has it really been a month?

It’s obviously been quite a while since I’ve been on here. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t need as many things to keep you linked to home in order to stay afloat, which is a good thing.

I went to Miami last weekend to watch the Marlins play the Nationals. The who?? Exactly my thoughts. However I did find one familiar face among the 2,000 people at Saturday night’s game: Arthur Rhodes. He became one of my favorites a while ago after he refused to remove the ‘bling’ he was sporting in his ear while pitching. I saw him pitch for one out at the game, and other than that, I felt like I had crossed the border and didn’t know a single soul. But baseball’s baseball, and it was a good time.

On another note, Boston’s leaving town tonight 2 games behind us in the East. Maybe I should have said, on the same note, because baseball is really all I’ve got to talk about right now. Regardless, Boston fans were quieted after a triumphant bottom 9 win yesterday and a blowout 10-3 win tonight. It feels good to see them hurt. So so good. Lots of action tonight at the stadium outside of the baseball too. There were a handful of streakers in the outfield, and even an attempted field charge by a drunk Boston fan. After he tripped and landed on the top of the dugout, security felt it necessary to taze the guy. We just want to put on a good show so the fans will come back tomorrow.

I’m weeks away from being home, which is a bitter sweet feeling. I’ll start the Rays frenzie in Seattle and root them all the way to the W- Series. You can count on it. I’m just ready to have my car back, honestly, and to be able to drive it to get coffee. I really miss my coffee. Pathetic. Hopefully I’ll be able to pull together a job too. Somewhere that has good coffee?

tomorrow is game 4 of 7 and the magic number is getting smaller and smaller… it’s clinch time

post-game victory glow of tropicana field

the whirl of the homestand

whoops, been busy with the crazy games and then the crash at the end… I’m slowly reviving.

A definite highlight of last homestand was getting to meet Mr. Monte Irvin, a great baseball player who started playing professionally at 17 in the Negro Leagues. He later joined the Giants, becoming the third African American to play in the major leagues and in 1951 he joined with Hank Thomas and Willie Mays to form the first all-black outfield. Monte was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 and is now 89 years old, and let me tell you, still kickin’.

Anyway, Kali and I got to pick him up from his hotel (Kali being the one with enough tickets to almost have her license suspended, haha). We jammed a wheelchair in her trunk and rolled it out to meet Monte in the lobby… we introduce ourselves, and into the wheelchair he goes. Somehow I ended up pushing him back to the car via a ramp. This ramp appeared normal, until Monte started gaining speed on the decline, and the wheelchair started slipping out of my hands… he was chatting about the weather in Texas while I was leaning back at the sharpest angle I could manage to keep him from flying free. He was the only one oblivious to the impending threat on his life, or at least his legs, as everyone else was pointing with very concerned looks. Fear not, we made it down almost flawlessly. Besides, who doesn’t love a good ride once in a while?

We chatted about Seattle, salmon, and Derek Jeter. Since I can now call him friend, I asked to take a picture with him. He gladly obliged and wished me the best of luck in my future. Needless to say, I was giddy the rest of the day.

me & monte

Not much else stands out… LL Cool J sang on Saturday and managed to keep half of his shirt on. We were all impressed. I watched the Rays in Seattle against my Mariners, which was fun. I miss Seattle, but I don’t much miss those Mariners… let’s cross our fingers for next year.

meating

Meetings that include a meal should be called meatings. Although it doesn’t sound any different to the ear, it implies people will be [m]eating and possibly even [m]eating meat[ing]… but because it still sounds like meeting when you say it, everyone still understands it’s a meeting. So good.

Anyway, I had a meating today at work. It was my first official all-employee meating… I got introduced to everybody, and I waved. I didn’t know I was going to be recognized, but was told that I was going to have to give a speech, which I knew was a joke OF COURSE… until I hear, “we’d like to welcome this month’s new employees, starting with Kelsey Finzer in Fan Experience…” …. silence…. the possible reality of standing up and saying something suddenly struck and I had a flashback of freshman year of high school during which I was giving a “demonstration”. I was presenting on how to make paper pinwheels. I was shaking from all the nerves that had been building throughout the day as I came to the final step… putting the bead onto the end of the needle. I felt like I stood there three solid minutes trying to slide the needle through the tiny little bead until my teacher said, “okay kelsey, I think we understand, thanks so much”. Anyway, long story short, all they wanted was a wave and I’m both comfortable and exceptionally good at those. What a relief.

