Miles and Miles

Another of Anna's senior pictures (photobombed by Matthew). I had a busy weekend playing dad.

Thursday: C and A left for OK. Drove M to CFA and school. Worked 845 – 1245. Bought two pair of white sneakers and a Mike Minor bobblehead. Picked up M at school and fed him Wendys for dinner. Cleaned shoes. W came home from Athens. Met him at the mechanic in Roswell, where I left the CRV for brakes.

Friday: alarm went off at 4 am to drive W to airport, then back OTP to office. Worked 625-1130. Our new GM Eric played football at FSU. I’ve always been on his good side after helping him out while he worked in Birmingham. Friday I was wearing my new white Puma sneakers, since I was only worked a half day. Eric came in to my boss’s office just as I was making introductions on our 11 am conference call. I acted like Eric was supposed to be there and introduced him as well. He said hello to the speakerphone, then commenced to tell me that he was going to the FSU/GT game Saturday. When he left I noticed he was wearing jeans and black Nikes. Rare when someone in his position wears sneakers.

On way home I picked up a form at doctor’s office, bought another pair of shoes and a football jersey to sell, and 13 Thrashers bobbleheads – only a dollar each! Plan on trading or selling ten and keep three. Got Moes for Matthew. Friday afternoon I had to make a bunch of work calls. I hear the all employee meeting I had missed wasn’t too pleasant. Also Friday afternoon a tree guy came to discuss cutting down a bunch of trees changing over the house. Later I paid $500.00 for the CRV and drove M through rush hour traffic to Douglasville. Left at 415 and didn’t get home until almost eight. Stopped by two more thrift stores on the way home but couldn’t bring myself to buy anything. Exhausted. Kept waiting for word from Oklahoma. MC’s rehearsal didn’t get over until almost 11 pm EST.

Saturday: Let at ten to pick up M. Got him Taco Bell and later drove him to Alpharetta to hang out with McKinnon. Then I took Will’s Jeep to Tire Deals for four new tires. $360.00 plus a tank of gas. Busy day – I was seventh in line and had to wait. Took an hour, which is still better than most tire places. Came home and crashed. Watched some of the NBA All-Star Saturday. Drove back to Alpharetta to pick up M at nine. When walking Barney he pulled the leash and my shoulder ached all the more.

Sunday: Cleaned upstairs then did laundry. Drove back to Alpharetta to give M and his friend a ride to church. Drove home, weaving around the trucks sanding the roads. Gassed up the Civic and drove down to the airport to pick up Will, then to Buckhead to pick up M. Northbound traffic on 400 was heavy to Alpharetta. Picked up CRV in Roswell. Gassed it up and got M dinner at Zaxbys. Folded clothes and cleaned the kitchen. Watched some of the All Star Game and the SNL special. Just when the house was starting to look clean Ceil and Anna arrived and dumped all their luggage. W fixed orange chicken for dinner. He thought the weekend went well. The only snag was after the proposal. His phone battery had died, and he had planned on saying “let’s call our parents” and then have Ceil and Regina come out from hiding – but it all worked out.

Monday: alarm went off at 4 am again, by mistake.

Finished the Kennedy brothers book. Now I’m finishing a Billy Crystal book I had started. Crystal stayed up half the night before Mickey Mantle’s funeral helping Bob Costas write the eulogy that Costas later delivered. Mantle was both Costas’ and Crystal’s hero. Billy didn’t have much good to say about Joe DiMaggio. The day Mantle’s monument was unveiled at Yankee Stadium Crystal spoke at the ceremony. At the last second announcer Bobby Murcer asked Billy to introduce Joe DiMaggio. Billy said “Ladies and gentlemen: Joe DiMaggio!” Joltin Joe came out but didn’t speak. Later he punched Billy in the stomach hard enough to take his breath away. Joe was mad that Billy hadn’t introduced him as the “greatest living ballplayer.” Crystal hadn’t known he was supposed to. Steinbrenner just laughed. DiMaggio hadn’t been too thrilled to attend the event in Mantle’s honor.

Also checked out a book about the Mary Tyler Moore Show.