There’s No Good Way To Get From Orem To Grand Forks

Every year the team that I’m coaching takes a road trip or two that makes my friends and family jealous. Last season it was when we went to Maui in mid-December, and during past years it has been when I’ve traveled to California, San Padre Island and Hilo, Hawaii. However with every warm weather or unique trip that I take during the season I also take trips that wouldn’t make many those same people very envious. Sometimes these trips are to areas where the weather is frigid and the roads are covered in snow, while others are logistically difficult and require a great deal of travel to get to.

On our last road trip earlier this month we spent 4 nights in sunny San Diego, which is honestly one of my favorite cities and a great place to getaway during the harsh Chicago winter. During that trip I enjoyed the warm weather and spending time exploring the area; however in the back of my mind I knew that I needed to enjoy Southern California as much as possible since our next road trip wasn’t going to be quite as glamorous, or warm for that matter.

Tomorrow we leave for a trip that includes games in Utah and North Dakota, and even though I’m sure those are great places to live I am not looking forward to the cold weather and strenuous travel we are going to endure on the road. When planning the trip several months ago the staff explored many different scenarios in order to determine the best way for the team to travel from Chicago to Utah, then Utah to North Dakota, and then back to Chicago; however the of logistics getting from Orem, Utah to Grand Forks, North Dakota made the trip exceedingly difficult to plan.

Ultimately, dictated by price, flight times and the size of the airplanes we would be flying on, we decided that our best course was to fly from Chicago Midway Airport (which is much closer and easier to get to from Chicago State than O’Hare Airport) at 6:50pm to Salt Lake City where we will be arriving at 9:25pm. Once we get our bags we have about an hour drive to our hotel in Orem, Utah before our first leg of travel is completed. However this initial leg of travel isn’t the part that is the most daunting since I’ve made this trip before and it’s really not that bad of a flight and bus ride.

On Thursday night we play at Utah Valley State University before departing for North Dakota on Friday morning, and with a 2pm game at the University of North Dakota on Saturday figuring out a travel itinerary that got us from Orem to Grand Forks as quickly and easily as possible was a terribly difficult task. The best-case scenario that we ended up deciding on was that Friday morning we are going to wake up the team at 3:30am so that everyone is on the bus and ready to go by 4. An hour later we’ll be back at the Salt Lake City Airport checking in for our 6:50am flight to Denver where we have a layover until 10:25.

After spending a couple of hours in the Denver Airport we fly to Minneapolis where we land at 1:30pm, and if Minneapolis, or somewhere nearby, was the destination of our next game our travel day wouldn’t be that bad; however once we get the charter bus loaded up we have to make a 5.5 hour drive to Grand Forks. Once in town we’ll practice and grab something to eat before getting the guys back to the hotel so they can rest up for Saturday’s early afternoon game. After our game against North Dakota is over around 4:00pm we’ll immediately re-pack the bus and drive the 5.5 hours back to Minneapolis where we’ll fly back to Chicago from on Sunday at 1:05pm.

Obviously a 4-day road trip isn’t anything that I would normally get riled up about since I’ve been on several trips that were over a week-long; however with all of the flights and long bus rides required in order to get us from Chicago to Utah, Utah to North Dakota, and then back home again I am honestly a little intimidated by our travel schedule. In the end this road trip may be more challenging logistically than many of the other trips I’ve taken; however just like every other trip, whether it be to Hawaii, California or North Dakota, the early morning flights and long bus trips won’t seem nearly as painful if the team plays well, which hopefully we’ll do on this trip.

Simple Isn’t The Same As Easy

During high school and college I showed a great deal of interest in physical fitness and nutrition. I began weight lifting in high school and became quite strong during college when I had a lot of time to workout and ate like a horse. After college when I moved to Silver City I began to focus more on being fit rather than strong and thus was determined to lose weight and trim down. Having helped many people lose weight in the past by assisting them in the development and integration of weight loss and workout plans I was well versed in the amount of physical work it took to lose weight; however even though I knew a great deal about nutrition I had never been good at practicing what I preached to everyone else.

During the summer between our junior and senior years in high school my friend Jeff and I began a quest to lose weight, and during the course of the following year we both successfully lost over 30 pounds. At the time I was motivated to begin a weight loss program because I was over 200 pounds and was the most out of shape I had ever been in my life. However years later when I was again trying to lose weight I had a different goal since during college I had put on a significant amount of muscle but at that point was ready to shed some of my excess bulk and fat for a leaner physique and better cardiovascular endurance.