The rest of our meating consisted of post-season talk… which scares most people because baseball, above all sports, is extremely superstitious. The W- Series was mentioned and men were self-admittedly turning into giddy school girls. It was a fun time to see all the people in all the different departments come together and realize a post-season possibility for the first time ever in Tampa Bay history. Exciting stuff.

On a more personal note, I just consumed an entire bag of Milano double chocolate cookies… which according to the nutrition facts contain about 70 calories each, rounding my sitting out to a generous 1120 calories.

whoops

a day in the life

Haha, okay so we listen to people’s anthem audition tapes (if we’re lucky they send in DVDs in which they’re dressed up uncomfortably formal in front of their fireplace) and get to pick which ones can sing for games.

Recently, however, we’ve been getting songs, poems, raps, haikus etc about the Rays… all of which want to become the official anthem of this successful season. People think of pointless rhymes like… Gabe Gross the Most and Akinori’s not Boring… really really really bad stuff. This one so far is my personal favorite… only because it got stuck in my head all day long. I feel that’s a good quality (kinda like yankee doodle or the song that never ends… yet is goes on and on my friend)…

Regardless, it’s a funny part of my job. Almost as funny as having creepy, old men pitching coaches stare you down. Okay you’re right, that’s not funny at all.

pink sky at night

So I was prepared for the humidity, and warned about bugs (with which I’ve only had one signficantly memorable encounter), but the LIGHTNING! The lightning around here is crazy. I googled how to take pictures of lightning, and I didn’t understand any of it so I’m sorry, but I’m incapable of documenting any of what I’m about to talk about. Okay the low lightning (not the technical term) is usually pretty chill, and when it’s behind a cloud at the right time of the night, it lights up the dark clouds with pink. THEN there’s the crazy lightning that makes you feel like someone is literally standing directly in front of you with a giant flash… even if your blinds are closed and you’re underneath your covers terrified for your life. Now I can understand why they call this the lightning capitol of the world.

The gelato I had for dinner is giving me a headache. I think I need to supplement it with some real food soon. Oh and the coffee’s not helping the situation either.

pink sty at night… haha

the swing of things

I think I’ve found it- the swing of things. I am now able to participate in conversations revolving around changing player at-bat songs and visualize both gate 4 and gate 6 entrances. It’s going well.

This evening someone said that I am inspirational in regard to my move across the country to work for the Rays. I’d have to agree that if I heard a similar story I’d also call it inspirational. The problem is when that story is your own and you know how hard it is to be away from everyone that means everything to you, it’s much easier to call it crazy. 

Tomorrow is Parks and Rec day at the game… I guess I’m in for a treat. It sounds similar to Kids Day at the Aquasox… too many kids in one place who all know the lyrics to Spongebob Squarepants.

BUT the best part is that a 12:40 game means BRUNCH in media dining!!! I love brunch.

it’s just a depression

So, I’m learning hurricane terms. Last night it was DUMPING rain for hours on end, and I was out to dinner with some new church friends (that’s right, I said friends) and one says, oh it’s probably just a depression. What the heck is a depression away from Grapes of Wrath style depression???

I’ll fill you in. In terms of severity, it goes depression (tons and tons of hard hard rain), storm (tons and tons of hard hard rain + thunder and lightning), and finally hurricane (tons and tons of hard hard rain + thunder and lightning + extreme wind). So there it is! Not to worry though, it was just a depression.

Also, people around here love their sweet tea. Typically I enjoy iced tea when I’m hot and hot tea when it’s cold, like most normal people. Anyway, they don’t mess around with sweetening their tea. It’s almost like a mixture you’d make as a kid… when your mom turns her back and you dump a cup of sugar into your drink and nonchalantly walk away hoping she didn’t notice. Except, it’s not something only sugar-mad kids drink… everyone’s mad about their sweet tea down here! For now I’m sticking with my iced, unsweetened, coffee.

Finally, 90s night is on Saturday at the Trop. MC Hammer will be performing after the game. I’m weaving hammer pants for myself.

