Ready or Not

I have some sad news that I wnat to post before I comment about Football ~ On Saturday Kevin let our Golden Retriever Apollo out to go to the Bathroom in the pouring rain & when we went to call him back he never came. We still have not found him as of this posting Please say a prayer that he comes home to us safely & soon.
 
Thank You,
Erika   

I have heard the rumor that during the Super Bowl,when every body flushes at the same time,water pressure drops considerably.Could that be?

Rings, you have my prayer.

Now on to Football ~ Beinga girl from the Green Bay area Football has always been a way of life for the Females in the area I would ventuire to say it rivals the Texas High School Football Females (which are also a species all there own)  ~ We LOVE our Packers but also our Madison Badgers & High School teams.  I happen to blame Bret Favre for this latest generation of Females that LOVE It, but yet when I think about it I can remember other QB's and athletes form the team so I know it wasn't jsut because of Mr. Favre that made it this way for my generation.
 
When I worked in Radio for the Sports Station I could name all the NFL head coaches, I had to it was a job requirement. Because of that training & expierence I can sit down watch the game know whats going on & argue bad calls with most of the guys. I LOVE the Passion Football Games bring out in people but to be able to enjoy it as whole you really do need to understand the game otherwise you are put in your place real quickly when you argue. 
 
Lee Remmel who is the Historian for the Green Bay Packers has an interesting story he tells about the Bears & Packers relationship.. One fo the first years in which Curly Lambeau started the ACME Packers the Chicago Bears had NO money to play that year. So the ACME Packers gave them a check so they could stay in business.  
 
For the record Lee is an AWESOME guy & His knowledge when it comes to Football is inmeasurable....The NFL is lucky to have him around as a keeper of the history.                

I won't have much to say today.  I don't know a damn thing about football.  Never could get interested in it.  Mr. Peterman says "the mistake is in analyzing it" and he may well be right.  Therein lies the problem:  I have no interest in anything for which analysis is a mistake.
 
Rings,
 
Best wishes in your search for Apollo.

Rings90:    Sorry  about  the  missing  golden   retriever.   Hopefully  he  is  safely  home  by  now.
 
At   to  the  topic  at  hand,  I  have  just  one  thing  to  say:   Chicago  Bears,  1985.

Sorry Bert  but ~
 
The Green Bay Packers have won twelve league championships (more than any other team in the NFL) including nine NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl era and three Super Bowl victories in 1967 (Super Bowl I), 1968 (Super Bowl II) and 1997 (Super Bowl XXXI).
 
That's a few more than the Bears have & It's A LOT more than the Vikings have.... 
 
Thanky you all for the Prayers & Wishes of Hope ~  Hopefully later in the day I will have some GOOD NEWS to post 

Rings90:   Please  do  not  feel  as  though  your  preference  for  the  Green  Bay  franchise  might  ruffle  my  feathers.   Frankly  football  is  less  of  a  big  deal  in  my  value  system  than  it  is  for  many  men.  Now  if  you  want  to  talk  about  passion,  however,  there  is  Chicago  Cubs  baseball,  and  the  shrine  wherein  their  loyal  fans  worship  their  team:  Wrigley  Field.   No  dome.  Real  grass.  Smaller  capacity,  always  filled.   And  chivalry  amongst  the  faithful.   Warmly,  Bert  {Diehard  Cubs  Fan  #048571}.

I lost my interest in football after I graduated from high school (and the annual Somerville v. Bound Brook Thanksgiving Day games).... BUT now I know one more thing that Latrobe, PA, should be famous for!  The others?  Rolling Rock beer, St. Vincent College (my alma mater), Arnie Palmer, Fred Rogers, and... drum roll.... the place the banana split was invented.  (Oh, I personally would add Harry's Danceland, but others might disagree....).  Did you know you can identify someone from Western Pennsylvania by the following sentence construction.... 'The clothes need washed'. 'The car needs fixed.'  (Note the absence of the verb 'to be'.)  Well, now I'll pass the pigskin to folks interested in carrying it into the end zone.  (I'm going to try to go back to sleep.)

