Opening (birth)Day 2010

Lenny bought me 2 tickets to Opening Day for my birthday earlier this month. I decided to take him with me. It just seemed the right thing to do. I like to joke about who I should take with me to the game whenever he gives me tickets for an occasion. It's just fun. I think he always knows I will take him with me. I think.

This was not, unfortunately, to see my beloved Detroit Tigers but our new home team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. I love baseball enough to not really care who is playing. I also love ballpark food. Not the posh stuff served in the suites. No, the real ball park food - hot dogs, peanuts, french fires, beer, soft baked pretzels... you know, junk food. Here is my first baseball hot dog of the year, loaded with relish, onion, mustard and ketchup (so I don't have to really taste the hot dog) and that is PNC Park in the background.

it's coming!

I suppose I should be this excited about Easter but what my mind is really fixated on this week is baseball. Opening day is April 6 and although I am not going and I did not purchase "Extra Innings" this year (so I have no way of watching my beloved Detroit Tigers) I remain rather excited!

Opening Day in Detroit was always a treat despite the less than cooperative weather that Michigan could cook up for Spring. I have not been to Opening Day since we have moved from Detroit. It just doesn't feel right. What I think I miss most of all is going to games in Detroit in May and June when the weather is warm but not too hot. We usually sat in the cheap seats. Almost always we were early enough to watch batting practice and eat our fill of junk food at Johnny Rocket's. I can remember the feel of the sun on my face and the smell of a myriad of pork products wafting down from the concession stands. Then there was the game itself and my passion of keeping score. I have not the words.


Ok, so now I should think about Easter.

car free and baseball

We had Chicken Parmesan last night for dinner. Gosh, that is good stuff! We also had terrific thunderstorms last night that cause me to worry about losing power. The power only flickered off once and then was fine. I always imagined that we would have issues with the electricity living in the country but honestly, I remember more power outages living in Detroit.

So, I have officially been 1 month without my own car! I must say, I am loving it. I was very worried at first. I worry a lot about a lot of things. The plan was originally for my nice husband to drive me to work each day but 2 coworkers who were carpooling already kind of offered to pick me up and drop me off each day. They are basically refusing to take cash from me so I plan to purchase or make nice things for them. I should confess here that the lease was up on my Chevy Malibu Max (as pictured above) and I didn't know what I wanted to do when the lease was up, so I did nothing. I basically turned the car in and walked away. People generally think that I am without a car because I am such a super person who is so very "green" when in fact, it is a lack of organization on my part. I am generally a very organized person but I just wasn't proactive about the lease on the car ending and actually doing something about it.

I am thinking of getting a new car in the fall. I guess. I have been doing a little research on which cars are the most economical on price and gas consumption. I worry that I am a burden on my hubs and my coworkers but actually, Lenny and my coworkers have expressed that they are enjoying the carpooling. Interesting, no?

Okay, so my previous blog was a lot of baseball talk. I do love baseball. I can't really explain it, so I basically tell people that I went to an MLB game many summers ago with some church kids and while I was there I got bit by the baseball bug. I so miss going to see the Tigers play. Mr. Anderson and I warmed our faces in the sun many days at Comerica Park. I pay a crazy amount of money to subscribe to the Directv Extra Innings package so I can see the games, but it is just not the same. Just not the same. I am happy to report that my team is finally starting to catch hot! They won 6 in a row, which is none too shabby. Of course, they are still 6 games under .500 but it's a long season, right? Right! Pictured above is the main gait at Comerica Park. There are giant tigers and giant baseball bats. It is super awesome!

This is a closer shot of the picture that is over the main gate at Comerica Park. Pictured there is the great Ernie Harwell, long time announcer for the Tigers and the Georgia Peach himself, Ty Cobb. I really miss Detroit right now.