the transition

Yesterday we sold our house in the Chicago suburbs and were able to breath a sigh of relief.  We've been very fortunate to be able pay for two houses for several months, but things were tight and luxury items were a thing of the past.  Now the discipline of not purchasing luxury items and remaining focused on being debt free is our goal.  It's really not so difficult for me because I don't like spending money, but I've created a monster in Cathy who pinches every single penny, stretches each one into a dime (I'm still perplexed with her ability to do so) and takes frugality to a whole new level.

Living in an apartment, after living in a spacious house, is a huge transition for us.  We can't get away from each other and sometimes we suffer from a tad too much "us time."  Solitude happens only with a trip to the bathroom and even that may not afford us ample refuge from one another.  Walking outside and being around this many people makes me uncomfortable; I prefer to be a social recluse but accept my prison term for a few years knowing we can get to a better financial place in a few years.

I wonder how my neighbors will react to my screams of "Roll Tide" this evening?  Will I be forced to explain my chant to local law enforcement?  Will we be evicted after only a few days on site?  How will my conservative yard signs be embraced by the other tenants and will my proclivities for planting them like some wayward yard artisan be frowned upon?  Only time will tell......

The nice thing is we are both a little closer to work and will save time and gas going to and fro our offices.  I'm certain the suburbs will raise the price of gas to compensate for the loss of revenue since our move, but in the short term it'll be good to keep a few extra cents.

But most importantly will be when we realize our goals and finally wind up "home."  Until then....

ROLL TIDE!!

A Lymric, an Ode, A Silly Rhyme, You're a Toad

Sometimes I kid, sometimes I joke

   On a cheap cigar I occasionally toke

Politics and Facebook, the two don't mix

   Sarcasm and wit really make me tick

I laugh at you, I laugh at me

  Sometimes I laugh so much it makes me pee

My kids think I'm crazy, my wife thinks I'm insane

  I'm the fruit of my dad's loins, so it's him I blame 

I go to work early, at times I get home late

  But watch Bama football on Saturdays because they're just great

On game day my neighbors they all run and hide

  And look at me curiously as I scream, "Roll Tide!"

I've been fortunate and lucky to travel this Earth
  To fly in planes circumventing its girth
And everywhere I go people make me smile and giggle
  Funny things I always see so much my belly will jiggle

I raise up my glass and toast you my friends
  And realize your zaniness knows no end
I can count on each one of you to make my day
  So for your good health and continence I pray

And to those of you who would prefer to say, "go to hell"
  I'll just look at you and type "l-o-l"

Because I know I got under your skin

  I laugh and laugh and will do it again

SEC versus Big 10 versus the Independents

I spent a day in South Bend, Indiana with a group of friends who have never been to an SEC football game.  We had put our heads together a few weeks ago and decided to attend the Notre Dame versus Purdue football game.  As God would have it, after several days of rain, wind and gloom, the clouds were forced to blow eastward and beautiful blue skies permeated the house that Knute built.  Yes, the Catholic church must have a direct line to the Good Lord because the weather could have not been any more perfect on a college game day.

My University of Alabama jersey on and national championship hat proudly perched upon my gargantuan head, my buddies and I tailgated for a couple of hours before making our way to the stadium.  One friend sported his Notre Dame jersey, another wore a Purdue t-shirt that he had apparently worn since he was eight years old, as the shirt seemed to be a "small" stretched across a "large" frame, and one fellow who elected to remain neutral out of pure fear for his own personal safety.

I was disappointed in the subdued atmosphere in the parking area where so many people were grilling food and pitching a football around.  No one dared talk smack to anyone from the opposing fanbase; no, everyone was very, very polite!  I was totally shocked and amazed at the level of civility on display, and a little embarrassed that the fans didn't know how to talk smack to one another.  Don't people here know how to carry on in the spirit of good fun or are the folks here morally superior to my kin back home?  By contrast, there is always much yelling and screaming at folks from other states and schools when my beloved Tide plays.  Sweet Home Alabama will be blasted from thousands of car stereos for miles around Bryant Denny Stadium.  The nauseating sounds of Rocky Top at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee are played until it is so ingrained in the rivals heads, they are singing along by the fourth quarter.  Public displays of disaffection and questions about someones sister's personal virtue are called into question at every turn.  Cam Newton jerseys are hung on statues of Paul "Bear" Bryant, giant oak trees on Toomer's Corner in Auburn are poisoned, grown women and men brawl before and after games and no modicum of civility is noticed in the region of the country known for politeness. 

