Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."

Opportunity is a fickle thing. Just when you think you are seizing the moment, reality comes along and makes you take a step back and reassess where you've been, where you are, and where you are headed. In my case, I have rededicated myself to finishing my novel and in that spirit, I have passed my unfinished manuscript along to Mary for her critique and suggestions. I still feel good about my characters and my locations, so I'm hoping that when I reread my existing efforts, that I can pick them up and move them along.

I just finished my fifth session of meditation using the Headspace program that Mary enrolled me in earlier this week. I believe that the sessions are helping me to become more relaxed and both less and more focused. Is that a dichotomy or an oxymoron? I'm not sure, but the feeling is good.

My yak is trying to feel better. As an aside, here is a Yak joke that I found on the internet, "A man in a movie theater notices what looks like a Yak sitting next to him." "Are you a Yak?" asked the man, surprised." "Yes." "What are you doing at the movies" The Yak replied, "Well, I liked the book." Does this joke make sense? Yes, if you consider that in my case, my baking Yak is less obtrusive or noticeable when I think about other things. So there you have it.

I guess you had to be there. However, the Cubs weren't there yesterday as they lost to the Washington Nationals, 2 - 4. The Cubs still have a slim hold on 1st place in the NL Central, 1/2 game ahead of the 2nd place Brewers. The Cubs placed shortstop Addison Russell on the 10 day DL with a strained foot to be sure that he is ready for later in the season. His offensive numbers are down versus last year, so a little rest and rehab are probably in order. Javier Baez did get a two run homer, but the Cubs offense couldn't muster any more runs and thus, the loss. The Cubs and the Nats play again this afternoon @ 2:20 p.m.

The Tigers managed to beat the Orioles in a game in which the 4th place AL Central Tigers defeated the 4th place AL East Orioles. Both teams are playing for a spot on the couch this fall. The Tigers and the Orioles play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox stayed atop the AL East with a 3 - 2 win over that other team from Chicago. The Sox have a record of 61 - 49 and are now three full games ahead of the losing 2nd place Yankees. The Sox and that other team play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.

The 1st place in the MWL East Caps were drubbed last night by the 2nd place TinCaps, 3 - 16. Ouch! The Caps are still three games ahead of the TinCaps with a record of 28 - 11. The Caps welcome the Lake, County, OH Captains to the Fifth/Third Ballpark tonight @ 7:00 p.m.

The current temperature is 63° under mostly clear skies. I was out with Ginger around 12:30 a.m. and the rain has stopped and will not be returning until Sunday morning with a 40% to 50% chance of additional showers. If that's true, no watering for yours truly. Instead, I have to assist Mary in the interpretation of her catalog indexing project. In this case, I am probably well qualified to add to the process. The high-temperature today is forecast by the NWS to reach 74° under sunny skies. That means that the annual Coast Guard Festival Parade should come off without a hitch and without me. Tonight's fireworks will also be dry and also without Mary nor I.

Mary made another of her perfectly ordinary beests yesterday and instead of the usual method, she employed her steamer. The taste is the same, but the finished product is different looking. live and learn I guess.

Mary tried to go to the annual Coast Guard Festival Craft Show yesterday but was thwarted by the rain and the low temperatures that never climbed out of the low 60s. She espied an item at the outdoor portion of the show when she was on the sidewalk that caught her interest and so she plans to return today to check it out. I just remembered that the library is closed for the duration of the craft sale and so I couldn't have picked up the book I have on hold anyway. That explains why the date for check out seemed longer. It was.

Along with further meditation, I plan to take the morning safari and help Mary. I'd like to read more and maybe play with the girls, yak permitting. The sun will rise @ 6:39 a.m. and set @ 9:00 p.m. Ciao.