Oh, Man have I been lacking with the updating.

Work has only recently released me from the vice grip of editorial slavery in which I was held, so only today do I not feel like there are 18 deadlines and responsibilities awaiting me when I finally get my day going. The BlueClaws season preview section is completed and printed, but I have not yet seen it because I was off yesterday -- a wonderful, full off-day of Dan and Casey that included possibly my two most favorite things ever, Casey and baseball. My girl took a mental health day from work and it was HER idea to go see the Pirates play the Mets at Shea, which I of course had no problem with, until the Pirates won 3-2. Aside from the cold and the wind, it was a good game and a great day. I drove down to Jersey City in the morning, we took the PATH into the city and hopped on the 7 train -- that which John Rocker famously denounced in a Sports Illustrated interview a couple of years ago. We bought tickets at the stadium and took our seats in the upper level boxes just off home plate on the Mets' dugout side. I cheered when Joe McEwing led off the Mets' half of the first with a home run, and Casey clapped quietly (to avoid beat-downs from the Mets fans) when Kevin Young's two-run homer put Pittsburgh up 2-1. I showed her the "space ships" from Men In Black over at the World's Fair Grounds beyond the U.S. Open tennis stadium and the view of the New York skyline from the third-base side late in the game. We stood for the final inning because we were cold and most of the ballpark was hoping for a Mets rally. Didn't happen.

We were able to sit on the ride back to the city and we spent some quality time in her room before driving back to my place via Pathmark for burgers and fries and white wine for dinner, with Survivor for desert topped with The Real World and The Osbournes, all on tape.

And after I took the BlueClaws game over the phone and filed a story, we fell asleep -- hard -- and woke up smiling and happy on a cold but partly sunny Friday.

It's been an OK week. Forget Tuesday, when I wrote a great story but couldn't enjoy it because I was forced to work the desk as well.

Monday was great, when Dave, Gayle and I went to the Mets opener (they beat the Pirates in that one) when Art Garfunkel sang God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. I had just come out of the bathroom when I heard the P.A. announcer mention his name, so I walked up the tunnel and stood there listening. He still sounds the same, and I never thought I'd see Garfunkel live before Simon. The best part, though, was the unexpected rise of voices. All through the first verse and refrain, it was just Art, but then the 55,000 fans caught up, or grew more confident, or raised their voices, and it was a performance of Garfunkel and 55,000 backup singers. A pretty good show.

After the game, Dave, Gayle and I stopped in the Mets Clubhouse Shop on 42nd St. before going to the ESPN Zone for dinner and games. Dave just had to play the Formula 1 racing game, and Casey met us there.

Last Friday was good, too, when Casey and Moom came down to Little Silver to meet "the Dans" as Casey's put it to refer to my parents. We had a nice lunch and the parents talked school and parenty-things, like how much TV Casey and I watch. Then Jess, Moom, Casey and I went over to Monmouth University to walk through Daddy Warbucks' house (the university's main building was his mansion in the movie), and back at my house we all dyed Easter eggs. At dinner, both Moom and my dad wanted to pay for dinner, and they seperately tried to secure the check: Dad left the table and talked to the waitress; Moom left after he returned and spoke to the cashier. Dad won; the waitress handed him the bill, but as she did, Moom lunged for it and for a moment all three held onto it before my dad, smiling, took it and bought dinner. Moom was upset, but I didn't know, so I couldn't help. Not like I could've -- I think Mom and Dad were all set on buying dinner themselves.

I think that's it. Tomorrow I'll be in L.S. to spend an afternoon with Amy and Jaime, up for a visit from New Orleans and Philly, and then I'll work, as usual. I get Sunday off, so Casey and I are planning more New York fun, and then Monday the BlueClaws are home for the first time in 2002, and we'll see how that goes with the work schedule. Regardless, it will be better than the office.

Time to eat breakfast.