Benner's List of Things We'll Miss While We're Away From Philadelphia No. 1: Phillies Games

So if you've looked at this blog once or twice, you probably figured out that we're moving to Los Angeles soon. It's kind of a big deal, so don't be surprised if it's the primary focus around these parts over the next little while.

But if you get the idea from reading this blog that we're kind of excited to get to California and be in nice weather with Sarah and Steve, don't be fooled; it's exciting and all, but we're also kind of sad to be leaving. There's a lot of stuff we're going to miss, and we're already starting to feel the pangs of East Coast yearning. So in the spirit of missing things, I (Benner) have decided to keep a running list of things that we're going to, uh, miss. Each day (or each time I feel like doing it) I am going to write about one thing I'll miss while we are on the Left Coast living it up. Of course, our friends and families go without saying, so we're going to just leave them off the list. I'll talk about you guys somewhere else, I promise.

Without further ado, please enjoy the first installment of Benner's List of Things We'll Miss While We're Away From Philadelphia™ (BLOTWMWWAFP for short).

1. Phillies Games - For only the second time since 1994, people are saying the Phillies are a serious playoff contender and it doesn't feel like a dirty, dirty lie. But even if the Phillies suck (as they often do), going to Citizens Bank Park is always a treat. Day games are fantastic; skipping work to catch a game, drink a couple of beers, eat hot dogs and nap in the warm sun while millionaires play a children's game 50 yards away is a unique and awesome experience. Night games are great too; you skip out of work a little early, drink a couple of beers, eat hot dogs and cheer on the millionaires playing a children's game 50 yards away underneath the bright stadium lights that make the grass look so green it's like God's front yard. If you're lucky, it's late August and the Phils are in the thick of the playoff hunt, making every game, inning, at bat or even swing feel like life and death.

Alas, I will not be here to see Ryan Howard nail some dingers, nor will I see Pat Burrell stop caring mid-season or the dreamy Chase Utley be chased by every white girl in the stadium. No, I will be in Los Angeles, home of the Dodgers and the All You Can Eat Stadium. Oh, the humanity. All I have to look forward to is August 11 through the 14, when the Phillies will be visiting the Dodgers for a four-game stint and the distinct possibility that they will be battling each other for playoff supremacy.

At least then I'll be able to eat all the hot dogs I want.

Crazy Talk

Sometimes I think about how crazy I would sound if you were to remove Rhianwen's part of the conversation. It would probably sound like a garbled mess of catchphrases and nonsense talk. For instance, here's a typical conversation between the two of us:

Rhi: Honey, can you come here for a minute?

Benner: Yes-in-deedy-yak-a-doo!

Rhi: I need you to move this box.

Benner: (Singing) I will move the box, yeah, I will move the box, woo.

Now, the same conversation without Rhianwen's part:

Silence.

Benner: Yes-in-deedy-yak-a-doo!

Silence.

Benner: (Singing) I will move the box, yeah, I will move the box, woo.

So yeah, kind of crazy, right? But that's the theory behind my new favorite thing, Garfield Minus Garfield, a blog where the author removes Garfield the Cat from all the comic strips, making Jon Arbuckle appear to be a crazed man who lives by himself in a lonely apartment. Observe:


You see, I'm Arbuckle in this scenario. Which would make Rhianwen Garfield, I think?

Sigh...

It's 9:30 on a Wednesday night. Rhi worked all day today. I spent my day packing the apartment. We came back together around 6, ate a short dinner and now we're... back to packing up our entire lives into tiny little egg crate boxes. This isn't exactly how we want to be spending our nights, and it's moments like these that make moving to Los Angeles seem kind of... eh, sucky.

But, we keep telling ourselves, it's only the moving part that kind of sucks. When we're actually out there in the great weather, wearing t-shirts and buying bottles of wine in grocery stores, living in Los Angeles is going to be awesome (except for the long and growing list of things we'll miss... more on that tomorrow).

Besides, the Getty Museum is there.









What else could you ask for in a city aside from a slice of heaven on earth?

Our Life, in Boxes

So we're moving across the country, which means we have to put our entire life in boxes. Here's what our apartment looks like right now.



And now, a view from the outside looking in.



No, we're not starting an underground black market egg selling ring. Those are just the handy boxes we've taken from the local grocery store.

Welcome!

Oh, hello! Pardon the mess, we were just doing a little blogging. What's that you say? Never heard of blogging?

Oh ho ho ho, that's rich! You see kind fellow, blogging is a way for us to write about the mundane details of our lives and also a way for you to read about it! There is oh so much happening in our lives right now, and this blog is THE place to come for information on what we're doing.

Like, for instance: We're moving to Los Angeles at the end of April. How's that for information???

Check back regularly for more tasty info nuggets!