As we began walking toward the stadium I grew excited.  I also was caught unaware when a couple of Purdue and Notre Dame fans yelled "Roll Tide!"  This made me both happy and confused at the same time; this would never have happened back home.

We found our "seats," or rather marked wooden bleachers.  A couple of elderly Purdue fans sat in front of us while a litany of Notre Dame fans looked bemused at my crimson attire.  An Irish fan from Boca Raton, Florida didn't hesitate to jump into a conversation about SEC football and its superiority to the rest of the country.  Not wanting to be persuaded without experiencing the game first, I kindly engaged him in chit-chat but consciously made efforts to remain neutral and unbiased until the game was over.   

Kick-off marked the beginning of the game and the fans were fairly loud, but not deafening.  Neither team could establish their running game and were forced to throw the ball on almost every down.  Neither team scored in the first quarter and played to a seven-seven tie heading into half-time.  The fighting Irish outpaced the Boilermakers ten to zero in the third quarter, but the fellas with the choo-choo mascot battled back in the fourth and final quarter.  God smiled on the private Catholic school one more time and the luck of the Irish allowed them the victory in an exciting final two minutes as Notre Dame battled back to win the game twenty to seventeen.

Insofar as the teams were concerned versus those of the SEC, here's my analysis: these two teams were SLOW.  I remarked to one of my buddies that watching the game was like watching some of the bigger high schools in Alabama, Arkansas and Texas I had seen.  There were some pretty big boys on the field and a few obvious NFL caliber players that stood out, like Manti Teo (sp), linebacker from Notre Dame.  The kid is a star and will be very successful at the next level, but I'm used to watching and seeing numerous kids on both sides of the ball that will wind up playing in the League. 

And I get back to the fanbases--they were very tame, nice and respectful.  This was pretty refreshing on one hand but the lack of junk being yelled at others was also just foreign to me.  "Where's the pride," I asked myself?! 

The saving grace for me?  As I stood and began walking toward a concession stand to buy a soft pretzel and something to drink, I heard a familiar chant behind me, "War Eagle!"

My head snapped back and my ears began to bleed just a little.  I turned to find two fellow Bama-ians decked in God-awful orange proudly pointing at their shirts and beaming from ear-to-ear.  Yes!  I would finally get to hear some wonderful smack talk and also get to throw some back.  All was right in the universe again and I knew the civil folks around me would get educated in the classroom of SEC.

The Tide

It's my most favorite time of the year.  If you follow me on Facebook, you might respond by asking, "election time?"  Nay, nay say I!  No, I get a little worked up at election time, but we all know how to tell when a politician is lying--when his/her mouth is moving.  No, my most favorite time of the year is when college football finally kicks off.

That's right--college football.  Not the overpaid cry baby "professionals" in "The League," but those kids who put heart and soul into the game and play because they love the sport.  It's that time of the year when this middle aged man dons one of his crimson jerseys, grabs a shaker (that's a man's pom-pom) and screams at the top of his lungs at a team who can't hear him. 

In victory I'm unbearable to be around.  In defeat I'm unbearable to be around.  But I keep coming back to the television every Saturday screaming and yelling, recliner coaching and wondering why my Tide won't run an option instead of play action?  I hope for our cross state rivals to lose every game and beat a path to my computer to rub it in the face of the Auburn faithful when it happens.  Yes, I'm an obnoxious fan who never attended the University of Alabama, but I was born into the crimson family.  I grew up yelling "Roll Tide Roll," worshiping at the house of the Bear and wondering why we hired Shula.

I still get tingly when I get to attend a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.  And still chuckle at all the pork being cooked in the Quad after beating Arkansas (the Razorbacks/Hogs).  I love watching beaten Tennessee fans leave the stadium with their heads hung low and I revel in the defeat of a Georgia Bulldog. 

This past weekend at my sweet mother's house (I'm the favorite son and spend much time with my mom when I'm back home, while my younger brother pays her no attention), we watched Alabama destroy Big 10 opponent Michigan.  Michigan was ranked number eight in the nation in pre-season polls and Alabama was ranked number two.  The final score: 41-14 Alabama.

Who can't get excited about something like this?  What could make this man happier on a college football Saturday?

Wait.  There is one thing that makes me happier: when Auburn loses and Alabama wins.

That happened this past Saturday and I'm very happy.  I'm also unbearable to be around.