*Disclaimer - The following blog shouldn't make any sense. Don't feel bad if you don't get it
If I could ask you what you really want at this moment, I'm sure you'd come up with a lot of things. But one thing I'm pretty sure you wouldn't think of is Big League Chew. Now...hold that thought.
Let's put you at the checkout counter at the supermarket. You look over, and you see a big pouch of grape-flavored Big League Chew.
Same question...what do you want? I'm guessing the answer is grape-flavored Big League Chew. You can only get it certain places so it usually doesn't cross your mind. For me, a similar thing is the white chocolate Nestle Crunch bar. I'm not sure if they even make it anymore, but I buy it whenever I see it. It's a rare treat.
I have a point to this, but it doesn't really matter what it is. The moral of the story is that, for the moment, I've found some Big League Chew. But, sometimes, Big League Chew isn't enough. Sometimes, I really want pumpkin cheesecake. And that's something even more rare.
So if you find Big League Chew, get it. But if you can find pumpkin cheesecake, you can't pass it up.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
TCU 55 Utah 28
I realize I haven't been writing as much as I had been in the past. There a myriad of reasons why, but it'd be a mistake not to take a few minutes to discuss the Mighty, Mighty Horned Frogs. After all, take a look at the layout of the blog itself.
And let's not forget that I started this blog after TCU's bowl game last year. If I'm the father of Crocodile Hunting, there's a good chance that TCU is the mother. Nah, that doesn't sound right.
Anyway, the Frogs have been doing great this season. As of right now, they're 10-0 and ranked #4 in the nation. All that stands between the Frogs and the BCS are two games. The hardest game will be a trip to Laramie, Wyoming with a date with the Cowboys. It will be cold, but according to the forecast, it will not snow. And if they can take care of business there, the final test would be against (currently) winless New Mexico.
But let's not talk about the future; I'll let Gary worry about that. Let's talk about an extraordinary day. Or GameDay, should I say?
With Northwestern's win over Iowa, ESPN decided to come to Fort Worth with their epic show, College GameDay. And as soon as we knew they were coming, every Horned Frog started preparing for it. Facebook was full of messages, and it was obvious that everyone was struggling to get through the week and make it to Saturday.
Since we wanted to get there early, we decided to leave Friday and spend the night with Tim. "Happy" Matt Turner also drove up from San Antonio to join us, and we got out to campus around 7am.
7am is right. Keep in mind that, on work days, I wake up at 7:15am. And I was sitting in a crowd in TCU's beautiful new quad at 7:00am on a Saturday morning. It was surreal.
When the show finally started, the hosts kept saying how impressed they were with the Frogs' showing. There were a whole lot of people there, most of them supporting TCU. And for every three people, there seemed to be a sign. When we watched the replay, we couldn't believe how many signs were made.
I must say that we considered making signs but never did. We went as far as to buy foam board, but we couldn't get a workable pole. And it wouldn't have mattered because we were far back enough that our signs wouldn't have been on TV.
And it was so amazing that TCU has that kind of support. It was nothing, however, to the stadium atmosphere when the game finally arrived. I've never seen the stadium that full, and it was utterly incredible to hear that crowd. There was a chant, early in the game, where half the stadium screamed "go" and the other half screamed "Frogs"
And 50,000 people, speaking as one, sounded as clear as day. It was just really cool.
The game started, and the Frogs jumped out to a huge lead. Seconds later, they recovered a fumble. Even after a Utah score, the Frogs eventually took a 35-7 lead.
Let me paint the picture of the stadium. We were towards the top of the student section, and the entire area was crammed with students. We were actually standing diagonally for most of the game, trying to take up as little area as possible.
But when Tank Carder picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown, the stadium just went crazy. They played a video that encouraged fans to get up and jump around, and the students did just that. And most of these guys had been drinking all day, since 7am, and they weren't great at it. There were a couple times when I feared that a TCU student avalanche was going to start, but it never really happened.
And TCU just kept scoring. We were up 38-14 at the half, and I was actually a bit disappointed. We missed a field goal where we could've scored a touchdown, and we threw an interception inside the red zone. And one of Utah's two touchdowns was scored on a drive that basically consisted of two Hail Marys.
It's a good sign for TCU when its fans are a little disappointed to be up 24 points at the half against the #16 ranked team in the nation.
