Spring Has Sprung

Image via Wikipedia

It is mid-March and temperatures today were getting awfully close to 80 degrees.  That is unusually warm for this time of year here in Maryland, about 20-25 degrees more than average.  It is definitely giving me a little bit of spring fever.  We have picnic tables outside of our office building so I took my lunch and Kindle outside with me to enjoy the nice weather.

The other I start thinking about when the weather starts to get a little warmer is baseball.  It is only three weeks until my Bowie Baysox start their 20th season in Bowie.  Now that my son is away at school, one of the first things that I do when the Baysox release their schedule is to compare their home schedule with his scheduled breaks home.  This year, unlike last year, every weekend he comes home the Baysox have games scheduled.

His next break happens to coincide with the opening week of the season.  It also happens to coincide with his 18th birthday. The Baysox have a game that day, and one of our friends with the team has arranged to let him throw out a ceremonial first pitch.  Naturally for this big event, we want to let our extended family know in case they want to come out to the park to help us celebrate and to cheer on our son as he throws his first pitch.

It was while investigating the schedule and looking for tickets to that game that I discovered a new ticket pricing policy that the team has implemented this season.  First, they have raised the price of all tickets by $1 per seat.  In these tight times, I am not happy about that, but it is also to be somewhat expected.  The price of everything is going up these days.

The other thing that the team did with ticket prices is something I really think is a bad move.  In addition to raising the base ticket price by a $1, they have now added a premium of $2 to the price of a ticket if you decide to purchase the ticket the day of the game.  So, if you wake up one morning and decide it would be a great day to go to a game, that ticket will cost you $3 more than last year, and $2 more than if you bought the tickets in advance.

I wrote an email to the club to complain about the new policy.  The general manager of the team emailed me and gave me a call to discuss different options for our family.  That is one of the great things about the team.  They really do go out of their way to reach out to the fans.  He sent me info about their flex ticket plans that will save us $5-$7 per ticket.  Today, I placed my order for a 16 ticket plan for the upcoming season.  As we use these, I will probably end up buying a couple of additional plans as needed. 

In addition to ordering my tickets, I also took a look at the Baysox upcoming promotional schedule.  As usual, there are a lot of great events scheduled, with the best fireworks show in the area.  One particular promotion that I am looking forward to is in June for Country Day featuring the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo, where monkeys dressed like cowboys ride dogs like horses.  It looks like that will be a fun day to be at the park. 

Related articles

• Baysox Go Smoke-Free (eyeonannapolis.net)
• Baysox Unveil Promotional Schedule For 2012 Season (eyeonannapolis.net)

Is Something Wrong Here?

Image via WikipediaI was driving to work the other day, when I heard a story about the #1 most requested item on the "wish lists" of children aged 6-12.  It doesn't really hit me as a big surprise, but it is the Apple iPad.  While I am not surprised, I guess I am a little bit disappointed or disillusioned.  It makes me wonder if we are failing the youth of today by creating a generation of consumers with no regard for what things cost.

Now I must confess, that I have bowed at the altar of consumerism and been on the materialistic side.  For several years, I was an early adapter of technology.  I made the transition from vinyl records to CDs well before most of my contemporaries, however, I did so when I was working and using my own funds to indulge in my habits.  At least I had an idea of how much work and effort went into getting my things.

I no longer subscribe to the philosophy of life that he who dies with the most toys wins.  That is not to say that having material things is bad in and of itself.  It is just that it should not be the end all be all of our existence.  There are a lot of things that make our lives easier, more enjoyable, and comfortable.  There is nothing wrong with having those things as long as they can be acquired with minimal hardship.

To get back to the kids.  For the life of me, I can not imagine that I would ever have asked my parents to get me anything quite as extravagant as an iPad.  There were four kids in my family growing up.  Something like an iPad would have cost as much as all of our Christmas presents put together.  I don't think any of us would have been happy opening one present between the four of us.

As a parent, I love to get things for my son, but I know how he treats things. He can be pretty rough with things, and they tend not to last very long.  I imagine that something like an iPad would end up being an awfully expensive paperweight.  How many 6-12 year old kids would be able to take proper care of an iPad or similar device?

Maybe I am looking back through the fog of time and not seeing the past too clearly.  It could be that I did ask for comparably expensive gifts back in the day.  It could be that the realization was that if we asked for a lot of smaller, less expensive gifts, then the gift opening would last longer.  Or perhaps, back in those days, we didn't have the plethora of expensive gifts available to request.  Either way, I am not sure today is best for the children.

