Trip to Des Moines: Part 2
Saturday night I had a few exciting finds. The commercials about how there's always something to do in Des Moines don't lie.
I had to go out to find Pepto Bismol. Lo and behold, further down University, I bumped into another Hy Vee. Got my Pepto Bismol. Got some floss. Got some deodorant.
Conveniently, right next to the Hy Vee, I found a U.S. Cellular store. This was huge. See, I left my laptop in the Quad Cities. So I would have had to pay my bill using my wireless internet on the phone.
Happily, I could just walk into the U.S. Cellular store and pay my bill with my MasterCard Debit Card. Yes, this limited the amount of money I had available to me on the trip. But it also got my family's cell phone bill paid on time!
After getting all of this taken care of, I went back to the hotel. Mason decided he did want to go to the Tavern Pizza and Pasta Grill.
I gave him a lift there. I had already gotten take-out from Caribou for myself, the chicken pesto sandwich, chips, and sparkling iced tea lemonade. But I had found another Caribou Coffee inside the Valley West Mall, which was across the street from the Hy Vee. So I told Mason I was going out anyways.
Then I checked out the mall. Again, I had just paid the huge honking US Cellular bill, so I wasn't really in the mood to go on a huge shopping spree. But I did get five and a half pairs of white tube socks for ten dollars at the Younker's, which is going out of business and thus putting this mall in a tough spot.
I also bought a Mocha Latte with soy from the Caribou. So that if I didn't have appetite for it that night, at least I could drink the soy milk thing the next morning if I just let it sit in my car and warm up. No lactose to worry about.
Then I had a Coors Light with the parents at the Tavern.
Then I had a Bud Light with Orange with the parents at the RV.
Mason wanted me to socialize with the parents.
I did get plenty of time in with the kids on Friday night. They let me follow them around for most of the evening. Little did they know that they were getting chaperoned. And a huge part of that is owed to the fact that I'm so little. I didn't stand out as an adult authority figure. But I did make sure they didn't throw stuff off over the balcony, and that they weren't making too much noise.
Friday, though, I cut loose. I showed the parents the script I've been working on, Nathan Jones. Of course they shared their ideas with me as well.
Watched some of the movie An Officer and a Gentleman in the afternoon, Undercover Boss in the evening.
I had a lot of trips back and forth from the field to the car during Sunday's games. Getting Mason breakfast. Taking Mason's breakfast back to the car before the rains came. Going to get the umbrella when I figured dad's umbrella wasn't big enough.
We had to face the Burlington Xplosion in the first game. Their coach was like a 10th player. Because he behaved like a 12 year old boy. No offense to 12 year old boys everywhere. When Jake Timmons was hanging on the end of the plastic on the mound, he cried balk, and begged the umpires to allow his batter to advance to first base. The officials agreed it wasn't a balk the first time. It was pretty clear early on, he was trying to sway the umps to his side and win the game through collusion. (Remind you of anyone? Well, the president of the united states couldn't trust the voters, so he turned abroad to get his help to dig up dirt on the opponents.) The other coach finally accomplished his goal and got the umps to call Jake for being off the square when he stepped off to pitch.
Shortly after that, the Xplosion broke out with runs, and we lost to them 4-3. I thought it was a rain delay. Turns out we lost due to time. So you see? Their coach stretched out the game arguing with the umpire, so that when they got the lead, the clock had run out on us. He got what he wanted. Like a big toddler in a high-chair overturning oatmeal and peaches on his head, pounding the tray. Just like Trump at the G7 summit threatening tariffs on Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
We could have perhaps won that game, if we had been allowed to play a 5th inning. And I do believe that there would have been time between our 9 am game and our 11 am game.
Anyhow, Mason hit a beautiful double into centerfield in this game. I got a still shot of the ball sailing towards his bat. He made it to second. He was thrown out at third. So there. The Xplosion couldn't prevent him from getting that.
Dad arrived in time for the second game. This was the one against the Iowa Mustangs. Now, it started out as a very close game... but there was a rain delay. I huddled under dad's umbrella for most of it. But then I couldn't take it and went back for my own umbrella. Maybe it was the fact the team saw the lightning in the sky. (The lightning was behind me, so I didn't get a good look. I did hear the thunder, though.) Maybe it was the rain soaking the field so that our infield slipped and slid.
