I am back in Atlanta after my third trip to Alabama in three weeks. It feels good to be back home and with no plans to travel in the foreseeable future. I went back this weekend to be in my long time buddy’s, BP, wedding. It was good times had by all and I wanted to wish him and Erin all the best one more time.
BP’s wedding, coupled with another long time friend’s recent engagement (Congrats to Shef and Melissa) got me to thinking. Once Sheffer ties the knot (no date currently set), that will be the last of my core group of keep in touch with on a regular basis friends to get married.
All of these weddings/engagements have taken place within the last 20 months. Now, you may be asking yourselves, “so, what is the big deal?” or “why should I care about the time frame of these aforementioned exchanging of, or promise to the future exchanging of vows?” Well, it was only 20months ago that LB and I promised our lives to each other. That’s right. It appears that I stepped up, took the plunge and all the other lemmings followed suit.
I would like to think it was because of my bravery of being the 
first to Cuz to enter into wedlock that I gave the rest of the other Cuzes the courage to do it as well. I would like to think that I led the charge, sort of like William Wallace leading the Scots against the English. My face might as well have had blue war paint on it as I stood at the alter waiting on my beautiful bride to make her way down the aisle. Like Harriet Tubman helping those unfortunate ones through the Underground Railroad, I led each of my buddies from the entrapping web of single hood and into the wonderful blissfulness of conjugal fortitude. (Some may think this metaphor is a bit reversed, comparing escaping slavery to entering marriage…they may be right.) On that faithful day back in April of ’06, I picked up my chisel and put the first nick in the Berlin Wall of Cuz Matrimony. Now, we are a guesstimated less than 5-7 months away until the whole Wall comes tumbling down. I couldn’t be more proud.
I know there must be a lot of disappointed ladies out there now that there are no remaining eligible cuzes, but they will just have to deal. On the flip side, there are a select few, very lucky ladies out there and I welcome them to our close knit fraternity. Here's to many years of hanging out with them and their husbands, thanks to the day when I became a revolutionary.
Me, a Revolutionist?
Mancation Dos: Somewhat Disappointing
The Moore clan is back in full force. LB and Ada (and Aunt Sarah) arrived back in Atlanta this afternoon, thus ending my Mancation Dos. Though, this mancation was quite a bit longer than the last, it was far less eventful. I was baching it up for a good 6 night/5 day time span, with nothing really to show for it, as you can tell from the extensive blogging hiatus.
I have been trying to figure out why this mecation oozed by, compared to most, with nothing really happening. I can't really put my finger on any particular reason, but I have narrowed it down to a few possible causes.
1) I began Mancation Dos by driving back from Scottsboro after attending a wedding weekend. Though being full of excitement for Amy and Todd, a wedding is high a top the list of girlyfied events, somewhere just above baby showers and ballets. It's a proven scientific fact that testosterone levels drop every 15 minutes for every male in attendance (except for the pastor and the groom.) So, as you can see, I didn't get a very manly start. Now, if I had been driving back from Scottsboro after a monster truck rally or a gun show, this post would probably be headed in a totally different direction.
2) Yes, it was a 6 night/5 day mancation, but it was split up into two different time frames. If you remember from my previous post, it takes me a few days to get going. At the beginning stages, I like to lie around and soak up my time of slothfulness. I think, maybe, the break up between Mancation Dos 2.1 and 2.2 really affected the whole event. I never really got started, never was able to fully plan out my Xbox playing:man movie watching time ratio to fully maximize my alone time. It was like I got so excited about being able to do anything I wanted with the TV time, that I really didn't do anything at all. Now, I am on the computer and Gilmore Girls: Season 7 (TV on DVD, which means it is endless) is on the TV....sigh.
3) Lastly, a lot of my man hours were spent trying to calculate the number of bums that have graced the 54 year old porcelain wonder at Casa de Owens. My good friend Tank and his fellow-blogging wife BowenOwens recently purchased a very nice older home in a quaint little neighborhood in Huntsville. Amanda(BowenOwen) innocently mentioned in the comment section of the previous post how much she scrubbed the bathroom when they moved due the 54yrs worth of other people's dirt and pandemonium broke after that. There was crucial time spent working on numerous calculations to analyze the total number of posteriors that have rested upon their throne, and we still haven't come to a final conclusion. You might as well file the Owens' toilet in the same folder as the Bermuda Triangle or Bigfoot, the world may just never know.....
Yes, Mancation Dos is over and yes, it wasn't the best mancation that I've ever had. I am very happy to have LB and Ada back, but am a little disappointed with how I spent my man time this go round. As you know, it is very precious and it feels somewhat wasted. With all the recent traveling that we have been doing, there is no Mancation 3.0 in sight. This just means there will be plenty of time to plan Mancation 3.0, so that it will be that much more awesome.
