Comeback

A very exciting A's game tonight. Danny Haren was pitching against the Tigers. Things were not looking good for Oakland--the A's got down 3-1 to the Tigers in the 6th. Then, we saw a terrific comeback. The A's managed to load the bases and, with timely hitting, scored 4 runs in the last of the 6th to go ahead 5-3. They went on to win 7-3 with Haren picking up the win. Huston Street pitched well in the 7th to hold the lead. I was also happy to see the Marco Scutaro made some key hits to redeem a costly error that let in 2 runs early in the game.

Let's go Oakland!

Baseball Card Game Show

Baseball cards are great. There are a zillion games you can play with them. Here's a new one: You have to pick three baseball cards where one of them is different from the others. For example, you set out Danny Haren, Joe Blanton, and Jason Kendall and then ask the question which one is the catcher. (Answer = Jason Kendall for those unfamiliar with the A's.) The fun is both thinking up interesting questions and answers.

But the fun is also in the sound effects to go with the show. Daddy has located a bunch of "sounders"--effects from old game shows. During the setup time, there's the intro music from the show "To tell the truth". Then, when the contestant is thinking, we play the "thinking music" from Match Game. (Listen to it here.) The best sound effect comes when a contestant guesses incorrectly--the losing horns from The Price is Right. (Listen to them here.) Almost as good are the victory sounds, also from The Price is Right, which you can listen to here.

The sound effects really make the game.

Here's today's question: Which pitcher is left-handed:

A. Barry Zito
B. Danny Haren
C. Huston Street

Tune in tomorrow for the answer.

Labels

There's a new function on my blog--labels. I've tagged a bunch of entries with labels describing what they're about and, to the right of my blog, you'll see a count of the number of posts with each label. If you click on one of these labels, you'll get all the posts devoted to that topic. For instance, if you click on the label "Oakland A's", you'll get all the posts about the A's.

Hat Day and Danny Haren

Yesterday, Daddy and I went to the A's game. We didn't have tickets, so we talked about where might be a good spot to get. I decided that I wanted to be in the 3rd or 4th row. Fortunately, we were able to get tickets in the third row right behind the A's bullpen. These were really fun seats. We were out early enough that the Orioles (the other team) were still taking batting practice while the A's pitchers were stretching and tossing the ball near us. I noticed one guy running and doing stretches and said that he looked just like Danny Haren. Daddy replied,

That's because he IS Danny Haren.

I couldn't believe how close we were to Danny. It was amazing. We also saw Joe Blanton, who was throwing a pretend ball for a while as well as Huston Street. But things got even better after the stretches were over. It turned out that Danny Haren was signing autographs by the dugout. I was able to make my way right to the fence and, since it was hat day, I gave Danny a nice white hat to sign. I also smiled and waved at him and said hello. A couple of other people around knew how much I liked Danny (since I basically announced this fact when we first got to our seats) and shouted to him that I was his biggest fan. I still can't believe that I got to meet Danny Haren.

Unfortunately, the rest of the game was not quite as good. Wile I did have cotton candy and other goodies, the A's did not play well. They were shut out 2-0 and hardly managed any hits at all. I was very disappointed that they didn't manage even one run. As we were leaving the stadium and said, "Goodbye Danny Haren. Goodbye baseball field. Goodbye BAD baseball game." I definitely think they need Frank Thomas back.

Baseball Cards

Last week, I got a package from my cousin Emma. In it was a very nice picture she made as well as a bunch of baseball cards. This weekend, Daddy and I took the baseball cards out for a spin by playing a baseball card game we made up together. In this game, there are nine little people located on a poker table roughly in the positions of normal baseball players. We then lean a baseball card against each little person so that we have real players on the field. The hitter takes a poker chip (a white one so it looks like a ball) and rolls it across the poker table. If the chip hits any of the cards, then it's an out and the person on the card is presumed to have fielded the ball successfully. If not, then, depending on how far the ball goes, it's either a single, double, or home run. After three outs, we switch sides and the game continues like this for nine innings.

