Helfaer Park

Jeff ummped at Helfaer Park last night. The game was Varsity softball Greendale vs. South Milwaukee, a non-conference game. Greendale is ranked 2nd in the state so the odds were on them as favorites. The fans started packing the stands early. The game started at 7 pm, we got there at 6 and the place was already a quarter full. You could clearly see the team divisions, Greendale on the third base side and South Milwaukee on the first base side.

Helfaer Park is a Milwaukee landmark. It's on the hallowed ground of the old Milwaukee County Stadium and it overlooks the new Miller Park that replaced it. The view is grand. And home plate is the original that was in County Stadium. All I could think of was how Charlie Moore stood behind that plate and caught for the Brewers, Rollie Fingers threw fastballs over that plate, Robin Yount got hits there, and Gorman Thomas hit home runs from there. Yes, it's true, I was awestruck. And there was Jeff, brushing off the plate between innings. This was so cool.



The game is in play and South Milwaukee is leading right away in the first inning. Greendale eventually catches up and then takes the lead. It doesn't last though, South Milwaukee gets a few more runs in the last inning of the game. Greendale comes up to bat, with two runners on base, their star player does not come through. The game ends in an upset with South Milwaukee winning.

As we headed out to the parking lot after the game, a fan from the Greendale team yells, "Go back to umping JV. You guys suck!" It's always the umpire's fault. After we all get a chuckle I asked Jeff, "So how was it brushing off the plate where the Brewers played so long ago." He said, "Wow, I never thought about that. I was wondering why such a nice park had such a crappy home plate." Silly man. Didn't even know or think about that, which was probably better really. Otherwise it could have been a distraction for him and since he had such a great game, I hate to think of anything ruining it.

It's been quite a while since I watched Jeff ump a game. I forgot how good he is at it. And I'd forgotten how fun it was to watch a good softball game. Not to mention the people-watching in the stands. All those lousy opinions from people who don't know the rules makes good entertainment. You would think they'd learn something from watching so many games. Not that they matter. What mattered last night was the integrity of the umpires and the competition on the diamond.

It was a beautiful evening in a magnificent park and something that I will remember for a very long time.

Can you hear me now? ...NO!

I want new cell phones but I can't get them. Actually I shouldn't say I can't get them. I am not willing to pay for them. I have a very old cell phone plan. It gives me 400 any time minutes to share with my daughter. I pay $29.99 for my phone and hers is an extra $9.99 charge. There is no cell phone plan that even remotely comes close to this. And the number of minutes don't really matter, the average usage for both of our phones is 15 minutes a month. So realistically I am paying an outrageous amount of money for little cell phone time.

My daughter's phone doesn't work anymore and mine is just old and ugly. My obsession with the color pink brings the new Razr phones onto my radar screen. I want one. I also want my daughter to have a phone. Her diabetes is always a concern and I like to know that I can find her when I need to. There's less worry when I know she's just a phone call away. So at the very least I need to get her a phone.

As I reviewed the available phones my carrier has to offer, I made the decision that since I am not under contract, I would be willing to sign a two-year agreement if I could keep my present plan just to get a good deal on the price of new phones. My daughter and I trekked down to Verizon on Saturday morning to make the deal. She picked out the phone she wanted and I picked mine. The pink Razr was $79 and her Samsung was $29. A reasonable amount to pay under a two-year deal.

When the sales rep looked up my account he discovered that there was nothing he could do for us. He said he could only make deals on the phones with contracts that start at $35 a month. In fact he said that share plans today start at $79 a month. Quite a bit more than my plan. He gave me a number to call and said they could get us the phones we wanted.

Today I called the number. I love the little tip he gave me. He said, "When you get the automated voice just press *00 and that will bypass the system and get me directly to a customer service representative. " It worked like a charm. I wonder if I can get that to work for any automated system. I will have to test that theory.

The customer service rep I called was quoting right from the book. He called up my account and told him that I wanted new phones and no change in my plan. I gave him the brand names and style numbers for the two new phones. He quoted me prices in the $400 range. And I mean for each phone. Not total for two, each phone!

I said, "That's insane. And considering my phone usage I see no reason to upgrade my plan."

He apologized and said he could not help. I asked him why the rep at the store told me to call him. He suggested that the rep did not want to be the bearer of bad news. So there was nothing they could do to help me.

This is when the rep says, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Hmmm....right out of the book.

My response, "But you didn't help me yet. What do you mean anything else?"

He said, "I know, and I am sorry."

Thanks for nothing.

