Books, Blogs and Baseball

I am reading a bit more, as my enthusiasm for knitting socks has waned temporarily. I have a pile of used books but I seem to spend at least as much time in front of the computer as I do with my nose in a book. Sure, I read knitting blogs but also I have wandered over to blogs about infertility, large families, design, cancer and art. Huh? There are talented writers everywhere. I don't spend any time on eBay. I read the local paper online and the news that is posted on the web by a local radio station. So when I repeat something I got from the news, the vocabulary sometimes trips me up. "I read it on the radio."

I am also listening to a library book, via my iPod, a David Sedaris CD, Me Talk Pretty One Day. I have read his short columns in the New Yorker before and he is really funny. He has been living in France and his tales about Americans abroad and the struggles to communicate in a second language are reminiscent of our time in Mexico last winter. Hearing his high, lispy voice and his imitations add so much to the narrative. It is good stuff but I am glad he is not my little brother. His family stories are merciless.

This time of year also finds me in front of the television. You might think I am watching Project Runway (which Dave thought was about an airport, poor guy) but no, it is Major League Baseball that has captured my attention. October is World Series month, and once I become aware of it, I am up on that bandwagon. I never think about baseball at all during the rest of the year, and I really don't even remember which teams played last year or who won. It's a short lived interest, a bright light during a dark and rainy season. I find something delightful in the drama, the peek into a world that totally consumes so many people. There is a pitcher with grey in his funny beard, a twenty two year old up to the majors for the first time, the announcers explaining that the second baseman and the shortstop communicate who will cover second by an open mouth and a closed mouth. Things like these intrigue me.

I am pulling for Detroit. Why? Well, my brother-in-law, an Oregon hippie, grew up in the Motor City and he has an automotive core that he can't escape. I love that about Michael, his stacks of car magazines and intimate knowledge of motorcycle history. My only other reason for being a Tiger fan this month is Elmore Leonard. Sports fans don't have to be logical, just enthusiastic.