Mixed Nuts Part 2

[jonestavern]

...
Right now I need to go buy some freaky hag a gift!!
Have a good day!

Don't forget the shoes!

...

As for you disciplining the little student, well, let me add my voice to the Nuts Choir, it's really for the best. If rules & discipline aren't given & enforced, the poor child grows up being terribly disadvantaged. Applied with care & concern, everyone needs structure

Exactly! You don't want this poor child to grow up and be like Rob do you?

Everyone can benefit from a little discipline from time to time!

 

[RobInBigKC]

Every time I turn my back you are over here talking about me Rob! It's so flattering.

Um, yes, I think you are one that that statement would apply to.

Don't forget the shoes!

Now THOSE shoes would look great along with Cheryl's little black dress. Jean's little black dress too.

-- Rob

 

[LBelle]

Quit your cryin'!!!!

I'm baaaaack!!!!!

 

[RobInBigKC]

Quit your cryin'!!!!

I'm baaaaack!!!!!

Ok, I'm outta here then! Bye Nuts!

ETA: Just joking Darling. You know we've missed you terribly.

-- Rob

 

[jeanadave]

ETA: Just joking Darling. You know we've missed you terribly.

-- Rob

So who the Hades has missed moi?

 

[Squidrific]

JAVE!!!!! I have missed you and your sexy slippers.

 

[RobInBigKC]

So who the Hades has missed moi?

Hmmm, I was wondering about you Jave. I've been torn between missing you and feeling insulted if you disappeared only because Lisa did.

Hope you'll be around more now that you're back, whether Lisa is or not.

-- Rob

 

[jeanadave]

Okay! I'm back and I intend to whip everyone into shape

 

[CPM]

Good night nuts!

 

[RobInBigKC]

Good night nuts!

Cheryl! I thought we weren't going to "see" you around this weekend. Great comeback by the Sox tonight -- looks like the Sox have the LAAofA's back against the wall!

-- Rob

 

[jonestavern]

So who the Hades has missed moi?

Well???
Just where have you and your sexy slippers been???

No! don't tell us!

We're afraid of the answer!

Quit your cryin'!!!!

I'm baaaaack!!!!!

LISA!

Okay! I'm back and I intend to whip everyone into shape

Que up Nuts!

Cheryl! I thought we weren't going to "see" you around this weekend. Great comeback by the Sox tonight -- looks like the Sox have the LAAofA's back against the wall!

-- Rob

 

[jonestavern]

Breakfast in Cabo San Lucas!

 

[jonestavern]

What????

Has the DIS been down since 6:43 am or does everyone have a life?

 

[jonestavern]

La de laaaaaaaaaa...

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

Hello Nut Jobs. Good to see ya Jave and Lisa. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I went to see Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, and Brad Paisley on Friday night. It was a GREAT concert. We sat on the lawn with the crazies and, I gotta say, that really just made it all the more fun. Rumor on the lawn was that Taylor Swift was going to be doing a meet and greet after the concert so we hung around afterwards. We waited and waited and waited. And waited some more. Just when we decided to give up and go home we saw her standing by the exit taking pictures and signing autographs. Did we think to go look for her over there. No, no we did not. How smart are we??? Don't answer that. Of course, by that time they had cut the line off. I was so bummed. It really was a great concert though.

Today I was taken to My Fair Lady and it was boring. And that was my weekend. And now it's Desperate Housewives. Only a 3 day week this week!

My relative is still in the hospital right now but they might release him in the morning. Thanks for all the prayers, good thoughts, hugs, etc. Hope everyone has a great night.

 

[RobInBigKC]

Hello Nut Jobs. Good to see ya Jave and Lisa. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I went to see Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, and Brad Paisley on Friday night. It was a GREAT concert. We sat on the lawn with the crazies and, I gotta say, that really just made it all the more fun. Rumor on the lawn was that Taylor Swift was going to be doing a meet and greet after the concert so we hung around afterwards. We waited and waited and waited. And waited some more. Just when we decided to give up and go home we saw her standing by the exit taking pictures and signing autographs. Did we think to go look for her over there. No, no we did not. How smart are we??? Don't answer that. Of course, by that time they had cut the line off. I was so bummed. It really was a great concert though.

Today I was taken to My Fair Lady and it was boring. And that was my weekend. And now it's Desperate Housewives. Only a 3 day week this week!

My relative is still in the hospital right now but they might release him in the morning. Thanks for all the prayers, good thoughts, hugs, etc. Hope everyone has a great night.

What about me? Isn't it good to see me? Huh? Huh?

I went and saw a great concert Saturday night as I will be reporting on soonish if my internet connection cooperates tonight.

On a somewhat related note, Garth Brooks tickets for his Kansas City concert went on sale Saturday morning at 10am. He ended up ADDING EIGHT ADDITIONAL SHOWS -- all NINE SHOWS sold out in about 2 hours. I got on the computer about 1 pm and even the searches for a single seat were coming up empty. EVERY ticket in the house was priced the same, whether it was in the rafters or front row on the floor -- $27.50 to $32.50 depending upon the method you used to purchase the ticket (in person, phone, computer). I now kind of wish I had really tried to get tickets and still might be able to (even Rob's ticket connections don't work well for hot concerts in our brand new arena).

I hope this was the PLAY and not the movie as I gave the movie a glowing report on here just a few weeks ago (and Jean threw in her "thumbs up" for the movie also).

Sorry I missed you tonight P&J.

