Playing tourist

We spent all day yesterday wandering around Seattle's downtown and market area, of course, culminating in a few hours of Pike Place Market. It was fun to get out and people watch, and to see what kind of craft is out there. Most of the big spaces that are used in Pike's Place are actual businesses, but the further down you go you can find some people that are selling their art and trying to make a few more bucks outside of their jobs (assuming they have one). I really wanted to bring our nice camera for this trip, but it was not in the working state of being when we were leaving, so it was left at home. We do have a digital camera, and it takes some decent pictures, but it would have been nice to have some of these pictures on film.

Outside of the wedding, we wanted to just get a vacation in. All of our trips that we have when we leave the state are to travel home. As nice as it is to see our families a few times a year, it would be fun to do this in different cities. Traveling to places like Baltimore, Chicago, D.C., Boston, etc. just to see them have always sounded like a blast, but then you run into the issue of cost.
Anyway, here's a few pictures from our trip yesterday.

Flight karma

All of our flights left on time and landed early! How awesome is that? It is from our previous flights where we have been delayed and missed connecting flights, or in A's case, had a flight completely canceled only to have to leave the next day.

I don't know if that is one hundred percent how it works, but that is what we are going with. For the longest time, we had great flight karma and never had anything delayed more than twenty minutes or so. Then last February, we missed our connecting flight out of Chicago because our plane needed to be de-iced and we had to wait in line for the crew to do such. When it finally came our turn, they had some issues with the hoses they were using. In the end, we caught a flight into Kansas City and drove down to Wichita.

Hopefully, when we go to leave in about nine days, our flight karma will still be good enough to get us home on time.

I had a hipster moment....

This morning, while listening to the radio play on the overhead at work, Weezer's 'Beverly Hills' came on. I had a hipster moment and regretted it the moment it entered my mind. That thought was, 'I remember when the Blue Album came out and we listened to it before they became as popular as they are now.' I felt like this mainly because it was on cassette, so I felt a little old at the time as well. Douchey, but old.

I just thought I would share this moment in an effort to prevent everyone from having these inadvertent hipster moments. Please, please, please, never utter the words 'I listened to this band before they became popular.' If a favorite band of yours goes mainstream, there are two options. One, find a new favorite band. Two, deal with it. Don't bring up the fact that you were one of the few hundred that bought the first album. No one will believe you. I had this experience with The Killers, kind of. I feel that when I bought their first album, it was right before they became a household name. Their music really hasn't changed, they have just become popular. I have dealt with it. Granted, I only have two of their albums, but that is because I didn't like the third and fourth albums. I just didn't enjoy the songs. Am I one of their self proclaimed 'biggest fans'? No. Do I own all their work? No. Have I ever seen them in concert? No. I just enjoyed their music. Does that give me the right to say that if you like them now, you aren't hip? Hell no. In fact, if I ever say that to anyone, I may slap myself.

I have a few bands that I really enjoy right now that I don't think are too popular, but they are good enough to become household names. In fact, they are on that cusp. I hope they make it bigger than they are right now and they continue to make the great music they have made. I would hate for bands to change their sound because they want to make more money, but that is what the industry is all about.

Why Johnny did the right thing

Johnny Damon just recently declined to be traded away from the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox after he was placed on waivers by Detroit earlier this week. Being a Tigers fan, I couldn't have been happier. Baseball players around the league need to take note as to why he did so, and it isn't like the Tigers have a huge contract with him. He only signed a one year deal last year. Boston is trying to make a late season push into the playoffs, which is why they went after him.

This is the best situation for all of baseball because Damon wants to stay in Detroit to be a mentor to the younger players, and Detroit has a ton of them. How could people not like that? He was contacted by several Red Sox players about coming back to Boston, players he won a World Series with, players he knows and know well. He was also approached by some of the younger Tigers players about staying on and helping them grow into the big league.

In the end, he chose Detroit because he says he loves the city and the organization, but more than that, I think he loves to be that veteran player that each and every teammate can come up to and ask for baseball advice from. He is what people refer to as a great 'clubhouse guy'. The person that can say the right things at the right times to ignite that spark that younger teams need throughout the grueling haul of a one hundred ans sixty two game season.

Float trippin'

We took a trip to Missouri this past weekend for a float trip with some friends. We have found the perfect weekend to do so. It's this past weekend. Why? Because the frat boys and sorority girls are all back in school! The camp ground was fairly empty, but there were still quite a bit of people there. We aren't ones to be loud and rambunctious like the majority of the people that go there, so this time it was great.

The weather on the other hand, kind of sucks. It wasn't the fact that it was hot and sunny, it was because of the heat the weeks before. It led to lower water. Instead of float for eight miles, we on;y went four and a half. It wasn't all bad though. Only having to travel half the distance means there is more time to stop and hang out with friends. The heat was a bit of a problem. It led to uncomfortable sleeping. Who wants to sleep in a hot tent with no breeze? No one, unless they are insane. So that is the only low point of the trip. The hot weather during the evening.

All in all, a nice trip that helped to determine the next time we go there, it'll be when college is in session.

*sixth post in the one hundred degree posts*