3 Days, 3 Cities, 3 Major League Ballparks---1 Week, 4 Major League Ballparks, Many Miles by Car & Train

3 Days, 3 Cities, 3 Ballparks

#1 -- Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI June 29th, 2010
Houston Astros vs Milwaukee Brewers 5-7
Game: 5 Home Runs made this an exciting game to watch.
Park: A very nice park but not a fan of the dome and the very closed in nature of the park. I was very thankful that it was nice actually a bit chilly by nights end that the dome was open. I am not a fan of domed outdoor sports facilities. The sport was created for outdoor recreation, not indoor play.

#2 -- Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL June 30th, 2010
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs 2-0
Game: A very slow game with little action, probably in terms of performance the least favorite of all games.
Park: Top notch, I love the fact that Wrigley is still a traditional old style ballpark. The green wall and the old manual scoreboard makes this a great place to watch a game. It is also very open and the skyline is nice in outfield.

#3 -- Target Field, Minneapolis, MN July 1st, 2010
Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins 5-4
Game: An exciting game that went into an extra inning before Tampa Bay pulled off the victory in the 10th.
Park: Another nice park with a wonderful view of the skyline and open feeling. We even got to watch the extra inning from the lower section thanks to PC's friends of friends.

#4 -- US Cellular Field, Chicago, IL July 5th, 2010
Los Angeles Angels vs Chicago White Sox 2-9
Game: 4 Home Runs and some exciting plays made this a great game to watch.
Park: A nice park but don't try to go to a level in which your seat is not. There is not wandering around besides the level in which you are assigned. We were able to talk them into letting us to the gift shop on the first level. We enjoyed a little walk around before heading to our actual seats in the upper level. Again, I enjoyed the openness of the ballpark. You could see the train drive by in the background and parts of the city.

The 1 week baseball adventure and so what are my thoughts on baseball now...How can I make it to another ballpark and another game? I loved it and knew that when at game three in Minneapolis that I was in trouble. I started asking myself then how could I get to another game and where. I was working through ideas to go to Atlanta and St Louis before the end of the season, but the whole starting a new job and moving was causing havoc in the plans. Though do not despair, I have not fully given up on the idea. St Louis, Labor Day weekend, anyone interested?

#5 (or #1 for the season) -- Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH May 15, 2010
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds 3-4
Game: A well played game with some very close calls and a great finish for Reds fans. A disappointing conclusion for Cardinals fans but overall a great game to watch. It was a great way to start the baseball summer adventures off with some great company, CV and KP.
Park: A great view of the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky makes this a very nice park to enjoy a game. It is fun watching the steamboats and barges go up and down the river and enjoy the openness of the ballpark.

St Louis - Sunday of Labor Day weekend, interested???? Cardinals vs Reds

I hope you enjoy the adventures and the pictures.

Baseball Adventures & Goal

Over the past few years, I have been able to experience a couple different Major League Baseball parks. During this time, I decided that it would be fun to try to hit all the Major League Baseball Parks, especially the legendary ones. Therefore this summers vacation became a baseball adventure thanks to my friend PC for joining in on the fun.

It all started with a wedding in Minneapolis, MN. Not wanting to just drive or fly to Minneapolis and see very little, I kept trying to find someone to go along and something fun to do on the way, when finally it hit me. To get to Minneapolis via car, you need to go through Chicago where two Major League teams play and there is another in the Twin Cities. I then knew just the person who would probably be willing to join me on this adventure and who had friends in Minneapolis. Thankfully, she was a willing participant and the plans developed from there. She even suggested adding another ballpark.

Our adventure started on July 29th in Indiana and ended on July 6th me back in Indiana and her in Chicago for a few more days of fun. We hit three ballparks in three days in three cities. More in the next post.

New Adventures & Back to Kentucky

Six weeks ago, another new segment of life began. As most of you know on July 12, I started a new job back in Kentucky. I now work at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY as Residence Life Coordinator in the Department of Residence Life and Housing.

