5 Things #23: 9/16/22

1. No SFO

Well, in the last post I was saying how I was headed to San Francisco for a conference. I fully intended to go. I packed my bags, I said my goodbyes, I set my alarm, and I drove to the Austin airport. When I arrived I was greeted by blackness. The power had gone out! I was one of the lucky ones who actually was able to get to the airport. Shortly after I arrived they closed the entrances and diverted traffic away. But I stood there for hours in darkness with strangers just milling around the terminal. Finally, the power was restored and the arduous process of getting everyone through security began. I made it to my gate long after my flight had been scheduled to leave, but unsurprisingly all flights were delayed. They were only starting to board the originally scheduled 5:00am flights around 9:00. I waited and waited for hours, with our departure time getting pushed back further and further. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, or maybe it was because of all the waiting around, but I began to feel sick and decided to bail on the entire trip. I just decided on a whim to walk out and go home. The trip was only an email conference with the main purpose of networking. So, to the family’s surprise, I returned home after lunch and there I stayed!

2. Mussels Lose

My kid-pitch managerial debut picked right up where coach-pitch left off, with a loss. After our Rockies team went 1-11 last season, followed by an 0-3 All-Star showing, we lost our first Mighty Mussels game this season, 6-2. Our team has a lot of younger kids who have never played at this level before, so I’m sure we’ll encounter a bumpy road this season, but hopefully the kids at least end better than they began. I found managing to be far easier at this level—it’s regular baseball… stealing, passed balls, pickoffs, etc. And from a coaching standpoint it was way easier. I was able to stay in the dugout for the whole game except to make pitching changes, rather than being out on the field doing the pitching and defensive coaching myself.

3. Oculus

One of John’s birthday presents was a used Oculus Quest that I purchased from old buddy Bart. I had never used any sort of VR video game before, so it was all new to me too. We loaded it up with a few games and man, I was floored. The first week of playing, I really felt like I was actually there in the games. I was playing a boxing game that was literally too real and it scared me. I had to throw off the headset once or twice as a boxer was about to pummel me in a ring in front of thousands. After a couple weeks the realness of it has worn off, but it’s still very fun and a good workout. Thanks to the grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and others for your birthday gifts also. We may not have acknowledged them but John is very grateful.

4. Night Owl

After moving into John’s room, we dealt with a lot of Edie looniness at bedtime. She constantly shrieked in glee as she climbed onto his upper bunk repeatedly, loving every second of misery she caused John. We’d yank her off and she’d giggle and climb right back up. Finally, a sticker chart did the trick. If she stays off John’s bed she earns a sticker and after 10 stickers she can pick one of the prizes she’s been yammering for—light-up Spiderman shoes or a toy ice cream cart. But it didn’t solve all the problems. Now, she stays up later the the adults! She hasn’t gone to sleep before 10:00 for the past week, and seems no worse for wear the next day. She just doesn’t require any rest. She’s as perky at 5:50 the next morning as ever. I think napping at school is partially to blame but legally they have to require an hour of rest time. I guess this is just how it will be from now on.

5. Current Shows

With Saul over, I am almost out of new shows to watch. Rick & Morty is back for a new season, but a cartoon is hardly the same, and I don’t like the newer wildly complicated plots as much as the early seasons. I started the first few minutes of Severance on AppleTV but am less than one full episode in. So, I’m open to suggestions!