So it's Wednesday, and time for another round of "Investigation into Human Male Behavior" better known as the day after softball night.

Let me get this out of the way - the boys lost again last night. But this time, they got to play one entire game, without it being called on account of the mercy rule. This is a new one, and we were all quite happy. It was kind of frustrating for me as the scorekeeper though. Usually no one wants to know the score because we are behind by so much. Last night, everyone wanted to know the score every two seconds, and since I apparently have no short term memory I had to count up every time.

But the male phenomenon I don't understand this week is this: it seems that men like to overestimate their athletic prowess. Not all men, to be sure, but it's something I've yet to see in female athletes. I won't mention any names, of course, but some of the guys on the team get really frustrated because they have to sit out a few innings because they are SO sure that they could do a better job than those who are playing. And then they get in, and they do an awful job!

And it's not a one time thing. These same guys make errors each and every week. Which is fine, really. Clearly, everyone on the team could use a little work, and no one is so bad that everyone else wants them off the team. But if you are a player who makes errors every week, I don't understand sitting on the bench and griping about how bad everyone else is. It seems to me there is a cliche about stones and glass houses that applies here. Of course, I would never say anything - I just sit there and keep score.

Another thing that cracked me up was the umpire warning the guys not to swear, or they would be kicked out. I mean, you have to be 21 to be in the league. And there weren't little kids sitting around watching. So who cares? We're all adults. I can see saying, "Let's watch the language, fellas." But this ump was like, "No swearing to yourself or to others." I don't know about you, but sometimes swearing is a reflex I can't control. Jim's solution is to say "Pumpernickel". If you say it loud, it kind of sounds like swearing - "PUMPernickel". I think he's going to launch a trend.

Yesterday, when I was driving home, I was behind someone with the license plate "Taracuse". What is that about? I take it she was someone named Tara who lives in Syracuse. But why put that on your license plate? I don't really get vanity plates in general, but sometimes they are funny, I guess. It seems like it would get old very quickly. But Taracuse? You don't see me with license plates that say Kimedonia (Caledonia), or Jim with plates that say Jimoa (Minoa). I was musing on that one for the entire drive home.

Speaking of driving in Taracuse - I mean Syracuse, they have closed down a section of one of the major highways in town for repairs. In my mind, way to go, you know? Repairs are a good thing. People are just up in arms about it because they have to find alternate routes to work. I don't get it. It's only closed for like a 3 exit stretch. I know a lot of people use this road to get to work, but would you rather that the road collapses, or you ruin your car by driving though some huge pothole? But everyone's complaining anyway. Oh well, I guess people need something to complain about to be happy.

An interesting piece about making web publishing easier - I agree with the getting rid of FTP part. But do we really want to make web publishing EASIER? You already have idiots like me able to do it - and have you seen some of the web pages out there that are worse than this one?

Bill Gates is a daddy again - Melinda had a boy. Man, is that kid loaded already.

Are you up to date on your celebrity feuds these days? Check it out.

You can try an online IQ test, if you want. In an article on another site, the author said an informal survey around the office of people who had paid hundreds of dollars to have their IQ's professionally measured (and I have to wonder why) got similar results from this test.

This whole China stealing nuclear secrets thing - it's kind of scary. One thing that bugs me though - all the senators who are turning it into a political opportunity and blaming the Clinton administration and Janet Reno. Hello! It's been going on for 20 years. We're blaming them because they are in office when we found out? Shouldn't we be thanking them?