Verrrry nice little weekend

This was my first weekend in a LONG time when I had nothing to work on for school. Absolutely nothing, and it was glorious. Between Nov 13 and Nov 20, I had turned in over 80 pages of papers, and I was ready to not have any work to do until finals in a couple of weeks. Of course, I made work for myself, but I didn't HAVE to do anything. I cleaned my whole house, rearranged my bedroom, did about 8 million loads of laundry, grocery shopped, read a book (that's the real shocker right there), got my oil changed, and got 2 brand new shiny tires on my car (Happy birthday, Dad... I'm broke, you're paying for those tires you suggested I get). Oh, and I watched a couple of football games. Pretty ugly games, as a matter of fact.

The Furman-Wofford game was on tv, so I got to watch my Paladins get trampled 35-10. I really have nothing to say, other than it was ugly, and my upstairs neighbor probably now thinks I have Tourette's. Oh well. It was the end of a disappointing season for Furman, but from what I hear, it could also be the beginning of a new era for Furman football. I'll just leave it at that.

Meanwhile, The Citadel was playing at Florida. It was on Pay-per-View, but when I tried to order it before the game started, it said it was too early to order it. Then, when the game had started, it didn't even give me the option of ordering it. Thus, I went to my last resort, the ESPN game tracker. I kinda wish I hadn't. Although I had no sound to tell me what was going on, the score said plenty. 49-6 at the half, and 70-19 total. Granted, it wasn't just Florida--it was #3 in the country Florida--but it's still painful to see that. Normally in these "money games", The Citadel does well in the first half but sputters out in the 2nd since they don't have nearly the depth as bigger teams do. I was at least glad to see them pull out some good plays in the 2nd half. Like Furman, this was the end of a disappointing season, but it's always a tough road in the SoCon. I expect the program will only go up from here.

Rainy little Saturday

I love football in the rain. I don't know why, but ever since the Furman-Wofford game in 2002 (now referred to as Mud Bowl '02), where it poured and poured and poured, I just love to see games played in the rain--and mud. However, I generally like to be prepared for the rain and have a way to get home other than on foot if it rains.... no such luck on Saturday. As I headed out to walk to the stadium for the Citadel-ETSU game, I remembered the forecasts for rain, so I went to grab a raincoat. Oh wait, do I own a rain coat? Nope. Refusing to be that person that has the umbrella blocking everyone's view of the game and looking up at the beautiful sky, I decided to chance it. Well, I clearly made the wrong decision (I'm seeing a frightening trend here...), as it rained pretty much throughout the whole second half. I don't leave football games early, especially if it's a close game, so I pretty much got soaked... and then had to walk home in the rain too. It was so worth it though, as the second half was really exciting. I'll spare you the play-by-play, but there were lots of great plays, lots of turnovers, and a last-minute Bulldog win! I was so excited for the guys for their homecoming win. It was a great final home game for the seinors. Next week they're headed to the Swamp, so I'm not so optimistic, but perhaps the rainy game prepared them for the swamp-like conditions? ;)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the state, Furman suffered a loss to conference rival Georgia Southern. I forgot it was on TV and didn't record it, but apparently I should be glad I didn't get to see any of it. Furman really needed to win out to maintain playoff hopes, so I think post-season play is pretty much out of the question now. I hate it for them, as what I've been hearing is that the problems on Saturday were not quality of play, but of play-calling. Lots of people are starting to talk about Furman's need for a new coach, but I'll stay out of that one... at least in writing. The Paladins will play at Wofford next week, and although the playoffs aren't in reach anymore, I'd love to see them get one more win.

Oh, the irony...

Not a whole lot to report about this past weekend's football. Furman had an open week, and The Citadel suffered a heartbreaking loss at Wofford. The SoCon is known for close games and exciting finishes, but I'd love to see the bulldogs end up on top after these "SoCon Finishes". I hope Homecoming this weekend will have a better outcome.

Anyway, on to the irony. I love my dog, as you all got a glimpse of Wednesday in class. However, as I was in class telling you all about how wonderful shelter dogs are, Champ was at home tearing his way out of his crate. He has (well, had...) a nice, expensive travel crate that is made out of a durable canvas. It was perfect for traveling on the weekends because it folded up and fit easily into my car. Champ never really had any problems being in there (he'd go in there on his own to take naps sometimes), but I guess I've been leaving him home alone a little more than he liked lately so he decided to rebel. He just ripped a huge hole in the front of the crate and escaped. I got home and thought it was really cute how Champ greeted me at the door... until I realized he should have been in his crate. Luckily, he really does ok loose in the house by himself, so it wasn't a big problem.

I left him out in the house on Thursday, and on Friday I went to buy a new crate. Stupidly, I shelled out another $120 for the SAME exact crate. Afterall, the holidays are coming up, and I really loved how easy it was to travel with that crate. Plus, Champ gets a little apprehensive in metal cages after his shelter days, so I would hate to bring any of that back. Well, needless to say, getting another canvas crate was a bad decision. I left him crated for a couple of hours on Saturday morning, and he was there to greet me at the door again when I got home. I wanted to be angry, but the only one I could blame was myself. So I guess I'll be shopping for another crate this week... but I've wised up and will go for a tradtional crate this time. I'll be accepting donations in class on Wednesday for anyone who would like to contribute to the cause. ;)

Heartbreaking little Saturday

If you've ever met my dad, you know that he loves all things Citadel, and he is an especially big fan of Citadel football. We've had season tickets ever since I can remember, and he rarely misses a game. This season he decided he wanted to bring some friends down for a game so that they could get a glimpse into one of his favorite things. In fact, he went all out, buying a suite for the Georgia Southern game so that he and his friends could enjoy the game from the best seats in the house. We had a full house in the suite with my parents, about 6 other couples, my sister, and a friend of hers. The food was excellent (never thought I'd say that abut Aramark, but oh well), and we all had a great time. I just wish the game had turned out differently.

The Bulldogs got of to a great start, with the defense scoring first on a safety. A touchdown a few minutes later put them up 9-0. Georgia Southern answered with a touchdown quickly, and then both teams scored again before the half, leaving a half time score of 16-14 in favor of The Citadel. The teams answered each other's scores throughout the second half, ending regulation tied at 24. The teams battled it out through three overtimes before Georgia Southern ultimately came on out top, 44-41. It was a hard-fought game for the Bulldogs, and I hated to see them lose another one. I don't know many people on the team anymore, but it's hard to see the ones I do know look so disappointed after such a hard game. I know they worked so hard and wanted the win so badly. They're still on the quest for win #450, and I hope to see them make that milestone this season, either at Wofford next week or at their next home game, which just happens to be Homecoming.

Furman traveled to Samford on Saturday and also played a close game, barely edging out the (other) Bulldogs 28-27 after blocking the potentially game-tying PAT late in the 4th quarter. The Paladins have an open week next week, and with The Citadel away, I'll have the weekend to just relax at home... or more likely tackle the massive amounts of work I have due in the next couple of weeks! It's starting not to sound like such a nice little Saturday afterall!