So now that I had returned from my trip....the wife and I, apparently fairly intelligently, had decided to both take Monday off and use it as a "recovery" day. We went out and and took care of some stuff...just sort hung out together...and I made "husband points".
I think.
So the next morning was my first day back to work since my vacation. I had packed my bookbag full of all sort of stuff to bring to work. Souvenirs, various photos from the trip....magazines, books...you name it. So I have that bag all packed the night before, right? And I get up...take a shower, shave, get dressed....and I'm ready to go to work.
I mean...I'm actually looking forward to it (??!!?). I want to tell everyone about my vacation. So I say goodbye to the wife, to the dogs...and start heading for the front door. Except for....
"Um, honey....where are my keys?"
"I dunno. I haven't seen them."
Now let's keep in mind that all the stuff we did as a "couple" the day before were done in HER car. My car had been sitting in the driveway all during the vacation. No problem. As my wife can tell you, this is the type of situation that I thrive in. My ability to stay cool under pressure is one of my best attributes.
(Cough)
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THEM???"
"Don't yell. I don't know where they are. Where did you have them last?"
(By the way...that's my alltime favorite question to hear when you've misplaced something. Like...if I knew where I had the item last, I'd go there.....ya know?)
"I don't know! Oh man...this is not good!"
"Okay, just take the kids to the busstop in my car and I'll look for your keys."
So I drive the kiddies to the busstop and come back home. I'm thinking that my wife, wonderful woman that she is--far better than I deserve--will have found the keys.
"I haven't found them yet."
DOH!
So we begin the process of ransacking the house in search of my keys. Mind you, the ring that their on doesn't hold just my car keys, but my house key, and my work keys.
This loss would not be good. And meanwhile, my composure is outstanding as usual.
"This is unfriggin believeable. Do you know what I'm going to have to do? I'm going to have to call into work and tell my boss that the reason I can't come in is that I lost my freakin car keys!"
Which is what I did next. My boss was sort of incredulous, but agreed with me when I told her that this was such a dumb excuse that it had to be true. Then, after exploring our various options visa vee the car keys, I made the decision to have my wife drop me off at the local Saturn dealership on the way to her work. One of the things that we had considered was calling a locksmith, and the one we called said he didn't do it anymore because...get this....he didn't like the whole business with crawling underneath the dashboard. What a work ethic. So the wife drops me off, and I go to the parts department...and I'm having all these thoughts go through my mind as to how much it would have cost me to get a locksmith. The guy at the dealership does some investigating....searching some facts, checks my vend number.....and makes me a new key.
"Four dollars." the guy says.
Somehow I gotta believe the locksmith might have been more expensive. And I even got the dealership to give me a ride back home. And it wasn't even quite lunchtime.
But still....I stayed home for the rest of the day.
What a work ethic.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
11/19/05--Day #5--Homeward Bound
So we spend the gameday evening in South Bend, since apparently the hotels in the area...being total capitalists, have made it REQUIRED that when booking your reservations that you stay TWO nights for homegame weekends. Hmmm......
The next morning we got up and made a quick stop by the ND bookstore, as the kids had decided that they wanted to get the Notre Dame band's DVD that was sold there, and I had a jacket to exchange. We had planned on spending the majority of the day in Chicago, since our flight didn't leave until about 6pm, so we drove back and got a chance to see the countryside from South Bend to Chicago. I have to say, its really quite beautiful. Then you suddenly come upon Gary, Indiana....and the beauty ends.
Gary may be one of the most aestically DISPLEASING cities that you can ever drive through, and half of it might be the fact that the area you were in only 20 miles before is so beautiful. Still, its a dump--bottom line.
Well we got into Chicago a little before noon and I got to live one of my other childhood dreams. We got off the interstate (where, by the way, the wind was practically pushing my rented SUV off of the road--the "Windy City" indeed) and headed for the area surrounding Addison, Sheffield & Waveland. After 34 years as a fan I finally got to see Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, up close and in person. Its amazing to think that its been sitting there, right in the middle of this residential neighborhood, for the better part of 85 years or so. Walking around the stadium, fighting the breezes allowed me to understand what the announcers have always talked about when they say "the wind is blowing out". Indeed.
Kim had opened up her little travel book and found an interesting place to have lunch, which was called "Potbellies". It was a little sandwich shop that had been there for years...pipes running through the middle of the restaurant, etc...and we had a nice lunch.
Afterwards we walked around just to get a feel for the neighborhood. It just seemed like it would be such a nice place to live. When we visited New York, I came away thinking how much fun NYC was to visit, but that I never would want to live there in a million years. Here I was, in the middle of the northside of Chicago, and I could easily see myself living there. After lunch we drove around the downtown area, and made our way back to the Navy Pier to let the kids do some activites that we had promised them they could do when we were there before. This time when we went in we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had really missed the boat. Inside were all sort of restaurants and shops that we didn't realize were even there when we were walking around outside. Honestly, we felt sort of stupid that we had missed out on all of this.
We were ready to finally head out and begin to make our way towards the airport when Kim spotted an ice cream shop (her biggest weakness). While she was getting a cone, I wandered over to a window of a bar that was showing some of the NFL games that day. I had heard a few of the scores on the radio while we driving, so I was a little surprised to look up on the t.v. screen and see that my Vikings had been tied up by the NY Giants 21-21 and there was only a minute left in the game. Kim came over to me and said that she was ready to go.
Uh, honey....I don't think so.
