Ellen, Eileen and I went to Citifield to see the Mets play the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was Autism Awareness Day, so families with members who suffer from the syndrome sat near the center field apple (it’s a top hat that has an apple that comes out when a member of the Mets hits a home run). Before the game the 3 of us walked around the stadium to admire some of the niceties that were put in to make the park unique. There was the Shea Bridge in the center field concourse, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the Mets Museum, and some great places to eat. Several youngsters got to stand behind home plate, and one threw out the first pitch. On the scoreboard there were announcements describing the affliction. The Mets sent their starting pitcher R. A. Dickey to the mound. R. A. is probably the only knuckleball pitcher in the majors now, since Tim Wakefield retired after the 2011 season. R. A. held the Diamondbacks to only 1 run, and lasted 8 innings on the mound. The Mets batters managed to get 3 runs batted in, so the Mets won the game 3-1, and two out of the 3 games in the series. As always, I treated myself to a program and scorecard and recorded each play for posterity. After the game we went to have an early dinner at McFadden’s, a restaurant built into the Citfield complex. It’s on the 126th Street side, directly across the street from the Iron Triangle. Since it’s also a pub, they asked everyone to show ID. With my few gray hairs, I had no trouble getting in. Unfortunately there was a dance floor with a DJ, and his announcements, as well as the crummy disco type music, were deafening. I asked the hostess to please ask someone to lower the sound a few decibels and they obliged. When it came to eats, I had a Swiss cheese – mushroom burger, Ellen had fish & chips, and Eileen had chicken selects. I also had a Goose Island beer (brewed in Chicago). The final treat was the chance to meet former Mets pitcher Ron Darling (a hero from the 1986 World Champions) and have him sign a baseball for me. The program that I purchased had a story about R. A. Dickey describing his love of reading. Some of his favorite authors include Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allan Poe, C. S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. He has also written a book titled Wherever I Wind Up, and is also in a documentary film with Tim Wakefield titled Knuckleball. The film was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival last month. Since he has been with the Mets he has worn number 43 on his uniform. From what I can gather, I think that R. A. and I have a few things in common. Like him, I have some favorite authors: Bernard Cornwell, Roddy Doyle, Barbara Vine, and J. K. Rowling. I have read some of Hemingway’s and Fitzgerald’s novels and short stories. I have been wearing #43 on my softball jersey since 2005, whether for the Island Softball Association or currently with the Bees. I am not certain if R. A. got that number randomly, but for me I asked for it since I can pay tribute to two of my favorite old time New York ballplayers: Lou Gehrig (#4) and Babe Ruth (#3). It is also a play on my Islip Fire Department badge number - #133. Since we don’t wear three digit uniform numbers (yet), adding 1 and three gives us 4. As for my being an author, about the only places that I get to write or compose are in my blogs. I finished Banzai Babe Ruth and it revived my interest in Japan, especially its history and culture. The Japan Times English language newspaper was mentioned in the book and it got me to access the paper online to read its articles. I am also following the Japanese Baseball League, and trying to learn some points on the language.

Since my stint as a double alumnus, we went into Queens to visit, and the Bees beat Bessemer Trust 8-6 at DeWitt Clinton Park. 

On Sunday afternoon the 3 of us drove to Flushing to visit my mom and perhaps visit the Queens Botanical gardens.  Since we were all pretty pooped from Saturday, we decided to stick around the apartment until dinner time, when Ellen and I went out to our favorite Afghan eatery, Kabul Kabob, on Main Street.  I had a lamb shish –kabob which was quite good. 

