This is how I roll in Des Moines!!

Well, the flash kinda fucked up this picture, but you get the idea. Slurpin down a Schlitz or two in preparation for an Iowa Cubs game at the High Life Lounge, which quickly became my favorite spot. That is, until the fuckin tornado force winds and the severe thunderstorms rolled in and then, I was quite happy with my hotel room. That shit was fierce! Winds in excess of 90mph and over an inch of rain in a little over an hour and a half. Haven't seen storminess such as that since living in Alaska, though this was a bit more unnerving due to the fact that a tornado coulda dropped in at any moment. Power went out about 4 times, but the hotel had a generator, so all was good and I was able to keep track of both the weather and baseball scores. Needless to say, I am glad to be the fuck out of tornado alley; tonight I bed down in Kodoka, South Dakota, just outside of the Badlands. That means I did this today...DAMN!!! That's a bit of drivin, but I don't feel worn out at all. Gave a big hoot and a holler when I hit the "Now Entering Mountain Time Zone" roadside sign. Translation: You most likely won't get caught up in a furious thunderstorm or tornado from here on out. Big Sigh Of Relief.

When weather forces your hand...

Well, since I decided to travel during the thick of tornado season, I am at the mercy of weather systems in some of my travel plans. It is very possible that I will be forced to forgo a trip to the Field of Dreams site due to severe weather here in Iowa. Tomorrow's forecast is for severe thunderstorms and high possibility of tornadoes in the Dyersville area where the site is. Call me crazy, but I am not driving into an area with quarter-sized hail and thunderstorms and a strong possibility of twisters. This is not the end of all good things, though, as I'm sure there will be another opportunity for me to see the site. Maybe that could be part of another trip to Chicago?

Gotta Love the Minor Leagues!

This was the view from my seat tonight, 9th row just to the right of behind home plate. Just awesome to be able to clearly hear the ump calling balls and strikes and the pop of the mitt and bats. The "I Cubs", as they're affectionately called here in Des Moines, ended up winning a nice little pitchers' duel 1-0. In the bottom of the 8th, Eric Patterson (any relation to Corey?) smacked a double into center that bounced off the bottom of the wall, giving him plenty of time to cruise into 2nd standing. Then up to bat comes Matt Murton, who'd I'd been texting John Baker about previous to and during the game. Baker said to tell Murton that he deserves a job in the bigs and I replied in the 5th, after a gross overswing and strikeout by Murton, that I didn't think he did deserve the job. Then, he's up in the 8th and, as a right-handed batter, aids Patterson in stealing third easily by partially blocking a quicker throw by the Oklahoma Redhawks' catcher. On the next pitch, Murton drives a single into the gap and Patterson home for the only run of the game! Oh how wrong I can be...the baseball gods love to make me look like an ass. Anyways, it was a great game and the Friday Night Fireworks were pretty cool, too. Plus, my ticket (and that great view/seat) only cost me $12!! You can't get that shit in the majors.

Quick Thoughts on the Environment

Ever since I left Colorado behind and hit Kansas and the Midwest, I've noticed an abundance of styrofoam cups in place of paper. Now, I'll admit that I don't keep up on the news enough to know the most up-to-date facts, but last time I checked, styrofoam hangs around for about 500 years! A friend told me that there's the possibility styrofoam is being made differently and, thusly, less damaging (and let's face it, paper cups and the numbers with which we toss them out aren't much better). Just a curiosity of mine, which may seem slightly hypocritical seeing as I'm driving 4500 miles in a fossil fuel burning vehicle for my trip, but I sure hope they've created a less damaging 'foam. Anybody have some insight here?

