Too close for comfort

Whew!  The Tide scared me last night.  I always had faith that we would win, but dang...I do not like it when we have to mount a comeback. 

We went over to watch the game at Danny and Linda's.  (The game was still in the first quarter when Billie started asking how much longer it would be before the game was over and we could go home.  LOL  Made for a LOOOONNNNNGGGGG afternoon.)  The last time we watched at game at their house was the Auburn game last year.  After the game was over, I told Linda that we might have to change our venue or just stop watching them together if every game was going to be a comeback game.  hahahaha

Ryan Mallett and Arkansas are the real deal.  They will continue to do well in the conference.  Some "experts" have picked them to win the West, and that is still certainly a possibility.  (Although I truly hope to be back in the ATL with the TIDE and Susan and Tim!)  The Hogs will give other teams in the conference fits.

My guys didn't do so well in the first half, but they did what they had to do in the second half to win.  The duo of Mark and Trent showed out.  I love watching them bulldoze their ways through the defensive lines. 

We're going to stop by Phillip and Katy's so John can see if he can fix Sam's ceiling fan.  Katy's had strep again, but if she feels like it, I'm going to get her to run to Ulta with me.  I have GOT to have make up.  I was scraping the bottom to get enough to wear yesterday. 

I've got to go shower, so that's it for today.  Have a GREAT week!

House, Bones, Fringe

So it's PREMIERE WEEK.  I've finally gotten to see (or will see) all of my favorites.  Will House and Cuddy make it?  Where in the heck did 13 go?  What about Bones and Brennon?  Will they get together?  And will Olivia make it back from wherever she is?  Will Walter be able to forgive himself for what he did in past?  And will Olivia and Peter get together?  This week has been like a reunion of friends I haven't seen in a while.  I need to make sure that the DVR is still set to record all of our favorite shows. 

Even though this has been a crazy week at work, it seems to have gone by pretty fast.  And I'm soooo glad, too.  Tomorrow is going to feel like almost a wasted day, but I don't mind.  I remember having fun during high school, but today's teachers have so much pressure to cover their objectives and to prepare kids for all of the standardized tests that they have to take that it is hard to build in "fun."  As teachers, we try to incorporate fun activities into our lesson plans, but long gone are the days of a flag football game during school hours to raise money for an organization. 

Several years ago, the powers that be decided that we didn't need to get out early on the Friday of homecoming.  The parade was moved to Thursday night, and the Friday of the game was a typical pep rally Friday.  I hated it.  It didn't feel like homecoming at all.  A couple of years ago, the powers that be (new ones) changed things back to the traditional way of doing things.  So tomorrow will a half day with a pep rally at the end of the school day and a parade at 3:00.

I'm glad we're getting out early.  I probably won't go to the parade since this is our weekend to be in Hartselle.  If I went to the parade, we wouldn't get on the road until about 4:30 or 5:00.  If John doesn't get caught up with work, we should be able to get going by 3.  Maybe we can beat the Birmingham traffic...

Gotta go watch Bones and then Fringe. 

Have a GREAT Friday, and

ROLL TIDE!

Snuggled in for the night

Not me.  At least not yet.  Ali Bug has gotten herself all snuggled up next to me on the blanket, and Bama is snoozing on the sofa.  I desperately want to stay awake to watch Glee, but honestly, I'm not sure I'll make it through the entire show.  I did make it through House last night.  :)

