Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Joys of Football


10 years ago, putting 'joy' and 'football' in the same sentence would have been an oxymoron to me.
(Like 'military intelligence'. You aren't tired of hearing that one, are you?)
Didn't watch it, didn't understand it, didn't care. Then BS applied to and was accepted at Virginia Tech, and a surprisingly thing happened. I started to like it.

Ever since, I am, shall we say, enthusiastic about football. Wait, let me clarify that and say I am selectively enthusiastic about football. I have learned to understand it, and if there is a team playing that interests me in some way, I will watch the game and enjoy every minute. I am a Hokies fan first and foremost, and a Tarheels fan second (since I grew up there).

How can anyone not get excited when in the midst of this:


By clarifying that the team 'interests me in some way', that means it is a team from a place that I have friends or family, where I used to live, has cool stuff, things like that. With the exception of VT, I would not be able to tell you the name of a single player.

Now, about the Super Bowl. I take it the teams involved are going to be these:




So, who do I root for?

Before I tell you, I have a pet peeve to unload. When a team relocates, and they had a name specific to their area, they should change the name.

Case in point - the New Orleans Jazz. I get that there may be reasons to move a team. But come on, Jazz and NOLA are synonymous. What the heck does Utah have to do with Jazz? Change the stinkin' name to something that is reflective of Utah, like the Bigamists or something.

And the Lakers are another one. They came from Minnesota - the land of a thousand lakes. Makes sense. So they move to LA and KEEP THE NAME? C'mon. Make up your own.

The Steelers started out and stayed in Pittsburgh, the city of steel mills. Great name. But would someone please tell me what Cardinals and Arizona have in common? I don't think they even have cardinals in Arizona.

So..... who will I root for? Here's how I come up with the answer:
What does this all mean? Well, I'll tell you, just let me gather my thoughts. I know you are in a near panic, waiting for the answer........

****runs down the hall to ask BS who he is going to root for****

So, upon careful consideration of the merits of each place, I have decided to cheer for.... um.... well, since Sunday is my dad's birthday, and BS & I will be watching the game with him in Kitty Hawk (on the Outer Banks), I will cheer for whoever he cheers for. Obviously, I don't much care who wins, but I will enjoy the game anyway. Especially the commercials.

Nice things about Pennsylvania:


http://z.about.com/d/honeymoons/1/5/x/q/buggy_farmscape.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2006/2255319162_ecfea1f548.jpg?v=0


http://csumc.wisc.edu/AmericanLanguages/graphics/Amish_girls_half.jpg


http://www.legjoints.com/TourofFlandersLive/amish-airlines.jpg

And my erroneous vision of Pittsburgh:


http://www.triplepundit.com/GD3153294@Benxi-steel-mills-blo-3862.jpg


Now, some pictures I took on our cross country trip 2 years ago.
Arizona - first, Flagstaff from the highway - a very pretty city, and the weather was delightful for being surrounded by desert:


The Grand Canyon:


BS at the Grand Canyon:


BS scaring the piss out of his mater by climbing waaaaay out onto a ledge:


Meteor Crater:



The Painted Desert:



The Petrified Forest (within the Painted Desert):



The Wigwam Motel. The others are in California & Kentucky, and there was a vintage auto parked at each wigwam:



And lastly, of Eagles fame:



1 comment:

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Very nice pictures.

Looking forward to seeing you and meeting BS Sunday.