Baseball!

A friend had some extra tickets to this weekend's Mariners games that he couldn't use, so hubby-Eric and I took today's tickets off his hands. So I got to go to the first game I've been to in a LONG time.

So hubby-Eric and I left the pugless house of not-so-many horrors this morning to go to the Mariners game via the bus. I was wearing my brand new Mariners jersey that hubby-Eric got me for Christmas and an M's cap while Eric was wearing his red Seattle Rainiers cap.

Because of my exercise kick, we walked down five blocks to the bus stop and had perfect timing, getting there just as the bus arrived. It was a nice ride down on one of those extended buses. When I got on the bus, the driver asked me when the game was, probably anticipating the crowds.

We got off the bus a few blocks from the stadium and started a nice leisurely walk toward the stadium. But as we were walking, Eric noticed Ebbets Field Flannels store on our way, and we went in to check it out. To our surprise, the Seattle Rainiers jerseys were on sale. A BIG sale. And Eric had just been telling me that morning how much he wanted one. So we walked out of the store with Eric wearing his brand new Seattle Rainers jersey.

It was a pleasant walk to the stadium, and The Safe is a nice field. We found our seats, then wandered a bit before the game started. I went down and got last year's media guide (I collect them) and I got some window clings and other free goodies.

On the way back up, Eric got some garlic fries. As we reached our seats, the rain was coming down pretty good, so we watched in mild dismay as the roof closed. It remained closed the entire game, despite the sun coming out in the later innings. We think the roof being closed might have contributed to what happened to me as the game progressed.

Eric left during the bottom of the second to get a drink, and I noticed that my throat was getting a little itchy. I started to cough a bit, and when Eric came back with his drink I gratefully sipped a bit. It didn't help. My throat tightened up severely, and I started to cough. As the bottom of the third rolled around, I started to think I would need to go get some fresh air or something, I kept coughing so bad. The M's got on a little scoring roll, and I just couldn't leave. As soon as the inning ended, Eric helped me down from the stands.

I felt a lot better once I was out in the breeze, but I continued to cough and I could tell there wasn't a lot of air getting into my lungs. I've never felt the sensation before in my life. It was like my body was desperate to get something out of my system while at the same time not let anything else in. After we walked around the stadium a bit, the sensation went away, and I began to feel pretty good again.

We got some ice cream, watched a little from the lower decks, then headed back to our seats.

It only took a few minutes sitting there in our seats before the horrible sensation of not being able to breathe came back. I lasted through the eighth inning, but then I had to leave because I simply could not breathe. It got to the point where I could barely talk because I was coughing so badly. Once we got out into the breeze, I felt a little tiny bit better, but I felt like throwing up and I could barely walk from lack of air.

Eric suggested I go to the first aid station, which was luckily very near our seats. When we got there, a woman was being taken away on a stretcher, so they didn't notice me for a little while as they dealt with her. When they noticed me, they asked if I was ok, and I said, "no". I was brought into the aid station but they couldn't figure out what was wrong, as every second I was getting better. They let me leave with strict instructions to go to a doctor if the problem started again.

Away from our seats, walking up to the bus stop, I felt much better. My throat was a little raw from coughing, and my chest hurt a bit too, but the walking was pleasant with the sun out and crowds of fans from the game headed our way. We caught the bus a little further from the stadium than necessary, and had a mostly pleasant ride back.

Behind us on the bus was a young nerd talking with a woman. He had all the right lines, and it was a pleasure to listen to as he angled for a date. Since we were riding right through the University district, there were a lot of student types around. At one point, the nerd in question had a friend interrupt his chat, but overall it seemed to go well for him. He left with a phone number.

After our adventure out, we approached the pug house of horrors and saw the camper parked along the street. Sure enough, as I approached the gate, the younger pug Buster came running out to bark at me. He was absolutely thrilled to see Eric and I, as was Buddy, the older pug. We learned why in moments, as the pugs had been abandoned by both parents for a bit and were very pleased to have someone to harass. When we went downstairs to see the grandparents, Nancy was down there. We talked for a moment downstairs and could hear the pugs whining and scratching at the stairwell door. Ah. Pugs.

So now I'm home after a bit less than five weeks of house-sitting. It was fun, but it's nice to be home.