Two Posts in one day Yay!

This is a reprint from my old LJ but I thought it would be nice to put it in here as its a good companion to Chandra's "Being Rooted" piece. Her house is my second home and during a huge winter storm I was stuck there for about 3 days. What follows is a short account of the Winter storm of 2008. Well, one of them anyway, this is, afterall, ohio . . .

I actually just got home from my friends house in Cleveland. I went there because she lives close to where I work and I didn't want to drive home in the dark on Friday. It finally stopped snowing around midnight last night.

Even tho most of the main roads got cleared late last night, by 5 p.m. there was still no sign of snow plows on any of the side streets. If I had to guess, the city didn't want to pay the extra overtime to clear residents out of their houses. There was about 16 inches of snow on the street, so my friends and I went out and began to shovel the street, soon other people in the neighborhood began to shovel too. One guy brought out his snowblower and used it till he ran out of gas. It took a couple of hours to clear a lane with all the folks working.

Residents of West XXXst Street Cleveland, You Rock!

Mayor Frank Jackson, I hope you freeze in a snow drift 6 feet deep!

Bottled Water Policies of the MLB ballparks

Ok, I guess its my turn to dish. My pet peeve is about bringing bottled water into the Sieve. Seems like many MLB Ballparks do allow you to bring in bottled water, however, the trend seems to be in the elimination of that policy. Yankee Stadium eliminated bottled water in 2006. When the Nationals moved into their new ballpark they eliminated outside food. I realize teams have to maximize profits but there are limits to what should be expected of fans.

Sorry, but $4 a bottle for a .25 cent bottle of water is outrageous. Yeah there are drinking fountains, but you can't even bring in an empty bottle or cup to fill. Some of the vendors will give you an empty cup if you ask (Go Joe!!!), but IMNSHO, they should not have to do this. Its one thing for the casual fan to go to a game and drop up to $20-30 on food, beer and water. It puts attending the game out of the realm for the average fan. Add to that the cost of parking and you have one expensive day. As a season ticket holder costs become even more prohibitive.

Attached here is a list of MLB ballparks and their bottled water policies. Its all over the map, but it seems like the bigger the market, the more restrictive the policy is. There is no uniform policy from ballpark to ballpark. Seems to me there should be, as long as it includes letting you take in one bottle of water ;)

