ESPN Broadcast Center

Last night we decided to check out the Super Bowl goings on in Scottsdale. ESPN built their Broadcast Center at the Scottsdale Waterfront which is right next to the Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Some of my longer training runs brought me right by there and I recall all the construction going on. They were busy making sure that the Waterfront was ready for the big event.

We parked at the Fashion Square garage near Nordstrom. The tent for the big 944 event was right across the street where Wyclef Jean, Paul Oakenfold, Velvet Revolver, and Paris Hilton will be on Thursday. We walked across South Bridge and saw Channel 12 news broadcasting from the third floor. Tram Mai and her co-anchor waved at us.



The ESPN Broadcast Center was an impressive tent with cameras, lights, and plasma TVs everywhere, even the mini football field that ESPN uses to demonstrate plays. They weren't filming at the time, but earlier that day Terrell Owens was there.



We sat on the patio at a nearby restaurant for drinks. Brian took Trenton to look at the broadcast center when Emmitt Smith walks by him to access the ESPN entrance ramp. I was bummed that I forgot his camera at home, so we had to settle for camera phone pictures. In the picture above, Emmitt is wearing the white dress shirt and yellow tie. He stood with the broadcasters on the "football field" rehearsing as the cameraman tried out different angles.. It was another hour before they would actually start shooting, and he didn't come out to the sidelines and sign autographs either. He did give as a wave, but we didn't want to wait around too long, so we left.

Greenskeeper

I AM SO THERE!!
It does pay to have the hook-ups, doesn't it?

Thanks, JD! Sorry, you won't be able to use these, but Happy Super XLII Birthday, anyway!!

At Brady's House

Tomorrow, the Patriots will be arriving in Phoenix for Super Bowl Week. They'll be staying just a couple miles down the street from me at The Westin Kierland Resort. We actually went by the hotel yesterday. We sat in the lobby for a bit. There were several seating areas with couches and small wooden tables directly in front of the seats."If I engraved 'Go Pats!' in the wood, do you think the team will see it?", I asked my husband. He assured me that the Westin would probably not appreciate me defacing their lobby furniture.

Around sunset we went behind the resort to relax by the firepit overlooking the golf course and lake. As I looked up at the guest rooms above, I wondered which of these windows Tom will be looking out of next week.

It was 5 o'clock and the sun was getting ready to set when a lone bagpiper in full on Scottish regalia walks out to the 18th green and begins playing. The instrument is mesmerizing and the juxtaposition of the Scottish Highlands with the High Desert was surreal. Nice touch, Kierland.

World Alarm Clock

Is this a wake up call or what?! This is crazy to think all this is happening right now. This World Clock shows different world happenings using past statistics and estimates calculated from the beginning of the period you select.

I like clicking on NOW, and as I had the site open for 3 minutes there were 95 hectares of Forest lost. Births, deaths, Marriages, Divorce, Cases of Dengue Fever, all kinds of stuff. Pretty depressing, come to think of it.

The Undead Finishes the Race

After 6 hours of running, your not always at your best for a photo op, as evidenced by my friends Finish Photo here.

His thoughts: "Not sure if I was doing an impression of Night of the Living Dead, praying to some god for not killing me during the race, or just prepping for total system failure. I don’t really remember what I was thinking at the moment I crossed the finish line. Perhaps you could all suggest some appropriate captions."

Would it have killed you to hold your arms up at least until you cross the finish line? Oh wait, maybe it was killing you.

The Patriots Take the Cake

My buddy from Billerica, MA had a party for the Patriots v. Chargers game. This is it, who's going to the Super Bowl?? To prove my Kismet theory for the perfect storm of Tom Brady, me and the Counting Crows all in Phoenix, AZ at the same time, the Patriots HAD to win. I was nervous.

Earlier that Sunday I was working on my dessert that I was bringing to the party. My daughter wanted to play on her Nintendo DS, but the battery was low. She came into the kitchen and asked "Mom, have you seen the charger for this?!" I snapped at her "You are NOT allowed to say Charger in this house! Not today!"

She jumped at first then laughed, "Mom!"



But they did it! The Patriots won. I was able to enjoy the dessert I made especially for this occasion, Cheesecake squares with the Patriots logo.

After the game, Tara left to join her Green Bay friends to watch the second game. She pulled out her Cheese Bra that she will be sporting at the other party. She wore this on Opening Day and was tailgating in Green Bay when some guy walks by and bites a big chunk off the right cheese-boob and runs off. You can't really see it in the picture, but it was a sizeable chunk.

Old Guys Rule

I feel like the hare getting dusted by the tortoise right at the finish line.

I totally thought I passed this guy up at the finish and in my confidence I'm seen in this photo smiling and waving at the cameras. There I am at the right with my favorite pink running visor.

"I did it! I rocked! I ran!"

But look closely at the photo finish and you see "Old Guys Rule" slipping by me on my right during my early celebration.

I saw this picture and thought "You must be kidding me!!"

Doing my investigative work, I took his bib number and looked up his time, 5:46:47. The 59 year old beat me by 3 freakin' seconds!!

I guess this old guy does rule. I tip my pink visor to you.

I'm ba-ack!!

That's right. I'm back to Blogger.
But no, I didn't go on hiatus. I actually have been blogging here on my MySpace profile.

I've decided that 2008 is the year to simplify and consolidate. So, this is where I'm going to stay. One blog, indivisible, with literary license and justice for all.