Creating Racket and Panic

I'd prefer to tell you that the racket broke from a diving save on a fast volley, or at least an epic tantrum following a heated dispute with a game-changing "no let" judgment.  Unfortunately, it was from a relatively light hit on a ten year-old racket.  Nothing sexy.  Friend (and regular commenter) Phillip pressed me all over the court during that game.  Two days later, I brought a panicked and unsteady snow-bound neighbor to the ENT doctors at Mass. Eye & Ear, and there was a young man from MIT who was the recipient of a squash ball directly to the eye.  He was still in his court garb with his racket over his shoulder.  Goggles aren't fashionable, but they sure as hell work.

A relatively insane brass shop on Charles Street gleams with Dickensian warmth and polish.  Their hours are narrow, but you can find anything there.  Correction: THEY can find anything there, YOU and I have to ask.  The prices will cause shortness of breath and near-panic.

We took the sleds down Anderson Street for three long blocks of fast street-sledding.  No traffic at all, and a luge-like track of hard-pack untouched by snow plows.  Very fast and very fun.  Near-panic for the very young ones who are used to the shorter run at the Boston Common.  All ages, and the adults took turns pulling the wee ones up the hill each time.  Faith in humanity restored.

A couple feet of beautiful snow.  The state government tried its hardest to ruin it for us.  As a private citizen, I can be charged with inducing panic, yet our leaders and the media get awards for it. 

Used ZipCar  to get out of town when all other garages were blocked.  Visited the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester.  Speaking of panic, the satellite radio tricked me into thinking that it was a weather alert on the display: "ALERT?  CODE 81?" I thought.  I nearly panicked.  Mrs. told me that it was the name of the song playing, and that it was from 1981. "Oh... yeah, I knew that.  I was joking."  She wasn't fooled.  Anyway, at the armory museum, they have one of these:

Source of this Photo

Panic if you're in the flock.  

I hadn't visited in over a decade.  When I was younger, (I did the Big Brother program) I took a group of young boys from the city there in the 1990's.  As you can imagine, it was a homerun for all of us.  This weekend, it still was.