Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sentimental about Shea

For those of you that didn't know, I am a huge New York Mets fan. I have been my whole life. Sunday the Mets Mecca, Shea Stadium, closed it's doors for the final time. The Mets didn't get a big celebration, like their hated cross town rival Yankees, in fact all they got was a loss and horrible feeling of missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
Frankly, I want to know why? (Not why they missed the playoffs, unfortunately I know the answer to that.)
.



I know Yankee Stadium was "The House that Ruth built" and I know the stories of Mantle, Maris, and Ford
But, what about the '86 World Series and the infamous Mookie Wilson single that went through Bill Buckner's leg? Or all 16 of the single-game hitters pitched at Shea over the years? Those were some of the greatest memories of my childhood.

I have so many great memories of Shea, but the best always bring me back to the trips with my dad. We made the venture to Shea more than a few times. The games never mattered as much as stuffing our face full of all of the bad foods that we could in 9 innings. My dad isn't the biggest baseball fan and he often stared at me in shock when I screamed at opposing teams.

Like in June of 2002, when Roger Clemens came to Shea for the first time since pegging Mike Piazza in the head at Yankee stadium. I was one of thousands who really let him have it.

So Yankee Stadium you can have your ceremonies, parties and reputataion as a hall of hallowed memories.
Shea will always be the place where I've had some of my best.

unboxed

If you ever think you need to buy something new or maybe there's something out there you just can't live without, we've got a very solid recommendation.

Pack up everything you own. Then, unpack
it. If you really want to reenforce the point, throw a cross country move in. You'll find you are more blessed than you know, and probably more of a packrat than you'd realized.



We continue the unpacking process, and we've discovered a host of things we thought we'd lost somewhere along the way. Others we've wondered WHY we thought it was important enough to pack up and move cross country. There's my poodle skirt from sorority rush, a sorority t-shirt, Dave's grandfather's pocketwatch, Dave's razorback bank, some hideous pictures that needed to be thrown away, and of course, all those clips from our college media days. We kept the latter because, you know, you never know when you'll need to pull out that story on college admission rates that showed you overweight, with a bad haircut, and wearing that sorority t-shirt. A good portion of the stuff should be erased, burned, and buried--in that order.

A plus from the move has been unpacking wedding gifts. Since Dave and I knew we would move in Shreveport, we wrote down the gift and sent a timely thank you note, but we haven't used the majority of the stuff. We found a few things we forgot we had and a few things still wrapped. It's been like Christmas, and we have already started using the new stuff. Except the dish towels. We are stocked for the next 10 years with dish towels.


The painting and decorating process continues....pictures soon.

Rabbi Sarah Palin?

What's the difference between one Minneapolis Rabbi and Sarah Palin? On the surface, not much.

We found Rosh Hashanah services very interesting this year with the comparasion the senior rabbi has to Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. No, she's not Tina Fey, but she's definitely got the same Fargo-like voice, a similar look, and the square glasses.....she just spouts Hebrew and Torah instead.


Another major difference--she's married to a democrat and a state house representative.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Jesus and Ryan Mallet

A few years ago, a fellow Razorback told me--"Arkansans have faith in two things right now, Jesus and Mitch Mustain." I thought it was witty and fairly accurate. We had McFadden and Jones ready to run with a very hyped-up quarterback coming to lead the way. Finally, a team we could rally behind. Finally, a chance to make some glory days. Finally, a chance to win again. When I left Arkansas last winter and walked under the 10-foot high McFadden cut-out at the local Mexican restaurant, I realized the good streak we almost had is gone. There won't be any cut-outs of any players this year... anywhere.

Fastforward to now...McFadden and Jones have gone on to bigger and better things... Nutt left for pseudo glory at Ole Miss... and Mitch is cemented in his Judas status (and we hope on the USC bench as well) .... it looks like a really, really tough year. And after getting drummed by Alabama this week, we know just how bad of a year it will be. I think Arkansans will get more satisfaction cheering for USC's Mark Sanchez and watching Mustain go further down on the depth chart.

Now, there's hope for next year and Ryan Mallet. But, it's a much smaller beacon this time.

