So that was September

September came and went with the blink of an eye. It feels like it was just a week ago that we were in Seattle but it's been almost a month now. Some months go by quickly, some months drag on and on. September was a month that flew right by, maybe because it was the first nice month in quite a while. The weather finally cooperated, it was bearable enough to go outside for more than a few minutes.

I got a chance to get out and frisbee golf several times this past month and it was wonderful. I hate trying to go out in the heat and suffer through it. There is no point in trying to go out and have a good time when you are just going to be miserable. In the fall or the spring the weather is enjoyable enough to grab a six pack and drive somewhere and chuck a plastic disc around.

So as we head into October, the weather hopefully will stay the same and cool down near the end into November and pave the way for a cold cold December. A December with foot upon foot of snow.



No wait, we're in Kansas. It'll be a rainy December. With no snow. Because this state sucks.

Digital pictures

Digital photography, despite all it's benefits, has ruined the art of picture taking. For example, take this picture below that I took of the Orpheum.
It's simple, and was taken on black and white film. I had to sit kitty corner from the Orpheum for several minutes, zoomed in just right to avoid the stop lights (which you can still see on the edges of the shot) and hope that some jackass didn't walk in front of me when I was snapping the picture. Now, if someone did happen to walk in front of me, the picture would be ruined and there would be nothing I could do about it, except hate the John Doe that did that to me. However, if I took this shot with a digital camera and that same situation happened, I could review it and delete it.

I don't claim to be a great photographer but still, it takes a little bit of skill and patience to take decent pictures with a film camera. Digital cameras are great to take spur of the moment, candid shots. If they don't work, delete them and try again. I have a small digital camera that is wonderful for shots like this one.
This is Ayla, my niece, after leaving a Tigers game a few years ago. Who would think to take this picture with anything but a digital camera. If it turned out poorly, delete it and move on. No evidence. But because of digital advances, this picture captures the essence of my niece. Fearless, ready to move around and not be confined to being held by her mother. She wants to be free and not carried. My sister and brother in law are going to be in trouble when she learns how to do stuff like rock climb, sky dive, walk across minefields, etc. etc.

I'm not one to judge (oh wait....) but if someone claims to be a great photographer and they shoot only on a digital camera, they better be able to handle a film camera with a manual lens. Because is they aren't, they are going to be personally ridiculed by me.





And I barely know how to use a camera, I'm just judgmental.

Marketing genius

The St. Louis Blues hockey organization has developed what I think is an amazing idea to get people in the seats. They have dubbed it the 'Every Game Counts' package. Here's the deal: you buy season tickets and pay half the cost. If the team makes the playoffs, you pay the other half of the cost. The cheap seats, if you only have to end up paying for half the games, is four hundred and fifty dollars. There are forty one home games throughout the season, so that would end up being about eleven dollars a game, which ain't all that bad. However, that doesn't count concessions. On the other hand, if they make the playoffs (and they missed the playoffs by five points [which isn't much for you non-hockey people out there]) you will end up paying about twenty two dollars per game. And for cheap seats, that could be stretching it. For the more expensive seats, if they made the playoffs, you could end up paying just under nineteen hundred dollars. Yeah, that's nineteen with two zeroes behind it.

One reason why I think this is a great idea is because it'll get people invested in the team. By the way, they have already sold about two hundred of the six hundred tickets they are making available for this promotion. So there are some people out there who think that this is a great idea. You could have a group of people who enjoy hockey but have never wanted to buy season tickets. With this deal now, you can gather a couple of friends, pool the money, and split the cost. It's cheaper that way, even if they do end up in the playoffs, as opposed to buying the tickets by yourself. So the casual fans are sitting around the bar one night getting drunk, like you do, and they hear about this. Before you know it, they are seriously considering it. It's cost efficient, and it's a group of people, with some cash flow, that wouldn't have done it in the first place.

The bigger concern with markets like St. Louis is making ends meet. With all the contracts for the players, the cost for upkeep of the building, the cost for the coaching staff, private jet, all of that goes through the organization and the owners of the Blues. Now, if you get people to invest in this crazy idea, you could be making more money than you usually would. If you make more money, you'll have a higher interest. The St. Louis Blues have had a faithful following (from what I can gather), but they haven't always been able to trade for talent because they haven't had the money. Because they haven't been able to go after the big name players, or the most talented players, they haven't been able to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup. It's a simple formula. More money equals better players plus happy fan base.

The obvious risk here (for the organization) is the team not making the playoffs. They'll be losing half of their sales from these tickets for the 'Every Game Counts' packages. Granted, they are still making money from the single game ticket sales and the smaller package sales that they have, but this is still a ballsy move. From the fan base, if it were me and I bought into this idea, I would be kind of pissed that the team made the playoffs because that'll mean ponying up the second half of the cost. So you would have to keep that in mind and start stashing the money away. However, I would be happy that the team would make the playoffs. I would also want first crack at home playoff tickets being a season ticket holder.





Bu then again, I'm selfish like that.

