Notice: Function register_sidebar was called incorrectly. No id was set in the arguments array for the "Sidebar 1" sidebar. Defaulting to "sidebar-1". Manually set the id to "sidebar-1" to silence this notice and keep existing sidebar content. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 4.2.0.) in /home/haydenan/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131 July « 2009 « haydenandapryl.com
For the fourth straight year, Apryl and I are attending the Pitchfork Music Festival, which occurs every year at Union Park. (Technically, the first year was the Intonation Music Festival curated by Pitchfork, but that’s nitpicking.) This year tickets sold out faster than any other year, so we’re expecting a far larger crowd than normal. Hopefully, it will still be manageable, since this is one of the few festivals Apryl is able to stand crowdwise. And as long as the predicted showers for Saturday and Sunday hold off, the temperature highs ranging from the low to mid 70’s should make the conditions quite comfortable (though I can imagine Apryl being disappointed in the idea of taking a sweater at night when it’s officially summertime). Below, a list of some of the artists I’m looking forward to checking out:
Built to Spill, The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, Tortoise, Grizzly Bear, M83, Beirut, DOOM, Final Fantasy, The National, The Walkmen, Bowerbirds, and many, many more.
If you aren’t able to attend but still want to check out the festival, there will be a live stream here.
On Sunday, I attended the Cubs/Cards make-up game from a rain out in April. If you’ve been reading the baseball posts then you are well aware of my recent drought of seeing a victory. Well, I caught a “W” for the Cubbies. Not sure that counts. Especially since it meant that I had to endure the horrible sing-a-long number, “Go Cubs Go”. Even worse though, I was sitting next to one of the most obnoxious fans I have ever met.
The “fan” was in his mid twenties, from Indianapolis, and was attending his first Cubs game. How do I know this? Because, he talked to me throughout the entire game despite the fact that I hardly ever responded. Around the 1st inning, Annoying Fan told everyone around him that he could make his father proud if at the 7th inning stretch he streaked across the field. “What’s the worst tat could happen to me, ” he asked. A Cubs fan next to me had the answer. “$1000 bail!” AF said that he had that much money on him and that it might be worth it. I told him that he had about an hour and an half to think it over. Did I mention that AF had already confessed to us that he been drinking heavily in Wrigleyville the night before and had woken up on someone’s porch (thank goodness we don’t live in that neighborhood).
During the 2nd inning, AF started quizzing me on baseball history. His first question was what was the oldest ballpark in the majors. Easy, Fenway Park. Obviously, he thought I was going to say Wrigley. And then he came with a harder one. What is the oldest team in the majors? I answered, “Cincinnati Reds.” He was impressed and stopped with the baseball trivia. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from commenting and telling jokes to me for the next couple of hours.
The sad thing was that he was a friendly guy. But there was just too much pep there. I mean even the Cubs fans were getting agitated with him. The most annoying thing he did was press his fingers between his lips, and blow the loudest whistle I’ve ever heard come from a human being. He kept doing this over and over and over again. Finally, a Cubs fan near me told him that whistling was really only reserved for home runs. That stopped him for a few innings at least.
Speaking of home runs, AF called the homer from Carlos Zambrano in the 4th inning. This fact excited him to no end. He started screaming out profanities (luckily, the young kid in front of him was with his dad on a bathroom break) and looked for someone who would high five him. Even with an excited crowd, I don’t know if he found any takers.
Towards the 5th and 6th, I think all the beer AF had consumed was starting to have a sleepy effect on him for he was pretty quite during this time. But as soon as the 7th inning came around (no, he didn’t run out onto the field naked), he got his second wind. He started up the whistling again much to the chagrin to those around him.
I will admit that he had one funny joke. At one point in the game, the Cubs popped up behind Pujols (who had already committed an error missing a routine grounder through his legs) in short right field. Three Cardinals went for the ball but the ball fell in between them. AF yells, “How many Cardinals does it take to catch a pop fly? More than three!” Okay, that was funny. But true to his annoying nature, he ruined the few chuckles he got by immediately repeating the joke. And then in the 8th, he recycled the joke without any context.
Surprisingly, at the bottom of the ninth, AF turned to all of us around him and announced that he was leaving to beat the crowd because he was driving back to Indianapolis that night. As soon as he was gone, there was a collective sigh of relief. One Cubs fan near me told me, “I don’t know how you sat next to him the whole game!”
