Would thinking of it as a flat work, j? A really short, skinny flat that doesn't have to stand up on its own, that will be hung on a wall?

If you want to try something cheap and fast, pick up a piece of foamcore--or even corrugated cardboard from, oh, a refrigerator box. Lightweight fabric--cotton batik, frex, and masking tape. Tape all along one edge of fabric, lay the foamcore or cardboard down in the center of it, and fold the edge over and stick the tape down. Make sure you press the fabric w/in an inch of its life before you start. Tape the other edge, then carefully maintaining even tension, fold up that edge and stick it down to the back. Do the center ends, working out to the corners, where you can fold and tuck, and even snip away excess fabric if it's too bulky.

The beauty is, this piece is lightweight and easy to hang, and should hold up as long as you need it to.

I finally made it to Orlando. My flight arrived about 11, I got to my hotel about midnight. I'm going to bed now.

Or later. Hec, sorry about Emmett and his dog friend. Too bad dogs are so bad at sending postcards.

Emmett's going over to play with the dog tomorrow morning. So he'll get some quality Maklo time before he goes.

Back from two games and all day in Burlingame. We won the first and made a furious rally in the bottom of the sixth but lost the second 13-11.

This tournament was played by Pony League rules, which means the baserunners can take leads and you can steal as soon as the pitcher makes a motion to home. We usually play Little League rules which for our level means, no leads and you can't break for the next base until the ball crosses home plate.

Anyway, Emmett was awesome at catcher in tonight's game. He threw out two baserunners at third, and pounced on a short bunt and threw out a baserunner at first. That's three out of eighteen outs (in a six inning game). And it's really hard to throw somebody out in Pony League when they've basically got a running start and are halfway to the bag before the catcher gets the ball. But Emmett threw perfect laser beam throws and erased them.

There might have been some woofing from his Dad in the stands.

Also he'd been in a bit of a hitting funk all tourney but had two big hits in our last rallys, including a line drive over the shortstop's head to drive in our last run.

In some ways the best of all worlds: Emmett played well, we had a closing rally and we didn't win so we don't have to play in the finals tomorrow night. These wrap around tournaments where you have to play the final on a Monday are brutal.

I hope ND is safely ensconced in his hotel bed by now, free of airline security worries.

Personally, I'm afraid to go to bed because Matilda will be up from 2 to 4, loud, screaming and alert. As she has been for the last three weeks.

No wait! I hear her loud cry already. Well that takes the suspense out about when she's going to awake.

Ugh. I hope ND's hotel, full of children as it may be, is better than mine. Which is full-on CREEPY.

Unfortunatley, not staying at the place I thought I was, forgot it wasn't available and I had to book elsewhere. And elsewhere? IS CREEPY. Also, has no working elevator. And is CREEPY.

But everything else is booked.

Um...sweetie, you can come back here if you'd like...?

I'd go with that offer, fer sure.

Yeah, but don't really wanna drive 30 miles in rush hour traffic. Am hoping it'll be less creepy come morning.

Poor meara! I hope things look better this morning!

I must get much done today. This summer is already flying by. I have no idea how I'm going to complete everything I need to! Summer break? Where's the break part???

Anyway, Emmett was awesome at catcher in tonight's game. He threw out two baserunners at third, and pounced on a short bunt and threw out a baserunner at first. That's three out of eighteen outs (in a six inning game). And it's really hard to throw somebody out in Pony League when they've basically got a running start and are halfway to the bag before the catcher gets the ball. But Emmett threw perfect laser beam throws and erased them.

t Cartman voice Kick ass! t /Cartman voice

I always hated when teams would put the second-worst* player in at catcher, because it's such an important position.

*(Worst player, of course, gets exiled to right field, where they can scratch their butt and look at flowers undisturbed....until a leftie comes up to bat.)

ION, v. v. V. tired.

First official day of summer here. Ben is outside shooting baskets in the free-standing net it took Stephen, oh, roughly seventeen hours to assemble yesterday. Sara is sitting in a kid-sized camp chair watching with a ... calculator. Apparently, it's the Best Toy Ever.