I knew a key change I would have to make to my workouts was to swap my heavy weights for ones where I could do more reps and that I also needed to incorporate some type of cardio. In addition to the changes I knew I needed to make to how I approached working out I also knew that I could do all the working out in the world and not lose an ounce if I didn’t monitor what I ate and how much. While I am by no means a nutritionist or dietician my fascination with physical fitness and nutrition over the years has helped me to develop a very simple, but I think exceedingly effective, weight loss philosophy.

Obviously I am well aware that many people each year lose large amounts of weight by strictly adhering to the rules of the latest fad diets; however while the South Beach or Adkins diets may help people lose substantial amounts of weight I don’t believe they teach people how to eat once they are off of the diet, and as a result most of those same people gain the weight right back. Therefore, since I was leery of turning into a perpetual dieter, I set about implementing the basic weight loss strategy that I had previously developed and recommended to other people.

My formula for weight loss is so straightforward that many people upon hearing it believe that I am over-simplifying how difficult it is to lose weight; however I always counter their questioning of my logic with the fact that even though the strategy may be uncomplicated that doesn’t mean it’s easy to execute. Essentially I think that the best way for people to lose weight is to burn more calories than they consume, and before you jump down my throat about how obvious and ridiculous my last statement was please let me finish explaining my philosophy.

As I previously stated you can workout all day every day but if you ingest the same number of calories that your body burns you aren’t going to lose any weight, therefore for any diet to be successful you need to have a daily calorie deficient (although not one where you don’t eat enough for your body to perform its’ basic functions). In my opinion the best way to continuously achieve this caloric deficit, and also lose weight in a healthy way, is by adhering to a workout routine and eating a balanced diet where you are aware of approximately how many calories you eat each day.

By starting slow and instituting a workout regime to your weekly routine (or adding to your existing one) you are increasing the amount of calories that your body burns, which if done in conjunction with a healthy diet where you reduce your overall caloric intake to less than you burn will help achieve healthy weight loss. Additionally, if you employ this seemingly simple weight loss strategy you will set yourself up to keep the weight off because you are taking control of exactly what you eat and how much, which is something that you can use to keep the weight off and remain healthy for the rest of your life.

Since this plan doesn’t force you to cut out any foods, but rather use moderation when eating foods that are higher in fat and calories, you are making a lifestyle choice to be healthier and not over indulge. When people count their calories they are also more apt to learn about what exactly is in the foods they are eating, gain a better grasp of what a true portion is, and seek out healthier and more filling alternatives to many of the foods in their normal diet. I successfully used this strategy to lose over 40 pounds and keep the weight off for the past several years, and I can honestly say that even though it is simple in principle the strategy is not at all easy to consistently execute.

Sticking to all the elements of a diet requires a great deal of discipline and perseverance, which is something that any dieter knows is developed over time and through great personal commitment to their weight loss goals. When people look at me they often think that I don’t have to watch what I eat because I am lean and workout a lot; however I constantly struggle to put the right foods into my body during the day, and to not allow myself to over indulge my massive sweet tooth at night.

Ultimately everyone has their own issues when it comes to their weight and body image; however it is my personal opinion that as a society we look for too many quick fixes and shortcuts when it comes to achieving the weight loss and physical fitness goals that we set for ourselves. In the end there is no one sure-fire way for all of us to lose weight, but regardless I believe that if you keep things simple and work to change your habits instead of following the latest diet craze you will be able to achieve lasting results and live a healthier life.

I Don’t Care How It Looks Just Try It!

I was very fortunate growing up that my mom would come home from work almost every night and make dinner for the family. Often times she would decide the night before what she wanted to make and then would leave out whatever protein she choose to defrost during the next day. Even during the winter months she would often still employ the grill since the family pretty much ate anything she cooked on it, and there was much less clean up required. With 5 people sitting down to dinner every night there usually weren’t many leftovers, therefore it was incumbent upon my mom to always think up new dinner ideas that the whole family would eat with minimal complaint.

Fortunately, my brother, sister and I weren’t picky eaters, which I believe my mom was indirectly responsible for. Since my mom enjoys trying new foods and eating all types of cuisines she naturally tried to instill that same approach to food and eating on her children. From an early age my mom used sauces and spices in her cooking from different parts of the world, and on Tuesdays, when she worked late and we got to order take-out, we almost always brought in some type of ethnic food.

