It Never Lasts Long Enough

Vacation that is.  That's why I haven't been posting for the past week or so - I've been on a well-deserved and desperately-needed stay-cation and I've been enjoying every second of it.  Sorry, blogging went right out the door with work-related stuff and eating healthy.

Alas, the calendar has come back around to Monday and my week of museums, concerts, pumpkin patches, apple orchards and amusement parks has come to a screeching halt.  Time to make the donuts, per se.

In my absence from the internet, I've had a few new additions to my collection that I've been dying to show off; neither my girlfriend nor my cats seem to appreciate cardboard majesty quite like the blogosphere.  However, my creative juices aren't quite flowing yet and I'm still feeling a tad lazy.

So, here's something I found in storage the other day:

Yes, anybody who was born before the 90's will understand, here we have a bootleg copy of Steve Goodman's classic tune about the woeful Cubs, as recorded directly off of the radio sometime in the early 80's.

Obviously, something like this holds no collector's value; but, this one-track mixtape holds a special place in my heart and not just because I love the song.  This recording was laid down by my Uncle Rick, who helped to watch and raise me everyday when my grandparents were otherwise occupied and both of my parents worked.

My favorite uncle (sorry everyone else), also helped to get me hooked on the Cubs from an early age and nurtured another hobby of mine in model railroading and being a train enthusiast in general.   In short, he really shaped my life from a young age.  Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly when I was only 6 or so due to a massive heart attack - he was only 40 years old at the time.  Like my vacation, his time on earth wasn't nearly long enough.

Thus, you can see why this otherwise insignificant bootleg tape was such a treasure to find,as it brought back all of those fond memories.  Good thing  I still have a cassette player, both in my house and in my car.  I can't imagine why people tell me I'm stuck in the past...

Additionally, with the way this series against the Mets is going so far, this tune may soon be blasting from my speakers as a coping mechanism.  Of course, the season has been an unprecedented success no matter what happens; but, that doesn't mean I won't be disappointed if/when it all comes to an end.

Anyway, we'll get back to our regularly scheduled baseball card blog tomorrow.  Play me out Steve!