So here’s the thing.
I haven’t posted the last few days because Sister and I have been completely obsessed with the whole Mississippi State / Auburn / Cam Newton fiasco. It’s ridiculous, really. We are certified grown-ups, and the other night we were on the phone at ELEVEN THIRTY IN THE PM talking about the most recent articles we’d read. Madness.
And before you start thinking that since I’m a State fan I clearly want Cam Newton to be ineligible and for us to be right and for Auburn to be wrong, stop. That isn’t the case at all. On the Myers-Briggs I am an INFP – about the highest-scoring “P” you ever did see – and I’m a big-time idealist. BIG TIME. My tendency is to think that if we can just get all the facts and if everybody will tell their stories, it’ll all work out and we’ll all be fine and everybody will be friends and stand in a circle and sing the “Friends Are Friends Forever” song and then we’ll walk hand-in-hand into the sunset.
Because that’s very realistic.
What’s been even more annoying (for me) is that on top of my idealistic tendencies, I HATE TENSION. I DESPISE IT. So what has had me the most preoccupied throughout this whole thing is wondering if State and Auburn – who traditionally get along pretty well as far as Things SEC are concerned – will make it through with their mutual affinity unscathed. (For the sake of clarity: State didn’t turn in Auburn. State turned in information that related to the recruitment of Cam Newton. But that information affects Auburn. And that’s created some tension.) Keep in mind that we live in Birmingham, and every time I pass a car with Auburn tags I feel like I need to duck a little bit. Or maybe wave. Or maybe roll down my window and scream, “WE DIDN’T MEAN ANY HARM – WE WERE JUST TRYING TO FOLLOW THE RULES!”
And then I wonder if I should maybe offer the Auburn fan a piece of candy and ask if I can help out with some errands.
On top of all my crackerjack investigating, I was also trying to get the house ready for company this past weekend. My aunt, my cousin Paige and Paige’s little boy J. came over Friday and stayed until today. We had more fun! just more fun! eating way too much Full Moon barbecue and visiting and drinking coffee and going to the Steinmart 14-Hour Sale and drinking coffee and going to Home Goods and visiting and drinking coffee. It was also J.’s 4th birthday, and we were so tickled to celebrate it with him.
Saturday night I warned everybody that I was going to HAVE TO WATCH the Mississippi State / Alabama football game, and they were all very sweet about it and encouraged me to do whatever I’d normally do when I watch the Bulldogs. Well, you know how sometimes you can’t really appreciate how NOT AT ALL NORMAL YOU ARE until you have to expose your “normal” behavior to people who don’t usually see it? That was pretty much my experience this past Saturday night.
Because here’s the thing: no matter how much I might like to think otherwise, IT IS NOT NORMAL for a grown woman to yell at the TV during a college football game and EXPECT THAT THE YELLING MAKES A DIFFERENCE. This behavior feels perfectly fine and perfectly acceptable when it’s just me and my fellas at home – or when I’m watching a game with Sister – but I actually felt a little embarrassed for myself when I dragged out my football crazy in front of my aunt and my cousin. They are typically spared from my football hijinks because 1) they don’t really get worked up about football and 2) they’re Ole Miss fans, so they’ve never gone to State games with me. But Saturday they got the full experience. It is sure to be a precious memory for them.
I did manage to dial down my reactions to more comfortable levels by the second half, but as I told Melanie and Sister today, I realized Saturday night that I’ve developed some fairly self-centered game-watching habits over the years. I like to be able to move around. I like to be able to clean my countertops / vacuum / fold nineteen loads of clothes. I don’t like to talk. I like to yell. I like to yell a lot. I like to mute the announcers on occasion because sometimes they get on my nerves. When things get tense I like to sit VERY CLOSE to the television. I like to scream, “TACKLE HIM, DADGUMMIT” and “COME ON, NOW, SON.” I like to walk outside for fresh air when necessary.
You can imagine what fun this behavior must be for others.
Anyway, that’s what’s been going on around here. I think I’m going to put up my Christmas decorations this week (I’d offer you a detailed rationale for the decision to decorate so early, but this post is endless, and quite frankly you’ve suffered enough already), and it’s also time for me to get a stack of Post-its and my Christmas magazines and mark all the new recipes I want to try. Thanksgiving is going to be at our house this year, and I’m officially on the hunt for some new side dishes. If you know of any that are especially good, feel free to leave a link or a recipe in the comments – I’d be oh-so-grateful.
And if you didn’t know it already, the Bulldogs ended up losing to the Crimson Tide. All my yelling didn’t make a bit of difference. CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE THAT? But I think I’ve taken the loss surprisingly well. I haven’t even polished off the rest of the miniature Reese’s that are in the candy dish in the den. But we play Arkansas next Saturday, so those precious few Reese’s may not be long for this world.
Happy Monday, y’all!
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