So...

... the Baysox lost 9-7, they never led in this game although they did rally several times to make it interesting. It was chilly, in the 50's, and cold fingertips make for interesting trips to the restroom. I won some scratch off tickets - there all duds. There were not many people at the game, and one slightly intoxicated fan's heckling of the visiting team could clearly be heard from every seat in the stadium. Apparently it was his birthday.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today I am 35 years old... or as my wife put it when she gave me my birthday presents, 'halfway to 70'. Wow! This one snuck up on me. I don't care about being 35, I don't think, but it starts to bother me that I don't plan for birthdays, holidays or special events. I am constantly 'surprised' when the actual day arrives. I feel as if I've said, "I can't believe it's already (FILL IN HOLIDAY OR SPECIAL EVENT). I completely forgot about it this year", more in the past few months than ever before! Now, I know it's practically impossible to forget your own birthday but you get the gist. It's hard to believe that it's already here.

I don't know why that is. I've never really cared about getting older, not that I know of. I mean, maybe there's a small part of me that is counting the years as they click by and is growing increasingly concerned about my inability to - how should I put it? - get ahead? grow up? be self sufficient? figure shit out? I don't know. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm very good at being an adult.

Or maybe it has more to do with missing my mother. This has been a year of firsts for our family, including those birthdays, holidays, and special events that I mentioned earlier. I suppose it is only natural to think of her and miss her, a little more so, on these days. She hasn't been very far from my thoughts all day.

Regardless of the reason, my birthday has crept up on me, and today is that day. So far, I have received several cards, +50 Facebook messages, numerous well wishes, a gift certificate to Audible.com, a White Bear Lake shirt, a dvd, and a well timed delivery of a book I ordered online: The Woman Who Wouldn't. Thank you paperbackswap.com. Tonight I plan on attending a Baysox game with the wife, best friend, and my father. Hopefully, it will be a fun game.

I May Be Losing My Mind!

(This is one of our classroom computers. I spend a good percentage of the day sitting at the computer - besides the obvious uses it is a good vantage point for observing all of the students in our class.)

A few days ago I lost my water bottle; an aluminum twist on cap sort of bottle. I always have it nearby at work or in my car. I do my best to keep the kidneys hydrated.

Then suddenly it was gone. I remember filling it up and returning to class. Several minutes later it was missing. I searched that classroom high and low repeatedly. I had resigned to swing by target today and get a replacement.

(This is where I found my water bottle today. I couldn't believe it had been there all week.)

Book Recommendation

Recently I listened to the audio book THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeanette Walls. I enjoy a good memoir every now and again.

This book was fascinating on so many levels. It's the story of a young woman who grew up in a rootless family, with two self-absorbed, and unreliable parents. I was amazed by the candor in which she told her story. She described the family picking up and leaving town in the middle of the night on several occasions, she wrote of the many times the children in the family went hungry because the father spent the grocery money of hooch, and she told about her struggle to rise above the poverty and make something of herself.

It was an inspirational story. It was a frustrating story. There were moments when I wanted to throw the audio book out of my car window and into rush-hour traffic. The level of the selfishness that the Walls parents displayed, the eccentric self-centered neglect of their children, and the repeated disappointments and heartaches suffered by the children. I don't want to go into too much detail, in case you would like to read the book yourself, but suffice it to say I was disgusted at times, but always intrigued.

1st Baysox Game of the Season!

It was a beautiful Spring afternoon so Reb and I decided to take in a Baysox game with the kids! We were unaccompanied by our wives and so the rules might've been a little lax! Bennett and Savannah seemed to enjoy themselves.



It was a great game! The Bowie Baysoxbeat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-1, and I only got a small sunburn on my forearms!

Random Encounters

- I was walking down the hallway of school with a student and there were a few visitors touring the school. One of the visitors extended her hand to touch me on the arm and said, 'Ty? You're Ty, right? Cobb? I worked with your mother.'

- A former co-worker comes in for dinner at the restaurant with her HOT mom, and through the course of the meal we discuss my work with special education. Turns out the mom works in special ed as well, and lives in Bowie, oh and, 'I knew your mother. I worked with your mother many times over the years. We actually lived down the street from you.' I had no idea.

- An audience member approaches me after a performance and says, 'Hi Ty. You don't remember me but I'm Old Swimming Friend of Your Brothers'. I admit to remembering the woman, and then we chit chat about the show, and life in general. The whole time I'm wondering if she knows about mom passing away, if her father, whom we knew, is still alive, and if I should bring it up if the opportunity presents itself. It didn't.

-A large party comes into the restaurant for a birthday celebration. I start at one end of the table taking entree orders and a one of the guests, a woman says, 'Ty?' I look up and smile and say yes, knowing that my name tag often prompts diners to call me by my first name. In this case it turns out the the guest is one my mother's sorority sisters and her husband is there too. I hadn't seen the two of them since we all walked together on Team Sue during a Cancer Walk back in November.

I'm telling you this happens all the time. I'm just walking down the hall, or working a shift at the restaurant or whatever and someone will approach me and start chatting me up about my mother. It's been 9 months since she passed away, and these encounters will still throw me up into head and start me on a weird mental journey. There's always the pleasantness of hearing people praise my mother, but then it sours a little when I start to think about life 'post-ma'.

A Basket Full Of Rotten Eggs!

This weekend, so far, has been a complete bust! Crappy shifts at the restaurant, and very little money to show for it! Tax woes that tripled within one afternoon. Fights with the wife over (what else?) money!

I just want this Spring Break to be over so I can go back to work, figure out what I'm doing for a job in the future, and hope to, at least, be able to start paying off, chipping away at this new debt that seems insurmountable! I know it could always be worse. I realize that many people have much more debt, and bigger problems than we do but right now it doesn't really matter.

Some people see this time of year as something to celebrate. This holiday weekend some people are grateful for what they believe and look forward to warm days ahead. On this day when many people are celebrating the resurrection of a messiah, and the cute twitchings of a generous bunny all I can do is bemoan my bad tidings, and picture a zombie carpenter biting the head off of an opportunistic, greedy, floppy-eared henchman of Hallmark!

Not The Funniest Spring Break!

Or maybe I just don't feel that funny today, on April 1st. April Fools Day! There are certain people that would expect me to whip up a funny prank today and I'm sorry to disappoint. I woke up today and realized that I don't think I have it in me.

So far this Spring Break has consisted of me getting to sleep in a little (Yay), work a few nights at the restaurant (Boo), read a little (Yay), drink some beer (Yay), and stress about our taxes (Boo). It's not an exotic or exciting vacation by any stretch of the imagination.

It could be worse. Last year my landlords chose this week to have the siding on our house replaced and I had to wake up early every morning to the sound of hammers. Every Morning!

It could be better. Two years ago Sara and I spent our Spring Break on our honeymoon. We flew to San Francisco for a few days, and then spent some time up in wine country! I would love to go back.

So I'm sitting at my computer disappointed that I didn't plan for April Fools, disappointed that it rained for half of my Spring Break, and disappointed that we aren't sitting on the beach somewhere. Oh well, I guess it's time to turn this frown upside down. It looks beautiful outside. So maybe I'll take the Toot for a long walk, then drive downtown for lunch with a friend, and if I am feeling like spoiling myself maybe I'll get a nice cigar and sit out in the sun for a bit. I could try and pretend I'm someplace tropical.