I will never ever experience something like this again.

So, I guess you all would like to know how the game was last night. Being at a World Series game is unlike any baseball game I have ever attended. The atmosphere is simply electric, as it should be. We arrived at the stadium around 5 for the 7:38 start. Traffic was surprisingly light, though I am told that rush hour traffic into Houston is non-existent for the afternoon, so that probably helped a lot. Myself and the 2 gentlemen I was with all had the same goofy smile and air of disbelief that we were actually there at the first ever World Series game in the state of Texas.
I naturally had to spend exorbitant amounts of money on periphanalia because ... when am I EVER going to be at a WS game again! Even if the White Sox or Cubs make it, I have about a zero chance of scoring tickets. I bought 2 T Shirts that were more Astros specific (which is to be expected at Minute Maid Park) and a World Series cap with both teams' logos on it. There was also a WS teddy bear that I bought for a certain little someone who I know misses me very much. I just hope she doesn't eat it too much.
Our seats were in the upper deck just to the 1st base side of home plate. They were unobstructed and offered great views of the field. I have sat in the last row of the upper deck at US Cellular Field and was scared at how high and how steep the incline was. There was no such feeling here. Houston got things going early scoring a run in the first that just sent everyone into a frenzy. By the 4th inning, a 4-0 Houston advantage had people nearly delirious with joy. Every pitch was watched with bated breath. Every ball called when Chicago was batting and every strike called when Houston was batting was booed. The 5th inning, however, brought a pall over the stadium. That was when Chicago scored 5 runs to take the lead. Give credit to the fans though, the pall lasted all of the 5th inning stretch when everyone was back on their feet screaming and cheering on their home team. White Sox fans were scatted acout the stadium except for 1 section in the upper left field deck. Other than that, it was rabid Astro fans. Again, as it should be. I remained decidedly neutral in this. I was a baseball fan enjoying a great game. I clapped when Houston did well, and smiled inside when Chicago did well. After all, I was a guest there so I felt it would be rude to openly cheer on the White Sox. Besides that, I am first and foremost an Orioles fan. Still, I had a fabulous time. That's not to say I wasn't getting a little tired though. Even so, at 1:00 in the morning, there were a lot of fans still there all cheering loudly and you have to love that.
All told, this was a fantastic night that I will never forget and am so glad I had a chance to attend. The guy here does have tickets to games 4 and 5, but all the game 4 tickets were snatched up. I also didn't want to be a hog. After all, 1 WS game should be enough. If, however, I am still stuck here come Thursday and the Astros win tonight, I may try to finagle a ticket for Game 5. I hope I don't have the oppurtunity as I really would like to get home. I know Debbie feels the same way. I miss my ladies.

And what will you be doing tonight?

I can't say I didn't want to come to Houston for this field issue, but I had hoped to avoid it. All such feelings have now completely disappeared and I love that I came to Houston. What precipitated such a reversal of feelings? Nothing much, just tickets to GAME THREE OF THE FREAKING WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right folks, I got tickets thanks to the Motorolan down here and I will be at Minute Maid Park TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! *ahem* Excuse me, I'm just a little excited. I LOVE BEING IN HOUSTON!

Always look at the weather of your destination

This fine post is brought to you by the Houston Chamber of Commerce. That's right my dear reader, I am sitting in my hotel room in the fine city of Houston, TX. Why am I in Houston? Am I such a White Sox fan that I followed the team here in desperate hopes of getting a ticket to the World Series? Pbbbbt. No, I am here because my product went to hell in a handbaasket here and I was sent to figure out why. I don't travel much for my job, but when I do it sucks giant hairy donkey balls. The rest of my day will be spent sitting in one of those shacks you see at the base of a cell tower with my 4 (that's right ... FOUR!!!) laptops watching and waiting for the problem to happen. Doesn't that sound exciting?
Also, I want to complain to the airlines about room. I am not a big man, in fact some may call me tiny. However, the jerk in front of me decided to "recline" his seat and left me no room to do anything at all. I was hoping to get a little work on my laptop while flying down there, but it was not meant to be. Once he reclined, I had no angle to do any kind of work and found it very frustrating.
One more thing. I am from Chicago and when I hastily packed this morning, I just grabbed some "weather appropriate" clothing. Unfortunately, the weather this clothing is appropriate for is Chicago where it was very cold and rainy. Not 70 and sunny. I am going to be sweating a lot the next few days.
Hopefully, I will post tonight again to update you on my stay in the taint of America. Until then, adieu.

Feel the rhythm on the dance floor!

So, as I am getting ready to leave with Lauren this morning, part of my routine is to turn on the radio so Lizzy doesn't feel as lonely during the day. After turning on the radio, I turn back to see Lauren, sitting on the floor, shaking her head back and forth to the music. How sweet! Our little white girl as rhythm!

The Big Date

So, Saturday was the big date. I took Debbie downtown to see Wicked. It's a great play with good music (some more memorable than others). Here's the aprt that really floored me. The role of Elphaba (that's the future Wicked Witch of the West) was played by Ana Gasteyer of Saturday Night Live. One of her more memorable roles would be Martha Stewart. I can see why she was considered so good on SNL, she's not just a great comedianne, but a great actress and singer too. The play has a lot of funny moments in it and they like borrowing lines from the original Wizard of Oz. Like when Elphaba's sister, Nessarose, asks what's in the punch, the gentlement replies "Melons and Lemons and Pears" "Oh my!" is Nessa's reply. (If you don't get it, say it outloud). Lots of little things like that and it does bring an interesting perspective by making Elphaba a sympathetic character rather than the pure evil Wicked Witch we all know from the Wizard of Oz.
Just now, doing my little searches, I found this interesting interview with Ana from Broadway World.

Inadvertant Puns

Some of the best puns (if there is such a thing) are ones inadvertantly made. Such was the case at lunch today by a friend of mine:

"Man, that sushi filled me up which is REALLY rare"

*rimshot*

Thank you, I'll be here all week ... Try the veal.

Stairway to Heaven

Lauren is a VERY quick learner. Today, she turned 11 months old and, to celebrate, proceeded to try climbing the stairs. Now, Debbie and I were right there so this isn't one of those "She now knows the importance of tuck and roll" stories. No, she started with 1 stair, then 2. We went out, gave her a bath, got her ready for bed, and set her down in the living room to play. She then proceeded to make her way to the stairs and climb all the way to the top. A scant few hours before she approached 2 stairs with trepidation, and now, she's Sir Edmund Hillary scaling the cliffs of Mount Everest. Life has gotten even more interesting than before. Joy!

Serenity NOW!

Went to see Serenity on Friday. Then again on Saturday. It was THAT GOOD! If you haven't seen it yet, get off your couch, get in your car, drive to your nearest theater and see it.