This Week's Picks- Week 11

 

 

Jawja vs Moosuri: Georgia is back at being number one, and they face a dangerous Missouri team that felt like they got jobbed by the refs last week. Georgia didn't need any help against Ole Miss. I think Kirby has them fired up.  Georgia wins. 
 
 
Bumbles vs Urange Tigers:  Let's put it this way.  Georgia Tech was the Republican Party last week. Key fired a couple of coaches, and Tech security ejected a fan that had the nerve to stand up during the game.  Oh well, just another Saturday on the flats. Clemson is like the old gray mare-she ain't what she used to be.  But she's enough for Tech in this game. Clemson wins.

 

Myammee vs Dookie:  The U got beat by Notre Dame last week, and they dropped to 8 in the standings. This week they play Duke. Just like that Howard Jones song from the 80s-things can only get better.  Miami wins. 
 
 
Texsass vs Ellesyou: Texas beat Missouri last week, and LSU played a competitive game against Alabama until the fourth quarter. I'm still not sold on Arch Manning.  He's good, and then he's not.  LSU is good, and then they are not.  I'm not sure the Bayou is the place to be if your name is Lane.  Texas wins. 

 

Reptiles vs Kenyucky:  Just like that, the Kentucky football dynasty was run off the rails by Tennessee. Florida is having one of those years. I think Kentucky may get back on track. (See what I did there?) Kentucky wins.
 
 
My Beloved Owls vs Sam Houston State. Look who has a two-game winning streak!  You know, with a break here or there, Kennesaw State would have a better record. If wishes and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas.  This week, the Owls fly to Huntsville, Texas, to play Sam Houston State.  Famous alumnus of Sam Houston State: Dan Rather.   Owls win.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Canada

 

 After Rockland, Maine, our cruise took us to Canada. 

 

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia comes from the words "Nova,"  meaning "Nova" and "Scotia," which means "things that Scot". Together, it means "New Scotland", which explains all of the bagpipes we heard at the dock in the grand city of Halifax.

Halifax is the largest city near Timberlake, Nova Scotia, which is where the streaming show "Sullivan's Crossing" is set. It is about a neurosurgeon, Dr. Sullivan, who is dumb as dirt, but she is hot, so she has that going for her.  Occasionally, Dr. Sullivan has to go into Halifax to find something stupid to worry about; however, she never hears bagpipes. 

We hung around at the dock before our excursion started. While there, we browsed the little markets that sell T-shirts and various Canada-related items. While there, we went into a COWS Creamery, which is probably the best thing about Canada. The ice cream was good, and the help was nice and friendly.  It would be a good reason to make Canada our 51st state. 

We hopped on a bus to go to Peggy's Cove, the only lighthouse in Canada named after the wife of a Texan Propane and propane accessories salesman.  I don't know how far away it was from our port, but it seemed like it was pretty far. 

We had a knowledgeable tour guide who was not a dingbat. He said "aboot" for "about".   He told us a lot of cool stuff about Canada, like they build their decks in the front of their houses instead of the back of their houses, as God intended. 

We made it to Peggy's Cove with the 4000 other people from our cruise ship, all of whom could be considered "old" to "very old" to "really, really, old".  This is important because Peggy's cove is surrounded by many slick rocks which makes seeing Peggy's Cove so much fun because nothing goes together like slick rocks and the elderly. 

Peggy's Cove park also has four bathrooms, which means lines for the geriatric tourists. 

 

 

 

.

After Halifax, we cruised to Sydney, Nova Scotia.No bagpipes, but it did have a big fiddle.

 

To the right of The Big Fiddle was an ice cream stand. Ice Cream is a big deal in Canada. It was almost as good as Cows Creamery. 

