Stay cool, west coasters!

Happy birthdays to tiggy and Epic Tangent!

I just bought a new suitcase, because I hope that with the new checked-bag fees, they actually start cracking down on the size of carry on bags, and my other rolly bag is a little bigger than should technically be carried on, I believe.

Oh please yes. I check my bag--Northwest hasn't started charging for the first bag yet--and I can still check a second for free because of my Elite status. I carry on my rolling computer case and my purse. That's it. I'm amazed at what some people try and get away with.

Happy Birthday Epic Tangent and Tiggy!

Happy birthday Tiggy and Epic Tangent!

Happy birthdays to tiggy and epic!

My migraine is so bad I *really* don't want to go to the ER. But I will. Wish me luck.

95 outside. 80 inside. Leaving to go to the airport completely sucks. My SIL might not be too happy if I tell her that I couldn't come get her because I was melting.

Good luck, ita.

I should go to Target, but now I'm all sucked into I Love the 80s. Damn you, VH1.

happy birthday tiggy! Happy birthday epictangent! Good luck ita!

goodluck ita!

95 out side real feel 98 inside 85

ya know - knowing the temp really doesn't help.

Hey Jesse - holler if you do motivate to go to Target. I think I can convince mac and we could Outback it for dinner, or cold stone it, or BOTH!

I am SCRUBBING the bathroom and it is making me so happy.

Our team, the Cubs, won their league championship so now we get to play other teams which have won their championships in the Tournament of Champions (ToC).

It's always a pain to play ToC because people tend to take off on vacation right after school ends so it's hard to keep your team together for an extra week to play a knockout (single elimination tournament). Also, almost all of the kids on our team also play on a tournament team or all-star team so once the regular season is over their attention shifts.

Emmett has had a tough season. About halfway through he got hit by pitches in a couple games in a row. He's been hit before - many times - but at this level the pitchers throw much harder. And in these instances, they weren't incidental contact. One plowed into his lower abdomen, and the other hit him right between the shoulder blades.

It affected his swing in the second half, he was pulling off the ball (which means moving his body away from the pitch before he swings). He'd just been fighting it all the second half, and then he had the diarrhea cramps for the championship game and couldn't play.

Then he had a meltdown about even playing and skipped his first tournament with his tournament team.

But his other coaches were all supportive and we got him back into the groove and he had practices all week.

And then we played today's game. Their pitcher was a big kid, hard thrower. Threw between 65-70 mph. A little wild. Emmett comes up in the second inning. Takes a strike on the knees. Fouls one off straight back. Takes a ball. And then the kid winds up and drills Emmett right in the back. Really painful, right below the left shoulder blade.

He goes down in a heap, sobbing on the plate. I run to him to check and ask if he wants to walk it off or get a pinch runner. Now every other time Emmett has ever gotten hit by a pitch in his baseball career he's never come out for a pinch runner. But he did this time. He wanted no part of being out there.

Game goes on. We knock in a couple runs and have a 2-0 lead. Emmett's catching now and doing a great job. We need him back there. He's due to lead off the next inning. Facing the same pitcher who hit him.

And he is sobbing in the dugout. "I don't want to do it! I can't do it! No! I'm not going to do it." He doesn't want to face that pitcher. But if he comes out, we won't have our best catcher. And more, I'm afraid if he gives in to fear here, he'll never really be able to play baseball as he has before.

Also, I know that if I try to talk to him too much abut it, he'll get more upset. That he'll dig in his heels with me and really lose his shit in the dugout. Probably quit baseball.

So I tell him, "Stay off the plate. Take three big hacks and that's it. I don't care what you do. I don't care where the pitches are. Just go in there and take three big swings and get out of there."

And I leave to coach first base. Now, Emmett might dig in his heels with me and refuse to play. But he doesn't want to let his teammates down. Once I'm out of the dugout it's not about him and me, but about Emmett and baseball. That's the choice he'll make.

So he comes up to bat fighting back the tears. Fighting back his fear. First pitch is hard, right down the middle and Emmett takes a huge hack and fouls it straight back. One down. I just want him to stand in and take three swings.

Second pitch, also a strike, he fouls it away. One more swing and he can get out of there. Next pitch is high. He doesn't swing. He could've swung and gotten it over with. But he doesn't. Next pitch is hard and inside. He has to jump back to get out of the way of the pitch.

He has to stifle a sob to get back in the box. Count is two balls and two strikes. Pitcher throws it right over the plate and Emmett fouls it off. He has to fight back the tears again. Because each time he fouls it off he's prolonging the at bat and having to face yet another pitch. It's almost like choosing to face your fear again and again.

Emmett's (continued...)