Go State!

No more needs said, but watch this. :) If you are a Michigan fan, there is no pick me up in this blog entry. If you're Mike Hart... well, I can't really tell you what to do.

Michigan State Spartans

I don't even need to say anything to tell you that I am thoroughly excited about my Spartans being up to #13 in the National polls. It was probably more thrilling to get the text updates amidst a mixed crowd at the wedding in Gull Lake. We have won every important game this year. It's not to say that I wouldn't love to see MSU in the Rose Bowl this year, but I set the same standards every year and they have met them. Way to go guys!

Speaking of the wedding, it was very strange to be away from Amanda and at a wedding by myself. Fortunately for me I wasn't actually by myself but instead went with Mom and Katherine for a good old family-style roadtrip. I think I'm going to working off the Combo's and wedding meal all week but I enjoyed going up there and the area around the lake was absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations to Elizabeth and Shawn and you two couldn't have had a better day for a wedding.

We stopped to see a market heifer on the way up to the wedding and that has gotten the cattle sale bug in me. Hopefully Jacob will be able to find what he is looking for and we will be able to help him do his best in the projects for next year. Every year we are close and it'd be nice to win the steer show while it is still competitive. Andy's blog featured this song this week and so I just thought I would include it here. It's just a small part of my background music today as I try to get caught up and back into gear for another week of school. My first biochem exam is this Friday and I'm nervous to be taking a test again; I'm out of practice.

Boise State falls to #4

It took a lot of debate for my headline today, but out of all the top 25 NCAA rankings shake-ups from this weekend, I think that one is the biggest. I'm not going to lie, it's more irritating to me to have Kellen Moore as a Heisman candidate than it is for his team to be so overrated, but if you look at the only 2 teams of rank they've beaten and their track records, BSU just isn't that impressive. Sure, they might have a great team, but they need to schedule more difficult games or get into a better conference if they really want to be taken seriously. They perform a thriller every week against their opponents, but I want to see them perform a thriller against a good team.

The same goes for the Buckeyes, but I still hold that Tressel is limiting the team for now. I'm not going to be as open in my criticism of Tressel though. He is a great coach who knows exactly what he's doing. I can't blame him for conservative play call in the Illinois game this weekend. If I had Pryor making mistakes and getting hurt, I'd probably go to my guaranteed win too. Was it pretty? Of course it wasn't pretty but it got the job done and in a game where your star is struggling, you can't wow everyone; you just need to escape with the win and have an educational experience.

And then there's the Spartans. Going into their away rivalry at U of M, I will be breaking out Spartan green all this week as we prepare for a #17 at #18 match-up. Even more difficult for me will be the Baumgart wedding as I sit there and miss the big game. No amount of dvr will be able to compensate for the internal agony I will suffer. Now's the day when I wish for a smart phone to watch the game under the table, almost.

On a totally different note. The weather has taken a turn for the cold today and I am finally able to break out all of my favorite cool weather clothes. Living in Michigan has prepared me well for this time of year.

Finally, if anyone is interested in this new type of dating, we are more than willing to host you in our garden.

Sparty Video

I guess this video played at the Northern Colorado game last weekend. It's just in time for the Wisconsin and then Michigan games against MSU for 2 ABC 3.30 games in a row. Go Green!

Spicing up my blog

Blogger.com keeps telling me that I need to spice my blog up, this that and the other all seem like good ideas, but I just thought I'd throw in a classy video for today. Stats from my blogger account to follow soon. I just found them and they are quite interesting. Go Green! Congratulations on a 4-0 start and a #24 ranking in the AP this week. I'm nervous about Wisconsin and Michigan back to back, but coming out with at least 1 for 2 would be fantastic. 2 for 2 would be magic, and with Izzo working all the magic, I can only hope there's a little left over for the football program.

Fast Weekend

The weekend, which consisted of a MSU victory with Dantonio in the hospital, and a crushing Buckeye victory over the failed EMU Hurons, passed way too quickly for me to look back and now that I'm late for my first class and waiting for my Meat Lab Group meeting at 11 I'm realizing just how fast the weekend flew back. It was really great to see Katherine starting to settle into her classes at OSU and I wish her good luck and it was also great to catch up with Liz and Chris this weekend.

This leads me to a video which I highly encourage you to watch. We saw it yesterday morning as Stephen Colbert made Sunday Headline News. He apparently also really ticked off some people at Fox, but you can find that footage on his website. Watch the video, even through the questions and notice the skillful way in which he does something witty without script and also still makes his somber point.



I'm headed off for now to update my other blog and get cracking on my Stats homework. Since I missed class this morning, I'm aiming to get my stats homework for the week out of the way so that I can better focus on attacking multitudes of Biochem questions and trying to get a good grade in that class.

Catching up

Because I’m without internet at my current location, but it’s so beautiful and cool here by Mirror Lake that I don’t want to leave, I am typing my blog now and posting it this evening.

Summary of my life this past week…

Amanda and I drove up and spent a night in Detroit, then passed over to East Lansing for an IHOP encounter and a whole day of hanging out with the Dani and her family at their tailgate. The Notre Dame/MSU game was fantastic, and stereotypically frustrating with more than enough penalties and turnovers. But this is the tradition, and we came out the victors as Amanda and I began the day of our 3-month anniversary driving back from the game. Thanks to Amanda for driving clear from Brighton to home and not falling asleep. We then went to the sheep show that night and while we were waiting for a urine sample that evening as Katherine’s Reserve Grand Champion Lamb was standing on the shearing stand, Amanda says to me “Happy 3 Months! I’m going home”. What a long day! Congratulations to both Katherine and Jacob (and Josiah) on a great fair.