He offered me refurbished phones but not in the styles that I requested because they are too new. When I asked more questions about refurbished phones he blew me off. Must have been an option that they didn't really want to waste time on. Now I have to decide. Do I cancel her phone since hers doesn't work at all? Do I get her a refurbished phone and just keep mine? Do I cancel the entire plan? I just don't know what to do. Part of me thinks it's all a waste of money anyway and another part of me thinks I shouldn't give up this great deal because I'm never going to get it back. I just don't know.....

Volleyball sucks

Last night was volleyball night. It's a new season and I love to play volleyball. Over the winter I had forgotten how much I hate playing with this team. It all came back to me quickly. I have to find a way out.

The team captain is the nicest guy when he is not on the court. He scrambles for almost every play, therefore when he lets up we tend to miss because we assume he was gonna get it anyway. Of course that's always when he is closer to the ball than we are. I have nicknamed his wife 'The General". This chick is always quick to tell you how to play. "Square up and get behind the ball! Let it hit your forearms not your hands!" Unfortunately she cannot take her own advice. Then we have my co-worker who dragged me into the mess in the first place. She can hit the ball as long as it only requires one hand and she never has to move her feet. So when she misses (almost every time) she complains that conditions just weren't right. It sounds more like whining as the night goes on. Her friend, who works in another department here is about as wide as she is tall. At 4'11" she thinks she is taller than she really is. Always swinging and missing. There are two other guys on the team and if they would show up regularly we just might win a game or two. I have to learn to develop their attitude and come when I am in the mood (which would be almost never) just like they do.

I hate to complain and I know I am not that good. The captain calls me the superstar which I know I am not, but compared to the others it can be a sad but true statement. It's no surprise that they can't get enough players, no one would want to voluntarily join this band of misfits. And I don't mind losing if we had a good effort and could volley the ball. Our first week scores were 21-17, 21-2, 21-7. We suck. Even some of the other teams from last year were complaining about playing us, we don't give them any competition. What was I thinking? Uggghhhh.

3 Question Thursday Meme

1. What are your favorite colors? Do you use them in your everyday life (clothing, decor, etc)?
My favorite colors to view are pink and yellow. I wear pink but not yellow.
My favorite colors to wear are white, black, and beige.
My favorite colors for my decor is beige with dark green as a secondary color.

2. What is your favorite type of food? How do you incorporate it into your life?
My favorite type of food is vegetables. I incorporate them into salads, stir-fry, soups, and casseroles.

3. What are your favorite types of clothing? Why?
My favorite types of clothing are skirts and workout clothes. I love the way skirts make me feel, feminine and sexy, and sometimes a little dressed up depending on the skirt. I could live in workout clothes. I love to run and I love the comfort of the stretchy soft fabrics.

Bonus Question for Comments:
Ice cream! What are your favorite ice creams?
Don't really care for ice cream all that much. But if I have to pick a flavor mint chocolate chip would be number one followed by raspberry.

Bike to work

I rode my bicycle to work today. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was. I must be in pretty good physical shape, I never struggled throughout the entire ride. Now dealing with traffic was another issue. There were a few times I thanked my guardian angel for protecting me as cars rode way too close. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the temperature was comfortable, it was a beautiful morning, so all in all, the ride was great. I rode down Drexel Avenue to Howell Avenue to Kinnickinnic to First to Water, then to Clybourn and I was there. I know that sounds pretty complicated but Howell to KK to First to Water is really all one street with a name change as the neighborhood changes so it's not so bad. I was getting so comfortable with my bike shoes clipping into the pedals that I almost fell off my bike when I'd forgotten I was clipped in. As traffic picked up near downtown I got nervous once and couldn't clip back in very quickly. Those were the only two struggles I had on my ride in and the entire trip took me 45 minutes.

On the way home, an avid biker co-worker suggested that I take some back roads out of downtown. It was a good suggestion and the traffic wasn't that bad. I did get warm about halfway home since the sun was much hotter than the morning ride. My backpack started to feel heavy and sweaty against my back. The funny thing was that I ran into Jeff on my way. He was headed to the gas station to fill up his motorcycle. But I think he was really checking up on me to make sure I was OK. I discovered as the traffic passed me by that I liked being all alone on the road. Those instances when I caught up with the cars at the light made for more worry over close calls so I tried to fade back and avoid them. It did take me longer to get home. The ride took an entire hour. The euphoric feeling of accomplishment when I got home was well worth the effort and I look forward to my next opportunity to ride to work.

No more heat

We’re playing thermostat wars here at work. I just called the maintenance guy and discovered that he can override the system and control the temp by his computer – I win! Or does that mean I cheated? I don't care, I win.