Author: robertjames1971

I'm wicked tall.

Red Sox Fail

The Red Sox played the annual Patriots Day/Boston Marathon Monday 11:00am game today. Morning baseball, everyone!

I always enjoy listening to the Marathon Monday game on the radio while I’m at work. I don’t know why, it’s just something I particularly like to do. Today’s game was tough for a bunch of reasons. I had a whole pile of meetings on my calendar, but there were breaks during game time so it was okay. In the end the Red Sox lost to Cleveland. It was close through most of the game but once The Guardians started hitting it was painful. Lots of defensive screw ups for the Red Sox, including two players crashing into each other hard enough to draw blood. Ouch.

Those aren’t the worst parts of the game though. The worst part was the radio broadcast. As soon as I logged onto the MLB app and brought up the audio I wanted to yell at WEEI and shut it off. I didn’t, but I should have. The radio announcing team included Sean McDonough. I fucking hate Sean McDonough. He used to do Red Sox TV broadcasts years and years ago (before getting the job doing Monday Night Football? Was that really a thing?) and he sucked to high heaven. I hated every single syllable that came out of his asshole of a mouth. Ugh, I fucking hate that guy! I’d rather listen to a baby crying at 100 decibels for three hours than listen to that prick call a game.

I listened to the game though. I didn’t let that butt munch ruin my Patriots Day. Screw that guy. The team losing was just fitting though. Yeah, screw that guy.

Haiku for You #178

On Patriots Day in Massachusetts, the Boston Red Sox play a morning game, which starts at 11:00am. It’s timed so that the fans will exit Fenway Park just about the same time the Boston Marathon reaches Kenmore Square. It’s a great little mini-tradition, and I always enjoy listening to the Sox game on the radio while I work.

Today’s haiku for you is the story of how WEEI and the Red Sox ruined it for me today.

Turn on the Sox game
and hear Sean McDonough’s voice.
Fucking hate that guy.

Positive Stuff

Daily writing prompt
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
View all responses

I have a ton of meetings today so writing time is going to be hard to come by. In that case, this one is going to be short and sweet and probably sillier than it should be.

Want to hear something positive that a family member has done for me recently? As in over the last two days?

I mention gastric bypass surgery on this blog all the time, and how one of the restrictions is never having sugar again. If I eat more than a little sugar I’ll get sick for hours and I would like to avoid that forever if I can. I am therefore a sugar free red head for life.

On Saturday, my beloved bride Jen did something nice for me straight out of the blue. Is it nice or positive? You can be the judge, but for me it was both. Super nice, and super positive. Positivity to the maximum.

She baked me a sugar free cake. A sugar free chocolate cake with sugar free white frosting, to be precise. How sweet is that (pun intended, even if it is artificial)? She baked it Saturday night, frosted it Sunday morning, and then I had a small piece on Sunday evening when I got home from band practice. It was delicious. It was the sweetest thing (again, pun artificially intended). Like I said, positivity to the utmost extent.

Thank you, sweetie. Thank you so much. I love you.

Here is another quick example of positivity. First, when Jen and I started dating in 2007 her two kids, six year old Bellana and four year old Harry, accepted me. That might be the best example of positivity that has ever happened. Furthermore, when Jen and I got married in 2009 they accepted me into their family officially. Again, can you think of anything more positive than that? I love them both so much, and I am eternally grateful for their kindness across all of the days I have been a part of their lives, but especially for those two moments of exceptional positivity. Thank you both. I love you.

One more. In honor of my father’s birthday, here’s one from my parents. They worked together to conceive me, birth me (yes, my mother did all of the work in that regard), and raise me to be someone who isn’t a total asshole… though I guess the jury is still out on that one. Thanks, mom and dad. I love you both.

Okay, that was a little longer than I thought it would be. Back to work, meetings boy!

Time to Go

Dinner is done. It was delicious. I am stuffed to the gills. It’s just about time to load up the car and head to the dawn of the new age of Lizardfish. Lizardfish 2.0. Lizardfish the Next Generation. Hopefully Lizardfish who will soon have a new name.

Robin the cat doesn’t care about any of this.

Sunday Afternoon

Not much going on this afternoon. Jen and I had lunch together. Then she went to her computer to do some work and I did some chores around the house. I watched some TV… I finished season seven of the X-Files which means I have reached the (mostly) Mulder-free seasons eight and nine. The next 40 or so episodes are going to be tough.

I didn’t do any additional practicing, but I am packed up and ready to go to Lizardfish Mark II practice later tonight.

Everything I need is already at Mike the Bass Player’s house (except for a guitar), but the back pack has some emergency, just-in-case gear… just in case, you know? Some cables, some strings, some batteries, a couple of nasty overdrive pedals. Just in case. There’s a mic and some XLR cables too, but I don’t think we’ll be singing much today. Who knows.

It’s time to go help Jen cook dinner. The Red Sox have a 5-2 lead over the Angels in the top of the eighth. The Angels just had a lead off triple though. Is the collapse starting? We’ll see.

Sunday Morning Continued

I hung out with Lily for a while. She took a bath right in front of me. For shame, Lily!

I ran through all of the songs we are supposed to have prepared for today’s band practice. Wow, do I suck!

Lily took the opportunity to do some exploring.

227/365

I also took a new air fryer for a test drive. The frozen french fries look pretty good.

Sunday Morning

The backyard had a visitor this morning.

There were actually two turkeys. I think this one might have been showing off for the other.

Also, while we’re on the subject, miraculously the window mounted bird house survived the night. No tenants yet though.

The Border Cafe

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite restaurant?
View all responses

My favorite restaurant doesn’t exist anymore. The franchise does but my favorite location does not. It was The Border Cafe in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. I am not sure if I remember the timeline right or not. They had a fire in the kitchen and had to close down. Then during the pandemic (I think) they gave up the effort and shut down for good. There is still a branch in Burlington, MA which was the one I had been going to almost exclusively for years even though I preferred Cambridge, and I think there is still one in Saugus, MA too. There were a couple in New Jersey somewhere with the same menu and decor but a different name.

We started going back when I was in my early 20’s. Harvard Square is generally THE place to be, and The Border Cafe had the best food and the best vibe. Their buffalo chicken sauce is to die for, really. Unfortunately, Cambridge is kind of a pain to drive to if you don’t live in metro Boston, so when the Burlington branch opened (much, much closer to home and really easy to get to) we sort of planted our flag there. It was never as good, but it was definitely good enough.

When Jen and I started dating we took the kids there. Neither of them liked it, and little four year old Harry actually felt sick afterwards. Jen and I still went pretty often but never with the kids. Also, we haven’t been there since the Pandemic. Four years. Now, having written this, I am kinda jonesing for their boneless buffalo chicken.