The co-writer of the opening number, Tom Kitt, went to college with me and is married to one of my classmates.

Well he did a great job! I just watched it again, and the whole spectacle makes me tear up, but the "everyone up here today, we WERE that kid, and now we're bigger" was very moving.

Well he did a great job!

He really did.

The co-writer of the opening number, Tom Kitt, went to college with me and is married to one of my classmates.

That's awesome!

I just watched it again, and the whole spectacle makes me tear up, but the "everyone up here today, we WERE that kid, and now we're bigger" was very moving.

Seriously.

It was a busy weekend. Leif had three one and half hour soccer tryouts. Two of them were for the middle school team. Since he skipped a grade and isn't too far from the cut-off date, he was trying out with kids one and a half to three years older. That makes a huge difference at that age. Not to mention Leif is also small for his age. He didn't make the cut, but he played hard and didn't back down even though he looked like a little kid out there. We were pretty proud of him. They are going to let him practice with the team even though he didn't make it.

One more round of try-outs for teams a year older than his age to go. He has a place on a U12 team so at least there's no question of him being able to play.

He wants to play on the high school team, and we really need to get it through to him that physical skills aren't like academic skills. He thinks once he learns something, he doesn't need to keep practicing it because that's how it works for him academically.

Aw, poor Leif. Age makes such a difference there.

Ok, buffistas advice time: last night my throat felt like everyone I swallowed I was being stabbed with a tiny knife on one side of my throat--like I had something sharp stuck in my throat. Looked at it with a flashlight and mirror, and maybe there's a white spot? Or maye throats just look weird? I decided to get up early and go to the minute clinic place--it might be costly but I could go in before my trip today. But then I woke up and my throat doesn't really hurt at all. What to do??

At least here the minute clinic places aren't any more expensive that going to our regular doctor. Going to the one in the local Walgreen's is actually less expensive.

Hang in there, Leif!

Meara, if it doesn't hurt, I wouldn't worry too much about your throat. If the pain comes back, definitely go to a doctor.

Woke up at 5 east coast time to make it to the Hartford airport. Now I am in Detroit. I have about an hour more layover before I board my flight home to LA...and then I have to drive straight to work from the airport to fill out paperwork (changing insurance companies as of July 1st) and go to a trustee wine and cheese thing. Then I go home and fall down. Long day. I'm so glad I went , though. My gram turned 100 yesterday, and I got to spend the whole weekend with her and more family.

He thinks once he learns something, he doesn't need to keep practicing it because that's how it works for him academically.

My mantra with Emmett has been, "at every level you have to raise your game just to stay where you were. You have to improve or you're going to go backwards."

That's especially true with catching where there's such a complex skill base, but I've watched many all-stars regress over the years to become fairly mediocre players. And sometimes it's because they just lost ground physically, never getting big enough to play competitively at the next level. But oftentimes it's skill attrition. Lots of guys who started as stud shortstops are in left field now.

Good mantra.

Meara, if it doesn't hurt, I wouldn't worry too much about your throat. If the pain comes back, definitely go to a doctor.

Yeah, I'm just worried it'll hurt tonight or tomorrow and I'll be busy working and in Colorado and not able to go anywhere.

That's awesome you got to be there for the 100th birthday!