Instant Oatmeal.

Because you can't have ballplayers who do that thing where they stick out their glove tentatively while turning their head away, because that way lies missing teeth.

Oh, like our varsity second baseman (girl)? She still has her teeth, but us parents figure it is a matter of time.

Oh, like our varsity second baseman (girl)? She still has her teeth, but us parents figure it is a matter of time.

Bloody hell! You can't play SECOND BASE and be afraid of the ball! I hope her parents have a good oral surgeon.

The Oakland Overpass fire was caught on tape: [link]

Steph, I swear she just throws down her glove and closes her eyes. She has SO many errors this year, it is craxy and yet the coaches have done nothing to pull in another girl at second.

After two hand related injuries, K-Bug flinched too much at catcher and that is why she switched away from that position.

I'm so sorry, Aillean.

Ailleann, I'm so sorry. It's never too early to start drinking.

Hivemind Q: Next week I have to go to some meetings in Savannah. The publisher who sponsors these meetings also pays our way and makes the arrangements. One of the arrangements they make is for a big-ass limo ride to/from the airport (the last time I could have turned cartwheels in the damn thing -- it's very diamond shoes, but why couldn't they just pay for a nice, normal, anonymous cab ride?).

So the question is: Do I tip the driver? What do I tip, since I don't have the cost of the ride as a starting point from which to work?

So the question is: Do I tip the driver? What do I tip, since I don't have the cost of the ride as a starting point from which to work?

when someone else is paying, I assume that the gratuity is taken care of. However, if the driver is exceptionally attentive/helpful, it couldn't hurt.

The usual travelling default of a buck or two per bag?

Ailleann, I'm so sorry. Gah.

Of course, there's a balance to be drawn and when my players get hit by a ball I know they're as much shocked and scared as they are hurt. And it hurts plenty. That's something that I always acknowledge and validate with them. But it's usually not damaging and that's kind of the distinction. Learning to deal with painful things that aren't really injurious. Not more than a bruise.

That's a valuable lesson.

We've (so far) been pretty good about this balance in toddlerdom. I notice Lillian's a lot better about picking herself up and moving along than babies whose parents react with alarm any time they take a tumble. She's learned that you may slip and startle yourself, but it's not worth making a huge fuss over, because we react calmly.

Of course, amusingly, I'm a Big Huge Baby when it comes to anticipation of pain. I swear, I wasn't growing up.