In what was a "Not so Good Friday" for the A's, my wife and I attended our first regular season game of 2006 as season ticket holders, and saw Barry Zito lead the A's to a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the basement-dwelling Texas Rangers, who somehow posted an early lead and held on, despite solo home runs from off-season additions Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley. Zito fell behind 5-0 early, and despite fans' desperate calls for manager Ken Macha to show a quick hook and get him out of the game, Zito stuck it out a full seven innings, pitching well beyond the 100 pitch count mark.

The game, a Friday night event competing with the Golden State Warriors next door, drew only 14,000 to the newly miniaturized Coliseum, and the wind whipped through, coldly, though we somehow avoided the April showers that have plagued us with seeming perpetuity this last month. We have great seats and enjoyed seeing the team, but obviously weren't too excited about the final outcome. The good news is that division rivals Anaheim and Seattle also lost, leaving the A's only 1/2 game out, and the same two teams go back at it at 1:05 Saturday. We'll be there.

Listening to ''Superfabulous'', by BT (Play Count: 5)

After the long day, which started very early as previously noted, my half-awake mind labored to guide me home from downtown San Jose, which in itself doesn't sound so rough, but has never been an easy thing for me - as whether we are leaving a San Jose Sharks contest, or are in the downtown area on business, I always seem to muck up my directions home. Today of course was no different, as I found myself on a scenic tour of the San Jose area, looking upwards at the freeway overpasses, which mocked me with their inability to offer available onramps. After a ridiculously circuitous route that showed me areas of the town I didn't knew existed, I literally had ended up a block away from my starting point, and opting for a different route in my second chance at redemption, I eventually found my exit point - though certainly not in the most direct manner.

While San Jose is notoriously bad for me - I must have some form of mental defect that just won't allow me to adapt to places where I'm not familiar. I take known routes to and from places, and if there are deviations from the norm, we have a good chance of being two or three U-turns away from success. If it weren't for Google Maps and Mapquest telling me how to get places - both new and old - I'd probably be a complete disaster. I know it's a weakness, and don't find myself getting better at this skill over time in any way.

Tonight's escapade got me thinking about other mental feats that I completely suck at - and the most obvious follow-up is with names. Even moments after introductions, I cannot remember names - and that can put me in odd situations when somebody more adept remembers who I am and I don't know them, except possibly by face. I may know what company they are from, what job title they hold, or even where I saw them last, but their name may as well be anonymous for as likely as I am to recall it.

My mother is similarly notorious for lacking name memory - and probably isn't the first person I'd call for directions, but those seem like funny excuses to use for maladies such as these. One of these days I'll lose somebody's name in a public setting and damage the relationship - or the next time I'm doing the world tour of your local neighborhood, I'll run out of gas or park on the side of the road for the night. There are just some things my brain isn't programmed well to do.

Listening to ''Superfly'', by Yellow Blackbird (Play Count: 4)

Anybody who routinely gets up before the literal crack of dawn should either be given a medal, a raise, or have their head examined. In a quid pro quo deal, I had offered my mother in law a ride to the airport this morning, for a flight set to depart at 7:00 a.m. from San Jose. She routinely plays shuttle service for my trips, including last week, so I obliged despite the idea I would have to take her at 5:45 in the morning, and get up at 5 to be ready.

But the joke was on me. After working on PowerPoint through 1 a.m., I turned right around and got up at 5 to get ready for what will be a long day. However, when her call came in at 5:45, it wasn't because she was downstairs in the parking lot, but instead to inform me I could "go back to bed" as she had another ride to the airport. As if I could just turn around and immediately find the world of slumber - it's never been a skill I hold. So now, my schedule is off by a few hours, and I'll surely be ready to nap by mid-day, just when it wouldn't make any sense to do so.

Up until two I can handle. Up at five? Not my cup of tea.

Listening to ''Second Day'', by Jose Amnesia Vs. Serp (Play Count: 4)

If I've learned anything, it's that I really don't have a clue when it comes to guessing how companies will make announcements that impact stocks I hold. Just a month or so ago, I mentioned that I'd played TiVo (TIVO) for a quick 5 percent bump, and jumped out of the stock around $6.00, expecting it wouldn't continue to appreciate. Yet, seemingly after that not-so-bold move, the stock has continued to grow - through $7.50 yesterday on news of their efforts to defend patents against EchoStar.

Now, this morning, we get the news that the company has extended its agreement with DirectTV for an additional three years, after an August 2005 release saying the opposite - that the two companies had parted ways. This too is good news for TiVo, and again, the company stock has jumped, surpassing $8.00 in early trading. That means that I left a full 33% on the table when I sold around $6.00. I hate that. It's called "sellers' remorse", and though I've always been told to lock in profits if you can and not to complain, I hate knowing I played the hand wrong.

In similar news, I've been a Salesforce.com (CRM) stock holder for some time - it's a great service our company uses, and I think Web hosted applications are the way the market is headed. Yet, yesterday, on what would seem to be good news, they acquired a company that will further their reach into wireless devices. While good, the news hit the stock for about 5%, as the adage on the street is the acquiring company is always punished.

While just two examples, it's certainly frustrating to be on the wrong side of a half-educated guess. It'd be wonderful to have a crystal ball that showed what companies planned next. But I guess that's called insider trading, and I probably should steer clear of that.

Listening to ''Messages'', by Solange (Play Count: 4)