Thoughts on the new house
It has been ages since I have posted, and as soon as I read Scott's post, I felt the need to share my opinions about our new home. I always have to get my two cents in.
First and foremost, I am so excited and grateful for our new home. When I saw that positive pregnancy test, and we were living in that tiny, tiny one bedroom apartment, my tiny, finite, human brain could not wrap itself around any possible way that God was going to provide a home for our growing family. A year later, we are buying a home with plenty of room for any more children that God wants to bless us with. It truly blows me away. So please know, that I am so grateful and excited.
On that note, I have to discuss the "cookie-cutterness" of it all. I love old homes. I love the character, the story, the nooks and crannies, and the old tree lined streets. This is one of the main reasons I loved my college home so much. For a long time I despised cookie cutter homes. I always thought that Scott and I would buy a charming little house that needed lots of work, and we would spend months fixing it up until every corner reflected our personalities. And then...the baby was born. I have never been a germophobe at all, and I like a clean house as much as the next person, but I am certainly no neat freak. Well, this odd thing happened during the third trimester of my pregnancy--I began to obsess about cleaning our apartment. I say obsess because I am not talking putting dishes up and folding clothes, I am talking much time spent on my hands and knees in all my nine month hugeness scrubbing every corner of our apartment. However, our apartment was built in the 80s, so no matter what I did, I could not get it clean enough. This is when the idea of a brand new house began to really, really appeal to me. Imagine, the first person to use the bathrooms, step on the carpet, cook in the kitchen. The problem, of course, was that Scott and I certainly could not afford to build our own, brand new home, and this is where the glorious planned community comes in. It is brand new, it provides much needed space, and best of all, it is affordable. And so I said, bring on the cookie cutter home. So, behold our home, that looks just like every other house on the street, but I am so thankful for it. It is so clean, so new, and best of all, this new mother will not have to do any work to it. It is an impossible thing for me to imagine remodeling an old home with a baby on my hip.
For now, I put the dream of an original craftsman home on the shelf, but I still believe that one day, I will live in a house covered in history and character.
Moore Manor
Well, it is official, I went down and closed on the house yesterday. We are officially home owners now. (I did the math, and going back to college, I have paid $34,000 in rent, so I am actually looking forward to a mortgage.) We are fired up and can't wait to move in. Sadly, it probably won't be until mid-January until we will be able to move since LB and Ada will be in Alabama until the end of the year. I don't want to steal LB's thunder because I know she probably wants to post about the house. I won't say that much, but since I did go sign my name over a 100 times for over an hour, I felt I could sneak a picture in. She will probably come back with more pictures and details. Below, is a picture of our street.
Doesn't it remind you of the theme song of The Wonder Year's?
Monday Quick Hits
It's a very busy Monday today. After missing last Thursday, I am having to play catch up at work today. I'll hit some highlights and hopefully have something a little more substantial tomorrow.
First of all, congratulations to Amy and Todd on tying the knot this weekend. There is no doubt that the Lord brought them together and will do great things in their lives. Todd is a leader of the Navigator's ministries at Auburn University, so if anybody wants to make any holiday donations to their ministries, let me know and I will get you their info. Another plus from their wedding weekend, the Holiday Inn Express. It was very impressive, high class. It was clean, neat, the bed was very comfortable and even had two different pillows that were eloquently labeled, 'firm' and 'soft', so I could select my personal desired level of pillow consistency. It may have won me over as a life long patron.
On Friday afternoon, during one of LB's girly parties, I got to see I Am Legend. It was the first time that I got to see a movie in the theater since Ada was born, so I was very excited. It ending up being a good movie, too. I would say that is the best zombie movie that I have ever seen. Of course, I haven't seen too many zombie movies, so, that isn't really saying much, but I would give it a solid B. Don't let the zombie premise scare you off, it was a very tastefully done movie about the undead. It had a lot of cool cinematography scenes of a desolate New York City, of what NYC may look like if there was only one man living where 8 million used to. This did give it a slight Cast Away feel with a little urban twist. There also were some nicely done flashback scenes that were used to catch you up to date on how things got to the way they were. Yes, the basis of the plot may be a little out there, but it is Sci-Fi, what do you expect? I would say that it is worth dropping a 10 spot and checking it out in the theaters if you get the chance. (If you see it, let me know what you think.)
Since the wedding this weekend happened to be about 1hr or so away LB's hometown and this coming weekend we would be going back for Christmas anyway, LB and Ada decided they would stay back in Alabama and leave me free to roam Atlanta as a bachelor once again. I don't have big plans this go round. I'll just miss the first round out bowl games. Now, that would have been perfect, oh well. If anybody has any good man movies that you have watched recently, I am open to suggestions.