So we all stood there and watched the Vikings drive down the field and steal the game away from the Giants and win 24-21 on a field goal with about 10 seconds left in the game. Not a bad way to end a vacation.
We got to the airport and discovered....here's a huge shocker, that the winds had caused quite a few flights to have been delayed. Uh, including ours. So while we were standing around, I made my way to the restroom. As I was walking out, I was passed by a rather tall guy who looked very familar. I did sort of doubletake and realized that the man was none other than...
Bill Bradley. Former NY Knick....former NY Senator. Former presidential candidate.
Geez, first Jimmy Carter at a book signing, now Bill Bradley. It was my father's worst nightmare. The place was crawling with Democrats.
We finally got home that night about 1am. I told Kim that if she wanted to just let the kids sleep in and skip school the next day it was okay. I'm sure they would've been exhausted.
The next day around 9am, Andy & Kellie came into our room and asked Kim why she hadn't woke them up. She told them that she knew they were tired and decided to just let them take the day off. They explained to her that they WANTED to go to school and proceeded to go and get dressed and had Kim drive them, getting there around 11am.
Maybe that tour of Notre Dame was a good idea.
Later,
Jeff
The next morning we got up and made a quick stop by the ND bookstore, as the kids had decided that they wanted to get the Notre Dame band's DVD that was sold there, and I had a jacket to exchange. We had planned on spending the majority of the day in Chicago, since our flight didn't leave until about 6pm, so we drove back and got a chance to see the countryside from South Bend to Chicago. I have to say, its really quite beautiful. Then you suddenly come upon Gary, Indiana....and the beauty ends.
Gary may be one of the most aestically DISPLEASING cities that you can ever drive through, and half of it might be the fact that the area you were in only 20 miles before is so beautiful. Still, its a dump--bottom line.
Well we got into Chicago a little before noon and I got to live one of my other childhood dreams. We got off the interstate (where, by the way, the wind was practically pushing my rented SUV off of the road--the "Windy City" indeed) and headed for the area surrounding Addison, Sheffield & Waveland. After 34 years as a fan I finally got to see Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, up close and in person. Its amazing to think that its been sitting there, right in the middle of this residential neighborhood, for the better part of 85 years or so. Walking around the stadium, fighting the breezes allowed me to understand what the announcers have always talked about when they say "the wind is blowing out". Indeed.
Kim had opened up her little travel book and found an interesting place to have lunch, which was called "Potbellies". It was a little sandwich shop that had been there for years...pipes running through the middle of the restaurant, etc...and we had a nice lunch.
Afterwards we walked around just to get a feel for the neighborhood. It just seemed like it would be such a nice place to live. When we visited New York, I came away thinking how much fun NYC was to visit, but that I never would want to live there in a million years. Here I was, in the middle of the northside of Chicago, and I could easily see myself living there. After lunch we drove around the downtown area, and made our way back to the Navy Pier to let the kids do some activites that we had promised them they could do when we were there before. This time when we went in we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had really missed the boat. Inside were all sort of restaurants and shops that we didn't realize were even there when we were walking around outside. Honestly, we felt sort of stupid that we had missed out on all of this.
We were ready to finally head out and begin to make our way towards the airport when Kim spotted an ice cream shop (her biggest weakness). While she was getting a cone, I wandered over to a window of a bar that was showing some of the NFL games that day. I had heard a few of the scores on the radio while we driving, so I was a little surprised to look up on the t.v. screen and see that my Vikings had been tied up by the NY Giants 21-21 and there was only a minute left in the game. Kim came over to me and said that she was ready to go.
Uh, honey....I don't think so.
So we all stood there and watched the Vikings drive down the field and steal the game away from the Giants and win 24-21 on a field goal with about 10 seconds left in the game. Not a bad way to end a vacation.
We got to the airport and discovered....here's a huge shocker, that the winds had caused quite a few flights to have been delayed. Uh, including ours. So while we were standing around, I made my way to the restroom. As I was walking out, I was passed by a rather tall guy who looked very familar. I did sort of doubletake and realized that the man was none other than...
Bill Bradley. Former NY Knick....former NY Senator. Former presidential candidate.
Geez, first Jimmy Carter at a book signing, now Bill Bradley. It was my father's worst nightmare. The place was crawling with Democrats.
We finally got home that night about 1am. I told Kim that if she wanted to just let the kids sleep in and skip school the next day it was okay. I'm sure they would've been exhausted.
The next day around 9am, Andy & Kellie came into our room and asked Kim why she hadn't woke them up. She told them that she knew they were tired and decided to just let them take the day off. They explained to her that they WANTED to go to school and proceeded to go and get dressed and had Kim drive them, getting there around 11am.
Maybe that tour of Notre Dame was a good idea.
Later,
Jeff
Friday, November 18, 2005
11/18/05--Day #4--Gameday in South Bend
So we had gotten up early again and prepped ourselves for the trip to the stadium.
We ended up in the pay parking (naturally) and were bused over towards the stadium.
Gametime was approximately 1pm, and we arrived a little after 9am. We wandered around the grounds and found a group of students, maybe 10 of them, playing the Irish pipes. I found myself drawn to the sounds of my heritage, and thinking of my father .
Later we went by one of the many BBQ's that had been put up by one of the dorm halls and had a quick bite for lunch. We then watched the players take the ceremonial walk from the church on campus towards the stadium. I got a nice photo of WR Jeff Samardzja leading the squad towards the stadium. The kids had one of the hilites of their weekend as they got to be front and center as the marching band came marching right past them, complete with the colorful Irish Guard. Finally we made our way into the stadium and found our seats.