I'm pretty much w/ DPR on this. Living in a football obssessed/ tailgating obssessed college town I enjoy the excitement in the air , but the thought of being surrounded by 60,000 people is horrifying. I confine myself to watching people on the square & walking around & then going to have lunch & even watch the game at a restaurant. Being the south- the biggest trip is watching the sorority girls on gameday.These poor, beautiful (under all that makeup)girls tottering around on fetish heels that they cannot walk in, dresses so short you fear for their privacy. When they drink it goes from amusing to sad- the tripping or the walking along on blistered bare feet because their feet are shot. My husband inevitably comments-"They look like prostitutes." Sadly he is too often correct.Even for a non football fan- you can't help but feel the elctricity in the air. Maybe I'm confused & we are supposed to be talking about pro football. In that case I have not one shred of interest.
 
RINGS- I am having tea w/ my dogs & we are sending many thoughts your way for Apollo's safe return. I know exactly what you are going thru & it is torture- hang in there.

Football is an extension, or modern day version, of the ancient games when they threw a man in a pit with a lion.   As a game its a structured way for boys to let off a little aggression and energy.  To its credit, football it builds teamwork and logical thinking skills. 
 
I've heard the one about the toilet flushes and the water pressures.   I lived in large NYC apartment building and it does seem true.  We always had plumbing problems on Super Bowel Sunday.    But the more serious concern is the statistic from women's organizations that  citing a rise in domestic abuse after the Super Bowl.  Of course, football is not to blame.  The problem is crazy drinking and "party" rituals we create around it.    
 

Bert ~ I forget you're kind of new here ~ Stoney & I are 2 Loyal Cubs fans from WI.. Will I see you at the game on the 17th? (Stoney or PL are either of you going?) 
 
My sister is the DIE HARD Bears fan ~ We have no clue as to why... She's trying to raise her boy as a Bears Fan,but since Daddy's a Packers fan he's a little confused, maybe she'll have better luck molding his Lil Sister into being a Bears Fan...
 
 

Rings90:  Don't  know   the  scoop  is  on  the  17th,   if  that  is  a  Wrigleyville day  then  of  course  the  travel  time  has  an  impact.  I  do  watch  a  number  of  Cubs  games  -vs-  Cincinnati's  Reds,  the  saloon  that  I  have a  tiny  interest  in usually  buys  a  pair  of season  tickets.
I  think  the  only  solution  for your  nephew,  conflicted  by his  loyalty  to  The Bears  while  living  in  a  Packers  household,  is  to  shift  him  over  to  baseball.  For  the  record,  there  are  eassily  5,000  Cubs  fans,  decked  out  in  jerseys  and  hats,  that  make  the  300  mile  trip  for  Reds  home  games.  Given  the  Reds'  firm grasp  of  last place,  I  would  say that  the  owners  as  well  as  those  selling  food  and lodging  owe  them  three  cheers.   We  do  our  own  stimulus  packages  down  here.
---Bert,  Diehard  Cubs  fan  #  048571.

good morning all!  razorbacks....go hogs go!!!! then the denver bronco's, because i like their logo....of course i loved watching my son play, from pee wee through high school.  my son also played baseball, soccer and basketball, my daughter soccer and basketball, while being the diamond doll for the baseball team.  their choice.  none could play, in school, without maintaining their grades, school mandated. 
 
the turn in the weather, does bring all that surrounds football to mind.

Bert ~ The Cubs play the Brewers on the 17th ~  A group of my friends & I most of whom are Brewers fans are going to the game.. Alas unlike the Cardinals/Brewers game in May I will NOT be the only Cubs fan in the group this time....  
 
The poor kid ~ I'm not sur eif I can mold him into a Cubs fan or not He is getting his first BB glove at Christmas though. He already ahs a FB a lot of FB's really kids here get them while they are still in the womb.. It's kind of an expected gift at all showers here in Wisconsin... Not a bad thing really..

Rings90  &  Stoney:   While  preparing  for  my  court  procedure  today  I  watched  The  Blues  Brothers  on   late  night  tv.   Remember  the  part  where  Jake  is  asked  by  the  traffic  cop?  He  gives  them  the  address  of  Wrigley  Field.....

Rings -- you have my prayer as well.