Team name	Stadium name		Bottle of water allowed to be brought in?
Arizona Diamondbacks	Chase Field	Yes	· Beverages: Only non-flavored/non-carbonated water in sealed, plastic bottles. Empty, plastic water bottles . Sealed, single-serving juice boxes. Formula/baby food · No metal or glass containers for food or beverages will be permitted. Thermos containers or those similar in style will not be permitted.
Atlanta Braves	Turner Field	Yes	PROHIBITED ITEMS To ensure the safety of our guests, the following items are prohibited from being brought into Turner Field: alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs; cans, glass bottles, bota bags or wineskins; bags exceeding 16"x16"x8"; ice chests or hard sided coolers; AN: No mention of plastic Bottles in the policy
Baltimore Orioles	Oriole Park at Camden Yards	Yes	Container Policy No hard-sided coolers, Thermos bottles, glass bottles, cans, beer or other alcoholic beverages will be permitted into the ballpark or claim checked at the entrance gates. Also, non-alcoholic beverages in plastic bottles will be permitted into the park. All items will be checked at the gates and any beverage which has been opened or partially consumed prior to entry is subject to confiscation if it is thought to contain alcohol. In addition, no plastic or paper cups containing beverages will be permitted into the park at the entry gates.
Boston Red Sox	Fenway Park	Yes	Prohibited Items Fans may not bring coolers, computers, or containers of any type into Fenway Park. Fans traveling directly from work are reminded to leave the items listed above at their place of business. No food can be brought into the ballpark and only sealed bottled waters of 16oz. or less are allowed.
Chicago Cubs	Wrigley Field	Yes	Bottles, Cans and Outside Beverages: No glass bottles, cans or alcoholic beverages of any kind may be brought into Wrigley Field. Hard-sided coolers and thermoses of any kind are not permitted into the stadium. Sealed Bottled water is allowed to be brought into the stadium.
Chicago White Sox	U.S. Cellular Field	No	Bottles/Cans No beverage containers, glass or otherwise shall be permitted into U.S. Cellular Field. Only those used for infant feedings will be allowed.
Cincinnati Reds	Great American Ball Park	Yes	BOTTLES AND CANS No glass bottles or cans may be brought into Great American Ball Park. Guests are welcome to bring in soft drinks and water provided they are in clear plastic bottles and the safety seal has not been broken. Insulated foam cups/containers from restaurants, convenience stores or gas stations, etc. are not permitted in Great American Ball Park.
Cleveland Indians	Progressive Field	No	Prohibited Cans, glass, plastic beverage containers, squeeze bottles and thermos bottles. Permitted Small single-serving juice boxes and food items
Colorado Rockies	Coors Field	Yes	Bottles and Cans No one is permitted to enter Coors Field with glass bottles or aluminum or metal cans. Guests in possession of these items inside the gates of Coors Field may be subject to ejection from the ballpark. AN: No mention of plastic Bottles in the policy
Detroit Tigers	Comerica Park	Yes	FOOD AND BEVERAGE Guests are permitted to bring food and sealed clear bottles of plain, unflavored water into Comerica Park. For the kids in your group, juice boxes are also allowed. No other bottles, cans, or liquid containers are allowed into CP.
Florida Marlins	Dolphin Stadium	Yes	Dolphin Stadium does permit into the stadium: Plastic soft drink - cap seal NOT broken Plastic water bottle - cap seal NOT broken
Houston Astros	Minute Maid Park	No	Bottles and Cans: No beverage containers, glass or otherwise, shall be permitted into Minute Maid Park. Only those used for infant feedings will be allowed.
Kansas City Royals	Kauffman Stadium	Yes	FOOD AND DRINK Guests may bring food and water into the stadium, provided the water is in a plastic bottle or cup and the food is packaged in soft-sided containers that do not exceed the maximum size of 16x16x8 inches.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	Angel Stadium of Anaheim	No	Bottles & Cans No one is allowed to bring in any glass or plastic bottles or aluminum cans into the ballpark. If a fan is found to be in possession of these items inside the ballpark, he or she will be subject to ejection from the ballpark.
Los Angeles Dodgers	Dodger Stadium	Yes	Bottles, cans, and outside beverages No bottles or cans are permitted in Dodger Stadium. Exceptions are made for fans with medical needs, baby bottles and factory sealed water bottles of one-liter in size or less.
Milwaukee Brewers	Miller Park	Yes	Carry-ins Fans may not bring into Miller Park any cans, glass containers or alcohol. Soda, water or juice must be contained in factory sealed plastic bottles. Guests may bring food items into Miller Park using appropriate containers. All bags, purses, fanny packs or soft sided coolers must be 16" x 16" x 8" or smaller and are subject to inspection. Hard-sided coolers are not allowed in the ballpark.
Minnesota Twins	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	No	PROHIBITED ITEMS Bottles, cans, and other beverage containers are not allowed into the stadium, except for non-alcoholic beverages purchased on the Plaza. Fans may bring food items into the dome, provided they are in small paper or plastic bags.
New York Mets	Shea Stadium	No	Bottles, cans, and coolers are not permitted in the stadium.
New York Yankees	Yankee Stadium	No	PROHIBITED ITEMS No backpacks, briefcases, large purses, bags, coolers, glass or plastic bottles, cans, laser pens, video cameras, laptops, firearms or knives are permitted in the ballpark. (Changed in 2006 when you could bring in one bottle of water)
Oakland Athletics	McAfee Coliseum	Yes*	Oakland City Ordinances: Oakland Municipal Codes 8.44.030 Activities prohibited within the stadium and arena. The following activities are prohibited within the stadium: D. No person shall bring into or possess within the stadium or the arena any can or bottle or any thermos, vacuum bottle, canteen or other similar container containing alcohol unless expressly authorized by the authorized representative. (*AN: seems like the issue here is with alcohol, not the bottle itself, if anyone knows the actual policy, let me know).
Philadelphia Phillies	Citizens Bank Park	No	Bottles, Cans, Coolers - To ensure the safety of our guests, glass bottles, cans, hard sided coolers, thermoses and open containers may not be brought into the ballpark. Exceptions: baby bottles and single-serve, soft-sided juice containers and soft-sided coolers that do not exceed the 16" x 16" x 8" size requirement.
Pittsburgh Pirates	PNC Park	Yes	OUTSIDE FOOD AND BEVERAGE/GATE POLICY Guests are permitted to bring bottled water and food that may fit into a 16" X 16" X 8" soft-sided bag. Water bottles should not exceed 24 ounces in size, and must be clear, plastic, sealed and disposable. Children's juice boxes and items necessary for medical purposes are permitted. Alcoholic beverages, carbonated beverages, sports drinks, cans, glass bottles and thermoses are not allowed.
St. Louis Cardinals	Busch Stadium	Yes	Inspection Policy Alcohol, bottles, cans, thermoses, hard-sided coolers, hard plastic cups/mugs are not permitted. Non-alcoholic beverages including water and soda in open cups or in clear plastic bottles no larger than 2 liters are allowed.
San Diego Padres	PETCO Park	Yes	BOTTLES/CANS/OUTSIDE BEVERAGES Factory-sealed, bottled water approximately 20 ounces or less and soft-sided single juice or milk containers are the only outside beverages permitted in to PETCO Park. Guests with disabilities may bring factory-sealed plastic or paper containers that contain liquids required for medical reasons into the ballpark.
San Francisco Giants	AT&T Park	Yes	BOTTLES & CANS Sealed plastic bottles and soft-sided juice containers containing non-alchoholic beverages are allowed in AT&T Park. Unsealed plastic bottles and soft-sided containers will be subject to inspection and may be confiscated. Glass and metal cans are not permitted for any game. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted from outside the ballpark for any game.
Seattle Mariners	Safeco Field	No	Bottles, Cans & Outside Beverages No bottles, cans or outside beverages (including water/ice) are permitted in Safeco Field. Exceptions are made for guests with medical needs, baby bottles and unopened, soft-sided, single-serve containers (such as small milk cartons, juice boxes, etc.). Guests may bring in empty plastic sports bottles and fill them at any of the 75 drinking fountains located throughout the ballpark.
Tampa Bay Rays	Tropicana Field	Yes	General Rules: * ITEMS ALLOWED IN FACILITY : Food/Drink/Soft sided Containers: Food items wrapped, bagged or contained in clear packaging (peanut bags, re-sealable plastic bags, etc.) in soft containers no larger than 16”x16”x8” that can fit under a fans seat. Snacks for children. Single-serving juice boxes Bottled water in sealed plastic water bottles (no larger than 1 liter.)
Texas Rangers	Rangers Ballpark in Arlington	No	CONTAINER POLICY/ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES No metal cans, glass containers, or alcoholic beverages may be carried into the stadium.
Toronto Blue Jays	Rogers Centre	Yes	Bottles & Containers Plastic bottles holding 600 ml or less will be permitted in Rogers Centre. This does not include liquor or beer.
Washington Nationals	Nationals Park	Yes	BOTTLES AND CANS Glass, metal or plastic containers of any kind (except for factory sealed, plastic water bottles no larger than 1 liter and kids' juice boxes) are prohibited at the ballpark. Only one bottle of water per person will be permitted

