Tornado Warning

The last two Mondays at the running store have included some type of severe weather. Mainly heavy rain and wind, but nothing too bad, even though the tornado sirens went active on Monday of this week. All we do is watch the rain and watch the radar, since very few customers come to a specialty store in that type of weather.

Friday was another severe weather day in Alabama. A little background: I was scheduled to cover my last Mountain Brook High School baseball game. I was out and about at noon, following class, and learned that schools in Tuscaloosa had already dismissed, and that all MBHS afternoon events were canceled, including my game.

So I had a rare afternoon off. Knowing something was coming, I watched the radar and saw the storms race across Mississippi and trigger storms in Tuscaloosa around 2:30 or so. I turned on the weather guy, one on TV and one online. I heard the warning sirens twice, and the weather wonks were talking about a twister heading my way, so I decided precautions were in order. I've seen damage in Cordell, Oklahoma and heard about it here as well as in Chapman, Kansas. So, respecting the storm, I fetched two couch pillows, my jacket, a blanket and UTEP football helmet all went to spend time in a second-floor bathtub. Yes, I put on a football helmet.

Thankfully nothing really came near our apartment, although apparently a tornado touched down for a bit in the south part of town. Some damage and no injuries. The TV types spoke of the storm heading to the east, so I went on with my day.

But storms raged eastward, and there was a lot more severe weather where that came from. The way I understand it, the meteorologist-types at the TV stations were on the air nonstop, from about 2:30 to 8 or so. This makes a lot of people upset, since they're missing ER or the ball game or whatever, and the weather doesn't affect them. Me? I used to work at a TV station, and I was (and still am) astonished at how people complained. I'm glad we have the technology that lets those guys spend all afternoon on the air.

And to be sure, we rag on those guys a lot. Even the guys on The Weather Channel seem to get pretty excited whenever there's nasty weather. I was even one of those guys for a few years, covering severe weather on the radio in North Central Kansas, and know how the adrenaline starts to flow. For me, it's all good fun. I like knowing, and I'm glad there are people with resources who want to tell me.

Running Store

I've returned from an eight-hour shift at The Athlete's Foot. My store is one of four owned by the company, and is specifically a running-oriented store. Shoes, apparel, fuel, advice, etc. I've worked for the company for 4 1/2 months, and at my store about six weeks, at about 35 or so hours a week. I like working there. The people are nice, and I get to meet a lot of cool folks and help them pick out a good pair of running shoes.

In January 2002, I found a new radio job and moved to Clay Center, Kansas, following an unsuccessful five-month stint in Northwest Oklahoma. But that's another show. My new coworker invited me up to the middle school to play a little basketball with some friends of his. Rocky was very kind to me in this way, and in making sure I met a lot of people and getting me out there.

But as far as the hoops was concerned, I never was very good, and hadn't really played since playing at 'The Park' with my friends, and infrequently at that. But I went anyhow, and soon found out I couldn't get up and down the floor without gasping for air. Full court, side courts-- it didn't matter.

That night was a night I remember, because it inspired me to work a little harder to get into shape. I tried the stair master and stationary bike, but I never saw the results there that I saw when I ran. I got into shape and could run well, but didn't really lose a lot of weight. When Ann and I got married and I started to eat (a lot) better, the weight really came off.

So I love running and like getting a chance to help others do the same. I've been on a bit of a hiatus because of a little tendinitis in my Achilles tendon, and will be back on the roads myself here in a day or two. I'm ready.

Story time: football

For three seasons, 1998-9 and 2000, it was my treat to cover Levelland High School ball games. Football, baseball and hoops. Our station also covered some games involving area teams. Earlier, I promised to tell some ball stories, and here are a few more.

I want to say the first event took place in 1998. LHS at Andrews, home of Shaud Williams and the Andrews Mustangs. Shaud would eventually sign as a running back with Texas Tech with Spike Dykes, then leave when Mike Leach came to town. He eventually wound up at Alabama, and I've been able to play that card a few times, telling the locals in Tuscaloosa that I got to see him way back when.

Anyhow, anyone who knows me knows that I'm chronically 15 minutes late for everything, including games. And at the station where I started out as half of the full-time staff, I was now the full-time staff. So I never had enough hours in the day. Not a good combination for someone like me.

