Mike Paradis, 2000 Bowman's Best #143

I've returned from my week in Ocean City with a little cheesy wordplay for you. Yes, I chose this card because Mike's surname is so similar to "paradise". Plus, it's pretty darned shiny. Anyhow, I had a great time and I figured that I'd use this occasion to tell you How I Spent My Summer Vacation:

• Not giving my job more than a moment's thought
• Weaning myself from my usual dependence on the Internet (generally, less than an hour per day was spent surfing...sometimes much less, depending on the reliability of the wireless signal!)
• Spending most of my cash on ice cream and related novelties
• Sitting on the beach, soaking up the sun and cooling ocean breeze, and catching up on some reading (Me of Little Faith by Lewis Black and Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs)
• Putting myself at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean, which was freezing cold - and yet refreshing
• Talking myself into buying a new pair of sandals to replace the pair I've had since my freshman year of college
• Playing a cutthroat series of Phase 10 card games with my aunt, uncle, and future brother-in-law
• Introducing same aunt and uncle to Nintendo Wii Sports
• Memorizing lines for a play (okay, so it wasn't all fun and games)
• Celebrating the Fourth of July by watching fireworks from the beach
• Sleeping until 10 each morning - a real treat compared to my regular 6:45 rise time
• Buying a 1975 SSPC Orioles team set on eBay...a little variety for Vintage Fridays
• Following the Orioles mostly via the text message score updates that my sister receives
• Placing dead last in a round of miniature golf (on the bright side, I was only 21 over par)
• Watching the sun set from Fager's Island
• Enjoying a full week in the company of my immediate family
  

So it was a very good week for me, and I hope it was likewise for you.