From as early as I can remember we brought in Chinese, Italian and Mexican food; however the list of restaurants we ordered from included Mediterranean, Vietnamese, Thai, Greek, Afghan and Middle Eastern, and I honestly can’t remember a time when a member of the family had an issue finding something to eat at any of those places. Unlike many of my friends whose families would order in American food, and when they branched out never moved past basic ethnic food staples such as Italian or Mexican, our family was always looking for new restaurants and cuisines to try.

Of course we loved ordering deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s as much as any Chicagoans; however that was only one restaurant in our rotation, and in fact I wouldn’t even say that it was the family’s #1 choice when we ordered take-out. A Mediterranean restaurant called Pita Inn, which was about a 5-minute drive from our house, was probably the family’s favorite place to order in food from with a close second, until it unfortunately closed, being a local Vietnamese restaurant.

While other families were sitting down to a good ole American dinner of burgers, baked potatoes and corn on the cob the 5 of us were chowing down on shwarma, falafel, kefta, humus and warm pita bread. From these global eating experiences I developed a love affair with ethnic food and sampling different cuisines; however I understand that type of eating isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Up until the past few years that sushi has become trendy many people I knew had never tried Japanese food, and even though Thai and Middle Eastern are now more popular so many people still overlook Vietnamese, Tibetan, Indian and Moroccan.

Of course I love a medium rare ribeye steak, juicy cheeseburger and piping hot salty french fries as much as the next red-blooded American; however that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some global variety. Whenever I meet people who haven’t tried many different types of foods I always try to encourage them to explore cuisines that are outside of their comfort zone. So many people restrict their restaurant choices to cuisines that they are comfortable with such as Mexican, Italian and Chinese; however there are so many delicious types of food out there to try that it would be a crime to restrict yourself to the same types of foods over and over.

Obviously it would be a lie for me to imply that I’ve enjoyed every ethnic food experience during my life; however for every not so good experience I’ve had trying a new restaurant or dish I’ve had many more positive ones. In the end you never know what you are going to end up liking unless you take the leap and try it, so I encourage you to find a friend who enjoys eating globally, like me, and ask them to dinner, because chances are they’ll take you to a good place, and even if you end up not liking what you order you won’t have to worry about wasting your meal since chances are also good that they’ll be happy to finish it for you.

15 Going On 65

In high school my friends and I thought we were so freakin’ smart. We were smarter than our parents, we were smarter than our teachers, hell we thought we were smarter than everyone we encountered. In fact, we used every chance we got to try to pull off some childish scam or adolescent con job in order to prove how smart we were or beat the system. Thinking back on that period of time of all of the stupid schemes we came up with, and subsequent fibs we told in order to bring some of those half-witted plans to fruition, I’d have to say that one of my favorites was our senior discount movie scam.

Since my high school was located across from Old Orchard Mall we often went there to hang out after school and during the summer, and in between trying everything on at Abercrombie & Fitch and filling up on samples in the food court we would go to the movies. However, we couldn’t just go to the movies. No no, no. You see choosing a movie to see and them purchasing tickets was too easy and mundane for us, therefore we had to come up with a way to make the movie going experience more interesting.

Sneaking in wasn’t an option since there was only one way into the theater and really no way to consistently get past the ticket-taker guarding the entrance; therefore we set out to come up with a way to get into the movies cheaper or see multiple movies on the same ticket. However even though sneaking into a second movie seemed like fun the idea of watching movies back to back didn’t really excite us or provide much in the way of a daring adrenaline rush, so we decided to focus our attention on trying to get tickets at a discounted price.

I don’t remember exactly when we stumbled onto the (now famous) senior discount movie scam but one day, while randomly buying movie tickets at one of the credit card kiosks inside the theater since the line at the actual box-office was too long, we realized that we could buy senior citizen tickets for $3 bucks less than regular price. Since senior citizens were over the age of 18 the kiosk allowed us to buy tickets to movies that were Rated-R, and since the ticket-takers were often high school kids who really only cared that you handed them something resembling a valid ticket none of them ever realized that we had paid the senior citizen price for our entrance.

We pulled this little scam off at movie theaters all over the northern suburbs and with each successful entrance we couldn’t help but pat ourselves on the back and feel like we got one over on the man. Toward the end of high school we stopped employing this little scheme because the credit card kiosks at the Old Orchard movie theater were often broken, as well as the fact that many of our friends began to voice their opinions that this particular con was childish and silly.

