And yes, it hurt! The ball hits me solidly on the arm, as evident by the pic taken a couple days later. By my calculations, the ball hit me at 4'3''. The ball then travels about 10'10"
off my arm reaching its appex at about 15'1" (calculation based off time of ascension and descension average vs time on screen then off) It is a scary moment. My wrist instantly curls and locks up from a nerve being hit. My fingertips go numb and the rest of my arm feels like it is on fire. Eventually everything goes back to normal, I take my base, and the game continues. We win. But... listen to that video again. You hear the thud of the ball, the umpire yells deadball. The catcher and umpire walk over to see if I am ok. The crowd reacts... but listen to that last voice. That is my lovely bride... (Oh great)... Ah, the love! ;o)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
It's A Hit!
Things happen to me. They always have. Maybe I put myself into situations where such 'things' can happen. Regardless if I deserve it or not, I am a target for mayhem. Becky has learned not only to cope with this simple truth, but to find humor in it. I remember a specific time in our young marriage when I had just suffered a broken finger in a baseball playoff game. Just one of those 'things'. There was not a snicker or a laugh from my wife. In fact, she actually asked if I was OK and genuinely cared. She helped me clean the blood off my split ring finger and every night she would wrap my broken pinkie. Those were the days. Fast forward to the future, actually about two weeks ago. A baseball game being played on a warm night. Yours truly steps to the plate. The sun is low in the sky, just over the horizon in the left-center gap. The pitcher for the other team is bringing gas around the mid 80's. The first pitch from the righty comes in and I take a mighty cut at it. Big whiffer. Now if that curveball had been the fastball that I had been sitting on... Anyways, I step out of the batters box to reevaluate my gameplan. Based on where the sun is currently at, it is almost impossible to differentiate between a fastball and a curveball. I step back in after deciding to sit on a curve. The pitcher winds-up, I squint my eyes and coil my body. The ball is released high and inside. I keep my weight back and wait for it to break. And wait.... and wai... Two things go wrong. One, it is not a curveball. Two, By the time that I recognize that it is not a curve I have waited too long...
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
New Beginnings
I like words. I particularly like the meaning to words. I like big words that few know, even less can spell, and nobody really cares about. Subsequently, I also like language. I enjoy the fact that a common word can have a definite interpretation as well as an indefinite definition. I marvel at the thought that all interpersonal communication is based off a lifetime accumulation of knowledge and history, by both the sender and the receiver. I do not enjoy small talk. I think proper grammer and sentence structure is overrated. I detest spelling. Welcome to the Paradox of James. Some of my posts may be wordy, others be slang. I have been known to wax poetic and in the next breath talk about waxing my bikini line. I don't take myself too serious, so please don't take my posts too serious... (end disclaimer)
The Unpredictable acting Predictable
I have a penchant for being unpredictable. It is as much an acquired lifestyle as it is a conscious decision. Life has dealt me a fair share of punches. I learned a long time ago how to roll with them. Somewhere along the line I developed a bad habit of intentionally blocking them with my face. Perhaps it was my peculiar way of proving my masculinity. Through these turbulent times, I have had a few stabilizing forces. The biggest being (in order of appearance); The Himmers, the church, my father, and now my wife. I will always be Sister Himmer's 'other son'. The one she won't give up on and treats and loves as one of her own. My father is the rock of my family. When things go wrong, no matter how many times he says he won't bail you out, he always does... Nicci... My wife keeps me humble. ;o) Church has always been a stabilizing force in that it has provided direction through its teachings and members. Although stability is not necessarily synonymous with predictability, there is definitely a correlation. Being at Byu-Idaho makes that connection more readily apparent. For example; when you get up to college, if you don't already have a facebook account, you create one. If you don't, you are at a significant dating disadvantage. Another thing that 'just is' in the LDS community, when you get married and are expecting your first child you start a blog... :o)
E.P.T (e.f.o.w.)
As you may have surmised from the title, picture, and previous statements, Becky is pregnant! If this is the first you have heard about this, oops and sorry... Our bad. I came home one day during work to the grand news that I was a father to be. I was floored... happily floored! We had been trying, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise. We should thank EPT for that. For those who may not know what an
EPT is, it is a pregnancy test. It stands for Error Proof Test.
Error proof my foot! What they did not take into account is my beautiful bride Becky. I have written them and asked them to rename it "Error Proof Test Except For Over-anxious Wives" She took it a week early...
IT
Although the baby has yet to reveal its gender, I refer to it as a him. Not only is in more dignifying (who wants to be an it?) but it is also a futile attempt to persuade the powers that be to allow me a boy. I am hoping for a boy for several reasons; I am the oldest in my family growing up, and had two younger sisters. I was the protector. Also, I have a better chance statistically of coaching a little league baseball team with a boy... before I get too old. Also, my father says that boys are more resilient and in the long run cost less that girls... my father said that... We will update you with the gender when we know.
Later...
I guess that wraps up my first blog. Anybody who knows me knows that I am not good at keeping people up to date with my life. I am hoping with Becky's help we will be able to keep it going. It is my hope that this can be a journal of sorts for our young family. I look forward to what the future holds in store for our family and sharing it with our loved ones...
The Unpredictable acting Predictable
I have a penchant for being unpredictable. It is as much an acquired lifestyle as it is a conscious decision. Life has dealt me a fair share of punches. I learned a long time ago how to roll with them. Somewhere along the line I developed a bad habit of intentionally blocking them with my face. Perhaps it was my peculiar way of proving my masculinity. Through these turbulent times, I have had a few stabilizing forces. The biggest being (in order of appearance); The Himmers, the church, my father, and now my wife. I will always be Sister Himmer's 'other son'. The one she won't give up on and treats and loves as one of her own. My father is the rock of my family. When things go wrong, no matter how many times he says he won't bail you out, he always does... Nicci... My wife keeps me humble. ;o) Church has always been a stabilizing force in that it has provided direction through its teachings and members. Although stability is not necessarily synonymous with predictability, there is definitely a correlation. Being at Byu-Idaho makes that connection more readily apparent. For example; when you get up to college, if you don't already have a facebook account, you create one. If you don't, you are at a significant dating disadvantage. Another thing that 'just is' in the LDS community, when you get married and are expecting your first child you start a blog... :o)
E.P.T (e.f.o.w.)
As you may have surmised from the title, picture, and previous statements, Becky is pregnant! If this is the first you have heard about this, oops and sorry... Our bad. I came home one day during work to the grand news that I was a father to be. I was floored... happily floored! We had been trying, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise. We should thank EPT for that. For those who may not know what an
EPT is, it is a pregnancy test. It stands for Error Proof Test.
Error proof my foot! What they did not take into account is my beautiful bride Becky. I have written them and asked them to rename it "Error Proof Test Except For Over-anxious Wives" She took it a week early...
IT
Although the baby has yet to reveal its gender, I refer to it as a him. Not only is in more dignifying (who wants to be an it?) but it is also a futile attempt to persuade the powers that be to allow me a boy. I am hoping for a boy for several reasons; I am the oldest in my family growing up, and had two younger sisters. I was the protector. Also, I have a better chance statistically of coaching a little league baseball team with a boy... before I get too old. Also, my father says that boys are more resilient and in the long run cost less that girls... my father said that... We will update you with the gender when we know.
Later...
I guess that wraps up my first blog. Anybody who knows me knows that I am not good at keeping people up to date with my life. I am hoping with Becky's help we will be able to keep it going. It is my hope that this can be a journal of sorts for our young family. I look forward to what the future holds in store for our family and sharing it with our loved ones...
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