Last November, I made the Schwartz family watch Arkansas upset LSU. I screamed until I was hoarse, and immediately ran my phone batteries down calling people and talking about the game. Even the Schwartz fam started cheering, and nephew Jake knew the fight song by the time the game was over. We like and try to beat Tennessee every year to make up for Clint Stoerner's notorious fumble, but we never, never, ever expect to beat LSU. It's like a punishment you know you are going to receive--you take it, wince, and move on. There's no 'Battle of the Boot' for us--in fact, most Arkansans I talked to have no idea about the pretend rivalry or any trophy. Sheesh, we know we're going to get beat, why bring a trophy in the mix? It's ridiculous.

God help us when they take their revenge this November.

We need divine intervention, Ryan Mallet, and a whole lot more.







(...and I added a picture of Addie in her Razorback gear just because..)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Who turned the heat off?

When August begins to wane, the temperature in Minnesota goes down considerably. While we've had a few days of warmer temperatures lately, it seems like someone flipped a switch to signal autumn. I was forewarned this would happen, but it still seemed a bit uncanny. You go from shorts and tank tops to sweatshirts overnight.

Summer wrapped up at The Landing with great fanfare and the Eagle Creek Fair. The group of people there are truly some of the most interesting people I've ever met. I loved working with them. Like several enthusiasts, they are dedicated to their craft only because they love it. Interpreter pay is low and the hours are not desirable, but they don't miss a season and a chance to let someone know about the people who lived long ago. I have learned so much from these interesting characters... and the joke is, if technology and the world as we know it comes to an end... these are the individuals who will know how to get by. I'm keeping my contacts just in case.

A few bits of fun... John worked the victorian Tabaka House all summer. There, he entertained guests with his parlor show of 1800s magic and mostly mayhem. He had one gig juggling knives. That's one way to add excitement to your job.

Another is to have Bradley around. He left for college and he'll be missed for his sarcasm, his appetite, and his work ethic. On his final day, he paraded through town wearing long underwear and singing loud, bawdy tunes. John supplied the music. Of course, the main target of ridicule was Mrs. Burr, the pastor's wife and the temperance lady. She wound up chasing him down the road with a broom. I can't help but wonder if he isn't at college parading around in his underwear and singing loud, bawdy tunes. Hm.









Summer is over there and the site is working toward a few autumn events and the rush of the Folkways of the Holidays season. I have moved on to another full time job... but I think I'm still a part of the family.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Ross comes to visit


Fellow Syracuse alum Ross got the great honor of being the first guest in our new house. Ross was in our graduate program at SU, and then worked with Dave at Lakeland News the next year. (Ross worked in Brainerd, the other disputed home of Paul Bunyan.)

Now, Ross works at CNN in New York. Before Syracuse, he worked on Wall Street. At CNN, he combines his finance background with his love of news. Ross visited us before a working a few stories in the Twin Cities, and we had a great visit and great pancakes at The Original Pancake House--which is by far our pick restaurant here.

We got to know Ross' fiance', Tracy, at the Nunes wedding in May. Ross and Tracy are getting married in March in Baltimore in what promises to be a fun event. His coworkers mentioned his proposal on air, and you can see it here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Wedding that Was

My sister Jessica got married in a sweet ceremony in Greenwood, Louisiana on August 30th. She looked like a princess, and as the big sis I was very happy for her.. Jess grew up in Delight, and had her bridal portrait above taken at the bluff there.

The rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception took place on the grounds of the American Rose Center. The rain held off, Gustav held off, and the festivities went off. It was a good thing everyone had hotel rooms up front, because the evacuees swarmed in during the weekend. With radioes broadcasting "there's no room in the inn in Shreveport, evacuees, go to Arkansas!" we got in a nice little bit of evacuee traffic up to Arkansas after the event.


Jessica got to bring the second Yankee into the family, as the groom grew up right outside New York City but now makes his home in Northwest Louisiana. Craig and Jessica seemed very much in love. The wedding had all the tidbits of a family affair--crying, quarrels, quick trips to Walmart, and lots of food.

I was honored to serve as the matron of honor, and I actually got through the toast without bawling. (Sorry Kim--I'm still embarrased about that toast at your reception) Although, you can still see my token red spots on my neck in these pictures because.. that's just what I do around crowds.

It was pretty special that all of the siblings got to attend. Luke made it in from Alaska, John drove 16 hours in from Colorado, I came in from Minnesota, and of course Niki made it down from Arkansas. An added plus to the event was going out on the town after the reception with the cousins--some of whom I don't get to see often. This visit was all about the family.

I apologize for the delay in the post--it's been busy since coming back. More blogs are planned... stay tuned.

But first, congrats and best wishes to Jessica and Craig. We love you both.