If You've Never Been to Fenway: the peeps

The Fans Make It All Worth While

There are some choice characters at Fenway on game day. Check out these fans.

This is Myrtle (R) and Karen (we all know what Karen's like). They are season ticket holders and have been coming to Fenway since 1957.
Just kidding. I have know idea what their names are or if they go to Fenway often. I just thought they both had some serious style.

This guy had a sign next to him. You can't see it but it says, "I will be humiliated at the end of this game due to my team being slaughtered. Also, feel free to beat the crap out of me." BTW, Red Sox 13, Birds a lowly, sad 5. And they lost the next night, too.

If I am ever old enough to get married, I really do want someone to do this cheesy-assed thing for me. I love baseball and I love being a ham. This sort of thing would combine the two quite well. I hope she said yes.

Apparently, it was this woman's birthday. As much of a hammy goofball as I am, I would never ever be caught dead looking like this. Though, she seems really happy (drunk?), so who am I to criticize.

Yesterday the Fenway fan camera captured three young teenage girls sitting in the Dunkin Dugout flipping their hair back and forth, applying lipgloss and generally preening. Meanwhile, there was a major league baseball game going on in front of them. But, who cares about that? I mean, haircare is essential to picking up the pervy drunk frat boys in the rows in front of them. Anyway, here is another example of young'uns not doing so well with the paying attention to the game. Hey, kid, the game's that way.

And now for the ultimate fan. This took some serious blood (literally) and probably some sweat and tears, so I was impressed and I'm sure lots of other people are, too. F*ck yeah, man.

And I try not to curse on this blog, but this definitely deserves a respectful f-bomb.


Next Fenway entry: a history lesson, also an explanation why if Mass Million numbers ever came out 1 4 8 9 27 42, it would be split 17,000 ways.

Epistles to Ikea, the reprise

Dear Ikea,

I wanted to write about the second- and third-to-last times I came to visit. Both times were with Rene.

The first one was during February vacation. I was cleaning my room and trying to figure out how you could help me with my small living space issues while watching General Hospital. (Mais bien sur!) GH ended and on came Oprah who did that day's show with Nate, which was, rather serendipitously, about living in small spaces featuring products from---YOU! (Mais bien sur!)

It gave me some good ideas, particularly about "going up" for storage space--using veritcal space rather than horizontal space. Also, finding multi-functional pieces to use; like Transformers, only instead of cars to robots, it's table to desk.

I took some before and after shots. Just click to enlarge the photos.

Here's my bureau:



Here's one of my walls:



Here's my desk:



Those are shoe wracks that I used instead as mini-shelves in order to "build up" for storage options. The magazine holders are 2 for $.39 and I use them for everything.

So, all that is left is the second to last time I visited you. I will write about that day very soon.

Thanks again, Ikea, for your brilliance.

Sincerely,
Bridge

If you've never been to Fenway: part 2, before the game

Preamble side note: My goodness, I have slacked this week. And I didn't even have a full week to work. Sorry. As the next packet is due soon, I will have plenty of opportunities to sit at the laptop and jog my creative juices via blogging. Regardless, I am still up right now because of the Sox game starting late, so here is the next entry, finally.

Inside Fenway: pre-game photos
This is what it looks like under the stands. Notice the hustle and bustle. These signs are new but made to look old. I like them despite their inauthenticity. From the new Jordan's consession stand area behind 3rd base, you can look out on to Lansdowne Street. If you're ever confused about where to go, just read these helpful seat signs, which make complete and total sense. After meandering through the frantic rush and purchasing Sams for 725 each (seriously!), we finally made out way to our seats. This is the first glimpse of the paHk.
Then we got to our seats and looked out on the field. Take a look at these glorious views. Is there anything more magical than Fenway?
Don and Jerry were just raving about the crew the other night, so here's my tribute to them. Thanks for getting the field ready, grounds-crewmen. After the Dana Hall School Chamber Singers performed the anthem, the game began.

Stay tuned for the next Fenway entry, dedicated to some choice fans in the crowd.

Favorite commercial

My favorite horrible commercial often airs on MSNBC, which I watch sometimes because of Countdown. I have always like Keith Olberman.

It's for a hearing amplifier called "Listen Up." In the commercial, you see a lady in a pew "use it to hear better at church." Then you see a different lady checking her mail and the voice-over says, "Or listen to what the neighbors are saying."

Awesome.Don't take my word for it. View it yourself:
http://www.buylistenup.com/?cid=296744

If you've never been to Fenway: part 1-outside the park

So, I tried to take pictures of Fenway for someone who has never been there. If you've been there a million times, I think you take for granted all the nooks and crannies virgin eyes may see. I tried to see things like a tourist would, instead of a girl who can only remember the years she didn't go to Fenway ('98, '05) So, without further ado, here is my pictorial blog of Fenway. Click on any of the images to make them bigger:

This is what you see walking towards the park.

I went with my mom and dad and JenniferFo (2bMac), and Dad's not into walking far these days, so Mom dropped us off and found a spot a few blocks over.

Anyway, after traveling down Boylston for a little, you finally see the street sign for Yawkey Way.

Look how sparse this street is. One guy to the right, one person walking with shopping bags down the street a little. The plain old Boston heavy car traffic.

When you finally turn right onto Yawkey Way--it's a whole new ballgame (oh yeah, the Pun Queen rules). You've entered a block party, featuring lots of Sox merchandise and lots of sausage and peppers. (Honestly, I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 but those sausage and peppers grilling always smell so good. I do refrain, though. I do.)
After Dad finished wolfing down his sub, we were ready to enter.

Just before you enter, you see all the banner years, including good ol' 2004.

Ah, 2004. I think back on that year and it would have been such a bad year (Bush re-elected, leaving Lewiston, etc.) except that the Sox saved it by making my childhood dream come true. No more pain over '86 and certainly no more lamentation over 2003 and keeping Pedro in.

Anyway, I hope that these shots have illustrated the buzz surrounding the park before the game. This will be the last pic of this entry. Stay tuned for part 2: pre-game inside the holy land...