My excuse is about to run out. I've been telling myself (because I'm the only one who listens to me) that I'm going to get back to my regular routine "after the World Series." Because, you, see, I can't possibly be expected to lead a normal life while my team is playing for the championship.

The laughable part is that I have no doubt another excuse is right around the corner. As soon as the Series ends, something else will come up to keep me out of my "routine." I don't even have a routine. My life is an ongoing riff, in which I react to whatever comes up and end up not doing much. What I do, I do because I want to or because I have to. If I can get by without doing it, you can expect me to find a way to squirm out of it.

So I'll get back to my diet after the World Series. And I'll get back to paying my bills on time after the World Series. And I'll get back to following the news after the World Series. And I'll get back to doing yard work after the World Series. And after the World Series, I'll find another reason not to do any of those things.

After the World Series, I'll write journal entries that make more sense.

It's a good thing my ambitions are modest, because I'd be awfully frustrated if I had grand dreams of being rich or famous. I don't need to be successful in anything besides getting from here to the end and having a few people care what happens to me. I'm looking for a smooth ride, not a roller coaster. I want to drift as much as I can, and paddle when I have to.

Right now I just want to get to the end of the World Series with two more wins. This really is a roller coaster for me. I'm up and down the whole game, in and out of various chairs, pacing around and shouting at the television. Sometimes it's a good shout (yay!) and sometimes not so much (aurggghh!). But I can sleep (or sleepwalk) through the day and still be fully engaged when the game starts.

I did a lot of pacing tonight, and I sprinted for my spot on the stairs when the ninth inning started with the Giants ahead, 4-3. Sure enough, they held on for the win, which means there will be at least two more games. Each team has won two, and it takes four to win the Series.

We had drizzle off and on this morning. That's a first for this October, although the days have been heavily overcast all week. I had my windshield wipers on when I made my run to the post office. The drippy sky didn't keep the road crews from slowing traffic to a crawl, so I tried a different route home. And guess what? Another road project, another flagger, and another delay. Tomorrow I might have to get to the post office by way of Forestville, Guerneville and Geyserville, just to keep away from all those orange cones.