~~ : ~~ Mo ~~ : ~~

Being Rooted

I was just thinking, as I watched the kids across the street playing jump rope with one end of the rope tied to their front gate, that we've been in this house now for 18-1/2 years. The neighborhood has changed; when we moved in, there were a number of older couples who had raised their families and stayed put long into retirement. They're all gone now, and we've watched a generation of young families come and go. Now there's a whole new crop of kids on the street... and we're still here.

Even before we moved in, this was an area in transition. Being a city neighborhood, not in the chic-y foo-foo rehab zone, it's not big with professional-types, and any young family that can afford (or thinks they can afford) a McMansion out in the 'burbs won't look twice in the city. Yet there are advantages -- being five minutes from downtown, within a few minutes of four major highways, and about 12 minutes from the airport. Our house is almost 100 years old -- it has character (and ghosts). We've done enough upgrading to get by comfortably. All I could ask for in a move would be a larger, more modern kitchen, and some day I'll have that. For now, it's nice to be rooted.

Speaking of roots, I seem to have gotten pretty firmly entrenched into the Marcon staff. I'm not complaining; it just seems funny after all these years. As Con Suite department head (basically Hospitality Director, for those not familiar with science fiction convention jargon), I and my staff of about 15 threw a 48-hour party last weekend for about 1800 people. Stretch that to 60 hours when you include the post-convention "Dead Dog Party" (for those remaining who are dead-dog tired, which we were by then!). I didn't get enough sleep, but I had a blast and it's nice to belong. (The next Marcon is May 22-24, 2009, see www.marcon.org for details.)

Chandra

P.S. Mo had her first encounter with rolled fondant, and the fondant won -- but the cake was gorgeous!