What are you going to do with a freakin hippopotamus?

Since Christmas time is now upon us (it has really been here for about 3 weeks now) I've been listening to the 24/7 Christmas music radio stations.  There are a ton of wonderful Christmas songs out there, but it wasn't until yesterday that I realized that there are a ton of terrible Christmas songs as well.  Because of this I decided to make a list of Christmas songs that I think are super annoying or just plain bad.  Enjoy.

1) I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - What are you going to do with a hippopotamus? Honestly, don't you realize that they are one of the most deadly animals in Africa?  They are considered by some to be the most dangerous animals to humans, and are known to kill at least 8 humans a day.  A South Park quote about global warming would fit nicely here so that this little girl will better understand her request, "Help yourself to a freakin science book because you're talking like a freakin retard right now!"

2) Dominick the Donkey - A Christmas donkey? Really? Have we really run out of ideas?

3) Santa Baby - The only thing Madonna needs for Christmas is another Valtrex prescription and a kick in the teeth.

4) So This is Christmas - John Lennon didn't believe in Jesus, but he made a Christmas song? Oh yea, it was really about protesting war, the only thing he was any good at.  Get out of my holiday.

5) Do They Know It's Christmas? - No Bono, they probably don't know it's Christmas because they celebrate Kwanzaa.

6) Anything by Mannheim Steamroller - I don't even know where to begin with this one.  If you've ever heard any of them then I'm sure you know what I mean.  They're just extremely annoying.

7) Merry Christmas Darling - Okay, I realize I'm probably alone on this one, but this song just really gets on my nerves.  Don't play it so much and it won't bother me as much.

8) Blue Christmas - Does anyone know what Elvis is saying?  He's either saying, "I'll have a blue Christmas without you," or, "get me off of this toilet because I overdosed on pills!"  I really can't tell.

9) Little Saint Nick - Thank you, Beach Boys, for recycling every song you've ever written and adding Christmas lyrics to it.

10) Snoopy's Christmas - This song wouldn't be so bad if the stupid chorus didn't get stuck in my head all of the time.  I swear once I hear this song I can't get it out of my head!

Thanksgiving 2009

I've been pretty busy the past few days. All of the families we tailgate with decided it would be a great idea to hold thanksgiving lunch on campus since the Iron Bowl was the next day.  The food was great and we had a wonderful time.  CBS actually came by and shot some footage of us before we finished, and we were also honored with this weeks Publix Tailgaters of the game (you may have seen us on the AU HD screen during the game).  

My father and I woke up at 5 a.m. Thursday morning to go down to campus and save our tailgate spot for the Iron Bowl and for thanksgiving lunch.  It was cold...really cold. Uncle Luther met us down there and we unloaded all of our gear (that TV was freakin heavy!).  However, between my father and Uncle Luther you could tell that there was many years of tailgating experience between both of them.  Uncle Luther also fried of some turkeys that were absolutely phenomenal!  Somewhere in my early morning efforts I managed to  hurt my back.  I didn't think I was old enough for that kind of stuff.  Oh well, I guess this old body can't do at 22 what it used to be able to do at 21 1/2.  

That night, and the previous night as well, I was able to hang out with my good friend/cousin Brian.  It was good to see him again (it was also good to see him wearing AU gear the next day too).  Brian, Stephen, and I also made a pretty goofy video.  If you're fortunate I might post it...if there's a high enough demand.  


Sorry, I don't have any pictures from the game.  I was too excited to take pictures.  I think everyone that watched the game will agree that it was a great game.  I'm heartbroken that our guys couldn't pull out the win, but it was a wonderful game.  I was so glad to see our guys play with so much heart.  I know there are no moral victories, but I am extremely proud of our team.  


It has been a great past few days.  There have been a couple of wrinkles here and there, but all in all the Iron Bowl and thanksgiving were a success.  I'm going to take the next few days to recover, and to prepare for the end of the semester.  I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and War Eagle!