Bellarmine University is celebrating their 60th Anniversary as an Independent Catholic Institution. The opportunities abound here and I am looking forward to the learning and educating of others.

My position consists of supporting three residence halls on the top of the hill by the Chapel. I have 10 Resident Assistants who support me in my efforts throughout the three buildings. In addition, I work 12 hours a week in the Student Activities Office with Registered Student Organizations and their financials. I live on campus in a nice two bedroom apartment overlooking the Chapel. These are only the start of many things that I will do and be involved in during my time at Bellarmine.

The semester is officially underway and training has concluded. Normalcy should soon follow and hopefully that will lead to more opportunities to blog and share with you. Though I look to get involved at the same time, I hope to take time out for you and my other friends and family.

Return to the Blog

Dear Friends and Readers:

Thanks for all of your support! I feel that I continue to leave you alone and not share the happenings or thoughts of life. When I return, I promise to do better but often again fail. I make no promises of the success or continued consistent future of this blog, but I do hope to write and share more this coming year after apparently a year hiatus.

Last year was a very busy and difficult year. I pushed myself hard to succeed and accomplish things and kept pushing myself and friends away. A resolution for the new year was to work on getting back to my old ways of keeping in contact with friends, sending birthday cards, and sharing personal time with those that mean so much to me. It is a continued struggle to find the right balance between work and personal life, career success and personal enjoyment, when to say no and when to say yes. I ask for your prayers and thoughts as I search for the answers of life and future.

Where am I heading is such a big question in life right now. There are so many options and the true right direction is not evident, though I feel confident that God has placed me back in Louisville and in Kentucky for a reason. Now I just need to take time out to listen to Him and seek the reasons for this placement. Your prayers and thoughts as I transition and seek out the future is very much appreciated.

I look forward to catching up with each of you and spending time sharing and rejoicing in God's love for us all. God Bless!

Dump Your Plump - Round 2 - Grizzly Fat Chunkers

10 Weeks of Controlled Weight Loss - September 6 - November 15
Goals
- Set a weight loss goal (13 lbs is my goal this time)
- Exercise a minimum of 5 days a week for 30 minutes

Current Weight: 183 (up a few pounds since the last report)

Eating healthier than the last two months will be the key to success as well as working out again. I hope to do more than just daily lunch walking but we will see how that goes as life is very busy.

Second, I am participating in a Walking Contest on campus which starts next week and last through November 8th.

Thank goodness it ends just in time for Thanksgiving, my Birthday, Christmas, and New Years!!!

Stay posted for updates as I try to shrink my stomach again after the indulgences of the last couple of months.

GeoCities Closing October 26, 2009

The internet came to life and we went out and created our first websites. The summer of 1998 was my first website attempt. The graphics and design were simple as there were no set templates to use. The intention was to create a site from one's own knowledge of html and abilities. We worked with one another to expand our html knowledge and create slightly more advanced sites.

One of my favorite options was the chat function. I enjoyed several chats with Georgetown friends as they were all across the country during the summer of 1998. The other exciting features were the counter and guestbook. Today those features are just basics to any site.

Check out the original website one last time before GeoCities closes October 26, 2009: Robin's Home Page

Do you have an old GeoCities site? Check it out and save it before it disappears.

No Free Weekends Until January

How does one's schedule get full so fast? I really don't have that much of a life. My phone never rings, emails rarely appear, Facebook conversations are minimal, IM chats only occur with a couple people, but somehow my calendar has something scheduled every weekend from now until Jan 8. You better claim the date now.

What does all this mean? Not sure that it means a whole lot because they are not all set in stone. (22 Weekends)
10 - I have to work.
1 - Work related but a trip to Stratford, Canada.
3 - I have tickets to the IU Football games. Anyone interested in watching Wisconsin or Purdue. I believe the Ohio State game is taken. I also have tickets for sale for Illinois and Western Michigan.
2 - Weekends are Holidays
2 - Weekend is my Birthday/Christmas Visiting (Not Planned)
4 - Weekends various, KY, Church, and other activities available

Well, it is time to get back to work as this is one of those working weekends. Football moved in today and lots of prep work to be completed for training.

