Day 238

Here is your Andrew update: Another week and more growth for the little guy. We took Andrew to the doctor last week and were delighted to hear that doing great. He is up to 9 lbs 20 ounces and grew an inch in length. The doctor told us to keep doing what we are doing. Andrew seems to be on a mini-schedule right now. He has a bottle goes down anywhere between 9:30-10:30, sleeps until 2:30-3, gets changed and has another bottle, then goes back to sleep again until 7:00-8:00. It definitely could be worse. We have been lucky so far. Without the nurse, Leah is doing most of the week night 3 AM feedings, I do the weekends and this week I told her I would switch off on the late night shift since I am not travelling. Saturday afternoon we took Andrew on his first foray that didn't involve the doctor's office. We went to the mall, had lunch, and walked around. Leah asked me which day I'd rather go, Saturday or Sunday. My response was simple "Saturday - Chik-Fil-A is closed on Sunday's." It turned out to be great. We got out of the house for a couple of hours, I buried a Chik, no pick, nuggets, and waffle fries, and Andrew slept the whole time. (On a side note - props out the new food court for building spacious, door to the floor stalls in the bathrooms.) Sunday we took him over to my Grandmother's for lunch. Again, he was relatively quiet and it was nice to get out. After a month of pretty much staying in, Leah and i finally were able to go out for our first meal alone since Andrew was born. My mom watched Andrew. It was a quick meal at Taza on a Tuesday night, but it was so nice to get out for a quiet meal. I so took that for granted before Andrew was born. We've got some more outings planned in the upcoming weeks that I am very much looking forward to, including Tribe games aplenty and seeing Billy Joel in concert at the Q.

Work Travel is definitely not the whup: I said a few posts ago that I missed work travel, and while that was true and I am back to the schedule, Friday's trip was weak. This is why people who think business travel is glorious sometimes need to re-think that statement. I had a two hour sales meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 12:30 CST. To get there from here is not easy. i flew on a 7AM flight to Cincinnati on Delta. If you've never been to the Cincinnati airport, its about the dumbest setup of all time. I landed in one concourse and had to take a shuttle bus literally through the middle of the run-ways to another concourse. There you sit in what can only be described as a train station terminal. Everyone is headed into one area where every 5 seconds they announce another flight is boarding, you then line up and walk down some strange corridor where there are probably 20 entrances to planes. It was odd. So I then fly to Cedar Rapids, get in my car, grab a quick bite to eat at some dive, then go to my sales meeting. Its over by 2. I drive back to the Cedar Rapids airport and the cycle repeats itself in reverse. I didn't get home until 9:30 Friday night. Sounds like fun huh?

"Pass" me the Haroset: Happy Passover to you all by the way. Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday. It has nothing to do with the religious aspects and everything to do with the food. I love me some haroset and bitter herbs. Nothing better. I want to know why haroset is not an all year long kind of food. Am I right? That is so tasty stuff. Nothing wrong with a little bitter herbs on matza as well. My dad was the king of the bitter herbs. The spicier the better for him. He used to love loading up. When we lived in Chicago, we would go up to the burbs to our "Chicago Family" the Rosenstein's for Seder. They took such good care of us. Their seder was relatively short, which is right up my alley. Tonight we are going to my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Keith's. Rumors are swirling of a long Seder, an hour or so. Hey, that's all good for others, just not my cup of tea, but we must play the cards we are dealt. Lets see if Andrew stays quiet during that time frame as well. I'm giving it 50/50 tops. Leah did make some chocolate covered matza that I am also looking forward to getting my hands on. For the story on what used to be the Dery family Seder featuring "The Wrestling Rabbi," click here.

Best Day of the Year: There is no better day to me than opening day. Today is day one of the major league baseball season. Every team starts with renewed optimism that this is their year. I equate opening day with so many great memories of my father. He was as big of a baseball fan as there was. It was no surprise to catch him in his robe and slippers past midnight on a Tuesday watching the Dodgers and Giants on the west coast. We went to so many opening days together. From when I was in college until last year, we went together every year. Two seasons ago was the first opening day without him. My mom, MD, and I went together and put my dad's Indians hat in the aisle seat where he belonged. We of course lost that game, proving once again that there is no good karma surrounding Cleveland luck. 94 opening day, the first game at the Jake was perhaps the best opening day I've been to. The Tribe was no-hit by Randy Johnson through into the 7th inning before rallying and winning it in extra innings on a Wayne Kirby RBI single. Another classic opening day was in 2000 when I flew in "for the game," as Leah thought. Actually, on my way to the game, I picked out Leah's engagement ring. Friday is the Cleveland opener. MD, Jeremy, and i will be trekking down to the Jake. I cannot wait. Of course, its been 65-70 degrees here for the last week and Friday is supposed to be a high of 33 with potential snow. Today, the Indians start their quest for the postseason in Chicago, where they have the last three years. We haven't won on opening day in four years. Ive got a good feeling about this year's team. I don't want to be a total homer, but I love our young talent, we've got a rock solid rotation headed by C.C. Sabathia. Either Travis Hafner or Grady Sizemore could be MVP this year. It all is going to come down to our revamped bullpen, which was completely overhauled after it was the worst in baseball last season. My predictions: I enter April with a lot of optimism, but it is tempered. I see big years from C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, and a breakout season from Jeremy Sowers. The rotation's strength will keep this team in contention through September. Trot Nixon will be a bench player by July - he may be finished. Andy Marte will flame and Casey Blake will be at third by June 1, giving Ryan Garko the first base job he rightfully deserves. Joe Borowski does one stint on the DL. The problem is the strength of the AL Central. All of that will add up to a 90-72 record, and a second place finish to the Detroit Tigers.

It Should Be Us: Of course I am bitter, but tonight is also the national championship game in College Basketball and my Kansas Jayhawks are not playing. Ohio State and Florida are meeting again in what is a rematch of the college football national championship game. It would be nice to be a fan of those teams. How about Florida? They are going for the unprecedented feat of winning back to back to titles with a football title sandwiched in between. That is sick. When watching the final four Saturday night, all I could think of was how my team is jinxed. UCLA's Arron Afflalo and Darrin Collison couldn't miss against us, yet against Florida, they went 5-14 and 3-14 respectively and Affalo's last three FG's came with under a minute to go in garbage time. I've got to get over the bitterness, we lost 9 days ago. I think Florida wins with ease tonight.

EDIT: As I typed this, the Tribe has jumped out with 9 runs in the first two innings to take a 9-2 lead on the White Sox. LOVE IT!!!!!

Happy B-day: Shout outs to Allison Kaufman, Todd "Fritzer" Friedman, and old school friend Elissa Levine on their B-days this week.

Song of the Day: "Can U Hear Me Now" by Erick Sermon