This is a nutso week at work.  First of all, the Alabama High School Graduation Exam is being given this week.  Fortunately, the students I have who are having to take it are all in my afternoon classes, and they are finished by the time they have English.  That means they aren't missing any of the notes and having to try to play catch up.  Most of the ones I have who are testing have IEPs, so having to play catch up isn't easy for them.  Secondly, the senior counselor started senior conferences this week.  Yesterday, half of my 2nd block class was gone to the conference, and today the other half was gone.  Yesterday, half of my 3rd block class was gone, but none were today, so those who were in class yesterday got a double dose of the material.  None of my 4th or 5th block students have conferences this week, so they are actually a day ahead.  Not to worry, though, because their conferences are next week, so we'll get caught up then.  Next, this is homecoming/spirit week.  Each day there is a theme and students dress up.  Yesterday was nerd day and today was reality-TV show day.  Tomorrow is Disney character day; Thursday is twin day; and Friday is spirit day.  Some kids dress up.  Some don't.  Finally, Friday is a half day because of the parade.  All classes have been shortened to 45 minutes (except 5th block, and it's 40 minutes.)  Then today, we get an email saying that there will in fact be a pep rally DURING school instead of a community wide pep rally (which was supposed to be after school, I guess.)  So now, I will have my 4th block class for even less time, and I won't see my 5th block class at all.  Not that it's a huge deal...I had planned on letting them work on their pilgrim projects during class since 45 minutes doesn't really give us enough time to do much of anything.  So...let me scream.  AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Oh yeah.  We got the email this afternoon about game duty.  Before the first game of the season, I sent an email saying that I would gladly work, BUT I didn't need to be scheduled for the Sept. 24 or Oct. 22 games since we stay with John's mom on the 4th weekend of the month.  Guess who was scheduled to work.  Yep.  Me.  I sent an email saying I needed to be swapped because it is our weekend to stay with John's mom.  I haven't heard back from him yet.

(Technically, we cannot be required to work football games unless we are compensated because it is outside the normal school day.  No compensation is given, but I pride myself on being a team player.  However, I am aggravated because I SPECIFICALLY made a request to NOT be scheduled for this week.  Granted, that request was made a month ago, but make a notation please.)

In addition to this being a crazy week, I'm still fighting sinus crud.  I've had it for a week now, and while I'm not feeling as bad as I was, I'm still all snotty and sneezy.

Glee is on now, so I'm gonna go.

Have a GREAT day tomorrow!

I love Saturdays in the fall!

Oh, what?  You're surprised that I love football?  Obviously, you are a new reader to my blog.  LOL 

I got up about 8:30 this morning, and the first thing I did...before making coffee or anything else...was to turn on ESPN.  About 11, Kristen and I went down to Danny and Linda's dock to get some sun, but we came back to the trailer about 1:00.  We didn't go to our dock because the water has dropped has dropped so much that we can't put the ladder down, and it is hot enough to need to take a dip every now and then.  We came back up about 1, snacked, and watched the games.

Vandy beat Mississippi.  Arkansas beat Georgia (last minute).  BAMA DOMINATED Duke.  And currently Clemson is beating Auburn.  (Yeah, I think Auburn will win in the end, but for now, I'm loving it.)

I did get some sun today while we were on the dock.  It has been FOREVER since I've lain out in the sun--probably since the end of July or so, and it's been such a busy summer with Jessi and Lance's wedding and the showers/parties that went along with that and our weekends with Billie, that I haven't had a TAN since school started.  And I hate it.  Oh well.  It's getting to the part of the year where having a tan looks odd anyway.

John has started the grill. We're having steaks, potatoes, and salad for dinner.  Kristen doesn't have any idea what she is about to experience.  John's steaks are to DIE for.  Knowing I'm going to have one makes me extremely happy.  hahaha

So, I guess I'll end this post--gotta watch FOOTBALL.  Have a GREAT rest of the weekend. Love ya!

Has this week been exceptionally long?

Weekends don't pay as well as weekdays but at least there's football. ~ S.A. Sachs

I don't know about you, but this week has been forever long.  I don't know what it is about some days or weeks that makes them seem to last longer than the normal 24 hours, but I don't like them.  I think part of what has made this week drag has been because we didn't get home until 1 AM Sunday, and I've had cruddy sinus crap.  Fortunately, it hasn't turned into an infection or anything, but not being able to breath, especially at night, is bad enough.  And since not breathing well at night affects my sleep, I've been exhausted.  Every night this week, I have come in and been IN BED before 8:00.  As a matter of fact, Monday I got home about 3:40.  I hit the sofa and crashed.  About 6:30 I woke up.  John suggested ordering a pizza, so we did and I went to get it.  After we ate, I went to bed.  I could have sworn it was at least 9:30. 