I Love a good FB game but one thing I hate while watching them is all the other crap being on the screen, you have logos & scrolls on the bottom of the screens then at the top you have a box with the score & all this other crap poppingout of it the WORST times ~ and is there any else who wants to tell Madden where he REALLY should put that pen of his within the first 2 minutes of the game?...(yes I know Madden isn't really announcing at games anymore)
 
Just wondering if all annoys anyone else while they are trying to watch a game & not the all the new Technology used to make fancy graphics ?...
   

In our family there are so many different teams that are being yelled at and about, rooted for and against, that it makes me dizzy(er).  Our son is a Seattle Seahawks fan; as are his sons and, now expecting another Seahawks fan, we presented the son to be with a Seattle Seahawks sleeper and for later, a Seattle Seahawks athletic suit at yesterday's baby shower.  A daughter and her husband, who is from Wisconsin originally, are naturally Greenbay Packer fans, avidly, rabidly so, and then yet another daughter's family are battling the rest with their favorites:  The Philadelphia Eagles.  Whenever we get to the condo at the beach, there is sure to be yet another little "thing" left by one of them -- Seahawks Blvd on the wall outside; Eagle lid cover; Seahawks pillow; Packer pillow; Eagle Blvd.  Oddly enough, we're from Raven country and yet I don't think we have a real fan.  My husband:  watches them ALL (that was through gritted teeth, could you tell?). 
 
I believe that the same person who brought us so many hours of football to "enjoy" developed the remote so that one could enjoy more than just one of this steroid-filled group run into each other, grunt and then do a kind of dance with the ball.

rings - I'm so sorry to hear about your Apollo.  I'll be sending positive thoughts your way.  My Golden escaped a few times when we first got her and I know your agony.
 
As for football, my Gator fan pals in the neighborhood have reignited my interest in the game.  All the baloney associated with coaches and fans of my alma mater had ruined the game for me.  We've gone through multiple expensive buy-outs when the team doesn't perform as desired (somebody HAS to lose the game - there are only so many small schools you can play for Homecoming!) and the worship of the almighty dollar and bowl trip seem to have overtaken the simple enjoyment of playing a game.  But, I guess if I lived in Gainesville, I might experience some of the same stuff.
 
My dad and I used to watch football together when I was a teenager.  As an avid fan, I think I was the only girl in town who had her own subscription to Sports Illustrated.  A girl can really learn how to cuss when she sails and watches football with her dad.  Or watches him repair cars....

where is that cookie receipe?

Rings... we're all pulling for Apollo for find his way home!

I must disagree with you on one point. I love all the crap on the screen telling me where the game stands and what's going on elsewhere. That way I don't have to sit there the whole time, HA!

On the other hand, I agree wholeheartedly that Madden was unendingly annoying. SOOOOOOO glad they traded him for Chris Collingsworth.

Almost afraid to post my allegiance, there are so many Bears and Packers fans out there..., but in our old house we root for the Pats. Bears, too, as my husband is a Chicago kid, and I like the Broncos logo, too. Last night was tough for us.

But on a more Eyester note, the two stories about the water pressure dropping and domestic abuse spiking are both urban legends. They both seem plausible, but the evidence is not there. Snopes.com covers them both.

Apooooooooollo! Come on home, boy!

Bebe and Julia,
 
While I am delighted to have allies, the rituals and the crowds of 50,000 people are actually the part I really DO like.  It's the game itself, the actual process of playing, that I find utterly uninteresting.
 
Rings,
 
Any news?

Rings, my hopes and prayers are with you, that Apollo may come home soon. I don't know what we'd do if our little Zoe (mini-schnauzer) went missing.

As for the topic at hand, I'll throw my hat in the ring as a die-hard Bears fan. Born and raised in the suburbs all my life, I can only cheer on the orange and blue (also an Illini alum, which grants the odd color combo clothing additional wear and usage). We've had season tickets in the South Endzone (level 200) for at least 10 years in the family. Originally my Grandma bought them and over the last few years they have transitioned to a split ownership between my dad, brother and I.

The tailgating ahead of the game is as much a part of our ritual as going into the game itself. A game of bags or two, along with delicious food and beer, and then onto the game!

