Talk of the Town

Have dog, will travel

There is one benefit to the cool and wet spring we have been experiencing; gratitude.  When old Mother Nature decides to give us a day of warm sunshine, we understand it is time to seize the day.  

It was with a grateful heart that I found myself in between errands with some time to kill today.  I pulled the van into a parking lot, powered down the windows, turned up the radio and enjoyed the sun.  This is a dangerous game for me because even a semi-comfortable seat  in the warm (but not too warm) sun may cause me to drift off to sleep and miss picking my son up from school. 

I wasn't the only person with the idea of enjoying some quality time with old sol.  After a bit, a woman came walking up the street and as she got closer I couldn't believe my eyes.  What I originally thought was a little baby riding in one of those baby carriers strapped to the chest of it's mother, turned out to be a dog.  I sat up in my seat a bit to get a better view, blinked my eyes a few times and looked again.  

Yep.  A dog out for a ride.  Doesn't that defeat the 'take the dog for a walk' angle?

It used to be I would have remarked with a scowl on my face, "Wow...ridiculous!"  

But on sunny days like today, you gotta do what you gotta do. 

The bloom off the rose?

Remember me gushing about the start of a new baseball season just a few weeks ago?  My love for the Twins is tied to the quick affection I felt for Target Field before I even stepped foot in the place.  The importance of sitting in a beautiful park while enjoying your favorite team became crystal clear to me during a Twins/Mariners game when I was out in Seattle at Safeco Field eight years ago.  

From that day on, I hated baseball in the Metrodome and couldn't wait for the day when the Twins were back outdoors.  "But what will we do when it rains?" the people cried.  This was never a problem for me because I figured we'd just postpone it or GET WET.  It was part of the charm of our new baseball home.

Friday night was the night to put our money where our mouth was.  This was going to be the second game for our kids who coincidentally got to wear rain ponchos for their introductory game as well.  Our son wondered if he'd ever get to go to a game on a sunny day?  I assured him the Twins usually play in the sunshine, but we just had bad luck for picking our time in the sun.

Well, you know what happened.  We were on the light rail (oooh train rides are part of the fun for the kids!) when the conductor informed us the Twins game had been postponed.  I guess its the way you choose to look it, but we wear our 'part-of-the-second-postponed-game' badge proudly.  We had a fun night with an unplanned visit to see some friends and will catch the make-up game when the Indians are back in town.  

Maybe it will be a sunny day!

 

We do not belong here

When is the last time you were in a limousine?  I may not be remembering this correctly, but I believe my last trip was either a ride to the Spice Girls concert at Target Center or to a wedding in New Jersey.  During one of those trips, the limo driver may have shouted out (in the most stereotypical Jersey accent EVER) "Hey!  Move your car!  I've got a bride in here!  It's her special bleepin' day!!"

During the past weekend, some friends were celebrating a birthday with a limousine ride to various bars around Minneapolis.  As he was telling me about it, I wondered if they had tried to play it cool, or if they acted like goofy forty-somethings who were bar-hopping in a limo.  

Most people don't belong in limousines.  We are part of a bachelorette party,  a birthday party, a class of children who sold the most pizzas, or heaven help you... on your way to a Spice Girls show.  We are 'fake' celebrities.  As we ride along we try to act like it's no big deal, but no one can see us anyway because of the tinted windows!

I suspect there is an industry term for the fake celebrities.  My friend suggests it might be lame-ousine, but I disagree.  That refers more to the car itself and not the riders inside of it.  A lameousine is actually the limo that has been sold because of a door ding or too many miles isn't it?  A fake celebrity in a lameousine is just plain sad....

Make up the word.  What do YOU call a fake celebrity in a limo?  Faux-lebrity?

I'm cutting edge!

You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I just found out I'm WAY ahead of the game when it comes to the latest in cosmetic surgery.  The other day on Good Morning America, they ran a story about people that are getting the tops of their ears slit and stitched together to form a point.  Yes, these people want elf ears.   It seems people who love Star Trek, vampires, or Lord of the Rings are looking for an update to their 'look' and pointed ears are the answer!

Steve Haworth of Tempe AZ is the "three dimensional artist" who styles these pointed ears.  He explains "people want to express the inner version of themselves."  Fair enough, but before you sign up for your new look, you should know Steve is not a doctor and so you will not benefit from the gift of an anesthetic during the slicing and stitching.  

Maybe it's just me, but I think that part should be highlighted on the release form.

How, you may wonder, do I wind up on the cutting edge of this trend?  I too have pointed elfin ears, but didn't spend a dime to get them.  I was born with them!  As a teenager, I wanted to have surgery to correct them.  Ahh, the irony.

You may not think much of it, but I see a possible future job for me in all this.  When elfin ears are no longer in vogue, I will be able to lead support groups for people who are living with pointed ears.  I've been doing it for decades...

 

Who loves the Twins?

The 2011 opening day at Target Field was absolutely perfect!  Anyone who says otherwise is itching for a fight!  

Last week my husband and I were fortunate enough to snag two tickets for a perfect day of sunny skies and loads of pageantry.  Who ever is in charge of weather at Target Field has got their job figured out, that's for sure!  As we basked in the sunshine during the pregame events, I wondered how many years it will take before I won't be glad to be out of the dome.  

Maybe endless rain delays and below average temperatures will have something to do with it.  As it is, time spent at Target Field is time well spent. 

The Twins did not disappoint as they came from behind to win the game, but my favorite part of the day occurred before Tony Oliva tossed the first pitch.  As the announcer introduced the team, the player who received the largest ovation wasn't hometown boy Joe Mauer or big sluggers Morneau or Thome.  It was the guy from Japan- Tsuyoshi Nishioka- who inspired a whole stadium of Midwesterners to leave their seats.

Before he was able to strut his stuff on his new home turf, 'Nishi' literally suffered a bad break in New York.  Just the day before, Nishioka's fibula came out on the bad side of Nick Swisher's slide into second base.

After his name was announced, a loud applause filled the stadium.  As it started to fade away, a second wave of cheers- this one louder than the first- rose from the crowd again.  Who knows why, but I suspect it was a combination of a warm Minnesota welcome, a get-well pat on the back for the fractured leg and a big hug following the devastating earthquake in Japan.  I would guess I wasn't the only person left a little choked up by the event.

I don't know what it was about the Nishioka ovation that was so moving, but I suspect there will be a soft spot in my heart for Nishi for many seasons to come.

Hey baseball fans - what do YOU love about this time of year?

 

Ready to rhubarb!

How many times have we heard it's the little things in life that can make your day?  After a fun but hectic and tiring week of spring break, this afternoon had 'get-everything-back-in-order' written all over it.  However mother nature tossed a "sunny and 60 degree" curve ball at me.  Outside I went with the Twins game on the radio and my work gloves on my hands.  The fall clean-up projects I put off last October were the order of business.  As I cleaned off the garden, there were the little sprouts of crocus and daffodil I had been waiting for.  On the west side of the house I found my other true sign of spring; the rhubarb was already an inch tall.  I sat down in the sun for a moment and smiled at the little rhubarb shoots, thinking about the first pie of the season.  Usually by that point, the windows are open as I bake the pie and if we're lucky, that first slice will be enjoyed with a cup of coffee on the sunny deck.  

That imaginary slice of rhubarb pie made my day.  What is your tell-tale sign of spring?