More vacation stress.
— Manicures and pedicures this morning with my sisters and Melody. The manicurist gave Siobhan swoopy ghetto-designs on her nails without asking Siobhan. hahahaha “Uhm … I appear to have gang symbols on my nails now …”
— Swimming last night with Cashel and Siobhan. Cashel had on his Goggles, he babbled at us about X-2 in the most endearing way during the walk to the beach, ranting and raving: “He is the BEST character … he is SO COOL.” Siobhan and I continued to egg him on with questions so that he would just keep talking. Then we swam in the strong undertow, grey waves rolling in, the beach empty and grey … Cashel “body surfing”. Ahem. It was a 7 year old version of body surfing and something that cute is difficult to believe.
— More trivial pursuit last night. Cashel was on my team. We whispered and consulted together … AND we ended up winning. Yee-haw!
— I actually have stopped reading Time and Again – not because I don’t like it – but because Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King’s book Faithful was lying around and I needed to start devouring it. I love how Stephen King keeps talking about how Lou Piniella, throughout the season, was eating his own organs from inside, through stress and suppressed rage. “I think Lou is done with his kidneys now and moving onto his liver …”
— We all responded to Matt Clement getting clocked as though he’s a member of our family. Awful. “Is he okay?” “Any word yet?” Last night, Siobhan and I saw a press conference he gave … and he looks okay. We’ll see. Awful, though … just awful … the front page of the Globe sports section a photo of him writhing in pain with Millar, Mueller, and Varitek approaching … Millar’s hand reaching out gently to touch his shoulder. Just AWFUL.
— Hudson (Jean’s black lab) made a friend yesterday. A big gregarious yellow lab named Seamus. Seamus peed on Hudson’s face, which was a deeply bonding moment for both of them, apparently.
— 2 nights ago: sat outside at the picnic table in the backyard – me, Bren, Jean, and Melody … drinking vodka tonics, as the wind swept through the trees – 11 pm … Hudson lying in the dirt nearby … listening to the Sox game on the radio through the kitchen window. The night of Matt Clement. Shivers ….
— My toenails are now a shimmery green. The shade is called Cat’s Eye, which I am sure you are thrilled to know.
— Today? Mini golfing at a place called Pirate’s Cove.
— Tonight? Cape Cod Baseball, man!!!
— Lou Piniella appears to be devouring his own spleen now … and it’s only July ….
Cashel and you won. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.
Great Sheila, NOW I have to run out and get King’s new book. I’m actually a little angry at you now.
HA HA!! Sweet Lou Pinella. Here’s an excerpt from Bill Simmons post about Lou. Bill was handing out All-Star break awards for the American League and Lou won:
The Robert Blake Award for “Manager Most Likely to Become the Next Robert Blake.”
Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Lou Piniella! First of all, how has ESPN not given him a reality TV show this year? Kevin Federline can get a show, Bobby Brown can get a show why not Sweet Lou? Here we have an irrational, overcompetitive hothead stuck in a no-win situation in an apathetic baseball city, basically crying out for help at this point — as witnessed by the whole, “I’m going to use relievers to start games and starters to finish them” announcement — and we don’t have cameras following this man? What happens if he kills a beat reporter with his bare hands? What happens if Joey Gathright blows a bunt sign and Lou beats him down with a baseball bat in the runway like DeNiro in “The Untouchables”? If anyone needs a 24-hour camera crew, it’s Lou.
Now that’s funny! Your vacations sounds magical…I wish I was an O’Malley right now.
As a new reader on your blog, I’m incredibly impressed by the quality of your writing. As a transplanted Californian in Massachusetts, I also love the Cape. And mini golf at Pirate’s Cove is always so much fun – did you go to the one in Yarmouth?
Bhuv – yes!! Yarmouth!
David – I know – I SO loved that column!! Lou Piniella looks on the verge of a heart attack at any given moment in time.
Oooh, I miss the Cape (hesitate to just say “the” Cape, as I’m up on Cape Ann practically every other weekend): used to spend a lot of the summer there growing up. Maybe I’ll make it out down there sometime this year yet. Labor Day? Well, who knows, but sounds like you’re having a blast.