We're heading to the lake tomorrow.  Right now, my plan is to sleep as late as I can Saturday, get up, go for a boat ride, come back and watch football.  Bama plays at 2:30, and then Auburn plays that night.  (6:30, I think.)  And of course there will be tons of other games before, during, and after.

What I really can't wait for is fall break.  This may be our last one, so I plan to enjoy it.  This is the end of our sixth week, so we have only three more before break.  Ahhhhh!!!

OK...gotta go to the grocery store for lake stuff.  John is grilling steaks for Saturday night.  YUM!

Have a GREAT Friday and weekend!

College Legends

College football legends.  Woody Hayes.  Darrell Royal.  Vince Dooley.  Bo Schembechler.  Paul Bryant.  Bobby Bowden.  Joe Paterno.  These men all led their teams and their players to conference and national titles.  They instilled hard work, dedication, and respect for others in their players. 

Yesterday, two of these men met at center field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.  Joe Paterno was there as the coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions.  Bobby Bowden was there as a guest of the Alabama Athletic Director, Mal Moore. 

Following Coach Paul Bryant's retirement, Coach Bowden wanted to come to Alabama.  He grew up in Birmingham and had been recruited by Bama.  He spent one semester at Bama, but he returned to Birmingham  to attend what was then Howard College (now Samford University.)  He wanted to be closer to his girl, who later became his lovely wife. 

Meeting both of these legends at center field was the current Alabama coach, Nick Saban, who will be one day be one of college football's legends.  He is well on his way.

The game experience last night was magical.  Electric.  Exhilarating.  Yes, last week there was a game at BDS, and there were over 101,000 fans in attendance, but the game last night had so much more to it.  See, there is a history between Alabama and Penn State that isn't there between Alabama and San Jose State.  Alabama and Penn State have played numerous times over the years.  Both teams have tradition.

One of those previous games stands out in my memory.  The Jan. 1, 1979, Sugar Bowl was for the National Championship.  The players were the Alabama Crimson Tide, led by Coach Paul Bryant, and the Penn State Nittany Lions, led by Coach Joe Paterno.  The game came down to a final play known forever as the Goal-line Stand.  Penn State had recovered a fumble on the Bama 19 with just under 8 minutes to play.  Penn State moved the ball to the 1 yard line.  The Lions tried to run it up the middle on the third down play, but they went nowhere.  On the fourth down play, they lined up to do the same. 

One of the famous quotes from this game (well, famous for Bama fans) was from Marty Lyons.  The Penn State QB came out for the fourth down play.  Marty was between him and the ball.  When the Penn State QB asked how far, Lyons said, "'Bout this much."  The QB said "Ten inches."  Lyons said, "Yeah.  You better pass."  The QB didn't pass, and the Tide held the mighty Lions and preserved a 14-7 win and became the 1979 National Champions.

I was 12 years old.  I remember watching Coach Paterno as he left the field and feeling bad for him.  (Not bad enough to not be excited about Bama's win, though.)  Yesterday, that same feeling returned as I watched one of the greatest coaches college football has even known lose to my beloved Crimson Tide.  (Again, not enough to not be excited by Bama's win.)  This is a man who is at the end of his career.  I hope he continues to coach for many more years, but face it...he is 83 years old.  (Just an interesting side note...He is EXACTLY 40 years older than I am.)  How much longer can he prowl on the sidelines?  It will be a sad day when he steps down.  However, he will step down as football's winningest coach, and it will be many, many, many years before anyone takes his place.

We got home about 1 this morning.  I don't think I moved at all once I went to sleep.  And had a squirrel not jumped down on the air conditioner, I doubt we would have wakened at 9.  I'm too old for those late nights, but don't tell John.  He'll use that as a reason to NOT go to late games.  LOL

I hope everyone has a GREAT week.

TGIF!

