Trains, Baseball & O, Brother

I've been called many a name in my life, but some of my favorites come from that brother of mine who seems to be progressively slipping into a permanent child-like state. After the Angel game last night (which was a great game even though we lost) my brother had asked me to ride with him in so that he might make use of the carpool lane (which we all know at 11 p.m. isn't congested at all). Not wanting to break the bonds of brotherhood so early in our reconciliation phase, I accepted his offer with the forethought that it would be a difficult ride. Fortunately, I wasn't driving and therefore was exempt from being yelled at for vehicular reasons. The ride started off the way I normally am when I'm in a vehicle. Silent. I like silence, for it is golden. Eh, nevermind. Don't really wanna go there right now. Let's just say that Brother's thoughts for my liking and doing things are for some sort of trendy reason. I say that there's a big difference between the hipster trend and me simply disliking most everything but finding amusement in the simple and the obscure and the people who I consider personal heroes. But one thing I will say, you messed up three times. Not you guys. The brother.

Reasons I had to manejar con my brother? I made use of the Amtrak "Surfliner" railway this time around to save on gas and because it dropped me right at the stadium. The train is a fun way to travel. It's like a bus, but doesn't smell bad and is devoid of raving derelicts. Which is nice if you want to sleep, but are worried a bum may deposit his or her droppings near you or stab you. I imagine it'll be my method of travel when I return to the homeland so as to give Marionette a bit of a rest. She's strong, but I've gotta be gentle with her. I also discovered that if you buy a ticket for an unreserved seat on the Surfliner train you don't actually have to use it for the date purchased. It's good for an entire year after that point, which is nice in case a plan to go home or whatnot is canceled and the ticket was for that particular day. I'm not sure what the deal is with round-trip rides, but I imagine it's the same since it's simply two separate tickets. I just buy one when I leave and one when I come back, so long as there's a kiosk and a station agent I'm fine. Not that any of this really matters or even interests you all, but it's nice for me.

The ball game was (as I mentioned earlier) great. I'm a bit upset that we blew it in the 9th, but the game was intense and a whole lot of fun. My folks scored tickets right near the right-field foul pole and my pa even managed to get a practice ball. I also saw a glimpse of hope for the future while I was there. A regular Joe non-DB with a non-bleethed out Hott. With a ring. Enjoying the game with an absence of PDA. There's a chance for us yet.