I’ve been staring at my laptop for about an hour now. I haven’t blogged in months and the pressure is mounting. Part of me feels like I don’t have anything interesting to write about. Part of me feels like I’m going to explode if I don’t start writing something.
I suppose I can share some of the amazing things I’ve been up to in the past two months. I still ride my scooter almost every day. I love it more than I thought I would. I sometimes wish it would go faster.
The Twins season has been going well. The new ballpark is amazing. Still with every game I’ve been to, people are smiling, the food is amazing and even when it rains, people are happy to be there. Friday night Target Field held its first fireworks show. The weather couldn’t have been better, sunny and in the 70’s. When the game ended, Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays, then the stadium went dark. Only the Minnie and Paul neon sign and Twins logo above the videoboard stayed lit. From the parkinglot behind the right field, bursts of color exploded above the stadium. It was amazing. The show looked great. It was much better than I anticipated. Especially because the beautiful downtown Minneapolis skyline was draped behind it. Here’s a link to a video my friend Peter took of the fireworks.
On Saturday I went to the Twins game with my Grandma for her birthday. At 87 years old, I think she was way more excited than she let up to be. After weeks of worrying about how she’d get to the seats with her walker, what would happen if the weather was too hot, or rainy and every other crazy scenario, we went to the game. The staff at Target Field could not have been any more accommodating. We explained it would be more difficult for her to get to her seats because of her walker, but they arranged for us to sit in a handicapped section so she could not only sit in the shade, but wouldn’t have to deal with stairs. I got her a hot dog and chips and we sat in the cool air conditioning of the Kirby Puckett lounge in the Ledgend’s Club.
The pregame was amazing we enjoyed music from a military band and five sky divers dropped into Target Field to deliver the game ball. Nanny loved it. The energy at Target Field was electrifying. When Jim Thome walked up to the plate, he knocked the ball out of the park. That home run tied Harmon Killebrew’s major league record for career home runs. It’s a huge deal. As if it were scripted, Thome’s next at-bat was a home run too. He swung himself into the MLB record books. It is definitely one moment I will always remember. My grandma got so excited too. The Twins lost the game, but the experience of the day is something I’ll never forget.
This summer I’ve spent more time enjoying and exploring Minneapolis. My work schedule has changed, so I’m once again working overnights. I didn’t know if I would enjoy it as much as I have. Like any show, there are challenges, but there are many benefits too. Yes, I go into work at 10 p.m. and yes, I sleep most of the day. However, I can enjoy the morning to go for a walk, or run errands. The city is still quiet and calm. Then I wake up around 5 or 6 and start my day. I can meet friends for dinner, get stuff done around my apartment, or catch up on TV and the news of the day. I’m not necessairly more productive now than I was before, but I’ve found a different way to go about my day. There are some benefits too, for instance, my weekends start at 7 a.m. on Friday mornings.
A week ago, my friend Megan came to town for her birthday. We did all of my favorite things: saw live music, ate at great local restaurants, biked around the Minneapolis river front and shopped. It was really nice to just enjoy the Cities. I’ll post pics of our adventure later!
I have to get ready for work now…
