What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Missed me? I didn't miss you. I was having too much fun. In the scheme of things, thinking about a moribund baseball team led by incompetents playing out the string in the bland hopes of netting the 4th-best prospect in baseball instead of the 6th-best ain't nothing compared to sitting on the rocks watching the surf pound harder and harder as the tide nears its peak. So as exciting as the recent games were, to include Ramon Ortiz' where-the-hell-did-that-come-from start, they were about the furthest thing from my mind.

Today was my first day in my office since that last post, which seems like it was about a month ago. In the meantime, I managed to dip my feet in Lake Tahoe and Penobscot Bay. All I needed was a sidetrip to Titicaca, and it would've been one wacky fortnight. At any rate, with the day game today and a mountain of unread email (not to mention another freakin' big project with a too-soon due date), I paid next to no attention to today's game either.

All I knew is that when the clock struck 4, the game wasn't quite over, and if I didn't want to get stuck in the game-related exodus to Virginia, I'd have to scoot away from my desk a few ticks early. I got to my car right as Ryan Church walked, after having fallen behind 0-2, a good at bat, even if the pitcher's rolling 'em up there bocce-style. Good timing I guess. One strike to Vidro, 0-1. Then queue Charlie, as he ripped into cord-shredding overdrive, describing Vidro's game-winning hit rolling down the line.

I can't say I felt the joy that I felt earlier this year. It's hard when this season, despite some highs, has been mostly full of lows and what-should've beens. But it did bring a smile to my face.

And as I cruised ahead of the gameday exodus, hitting just a few bottlenecks thanks to the typically clueless Marlyand drivers, I was soon home. For better or worse.

Lots of crap has happened, most of which I'm not going to recap. That's what the other 14,534 Nats blogs are for. I suspect that I'll find a few words here or there to chip in on things as we go forward.

No pictures of just rocks this year, but if you're nice, I'll have some pictures of lighthouses and cormorants. Hello? Hello? Still there?

This is neither, but I like it, even if it's busy. So there.