Mets vs. Marlins

View from our seats
Today (08.08.08) at 11 AM Ryan, Michael and I ventured forth via Onondaga Coach to Shea Stadium. Arrived at 4 PM. For some reason we made no bathroom stops. Guess this is why there is a rest room on the bus and bus drivers have ironcast bladders. Rained the entire trip down as if we expected the weather to different on this day of crazy eights. Miraculously the skies cleared and bright sunshine showered us as we were ushered to our seats in Mezzanine section 27 row box A by Joel L.

Once seated we immediately went into the concourse for food. Joan told us to take something to eat. Did we listen, of course not. Michael was a bit taken aback having to pay seven dollars for a Nathan’s hot dog, but his Coke came in a commemorative cup. Ryan purchased a classy souvenir to go with his free blanket compliments of MasterCard.

Just before the national anthem, Ralph Kiner peeled off the number marking how many games left in the old stadium.

David Wright hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Carlos Delgado homered in the late innings. Both times I neglected to photograph the apple coming out of the hat.

Oliver Perez pitched two-hit ball for seven innings. He left after 120 pitches to the cheers of an appreciative crowd.

Upon leaving and walking toward the bus it registered just how many people were at the game. It was not Falcon Park.

Before boarding the bus for our return, many of us pleaded with the driver to consider a half stop. He said he would. At 1 AM he did. MickeyD's.

Terry in an email offered a summation of our trip with this equation - bus seat (time siting down) + stadium seat (time sitting down) + bus seat (time sitting down) = butt-worry (sore).

A little after 4 AM drove into the driveway at Perrine. Before falling into bed, I think I saw Ryan, Michael and myself stepping off the bus in front of Citi Field.

Time's a-wasting

To paraphrase Bob Dylan - Time's a-wasting.

According to Mary Beth Breckenridge, the average American wastes 55 minutes a day looking for things. Almost 25 percent of adults report they've paid bills late because they lost the paperwork.

More than 90 percent of people say they have an overwhelming sense of "time poverty."

These statistics come from Nancy McGarity, an owner of Real Solutions for Living in Canal Fulton, Ohio, and a residential organizing specialist.

Organization takes practice, she says. It's a set of skills that can be learned, and setbacks and imperfection are all part of the process.

Here's a baker's dozen of clutter prevention tips from McGarity.

1 Have a home for every item.

2 Always return items to their homes.

3 Store items where they're needed most.

4 Keep frequently used items in very accessible spaces and seldom-used items in places that are harder to reach.

5 Consider your habits when deciding where something should belong. That will make it easier for you to maintain your system.

6 Label shelves, containers (especially opaque ones), drawers, etc. to make it easy for anyone — even a visitor — to find and put away items. 1

7 Choose containers that appeal to you, so you will be more apt to use them.

8 Think realistically about items you are keeping "just in case" or because "someday I might need it." That "someday" rarely comes. Remove all those items, and stop yourself from accumulating more.

9 Don't believe you haven't the time to get organized. The time involved in searching for lost things or redoing tasks is always greater and creates unnecessary stress.

10 Take a few seconds to hang up clothes or put them into the laundry basket at the end of the day. It will save time that would be spent later on scooping up the piles, sorting, ironing and relaundering.

11 Don't make a habit of picking up after older kids. That only encourages them to rely on you to do their dirty work.
12 Sort mail as soon as you walk in the door and pitch junk mail immediately.

13 Impulse buying thwarts organizing efforts. Remember that even if an item is on sale, you'll save even more money, time and space by not buying it.