Row 56.
As in....
"Hi sir, this is row #1....you're in row 56."
UGH.
Anyway, we were seated right behind the goalposts facing "Touchdown Jesus" and really there doesn't appear to be a bad seat in the house. Amazingly, after a weekend in which we hadn't met a single person who had been the slightest bit rude or discourteous
we had two drunks sit down right next to us. Directly in front of them was a priest, and one of the drunks apparently kept spitting on the coat that the priest was wearing, and he was taking none too kindly to it. They ended up getting the boot sometime in the late 3rd quarter. The entire stadium, and they have to sit right next to us.
It was a pretty good game, with the Fighting Irish winning 42-21. Brady Quinn had another big game at QB, and WR Maurice Stovall made a pretty amazing touchdown catch right in front of us. After the game, one of the highlights of the trip was watching the Notre Dame football walking with the Midshipmen to one end of the stadium and standing next to the Navy players as they sang their alma mater with their fellow cadets.
It was a geniunely moving moment and I'm glad my kids got to witness it.
It had been 10 years since my last game at Notre Dame stadium and it was well worth the return trip. I enjoyed this time even more, as I knew the stuff to look for....and quite frankly I enjoyed the company more. There, now I've laid the groundwork for going back next year--as long as my wife reads this entry.
Later,
Jeff
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
11/16/05--Day #3 in the Midwest
So we get up early in the morning and head for the campus. I had told Kim that it was always a good idea to get to the school's bookstore early on a football weekend, because...quite frankly....if you wait until its too late, its like a Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving. Total insanity.
So we got there and it was almost totally empty. It was hilarious. There were like 6 cashiers standing there, waiting for the rush (oh, and don't worry--it eventually arrived)
and the four of us were like the only ones in the store, as I scurried about like some rat looking for cheese--in this case, my cheese was Notre Dame merchandise. So Kim had gone to the ATM and taken out like $400 for spending money to last us over the weekend. That was until I got up to the register. I bought a jacket, about 4 shirts, various books, some various ND-related items.....the cashier rang up the merch and:
$315.
I looked at my ever-so-understanding wife, who's eyes grew large as she saw the total.
"Hey," I said, "Look at the bright side. I only come here once every ten years."
Somehow I don't think that made her feel better.
So after that we went to the administration building...ya know, the "Golden Dome" (which is actually the administration building) and had a brief lecture by the director of admissions for the university. Afterwards, we were lucky enough to be taken around the campus by one of the students, who pointed out various items of interest around the campus. Our goal, and by that I mean Kim & I, was to make an impression on Andy about what sort of work would be required to get into a university like Notre Dame....or the Naval Academy, which he's also considering. I think our objective was reached, as Andy was interested to see that ND offers a course in Astrophysics.
Sometimes the fact that he doesn't have my bloodline becomes glaringly obvious.
We spent a few hours in the afternoon standing in line to get free tickets for the pep rally. What's happened is that, with the terrific year that the Irish have had on the field, interest in the school and the team has gone through the roof (amazing what having a decent coach will do, huh?) and interest in the pep rally has gone up along with it.
The school's gym, where the hold the Friday night events, seats about 12,000 or so, and what the school has started to do is to give out tickets (for free) tothe event. But you have to stand in line to get them. Which means, the line is like 6,000 deep by the time rolls around for the tickets to be handed out. The only interesting thing becomes that you begin to talk to the people that you're standing in line with. We were in front of a family from upstate New York and had a very nice conversation with them, talking about everything from football to the recent hurricanes in south Florida.
After we got our ticket, we decided to do our good deed for the day. Every person gets two tickets, so after Kim & I had been given ours, we had the kids get two apiece and then we walked towards the back of the line and gave away the tickets just to save people a long wait in line. I gave three to a man waiting in line with his two small children. You could tell it really made a positive impression on him. If I keep doing nice things like that, people are going to start thinking I'm some sort of nice guy....so, ya know, I gotta watch myself.
We sort of shadowed the various band members the rest of the day, as the kids were really looking forward to watching them perform. We walked along with them as they headed to the gym for the night's pep rally. The kids really enjoyed the cheerleaders, the dancers, the light show....just everything. I think it made quite an impression on them. I enjoyed listening to head coach speak with admiration for the opponent, Navy.
Charlie Weis said that Navy is not the "usual" football opponent for the Irish. He said that he and the rest of the team realize that by June of next year, the Navy football players could be in a war zone defending our country....and he asked the fans there to see Notre Dame to have the respect for the players of Navy that they deserved. It was very well done and nicely received. The guest speaker for the week was NY Yankee player Tino Martinez, who revealed to the crowd how much the guys in the Yankees clubhouse loved ND football. My man RPM truly would've died had he been there.
Finally, after the pep rally we headed out to the old Cracker Barrel for dinner---of course, that was after we got lost trying to get out of South Bend. I mean, c'mon...its not like we were trying to leave Chicago. How embarrassing.
Later,
Jeff
So we got there and it was almost totally empty. It was hilarious. There were like 6 cashiers standing there, waiting for the rush (oh, and don't worry--it eventually arrived)
and the four of us were like the only ones in the store, as I scurried about like some rat looking for cheese--in this case, my cheese was Notre Dame merchandise. So Kim had gone to the ATM and taken out like $400 for spending money to last us over the weekend. That was until I got up to the register. I bought a jacket, about 4 shirts, various books, some various ND-related items.....the cashier rang up the merch and:
$315.
