July 10, 2009

A July Evening at the Ballpark

While walking around Arts Fest late Thursday afternoon I decided to attend a baseball game. The Spikes were playing the Batavia MuckDogs (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate). I biked to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and bought a ticket.

Before the game I read the fine print on the back of the ticket. Some of the disclaimers and policies seem quite vague. For instance, the policy on transmission of descriptions or images of the game is disturbingly broad (see photo).

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What happens in this ballpark stays in this ballpark.

Transmission can be defined as communication, or simply passing information along to someone else. If you follow this policy literally you cannot talk about the game or show any pictures you might have taken. Obviously this is not the intention, but that’s how it reads. I guess this blog post is illegal.

I enjoy watching the pregame activities at a ballpark. The grounds crew preparing the field, the managers exchanging line-ups, the players stretching, media personnel doing reports, fans finding their seats, everyone anticipating the start of the game.

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Pregame preparation at the ballpark.

The starter for the Spikes was a righthander named Victor Black. He pitched very well. His fastball hit 96 on the gun, and it looked like a legitimate 96 MPH.

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Victor Black warms up before an inning begins.

In the bottom of the first inning the Spikes plated two runs. The Batavia pitcher struggled with his command and needed a visit from the pitching coach. After the inning the pitcher, catcher, and coach talked for several minutes. My seat (one row off the field, beside the dugout) provided a direct look into the Batavia dugout, so I was able to observe this.

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Talking pitching in the dugout.

Whatever they discussed worked, because the Spikes would not score any more runs in the remainder of the game. During the game I saw several tirades in the dugout after players had poor at bats. One Gatorade cooler was assaulted, and one trashcan was soundly kicked.

In the middle of the game there was a foul ball that came to rest on the field right in front of me. The thirdbase coach picked it up and flipped it directly toward me. I could have reached up and caught it with my left hand, but I would have had to fully extend to do this. And I knew he was tossing it toward some younger fans seated right behind me. So I stayed sitting and let a girl in a row behind me catch it. That took some willpower. 

Baseball is a wonderful game. The king of all games, in fact. While some people find it slow and boring, to the true fan the game is full of action. Battles of strategy and skill are constantly being fought. If you fail to see any of this I’d be happy to teach you how to fully appreciate a baseball game, just ask me about it.

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Most people fail to realize how much is going on here.

One on the beautiful things about minor league baseball is that even the uncultured baseball fan can find entertainment. In between innings there are various promotions and competitions. Take human hamsterball bowling for instance. Two people are placed in giant hamsterballs and told to race toward large pins. The winner gets a prize.  

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Human hamsterball bowling.

At the end of the night the Spikes picked up a 2-1 victory. It was the first Spikes game I attended in which they played well.andy_vasquez_ed2

One closing note. Thirdbaseman Andy Vasquez (on the right is a thumbnail of a poster of Andy I designed last summer) had the song Ice, Ice, Baby played before his at bats. That’s awesome.

July 9, 2009

An Arts Fest Stroll

This afternoon I took a walk around the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts after I finished my daily experiment maintenance. The Arts Fest is very entertaining. I could spend hours wandering around. I think I’ll go back at least one more time this weekend. Here are some highlights from today.

I saw the Two Man Gentlemen Band (composed of four members, go figure) playing on the Allen Stage. Their music reminds me of the early-to-mid 1900s. From what I  heard their lyrics are quite witty and their musicianship is sharp. I was very entertained. In fact, if I ever get a chance to see them again I will.  

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The Two Man Gentlemen Band on the Allen Stage.

Arts Fest takes over downtown State College every year. Some of the streets are closed to auto traffic and lined with vendors, artists, water features, landscaping, and all sorts of interesting stuff.

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There were no cars on Allen Street today.

Despite attending Arts Fest numerous times I still have not eaten there yet. It’s not for want of options. The country fair-esque variety of food vendors set up along the street is impressive. Maybe I’ll pick something up this weekend.

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Is there anything more artistic than a cheesesteak?

The first artist to really catch my eye was Rob Hagarty. He creates wire tree sculptures. They  are all different sizes and many tree species are represented. These trees are high on my list of favorite art I have seen at Arts Fest over the years. Very cool.

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Tree sculptures by Rob Hagarty.

Another artists caught my eye by creating metal plants. This time it was William Colburn. He creates all sorts of steel and metal sculptures. The centerpieces of his display were large flowers. Each one stood between four and five feet in height. Many of the flowers had intricate patterns etched or ground on the individual parts. While I found them interesting, I had no real desire to buy one.

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Big flower sculptures by William Colburn.

I saw and heard a kilted band playing many bagpipes in front of Old Main. They produced some serious sound. I can’t believe how powerful bagpipes are. I watched from far away and the sound was loud, I can’t imagine how loud it must have been close to the stage. I tend to think of a rock concert as being hard on the ears, but a bagpipe concert might be just as bad.