On this night, I was strangely ahead of schedule, and arrived at a good hour to get ready for the Friday night broadcast. I found a booth, which seemed rather spacious, and started to set up. My control board, legal pads, dry-erase markers, all ready. Everything in its place. I felt good about the upcoming broadcast.

Then the Andrews broadcast team showed up and proceeded to tell me that I had set up in their booth. Swell. It was four against one, and it was *their* home, so I had to pick up and move to a broom closet of a broadcast booth, where things were suddenly much more cramped, and my broadcast partner, Mel Gierhart and I were basically shoulder to shoulder. And I ran about 75 feet of cord for my crowd mic, and the closest place to put it was the entrance to the press box, where we heard the crowd, sure, but everybody coming and going.

So I kind of felt like a moron. It's one of those things I wish I could do over.

As for the game, Andrews took the opening kickoff and absolutely drilled the clock, taking the opening possession down the field for a touchdown, taking ten minutes off the clock, enroute to a 35-7 win over Levelland. I don't remember the number, but I'm sure Shaud Williams had a nice game.

One other quick story. LHS played Estacado on a Thursday, due to field availability. So that left an open Friday for us, which we filled with a broadcast of Sundown at Hale Center. Roughnecks vs. Owls. I don't really recall much about this week 10 matchup, other than seeing a great friend from college at the game. Jacky married his college sweetheart and moved to Midland, where he was on the coaching staff at Lee High School, helping with the first steps of the football career of some guy named Cedric Benson. But by now, I think he was coaching at Greenwood HS, and was up for a scouting trip, since the playoffs started next week.

Anyhow, he poked his head in the window and scared the crap out of me, which was (and still is) completely in character. I responded by threatening to put him on the air at halftime. I believe Sundown beat Hale Center and made the postseason. We did the SHS game the next week, at Denver City, where they lost a lead late and fell in the first round.

So-- that's all for Woodrow's Tales From the Broadcast Booth. More to follow.

Podcasts

I'm taking an intro to accounting class at the University of Alabama, Tuesdays and Thursdays. 9:30 and 12:30. I'm enrolled in one class but not the other. I started the spring semester taking two classes and working two jobs, which left very little time to spend on schoolwork or with my wife. The first casualty was Calculus I, nearly two months ago.

So there became a void, which I filled by finding an accounting class to sit in on, hoping to pick things up a little faster. And it was on the way to this class that I heard a Writer's Almanac podcast by Garrison Keillor (yes, *that* Garrison Keillor). He briefly discussed a writer, Donald Barthelme, who said to write what you're afraid of.

I've not been able to find anything that could expand on the meaning behind that phrase, but I did find meaning in it.

Because while I feel I've carved out a bit of a niche for myself in Alabama and have more of a sense of stability these days (in contrast to the months following our move to Tuscaloosa), I still look around and wonder what direction to choose. Accounting doesn't feel like it. I've picked up a little work doing high school hoops and baseball for some folks around here, but I've been ready to make broadcasting a second option for a while now.

So I'm searching for something. I don't really know what to look for or where I'll find it. I just know I'm trying to get out there and learn things and meet people and see what happens. Maybe that's what frightens me. The unknown. Fear of what I could find. Fear of how I perceive myself and how I blend into the world, and how that perception hinders my progress.

I don't really know if any of this makes sense, as it's more of a spontaneous post today, but these are the things I think on-- it's how I feel and where I'm at right now.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, so it's been three months since I posted here. Really busy around here, and much to catch up on. Work, school, basketball, baseball, etc. Hopefully I'll get to it all.

But that third day in New York for the my inaugural K-State bowl trip was as awesome as the previous two. We walked from our Chelsea hotel with some of Ann's friends (she knows someone everywhere, it seems). Cafe Martinique (just off Broadway, between 31st and 32nd), followed by a brief trip to a snow and icy Central Park, and then off to the Bronx for pre-game.

The bar the KSU types had reserved apparently got a better offer from the Syracuse crowd, so we were adrift for beer. Went to the bar next door, which still had orange, just not as much. Drank a beer and then went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which is attached to the stade. And from the 'small world' department, we ran into a high school football coaching buddy from Kansas (he coached at Linn and just completed a run to the state finals with Hill City), as well as some folks from Randolph, KS, who were also wearing purple. Then I sang a verse of Wildcat Victory in the ticket line. And my dear wife, who sings with a group in town, a double KSU graduate, who got props from the AD, jumped in at the very end. That's it.