By the end of the game, TCU won 55-28. And even though it was the biggest win that I'd ever experienced at the school, I didn't really think about charging the field. I mean, the game was basically decided in the second quarter, and we were just waiting for the game to end so that we could celebrate.
But then Ashley told me that Gary wanted the fans to charge the field to celebrate with the team. And that's really all he needed to say - I'm willing to do quite a bit for Gary Patterson, and I obliged.
And standing there, on the field after a huge win, it was just incredible. Little TCU has a chance to go to a BCS bowl, and there's even an outside chance at the national championship game. There's still work to be done, but they're so close that I can smell it.
It's just a fantastic time to be a Horned Frog, and I couldn't be more proud of my team.
And let's not forget that I started this blog after TCU's bowl game last year. If I'm the father of Crocodile Hunting, there's a good chance that TCU is the mother. Nah, that doesn't sound right.
Anyway, the Frogs have been doing great this season. As of right now, they're 10-0 and ranked #4 in the nation. All that stands between the Frogs and the BCS are two games. The hardest game will be a trip to Laramie, Wyoming with a date with the Cowboys. It will be cold, but according to the forecast, it will not snow. And if they can take care of business there, the final test would be against (currently) winless New Mexico.
But let's not talk about the future; I'll let Gary worry about that. Let's talk about an extraordinary day. Or GameDay, should I say?
With Northwestern's win over Iowa, ESPN decided to come to Fort Worth with their epic show, College GameDay. And as soon as we knew they were coming, every Horned Frog started preparing for it. Facebook was full of messages, and it was obvious that everyone was struggling to get through the week and make it to Saturday.
Since we wanted to get there early, we decided to leave Friday and spend the night with Tim. "Happy" Matt Turner also drove up from San Antonio to join us, and we got out to campus around 7am.
7am is right. Keep in mind that, on work days, I wake up at 7:15am. And I was sitting in a crowd in TCU's beautiful new quad at 7:00am on a Saturday morning. It was surreal.
When the show finally started, the hosts kept saying how impressed they were with the Frogs' showing. There were a whole lot of people there, most of them supporting TCU. And for every three people, there seemed to be a sign. When we watched the replay, we couldn't believe how many signs were made.
I must say that we considered making signs but never did. We went as far as to buy foam board, but we couldn't get a workable pole. And it wouldn't have mattered because we were far back enough that our signs wouldn't have been on TV.
And it was so amazing that TCU has that kind of support. It was nothing, however, to the stadium atmosphere when the game finally arrived. I've never seen the stadium that full, and it was utterly incredible to hear that crowd. There was a chant, early in the game, where half the stadium screamed "go" and the other half screamed "Frogs"
And 50,000 people, speaking as one, sounded as clear as day. It was just really cool.
The game started, and the Frogs jumped out to a huge lead. Seconds later, they recovered a fumble. Even after a Utah score, the Frogs eventually took a 35-7 lead.
Let me paint the picture of the stadium. We were towards the top of the student section, and the entire area was crammed with students. We were actually standing diagonally for most of the game, trying to take up as little area as possible.
But when Tank Carder picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown, the stadium just went crazy. They played a video that encouraged fans to get up and jump around, and the students did just that. And most of these guys had been drinking all day, since 7am, and they weren't great at it. There were a couple times when I feared that a TCU student avalanche was going to start, but it never really happened.
And TCU just kept scoring. We were up 38-14 at the half, and I was actually a bit disappointed. We missed a field goal where we could've scored a touchdown, and we threw an interception inside the red zone. And one of Utah's two touchdowns was scored on a drive that basically consisted of two Hail Marys.
It's a good sign for TCU when its fans are a little disappointed to be up 24 points at the half against the #16 ranked team in the nation.
By the end of the game, TCU won 55-28. And even though it was the biggest win that I'd ever experienced at the school, I didn't really think about charging the field. I mean, the game was basically decided in the second quarter, and we were just waiting for the game to end so that we could celebrate.
But then Ashley told me that Gary wanted the fans to charge the field to celebrate with the team. And that's really all he needed to say - I'm willing to do quite a bit for Gary Patterson, and I obliged.
And standing there, on the field after a huge win, it was just incredible. Little TCU has a chance to go to a BCS bowl, and there's even an outside chance at the national championship game. There's still work to be done, but they're so close that I can smell it.