Finally, remember the big scare at the work place last week? When Fresh Express was on lock down? Well, that little incident sparked an article on cnn.com. Turns out, ATL is the nation's bank robbery capitol...comforting. In a one year span, the were 350 bank robberies in the Atlanta metro area, that is almost 30 a month, crazy!
Ok, I am done wasting your time for today. Hopefully tomorrow I will have something actually worth mentioning.
Morrow Ain't No Mayberry
I don't work in the most luxurious of cities, Morrow, GA. Morrow is a very industrial little suburb in the southwest corner of Atlanta, just outside the perimeter on I-75 South. There are a few quaint little neighborhoods and you do have your fair share of chain restaurants, but for the most part, it is industrial manufacturing plants, railroad tracks, and used car dealerships. I like to refer to it as the armpit of Atlanta; it has very few of the positives of Atlanta with many of the negatives.
That is the city as a whole, but let’s dial down a little tighter and describe the street I work on. There is dreadfully little on the street at all. There are very few buildings on the street, all brick and all the streets are a sea of concrete. I work in an office that is attached to about four other offices, sort of in a strip mall type fashion, nestled into the corner of a huge shipping/receiving type area for 18-wheelers. Right across the street from the offices, there is a DUI/Defensive Driving School/GED. Everyday there is a crowd huddled outside this "school” that is made up of some really rough looking people, let's just say I would not let them baby-sit Ada.
Ok, I had to set the scene for the story that happened to me today. I am sitting at my desk, it's about noonish and I am running some of my market research reports and all of a sudden my boss, Mike, pops over to my cube-ominium and says, “You hear that?” I listened intently for a second and caught the whirling sound of a helicopter. I returned with the obvious, “Sounds like a helicopter?” with a slight hint of a question in my tone. He said, “Yeah, that sound usually means that someone robbed the bank down on the corner. You might want to go get anything you may need out of your car ‘cause we are going to lock all the doors for a while.” The sound of the helicopter had gotten much louder by this point, as if it were hovering right overhead. I am thinking, ‘Ok, if the helicopter feels the need to hover right over our building as it is looking for an armed bank robber, I can’t really think of anything in my car that I may need. Thanks though.’
Our office is really small, about 35-40 people, so you can see pretty much from one side of the office to other and everyone in between. I see my boss walking over to the customer service department and huddling them up. As he is going to inform them, I decide to man up and go take a peek outside. When I cracked the door to see out, I could see two police cars hanging out right in the middle of our parking lot. Interesting. Back to Mike and the customer service ladies. I see Mike finishing up delivering the news and upon his completion the only response, “Again!”
Apparently, this is a pretty common occurrence for this neck of the woods. I don’t know if our parking lot is a good hide out or what, but it sure seemed like that is what the cops were thinking with all the patrol cars, sirens, and helicopters. The crazy thing, I never heard anything else about it either. After about an hour, everything was back to normal. I guess it’s just another day in Morrow, Georgia. One things for certain, it sure ain’t no Mayberry.
Ada and the Boys
I really am feeling guilty about all of the recent sports related posts and I do apologize to those of you who stop by to catch up on little Ada. It does ease the conscience a bit that, today, I actually do have an Ada story from this weekend for you. Well, the story isn't really about Ada, but it was originated because of her.
Also, there is some content that may be meant for more mature audiences, so if you are offended easily, please stop reading now. This is a family friendly blog, so it isn't that bad, but I felt the need to forewarn.
This past weekend, we had a "bachelor gathering" for BP (don't worry, this isn't the mature part.) He is getting married in a few weeks and we had to celebrate. Gathering, because I don't think what we did could justifiably, be called a bachelor's party, like I said more of just a gathering of old friends. Everybody drove into Atlanta Friday night, once they were all here, headed to a 12:30am movie (Granted, I couldn't make the movie due to my new found fatherhood. I couldn't leave LB at the house until the wee hours of the morning. What kind of Father would I be?). Then, everybody woke up Saturday and went to breakfast (at 12:00) at a place called Thumbs Up Diner in eclectic Decatur, GA and afterwards went to play football at a park downtown. After football, BP had to get out of Dodge because he was set on making it back to Guntersville for their annual Christmas parade….true story.
It was in that delectable little diner where our story unfolds. However, that is not where it begins. It began when LB remembered she had a haircut appointment the weekend of this bachelor jamboree. The only solution we could come up with would be me just coming home when it was time for her to go get her haircut to babysit Ada for that hour or so. In case you are wondering, there was no canceling this appointment because she has to be in a wedding this coming weekend, so skipping the haircut, not an option. We originally thought, by 12, the fellas should be tired from all the football anyway. Not really the case. The morning is ticking away and we haven’t even gotten a phone call, much less gone to breakfast yet. Finally, we get the call from the guys around 11:30, which left me with no other option. I packed Ada up and took her out with the boys.
