Courage Personified

Much has been written and more has been said in recent days about the twenty-four year old Boston Red Sox pitcher, Jon Lester. His is an uncommon story of courage and inspiration. Lester came to the majors with great promise and a better arsenal of pitches. He won his first five games handily, the first left-hander to do so with the Sox. Then he began to struggle both on the mound and with back and neck pain. In September, 2006 Lester was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, a blood cancer.

The dreadful diagnosis was shocking especially to Jon and his family. Treatment began in Boston and later continued in Lester’s home state of Washington. None of us had any way of knowing what the outcome would be but we knew that Jon was a fighter and he vowed to lick it and get back on the mound.

Sure enough Jon Lester was declared cancer-free and back pitching for the Sox a little over a year after his diagnosis. Then in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, Sox/Rockies, there was Lester the winning pitcher. The Red Sox were world champions again and Lester was able to celebrate much more than a ball game. His courage and tenacity in beating back the cancer have been an inspiration to more people than he will ever know.

The rest reads like a Hollywood script. For on Monday, May 19, 2008 Jon Lester carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning of a game at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. After walking the first batter he induced two infield ground outs and then the final out, fittingly his ninth strike-out of the game. Of course he smiled and celebrated with his teammates and the fans. But it was the emotional hug between Sox manager, Tito Francona and his ‘other son’ Jon Lester that brought tears to my eyes. Lester has often said that Francona was like a ‘second father’ to him especially during his recovery. So, all the best to you Jon Lester as you continue your career in baseball and more importantly as you continue to inspire those who have their own struggles with catastrophic illness.

Unfortunate Dining Experience

I’m sure we all have moments when we feel like or wish we were a restaurant critic. I had just such an experience on Friday, May 16th. With a good deal of anticipation I made a reservation and went to a much hyped restaurant on Cape Cod which opened about a year ago. I had heard so many good things about it and my sister had gone the first week it was in business as well as many times thereafter. The restaurant itself is very tastefully decorated, even classy. I was looking forward to the early menu which I had heard so much about. You get three courses, appetizer, main and dessert for a very good price. This is a nice marketing touch giving most people a chance to experience fine dining. The owner/chef was previously at a highly regarded upscale restaurant of long-standing on the Cape.

Well, my friend and I ordered the fancy pear martini special. We were just about to take a sip and relax when our first course soup arrived literally simultaneously – not acceptable. We immediately felt like we were being rushed and that reality increased as our dinner progressed. We never had a chance to enjoy our cocktails but I will say the soup was a cut above. Now maybe I could have let go of the unfortunate beginning I’ve described but not after what happened next.

I was still enjoying the soup course when the main course arrived. I think the waiters could see the look on my face as they began to set the food on the table. It was then that they offered to take the main course back to the kitchen. This was done without any prompting. Let me tell you I wasn’t inspired with confidence as I finished the first course and wondered how the main course was faring staying warm in the kitchen.

When my steak dinner arrived I will say that the meat was tender but the sauce it was served with was awful. It was tart and reminded me of A1 steak sauce. I tried to avoid it on the plate. Now, I realize that the latter is a matter of taste unlike the previously described shortcomings relating to the pace of the meal and the service. Dinner ended with a tasty dessert. Sadly, the overall experience at Heather’s Restaurant in Mashpee, MA was very disappointing - another case of the anticipation surpassing the realization!

PS Please read my second review written on June 28, 2008.

Unceremonious

Unceremonious! That is how I would describe my final day on a part-time job I held for almost a decade. It happened this past Wednesday, May 14th. The first five years I worked only once a week for a few hours. After I retired from my real job, as an elementary school teacher for 36 years, my work week would vary from three to as many as fifteen hours. The work was enjoyable with the opportunity to meet with and to help people. In addition to this interaction certain tasks would involve balancing funds and completing paper work. I must say that I met some wonderful people along the way. Will I miss anyone? Not really!!! So there you have it a few reflections on a second job and how I chose to leave it.