On Tuesday the Bees played Bessemer Trust at DeWitt Clinton Park over on 11^th Avenue.  It was an early game, starting at 6 PM.  I clocked out at 5:30, my usual time, and then hoofed it over to the West Side.  I got there a few minutes before the first pitch.  As usual, I was the official score keeper for both teams.  We were the home team, so Bessemer Trust came up first and drew first blood.  The Bees came back with a couple of runs and the lead shifted back and forth.  First Bessemer had the lead, and then the Bees came back with a 2 more runs in the 3^rd inning and then 3 more in the 4^th inning, to make it 8-3 for the Bees.  Then Bessemer scored 3 more runs to make the score 8-6 and the game more interesting.  The final score would be 8-6.  After the game we headed over to American Pub on 11^th Avenue for some pub grub and to watch the Yankees game on one set and the New Jersey Devils on another.  Around 8:40 I headed to Penn Station to get the LIRR home.

Over the past week it was fire school, meetings, two alumni functions on the same day, and enjoying a book about a 1934 tour.

On Monday the 23^rd there was fire school at the Islip Fire Department.  I got there a bit late since I have to worry about the train schedule.  Still, I was able to hopefully learn a few things (or just reinforce them in my head) about hooking up a hydrant, and laying out hoses to fight the fire.  Then on Tuesday we had our monthly meeting of the Department’s Rescue Squad (ambulance corps).  We conducted our usual business, and I got to watch part of the Yankees game before and after the actual meeting.

I had planned to play softball with the Bees on Thursday evening, but Ellen had called me on Wednesday to tell me that the Dodge was leaking anti-freeze when it was in the garage overnight.  She brought it back to the dealer and they agreed to keep it there overnight to see if there were any more leaks after they checked and tightened the hoses again.  We would have to pick it up on Thursday evening, once Ellen & Eileen meet me at Babylon around 7 PM (game time in Central Park).  Also since I was out two other evenings earlier in the week, I felt that I could not play ball and be out 3 nights in four days.  So while I missed the game, I learned that the Bees beat MSG (Madison Square Garden).  The next game is Monday on the 1^st. 

Yesterday I had two alumni functions with two different schools: St., John’s University in the afternoon and St. Francis Prep in the evening.  Luckily the two are not too far from each other so I did not have to drive far to take in both.  Around 1 PM I headed to Queens but first, I stopped at Mt. St. Mary’s Cemetery to visit my dad’s interment site.  Like everyone else, I miss him terribly.  Then I drove to St. John’s for the Great Lawn Party. I met my friend and his daughter by the parking lot, and then Ellen and Eileen arrived in the Honda (they would not be coming with me to St. Francis).  We then all gathered and went onto the Lawn to find a table, and then enjoy some goodies.  On the lawn were midway type rides (which we avoided), games (I won two things for Eileen) and a motor train ride around the Lawn where I got to take some pictures as it went around the Great Lawn.  Ellen and I were also interviewed by an alumni office representative who recorded our answers so we might appear in an alumni magazine soon.  Since we had to bring our own blankets and chairs, we decided to instead sit at the wooden tables outside the storm fence on the plaza in front of the library building (St. Augustine Hall).  There was a raffle for various prizes at 5:30 and then shortly afterwards we dispersed to either go home or to St. Francis.

When I got to St. Francis I went to the auditorium for Mass to honor alumni, and then 3 alumni were inducted into the Prep’s Hall of Fame (one was anchorwoman Julie Chen).  Congratulations to all 3.  Then the newer classes (45^th & newer) headed to the cafeteria while 50^th and later went to the library.  Since it’s way before #50, my classmates (only 7 of us in all) headed to the cafeteria while the older classes went to the library.  The problem with the cafeteria is that it has a low ceiling and the acoustics are terrible.  We could barely hear each other.  Eventually we headed to the library to say hello to some former teachers who in the honored classes, and to get away from the noise.  Since we all brought cameras, pictures were taken and I attached the three that I took to my hard drive and uploaded them to my page on www.facebook.com.  One of my classmates suggested that we form a committee to try and contact other classmates and tell them about the next reunion in 2017.  While it is 5 years away, those years tend to go by quickly.  I said to definitely count me in.  This morning I e/mailed the three pix to the classmates and also suggested that we get together this year to go to a ballgame.

