Baseball, Hot Dogs, Roger Green & Superman

I have to admit, I really enjoy meeting my blogging brethren. Every once in awhile, it's good to get out from behind the keyboard and get some fresh air.

Fortunately, I've not only met a few of my fellow bloggers (like Scott, Redhead Fangirl, and Chuck), but also have had old friends like Andy and fellow tough guy Brian as blogging aficionados. So when the mighty Roger Green asked if I would be willing to join him for a Cubs game, I heartily agreed. Given our mutual admiration for Fred Hembeck and Rod Serling, it only seemed natural.

(Of course, I also had my doctor prescribe some ulcer medication. One set of grandparents were Cubs fans, and the other were White Sox fans. Living in St. Louis helped me develop a love for the Cardinals. Some relatives still will not talk to me because of this.)

Of course, events conspired to keep us from meeting - part of it was Roger taking the wrong color train line (which - let's face it, CTA - you might want to have clearer information for tourists in time for the Olympics), and part of it was misinterpreting a coworker's directions. (The Harry Caray statue is at Addision & Sheffield; claiming it's the "southwest corner" of Addison & Clark isn't quite accurate). So I made my way past the ticket scalpers, the peanut vendors, and the merchants selling t-shirts with such enlightened slogans as "Horry Cow" and "Green Gay Fudge Packers", and made my way to the statue, hoping to catch a glimpse of Roger.

(Of course, my camera's batteries were low, but not low enough to prevent me from taking some video. Wish I had filmed/snapped the vendors, though).

But soon, Roger and I (and several of his coworkers) all sat and watched the Cubs get defeated by the Houston Astros. All in all, it wasn't a bad game - the windy weather meant plenty of fly balls, and Roger and I engaged in some playful banter. (Enough that I think he and I should take it on the road - after all, it's only been done once before). But he and I discussed many issues - the joys of blogging, the frustrations of dealing with local government, the proper length of a podcast (which we both decided was 45 minutes), and most importantly, how we missed a mutual friend because he spent so much time with his gaming friends.

But all in all, it was a very fun time - we even caught the Red Line heading back into the Loop. And I'm sure that he will have plenty of fun this weekend, deleting e-mails, although there was one item I wish I could have talked to him about:

Recently, through Written World, I read about the attempts to rehab and preserve the house of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. As someone who enjoys architecture and older buildings, I think this is a really cool idea. (Both Roger and I discussed the appreciation - or lack thereof - of local history). And if anyone involved in the effort is reading - I'm more than willing to provide free ad space on the blog, because I think it's worth it.

And now, since you've been good - shaky footage from outside Wrigley Field!