Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Thursday, October 12, 2006
*Written After Watching the Cincy Game*
It's like waking up on a holiday when you were a kid. Sure, you open your eyes and when you look out your window at the world, it looks like any other ordinary day. But then much like the smell of Christmas cookies in the air, or the front yard being littered with eggs, you hear the faint sound of the marching band, which grows louder as game time approaches, telling you this is no ordinary day, this is Game Day at The Ohio State University.
A campus of friends and strangers transforms. As long as you are dawning scarlet and gray you are fellow countrymen, one Buckeye Nation, under Brutus, Tressel, The Shoe. The scarlet and gray we wear is part of the Game Day holiday like the attire selection of any other holiday, you dress for the occasion. As the Best Damn Band in the Land plays "Across the Field" from your personal playlist or blares from the house party across the street, everyone in Buckeye Country chooses from an assortment of scarlet and gray face paint, beads, football shirts, Block O shirts, wigs, capes, hats. Truth is, uniform of choice to go into the gridiron battle, nuts (buckeye necklaces) and a jersey. You'll never go wrong.
Then in line with holiday tradition, there is a parade. The Game Day Parade consists "Hang On Sloopy" playing from every shop and restaurant on High, Lane, or whatever personal parade route that gets you to the Shoe. Buckeyes of all ages walk with pride, representing their Buckeye spirit. You wave, smile, high five, and "O-H" your way in line with your fellow Bucks whom you may not know by name but you know by the shared anticipation as friends.
At the end of the parade route stands the sparkling tree, the brand new bike, The Shoe is that perfect piece of the Game Day holiday and no matter how many times you see it you, when you first lay your eyes on it on Game Day stop, sigh, and take a deep breath before you head towards the gate. It being my last year as an Undergrad at
Everyone's a little friendlier. A smiling ticket taker with Good Afternoon, Enjoy the Game, and giddy thank you from me as I enter a place where there are Buckeye Spirits in the air. Woody's watching from somewhere and the presence of past greats, Archie, Eddie, Krenzel in the very stadium we are entering electrifies all who enter. I have a feeling that even those visiting Buckeye Country feel it too.
Like waiting in line for a thrill ride you race up stairs, sometimes flights and flights. That climb not only to C deck, but then to row 38 of C deck is long, but you are thrilled by every minute of it, it's after all part ride. You find your seat and look down at the Buckeye Nation's battle field, no matter where you sit, you are on the front lines, and the Bucks can't do it with you screaming the words to the Buckeye Battle Cry, Stadium
In the end, we thank the players and the Man in the sweater vest running the show and just like in the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, arms on the shoulders of the Buckeye next to you. Bells toll and you sing the words that again, going into 4th year have never meant so much. So many memories of the singing that song, from when I learn the words at convocation, and every Game Day since. We walk out bells still ringing and everyone calls their family, because when you go to
You take the victory lap home with your Buckeye family, discussing every minute of the action over and over again and how eager we all are for next game day the next Game Day. Back home there will be brauts and beer and other football games to watch, but no matter the outcome the other games you are happy, knowing no one else in the country has a Game Day that can compare to those known by an Ohio State Buckeye. Go Bucks!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
I love a lot of things. Holidays are one of them. Downtown is decked out and ready for the holidays and I get so excited everyday day coming to and from work. There are wreathes and twinkle lights and ornaments! Though I think it is slightly unpatrioctic to replace the American flags outside the Supreme Court with Cartoon Frosty the Snowman flags, the Christmas lover in me says fly on you banners of yuletide joy!
I hope to sleep a lot during Thanksgiving break. I haven't been sleeping very much. I don't know if it was the tired delierium or that I underestimated the show, but I find myself getting easily caught up in the Hallmark channels 3 am showing of Walker Texas Ranger. Monica left my TV on that channel before we went out one weekend and when I went to settle in for the night around 3 am I flicked on the TV to find Chuck Norris lighting up the screen with his enchanting Karate moves. I kept telling myself this is a bad show and I will change at the first commercial. Apparently though, the Hallmark channel was bringing the show to me commercial free. I got totally caught up in the karate montages and early 90's inspriational saxaphone blaring in the background to help Walker up when the bad guys knocked him down, and the sweet face of the chubby asian boy who was kidnapped who he was trying to save whose face they flashed acrossed the screen when Walker needed motivation to keep fighting. Next thing you know its 4 am and not only am I wide awake, I want more Norris. I will let you know if the problem becomes more serve.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Paige is coming today. I couldn't be more excited. She is my mini me. Scary isn't it, to think there is another one like me. I've bred her this way through diligent years of teaching her my ways like teaching her to eat cake frosting right out of jars as a toddler and making her make and wear bunny hats on Easter, even when she tells me we're too old to wear them now. Her dad went to the University of Illinois, but she wears the Buckeye uniform and will say right in front of her father Let's Go Bucks. Could she be anymore perfect?
