The Farm League All-Star Game

OK, I'll be honest - I watched a few innings of the Little League World Series. Totally by choice. Why? Because I was at the gym on a stationary bike, there was a TV on the bike, and nothing else was on.

I feel like a lot of these very short stories will seem a lot like dreams - I can't remember how I arrived at the particular locale where the memory takes place, and the characteristics I DO remember seem odd and painfully usual. This story is no different.

Somehow or another, I "qualified" (probably meaning that my father spoke to the right people) for the Burlington Farm League All-Star game. I was likely between the ages of 7 and 10. I remember nothing from that day except for my sole at-bat. I was apprehensive in-the-hole and nervous on-deck, but it wasn't until I walked towards the plate that I could've floated away because of the amount of butterflies in my stomach (zing!). I don't remember what I was wearing, save for the oversized helmet. I stepped into the batter's box, and waited for the first pitch.

The ball came right at me. I instinctively jumped, but the ball hit my cleats. It didn't really hurt that much. I took first base. I don't remember advancing on the basepaths, hitting again, or playing the field, though, for some reason, I'm sure I did. The image that first comes to mind when this memory comes up is a view of myself (in the third person) jumping over the ball inside. Strange.

The Perfect Hybrid

Although it may sound like the name of a pub in rural England, the name of this blog is in fact a reference to a most interesting recipe I came across this morning, "Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon." A heart attack disguised as a vegetable-based food? Probably. Deliciously appetizing? Most definitely.

(I thought about including the bacon portion of the recipe in the title, but "Spicy and Salty Goat" just doesn't have the same ring to it.)

Anyway, as this is my first post, I'll make it brief. For the time being, feel free to gaze at the attached picture of pure perfection whilst I determine what my next post will contain. Perhaps a bacon story is in order?