I thought twice about it, I didn’t know what everyone’s reaction to a 4mo old's presence at this bachelor’s shindig would be. When we showed up, Ada was warmly received. I was pleased. Everything was going well, the guys who weren’t scared to hold her got their chance and Ada got to meet her Uncle Tank for the first time (Don't worry Aunt BowenOwen, your time is coming soon). I knew, based on the time of the previous feeding, that I had until about 12:15 until Ada would start getting hungry and right on cue, the fussiness began. I assured BP it wasn’t anything he had done, she just cries when she gets hungry, it’s normal. I left the guys meandering around outside waiting on our table to be called ready and went inside to feed her. While I was feeding her, our table got called and all the other guys found their seats. Another 5min and the feeding session was over. It was a very successful feeding: she drank it all, there was no fussing, there was a burp, but no spit up. I was feeling good about my parenting skills.
I got to the table, and asked the waitress for a high chair. When she brought it, I did the ol’ flip it over and sit the carrier on top of the upside down high chair trick. It fit beautifully, so this impressed many of the guys, adding to the sense of pride in my parenting skills built up from the previous successful feeding. Soon the conversations were going, we were talking about politics, who should win the Heisman, mortgage rates, then, I am still unaware of how it came up, but the number of Ada’s “used” diapers came up. I explained that with a breastfed baby, it was normal for them to go a few days without a dirty diaper, but teetee diapers were very common. This statement struck a cord…..breastfed??? But, I just had fed and there were no breasts around? How could this be? I then got to give a tutorial about the (gasp!) breast pump. The conversation went similar to this (names were withheld to protect the innocent):
Male1:A what?
Me: A breast pump.
Male1: What is that?
Me: A device used to extract breast milk for just such occasions as today.
Male1: Does it have like tubes and cans and stuff?
Me: It has two big suction cups, with tubes coming off them and two little bottles to catch the milk.
Male1: Does it hurt?
Male2: No man, it's just like if it was Ada.
Male 1: Is it loud?
Me: You can barely hear it, but it is very rhythmic. Close your eyes and it is very soothing, sort like the waves crashing into a sandy beach. (I meant this comparison to highlight the relaxingness of the rhythmic sounds, but I think it may have come across as comparing the noise of ocean waves to milk running into the bottles, oh well.)
Male 1: Is it electric or does it need batteries?
Me: It's not electric, but you have to plug it in.
I realized the foolishness of what I had just said a moment too late. The guys started making fun of me for saying something electric doesn't have to be plugged in and the conversation swung just like that. I am sure we then moved on to something much more macho, who ever heard of talking about breast pumps during a bachelor breakfast bonanza? The rest of the breakfast went really well and Ada was very good. She even fell asleep on the way to drop her off back at home, confirming her comfortableness with the guys. All in all, it was a very successful first outing with the Cuzes for Ada, she got to meet a few people for the first time and her eating habits were thoroughly discussed. I just wanted to share this one more milestone to add to her ever growing list.
Now, because I have one less tooth than I did two days ago, I am off to eat some mashed potatoes and a milkshake....
One Less Tooth Than Yesterday
Rare live blog today straight from enemy territory…the dentist’s office waiting room. This was very much an unplanned visit. I woke up yesterday with a slight ting on my bottom right gum way back there in back. It wasn’t bad, just a slight discomfort. I went along throughout the day on my merry little way. The ‘slight discomfort’ was there, all the time, but in typical man fashion, I chose to ignore it.
It will be better tomorrow, I lied to myself and eventually, started believing into my lies. I watched what I ate, no popcorn or potato chips, nothing that could irritate it and maybe a good night’s rest would take care of it, because we all know that is what makes teeth healthier, sleep and rest. (Maybe that is what that 5th dentist suggests, instead of Trident.) I didn’t even mention it to LB yesterday, believing I could will it away, don’t admit it and it wont be there, easy as that…so I thought.
I woke up this morning in excruciating pain. It hurt to chew, talk, or even swallow. I would have rather been choke slammed than try and brush my teeth, but I did it. It was a very high price to pay for minty freshness. I got to work and called one of my buddies who has just graduated dental school to see if there was anyway of getting out of going to the dentist. You see, dentists are one of my phobias, I would rather have an ingrown toenail plucked out than go to the dentist. He said it was either the dentist or unbearable pain for who knows how long....tough choice. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he called one of his buddies that he graduated dental school with and had me fixed up. 2:30 pm appointment, just like that. Apparently, I should have had my wisdom teeth pulled about 5yrs ago. Now they are all jacked up back there and had become infected. So, here I am sitting waiting on the Nazi nurse to call my name again.........