We were loaded unto another bus and we went to The Alexander Graham Bell Museum.  I did not know Bell was from Canada. As a history major, our in depth historical study on AGB was that he invented the telephone. Turns out, Bell had a lot of interests that did not involve the telephone. One of which was an airplane that came on the scene after the Wright Brothers.  Also, his wife was deaf.  You can't say I didn't learn anything on this cruise.   

 

Quebec City

 

 

After Nova Scotia, we sailed to Quebec City, Quebec.

 

The Notable Things about Quebec City.

1. It is really nice and pretty.
2. French is spoken by 95% of the population.
3. They put gravy on their French Fries 

There are many things to see in Quebec City.  One is the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which is a castle that is a hotel.  It costs a million dollars to stay overnight.  Another is the Funicular, which is an incline railway. This takes you from the bottom of Quebec City to the top of Quebec City. Quebec City is on a hill, and it is very steep. 

 

We took a three-hour walking tour of Quebec City. Our tour guide was Claude (pronounced "Cluwd"). Oh yes, the streets are cobblestone. Note to self:  never do a three-hour walking tour of anything on cobblestone. But we did get a few maple syrup sticks, which wasn't bad. 

There's a lot of neat stores in Quebec City. One store has a REALLY BAD WORD in their name. Of course, they sell T-shirts. No, I didn't buy one.  

Now about Canadian French fries.  They are called Poutines. It is French fries with beef gravy poured on top with a sprinkle of cheese curds.  When Poutines are hot, Poutines are very good. When they cool down, Poutines are gross.

 

 

Prince Edward Island

Our last stop in Canada is Prince Edward Island, which is named for Prince Edward. 

Apparently, the only thing to do on Prince Edward Island is see Lucy Maud Montgomery's house. Who is Lucy Maud Montgomery?  She is the new DSA governor of Minnesota.   She wrote the book called "Anne of Green Gables".  I have never read the book because I am a male. I can verify that the gables were, in fact, green. 

 

 

 

Other Canada stuff.

If you have been paying attention, the US and Canada have not been the best of friends, mainly because President Trump said Canada should become our 51st state.  This offended many Canadians, including Cluwd, our tour guide.

We had a wonderful time in Canada. It is a beautiful country, but I wouldn't want it as a state. At least, not until they get rid of Poutines. 

 

 

 

This Week's Picks-Week 10

 

 

 

 

Jawja vs Ole Mess: Georgia defeated Florida last week, and now they head to Oxford to play Ole Miss.  Ole Miss is a tough team. In the last six years, the Bulldogs have a 3-2 record.  Not meaning to go all Vince Dooley on you, I'm worried about this game, mainly because of Trinidad Chambliss. But I think they will prevail.  Dawgs win 

 

 

Wrecked vs Lousyville:  Welp, Georgia Tech has slid back into their days of Bill Lewis and Geoff ("Jeff with a G") Collins.  They aren't playing well. At all. I mean, not even a little bit. Louisville wins.

 

 

Bamy vs Ellesyou: A GIGANTIC, ENORMOUS, GINORMOUS game for both teams.  As a team, I think LSU might be a tad better, but I like the Bama quarterback better. LSU wins. Barely. 

 

 

 

Myamme vs Our Lady: I know everybody in the North gets a chill up and down their spine with the sight of a good season from Notre Dame.  Notre Dame is good and all of that, but they lost to the first tough team they faced. Miami may not be all that, but they are all that right now. Miami wins.

 

 

 

Kenyucky vs Tennysee: The biggest surprise this year is Kentucky. They got their 6th spot in the polls the old-fashioned way: they earned it. (Kids go on YouTube and look up John Houseman Smith-Barney ads to get that joke.) The big question is: can they defeat their brothers from the South, Tennessee?  They can, but I don't think they will. Tennessee wins.

 

 

 

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs The Hens of Blue: Hey everybody: Kennesaw State won a game last week, which means they have as many wins as Georgia Tech. This Saturday, the Owls welcome a non-bird of prey, the University of Delaware Blue Hens. Incidentally, Delaware is the alma mater of President Joe ("Joe") Biden, Governor Chris Christy, and Taylor Swift's father.  Owls win. 