Iron Bowl 2009

It's time.  The Iron Bowl is here.  We've been waiting all season long for this game (by we I mean AU fans).  This game marks the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Iron Bowl, and I'm pretty sure y'all know the significance of that game in Auburn lore.  This game has the chance to go down in Auburn Football history as one of the greatest victories in Iron Bowl history if Auburn was to win.  I believe we can do it.  I hope all Auburn fans believe we can do it.  I think that this year Auburn doesn't need to make any statement to the world, just the other side of the state.  We need to let them know that we aren't going anywhere.  We're Auburn and, if anything, we're on our way up.  War Eagle!

Sunrise on the Plains (Happy Thanksgiving)

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Weekend Update

(I didn't do anything this weekend and check me out. I'm kickass!)

Okay, so the weekend's over, but I've decided to update everyone on what has been going on.  Sleep, Callaway Garden Christmas lights, Bonefish, more sleep, and $10 any pizza with any crust and topping at Pizza Hut.  It has been a fantastically lazy weekend. Don't worry though.  Today officially starts Iron Bowl week.  Expect many football related posts, and plenty of photoshop pictures making fun of those guys from across the state.

The Closest I'll Ever Get to Reading Jane Austen

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Hurry Up Thanksgiving Break

(My last few school assignments before the break have put me into voluntary exile)

I could use a break from the usual right now.  I don't need a complete change of scenery (that's a lie), but for now I could just use a breather.  Just a little while to stop and figure out what I'm doing.  I feel like I'm just swimming up stream and taking everything as it comes.  Honestly, I'm kind of looking forward to Auburn not having a football game this weekend.  I think I'm really just excited about not really having anything to do.  There aren't any big events or anything going on this weekend.  Maybe I'll actually go fishing this weekend, like I've been wanting to do for a few weeks now.  Stay tuned for updates, but until tomorrow morning around 10:00, don't expect any posts.  If you see any then you know I'm procrastinating, but for now I'm going into voluntary exile.

Gov'ment Came & Took My Baby!

(If you don't get the reference then click here)

Cheeseburger Bagel

My dad is pretty creative with his culinary concoctions.
-havarti cheese
-cream cheese
-ketchup
All on a cheeseburger bagel & it was delicious!
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My Shoe has a Leak

I was walking to class this morning in the rain/mist/whatever that was, and while I was walking I noticed my right foot was getting cold.  Not only was it getting colder, but it was getting wetter.  Just so you know, I decided this morning that I would wear a pair of shoes that I've had since I was sixteen (I'm 22 now if you didn't know that).  They're probably the most comfortable pair of shoes I've had, and for some reason I have a really hard time letting go of things that I like, even if they're old.  I looked on the bottom of them and I definitely saw the cracks and small holes in the sole of my right shoe.  It was sad and extremely irritating.  I think the reason I was most irritated too was because I had on a fresh clean pair of socks, and there's no other way to describe wet socks besides that it sucks to wear them.

     (Lieutenant Dan ICE CREAM!)

I think though the reason I find this all so irritating is because, in a lot of ways, you're only as comfortable as your feet.  I think Lieutenant Dan knew this when he was lecturing Bubba and Forest about their socks.  He knew that, and that you're feet are pretty important during combat, BUT I'm sure he also wanted his guys to be comfortable as well.  Not saying that your feet completely dictate your mood, but let's be honest with ourselves, when your feet are cold...you're freezing.  When they're sweaty (gross) you're definitely uncomfortable.  I can deal with cold hands, face, or even arms.  But cold feet make me feel absolutely miserable.

                                            

Fried Cinnamon Rolls

Since Auburn lost this weekend my friend Eric and I are continuing a tradition.  I know most people have post-game traditions when they win (so do we), but ever since last season, Eric and I have started an implicit tradition that helps relieve frustration about the previous Saturday's game.  We eat...a lot.  We always choose something extremely unhealthy, and typically something we hope we will never gorge  ourselves with again.

After the Arkansas game it was an entire pig, Kentucky was enough CiCi's pizza to put them out of business, LSU was enough Taco Bell to make someone blackout (which means I spent about $8 of food from the 89¢ menu), and this week it's fried cinnamon rolls.  The way we see it is our health is dependent on our football team.   We never look forward to this tradition, but it does help to somewhat ease the frustration.

