Still Here, Congrats, and See You There

It's been two long weeks since I last posted anything and that seems a fair indication of how things have been going for Kim and I. She's very busy with work and trying to find away to remain amicable and affable while working with a new, unqualified, and unprofessional supervisor who is threatened by Kim's ability. That ability, by the way, continues to surprise and delight. Most recently, Kim got her semester grades back from her graduate program and discovered she'd earned "Honors" in all three of her classes. Just so you all understand, an "Honors" is meant to denote work that 'far exceeds expectations and readily surpasses work that would otherwise be deserving of an A.' Wow!

And speaking of academic accomplishments, Rita is currently enjoying her sixth day of being an accomplished college graduate. As proof of her intelligence, she's celebrating by taking a day off of work. And this is a well deserved respite, I should add, as there's only a few months left until Rita begins her graduate career at the auspicious Boston University. Wow (again)!

Other than that, Kim and I have been putting miles on the car by driving to Maine as often as we can. We were up there last weekend and hope to make it back within the coming weeks. Nan's doing well and seems to be as comfortable as anyone could hope. Kim and I won't be "up 'Noth" this weekend, however, because we'll be down in Baltimore watching the Red Sox take on the Orioles. Not only are we thrilled to watch the games, but we're also excited to be there with so many friends and family (in alphabetical order):

Adam (my buddy from high school, also known as "The Commish"),

Amanda (Chad's wife),

Chad (Kim's friend and neighbor from growing up),

Kris (Kim's twin brother),

Kirsten (long time girlfriend of Kris),

and Rita (Adam's wife, recent college graduate, and soon to be "BU Terrier").

Mike (Kim's oldest brother) and Luana almost made it, but Mike had to head out to Colorado at the last minute.

All and all, it should be a wonderful time and I look forward to blogging all about it soon.

Other than that, I found out yesterday that I've been asked to present at a national conference in Houston, Texas, later this year. I should qualify that statement by noting that I'm one of 400 people that have been asked to do so, but it remains a wonderful honor, nonetheless. Anyone out there ever been to Houston? Can you recommend some "must see" tourist attractions, etc.?

Well, that's the "still here" and "congrats." All that's left is the "see you there." Look for more to come following the Baltimore trip! See you there.

Dude!...What?!? (Again)

This is a video of Yves Rossy flying at 180mph by virtue of a single wing, jet-powered device. This is absolutely amazing. Anyone reading this interested in trying it out?

Manny Being the New Manny

For all the complaining people used to do about "Manny being Manny," this play from last night's game was really incredible. Here, Manny makes a great catch only feet from the outfield wall, takes another couple steps to climb the wall, high five's a Red Sox fan while atop the wall, and then returns to the field of play to "double-up" a base runner trying to get back to first.

I don't want to say Manny's the only one that could do something like this, but he's about the only one that would find himself in this position.

Here's the link to the video (which has already been pulled from YouTube because of copyrighting) and some pics from the catch:

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200805142699480

Dude!...What?!?

Just quickly, I want to make it clear I have no problems with Clay Buchholz as a person. I'm even completely over the fact that his last name has two, count 'em...two, consecutive "H's." But I just saw something I never thought I'd see and Buchholz's name was attached to it. Tell me you ever thought you'd see this:

Yes, this does lend itself to every horrible, stereotypical, hyper-masculine joke you can conceive of, but honestly....

And again, I understand that there is a fundamental and practical legitimacy to this, but if Buchholz's value is that he's been doing everything he can to help "the Boys," then what is this all about? And does it mean that in order to continue helping out he needs to get a manicure before games?

Ughhh. Not that I want Buchh picking up habits from Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, but if you're going to have personal beauticians follow you on road trips, let it be someone that's going to be giving you "cornrows" rather than someone who specializes in filing, tissue enamels, and "hang nails."
But, in support of the Boys, I must admit I did do some research into this and found some potential help for Buchholz. Please enjoy, to the extent we can celebrate something like this.

Mother's Day

Kim and I just returned from Maine. On Friday, we were ready to spend a quiet weekend here in Brooklyn, catching our breath, when we got a phone call that her grandmother, Nan, was sick and in the hospital. We were on the road 30 minutes later.

Nan is doing much better now then when we first saw her, but it was a solemn visit in a lot of ways. Being there, however, gave us a real opportunity to enjoy Mother's Day with our family in Maine. The weather was beautiful and nearly as warm as the love in the hospital room. We also had plenty of time to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other's company. Additionally, there was time to interact with, reflect with, and photograph Nan.

Kim and I are both very tired right now (we arrived in Maine at 1:30am on Saturday and left Sunday at 1pm), but had a wonderful time and were glad to be with her family this weekend. Additionally, we're looking forward to getting some time off around Memorial Day, perhaps making another trip up to Maine to check on Nan, and the upcoming trip to Baltimore at the end of May so we can watch the Red Sox with our friends and family.

As you look over the photos, enjoy this intimate look at such a beloved matriarch. The following image has a small sign in the background, "Luiggi's," which marks the restaurant Nan's family started so many years ago. There's another one of Nan with "Abey," a stuffed monkey Kim and I bought her in honor of a long-standing family tradition, and a picture of Nan's hands which seem to tell the story of her entire life. The remaining photos speak for themselves.

Lots of love to all the mom's out there, the children that love them, and the adults that realize they'll always be children...at least in their mother's eyes.