Yay vw for good news.

The names for hurricanes this year include: Cindy, Emily, Lee, and Maria. I am very afraid.

But it definitely was a big old clue.

You would think I would have realized it earlier, what with the "When we're married and have kids ..." "Um, I don't want children." "Oh, I'll change your mind." conversations, the "Your friends aren't cool enough for us to hang out with" statements, and the "But why won't you have sex with a girl and let me watch? I think you're repressed" argument. But no, I ignored all that. Apparently, if I had said I was going to move in with him, my parents had a plan involving me vanishing to Canada for a few weeks while they and some friends talked some sense into me.

t /me me me meeeee

So! Someone distract me. I don't want to look at these Help files anymore.

The names for hurricanes this year include: Cindy, Emily, Lee, and Maria. I am very afraid.

dashes through thread waving glittery bats and singing a Danny Elfman medley

Was that distracting enough for you?

Yes! It shall be the year of CLEM!

Fay! Hi!

And now I'm off to the crap class. See you on the flip side, Bitches.

(I don't know why I was suddenly compelled to say that. The spirit of Johnny Fever seems to have possessed me.)

dashes through thread waving glittery bats and singing a Danny Elfman medley

Was that distracting enough for you?

Again! Again!

I just got an email back from Tim, the manager of Emmett's Little League team. I'm the official assistant coach and I had tentatively queried on the notion of balancing development with competition. In brief, as the season has worn on we have consistently faced teams who run out their best pitcher for the first two innings. Unlike most other teams we're about 3-4 deep with Best Pitchers, and can effectively shut down the competition even just by having our top pitchers each pitch one inning. He answered back:

We know that we can win games, and we know how. Those critical issues like kid pitchers actually throwing strikes is where it is at. As long as we cruise along at .500 or so, I'm willing to keep giving opportunities to kids who may not get them in the future. Many teams are starting to use just a few kids to pitch, and that's ok. I'd still prefer to give more opportunities (realistically, Emma has no business pitching or catching, but she really enjoys stepping up to the challenge).

Isn't that cool? I just have so much respect for him, and really feel lucky that Emmett's had him for a coach for his first two years. I mean, I like winning. But really it's not much to ask to take one more year with the focus more on development than competition even in a year where those two elements are balanced.

swoops past on a broomstick, trailing brilliantly coloured fish in her wake and scattering oddments of shiny Victoriana

See you on the flip side

This is also a quote from Boondock Saints (good movie!).