Moonlit Jazz

A’s 9, Rangers 4

The Ballpark in Arlington

Winning Pitcher – Mark Redman (1-0)
Losing Pitcher – R.A. Dickey (1-1)

OAK Runs: 9, Hits: 11, Errors: 0
TEX Runs: 4, Hits: 12, Errors: 0

Oakland Record: (6-2)

Dye powers A’s past Rangers
A nice recap of today’s game. Wow, Dye!

And how did my day go?

I woke up today about an hour or so earlier than I normally do. I let the dogs out, started the shower, let the dogs in, then took a shower. We were on the road and into Concord by 9am. I played a little online, then we went next door to Denny’s for breakfast. It was the monthly company breakfast, but I didn’t really pay too much attention (since I don’t work for the company.) We were back in the office at about 10:30 or so. A couple of hours later or so we did some errands. We came back to the office and then left about an hour or less later for the day.

Relatives from back east are in town, so we all went to dinner at Kawa Sushi. We didn’t have sushi. Instead we had the “watch as the chef cooks” experience. It was fun! And the food was delicious, of course. 😀 My favorite part of the whole thing was the heart made of rice:

Now I’m tired and I should probably go to bed. I can’t believe that this time next week, I’ll be in HAWAII!!! Woohoo! 😀

A Place for a Man Who Feels Too Much

A long way from Mickey Mouse Club

I read the two articles above, both featuring Ryan Gosling, who currently stars as Leland P. Fitzgerald in The United States of Leland. I found it interesting, and perhaps a little sad, that there was no mention at all of his role on Young Hercules (he was freakin’ Hercules, for gods’ sakes!) and just a passing mention of Breaker High and the new Mickey Mouse Club. Is it his doing? Does he want to forget his younger days at the ripe old age of 23?

Perhaps the interviewers didn’t do their research on him. Is that possible too? But any Google or Yahoo search pops up with a fansite first. (Mine, oddly enough.) So can it be possible that these journalists conveniently overlooked Ryan’s previous work?

Most of the reviews I’ve read on The United States of Leland are not favorable, yet I really enjoyed the movie. Do the critics suck? Or am I just partial to Ryan? The Husband enjoyed it and he’s not partial to Ryan, though he does say that Ryan is very talented.

It’s fun reading about Ryan. He’s a different breed, an “old soul.” You don’t get that from the articles on him, but believe me, he is. He’s sweet and gracious, at least with fans. I don’t think he could have changed in that respect. But I’m sure he’s had to adjust with the media and their sharp hooks. Still, it’s a little unforgiving to read an article and find information so blatantly missing.

A’s 10, Rangers 9

The Ballpark in Arlington

Winning Pitcher – Barry Zito (1-1)
Losing Pitcher – Mickey Callaway (0-1)

OAK Runs: 10, Hits: 16, Errors: 1
TEX Runs: 9, Hits: 16, Errors: 1

Oakland Record: (5-2)

See, a picture of Zito today. But none of Mulder the other day! That is just so wrong. 😛

Eric Byrnes got to start. Good for him! The only recap so far is at Yahoo here.

I should really get my Mark Mulder site updated and whatnot. Someone actually visited the site today! 🙂 And my “I love Mulder” shirt got an email too. 😉 I bought the shirt at the ballpark. It’s been around for a couple of years and I always thought I could buy it online, but alas! So when I saw it on Friday night, I snagged one. I even wore it today. 😀

I’m still a little annoyed at the lack of Mulder pictures from yesterday’s game. I found a couple at Getty Images, but they watermark their images, so I shan’t post them here. I usually get the images from Yahoo Sports, but they apparently decided not to post any Mulder pics. Blah! Watch, there will be Zito pics tomorrow…

FROM AMAZON.COM

I love getting packages! Even though the box today had the Husband’s name on it, I knew that I had stuff in it for me. And woohoo, I did! First up, a DVD called 13 Gantry Row. One of my favorite fellows, Erik Thomson, is in the film and it came out on DVD for some reason. Groovay for me! 😀 And the other item is Wil Wheaton’s book Dancing Barefoot.

Ahhh, Wil Wheaton. I know him best from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I always thought it was weird that he left, especially since I didn’t see him in much after STTNG (just Toy Soldiers, though his bio at IMDB has more). I started reading his weblog maybe about a year ago or so and I have been most impressed by him. He’s a wonderful writer and I think he’s made me cry a couple of times with his words. He’s good. I bought his book because I want to support him in his writing endeavors. And maybe I’ll be a total nerd one day and have him sign it at a convention. Hey, it could happen. 😀

STOLEN

I probably shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but how does one explain the following?

We took our car in last week because oil was leaking. We had taken it to the shop a few weeks before and they had supposedly fixed everything. But the place was happy to take the car again and fix it all up. Well, today we picked it up. Actually, the Husband did. I drove back home in our other car and just before I got to the house, the cell phone rang.

“Hello,” I said.

“Did you take the mini-disc player out of the Passat?” The Husband asked.

“No, why?”

“Sonofa–” he growled.

“Maybe they put it in the glove compartment or something?” I suggested.

