10/11/04--do you know what I hate?

I hate using my new laptop, and having not once...not twice...but THREE fucking times.....I hit some sort of "DELETE" button and my entry gets wiped out after I type something like 500 words....that shit can't go on.

A weekend of ups and downs.  I lost my Uncle Ken Bowdren last weekend.  He and my Aunt Gerri had been married for over 50 years and had 7 kids.  He was a credit to his community, having been a teacher, and to his family.  Uncle Ken loved to drink his Schaefer beer, and the next time you throw back a cold 12 oz, raise one to my Uncle Ken.  Not only would he appreciate it, he deserved it.
My sister underwent some major surgery last weekend, but looks on the way to a successful recovery.  She's not just good people, she's one of my favorite people on earth, and if its okay with the big man upstairs, I'd like to keep her around for a long, long time.  I'm thinking 'bout ya sis.

I've officially decided that as soon as my computer comes back from the shop I'm going to do all my typing on it.  The laptop is great, but boy am I sick of this thing deleting shit that I write.  Here I go for like the 3rd freaking time with this story.
So the wife and I go to the high school football game on Friday night.  The kids are in the band and their school, Ft Lauderdale American Heritage is playing Miami Pace, who's the defending state champs.  I tell the wife that it could get ugly for our side in a big hurry, as the kids from Pace are the size of some college teams, while the kids from Heritage (the Patriots) are basically a bunch of slow white guys, with a couple of great athletes thrown in the mix.  Well, unbelieveably the Patriots are giving Pace everything they can handle, and with two minutes left in the half the score is 0-0 when the punter for the Pats booms a beautiful 65 yarder that pins Pace on their own 1 yd line.  Amazingly, Pace begins a drive that takes them all the way down to the Pats 1 yd line.  A 98 yd drive!  The clock is down inside 30 seconds and Pace drives into the Pats defensive line twice and is kept out of the endzone, giving the Pats a huge emotional lift at halftime.  The 2nd half was close, with Pace taking a slim 10-7 lead with a few minutes left in the game--oh, and I left out a very key element in this whole story...the Pats are using their 4th string QB, since the week before they had lost not one...but TWO of their QB's to season ending injuries, including one particularly grisly looking broken leg (we're talking Joe Theisman-esque).  So now, with about 3 minutes left in the game, the Patriots begin an epic drive, complete with
a fake punt.  I mean, it was like a great boxing match, with one fighter beginning to wear an opponent down and having him against the ropes...ready for the knockout.
A beautiful misdirection call on the 9 yd line gained 8 yds and put the ball on the l yd line with about 30 seconds left in the game.  Sitting right next to me in the bleachers was the coaching staff of Ft Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons, scouting Pace for a game down the road.  They were amazed that the Patriots had now put themselves in a position to defeat the defending state champs.....and then amazingly, the Patriots coach went into brain vaporlock.  Pace was out of timeouts, reeling against the ropes, ready to be knocked out....and the Pats head coach called a timeout.  I mean to tell you the Gibbons staff went crazy.
"What in the hell is he doing calling a timeout?  He's giving them a chance to regroup.
Back from the timeout, a quick smash into the line gained nothing....the clock is ticking....down 20 seconds.....its now 4th and goal.  The Pats offense, so creative that whole evening, called for a misdirection play.  And the QB.....the fourth string QB....who had up until that point played the game of his life....and with the opportunity to defeat the defending state champions in a game that he, his teammates and the fans of Ft Lauderdale American Heritage would remember for the next 20 years......the QB....TURNED THE WRONG WAY!!  He was tackled for a 2 yd loss as the crowd turned silent.  The Gibbons coaching staff shook their heads...
"Shoulda never called that damn timeout".
An amazing game that could have been epic....if only for those two words..."what if".
"What if" the QB had turned the right way?
Hey, its all about the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat baby.

And if that wasn't enough....we had this little gem from the game....during the game three girls from the school, maybe 16 or 17 take a seat right in front of us.  During the game, those three are joined by 2 other girls, including one who's.....hmm....how do I put this?  She's one of those girls who's wearing an outfit that probably look a lot better on her if she weighed about 25 lbs less.  Getmy drift?  Anyway, so this girl looks over at one of the 3 original girls and says....and I quote:
"Logan...I just want to say that I didn't mean to call you a lousy skanky ho."
Logan thinks and says...
"Yes you did."
And the new girl says...
"Well if I meant it, I wouldn't be here apologizing."
Meanwhile I see one of the original three girls roll her eyes.

Teenagers.  Was I ever one of those?