But that one slipped away from us. We lost 7-6 to the Mustangs. They had excellent fielding. Even on the wet field. We were having a harder time digging our cleats in.
Jake Timmons at the pitching mound must have been a little rattled in that first game when he had that loud, obnoxious coach from the Xplosion in his ear half the game. He reminds me of Michael Scott in the Season 1 fifth episode of The Office, when they had that Dunder Mifflin basketball game between the sales and the warehouse. Michael would have lost, but he exaggerated a chin check from the other side. Then he got them to call the game while the sales happened to be ahead.
He stalled. And Jake continued to pitch well. We crawled back as close as 4-3. Maybe we would have lost anyways.
Still, I am very proud of the Rising Knights for their effort.
Dad, Mason and I had lunch at the Hy Vee in Urbandale. Big plate of barbequed pork, macarroni and cheese shells, mashed potatoes and corned bread.
Listened to Steve Winwood and Traffic's 1971 album Low Spark of High Heeled Boys on the drive home. The title track alone got us from the border of Iowa and Johnson County all the way through the Iowa City traffic. (Ha! No pun intended!)
I also listened to 93.3, KIOA, for as long as I could keep a signal on the trip out of Des Moines. See, this station is perfect. It played Mike and the Mechanics "All I Need is a Miracle" when I first found it on the dial on Friday afternoon. Dave Mason. Billy Joel. Chicago, both "Hard Habit to Break" and "If You Leave Me Now." Kansas. Ace of Base. Huey Lewis and the News. A good bit of Michael Jackson, 1982-1991 period, to be sure. Both music from my Greatest Hits CDs and tapes, as well as stuff I used to record right off the radio for mixtapes as a kid. I would be listening to this station all the time if I were living in this part of Iowa. Who knows, maybe I can find it online.
I had Mason home by about 6:30 Sunday evening.
Mason no doubt already has his sights set on football season. And for that matter, I think he could use a break.
For my part, this was my big trip of the summer, and I'm glad it went over without a hitch.
I had to go out to find Pepto Bismol. Lo and behold, further down University, I bumped into another Hy Vee. Got my Pepto Bismol. Got some floss. Got some deodorant.
Conveniently, right next to the Hy Vee, I found a U.S. Cellular store. This was huge. See, I left my laptop in the Quad Cities. So I would have had to pay my bill using my wireless internet on the phone.
Happily, I could just walk into the U.S. Cellular store and pay my bill with my MasterCard Debit Card. Yes, this limited the amount of money I had available to me on the trip. But it also got my family's cell phone bill paid on time!
After getting all of this taken care of, I went back to the hotel. Mason decided he did want to go to the Tavern Pizza and Pasta Grill.
I gave him a lift there. I had already gotten take-out from Caribou for myself, the chicken pesto sandwich, chips, and sparkling iced tea lemonade. But I had found another Caribou Coffee inside the Valley West Mall, which was across the street from the Hy Vee. So I told Mason I was going out anyways.
Then I checked out the mall. Again, I had just paid the huge honking US Cellular bill, so I wasn't really in the mood to go on a huge shopping spree. But I did get five and a half pairs of white tube socks for ten dollars at the Younker's, which is going out of business and thus putting this mall in a tough spot.
I also bought a Mocha Latte with soy from the Caribou. So that if I didn't have appetite for it that night, at least I could drink the soy milk thing the next morning if I just let it sit in my car and warm up. No lactose to worry about.
Then I had a Coors Light with the parents at the Tavern.
Then I had a Bud Light with Orange with the parents at the RV.
Mason wanted me to socialize with the parents.
I did get plenty of time in with the kids on Friday night. They let me follow them around for most of the evening. Little did they know that they were getting chaperoned. And a huge part of that is owed to the fact that I'm so little. I didn't stand out as an adult authority figure. But I did make sure they didn't throw stuff off over the balcony, and that they weren't making too much noise.
Friday, though, I cut loose. I showed the parents the script I've been working on, Nathan Jones. Of course they shared their ideas with me as well.
