Looking Over My Shoulder

Greetings, fellow travelers. Just checking in real quick-like with some bloggage. Things have been pretty hectic lately. Work is mondo busy. Around here, we just had the Mother's Day extravaganza, which basically had me taking the girls up to see my mom while Deb got to hang out with hers. Deb's birthday is Friday; we're going to the Sox-Braves game at Fenway (and praying for good weather).

I haven't mentioned the diet for a while. I've eased up on the more extreme parts of it, like the no alcohol part. I like to have a few beers on the weekend, what can I say? But I'm still rocking the salads at lunch and staying away from soda. I was down to 159 after my run yesterday morning. I suspect a few more long runs in warmer temps will cause me to shed a few more pounds.

I've had to lay off the chest and triceps workouts because I've got a slight tendon strain in my right elbow. Nothing serious, but something that in the past I would stupidly try to work my way through and just make things worse.

Do you know the muffin man?

• The Blue Jays have had a rough month of May so far, losing their first nine games. But they've bounced back a bit, winning four of their last five. Moments ago, they beat the Orioles 2-1 on a superb major league debut by Jesse Litsch, who was promoted from Double A New Hampshire to replace staff ace Roy Halladay, who had to have an emergency appendectomy. He pitched 8.2 innings of one-run ball; not too shabby for a kid who was Tampa Bay's ball boy five years ago. The cool thing is, I saw him pitch in Manchester two weekends ago when I went up for my buddy Rob's birthday party. He was pretty good that day, too, shutting down the Bowie BaySox, 3-1. Little did he, or anybody else, know that he'd be facing the parent club 10 days later.
• Boy, was I dead wrong with my picks for the NHL Eastern conference finals. Ottawa has raced to a 3-0 series lead, with superb goaltending from Ray Emery, stifling defense and clutch offense led by captain Daniel Alfredsson. As much as I hope otherwise, they're pretty much a lock to make the finals. Detroit and Anaheim are tied at 1 and are playing right now in what looks to be a competitive series.
• Metal guitar gawd Yngwie Malmsteen is unleashing his fookin' Ferrari...on eBay. Known more these days for the legendary recording of his outburst on a flight to Japan ("You've unleashed the fookin' fury!") than for his classically-inspired wank soloing, Yngwie's looking to unload his 1983 Ferrari. It was up to 19,100 at last check. Looks like it's got some engine problems, though. Buyer beware!
• A happy 52nd birthday to the one and only Lee Horsley, mustachioed star of the '80s private eye show Matt Houston and the subject of probably my favorite Onion article of all time.