I've been burned
Whenever I've followed all the rules
So I've learned
That playing it fair is just for fools...
I'll Try Anything, Dusty Springfield

Who says I don't appreciate divas?! (Actually, only Dusty really does it for me... and sorry, but couldn't find any Rosemary Clooney ;)

Beer of the Evening: Long Trail Double Bag Ale... Between the heavy rains and then the sunny- and very warm!- temps we've had recently things are starting to bloom early around here this spring! The flowering trees and bushes, some of the flowers too, leaves are starting to bud... need to green up the grass a lil more, but it's starting to look pretty! Mid-April to mid-November or so in New England makes the remaining months almost bearable... Well, I took a real beating on Duke last Monday night, ugh (had 'em -7; they only won by 2.) While it was house money as it were it was still poor money/bankroll management (I never wager that much a % of my roll on a single game.) But a successful- and profitable- season nonetheless :)

I stopped in here (Symphony 8) a few nights ago- not bad. Pretty good beer selection :) A slightly younger/college-ish crowd (might've been the night, plus it's not too far from Northeastern and some of the other schools near there) but a bit of an age mix... nice to have a- pretty rare!- night off and out and havin' some fun anyway... I'm hoping to see the film Don McKay sometime soon. Reviews of it have been kinda mixed, but it's touted as a sorta neo-noirish pic; also, much of the filming was done up on the North Shore. But mostly because I find Elisabeth Shue to be a very talented- and vastly underrated- actress...

Oftentimes it seems as if too many people get too overwhelmed with a paralysis of analysis re. TGism (this goes for girls and admirers both) spending more time pondering the how comes and whys and what-ifs of "this thing of ours" rather than accepting that, for whatever reason/s, this is the way we are and, most importantly, enjoying it! Sure, there may be some introspection, some wondering, about why we are- what?- inclined a lil differently than others; while not unnatural, TGism is unusual, in the literal definition of that word. And there's always the line between being cautious and being careless; I've never been accused of being a flighty "free-spirit," or of being particularly unconventional. But (to turn what can be a negative saying into a positive one) at the end of the day, if it's inevitable, why not relax and enjoy it? Life's too short not to... (and yes, to those who know me well, I probably should take my own suggestions and apply 'em to other aspects of my life.)

Coexist? Apparently not with pedestrians...

You've seen those bumper stickers, right? The ones that use an Islamic crescent, a Star of David, a peace symbol, a cross, a yin-yang thing, and a few other symbols to spell out the word "coexist." A nice, if slightly treacly, expression of that sentiment. So I'm crossing the street yesterday (a sunny, gorgeous 90 degree day, BTW!)- with the light- and a car comes whipping around the corner taking a right-on-red (again, I had the light!) and comes close to clipping me! So I shout "hey"... and the driver flips me off! While I'm sorely tempted to comment on her obvious hypocrisy (and along with the "Coexist" sticker I did spot an Obama one as well; while the tableau would have been complete had she been driving a Prius, in Cambridge, alas it was a slightly worse-for-wear Toyota Corolla- I think- in Boston) I'll be charitable and chalk it up to Mass. driver etiquette trumping political correctness. But yeeesh... (Tho' I'd be willing to wager she was no stranger to patchouli oil, either... meow! ;)

Another very good run this morning :)

"Green grass and high tides forever... "

Sippin' on a Mayflower Golden Ale after enjoying an early-evening stroll on a warm, sunny, almost summery day...

Hoping everyone who celebrates had an enjoyable Easter! (Full disclosure: I didn't make Easter Mass today; I did take in the Stations of the Cross Friday.) Mine was nice, had Easter dinner @ my mom's- I cooked this year, made roasted rack of lamb (yum!) The Easter Bunny visited as well (I'm still a sucker for chocolates!).... The Sox have their home opener tonite, vs. the Yankees... a friend of mine has tickets to the Tuesday nite game, the weather should still be nice as well; enjoy, you! :) ... I've been finishing up the college hoops season pretty profitably- someone's Dayton Flyers came thru nicely in the NIT championship game, and the small set-back I had with Michigan State losing (I had 'em small as a 1.5 pt. 'dog; they lost by 2, dammit) was more than covered by a larger win on Duke, who covered easily. I've seen 'em at -7 for tomorrow nite, think I mite bite. Then that'll be it until football season rolls around. As I've mentioned I do depend upon wagering successfully as part of my livelihood, even if it's not the most stereotypically femme avocation; whaddya gonna do...

I updated the info on an online profile I have to include the identifier "single." It never occurred to me that some folks might have thought I was married (I'm not; never have been. Always a bridesmaid... ;)... I had an interesting discussion the other day with a friend whose opinion I value on a- sorta- related topic. Where I'm single I tend to think that is par for the course, and it kinda was maybe 10, 12, 15 years ago. I sometimes I forget that I'm in my early 40's now and most folks near my age tend to be married, with the attendant impact that has upon theirs- and by extension, my- social life, etc... meaning perhaps I need to recalibrate some of my expectations... I had another interesting discussion with another good friend this week in which she shared some of her- as yet unfulfilled- fantasies; I never realized she had that fertile an imagination! I'm hardly inhibited sexually; I'm an energetic and enthusiastic partner (at least I think I was- it's been a lil while, waaahhhh... and not by preference.) But- apart from one fantasy involving a certain song by a certain hard-rock band- my appetites, tastes, fantasies, and experiences apparently are pretty darn vanilla! Anyway, more power to her... And simply an observation but, pace my "Baxter Slate" reference previously, some of the more sexually bent people I've known have been graduates of all-male Catholic high schools! Be they friends from college or others whom I knew and know... I'm not passing judgment, as they are also without exception very good people, people I'm honored to know, but who said the Church inhibits sexuality?! (I went to public high school...)

What I'm Reading Now: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath: The Heath brothers (coauthors of Made to Stick) address motivating employees, family members, and ourselves in their analysis of why we too often fear change. Change is not inherently frightening, but our ability to alter our habits can be complicated by the disjunction between our rational and irrational minds: the self that wants to be swimsuit-season ready and the self that acquiesces to another slice of cake anyway. The trick is to find the balance between our powerful drives and our reason. The authors' lessons are backed up by anecdotes that deal with such things as new methods used to reform abusive parents, the revitalization of a dying South Dakota town, and the rebranding of megastore Target. Through these lively examples, the Heaths speak energetically and encouragingly on how to modify our behaviors and businesses. This clever discussion is an entertaining and educational must-read for executives and for ordinary citizens looking to get out of a rut.

News You Can Use (or Lose:) Can You Choose To Be A Luckier Person? (And I always believed that luck was what happened when preparation met opportunity; who knew?!)

"One thing's not said too much but I think it's true/They just get married 'cuz there's nothing else to do..."