Monday, April 2, 2012

Day Two Hundred and Five

The Humble Greensboro Abode


In a single day of living in Greensboro, I’ve learned more about life in the minor leagues than I thought possible. When you hear the horror stories of long bus rides and cramped living spaces, you tend to shake them off .They just don’t resonate completely. It can't be that bad, right?! Well, no, not for the two guys living in apartment C. But the others? I don’t know how they’re managing something as simple as a shower. Let me explain.

This morning, when we woke up for breakfast, we knew exactly where we’d get our food: in the refrigerator, of course. I cooked the boys up some professional-style goulash; I’m getting pretty good at breakfast foods. I don’t think the story was comparable to any other players on the team though. Our apartment is a two bedroom, 1 ½ bath, with a decent sized master. The building was probably built in the 70s and furnished with very reasonable furniture. Actually, I’d take the couches here over our Wal-Mart one in storage back in Jupiter. Each room has two used twin beds, and four guys usually share the apartment. Not so bad, right? Well, here’s the other side of the story. Since the boys’ residence is so temporary, and they’re without anything other than clothes, dependence lies solely in the boosters for living supplies. Here’s what was in Adam and Charlie’s forest green mesh laundry bags:

4 used towels
4 hand towels
4 sets of used sheets
4 plastic, bright green plates
3 wine glasses
3 cups
7 mismatched bowls
2 mugs (one with a heart handle)
4 knives
4 forks
4 spoons
2 rolls of toilet paper
1 paper towel roll
1 comforter (only 1)
1 1950s pot
1 1960s pan
1 spatula
2 bags of top ramen
2 boxes of macaroni
Some crackers

At first glance, definitely do-able. The things they were given are appreciated greatly and will find their use daily in our apartment. At second glance, though, uuuuuhhhh? Charlie is 6’3” 240 and is sleeping on a twin mattress. I feel slightly guilty with our Cal-King. There was only one comforter, so if hadn’t brought ours, we’d be shivering all night. No pillows. Charlie borrowed one of ours. And showering without a shower curtain is a skill I’ve yet to acquire. No hand soap, no kitchen soap, no trash can, no knives, no plunger, no toaster, no coffee pot, no cutting board, no hangars, no internet, no washer, no dryer, no kitchen towels. And that macaroni they were given? I don’t cook it ever, but I’m pretty sure you need milk and butter to make it? Haha :) The air conditioner doesn’t work, and the toilet seats slide off every time you sit down.  Only one or two guys have a car down here, so even if some boys wanted to go to Wal-Mart, they’d have to walk 2 ½ miles back with grocery bags hanging over their arms. Hey, that kinda sounds like what Adam and I did the first month in Florida! It’s very safe to say that Adam and Charlie are living it big in Greensboro. Definitely. Because I brought almost everything we weren’t given from the Jupiter apartment! They have it good: a shower with a curtain and floor mat, and a little wife/mom to prepare their meals. Its definitely much different than I envisioned, but we’re doing great, and loving the experience! Adam says life in the minor leagues is the best motivation for life in the big leagues. I think Ill take his word on it!

In other news, and this certainly is news, Adam is starting on Thursday, the first game of the season and opening day in Greensboro!!!!! He’s honored to have been given the ball on such a special day, and excited to get back on the mound. Oh and the local news stations today interviewed him and some other guys too! Here’s one write up:


Ah! So fun.

Oh, and sorry the text looks different. I had to type it first on Word and then copy/paste it onto the website because we don’t have internet in our apartment. Currently, Adam and I are sitting in the truck outside of a closed-down Home Depot, using their free wi-fi to upload the blog. It’s 11:32 here. Hahaha. 

1 comment:

  1. Home Depot? Aww that just made my day! Gratz to Acon on the opening day start!

    ReplyDelete