I can honestly say that I haven’t used the senior citizen discount ticket scheme since high school, and when I think about all those times we went to the movies for $6 instead of $9 I can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. Although, after going to the movies recently and paying $12 for a ticket I did check to see how much the senior citizen ticket would have cost; however I quickly dismissed the idea since I was with my girlfriend and she probably wouldn’t have thought the scheme was very mature. Plus, the senior citizen price was only $2 less and if I’m going to look bad in front of my girlfriend I better save more than 2 measly dollars.

It’s More In Your Head Than In The Air

Recently, we played a road game at the Air Force Academy, which is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado a little over an hour south of Denver. Not wanting the players to have any excuses heading into the game we tried to dispel the notion that playing at altitude would be hard on their cardiovascular system by telling them that it was just a myth; however I have made the transition from life at sea level to one at high altitude and know that is no tall tale.

Many of our players had heard that playing in Denver “The Mile High City” was difficult for opposing teams due to the altitude and thinner air, which made it harder to breathe if you weren’t accustomed to it. Even though I’m sure they didn’t know that the exact elevation of Chicago was 597 feet they were aware of the staggering difference between the Windy city and most places in Colorado. Furthermore, they were under the typical impression that the difference would affect their ability to breathe and thus compete at the highest level.

As a coaching staff we obviously don’t want our players worrying about such trivial things that we can’t even control or really prepare for, so in the days leading up to the game we did our best to divert their minds from the altitude and how it might affect their play. However, with each time that I told the players not to worry about it and that it was all in their heads, which I honestly believe that it partially was, I knew in the back of my mind that there was some validity to what they had heard about the different between playing in low and high altitude.

When I moved from Chicago to Silver City, New Mexico right after college the last thing that I was worried about was adjusting to the elevation difference. Additionally, while researching the town and surrounding area I didn’t even take notice of the fact that Silver City sat about 5,900 feet above sea level, which is actually several hundred feet higher than Denver!

Even though I didn’t think much about it before I moved not long after arriving in Silver City I began feeling a difference in my breathing due to the staggering altitude difference. When I walked up inclines I felt myself breathing heavier, and when I weight lifted in the gym I found myself sweating more and becoming fatigued quicker than I normally would during my workout. It took several weeks before I felt like I had fully adjusted to the altitude difference and no longer recognized a difference in my breathing and cardiovascular endurance.

Obviously playing one basketball game in such conditions isn’t worth getting riled up about, and when I would ask teams that came to play us in Silver City if they felt a noticeable difference during the game they would almost always say that they were more aware of it just walking around as opposed to during the game when the adrenaline was flowing through their bodies. Although, regardless of whether there is an advantage for the home team when playing a sporting event in altitude it’s not something that players should worry about or even consider.

From my experience making the transition I think that once I thought the altitude was affecting my breathing that I made it a bigger deal in my head that it actually was. During my two years coaching at WNMU we played at several schools that were located at altitudes of 6,500-7,000 feet, including Paul Wright Gym at Western State College, which is the highest collegiate gym in the world (elevation 7,723), without ever feeling a difference or hearing any of the players complain. In the end I do think there is an effect going from low to high altitude; however I truly believe that how much it affects an individual is more in their head than the air.

Buying A New Car (Part 2): Just 59 More Payments To Go…

Around the first time that I discussed with my parents the reality that after the winter I was going to have to buy a new car whether I liked it or not I began thinking about what brands and models I would be most interested in, and after doing some sporadic and general car research over the past 6-months I had convinced myself that I wanted to buy an American car. Furthermore, I knew that I wanted a compact car that got really good gas mileage but didn’t feel (in the words of my mom) like I was driving a tin can or “tin-canish.”

We began our search the day after Christmas at a local Ford dealer since my dad bought a new Ford Focus a few years ago and that is a car that meets my main criteria. However, the new 2012 Focus’s are more expensive than the 2008 version that my dad bought, and as a result was a little out of my price range. The other compact car that Ford offers is the Fiesta, but after the test drive I felt like it was more of a sub-compact and a little tin-canish.

After getting all of the information from Ford about the Focus and Fiesta we went to a nearby Chevy dealership to check out their compact car offerings. There the first car we looked at was the Chevy Cruze, which I had honestly had my eye on since the car first came out last year. Unfortunately the Cruze was out of my price range so I decided to take a look at the Sonic (Chevy’s other compact car); however my feelings on that car mirrored those I had of the Fiesta.

