Just Counting the Days...

The trailer full of hats and jockstraps, bats, balls, and Bazooka arrived safely at Astros Spring Training camp. The pitchers and catchers have reported to Kissimmee and new manager Brad Mills is putting them through their paces. Alyson Footer's already posting pictures of our favorites hurlers and backstops, along with a bunch of new guys and farm hands who are hoping to earn that distinction over the next few weeks. The rest of the team arrives later this week. Astros Spring Training is underway in Kissimmee, Florida.

And I'm still looking out the window at a yard full of snow. 

And I'm watching the Winter Olympics. I like the figure skating (Johnny Weir is a hoot), but frankly, coming from Houston, I just don't really GET sports that involve hunks of ice and snow.

But that's about to change. As of today, all of my basic preparations are complete. First and foremost: Six pairs of tickets (great seats bought in the first 10 minutes of the pre-sale).

Weeklong rental of my 2 BR/2 BA plus kitchen apartment. Flights in and out of MCO (that's airline-speak for Orlando airport). Economy rental car. Two Astros jerseys and two teeshirts, personalized with FAN IN EXILE and lucky number 18 on the back. (You will definitely be able to recognize me at the stadium and practice field.)

A whole week marked VACATION on my Outlook calendar at the office. Plenty of SPF 75 (I really fry in the sun). Camera. Extra batteries. 

Most importantly, I've got my Spring Training partner - my sister Elizabeth who will be joining me again for the second consecutive year. My husband is completely off the hook, for the first time since 2006; he's staying home with Shana the dog. My sons can stop making excuses about how busy they are with their new jobs. My daughters can stop telling me how much they hate baseball. Elizabeth and I are going to have a blast - again! 

Sorry about posting so many pictures of myself. I don't post photos taken by others on my blog without permission, and I don't have any new ones of my own for this year yet. But very soon (three weeks and two days from now), I'll be posting what you really want to see: Astros in action. If you can't wait until then, you can go to my Astros Fan in Exile website and look at my photos from previous years.

Between now and then, I'm going to be posting some guidance for going to Astros Spring Training in my next few blogs. Alyson Footer is really good for basics, of course. She can tell you when the practice field is open, and where to stand to get autographs. She can give you much better advice on restaurants than I can, since I keep kosher and tend to acquire most of my nourishment in the local PUBLIX grocery store. But let's face it - Alyson's there on the job, not as a fan. It's just different. She doesn't have to dodge the old retired guys who are ushering when she wants to take a picture - she gets to wander around on the field. So look for a blog from me in the next few days, talking about where and how to take pictures at Astros Spring Training. And one on what to wear (including many pictures of fans in great hats from last year). Or... write a comment on my blog and tell me: What do you want to know about going to Spring Training, from a fan's point of view? After 5 years of faithful attendance, I've got opinions (and photos) of most everything - except restaurants.

Disappointing news: The Shuttle launch fell through - again. I keep hoping to see a Shuttle launch before the program ends, and have managed to arrange my trips to Kissimmee to match the launch schedule several times. But each time, the launch gets postponed. This time was especially disappointing, since the launch was scheduled for the Astros one off-day during my stay and it was also Elizabeth's birthday. We had an extra-special birthday plan for the day, but the launch is now a month later, and I'll be long gone. We're thinking of hitting the beach instead.

Digging Out... in Time for Spring Training!

The Washington DC area (my local version of "Exile") is digging out, after breaking its record for the snowiest winter in memory - over 55" of snow, thanks to a few major events including yesterday's BLIZZARD! This is a very bizarre experience for a girl who grew up in Houston - where we went nuts if we got a half-inch of snow. We've seen some snow over the years since I moved into Exile, but nothing like this. The schools and federal government have been closed all week, and just getting out of the driveway is a major production. Today it took a couple of hours of hard digging to clear a path to the street.   That's me... digging in a field of snow, and dreaming of a field of green - a ball field, that is.

While I'm clearing my driveway and sidewalks from tons of snow, the Astros equipment folks are packing up the truck for the haul to Kissimmee. Pitchers and catchers report soon, then the rest of the players, and then... well, ME! I've got my game tickets - six games in seven days, right in the middle of the month, when there's a nice fat homestand. I talked my sister Elizabeth into coming with me (that's fodder for a whole blog!), and I'm perusing airline fares and schedules. 

Two special events to look forward to this year, besides the practices and games, of course. First, I'm finally going to meet Austin - the author of The Bottom Line blog. We've exchanged dozens of emails and tweets over the past year, but we've never actually met in person. Also, assuming that it doesn't get cancelled or postponed, my sister and I are planning to go to Cape Canaveral for the shuttle launch on March 18. (That's not a very safe assumption - I've tried to catch a launch during Spring Training before, and it was postponed due to hail damage.) 

So lots to look forward to! Meanwhile, I'll be a bit more attentive to writing in my blog and to posting pictures on my Astros Fan in Exile Daily Booth. Now that we're getting into the homestretch, it's time to figure out who are all those strangers that Ed Wade picked up this winter, and to review which of the farm guys I want to check out. After watching nearly every game of the season, and recognizing every player at a glance, it's weird to go to Spring Training and to see a bunch of strange faces. But after a couple of days (and a few hundred photos), they start to look more familiar.  By the time that the season starts, they'll all just look like ASTROS!

I hear it might snow again on Monday. Go ahead, snow! In a month I'll be sitting in the sun in Florida, and that gives me plenty of warm thoughts. Maybe not quite warm enough to offset a multi-day power outage during a blizzard. But pretty fine, pretty damn fine.