I went to my first-ever baseball game with my dad last night, as we watched the Lehigh Valley IronPigs take on the Buffalo Bisons at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa.

It took us a while to get there, seeing as how I'm 36 and he's 66, but it was worth the wait. The IronPigs are the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, which means they're one step down from the Show. The new stadium reflects that; it's a first-rate, beautiful stadium. I doubt there's a bad seat in the house; we had field-level seats down the first-base line and even we had a good view. It was also cheap; tickets were $9 a person, and even with the entire family there -- my parents, Sue and the two kids -- the whole thing end up costing me about $60.

It was fantastic being there with the kids, sitting in foul ball territory with Jordan, gloves in hand, waiting for fly balls to come soaring our way. None came close, but it was fun to watch and wait all the same. Jordan was half-crazy with excitement about being at the game, and while she got a little wild at the end, she loved it. It was a good trial run for going to a big league game -- like watching the Mets at Citi Field next year.

With the pool closed today, I went to the gym instead and worked out on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes. In my ears: Gut Check Cast #15. On my screen: Ghostbusters.

After about almost four weeks of consistent (ok, more consistent) exercise, I've reached 208 lbs., down 6 lbs. from my starting weight of 214. It's nice to see progress, and I'm hoping to do as well in the next four weeks.

That said ... it's going to be tough. The start of the semester is two weeks away, which means things are about to get crazy around the college day job. Meanwhile, they've closed the college pool for maintenance, which means I need to fit in my exercise after work, something that I've found all too easy to skip.

Still, I know it's coming, and I'm emboldened by my progress, so I'm going to do my best to keep up the regime. With any luck, I'll be below 200 by mid-September.