Beer and Baseball!

Back in June, I was part of a team that the Company put up for a 24 hour relay in support of the Easter Seal Foundation that helps disabled kids. About 30 employees joined up to run (or walk or crawl), play volleyball and softball on June 14th and 15th and all the money that we raised through pledges went to the Foundation.

Now of course where 2 or 3 employees gather.. there amongst them is a case of beer! From the start of the event at 10 am on Saturday morning to its end at 10 am the next day, we meandered our way through 12 cases of that sweet nectar known as beer!

Everything seemed to be going off just fine. For once Mother Nature had complied with everyone's pleas and granted us perfect weather conditions for the event. Did I say things were going fine? Well they were....up until the boys decided that I needed coaching (badly) on the art of how to properly use a baseball glove. (a MOST tricky device let me tell you). So I was carted out to centre field and presented with a glove and instructed to catch as Travis stood at home plate and hammered out fly balls.

Experienced fielders LOVE pop flys as its an easy out. I on the other hand being neither experienced... nor a good fielder (mainly due to my total lack of hand-eye- coordination) was not as fortunate. I managed to get a few of them before Travis hammered one that went up particularly high. And as I rushed to get under it, the sun caught my eye (the same sun that I was so thrilled at having earlier) and that ball made contact all right.. just not with my glove.. rather my right cheekbone, right under my eye.

yes.. go ahead.. an OUCH was in order!

Suffice to say the eye/ cheek puffed up to enormous proportions and I had to be shipped off to the first aid tent. It was all well though, and after an hour of medical administrations where they checked to see if anything was broken... I scampered (well maybe there was no scampering right then) back to join the group and partake in the rest of the activities.

For those who are interested in details.... (and even if you're not) the right side of my face looked like it had made contact with a painter's pallet... and purple was the dominant colour, with a sprinkling of red and a wee bit of black and blue. The upper eye lid decided to join in on the swelling so when I woke up Monday morning.. only one eye actually opened!

Still, the aching body and pirate look was totally worth the experience of the entire weekend. Thanks to the combined efforts of some of my colleagues and everyone else who was awake at 4 am... I FINALLY learned how to hit a baseball and more importantly understood just why batters wriggle their hips!!!