The Gridiron, part 2

Saturday, game day, was a total blast.

I felt like a little bit of a 'weenie' with my post about it on Saturday, but, I figured, at least I made my goal: one post per day in November. That certainly doesn't mean that the post(s) are all going to be prolific, but at least they're going to be there. Enough said.

We arrived at my Dad's house without incident, and with leftover Chinese food.

What could be better?

The kidlets, B.J. and I stopped en route to my Dad's house at our favorite Chinese food restaurant (read: dive). When we lived in that city, we'd hit Lok Yauen at least every other week (sometimes more than that). The food was fresh, hot, and ever so yummy, and when you're young and poor (wait a minute, I'm still poor...something wrong here...) cheap and good fits the bill perfectly. I still have yet to find a 'replacement' Chinese restaurant in our current home-town. After 4.5 years, I'm doubtful that I ever will. At any rate, the kids were well behaved (if you don't count the fight that occurred when we arrived--both kids insisted that they sit by mommy. Nobody would sit by daddy (bummer for me). So I wound up eating my lunch stuffed in the booth with not just one, but two squirming, fried-rice and sweet-n-sour flinging foodies) and we enjoyed our food.


We rushed in and rushed out when we dropped the kidlets off. I felt mildly bad about the quick "hi" and "bye" but we had to get a move-on, or else traffic...


Arrived at the bus depot, and the lot was already chock full, despite the 2 hour-early arrival we'd managed. In line we found out the bus fare would not be free, or $1 like it usually had in the past. This was bad for me, as I never carry cash. Thank goodness I'd snagged my old student (as in 10 years old, even though I'd only finished my Masters a couple years ago) ID in a feeble hope that it would score me bus fare--it did!! Yea! So, it's a little dishonest. I figure I more than paid for the trip in my student and incidental fees over the course of 5 years that I could get a 'donated' $3 bus fare for the game. B.J. on the other hand, got stuck paying.


The bus driver said the ETA for the trip to Autzen Stadium would be approximately 30 minutes. Four minutes after that announcement we were at the stadium and disembarking and on our way to the Tailgater. Ye-haw!


It was a laid-back affair. About 20 people in all (small, compared to Tailgaters of yore). There were hoagie-sandwiches, chips, Waldorf salad (you know, you can't possibly have a football party in the parking-lot without Waldorf salad how bizarre...though not as weird as the Sushi in the past) among other goodies. Since being stuffed with (likely) MSG ridden food, I partook of a glass of Cabernet, with a Coors chaser. By the time we'd had our drinks and socialized it was time to head in for some college football!

To be continued...