IN WHICH we are reminded - perhaps unhappily - of previous and similar email series, possibilities blossom amidst unlikely circumstances, exciting action takes place, exciting action ceases, exciting action takes place for a second and final time, and - in the meantime - two lawns are mowed.

Good morning, afternoon, or evening.  Most, but not all, of you will remember me from such email series as "Guarionex: The Room Draw Fiasco," "An Epic Saga: The Tickertape Parade," or either of the two in the "Journey to Jersey" set.

Well, here we go again.

This will be, I believe, an interesting and exciting true-life tale, filled with twists, turns, turnpikes, and twisted gas station attendants.  Nevertheless, if you don't have time to read these (probably) twelve emails as they come - or you just don't want to - feel free to tell me to drop you from the list.  And if there's someone I should add, let me know.  That being said.....

Monday mornings are nothing special.  During this brief recess in my education, they're really no different from Wednesday mornings, Saturday mornings, Tuesday mornings, Friday mornings, or Thursday mornings.  I have no schedule to keep or appointed time to get up.  Some may say I'm living the good life.  These 'some' may in fact be right.  Others may say I am a no-good, shiftless bum, worthy of nothing but their pity and contempt.  These 'others' are jealous.  Several belong in prison.  But the point remains - I don't expect much from my Monday mornings.

That's what made last Monday so different, so...memorable.  I got up, had some breakfast, and went in to check my email, which too often consists only of capital-letter pleas to visit Miss Cleo's website, enlarge one thing, shrink another thing, remove something else entirely, visit vile sites (for FREE!), or GET OUT OF DETB NOW!!! (au83xrd).

I still got all those on Monday.  Tons of 'em.  Don't get me wrong.  I'll forward one or two if you want.  But also in my inbox was a letter from fellow former RA Mike Vreeland.  He told me a glorious tale of how his parents had a wedding that coming weekend, when the Yankees might be playing the Mariners in the American League Championship Series - and thus their tickets to the possible game 3 might be available, for him and a friend.  I might be interested, he thought - could I let him know by Tuesday?

I thought about this as I mowed my grandmother's lawn.  To make this happen, I would have to get down to his house in Connecticut for a game at 4 that coming Saturday - without a car of my own, mind you.  And, one more thing.  The Yankees and the Mariners were both in pivotal Game 5's that very day.  If either one lost, the plans went kaputnik, as they say in France.  Kaputnik.  Now, my family, I thought, has relatives in Connecticut, who live about ninety minutes from Mike's house, and my grandmother, who DOES have a car, always enjoys traveling to visit people.  It was worth a try to mention it to her, I thought, and she seemed fairly enthusiastic, but didn't know for sure yet.  I told her it would depend, of course, on both teams winning.  "I'll be rooting for them!," she told me.  A good sign, I thought...

The Mariners played while I mowed my family's massive lawn.  From time to time, I would stop, come in, check the score, go back out, and look for my 2-liter bottle of Pepsi, which always seemed to fall out of the lawnmower and get lost under grass clippings.  During one of these trips, they hit a home run to go up a few runs, and by the next, they were up in the ninth inning - before I knew it, they had won.  All that was left was for the Yankees to come through, and for that I had no doubt.  I finished mowing the lawn in time to catch the game, and since you probably already know they're in the World Series now, I'll just say - YES - they did win Game 5.

What had not even been conceived of one short day before suddenly seemed preordained!  It looked as though everything were set for me to make it down to Connecticut!  But as I was thinking about the great possibility Tuesday morning, I received a call - from my grandmother.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Round Two

NHS Speech

"My View" Editorial

The October Surprise
|  Round 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |
|  11  |  12  |  Final Bell  |

Journey to Jersey II
|  Intro  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |

Journey to Jersey I
|  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |   6  |  7  |  8  |
|  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |
|  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |

An Epic Saga
|  Act  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |

Christian Rock Email

Freshman Room Draw
|  Part One  |  Two  |
|  Three  |  Four  |  Five  |