I don't know what it is about a short week when I'm off work on Monday, but those weeks seem to last FOR. EV. ER.  I dread them like the plague, but I'm certainly not going to turn down a day off on a Monday.  LOL  However, I much prefer to have Fridays off. 

At least is if finally Friday, and it should be a fun weekend.  Like I said in my last post, we're going to hang out with Susan, Tim, Kayla, Blake, and Beth at the condo before the game.  I made redneck caviar (or maybe you call it Texas caviar) and corn dip. I hope they're edible.  If they aren't, my feelings won't be hurt if no one eats them.  My skin is tougher than that. 

As game time gets closer, I'm getting more and more nervous and excited.  I posted about Coach Paterno in the last post, but I failed to mention that Coach Bobby Bowden will be at the game as well.  According to Tony Barnhart, this will be the first time Coach Bowden has been to Bryant-Denny as a fan since he was being recruited in the 40s.  How awesome is it that two of college footballs icons will be at the game?  I hope they do something special, and I'm really hoping there will be flyover.

Tomorrow is also the anniversary of 9/11, so I'm expecting some kind of tribute to the men and women who lost their lives on that horrible day.  I will never forget when that happened.  All college football games for that weekend were postponed, and the next week was a home game for Bama.  I cried through the entire National Anthem.  If there is a tribute, I'll cry again tomorrow.

I need to get busy.  I haven't decided what I want to wear tomorrow, so I need to take care of that.

Have a GREAT weekend, and

ROLL TIDE!!

Excitement!

OK...so maybe all I seem to talk about during this time of the year is football, but I can't help it.  I looooovvvveeee football season.  Some of my guys were talking to me at the end of last week about the games for the weekend.  I made a comment about how much I love the game, and one of them said, "That's so cool." 

The game this week is a big one for us.  We'll be playing Penn State, and I don't expect it to be a walk in the park because the Nittany Lions will be fired up and ready.  This will be the first time the two teams have met since 1990 and the 14th time overall.  Yes, this home and home series was supposed to have been played about five years ago, but that was during the time that Bama was struggling so badly, so Coach Moore and the Penn State AD postponed it until this year and next year.  Even though we took tons of grief for that decision, you have to admit that it was probably a good thing.  The game back then wouldn't have been much of a game at all.  We would have had our crimson butts handed to us on a blue platter.  (Some people would be thrilled by that...)  The games that Bama and Penn State have played in the past have all been classics.  This series is often described as one of the greatest rivalries in college football.  In all 13 of the previous meetings, Coach Joe Paterno has been on the sidelines.  Considering that the first game between these two powerhouses was at the Liberty Bowl in 1959, that is quite an accomplishment.

Many people speculate that this could be Coach Paterno's last year as the Penn State coach.  I hope it isn't.  I would love for him to be prowling the sidelines next September when the Tide makes the trip to Happy Valley.

We're going to hang out with the Kings Saturday at the condo.  I'm going to take redneck caviar and corn dip.  I wanted to get Jessi's recipe for it because her dips are SOOOOO good.  I've had others, but there is just something about Jess's that I like better than any other.  But Jess and Katy have enough on their plates without worrying about getting me a couple of recipes.  Anytime the phone rings or a text message comes through, I expect it to be one of them telling us that Roy, their step-dad, has lost his battle with cancer.  So I'll google the recipes.

I've got to go iron and get to bed.  Have a GREAT day!

Game 1 in the books

Bama's "Chase for 14" is underway. 

John and I left the lake about 11 to meet Susan and Tim at their place.  We decided to have a late lunch at Manasco's.  I love the steaks there.  They are almost as good as the ones John grills.  :)

We got to campus about 3:15 or so and walked over to the quad for a bit before deciding to walk over to see the new south entrance at the stadium.  It is GORGEOUS!

