Regret Check Time!

I’ve been sick lately (the doctor says sinus infection, I say it’s septic) and while I was contemplating the consequences of sepsis I was wondering if I have any regrets in life.

Happily, there isn’t anything major I’m sad I haven’t accomplished. There also aren’t any dumb decisions I wish I haven’t made. Sure, there are plenty of dumb decisions in my life – but if it came down to dying tomorrow there aren’t any that make me feel my life was worthless.

I don’t regret distancing myself from my family. I don’t regret moving to Vegas, taking time off of work, or not going to more Packer games. I think more than anything in life I’ve gravitated towards what I find fulfilling.

Regardless, I still think this sinus infection will be the death of me. The application process for adopting Pete starts now.

The Glorious Gridiron – My Ode to Football

If you follow my Twitter account it’s no surprise to you that football is my favorite sport. I like sports in general (both playing and watching) and I could also write about curling, pro wrestling, or rugby. I couldn’t write about any sport as easily or with as much passion as football, though.

This entire post is not just about the privilege of being a Green Bay Packers fan, either. Another day I’ll expound on our felicitous fraternity – not the day after we lose in the divisional playoffs.

What is so great about football?  It’s a bunch of overpaid meatheads beating each other up over a ball for 60 minutes.

Yes,  that’s partly true. I like football for the physicality – I love watching our defense sack the opposing quarterback. I also love interceptions, especially by guys like BJ Raji (Nose Tackle the size of a Mack truck) and Charles Woodson (our relatively old chief ninja). I love watching running backs break tackles and our fullback plowing through a cluster of defenders for precious yardage. Being able to accomplish these feats is a testament to strength, conditioning, talent, and practice.

Football is not a braindead sport, either. Some coaches and players can’t tell their foot from a hole in the ground and some coaches over-complicate the sport. Football boils down to knowing your own team’s best option and being able to read your opponent. I’m no genius and I’ll never be Madden but my limited knowledge always asks “what’s our best possible play?”, “where are we weak?”, “what will the other team expect?”, “how do we get past them?”

Football is not rocket science and it never will be.  However, great players and coaches are always studying and learning.

I also love football for the fans. As a Packers fan I have a slightly different standard of fandom. You don’t have to be born into your legacy but you must support it with your whole heart. Fans don’t cheer injuries or attack players (especially Twitter) for having a bad play or a bad game.

Fans cheer achievements, even when it’s the opponent. When Adrian Peterson racked up 199 yards against us to launch the Vikings (a team I loathe) into the playoffs I still recognized what an accomplishment he had this year, rushing over 2,000 yards. Fans stick by their teams even when they can’t win for losing. Fans get dressed up and cheer game after game, year after year, loss after loss.

Sure, other sports are cerebral and physical,  but you can’t find a better experience than watching 106 guys find a way to outsmart and outmaneuver each other over a scrap of leather in the cold. No guts, no heart, no glory.

This Ain’t No Winter!

It turns out that when the heat in the house goes out in the dead of winter I just think I have a cold. No joke – I’d put on my hockey sweatpants, a sweater, and a beanie and then thought to check the thermostat to see just how sick I was feeling.

Home sweet home

Despite the thermostat being set to 72, the inside temperature was 64. We’ve flipped all the breakers, re-set all of the GFIs in the house and pressed all of the buttons on the thermostat to absolutely no avail. It’s a crisp 58 degrees in the living room but now it doesn’t feel so bad.

 

Whenever I get cold in Nevada I stop and think about how cold it actually has been – those winters spent in 4-foot snowdrifts in the Wisconsin River Valley or with the bitter wind coming off the Great Plains in Minnesota.  When I was a kid in Wisconsin we had an older house with terrible insulation so most of the winter was spent with an electric blanket and bundled up. Showering and washing my hair was a nightmare but I got through it eventually. When I was in college I went without much heat (if any at all) over two winter breaks thanks to crappy building construction.  This is practically summer weather compared to spending 10 hours a day outside in November and December deer hunting!

 

I won’t lie, the cold can be brutal out here in the desert. Thanks to growing up in the frozen north, though, the heat going out in January is more or less a walk in the park. Bring on the sweater and hot tea!