Floating Down Stream

BREAKING NEWS -- 4/4/05 @ 10 p.m.
Our 11th bid for a home is apparently successful. Our agent called us and said our bid was accepted.

Yes, we are beside ourselves and excited beyond imagining. I'll let you in on more details as they become available. There is still some negotiating to do, but it looks like we are going to become homeowners.

Back to our regularly scheduled column...

Spring Cleaning

April is a signal to me that spring is here. Yes, I know it officially began last month, but it doesn't feel like spring in March.

Spring is a time of renewal, rebirth and hot dogs (but that's another column). It is also a time to clean out the old and make room for the new. So, I'm going to do a partial memory dump and get some of the lingering thoughts out of my head so I can cram some new ones in.

How Old?

For the record, I'm on the wrong side of 40 years old. (For an exact age after this year, answer the question to Life, The Universe and Everything.)

However, after a rather vigorous game of ice hockey last Saturday, I stopped off at my local purveyor of brewed beverages (beer) and made a purchase. I'm a beer snob, so I won't bore you with the exact details.

After bringing my purchase to the counter, the clerk said, "$13.38, please. May I see your ID?"

"Excuse me?" I stammered.

"I need to see your ID," he said.

I honestly laughed out loud and said, "Thank you so much" as I handed over my license.

I have been told that I do have a youthful look. And I try to make sure that I don't project age. But I haven't been carded in ... well, I can't even remember the last time I got carded.

As long as they don't card me at the video game store when I try to buy those "M" games, I'll be fine. And seriously amused.

Obey The Sign

Speaking of stores, I was at the Towson Town Center recently and parked in their parking deck. If you have ever parked there, there are signs on the inner row of parking spaces that read "Small Cars Only."

For the record, if you own a minivan, SUV or full-sized pickup truck, you are NOT a small car. As I was walking into the mall, a very large SUV was attempting to pull into one of the space marked for small cars -- right in front of the sign.

As I left, I noticed the same SUV had backed into the space. I guess the driver didn't want to read the sign.

Play Ball!

Spring is also baseball season. The Orioles start the season with lots of optimism, very little starting pitching, more power and a bullpen that could be one of the best in the league.

They also start the season with some new neighbors to the south -- the Washington Nationals.

There was a lot of hubbub made about the Nationals and their impact on the Orioles' fan base. I will probably go to a few games (my wife is excited about a team in D.C.), but I'm still an O's fan at heart.

Plus, if they start winning, more people will show up at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. That gets fans in the seats more than a Sammy Sosa t-shirt giveaway.

Farewell

I'm not a man of religion. However, I felt moved when Pope John Paul II passed away this weekend.

It is hard not to be moved when a man who was a part of such monumental changes in the world passes on. Pope John Paul II also impressed me as he reached out to all people -- no matter what faith.

Farewell and thank you.

This was more a stream of consciousness than a rant of any sort. Thanks for indulging me. Sometimes, you just have to sweep it all out. And thank you for all those who wrote in about my recent "episode" concerning house hunting. I'm doing fine and I'm trying to take it easy. I know it will come around. But instant gratification just isn't fast enough. "Stuck inside a wheel, inside a wheel/Wondering everyday is it all for real."

Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Write to me or add a comment below and tell me what you think or if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.