An announcement of General Interest: According to an otherwise predictable article on yahoo (The 7 most overrated businesses) "Until you get to the point where you have amillion page views a day, [on your traffic-driven webpage] you are nowhere." SO, eyesters and lurkers, when did you last recommend the Eye to a friend?

RINGS:

I've got you and Apollo in my thoughts today. Let us know as soon as he walks in the door.
 
As for football all I know is it's a great time to go shopping. At least that's what I used to do when my then husband and 3 sons sat down for a game.
 
After a while we got caught up in a rotating Redskins watch party group. That was fun to have 30 or so adults and kids all over the place. The food was always great. Long gone times.
 
Football is off my radar as are most sports.

Trask - is response to your question..... recommended this site is sortof a tough call for me.  On the one hand, what I like is that all, or most, of the people here are not in my regular circle of friends and so it's a chance to hear fresh opinions and ideas from people in parts of the country I may never visit.  On the other hand, I certainly don't know all the thoughts and opinions of my friends and their visiting the site would allow me to know them even better.  Hmmm....better go through the address book and send some invitations.

oops....'in' and 'recommending' 
 
I feel the cat-o-nine-tails whipping 'round.....

i'm of the same mindset shandonista, i do like the fact that it's not a f^^^book type site...so far.  different, clean slate type of information. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8

i have no idea how that post happened, the construction of it. where did the 8 come from.....hmm.

A tip for non-football fans.... Super Bowl Sunday is GREAT for going to a normally crowded restaurant!  No wait... There's no traffic on the roads... There's plenty of parking...   [As usual, these insights are based on a blind empirical test.]  It was after I got home once that I figured out why the city was deserted and why I had my choice of tables!  (P.S.  The food tastes just as good on Super Bowl Sunday as it does on other Sundays!)

speaking of storms.......someone please correct me, but hurricanes and typhoons, they're different because of location?....just saw on the news, where there's a hurricane on mexico's west coast....is that something i've missed all these years?

Rings90  &  Stoney:   I  remember  attending  a  North-South  game  for  the  Championship  of  the  Chicago  Catholic  League,  circa  1964-1965.  Loyola  Academy  -vs-  St.  Rita.   85,000  people  showed  up.  The ironic  part  is  that  the  Catholic-Public League  game  drew  less  than half  that  number  the  following  week,  even  though  Lane  Tech  had  over  5,000  students  enrolled  and  their  front  line  looked like  a  row  of  sequoias.    After  that  experience,  it has  just  been  kinda  hard  to  ever  get  excited  about  other  teams,  other  contests.

The 1963 championship game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants was ‘the perfect storm' that quickened my love and awe of the game of football.  

I was fourteen years young so I didn't stop to analyze or rationalize this new found passion. I just let it permeate my being as I knelt, almost as though genuflecting, if front of the high-fi, intently listening to the game by myself in the basement ‘rec' room. I don't know why I assumed that position, it may have been so I could hear the game without bothering the rest of the family upstairs. Probably because there wasn't a chair nearby. I just remember my knee cracking as I tried to stand up after the game was over.

Was this newly awakened passion for the game born out of some just-below-the-surface appreciation of its contradictory nature; that being speed, grace and savvy on one hand while the other hand was a clenched fist full of raw power and sheer brutality and barely contained violence. Or was it because the physical talents required were so very far beyond my reach that I was doomed to love it simply because I knew I could never have it.

In the end I suppose, the why doesn't really have to matter at all.

The Bears had guys with names like, Joe Fortunato, ‘Big' Doug Atkins, Ronnie Bull, Joe Marconi, Rick Casare, Bill George, Ritchie Pettibone, ‘Iron Mike' Ditka...... you know.... Real meat and potato kinda names.

They also had a young running back who was just beginning to electrify the crowds. His name was Willie Galimore and opposing players would say that he could run side-to-side down the field just as fast as or faster than they could in a straight line. There was a classic but un-posed for photo of him leaping over fallen defenders with his left arm straight out and the football tucked safely against his body in the next day's paper. I couldn't wait ‘till next season to watch him perform.