County fair was in general a very hectic week, even worse than I had expected. Between classes starting, and my volunteering at Farm Science Review, and cattle clipping and our photo entries, combined with my photographer position with the fair board, there were few moments to slow down and enjoy things without feeling the urge to just fall asleep. Now that I’m at the end of the week, I’m still exhausted and struggling through the day. I’m taking a nap before my next class just to stay awake through it.

Classes have been interesting so far. My biochem class promises to be more challenging than my previous interaction with the subject but thankfully my determination to study is also doubled and I am sure I will make it through the quarter. However, I was short on any good impressions of class or my fellow students when I stumbled into class late on Wednesday morning. It took far too long for me to get across campus and I am proud to say that today I corrected my error and was 10 minutes early. Campus here is just so much bigger than I expected once you get on the ground and start walking places. The people here have been really rude and pretentious as well. I have yet to interact positively with any of my classmates who seem to think that God gave them the right to go first everywhere and take up three seats in a full classroom with their stuff piled everywhere. Give me a break.

Other than that, all is well here, and I will be spending my internet time tonight trying to update my other blog with a whole series of ag-related newsletters I’ve received since last week. Go Bucks and Spartans this weekend and try not to beat your opponents too badly, since you’re playing 2 of the worst teams in the NCAA.

Big Ten divisions

I'm not hugely fond of the divisions, but if this is what it takes to make OSU more BCS eligible, then I'm all for it. So in honor of Michigan and MSU playing every year, MSU and OSU not playing often, and Michigan and Ohio State playing The Game as always, I thought I'd include a few old rivalry videos from the best one in all of college football. Go Bucks and try not to kill Marshall too bad.





And then hopefully these old guys have a terrible year...

Once again this year, this was rated the Number 1 College Football Tradition!



While we're at it, who doesn't want to see that old badger get dozed over?



And then you can tell I went off on a tangent... It's no wonder he's the best mascot in America.



Alright, off for today.

I love Gordon Gee

And for today here is reason number 1. That's the spirit! We have a picture with him from the Pelotonia which will be posted as soon as I have it from Liz.


It's great to be a Columbus area native and to feel that rush every fall when football season comes around. Today, Amanda and I picked up the first 3 tickets of the season from the Schottenstein Center. I'm not going to lie. I'm stoked about having OSU tickets, but there's no way that these games can be as exciting as going to an MSU game because when OSU plays a team, their opponents nearly never have a chance of winning. However, with MSU while I was a student there we were almost always the underdogs or fighting some form of adversity. I will miss you MSU, and Shadows runs through my mind more often than I thought it would. Captain Joe, you were right. KIN is where I practiced the 2 most important things from MSU: Position A and the Shadows.

For your entertainment today I credit 2 friends for posting this on Facebook this morning. I will warn you that this is definitely potentially offensive for language (for those readers who might be offended - don't visit it) but I know there will be those who find it humorous and in today's culture there is nothing in it as shocking as what kids have to hear in elementary school.

Pictures

As promised, attached are pictures, first of one of the kittens. There are four total but coincidentally enough they've turned up missing and we're pretty sure our neighbors are to blame again. Anytime we get decent cats around, our neighbors steal them or they turn up "missing". I just don't get it.



Secondly, inserted is one picture of me and Chris at the end of Pelotonia10 Day 1, and then click here to see a picture of me at the finish on Day 2.

If anyone is looking for MSU tickets for this fall, please look forward to a link on my facebook. I'm trying to get rid of the whole season minus the MSU vs. Notre Dame night game and all I'm trying to do is cover cost, so they're a great buy.



Finally, I just wanted to throw in a picture from Amanda and I's little pure Michigan trip last year to Lake Michigan in Grand Haven. I miss being in Michigan in the summer. Either that, or I miss the job flexibility that I had last year which enabled me to go places like that. Done get me wrong, I'm far happier being here in Ohio with family and my wife, but I miss my friends and the state of Michigan a lot. I miss it even more now that everyone is moving back to East Lansing for the fall semester. I just got a text last night from Drew asking if I was going to be in town and I think that's when it hit me more than ever how many people I've left behind in one place that will be dear to me for a very long time. Thankfully I have good friends here, both new and old, to fill the gap and spend time with.

Cera hit by a bus...

In case you ever were interested in MSU football tickets, I'm trying to get them moved this weekend before Amanda and I put them on Ebay. I got them for half of face value on discount and I'm just trying to get my money back on them. I had to buy the set to get Notre Dame tickets, of course I could've gotten them other ways apparently, but now I just need to move the rest of the season.

Thanks to Michael for the Youtube of this morning, where Michael Cera gets hit by a bus.

This might be the last time that I have time to post here before I ride the Pelotonia this weekend. The final tally in pre-ride training is 10 lbs lost, and never more than 30 miles biked. I'm sure hoping this goes well. I guess what I'm most concerned about is the bike seat and how sore I'm gonna be by about mile 40, or how sore I'll be on Sunday when I ride back. Anyhow, the big rally is tonight and I'm very excited to see Counting Crows in concert.

I'll see you all on the other side.