Health and General Update

Yes once again, I have fallen off the face of the earth. If you are on Facebook and my friend, you have by now hopefully seen at least a few of the pictures from my trip. For those who are not on Facebook, I apologize for not yet posting. I wanted to provide some commentary to the pictures and the trip. Unfortunately, I ran into issues with the computer and now the new year is in full swing. I really do promise to post something soon. I know you heard this last year about Ghana. Pictures are already more organized than the Ghana ones so you should be in luck, hopefully. If anything, I will post with no commentary.

Yes, school starts on Sept 1. RA Training started last night and goes through the arrival of New Students on August 28. I will be wrapped up in RA Training, Mentor Training, and planning the four-day orientation program for New Students.

Current Weight: 180 lbs
I was at 179 after returning from vacation but have proceeded to eat unhealthy the last few weeks month and a half. I was up 6 lbs from that but now only 1 lb. I am looking forward to the return of the cafeteria and stable daily meals and some salad.

Granted if I stopped making zucchini cake, I might be in better shape.

Have a great August! I will return in September.

PS Anyone interested in IU Football? Looking to sell two tickets for the W. Michigan game on Sept 12.

Why so much work to register your car?

Today's adventure to the BMV was a bust. I went to register my car at the local BMV to find out that I had to have a document verifying my right to have the college's specialty plate. It really does not make sense to me, especially since I already have an FC plate on my car. Why would it not be okay for me to have such a plate again? I can see the reason for an initial document stating that it is okay for me to have an FC plate. This would keep anyone from going to the BMV and getting a college's specialty plate, but why to renew it.

You may be asking what happens in other states. I know for a fact and through experience that in KY you do not need any type of documentation in order to get a private college's specialty plate. Now depending on the county you live in you might need to pre-order the initial plate because they do not have a stock of them in all departments. But to renew you go in as you would for a regular plate and pay the slight extra fee that goes in part to the institution.

Fried Computer ... Now What

The computer has gone down in flames, not literally but figuratively. The hard drive has now crashed and data has been lost. Therefore with a dead ethernet card, power supply, and harddrive, I suppose this machine that is approximately 9 years old has seen its last day of life.

The question now is what to do in purchasing a new machine.
- Vista, XP, or some how wait until Windows 7 comes out
- Desktop or Laptop
- Leaning towards desktop but then do I go for brand name or more my own design.
- What is a reputable place to purchase a pc from?

Any suggestions or thoughts on purchasing a new pc would be appreciated?

Northwest Adventure - Washington State Pictures

Enjoy this link of to pictures from Washington State and the first 4 days of the two week adventure.

Washington State - 2009

Stories and more to come....

Computer Woes....

About 3 weeks ago things started to go downhill with the computer. It all started with a really bad thunderstorm. Lightning either hit the building I live in or hit very close to it.

Personally, my computer's network card was blown. Additionally, I am fairly positive that the strike turned the computer on as the green and orange light was on though the screen was totally black. I had to hard reboot the machine. The computer came back up seemingly with no problems except for the network card.

The building had issues with the card entry system and the fire panel. The office computer's motherboard was fried and a student's laptop power supply was zapped. Those are the issues I heard about prior to leaving two days later.

Upon departure for two week vacation, I unplugged all of my large items like tv and computer.

Upon return, I plugged the surge protector back into the wall. It immediately sent an electric current through the surge protector to the computer, which made a large popping noise. After that, there was no longer power being received by the computer. The monitor, printer, and phone were all still working.

Thankfully it appears that the only thing that was blown was the power supply and of course the network card still does not work. I borrowed a power supply from IT to checkout the status of the computer.

QUESTION: Any suggestions on where or brand of power supply to purchase? Is there anything in particular that I should look for in a power supply? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Computer woes also included having absolutely no network access when I returned from vacation. My computer of course was busted but the laptop did not work either. IT made updates to the network last week and the building did not take kindly to those changes. Thankfully, they finally fixed the network issues yesterday so I can access the network through my laptop.