On the other side of the field, the New York Giants were led by a living legend at quarterback. His name was Yalberton Abraham Tittle, known best as Y. A. Tittle. He had been voted that year's Most Valuable Player. Though long-in the-tooth, his competitive spirit embodied the image of professional football at the time.

The game was a hard-fought, see-saw affair played in single digit temperatures in the then, very unfriendly confines of Wrigley Field. The announcers of the game sounded as energized, excited and out of breath as if they were experiencing what they were describing.

Although the Bear's defense was primarily responsible for their 14 to 10 victory that day, two of the more poignant stories arising out of that game was that of the promise of an exciting future career for Willie Gallimore and the beginning of the end for the Great Y.A. Tittle who at the end of the game was down on his injured knees, his head bowed and bloody.

The events and emotions of that game didn't end there, on that cold day in Wrigley Field.

Y.A. Tittle retired the following year after a very dismal 1964 season. He never fully

recovered from that game. He was a skilled warrior who left the game, carried out on his shield. He has since been elected into the Football Hall of Fame and went on to become a successful business man.

Tragically, Willie Gallimore, whose future seemed so bright, was killed in an automobile accident that summer. In addition to being a great athlete, he was also a husband, a father, and an honored Civil Rights Activist

I fell in love with the game when it was played outdoors and in the elements of winter. It was played on real grass and by real men... mere mortals who played the game to help feed their families by doing something they loved so much. When the season was over they simple disappeared into their lives only to reemerge at the next year's training camp.

I doubt that I love the game as much as I did back in 1963, but I probably don't like it any less.

The over-the-top hype and today's bigger-than-life cartoon characters that seem to dominate the game now annoy me. For me it's a case of being denied my blissful ignorance of all of the players' foibles and the harsh reality of the business side of the game. I think it's because we now know too much about their private lives and have unmasked so many of them.

I loved the game more when the players were honored to wear the mantle of "role model" and be content to do so only during the season. When players were content to being a headline for their great feats on the field and not for being caught doing the perp walk.

My football experience lives and dies with ‘Da Bears' for the most part; but then there are always amazing stories and careers like that of the Y.A. Tittles that can still be found out on a football field as well as the promise of greatness as well as the heartbreak of tragedy.

For what its worth.....

Peace out.

Rings90, - My best thoughts and wishes are with you and Apollo.

P.L., I too remember Wrigly and the Bears {Da Bearss},and, the Cardinals!     My dad had season tix on the 50, half way up the stands. I was around 10, and Dad had these big field glasses he took from a fallen Nazi,and brought home.The leather case had a smell I can still conjure, probably cured with a tanin (I would think now that I am a tea drinker)He wore a parka,with a brown fleece hood,folded out so that it looked like a dorsal fin;he never wore a hat, and he didn't ever put that hood over his head, no matter how brutal the weather. I still see that O.D. colored parka behind my eyelids,with the Screamin' Eagle  101st patch on the shoulder,and the Airborne chevron under. That was his only display,other than the Flag on the appropriate days, or his cerimonial hats for V.F.W.,J.W.V.,and some smaller groups he didn't share with me...Those season tix stayed untill he was too frail to attend,and then were passed into the family. I was not a jock,but a gearhead.I didn't know what I was missing.    I had the opportunity to service some of the big RVs that would do the show-off tailgate parties,coming to Soldier Field on my Harley, (you could still sneak in on a bike)so I was invited,and often had to bring a few tools(A/C went down,fuses blew,belts squealing,etc.)and then was able to partake of the chilli and beer.Back then, ticket holders were allowed back in after the half from that special parking area...I have enjoyed many pots of chilli,some made by Chefs from NOLA,staying at my home for the game day,and Wisconsin Brats right there where they come from. And Super Bowl parties!!! I love those hot dish events, And it doesn't matter the teams,just pick a square,pay your bet,have a beer,and sit down...

Rings~ Apollo may be home for dinner and a nap,and if he is smokin' a ciggy, he may just be too tired to tell you about it...

 Football is like so many such things in life in that it simply boils down to either you 'get it' and it 'gets you' ....... or you simply don't. It would be like analyzing why you like chocolate.    It's not a character measuring stick but it has attracted a lot of participants and followers of high character. 
It's just football, a game that became a successful business..... nothing more, nothing less, in its pure form it is without pretense and like most human activities.... it provides a lot of fodder for metaphors on life.  