I am still reading Banzai Babe Ruth, which describes Japan in the early 1930’s and how its major league program got off of the ground.  I had been interested in the country since 1972 when I bought my first car – a Toyota Corolla – and studied the martial arts off base.  In 1974 I was re-assigned to Guam, which has a decent sized Japanese population, and is also a spot for Japanese tourists.   

This morning I went back to the fire department’s doctor to have a staff member check my arm to see if anything abnormal developed from when they stuck me on Thursday.  The PPD test turned out negative so I don’t have tuberculosis.

Afterwards, I went to the firehouse to help set up for a fundraiser that was being held in the evening to benefit the family of a member (and ex-chief) who had passed away at the end of November last year (please see my entries of December 3 and December 5, 2011).  Once that was done I headed home for lunch and then errands: gassing up the Dodge and getting some wine for dinner.  The fundraiser started at 6 PM so after I had dinner with Ellen and Eileen, I headed down to the firehouse for the benefit.  It was a “Chinese Auction” where you buy tickets, place them in bags next to the gifts you want to get, and if your ticket is drawn, you win that item.  It is basically a series of raffles.  Since it’s not held in Beijing or Shanghai, and items are generally not all made in China, I am clueless as to why they call it a “Chinese Auction”.  Everyone who paid the $10 admission cost got a complimentary block of green tickets to put into the bags next to the items that they were interested in.  I opted for wine themed items, but also some sports gifts or barbeque or restaurant themed gifts as well.  In the end, I won a package containing two bottles of wine and a wine rack.  There were also other more costly gifts like autographed footballs, a grill, and a wheelbarrow with yard supplies that were being raffled.  However, tickets for these items were red, and cost an additional $5 each.  While I would have loved to have tried to win them, I am watching my money.  When the benefit was over, the members pitched in the clean the meeting room and the apparatus floors. 

On the baseball front, both the Yankees and the Mets each won today by coming from behind after trailing their opponents.

I had another day off today, since I had to go back to the fire department doctor’s office for the PPD (tuberculosis) test that could not be done on March 29.  Also I wanted to use the days before I lose them.  Besides me, our Dodge Stratus had to back to the dealer again.  The radiator was dripping antifreeze, and in addition, the two brake lights were burned out.  So after I got my arm stuck at the doctor’s office, I headed over to the Dodger Dealer to leave the car there.  Ellen and Eileen came to pick me up and then it was home for some lunch, and to hit the Internet.  Besides those two errands, I had to watch Eileen since Ellen went to the eye doctor in Rockville Centre.  When Ellen got back, she mentioned that her eyesight is still pretty good.  We then headed back to the Dodge dealer to pick up the Stratus and then I was able to head into town to visit the firehouse and then go to the library.  Since I finished Susan Neiburg Terkel’s book, Ethics, as well as Doctors Barlow & Warschaw’s Resiliency, I returned them to the library, and took out a baseball book this time – Game Six by Mark Frost, about the 1975 World Series.  I also took out a DVD – Rise of the Planet of the Apes with James Franco, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, and Frieda Pinto.  Last year I saw coming attractions of it when I went to the multiplex to see something else, and it got me interested.  In this film, the apes (chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans) are computer generated images as opposed to people in costumes (computer technology was not a sophisticated 40 years ago) and I wanted to see how they did it.  Also, the scenery in Northern California (including San Francisco and the redwoods forest) were impressive.  Los Angeles may have the Dodgers, but Northern California has the much better scenery and climate.  

I also took time to upload several photos that Ellen and Eileen took on Eileen’s digital camera.  Some are attached here.