UPDATE:

(our side items to accompany the cinnamon rolls)

This was a bad idea, but I told you already.  When Auburn loses we make bad food decisions.  If I don't go to class in then morning...then I probably slept in.  But if I don't make it to lunch tomorrow then call the hospital.  The Taco Bell might have killed me.

Trip to Athens

I guess I wouldn't be a responsible blogger if I didn't at least give everyone a rundown of my trip to Athens, Ga this weekend. I have to be honest. All in all I consider the trip a success. I know we lost, and I was heckled endlessly by UGA fans, but I really did enjoy my trip.

For some reason whenever we lose I always tell myself (and everyone around me) that I hate that place, and that I never want to go back. I'm a liar. I'm just speaking out of frustration. Truth is Athens is a beautiful place. If you've never been then I highly encourage that you visit. The campus and downtown is absolutely beautiful, and I will guarantee that you'll find something worth doing there. The people aren't the friendliest on game-day if you're an opposing fan, but they're not bad at all under any other circumstance.

We got to Athens late on Friday, and I was able to spend some really good time with my cousin (more like best friend) Brian Berger. I can't really tell you how good it was to hang out with him. He's always considerate, and I can't really think of a time when I haven't had fun with him (unless I was trying not to...it's dumb, I know, but sometimes you're just in moods). He knows the place really well so he knows where to go. We hung out downtown, and I know I really did have fun meeting his friends and hanging out with him. Brian is one of those guys that I've known my whole life. He'll always be one of my best friends no matter what, and I realized this weekend how much I miss getting to hang out with him (even though he's an UGA fan now).

Another cool thing about this weekend was that I got to spend some good time with Brian's dad and Uncle Greg and Taylor. Trust me, there's always something interesting to talk to them about, and I really do love catching up with them. I hate that I typically only see them at away games too. We hung out on campus before Tiger-Walk and the game in UGA's really nice Tate Center before the game. We got to talk football, FansPoll, the Iron Bowl, and all other relating topics.

Now on to the bad part...

I was really impressed with how many Auburn fans showed up to this game. I know we travel well, but this time I really didn't expect to see as many as I did. Really, the best part about the game was that I got to sit with my favorite person in the entire world (maybe one day I'll reveal a name as to who this mystery girl is), and I was able to share another Auburn football experience with her. I'm not so sure she felt the same way though. I wasn't exactly the most cordial visiting fan during the 4th quarter and after the game. I was super excited about the game early on though, and felt there was a really good energy from the Auburn faithful. That energy only lasted about one quarter. Three quarters and two scared girls sitting next to me later (sorry y'all), I left Sanford Stadium pissed off and ready to go home.

After being home and reflecting on the trip, I've decided over all it was a good weekend. I got to spend some good time with my best friend who I don't get to see often, and I got to watch an exciting game with my favorite person in the world (I should never take that for granted. She and football are the two things that make me the happiest). So, for the next two years I'll continue to talk about how much I can't stand UGA, and how I'll never go back. But truth be told, I'm already kind of looking forward to my next visit.

What Happened Last Night?

Huh? What...where...did Auburn play a football game last night? I don't know. I'm going back to bed.

Videos From Athens (minus the end of the game where I'm cussing out Lee Ziemna)

Nothing else happened after this.

Auburn Fans in Sanford Stadium

There are a lot more AU fans here than I would have thought there would be. War Eagle!
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Tiger-Walk

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Gameday

Time to get up, and get ready to get Michael Vick on them bulldogs. Too soon? Okay, well it's time to win. Auburn can make a huge statement to themselves and college football by pulling off a win tonight. That statement would be saying, "Were aren't going to be UGA's whipping boy for 4 years straight, and we are definitely on our way back up the ranks in the SEC."

We're all getting ready to head down to campus. It's going to be a long afternoon. Weather is in the low 70s for now, but the forecast says it's going to get down into the mid 40s. Great...I didn't bring a long sleeve shirt. Today is one of those days where if you go ahead and put on a long sleeve shirt, then you're going to burn up all afternoon, but around halfway through the game things are going to be good. If you don't wear long sleeves, you'll be comfortable all afternoon, but by the time the game is over you'll be freezing your butt off. And let's just be honest, no one wants to carry a jacket around all afternoon only to wear it for a few hours.