Northwest Adventure Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday the adventure begins. It is 3 am and packing is done I hope. There is always time to get those things I forgot when I get to Washington.

Trip Itinerary includes
- Seattle Washington
- Ellensburg Washington and the various things to do around there (more to come once I return)
- Mt St Helen and Mt Rainer, if the weather cooperates
- 5 nights in Yellowstone, 4 full days of exploring Yellowstone and Grand Tetons
- Devils Tower
- Mount Rushmore and neighboring State Park
- Badlands
- Corn Palace
- Maybe a stop to see a friend in Milan, IL
- Franklin, IN
- Bloomington, IN for 4th of July Fireworks

Camping, hiking, and more...Oh My...at least we have campsites now :-)

Have a wonderful two weeks!

Health Update - June

Another visit to the doctor and some great news. The doctor is not ready to put me on any type of cholesterol medication at this point. Still going to see what the other medication does and how my continued weight loss improves my cholesterol.

Below is an update on my cholesterol from the last testing three months ago.

Total Cholesterol dropped another 7 points. (Lowest it has been since Oct 2004)
Triglycerides dropped 66 points. (Lowest it has been since Oct 2004)
HDL's increased 6 points to be on the border line of in range.
LDL's did not change and still a bit high.
Overall Ratio dropped .9 but still in the high range.

According to the doctor's scale, I have lost 15 lbs since February and two pounds since my appointment in May.

Current Weight 181 lbs.
Total weight loss thus far 26 lbs. Goal of at least 6 more by mid-July.

Weight was based on a reading this morning on the office scale. I was actually shocked to see the loss of 4 lbs because I had been staying steady for many weeks now. We will see how the upcoming hiking and camping adventure affects this loss/gain.

Home of Superman!

Are you a Superman fan, then you should visit the home of Superman in Metropolis, IL. There is a large Superman statue in front of the courthouse and a festival every year. I have seen Superman and actually competed many moons ago in the Superman 5K event.

Why do I bring this up because Metropolis, IL made my CNN feed today with the article For Lois Lane statue, economy may be kryptonite so I thought I would share some trivia with you.

Should I get a new sleeping bag plus other things?

Three weeks from today, the journey eastward through the west begins. The question of the day is what do I need to take with to Seattle, to buy there, to buy and ship there, etc.

Camping...never been done that I can recollect so the newbie needs some advice.
Hiking...have done but still untrained.

ADVICE WELCOMED

Thoughts...questions.......
** Sleeping bag --- Has the time come to invest in a new sleeping bag? I have a very old sleeping bag that has some sort of weather rating, but unfortunately all the tags are gone from the bag. There is nothing on the bag that tells me anything about it. If the suggestion is to buy a new bag, any suggestions on the type, brand, needs of the sleeping bag?

** Walking stick --- Is this something that would be good to have? In ways it seems like money not well used but in other ways I can see the need for a walking stick and you cant always find a good tree branch.

** Special Socks --- How important is it to have special socks? And if so, what are you looking for in such special socks?

** What are the other essentials needed for hiking, camping, etc?

All advice is welcomed no matter how simple, common sense it is.

Hiking May 30-31 Pictures

Check out these pics of the two hikes this past weekend:

McCormicks Creek, Owen County, IN

Yellowwood State Forest, Nashville, IN

Awesome Weekend of Hiking and More!

After two full days of hiking, my legs are a bit sore and thankfully the hiking boots did not create any new blisters. The new sandals created plenty on Friday.

Friday
An early departure from work provide me time to catch up with folks in Bloomington and enjoy a nice dinner at Shanti Indian with JL and KK. Though spicy, the dinner was quite tasty. Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice walk and some Jiffy Treat on the east side of Bloomington.

Saturday - McCormick's Creek
Pauline and I enjoyed a wonderful day at McCormick's Creek. The rain held off and we completed about 5 miles. The day started with a 2 mile moderate hike to see Wolf Cave and the Twin Bridges. After a brief break for lunch, we continued on to complete another 3 miles of moderate hiking in the southern half of the park. It also included a climb up one of the few standing Fire Tower's throughout Indiana.