Related articles

• You can keep your HD & 3D! Give me my 2D, please. (fishandbicycles.com)

Music Monday-Eric Clapton & Wynton Marsalis "Layla"

About a month or so ago, my younger brother alerted me to a CD and DVD release by two of my favorite artists, Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis.  While on the surface, it may sound like an odd combination of a British Rock and Blues legend, and a traditional American Jazz icon, the two share the Majesty of the Blues.  It is a CD and DVD I will have to pick up.  Here they are playing my all time favorite Clapton song, Layla. The first couple minutes are Clapton talking to the crowd, but once the music starts, OMG.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Related articles

• Wynton Marsalis/Eric Clapton: Play Blues - Live from Jazz at Lincoln Centre (guardian.co.uk)
• Marsalis Says He and Clapton Share Blues Roots (abcnews.go.com)
• Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis in One-Night-Only Concert Nationwide (online.wsj.com)
• Win a Copy of "Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues"! (popdose.com)

Need Tickets?

Image via WikipediaThis humble blog is not my first foray into the world wide web.  It is, however, the longest lasting.  One of my first ventures was an online store selling products that are best not discussed in mixed company.  I paid too much for the site and never was able to make a profit.  I eventually abandoned it.

My next site was a little bit more successful.  It was a website that sold tickets to various events across the country.  The start up costs were fairly minimal, and I only paid for advertising.  I eventually gave up that site when my advertising expenses started to get too high relative to the commissions that I was earning.

I really did like the ticket website, and I would have liked to have kept it, but c'est la vie.  Ticket service websites provide a valuable service to get you that hard to find ticket.  One time I remember trying to buy Bon Jovi Tickets online as soon as they went on sale.  They sold out in a matter of minutes.  That is when a online ticket site like ACheapSeat.com can help you get that must have ticket.

At their website you can search for tickets by venue such as Allstate Arena Tickets or Chicago Theater Tickets.  You can search for tickets by several major cities if you just want to find something to do locally.  Now that the NFL lockout looks to be near the end, you can get find New Orleans Saints Tickets or your favorite team.  In addition to concerts and sporting events, you can even get Joel Osteen Tickets.  Whatever your ticket needs, they can probably help you.

Jon & Kate Plus 8

Let me preface this post with a bit of disclaimer. I mean no ill towards Jon & Kate Gosselin or their kids. I wish them nothing but the best.

My question is, other than to generally wish good will towards all, why should we care about Jon & Kate Gosselin?

Like a lot of couples, Jon and Kate Gosselin have had to resort to fertility treatments in order to have a family. Her first pregnancy resulted in twins. When they decided to expand their family, the next pregnancy resulted in sextuplets. Their lives have since become the subject of a reality television series, Jon and Kate Plus 8.

This is where my problem with Jon & Kate begins. When did we as a nation get to the point where the lives of our fellow citizens has become entertainment? I do not understand where the fascination is in watching the daily struggles of a large family. To me, entertainment is supposed to be an escape from my everyday world.

I do not want to get into all of the tabloid sensationalism surrounding the family these days. To me that is just part of the problem. My only hope is that these folks can work out whatever problems they have and go back to being a "normal" family outside of the spot light.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

My old high school friend, the Under Cover Blackman, had a thread on his blog about (as he put it) "Non-singin' ass actors."  It was his third such post.  This time he featured the musical stylings of Terrence Howard, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jeff Bridges.

It got me thinking about some of the actors from my youth who had released really bad songs.  Sure enough, YouTube had videos of them available.  So here is Telly Savalas with "If" and then William Shatner with "Rocketman."

Clint Eastwood- Gran Torino

I don't get the chance to see too many movies these days. In fact, I can't remember the last time I went to the movies. To be honest, when I see commercials for new films, there aren't too many that make me want to hit the theater. However, Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is one I really want to go see. The main reason being, Clint Eastwood gets to be Clint Eastwood again. I know Clint is getting up there in years, and the Dirty Harry type roles are for the younger stars, but it looks like Clint still has "it" in this trailer.

RIP Paul Newman 1925-2008

Legendary actor Paul Newman passed away at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. Newman became a star in the 1950's and never lost his popularity. He appeared in several classic movies like "Cool Hand Luke", "The Hustler", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and "The Sting." He won his first Oscar in "The Color of Money," a sequel to "The Hustler." He is survived by his long time wife, Joanne Woodward, and five children.

Newman became active in auto racing after playing a driver in the movie "Winning." He participated in the 24 Hours of Dayton at the age of 70 and continued racing into his 80's.

Newman was also well known for his philanthropic activities. In 1982, he and a friend founded Newman's Own, which has grown into a hugely successful natural and organic food manufacturer. All of the profits from that company go to his charitable foundation to support his charitable causes.

A few years back, my father in law was introduced to Paul Newman in Florida. Newman was looking for a fishing charter, and the marina recommended my father in law. They were able to go out fishing on a couple of occasions. As a thank you, Newman sent a ham to my in laws which we had for a holiday dinner. The world lost a great entertainer and a true gentleman.