My Oh My

March is going out like a lion. Actually, right this second, it's pretty nice. Cold, but nice. Not like the sloppy snow-rain and frigid temperatures of the last few days. I think it's because The Neighbor returned from a week long trip to her mom's. (She's a very nice daughter but that sort of behavior really messes with my cocktail hour).

This is what it looked like on Friday.

This is what The Child thought about it:

Life now returns to normal. The Child is back in school, The Neighbor will be home for cocktails this evening and I, well, I am caught up in the magic that only happens once a year, swathed as I am in the sense that anything is possible, anything can happen...all you gotta do is believe. Yep, it's Opening Day.

(Do I like the M's chances this year? Their record was 13-16-3 in spring training, which pretty much means nothing. Who knows? Ask me in July).

Dang Me

The Mariners are 1 and 0 on the season. Whoda thunk?

Happy Opening Day!

Some Updates

The Cat

Our vet saw her yesterday. She is much improved in fiestiness and spirits, which is a good thing. It suggests she's responding to the antibiotics. He did find some other things which could be indicative of a more severe condition, however, so he's doing some blood work and we'll see if that tells us anything. Meanwhile, she's dehydrated so if she doesn't seem to be drinking enough we have to push fluids. Hi. Picture me administering an IV bag to a rascally cat. Yeah, I can't see it, either.

We should have the blood tests back today or tomorrow.

The Child is being very brave and hopeful. Which is sweet and distressing. This is really hard for her.

By the time I was her age I'd seen so many animals go to their reward. I lived on a farm growing up. It happened. And if they were sick, Sean Connory was the one who moved them on to the next realm. (Something he did not enjoy, btw). Besides a frog, 2 fish and a couple of stick bugs, The Child hasn't had to really deal with pet death. The frog, that was tragic, as she'd raised it from a tadpole. But after a proper keening and a liturgically correct funeral, she was pretty much over it. The Cat would be a much bigger deal.

This sucks.

The Job

I learned yesterday that my application has made it past the HR people and onto the desk of the Department Director. Said Director has been in London and just returned. So I'm assuming I'm only one of 412,000 things she has to deal with in the next couple of weeks. But it was nice to know that I've been deemed a qualified candidate by HR. I continue to be very excited by the possibilities of this gig so that news made me superfantastically happy.

Newspapers

City Mouse gave me a fine addition for the newspaper list I posted yesterday:

The Chicago Tribune is read by people who work their butts off so other people can run the country.

This inspired me to consider another omission from the list:

The Seattle Times is read by people who are trying to come to consensus on whether to commission a study to determine the viability of developing a non-partisan board to conduct a survey on whether to call a public vote on the question of the desirability of running the country. Latte, anyone?

Baseball

The Mariners are 3-10 in spring training. Bodes well. Not.

A Few Things You Should Know About Me

1. My dad, Sean Connery, used to play baseball in college and I have vague memories of night games, under the lights, the smell of cigar smoke (which I still love because of those nights) and the sounds of cracking bats and cheering. Very basic, very visceral. I must have been, what, 2? 3?

2. 20 years later I saw my first professional game ever, in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. That's when I fell in love with the liturgy of baseball...the hot dog, the beer, the 7th inning stretch. And when, years later, I saw "Bull Durham" for the first time and Susan Sarandon's character talked about "the church of baseball", I knew exactly what she meant.

3. I stopped even reading postgame alerts in August. The Mariners sucked this year. I do not recognize this team. They haven't been the same since Lou Piniella left. I was at Safeco Field for Lou's farewell. I cried. I love Lou.

4. I hate the Yankees. Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em. Their first round elimination in post season play makes me insufferably giddy. I love when the Yankees lose and I really love when they don't get anywhere near the World Series. And I say this even though many former Mariners play for the Yankees. They are in pinstripes now so I do not love them. They were not loyal to me, I am not loyal to them. Meh.

5. If this happens, that cracking sound you hear will be my heart. Please, Lou, anywhere but there.