Favorite season

I love football. High school, college, NFL - all football.

I especially love fantasy football. The draft for my league is tomorrow and for the second year in a row, I will have the first pick.

Last year we finished as runner-up in a 12-team league. This year, we want to win.

Who will help us to the title?

Southen comfort

Thanks to Meg and Michael for a fun weekend in Arkansas.

Highlights included New York pizza, swimming at the hotel pool, margaritas, putting together a puzzle, the Simpsons Movie, a wonderful homemade bundt cake, Michael's birthday celebration, a few games of UNO and, of course, seeing the nieces and nephews. (We sure missed Martunia.)

I understand there was also a trip to the zoo at 9 in the morning. Slept through it. Real sorry.

For some photos, click here:

arkansas

woo pig

Why do we always wait to visit Arkansas in August? We start talking about it in April and get around to it in August, when it is 103 degrees.

Still, we had a great time hanging with the nieces and nephews. Hope to get an album posted tomorrow. Patrick helped Erin take close to 500 photos and they are taking forever to download.

Here's one of Grace's pool hair, HOT:

Makeover time

Do Erin and I look more beautiful than usual? That's because we allowed ourselves "makeovers". Seven-year old Alex handled mine and four-year-old Sydney, Erin's.

Do I look tan? Does Erin look, well, you be the judge.

I will try to get a gallery of the weekend's activities up within the week. We were in Ohio to be Godparents for Erin's best friend's youngest daughter, Cam, who will likely follow in her sisters' footsteps and love all things pink, including the eyeshadow I was wearing.

Hot time

We will be spending this coming weekend with my wonderful sister, her husband and their two beautiful children in one of the hottest places in the country -- Little Rock, Arkansas.

The high today was 108 degrees.

A cooling front will be in by the weekend. Thursday's high is forcast at 103, Friday 100, Saturday 100 and Sunday 99.

I think we will try to find indoor activities.

king of swing

Love him or hate 'em Barry Bonds now holds the career home run record. After hitting 756 to pass Hank Aaron yesterday, he belted a 94 mph fastball for 757 today.

Crazy.

The fact that he used steroids really doesn't bother me because baseball had no drug policy. I get the feeling Bud Selig turned a blind eye after the last work stoppage to get people interested in the game again. Watching Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battle it out for the single-season home run record in 1998 brought people back.

Bonds said after last night's game: "This record is not tainted."

Maybe it's a little tainted, but even without steroids, Bonds is an extremely talented player and deserves to be a first-ballot hall of famer.

a crowning finish

Ever have one of those weeks? This has sort of been one.

Yes, it is good to be back at work, but one of the top people in the newsroom retired today. Her absence has the potential to make working here a little harder. On top of it, her going away party tonight included an open bar. Since I am at work, I cannot partake. But everyone who could left early to do so, leaving me and the rest of the poor slobs on the sports desk with more to do.

Loving it.

Sorry, just had to vent.