This Week's Picks: Week Eight

 

 

Wrecked vs. Boston Not University: Lost in all of the hoopla of last week was Georgia Tech's loss to Virginia Tech. Tech's just having one of those years.  Boston College is having another one of those Boston College years, just doing okay. In other words, they're not wicked good, so Georgia Tech could beat them, but they won't.  Boston College wins.

 

 

 

Myammee vs The Pitts: Well, well, The Hurricanes have vaulted up to number one thanks to some face plants by various Bulldogs and Irishmen.    Pitt could, maybe, perhaps beat Miami. I don't think they will.  Miami wins.
 

 

 

Meechigan vs Indiana Wants Me: Indiana lost to Ohio State by a foot, but they are a better team than Michigan by a mile.  Indiana wins. 

 

 

Ellesyou vs WarTigers: Tip of the cap to Auburn. They went to Athens and beat the Bulldogs.  This week, The Lane Kiffen Show comes to Auburn. Auburn will have all of America rooting for them because, you know, Lane Kiffen.  LSU looks like they are getting their Mojo back. LSU wins.

 

Bamy vs Ags:  I think we can safely say Alabama had as rough a Saturday as Georgia.  I think Bama can bounce back against Texas A&M. If not, expect a bunch of For Sale signs to show up in Kalen DeBoer's front yard. Bama wins. 

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs Liberty: My poor old Owls are not having that hot of a season. But for some reason, this game with Liberty is a rivalry game even though they are not close in geographically and Kennesaw State is a state school.  A Liberty fan trolled something ugly on X (surprise, someone did something ugly in social media), which makes you want to beat Liberty. But Liberty is having a good season. I saw their bus this morning. Nice bus.  For some reason, it was in Marietta and not Kennesaw, but whatever.   I can't go against the Owls.  Owls win.

Note:  This Week's Picks will be out of town next week. However, I will pick one game in advance.

 

Jawja vs Lizards: Georgia lost a game it should have won because they didn't take Auburn seriously despite Kirby many F-bombs. Florida beat Texas and maybe caused Arch Manning to lost his position as a starting quarterback.  Yes, yes, Florida can beat Georgia. Vanderbilt could be Georgia. Anybody can beat anybody for any reason at anytime. The question: will they? Giving Kirby two weeks to whip UGA into shape should (note the word) help Georgia to win. Georgia wins. 

This Week's Picks Week 7

 

 

Jawja vs. WarTigers: After that game at Bama (did you hear there was a controversial non-call?) Georgia is back at home home, playing the other school in Alabama, Auburn.  The War Eagle-Tigers-Plainsmen are having another tough year, so it doesn't look good for them. Georgia wins. 
 

 

 

Tech vs Tech: Well, looky here-Georgia Tech beat Duke last week. This Saturday they travel to Blacksburg to take on the Hookies of Virginia Tech.  Va Tech has a better record, but they are not that great.  I'm going to chicken out and say: Tech wins.

 

 

Ahia State vs. Indiana Wants Me: Because of all of the troubles at Michigan, Ohio State versus Indiana is now the true test of who is the biggest and baddest in the Big Ten.  It will be interesting to see- Ohio State just has so much, including future Heisman Trophy winner Jeremiah Smith. I know I chickened out on my last pick, so I'm going all the way with Indiana. Indiana wins.

 

 

 

Texsass vs Reptiles: I get in trouble a lot for my jokes about Florida. I kid, I kid. Florida is looking better this year, except for the past two weeks. Texas lost its number one ranking due to losing to Oklahoma. Which is on them. Any more games like the one against the Sooners and Arch Manning won't be everyone's favorite Manning under 30. Texas wins.