As I said, AF was friendly but also so grating and exhausting. At one point while he was talking on the phone to his friend, he commented on just how beautiful the day was and how beautiful the ballpark was and how much he wished his friend could be there with him. That the people were so friendly. And it all felt like a bit of Heaven. Thinking about that made me feel a bit guilty about all the negative thoughts I had had about him. Then, I felt the ringing in my ears.
Arriving at the ballpark by bus.
The old time band plays for those entering Wrigley. Nice touch.
Inspired by Adam a few months ago, I kept score. It was also a great way to ignore the madness going on next to me.
The great Pujols went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run. He also made an error that probably cost the Cards any chance of getting back in the game. A few days later, he would also make an error in the All-Star game.
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Towards the end, you can see AF waving his newly bought Cubs cap. AF was also wearing a Cubs shirt he bought at the gift shop and finally put on around the 3rd inning.
The last out was a fly out to Milton Bradley in right field. Note that I stopped transmission right before the “Go Cubs Go” sing-a-long.
The massive crowd that AF was trying to beat. The official attendance for the game was 40,701. For the Sox, such a number happens on opening day, during playoffs, or whenever the Cubs are playing at The Cell. For the Cubs, it’s just another day at the ballpark.
On Saturday, I worked with EXTRA for my first shoot with NASCAR at the LifeLock.com 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL. Clearly, I’m a newbie in this picture because I wasn’t aware you couldn’t wear shorts in the garage and pits, and I had to buy a pair of ridiculous sweat pants just so I could do my job. Great look, huh? The segment I worked on was with Carl Edwards and should air on EXTRA this week.
Alright, I’m getting tired of seeing the Sox lose. I haven’t seen a Sox victory since May 7th. And what’s really frustrating is that the Sox have been winning, but I’ve just been going to the wrong games. To be fair, I knew the odds were against me when the Sox took to the field yesterday. The Sox had swept the Indians in Cleveland last week and were one game away from doing the same at home. In baseball, you’re always playing the odds. Statistically, I didn’t stand a chance.
My friend that invited we to the A’s game called me up a few hours prior to yesterday’s game, and since I wasn’t working, I jumped at the idea. Before I headed out for the train, though, I debated on whether or not to wear my new Sox cap or the old one. Since I’ve purchased the new cap, I haven’t seen a single Sox victory.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t play the superstition game. I mean, I did once upon a time. Like making sure you’re wearing your lucky shirt in order to push those odds in your favor. But then one day (during a Grizzlies game), it all seemed really silly. How could one person’s eccentricities doom an entire team? Surely, I had no influence over a team’s dismal play. Right? After laughing off the Gods of Baseball, I grabbed my new Sox cap and took a mighty stand against superstition. And what did it get me?
For one, an early beating! Sox starter Clayton Richard gave up a grand slam in the 2nd which put the Indians up 6 -2. The next inning, the Tribe added 3 more runs to take a 9 -2 lead. Ugh, I was sensing superstition was teaching me a harsh lesson.
And then, I felt like my luck was beginning to turn around. With two outs in the 3rd, the Sox managed to add 4 more runs on the board. And then in the 5th, also with 2 outs, the Sox added 2 more, making it a one run difference. Perhaps, my new cap was a good luck rally cap!
Alas, no. The Indians added another run in the 6th. The Sox, despite having multiple opportunities, were not able to send any more players over home plate. Still, you have to give it to the Good Guys for not giving up. It’s not their fault that I decided to be stubborn and wear the new cap.
Despite the loss, I enjoyed myself and my hot dog:
Sure, it looks disgusting but it’s so so good!
And since it was a decent crowd of over 27,000, I recorded another Nancy driven version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”:
Sure, the John Hancock Observatory has an amazing view. But does it have the Ledge? Well, the skydeck at the Sears Tower (soon to be known as Willis Tower) does. What’s the Ledge? Well, the ledge is a sectioned walking space that juts out from the side of the building, completely surrounded with see through glass, giving one bold soul the chance to “levitate” 1,300 plus feet above the ground. To get a better idea of what I mean check out this Tribune article.