It's just a fantastic time to be a Horned Frog, and I couldn't be more proud of my team.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Uprising
Muse - "Uprising"
Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume,
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around
(So come on)
Another promise, another scene,
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,
And all the green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)
They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
(So come on)
Interchanging mind control,
Come let the revolution take it's toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(So come on)
Rise up and take the power back,
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend
They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
So come on
They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume,
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around
(So come on)
Another promise, another scene,
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,
And all the green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)
They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
(So come on)
Interchanging mind control,
Come let the revolution take it's toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(So come on)
Rise up and take the power back,
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend
They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
So come on
They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Girl Next Door, Huh?
Taylor Swift hosted Saturday Night Live tonight, and while she was pretty good (and the show was pretty funny), there was a moment that kinda made me chuckle.
During her first musical number, she sang "You Belong With Me." It's one of her big hits, and it describes the girl next door who's trying to get her best friend to realize that they belong together. The song states that she wears t-shirts and sneakers instead of high heels and short skirts, and that's why she hasn't caught the attention of her crush.
And yet there Taylor is, singing the song in a dress that probably costs more than Ashley's TV. Not exactly the wardrobe of the girl next door.
I realize that it's SNL and she's supposed to look like a star, but I thought that it was pretty funny nonetheless.
During her first musical number, she sang "You Belong With Me." It's one of her big hits, and it describes the girl next door who's trying to get her best friend to realize that they belong together. The song states that she wears t-shirts and sneakers instead of high heels and short skirts, and that's why she hasn't caught the attention of her crush.
And yet there Taylor is, singing the song in a dress that probably costs more than Ashley's TV. Not exactly the wardrobe of the girl next door.
I realize that it's SNL and she's supposed to look like a star, but I thought that it was pretty funny nonetheless.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Blowing It
If you are a Dallas fan, and you turned off the Mavs' and Stars' games in the final minutes of their respective contests...I'm sure you were surprised to find that both teams ended up losing in overtime.
Why? Because when each game entered the final minute, victory was looking like a very solid probability. But in their own ways, each team found a way to lose. If you have no idea what happened, let me go into it.
Mavericks
The Mavs were in New Orleans last night, coming off a big win against the Jazz at home. It took an amazing fourth quarter from Dirk Nowitzki, but it was a big win nonetheless. It was the second night of a back-to-back so I imagine the team was a bit tired.
But it didn't seem to matter. Dirk actually fouled out with about 2:36 remaining, but the team seemed to be in control of the game by then. Even when New Orleans tied it with about a minute left, the Mavs were up 3 with about ten seconds left. Chris Paul had the ball, and he was determined to make something happen.
Defending Chris Paul was tiny J.J. Barea. And while Barea is (relatively) loved in Dallas as a scrappy player with a sweet ability to score, he's still J.J. Barea. And Chris Paul is still one of the biggest superstars in the game. And earlier in the fourth quarter, Barea tried to take a charge on Paul - he went sliding down the court when Paul lowered his shoulder into him. But the ref simply watched as Paul set his feet and drained a wide-open 3-pointer.
This time, however, Paul pushed off on Barea, and the whistle blew. The refs actually called an offense foul on Chris Paul...drawn by little J.J. Barea. The Mavs quickly inbounded the ball, and they were awarded two free throws.
Up by three with Barea going to the line. Seemed like a victory to me, and it did to the Hornets too. One of the Hornets got a technical for arguing the call, and Chris Paul went from ref to ref to let them know that he wasn't happy. All of the Hornets looked like they were defeated.
Then Terry missed the technical free throw. He'd made his first seven free throws, but he'd suddenly missed two of three. But it didn't matter. With nine seconds and only one Hornets time out left, Barea just needed to make one of his two free throws to clinch an almost-certain Dallas win.
But he missed the first. Then the second.
That's right. Two different Mavericks had three free throws to clinch the game, and they missed all three.
I shouldn't have to tell you what happened next. The Hornets called their time out, drew up a play, and they drained a 3-pointer.
But the Mavs still had a chance! Six seconds to play with a chance to win the game. Kidd inbounded the ball, got it back, but then tried to force the ball to Jason Terry. Four of the Hornets knew where the ball was going, and they stole it. Paul damn-near hit a three-pointer at the buzzer that would've clinched the game.