I looked at my ever-so-understanding wife, who's eyes grew large as she saw the total.
"Hey," I said, "Look at the bright side. I only come here once every ten years."
Somehow I don't think that made her feel better.
So after that we went to the administration building...ya know, the "Golden Dome" (which is actually the administration building) and had a brief lecture by the director of admissions for the university. Afterwards, we were lucky enough to be taken around the campus by one of the students, who pointed out various items of interest around the campus. Our goal, and by that I mean Kim & I, was to make an impression on Andy about what sort of work would be required to get into a university like Notre Dame....or the Naval Academy, which he's also considering. I think our objective was reached, as Andy was interested to see that ND offers a course in Astrophysics.
Sometimes the fact that he doesn't have my bloodline becomes glaringly obvious.
We spent a few hours in the afternoon standing in line to get free tickets for the pep rally. What's happened is that, with the terrific year that the Irish have had on the field, interest in the school and the team has gone through the roof (amazing what having a decent coach will do, huh?) and interest in the pep rally has gone up along with it.
The school's gym, where the hold the Friday night events, seats about 12,000 or so, and what the school has started to do is to give out tickets (for free) tothe event. But you have to stand in line to get them. Which means, the line is like 6,000 deep by the time rolls around for the tickets to be handed out. The only interesting thing becomes that you begin to talk to the people that you're standing in line with. We were in front of a family from upstate New York and had a very nice conversation with them, talking about everything from football to the recent hurricanes in south Florida.
After we got our ticket, we decided to do our good deed for the day. Every person gets two tickets, so after Kim & I had been given ours, we had the kids get two apiece and then we walked towards the back of the line and gave away the tickets just to save people a long wait in line. I gave three to a man waiting in line with his two small children. You could tell it really made a positive impression on him. If I keep doing nice things like that, people are going to start thinking I'm some sort of nice guy....so, ya know, I gotta watch myself.
We sort of shadowed the various band members the rest of the day, as the kids were really looking forward to watching them perform. We walked along with them as they headed to the gym for the night's pep rally. The kids really enjoyed the cheerleaders, the dancers, the light show....just everything. I think it made quite an impression on them. I enjoyed listening to head coach speak with admiration for the opponent, Navy.
Charlie Weis said that Navy is not the "usual" football opponent for the Irish. He said that he and the rest of the team realize that by June of next year, the Navy football players could be in a war zone defending our country....and he asked the fans there to see Notre Dame to have the respect for the players of Navy that they deserved. It was very well done and nicely received. The guest speaker for the week was NY Yankee player Tino Martinez, who revealed to the crowd how much the guys in the Yankees clubhouse loved ND football. My man RPM truly would've died had he been there.
Finally, after the pep rally we headed out to the old Cracker Barrel for dinner---of course, that was after we got lost trying to get out of South Bend. I mean, c'mon...its not like we were trying to leave Chicago. How embarrassing.
Later,
Jeff
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
11/15/05---There's a reason they call it "The Windy City"
The wind. It literally NEVER stops blowing in Chicago. I'm not talking about a day or two here and there where you have high winds. I mean every single day there you face some sort of freakin gale force winds blowing in your face. Its ridiculous. That's what we discovered last Wednesday evening when we flew into Chi-town. We got there about an hour and a half late because our plane in Ft Lauderdale wouldn't take off because of....you got it...the winds in Chicago being so bad that we potentially couldn't land there. Yikes! Then after finally getting there we locate our hotel but couldn't figure out where the parking lot was for the life of us. I'm serious, we must have driven around the hotel 5 times before we figured out the parking lot was...uh, ya know...inside the building itself. Who knew? After getting there and checking in, we decided to go for a lovely stroll through the greater lakefront area in search of some food....despite the fact that it was approaching 11pm eastern time. Kellie kept asking dumb questions, Kim broke one of her toes tripping over something Kellie left on the floor, Andy thought the main tenant in the Sears Tower was a cafe....and me? I fell asleep in the hotel room with gum in my mouth. We weren't off to a good start, although the deep dish pizza at Giordano's in downtown Chi-town was pretty good stuff.
Day #2
So we go down to the breakfast area (free breakfast) and as I'm getting my toast, I can't help but notice that the place is absolutely crawling with incredible hot, yet legally not of age, high school babes. Some further investigation leads to the discovery that there is some sort of high school journalism convention in town. Man oh man....I don't remember the girls at Belleville East High School looking quite that good. I realize that I may turning into an old fart. We start the day with a visit to the 85 (give or take one or two floors) John Hancock Building. Impressive. Chicago has a fantastic skyline.
After that, we take a family stroll down Lakeshore Drive, praying that we wouldn't bump into Oprah. We didn't see her, but as we slipped into a neighborhood Borders bookstore, we had the first of our "near celebrity encounters" that would become the staple of our weekend. We walk inside and notice a huge line. Lo & behold, former president (as in--"of the United States") Jimmy Carter is there signing his new book. I thought it would be a pretty cool photo op, but....the secret service and the folks from Borders wanted you to pony up the $30 for his new book. Uh....no thanks. So then we head down to the Navy Pier, which is sort of a new tourist attraction in the downtown area. We ended up having lunch at Cheezborger, Cheezborger which is supposed to be the place where John Belushi got the idea for the Greek restaurant skit on Saturday Night Live ("No Coke...Pepsi! Cheezborger, Cheezborger...chip, chip!").