Since Saturday I enjoyed a typical Sunday (go to church, hit the computer, go on a few fire calls) and on Monday the 16^th the Bees opened their 2012 season in Central park, at Hecksher Field #1 (near the Carousel).  We are in a higher division within the Yorkville Sports association for this year, so that means our opponents are going to be better than the ones we fast in the last few years.  On Monday evening we faced a team called the Midtown Marauders.  As in the prior years, I kept score for both the Bees and the other team.  We were the visitors so that meant we came to bat first, and scored a run in the top of the 1^st inning.  That would be the only time that we were not trailing, as the marauders scored 4 in the bottom of the first and then 6 more over the next 5 innings.  The final score was 10-3.  I came to bat once as an extra hitter, and grounded out (as usual).  However, I did advance a runner to 2^nd base, only to have him left on base when the inning was over.  This game was only 6 innings, since it started at 7PM and there are no lights on the Central Park ball fields.  Since it was almost 8PM, I said goodbye to my teammates and walked to the Columbus Circle station to grab the A train to Penn Station.  From there I grabbed the last train for two hours that stops in Islip.  Once the train left Babylon around 9:30, we waited for over 10 minutes on a non-scheduled stop to wait of instructions.  Naturally I was about 13 minutes late getting to my station. 

At the major league level, the New York Mets are the big surprise since they are currently tied for 2^nd place in the National League East with 7-5 record.  With all of the bad news over the winter, I did not expect them to break .500.  Now hopefully they can keep up the momentum and make the post season.  The Yankees are in 3^rd place in the American League East, with a 6-5 record.  While it’s early in the season, I expected them to rush off to a better start than they have so far.  Since there are about 150 more games to play in the regular season, perhaps everything will turn around for them.

When I got home on Monday April 9 I went to my fire company meeting, but we could not conduct business because there was no quorum. Several of the members were out east in Manorville fighting the brush fires that had been raging since the afternoon. I would have loved to have gone too, but I have to get up in the morning and to catch a train and head to Manhattan. The fires were similar in scope and intensity to the ones in the Long Island Pine Barrens back in 1995.

On Tuesday morning I went to the sport medicine doctor over on East 64th Street. As I noted on my February 25th entry, I went to a sports medicine doctor to have my right knee x-rayed. While the x-rays turned out favorable the doctor still wanted me to come back in April for a follow-up visit. That I did on the 10th I returned and after checking my knee out he told me that I am cleared to play softball. He did, however, advise me against catcher though. Not to worry. The Bees play in a coed division in the Yorkville Sports Association and 99.9% of the time a woman has that position. Since I would not clock in until 1 PM, I then walked to the NY Public Library on 46th Street and borrowed a laptop to check news, e/mails, and baseball pages.

On Thursday after work I walked to the Chelsea Piers (11th Avenue & 21st Street) to go to the batting cage with my softball teammates. I left the office at Park Avenue and 46th Street to walk about 2½ miles to the Piers. I got some exercise and hopefully shed some pounds. I was the first one there but pretty soon my teammates joined me. We had reserved a cage and to pay for it, we first had to buy tokens – similar to what the rapid transit systems used and game rooms probably still use – and put them into a box. Then you push a button when the batter is ready and 10 pitches come out you. I did it 4 times in the evening and managed to hit several balls fairly hard. Still, I know that I am not the next Ted Williams or Alex Rodriguez. I had a good time and enjoyed seeing some of my teammates again. Our first game is on Monday evening in Central Park and I am looking forward to it. Since I wanted to get the 8:30 train home because it’s the last one to go to Islip for 2 hours, I said goodbye to my teammates and walked through Chelsea again, to Penn Station. I still find Chelsea an interesting neighborhood, despite its being more gentrified. There is the High Line, the General Theological Seminary, 19th century townhouses, the Chelsea Hotel, Chelsea Market, some interesting industrial buildings, the Hudson River, and the Chelsea-Elliott Housing Project on 10th Avenue and 27th Street (built in 1946 when it was a real ghetto and not a yuppie ghetto).

This morning I went to the Northport VA Hospital. Last year I registered for health care and had a physical. This time I decided to register for My Healthy Vet. It is a website where veterans can track their health records on-line. The web-site is www.myhealth.va.gov.