Kansas City: Baseball & Bar-B-Que

The only bummer in Kansas City was the fact that the Negro League Museum didn't allow patrons to take pictures inside the museum. Actually, two bummers. The American Jazz Museum was a total bust...I could recite more information about Jazz and Jazz musicians than was contained in that tiny little museum. The Negro League Museum was freakin awesome; a short historical film narrated by James Earle Jones got us started. The exhibits were set up to mimic a stadium, the walk around the field, the locker room with all the Negro League Hall of Famers and a field populated by bronzed statues of the Negro League Dream Team. Of course, Satchel Paige was on the mound. In another exhibit dedicated to Paige, they had a framed placard of his Rules For Staying Young, which my buddy Jake had passed while chasing after his youngest, Aya. So I brought it to his attention and as I walked off, he was approached by a guy about our age who asked him if he like Paige. The guy proceeded to open up his wallet, pull out his ID and tell Jake that Satchel was his grandfather! We met Paige's grandson! Well, okay, I didn't as much as Jake did, but that was pretty fuckin cool. One other really cool thing was that people of all walks of life and colors interacted freely and openly and genuinely. Now, this shouldn't be some kind of revelation, but it isn't that common, at least not in Seattle, the hotbed of politically correct, upper class (or at least acting) white folks who rarely acknowledge each other, let alone black folks. It was just a heartwarming thing for me to experience, because it is how I think it should be, but isn't always. I don't pretend to be naive enough to think there aren't any racial tensions between white and black in Kansas City, but at least they fuckin talk to each other in public!
Not sure what the rest of life in Kansas City is like, but I wouldn't rule it out as a place to consider living. Oh and, by the way, the bar-b-que is delicious...we went to Arthur Bryant's and were pleasantly filled with pulled pork sandwiches and fries (great sauce!).

My Favorite Kind Of Day

Although I'm in Des Moines, Iowa, apparently that's still close enough to Kansas City to catch a Royals game on the local Fox affiliate. Normally, that's a plus just because it's baseball to watch in the afternoon, but it's a double plus, because they're in Boston finishing up getting their asses handed to them by my beloved Sox (of course, as I type that, Miguel Olivo crushes a 3-run HR into the last row of the Monster seats...shit! oh well, Sox are still up). Today's co-players of the day are JD Drew and Mike Lowell, who both hit Grand Slams.
So, this is a perfect day for me: slothing around my hotel room, watching baseball, researching baseball statistics and checking fantasy teams, and planning out attending a few Iowa Cubs games here in Des Moines. Surely, there are a few of you out there wondering why the hell I post a pic of the game on the tube when I'm reporting on my road trip, well...baseball rules, that's why!
Yesterday, I left Lawrence after a lazy morning with my boy Jake-O and his youngest daughter Aya. We got coffee, checked the local record store for some fine, tasty vinyl and sounds, then met Jenny (Jake's partner and crime and also good friend of mine, for those who slept!!) back at the Wilson ranch for some lunch. Just as I bounced out of town, a thunderstorm was rolling in, destroying what was a nice little string of gorgeous Lawrence weather. My first destination of the afternoon was Kearney, MO (pronounced "carney" by the locals), where the James Family Farm and Museum is located. That's James as in Jesse Woodson James, American Folklore hero and outlaw, whose story is fascinating to me regardless of he and his family's Southern sympathies in post-Civil War America. It's pretty exhilarating to walk inside the farmhouse and see the bed where Jesse was born and walk on original floorboards where Frank and Jesse walked. Of course, my newfound interest in the James folklore stems from the recent film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and subsequently the book of the same title, the basis for the film. Reality, however, did not disappoint. I felt an eeriness all around me as though the family and their time were existing parallel to myself and the others on the tour. As I left, I felt transported out of time, even though I was driving, particularly due to the beautiful country road surroundings that almost disguise modernity from the eye and thought.
Then I scooted through a sun-drenched, yet comfortable two-plus hour drive to Des Moines. It's 4 in the afternoon Central Time, which is still wiggin me out despite having been in the Central Zone for over 6 days, and I just ordered the first room service meal of my adult life. Shit is cheap here! Well, compared to the uber-spendy yuppified Seattle that is my home (though, I'm not a yuppie...fuckin hate those douchebags!!!!).
Yesterday's music: Body Riddle by Clark, Stars On My Ceiling & Remembering Today by Caural, Celestial by ISIS and Light Turned On by City Rain. Hmmm, a day full of C's, odd.
Later on, I'll have to post about the previous day's (Tuesday) trip to the Negro League Museum in Kansas City.

Learning to walk slowly in Lawrence

I have arrived in Lawrence, Kansas! Got in yesterday afternoon and immediately loved the vibe of this little college town, known as the "Austin of Kansas." Coming from Seattle, a 'city' run by technology, isolation, disconnection and speed, I really needed the breath of fresh air that is Lawrence's slower pace. In fact, if didn't get uncomfortably hot and muggy here in the summer, I could potentially see living here. It has the requisite fine record store and is close to a Major League team, the Kansas City Royals. Also, it has progressive/liberal leanings and a so far seemingly open sense of tolerance and hospitality.
Above is me and my boy Jake Osmar Wilson, the one and only Jake-O-Nasty, rockin his "molestache." Yet again, he lives in a spot where stoop beers are not only possible, but encouraged.
Album of the day: OK Computer by Radiohead.
More to come later...