Saturday's game consisted of the Oakland A's (my team) against the All-Stars (Daddy's team). The all-stars are players that came from Emma. While the All-Stars managed to win with a late inning comeback, the A's managed several home runs and did a lot of scoring. I also discovered a new A's pitcher who I like--Jay Marshall. He has a great baseball card and, best of all, he's a submariner. I especially like submarine pitchers. This may be the most fun baseball game ever. I love it.

Maui Photos

Maui 2007
Here's a selection of long-delayed photos from our trip to Maui. I can't wait to go back. I love Hawaii. You can see the full versions here.

Diffuse Glow

Daddy picked up a new Photoshop trick--the diffuse glow filter and he wanted to share the results of some experiments with it. See the results here

Ace of Jets

I'm always encouraging Daddy to come up with new card games. Yesterday, while he was cleaning his office, he ran across a deck of British Airways playing cards with pictures on them and devised a really interesting game. Here's how it goes:

On each of the cards is the usual rank and suit, but also a picture of an airplane flown by BA at some point in its history. Instead of using the regular suits, we use the form of the airplane as the suit. There are three types: biplanes, prop-driven monoplanes, and jets. So an 8 with a picture of a jet on it becomes and 8 of jets. Each player gets seven cards. The youngest player leads the first card. The other player then has to play a card that either matches the "suit" or the rank of the card led. Failing this, the other player has to draw cards until he gets a playable card. High rank of the led suit takes the trick. first player to get rid of all of his cards wins.

One odd little feature of this game is that there's one card that has a picture of a helicopter. Since there's only one helicopter, I decided that we needed to remove this card from the deck because it is too powerful.

Danny Haren - My Hero

Some quick news to report, my favorite Oakland A's pitcher, Danny Haren, is the starting pitcher for the American League this All-Star Game. I will be wearing my A's gear, including my road A's cap (since the AL is the away team this year). I'll also have out my Danny Haren bobblehead to help root for the real Danny Haren. Danny is my favorite pitcher to pretend to be during my many play baseball games.

Bye Bye Nainnie

Today is the day that Nainnie flew back to Pennsylvania. I enjoyed her visiting and wondered when she'd be back. I hope it is soon. During this past weekend, we went to Napa where, happily, the fake apples and pears were back at Trefethen winery. Daddy, Nainnie, and I played all sorts of games with these. I also went "fishing" in the fountain located out on the side of the property. In my version of fishing, I get a stick and use it to fish out colorful leaves located in the fountain. I got an especially nice one that I took back home with me. Next, it was off to Domaine Chandon for a ramble. They have a pretty stream there, and I spent some time going back and forth on the "rock bridge". It's not really a bridge, just a set of rocks crossing the stream that, if you're careful, you can use to get across without getting your feet wet. I also discovered that Domaine Chandon has really tasty bread. Daddy and Nainnie got an artisan cheese plate while they were there, and it featured a really nice stick of bread. I like the middle part of the bread (not a big fan of the crust) while Daddy thought the crusts were just fine, so everyone was happy.

On Sunday, we had more gravity races. Daddy lent Nainnie his team of gravity race cars while he fielded a new team, and we had a three way duel. While I didn't win all of the contests, I am proud to report that a car called the "Little Red Roadster" did manage to claim the Gravity Cup in one of the tournaments.

Now Pitching for the Oakland A's --- Joe Blanton

We went to the A's game tonight. It was really fun. The A's were playing the Blue Jays, so I got to see Frank Thomas and his steel bar. Frank didn't really make any great hits (though he did hit one ball deep to center field), but it was nice to see him anyway. The star of the game was Joe Blanton, who pitched the entire game and only gave up one run. He was outstanding.

In my balloon baseball games, Blanton is the go-to guy if Danny Haren (the usual starter) is not pitching well. Often, I'll substitute pitchers if things are not going as they should and Daddy, playing his beloved Boston Red Sox, is winning.

