Beep, Beep, Beep...

That's the sound of the Red Sox backing into the playoffs, like a trash filled dump truck that's about to burst into flames. An Angels win and the Sox are in after five consecutive losses! Its a very strange concept to come to grips with since the playoffs are supposed to consist of winners. Its the team's inconsistency this year that has me less excited about their playoff fortunes than in recent years. Their best baseball seems to be well behind them. Following an 11 game winning streak in April, this year's team has failed to find the proper pitching prowess, offensive balance, and defense to duplicate the feat. Since the all star break in July, the team has the worst record of any other team to make the playoffs. Another problem that doesn't exactly bolster my confidence in this year's team is its abhorrent record in nationally televised games. If it wasn't for the internet and Sportscenter, I would group this year's team together with the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles from what I've seen on T-V. Has this team even beaten the Yankees or Rays since May? Its interesting that a Los Angeles Angels win put the '09' edition of the Red Sox into the playoffs, because I believe it'll be that exact scenario that knocks them out.

In the last 12 months I thought I had done it all. After all I have done a lot of amazing things, from interviewing the Vice President, to going to the Inauguration, I even left my life long home in Portland, Maine, to live 3-thousand miles away in San Francisco. I've seen Niagara Falls, the Rock and Roll H.O.F., the Gateway to the West, the Oklahoma City Memorial, The Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, Vegas, a good part of the California coastline, and much of the Bay Area. I've spent countless hours at the gym and have lost 35lbs! One thing I did not see in all my travels is what David Rowe did in London last week. He donned a sign offering his services for free for 1 month to any company that would consider hiring him. A simple search for "sandwich sign job seeker" will show you that Rowe's idea is not exactly original. Half a dozen or more stories pop up showcasing such talent as an MIT grad in New York, to a construction manager in Dubai, even a laid off airplane mechanic from Oregon. In most cases the sign wearer at least got an interview out of his adventure.

As for my job search I've ramped up my efforts online and have started to make connections in the real world by volunteering for things. Last week I helped out with the KQED public radio pledge drive for a couple of days. This week I'm hoping to volunteer for a Blue Grass Festival in Golden Gate Park and just today I offered my radio expertise to the news department of Stanford University's radio station. If I don't find at least part time work that I enjoy in 6 weeks it'll be sammy board time.