It was okay...nothing special and some really seedy looking types working there. So then we go on the afternoon architechural cruise, which pretty much every one who knew I was going to Chicago had recommended to me. It was pretty damn cool.
I mean literally. The temperature started falling as the afternoon got late and we all about froze our asses off riding around the Chicago River. Nice tour though. After that we headed towards the growing metropolis of....Elkhart, Indiana. Its the closest we could get a hotel to Notre Dame, ya know? It was pretty amazing staying at a hotel that obviously knows where its bread is buttered. We walked into the lobby and our greeted by a huge Notre Dame banner and a welcome sign for fans coming into town.
So we decide to go out for some dinner and the girl behind the counter (and when I say she was a "local"....OMAN....do I mean LOCAL), tells us to get on the road the hotel is on (Hwy 19) and just keep going for about 7 miles and we'll run into a bunch of restaurants. Really. Of course, she didn't bother to mention the fact that the road splits into two on two seperate occasions and good old Hwy 19 goes in a completely different direction! So at some point I notice that the road we're on has become two lanes and we appear to be in a residential neighborhood. We pull a U-turn and decide to swing into a 7-11 for some directions. I was wearing a Notre Dame sweatshirt and had the following fascinating conversation.
"Hwy 19?" she says, thinking to herself..."oh yeah, that's like 3 traffic lights that way.
Road veers right. Hey, you think Notre Dame is going to win on Saturday?"
"Well, they should." I remarked. "Their probably a better team."
"You know who I love? That wide receiver....Jeff Samardzja. Last Saturday when I was working here he caught that pass and started running for a touchdown and I jumped up in down and started screaming...'SAMARDZJA!! SAMARDZJA!! Everyone in the store started looking at me."
I can honestly say that no one in a south Florida 7-11 has ever had a conversation like that with me.
We were staying in a Holiday Inn Express, and it must have been either very new or very poorly supplied. Kim asked for extra pillows---we got one. She asked for some extra towels. We got one big one, one small one. There's a huge sign in the bathrooms telling you (I swear to God).....to REUSE the towels.
I love traveling with the family to see a football game.
Later,
Jeff
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
11/8/05---Vacation? Did someone say....VACATION?
Ya know, after you've just returned from a 2 week unscheduled holiday because of a freakin hurricane, there's no better way to get yourself back into the old work groove than too....well, ya know....take a vacation! Man, how sweet is that?
Tomorrow afternoon, the lovely Mrs and I will be joined by the chillin's as we head north to Chee-cago for the weekend, during which we will travel an hour or so to the east and stop in .....(dramatic pause please)......
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
Yes, for those of us with a "slight" Notre Dame fetish, its a Holy place. Mecca, if you will (if you can truly call a Catholic university "Mecca" and be politically correct). No doubt upon my return there will be....(cough, cough)....stories from the road. My wife and kids are already living in dread of me writing down every remotely amusing antecdote from the road. And even worse....my wife is preparing herself for the animal that will emerge from within....as I watch a Notre Dame game live....and in person. She already told me....
"Just try not to curse too bad."
I'll do my best....and report the rest.
Until I return.
Later,
Jeff
Tomorrow afternoon, the lovely Mrs and I will be joined by the chillin's as we head north to Chee-cago for the weekend, during which we will travel an hour or so to the east and stop in .....(dramatic pause please)......
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
Yes, for those of us with a "slight" Notre Dame fetish, its a Holy place. Mecca, if you will (if you can truly call a Catholic university "Mecca" and be politically correct). No doubt upon my return there will be....(cough, cough)....stories from the road. My wife and kids are already living in dread of me writing down every remotely amusing antecdote from the road. And even worse....my wife is preparing herself for the animal that will emerge from within....as I watch a Notre Dame game live....and in person. She already told me....
"Just try not to curse too bad."
I'll do my best....and report the rest.
Until I return.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, November 5, 2005
11/5/05---Big Game America
It had that special feeling. After 6 years of coming to games at my kids school more or less because I felt "obligated", I found myself really wanting to go to one of their games last evening. The kids school, Ft Lauderdale American Heritage, was playing host to Hollywood Chaminade. Make that, BIG BAD Chaminade. A team that was so highly thought of coming into this season that they played a game in TEXAS.
Teams don't travel out of state unless they're loading up a heck of a football team.
So I drove with my wife to the game as the Heritage Patriots, holders of an 8-0 record and ranked #2 in the state (that's right, #2!) faced off with the Chaminade Lions, who were ranked #3 in the state for the district title. Both teams had already qualified for the state playoffs, so this one was all about winning district and getting some respect. My wife, apparently quite correctly, had wanted to get to the game early so that we could watch our kids play in the band before the game started.
That's not quite as emotional as having your kid be the starting QB, but what can I say? I knew something was amiss when I went to turn into the parking lot where I've parked my car for every other game. Closed.
"Why in the heck would they close the lot tonight?" I asked the wife.
"I don't think its closed," she answered, "I think its full."
"Full? The game doesn't start for another 45 minutes."
So we parked across the street and made our way into the stadium, dutifully paying our $5 admission fee and looking for the best seat available. We made our way to the top of the grandstands, around the 25 yard line (I'm used to sitting at about the 40--I hate having my routine interrupted). We're watching the warmups, and the first thing that strikes me is that the Lions have some absolute monsters. There have been "whispers", and only "whispers" mind you, that the coach for the Lions "recruits" players to come play for his school (both Heritage and Chaminade being private schools of course). If he doesn't recruit, it sure looks like he does, because some of the kids look like they should be in junior college at the very least.