Anyway, I'm ready for this game. I really like our chances, but if you've been following my blog (or warblogle) then you'd know that. Pictures coming soon.

Headed to That State East of Alabama

So I found a ticket to the Georgia game for $37.50. That means only one thing...I'm headed to that state east of Alabama to watch my beloved Tigers take on the UGAs. Check back in about 45 minutes for a live blog on the road!

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

(This one's for all the marbles)

UPDATE: damn

This is my preview for the Auburn-Georgia game. I'm not going to talk as much about the game as I am what I think about watching and experiencing the deep south's oldest rivalry.

Auburn-Georgia has hosted some classics. There's Tuberville's first game in 1999, where Auburn (a huge underdog) came out and upset the dogs. There's the 2004 beat down from the undefeated Auburn squad. There's the last second John Vaughn field goal win from 2005. I'm sure there are plenty other classics from my lifetime, but those are the ones that I remember.

There's really nothing riding on this game. Georgia is trying to become bowl-eligible and keep their season (along with Mark Richt's job) from going in the toilet, while Auburn is trying to gain momentum going into the Iron Bowl. Besides wanting to break a 3-game losing streak to the bulldogs, I really don't care that much about this game. If you want to know my thoughts on whether or not it'll happen, then check out my game preview at warblogle.

This year the matchup is in Athens, Ga. It's one of the nicest venues in the SEC, but arguably one of my two least favorite places to see a football (Florida takes #1). The fans are obnoxious. Anywhere you go, be prepared to walk uphill. And honestly, I just don't think Georgia has any really cool game-day traditions. We have Tiger-Walk and the Eagle fly. Their band plays "Glory, Glory" and "Leroy Brown" about 600,000,000 times. There's just nothing terribly unique about a Georgia game-day experience. However, downtown does offer some great options as far as food and nightlife is concerned.

I'm doing my best to find tickets as of right now. They're all pretty expensive, and honestly, if I can't find one for $40 or less then I'm not going. The hassle of getting barked at, and trying to get around that place on game-day just isn't worth more than $40 to me (honestly it's not really worth that). If you guys are lucky you might get a blog update from Athens, and if you're even luckier, I might just do a live video blog from Tiger-Walk!

The Sun's Finally Out

(This was taken on my cell phone. Sorry, I don't have a .50 caliber Canon PX90 Super Shot Camera like my sister. Just kidding Scarlotte!)

I enjoy the rain from time to time. It's definitely nice to have a lazy day (or days) inside during a rain storm. If you know me, then you know how much I like to sleep. Given that, rainy days make sleeping in a million times better. However, nothing is more refreshing than going a few overcast/rainy days and then waking up to a bright sun shiny morning.

I think one reason I enjoy it so much is because it puts me in an all around better mood. Sometimes I really do think my emotions mimic the weather. I don't think I realized until this morning just how gloomy my attitude has been the past few days. It just seems like on a bright sunny morning it's easier to be happy and thankful for all of the wonderful and crazy things God has given us.

One reason I could be in a better mood today is because I have a hot date tonight! I'm really excited because I'm going out with my favorite person in the entire world. I'm also really excited because, no matter how much fun the place is that we go, I know we're going to have a good time because she's just the kind of person that you can have fun with no matter the setting really. I could be in some of the most miserable places, and I know that I can have fun with her no matter where we are.

Anyway, I guess it's good that I'm getting all of this out. Don't worry. Next week will be full of projects, exams, and lots of other schoolwork. So, I can almost guarantee that next I will have plenty to complain about. For right now though, let's just enjoy the sunshine, and enjoy all of the wonderful things God has blessed us with.

Live Broadcast Soon!

Okay, so I just figured out how to embed a live feed into this blog. That's cool. That's really freakin cool. That's so cool, I don't even know what to do about it. Some of you were cool enough to watch my test broadcast (sorry I just kinda sat there, but it's late and I have class in the morning). However, now that I wield this awesome power of broadcasting myself to world via my blog (and ustream.tv), you can count on me broadcasting something live soon. It may be live from Athens, Ga, or it could be me just seeing how many donuts I can eat at one time. I don't know. BUT...it would be freakin awesome if yall would leave suggestions as to what I should broadcast. I will post an alert as to when and what I'm broadcasting before I do it.

