Cheering on the Royals from Afar

The Royals have begun their quest for a World Series title, as bizarre as it seems.  They lost Game 1, as Madison Bumgarner was unstoppable, but they fared better in Game 2, tying the series 1-1.  I've been on a business trip, but I've made sure to do everything I could to not travel during the games so I could watch them on TV, and it's worked out so far.  I was even able to watch the game over a few drinks with my colleagues, who were of course rooting for the Royals because they are neither terrible people nor from San Francisco.  I have what's probably unfounded confidence that the Royals will pull this off, but we'll see how the Series unfolds as it heads back to the Bay Area.

Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

Some things in life are theoretically possible, but they just don't actually happen.  For example, I could theoretically run for President and get elected.  I could theoretically win the lottery (well, if I played, that is).  We could theoretically go from 0 kids to 3 kids in 26 months (okay, fine, bad example).  I could theoretically get promoted to CIO.  I could theoretically die in a plane crash.  But none of that is realistically going to happen (except for the kid thing), so I don't plan for it, worry about it, or think about it.  To me, that's pretty much how it's been for the Royals and the World Series.  Each of the past 15 seasons or so since I've been a Royals fan, when each season started I knew it was technically and theoretically possible for them to go to the World Series, but realistically I knew it wasn't going to happen.  At best it might be, "Hey, they might be able to make a run at a Wild Card this year" while knowing that even if they did that, they'd almost certainly get bounced in the first round, and it'd be over.  This year, they floundered for a lot of the season, occasionally going on a hot streak, but usually following it with a slump, before getting hot at the end of the year and earning one of the Wild Card slots.  Then, they became the first time in MLB history down 4 or more in the 7th inning or later in a winner-take-all game to come back and win, when they beat the A's.  Then they played the mighty Angels and silenced Trout and Pujols to sweep the series.  Then they faced the big bats of the Orioles and shut them down for three games, culminating in Game 4 today.  I had to fly to Louisville today, and I really wanted to see the game, but I couldn't land in time to see it or take off late enough to see it.  So I planned an itinerary with a 3.5 hour layover in Minneapolis to ensure I could watch everything from the 5th inning on.  I found a bar/restaurant showing the game, and I was able to watch the Royals finish the sweep to advance to the World Series!  It was unbelievable.  Anyone who was watching the game in my area was rooting for the Royals, because pretty much all of America is rooting for the Royals now.  After the game, the people around me congratulated me, and several people commented ("Good luck!" and "Congrats!") as I walked to my gate.  I hope we play the Cardinals, because a new I-70 series would be fun, but the Giants are currently leading that series, so we'll see.  But the Royals are in the World Series!!!  Now, about that promotion to CIO...

Deep Freeze

One of the nice things about my business trips is they take me to places that sometimes are reprieves from the weather at home.  Last week I noticed the weather in KC was going to get very cold early this week.  But, I had a business trip scheduled for Tuesday, so maybe it would take me someplace warm.  Houston is in my territory, for example.  Instead, my destination was Minnesota.  I arrived last night when the temperature was something like -8.  But early this morning as I left my hotel to go to the customer site, it was a brisk -20.  Yes, the temperature was -20, not the wind chill.  The wind chill was -36.  That's fine if you're in Antarctica or northern Canada or something.  But that just shouldn't happen in the continental US.  Poor performance, Minnesota.  Stop trying to impersonate other countries that no one wants to go to anyway.

Prior to taking the above picture earlier today, I seriously debated if it was even worth stopping my walk to my car and attempting to hold on to the camera to take the picture.  That facial expression is neither an attempt to smile nor an over-dramatic wince.  That's just my face's natural position as it somehow tries to defend itself against the wind and cold.

As I prepared to get out of my car in the parking garage last night to walk to my hotel, I thought about how it would feel, and I assumed it would be something like "Wow, it's really, really miserably cold out here".  Instead, thinking back on it, this was seriously pretty much my exact thought process: "Ow, this is really painful.  I'm surprised it's this bad.  Why is my skin burning?  Is it already frozen?  Is this what frostbite feels like?  I can't tell if my fingers are completely numb or burning in pain.  Why didn't I bring thicker gloves?  How much further is it to the hotel?  Why didn't I just spring for valet parking?  I bet they're getting a lot of business tonight for their valet parking.  Wait, people choose to live here?  Who would choose to live here?  I guess it's nice in the summer.  But it's not THAT nice in the summer.  At least in Alaska they pay you money to live there.  Alaska also has mountains and glaciers and stuff.  They mostly just have lakes here.  Doesn't seem worth it.  I wish I were wearing one of those bank-robber facemasks.  Ow.  This is awful.  Wait, there's the hotel!"