The crowd begins to pour into the stadium. I use the word "stadium" in the broadest sense of the word, because it seats maybe 1500 people. Usually. Tonight though, its going to be different. There's a line to get into the stadium. A very long line.
The game begins and the Lions roll down the field like Sherman heading for Atlanta and score on a very nice touchdown pass. Its encouraging when directly after the Patriots go down the field themselves and tie the game up on a touchdown run.
7-7.
There is still a line of people waiting to get into the stadium. Its unbelieveable. I notice that on one of the buildings next to stadium someone is sitting in a lawn chair.
The stadium seats are full. People are lining the field, trying to get a glimpse of the game. This has never happened at Heritage. This only happens....in big games.
The 2nd quarter sees the Lions begin another long drive that culminates with another Lions touchdown. The Patriots drive the field, but are stopped on 4th down and turn the ball over to the Lions. I warn the wife that Heritage does not want to get down by 2 touchdowns to Chaminade. The Lions head down the field but are ultimately kept off the scoreboard by the Heritage defense.
14-7 Chaminade, at the half.
Its homecoming game at Heritage and the various candidate walk onto the field.
I tell my wife that there might be one sure bet that evening. Back from the lockerroom comes Heritage fullback Andy Hartman. Andy is the senior fullback for the football team and has played the entire season with a heavy heart. The week before school starts his mother is killed in a car accident. A 17 year old loses his mother the week before his final year of high school. I told my wife that if Andy Hartman was one of the finalists for Homecoming king, there is no way he does not win. Its a sure bet. The crowd wants it to happen. They want to cheer the kid, to let him know their with him. The moment arrives.
"Your choice," the stadium announcer says over the loudspeaker, "for 2005 Homecoming King is.....Andy Hartman!"
The crowd errupts. The crown is placed upon his head. He is the King, if for tonight only. We look at the sea of humanity surrounding the stadium. My wife and I figure that there might be 3,000 people there, watching Big Game America. Here at little old American Heritage. It has arrived.
The 3rd quarter gets underway. The game, which I initially thought was going to be a high scoring shootout, with perhaps the team having the ball last wins ends up turning into a defensive slugfest. The Patriots, the smaller and perhaps less talented team, is standing toe to toe with Chaminade.
14-7, end of the 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter begins. The game, which started with a lot of trashtalking and borderline cheapshots, has evolved into a hardhitting, cleanly played game. Chaminade has brought a large contingent of fans, the most of any opposing team so far this season. Its good stuff. The game continues to ebb and flow. Chaminade has the ball and is marching down the field. I tell my wife that time is becoming a factor. Heritage's coach is conservative in his approach. Wait, make that VERY conservative. Heritage has the type of offense that does not pass the ball very often.
They're going to need time when (or IF) they get the ball back. There's around 3 minutes left and its 4th and 3. This might be the ball game. A sweep to the right side of the field and Chaminade converts for a first down.
"That's it," I say to my wife. "Their done."
"Not so fast," a guy in front of me says, "there's still time."
"There is no way that with an offense like Heritage has their driving the field in 2 minutes. They needed to get the ball back right then."
The defense for Heritage then rises up. Three straight tackles for a loss and an incomplete pass on 4th down give Heritage the ball back on their own 25 yard line.
The Patriots start with a reverse that goes for almost 20 yards. Just under 2 minutes.
The QB drops back and completes his 2nd pass. Of the entire game. This one goes for 30 yards and now Heritage is inside the 20. I turn to my wife:
"NOW they can run the ball."
A couple of running plays and the ball is down to the 5 yard line. A motion penalty pushes them back to the 10 yard line. About a minute and 10 seconds remain.
Timeout.
"Ya know," I say to my wife, "this is some good stuff. If they score, they have to go for two points."
"You don't kick the extra point?" a guy in front of me asks."
"Not me. This is their home field. You play for the win. If the game was at Chaminade I'd go for the tie. At home, you play to win."
My wife points down the bleachers. A woman is knitting in the stands. This is a big game....for almost everyone. Knitting? I told my wife that I might have had to kill her if she ever did something like that at a football game. She joins me in shaking our heads in disgust at the woman. I have a good wife.
Now with only a minute and 10 seconds left the conservative coach for Heritage makes a bold call. Chaminade comes in an all out blitz and the screen pass left is wide open. Wide open for Andy Hartman, the homecoming king.
The Heritage coach makes another bold call. He decides to go for the win.
My wife asks me what play they should run.
"You give the ball to the homecoming king like you have all season and you let him win the game for you. Its the only call he can make."
One minute left. 14-13. Heritage is going for two points and the district title.
The ball is snapped.
Its handed to Andy Hartman. The Homecoming King.
He dives. He's hit and keeps driving. He hits the ground.
One yard short.
The Chaminade players and fans errupt. An onside kick fails, the clock is run out and the Lions celebrate the win and the district title. 3,000 fans all stand and applaud both teams.
It was the type of a play and a moment that young men dream about. Who hasn't been in their backyard and wondered about such a moment? A minute left in the game, the ball is given to you, your hit...and you keep going and score the winning touchdown. No one ever dreams about getting stopped a yard short. Not when your the Homecoming King. Not when you've played the whole season after losing your mother a week before it started. But I'll bet that in his backyard, Andy Hartman scored that touchdown. And in that backyard, where his only opponent is his imagination, while he's holding that ball above his head, he hears his mother cheering for him.
Later,
Jeff
Teams don't travel out of state unless they're loading up a heck of a football team.
