made fresh (yumm!), we spent the day with Jeff. Ian, of course, is living-breathing-sleeping baseball, so we went to some batting cages, went to a park to play some baseball, had dinner at the local Red Robin, and then went to a neighborhood school that has a diamond to play more baseball. Jeff said he slept like the dead that night. :D
Monday, August 1:
My legs are a little sore today...not used to all that running around. :) The pain is around my shins. Hope it goes away. I'm pretty much Ian's only baseball playmate out here. Jeff, who we love to exhaust, has to work.
I got up at 7 and read a bit over a quiet cup of coffee before Ian got up, the quiet only broken by the sounds of text messages/phone calls from my boss. It's nice to know he has trouble getting along without me, but ... really? I'M ON VACATION!!! :D
While Mike took one of his mid-terms and worked on his communications course assignment, I took Ian for a long walk. We went to Starbucks, of course, and then continued walking to Wal-Mart. We only brought two baseballs with us, and it was getting ridiculous shagging them down constantly, so we bought a small bucket of baseballs for $9, and a cheap set of badminton rackets for $5.
We then headed back to the neighborhood diamond, and having that bucket of balls turned out to be a great idea. He was able to hit 10 times before we had to chase them all down. It actually worked out much better in another way, too. Every time we collected the balls, we took a water break. Kept us both hydrated in the 80 degree heat.
The days here so far have been absolutely beautiful. Much less humidity that we were dealing with back east, and the temperature is far less extreme. It's hanging around the hi-70s, low 80s, with about 50% humidity, which feels wonderful. I'm getting some sun, but I can also breathe. I love it like this.
After dinner, I took a walk with Camille. She is giving me other ideas for a career choice after I finish my studies that don't include teaching Math. As she so eloquently puts it, "Those kids you'll be teaching are not as nice as your son." She is absolutely right. Teenagers today are much different than teenagers of my day. Respect for your elders is a thing of the past.
So I am going to open my mind to other choices: auditor, financial adviser, actuary. Research to begin when I get home.
Tuesday, August 2:
I slept in until 9 this morning! Do I feel guilty? Nope. I'm on vacation. :)
I took Ian back to the neighborhood diamond for more baseball. He never tires of it. Who am I kidding? I don't, either. My legs are still sore, though. Definitely not used to this much physical activity. I'm the only person I know that goes on vacation and loses weight. Just wish my legs didn't hurt quite so much.
Tonight we are seeing a Mariners game. The feel of the stadium is so much different from Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo. For one, it is much bigger, seating up to 47,878 fans to Buffalo's maximum of 18,025. People are different out here, too. In Buffalo, we sit in the stands and talk with everyone around us, total strangers, about the game, the latest baseball trades, etc., but out here, people don't seem to talk to each other like that. Actually, they don't seem to talk to each other at all, unless they came together. Interesting feeling.
The Mariners won. Jeff and I had a bunch of laughs at Ian's expense. When the game was beginning, and the announcer said, "Now batting....Ichiro Suzuki!" Ian's head whipped around SO fast! Good thing it's attached. :D He was so still, concentrating on that game so hard, it seemed he was barely breathing. I think I only see him that still when he is sleeping.
Wednesday, August 3:
5:55 a.m.: The melodious tones of my cell phone receiving another text...from my boss. {heavy sigh}
Today is laundry day. To save on the amount of luggage we cart across the country, we packed enough for four days, planning to do laundry half-way through our week. It works out well.
A nice, calm, easy day for relaxing in the sun.
I told Mike about the pain in my legs, and he said, "Ugh. Shin splints." I think he's right. Stretching and no more running around on a concrete baseball diamond are in order.
This evening, we will go to Jeff's and visit with my grand-nephew, Tristan. That would be Sir Tristan of Seattle to all of us minions. Jeff and Tristan will be flying back with us on Saturday.
Thursday, August 4:
We will see the Space Needle and the Seattle Science Center on Thursday. More photo opportunities for the Tyska Traveling Fish!
After finally getting up around 10 in the morning and eating some amazing blueberry pancakes Camille made fresh (yumm!), we spent the day with Jeff. Ian, of course, is living-breathing-sleeping baseball, so we went to some batting cages, went to a park to play some baseball, had dinner at the local Red Robin, and then went to a neighborhood school that has a diamond to play more baseball. Jeff said he slept like the dead that night. :D
Monday, August 1:
My legs are a little sore today...not used to all that running around. :) The pain is around my shins. Hope it goes away. I'm pretty much Ian's only baseball playmate out here. Jeff, who we love to exhaust, has to work.
