Miscellaneous Week-Ending Rambling
Waverly and I went to the Astros game this evening to watch the hometown team beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2. It was an Astros Buddies game tonight, which means that her ticket was free. (We missed the first three, but should be able - depending on my work schedule - to make the last two.)
We almost had an Astros operations personnel drama unfold like Sarah had a few weeks ago when the club's computers were down and they wouldn't let people in the park because they couldn't scan the tickets. Astros Buddies members get coupons to four (4) games - out of six (6) - for a free View Deck I ticket, which is worth $12. If you wanted to buy a Field Box seat, you could apply $12 towards the price of that ticket as well.
After getting to the ticket window, here was the conversation with the young female ticket seller:
Me: "I have an Astros Buddies coupon and I'd like to buy one extra ticket."
Ms. Ticket: "Sir, all of the View Deck I seats are sold out."
Me: "So are you telling me then that I can't use the coupon? What else in the ballpark do you have available?"
(I look at the seating chart on the glass above my head, while she talks to a co-worker without leaving her seat.)
Me: "What about View Deck II seats?"
Ms. Ticket: "I can't sell you those because they aren't the $12 seats and we're sold out of them."
Me: "Yes, I know. They are $10. All I care to do is just get in the ballpark."
Ms. Ticket: (Something I honestly don't remember now, but it had something to do with the value.)
Me: "I don't care that I'm not getting the full $12 value. I just need a ticket that I can get for the coupon and an extra one."
Ms. Ticket: (Something else, but the bottom line was -- she wasn't getting it.)
Me: "Can I speak with a manager please?"
Ms. Ticket: "You need to go down to ticket window 10 or 12."
As I walked down there, I was thinking to myself, "I know John Sorrentino (Astros' ticket director and former Spring HS graduate), but I don't want to play that card unless it is absolutely necessary."
The older gentleman in that window - who I interrupted his trying to scarf down a sandwich - understood what I was trying to do. He understood that I could care less that I wasn't going to get any money back. (I only imagined what torture some fans put some of them through.) However, he said, "Meet me down at window 23 and I'll get it taken care of for you."
Good game. Our pre-game meal at Pappas Barbeque on the other end of downtown before the game - yes, we walked down there and back - was more than my ticket ($10) and parking ($5). (I can't believe that there is $30 parking right across the street from the stadium near Incarnate Word Academy.) As were walking down there and back, Waverly recollected what she remembered from "Marathon Day" as we were walking down Rusk. That was fun and made me thankful that if neither one of us ran another race that we'd have that moment as long as God granted the two of us on the Earth.
However, we had a great time (like we do most of the time) and the evening made up for Tuesday. Dad and daughter didn't have a good morning and it was a result of a lack of communication which was revealed at just the wrong moment. Not as important though, it kept me from racing - well make that "running an event" - on the fourth of July for the first time since I started running. (I missed seeing my fellow Seven Hills members up in Centerville, which included Rick Cook, who ran 21:34, and his wife Kim and son Cooper as well as HRBer Dave Smart and his family.)
Note to my fellow HRB members: SHRC has 28 signed up for the Challenge on August 12th. To avoid the penalty, we may need a few new bloggers before then! Ken sent this e-mail, "For when you go to the store, I personally prefer Moolineum Crunch."
I talked to Rick last weekend on the phone and his training is diligently coming along for a fall 100-miler and I'm pretty confident that he'll be as succesful as he plans to be. (I also think that we'll see a BQ from somebody we all know in October, but I'll wait to reveal that later on.)
Finally, I'm really excited about my new role with HARRA.
If you haven't noticed already, Sarah's made some content changes on the website. We've updated all of the HARRA-member blogs. We're also working with current president Anna Sumrall Helm to establish some direction about what should be on the site and not in certain areas.
Content for the September edition of Footprints is coming together rather nicely as we have a late July deadline. (Now if my August RTN column would do the same, I'd be set.) I already have a couple of pieces written. Edwin is going to be working on one I hope will be as successful as I think it will be. I'm actually worried about whether or not we'll have enough room - not knowing what the club reports are going to be like.
And we have an idea about what we're going to cover for the October edition as well too.
We almost had an Astros operations personnel drama unfold like Sarah had a few weeks ago when the club's computers were down and they wouldn't let people in the park because they couldn't scan the tickets. Astros Buddies members get coupons to four (4) games - out of six (6) - for a free View Deck I ticket, which is worth $12. If you wanted to buy a Field Box seat, you could apply $12 towards the price of that ticket as well.
After getting to the ticket window, here was the conversation with the young female ticket seller:
Me: "I have an Astros Buddies coupon and I'd like to buy one extra ticket."
Ms. Ticket: "Sir, all of the View Deck I seats are sold out."