Knowing that this was a car I intended to keep until I drove it into the ground I wanted to make sure that I didn’t let price dictate my buying a car I wasn’t happy with, so in spite of its’ price I inquired further about the Cruze. The test drive went well and afterward I made my position clear to the salesman who was helping us that I really liked the Cruze but the price was simply too high. He understood what I was saying and then made the suggestion that I look at a 2011 Cruze, which had previously been used as a Driver’s Education Car.

Since the 2011 had been driven a little over 400 miles it couldn’t technically be called “brand new,” and therefore they would be able to take down the price closer to my range. Additionally, the car was the fully loaded top of the line model from last year, and while inspecting the car I was immediately seduced by the leather interior, keyless start and other features I didn’t really need but suddenly had to have. From there we went back to the salesman’s office where he brought in his manager who laid out the pricing and financing options; but even with the money off the car was still higher than my ceiling.

Of course, since I wanted the car and all its’ wonderful perks, upon hearing the pricing I began justifying to myself how I was getting a great deal on the car (which I was), and that even though I didn’t really need all of the extra features it offered this was too good of a price to pass up for what I was getting. Sensing that I was talking myself into the purchase I knew that I needed to take all of the information I had on the car and go home in order to talk the decision over with my parents and ultimately sleep on it.

After spending the night analyzing the decision I went out with my mom the next morning to run errands and in the process called the Chevy dealership in order to set up a time to go in and purchase the car. The manager who had been helping us the day before wasn’t in but the one on duty said that he would track him down and have him call me back as soon as possible. A little while later we finished our errands and since we still hadn’t heard back from anyone at the dealership we decided to go home and eat lunch.

I was sitting in my room eating a sandwich when my mom all of a sudden walked in and asked if I had checked the JD Power ratings for the Chevy Cruze. I was puzzled by her question and immediately responded that I hadn’t; however my demeanor quickly changed when I realized that this was an integral part of the process I had previously neglected. In yet another twist to this car-buying saga the Cruze received poor ratings from JD Power, which honestly shocked and scared my mom and me.

After seeing what JD Power thought of the car I suddenly got cold feet, and by way of more careful research my mom and I ultimately decided that my best option was the Honda Civic. Not only was the Civic unanimously voted as the top compact car on the market, but also was close to my price range and offered good financing. Once at the Honda dealer the first thing we did was test-drive the Civic, and after both enjoying the ride, and deciding that this was the car for me, I let my mom go to work on getting us the best possible deal.

About 5-hours after we had initially walked into the Honda dealership I signed my name to the last form and was handed the key to my new 2012 silver Honda Civic LX. Thankfully they had a good financing deal that allowed me to spread my payments out over a staggering 60-months, the first of which was made today. When this process started I was very nervous about buying a new car and taking on the financial responsibly at a time when my finances are very uncertain; however, like my mom said to me after I expressed that sentiment to her, “Matthew, there is no ideal time for this to happen, so let’s get over it, move on and find you a new car,” which thankfully we did.

Buying A New Car (Part 1): Acceptance Is The First Step

I made my first of 60 car payments today. Well, technically, I didn’t actually “make” the payment since I signed up to have my payments automatically debited from my checking account so that I could get slightly better financing; however that’s really just semantics. The important part is that I made the first payment on my new car, which is a 2012 silver Honda Civic LX. Now, many of you who read my blog regularly might be curious as to why and when I entered the market for a new car, and I promise that I haven’t been holding out on since the time between my old car dying and when I purchased a new one was a matter of less than two weeks.

My old car was a 2004 silver Mitsubishi Lancer that my parents generously gave to me when I graduated from college during the spring of 2006. At the time the car had around 60,000 miles on it but was in very good condition and had never incurred any major problems. Over the past 5.5 years I have driven that car all over the country from Chicago to New Mexico to New Hampshire to Florida and then back to Chicago again, racking up a ton of miles along the way. During the time that I was living away from Chicago I had very few problems with the car; however as the odometer began to climb toward 130,000 miles this past summer I knew that it was only a matter of time before major problems started cropping up.

Even though I had been optimistically hoping that the car would make it through the winter just before the team traveled to Wichita in mid-December the check engine light illuminated on my way to work. Unfortunately I knew this was more than likely the major problem that I had been praying to avoid until the spring, and that point all I could really hope was that the price tag to fix the car would be reasonable enough to justify spending the money. The next day I left my car at the local auto shop that my parents always take their cars to and, regrettably, even before we had made it to Wichita later that day I received bad news.

