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Friday, June 27, 2003 - 7:53 p.m.

We need more double issues

Woah, it's been a busy few days.

Couldn'tcha tell?

Not at work, of course. With the beauty of a double issue, meaning we don't have another closing deadline until the 7th, it's been a slow week at the office. We've come in late, gone on two-hour lunches, taken breaks to play Wiffle ball, driven in caravans to the car wash and left early. And the weather has finally come around to Summer. We decided to skip Spring here in the Northeast this year.

On Wednesday I went to a New Jersey Cardinalsgame. It was a joy to drive home, the first 20 minutes along the two-lane country roads of Sussex County. I opened the windows and sunroof and could smell the fields -- the corn and the grass, it all smelled like summer in Maine. I glanced up through the roof at the stars twinkling in a navy-blue sky with no light pollution.

Comfort.

Last night, I again left at 4 p.m. to hop a bus to New York to meet Matt in the sweltering tunnels beneath Times Square to head out to Shea Stadium for the Mets game. Matt had taken Amtrak up from D.C. so we could enjoy the major-league debut of former Notre Dame pitcher Aaron Heilman, the Mets' first-round draft pick in 2001. He's one of the first players I've seen closely at college or in the minors (and talked to on more than one occassion) who's made it to the major leagues. It should continue over the next few years, what with my recent summers spent around Phillies minor leaguers.

Today, knowing full well I'd have nothing to do at work, I moseyed in around 10, enjoyed the free pizza Four-o'clock-Frank bought, and left at 2 when the deputy executive editor walked around and said, "Well, hardly anyone's here, so if you want to catch up on some e-mails or something, go ahead, but then everyone can leave." We were gone in minutes, the few of us there. That's when Gary and I went to the driving range to hit some golf balls. I surprised myself. I've never consistently hit a golf ball so straight and so far. Granted, I've played a total of 36 holes in my life (and nine of them were on a par-3 course, which is smaller than a regular course) and been to the driving range maybe four times now. But I generally find myself slicing my drives off to the right as I grow tired. Not much of that today, even with the sweltering heat and humidity.

Then I came home, showered and did laundry while reading Sports Illustrated. I've now been on a two-day break from Harry Potter, though I'm halfway finished and dying to get to the end. Currently, the Mets-Yankees game and beer are demanding my attention while Casey and her mom are having dinner in the city. Tomorrow we're walking all over the Village, so I was happy to give them a mother-daughter day and chill in the air conditioning.

Now I need peanuts with my beer.

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