He might as well have done it. Without Dirk, the Mavs just couldn't score, and they were handled pretty easily in overtime.
And it brings up some legitimate concerns about the Mavs. Without Dirk in the game, the Mavs looked like a different team. Erick Dampier scored four huge points for the Mavs. Kidd drove the lane to a wide-open basket and missed two free throws. Barea missed a couple three-pointers.
And even though he replaced Dirk when the German fouled out, Shawn Marion was nowhere to be seen offensively. I thought he was being brought in to be Dirk's offensive sidekick, but I don't think he took a single shot.
Hopefully this team will look better when/if Josh Howard ever returns at full strength. Because even though they're 3-2 with a big win at the Lakers, the Mavs have looked pretty pedestrian the rest of the way. They barely beat the Clippers, and they had to have a monster quarter out of Dirk to beat Utah.
Stars
I actually went to this game, and it was pretty rough. After pummeling Calgary's backup goalie (who I'd never heard of and don't care to look up the name of) with over 30 shots, the Stars finally scored at the 15:00 mark of the third period to tie the Flames at 1-1.
It was a pretty cool moment because the Stars had dominated the play for the most part. They'd had five power plays (including almost a minute at 5 on 3) and a penalty shot, but they hadn't been able to score.
And it was kinda funny because I brought my buddy Tyler...who had come to a game previously where the Stars had been shutout. He'd seen five periods without a goal, and it was such a relief to him for the team to finally score.
And after holding off a Calgary rush, the Stars went down and scored again. It'd taken nearly 40 shots, but they'd taken the lead.
But then they went into their shells. For about five minutes, the Stars were stuck on 39 shots. They'd basically been launching an all-out attack all night, but they decided to try and nurse a 2-1 lead at home. It seemed much more like a Dave Tippett team than a Marc Crawford team, and it made me incredibly nervous.
But with a minute left and the Calgary goalie creeping towards the bench, things started to get exciting. After all, it would just take one steal of the puck to clinch the game.
Instead, the Flames got the puck to the front of the net, and they scored with about 45 seconds left. The game went into overtime, and after a weak "delay of game" call on Nik Grossman, Jarome Iginla scored for the Flames to get the OT win.
Two things about that:
1. I don't have any statistics to back myself up, but I swear the Stars get scored on way more than most teams when the other team pulls their goalie. And even if they don't, it seems like the Stars never score when they pull their goalie. And the Stars never score empty-net goals either. So when the other team pulls their goalie, they either score or the Stars win by one. It almost never ends with an empty-netter.
2. It was the Stars' 6th OT/shoot-out loss of the season. Six! That's double more than any other team in the Western Conference (and the Red Wings are the only other team with three or more). I realize that it's a point for each of those, but sooner or later, the Stars have to find a way to get the extra point in a game that goes beyond regulation.
So to summarize, the Mavs and Stars both should've won last night. Instead, they both lost in overtime. The Mavs have the excuse of being on the second night of a back-to-back and being on the road, but their game was more in hand than the Stars' game was. The Stars get a point out of the deal, but their game was at home.
All in all, two pretty pathetic performances. And more reasons that it's sad to be a Dallas fan.
Why? Because when each game entered the final minute, victory was looking like a very solid probability. But in their own ways, each team found a way to lose. If you have no idea what happened, let me go into it.
Mavericks
The Mavs were in New Orleans last night, coming off a big win against the Jazz at home. It took an amazing fourth quarter from Dirk Nowitzki, but it was a big win nonetheless. It was the second night of a back-to-back so I imagine the team was a bit tired.
But it didn't seem to matter. Dirk actually fouled out with about 2:36 remaining, but the team seemed to be in control of the game by then. Even when New Orleans tied it with about a minute left, the Mavs were up 3 with about ten seconds left. Chris Paul had the ball, and he was determined to make something happen.
Defending Chris Paul was tiny J.J. Barea. And while Barea is (relatively) loved in Dallas as a scrappy player with a sweet ability to score, he's still J.J. Barea. And Chris Paul is still one of the biggest superstars in the game. And earlier in the fourth quarter, Barea tried to take a charge on Paul - he went sliding down the court when Paul lowered his shoulder into him. But the ref simply watched as Paul set his feet and drained a wide-open 3-pointer.