I got up at 7 and read a bit over a quiet cup of coffee before Ian got up, the quiet only broken by the sounds of text messages/phone calls from my boss. It's nice to know he has trouble getting along without me, but ... really? I'M ON VACATION!!! :D
While Mike took one of his mid-terms and worked on his communications course assignment, I took Ian for a long walk. We went to Starbucks, of course, and then continued walking to Wal-Mart. We only brought two baseballs with us, and it was getting ridiculous shagging them down constantly, so we bought a small bucket of baseballs for $9, and a cheap set of badminton rackets for $5.
We then headed back to the neighborhood diamond, and having that bucket of balls turned out to be a great idea. He was able to hit 10 times before we had to chase them all down. It actually worked out much better in another way, too. Every time we collected the balls, we took a water break. Kept us both hydrated in the 80 degree heat.
The days here so far have been absolutely beautiful. Much less humidity that we were dealing with back east, and the temperature is far less extreme. It's hanging around the hi-70s, low 80s, with about 50% humidity, which feels wonderful. I'm getting some sun, but I can also breathe. I love it like this.
After dinner, I took a walk with Camille. She is giving me other ideas for a career choice after I finish my studies that don't include teaching Math. As she so eloquently puts it, "Those kids you'll be teaching are not as nice as your son." She is absolutely right. Teenagers today are much different than teenagers of my day. Respect for your elders is a thing of the past.
So I am going to open my mind to other choices: auditor, financial adviser, actuary. Research to begin when I get home.
Tuesday, August 2:
I slept in until 9 this morning! Do I feel guilty? Nope. I'm on vacation. :)
I took Ian back to the neighborhood diamond for more baseball. He never tires of it. Who am I kidding? I don't, either. My legs are still sore, though. Definitely not used to this much physical activity. I'm the only person I know that goes on vacation and loses weight. Just wish my legs didn't hurt quite so much.
Tonight we are seeing a Mariners game. The feel of the stadium is so much different from Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo. For one, it is much bigger, seating up to 47,878 fans to Buffalo's maximum of 18,025. People are different out here, too. In Buffalo, we sit in the stands and talk with everyone around us, total strangers, about the game, the latest baseball trades, etc., but out here, people don't seem to talk to each other like that. Actually, they don't seem to talk to each other at all, unless they came together. Interesting feeling.
The Mariners won. Jeff and I had a bunch of laughs at Ian's expense. When the game was beginning, and the announcer said, "Now batting....Ichiro Suzuki!" Ian's head whipped around SO fast! Good thing it's attached. :D He was so still, concentrating on that game so hard, it seemed he was barely breathing. I think I only see him that still when he is sleeping.
Wednesday, August 3:
5:55 a.m.: The melodious tones of my cell phone receiving another text...from my boss. {heavy sigh}
Today is laundry day. To save on the amount of luggage we cart across the country, we packed enough for four days, planning to do laundry half-way through our week. It works out well.
A nice, calm, easy day for relaxing in the sun.
I told Mike about the pain in my legs, and he said, "Ugh. Shin splints." I think he's right. Stretching and no more running around on a concrete baseball diamond are in order.
This evening, we will go to Jeff's and visit with my grand-nephew, Tristan. That would be Sir Tristan of Seattle to all of us minions. Jeff and Tristan will be flying back with us on Saturday.
Thursday, August 4:
We will see the Space Needle and the Seattle Science Center on Thursday. More photo opportunities for the Tyska Traveling Fish!
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Tyska Traveling Fish
Here he is at Safeco Field after the Mariners game in his brand new Ichiro shirt:
And here he is in China Town in downtown Seattle:
And here he is in China Town in downtown Seattle:
Take Me Out to the Baaalllll Gaaame...
We started out around 5:00 p.m. or so for Safeco Field...
...but alas, the trip took longer than we expected:
Ian wanted to get Ichiro Suzuki's autograph on his baseball, but it was not to be. Due to the incredible traffic in this area, which gets worse every year, we were unable to arrive at Safeco Field much before game time.
Apparently, more and more people move here, but nothing is done about the infrastructure. A shame, because it is such a beautiful area. It shouldn't be so inconvenient to get around.
Jeff said...
This reminds me... I have a "cleaning fee" for the drool on my car door. LMAO
...but alas, the trip took longer than we expected:
Ian wanted to get Ichiro Suzuki's autograph on his baseball, but it was not to be. Due to the incredible traffic in this area, which gets worse every year, we were unable to arrive at Safeco Field much before game time.
Apparently, more and more people move here, but nothing is done about the infrastructure. A shame, because it is such a beautiful area. It shouldn't be so inconvenient to get around.
Jeff said...
This reminds me... I have a "cleaning fee" for the drool on my car door. LMAO
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