Unfortunately, the Ledge wasn’t open to the public last week when Brad was in town. But it will be there for our next visitor! Would you be brave enough to walk inside the Ledge?
Did I mention that my good friend Brad came to visit last week? I first met Brad in Memphis where we spent many hours watching the Grizzlies, playing pool, and hanging out here. Brad now lives in Nashville. We make every effort to see him whenever we’re in the Music City area visiting my sister. When we saw Brad last, he told us he was planning on paying us a visit real soon. True to his word, Brad was checking into our guest room three weeks later.
Since he was only here for three days, we were only able to scratch the surface at what Chicago has to offer. But nevertheless, we had a lot of fun. And since Brad is a professional photographer, I was able to use the opportunity to be the shutterbug that I am. Here are a few photos from past week:
One of the first places I took him was the Museum Campus where one can catch an amazing view of the Chicago skyline. I’m posting my photo but it doesn’t compare to the panoramic one Brad created in Photoshop.
Afterward, we headed south on Lake Shore Drive towards Hyde Park. I knew that he wanted to check out the Museum of Science and Industry. Not for the exhibits but for the building itself since it was a part of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. While we were in the neighborhood, he also wanted to check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. We also explored the beautiful University of Chicago campus. Check out the overgrowth on the buildings in the photo above!
After we spent several hours in Hyde Park, we ventured downtown for dinner and a free concert a Millennium Park (see post below). Afterwards, along with Apryl, we walked Michigan Avenue to the John Hancock Observatory. Between the Sears Tower and the Hancock, the Hancock is my favorite in that it provides a grander view of the city.
However, Apryl and I were a bit shocked at all the additions since the last time we had been to the Hancock with Apryl’s mom. Now, there is a free audio headset provided where as David Schwimmer gives you a tour of the many sights. Also, there is a coffee shop with even a few tables. And at all times, you are being serenaded with bad pop music through the speaker system. Still, you can’t beat that view. See below:
I have to say, I was proud of my new camera. A shot as sharp as the one above wouldn’t have been possible with my previous Canon Power Shot.
Here is a shot looking north at Lake Shore Drive.
On that first day, we did a lot of walking. On our way back home, we walked through Millennium Park once more and I grabbed this shot from the garden.
Not only was there a lot of walking, but there was a lot of heat. This was literally the first week of summer and it felt like it for sure. For Brad’s entire trip, the highs were in the upper 90’s. As I explained to him, though, the next week’s highs might be in the 70’s. Sure enough, that’s just what happened.
The next day I took Brad to one of my favorite places to get a hot dog, Hot Dougs. I have heard of folks waiting hours in line to get their hands on a Hot Doug dog. There was a line when we arrived but we luckily made it through in less than twenty minutes.
I believe it’s safe to say Brad thought the dog was worth the wait. What’s funny about this photo is that he’s holding a ketchup bottle in his left hand. Putting ketchup on a Chicago hot dog is a real no no. And I can assure you that Brad followed the long Chicago tradition, and used the ketchup only for his fries.
The White Sox happened to be in town playing against the number one team in baseball, the Dodgers. So I got us some upper deck seats, and we headed out to he ballpark. But first, we made a pit stop at Chinatown. Chinatown is only one train stop from the Sox stadium, so we took in some sights and grabbed dinner.
At the game, Brad confessed to me that this was his first attended Major League baseball game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a well played one for the Sox. When Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was asked, after the series wrapped up, why the attendance was so low for the Dodgers games, he responded “because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans. They know we’re [insert expletive here].” Still, after that loss, the Sox have won 6 out of their last 7 games. And as amazing at it sounds, the Sox are currently in 2nd place in the AL Central Division.
This is the view you see as you’re leaving the Sox stadium.
That night we lived up old times at The Map Room. So much so, that we slept in on his last day, and barely got in a lunch before we had to head out to the Midway airport. Still, it was a great time spent with an old friend.
Last night, the Boston Red Sox gave up a 9 – 1 lead to the Baltimore Orioles, losing with a final score of 11 -10. For Baltimore, it was the greatest comeback in their franchise history and the greatest comeback between a last place team against a first place team in MLB history. Even better was this moment in the 6th when the Red Sox thought they had gotten 3 outs (there were only 2) and the entire team walked off the field and into the dugout. Check out the hilarity.
