31.5 years old

Baseball
Was there any doubt the Twins would not sign Joe Mauer? He is the ultimate Twin - quiet, hard-working, one of the guys.

When his contract runs out he will be 27-28. At that point things will get interesting. If he continues to play as he did this year, he will command obscenely bigger money (unless pro sports' salaries become sane and sustainable like CEO pay). At this point he quits catching. It would be very suprising if they continue to pay top money for a position that breaks players down physically. My prediction is he moves to a corner infield or outfield spot then.

Day to Day:
Today I could have stayed after work for days and not caught up. Waiting for me are papers to correct, lessons to write, student data to analyze, a field trip to plan, conferences around the corner, Valentine's Day on Wednesday, and my book order got screwed up.

Which leads me to believe that I like my job a lot because I'm not dreading tomorrow. Where else can you work and get a sucker on your half birthday? (last Friday-thanks for the cards)

Aidan loves puzzles. He spent at least an hour tonight solving different jigsaw puzzles. I like how he congratulates me I make a suggestion about where a piece should go. "Good job. Daddy! That's fine." He's making progress. He no longer tries to force incompatible pieces together. This used to cause him to scream when he realizes that it's not right, but he's too stubborn to admit it.