I hadn't initially planned on going back to this subject, but after the feedback I've gotten on last week's column I thought I might give you guys at least a brief update on my trip before I launch into the heart of this week's piece.
As many of you may know, last week I attended the BLI orientation retreat, leaving my daughter and wife to fend for themselves for a few days for the first time since Caroline was born. While I did get a few reports of Caroline wondering around the house looking for Daddy, they both seemed to make it just fine without me. In fact, Caroline kind of ignored me when I first got home (something she no doubt did to get me back for leaving).
I even had a better time than I thought I would, which according to a number of my officemates is a little surprising, as I'm not usually thought of as a "fun loving" kind of guy (one co-worker in particular spent all day Monday mocking a picture of me in which I was smiling). While the free food (and other things) was really great, I think I might have enjoyed myself even without all of that.
One of my favorite things to do in my free time is study people (see, not exactly "fun loving"). I'm fascinated by the social sciences, and spending two days with a group of 30-plus people, many who were at least relative strangers, was pretty great for me.
The truth is though, at some point all of that went out the window, and I just had a good time. There are few people in the world that bring that out in me, and perhaps it wasn't a person that did it this time but the atmosphere that was created. So a big kudos to those who organized the retreat. I feel like that's what it was designed for, and it worked, at least for me.
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Now for the heart of this week's column. My beloved Boston Red Sox have officially been eliminated from any chances at a playoff run. In fact, last I checked, they held one of the five worst records in the league.
Talk about a bummer. Yikes.
The thing is, as someone who has never really been able to stomach the St. Louis Cardinals (I've tried and just can't), I have to applaud their consistency over the last 10 years or so. As a baseball fan, I can't help but be happy for Cardinals fans. I honestly don't remember the last time the team had one of those please-god-let's-pretend-this-never-happened kind of seasons.
Despite this season, I still love this Red Sox team. Yesterday I was talking to a fellow Red Sox fan who happens to be from Boston. She made a good point about how intense Red Sox fans are. We love this team, we also have no problem yelling, screaming and booing our own players. As we talked, it dawned on me, being a Red Sox fan is like being married.
We all know those marriages where the couple seems to be head-over-heels in love one moment and at each other's throats the next. While this may seem crazy to some people, the truth is that relationship is full of passion and honesty, and it'll likely stand the test of time, provided whatever lies at the base of the relationship is solid.
But then we also know those marriages where even during bad times, the couple pretends everything is OK. They are more steady, more even-keeled, but often lacking in true, unbridled passion. It's the marital equivalent of saying "It's OK, this was a rebuilding year."
Now, I'm not a marital counselor, so please don't look at or apply my analogy of baseball and marriage and then blame me for the results -- unless they're positive results. In that case, you're welcome. Yes, I am a genius. I'll take my award now.
Anyhow, baseball is basically over for me now. I'm not a huge American football fan, so as far as sports go, I'll be focusing on soccer until hockey returns in a few weeks, then the NBA just a few weeks after that.
For more, you guys can follow me on Twitter at @CN_ChrisP. May the force be with you.
cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com