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i wasn't surprised that it was cold and rainy this morning. new england weather didn't trick me one bit when it threw out an 80 degrees day yesterday but delivered a 40 degrees day today. some how i just knew that the weather would drop to the cold familiarity we've come to expect from a winter season that just doesn't want to leave quite yet. while people were getting ready for spring, dreaming about warm and sunny days, i was still preparing for that surprise cold blast. today was a vindication. mother nature did not catch me with my weather pants down, i was ready for her. i'm no meteorologist, but after today, i think the weather will keep in the 50's and 60's.

the office door was locked when i got there even though kristine was inside. she'd been waiting for someone else to show up for work so she could steal away and get some coffee. i happened to be that special someone. the office was half empty today, james had the day off, dana isn't here on fridays, carly was taking a personal day, and adam was home sick.

alex and i went running during lunch. fortunately the rain had stopped by the time we left. it was still cold however (we could see our breath), and we both wore shorts (thankfully with longsleeved shirts). along the hatchshell, preparations were being made for this weekend's earth day concert. barricades were set up and tents pitched. although we didn't see the giant carp, we did see two pigeons getting it on, and what initially appeared to be a squirrel getting it on with a rat, but the rat turned out to be just another squirrel without a hairy tail. speaking of squirrels, all of them had reddish tails for some reason, perhaps a seasonal coloration. we also saw a "sea monster" in the river, either a cormorant diving for food (we never did it see it resurface), or perhaps a fish jumping out of the water, or maybe the flipper of something bigger. the topic du jour of our run was how do marine mammals get their water when they can't drink the ocean water. a little online research when we got back revealed that they get most of their water from the food they eat (through specialized metabolic pathways), have urine high in salt content (more powerful kidneys), and since they don't have porous skin it traps the moisture inside.

julie was coming over to watch game 1 of the yankees red sox series happening in new york this evening. she was bringing over the wings (from wing works), i volunteered to get the beer. not just any beer mind you, julie had to have "anchor steam," some sort of san francisco microbrew. i wasn't sure i'd be able to find it, i told her i'd let her know once i left the liquor store. i ended up going to university liquors on mass ave, first time visiting. the place seemed to cater more to the discriminating wine drinker than the beer aficionado, and i couldn't find the beer julie wanted. figuring i had nothing to lose, i asked the proprietor if he had "anchor steam" (written on the back of my hand, so i wouldn't forget), thinking he'd say no, but was surprised when he said yes and showed me where it was. when i went to pay, he asked if he could see my ID. i guess this little transaction will seem sweeter the older i get, and i almost expected him to say, "boy, you sure don't look 30," in which case i'd thank him profusely and leave with my beer purchase to an accolade of sudden applause. the reaiity was much more subdued and doesn't warrant any description.

once julie came over, it was time for sports night, with all the necessary ingredients: a baseball game, wings, and beer. she had brought three difference flavors of wings: medium (regular), rochester, and spicy barbecue. pouring the anchor steam into drinking glasses, julie explained the difference between good head and head that is otherwise not so good. she hadn't had wings in a long time, and i never thought she was the kind of gal who does wings very often even though she certainly likes her beers. however, this evening she had a ravenous appetite for said chicken parts, and after she consumed her share, she was scooping up the sauce and gnawing at the bones and she might've even drank the blue cheese when i wasn't looking. for someone who doesn't frequently do wings, she certainly seemed to love them.

the game had eveything red sox fans could want: the beloved home team was spanking the evil empire for a final score of 11-2 and a-rod was still struggling batting wise as well as most of the yankees. towards the end of the game it started to drizzle down in the bronx and we went online to get the animated satellite radar maps to see if they'd call the game due to rain (fortunately they didn't). when the smoke cleared, the sox were up 3-1 overall against the yankees in this early season, and that's without some of our starters like nomar and trot nixon. these are happy times in red sox nation.