Summer Blahs

Here's the thing with my blog....I don't want to be boring. Most of my life is dull agonies which seem trivial to other people. I'm trying to get my own life. I'm still writing articles for the local newsweekly. I'm trying to fill the time...I know it's not all about waiting for the next Challenge.

One stupid thing happened last week. After my aborted effort to see the Mets in Philadelphia, I decided to go to Shea Stadium. Why? For one thing, I wouldn't have to drive. Just take the local rail to the ferry station, take the ferry to the city, and take a few subway lines to the stadium. And this was a "bronze" game. Let me explain...in a bizarre and dumb move, the Mets have five tiers of ticket prices. "Platinum" is reserved for Opening Day and the Yankees homestand, "Gold" is for the marquee teams and dates, and so on down to "Value," which is for crap teams like the Nationals. Actually, the Nationals were crap. Now they're on top of the National League East. So are the Padres, and their games at Shea are "Bronze." The Giants get higher status, but Barry Bonds has been out all season. Do you see the problem? Guys, you're not the Yankees. They got ten straight seasons of October games, the giant baseball bat, and a legacy that chokes the opposition (at least until this year). You guys have a crap stadium and a team that runs hot and cold. Drop the damn prices!

I didn't go. Why not? First, there was a forecast for thunderstorms. Secondly, I had bag issues. Everywhere I go, I take my backpack. Problem is, management has certain restrictions. If your bag is larger than their specs, kiss it goodbye. The night before, I worked myself into a lather, grabbing bag after bag, measuring each dimension. Nothing fit. I just wanted something to carry a few books in for transit reading, and taking home any souvenirs I might buy (scorebook would be minimum...I always keep score). I woke up, heard the weather report, and decided to screw it. Spent much of the day worried that Pedro Martinez would throw a no-hitter and I'd miss it. He ended up winning the game, and I decided to try again in a few weeks.

That day, I went to see Batman Begins. I am such a pitiful example of a comic fanboy, seeing a movie weeks after it launches. I wasn't disappointed. While the screenplay tweaks the origin to include stuff that's not cannon in the mythos...but it works. It all works. Batman? Works. Scarecrow and Ra's Al Guhl? Works. Alfred Pennyworth and Lucuis Fox? Works. Katie Holmes? I'm not holding her romance with Tom Cruise against her. The Schumacher follies are a distant memory, and DC Comics has running room for their Superman and Wonder Woman flicks.

That's it. If something interesting and fun happens, I'll write about it here. I'll be playing tour guide for my mother later this month in San Diego, and I'm planning a trip to Toronto for late August. And who knows? Maybe I'll have more reasons to write here than before.