This time, however, Paul pushed off on Barea, and the whistle blew. The refs actually called an offense foul on Chris Paul...drawn by little J.J. Barea. The Mavs quickly inbounded the ball, and they were awarded two free throws.
Up by three with Barea going to the line. Seemed like a victory to me, and it did to the Hornets too. One of the Hornets got a technical for arguing the call, and Chris Paul went from ref to ref to let them know that he wasn't happy. All of the Hornets looked like they were defeated.
Then Terry missed the technical free throw. He'd made his first seven free throws, but he'd suddenly missed two of three. But it didn't matter. With nine seconds and only one Hornets time out left, Barea just needed to make one of his two free throws to clinch an almost-certain Dallas win.
But he missed the first. Then the second.
That's right. Two different Mavericks had three free throws to clinch the game, and they missed all three.
I shouldn't have to tell you what happened next. The Hornets called their time out, drew up a play, and they drained a 3-pointer.
But the Mavs still had a chance! Six seconds to play with a chance to win the game. Kidd inbounded the ball, got it back, but then tried to force the ball to Jason Terry. Four of the Hornets knew where the ball was going, and they stole it. Paul damn-near hit a three-pointer at the buzzer that would've clinched the game.
He might as well have done it. Without Dirk, the Mavs just couldn't score, and they were handled pretty easily in overtime.
And it brings up some legitimate concerns about the Mavs. Without Dirk in the game, the Mavs looked like a different team. Erick Dampier scored four huge points for the Mavs. Kidd drove the lane to a wide-open basket and missed two free throws. Barea missed a couple three-pointers.
And even though he replaced Dirk when the German fouled out, Shawn Marion was nowhere to be seen offensively. I thought he was being brought in to be Dirk's offensive sidekick, but I don't think he took a single shot.
Hopefully this team will look better when/if Josh Howard ever returns at full strength. Because even though they're 3-2 with a big win at the Lakers, the Mavs have looked pretty pedestrian the rest of the way. They barely beat the Clippers, and they had to have a monster quarter out of Dirk to beat Utah.
Stars
I actually went to this game, and it was pretty rough. After pummeling Calgary's backup goalie (who I'd never heard of and don't care to look up the name of) with over 30 shots, the Stars finally scored at the 15:00 mark of the third period to tie the Flames at 1-1.
It was a pretty cool moment because the Stars had dominated the play for the most part. They'd had five power plays (including almost a minute at 5 on 3) and a penalty shot, but they hadn't been able to score.
And it was kinda funny because I brought my buddy Tyler...who had come to a game previously where the Stars had been shutout. He'd seen five periods without a goal, and it was such a relief to him for the team to finally score.
And after holding off a Calgary rush, the Stars went down and scored again. It'd taken nearly 40 shots, but they'd taken the lead.
But then they went into their shells. For about five minutes, the Stars were stuck on 39 shots. They'd basically been launching an all-out attack all night, but they decided to try and nurse a 2-1 lead at home. It seemed much more like a Dave Tippett team than a Marc Crawford team, and it made me incredibly nervous.
But with a minute left and the Calgary goalie creeping towards the bench, things started to get exciting. After all, it would just take one steal of the puck to clinch the game.
Instead, the Flames got the puck to the front of the net, and they scored with about 45 seconds left. The game went into overtime, and after a weak "delay of game" call on Nik Grossman, Jarome Iginla scored for the Flames to get the OT win.
Two things about that:
1. I don't have any statistics to back myself up, but I swear the Stars get scored on way more than most teams when the other team pulls their goalie. And even if they don't, it seems like the Stars never score when they pull their goalie. And the Stars never score empty-net goals either. So when the other team pulls their goalie, they either score or the Stars win by one. It almost never ends with an empty-netter.
2. It was the Stars' 6th OT/shoot-out loss of the season. Six! That's double more than any other team in the Western Conference (and the Red Wings are the only other team with three or more). I realize that it's a point for each of those, but sooner or later, the Stars have to find a way to get the extra point in a game that goes beyond regulation.
So to summarize, the Mavs and Stars both should've won last night. Instead, they both lost in overtime. The Mavs have the excuse of being on the second night of a back-to-back and being on the road, but their game was more in hand than the Stars' game was. The Stars get a point out of the deal, but their game was at home.
All in all, two pretty pathetic performances. And more reasons that it's sad to be a Dallas fan.
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