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It is time for a vacation, both from my regular job and from this slightly irregular blog.

(By the way, this is my 200th posting. And what am I doing on this auspicious occasion? Why, abandoning my faithful readers for a week or so, of course. Did you expect anything different from a louse like me? I sure hope not.)

Friday, I'm heading up to Maine - with MY WIFE, of course - in order to attend the wedding of my friend (and good teammate for 12 years) Matt Stone, and his lovely bride-to-be, Aymie Pelrine, who was the best scorekeeper our team ever had. As valuable as Matt was as a player, Aymie was unique. She kept a detailed and precise scorebook, which half the players I've had - to my utter amazement - have been unable to do. As the manager, it was so cool to have that detail taken off of my hands. When Aymie kept score, I didn't have to reconstruct half the game from memory in order to update the stat sheets.

In addition, I didn't have to worry about some pathetic bozo mickeying up the book to make his reached-on-an-error in the sixth inning look like an rbi triple. She kept an honest score and wouldn't let anyone bully her.

I kept telling Matt that he should marry her. It's not every day that you find a beautiful woman who can keep a flawless scorebook. I don't know if my prodding helped move things along, but I'm glad the wedding is happening, in any case. They complement each other very nicely and it's a joyous occasion. What I'm really looking forward to, though, is seeing Matt's dad, Stu - also my teammate for 12 years - in a suit. I've never seen him in anything but a sleeveless t-shirt and jogging pants. I honestly can't picture him in anything else.

(Sweet Lord, I hope it's a tuxedo. With ruffles and a cummerbund. Top hat and tails would be too much, though. I think I'd have a stroke on the spot.)

After Matt and Aymie's wedding in Maine, MY WIFE and I will be heading south for a couple of days, to the New Hampshire seacoast. After that, we travel back north a bit, to the White Mountains region, where we'll be enjoying three or four indolent days in my father's former home. I think I may have mentioned that, a few years after his passing, I sold the place to my Cousin Joan and her husband, Eddie, for a very low price. Part of the deal with the low price was that MY WIFE and I could have access to it once or twice a year, for a getaway, when Joan and her family were not using it. Anyway, we will be utterly slothful during our time there next week. No computers, no blogging, nothing but rest and relaxation - listening to the birds singing; waving at the occasional train passing through the backyard; and soaking in the beauty of fall colors in New England. Or just snoozing. Being total slugabeds for a few days is not without its charms for us.

There will not be any repeat of this performance.

In the meantime, faithful one, I'm going to throw out a few story ideas for you to consider. These are all true tales concerning jobs I've held at one time or another. It's up to you to give one of them the nod. Whichever one gets the most votes will be the first one I write up upon our return to Massachusetts.

1 - Blood In The Slopchute

2 - Mr. Suldog's Wild Ride

3 - Top At Broadway

4 - Walking Charlie

5 - The Boringest Job Ever!

(If you're the first person to actually divine what all five of these jobs might have been, you should get a prize. You won't, but you should.)

(If you're someone who knows me well enough to know for sure what any of these jobs was, I'd rather you keep that information to yourself. As mighty a temptation as it is to show off your voluminous knowledge of all that is Suldog, I think it might be truly interesting to see what other folk's guesses turn out to be. Even if you do know one or two for sure, feel free to guess about those you have no idea about.)

Leave your votes - and best guesses - in the comments section. I'll tally when I return.

See you soon with more better stuff. In the meantime, explore the archives - visit some of the other fine bloggers linked here - make suggestions - vote for your favorite story idea and take some educated (or harebrained) guesses concerning what jobs I might have held - or just ignore me altogether and never come back even when I do... IF you want to break my heart.

*Big Wet Smooch*







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