Introducing Fritzmobile 4.0

It was with a heavy heart that I recently had to retire my 2000 Chevy Malibu. Because after five years and many good miles covered, the time came to trade her in for a newer, more reliable vehicle. (Two tows to PA might have had something to do with it, too.) So I spent my Back Friday browsing a couple auto dealers in Harrisburg, and come 5:00 that night, I was the new owner of a 2006 Chevy Malibu.

May Fritzmobile 4.0 bring me as many good miles and memories as all her other predecessors have!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! And to all a good pumpkin pie!

Introducing a new use for baldness

At Saturday's game, my father drew inspiration from another fan who chose to have paw prints painted on his scalp. And who says you can't age with dignity?

Have you stopped and smelled the roses today?

On a brutally cold Saturday night, I got to witness my Nittany Lions perform three tremendous feats: beat the ever-lovin' shit out of Michigan State, win the Big Ten title, and embark on their path to the Rose Bowl!

I think everyone of Penn State blood deserves to sing this today, loudly and proudly!



Pictures from Saturday's game shall hopefully be posted to Flickr soon.

Another season has come and gone

It just suddenly occurred to me today . . . football season is almost over!!! And I find myself asking, where did the time go?

Looking back on this season, I can definitely say it's been a full and eventful one. Clark has proven himself to be a very worthy quarterback, with great potential for the future. The 10-year humiliation was finally broken by a glorious home trouncing against Michigan. And naturally, JoePa is still god among the Penn State brethren, age and press-box seating notwithstanding. Our hopes of an undefeated season were sadly dashed by Iowa, of all people (though as I continually remind people—and myself!—this is the same team that beat us 6-4 a few years back), but even if we finish out the season with an 11-1 record, I can still live with that.

I was able to make it to two games this season (my father and I went to the season opener against Coastal Carolina at the end of August, and Nora joined me for the Michigan game in October), and I'll definitely be attending the final game against Michigan State tomorrow. I just hope that we can pull out a victory so that a) we don't lose too much steam after the loss to Iowa, b) we finish pretty close to the #1 spot, and c) JoePa can possibly retire after this near-perfect season. I've always advocated that Joe go out on a high note, at the top of his game (pun intended!), and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to do so.

It still saddens me that football season will be over in less than 36 hours, but all things considered, it's been a hell of a season! And you can't ask for anything more than that.

Be good for goodness sake?

Being good for goodness sake is apparently no longer a Christmas carol lyric! Because when I heard on WTOP last night that Metro is going to post a paid advertisement from an atheist association on the side of their Metrobuses, I about stopped in my tracks!

Never in a million years did I think Metro would have the balls to make such a daring move, especially in an era when they desperately need good PR. But I, for one, commend Metro for allowing this—not necessarily for religious reasons, but because this will encourage debate and promote independent thinking, which I think our society needs very badly.

I don't doubt for a minute that religious organizations will push back with everything they have, but as a co-worker pointed out, this too falls under the protections of free speech.

Beautiful music (II)

I'm in a Chopin mood today, so why not enjoy some of his lovely nocturnes?

Nocturne in F sharp minor, Op. 48, No. 2

Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55, No. 2

Nocturne in B major, Op. 62, No. 1

Nocturne in E major, Op.62, No.2

An open letter to David Jones

Dear Mr. Jones,

Before you publish your column in tomorrow's Patriot, I humbly make one request of you: please don't. Instead, I ask that you take a step back and give Penn State fans their dignity, because tonight, all fans of the blue and white are in pain. We know that our hopes of an undefeated season died tonight. We know that we played clumsily and weakly. We know that we'll likely drop to #9 (at best!) in the polls. In short, we know how badly we mucked it up for ourselves. And I ask that you please give Penn State alumni and fans their dignity by not pointing all this out in tomorrow's Patriot.

Sincerely,

A heartbroken Penn Stater

Vote Quimby!

Let the record show: I voted today, and I voted for Obama.

Riverhouse actually serves as one of the polling centers for Arlington County, so talk about convenience! :) I woke up at 6:00 this morning and managed to drag myself over to the James Building by 6:20, where a line had already formed down the sidewalk along Joyce Street. My thinking was that, since I'd arrived not long after the polls had opened, I wouldn't be waiting in line for very long.

Wrong!

Once inside the James, the line extended down the hallway in the direction of the party room—but then extended down the opposite hallway, where it looped back around at the end, so we had to walk back up that same hallway we'd just come down in order to enter the party room. Sort of like walking into a forest en route to the center, then walking from the center out of the forest to the edge, then doing a complete about-face and walking back to the center.

So by the time I was sealed in my voting cubicle standing in front of the electronic voting machine, it was already 8:00.

An hour and 45 minutes . . . but it was worth it, to cast my vote. Plus, I was able to capitalize on the free coffee at Starbucks!

Voting humor

With tomorrow's election looming, I thought I'd get into the spirit of things with some voting-related humor. Like last night's intro to The Simpsons.



And does anyone else remember this movie, Brewster's Millions, with Richard Pryor and John Candy? Sometimes I really do wish there was a "None of the above" selection on the ballot!

At least USA Today got it right

With last night's jaw-dropping finish to the Texas-Texas Tech game, I had my fingers crossed that Penn State would advance to the #2 or even #1 spot in the polls. But it would appear that we're #2 in only the USA Today poll; the AP Top 25 poll has us still at #3. I have to wonder if maybe the bye week went against us, since both Alabama and Texas Tech (obviously) played this weekend.

We have a bye week?

Wait, Penn State has a bye week this week? My god, what will I do with myself??? Oh wait, I'm getting my car fixed. That's what I'm doing with myself.

But like noon kickoffs, it feels like a long time since Penn State's had a bye week during a regular season. And I have to admit, it kinda feels nice to have one Saturday off. It gives me a chance to unwind a little, get some things done, and watch some other games on TV (or at least as many as one who doesn't have ESPN anymore can).

With only three games left this season and coming off two huge wins in as many weeks, it's good to take a breather.