I'm batting around the idea of living aboard again. If I could get a paid internship while being abroad, I would do it in a heartbeat. I wanna go somewhere with less monkies and craziness this time. I guess only time will tell.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Does anybody know what Taurine is? It's in my sugar free red bull which I drink about 8 of a week at this point. Who says you can't add more hours to your day?! With good ole Taurine you can go for at least 72 hours before you go into a coma like state for 24 hours. I really want to know what it is because the can boasts that it is in there, but I know it's not like vitamin C. And the name Taurine sounds like it should be on the periodic table of elements. But tonight down it goes intomy belly,again. If I end up glowing green I'll let you know but personally I'm hoping I develop spidey sense.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
The 40 Year Old Virgin. Surprisingly good. Not just stupid funny but really funny and despite one too many similarities between the personality and lifestyle of me and the 40 year old virgin, it really does not knock the choice to be a virgin, which I found refreshing. If you wanna laugh, be grossed out, and have your heart warmed all at the same time. See this movie.
The Skeleton Key, good scary flick. For the gentleman, Kate Hudson in tiny panties running in the rain, for the ladies lots of close ups of the geriatric old man Kate is taking care of. The ending is a total surprise, which is hard to do in scary movies now a days. If you like jumping in fear, or New Orleans go see this!
Blah! I woke up this morning with the worst headache in the world. I feel so melancholy lately. Tuesday was my day off but everyone was gone and so I did what any 20 year old with do on their day off, I read at Mount Vernon for a couple of hours then went to the eye doctor. I know I know, I'm out of control. I then went to rent a movie to watch alone and was so desperate to talk to people at the Blockbuster I became one of those creepy people who ease drops on couples and gives them advice on their movie selection. Some of the couples were nice and politely pretended to care, and other were rude and gave me weird looks and nervously laughed as I lingered in the candy isle telling them the Stepford Wives is not the best choice for their viewing pleasure this evening. I finally settled on the combination of the movie A Lot Like Love and a bag of Sweet Tart gummy bugs to fill my evening.
I passed a Wal-Mart on the way home and decide I needed a new stuffed animal to watch the movie with (if you're laughing at me or thinking I'm un-cool right now STOP!). I went into the Wal-Mart and was shocked to find, there is no longer a stuffed animal aisle. There were a few stuffed animals, but they all talked, or lit up, one Elmo went to the bathroom. I felt old and started ranting about how America no longer values the purity and innocence of your good old fashion stuffed toy that did nothing more than than look cute, feel soft, and when you squeezed it didn't sing some annoying jingle written by corporate America meant to brain wash the fragile minds of our youth at their most formative years. It was then I decided, I am a stuffed animal purist.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
I'm also stressed cuz I feel like I don't have time to do anything but work. I get home so late and don't return phone calls, or if I do no one ever answers cuz I call at 2am or later (or is it earlier?) I was venting my frustration about this to Bobby. I know in the end there is good reason to work so hard, but for now every penny goes to various bills and the consumption of food. One of those makes me cringe and one of those makes me happier than almost anything on the planet. Again I guess there is balance.
Time for Stef's almost end of summer review:
I've read 4 books this summer. A testament to my coolness? Maybe so. Nobody has read the new Harry Potter yet and I am dying to talk about it. When I asked around at work everyone made fun of me. They are obviously jealous and will be ill prepared to deal with the spell I cast on them due to their lack of Harry Potter knowledge. It was great! The cover was green, so that gave it points before I even started. I understand Harry motivations and he makes the decisions that I would hope he would, which I like cuz I like getting my way. The surprise death is not a surprise, I guessed in while on chapter 2, so that was a bit of a bummer, but how it is written was a treat to read.
There have been good movies this summer too. The Wedding Crashers prolly being my fav. I laughed so hard, much to the embrassment of movie buddy Jon. It also made my obsession with Old School, Zoolander, and Anchorman return full force. This means the annoying, non stop quoting from 2-3 years ago has also returned. Bet ya anyone who missed me is glad their not here for that. Hustle and flow was good, a bit too long but I felt I could relate a lot to the life of a trick. Going to the 10:15 showing of that dressed in Abercrombie kinda made me wanna sing that Sesame Street Song, "One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong". Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, visually astounding, but when is Tim Burton not? It could've used way more music, not blaring techno sung by chipmunk voice more creepy than the orginal looking Oompa Loompas, but the "Candy Man" and "I've got a Golden Ticket" type would've been nice. Jonny Depp was good and weird as always, in the strange way he makes you want to have sex with his character in every movie that he is in, even if he does have scissor hands.