And wouldn't you know it, those are the two things that happened this weekend that I'm not going to go in depth over tonight.

Friday, I finally got some time to run by the post office. Tarakava II, ChocolateFrogs, and Toaraga, your MOCs are on their ways back to you via Priority Mail: they should arrive no later than Wednesday. To recompense my tardiness in their return, I've included something for you: make sure you fully empty the box.

Oh, and PDX is the three letter airport code for Portland International Airport, like IAD is for Dulles, and MSY is for New Orleans.

I know, I'm terrible. Just cut me some slack, please? Work has been busy, and my situation is getting grim.

Before I gloss over my work troubles (I said I wasn't getting into that.) there was a softball game Saturday against the second Metairie Baptist team.

This is a second team, comprised of several NOBTS students, and filled out by a college department. Metairie 1 is the same old MBC team the rest of the league loves to hate.

These guys have the potential to be good, but they need practice first.

The line score:

Metairie #2  1 0 0 0 0 2 0   3
FBC Kenner   0 0 0 1 7 3 X  11 F

And in the Kenner box score, once again batting 10th (out of 11: 10 fielders + a DH)

No.  Name       Pos.   H-AB  R BI
....
47   Foret       C      0-2  0 0

I came up with the bases loaded with 2 out in the bottom of the second, and grounded out 5-3.

I came up again with the bases loaded, but with one out, in the bottom of the fourth, and popped out to the pitcher.

I came up one last time in the bottom of the fifth, two on and one out, and drew a walk. Got stranded at second.

Their pitcher couldn't throw a strike to save an inning: once we quit swinging at balls at started drawing the walks we were given, it started to unravel. Still, it was the fourth inning before we logged our first base hit.

Metairie 2 will be good next time we play them at the end of June.

We've got next weekend off, but Neil's right: we haven't been tested yet. In any case, we end April at 2-0.

Then came issues with the server, and a lost weekend at work. Bad timing. Really.

Then came my extended bothering of Swoop, in which I found a new place to sell feathers, and eventually cut my fourth lifetime million gold check. 5 years to earn 4 mil: not a good rate. Then again, I'm not a power gamer. Ultima Online is a fun game if you don't force yourself to "win" it.

Then came a dinner date with my mom and brother, who came in to watch the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (the PGA tour event at the TPC of Louisiana this weekend).

What I neglect to mention is that, over the course of Friday afternoon, I was playing with the computer case, and to my delight, the I/O panel that came with the case simply popped out. And, since the new I/O panel (I'd get pictures if I could, but....) installed so easily, I got the urge to get techy.

I installed the motherboard, and hooked up as many chassis connections as I could (soft power button, HD LED, Power LED, system speaker, reset button, front panel IEEE 1394 (Firewire), front panel USB, and an extra pair of USB ports where a spare PCI x16 graphics card would go. (I'm not going to build an SLI bridge: I'm just going to get the muscle (7950GT, 512MB) in one card.)

That makes for 8 USB and 2 firewire ports, with room on the board for 2 more USB ports.

Too bad I had to make a run to CompUSA and spend $44 on a "computer repair kit" just to get a screwdriver that'd screw in the board mounting screws.

I'm tellin' ya, it's intoxicating. I can almost taste the power this machine will exude.

I'm buying the PSU (610 W, I don't want to have to move because the wiring can't take my computer), a DVD+R recording drive, and a new keyboard on the first of May, and then making an order every 3 weeks thereafter. I want to ramp up the timetable.

Oh yeah, and vote Craig Biggio for NL All-Star 2B.

-KIE