“I’m looking,” he replied, obviously very annoyed.

We rang off and I pulled in front of our house. I went in, greeted the dogs, and headed to the computer. He came home about twenty minutes later. No mini-disc player, no car power adapter, no tape adapter.

Did the guys who worked on our car just move the player and the stuff that would make it work in a car? Or did they steal it, breaking the law and our trust with the service department of this dealership?

If it was stolen, I must say it’s a SHAME. It’s horrible and disappointing. If it wasn’t stolen, then where is it?

Alas.

PHOTOS OF THE POST

I should have taken pictures of the actual front of the theatre. Oh well. Next time. 😉

A’s 4, Mariners 9
Network Associates Coliseum

Winning Pitcher – Shigetoshi Hasegawa (1-0)
Losing Pitcher – Chris Hammond (0-1)

SEA Runs: 9, Hits: 14, Errors: 0
OAK Runs: 4, Hits: 11, Errors: 1

Oakland Record: (4-2)

Mulder pitched today, leaving the game with the lead. But the bullpen let him down. 🙁 And why aren’t there any pictures online of Mulder from today’s game?

Yeah, I can wear this shirt if I lose a couple of inches (or more). Otherwise, it’s going under a sweater or something…

EASTER IN SAN LEANDRO

It didn’t take us too long to get to San Leandro today. The weather was cooler in the Bay Area. By late afternoon I was needing a sweater or something. Ye gods!

Of course, it was nice spending time with family. I always enjoy that. Only three kids did the egg hunt. We had to hide the eggs, which can be interesting. 😉

I hope everyone out there had a lovely Easter.

A’s 2, Mariners 1 [Saturday]

Winning Pitcher – Tim Hudson (1-0)
Losing Pitcher – Gil Meche (0-1)

SEA Runs: 1, Hits: 4, Errors: 0
OAK Runs: 2, Hits: 8, Errors: 1

Oakland Record: (4-1)

The bad news – Ellis out for the season
SAD!!! Hopefully he comes back next season strong and healthy. We’re going to miss him this season for sure…

Two-run rally lifts A’s over M’s
Recap of the game at the official site.

I wish I could have seen this game on tv! Instead, we headed out to Turlock for a couple of hours for some satellite horse racing, then we drove up to Sacramento to watch the 6:10pm show of The United States of Leland. We listened to the end of the game while we drove up 99.

Great game! It was exciting listening to it. Hudson, WOW! 😀

MOVIE TIME

First, I must make mention of the Tower Theatre in Sacramento. Awesome place. It has HISTORY. You can just feel it before you even enter the building. I really enjoyed my whole movie watching experience there. I hope I can see more films there in the future.

Now, the movie.

The United States of Leland – This film stars Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, Chris Klein, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Williams, Martin Donovan, and Ann Magnuson. Ryan plays Leland P. Fitzgerald, a young man who commits a horrible crime. The film explores the repercussions of his crime with Don Cheadle as Pearl, a teacher in juvenile hall who tries to understand Leland’s story.

The movie is well done. The cast was excellent! But of course I must give Ryan Gosling his absolute due. He is such a talented actor. Even as I think, “Wow, I’ve looked right into those eyes,” I am mesmerized by the power of his performances. Leland is so distant, yet you can feel his emotions just below the surface, ready to take over. But he keeps it away. And Ryan plays it so well.

Even with the horrible events in the film, this one was easier to watch than a couple of Ryan’s other movies. I like watching movies that make me think, but when it’s too dark, it gets depressing. The United States of Leland is a tragedy, but one that offers hope amongst the anguish.

But I really enjoyed Ryan in this movie. 😉

DOMAIN WOES, AGAIN

By the time you all read this, my domain should be up again. But right now, it’s down and I must say IT SUCKS!!! Yeah, just had to get that out. 😉 Maybe I should go LJ.

I think it’s time for bed though…

Hudson tests daytime dominance
Just a preview of today’s game.

Those who comment deserve kisses

kiss * kiss * kiss * kiss * kiss *

Luz, I LOVE all the A’s commercials. Last night at the game, they showed that Mulder/Zito one. It’s so cute! I love the look on Mulder’s face when he sees Zito’s handiwork. LOL!

DOGGIE LOVE

My doggies got groomed yesterday! Of course, Meggie, the black lab, always looks the same no matter what, but here’s a cute shot of her anyway:

And then there’s the little freakin’ Yorkie, our sassy Saffy. She’s a trip sometimes. Crazy dog:

I love my dogs. 😉

And back to baseball

The Detroit Tigers are 4-0. Remember last season when they couldn’t WIN a game? Yeah, I do.

Mulder takes the mound tomorrow and my parents don’t have satellite or cable!!! For Easter we’re hanging out at my parents’ house and they don’t have any channels. I know, I shouldn’t worry about watching baseball when I’m at a family get together, but it’s MULDER!!! Grrr.

Did I mention I bought a t-shirt last night that says “I (heart) Mulder”? Yeah, I bought it even though it’s technically not my size. LOL! Oh well, I can wear it under stuff. 😉

And speaking of Easter…