-- Rob

 

[RobInBigKC]

Actually, before I post about this past weekend's activities, I want to go back about a month (hey, I've been busy and it took me awhile to get around to uploading my pics!) to the weekend of September 8.

On that day, my family and about 15 other people got to visit Kauffman Stadium and go "behind the scenes" and get on the field for some pics. You see, starting this week, mucho, mucho renovations are going to be done to Kauffman this offseason, next year during the season, and next offseason. All together, about $250 million in renovations are being done to the stadium. So, this was kind of one last chance to get down on the field and take pics as the stadium is now (even now, on its "death bed", the current stadium still is one of the most beautiful in all of MLB in my admittedly biased opinion).

Look, ma, no fans:

The dark window bunker like boxes on the middle level (Club Level) are the current suites at the stadium. There are also a couple of dugout level suites and one outfield party pavilion area.

This was pretty much all of the people that were there with us plus about six or so employees and volunteers:

The glassed in part of the middle level (Club level) are the scoreboard operators booth, the organist's booth, the media booths including tv, radio, and written press, and the owner's suite.

This glassed in section of Club Level is the Stadium Club where all the hoity-toity people sit. When I was a kid, I used to think it would be neat to sit in there but then, as I got older, I realize the people that sit in there never clap, never, ever (not the proper decorum, I guess), not even when the Royals were in pennant races and playing good baseball in a close game.

The pit area between the last section of seats and the grass is the Visitor's Bullpen (that is where the relief pitchers warm up before entering the game, PJ). In the new stadium, the bullpens will still be behind the fences and visible to the fans but they will now run roughly parallel to the outfield wall instead of roughly perpendicular to it. The Jumbotron video board is also going to be removed.

Ok, so much of the generally publicly visible things. Next post: some of the behind the scenes things.

-- Rob

 

[RobInBigKC]

Ok, when I took my camera that day, I didn't think about posting on Nuts (I know what is wrong with me?) so I really don't have too many behind-the-scenes pics. The main reason I don't is that this was not a totally new experience for many of the members of my family. My DS14 had won a chance to say "Play Ball" on the field at the start of the game not too long ago (terrible that I can't remember exactly when) so we had already been down below under the stadium in many of the same rooms and tunnels that we were in on September 8th and so, I didn't take pics of things I already had pics of. I did take a few though.

One place we did NOT get to go was the Umpire's dressing rooms (not that I really wanted to) because, well, no one can:

The famous phones used by managers/coaches to call the Bullpens:

The one on the left is the Bullpen phone, the middle one is (I think) the Clubhouse, and the one on the right is the Switchboard Operator.

The boys in the Visitor's dugout (dugout is where the players sit during the game PJ) (this pic may be poofing relatively soon so look now while you can):

From left to right: DS9, DS6, DS12, DS14. The younger three were getting on DS14's nerves that day.

Next post: Why the heck we were really there and why some of the "people in charge" there were volunteers...

-- Rob

 

[RobInBigKC]

Ok, one of the coolest parts of the day was seeing our name "in lights" on the stadium scoreboard:

Of course, it had my last name too but I am trying to preserve my relative anonymity here.

So, why were we at the stadium that morning? Well, as I said, one of the main reasons is because the whole look of the place is going to change especially the outfield. I already mentioned that the Jumbotron is going to be torn down and the scoreboard is going also. In place of the scoreboard, will be one large high-definition video board, one very, very large one -- bigger than the current scoreboard is now, bigger than "Godzillatron" at the University of Texas (which is currently the world's largest video board):

So, again, last chance to get on the field for pics that look like the ones posted above and last chance for us to get our name on the "old" scoreboard. But, also, the reason we got to get on the field and the other reason we were there is because the Royals opened up their field for a fundraiser for the Kansas City chapter of the Dream Factory (a charity making final wishes come true -- like a trip to Disney -- for terminally ill children), that fundraiser being having your name on the scoreboard and a professional photographer taking your picture at home plate with the current stadium outfield/scoreboard in the background. We then received a framed 16x20 picture a few weeks later and the Dream Factory received our generous donation -- a win, win for all!

-- Rob

 

[RobInBigKC]

Ok, time for me to also do some posting about the previous weekend's activities, the last weekend in September, when I hung out at Kansas Speedway for most of the weekend. Again, I didn't take many pics of things I had already seen out there so those of you who did not see my report on my April 2007 visit (or those of you who wish to view it again for some reason) may click here: Rob's Mini-Report on His First Trip to the Races.

Here's a reminder of the tickets I bought last February or March so DS14 could visit the races in person (and I admittedly was curious also):

Note that now that the season is over, I show the seat locations AND note also the presence of the infamous Mickey pillow.

Saturday 9/29 and Sunday 9/30 both brought NASCAR cars to the racetrack with Saturday being the Busch race and Sunday being the Nextel Cup race -- the cars are similar in both series and about a 1/3 of the cars and drivers drive in both races.

The Anheuser-Busch Clydedales visited and pulled a wagon along the track as part of the weekend festivities. We weren't in the grandstands for the wagon pulling but I did get some pics of their trailer:

... and the horses:

Even though he wasn't eating in the pic above, we walked past the horse exhibit about eight different times spread out over two days and every time we did, they were generally eating:

Here's a pic from the "midway" where the souvenir trailers were parked and open for business. The crowds pretty much looked this dense every where you went for the whole weekend (until the rains came in on Sunday anyway):

-- Rob