This Week's Picks: Week Five

 

 

 

 

Jawja vs Bammy:  This is always a big game. Alabama is not the Alabama of the days of yore, but you can't fall asleep on them. But, always give me Kirby Smart and a team with a week's rest. Georgia wins.

 

Bees vs Backslidden Deacons: The Bees are having a surprising year if you haven't been following them. All they do is win. And they will again. Georgia Tech wins. 

 

 Our Lady vs. Bacon: At first look, this would be a no brainer. Especially since Arkansas has lost the past two games. However, they have "a potent offense that ranks 15th nationally in passing output behind quarterback Taylen Green and is 18th in FBS averaging nearly 44 points per game." (Whoa, research!) So, Arkansas could, possibly, maybe win this game. Naw.  Notre Dame wins. 

 

 Ellessyou vs Ole Mess:  I know LSU hasn't lost a game, but they don't have much of an offense for a 4-0 team. Their defense is a BEAR.  Ole Miss could surprise people and win this game, which used to be a big deal because the Mississippi people were so snooty. If LSU can get their offense going, they should win this game with no problem. I'm just not a fan of Coach Kelly or Lane Kiffin. LSU wins, but don't be shocked if they don't. 

 

Quacks vs Lions of Nittany: Number 6 versus Number 3. Oregon brings one of their 1400 uniform combinations to Happy Valley for an early season showdown. Some show Oregon as a half a point favorite with others showing Penn State a 3.5 point favorite.  When was the last time you saw someone score a half a point in football?  Both have a 3-0 record, but both haven't played any tough teams, yet. Oregon always seem so fast, so I'm going with them. Oregon wins. 

 

 

Beloved Owls vs Middle Tennessee State:  Well, look who has a two game win streak!  Coach Mack has equaled last year's record and now they start playing their Conference USA schedule.  MTSU has won only one game, but they have been at the football game longer than Kennesaw State.  Let's make it three in a row Hooty Owls. Kennesaw State wins.

This Week's Picks: Week Four

 

 

Last week was a good week.

Georgia Tech won in the last seconds in the claim against Clemson.

Georgia looked like it was down for the count against Tennessee when the Tennessee kicker pushed a field goal attempt wide right. The Dogs won the game in overtime. 

And my Beloved Owls won their first game of the Jerry Mack era. 

Even the Braves won. 

Dang, what is going on here? 

 

 

 

The Mighty Bees vs The Other Owls: Georgia Tech bring a whole lot of Big Mo into their game against Temple (fun fact: the alma mater of Bill Cosby).  Tech has been doing a lot of thing right, so far, this year. As much as the Larry Lightbulb Tech Alums think I bring bad juju, I have to post what I think: Tech wins. 

 

The Other Tech vs Uters: This is a game that pits number 16 (Utah) versus number 17 (Texas Tech). Like all great football predictors, I flipped a coin on this one. Texas Tech wins. 

 

 

The WarTigers vs Okies:  Auburn is 3-0 but is ranked lower than Alabama. That's about par for the course at Toomer's Corner.  Meanwhile, Oklahoma is playing better. I'm going with where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain. Oklahoma wins. 

 

Lizards vs Myammee:  Okay, I'm sorry I called Carson Beck "Goat Boy". It was insulting to all goats everywhere. However, he's played well at Miami. Meanwhile, Florida is 1-2 winning only the opening game against Long Island University.  Miami is strong, Florida is not. Miami wins.

 

Beloved Owls vs Arkansas State:  Yes, last week Kennesaw State beat Merrimack while Arkansas State had to play Iowa State. I know absolutely nothing about Arkansas State except the team nickname is the "Red Wolves" which makes more sense than the Razorbacks.  I'm going out on a limb. Kennesaw State wins. 

Vacation In DC, Part Two: The Other Stuff

 

 

Of course, there are other things to see in Washington, DC, besides the White House.

Ford's Theater, for example. 

Just in case you slept through history class, Ford's Theater was where John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln during the play "Momma Mia". 

Sorry, just a joke. The play Lincoln was watching was called "Our American Cousin."  It is about a high school senior who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and develops spider-like powers. 

Sorry, another joke. "Our American Cousin" is "a farce featuring awkward, boorish American Asa Trenchard, who is introduced to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family estate." It is a 19th century version of the John Goodman movie, "King Ralph".

You have to remember, they didn't have Netflix back then.

Ford's Theatre is a neat little place, and you see where Lincoln was seated when he met his fate.  There's a neat little museum in the basement, with some Lincoln stuff like his suit (Brooks Brothers!) and the pillow they laid his head on when they carried him across the street to the rooming house where he died.  It is kind of gross. (The pillow, not the suit.)

Between Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument is the area called "The National Mall".   There you will find your Smithsonian Museums, like the Air and Space Museum.

We didn't go to the Air and Space Museum this time.  We've been a couple of times before. You see "The Spirit of St.Louis", the Apollo 11 command module, and the model for the Star Trek Enterprise.  In the 90s, they had a moon rock you could touch (it felt like a rock). 