I spent the second half of today (the half I didn’t spend jumping around town looking for baywatch clothes) blowing up beach balls for the concert. However I don’t know if brain cells down here in the heat die more rapidly than other places in the country, because these fans don’t understand the concept of playing with the beach balls. They grab. They grab, deflate, and stuff them into their giant mom bags. What’s up with THAT?

That’s all I can think of for now.

ballgame proposals

okay so I know that people propose at ballgames in movies all the time, but to my surprise, it happens in real life too…

I’ve been around for 7 games so far, three of which had proposals. One was adorable and basically exactly how you’d want a public proposal to go: a ring, a kiss, laughter, smiling, and a lot of (good) surprise. The other was very predictably boring. The last, however, went terribly wrong.

I just think that before you propose to someone, you should have some idea that they’re on board… and this seems even more important when it’s in front of 30,000 some people. Anyway, this last proposal showed the woman just shaking her head, trying to smile politely, and the man just staring uncomfortably at the camera, which was being displayed on the mega-screen in the stadium.

Public proposals are one thing… but public rejections are another. We were making copies of these proposals today in the office for the couples, and someone thought this last one must have been a prank, although it was more painful than funny to watch.

So here’s one for the obvious proposal prank… and how it can be so funny, yet still so painful to watch:

air mattress

I would say an air mattress is a good comparison to my life right now, in terms of stages. It’s not a boxspring and mattress, but it’s for sure not a sleeping bag. It can be packed up and moved anywhere, but it infers some sort of permanence once blown up and made. Regardless, it’s where I find my evening’s rest each night while I’m here, in this temporarily permanent stage.

By the way, I bought a bookshelf from WalMart that I assembled on my own… I borrowed screw drivers, but couldn’t find a hammer. My solution? Hey, I’m only here for three months, it can stand without nails. So far I’m right.

It’s been difficult trying to create ‘home’ in a new city on my own. I see a lot of families and couples who are clearly on vacation here, and I’ve been realizing how significnatly different their mindset is for being here than mine. I’m seeking places I can call my own, like Bohemia, the coffee place across the street, and I’m seeking routine, like coming home after work and working out (in front of none other than Friends and Scrubs). It’s challenging to see the fun and frills that many around me are experiencing with their loved ones while I’m just trying to remain stable. It has forced me to remain focused on why I’m here– which is to run freely after a dream that has been evolving for a long time. I mean come on, I’m working for the best team in baseball!! (please join me in knocking on wood)

Finally, I feel like I’m the last one anybody expected to move across the country, alone, to chase a dream job. But here I am, and I’m learning to love the thrill (and how to live in Florida in the hottest months of the year).

 

my new city

 from The Pier looking into St. Petersburg. Soon I’ll have one with me and my giant headset in the Trop, so look forward to that.

getting settled

Check that. I’m feeling settled, even though it’s only been about a week and a half since the 2,528 mile journey from the Sound to Tampa Bay. I’m just thankful there’s a lot of water around here, or else I would really miss home.

I jumped into work in the middle of the series against Boston (whom we swept), followed immediately by a four-game series against Kansas City. So far, I’ve learned the following:

1. Game scripts at the Tampa Bay Rays are significantly larger than those at Seattle Pacific University basketball games… we’re talking a 3″ stack of paper vs. the 1/8″ I’m used to.

2. Your pants must have extremely durable back pockets for the carrying around of ancient and oversized walkie-talkie devices, used to communicate with everyone of importance in the stadium.

3. Although the Trop is air-conditioned, it is still very warm, especially after mom-walking (you know the walk that moms have that lets you know you’re in trouble) from one side of the stadium to the other.

4. Fan Experience (the department I’m in) has the best view of the field from their office.

5. During home games, all lights must be kept off in the Fan Experience office, or else we’ll lose the game.

That about sums it up for now. I’m sure I’ve got plenty more to learn!

Oh, and finally, Evan Longoria got the final spot in this year’s All-Star game, which brings the Rays’ count to three players. It may have had something to do with a media dining employee who was rigging everyone’s cell phones to send and resend (endlessly) text messages voting Longoria into the final position… but we don’t have to say anything.

Now we just have to work on getting the Rays to win on the road…

Kelsey