Since the car had incurred so few problems for so long, and I hadn’t really replaced any parts here and there over time as most people do, I unfortunately was facing several severe problems and a huge bill if I decided to have them fixed. After the initial shock wore off and the impending realization that it wasn’t worth the money to fix the car I started down the road toward accepting that I was going to have to use a large part of my limited financial resources to buy a new car. It helped that both of my parents supported the decision and told me that once I got back from our next road trip to Cincinnati that they would go car shopping with me since it was my first time.

Even though it appeared to me initially that this was the worst possible time for my car to die, since it was the middle of winter and I didn’t have much savings, as the process began I slowly realized that the timing was actually quite fortuitous. You see during the season we have very little time off, and I frequently get out of work late after practice, therefore finding the time to engage in a process as potentially time-consuming and stressful as buying a new car would have been nearly impossible. However, as luck would have it (or at least I would let myself be persuaded in the days after my car died that “luck would have it”) we had a few days off after Christmas where I could go car shopping and, if I was really lucky buy my first new car.

It Was The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year

Up until recently January 1^st was one of my favorite days of the year. Growing up, no matter how late I stayed up the night before, I would set my alarm so that I was awake in time for kickoff of the first New Year’s Day Bowl Game. The night before I would excitedly scroll through the TV guide marking down what time every game started, who was playing, and what network was broadcasting it. There used to be so many college football Bowl Games on New Year’s Day that you couldn’t possibly watch them all and instead had to identify the best match ups and tune into them until another game proved it was more worthy of being viewed.

The first game kicked off at 11:00am with another 2 starting at noon and then snowballing from there with as many as 4 different games airing live simultaneously. It was magical. There were dream match ups throughout the day between teams from the SEC, Big 10 and Pac 10 where storied programs faced off in the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange and Rose Bowls. From 11am until 4pm I would flip from channel to channel in an attempt to watch some of every game and in the process prepare myself for “The Granddaddy of them all,” the Rose Bowl, which kicked off every year at 4pm on New Years Day, and never had any games on opposite it.

Living my entire life in Big 10 country and then attending a Big 10 school solidified the Rose Bowl’s meaning for me, and no matter what was going on or other obligations I had there wasn’t anything that was gong to keep me from watching that game. Of course this was primarily back when playing on New Years Day was an honor for college football teams, and reserved for those who had the best seasons thus earning the right to play on college football’s biggest day and grandest stage.

Before the advent of the BCS, when the polls decided who the National Champion(s) was/were, there were 5 primary games, all played on January 1^st called the “Alliance Bowls;” which included the Sugar, Orange, Citrus, Cotton, Rose and Fiesta. Each of these games featured a match up of different conferences with the most prestigious being the Rose Bowl, which pitted the Big 10 against the Pac 10. After the 1997-1998 season where Michigan and Nebraska shared the National Championship it was decided that the system, which had prevailed for the better part of a century, was no longer good enough and that one true National Champion should be crowed each year.

As a result of this decision the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) was introduced during the 1998-1999 season, and by way of computer polls Tennessee and Florida State were chosen to play in the inaugural Championship Game. Additionally, as a condition of the new BCS system, not all of the major Bowl Games would be played on January 1^st. That year the Sugar Bowl was played on January 2^nd and the Championship Game, which took the place of the Fiesta Bowl, was played on January 4^th. At the time this seemed like a small deviation from the old bowl format; however the new system opened a Pandora’s Box which has eventually led to this year where a measly 5 games are being played on New Years Day, and the BCS National Championship game isn’t scheduled to be played until January 9^th.

Due to the popularity of the NFL January 1^st Bowl Games were bumped this year to January 2^nd since the 1^st fell on a Sunday (the NFL’s primary game day); however when I went to look at the schedule of games for January 2^nd I didn’t even need to write it down. The pathetic list of games began with 3 at 11am (the Gator Bowl, Capital One Bowl (previously the Citrus Bowl) and Outback Bowl), with the Rose Bowl following in its’ customary 4pm slot, and then the Orange Bowl later that night. 5 games, that’s it. What was once a grand tradition and showcase day for college football has been reduced to 5 games, which to me is an exceedingly sad reality.

Of course I am still going to try to tune into the Rose Bowl at 4pm, and maybe catch some of the Orange Bowl at night; however for me the day has lost almost all of what made it great in the past. One day out of the year where you got the chance to see all of the major Bowl Games played was once such a fitting and beautiful end to the college football season, but has unfortunately over the past decade now been deconstructed in the name of money. Sadly the BCS is all about money and has proven that it is committed to doing nothing more than the bare minimum when it comes to preserving the traditions that have previously made New Years Day and college football great.

