Sunday, October 10, 2010

Hype and Housekeeping

So it is 10/10/10... seems significant, but if you are looking to this blog for meaning, you've come to the wrong place....


So I think I've mentioned before that Michiganders are a bunch o' football nuts? Yesterday was the '2nd biggest' game of the year—the proverbial Civil War—Michigan versus Michagan State (Ohio State is bigger because 1) they are more often the conference winner and 2) everything about Ohio sucks *cough*) But this is definitely the best ATTENDED game (and by that I don't mean best attended—ALL the conference games are sold out—I mean it brings the most people to TOWN--meaning it has the highest detritus milling about... in our yard and all...). It is unusual in many regards. And LOSING this one is a bigger deal because... they're like... the little brother...



Intermingling with the Enemy

My daughter's best friend lives ON CAMPUS—not because she is a college student, but because her parents have a big house and rent rooms to borders—they live across the street from the Sigma Nu fraternity (would you like my fabulous tales about Oregon Sigma Nus? It was my favorite 'party house' in college largely because I had some great 'just friends' there—seemed I DANCED from the minute I walked in the door—but the scene in Animal House with the bubble fishbowls in the wall? Oregon's Sigma Nu house—they were cool.... but I digress...

Anyway—dropped the daughter off at her friend's yesterday and saw:

House parties sprawled into the street (literally—like people falling OFF the sidewalk... or just losing brain power and STANDING off the sidewalk-mid-afternoon---normalish... but mixed in were Spartan shirts... NOT normal... you see, the OTHER state University means those MSU students have FRIENDS (sometimes BEST friends) here in town. So it may not DOUBLE the number of kids partying, but MSU is only 50 miles and there are all these cross-pollination friendships... people come even with no ticket to the game... Hell, people paid us $15 to park in our YARD even with no ticket... biggest TAIL GATE event all year. I supposed that would have clarified that right off... this is the DRINKING GAME.

Have I TALKED about tickets to the game?

Before renovation The Big House held 107,005 people. The renovation added 83 'fancy boxes' for alumni who don't want to deal with Michigan cold or rain---and want to drink beer while they watch) plus a bunch of other seats... Michigan Stadium was ALREADY the largest college stadium in the country—it holds more than HALF of the city's population (were it the city entering)... and they've expanded...

Holy Guacamole, is this a football nutso community or WHAT? The stadium is better than HALF the population? And it is $50 a ticket! (or more) My boss has season tickets (a faculty perk) and passes me a pair of seats most years--$55 a seat for END ZONE. (yes, near the front, but I am betting the money for something closer to mid-line is higher). When I was a teen, we went to University of Idaho games for maybe $8. All students went FREE. University of Oregon Students were also free—never needed to buy a seat there, so I have no clue what they ran....

Anyway...

The community was pretty darned NUTS. For a 3:30 game people were walking around (talking loudly) by 10 (maybe sooner, but that was what woke me up). We park cars in our yard for games... until now we've been charging $10 a car and NOT filling up, Today we put out our 'conference rate' of $15 a car and got 12 cars in our yard (full).-[-very NICE to get a little extra income...] but ALL OVER—barbeques, parties.... hell, the GAME BALL was PARACHUTED in...

So my POINT (HA! I do that sometimes... have a point...) is that regional differences in sports importance are BIG. I was stunned moving here from Oregon. I love my Oregon teams, but it just never crossed my mind that people would get LIKE THIS about sports.




Housekeeping

Housekeeping falls for me, somewhere between alligator wrestling and a root canal in order of preference in activities. Unfortunately, I have to do housework more often than BOTH of those other things.

Not like alligator wrestling-- sometimes you manage to accomplish something in spite of yourself (alligator wrestling goals typically are fairly intentional)... Yesterday I managed to clean the bathroom (NOBODY cleans the bathroom like mama cleans the bathroom), but more importantly—I cleaned my 'bathroom stack'--clearing out the Garden Cozy stuff, and sorting 'needed' versus 'not needed'... the bathroom looks much tidier without all that...

I intend to do similar in the basement tomorrow. I have 6 (seriously) ideas for books and they need fleshing out to see which goes next (NaNo) but that whole fleshy thing can't happen while the other stuff is so chaotic.

