Trick or Treat
For the first time in, oh, say a few years, I will not be participating in the Halloween festivities. Thanks to October's timing, there will be no scaring of children. Instead, I have to work a football game. What is slightly disappointing is the fact that Halloween has almost become legendary with the way we decorate/scare people. Even the local grocery store owner said something to me about saving dry ice for me. Shoot. But make no mistake about it, I'm happy I'm calling a game. (plus calling a game equals cash money and that's good for a broke-ass college student) It's a playoff game between my high school that I gradumicated from back in the day and another school. To sum it up best with this game "Win and keep playing."
If the Swathers win, (yes, that is my high school mascot, no kidding) they would play a game on Saturday night. I'm torn by this because thanks to the Kansas playoff system, I wouldn't get to call it. For me, basketball starts at HC and they broadcast the home games via Teamline. Teamline is a feed that allows people to listen via a toll free phone call or over a high speed internet connection. Technically, we'll be broadcasting to the world. So thanks to the home opener of both men's and women's hoops, I don't get to call the playoff game.
It's a balmy 27 degrees this morning. Of course, I believe that it's a conspiracy to make it cold this week rather than during the weekend. Yes. Can you believe that I mentioned the weekend again? It's not on my mind much. I suppose Friday it will be on my mind in the form of every other thought.
Good Lord, I'm a geek. Bring on the Day!
And I really think Opening Weekend should be a National Holiday.
Drool
Like a mindless zombie. Saturday
Saturday
Saturday
Saturday
One Week
In exactly one week, I will have only had a very very minimal amount of sleep, if any sleep at all. I will have also been crashing through the brush in search of my elusive quarry.
It's almost all i can think about. Yes. I'm retarded like that.
Thank goodness my week next week consists of
Monday- School, Office time and something else
Tuesday-School, High school football on the radio
Wednesday-School, College basketball coverage for the paper
Thursday-School, College volleyball
Friday-School, Frothing at the mouth, not able to complete sentences, bouncing off the wall like a Super Bounce Ball.
The game of rain
Being what day it was yesterday, even though it was a Thursday, it was high school football game night. I know, you're wondering why they play a game on Thursday. In Kansas High School football, the last regular season game is played on a Thursday, because then the first round of the state playoffs are played on the following Tuesday. From here on out, it's win and keep playing, lose and you're done.
Fortunately for me, they punted my original game that I was slated to do, which would have been a royal butt whipping, by the other team, not the team we as a station follow. Normally, I wouldn't have minded that game, but I'm afraid I would have had to call the game from on TOP of the pressbox. That isn't a real condusive environment to broadcast a game when your teeth are chattering and you're contemplating peeing on yourself to stay warm.
So, they gave me a game that had some type of playoff implications. However, being the somewhat nice guy that I am, Steve asked me to swap games with him, so I did.
The game I was now going to call, ended up a blowout. A 51-16 blowout. With 4:24 to go in the game, the skies opened up and it began to pour. Throw in the fact that the wind was howling out of the north and the rain wasn't coming down. It was coming across the field almost horizontally. The officials huddled and suddenly both teams were jogging off to the locker room. They announced the game was over, so I took a three minute break to tally up my stats. Just as I'm finishing up my tally, the PA guy says, "The game is suspended."
Shit.
I tell my board op to play music until we figure out what's going on. What killed me was the fact that the people that wanted to continue the game were the people that were GETTING BEAT by 35. Are you kidding me? They were 1-7 on the season. Call it a season coach.
Finally, they called it a game, and I was able to do a post game wrap up.
Damn weather.
Damn dumb coaches.
Closer
We're getting closer to the very day that defines my existence. Truly, it does because i'm approaching raving lunatic status. I think I must have something wrong with me.
Yes, I love to hunt that much.
As for right now, I can still seperate thoughts. I canl hold a conversation without drool coming out of my mouth. However, when I'm silent and thinking, my mind begins to drift towards the Day. The Day is under two weeks away and it can't get here quick enough.
I think back to Opening Day of the '98 season. We had just finished walking one of those mythical patches where one had to see the numbers to believe they were true. I think I shot five roosters on my own. It was warmish, but the sun was a crimson ball, just beginning to disappear behind the western horizon. There was a rarity of no wind, so the smell of freshly burned gunpowder hung in the air. I stood waist deep in thick grass, inhaling deeply, while gazing at my surroundings and thought, "You know, God could take me now and I wouldn't care a bit."
It was a good day.
Status
I'm not sure where I stand. Somewhere between frothing idiot and raving lunatic. We're only two weeks away from the day that defines my very being (i'm a pathetic individual if this is the only day.) Pheasant season is just around the corner. We're close. Oh so very close.
Perhaps
I should post. It's been so long that I nearly forgot my password. Thankfully, I jarred my memory with a stiff blow to the forehead and things are good once again.
I do love fall, but I'm so damn busy. However, as many people would say, busy is good for me because busy keeps me out of trouble. I'm not sure why I have received such a dubious reputation being that I really am a good kid contrary to popular belief.
It's fall break for me from WSU and my Exploder is at the truck doctor because it's got a problem. Since I have all the luck of a snowman in hell, I'm convinced that this is going to be an expensive, expensive problem. Oh well, that's how it goes I guess.
I do like October, but November is just around the corner. I've managed to disappoint most of the kids in this town because I won't be doing anything for Halloween this year. The reasoning behind my lack of holiday creativity is because Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year. Now this particular Tuesday just happens to be the night of Bi-District football, or in other words, high school playoffs. I decided I had better keep that evening open because there's a really good chance I'll be calling a game. Plus since there would be playoff football on that Saturday night, which conflicts with the first basketball game for HC (that i happen to be calling on teamline via phone, or internet) I suppose I better keep that evening open.
In the long run, it's better because the kids won't remember what happens on Halloween here. I'll get them next year.
Letters
Dear WSU,
I hate you and your ideas about fall break from Oct. 15-17. Are you kidding me? October 15 is a Sunday. We don't have classes on Sundays, you tricky bastards.
Nice Try,
Rusty
Dear Wichita,
Screw you and your idea to have a band of senior citizens come and screw up all of WSU's parking. I pay how much to go school there a year and my parking gets taken away for a week because of some bad concert featuring people who mouth the lyrics and gum their women.
Packing heat to park in the ghetto,
RJ
Dear Girl in Spanish Class,
Telling us that you pierced your nipple was perhaps the grossest thing I've ever heard. How much of a dirty pirate hooker are you that you not only jammed a piece of metal through your nipple, but then decided to tell us, then to say "I'm not going to wear bras anymore to show it off." Ick! Ick! I'm 100% sure it would be like chewing on a penny.
Grossing out in class,
Senor Rusty
Dear People Who Don't Use Turn Signals,
I hope you all die in a flaming car accident and burn slowly.
Buying Marshmellows,
Me
Dear Makers of Swedish Fish,
They are too addicting,
Watching my teeth turn red,
Rusty
Dear Obnoxious Vikings Fan,
Go watch your own damn game with your own damn fans. Don't come in a room with a boatload of Cowboys fans and expect to get any sympathy.
Fighting the temptation to spill my drink on you,
Rus
Dear Mama Nature
Are you kidding me? This Indian summer shit is rediculous. Nearly 100 degrees in October? No rain for the next 1000 days?
Looking for camels and sand,
Sheik Rust
