"It was a great game"

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

That’s what he told me when we got home. He was asleep and he woke up to tell me that.

Side note - as usual, when Gabriel attends, the A’s win. 4 seasons worth of games and he’s only seen 3 losses. Not sure what the record is at this point but it’s something very much in favor of the A’s.

Three shots and some Tylenol will do this to you

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

He had his two month appointment last week. Weighed in at 10 lbs 4z and 22 inches long. That’s roughly 4 lbs heavier and 2 inches longer than he weighed at birth.

52: Week 12

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

Opening Day/Night/Morning

Thanks to the A’s/Red Sox trip east, the MLB season officially begins sometime around 3AM PST. It’ll be Tivo’d for sure but it certainly does not feel like the kick off that it should be.

I’m a bit old school in the belief that the official start should never have been taken away from Cincinnati. I’d love how a ton of games would kick off after that first pitch in Cincy. There’s also the fact that there would be an unsung hero or two (Tuffy Rhodes anyone?) during the day.

Either way, it’s still Opening Day and the A’s are set for an interesting season. Many are saying that it will be a season filled with plenty of losses. I’m of the belief that the A’s will be competitive while providing an intriguing team (unlike the cross bay Giants who will likely be the worst team in baseball).

The A’s are filled with talent - Street, Ellis, Blanton, Barton, Suzuki, Gaudin, Buck (autograph seen on ball above), Cust and they have more talent coming in the minor league. Heads up to my Sac Town contacts, their AAA team will be exciting especially while the Gonzalez boys are part of the team in advance of their big league call up.

One of the beautiful parts of Opening Day is that every team is effectively tied for first to start things off. Hope springs eternal, right? Just ask any Cubs fan.

I’ll go on record right now stating that the A’s will finish second in the division to the Angels. I think the Angels will have a rough road and will win but not advance past the first round. I don’t see their pitching being good enough and aside from Vlad, that outfield of theirs is awful old with diminishing range. I heard the ESPN guys knocking the A’s during their “rebuilding year”. Note to Mr. Perez, the A’s have rebuilding weeks or maybe a month but hardly ever a season at this point. Fundamental play and talent win games and the A’s have it.

Better yet, with good defense and solid pitching, the A’s could even be buyers during the summer trade deadlines. They’ll have room to add some payroll if necessary.

Wishful thinking? Maybe… but we’ll see.

Joshua’s First Easter

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Take me out to the ballgame

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

Soon enough. We’ll likely take in a game as soon as next week. His big brother was at a game within a month of being born and Joshua will get in at two months. Many of games ahead for our boys.

52: Week 11

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

Flickr Turns 4

Not often you can get a bunch of guest stars for the 52 week shot…

I’ve said it before but it’s a great bunch here in the Bay Area. Some really, really, really talented folks. People that work hard and have fun with photography. Love seeing their work and it gets me to strive to be better each time I pick up the D50.

One of the fun parts are the conversations that take place. Yeah, pictures are taken but the words that are spoken offer an opportunity to learn, share experiences and simply relax among people with a shared interest.

A rainbow of Richies

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

See it large on black

Edited in Lightroom

And, you can watch him in a bit of action on Vimeo. I had to shoot a sample one minute video for class this week. And Richie was gracious enough to let me catch him in action.

sweetness

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

Love him to pieces. such a good boy. Definitely hooked on his Mom. he’s at the age now where he’s laughing and trying to interact with us. Looks like he’s growing because that appetite is surely more demanding the past few days.

52: Week 10

Originally uploaded by Omar G!.

Family Fun

Saturday was a good day. We got to visit with family and we took a visit to the park. The kids ran around, played on the swings, blew plenty of bubbles. Wasn’t thinking about bills, school, work or much else once we were out there. It’s always especially good to see all the kids playing.

With a newborn and a three year old - not to mention a husband and wife who say “Hi” to each other once a day if we’re lucky - in the household, we sometimes want to pull up the blankets and hang out in bed all day. But, life says we move. Fast. Always moving.

Gabriel goes to preschool. I go to work. Gloria and Joshua do the feedings every few hours and Gloria holds down the homefront. I go to school. A never ending cycle.

No complaints. Not one. OK - maybe the laundry. We always have laundry. Other than that… it’s all good.

So, it’s shared moments like Saturday afternoon where things slow down and we can simply enjoy each other. It may just be a smile or a subtle rub of the shoulder but I’m pretty sure Gloria and I both realize the preciousness of the moment while we’re still in it.

Side note - Kudos to my wife for doing what she does every day. She’s lucky enough to be off work for a few months to take care of our little one. I wish I could be there daily with them (and today I was).