Where's Robbo? Friday This N' That Edition

A much-needed day away from the office today. All the windows at Orgle Manor are wide open and I plan to spend the afternoon weedin' n' feedin' out in the shrubbery.

****Went off to the vet this morning to get the ol' Llama physical. I'm happy to say (touching wood) that I am an extremely boring patient. And I certainly hope to keep it that way. (I'm also happy to say that I never made a wiser decision than settling on a woman internist with thin fingers, if ya knowwhutImean and I think ya do.)

****Tomorrow morning we will be faced with the interesting logistical problems of three soccer games at exactly the same time. Fortunately, two of them are in the same general complex, but I am still either going to have to choose one game to watch or else spend most of my time hoofing back and forth between fields a couple hundred yards apart.

****While it's wonderful to see my beloved Washington Nationals involved in so many sweeps, it's a real pity that they always seem to be at the wrong end of the broomstick. Last night's third straight loss to the Mets was particularly vexacious, given that the two Mets mostly responsible for the win - Brian Schneider and Ryan Church - played for the Nats last year. Gary must be grinning ear to ear.

****After having tried unsuccessfully several times over the past ten years, I have finally gotten well in to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. I used to get bogged down in the first book, but this time I've gotten on past the Battle of Hadrionople and the death of the Western Emperor Gratian already and am confident that I can finally make it all the way through the entire work.

****Many people have asked how the post-Tiber crossing' ecumenical thing is working out in the Llama Household. Well, so far, so good. Indeed, because the Missus has to go out of town Sunday night, I will be taking the Llama-ettes off to a pot-luck supper for my old Palie church alone. And as I was telling Father M the other night, I still enjoy going to services with the family since it allows me to sing the hymns full-bore without feeling like a moron. Funnily enough, my activity in this area has persuaded my R.C. sponsor, whose own wife also attends my old church, to become more active himself, with the result that he is going to come out with his family to the Diocesan retreat at Shrine Mont this year. I told him we can stand around on the porch together Friday night complaining about the absence of fish from the menu.

****The eldest Llama-ette told me this morning that her musick teacher at St. Marie of the Blessed Educational Method had told the class that she was going to teach them a rap song, upon which the gel reportedly replied, "I'm sorry, but my Dad won't allow me to learn rap." That's me gel!

****And yes, I chose the word "shrubbery" deliberately just to set up the closer. Here ya go: