Disaster averted…sort of

Ken and I enjoyed a lazy day today, and turned on football in the early afternoon. We half-watched some games and turned it over to ABC for the 3:30 Notre Dame-Michigan game. Just before kickoff...the station's signal cut out.

NOOOOOOOO! For the love of all that is holy, NOOOOOOOO!

We scrambled to try to find other ways to watch it. The TV in the bedroom didn't have a signal, either. The local ABC station didn't come in on the TV in the garage. We couldn't find a webcast. I caught updates on ESPN's website while Ken tried to figure out other options. We thought about going somewhere to watch it, but it's not as much fun watching it in a bar or restaurant; we were figuring we were going to have to go over to his Mom's, but I hated to drop in on them with such short notice. Both latter options had the added drawback of my not doing well with watching games around others except for Ken--I get way too agitated, foul-mouthed, and intense (although I'm not that way when I'm actually at a game...go figure). I don't want to make small talk, I don't do chitchat. I'm watching the game. You probably wouldn't enjoy watching a game with me. Besides, if we went somewhere, I'd have to put on pants.

Finally, DirecTV put up a notice that they were opening up other ABC channels that were usually pay channels, so we were able to get the game about five minutes into it. Whew. I was on the verge of a thrombo.

After seeing the way the game played out, it might have been better if we hadn't been able to watch it. Notre Dame had it won, but allowed Michigan to march down the field for a late touchdown--too late for them to mount a return drive. It was a very exciting game, and all in all, I thought Notre Dame played well, but they screwed themselves with too many penalties, and their defense was spotty. A reluctant congratulations to Michigan for the win (and you know I luvs ya, Alaina!).

I was feeling rather surly after the loss, so I made an executive decision and...took a nap. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep the past couple of nights (staying up too late, yes, my own fault), and after going through that emotional wringer of a game, a nap seemed to be in order. It felt good, and I feel much better now. The surliness is definitely gone! On to Michigan State next week--that should be another good game, but I'll hope for a better outcome for the Irish!

We're looking forward to a fun and interesting afternoon tomorrow today. Ken got an email last week from the Indiana branch of The Nature Conservancy about a guided hike in the Swamp Angel--Swamp Angel, Swamp Angel, will you be mine?--Nature Preserve, about an hour and a half southeast of us, and we thought it would be a fun thing to do. I'll be taking my camera and hope to get some neat pics, and I've got my pocket field guide ready to go in case I see some new birds to add to my Life List. Nothing like a healthy dose of nature to put everything into perspective.

I also cheered myself up by watching this. Thanks, Craig!