Hope springs eternal...

     What is it about the return of baseball that always excites the baseball fan?  Is it the promise of better weather with spring and summer hovering around the corner?  Is it the excitement of a return to cheering for a team that has revamped itself with free-agent signings or trades over the winter?  Or is it the hope that this is finally the year that answers the "wait til next year" question?  For me, spring and summer have a more deeper meaning...plenty of sunshine and hot, hot, hot! My teams did not revamp themselves with trades and blockbuster free-agent signings and to tell the truth, the Arizona Diamondbacks (team by adoption) looks to have a pretty dismal year.  The Mets...the poster children for "wait til next year" (or more like "not in my lifetime") are relying on the Yankee formula (why not copy a team that has produced 27 World Championships) of bringing young players up from the farm system and sprinkling  in some decent veterans.  The Mets hopes all rely on a treasure trove of young pitchers many of whom have not produced in the majors but are ranked very high in baseball's top prospect lists.

     The key is the return of Matt Harvey from Tommy John surgery, who missed all of last year but made a spectacular debut in 2013.  Until he went down with the elbow injury, he was leading the majors in strikeouts, was a Cy Young candidate, and started the All Star Game for the National League.  Zack Wheeler and Jacob DeGrom (NL Rookie of the Year) return from last year and the best prospect is still in the minor leagues... Veterans Jon Niese and Dillon Gee and very veteran (42) Bartolo Colon return to give the Mets a ton of starting pitching.  The closer is also returning from an injury (Bobby Parnell), but the bullpen is also a solid group.  The problem will be where the heck will run support will come from...Curtis Granderson stunk up the place last year, David Wright is returning from shoulder surgery, our catcher is a light hitting one and we don't have a proven shortstop...This is where the hope springs eternal part comes in.   The addition of John Mayberry Jr. and Michael Cuddyer (can he hit at sea level after a great year in Denver) isn't scaring anyone in our division.  But the Phillies are old and the Braves have traded away some important players so the Mets have a chance to do something.  There are too many question marks as to how the team will shape up, but that's the joy of being a fan...with each spring there comes the hope that this will be the year that the team makes a run for the playoffs...(although if they could play some meaningful games in August and September, that would be great).

     Stay warm, East Coast and all of you struggling through another tough winter...spring and summer are just around the corner... The Boys of Summer are back!

The first week back in the land of the living...

     There is nothing like a couple days off to recharge the batteries and clear the cobwebs from an addled brain...and the fact that it was a weekend (a REAL weekend) made it all the better.  I got some time to re-establish my sleep cycle to a more normal one...I am averaging 7-9 hours of sleep (guess that night shift took more of a toll than I thought).   I want to see if I can get back to around 6 hours as daylight savings time (for all the rest of you, that is) comes back on March 8 this year...(I Googled it). The earlier sunrise presents more opportunity for tee times during the week and I plan on taking advantage of it.  I played golf yesterday afternoon in shorts as it was 75 degrees and a bit cloudy...(I also saw that the temperature was 5 degrees in New York City for the NBA All-Star game...Sorry).  I had several very good shots including an almost hole-in-one on one par 3 (the ball rested less than a foot from the cup) but the bad shots were terrifically bad and the need for practice never was more evident.  So I am taking an hiatus from playing on the course...except for next Sunday when Eric comes to town... (which is easy because prices are still very high) and will focus myself on improving my fundamentals through practice.  I still can't putt worth a damn, Victor, so working on the greens can't be a bad idea.

     Spring training is right around the corner and the Boys of Summer will be returning to the Valley.  My Mets will be in Florida and I have been reading their website and MLB.com to see if maybe this year I can watch a full season of baseball.  Most years they are out of it by the All-Star Game (July) but they have a good group of young pitchers who could make it interesting in Queens this summer.  Tentative plans are in the works for a summer trip back to the New York area this year, but there are many things that need to fall in place for that to happen.  I will keep you posted on the progress of that.  In the meantime, back here, my adopted Diamondbacks are probably going to stink the place up as everyone in their division (except the Colorado Rockies) has reloaded with players while the Dbacks have not...(so it looks like tickets will be available as most fans will be disguised as empty seats at Chase Field).  The Mets come into Arizona for four games in early June including a weekend so I will save my pennies and get downtown to see my beloved (and extremely exasperating) Mets play.