Obviously I understand that things in our society change, and even the things we love can’t necessarily stay the same forever; however when these things change we always hope that they will change for the better and not just for the sake of change or have their changes influenced and overrun by unsavory alternatives that tear at the fabric of what made them great in the first place. Unfortunately college football on New Years Day has changed, and regrettably it was primarily for the wrong reasons, but in spite of this fact I will still always love college football on New Years Day, even when there are only 5 games scheduled, because that’s at least a symbol that they haven’t taken it away from us entirely, and that maybe, just maybe, someday we’ll be able to get it back.

You Can’t Run Away From Your Mistakes

There’s something that I have to get off my chest. It is a shameful story, that at the time I can honestly say that I didn’t fully realize how truly ridiculous my actions were. However, over the years instead of this seemingly innocuous story fading from my memory it grew into what I now consider to be an embarrassing and sad series of events that I was responsible for setting in motion back on April 1^st, 2006. There have been several times during the past two years that I have been blogging that I’ve wanted to sit down and write my confession; however up until this point I have not had the courage, and instead let the story and its’ events slowly eat away at my conscience.

At the time Barbara and I weren’t dating but were still very close, best friends in fact, and therefore she asked me to accompany her when she ran her first marathon in Waukesha, Wisconsin set to take place on Saturday April 1^st,2006. Since Barbara would do anything for me the least I could do was spend a weekend supporting her while she ran 26.2 miles, and after she agreed to the stipulation that we could stop on our way through Chicago and have dinner with my Aunt Karen on Friday night I was completely on board.

We left on Friday during the afternoon following the completion of Barbara’s last class and drove to Des Plaines where we met my Aunt for dinner at a Boston Blackie’s near her house. From there we drove a few more hours to Waukesha and stayed in a hotel just minutes from the race site. Since Barbara had to be at the race tent for registration the next morning at 6am she went to sleep as soon as we got to the hotel while I stayed up and prepared for an important Sociology test that I was scheduled to take on the upcoming Monday.

Barbara slept soundly through the night while I worked, and eventually I decided to simply stay up and get through most of my studying since I loathed the alternative where I would be forced to spend my Sunday cramming for the exam. Barbara’s alarm blared at 5am but I continued my test prep until just before she was ready to leave. From there we jumped into her maroon Honda CRV and drove to the race site where she registered and began her final preparations for the race.

Just before the starting gun fired I found a good viewing spot where I could see her take the first of my many steps in the marathon, and after I watched her jog by I immediately sprinted to the car and began mapping out the spots where I would try to see her along the way. Since Barbara had told me her goal pace time I was able to pick several points along the route where I could get there in advance and take pictures as well as attempt to provide support as she ran by.

I was able to find her a few times during the first 10 miles of the race and eventually made my way to the halfway point that was marked by a 3-story bell tower, which each participant had to run up and then ring the bell before they could continue onto the second 13.1 miles. As Barbara strode toward the bell tower I could see the pain on her face, so I tried to jog alongside her for a brief time in order to provide some support and show her a friendly face, but unfortunately it was clear that the race was taking its’ toll on her.

During the last quarter of the race her family arrived and I met up with them so that we could travel together to see Barbara a few more times before she finished. Seeing her family with only a few miles left seemed to invigorate her and with about a quarter-mile remaining I was able to sneak onto the path and jog the last straightaway with her while whispering words of encouragement. She nearly collapsed several steps past the finish line and it took her older sister and me to help her into the race tent where she could begin re-hydrating and find somewhere to sit and attempt to relax.

We all sat for a little while in the race tent while Barbara recovered enough to stand up and walk back to the car, and from there we all went to a local restaurant for a bite to eat. In spite of the fact that she had just run for over 4 hours Barbara wasn’t very hungry and instead requested that we get on the road and just stop for something to eat along the way. After saying our goodbyes I gently helped Barbara back into the car where she immediately pushed her seat all the way back to allow for the maximum amount of comfort the car would provide while I took the wheel.

One of the other main reasons besides having someone there for support that Barbara had wanted me to go with her to the marathon was so that I could drive back to Bloomington since she knew that after the race she would be completely spent. Unfortunately, even though my heart had been in the right place when we initially made this arrangement I neglected to realize the effect that staying up all night studying would have on my ability to drive home after the race.

