Hallux What?!

After almost 6 months of pain, Brian finally went to the doctor to check out his ankle AND his toe.

Turns out his really, really, really flat feet are the cause of his ankle pain and he has to get orthotics like an old man. (Anyone remember the quote, "maybe the game has passed me by"?)

Unfortunately, his self-diagnosed turf toe has a much scarier name called hallux limitus. What it really means is that the big toe is limited in motion. Over time, repetitive jamming can lead to toe arthritis. Several things can cause hallux limitus, including impact injuries, elevated first toes, and long first toes (at least I probably won't have to worry about this factor).

Brian's podiatrist said hallux limitus is inoperable, but according to myfootshop.com, it is if it's severe enough. Look at what could become of Brian's foot!

But do you think he's going to hang up his baseball shoes? Yeah right...

Random thoughts

Today Wake Forest became the first top-30 school (according to U.S. News & World Report's rankings) to drop SAT or ACT test score requirements. Now that will change the admissions process, and I'm not sure if for the better. Either way, it's a bold move and the University should be applauded for taking a leadership position - right or wrong.

For the full AP article, click here.

Also, why is it that I'm the one tortured by birds, when Dale gets up close and personal and takes photos like these? Apparently the babies flew away this weekend and she has empty nest syndrome again. At least she doesn't have a robin raking through her hair!

I'm still in denial that the long weekend is over. Brian and I had a great weekend - dinner in Palo Alto one night, hanging out with LMB, and an all-you-can-eat A's ticket for Brian (seriously). It was pretty awesome.

RIP NKOTB

I was a huge New Kids on the Block fan back in the day. The day being 20 years ago. I had all the cassette tapes, t-shirts, posters, even a beach towel. Nothing dries you off like Jordan Knight's face!

So when I heard they were coming out with a new album this summer, I couldn't believe it. These guys are almost 40 years old by now! I considered myself lucky to be working from home on Friday, when they performed live on the Today Show. Lucky, that is, until I saw the performance. Needless to say, I was not impressed. Maybe some things should stay in the past.

Check it out if you haven't seen the medley of old hits, then please vote.

Cooper the Traveling Dog

Don't let the post title fool you. Yes, you're on the right blog. Mike, Jen and Cooper came back to California on Friday, and I had the good fortune to be selected as Cooper's dogsitter. (Mike and Jen went to Mike's sister's graduation here in the city.) I was so excited to pretend like I had my very own cocker spaniel, and a lot of people commented on my cute dog when we went for a walk on Union Street! The dog in question, however, was literally jet lagged and made it very clear that he wanted to go back to the house (so we did). Cooper and I kicked it at the house all evening, and had almost as good of a time as we did on Saturday, when Mike's parents hosted a party for them in Sacramento. I'm sure Jen will post and send photos from that party soon. Meantime, enjoy the photos of Cooper and me.

It was a 90-degree day in San Francisco. We were so hot and just wanted to veg!

Apparently Cooper doesn't like to eat much on days that he flies. Seriously!

Even his blue jay toy couldn't perk him up.

Reminds me of another black and white cocker spaniel I know...

This is me pretending to have a dog.

Brian thinks that since Cooper now lives in NY, he must be a Yankees fan. Brian showed Cooper our tickets to the Yankees-Red Sox game in July. You can see how much Cooper cares.

Slacker

Sorry I've been a slacker. No excuses really, just the way it is. New photos of Brian's baseball season coming soon. Yesterday his batting average doubled, so he's pretty proud of himself. I'm kind of proud of him, too. Go, Champro! That's all for now.

Derby Day

Yesterday we hosted our second annual Derby party. We had tons of Southern food, about 15 great friends, and plenty of mint juleps. What's a Derby party without a win-place-show pool? As the host and hostess, Brian and I took the 3 remaining horses - Big Brown, Eight Belles and one of the Z horses. At the end of the race, we came away with $90 out of the $100 pot! This would have been a sweeter victory if it had not been for Eight Belles' untimely and tragic death just after the race. That definitely put a damper on the festivities, and I've never seen anything like it before in my life.

The day ended on a happy note, however, with the birth of Charlotte Patricia Beaver! Emily and Ryan welcomed a happy and healthy baby Charlotte at 6:12 p.m. ET, and I can't wait to meet her. Click on Emily and Ryan's blog (to the right) for pictures.

Enjoy the Derby photos below.