After the game, we saw the fireworks. They open up the outfield and the baselines for people who want to watch the fireworks from th field. Initially, I thought this would be a good idea until I saw all the people coming out onto the field. There were a zillion of them. The fireworks were spectacular. I held my fingers in my ears because I don't like the noise, but the fireworks themselves were very pretty in the night sky. They turn off all the lights in the stadium when they do the fireworks, which is also kind of neat.

It was a great night.

Aidan Slides - Spring 2007

Some of these you've seen before and some are Maui shots that you haven't (and are still unprocessed). Regardless, I thought you might like the cool panning effect of this slideshow. The link is below if needed.



Aidan Spring 2007

More Scotland

Here are some more Scotland photos in fancy slideshow format. Ken Burns would be proud of the panning effect. The direct link is below if needed. The link will send you to a larger version of the same pics.



Scotland

Coffee

Everyone (except me) likes coffee in the morning. I know Daddy especially likes it, so I've taken to surprising him. When I hear him taking a shower, I quickly head over the kitchen, pull up my tall brown chair, and get to work. I pour out any old coffee left in the carafe, rinse it out, and put in new water. I know to fill the water up to the 6. Next, I pour in the new water and put the carafe in the right place. Next (I need a little help with this part), I take out the old grounds, fill the bin with new beans, put it and the lid back on the coffee maker and turn the whole thing on. I then try to surprise Daddy by suggesting that we go make coffee together. He's always delighted to find the coffee already being made once we arrive in the kitchen. I love surprises.

Volcanoes

Yesterday, we went to Stimson beach in Marin. It's been awhile since we've been to a beach (I think Maui was the last time) and I really liked getting back to one. This was a very pretty beach with excellent views on the road going there. The road is quite a twisty one, so I cautioned Daddy not to drive straight or we'd fall off the big mountain. Fortunately, Daddy took the curves perfectly and we made it without incident.

When we got to the beach, one of the best things to do is play in the sand. Daddy and I ended up building something that started as a castle but eventually became a volcano. Then, we played a game called "evil real estate developer." In the game, a developer named Sylvester McMonkey McBean (a huckster from the Dr. Seuss book, The Sneetches) builds a residential development on the side of the volcano. Everyone is happy and serene in their houses. The people are also amazed at the terrific prices they got for the properties. Until one day, a resident named Mr. Smith drives his truck up to the rim of the volcano to inspect it. This is where the trouble starts. Inevitably, when Smith's truck is right at the top "lava" (actually a big buck of sea water I brought from the ocean) pours out of the volcano pushing Smith's truck down the side of the mountain and destroying the properties below.

The game continues with variations. McBean builds a wall to protect the houses, suggesting:

The strength of this wall
There isn't a doubt
Keeps homes safe within
And lava without

Sadly (for the homeowners), McBean's wall fails, Smith's truck rolls down the mountain, and the hillside is once again empty.

McBean tries one more trick---building a dome or bubble around the houses. Once again, homeowners flock for the great views and bargain prices. McBean avers:

This volcano, it's true
Is nothing but trouble
But safe will you be
Inside of your bubble

Well, you can guess how the bubble thing turns out.

Advertisements

Yesterday, we were playing Deal or No Deal, as we often do, when I took a break for dessert and milk. Since it was a break in the game, I decided that, like the real game, we needed to fill the break with commercials.

While I don't watch that much TV, I am attracted to (and have great recall of) commercials. Sometimes I use this knowledge in unexpected ways. For instance, one of my school friends had a bladder infection that caused him to have to use the bathroom frequently. Seeing his difficulty, I helpfully suggested that he might try a product (called Avodart but I didn't remember the name) designed for men with a "going problem" that I had seen on TV. I thought this was very helpful and timely information for my friend.

Anyway, back to Deal or no Deal: During the commercial break, each of the people in the house took turns making up commercials. Daddy seemed to come up with classic commercial lines like "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." (One of my favorites.) Mommy and Nainnie favored musical numbers like the Dr. Pepper theme song and the Oscar Mayer bologna song. I went for products to cure various problems. One of my best was "Key Ah" for when you have pain in your legs. Simply apply "Key Ah" and you legs will be "unpained." Works for feet too!