It's been a pretty good stretch of three or so days, so I'd like to write about them.

Recall that, as I was leaving the ballpark on Monday, I was told to "try to come in at least one of the next three days." Because I had been planning on coming to work for two of the three days (with an approved Wednesday off day), this surprised me and made me quite happy. I took advantage.

(Note: I don't think this is particularly good. No narrative flow. Just a listing of events. I think I'm inconsistent in my tenses [tense?]. I'm not very proud of it. Doesn't live up to the high recent standards, but we'll deal with it. My mom talked up this here blog tonight - "I feel like I've talked to you a lot lately, even though I haven't." And Gurs did last night - "Me and Hotpocket agree that it's the best thing on the web." Quoting loosely, of course. Anyway, I hope I'm not becoming complacent. I guess this post will satisfy my mom's blog-needs, but maybe not Gurs' and Hotpocket's. We'll see.)

Let's try to recall what happened:

Tuesday:
8:30 - Ran before work. 3.6 miles.
9:40 - Went to work, arriving slightly before 10.
10:00 - Did actual work for about 55 minutes. (Previous day's game was a quick, low-scoring one, so the post-game work was similarly quick.)
10:55 - Killed time.
11:32 - Had a pretty extended conversation with a former employee who had left the club before I started here. Good talk.
11:40 - I am told by the concessions guy that there's free lunch for the staff. I dutifully spread this message.
11:42 - Made a date with the intern who was working at the reception desk to go down to lunch together.
12:15 - Went down to lunch. Ate a burger. Hung out for a half-hour.
12:45 - Stopped by the team store.
1:15, approximately - Left.

On the way home, I got in a great phone conversation with The Boy. I learned that his former roommate is taking Spanish this summer with Jesus, aka Jim Caviezal, aka the guy who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. Jim's born-again, but nice, it seems. He also didn't buy the workbook, so he copies off of The Boy's old roommate.

I also tried to convince The Boy to set a firm "Come to the Ring Fingernail" date. I think that the Bullshot-approved Field Day is enough to convince him that the first weekend of August is the right time.

2:45 - To the beach. Meet three coworkers and the former employee. Converse. Drift in and out of sleep. Look at my book, but don't read. Hang out. Overcast skies, but I still got some sun.
4:30 - Some dude walks by. "Nice turquoise shorts, dude." Me: "Dude. They were five bucks." He: "Yeah, I mean that, nice turquoise shorts." Me: "Thanks, pal. Best five bucks I spent last month." It was odd.
5:00 - Leave beach.
5:20 - Go for another run. 3.6 miles. Walk portions, but still average a far-faster pace than when I began a few months ago.

Rest of the night includes going to the grocery store, looking up directions, not doing dishes, watching the All-Star game, getting a few drinks while watching the All-Star game with coworkers, and going home. Once home, I freeze some grapes for the drive. Pretty good.

Wednesday:
7:00 - Press snooze.
7:10 - Press snooze.
7:20 - Turn off alarm.
8:04 - Get up, later than planned, and too late to run.
8:45 - Leave aparment. Head out for noon minor league game in Battle Creek. Eat frozen grapes, carrots, and celery during early part of trip. Drink cherry-flavored, locally grown coffee. Pretty great. Stop at Burger King near Grand Rapids. Love the hash browns, dislike the ham, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich. Moral: Always go bacon. Or sausage. Definitely not ham - too thin.
11:10 - Exit Interstate 96. Expected arrival: 11:45
12:20 - Actual arrival. M-66 is a bitch.
12:22 - Make eye contact, exchange alternate-height handshakes (that is, I'm several feet below them) with both broadcasters.
12:25 - Head to seats, third base side of plate.
Later - Purchase hot dog and Cracker Jack. Five dollars. Relocate to field-level seats by third base coaching box.
Later - Enjoy wide-ranging conversation of two dorks in front of me. Sports talk stuff. ("We'll miss Wallace.") Comic Book stuff. (I can't quote.) Odd stuff about them both being insomniacs.
Later, by three or four innings - Relocate down the left field line, to "The Largest Outdoor Bar in Michigan."
Pitching change, Top 6th - Try to get ice cream. Line is too long. "Decide" against it.
Top 7th - Catch a foul ball. I don't know who hit it.
Mid 8th - Enjoy the catcalls towards the "Gatorade Girls" from the manufacturing guys who have been enjoying "The Largest Outdoor Bar in Michigan." Dudes were in their 30's. Girls in their mid-teens. I don't recall specifics, but they were pretty good.
Bottom 8th - Nod off, at least twice.
Top 9th - Return to field-level seats. Enjoy a stirring, exciting, two-run comeback in the bottom half of the inning.

