friday august 1

today i put my old basketball out to the curb for garbage pick up. it's a good ball, but it had been used so often on outdoor courts that it was literally coming apart at the seams and had gotten all ratty and disgusting. still, i was sad to see it go. as luck would have it, i happened to be coming out of my house when the garbage collectors came by, and i stood watching from my front porch as one of the guys picked up the ball and started dribbling it around on the sidewalk and street. after a few seconds, the other guy came over and they played a little mock one-on-one, with one trying to dribble it past the other -- the guy with the ball was having trouble dribbling between his legs because his garbageman pants were too baggy, but they seemed to be having a lot of fun anyway. it was a great send-off for a ball that's served me well for the last couple years.