Apparently I have a microwave post mentality. If I can't show you pictures in 20 seconds or less I just don't want to do it.
And since I rather stupidly sent my camera off for repair instead of just dealing with it until we could afford a new one (but in my defense I did pay for the 2 year service plan and I'd been dealing with it since last August...remember all my complaints at the campsite family, when I couldn't take any shots at the beach? And I'm not sure about you, but I was thinking that buying the service plan was like buying S.E.R.V.I.C.E. Silly me.)
Anyway, after 3 months of using disposable cameras and begging my Aunt and Uncle for the loan of their camera once or twice. I'm fed up.
And the waiting for developing is the hardest part.
It just reminds me that I STILL don't freakin have my CAMERA back YET!!! AGGGGGGHHHH.
...sorry about that...
Anyway here's a few things you've missed in the developing process:
We went to a Pirates game.
The Pirates (obviously) lost. But it helps when you don't care who wins.
The rest of those seats filled up eventually, we were just there early. But it sort of looks like your expectations of what a Pirate game would look like doesn't it? At least it does mine. We went because of the cheapy cheap ticket prices we got through Tom's work. I'm not sure what the rest of the crowd's reasoning was. (yeah, gurt eeenglish innit it?)
That aside PNC Park is really a pretty baseball field. It's right along the Allegheny river and you have a view of the city in the background. Unfortunately I was not seated in the seats that could take full advantage of this view (read: don't sit in the cheapest seats along the rightfield side). So by proxy, neither are you...
But still, Pretty. That is if you are interested in that sort of thing. (Millie's eyes, for example, have already glazed over. That's OK we can still be friends Millie.)
Even being sports enjoyers taking 4 moderately (in my dreams) wild children to a sporting event can be challenging. Here's our handy go to guide for survival:
Plan A: Nachos. While eating they will be mildly distracted by the game. Yes I know that crappy meal of chips and processed cheese costs $50. But it will be money well spent for that mild distraction. While they are eating try to interest them in the game.
Plan B: Cracker Jacks. After they've finished crappy meal of chips and processed cheese, pick an inning 2 or 3 innings away from where you are. Tell them you have a surprise for them, a surprise they can have at the "X" inning. Ours was the 5th. Sure they were only interested in getting those innings over with as fast as possible so they can have their surprise, but hey, they were interested in the game. They will also get some excited glee (and some free entertainment for you) when the 7th inning stretch comes and you get to the part about "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks..." That will be cutey-cute goodness for you. Trust me.
Plan C: Bring out the big guns. Pack your emergency Gameboys, Nintendos. Feel no guilt. Remember people around you will judge you, but not as harshly as if you pack no emergency survival and your children are running all over jumping on their heads and other body parts.
Just like plan B, once the preceding plan has expired, pick an inning a couple innings away (ours was 6) and tell them they can break them out then. Again, they will watch the game so as not to miss that magic inning. We have 2 game systems, so each kid got the gameyness every other inning. They will watch the game to make sure they don't miss their turn.
Plan D: Boogie down. Now this one might be trickier to arrange, but trust me it's well worth your time to set it up. See what you have to do is get these guys:
and maybe a little of this: 
and get them to do this: 
and your little wiggle worms will wiggle their dancing hearts out and crash on the ride home.
And maybe even they will play this clip and you will think "Now I have to put that on my blog for my Cowbell loving friend."
And then maybe, just maybe you will finally get around to putting the pictures up on your blog, even if you are distressed by your lack of digital camera goodness.
My apologies for going missing for the past few days, and to my friend Natalie for the following sports related post...this happened to my blogging habit:
Yep, I'm sure you are all following the Australian Open with avid, rapt attention. That rather blurry image above is James Blake, whom I'm now rooting for now that Lleyton Hewitt is out (boo Gonzales) and Agassi is gone for good (boo getting older and bad backs). I would not be too sad if either Roddick wins (Yay comebacks and Jimmy Connors!) or Rafa (Yay Young, Spicy Spanish Tennis players). But I am resigned to another Federer win...really he seems like such a nice guy and it's hard to root against him, but I will struggle through somehow. I'm sure you can all relate, right?
But what this has to do with my blogging habits can be more accurately summed up with the "Australian" part of this tennis tournament. To watch, I tune in somewhere between the hours of 9 pm and 11 pm, whenever the ESPN2 demigods deem to be the appropriate hour. Then watch as long as I can stand it until I crash in my chair (or occasionally couch) until I'm awakened by the melodious sounds of "World Poker Championship" (and by the way, how did this become a sport? Fat guys sitting around a table holding a few cards? This is sports???) or something equally wonderful like that, wake up Tom, who crashed in whichever chair or couch I did not claim for my own personal vegging station and we stagger upstairs and go to our real bed. I'm seriously thinking of moving our bedroom to the family room just for the next week...
Just one more thing I miss about being on the West Coast...and something that never occurred to me that I would miss. You see in the land of Nirvana, the Australian Open would be starting at 6 pm - 8 pm, I could get in like 4 good hours of tennis time easily. It is so sad.
This happens with every sporting event and every week it annoys me. I remember as a kid my parents calling us in to watch the fireworks display from the Orange Bowl halftime. This year, I looked over at my husband at 10 pm and lamented the loss of tradition. Catching 2 basketball games? Not unless I want to stay up until 2 am.
I think this is why the West coast is not as fanatical about their sports teams as the East Coast. I mean sure we root for them, but most fans also have another "fall back" team or two. Take Tom(not literally, please):Tom's got 3 football teams, Seahawks, Miami and San Francisco. Baseball he roots for the Mariners, Chicago Cubs and White Socks, and the Atlanta Braves. Sure he roots for Seattle first (well unless we're talking college here of course...Go Cougs!), but he also has other teams he wishes well.
Here in Pittsburgh that is unheard of. STEELERS!!!! overwhelm all other sports teams of any variety, but the Penguins and Pirates get their share of support and probably they'd get more if they'd put together a winning season every now and then. They even watch NBA games because who would they root for? Philadelphia? Cleveland? Not on your life! I think that philosophy is more common here on the East Coast. And I think its a time zone issue frankly. Because once your team has played, who can stay up to watch an "also-ran"?
We debated at one point paying extra to get all the Fox Sport channels, so we'd get Fox Northwest and still be able to watch our teams play every once in a while, but then we realized the games wouldn't start until 11 pm. And while I can sort of deal with that for a 2 week stretch, we thought on a general basis that would be bad for the whole "life" thing.
But for now, GO BLAKE!!!!
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