To All Who Serve

(This is the flag I have sitting on top of my trailer...um...mobile home)

I'm not going to talk about all of the many brave actions of our servicemen and women. I'm not going to talk about the many sacrifices they've made, and continue to do everyday for their country. I'm not going to pretend like I understand anything they do because the simple fact of the matter is that I don't. And because I don't understand all of the elements of war, and everything that has to be done to keep everyone safe, that goes to show that they're doing their jobs and doing them well. So, all I am going to say is thank you. Thank you to everyone who is serving, and thank you to everyone who has given their lives for our freedom. You've given more than you should have, and the world is a much better place because of it.

God or a time traveling bird...same difference

For anyone who has been keeping up with the all of the amazing discoveries that the Large Hadron Collider has produced since it has been built, I am pleased to announce that once again it has yet to operate without malfunction.

If you aren't familiar with the Large Hadron Collider, it is the world's largest particle collider. It's located outside of Geneva Switzerland, and its purpose is to collide subatomic particles at high speeds to generate crazy amounts of energy. The hope of the collider is to discover the Higgs boson particle (The God Particle).

However, almost every year since it has been built there has been some type of problem. Most recently (Nov. 3rd) a sector of super cooled magnets went offline because an electrical substation went out. This was due to the fact that a passing bird dropped a piece of bread into it.

This has raised many questions as to why the collider hasn't been successful, and two physicists have come up with a theory. Bech Nielsen and Masao Ninomiya are saying that the large collider has been tampered with intentionally. Their explanation? God, or a time traveling bird. They suggest that the bird could have been sent back through time to sabotage the collider once again. Of course there's no way of knowing if the bird was actually a time traveler, or if it was God that sent the bird to cause the malfunction. Either way, these two physicists suggest that God, or time travelers, don't want us to discover this Higgs boson particle because knowing the secrets to all of the universe could lead us to extreme catastrophe, such as the end of the world. Geez, this is 1.21 gigawatts full of confusion and frustration.

Is this theory absolutely preposterous, or is there some substance to this claim? I have no idea. I'm not a physicist. However, I do know one thing for sure. I've heard of crazier ideas.

The Prisoner

Okay, so I saw the preview for this new miniseries, and after doing a little bit of research (google/wikipedia), I've decided this really might be worth checking out. It stars Jesus (Jim Caviezel) and Gandolf (Ian Mckellen). It's based off of a cult British television series (strike I) from the 1960's. It begins on November 15, Sunday nights 7:00 CST on AMC. I've copy and pasted the synopsis below.

A man, known as Six, finds himself inexplicably trapped in The Village with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly -- how he can escape.

Awesome Video/Song of the Week (or whenever I feel like it)

"Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars

The song is really good. The video is pretty cool too, but be sure to turn off the annotations because they're really stupid. I'm not sure where or what this video is, but it's a lot better than any other youtube posts of this song. The best line is in the chorus "we were the kings and queens of promise. We were the victims of ourselves."

Ida...done it better

This might sound dumb, but I kind of get excited when a big storm is coming. I'm not excited about the possibility that my house on wheels could get blown away, or the fact that I know my mother is going to call every 2 minutes telling me to get back to their house and crawl into their weather bunker. I get excited somewhat because something that doesn't typically happen is supposedly about to happen. I do get kind of bummed out though when it turns out to be somewhat of a disappointment. I know, that's dumb but it's the truth. I think everyone can agree that there's something even a little bit exciting about a storm coming. However, as soon as a tree goes through my house or car, then it's not so much fun anymore.

Having said all of that I must say that Ida has been a disappointment. There wasn't even really a threat of school being cancelled, and everyone knows you measure the level of awesome of a severe weather event by the number of days kids get out of school.