(Back at the house now.) Ok, that wasn't so bad. That wasn't bad at all. That was my first experience with nitrous oxide, I like it. I can still remember a few of my thoughts as I was lying back in the chair. I remember the nurse asking what XM radio station I wanted listen to, I chose 90's alternative. I am laid back, waiting on the hygienist and doctor to come back into the room, I had been on the sauce for a while by now and relaxing to some Clumsy by Our Lady Peace, then the song ends. Now, Eminem's Slim Shady starts playing, you remember...My name is, my name is chica chica Slim Shady" and I started freaking out on the inside, I didn't want the dentist to think this was my music of choice, but what can I do? I also remember thinking about counting sheep. They didn't tell me to and I didn't know if this was the appropriate time or not, but thought that it would be a good idea. I started counting, but didn't get past 3. Something distracted me, I think it was my cell phone vibrating in my pocket. I started thinking about who it could be and how weird it was that someone was calling while this guy was yanking on teeth with some over grown salad tongues. That got me to thinking about how weird it was that he was yanking on my teeth with said tongues and it wasn't hurting. I was then thankful for the gas again. Pearl Jam's Last Kiss started playing, the dentist and hygienist were trying to think of who was singing. They did know it was a remake and it was killing me that I couldn't tell them. However, I quickly forgot about that dilemma when I heard the dentist say, "These wisdom teeth never come out as easy as you think they would" followed by a loud cracking noise. This was too much, I immediately started thinking about the sheep again. Before I knew it, it was over.
I am a back on my couch, feeling pretty good after my Amoxicillin/Vicodin concoction. Nothings hurt or I can't feel it yet if it is. My face is a little numb, but I can handle that. Overall, it was not a bad experience, it may have even knocked a dent in my dentist phobia, who knows? Now, I am going to see how long I can stay awake for the Falcon's Monday Night Football game, with one less tooth than I had yesterday.
Farewell Andruw
To all who haven't heard, Andruw Jones, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, inked a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is, officially, no longer a Brave. I knew it was inevitable this off season, but it still tugs at the heart strings a bit now that deal has gone through.
Andruw has been a favorite of mine since busting onto the scene in 1996, as a 19yr old, and homering in his first two World Series at bats. Granted, his average hasn't always been up there with a .263 for his career, but he has been very consistent with his power and durability. The past 10yrs that he has been in majors, his home run(363) and RBI(1,104) totals rank him 8th in each offensive category. Defensively, he has been as solid as you will ever get. Jones has more putouts than anyone in baseball with 4,864, over 500 more than second place and he has accumulated more assists than any other MLB player at his position. Never mind the 10 consecutive gold gloves he has one, ranking him 3rd on the all-time outfielder list, behind the greats Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Maybe the biggest achievement, however, would be in his whole stint in the big leagues, he has never been on the disabled list, quite a feat these days.
There are many more awards and accomplishments Andruw has earned, but I won't bore you with all them. I had to pay homage to one of my favorites on the day he was leaving Atlanta. Andruw, your teddy bear grins, falling down power swings, and great diving catches will be missed and you will always be a Brave to me. Farewell Andruw, farewell.
*all statistics provided by http://www.atlantabraves.com/
the other side of this divided family
I feel like it is time to tell my side of the story in this war between the teams. You have heard the reasons why Scott is staying loyal to his U of A roots, and now I will explain why my heart will break if my children choose to cross over to the dark side.
My history with Auburn goes so far back, that I cannot even tell you where it all began. That would require me to sit with my father and take notes as he told me detail after detail of my Auburn history. Instead, I will tell the story from my perspective.
As I have said before, Scott and I do not have much in common other than our love for each other and for Ada. While Scott's grandfather was working on the farm and cheering for Alabama's football team, my grandfather was attending class in Samford Hall. I believe that my family's relationship with Auburn actually began long before that, but that is where my knowledge of the history begins. Later, my grandfather would be pictured in the Plainsman (again, I think these details are correct, but I will try to clear up any falsehood by talking to my dad over Christmas break) with all four of his children who were attending Auburn at the same time--my two uncles, my father, and my aunt. While my father was attending Auburn as a journalism student, my mother was somewhere on that campus working on her degree in graphic design, but their paths did not cross there. Later, when my mother was working in Birmingham, and my father was attending law school at Samford University, my parents were set up on a blind date, and so their love story began. (It is a somewhat complicated love story, but I will save that for another day).
