Navigant Softball Season starts 1-0!

Yes! We won our first softball game today, 9-8! Wahoo! I, of course, was up at bat on the final out every time, but at least I got a hit each time (even if it was a foul, a foul, and a grounder). I made it to first on the grounder, but sadly the ball beat me to the base. But hey, I touched 1st! haha Next week maybe I'll make it to 2nd.

So, yes. It was a lot of fun--most of my friends are on the team--and the weather was kind to us...not too hot, sunny, and clouds and a cool breeze rolled in toward the end. Here are some pics from game 1 (photography courtesy of John):

Throwing practice with Kevin, out of frame.

Sports card pose! haha Too bad I suck at batting. I think this was my first up. Upon which two balls were thrown and I was out already...who knew you only get 2 strikes in softball? Hmph.

Whoo hoo...on my way to first...bah! Grounded out. I'll get em next time.

Also, please enjoy this ridiculously acrobatic squirrel from Veteran's Park on Monday afternoon:

Till next time...

It's a two-for night!

Shortly after the previous post, I ventured over to Cheezburger, and while I enjoyed the kittehs, Hammy discovered the wonder of the interwebs...please do enjoy:

An Attempt at Art (no pun intended)

Please forgive the crudeness of the drawings, but I've taken to stick figure sketching lately (as my desk at work can testify) in a series I call Black and Red--for obvious reasons. : ) Please enjoy "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her" inspired by the Simon and Garfunkel song.

This isn't my favorite recording, but for lack of energy to scour YouTube all night, I give you this also wonderful rendition:

Mini Post/Swoon

Please excuse my near monthlong absence. But here I am, alive and well.


Even though lots of things have been going on, I feel like I've got nothing to say. So maybe I'll first talk about (gasp!) the new Star Trek movie, which was rather effing amazing. Now, I'm not a Trekkie by any stretch. My association with show is basically this: I know the cliches like Beam me up; Live long and prosper; and the major characters. My interest was piqued, however, as soon as I heard Zachary Quinto would be playing Spock. Let me just say my ears got a little pointier at the prospect. John was immediately excited (he loves him some USS Enterprise), and I said I'd gladly tag along to see it (insert alterior motive here). All that said, I thought it was a FANtastic action movie. You didn't need a well-versed background to follow the plot (you just miss out on the inside jokes and references). We saw it in IMAX on opening night, which made it that much cooler. It was not only visually awesome, but the wit was great--I was cracking up at the often dry humor of the characters. And, yes...Mr. Quinto was just a dream. I later learned that he was coached by Leonard Nimoy while filming, a luxury none of the other actors had unless I am mistaken. So you must all go see it, even if it's only to drool over the sexy cast, whomever your Trekker of choice may be.


Also, I'm excited to go to the Philadelphia Zoo on May 30! I've been wanting to go since last fall, but we literally kept forgetting to plan it. So now we have a date and it's on the calendar, so no excuses!


Later this month, too, I will start playing softball on my company's team! Pictures and medical bills to come, I'm sure. haha I think that's all for now! See you all next time!

Storybook Land was a Bust/Easter/Hamlet will Save the World

So much to cover! First I wanna plug the Stockpot reading tomorrow night: 7PM, TRLC, Stockton campus. I'll be there. : ) The editor emailed me and asked if I had anything current I could submit. I did, and got one poem accepted, so I get to read tomorrow evening at the launch party. From what I've seen, the cover art is quite amazing, and I can't wait to read what the creative writers are up to these days. I've been kinda a slacker this National Poetry Month, but I have managed to keep up with my poem-a-week goal, even though some have been silly frivoulous poems for sheer laughs that I won't pursue further. But hey, I'm writing and I'm thinking. Last night, though, was a poetry win! I FINALLY wrote a poem that had been rattling in my head for months. You know when you get an opening or closing line that pops in there in a flash of sheer inspiration? Then you know how you have to sit and wait for the poem to form around it? Yeh, that had been me for a looooong time. I'm excited to have a new piece with which to be consumed. And I'm sure being among fellow writers tomorrow will help fan the fire of the writer in me. I'm sure I'll have a post about the reading later this week!

And sadly, Becky, Lisa, and I trekked to the faraway kingdom of Storybook Land, only to find it was closed. I mean, it WAS pouring, so we wouldn't have enjoyed ourselves anyway, but still. Bummer! We're gonna plan a redeux for some weekend next month. For I shall ride and conquer Bubbles the Dragon once again! Instead, we went to the mall, the played with bubbles in the parking lot of Stockton.

Easter was nice. John and I colored eggs and made up little baskets of goodies (aka tooth-rotting candy! : ) ) for each other. We also got Hammy some cat grass as his edible basket, but he was mainly confused by the mixed message it conveyed: wait, you tells me I can't eat your plants, then you shove this in my mouth? What is going ON? Needless to say, the grass died, uneaten, and we threw it away.

Lastly, tonight as I was folding laundry, Hammy, as is his custom, followed me into the bedroom, hopped up on the bed and started sniffing my clothes. I grabbed a nice, warm tee shirt and wrapped it around him. He purred so happily and lay down. Then I decided to make him a cape. What followed was Super Hamlet! Behold the newest super hero, with the power to heal the most broken of hearts, and to defeat his greatest foe, the bad mood.

Why I am a (Geek) kid at heart...

So, I was parusing the Preston & Steve website (those awesome morning show guys from 93.3 WMMR) and I found this cool sleeping bag.

I mean, if I were a kid, I'd want to buy this. If I had money to burn and could fit into it, I'd buy this. When I have kids, I will buy this for them. The only thing more cool would be a Yoda pop-up tent, an X-wing fighter bed or a Millenium Falcon sled. I mean, c'mon. Great toy ideas like this need to be nurtured and developed, more so than those awful Bratz dolls or any of the effluent that sits on the store shelves of American.

Well, that's all for now.

Catch you on the flipside.

I mean, wouldn't you be comfortable sleeping in this?

Insight into Life with Hamlet: First Ear Infection

So after a week or so of watching Hammy fixate on his right ear, I decided it was time to visit the vet to see if my suspicion of an ear infection was founded. Alas it was, and not only an ear infection, but a double ear infection. Delightful. So $160, a cleaner, medicine, and some flea and tick meds later, we came home to attempt to get the cleaner (twice a week) and meds (twice daily) into my sick little kitten. Luckily John and I kinda got a routine down after we needed to give him oral antibiotics and pain meds after his declaw surgery. Basically, we chase him around and then wrap him in a towel like a little purrito, as below. Tara inspired me to take a pic when she said he must just look adorable all bundled up. Adorable? Yes. Defeated and now publicly humiliated? Also yes. But hey, he's a cat, and can't read, and doesn't care about the internet. So here you go. Dr. Maureen presents: