Armanti ROCKS

Way back in December, Armanti was on the Heisman Watch List. I have no idea about how such things work, but here's where our mighty QB ranks with the current Heisman Watch boys.

Junior, Armanti Edwards
5,293 yards for 43 touchdowns.
this year rushing - over 300

Current QB's on THE LIST:

Senior, Chase Daniel - Missouri
10,235 career yards 78 touchdowns
this year rushing - average, less than 10 yards per game

Sophomore, Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
5,173 yards for 59 touchdowns
this year rushing - I didn't do the math. It's negative figures.

Senior, Graham Harrell - Texas Tech
12,993 yards for 109 touchdowns
this year rushing - approximately 1 yard

Now, let's break it down to a state level and see how Armanti compares...

Junior, Cameron Sexton - UNC
1,409 yards for 7 touchdowns
this year rushing - pitiful
The Tar Heels should be very proud of their victory over McNesse State.

Senior, Patrick Pickney - East Carolina
2,571 for 18 touchdowns
this year rushing - around 50
Yes you are a worthy opponent and we welcome the opp to play you in 2009.

Freshman, Russell Wilson (not to be confused with the STAR ASU long snapper) - NC State
532 yards for 4 touchdowns
this year rushing - maybe 2 yds

Junior, Riley Skinner - Wake Forest University
5,415 for 28 touchdowns
this year rushing - around 70
I LOVE the Deacs. Riley can throw, but he can't run.

Junior, Thaddeus Lewis - Duke
5,535 for 39 touchdowns
this year rushing - less than Riley or Patrick.
I can't believe you beat JMU in the season opener.

Fair weather fans

Saturday 09/26/08

3:00pm - The burgers, beer and extra ice packs are in the cooler with all the ice from my ice maker dumped in.
3:10pm - My friend Bit shows up and loads said cooler along with my pile of stuff into the car. It's raining.

Bit: Are we stupid to do this?
Me: No.

3:15pm - We have gone 2 miles up Peacehaven Road and are getting onto 421. The windshield wipers are going strong.

Me: Ya know, my elbow really hurts today. If we hadn't told the Fitz's we were coming to their house to tailgate and if you hadn't told Charles he could have the extra 2 tickets, I would say let's bag the game today.
Bit: I'm pretty sure the Fitz's wouldn't mind. They can go out to eat. Heck, they have 2 teenage boys, it's not like they don't have food in the house and they are betting on our burgers. And Charles, ppht, he can buy tickets at the gate.

3:18pm - We exit onto Lewisville-Clemmons Road.

Me: Hello Fitz? Would you think we are horrible people and call an end to our friendship if we bagged coming to Boone today? My elbow hurts and it's raining and whine, whine, whine.
Fitz: Hahaha! Nah, that's ok. We'll see ya'll next week.
Bit: Charles, you will have to find other tickets to the game or just take your date out to dinner. We're not coming.

3:20pm - Heading back into Winston-Salem.

Me: I think a beer would make my arm feel better.
Bit: The Wake game starts at 3:30. We could go watch the game and eat bar food and drink beer.
Me: Let's go to that kinda new sports bar on Robinhood. I haven't been there yet.

5:00pm - Sitting in Beef O'Brady's polishing off our second beer and wiping the hot sauce off our lips.

Me: What is wrong with the Deacs? I want to go home and take a nap before our game.
Bit: Four turnovers is enough for me.
Me: Check please.

Yosef's alternative to SOLD OUT

So it seems that this Saturday's game is completely sold out and, more importantly, HOMECOMING is sold out. If you are interested in these games you need to email me at blackandgoldnc@gmail.com. I have four season tickets, two of which I am offering up for sale for both games. These tickets are located in the west side (the APP side) stands around the 30ish yard line.

Here's the deal...I will sell these tickets for pretty much face value - $60.00 for both. If we get into a bidding war, the tickets remain $60 but the winning bidder will be the individual that agrees to write the biggest check to The Yosef Club. (I will require said individual to hand me the check before the game(s) which, I will in turn submit promptly to the Yosef Club.) The winner gets the tax benefit of contributing to a worthy cause AND the benefits of Yosef Club membership.

Too much information

So my surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:45 pm. That's almost THREE O'CLOCK in the AFTERNOON and I can not eat or drink (well, I can drink water before 6:00 am) ANYTHING after midnight TONIGHT. I'm thinking I might be a wee bit grumpy tomorrow.

So...I just added panic to my already anxious state by googling "arthroscopic elbow surgery". Why did I do this?!? I think that sometimes, what we don't know is better than what we do know.

Improved Stadium

I really love the new view from my seats and I'm very excited by the fact we had record attendance yesterday!

Tough Skinny QB

Here is the scanned (because I couldn't find the actual on SI's website) picture of the title page of this weeks print version of Sports Illustrated.

I'm kind-of thinking it might hurt, just a little bit, when a brute 20 lbs (but really probably 30 lbs) heavier tries to knock your block off. Kudos to Armanti for hanging onto the football!

I can't wait until Saturday! I'll get to try out my new tailgate grill.

Putting it in perspective

At some point over the last couple of days I convinced myself that losing to LSU at DEATH VALLEY by 28 points was not necessarily a black eye to the Mountaineers. I thought I was being somewhat of a Pollyanna until I researched their box scores from the 2007 season. The Tigers beat the ACC's (I'm not saying the ACC is a football conference) Virginia Tech by 41 points.

I'm happy to see that the Mountaineers maintain our #1 position this week!

I'm not amused with the irony of my football weekend

If you look at the score in my previous post and know the score of the Appalachian State v LSU game (links intentionally not included) you will realize why the only picture I will share is a "pretty" one of the LSU band.
To add insult to injury...we werekicked out of our swank Canal Street hotel this morning (thank you Gustov) and we're slumming it at a Quality Inn Roach Motel in Baton Rouge. Hopefully our flight really will leave in the morning and I can get back to civilization.

Go Deacs!

The Bears were no match for Riley Skinner and company!

Guess which city I'm in

Actually this picture was taken last night. If you guessed New Orleans, you are wrong. This lovely store is

in a strip center (no pun intended) located in Dallas.

I'm in Waco now getting ready to go see the Deacs.

OK. What is up with this stupid storm? Are we going to have a football game on Saturday? Am I going to get bumped from my flight to NO?

Football Vacation Eve Eve

Saturday was a ZOO in Boone! Traffic was horrific and the campus bookstore was over run with students trying to get their books. (I wonder...does ASU still have a book rental system? Surely there is a better way for distribution! Why make them stand in horrendous lines? That's such a waste of precious time! Why don't they deliver the textbooks to each professor and he/she can pass the books out on the first day of class?)

Anywho, I really couldn't handle the crowd so I marched to town for my would be game-wear purchases. In addition to my gold visor (from Appalachian T's) I picked up a preppy Big A belt and, following App Fan's advise, got this t (at Mast Store).

My cashier at The Mast Store was a delightful young man who is leaving Boone on Friday (after class) and driving (in a car that doesn't have cruise control) to Baton Rouge for the game. OK... I'm glad I'm in my 40's and can travel in comfort.

My lame picture of the west side stands. For good and thorough pics check here.

Here's a question...why don't we pressure wash the cement at the base of the stands? Seems to me that white would be better than ecru.

What shall I wear???

I have planned to go to Boone on Saturday because I REALLY want to pick up a white Appalachian State t and visor (I'm thinking white will be better than black in the sweltering Baton Rouge heat). But, OH MY! App Fan is calling us to wear BLACK. I guess I'll go with it - there's no Gorton's Fisherman logo on this one so I'm ok. Still, I need new whities so I will stick with the original plan to head up the mountain.

You will probably want to pick up a copy of the Winston-Salem Journal on Friday. There will be a special sports section on college football. No doubt the Mountaineers and Armanti will get some significant, and well deserved, ink!

Front and center of the Journal's sports page today was a nice article on T.J. Courman. I really like this picture of him because he is the visual embodiment of the true scholar-athlete. (I wonder if they only have one black and gold necktie and every player passes it along when they finish having their picture made. Or, do you get your tie issued when you sign up? Is it issued along with your jersey?)

Football Vacation

It is a scant nine days before the official black and gold football vacation. I can hardly wait! Here's the schedule along with the associated costs. (I'm always about a bargain!)

August 27: FLY from GSO to DFW (the Big D). Cost: $0.00 (frequent flyer points)
HOTEL: 2 rooms at the Hyatt Suites. Cost: $0.00 (hotel points)

August 28: DRIVE to Wacky Waco to watch Wake Forest take on Baylor. (not sure of the cost of
rental car and gas)
GAME TICKETS: Cost: don't know, I didn't pay for them.
HOTEL: 2 rooms at the Marriott Courtyard in Waco. Cost: $0.00 (hotel points)

August 29: DRIVE back to Dallas, return rental car and hop on a Southwest flight to
NEW ORLEANS. Cost: $108.83 per person
HOTEL: The Sheraton on Canal Street. Cost: $74.00 per night (thank you Priceline)

August 30: DRIVE to Death Valley to watch the Mountaineers take on the Tigers. Cost: gas and
rental car.
YOSEF CLUB TAILGATE Cost: $60.00 for 2 people
GAME TICKETS: $90.00 for 2 people
HOTEL: Back to NO for another night at the Sheraton. Cost: $74.00

August 31: FLIGHT back to GSO. Cost: $0.00 (frequent flyer miles again)

The proud aunt thing

I missed Fan Fest and the scrimmage. (Apparently the event didn't rate coverage with the Winston-Salem Journal or WXII-12. What a bummer!) I am being overly cautious and very diligent in my efforts to not only rehab the elbow, but also get rid of a nasty sinus and ear infection before THE FOOTBALL VACATION. More on that event later.

My youngest M & M (nephew) is quite the racing stud. I just sent him a text message to see if he is planning to cycle in the 2012 Olympics. No response thus far.

I sort of think I have somewhat ARRIVED in the sports arena. The "hey big guys" at my office have invited me to join their Fantasy Football league. I'm totally at a loss but I'm going to play. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

I think our women's soccer uniforms look awesome! (Are they new? - don't follow soccer so I don't know) It's a shame we lost to the Waker but I feel certain the Lady Mountaineers will improve as the season progresses.

Dissed? What's in an A?

When I went to my mailbox this evening I found, amongst the bills and insurance statements, 2 great things. My big fluffy envelope from the Yosef Club and the Sports Illustrated 2008 College Football Preview.

After thrashing into and through my Yosef Club envelope, I was pleased to discover my 4 season ticket cards and my 2 LSU tickets but my heart sank when I saw that my Justice Lot parking pass was no longer. I am now relegated to Raley Lot. I can't feel dissed and I can only be happy that so many Mountaineers have stepped up their contributions to our school and our sports programs. I should have pumped up my giving to Yosef this year but the thoughts of potentially losing my job ruled out over football.

Sports Illustrated... well of course they think of 1A (aka FBS) as the ONLY Division 1 (they gave Armanti no love on their Heisman Watch - I would put a link to that flawed editorial blurb, but SI is seriously slow [probably because they are owned by the Communist News Network] in putting current editorial on their website). So... I am forced to put this much superior link). At least they gave us some props...

..."That was the day defending 1AA champion Appalachian State - perfectly executing a spread-option offense...knocked off the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines in the Big House." {well, I wouldn't call the second half perfect but we performed good enough}

..."Rush Hour Jackson made Michigan pay"... {'nough said}

..."And the Tigers' next opponent? It's three time Division 1-AA national champion Appalachian State, which stunned Michigan in the first week of last season." {Thanks for the kind words Mr Mandel but we do not wish to rely on our past accomplishments.}

Bands are very important - at least the ASU band is

I was most pleased to see that goasu.com is telling us that a scant 80 members of North Carolina's Band of Distinction will be representing us at LSU.

I have often made comments to my friends that a mere 50, or 40, or 30, or 20 of our band members could and would outplay a competitors' entire band. I could not be more pleased to know that we will have the Marching Mountaineers with us in Baton Rouge!

Back in the day (that would be the 1979-1980 season) when beasley and brown ruled the turf, i was, for one season only, a lowly member of the band - we're talking 3rd trumpet. Back then us freshman had to learn the BAND CHEER or we were threatened with a toss in the duck pond. Now I sit behind the band at THE ROCK and I'm saddened to say that I have yet to hear "its skidely, ooten booten...".

It's difficult not to get overly confident

Front page of the Winston-Salem Journal sports page today is yet another great article by Tommy Bowman. I just don't understand this comment..."Coaches all say this once was a very top-heavy league, with a couple of teams at the top every year and then everybody else just fighting to survive," Lembo said. "It's kind of shifted. Now you have all these teams fighting to be at the top and very few at the bottom. It was exciting to be part of that last year and hopefully we can maintain that." because I think the opposite. It seems that top-heavy would mean the majority of the teams are at the the top vying for the number 1 position and the few at the bottom not really thriving. I think Elon's Coach Lembo is confused but I stand open to correction.

a sense of humor

i am very fortunate and blessed to have clients that i not only count as friends, but clients who have a sense of humor in these seemingly trying times. i know many of you don't work in the home furnishings industry but i'll bet you will find a chuckle in this youtube video my friends at sterling industries produced. if you were a retailer, how could you NOT do business with this company?!

in mountaineer news...

there was a blurb burried in the winston-salem journal sports page this morning - i would put a link because i'm all about supporting the only major nc paper that covers the mountaineers, but i can't find this on their website - the sports media entertainment network's broadcasters poll (who in the world is this?) gives us the pre-season #1 ranking. well of course they do.

age blind

you have probably heard of a person being color blind but have you ever heard of somebody being AGE blind? i kinda think i am and i'm always smacked back to reality when i have the "aha moment" and realize the fact that everybody is not my age. i don't think this is a good thing or a bad thing. it's simply a thing.

i am blessed to have a ton of friends of various ages (20 somethings to 70 somethings) but i still think of them as being my age. it's not until a conversation leads to something along the lines of what we wore in high school, or what our favorite song in elementary school was, or what we were doing when elvis died, or name the 4 beetles or, well, you get the picture, that i actually realize i am older or younger.

today i went back to see my orthopod about my broken elbow. while i'm waiting for the doc to come in, doogie howser comes in to do the preliminaries. he's a 4th year medical school student and i am officially feeling OLD. then the REAL doctor comes in. when i saw him before i had the feeling he was probably my age. looked him up. wrong! he's younger.

so i tell said young doctor that i really thought my elbow should be substantially better than it is. after all, corey lynch had his arm up and running in 4 short weeks. he chuckled and reminded me that it takes OLDER people longer to heal. my therapy starts august 5th. thank you very much.

bad picture, great message

Either I'm totally unobservant or this sign just went up yesterday. This is visible to west bound travellers on I-40 at the highway68 exit. It actually sits on Albert Pick Road (where my office is located). While I LOVE it, I still can't get past or embrace the current Yosef logo.

I was googling around today and found an old article on the bleacher report where Jimson Cuenta picks our Mountaineers to beat the Tigers.

Last season, the Appalachian State Mountaineers SHOCKED THE WORLD, by UPSETTING the Michigan Wolverines, 34-32 in Ann Arbor, during Week 1 of the College Football season.
This season, the Appalachian State Mountaineers will SHOCK THE WORLD, AGAIN... This time, by UPSETTING the LSU Tigers, AT Tiger Stadium.

less than 60 days and i'm beside myself

david coulson at www.sportsnetwork.com had a nice article about qb's in the fcs. you gotta love a guy that refers to armanti edwards as "the most dangerous player in the football championship subdivision"AND gives him the #1 spot.

stewart mandel at www.si.com has a less than positive view of our chances against lsu but he doesn't totally dis us. i'm ok with this.

i hope you will go through the motions, register and VOTE for the mountaineers in this espn thing. it's rather embarrassing to think we have to rely on the buckeye nation to win this. (no offense intended to ohio state - we love you for loving us!) in this you will also get the opportunity to vote for another southern conference great, stephen curry.

my friend ck had a cool post today where she requested everybody's fave 5 songs. i can't stop at 5 or 10 or 20. i'm just wondering if anybody else really can. (i feel somewhat proud because i introduced ck [she's somewhat younger than me] to van morrison.)

football geek

a couple of weeks ago i signed up - aka paid money - for a subscription to rivals.com. this gives me the inside scoop on the mountaineers and the deacons. i haven't exactly checked out the goings on with the deacs, but i have learned that the mountaineer faithful have nothing to worry about on the d line or on o (in the tragic event superman/wiggle worm is injured).

according to their reports we are totally ok without tharrington and washington...

"In '08 they will have the experience necessary to post more games like they had against Richmond and Delaware, even without Tharrington and Washington. In fact, due to a host of injuries in which Tharrington was suffering, there was no guarantee the Mountaineers would be featuring the same player they had grown accustomed to. Tharrington sat out the entire spring, and was recovering at a much slower rate than he needed to be ready for the season opener against LSU. Had he been academically eligible, Tharrington may have been headed straight for another injury-hampered season anyway. Does the loss hurt? Absolutely. But will the Mountaineers be worse off without him? Probably not, because who's to say Tharrington would have been physically ready to go? Because of the circumstances at hand, it looks as though we can only speculate from here on out. "

as far as coco backing up armanti, i'm not so sure that's going to be the case. it seems that red shirt freshman jamie degeare (ok, i'm totally clueless because i didn't know we had a qb in the wings AND he's from forsyth county)

Jamie DeGeare had a strong spring and will attempt to earn the top backup role.

or incoming freshman hotshot deandre presley will get the job.

happy 4th!

On September 3, 1814, Key and John S. Skinner, an American prisoner-exchange agent, set sail from Baltimore aboard the ship HMS Minden flying a flag of truce on a mission approved by President James Madison. Their objective was to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, the elderly and popular town physician of Upper Marlboro, and a friend of Key’s who had been captured in his home. Beanes was accused of aiding the arrest of British soldiers. Key and Skinner boarded the British flagship HMS Tonnant on September 7 and spoke with Major General Robert Ross and Admiral Alexander Cochrane over dinner, while they discussed war plans. At first, Ross and Cochrane refused to release Beanes, but relented after Key and Skinner showed them letters written by wounded British prisoners praising Beanes and other Americans for their kind treatment.
Because Key and Skinner had heard details of the plans for the attack on Baltimore, they were held captive until after the battle, first aboard HMS Surprise, and later back on the HMS Minden. After the bombardment, certain British gunboats attempted to slip past the fort and effect a landing in a cove to the west of it, but they were turned away by fire from nearby Fort Covington, the city's last line of defense.
During the rainy night, Key had witnessed the bombardment and observed that the fort’s smaller "storm flag" continued to fly, but once the shell and rocket [2] barrage had stopped, he would not know how the battle had turned out until dawn. By then, the storm flag had been lowered, and the larger flag had been raised.

15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" flag
Key was inspired by the American victory and the sight of the large American flag flying triumphantly above the fort. This flag, with fifteen stars and fifteen stripes, came to be known as the Star Spangled Banner Flag and is today on display in the National Museum of American History, a treasure of the Smithsonian Institution. It was restored in 1914 by Amelia Fowler, and again in 1998 as part of an ongoing conservation program.
Aboard the ship the next day, Key wrote a poem on the back of a letter he had kept in his pocket. At twilight on 16 September, he and Skinner were released in Baltimore. He finished the poem at the Indian Queen Hotel, where he was staying, and he entitled it "Defence of Fort McHenry."
Key gave the poem to his brother-in-law, Judge Joseph H. Nicholson. Nicholson saw that the words fit the popular melody "To Anacreon in Heaven", an old British drinking song from the mid-1760s, composed in London by John Stafford Smith. Nicholson took the poem to a printer in Baltimore, who anonymously printed broadside copies of it — the song’s first known printing — on September 17; of these, two known copies survive.

Francis Scott Key's original manuscript copy of his "Star-Spangled Banner" poem. It is now on display at the Maryland Historical Society.
On September 20, both the Baltimore Patriot and The American printed the song, with the note "Tune: Anacreon in Heaven". The song quickly became popular, with seventeen newspapers from Georgia to New Hampshire printing it. Soon after, Thomas Carr of the Carr Music Store in Baltimore published the words and music together under the title "The Star-Spangled Banner", although it was originally called "Defence of Fort McHenry." The song’s popularity increased, and its first public performance took place in October, when Baltimore actor Ferdinand Durang sang it at Captain McCauley’s tavern.
The song gained popularity throughout the nineteenth century and bands played it during public events, such as July 4 celebrations. On July 27, 1889, Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy signed General Order #374, making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official tune to be played at the raising of the flag.

sometimes i need a little reminder

last week i was very pissed off about having to interrupt my little life with the mundane challenges of dealing with a totalled car, seeing doctors about a broken elbow, going back and forth with the insurance company, trying to get my work done while handling all of this, etc...
i received my lightening bolt back to reality last monday.
mom and i were sitting in the radiology waiting room at wfubmc (wake forest university baptist medical center) for the opportunity to be "worked in" for a ct scan. i know i was feeling angry that i was forced into the position of actually having to be there (hit by a negligent uninsured motorist) and mom, well, mom was simply doing what great moms do best; she was sitting patiently beside me and praying like crazy that i would be ok. i'm pecking away at my blackberry and answering all my "important" emails when into the waiting room comes a 70+ something couple pushing their adult daughter in a wheelchair. the daddy/husband: probably served us in korea - a working man - i'll bet he is a mechanic because he wore dickies and one of those shirts with his name on a patch - he wasn't pissed off to be there - he smiled at his wife and daughter - he is a devoted husband, father and a great provider for his family. the mama/wife: her more than fulltime job for the last 40+ years has been taking care of her family - she probably fusses over the household finances - i'll bet she has a garden and cans green beans and corn and squash - she wasn't pissed off to be there - she fretted over their daughter and made sure the sweater was properly placed around her shoulders to keep her warm, scratched the itch, patted the knee. the daughter: from the waist up she was an adult but her legs and her feet were like a 7 year old - i can't even imagine her life - she wasn't pissed off to be there - she probably knows all the people in the x-ray department by name because she's there at least once every month. mom and i looked at each other and she said, "we don't have to look far, do we?". no we don't and i am totally remiss in failing to thank God on a continual basis for all the little BIG things i take for granted.

really fat hand

for the first time since saturday i pulled my bandages away from my hand to have a little look-see. yikes! i can't believe this bear paw is actually attached to MY body and i can't even imagine what my forearm and wrist must look like.

the insurance appraiser looked at my car today so hopefully i'll have a 'dollar value' tomorrow and i can begin preliminary shopping for a new/used volvo. i had entertained the thought of buying an audi or a pontiac (i know, this seems weird to people who have not known me a long time) but i decided that since my volvo did what a volvo is supposed to do in an accident, i should remain loyal to the brand.

i am anxious to get back to the doctor on monday for a full assessment and a surgery date. i'm still working hard on getting my brain and my emotions ready for surgery.

I am in mourning

My Volvo was tragically murdered on Saturday.

Hooray!

It looks like we will officially now have some experience in the secondary! Here's the link to a great story from the Winston-Salem Journal.

The cloud blot test

I see an angry little terrier running full speed and yapping like mad at some unknown "enemy".

Freud: Ah, your sexual repression is a source of anger and joo vant to lash out.

Jung: Oh Yah, you are lacking harmony in your life. You must seek balance.

Piaget: Oui madam, you seem to be stuck in a primal cognitive state.

Dr Phil: I don't know. Does Dr Phil use cloud blot tests? Do cloud blot tests increase ratings?

nature and suburban juxtaposition

I consider myself an outdoorsy kind of gal. I like to exercise (hike, paddle or walk), work (don't get to do this) and finally, dine, al fresco. To me there is something very freeing about this. Yet despite all my outdoorsisness, I have a very indoors nature as well. I can't pee in the woods. I can't sleep in the woods. I can't have a proper shower in the woods. I don't like flying, squirming, hissing, buzzing, swimming or generally unknown things around me. In my quirky book there are inside things and there are outside things and the twain should never meet.

To a certain extent the same goes (we're talking about MY book) for the country life and the suburban life. I get a little un-nerved and yet somewhat comforted when the boundaries cross.

Un-nerved:

- A co-worker's husband and son recently brought home a PYTHON. They called this evil incarnate thing a "pet". Said pet slithered out of it's cage and was loose in the house. This is the creepiest thing I can imagine and a clear signal that the outdoors does not need to be in.

- A friend had an electrician over to fix her attic fans. He found a dead BAT stuck on one of the fan blades. E-GADS! The idea of a bat in the house is almost as creepy as a snake.

- My friend CK's dogs recently killed a ground hog (she thinks) in two seconds flat. Granted, this was in the yard but still, it was inside the confines of their sanctuary.
I KNOW I could not have scooped that thing up for disposal. (I know this because one time a neighborhood cat left me a vole as a present on my patio. I got out the shovel. I tried to scoop it up but I was too creeped out. I transferred my creeped out-id-ness by digging a hole. Then I called my neighbor and had her shovel the eyeless thing into it's "grave".)

Comforting:

- After dinner last night I was sitting on the porch with my friends from the L family (they live in the high rent district of my neighborhood). A beautiful doe and her cute little fawn ambled into the yard. They scavenged around for awhile and then gracefully frolicked back into the woods.

- I was sitting out on my deck earlier this evening and watched two cute and very amorous bunny rabbits. Now I suppose I'll get to see several more little bunny rabbits in the weeks to come.

random, tuxaia, willrulich, al azar, عشوائي

Thanks to google, I can say RANDOM in english, greek, german, spanish and arabic.

I went to see Narnia today. I can't decide if my favorite allegorical tale is Lord of The Rings or Narnia. CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien. I find it interesting that the two were friends of sorts.

Always the football fan, I watched Remembering the Titans on the Family Channel. Did you know that Denzel he's so hot Washington was married in Rootin Tootin Newton at this church?

I am so thankful we have freedom of expression in this country! Seriously I am, but I wonder if the people who put this bumper sticker on their cars think this same freedom exists in other cultures. Yeah right, take another bong hit and make sure you put an Obama sticker on your front bumper.

My downstairs air conditioning unit is getting ready to bite the dust. I hope that my newly purchased home warranty covers this.

I have never seen or heard of a hummingbird moth until my butterfly bush matured. The little buggers are kind of creepy actually.

Apps 3 - Heels 2

In my mind there is no doubt that the Winston-Salem Journal covers Mountaineer sports better than any other major newspaper in the state. I remain thankful for their dedication but I still get a little hot under the collar when I read certain articles. Case in point: In today's sports page there is this article 2 Heels, 3 Apps picked in Day 2 of draft. Why do the Heels come first? Anyway you look at it the Apps should be first. 3 is better than 2, A comes before H or U or C and finally, M comes before T. No doubt the Journal staff writer was a product of UNC J School.
Whining aside, I'm most pleased for our kids and appreciative of the fine job Coach Pollard is doing!
Speaking of baseball; here's a plug for my friend Miss Baseball. Check out the website for the RJ Reynolds Demons (they are black and gold so you MUST love them) and support (ie click on the ads) their advertisers for a good cause.

Sue gets Smart

Sue picked up her tiny new Deacon/Mountaineer Mobile today. Although I had my doubts, the car is surprisingly roomy inside and it drives quite well.
The temporary tag is begging to be replaced. Personally I think she should get a WFU tag but we're thinking the yellows might clash so the ASU tag could be a better option.

Ramp up the prayers

Today I was surfing around on Billy Riddle's site and saw that he's in the hospital with malaria. I think this is the 2nd or 3rd time he has suffered with this. I hope you will all send up prayers for this fine young man. Oh, and read through some of his blog - very inspiring.

Tweetsie University

Back in the day when I first announced that I would be attending ASU, my great big brother who went to NCSU, never gave up an opportunity to refer to my school as The University of Tweetsie. Jerk! Tweetsie is an awesome place that holds at very least a few happy childhood memories with millions of North Carolinians and Appalachian State University is the hottest school in the state/southeast/nation.

Here's a picture of the M & M's on their second trip to Tweetsie. At that time they thought Tweetsie was way better than Disney World (they lived in Orlando at the time) and the oldest M thought I went to Apple College. Unlike his father, he clearly saw the best in both institutions.

It's nice to know that Watauga County is being pro-active in preserving this icon.

I'm trying to be happy

The Bengals! Hmmm ... Corey will look good in Orange.

There's a first time for everything

I can truthfully say that I have NEVER watched the NFL Draft...until this year. For the past 2 days I have been glued to espn to hopefully be a first hand witness to the fateful news of our star kids.

I'm not exactly a pro football kind-of fan but I would have been ecstatic if at least one of our boys were drafted by the Panthers or the Skins. Oh well, there's certainly nothing wrong with Tampa Bay because they are definitely very wise.

More football!

Starting in 2010 the Mountaineers will play through more postseason games thanks to a ruling from the NCAA. I'm thinking this can only be a good thing.

The Fab Four

We're all excited and beyond pleased that Corey, Dexter and Kerry will no doubt have well deserved careers in the NFL, but what about Kevin , our all time leading rusher? Will he be invited to play in Canada or stay in the US and play arena football?

I LOVE being an aunt!

There are times I feel somewhat deficient because I'm not a parent. I, unlike most of my friends, can't talk about or revel in the smart things my kids have said/done/accomplished nor can I truly relate to the stories of woe about the challenging things my kids have dredged up. Most of the time though, I feel pretty lucky to be an aunt. It's the best of both worlds really. I have the M & M's - 2 fabulous nephews who consider me their favorite aunt. (I must mention that I don't have much competition.)
Here is the youngest M & M - a member of the "development team" for Jittery Joe's -in the que for a road race in Chattanooga.

I should get photoshop

If I had photoshop this could have turned into a pretty good picture.
Digital photography totally eludes me. In the day, I was a whiz in the darkroom and I could take a mean 35mm shot. Maybe I should set a goal or something.

Sports Illustrated is going soft

I can't even find the link for the article on their website, but in this weeks' print edition of Sports Illustrated there is an article titled "Pom-poms and Circumstance". Subtitle: "Cheer leading has become a 'serious' sport. Think sweat, blood, drugs."

I think the purpose of the article is to drive home the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs in college and professional sports, but I simply can't get past some of the assertions the writer makes. Case(s) in point: "...fascination with cheerleaders goes beyond the superficial." and my personal favorite, "...cheer leading has become as real as any sport out there".

Can we truthfully say that cheer leading is to sport what marching band is to music? I think not. Marching band members are muscians and cheerleaders are, well, cheer leaders.

In a perfect world

Ahhhh! Ref, you are crazy! Hansbrough DID NOT charge Curry. The only way the mighty Carolina Tarheels lose to this cinderella is through BAD CALLS.
Get ready for it Roy. The Wildcats of the Southern Conference might be on your dance card.

The Year of the SoCon

The SoCon rules the football world and the SoCon is finally gaining respect on the hardwood. When will the country start giving props to us, the "little" mid-majors who have Roy quaking in his boots?

Sloppy Spring Practice

Mr. 3.75 million Miles is a bit upset with the lack of motivation he's finding with his team in spring practice/scrimage.

Is it possible that the Tigers are caught in the same denial trap the Wolverines experienced?

Signs of new life

A light exists in spring

Not present on the year

At any other period.

When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad

On solitary hills

That silence cannot overtake,

But human nature feels.

It waits upon the lawn;

It shows the furthest tree

Upon the furthest slope we know;

It almost speaks to me.

Then, as horizons step,

Or noons report away,

Without the formula of sound,

It passes, and we stay:

A quality of loss

Affecting our content,

As trade had suddenly encroached

Upon a sacrament.

- Emily Dickinson

May/September and the double standard

I was having brunch today with my friend M at quasi-nouveau restaurant here in town. While waiting for our food, an attractive woman in her late 50's and a young man (I immediately noticed the perky pecs and tight biceps) in his mid 20's walk in and are seated behind us. Casual observation (their physical closeness, the shoulder caresses, the tone of their conversation, etc...) told me this was definitely NOT a mother and son Sunday afternoon outing, unless of course this guy's name was Oedipus. Immediately I think...SHE"S PAYING FOR IT! In my mind she deserves a "You go girl! You got you a boy toy!", some kind of pity or something in between the two. I never even entertained the thought that I would have had if the situation were reversed and there was a late 50 something man and a younger woman. Funny, when it's the reverse situation, I either don't think anything of it, think it's sweet that two people have found each other despite their age differences or think the man feels he needs a trophy.

This all reminded me of a former neighbor I had when I lived off Polo Road in my first townhouse.

The good, the not so bad and the ugly

The Good:

Much is looking fine for many 2007 Championship seniors, according to David Coulson, FCS Executive Director at The Sports Network. (CK and Guinea Pig: click on that link; there is LOVE for former SoCon foe - MARSHALL and, current SoCon worthy opponent - FURMAN.)

For much of the week, Appalachian State wide receiver Dexter Jackson was the talk of the town with a 40-yard dash time that was reported at 4.27 seconds by some hand-held stopwatches. His electronic time of 4.37 was tied for third- best, among all receivers and tied for 10th best overall.
Not ironically, Jackson is one of those track guys. He was the 200-meter champion last year in the Southern Conference, and represented the Mountaineers at the NCAA track and field championships.
Jackson, who also showed well in a number of other drills, went from being graded as a preferred free agent before the season to now being an almost sure pick in the top three rounds, maybe even a first-rounder. Among the players not invited to the combine that could hear their names called on draft weekend are Appalachian State guard Kerry Brown (fifth-round projection), tackle Thaddeus Coleman of Mississippi Valley State (sixth or seventh round), defensive ends Bryan Johnston of Gardner-Webb (sixth or seventh round), Rudolph Hardie of Howard (seventh round), linebacker Joe Mays of North Dakota State (seventh round) and safety Corey Lynch of Appalachian State

The not so bad:

Yesterday's event which caused a lock down at Middle Georgia College turns out to be rather benign.

There was a similar scare in Georgia earlier yesterday. Police questioned a man who carried a gun into Middle Georgia College in Cochran, about 120 miles south of Atlanta. The college was placed on lock down as authorities searched the campus. It was lifted about noon, and classes resumed, college President Mary Ellen Wilson said.
The man realized that he had a handgun in his vehicle when he went to exchange cars with his brother, a cafeteria worker at the school, and stuck it in his waistband, Cochran Police Chief Jon Thrower said. A student then reported seeing a man with a gun.

The ugly- with a silver lining:

The campus lock down at ASU was a hoax. While it is comforting to know that the administration has an effective and viable plan in place that the Campus Police and the Boone PD are expertly capable of enforcing, it is somewhat disconcerting to know that a student would weave such a tale for the sole purpose of relieving himself of monetary obligations to his landlord. Who knows what his situation is and why he did that. Personally, I think his penalty should be harsh. I feel like the Great State of North Carolina's judicial system should boot him out of the state and force him to finish his education at Georgia Southern.

Sometimes the MEDIA sucks

I have to wonder...

If the media had not sensationalized the tragic story from Virginia Tech, would we still have to deal with, and be subject to, "copy cat" incidents at Northern Illinois and Ferrum College? Today we have 2 similar events - both near and dear to me. The most disturbing to me comes from points south where my youngest nephew attends school at Middle Georgia College. Fortunately everything appears OK there and my baby is safe. After speaking with him and feeling like all is right in the world, I hear this news regarding ASU.

I'll spare you my rant on More Guns=Less Crime.

SoCon Tournament Time

It looks like we have a bad draw but hopefully the Mountaineers will take the tournament court loaded for bear. (that sounds very mountaineer-ish - Daniel Boone with his musket loaded and ready to kill him a bare.) Bears, Spartans, what's the difference?

I find some comfort in knowing that the AP and others have finally acknowledged Davidson as a powerhouse. #25 ain't half bad for a SoCon team.

The argument could be made that Davidson is to Division 1 basketball what Appalachian State is to Division 1 football.

Weekend blahs for the Black and Gold

Although I know I should be, I'm none too fond of moral victories and team building experiences. The Black and Gold was toast on the hardwood this weekend. I do get a little satisfaction knowing that the RJ Reynolds High School Demons ruled school in their baseball opener.

On the bright side, the Appalachian State football team started sping practice today. I have full confidence that Jerry and staff will fill our 7 vacancies with awesome players.

4 might be possible

David Coulson at The Sports Network has an interesting article on FCS recruits for the 08 seanson. The quotable quote: "Appalachian State has made the most of its regular television appearances and media exposure in its three-year national championship run. The Mountaineers scored big again by recruiting even more of their trademark speed."

Hail to the DEACONS

This is how North Carolina hardwood players should perform. How 'bout them Deacs!
At least one black and gold team brought home the win this weekend.

Houston, we have a problem

I went to the UNCG v ASU game this afternoon with high hopes for the team. All the elements were in place for a good road win...the M family and their entourage were sitting right in front of us (the Mountaineer football team is something like 13-1 when we are sharing crowd space. I thought it would translate to the basketball team.), there were plenty of ASU fans in the crowd sporting their black and gold, UNCG had not won their last few games and I thought our team would be fired up.
Sad story.
I didn't witness Coach Fancher doing any real coaching, Clayton was asleep and I think Minter had on concrete shoes. It was a train wreck of enormous proportions.

More logo rants

I think we should take this old Mountaineer Mania Yosef, spruce him up and use him. Until then I think we should just stick with the big A.

Logos mascots and such

I think some would question my fanhood because I cringe everytime I see this logo. It is so dated looking, so amateurish.

Here's the story...

Some time back in the 80's the then Yosef Club president went to his/her local high school art class and challanged the students to come up with a new logo. The rules were: 1) Ditch Yosef's pipe and gun because those two objects are politically incorrect. 2) Yosef should look like Daniel Boone. 3) Incorporate a mountain theme.

Well all the kids went home that afternoon to start working on the project. They found a picture of the Daniel Boone and the creative juices really starting to flow. But then, the best and soon to be logo award winning young artist, decided to watch a little tv. How can a kid turn down the opportunity to watch Pirates of the Caribbean sponsored by Gorton's Fisherman?

The moral of the story...TV rots the brain and ruins the creative process.

Definitely a football school

The Mountaineers (10-4 in SoCon) beat The Citadel (0-13 in SoCon) in OVERTIME this afternoon. This follows our DEFEAT on Thursday from 4th ranked (in the north division) College of Charleston. Let's face it...we are a horribly inconsistant basketball team that stands virtually no chance of winning the SoCon (I mean, do you REALLY think we can beat Davidson?) and we do not deserve to go to the NIT much less the big dance. I say we call it a season and wait patiently for football.

Down on the bayou

Hooray! Our schedule is filled for the 08 season! The LSU fans are less than amused.

You might be a redneck

If you use scrap household materials such as mylar ribbon and old cd's (reflective items that make noise in the wind), scrap wood and old paint stirrer sticks (fill up gaps) to devise a bird nest prevention contraption on your front porch, you are probably a redneck. That's me! In fact I could probably take a myriad of pictures around my house that would indeed prove my redneckness. Is this really a bad thing?

Being sick has advantages

Well not really, but at least today I did get to see/hear Jerry on ESPN2's Signing Day Special.

ESPN Guy: Coach, you guys have snagged two, three star kids which means you're going out there against the big boys for recruiting. How are you selling Appalachian State Football now? ... I can imagine at times it may be difficult to recruit one of the better athletes in the country because it is a Division 1AA or FCS school. How has it been different now when you call up a young man and say, "This is Jerry Moore, head football coach at Appalachian State University." How much more receptive have they been to those calls?

Coach Moore: Ugh, well (grateful chuckle) we almost haven't had to make those calls at all. We've been receiving a lot of calls from those players. We really don't have to explain Appalachian.

Ummm, what's up with spell check not working? This is not funny.

The best of times the worst of times

Here we are in 2008 and in the greatest nation on earth we have amongst others, a woman and a black man running for President. Now mind you, I have nothing but total dislike and disdain for both of these candidates but that's not my point. I feel like we as a society are on the brink of reaching a very real shift in collective attitude. In my book that's a very good thing.

