Nice to meet you!

I "met" someone I used to know pretty well today.

She was my across-the-street neighbor when my youngest was born. Her first baby was about a month older, so we talked baby stuff a lot.

She didn't recognize me.

The weird thing about that is that it's not altogether flattering. It's a bit disconcerting, actually.

Cynthia Vincent Target shoes: The cost of my "bargain" Cynthia Vincent for Target shoes is now $51. At least that's nothing like their eBay price. Including shipping from New York, they were $41. I just got them back from the cobbler, who charged $10 to adjust the strap for me. I'm still fairly happy with them.


 

30-minute run; 40-minute walk

I did 30 minutes this morning. For me, that's about 2.5 miles.

Then, Paul and I walked for 40 minutes after the NBA finals.

Races: I'm starting to put together a bit of a racing calendar. I still find races vaguely embarrassing, but they're fun at the same time, and it gets me out there.

Today, I signed up for the 13.1 Marathon (sic!) in January. I volunteered at it last year. The first 100 to sign up get half-price registration -- and who can beat that.

Why Americans get fat, Part 82,386

When I go out to breakfast, I get coffee, milk, 2 eggs and fresh fruit.

The total cost of my meal is roughly $5-$10, depending on the restaurant. (I'm rarely paying -- it's usually a business expense.)

When I wasn't eating the way I do now, I would "get my money's worth." You know -- the breakfast "special," which was always about half the cost of what I buy now. It would include pancakes, hash browns, bacon, sausage and eggs. Sometimes more.

But that, of course, is just one more anecdote regarding the high cost of cheap food.

End of baseball?

My 14-year-old is talking about stopping playing baseball. Which I hate.

I don't want to turn into one of those people who lives through children. Of course, there's the balance between respecting decisions they make for themselves and talking them out of decisions they might regret later.

He's been struggling at the plate this year. Of course, considering that his left eye is only at about 20/50 even with his contact lens, it's surprising how well he's hit in the past. So, some of wanting to not play anymore comes from not liking the feeling of not contributing.  And I can understand that.

He's a really good fielder -- he ran down a bunch of balls in the outfield that normally drop in his division. But being "good field - no hit" doesn't get you far in today's game, particularly at his level.

He did win the "Sportsmanship Award" for his division, which was a nice thing. Of course, it was bittersweet. I mean, he was happy to get it. One thing about homeschooling is that there are fewer opportunities for individual honors -- and this was the first one. At the same time, he would've rather made the All-Star Team.

I can help a 6-year-old hit; I'm not so good at fine-tuning the swing of a more experienced player. Of course, I have some connections in pro baseball that I could call in or go to for help. The issue is this: I don't want to elevate the importance of baseball in our lives all that much. For me to call in my connections would make it seem so more important than it is.

The good thing out of this: He definitely wants to run with me.