But we somehow made it to Monument Park and to our seats in time to see the K-State band do their pre-game thing. I watch their youtube video regularly, and to see them in person was music to my eyes and ears. We sat down the right-field line, at about midfield. The field was way the hell out there. But we had a great time. We even had some magic potion to help keep us warm during the game. It wasn't nasty cold, but cold enough to cut through you if you're sitting in it for four hours.

The element of the game that will be remembered most was 'the salute.' Adrian Hilburn scored a KSU touchdown late in the game to bring us to within two points (sadly, our defense also made the trip) at 36-34. Adrian's a military brat and thought it'd be a nice idea to salute the K-State partisans in the end zone seats. A game official decided he was cold and wanted to go home, so he flagged us 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. I missed it live, and didn't see the replay, but I did see it on TV afterward. I also saw no fewer than three celebrations during the Tennessee-North Carolina game that were worse, and also weren't called. So yeah, I thought (and will always think) that we got screwed. Ann and I couldn't really commiserate together, since we were enjoying things so much. We weren't gonna let that ruin our fun.

The next morning, we walked around the neighborhood, since we had time to kill before our plane left. School was out at General Theological Seminary, so the few folks that were there let us have the run of the place. Not as memorable as Trinity Church, but we visited the sanctuary where they've trained and ordained priests since 1817, including our own parish priest at Canterbury, Tuscaloosa. We also wore purple this day, and ran into a local couple who remembered the salute from the night before, and pretty much were in agreeance. Then a quick stop at Starbucks (they grow em on street corners in NY) and back to the hotel to gather up and go home.

Again, our flights were on time. We had no issues whatsoever. Our travel was so hassle free, we almost, *almost* felt bad for the folks who didn't make it. The rain in Alabama was something to contend with, and was the only weather-related issue for us. We made it home about 8 that night, and settled in for New Year's Eve. On the couch, together. A couple of homebodies, we didn't care if we didn't go out. We'd had our fun. What a trip.

Bowl Trip, Day Two

I'm continuing the recap of my first KSU bowl trip, to NYC to see the Pinstripe Bowl.

Wednesday brought our first full day in New York. We donned our purple sweatshirts, shoes (yes—my wife has purple shoes) coats and beanie caps and went for a quick breakfast. Then we hit the subway toward Lower Manhattan. We wanted to see Ground Zero and, as we are both proud and practicing Episcopalians, also Trinity, Wall Street church.

Our first stop was the church. It got its charter from King William III in 1697. It's on some of the most expensive real estate in the country, located on the intersection of Wall St. and Broadway, and people like Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton are buried in the churchyard. The present building dates to 1846. We did a quick tour of the church, realizing that we'd come back for the 12:30 Eucharist.

So we headed off to Ground Zero and the World Trade Center site. This is hallowed ground-- I understand that. But if you didn't know where you were, you'd have a hard time realizing what happened there. We didn't have much time to look around, but it was a construction zone, and it seemed to fit. There was a visitor center, but our impression had been formed, so we moved on.

St. Paul's Chapel was our next stop. This was very powerful experience for me. George Washington worshiped in this building, which is not attached physically to Trinity, but most definitely is a part of it. St. Paul's was where 9/11 responders themselves got the care they needed. There were displays of pictures, letters, firefighter and police patches, mementoes and what not. And Ronan Tynan singing God Bless America. It all combined for a very moving experience. I understand that any church in that situation would have helped in much the same way, and that simple geography was likely the biggest reason, but I was proud that my church that stepped forward and played such a huge role in comforting others during this time.

So with that, we headed back to Trinity for the 12:30 service.

I find the Episcopal liturgy to be very soothing and very meditative. The same words I have recited in church as long as I have been alive. These same words in this sanctuary, from the mouth of The Rev. Mark Bozutti-Jones, who is black and 6'3" 260 with a voice to match, reached me at the very center of my being. Throw in his sermon on the Holy Innocents and include Holy Communion, and I crossed off a bucket list item. Truly a special time for me.