However, we did go to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We went for one reason: to see the flag that flew over Fort McHenry which inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner".

They won't let you take pictures of the flag. That's okay. If seeing this flag doesn't inspire you, you have hairy thighs and don't love the Lord.

The rest of the museum is okay.  You see Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs. You see one of Prince's guitars.  Of course, you see Dorothy's shoes.  Just for your information, they no longer display Ted Baxter's WJM jacket. Time marches on, even in a history museum. 

There is one place you must go: The National Archives.

The National Archives has the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. 

The Archives open at 10:00 in the morning.  If you go during non-peak vacation times like we did, just get to the Archives as soon as it opens. You will not have to wait in line. You will have to go through security and remove your belt. 

Like seeing the Fort McHenry Flag, it is breathtaking to see these documents. If that doesn't fill you with awe, I'm not sure what will.

The only place to catch your breath after seeing the original Declaration of Independence is the National Archives gift shop.

Of all of the gift shops in DC, the Archives has to be one of the best.  I had to buy these bad boys:

Yes, socks commemorating the famous Nixon-Elvis summit on December 21, 1970.  The historian in me will note that this was fourteen months before Nixon went to China.

Elvis wrote Nixon a letter suggesting that he (Elvis, not Nixon) be appointed as a Special Federal Agent of Burning Love and Nixon thought, "Sure, why not?" Elvis came to the White House and got his picture taken with Nixon. Nixon gave him a badge and Elvis said, "Thank you. Thank you for much."  Soon Elvis left the building. 

 
 

 

This Week's Picks: Week Three

 

 

To me, Week Three of the College Football season is when things really get rolling. The match-ups are better. You can get a better grip on how well your favorite teams is going to do.  Plus, there's only so many Georgia vs Austin Peay games you can watch.

 

 

 

Jawja vs Tennysee: The first REALLY big game for both teams. You have to give the edge to Tennessee because they played Syracuse and, they crushed East Tennessee while Georgia played Marshall and beat Austin Peay but it was not overpowering, to say the least. A little entertainment advice: after Georgia plays lacksy-daisy always turn on "The Bulldog Hotline" the next day. It is incredible. You would think it is the end of the world, if the end of the world was ever punctuated with "Go Dawgs".  There's nothing Tennessee would rather do than beat Georgia this year. But I always try to go with Kirby in games like these. Georgia wins....barely. 

 

Bees vs Tygers:  Like their pals in Athens, Tech has played some lesser teams in the first two games of the season. The Tigers had that bummer of a first game with LSU. Although Tech is better this year, Clemson is better, too.  Clemson wins. 

 

Lizards vs Ellessyou: Oh well, another September, another story about how Billy Napier is on the hot seat. LSU is looking pretty strong this year. They will make alligator shoes out of Florida this Saturday. LSU wins. 

 

 

Ags vs Our Lady:  Texas A&M is a good team. Notre Dame is Notre Dame.  I think the Aggies will win. I can't say why.  Texas A&M wins. 

 

 

Pigs vs Ole Mess:  Arky is Arky. Kind of good, kind of bad.  Ole Miss looks like they don't miss Jaxson Dart that much. Ole Miss is the better team. Ole Miss wins. 

 

Beloved Owls vs Merrimack: Well (it is a deep subject), Kennesaw State played against some historical programs for the first two games of the season.  Merrimack is "One of the fastest-growing educational institutions in the country, Merrimack College is a selective, top-tier college in a beautiful, residential setting — just minutes from Boston, Massachusetts," per their website. Their football team has won a game.  I think Coach Mack will get his first win as the Owls head coach.  Owls win. 

 

 

This Week's Picks: WeekTwo

 

 

 

The season started with a farewell to Coach Corso and to whatever Heisman hopes Arch Manning had.

Florida State looks like they are back. Alabama looks like they have a rough row to hoe. 

The next North Carolina head coach will not have a 24 year old girl friend.

I may have been a little harsh on Goatboy Carson Beck last week. 

 

 

Jawja vs Austin P: According to the school's website, Austin Peay (pronounced "P")  was Tennessee's governor from 1923-1927 and a favorite son of Clarksville, which everybody took the last train to. Peay signed a law establishing Austin Peay Normal School on April 26, 1927. Their cheer is "Let's go Pea".  You won't hear that a lot on Saturday. Dawgs win. 

 

Bee vs Baptist Bulldogs:  Guess what, The Bees will beat the Bulldogs this year.  Tech wins

 

Meechigan vs Okie:  In the past, this would have been a very big game. It still is, but not as big as in the olden days. Oklahoma is in the SEC. Michigan is not. I think the Sooners are just a little big better.  Oklahoma wins. 

 

The Commode Doors vs The Gobblers:  Last year Vanderbilt started their (for them) Cinderella season by defeating Virginia Tech. This year, Virginia Tech wants revenge, which I think is the first time I ever heard anybody wanting revenge on Vanderbilt. It will be interesting to see how Vanderbilt plays. Vanderbilt wins.