As far back in childhood as I can remember, my parents took me to Auburn games. My mother likes to say that we were raised in two places, Scottsboro, AL and Auburn, AL. Long before I was a student at Auburn, I was very familiar with the likes of Haley Center, Jordan-Hare Stadium, and College Street. As a small child I could tell you the fight song word for word (though it wasn't until camp war eagle, that I found out the words are not really, "hit em' high, hit em' low") And when I was seven years old, I dressed up as an Auburn cheerleader for Halloween--the first of many attempts to live that dream. And it doesn't seem like fall without a visit to the plains. This was my first encounter with Auburn. I grew up hearing about all the places on campus that my parents used to frequent, I saw every apartment that they lived in, and I know different corners on campus where my parents spent hours studying, walking to class, and simply living the college life. I could not wait until I would be able to create my own Auburn experience.
And so the day came, when this 18 year old set off on her own Auburn journey. In fact, I turned 18 on the day I left for college--what a glorious birthday it was. And, sure enough, my Auburn experience far outweighed all my expectations. It would take far too long to describe all of the reasons that I love Auburn, so I will just name the highlights--the Quad, The White House and Samford Ave, College Street, being on campus in the summer, Jordan Hare at night, Taylor's Bakery, Kiesel Park, Big Blue Bagel, dinners on Samford Lawn with the white house girls, and of course, meeting my husband, falling in love with him, and getting married right there in the middle of town at Auburn United Methodist Church. You see for me, Auburn's football team is just one factor in the equation. For me, Auburn University means childhood stories, experiences that changed me and grew me, lifelong friendships, and of course, Scott and the beginning of our own love story. Now that I have my own daughter, it would truly break my heart if I could not pass on that legacy.
To sum up, yes, Ada's father is an Alabama fan, but lets look at the facts, people--both of Ada's parents graduated from Auburn, all of her aunts on my side of the family attended Auburn, her grandparents attended Auburn, and her great grandfather went to class in Samford Hall. And that is just the short list. I will not try to unfairly persuade Ada to my side. I will simply tell her the stories that I grew up on, and I will let her decide for herself.
Guilt Ridden Ada Post
After claiming Ada as the star of this blog, and then posting 2 very lengthy college football related rants, guilt has gotten the best of me. I feel the need to throw in a couple new Ada pictures to help balance things out a little bit. So, here you go.....
Keeping with the recent football theme...LB and I have made mentioned several times about Ada's love for TV, I personally think she is especially interested when football is on. (Click here, go to the top of pg8, they got my back.) On the left, Ada and me watching the UGA vs. Florida game, right before Mark Richt got his crazy on. On the right, not sure if you can see the screen, but, Ada is in her "baby recliner" deeply concentrating on College Gameday, our favorite Daddy/Daughter show.
This is her new thing, she has recently discovered her toes. The second she is sockless, she goes straight for them. She loves playing with them now, making it very hard to change her clothes or diapers, but it is easy, cheap entertainment.
Bowl Game Predictions
Last night on ESPN, there was a 4hr special announcing the participants of the 32 different bowl games to conclude this year’s college football season (moment of silence please...........thank you). Yes, 32 bowl games, 64 teams. I have differing opinions about such an overwhelming amount of games where, pretty much, all it takes is a winning record, or even just a .500 record, to get in a bowl game. A lot of the bowl games are watered down and most people won't care about a 1/3 of them, but until there is a playoff system or plus 1 instituted, we can only dream for now, at least it provides us with more football to watch as the season is winding down. Anyway, I am going to give my early prediction for each game followed by a quick line of expert analysis. There's a lot games, so lets get started...
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
Utah 23
Navy 31
*Who cares? It's a bowl game named after a Christmas flower. We appreciate the festiveness, but could care less about this game. The Seamen over the Mormons.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Memphis 24
Florida Atlantic 17
*Memphis has a good basketball team; FA is beat up from being every SEC school's homecoming game.
Papajohns.com Bowl
Southern Miss 17
Cincinnati 31
*Southern Miss has a tough D, but Nick Lachey's undying support for Cincinnati will pull them through.
New Mexico
Nevada 20
New Mexico 23
*Talk about home field advantage.
Pioneer Las Vegas
UCLA 34
BYU 27
*Put your bets on the Bruins taking the Mormons out in their own backyard.
Sheraton Hawaii
Boise State 37
East Carolina 13
*Boise State confuses ECU with the ol' Hook & Lateral Triple Reverse Flea Flicker Statue of Liberty option a la the Oklahoma game last year. Plus, Ian Johnson is a pimp because he proposed to his girlfriend after scoring the winning TD in last years bowl.
Motor City
Purdue 23
Central Michigan 14
*Purdue Pete is cool.
Pacific Life Holiday
Arizona State 31
Texas 26
*Rudy Carpenter will outshine and outshoot Colt McCoy.
Champs Sports
Boston College 37
Michigan State 14
*BC is a much better football team. Ryan will try to showcase is talents during his Atlanta Falcons tryout game.
Texas
TCU 33
Houston 41
*Houston can score big. They are a very good mid-level team and will put up more points than the Horned Frogs, which is a usually a key to victory.
