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It ends after Book Three? Aw, man! So then what is the future of the Air Nomads and Air Bending? Does it end with Aang? I always thought book four would be about rebuilding that nation to restore balance.

Good times

Went to the MLB All Star Game, the last one ever to take place in Yankee Stadium. Amazing fanfare, great to see all the hall of famers out there. The game itself was a bit of a dud for the first ten long innings, after which point, exhausted from the day, we finally left. Good thing we did, because Tommy Lasorda and Wade Boggs were drinking at our hotel bar. Got to meet them briefly, although they were both well in their cups at that hour.

Other noteworthies encountered that day: Jim Bouton, Gaylord Perry, George Foster, Mitch Williams, Ferguson Jenkins. And one former coach of the Cleveland Cavs (I forgot his name because I'm not a big basketball fan. Might have been Mike Fratello)

One thing I have to mention is that while I understand Yankee Stadium has an incomparable amount of baseball history in it, I'm really ok with them getting into a better park. Other than those white gable things tacked to the scoreboard and monument park, there's no distinguishing characteristics to that place. It certainly doesn't have the charm and historic feel that Wrigley Field does. It's a ballpark and it's old and a lot of great baseball happened there, but you're very hard pressed to really visualize anything like that when you're there.

Got a Wii for my birfday, thanks to Caitlin for somehow finding one. First on the list to buy is a second controller, then Smash Brothers. Then Mario Kart. Then Mario Galaxy. Then Okami. Then Metroid Prime: Corruption. Then Star Wars Lightsaber battles. Then all the other Wii games I'm forgetting about because there are too many.

Camping was amazing as always at Letchworth. I have to go again, and I have to go for more than one night.

And where is the Bat Man?

On Sunday afternoon, a man came into my neighbor's back yard and quietly deposited his bike by the fence. He then departed on my neighbor's bicycle, which had been in his garage. My neighbor was gardening about ten feet away when it all happened. He noticed the noise and looked up in time to see the man leaving, and gave chase. Luckily the chain locked up about a block later and the thief fled further on foot, leaving my neighbor with his bicycle.

This was in broad daylight with plenty of people outside in the area enjoying the warm sunny weather. I understand my personal history makes me particularly sensitive to these types of events, but it is hard to love where you live when the seedier elements have become so bold.

A few weeks ago, visiting a local electronics store not far from Delaware park on a very busy street, I learned that it is frequently targeted by burglers who often smash to pieces any piece of equipment they are unable to pry intact from the mooring, as if to punish the proprietors for making it difficult. What scum. I don't care what hand life may have dealt you, theft is just abhorrent.

Our Thin Blue Line is supposedly cracking down on this sort of activity. There are definitely some fighting the good fight and they deserve the highest commendations. But when you see a patrol car turn it's lights on and off over and over just to blow through the stop signs and red lights on Richmond, it makes you wonder about the ethics of the officer behind the wheel and sends a real shitty message to everyone around.

Noise polluters aren't cited or dealt with, nuisances and street obstructions are left to fester, and crime, while supposedly statistically falling, feels like it's getting closer and closer. It's enough for me to shake my cane at.

Righto

If I were to have a child, I think it would be a cool idea to speak only in a British accent around it. Only allow it to watch British TV, radio (NPR will do) and film, and by the time he or she goes off to elementary school, presto! British sounding kid.

Then, sometime around age 11 or 12, suddenly stop the accent around the poor thing. When he or she asks what happened to my voice, I'll counter by asking him why he's talking funny.