The area right under "Bryant Denny Stadium" is an open area.  Zoe's Kitchen and a yogurt shop will be opening soon, and there are plans to add other vendors.  This area will be available year round for students or visitors to campus.  Boy, things sure have changed at UA in the 20+ years since I was a student there.  :)

After going to see the new addition, we walked over to Rama Jama's for something to drink.  For a few minutes, we thought we were going to see a brawl.  John and Tim snagged us a table, and Susan and I stood in line to get our drinks.  About the time we got them, a guy who was either wasted or mental began cursing, loudly.  And it was just a "shit", "damn", or "hell" cursing.  A lady in line started telling him that he needed to watch his language because there were children around.  He continued to curse, and she continued to tell him to stop.  He finally took his sunglasses off and attempted (not very successfully) to put them on houndstooth hat.  He was giving her a "go to hell" look when two nice, big, burly officers approached him.  He turned to look at them with the same "go to hell" expression, but as soon as it registered that two of Tuscaloosa's finest were in front of him, that look went completely away.  Apparently, they didn't feel that he had been drinking because they didn't escort him out.  He did calm down.

By the time we finished our Cokes, game time was only about an hour away, so we walked back to the stadium and made our way in.  The new addition is gorgeous.  I love the video boards in all four corners.  The new scoreboards will take some getting use to, but I think after another game or so, I'll have them figured out.  It isn't that they are hard to figure out, but I'm just not used to what numbers are what, so I have to read to see if I'm looking at the number of time outs remaining, the down, or the score.  Like I said, after another game or so, I'll be able to glance and them and know exactly where to look for what.  Being one of over 101,000 people to watch a college football game was an awesome experience.

Of course, seeing the TIDE roll to a 48-3 victory was awesome as well.  Yes, we played San Jose State, so we should have won and won big.  A large number of our second and third string players got to play, which is a really good thing.  Since Mark was out with his knee injury, Trent got the start at RB.  We saw his fight, drive, and determination last year, and it was obvious that nothing was lost during the off season.  Demetrius Goode and Eddie Lacy got quite a bit of playing time;  A J McCarron had a good day as well.  The A J to Julio pass for a TD was PHENOMENAL!  Good pass or good catch...either way or both.  Our kicking game looked pretty good as well.  Let's hope it stays that way!

This week's game will be a real test.  I don't doubt that Coach Paterno will have his Nittany Lions as prepared as possible to come to BDS.  Way back when I was in college, Penn State and Bama played at Legion Field.  (I'm pretty sure it was in Birmingham...)  During pre-game, one of the members of the Million Dollar Band was hit and knocked down by either a kick or an errant pass.  Coach Paterno walked across the field to see if he/she was okay.  That one act impressed me immensely, and because of that, I have always like him.  It would have been so easy for him to have the attitude that it was "just" a band member and kept doing whatever he was doing.  But he didn't.  Now, that doesn't mean I always want Penn State to win.  Nope, not at all, but Coach Paterno is one of the icons of college football.

I think it's about time for this girl to head to bed.  My allergies have been acting up today, and I've taken Benadryl a couple of times.  The sleepies have hit.  No, the sleepies hit a couple of hours ago.  :)

Have a GREAT Memorial Day!

Could this day have been ANY better?

Honestly, the only thing that could have made this day any better would have been a phone call telling me that I had won a truckload of cold, hard cash. ALL DAY LONG I have been in THE BEST MOOD. Even when my students came in asking--no, begging--for a free day, I didn't get frustrated with them (because a class room full of whiny high school seniors can frustrate even the best of teachers.). Maybe it is because it is Friday. Maybe it is because it is a four-day weekend. Maybe it was because I was teaching ballads, one of my more favorite units. Maybe (and very likely) it is because we are headed to the lake AND tomorrow is the first game of "The Chase for 14" AND we're gonna be spending the day with Susan and Tim, who are the best friends ever. Whatever it is, I love it. And whatever it is caused me to loosen up just enough to "dance" ON CAMERA for a W.I.L.D. segment about "So You Think You Can Dance." (Just for the record, I am DEFINITELY a white girl 100% when it comes to rhythm, so I KNOW I can't dance.) If they include me in the segment, the entire student body will see it. I don't mind "dancing" in front of my students, but on camera...SO NOT ME! Oh well. I'll do crazy stuff for my students.

Guess that's about it! Have a GREAT day and

ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!