Yesterday was my lucky day.

Yesterday was my lucky day. No, seriously, it was.
Two weeks ago I spotted the following announcement on the Texas Photo Forum, an online forum that I used to surf religiously and that I now only occasionally surf because, well, frankly, it keeps growing and I can’t keep up anymore! (Oh, the pains of being old.) ANYWAY, here is the announcement I saw:
MLB Photos is looking for runners to work the 2005 World Series in the following cities: New York, Boston, Chicago, Anaheim, Atlanta, San Diego, Houston and St. Louis. You must be at least 18 years old and be able to work EVERY home game in your city. Runners will be responsible for taking CF cards, batteries, etc. to the various photo positions. Payment will be $75.00 per game. If you are interested in being a candidate, email your name, address, social security number, phone number and email address to [name], Photo Editor of MLB Photos at: [name]@mlb.com. Please, do not call. We will get back to you.
Of course I immediately sent in my name and information and a generic “I’d really love this opportunity” note. What an amazing experience that would be! It’s not the most glamorous job — running CF cards back and forth? whee. — but the opportunity is priceless. To be at the games, behind the scenes, seeing how sports photography works on a professional, big game level.
For two weeks I heard nothing, then, on Tuesday afternoon I got an email from the Photo Editor asking me for a headshot to use on credentials if I was selected to work as a runner. Whoa! I still had a chance! I quickly took a crappy headshot and emailed it in with another “I’d really love this opportunity to learn more about professional sports photography” bit that sounded cheesy but was also totally sincere. A lot of other people from the photo forum got the same email, so we all crossed our fingers. Yesterday before I got home, I checked a thread on the forum where everyone was saying “I didn’t get selected…neither did I…neither did I…oh well…” I drove home thinking, well, at least I’ll be going to Game 4 with Chris (who has my undying love for offering the ticket).
I got home and checked my email. I had one from the MLB Photo Editor. I blinked.
You have been selected to work as a Photo Runner at the 2005 World Series games in Houston. Please confirm your availability. The Runner’s meeting where you will pick up your credentials will be held on [date] at [time] at Minute Maid Park.
NO WAY! I got selected! I will be working as a photo runner at Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) of the World Series! I’ll have credentials! I’ll be running around to the camera pits and under the stadium! I’ll get to meet and talk to professional baseball photographers and MLB photo editors!
This is so cool. This is so cool. As an aspiring (very aspiring, but also very amateur) sports photographer myself, I cannot believe my luck! Being a baseball photographer is one of my dream jobs, and now I’ll get to meet some of the people that have my dream job! This is so cool.
The funniest part is that half of the people I’ve told have reacted differently than I expected. Instead of “that’s so cool,” they say “but Sarah, you won’t be able to watch all of the games.” I don’t understand this reaction. Yes, I am a huge baseball fan, and yes, I am a huge Astros fan, and yes, I would love to see the games. But I would never in a million years give up the chance to work, even if it’s grunt work like this, for professional baseball photographers. If I don’t get to see any of the games, so be it. I’ll still be in the stadium, and hearing it. And if I do get to catch glimpses of the games, it might be from field level.
I am so pumped.
And yesterday was my lucky day for more than that. Yes, if that’s not enough, there is this: I got a phone call from Katie (otherwise known as the coolest sister in the world, you only wish your sister was as cool as mine) who told me that she’d gotten an email from the Astros saying she’d been picked in a 2nd chance drawing for World Series tickets. So this morning at 10:00 with Jason watching anxiously and providing his credit card number, we used Katie’s luck and email address to buy four standing-room-only tickets, two for Game 4 and two for Game 5 (we’re betting on neither team sweeping). Barring an unlikely reversal in my status as photo runner, I have turned over those tickets to Jason and Jen, who also now think Katie is the coolest person on the planet.
This is a great day.