 

 

Bamy vs Tennysee:  I love this game simply because we can hear this rant from 2007.  "Man, I hate Tennessee. First of all, it's Tennessee. I just hate 'em. They lowdown, they dirty, they some snitches, and I hate [Philip] Fulmer (Tennessee's old coach). I hate their colors. I'm not a dog person. I just hate Tennessee. I hate Neyland Stadium. It looks like a garbage truck workers' convention. I hate all their quarterbacks. It's not that orange that you can sit with. It's that puke inside of a pumpkin orange, and I don't like pumpkins."  First of all, I salute Irvin Carney for being so subtle and nuanced in his dislike of Tennessee. Secondly, Bama will be in the playoffs, no question about it.  These snitches are going to get stitches.  Alabama wins. 

 

 

 

 

Moosuri vs. Ole Mess  Missouri has been surprising this year. Ole Miss has probably the best quarterback in the conference.   Ole Miss wins. 

Rockland

 

 

One thing we quickly learned about our cruise: at 65 and 67, respectively, my wife and I were among the younger people on board.  

There were a lot of scooters on board. You'd be amazed at how many scooters were on board the ship. I would estimate about four million scooters.  That is a conservative estimate. 

But I will say, everybody on board was, as we used to say, "chilled".  There was no hoopin' and holler. No overdrinking from what I could see. 

It was kind of hard for the cruise entertainment.  We older folks don't respond to the various commands from entertainers like STAND UP, CLAP YOUR HANDS.  Listen, we just sat down; we'll clap when we want. 

Our first stop was Rockland, Maine.

I have always wanted to go to Maine.  I remember looking at a map when I was in elementary school.  Georgia was way down here, and Maine was way up there.  Plus, there was a rumor that Maine had a lot of snow during the winter.  When I was a kid, I thought living in a place that had snow would be so cool.  Then I learned they went to school when it snowed. Bummer. 

I still wanted to go to Maine, even though I no longer wanted to live there. It just seemed neat to be able to tell people that you've been to Maine.

Rockland, Maine, is known as "the gateway to Penobscot Bay", "the lobster capital of the world", and "a town in Maine". It's a quaint little city that has a donut place called "Ruckus Donuts," which former Georgia Bulldog kicker Rex Robinson says has the best donuts in the world.  The place was closed when we went by at 11:00 in the morning because they had sold out of donuts.  That means something. 

The cruise ship could not dock in Rockland because of shallow waters, so we had to "tender" to shore.  According to Scoutboats.com, "A tender boat (or simply “tender”) is a compact support vessel that assists a larger “mother ship.” It performs tasks the main vessel cannot, such as navigating shallow waters, ferrying passengers, carrying supplies, or acting as a lifeboat in emergencies."

Getting on the tender was interesting, considering me and my wife were the most spry of the passengers.  It took a while, and there were no scooters on board. But it was clear that some of our senior passengers would make it to Maine no matter what.  I've never seen such grit and determination.  They were going to get their money's worth off this cruise.

 On shore, there were several buses to take us to our various excursions. Our bus was going to take us to Camden, Maine (Where Don McLean used to live-really) and to Mount Battie.

I'm pretty sure the bus driver was hired that morning, and our tour guide was hired from Dimwits 'R' Us.  I named her Dimwit Debbie.

She wasn't that bad, except she laughed at all of her jokes, even though they didn't sound like jokes. 

It is cold in Maine in winter:  Hahahahahahahahaha.

It is expensive to live here:  Hahahahahaha.

There's a farm over there with cows: Hahahahahaha.

She was a great audience for her humor, which was observational. 

We really didn't go to Camden, Maine.  We went through Camden, Maine.

I did not know this, but most of the exterior shots in the movie "Peyton Place" were shot in Camden. This would have been interesting if I (1) had seen the movie "Peyton Place" which came out in 1957, almost seventy years ago (2) or cared about the movie "Peyton Place."

Dimwit Debbie said Bette Davis appeared at the premiere of the movie in Rockland.  Why, I don't know. She wasn't in the movie.   

