Two Things that Should Never, EVER Happen

As far as I'm concerned, there are two things that should never, EVER happen in this world.

1) STANFORD IS LEADING THE PAC-10.

Stanford, through no skill of their own, I assure you, is currently #1 in the Pac-10. It bothers me even to write it, or see it in print, or have to acknowledge it as fact. We are discussing a team that does not even have a real mascot. They are "the Cardinal" - and not like the bird, like the color. And they are leading the Pac-10. Mostly just because all the other teams (like USC, regrettably) have messed up, and not because Stanford's actually GOOD, but still. 

To make me feel better, and to remind everyone that Stanford has a lot of pain to look forward to, here are a couple of photos of the Trojans kicking ass on "the Cardinal" last year: 

This is a lovely shot of Fili Moala (#75) and Brian Cushing (#10, I have that jersey!) sacking Stanford's QB, Pritchard. I don't know what his number is, but he's the one that's about to experience a lot of pain.

In case you missed the game (it wasn't very exciting if you like close ones) and think that was some kind of coincidence, here's another:

In this one, Fili Moala is sacking Pritchard all by himself! Pretty much the whole game went like this, which is why USC won 45-23. This will happen again on Nov 14, almost exactly a year later, when Stanford experiences something similar. 

So at least their whole No 1-in-the-Pac-10-thing is going to be relatively short-lived.

Which brings me to possibly an even bigger issue, an even MORE pressing example of something that should NEVER, EVER, EVER happen:

2) I AM GOING CAMPING NEXT WEEKEND.

A week from today - I cringe to even think it - I am going to be in a tent somewhere, exploring California's geology along with the rest of "Crises of a Planet" class. And I will be camping. Overnight. 

Make no mistake, I would not be participating if this field trip wasn't mandatory. But it is, and I am currently in (temporary) possession of Christine's outdoor sleeping bag, which is rated down to 15F, just as the prof ordered. 

This is a problem. Because if you know me at all, you know I don't camp. And if you know my mother, you know why. And if you know my sisters, you know that - even if my father somehow got my mom on board with a camping trip - the three of us would stage a coup and avoid the whole thing. We just don't like the idea of being in nature without plumbing. We like some of those activities though, so every summer we try to get to an absolutely gorgeous place by the river where we do all of that stuff, and have the kind of fun I imagine most people have when they actually camp for real.

My dad actually did some tent camping as a kid. As for my mom, my sisters, and me? This is where we "camp":

It's Sunriver, Oregon! We have a lot of fun there doing all kinds of outdoor-sy things together. And this is the inside of where we stay, in one of the little baby cabins between the pool and the golf course:

We love it. Summer's not summer without a little Sunriver. 

But this is not going to be a Sunriver kind of weekend. This is going to be one of those weekends where there's an actual tent involved. One of THESE kinds of weekends:

I realize this is a lot of fun for a lot of people. And that's GREAT. But I am not one of those people, and I don't think I ever will be. Nonetheless, I will be experiencing it next weekend.

God help me. 

You know what? I'm gonna try not to think about it. Instead, I'm going to think about the amazing Eric Cantor fundraiser I'm going to tomorrow morning in Beverly Hills. Wearing that lovely suit. It's a much more pleasant thought...

You Won't Believe It

This is just a short little post to say that I had an unbelievably productive weekend. In the last 48 hours, I've hosted my friend Kaila, had some friends over for cookies (someone always brings break'n'bakes here since somehow I'm the only one with a baking sheet), worked out (twice!), ANDDDD wrote my English essay and my Catholicism research paper!! Those papers aren't even due for another two and three days, respectively, so I'm way ahead...

And speaking of things I'm ahead of: laundry, dishes, ice (I usually forget about the ice)...

Plus, USC beat WSU, which is always good. And Aaron Corp even got some play time in at the end, which he desperately needs. I mean, this is the guy who was literally THROWN OUT of a party last week. No lie. These guys were having a birthday party for this guy I know in TKE, and I guess Aaron Corp showed up, and people started throwing empty beer cans at him and being all "You suck, Corp!" until he finally left.

Which is really embarrassing, especially considering he showed up with a couple linemen, whose presence alone would generally deter any attacks on or off the field.  But yeah. These Trojans were really angry. And wayyy brutal. Hopefully Aaron can redeem himself sometime so he can be welcomed back into the Trojan family. It must really suck to be so ostracized you can't even show up to an off-Row house party...

Anyway. Like I was saying, I had a really productive weekend. I'm proud of myself. And I'm really excited to turn in those papers! 

My Boys

First things first.

Yes, I have a new roommate. Yes, I purchased a 13-in MacBook Pro. Yes, I have submitted and received my very first college paper, and received a grade on it. But first things must come first. I DO have my priorities (no worries, my roomie fully understands and respects my priorities too).

So before  I talk about any of that other stuff, I HAVE to talk about my boys. By that I mean my Trojan football team. Did any of you catch their game against Ohio State on Saturday? Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot of action, but if you didn’t see it, I highly recommend you check out the game recap on ESPN.com. It’s only a couple minutes long, and it covers that final, long drive that I think is a huge harbinger of success.

Barkley – after being sacked at least three times, and under enormous pressure in a packed-to-capacity stadium full of Buckeyes looking for retribution, not to mention a crazy time crunch – showed he can operate at level worthy of top-10, Division I football at barely 19 years old. This could be the beginning of an era, people. With this current offensive line-up, and Taylor Mays (my all-time FAVORITE Trojan player, from my brother school back home in Seattle – he’s #2, keep an eye out!) at safety, barring any atrocious and unexpected failings (coughOregonStatecough), we could really be in it this year.

Just for a little walk down memory lane – and because we didn’t take any pictures on Saturday because it was a home game and we were too alternately stuffing our faces with nachos and wringing our hands – here’s one of my favorite pictures taken just before LAST year’s game against Ohio State at the Coliseum, my very first Trojan home game.

We won that game 35-3. Ohio State didn’t even get a touchdown. We won this game 18-15, but it was in Columbus and with a freshman quarterback. Ohio hasn't fared so well against the Trojans. Poor Buckeyes.