It all starts with the flip of a coin.....

And ends with a trip to the bathroom

No, it ends with a trophy,and great stories,and commraderie that rivals that of frat boys,or survivors of disaster;or loss of the final game pass,or run,or kick....it's we fans that end the overindulgences of spectatorship that ends in the "convience"...            8-)

and there's always a very long and boisterous line at the trough.....

My alma mater is where the Pittsburgh Steelers train, Daniel (though that started after I graduated....).  Yep, old timers will remember the name Johnny Unitas, a 'Pittsburgh boy' http://www.answers.com/topic/johnny-unitas .  I went to school in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania was also a hotbed of football fanaticism 'back then'. My high school regularly played Phillipsburg, NJ, right across the Delaware from Easton, PA, and I don't think we ever won a game against them.  Then kids would drop out of high school, work in the coal mines for a year or two, decide that kind of manual labor 'sucked', and would return to high school.  You can imagine what a year or two in age, and doing mine work did to these 'kids'!  The linemen were MONSTERS, big, muscular, tall, sinewy, men!  They creamed our guys!  (In those days, in NJ, the exodus of mine workers also provided a steady stream of high school teachers who got their degrees under the GI Bill, and moved out of the dying mining towns to a brighter future by going east....)

Rings:  You've been in my thoughts all day...and you'll stay there till Apollo comes home.
 
and
 
MAC:  you're my kind of guy:  an Illini grad, and a Bears fan.  I am too -- both of them.  Go Illini Go!  I wish they'd bring Chief Illinwek back -- there was everything good and not one bad thing about him.  Those who said he "disrespected" (oh that word!) the American native American (?) didn't know what they were talking about.  He was great, a a wonderful tradition.
 
But it is what it is, all is politics, and anyhow, we have the team, and we've got those Bears, with Jay Cutler, who's looking fine.
 
 

Right on, Park4 - it seems to me that the naming of teams after Native Americans was a compliment.  I always understood those mascots to be representing strong, proud, fierce warriors.  How could that be a bad thing?
 
On the flip side, how humiliated would you feel after being beaten by the Ducks?

I know I'll get folks upset, but I sort of resent the fact that professional sports have become big commercialized businesses.  Rooting for a team strikes me as a lot like cheering for Exxon/Mobil, or getting excited because Microsoft's fourth quarter results beat those of Sony.  The fact that football players make more money than I'll ever see makes me feel like a spectator at a convention of New York investment bankers or bond traders.  Why should I care which group of millionaires is 'winning' or 'losing'?  And the off-field 'antics'.... well, I suppose that kind of stuff goes on, but gee -- broadcast all over the world?  Yeah, I'm not much into 'professional sports'.  It seems like a big and not very interesting form of accumulating wealth.  (P.S. In my industry we run into 'professional sports celebrities' and with some exceptions they are either very successful jerks, or tragic figures as they fall from grace and lose all the 'toys' they've accumulated....).  I might go on record as saying I HAVE met some very nice sports folks:  ballplayers Mark Portugal (and his wife) and Shane Reynolds (and his wife) come to mind.  

Puppy Dog Update ~
 
THANK YOU EVERYONE for your Good Thoughts, Prayers & Kind Words... I found Apollo at around 2pm {CST} Today ~ Someone picked him up on Saturday afternoon & brought him to the Doggie daycare the Vet Clinic runs. He is now with me & is happily curled up in his favorite spot on the couch... We are so happy that he is home Safe & Sound.
 

Good 

It's amazing how lonely some of us can be this time of year...

There are those of us who relish and revel in the intensity, delight, and competition of football.

There are those of us who feel left out, ignored, and misunderstood during the entire football season.

Try as I might to appreciate and get excited about each and every game, I just can't seem to muster up much interest until the play-offs and the Super Bowl...maybe...although I usually do enjoy watching a game played outdoors in the snow; which often turns out to be a Packers game.