So I drove with my wife to the game as the Heritage Patriots, holders of an 8-0 record and ranked #2 in the state (that's right, #2!) faced off with the Chaminade Lions, who were ranked #3 in the state for the district title. Both teams had already qualified for the state playoffs, so this one was all about winning district and getting some respect. My wife, apparently quite correctly, had wanted to get to the game early so that we could watch our kids play in the band before the game started.
That's not quite as emotional as having your kid be the starting QB, but what can I say? I knew something was amiss when I went to turn into the parking lot where I've parked my car for every other game. Closed.
"Why in the heck would they close the lot tonight?" I asked the wife.
"I don't think its closed," she answered, "I think its full."
"Full? The game doesn't start for another 45 minutes."
So we parked across the street and made our way into the stadium, dutifully paying our $5 admission fee and looking for the best seat available. We made our way to the top of the grandstands, around the 25 yard line (I'm used to sitting at about the 40--I hate having my routine interrupted). We're watching the warmups, and the first thing that strikes me is that the Lions have some absolute monsters. There have been "whispers", and only "whispers" mind you, that the coach for the Lions "recruits" players to come play for his school (both Heritage and Chaminade being private schools of course). If he doesn't recruit, it sure looks like he does, because some of the kids look like they should be in junior college at the very least.
The crowd begins to pour into the stadium. I use the word "stadium" in the broadest sense of the word, because it seats maybe 1500 people. Usually. Tonight though, its going to be different. There's a line to get into the stadium. A very long line.
The game begins and the Lions roll down the field like Sherman heading for Atlanta and score on a very nice touchdown pass. Its encouraging when directly after the Patriots go down the field themselves and tie the game up on a touchdown run.
7-7.
There is still a line of people waiting to get into the stadium. Its unbelieveable. I notice that on one of the buildings next to stadium someone is sitting in a lawn chair.
The stadium seats are full. People are lining the field, trying to get a glimpse of the game. This has never happened at Heritage. This only happens....in big games.
The 2nd quarter sees the Lions begin another long drive that culminates with another Lions touchdown. The Patriots drive the field, but are stopped on 4th down and turn the ball over to the Lions. I warn the wife that Heritage does not want to get down by 2 touchdowns to Chaminade. The Lions head down the field but are ultimately kept off the scoreboard by the Heritage defense.
14-7 Chaminade, at the half.
Its homecoming game at Heritage and the various candidate walk onto the field.
I tell my wife that there might be one sure bet that evening. Back from the lockerroom comes Heritage fullback Andy Hartman. Andy is the senior fullback for the football team and has played the entire season with a heavy heart. The week before school starts his mother is killed in a car accident. A 17 year old loses his mother the week before his final year of high school. I told my wife that if Andy Hartman was one of the finalists for Homecoming king, there is no way he does not win. Its a sure bet. The crowd wants it to happen. They want to cheer the kid, to let him know their with him. The moment arrives.
"Your choice," the stadium announcer says over the loudspeaker, "for 2005 Homecoming King is.....Andy Hartman!"
The crowd errupts. The crown is placed upon his head. He is the King, if for tonight only. We look at the sea of humanity surrounding the stadium. My wife and I figure that there might be 3,000 people there, watching Big Game America. Here at little old American Heritage. It has arrived.
The 3rd quarter gets underway. The game, which I initially thought was going to be a high scoring shootout, with perhaps the team having the ball last wins ends up turning into a defensive slugfest. The Patriots, the smaller and perhaps less talented team, is standing toe to toe with Chaminade.
14-7, end of the 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter begins. The game, which started with a lot of trashtalking and borderline cheapshots, has evolved into a hardhitting, cleanly played game. Chaminade has brought a large contingent of fans, the most of any opposing team so far this season. Its good stuff. The game continues to ebb and flow. Chaminade has the ball and is marching down the field. I tell my wife that time is becoming a factor. Heritage's coach is conservative in his approach. Wait, make that VERY conservative. Heritage has the type of offense that does not pass the ball very often.
They're going to need time when (or IF) they get the ball back. There's around 3 minutes left and its 4th and 3. This might be the ball game. A sweep to the right side of the field and Chaminade converts for a first down.
"That's it," I say to my wife. "Their done."
"Not so fast," a guy in front of me says, "there's still time."
"There is no way that with an offense like Heritage has their driving the field in 2 minutes. They needed to get the ball back right then."
The defense for Heritage then rises up. Three straight tackles for a loss and an incomplete pass on 4th down give Heritage the ball back on their own 25 yard line.
The Patriots start with a reverse that goes for almost 20 yards. Just under 2 minutes.
The QB drops back and completes his 2nd pass. Of the entire game. This one goes for 30 yards and now Heritage is inside the 20. I turn to my wife:
"NOW they can run the ball."
A couple of running plays and the ball is down to the 5 yard line. A motion penalty pushes them back to the 10 yard line. About a minute and 10 seconds remain.
Timeout.
"Ya know," I say to my wife, "this is some good stuff. If they score, they have to go for two points."
"You don't kick the extra point?" a guy in front of me asks."
"Not me. This is their home field. You play for the win. If the game was at Chaminade I'd go for the tie. At home, you play to win."
My wife points down the bleachers. A woman is knitting in the stands. This is a big game....for almost everyone. Knitting? I told my wife that I might have had to kill her if she ever did something like that at a football game. She joins me in shaking our heads in disgust at the woman. I have a good wife.