0 Days-it might as well have not even happened
1 Day-Hey, this is kinda cool
2 or more days-I'm going on vacation!!!

From what I've been told, the coast's version of the tale of Hurricane...Tropical Storm...Big Wet Rain Cloud That Won't Go Away Ida could've possibly cancelled school for some. However, we didn't get any of the fun part of the storm. If that's the case then Mobile/Mississippi area got Ida when she was in her crazy/trying-to-find-yourself phase(not really knowing if this chick was ever really exciting to begin with any), and all of us up here in Lee County got Ida after all of the kids have left and gone to college and she's just got nothing else really to offer. Except rain...and lot's of it. Anyway, having said all of that I'm not hoping that a category 4 or 5 monster blows in here anytime soon, or a massive monsoon floods Auburn. Maybe all in all I'm just looking for something a little exciting to go on around here. I mean hey, football season is over in a few weeks and then what will we have to look forward to? Lord know it's never going to snow down here.

FansPoll

If you know me then you know I've been involved in a little thing called FansPoll. I've been doing this since my father and I created the concept way in December of 2004. I've been able to do some of the most incredible things since being involved with FansPoll. I've had the opportunity to meet two of the best coaches in the SEC (Urban Meyer and Les Miles) and go on radio and television numerous times. FansPoll has been noted by many regional news outlets as well as the national media. We've come so close to taking the poll to where it needs to be. We've made many strides, and many times we've fallen short. I have personally taken a ton of criticism along with acclaim (I'm not including any links because all of those articles suck). For those of you who don't know what we do then I will follow with our "About Us" description from the website, but you still need to sign up and get involved. If you love college football, no matter your school affiliation, and really stop and take a look at what we're doing, then I think it's something you would have no problem getting behind.

"FansPoll is the only place where you, the fan, can voice your opinion about who the best football team in college football is. Go to www.fanspoll.com and register your name along with who your favorite team is. Every week of the season you will pick the winner of ten games along with a tie-breaker. At the end of the season, when we go to compile our final Top 25 and pick the national champion, we take a representative from each school's pool of fans to be part of the final selection committee. You make the cut by having the best FansPick score for all the fans of your team whom you're picking against.

As the winner for your school, YOU get to submit the Top 25 representing your team. We take all those Top 25's to compile our master Top 25, and the final national champion."

Warblogle.com

Ok so I can't start talking about college football without first mentioning the first, the best, and what could potentially be the best Auburn football blog on the internet, www.warblogle.com. No, it's not my sports blog. I've chosen to stay away from specifically sports blogging. It's not my thing...I'm no good at it...get off my freakin back. Go to War Blogle though for any and all of your Auburn update needs. The Blogler even updates tidbits throughout the week so there's no real reason to go searching for all of those ESPN and SI articles about Auburn. They've already been found for you and links are posted at War Blogle. Then, after you've read all of the posts and commented numerous times on the fantastic content on the blogler's site, you can go over to FansPoll and voice who you think is the best team in college football. BUT, for all you Auburn fans, be sure to start off your AU related internet perusing with War Blogle. You'll be glad you did.

Here We Go

I don't know why I'm doing this. Maybe it's because I have nothing else to do right now, or because I'm avoiding school work. Either way, after seeing my oldest sister constantly update the 345,267,897,354 pictures of her kids and sharing with the world along with everyone she knows, I had two thoughts: 1) this is the cheesiest thing I've ever seen 2) it's kinda cool. If you've followed me on facebook then you know I have plenty to say about plenty of stuff. I guess maybe instead of micro-blogging it wouldn't really hurt to try actual blogging. SOOOO...since its uses seem reasonable, and since unarguably my most favorite person in the world reads these things all the time and whenever she has free time, I figured why not. Expect to hear a lot about college football, and a lot about stupid random things that annoy me. If you aren't fond of someone elses opinion (especially when you disagree) then it's probably best you just go away now. I'm not saying I'm an offensive person, but there's a good chance at some point you won't agree with me. If you can't take any disagreement in stride then think what you want and go away. Having said all of that, I really do want participation. Please, tell me what to write about. If I don't get any participation then chances are good that this blog will be bare. My life really isn't interesting enough to keep this thing updated all of the time. The only thing I really have to offer is thoughts and opinions with, maybe, some occasional updates about my life. So...I guess let's give it a shot.