Rain Delay

Stormy Monday Redux

Yet another rainy morning...

In an ironic twist, this wet weather causes my osteoarthritis to act up, which slows down my progress on the ark I have been building. On the other hand, the avian visitors to the bed & breakfast on my patio are amusing when they're trying to dry themselves off...

"Have I mentioned how much I hate rain-soaked anthills?"

I believe you have raised the point a time or two, yes...

On Holiday

Since the 4th of July fell on a Saturday this year, many people got today off as part of the holiday weekend. Frankly, I'm not in the mood to write about anything serious today anyway, but that's my excuse. I'll be back to complaining about various and sundry outrages tomorrow...

"I'm sure the world can wait one more day for your brilliant insights."

Well, they'll have to, won't they?

Things That Make Me Happy: All-Star Starters Edition

Major League Baseball's 86th All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 14 at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. The defending American League Champion Kansas City Royals, who also have the best record in the league at the moment, will have four players in the starting lineup for the game:

L to R: Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain.

Shark Week: The Most Interesting Shark in the World

[Note: The image macro meme this item is spoofing can be seen here.]

Morning Habits

Like most people, I'm a creature of habit. Most every day starts out the same with me. Shut off the alarm, feed the cats (if I don't do this first, they'll dog my every step until I trip over one of them, and I don't need that kind of drama when I'm barely awake), then proceed with my own breakfast...

I usually start with some sort of cold cereal during the spring and summer months. When the weather turns nippy in the fall I switch to Cream of Wheat, Quaker Oatmeal, etc.

In addition to Special K I also like Total, Wheaties, Cheerios, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, and most varieties of Chex.

More often than not I drink regular orange juice (not from concentrate), but last summer a friend got me to try this, and now I have it periodically as a refreshing change of pace from my usual Minute Maid...

Even if I don't have time for the rest of my morning routine, I can't get going without coffee. Duh.

I'm close to finishing this bag (I'm really fond of the "blonde" roasts, especially Veranda), and I'm looking forward to trying something new next, probably the Kati Kati...

"I recommend that you try ants all the time, but you never do. What's up with that?"

Aesthetics, old friend. I don't eat things that are still moving...

Things That Make Me Happy: Walk-Off Edition

My beloved Kansas City Royals had not had a walk-off win (scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning or in extra innings) all season until this weekend. Yesterday, they scored their second walk-off win in three games when Eric Hosmer doubled home Lorenzo Cain in the bottom of the 9th, beating the Twins 3-2.

Hosmer the Hero!

We got a much-needed quality start from Danny Duffy, and the bullpen was strong as usual. Greg Holland got the win after retiring the Twins on just 11 pitches in the top of the 9th inning.

Tonight the Tampa Bay Rays come to Kauffman Stadium to begin a four-game series. Edinson Volquez will take the mound for the Royals...

Until Next Time...

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed listening to blues music when the weather turns depressing. I'm sure there are all sorts of clever-sounding psychological rationales for this, but I really don't care. All I know is that the blues makes me feel a little better when the weather has me down. End of story.

Today's send-off is a splendid collaboration among three kick-ass blues guitarists: Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, and Robert Cray. Enjoy...