We then headed back to Midtown, got a quick bite to eat and headed off to the K-State pep rally. Since Ann and I left Manhattan for Tuscaloosa, the only way I got my KSU music fix was by watching the same band pregame clip on YouTube. Listening to the band play Wildcat Victory, Wabash Cannonball and others in this hotel ballroom for the first time in two years made me very happy. The cheer-babes and Classy Cats did their thing as well. After listening to several people, it was time to see the team. Unfortunate thing is, they got stuck in traffic and wound up walking the last few blocks to greet their public. They couldn’t stay long, seeing as how they still had game prep to work on. So the pep rally lasted a little over an hour.

We then retreated to the Sheraton Towers, the team hotel, for a few eight-dollar adult beverages and planned our next move, which was to find one of the KSU-friendly restaurants the alumni association publicized. It was a bit of a circuitous route, which took us past Rockefeller Center and the famous Christmas tree as well as Radio City Music Hall and Sak’s Fifth Avenue.

Massive throngs of people were out and about, since the cold had eased a bit, making walks a little more fun.

After a short time spent searching, we found The Australian on West 38th street. We were here as the last stop of the night, and to get off our feet for a spell. Interesting thing to me was that people with actual Aussie accents waited on us. I’m used to going to Old Chicago and being waited on by a gal from Overland Park.

Anyhow, we enjoyed a huge appetizer combo of wings, sausage rolls and pork pies. Yummy. But the kicker was dessert, Lamington Trifle. They brought a wedge of cake that was roughly the size of a two-story office building, and two forks. Now Lamington has chocolate and coconut frosting, two of my favorite things on earth. This was yet another out-of-body experience. Absolutely delicious. Beer, great food and football at this stop.

The only down side was having to leave.

We had to hit the subway home back to our hotel in Chelsea, stopping, of course to take a picture of the Empire State Building, which was lit in purple and orange, for the two teams playing in the game the next day.

Bowl Trip, Day One

I'm trying to get everything written down while all this is still pretty fresh.

Tuesday, December 28th started at 3:30 AM, in order to catch a 6 AM flight out of Birmingham. I was a little bleary-eyed, but I wolfed down a slice of cold pizza and hopped in the shower and drove us to the airport. Pretty surprising to see it so lively at such an early hour.

Our flight to Charlotte departed on time, a first good sign, since they'd seen six or so inches of snow in the last 36 hours or so. Then we started getting a little jumpy, as we waited for the LaGuardia leg of the trip to begin. But there were no worries. Takeoff and landing were both punctual. A car service took us to our hotel in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in about 45 minutes. Snow removal did not start well in NYC, so it was a little slow. But not as slow as the alumni bus, which we hear took nearly two hours.

Once we unloaded and got fed, we headed north toward Times Square, site of a 3 PM news conference. It was a little crisp outside and we were just trying to thaw out and figure out what was going on, but next thing we know, KSU Athletic Director John Currie introduced himself and visited with us for a spell. He even brought our mascot Willie Wildcat over for a photo op, and mentioned my wife as part of his comments, noting her 14-year bowl streak (she's never missed a K-State bowl game) and that she's a double graduate. We both were pretty well charged as we went back out into the evening. Ann has friends who were negatively affected by Mr. Currie's decisions, but he couldn't have been nicer to us and went out of his way to be friendly. We were very impressed by him.

This was my first walking experience in New York, and the shell-shock wore off quickly. Perhaps NY gets a bad rap, perhaps I watch too much TV. Because there were legions of people out and about, but I was never scared to walk down the street.

Our next step was to find food. Remember it had snowed nearly two feet two days prior, and by now we'd been up about 16 hours on little sleep. So we navigated more than we walked, due to snow and the throngs of people who were out. Ann successfully navigated the subway system to the Union Square stop, which was an absolute swamp of ice and snow, and right when we were about to punt and just find food and go home, we found Gramercy Tavern, which is what we were after. I'm continually amazed at Ann's sense of direction, which was spot on.

So we grabbed a beer and started waiting for a table. 45 minutes later, we sat down and ate some awesome food. I had some pork shoulder, which was terrific. It truly was a great experience. The beer was also very good. This event may have gone on further, if we were closer to base camp and not so tired.

So with our bellies full, we got ourselves home close to 11 PM and looked out our window at the Empire State Building and went to bed.

What a day. And there was plenty more where that came from.