I was in Las Vegas this past week for the furniture show. This place ranks in my poll as the #1 most disgusting place in America. If I think for one minute our society has progressed I only have to experience Vegas for about 8 hours to realize differently. Where else do you see scores of "loving parents" wheeling their infants and small children past the prostitutes through casinos filled with drunks? Or the numerous "happily married" -fill in any convention - attendees walking around with hookers so their buddies will be impressed. Really??? I think they must be overcompensating for something.

The NCAA needs to get a clue

There has been an awful lot of well deserved grumbling about the FBS this year. What I never hear in any of these is a shout out to the NCAA to make a change in their rules for eligibility for a bowl/championship. Why should a team like Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech or Wisconsin, all of which have open games on their schedule, be penalized/rewarded by a loss/win over a FCS team? It's stupid and it's elitist. For crying out loud, we're ranked at #34! The Appalachian State Rule needs to be more comprehensive. If it were maybe we could fill up our schedule and the nation would see some fine football.

I am forced to opt for basketball

I thought I was going to be in a quandary tomorrow. Should I watch and record (because I don't know how to watch one thing and record another) the ASU v Chattanooga basketball game or watch and record the senior bowl game in hopes of seeing Dexter Jackson impress the NFL scouts? It turns out there is no decision to be made because I don't get the NFL Network. Poor Dexter. He will have so much going against him...I can't watch and he doesn't get to wear his number. Why should he have to give up #2 and wear #19? He is, after all, faster than those guys from Houston and 'Bama who ARE wearing #2. Anywho, I imagine Dexter will do just fine without me. I hope I will get to see the Mountaineers take their 8th straight win on the hardwood.
It looks like the state's other black and gold will have a staff shakeup. WFU assistant Jeff Mullen decided he wanted to be a Mountaineer of a different flavor. I feel certain Coach Grobe will find a worthy replacement. What I don't understand is why three assistants have now left.

My new best friend Brandon

I received 2 DVDs in the mail today. My man Brandon , who lives in Japan, sent me the Michigan game and the 2006 championship game. He wants me to send him a certain brand of licorice in return. No, I'm not kidding.

Reminder: Having your house painted is painful

I have lived in my townhouse for almost 12 years and I have never had the interior repainted until now. Call me cheap, call me lazy.

My painters showed up today to do a few "preliminary things". I retreated to the basement so they could work. When I came back upstairs 2 hours later I was faced with the stark reminder of the exact reason I HATE having to go through this process. Here's all my living room stuff shoved into the center of the room. And yuck - you should see the dust bunnies!

Do you have things that you just absolutely hate having to spend your money on? Here's my top 5 list:

1. Homeowners Association Dues
2. New appliances (fridge, ac/heating, washer/dryer)
3. New mattress
4. Car repairs
5. Taxes

NFC Championship Game

It's difficult, at best, for me to embrace professional football. However I am trying really hard. Our own Jason Hunter is the lone Mountaineer and SoCon representative playing in the NFC Championship.

I'm all about the Packers tonight!

I think I will have reached true fan hood when I can get equally excited about players with high profile positions (quarterback/Armanti, safety/Corey, wide receiver/Dexter) as I can with the "blue collar" positions (defensive end and special teams/Jason Hunter.)

Atlanta Homeless, cont...

After a day of dealing with too many Persians at the Atlanta Rug Market, my co-worker and I are standing outside the downtown Ritz-Carlton when a gentleman (and I use that term loosely) approaches... "Ladies. Might I recite one of Dr King's speeches to you and in return you will give me some money? I am hungry."
Once again, I recognize that the homeless in Atlanta want to "work" for your donations. Not only do they want to "work", they are acutely aware of holidays.

Sucka! A Tale Of Two Cities

I'm not sure why but I evidently have this tattooed on my forehead, the SUCKA part that is. However, it's only visible to people who want something from me.
Last night I made the mistake of going to the ABC Store in the hood. There was a man standing outside the door asking for money. I thought I was being crafty by blocking his access to me through an unsuspecting big guy leaving the store.
I get in the store and start feeling guilty. Here I am buying booze and this poor man is probably homeless and some pocket change might make a big difference in his day. Shame on me, shame on me! I decided I would scoop up all the change in my purse and give it to him. That made me feel better, like I was doing the right thing. After all, he is just like me in all the important ways...He is also a child of God and probably the only thing that separates us is a few mistakes in life.
On my way to the counter, I see said man AHEAD of me buying a mini bottle of something and paying for it with quarters and dimes and nickels. After I check out and exit the store there he is. "Miss, I am a homeless individual and sure could use your change." What I wanted to say..."Hell Frigin NO! I already pay for your sorry ass welfare! Go get a job and pay taxes and become a productive member of this society and then maybe we'll talk. You can start by checking in at The Samaritan Inn or The Rescue Mission where they will give you some food and a clean bed." Of course I took the weenie way out. "Sorry I don't have any." I added an apologetic smile and shoulder shrug to accentuate this. Go ahead and call me a wus. I deserve it.
I couldn't help but contrast this with my recent experience in Atlanta.
On my first night there I didn't have a client dinner (Hooray!) and I wanted a sandwich or something light to eat. I find out where the closest deli is located and head out of the hotel. I'm maybe 50 feet from the door when this man approaches me. He wants to walk me to the deli because he doesn't want anybody to mess with me (OK, what is HE doing?) and to make sure I don't get lost (it's a block and 1/2 away!). His name is Derrick and he's my new friend.
Derrick lives at the homeless shelter where he was headed for supper (doesn't want me to buy him anything to eat) and he has just gotten a job at the Georgia World Congress Center (he pronounces it Jaw-ja Werl Con-ress Cenna). He waits while I get my food, although I have already "tipped" him, because he doesn't think I need to walk back by myself. Derrick really IS my friend. At least he offered a service, albeit an unnecessary one, for his money. You have to admire that.