Friday randomness...

It was 60 degrees when I got up this morning. 60 degrees! So I immediately threw on a long-sleeved shirt, knowing full well the thermometer would climb throughout most of the day – by the time I went out for coffee, it was already 71… and now it’s somewhere between 76 and 91, depending on which thermometer reading I want to believe. (How can there be such disparity between readings, you ask? Yes, I often wonder that myself… Well, “91” is what my thermometer out by the pool equipment is saying… I tend to think it's usually off in the early afternoons, because the sun is directly hitting it…) But I am hopeful that this morning was a sign of cooler weather to come…

So I was disappointed that the Cleveland Indians were not able to clinch a spot in the World Series last night. Ever since the Yankees got knocked out of the running, I’ve been hoping for a Rockies/Indians series. The Rockies because they’ve never been to a series, so they might as well have a chance… and the Indians because a) they beat the Yankees, and it’s always best to say you were defeated by a GOOD team; and b) because I certainly don’t want Boston in the series. But either way, whether Boston or Cleveland makes it, I hope the Rockies win it all…

I have decided that whoever first created birthday cake ice cream should be awarded a Nobel Prize. If Al Gore can have one, then the person who dreamed up the creamy, vanilla icing-flavor of birthday cake ice cream should definitely get one. It’s only fair…

Does anyone else find it really strange that decorating front yards for Halloween has suddenly become trendy? I can’t remember anyone really decorating for Halloween that much before the last few years. I mean, sure, people might’ve carved some pumpkins and tied a few cornstalks to their front porch, but that was about it. And now, all of a sudden, people throw giant light-up jack-o-lanterns on their lawns, stretch fake cobwebs over their trees, and cover their houses with twinkling orange lights. And I find this kind of excessive decorating for such an inconsequential “holiday” to be extremely annoying. What’s next? Will Wal-Mart start selling giant, blow-up lawn hearts for Valentine’s Day? Will we see big light-up beer mugs on St. Patrick’s Day? Personally, I think this sudden interest in Halloween decorating stems from an impatience to start decorating for Christmas… October is obviously too early for Christmas decorations, so people do the next best thing – decorate for the silly Halloween holiday. Just be patient… Christmas will be here before you know it…

Well, Joe Torre is no longer with the Yankees, which makes me a little bit sad. But at the same time, I’m interested to see who might replace him. Will it be Don Mattingly? Or Joe Girardi? Or someone completely different? I’m sort of hoping for Mattingly, but I think Girardi might be good, too. I just don’t want to see a Lou Piniella-type in the dugout… that was one thing you could always say for Torre – he almost always managed to keep his cool, no matter what was going on out on the field. Piniella, on the other hand, has always had a penchant for throwing monumental tantrums… tantrums from which many toddlers in candy aisles could take pointers (start taking notes, two-year-olds… okay, learn to write, and THEN take notes…).

I guess that’s it for this semi-seasonal Friday afternoon. I hope you all have a great weekend! :)