Regrettably, not nearly long enough into our drive I began to fall asleep at the wheel. Noticing this Barbara suggested that we pull over and grab something to eat, which helped me remain lucid enough to drive for a little while longer, but eventually the effects of food in my system wore off and I was once again unable to safely drive. It was at this point in the story where I shamefully was forced to ask Barbara, who had just run a fucking marathon, to take the wheel.

While this was happening I have to believe that I felt some measure of remorse that I couldn’t fulfill my part of the bargain; however it wasn’t until years later where I have become increasingly haunted and embarrassed by my actions. Not only was I severely lacking in character but it was also a sad display of friendship that I asked Barbara to drive that evening back to Bloomington, but g-d bless her she did it, and she did it without hesitation. She didn’t get upset, there was no argument and she never uttered so much as a word of disappointment-only thoughts of understanding and acceptance.

I don’t know if telling this story is going to suddenly make me feel better and vindicate me for my weakness on that day; but regardless since I know that Barbara is never going to hold me accountable for my actions I have come to realize over the past few years that for the sake of my conscience I need too. I needed to get this story off my chest. I needed to tell it, and have someone read it so that they can judge me for how I acted on April 1^st, 2006 because it was despicable, and as a result of telling it I hope that those who read it will shake their heads in disgust for what I did, or rather didn’t do.

Setting The New Standard

Since graduating from college and entering the proverbial real world 6 years ago I have endured 4 exhausting job searches the longest of which lasted a grueling 7 months. That’s a long time to look for a job. Applying for position after position with little to no positive responses will hurt a person’s confidence and test their resolve, and as result of these job searches I believe I’ve become a stronger person; however that doesn’t mean I handled my time in transition particularly well.

I’m lousy at job searches. Not the searching part, as I have become quite proficient at combing the Internet to find all open positions, but rather the part where I am able to function like a normal human being while they run their course. The unknown hovering over my head consumes me as each day I wake up wondering if it will be the one where I finally rejoin the ranks of the employed and can once again be a fully functional and productive member of society; however with each passing day that I apply for more openings my resiliency is tested and I recede further into a protective cocoon of solitude.

While many people have given me credit in the past for persevering through each of my job searches and emerging stronger on the other side those closest to me surely know that while the ends do justify the means it is not by the considerable amount that many on the periphery believe it to be. I take out my anger and frustrations on close friends and family when they are only trying to provide comfort and support-often admonishing their suggestions and rebuffing their attempts at understanding.

Even though I am acutely aware that how I handle myself during a job search is at times deplorable and by no means anywhere close to the standard, I was nonetheless afraid when my sister Sarah graduated with her Master’s degree from Boston College back in May that she would eventually fall victim to some of the perils the process of finding a job would throw at her; however she never did. Whereas my tough guy veneer began to crack from the constant throttling of each rejection letter I received, and ever day that I went jobless, she never conceded to the onslaught of negativity and remained composed.

Even though she graduated last May the process of finding her first “real” job truly began in March and concluded a few days ago (December 22^nd) when she was offered and accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Go Rangers!). Upon receiving the news via text message during a team meeting I couldn’t help but smile at the conclusion of a process so horrible that it literally sends chills down my spine to think about it. Whereas during my searches I applied for jobs and sent out rounds of emails hoping to catch the right head coach at the right moment and thus create a job out of thin air, Sarah actually went on interviews and was seemingly always being considered for jobs.

In fact, she went on so many interviews and came so close to getting job so many times that I almost went crazy, and I was simply a bystander to the madness. She turned in a staggering 17 different applications to Northwestern and another 10 to Lake Forest without getting a job, and was actually turned down for another job at Parkside only a short time before getting the call that she was finally “the chosen one.” However all along she never lost face, resorted to taking out her frustrations on anyone else, and simply kept plugging along.

Day after day, interview after interview, rejection after rejection; in the wake of it all Sarah comported herself like a champion until the day it all finally paid off and she received that fateful call from Wisconsin-Parkside offering her a job. Her first job search lasted nearly 9 months, included more in-person interviews then I could keep up with, and caused her to face more rejection than any non-superhero would normally be able to endure, but Sarah did it.

When this whole process started I would have been willing to bet that Sarah didn’t know she had this type of resolve and resiliency in her, but through it all she consistently showed the true measure of her character, which is something that I always struggled to do and I had 4 separate cracks at it! Her display of character is also precisely why when I got the text the other day that Sarah finally got a job, while I obviously felt happy for her, more than that I felt an overwhelming sense of admiration for how she handled herself during the process, and faced all its disappointments, which from now on will serve as the standard for how I will try to act during my next job search.