First MLB Game

Update: I can't believe I forgot that I went to a Mets game at Shea Stadium my first week in NYC. It was Mormon night--missionaries sang the national anthem and I ran into my friend Becca who was serving a mission in Queens. 

I decided when I moved to Topeka that I would be a Kansas City Royals fan, since I don't really have any allegiances in baseball (besides a partiality to the San Francisco Giants because I love that city). Today I drove in the rain to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to see them play. Thankfully the rain let up and the day ended up being a little windy but dry.

Since it's Memorial Day the game had a forty-minute pre-game program dedicated to the Armed Forces. Needless to say, I had to fight back tears. Thank you service-men and women!!

The Royals were playing the St. Louis Cardinals, dubbed the I-70 series (both cities are on the I-70 freeway). I think there were more Cards fans there than Royals fans. It was really annoying when they'd get more cheers than the home team. It was a good game (at least to this person who knows extremely little about baseball), but unfortunately the Royals lost 6-3. Hopefully the next game I go to they win.

After the Storm

It is summer in the midwest, which means it is thunderstorm/tornado watch/warning season. Last night was my first experience of how all-encompassing the news coverage of it can be. All week I had been looking forward to Ben Affleck's hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, however it coincided exactly with when a storm was rolling through Kansas. Instead of seeing funny sketches and the last sighting of Stefon, I saw doplar radar images of red and green showing where the storm was headed and exhaustive narrative from the weatherman.

The storm came through Topeka around 11:30, however it was just windy and rainy. Wichita wasn't so lucky, as people there had to take cover and a tornado actually touched down. Early this morning there was more rain, and then the sun came out and it was a lovely, bright afternoon.

And then thunder and lightning and massive rain. No tornado though. After the storm everything feels so fresh and clean and looks downright beautiful, so I snapped a few pics:

 

Folks in Oklahoma City weren't so lucky though. Thoughts go out to them.

Summer Movie Season

 The Summer Movie Season started a couple weeks ago with Iron Man 3, which I saw when I was in Salt Lake for graduation. This film was initially not on my radar to see, as I've only half-seen the first one and haven't seen the second one. But it was the only movie playing the weekend I was in Salt Lake that I wanted to see. I enjoyed the movie a lot! Maybe it was because I didn't have any expectations going into it, maybe it was because I really like The Avengers, and maybe it's because it is just a really well done movie.

The movie I was really looking forward to was Star Trek: Into Darkness. As I've stated numerous times before, J.J. Abrams can practically do no wrong--he really is just that awesome. Waiting four years from the previous film seemed like an awfully long time. I was pumped for this movie. And I was....underwhelmed. I kept waiting for it to kick into gear and get exciting and, for me, it never really did. I think Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome but was not used enough in the movie. I'm as non-trekkie as they get, so maybe some of the "inside"jokes and lore were lost on me this time. However, I really loved the opening scene because the set design was so amazing with those colors!

And I saw a preview for Man of Steel, which is the movie I'm looking forward to this summer (well, besides Before Midnight)! Bring on the summer movie season!

A Julie Moment

Remember last summer when everyone dubbed the Mormons as having a "moment"? Well I feel like this week is my own little "moment". It is Bike Month and this week specifically is Bike to Work Week. As the Bikeways Coordinator bikes are kinda a big deal.

First there was City Council where Bike Month was proclaimed by the Mayor.
The local paper interviewed me for a story about Topeka becoming more Bicycle Friendly. 
Topeka Metro announced free rides during Bike to Work Week for anyone riding with a bike.
I made a video on how to load your bike onto the bus for Topeka Metro's website.
Today there was a lunch-time "Ride With the City Manager" where I was interviewed by the local news channel and paper.

Planning school didn't prepare me for the media aspects of my job, but I did use the skills I learned to create flyers and speak in public. I'm glad for this one little moment where we talk about bikes. And I'm already thinking about what we can do next year...

Fat Cat

My cat Biscuit had been a little wheezy lately. One night she actually woke me up with her wheezing. I decided to take her to the vet just to make sure everything was okay. The vet was very nice and helpful, and after listening to her heart and lungs and weighing her, he said nothing was really wrong with her.

Just that she weighs too much and probably has asthma. Which is better than having a respiratory problem or heart disease. I felt like one of those new moms who calls the pediatrician for every little thing her baby does, and in the end nothing is wrong.

So less food for my kitty. She needs to lose at least 4 pounds...

Graduation

I was in Salt Lake over the weekend to participate in Commencement and Convocation ceremonies. It was a little anticlimactic being done in December and getting my diploma but having none of the pomp and circumstance of a graduation event.

Which is why I'm really glad I came home for graduation because the event is all about celebrating and being reminded that I worked hard.  It's a nice distraction from the 8-5 daily grind of planning; there was a time when I was learning new concepts and was excited for all the possibilities that existed. It's good to remember that.

It was awesome to see my family and friends and Salt Lake City. I love them all and was so glad to be able to spend time with them.