     I am liking this new shift very much...my ability to communicate with human beings is returning nicely as I see many during the day now...Have a great day and I will continue my return to the airways (internet style) very soon.

   

What a difference a day makes....

    As the title suggests, the end of an era and beginning of an extremely positive change has occurred...the vampire of the graveyard shift is now a day-walker (thanks to the movie Blade). Yesterday was the first time since I started at Desert Highlands that I began a shift and went home on the same day and it was fantastic.  I slept like a baby last night...(except for the wetting the bed part) and I am looking forward to today's adventures.  There is nothing like watching a sunset while cruising around a beautifully landscaped property (I actually get to see the property)  and talking to living, breathing people instead of wild animals...(not that I talk to wild animals...God, I was working nights too long).  I was a little apprehensive about the change, but I believed that it would be good and I have no reason not to believe that it was the right time and place to make that change.

     Now that my sleep cycle will be returning to a more manageable time slot, there are plans in the works to finally get this old, out-of-shape carcass that I inhabit back into looking like something I want to walk around in...(and that may actually attract a mate...Jeez, there's the wild animal thing again) and may be pleasant enough for women to find appealing...(that sounds better).  I have blown the dust off the gym membership card and have taken the clothes off the Total Gym and returned them to the closet where they belong...(I am actually writing this blog between sets...good boy!) and the long arduous task has begun...I foresee many days ahead of total body soreness and I couldn't be happier.  This is the part of my addictive personality that comes in handy...when I get started and the endorphin production starts, I tend to stick with it...I just need to approach it the way I did with running...drag myself out the door and do it.  Once I got on the road, I didn't want to stop running and I feel the same way working out.  I just need to take it easy so that I don't overdo it...(which is the part of the addictive personality that doesn't come in handy).  And as my history tells us, I can certainly do the "overdoing" part...(see 2 knee procedures and 2 DWIs).  

     So that is the plan...more to come on many fronts.  Please stay tuned and have a great day!

Returning to the "land of the living"...

     Today I bid farewell to the overnight shift, aka the graveyard, and tomorrow embark on working with sunglasses, sunscreen, and people as I move to second shift... (2pm-10pm).  The graveyard took its toll (I never really got the sleep thing right) and not being around people left me too much time in my own head...(and we know how dangerous THAT can be!).  Working second shift seems to go a little faster (in the space time continuum that exists in my head---told you it was dangerous in there) as the access gate is busier, there is more actual work to be done, and believe it or not dealing with the membership is not as horrible as I was led to believe...and even though there will be more rattlesnake calls as the weather gets warmer, it's much easier to see the little buggers in the daylight.

     There are adjustments I will have to make...the waving to the members as I drive around, actually staying on one side of the road and watching out for pedestrians and other cars, stopping at stop signs and engaging in conversation (all skills not really a part of being a "vampire" security guard).  But, going in and getting out on the same day will be nice...it will greatly improve my knowledge of what day it actually is, rather than counting how many shirts I've worn to determine the day of the week...(yes, that was my system).  The major bonus is having Saturdays and Sundays off for the first time since I started working security in 2009 and the overtime train will not be running as much as it has in the past as we finally hired another officer to free up other people to pile on the hours.  So, after today (and tonight...working 2pm-2am), it back to some semblance of a normal existence.  Let the return to sanity (as much as I can expect being who I am) begin!

     On a serious note, I am thankful to the cousins who have kept me up on Uncle Charlie's condition as he recovers in the rehabilitation center in Pennsylvania.  It is good to see that he is making progress and is gaining back his strength and the uniqueness that is Uncle Charlie...Much love and prayers to Aunt Joan as she battles Mother Nature to make the trek to see him.  I do not miss the joy of travelling by car in winter ice and snow and I pray the weather cooperates as it seldom does in wintertime... Prayers also to the family and friends who are obviously concerned with Charlie's well-being...Speedy recovery, Uncle Charlie...God Bless you and the family.

   I would also like to send well wishes and prayers out to Loretta who is struggling with shoulder issues (man, I suck at keeping in touch, don't I?). I hope everything works out for you, darlin'!.