There are so many doors to open. I am impatient to begin."

--Charlie Gordan

It's very psychological when you begin the season. It seems like guys are too impatient and don't realize how long the season is. You fret when you don't have to. You start to doubt yourself. I've been in that position one too many times. But so far I've been fortunate enough to have good at-bats.

Think - Ink - Begin, and thus a quote is born

I'm living at a peak of clarity and beauty I never knew existed. Every part of me is attuned to the work. I soak it up into my pores during the day, and at night—in the moments before I pass off into sleep—ideas explode into my head like fireworks. There is no greater joy than the burst of solution to a problem. Incredible that anything could happen to take away this bubbling energy, the zest that fills everything I do. It's as if all the knowledge I've soaked in during the past months has coalesced and lifted me to a peak of light and understanding. This is beauty, love, and truth all rolled into one. This is joy.

Thank God for books and music and things I can think about.

I've learned that intelligence alone doesn't mean a damn thing. It only leads to violence and pain.