Sunday Potpourri No. 9

Today's post comes with the Standard Sunday Disclaimer: "The post title is using the term 'potpourri' in the second of the two senses listed here. The post may also be rather short, although not necessarily so."

Why, Atlantic?

I paid a visit to Atlantic, Iowa yesterday. I spent a decade of my life there, but I haven't visited for a long time. As I hit the city limits, I was reminded of the very first time I ever went there, and was greeted by this sign...

Now, as big a fan of Coca-Cola as I am, this was definitely an encouraging development, and in fact not long after that visit (part of my "Will Teach for Food" job-seeking tour of the midwest in 2004) I took a teaching gig here that was one of the peak experiences of my life.

But yesterday, I was greeted at the city limits by this sign instead...

I was living in Atlantic when the signs (there's one at the city limits of every road that leads into town) changed, so I've been bugged by this for awhile, but it was yesterday's visit that brought it back to mind. What kind of person could prefer the newer version of that sign to the older one?

"Some people just want change for the sake of change, you know?"

I suppose...but not all change is progress, and not all movement is forward...

Things That Make Me Happy: Happy Endings Edition

After scoring only a single run over the final 8 innings of a 4-3 road loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, my beloved Kansas City Royals were shut out 4-0 on Friday in the opener of a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium. In Game 2 of the series last night, the team trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 7th. Starter Danny Duffy had pitched brilliantly, giving up only that single run on three hits in his six innings of work. Inexplicably, the Royals had been unable to dent Astros starter Scott Feldman (4-5, 4.54 ERA), though, and so heading into the bottom of the 7th they had only scored a single run in their last 23 innings. Feldman had only given up a 1st-inning single, so things were looking grim...

After a single, a ground-rule double, and an intentional walk, a sacrifice fly by All-Star catcher Salvador Perez tied the game 1-1. It stayed that way until the bottom of the 10th inning. Rookie Paulo Orlando singled, stole second, and scored on a bloop single by All-Star shortstop Alcides Escobar...

"Sometimes a bloop is as good as a blast."

After not having one the first three months of the season, the Royals have now had four walk-off wins in July. The series with the Astros concludes this afternoon, with struggling Yordano Ventura matched up with Astros All-Star starter Dallas Keuchel.

Believe It or Not...

Even on hot, muggy days like today is going to be, you're not going to find me at my apartment complex's swimming pool.

That's because:

• I never learned how to swim
• I get sunburned just looking at pictures of the sun

The Fast Lane of Genius

Until Next Time...

Like most people, I am prone to the earworm problem: I hear a piece of music, and can't seem to get it out of my head for awhile. This morning, while watching a TV show, I heard an excerpt from Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92. Specifically, it was the second movement, one of the most familiar passages in the entire Beethoven oeuvre. There are worse things than having Beethoven stuck in your head, certainly.

Today's send-off is the second movement, taken from the legendary 1963 recording by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Herbert von Karajan. It is accompanied by a fascinating graphic representation of the music. Enjoy...