Watched some of the movie An Officer and a Gentleman in the afternoon, Undercover Boss in the evening.
I had a lot of trips back and forth from the field to the car during Sunday's games. Getting Mason breakfast. Taking Mason's breakfast back to the car before the rains came. Going to get the umbrella when I figured dad's umbrella wasn't big enough.
We had to face the Burlington Xplosion in the first game. Their coach was like a 10th player. Because he behaved like a 12 year old boy. No offense to 12 year old boys everywhere. When Jake Timmons was hanging on the end of the plastic on the mound, he cried balk, and begged the umpires to allow his batter to advance to first base. The officials agreed it wasn't a balk the first time. It was pretty clear early on, he was trying to sway the umps to his side and win the game through collusion. (Remind you of anyone? Well, the president of the united states couldn't trust the voters, so he turned abroad to get his help to dig up dirt on the opponents.) The other coach finally accomplished his goal and got the umps to call Jake for being off the square when he stepped off to pitch.
Shortly after that, the Xplosion broke out with runs, and we lost to them 4-3. I thought it was a rain delay. Turns out we lost due to time. So you see? Their coach stretched out the game arguing with the umpire, so that when they got the lead, the clock had run out on us. He got what he wanted. Like a big toddler in a high-chair overturning oatmeal and peaches on his head, pounding the tray. Just like Trump at the G7 summit threatening tariffs on Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
We could have perhaps won that game, if we had been allowed to play a 5th inning. And I do believe that there would have been time between our 9 am game and our 11 am game.
Anyhow, Mason hit a beautiful double into centerfield in this game. I got a still shot of the ball sailing towards his bat. He made it to second. He was thrown out at third. So there. The Xplosion couldn't prevent him from getting that.
Dad arrived in time for the second game. This was the one against the Iowa Mustangs. Now, it started out as a very close game... but there was a rain delay. I huddled under dad's umbrella for most of it. But then I couldn't take it and went back for my own umbrella. Maybe it was the fact the team saw the lightning in the sky. (The lightning was behind me, so I didn't get a good look. I did hear the thunder, though.) Maybe it was the rain soaking the field so that our infield slipped and slid.
But that one slipped away from us. We lost 7-6 to the Mustangs. They had excellent fielding. Even on the wet field. We were having a harder time digging our cleats in.
Jake Timmons at the pitching mound must have been a little rattled in that first game when he had that loud, obnoxious coach from the Xplosion in his ear half the game. He reminds me of Michael Scott in the Season 1 fifth episode of The Office, when they had that Dunder Mifflin basketball game between the sales and the warehouse. Michael would have lost, but he exaggerated a chin check from the other side. Then he got them to call the game while the sales happened to be ahead.
He stalled. And Jake continued to pitch well. We crawled back as close as 4-3. Maybe we would have lost anyways.
Still, I am very proud of the Rising Knights for their effort.
Dad, Mason and I had lunch at the Hy Vee in Urbandale. Big plate of barbequed pork, macarroni and cheese shells, mashed potatoes and corned bread.
Listened to Steve Winwood and Traffic's 1971 album Low Spark of High Heeled Boys on the drive home. The title track alone got us from the border of Iowa and Johnson County all the way through the Iowa City traffic. (Ha! No pun intended!)
I also listened to 93.3, KIOA, for as long as I could keep a signal on the trip out of Des Moines. See, this station is perfect. It played Mike and the Mechanics "All I Need is a Miracle" when I first found it on the dial on Friday afternoon. Dave Mason. Billy Joel. Chicago, both "Hard Habit to Break" and "If You Leave Me Now." Kansas. Ace of Base. Huey Lewis and the News. A good bit of Michael Jackson, 1982-1991 period, to be sure. Both music from my Greatest Hits CDs and tapes, as well as stuff I used to record right off the radio for mixtapes as a kid. I would be listening to this station all the time if I were living in this part of Iowa. Who knows, maybe I can find it online.
I had Mason home by about 6:30 Sunday evening.
Mason no doubt already has his sights set on football season. And for that matter, I think he could use a break.
For my part, this was my big trip of the summer, and I'm glad it went over without a hitch.