Pure magic.

Yesterday was A DAY!

And why?

Finally, finally, finally... I got to go here:


Yay!

Me and Matt got up early after bingo night and left Norman by 8:30, Arlington-bound. It was a pretty uneventful. Upon arriving in Texas, things just, you know, got a little more Texan. There can not be a giant American flag, unless there's a giant Texas one right next to it. We also drove past the Texas Motor Speedway, on Dale Earnhardt Way. That's nice. Six Flags is located on the road titled, "Road to Six Flags". I was amazed, Texas is just as creative as Kansas in naming. We also were on the "Tom Landry Memorial Highway" for a while. There was a picture of a fedora on the actual highway signage.

But, let's remember, we're in Texas, emmer effers.

And don't you forget it.


Six Flags, in general, was alot of fun (BATMOBILE!). Matt and me must have hit the Six Flags day-to-go jackpot. The longest we had to wait to ride anything was maybe half an hour. Some rides, we just walked unto. Not only that, but they ahve re-admission, which allowed for us to go to Chipotle for lunch and allowed for me to go to CVS pharmacy, squirt a gob of sunblock into my hand, and walk out. Seriously, $10? Uh, not when I can do that. Matt laughed at me as I was slathering myself in my contraband sunblock in the parking lot. We drove by a store called Condom Sense, I thought it was great, and the site for the new Cowboys Stadium. The old Cowboys stadium cost $35 Million to build in 1971 and seats around 66,000 people. The new stadium will cost ONE BILLION DOLLARS and seat 100,000. You see? Nothing in Texas is ever big enough!

But, here's the best part of big Texas:


The Texas Giant!


Oh, I've got such a soft spot in my heart for wooden rollercoasters. They're fantastic. Sure, they hurt and you feel like death is certain about 90% of the time, but they're just so romantic. I've always been far more amazed with their construction, as opposed to metal coasters. I think they just more dramatic. "To construct this monster (the Texas Giant), contractors used 900,000 board feet of lumber, poured 1,220 concrete piers, hammered 10 tons of nails and screwed in 81,370 bolts. The estimated total cost to construct the Texas Giant was five and half million dollars." Amazing! Not only all that, but it was the most fun I had all day. I was laughing and smiling the whole time. Oh, I love you, rollercoasters. But, especially you, Texas Giant.


So, we were pretty much done with Six Flags by 6:30. And it just so happened that the Cubs, Matt's favorite baseball team, were playing the Texas Rangers that night. And Six Flags just happens to be right down the road from Texas Ballpark. So, we went to the game.


Keep in mind, this was my very first professional sporting event. As soon as we walk into the ballpark, Matt hears this little girl ask her father, "Daddy is this going to be the bestest day of my life?", which was just completely precious. You cannot argue that there is a magic about baseball, all the legends, the stories, the superstitions, especially with the Cubs. Some of it is lost, thanks to steriods, salaries, and big business. But, there's still something a little bit enchanting about baseball.

I was enchanted.


And what's baseball without beer?


And bearded friends!


Well, last night's game was kind of special. Sammy Sosa was trying to hit home run #600, a pretty big deal, dontcha know? I can only assume that's what the little girl was refering to, a little piece of baseball magic for everyone there to see. Well, he did it. You should have seen that place. People were going insane, there were so many flashes going off, everyone was cheering. I wasn't even in my seat.


We'd gone to the roof so Matt could smoke. I hear Sosa's name being called to bat and I walked to the nearest seating entrance, just as he swung at the second pitch. And there it went, freakout. As I was walking back, I see this janitor, holding his broom and his trash sweap, just smiling. I told Matt, I can guarantee that man loved the Texas Rangers more than anyone else in that whole stadium. He looked very, very happy. It was, in fact, a pretty awesome moment, regardless of steriod abuse, and everything else that plagues professional sports. There is something at the heart of it, sometimes you forget it, but there's a reason it got to be so popular and it had nothing to do with corporate deals or drugs. I know it's idealist, but what part of magic isn't?



I was amazed. I managed to spend 12 whole hours in Texas and loved almost every minute of it. We go Jack in the Box on the way back and I woke up sore and hoarse this morning. The price you pay for a great day.