I try so hard to sit, take it all in, and to comprehend. I attempt to ask questions, but those just seem to be a bit annoying for someone "into" the game to take the time to answer and explain.

I'll make the chili, have chips and salsa, and supply the requisite beer. I'll be sympathetic when the favored team loses. I'll be happy when the favored team wins.

In my heart, however, I admit to feeling isolated. I want to perceive the passion! I want to grasp the gusto! I want to fathom the fascination! I fall short...every time...every year...

I wondered, perhaps, whether it had something to do with the fact that I've never played football. Do I muster up more excitement for baseball because it's a game that I've played? Well, I understand baseball more, since I've actually played shortstop...but even that has not made me an avid baseball fan. I'll watch the World Series, and possibly the Pennant races, but I just can't seem to get "into" the day-to-day games.

Frankly, I am envious of the camaraderie that so many of you seem to have every sports season. While you are in love and infatuated, I am, unfortunately, alone. But, hey, I have a lot of interesting books to read, the Eye to visit, and music to listen to on my MP3 player; while I'm cuddled up next to the one I love, from now until...

Erica - I am so glad Apollo is back with you, safe and sound...there is no place like home. 

cuukoo1 and Daniel Zev - Sorry for the delay. I have not forgotten to send the recipe. It simply has never been copied from the hand-written and typed out...and it was a day when other family members needed my attention. I will send it to both of you as soon as I am able.

oops...sorry...*Erika*...I knew that...it's been a long day.
 

Kindlee ~ Thank you & don't worry about the misspelling ~ It happens quite often I'm used to it & no longer take personally... Now when you're a child & can't find it spelled with that "K"  on the little bike name plates that's another story  :)  

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY APOLLO!!! I am so happy you are safe & at home w/ your mom- I am having my glass of wine in your honor tonight.

Just  hitting  the  beach  having  spent  the  day  in  the  salt  mines,  too  tired  to  read  50  posts  tonight....have  we  any  word  on  the  missing  golden  retriever?

Youtube : Best Ever, Tractor Square Dance         see that, it is soooofunny

Bert ~ The Lost Puppy has been found & brought safely home .. Thank You..  

Kindlee: What about those of us who played 'sandlot football' (supposedly 'touch football' if you are gullible)?  We had aches and pains, bruises and scrapes, and it's a miracle no one got injured since we didn't wear helmets, or pads, or whatever.  Strictly jeans, sneakers, and long-sleeve shirts.... (Back then no one played football except in the autumn!)  It never quite 'took off'.  We got into bicycle racing instead.... except for my best friend's older brother who batted a fuzzy ball against the green garage door hour after hour in a bizarre solo exercise he called 'tennis'.  Throwing rocks was a lot more fun,too.  But bicycling was much neater than football.  Only camping out with Dr. and Mrs. Maresh and their sons, Charlie and Henry, was more anticipated.

I was lazy & did not read the whole peterman post on football & I just got to the end & saw George Will's quote. I now am a football fan. He is the pruniest prude around & he cannot get thru a tv appearance w/ out mentioning his ivy league roots or those of his daughter.What a ....

RINGS:
 
I've been thinking about you and Apollo all day. And praying he'd be found safe.
 
I just got back from dinner with a friend and read your post. 
 
All is well again. YEAH!!!

I'm with DPR on this one.

I'm with DPR and Tiberius on this one, although a beer and some garlic fries sound good about now...I'm following the scent of garlic to the clubcar of thesepia train.

Rings90- I'm so pleased that dogone is back again.  Good for you!

In some ways I consider my fondness for football to be a guilty pleasure. Now wouldn't that make an interesting topic at the EyE some day...... guilty pleasures?  
Anyroads, ........."peace out to you all" says Peter Lake as he moseys off into the sunset. "I'd best bring an extra blanket to lay by the campfire 'cos it's only gonna be 38 degrees in my neck of the woods. There may be some frost on the 'ol pumpkin tonight." 

Rings... a lost best pal...found.  Time to celebrate!!!

Celebrate! Yesss.  (please follow that you tube link to the square dance, in my previous post)

Rings,
 
Hooray!  Your Golden Retriever has been retrieved!

Apollo, this is Ground Control-we have rendezvous and docking...