Oktober(fest) in September

For this month, I went out and purchased a seasonal beer for the ninth beer of the year. It is Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest! I have had a hesitant approach to seasonal beers ever since I have branched out from my Coors Light days (which are now referred to as the 'dark time'), but with Leinie's, they have hit the mark every time. Oktoberfest, 1888 Bock, Summer Shandy, and the Fireside Nut Brown are all wonderful changes of pace when they come out throughout the year. The Summer Shandy was the most difficult to get use to because it is real heavy on the lemon, and it almost tastes like a Mike's Hard Lemonade the first couple of times you drink it. However, the beer flavor comes out after you have had a few, so it all balances out.

The other big company that puts out so many seasonal and special beers is Sam Adams, but there are several of their beers that I just have never enjoyed, so Leinie's is what I stick with because it is reliable and extremely tasty throughout the year no matter what type of beer I am drinking.

Quick turn around

After being out until twelve thirty and waking up at five, I've determined that I can no longer have this happen. I didn't have too much to drink, it was just that situation that we have all been in: hanging out with friends. You get talking and drinking and talking and drinking, and before you know it you look down at your watch and it's eleven thirty. You try your hardest to get the check and get out at somewhat of a decent time, especially if you know you have to work super early in the morning. Now, if I worked at eight this morning, no big deal.

*Quick side note*

If I'm a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, the next time Derek Jeter is up to bat against me, I'm drilling him in the back or the ribs to show him that that is what it takes to get a base. If you don't know the situation that I'm talking about, just move along. Move along. I understand the thought process that baseball players have to get on base any means necessary, but I don't have to like it.

*Side note over*

I have never regretted staying out late and turning around to work the next morning early. The reason being is that I'm amongst friends. I shouldn't say I've never regretted it, because I have had days where I wanted to gouge my eyes out, I have never regretted the times when I was out having a good time with friends or family. And this isn't a situation I put myself in all the time, this doesn't happen every single week (at least not any more).

So, I'll be tired for a good portion of the day, and this is just the start of the weekend. We have two parties to go to, one here in Wichita and one up in Topeka. I'll have a lack of sleep this weekend, but who cares? Once again, if you are with friends, if you are having a good time, if you are enjoying yourself, who cares?





I sure won't, at least not until Monday.

What a sunset

While in Seattle, I took this picture of a sunset.


Granted, you don't see the sun, but it was still freaking awesome. It has been quite some time since I have seen a sunset like this one. Having our cabin on a lake, we watched countless sunsets over Brevort Lake. I feel now that I have taken the sight of these wonderful sunsets for granted because we don't see sights like this down here in Kansas. It's one of those 'you don't know what you got til it's gone' situations.


Just thought I would share that with everyone.

Fall(ish) time

It's that time of year again. The greatest time. The fall. After dealing with one of the hottest summers I can recall since living down here in Wichita, the temperature is starting to get lower. I say starting to because we still have quite a few days that are in the low nineties. We have had says that have been fall-like, but not many of them. The humidity is still in the air, and there are sporadic thunderstorms. It rained the other night for quite honestly, five minutes. Then it passed. After looking at the radar, we came to find out we were on the northern end of a huge storm to the south and east of us. Who knew.

I know I shouldn't complain too much about the temperature right now. I'll take what I can get with it. The weather is just right to do some outdoor activities. The state fair is going on right now too. It is fun to head up there at least once a year, and we normally go in the middle of the week when it isn't too crowded. Granted, there aren't a ton of demonstrations or goings on in the middle of the week, but we like to get up there just to walk around and people watch. And get a corn dog. And homemade ice cream. Did I mention people watch? It's a glorious time for that.

Of course, the biggest thing that the majority of people think about right now, is football. My lowly Lions imploded against the much hated Bears yesterday, to the surprise of no one. It's too bad, but I love them anyways. That's not what I'm excited about. Football is fun to watch, college football is wonderful. However, hockey season is inching closer and closer. I can hear the blades on the ice, the shouts for a cross ice pass, the smell of the arena. Hockey arenas have always had a certain smell to them, but not a bad smell, unless you are close to the bench. I have never been able to identify it, it's always just been....there. It is what it is.

Green state of mind

So, there is recycling and then there is recycling we have found out while on vacation. Seattle is a very earth friendly city. Which is cool, but it is taken to an extreme when it comes to garbage and recycling. I don't know if other cities have started doing this as well, but they have a separate container for food scrapes. Food scrapes and food soiled things such as napkins and paper plates. Instead of sending off your food that you didn't finish off to the landfill, they are sent to the city compost. After which, I don't really know. All I know is that for the first few days out here we all had to stare at the garbage in our hands and think whether or not it was to be sent off to the compost or if it could go in the trash.

The funny thing about all of this is driving down the street and instead of just seeing a garbage bin and a recycling bin there is also this little container for the food scrapes. Being this far north and west and not quite out in the wilderness, but pretty damn close, it makes me wonder if they have ever had issues with animals coming to investigate the wonderful smell of free food. I'm sure that there are small animals such as raccoons and cats and dogs that tip these small containers over, but that isn't anything to get concerned about. I would be concerned if larger animals started to make their way out of the woods and into the cities. Seattle wouldn't be the first place I would think that this would happen, but the smaller cities that are out on the edge of the urban sprawl, closer to nature.