 

My Beloved Owls vs Indiana Wants Me, Lord I Can't Go Back There:  The Jerry Mack era began last week and they just came up a little bit short against Wake Forest.  I watched the game and was impressed by the Owl defense and the offense looks pretty fast. So good times are ahead. They just may not be ahead this Saturday. Indiana just has too much.  Indiana wins. 

 

 

Vacation In DC, Part One: The White House.

 

It is just a coincidence that Trump sent the National Guard into Washington, DC the day I left for home.

Yes, Me and Mrs. Blog took a quick vacation to our nation's capitol, Washington, DC and then the President sent the National Guard in when we went home. I swear we left it as we found it. 

It was our first time in Washington (or "DC" as the hip kids call it) since 1999.  We took our then-eight year-old son to see all the sights. We had a lot of fun, but it was hot and muggy. We did a paddle boat on the Potomac and I felt like I was an egg frying in a pan. 

This time the trip was fun, too, mainly because the weather was not hot and muggy but was clear and cool. Totally unlike August. Thanks, climate change!

I will say this about DC and crime.  I wasn't nervous a second when we went out tooling around, mainly because we didn't tool around at night.  Plus, the area of town we stayed in didn't seem like a high-crime area.  It had a guard entering the hotel complex. There wasn't anything nearby that would attract various riff-raff.

The biggest surprise of our trip: we spent five minutes in the Atlanta TSA line. The regular people TSA line, not the fancy-smancy Pre-check TSA line.  It was unbelievable. Usually, Atlanta TSA can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of months.  

Maybe it was because you no longer have to take off your shoes. I don't know. Everything now is such a cynical partisan battle. If you said, "Thanks, Trump" you would get all these TikTok responses where people are calling you a Crypto-Fascist for wanting to wear your shoes.

It probably had more to do with it being the first Wednesday after school started. In Georgia, public schools begin in July or August, so everybody can have a vacation in September.   

We flew into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is near downtown Washington. I had been there twice before, and it seemed much smaller than I remembered. 

From there, we took a cab to our hotel, which is across the street from the SPY museum.  The cab companies have really improved their cabs.

If you remember the movie "DC Cab," which starred Mr. T and Bill Maher (really), the cabs were like that in 1998.

Now you no longer need a tetanus shot to ride in a DC cab.  The cabs are nice and the cab drivers are pleasant, drive the speed limit, and obey the traffic laws.  

Our hotel was near "The Wharf" area of DC. Great hotel. Nice staff. Comfortable beds. Free breakfast in the morning. 

President Kennedy once said Washington, DC had Northern Hospitality with Southern efficiency, but on this trip, everybody was nice and efficient.    

Our first morning there we had tickets for the tour of the White House. My non-partisan advice: it doesn't matter who is President, you really need to take the White House tour at least once in your life.* 

The tickets are free, but you must request tickets from your local Congress person. The ticket requests can be submitted up to three months in advance and no less than 21 days in advance. 

Our Congress person is Marjorie Taylor Greene, who I half-way expected to send me an email saying, "Y'all I lost your request, sorry. I put it on my refrigerator and then when I looked it wasn't there. LOL."

Be assured that the White House tour request is one of those things Congress people do well, even Marjorie.  We got our tickets with clear, understandable instructions, such as, make sure you have a Real ID, which is a driver's license with a star on it. 

You don't have to wear a suit and tie to the White House.  You shouldn't look like Wal-Mart on a Saturday either. This is a place where John Tyler lived, dag-gummit, show some respect.

Our cab let us out at The White House Visitor Center. This is very important because they have bathrooms. If you have to go potty, you can go there because once you start the tour, you just have to hold it because there are no RESTROOMS for "THE PEOPLE" in the White House.**

You wait in line behind the Treasury building.  You meet lots of young Secret Service agents because there are about forty checkpoints before you actually get into The White House.  Quick word of advice: try not to wait behind someone from another country.  Their security requirements are different from those of a US citizen so it takes longer for them to be reviewed.  

You are finally in the White House. Here is what you see: The Vermeil Room, the Library, the China Room, the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, the State Dining Room, and a view of the White House Kennedy Garden. 

What you do not see: The West Wing, where the President works. For obvious reasons, you just can't have Al from Mayretta pop in and see how Orange Donny is doing. But it is neat seeing all of these rooms that you have seen on television and movies.

My biggest impression after the tour was these rooms are smaller than they appear on TV. Additionally, I don't know how our blessed Fourth Estate could miss President Biden being half a bubble of plumb.  But he was a Delaware sneaky snake. 

You end your White House Tour by walking out the front door.  There you can have your picture taken in front of The White House with the other tourists, activists protesting whatever needs protesting, and, at least in our case, a man who rides up on a kid's bicycle with a boombox blaring funky Soul Hits of the 70s and doing what charitably could be called "dancing".  

 

* Okay, you caught me.  As I was writing this post, I learned the White House tours have been "paused," while President Trump is building a ballroom/and or roller skating rink.  I wonder if Dave Barry or Lewis Grizzard ever have days like this? 

 

** You can imagine: "Hey guess who was standing in the urinal next to me? Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for real!"