About an hour after the bagpipers wrapped up their gig I saw them at the Creamery getting ice cream. How did I recognize them if I never got close to the stage to see their faces during the concert? It was easy. At the Creamery I saw a big group of people wearing matching kilts.

By this time it was late afternoon. Instead of heading home I decided to catch a Spikes game. I think I’ll make that a separate post. . .

July 8, 2009

SCEFC Set List (July 12)

On Sunday I will be serving as the worship leader at State College E-Free Church. The message will be delivered by a visiting missionary; I believe the theme is freedom in Christ. When I put this set list together I was thinking about the Gospel and its impact on freedom. Through the redemptive work of Jesus I am freed from the power of sin and the need to attain righteousness on my own.

Prelude – (E) Here I am to Worship – Tim Hughes

The prelude seems like a good time to reflect on the Gospel. I am considering having a verse or two projected during the song in lieu of lyrics. Right now I am leaning toward Romans 5:8 and maybe Colossians 2:13-14.

Song #1 – (G) Holy is the Lord - Chris Tomlin & Louis Giglio

This song reminds me of a Psalm in some respects. The lyrics are relatively simple, with a general theme of acknowledging God’s glory. I wanted to include a song focused on bringing God glory because the rest of the set list is focused primarily on Jesus.

Song #2 – (A) Shout to the Lord – Darlene Zschech

It’s been a long time since I have used this song. I like the mix of statements of truth and declarations of praise.

Right now I am leaning toward using a capo for this song so that I am set up for the next song. I plan to use a full capo, though adding a low E with my cut capo is tempting. The drawback to that is the loss of the easy F# on the lowest string (it is quite tough to get that note with a cut capo in place).

Song #3 – (A) Jesus Paid It All – Elvina Hall & Alex Nafong

A reflection on the Gospel, looking first at my need for it, followed by a celebration of grace.

Song #4 – (G) I Will Rise – Louis Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, & Jesse Reeves

This song speaks of the power of the Gospel, finding strength when I am weak, and the hope of the future. I heard this song for the first time a couple of weeks ago and really liked it.

I decided to drop it down to a lower key to make it a bit easier to sing. Thankfully the song does not have a massive range like so many popular worship songs of the past few years written in the power ballad style tend to. Low verses that explode into high choruses before even higher bridges sound huge but are tough for congregational singing, especially without a full band giving the congregation the security of musical coverage so they can attempt notes out of their range.

Closing Song – (E) ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus – Louisa Stead

Since freedom in Christ is the topic we will have just heard about I think it is fitting to acknowledge that it is sweet.

I’ll use my cut capo for this song. Long ago I heard a Johnny Cash song with a walking bass line that stuck in my head. I used my recollection of that line for the intro and interlude between verses for this song.

It’s been a long time since I have led the music at SCEFC. In June there were several scheduling complications that resulted in me not leading, so I’m well rested and ready to go now.

July 6, 2009

I Made a Dog Cry Yesterday

Sunday afternoon I watched the men’s Wimbledon final. By the end of the match I really wanted to play tennis. But I had to check in on my experiments, so I decided to try to satiate my desire for tennis by running.

I ran to campus. When I arrived I checked my plates, watered the plants, and made sure everything was in order for my flooding set-up on Monday morning. No dogs cried during this process.

When I left campus I decided to run until I hit the proverbial wall. I ventured out onto the Centre Rail Trail at a brisk pace. Towards the end of the run I encountered a dog on the trail.

He was a scruffy brownish gray dog. Part terrier, part other. A midsized dog. He appeared about fifty yards ahead of me, standing in the middle of the trail. He was staring at me. I ran right at him. A game of chicken occurred. He waited to move until I was about six inches in front of him. With an excited bark he ran twenty yards ahead of me down the trail and waited for me to arrive, tail wagging. He did this again. And then again. And again. All the way to the end of the trail. At this point he ran to a car parked along the road by the trailhead, which I assume belonged to his owner. But I turned right, heading in a different direction.

And the dog cried.

As I ran through the last hundred yards to my apartment I could hear him wailing. Arrrrr, arrrrrrr, arrrroooooooooo.

I think that is the first time I have made a dog cry.

July 4, 2009

Fireworks Photos

This evening I walked through the woods to an elevated field behind my apartment to watch the Central PA 4th Fest fireworks. I’m not a fan of fireworks. As they paint the sky in brilliant bursts of color I see money exploding. It pains me.

Tonight I decided to photograph the fireworks. That way they live on, providing a slightly better return on the investment.

I arrived at the field right as the fireworks were starting. Approximately 50 people were already there, and another 20 arrived during the show. Someone brought a radio, which was playing the music the fireworks were choreographed to. The view was nice, though I’m curious how the show would have looked from another angle. It seemed to me that too many of the fireworks overlapped and competed with each other. Maybe that wasn’t the case from other angles.

Here are a few shots I took:

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One of my favorites, a sweet blue explosion.

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White globes that exploded very fast.

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This combo was very orange.

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Part of the grand finale.

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The grand finale continues. . .