Hopefully by the end of the day I will also have folded laundry and a 'connected' desk (I have a hand-me-down desk in the corner that is still in pieces), but the house should at least be a LITTLE improved, housekeeping-wise.

13 comments:

Mason Canyon said...

The way different regions view sports is interesting. Even small towns take their football very seriously. I remember hearing stories of a couple in a nearby small town. They would go to the high school football games every Friday night and sit on opposite sides. One pulled for the home team, one pulled for the opponents. Go figure.

BTW, is housekeeping really necessary? :) Just wondering.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Old Kitty said...

Erm.... I think I'll take ironing over alligator wrestling if really pushed!! LOL!!

Awwww but well done with your 6 writing ideas!! Wow!! I am in AWE!!!!! Good luck with them - I hope you flesh ALL of them out!! That's just brilliant!!

Erm... yes American football...!! Ahem. LOL!

take care
x

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

I come from a long line of football nuts. (Steeler country)Now I live in Canton,Ohio. Last weekend in October is a 100+yr rivalry between Canton McKinley Bulldogs and Massillion Tigers. Celebration last a week and bets are followed in Vegas. And that's just high school!
Mary

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

It was a good game yesterday!
I need my house to be at least organized and straightened, too.

lisahgolden said...

There is something about clearing things out physically that can really help me move forward on a project.

I looked at that photo of the house party and had a stab of wishing I could go back to that age and start over. Pathetic and real.

Kat_RN said...

I have always figured that if I can keep the family from calling in the health department, the housekeeping is fine. I do need to clear off this table so I can find things though.
Most Southern folks seem equally nuts about football, I much prefer baseball.
I enjoyed your post,
Kat

CA Heaven said...

I enjoyed watching Monday Night Football when we lived in Colorado. Over here soccer is the big sport. I enjoy watching it from time to time, but it's not an important part of my life. And I forget about the result 5 mins after the end of the game, both when our team wins an looses >:)

Cold As Heaven

Hart Johnson said...

Mason-HA! That is funny the town would tolerate someone rooting against the home team! I think it's true that small towns do get really into it--the only thing going on, so to speak.

Jenny--Yes! American Football--what was I thinking? As to the ideas--I don't think I used to have so many but they are snowballing now...

Mary-that IS nuts for high school!

Alex-I actually need SCRUBBED if I am cleaning at all--straightening annoys me, but deeply clean can be worth it after the fact.

Lisa-you and me both--I loved that time!

Kat-Good call! Though the hubby gets crabby about it and that can be miserable... but I think you've got the right idea. (with you on Baseball, too)

CaH-I find soccer somewhat boring, and Football is more about the team experience thing--I think baseball is the only one I like for the sport itself, unless you get into things like gymnastics--THAT I like.

LTM said...

omg, I love college football. sigh. Can't help it--was raised in Baton Rouge where they shut the city down for LSU home games. (games weren't free for students, but like $5/ticket back then. No more!)

More memories--as a Phi Mu, Sigma Nu was our brother fraternity, which meant our pledges and their pledges all went to the first game together, we had our first "exchange" w/them every year...

but glad to see you being so entreprenurial about it! ;p

what a great post, Hart! :D lol~ and e'hrm. what about the house?

RaShelle Workman said...

Hart - Ah, football. Here in Utah, the BIG rivalry is BYU vs UofU. It's bad. As for me and my house, we've been rooting for a NFL team since our inception. My hubby since he was 5 and I have the initals for the same team. In fact for our 10 year anniversary, we didn't get special jewlery. Oh no, we got matching tattoos of the team . . . that we love (big secret - don't tell). Yes, I'm a rebel. Real tattoos and it hurt like hell. =D LOL

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Definitely wouldn't drive through Ann Arbor on game day!! I once tried to visit a B&N before a signing at a Waldenbooks in Columbus, and almost couldn't escape the traffic around Buckeye Stadium.

Jemi Fraser said...

Football is very popular here - but it's nowhere near as big as hockey. No surprise seeing as I'm Canadian I guess. :)

Cheeseboy said...

TWO THUMBS UP FOR A FOOTBALL POST!! I hate, hate Ohio State, so I prefer either Michigan team to them. I hope my Utes get to play either of them in a bowl.