Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Thrown away
Tonight, I write in mini mourning over the Tar Heels' loss to the hated Duke Blue Devils tonight. And I write in the font Trebuchet, which is a french word I think for a large catapult, and that's how I feel -- like tossing the entire evening over a high wall in my memory and never encountering it again. Perhaps Jawad Williams and Rashad McCants feel the same way, after their disappearing act tonight.
My late-developing plans to meet with Eric and watch the game turned into a complete disaster, as MUNI's normally reliable #10 bus flaked out and left me standing idly on a corner as the game began, and then one of poor Eric's dogs was mauled and he had to go the vet ER and never made it back into town to watch the GODDAMN FRUSTRATING LOSS ANYWAY! So I drank a beer and ate a solid cheeseburger and watched the game alone...which I was planning to do at home anyway until I tried to get fancy. The lesson: keep it simple, especially in the days soon before/after having a baby.
I have moments of calm, where I say wise things to myself, like "Come on, you are 35 and about to have a baby and something silly like a basketball game should not cause such soul-sickening angst." But life is about taking sides, and I'm firmly on the side of all that is good and kind and fuzzy (UNC) and against all that is evil and smug and small-mouthed (Dook), so can't I be a little pissed? I've been on a nice streak this year, what with the Sox and the Pats (long-time devotion there -- no bandwagon jumper, me!). I managed the Santa Clara upset with equanimity, helped by Ella's 4-year-old advice: "Daddy, it's just a game." Tonight, when I told her on the phone that UNC lost, she said, "Maybe on your birthday next year we could go to another Tar Heels game and a nice present for you would be that they win." Well, yes, absolutely. That would be nice! But for tonight -- FUCK! Vengeance will come in about 2 and 1/2 weeks, when the Dookies will play in Chapel Hill. Gotta believe we're gonna pull that out...please?!?
My late-developing plans to meet with Eric and watch the game turned into a complete disaster, as MUNI's normally reliable #10 bus flaked out and left me standing idly on a corner as the game began, and then one of poor Eric's dogs was mauled and he had to go the vet ER and never made it back into town to watch the GODDAMN FRUSTRATING LOSS ANYWAY! So I drank a beer and ate a solid cheeseburger and watched the game alone...which I was planning to do at home anyway until I tried to get fancy. The lesson: keep it simple, especially in the days soon before/after having a baby.
I have moments of calm, where I say wise things to myself, like "Come on, you are 35 and about to have a baby and something silly like a basketball game should not cause such soul-sickening angst." But life is about taking sides, and I'm firmly on the side of all that is good and kind and fuzzy (UNC) and against all that is evil and smug and small-mouthed (Dook), so can't I be a little pissed? I've been on a nice streak this year, what with the Sox and the Pats (long-time devotion there -- no bandwagon jumper, me!). I managed the Santa Clara upset with equanimity, helped by Ella's 4-year-old advice: "Daddy, it's just a game." Tonight, when I told her on the phone that UNC lost, she said, "Maybe on your birthday next year we could go to another Tar Heels game and a nice present for you would be that they win." Well, yes, absolutely. That would be nice! But for tonight -- FUCK! Vengeance will come in about 2 and 1/2 weeks, when the Dookies will play in Chapel Hill. Gotta believe we're gonna pull that out...please?!?
// posted by Bill @ 10:46 PM 