Emerald
Maryland 13
Oregon State 28
*I really don't know much about either team and I am willing to bet no one is reading this far down anyway.
Meineke Car Care
UConn 37
Wake Forest 30
*Co-Big East champs should best WF.
Autozone Liberty
UCF 13
Mississippi State 24
*UCF, prepared to be 'Croom'ed. Bulldogs will be jacked for their first bowl appearance since 2000. Their power running game and SEC defense will give MSU the W.
Valero Alamo
Penn St 36
Texas AM 24
*8pm start, Joe Pa will be asleep at halftime, but good thing for Penn St that Franchione is out the door at A&M. Not because he is that great, there will just be a lack of leadership.
PetroSun Independence
Alabama 30
Colorado 31
*Should be renamed the Mediocrity Bowl with these two 6-6 teams. Bama will jump out to a commanding lead, then slowly but surely, it will dwindle to a last second field goal victory for Colorado.
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
California 13
Air Force 38
*It would be blasphemous if the Air Force didn’t win the Helicopter Bowl
Roady's Humanitarian
Georgia Tech 31
Fresno State 20
*Yes, Tech is prone to choking, but Tenuta's D should hold Pat Hill's handle bar mustache in check. And they are good people at Tech, so it is only fitting they win the Humanitarian Bowl.
Brut Sun
South Florida 24
Oregon 38
*South Florida started out hot and even I jumped on their bandwagon. The wheels on that wagon fell off quickly. Now, they're back to reality and with Oregon's high-powered offense, they will finish the season with another disappointing loss.
Gaylord Hotel Music City
Kentucky 31
Florida St 20
*Andre Woodson will play a tight game against a FSU D that flies around the field, but will be able to get it done against a deteriorating Bobby Bowden team.
Insight
Indiana 17
Oklahoma St 31
*...because Mike Gundy is 40, he is a MAN!!!
Chik-fil-A
Clemson 21
Auburn 27
*Clemson is prone to choking in the clutch, as long as Cox doesn't throw more TD's for Clemson, AU brings home the win.
OutBack
Wisconsin 20
Tennessee 31
*I cringe when I say this, but UT and Eric Ainge will use the power of the SEC athletes and pull out the victory against a mediocre Badger team.
AT&T Cotton
Missouri 36
Arkansas 28
*Poor Missouri, they should be the one getting whipped by USC in the Rose Bowl instead of the Zook-a-nators, stupid Rose Bowl and their traditions. A ticked off Mizzou pulls one out over Arkansas, despite McFadden’s Superman-esque numbers.
Gator
Texas Tech 13
Virginia 27
*Slight mismatch since UVA slipped late in the season and fell to a lesser bowl game. They are a better team than Tech.
Capitol One
Michigan 17
Florida 42
*For Lloyd Carr's going away party: Tebow will give him 225 passing yd-3TD's, 115 rushing yds-2TD's.
Rose Bowl
Illinois 13
USC 45
*Biggest mismatch of the bowl season. Yeah, Zook knocked off Ohio St when they were #1, but OSU had been lulled asleep by their cupcake schedule. The Illini doesn't stand a chance against a healthy USC.
Allstate Sugar
Hawaii 37
Georgia 41
*UGA is probably the hottest team out there right now, 6 W’s in a row in very convincing fashion. Hawaii can put up points with the best of them, but Knowshawn will get it going, giving Stafford some room to work. Expect UGA to ‘blackout’ the Rainbow Warriors.
Tostitos Fiesta
Oklahoma 34
West Virginia 42
*I’m calling a WVU upset, as long as Slaton and White are healthy. I think OU is a better team, but I just feel it my gut, which means it is a big feeling.
Fedex Orange
Virginia Tech 42
Kansas 26
*Back to life, back to reality for KU. Tech is hot, with tons more athletes and a lot more depth. There is a bigger chance of Mangino eating a salad than winning this one.
International
Rutgers 24
Ball St 10
*Where did this game come from? Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange....then this???
GMAC
Bowling Green 23
Tulsa 27
*Even worse!!
Allstate BCS Championship Game
LSU 34
Ohio ST 17
*I think Les Miles is one lucky imbecile (I don’t know if I have ever used that word before, but I couldn’t think of anything more fitting) LSU will win heavily. LSU will be healthy, their D will be back to beginning of the season form, and we will hear “Flynn to Doucett” during this game more than the last 5 put together. It will start out slow and appear to be a close game. You will think that OSU has heard enough about being 0-8 versus the SEC in bowl games, not being able to match SEC speed and finally came to play this year. Not so fast my friend, LSU will start inching away. Bo Pelini will stay and coach the D one last time before moving to Lincoln, so he can get some face time on national television to help his Nebraska recruiting. He will make halftime adjustments and OSU will score 10 or less points in the second half. LSU will be hoisting the crystal football overhead when the scoreboard clock ticks down to triple zeroes and it will have nothing to do with anything Les Miles did. Call me a homer if you want, but the SEC athletes will be too much for this Buckeye team, who squeaked its way into the national championship game.
