Wow! I survived my busiest work week in years, as we got through the bulk of the first quarter-end reporting period after the merger. There was lots of new stuff to do for our new parent company, and as a result I worked late Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The worst part of working late was that I didn't get to see the kids for three days. I really thrive on being home to put them to bed most nights and when that routine gets disrupted for an extended period of time, it upsets me. My basic philosophy is that no one was ever on their deathbed looking back at their life and thinking, "Gee, I really should have spent more time at work." We should be done with the worst of the new reporting deadlines, though, so next week should be a little more normal.

One thing that the increased work schedule has prevented me from doing is finishing my report on the vintage baseball game out at Wahconah Park last weekend. I'll get it done over the weekend and post it here by Sunday night.

Shore Leave is this weekend. Shore Leave is a Star Trek convention held every summer in Hunt Valley, MD, a city north of Baltimore. It's a wonderful con, with great guests, great programming, great hotel facilities (including a wonderful indoor/outdoor pool with jacuzzi and the legendary Paddock Bar). It felt like going to a family reunion every year, with dozens of people I knew from Star Trek fandom. From 1986 to 1997, I attended the con every year except one. Then J. came home and my ability to go running off to go to conventions for a weekend disappeared.

Until last year, that is. Since the kids were older and more able to entertain themselves, A. agreed that I could make my triumphant return to Shore Leave. So, I did. And I had a great time...for a while. Then I started to get a bit homesick. I had worked all week and hadn't seen the kids, then I ran off to Baltimore for the weekend. I certainly had fun hanging out with my friends, but by Saturday evening I was missing my family. It just seemed wrong somehow not to be together on the weekend.

So, I didn't go this year. My work schedule made it impossible anyways - I knew that this quarter would be tough and I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't have to work the weekend. But even so, I'm happy to be home with my family, hanging out at the pool and going bike riding. This is the first year since J. came home that I haven't felt some pangs of regret that I'm not at Shore Leave, which makes going last year a valuable experience.

To all of you who did go, I hope you are having/had a great time!

Finally, the Red Sox have started playing more like a team with a $130 million payroll, having won their 4th in a row tonight with a 7-0 pasting of the AL West leading Texas Rangers. Bronson Arroyo pitched an outstanding game for Boston, giving up just three hits in eight innings for the win against the American League's best hitting team this season. Johnny Damon continues his white hot hitting, getting four hits, including two home runs to add to a five hit game against Oakland earlier in the week. It's great to see the Sox playing this well going into the All-Star break and hopefully they can build up some momentum for the second half. Can it really only be Monday that the Red Sox were coming off a 1-5 road trip to the Bronx and Atlanta and Red Sox Nation was lining up on the Tobin and Zakim Bridges in despair?