Of mice and men

So it was back to work today after the long weekend, things were crazy, and I was looking forward to kicking back and relaxing tonight. I go to make myself a gourmet dinner--Campbell's chicken rice soup--and I notice a small black grain on top of the can. Could it be? Nah. I wash off the lid and make my dinner, but the thought nags at me. I go back and look in the pantry and sure enough, there were plenty more of those little black mouse turds throughout. The evening turned into me and Deb cleaning out the pantry, throwing out all opened food, and putting a mouse trap (the kind with the bait that lures them into a plastic box, not the gross, old-fashioned spring-loaded sucker). Fun stuff.

We were psyched to attend the Red Sox-Oakland game this Thursday. I had purchased the tickets from OJ's buddy Rob "Guitar" Matthews, who has season tickets, as Deb's birthday present. We hit a snag, however: no babysitter. Deb's mom has to work, the neighbor's daughter who used to babysit Hannah moved out a while back, and nobody else can do it. So I'm going to have to unload the tickets, which is too bad.

Way to go, NY Post. You guys really scored with your "Kerry Picks Gephardt" scoop. Nobody else had that one. I was glad Kerry picked Edwards, who seems to have actual charisma. Maybe some of it will rub off on wooden Kerry.

The Fourth of July long weekend was fun. Spent the day Saturday up at bro-in-law Steve's father-in-law's place (say that 10 times fast) on Lake Winnepesaukee. It was a good time. I rode a jet ski for the first time (Steve drove, I held on for dear life). Matt, Tricia and the boys were up for the weekend, so the house was loud and crazy as Hannah and Danny ripped it up. Sunday, we went to the horribles parade in Beverly Farms, where my old roommates Mike and Roger were on a float. Then just grilled all afternoon. Good stuff.

I finished a good book last night, "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. Simply hi-larious. The book has an interesting back story, as Toole wrote it in '66 and then never saw it published because he committed suicide three years later. His mother eventually got it published in 1980 after showing the manuscript to another novelist. I had been wanting to read this since I first heard of it in 1981, when drummer extraordinaire Neil Peart of Rush namechecked it in a first-person article he wrote for the Toronto Star about life on the road. Well worth the wait.

Now I'm starting on my buddy Rob Bradford's "Chasing Steinbrenner," which I've mentioned here before. It's gotten good reviews and Rob's been doing lots of press, including ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" show this morning. It's also available from his publisher, Brassey's.

DLR Update: Good ol' David Lee Roth has been popping up in the strangest places lately. He sang with the Boston Pops on the Esplanade for the 4th of July festivities. He had his band with him and did "Jump" on the national broadcast and "California Girls" on the local one. It was weird to see him with short hair and a suit--definitely had a lounge-act look to him, which probably makes sense. It was fun to watch, but strange at the same time. Just like Dave.