Now with only a minute and 10 seconds left the conservative coach for Heritage makes a bold call. Chaminade comes in an all out blitz and the screen pass left is wide open. Wide open for Andy Hartman, the homecoming king.
The Heritage coach makes another bold call. He decides to go for the win.
My wife asks me what play they should run.
"You give the ball to the homecoming king like you have all season and you let him win the game for you. Its the only call he can make."
One minute left. 14-13. Heritage is going for two points and the district title.
The ball is snapped.
Its handed to Andy Hartman. The Homecoming King.
He dives. He's hit and keeps driving. He hits the ground.
One yard short.
The Chaminade players and fans errupt. An onside kick fails, the clock is run out and the Lions celebrate the win and the district title. 3,000 fans all stand and applaud both teams.
It was the type of a play and a moment that young men dream about. Who hasn't been in their backyard and wondered about such a moment? A minute left in the game, the ball is given to you, your hit...and you keep going and score the winning touchdown. No one ever dreams about getting stopped a yard short. Not when your the Homecoming King. Not when you've played the whole season after losing your mother a week before it started. But I'll bet that in his backyard, Andy Hartman scored that touchdown. And in that backyard, where his only opponent is his imagination, while he's holding that ball above his head, he hears his mother cheering for him.
Later,
Jeff
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
11/2/05---New movie review....no, really!!
Its a funny thing when you end a relationship (oh quit panicking, I'm NOT getting divorce again)....a lot of how you'll view the relationship after you've had some time to reflect back on it will be determined whether you were the...ahem...."dumper", or the "dumpee". Trust me, I'm on my 3rd marriage....I know this material by heart.
Character actor Jon Favreau wrote & helped produce "Swingers", 1996 film that focuses primarily on one man's attempt to get over a broken romance and the friend (Vince Vaughn) that helps him attempt to do it. There's only one other "name" actress in the film, and truthfully, she doesn't come onscreen until about 3/4 of the way through the film....although her part and performance are vital. I'll get to her in a minute though. Favreau is the main lead in this film, and he's got one of those familar faces that makes you scream "oh, yeah...I know that guy" from some of his other films (he played Sean Astin's best friend in "Rudy"). Here he plays Mike, a struggling comedian in Los Angeles who can't seem to catch a break either personally or professionally. Its his personal life that really has Mike a mess though, as he's still in "recovery" from a "6 year relationship" that ended almost six months before. When I say he's in recovery....its only in the broadest sense of the word.
Mike checks his phone messages on a daily basis, hoping that his ex has called and left a message. Every single day he checks. What he really needs is a wild night on the town...say, maybe in Las Vegas. That's what his best friend Trent suggests and they proceed to make the drive from L.A. to Vegas. Trent isn't just a best friend.
He's a force of nature in this film, and I have to tell you--Vaughn has star written all over him here. Its really a starmaking performance, and its easy to see why he began to get bigger roles afterwards.
Favreau's character is really pathetic here. There's a tremendous sad and hilarious scene midway through the film where he calls back a girl who's given him her phone number in a bar. The emotional moodswing that he goes through over the course of about 45 seconds is amazing to watch....a man so conflicted, and yet so seemingly safe in that conflict that he doesn't know what to do anymore. There's a point in the film (probably right after that scene) where you wonder how this guy is ever going to get out of the rut that he's in...and whether the film will ever pay off his emergence from it. Well, he does, and the scene where he does is such a good payoff that it makes the film worth sitting through. A friend of mine has a motto when it comes to relationships---"never go backwards". The great thing is....this film never does.
Quite a good little film. ****
Later,
Jeff
Character actor Jon Favreau wrote & helped produce "Swingers", 1996 film that focuses primarily on one man's attempt to get over a broken romance and the friend (Vince Vaughn) that helps him attempt to do it. There's only one other "name" actress in the film, and truthfully, she doesn't come onscreen until about 3/4 of the way through the film....although her part and performance are vital. I'll get to her in a minute though. Favreau is the main lead in this film, and he's got one of those familar faces that makes you scream "oh, yeah...I know that guy" from some of his other films (he played Sean Astin's best friend in "Rudy"). Here he plays Mike, a struggling comedian in Los Angeles who can't seem to catch a break either personally or professionally. Its his personal life that really has Mike a mess though, as he's still in "recovery" from a "6 year relationship" that ended almost six months before. When I say he's in recovery....its only in the broadest sense of the word.
Mike checks his phone messages on a daily basis, hoping that his ex has called and left a message. Every single day he checks. What he really needs is a wild night on the town...say, maybe in Las Vegas. That's what his best friend Trent suggests and they proceed to make the drive from L.A. to Vegas. Trent isn't just a best friend.
He's a force of nature in this film, and I have to tell you--Vaughn has star written all over him here. Its really a starmaking performance, and its easy to see why he began to get bigger roles afterwards.
Favreau's character is really pathetic here. There's a tremendous sad and hilarious scene midway through the film where he calls back a girl who's given him her phone number in a bar. The emotional moodswing that he goes through over the course of about 45 seconds is amazing to watch....a man so conflicted, and yet so seemingly safe in that conflict that he doesn't know what to do anymore. There's a point in the film (probably right after that scene) where you wonder how this guy is ever going to get out of the rut that he's in...and whether the film will ever pay off his emergence from it. Well, he does, and the scene where he does is such a good payoff that it makes the film worth sitting through. A friend of mine has a motto when it comes to relationships---"never go backwards". The great thing is....this film never does.
Quite a good little film. ****
Later,
Jeff
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