We soon went to the biggest deal in Camden.  Don Mclean's house.  Mount Battie. We were told we had 8 minutes to look at Mount Battie, which offered a view of Camden, Maine, and a nice little bay. It was okay, I guess.  

Back on the bus and soon we were back in Rockland. We spent the rest of our time in Rockland walking in its downtown before we did something we had never done before:  we had a lobster roll.

I was well into my adulthood- I mean, married, had a house, had a kid, and everything- before I heard that a lobster roll is MUST dining. For some reason, I never heard of or paid any attention to lobster rolls.

 Before the trip, people kept telling us that "we had to get a lobster roll".

Okay, there are two types of lobster rolls.

One is the Maine lobster roll, which is chilled with mayonnaise and is creamy and refreshing.  The second type is the Connecticut lobster roll, which is warm with melted butter. 

We stopped in a little downtown Rockland diner called "The Rockland Cafe" to get a lobster roll. I will say "The Rockland Cafe" was a good place to eat. 

The first thing you need to know about lobster rolls.  You are charged at the market rate.  In other words, you don't know what a lobster roll costs until you get the bill. The average cost of a lobster roll in Maine is around $33.00. 

My wife and I decided to share a lobster roll. Good call, financially speaking. It is an expensive little roll, but we got French fries and coleslaw with it. 

Our waitress was a nice lady who seemed like she had seen plenty of Maine winters.  She brought us our lobster roll.

I don't know what I expected.  It was good. I mean, it was too expensive to be a regular choice for lunch.  I guess I expected both my wife and me to do "a Sally" like Meg Ryan did in "When Harry Met Sally".  I'm not putting it down.  If you want to eat a lobster roll, have at it. 

It was no Chick-fil-A sandwich.

 

 

 

This Week's Picks-Week Six

 

 

Jawja vs Bamy: Jawja vs Bamy. This is the BIG game of the week. Number 2 Georgia versus Number 6 Alabama.  Both teams are VERY good. I've seen Bama play several times this year, and they have been amazing.  The Alabama quarterback, Keelon Russell, is an upgrade from last year.  It is being played in Tuscaloosa, probably in driving rain, which should favor Alabama. Who am I kidding?  I want Georgia to win this one simply because it is Alabama. If I were totally objective, I'd say this is a toss-up. But I'm not.  Georgia wins

 

 

Dook vs Bumbles: Dook vs. Bumbles.  Let's see, Georgia Tech is having a rough season while Duke is playing well.  I want to see Tech's fortunes turn around. They won't in this game.  Duke wins.

 

 

Ellesyou vs Kenyucky: Ellesyou vs Kenyucky.  Last week, Kentucky beat South Carolina in an exciting game.  This week, they take on Lane's crew, and hopefully they can beat them as well because Lane is a dweeb. They won't.  LSU wins.

 

 

Texsass vs Okie: Texsass vs Okie.  In the past, the Texas-Oklahoma game used to be a big deal.  So big, Hank Hill would take the Saturday off from selling propane and propane accessories to go to the game.  Well, OU isn't the same anymore. Hank will be happy.  Texas wins

 

 

Ags vs Moosuri:  Last week, Missouri fulfilled their destiny by defeating the newly resurgent Florida Gators.  For this, we give thanks.  Now Missouri has a chance to bring the whoop-up on Texas A&M. They just might.  Missouri wins.

 

 

Heels of Tar vs The Pitts: Since retiring from pro football, Bill Belichick has made some surprising decisions.  One is dating a very hot co-ed who is about 80 years younger than he is. You would think he'd be a little wiser than that, since even if he were younger, he would know this young lady is not just interested in him for his mind.  Second was his decision to become a Head College Football coach. This makes absolutely no sense to me, but he has all of those Super Bowl rings, and I don't.  Pittsburgh is a better time.  Pitt wins.