After the hike, it was time to try another international cuisine. We enjoyed dinner at Basil Leaf. I had a Vietnamese cuisine with a Thai Iced Tea both of which were delicious. The evening concluded somewhat nicely minus the constant interruptions about the weather happening north of Indy as we watched the first game of the Stanley Cup.

Sunday - Yellowwood State Forest
Have you been to Yellowwood, if not I definitely suggest a trip. The hike is more like backcountry hiking and animals are more abundant throughout the park. I saw geese and their little ones, a frog, turtle, deer, some sort of lizard, multiple chipmunks, and squirrels.

Today's hike lead me on two self-guided interpretive trails learning about the management of Yellowwood's natural resources and exploration of the various habitat types throughout the forest.

The journey started on the Resource Management Trail (1.5 miles/moderate), which I completed 2/3 of before continuing along the Lake Trail (5 miles/moderate). The Lake Trail led into the Jackson Creek Trail (1.5 miles/easy) and then back to the Lake Trail.

Two hours into the hike, it was time for some reading and lunch. I'm currently reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Additional report on the book will come later. Lunch was delicious. Since Subway and Jimmy Johns were not open at 9:30 am, I decided to try out Bloomington Bagel. I should have gotten two bagels because they are so delicious. I enjoyed a cinnamon sugar PB&J bagel sandwich.

Two hours later, it was time to hit the trails again. 1/2 an hour later, I ran into the Scarce O'Fat Trail (4 miles rugged). It was not time to head home and I need to get use to a lot of hiking before I hit Washington so off I went on the Scarce O'Fat Trail. The trail then ran into the High King Vista Trail (.5 mile moderate but 1/4 steep). Thankfully, the 1/4 steep hill was downhill from the direction which I came. Then there was still another 35 mins to hike along the Lake Trail to get back to the car.

To say the least, I was worn out when I got to the car and feeling a little stiffness in the right calf.

The weekend is now over and I will post some pictures soon for you too see of the weekend hikes.

Weight Loss Update

Yikes, it has been a month since I have updated the blog. I apologize. The month has escaped me.

The workout is not going so well. The daily walking Mon-Fri is still fairly on pace with a day here and there with little walking. The eating habits are struggling at the moment with no cafeteria food and constant salad. I enjoyed lots of food out this weekend but did not gain any weight so that is exciting.

Current Weight 185 lbs, which has stayed steady for a couple weeks now.
Total weight loss thus far 22 lbs. Goal of at least 10 more by mid-July.

It was exciting going shopping with LB and Pauline on Monday at the outlet malls. I actually could look for clothes in sections that were not viable last time.

One-Way Flight to Seattle, WA - Booked

What was your first thoughts when you saw the heading? It has stirred some comments on Facebook that is for sure.

Yes, the heading is correct. I purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle, WA today, which was a big step in life. It marks the beginning of what shall be an exciting, fun, thrilling two-week adventure starting and ending here in Franklin, IN.

Anyone interested in giving me a ride to the Indy airport for my departure flight on June 20? At least, I changed my flight to a 7:15 am departure instead of a 5:30 am departure.

So what happens during those two weeks is still up for debate and maybe some of you can provide some insight. Upon arrival at 11:02 PST in Seattle, my friend (SF) and I have approximately two weeks to arrive back in Franklin, IN. The goal is to celebrate America's Independence in Bloomington so if you live there look for some more info to come soon.

The overarching places we plan to see on our eastward adventure of the northwest:
Seattle - Arrival Day
Mt St Helens
Ellensburg (where SF lives)
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
Devil's Tower
Mount Rushmore
Badlands
Corn Palace (SF found last time she drove)

Any other sites we should hit from Seattle, WA to Bloomington, IN?
Any specific places you would suggest us going within any of these areas?
Any words of wisdom at all for our adventure?
Anyone have a nice hiking backpack I could borrow for a couple weeks that works as a carry-on?

Definitely more to come about this journey and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, but for now I must get some sleep.