Me: "So are you telling me then that I can't use the coupon? What else in the ballpark do you have available?"
(I look at the seating chart on the glass above my head, while she talks to a co-worker without leaving her seat.)
Me: "What about View Deck II seats?"
Ms. Ticket: "I can't sell you those because they aren't the $12 seats and we're sold out of them."
Me: "Yes, I know. They are $10. All I care to do is just get in the ballpark."
Ms. Ticket: (Something I honestly don't remember now, but it had something to do with the value.)
Me: "I don't care that I'm not getting the full $12 value. I just need a ticket that I can get for the coupon and an extra one."
Ms. Ticket: (Something else, but the bottom line was -- she wasn't getting it.)
Me: "Can I speak with a manager please?"
Ms. Ticket: "You need to go down to ticket window 10 or 12."
As I walked down there, I was thinking to myself, "I know John Sorrentino (Astros' ticket director and former Spring HS graduate), but I don't want to play that card unless it is absolutely necessary."
The older gentleman in that window - who I interrupted his trying to scarf down a sandwich - understood what I was trying to do. He understood that I could care less that I wasn't going to get any money back. (I only imagined what torture some fans put some of them through.) However, he said, "Meet me down at window 23 and I'll get it taken care of for you."
Good game. Our pre-game meal at Pappas Barbeque on the other end of downtown before the game - yes, we walked down there and back - was more than my ticket ($10) and parking ($5). (I can't believe that there is $30 parking right across the street from the stadium near Incarnate Word Academy.) As were walking down there and back, Waverly recollected what she remembered from "Marathon Day" as we were walking down Rusk. That was fun and made me thankful that if neither one of us ran another race that we'd have that moment as long as God granted the two of us on the Earth.
However, we had a great time (like we do most of the time) and the evening made up for Tuesday. Dad and daughter didn't have a good morning and it was a result of a lack of communication which was revealed at just the wrong moment. Not as important though, it kept me from racing - well make that "running an event" - on the fourth of July for the first time since I started running. (I missed seeing my fellow Seven Hills members up in Centerville, which included Rick Cook, who ran 21:34, and his wife Kim and son Cooper as well as HRBer Dave Smart and his family.)
Note to my fellow HRB members: SHRC has 28 signed up for the Challenge on August 12th. To avoid the penalty, we may need a few new bloggers before then! Ken sent this e-mail, "For when you go to the store, I personally prefer Moolineum Crunch."
I talked to Rick last weekend on the phone and his training is diligently coming along for a fall 100-miler and I'm pretty confident that he'll be as succesful as he plans to be. (I also think that we'll see a BQ from somebody we all know in October, but I'll wait to reveal that later on.)
Finally, I'm really excited about my new role with HARRA.
If you haven't noticed already, Sarah's made some content changes on the website. We've updated all of the HARRA-member blogs. We're also working with current president Anna Sumrall Helm to establish some direction about what should be on the site and not in certain areas.
Content for the September edition of Footprints is coming together rather nicely as we have a late July deadline. (Now if my August RTN column would do the same, I'd be set.) I already have a couple of pieces written. Edwin is going to be working on one I hope will be as successful as I think it will be. I'm actually worried about whether or not we'll have enough room - not knowing what the club reports are going to be like.
And we have an idea about what we're going to cover for the October edition as well too.
posted by WalkSports.com | 2:13 AM
5 Comments:
Informative post, thanks.
Would somebody count as an official HRB member if we paid their dues for them and wrote their blog for them? And then drove them to the Woodlands and paid their race fee?
I'll see if I can talk Jose into running. If I can, I'll upgrade mine to a "family" membership to include him.
Maybe the cut-out of "Coach Joe" could start a blog and run next to Jon as he did at the Jingle Bell Run.
Hi Jon,
I just happened to run across your blog and was skimming through some of the entries. That's great that you and your daughter run together like you do and have run a half together. My daughter is the same age as yours and we've done 3 halfs, a 20K, and 2 15K's (along with numerous shorter races). I was reading your review of the Oklahoma City half marathon and the 5-year old from here in Tulsa who ran under 2:19. I believe it...when I ran my 5K PR 2 weeks ago, that same 5-year old...Holden Crawford...ran in the 25's and I didn't pass him until about 1/2 mile remained in the race (I ran 25:13). If you and Waverly are interested in another half marathon for her, I'd encourage you to look at the Route 66 marathon/half coming up here in Tulsa on Novermber 19th. That is likely to be my daughter's 4th half (she'll have just turned 12 by then...I don't know if Waverly will be 12 yet...that's the minimum age for that race...if not maybe they'll grant you an exception since she's already run a half). I plan on running my first marathon that day.
Anyways keep running and tell Waverly to keep having fun!
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