Post-game: Totally nerd out. Wait by the visiting clubhouse. No joke. Ask This Guy to sign my ball. He does. He was awesome. Glides to the ball in center. Legged out a triple, complete with a headfirst slide. They say he's one of the ten best prospects in baseball. I'm a nerd.

Also, visit with visiting broadcaster for about 20 minutes. He has to head back home, sadly.

3:30 - Leave park for establishment with home broadcaster. Order a few beers. Eat dinner. Enjoy conversation. Trade stories. Catch up on other guys in the league. Talk up my situation, but look back and kind of miss the former situation. Mostly, though, I know - and tell him - that the good outweighs the bad, and that the move has been the right one. Tell new stories.
7:45 - Leave. Two drinks and one burger in me. Great, great time. More than four hours of a great time.
8:15 - Get disconnected while talking to Cookie. He's got Corey Dillon on speed dial.
8:30 - Refill car. Use surprisingly clean gas station restroom. Purchased a Little Debbie Fudge Round - awesome - and a Diet Dr. Pepper - Berries and Cream - awful. I wanted coffee, but the gas station "had none."
10:40 - Arrive in the ring fingernail.
11:20 - Talk to Gurs for, like, an hour. Nothing of substance is covered.
12:50 - Sleep.

Thursday -
8:20 - Awake, later than planned. Shorten the run - 2.45 miles.
9:45 - Arrive at work. Go hard. Proud of my efforts.
1:25 - Eat lunch.
2:20 - Leave work.
2:50 - Leave home, with beach gear.
3:04 - Stop by eye doctor. Pick up new contact lens.
3:15 - Arrive at beach. See coworker who had same idea. Chat. Read. Listen to music. People watch. Apply sunscreen. Dog watch. Finish Kafka on the Shore. Talk about Neko Case. (Not a conversation, a monologue.)
5:35 - Leave.
5:55 - Run. 3.6 miles. A bit of walking, but a faster pace than when I began a few months ago.
6:25 - Shower. Eat a mango and two clementines.
7:00 - Go the library.

The haul (this library is incredible)
Haruki Murakami - Sputnik Sweetheart (busy week coming, and this was his shortest, I think)
Charles Chadwick - It's All Right Now (read 50 pages last summer. It's 600 pages. I won't read it, I bet.)

From the A section of the CD racks (I stopped at mis-alphabetized Air - Moon Safari. That'll be where I start next time):

Acid Mothers Temple - Electric Heavyland (The library's got Japanese noise!)
Akron/Family and Angels of Light - Split CD, I guess
Aluminum Group - Happyness
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Self-titled debut. (It's so old, their contact email address is something @mail.utexas.edu. Awesome!)
Annie - Anniemal

From the "Just Arrived" (though not necessarily new) section:
R.E.M. - Around the Sun
Starlight Mints - Drowaton (2006)
Scott Walker - The Drift

What a great library. Seriously. Tiny town, but it's got Acid Mothers Temple (two CDs, though I only got this one) in the selection. Acid Mothers Temple sucks, unsurprisingly. I didn't like the Scott Walker much, either, though I'm supposed to. Anniemal made me dance.

8:00 - Purchase a belt.
8:10 - Place chicken on stove with tomatoes.
8:20 - Return. Clean. Place meats in freezer.
9:30 - Eat fantastic chicken cacciatore.
9:40 - Clean up. Make lunch. Clean more.
10:30 - Talk to parents for, like, an hour. Fringe-substantive stuff is covered.
11:30 - Talk "with" just-returned R/DS. Monologue, him to me.
12:15 - Blog.

Just a satisfying few days, I guess. I really like comments, but it might be tough to draw anything from this post. Sorry.