Mikey D

15-13 might not sound too impressive, but it's a winning record and only 2 games back of division leading Kansas City (say what?!?). We have Guillen, Thames, and Bonderman out, and Zumaya just returning, so we're not quite at full strength yet. But this team is going to be there in the end, I feel it. Verlander is pitching great, Jackson and Porcello add some great punch to our starting rotation, and how can you not like what Galarraga has done? Can you imagine if we didn't trade Jurrigens to Atlanta for Renteria last year? We'd be stacked.

But did you see Granderson's catch last night?!?! FUCKING AWESOME. Bottom of the 9th, runner on 1st, up 1-0, and fan-favorite Grady Sizemore cracks one deep to center...and Granderson...holy shit. It's game over if that ball goes over the wall and it ruins Verlander's complete game shutout and makes the game just a demoralizing loss. But he brings it back, and the Tigers win. Awesome. Things just seem to be going more right than wrong this year, something that hasn't happened the last few years. I've said it once, I'll say it again- I love this team. Tigers vs. Cardinals in the World Series.

Life updates. Hmmm. Well our home-buying process is almost over. It has been far from enjoyable...well at least the loan part. Grace and I have had to get a thousand and six pieces of paperwork from everywhere (banks statements, student loan letters, etc.), and it has gotten to be such a tedious and annoying process. Getting the papers hasn't been the problem as much as getting the papers with everything the lender wants on them. Like we could provide a bank statement with all the account information, but our lender will ask us to provide a bank statement that has what our minimum monthly amount due on it- which is a pain, because we have to call and request and blah, blah, blah. The past couple weeks Grace and I have spent the majority of our time on our breaks at work and outside scrambling to get everything in order. But finally we can see the finish line...

We are on track to close this coming Wednesday, and I have a feeling it will be more of a relief than a joy. Perhaps when we finally move in I will feel that joyous feeling. We are planning on moving in during the middle part of June, as our apartment lease doesn't end anytime soon. We aren't going to move in right away so we can do some work on the inside. We plan on doing some painting, taking down a wall in the master bedroom to open up the closet (most fucked up closet design everrrrr), ripping up the carpet and laminate flooring and putting down some hardwoods- just basically getting the place ready for us and moving ourselves in gradually.

I think the thing I'm most excited about is the basement of our new house. I am very excited to finally be able to get DirectTV and the NFL Sunday Ticket and finally enjoy the Lions every Sunday. Well, perhaps enjoy is not the right word there, how about just watch the Lions every Sunday. That's better. But it's going to be my "man room", and Grace is perfectly fine letting it be that. I can finally get some of those old newspapers I have (Pistons 04' Championship, Tigers 06' AL Championship, Red Wings 08' Championship, etc.) framed and put up around the room. I'll have a place for all my balls, and I'll get a Fisher Price basketball net to shoot in, too. I'm pushing for spending some money on a recliner or a couch that is tacky and has cup holders and shit in it, but Grace is a little hesitant on that...but I have big plans for that room.

School is winding down. I just finished my spring semester at MSU, and have two more classes to take this summer until I get that Master's degree. It's going to be a busy summer, to say the least. The online program through MSU has been fantastic though. If anyone is thinking about going back to school, I recommend trying it online. I have gotten more out of the classes I have taken online than any of the others I took during my undergraduate. Do some research, because I'm sure there are plenty of crappy online programs available that wouldn't be worth the money, but there are some good ones out there. I actually feel like my money is being well spent instead of wasted.

I am going back to Dundalk (my current school) for my third year next year. The administration is thinking about moving me to 7th grade next year so there is a male presence in the grade, but I really don't want that. The future seventh graders, who I have right now as sixth graders, have no regard for human life. They couldn't give two shits and a fuck about anyone. Simple innate things like human compassion seem to be missing from their souls. Ah well. On the plus side I finally am starting to get a comfortable feeling because I know what the hell I'm doing now inside the classroom. Sometimes I still think it's weird I'm a teacher. I am very quiet, reserved, and shy in nature, but yet I can control a classroom of 30 rambunctious pre-teens. It's just...not what I expected I could do.

What is also in my nature is fucking with kids heads. So Kevin and Adam...if you ever meet my classes...be prepared. Kevin, if anyone asks, you indeed did kill a wild tiger with your bare hands on an African safari trip by snapping its neck, saving the people you were on the safari with. Adam, just so you know, you may have been a wide receiver at Delaware when Joe Flacco played there, and you may have caught around twenty touchdowns. Haha, kids are dumb sometimes.

So that's that on updates. Go Tigers. Go Wings. Go Lions mini-camps. Go bye bye A.I.

~Mikey D