There you have my bowl predictions 1 month early. I am anxious to see how I am going to do. If I get 50% of the winning teams I will be happy. I have the SEC going 7-2 and with a chance at going back to back as the national champions. Yes, I am partial, I may be a homer, but when you have 9 bowl eligible teams and a chance to have back to back national champions from your conference, I believe that earns me every right to be.
Happy Bowling!
My Paradoxical Life
A line from LB's previous post sparked today's post - love you, Scott, but let's face it, you are an Auburn graduate.
Fact: I am an Auburn University graduate.
Fact: I am a University of Alabama football fan.
Heresy, I know! Most people who might be reading this probably know that this is a very strange set of circumstances. Most would assume that these 2 statements would be a "either/or" type scenario. They are like Michael Vick and pit bulls, they just do not mix. I am well aware of this and will try my best to explain how this situation came to fruition.
Everything was set into motion 60+yrs ago, when my dad was just a young boy himself and facemasks were unheard of. Neither my dad nor his family had the luxury of having gone to college. They all made a living by the sweat of their brow, working on the farm and in the cotton fields. This being the case, there were no ties when it came to school allegiances. However, my granddad loved football, it was one of his passions and being a true man of the south, he loved college football. He loved college football in general, but felt the need to adopt "his" team. A team he could direct all of his love and passion toward, a team he could follow from year to year, a team he could experience ups and downs with. (Back then, it was mainly just ups....but that was a LONG time ago.) Since he was born and raised in the wonderful state of Alabama, he became partial to the University of Alabama. (I am not sure how much he knew about the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn before 1960)).....And so it began. This decision made by my grandad many years ago is what set forth the paradox that is my life today.
I grew up spending Saturdays watching the Tide with my Dad and brother. I remember going out to the backyard during halftime and pretending to be the likes of Cornelius Bennett, Derrick Lassick, and David Palmer. I was oblivious that football was only a part of these guys lives and they had classes, tests, and finals the rest of the week. The fact that they were in school never occurred to me. I didn't know that each football team playing on Saturday represented a college or university. These guys were my heroes. As far as I was concerned, these guys lived on the football field. As early as I can remember, whoever donned those crimson jerseys were the object of my worship. This was true throughout my formative years.
Fast forward 20 years...by this time, I had received my discount knowledge from the local junior college* and was ready to make my decision about which major university I was going to attend. Yes, in case you were wondering, I had figured out that college football players were also students by this time. I had narrowed my choices down to a few colleges, leaving Auburn out of the mix altogether because, well, it was Auburn. I ended up moving to Athens, GA and planned on attending UGA. I took a year off and lived with a buddy there in an attempt to gain in state tuition. So, I lived in a house built in the 1800's with 4-5 UGA football players, working full time at a sporting good store, living the good life, anxiously awaiting the end of my countdown so I could get back into school.
A year passed and it was time. I qualified for in state and had sent all my forms in to get accepted. On a whim, I decided to go to Auburn for the weekend and visit a couple of old buddies. That trip altered my life forever. Something happened Sunday morning, I know it sounds cheesy, but the only way I can explain it is "divine intervention". Sitting in church that Sunday morning, the Lord spoke to me more clearly than I had ever heard him. I knew from that point on that I was supposed to be in Auburn, as much as it hurt. (I took comfort in knowing that God wouldn't put more on me than I could handle.) I called my roommates to let them know about my new future plans, turns out my acceptance letter from UGA had come while I was away. Still, that was not enough to deter me. I drove back that Monday, packed up my stuff and headed to Auburn. As fate would have it, another friend from Guntersville had a 2 bedroom townhouse in Auburn with no roommate. I unpacked and settled in to my new home.
From the ease of finding a place to live, getting accepted in less than a week, making life long friends, to meeting my wife...too many things happened during my time at Auburn for me to ever doubt my "calling" there. Yet, I never turned from my roots and am still a product of my raising. I know to some, this may not justify attending one school and being a fan of the said schools bitter rival and I can understand that. My goal wasn't to justify, more to inform. I know that it is probably crazy to some and some may just not understand, but, that is just the way it is. It is what it is and despite being 0 for the last 6 and even if it goes for 6 more, Roll Tide Roll!!
PS: I think if you go to sleep during the Iron Bowl (ehem...LB) and have to be told who won when you wake up 2 out of the 5 years I have known you, you should lose all smack talking privileges.
