Oh boy oh boy! It's a commercial for the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Rent! Every time I see one, I just can't help but be filled with an overwhelming sense of joy, well-being, and hope for a better tomorrow. Let's all raise our voices in song!

. . .

. . .

Sorry about that; I just had to mess with you a little bit. Don't get me wrong; I'm a big fan of the performing arts. But something about the music from that show makes me feel like I should saw my hand off, or at least hold it over an open fire.

Let's not talk about Rent anymore.

Eddie Guerrero, jr., the WWE wrestler, died this past weekend. He was 38. It's a shame. I remember seeing his match with Chris Jericho in Lincoln back when I was 18. Jericho was working the crowd, making fun of Nebraska. Eddie told him that he was going to give him "a Cornhusker style ass-kicking." The crowd went crazy. It was awesome, easily the most fun match of the night. At one point during the match, I ran down to ringside with a sign meant to taunt Jericho. Eddie saw it, laughed, pointed it out to Jericho, and gave me a friendly nod before using the distraction to attack. I remember how that made my whole night, and I was a fan of his from then on. He was a guy who had that rare ability to thrive in a business from which it is traditionally very tough to make a living. Vaya con Dios, Latino Heat.

Nebraska beat K-State this weekend. It was a fun game to watch and went right down to the wire. There were some ugly moments, but a lot of young players did a good job of stepping up when it mattered the most. And now we're bowl elligible. We won't go to a high profile bowl, but it's progress. We'll make it to the BCS soon enough. The Big Red will rise again.

And just like that, the season is over, as far as home games go. I can't believe how fast it has all gone by. It really bums me out. It's so hard to get so many of my favorite people together in one place, save for game day. Then again, I suppose none of us would appreciate it nearly as much if it lasted throughout the year. Ah well. There is plenty of fun stuff to do no matter what time of year it is.

The Hulk movie from a couple years ago is on. It flopped at the box office, but I liked it. The Incredible Hulk has always been one of my favorite comic book characters. I think I might pick up a copy of the video game "The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction." It lets you run around and break stuff as the Hulk. How cool is that?

Mike hooked me up with some pictures from tailgate parties throughout the season. Here are some good ones.


This is my brother Tom and his girlfriend, Lesa, before the season opener against Maine. I told you his face would show on this blog soon enough. Hopefully, before long, I'll have a pic of him along with myself, Kirsten, Tom, and Ross. He'll graduate from college this May, and will hopefully be finding a job here in town after that.


This is me with one of my best (and definitely the oldest) friends in the world, Matt, and his wife Renee. They flew up from Houston for the Texas Tech game. Both of them went to Texas A&M, but Matt remains a Husker fan. ;) It was a blast to have them up for the game. Hopefully we'll have a chance to get together again sooner rather than later. If nothing else, I'd like to go to the NU-aTm game next season.


Here I am with one my friends from work, Trista, and her friend Susan. They were both in town for the Pitt game. I don't think either of them had been to a Husker football game before, so it was my job to educate them regarding the traditions and customs that go along with gameday. I'm not sure how well the lesson set in, though. Trista still called me a nerd, which is of course the truth. I think they both had a good time, though.


Here is another of my oldest and best friends, Mike, and his wife, Jana. Mike is the orchestrator of our tailgate parties, and takes a lot of the pictures, too. He always does a good job of it, too. Jana, of course, keeps him in line. Heck, she keeps us all in line. I guess it comes with the territory. (She's a teacher.) Sometimes, she calls me "The Wise Old Oak Tree" because she thinks that my favorite mixed drinks (Tanqueray & tonic and gimlets) taste like trees. I guess maybe they kind of do.


Finally, here I partake in the time-honoured gameday tradition of smoking cigars with Ted, Mike, and Brad. Why, you ask? Because it's just what we felt like doing.

That's it for pictures tonight. I'm hoping to get a hold of some of my folks and some of the extended family, because they are way too underrepresented on this blog. So, Mom and Dad, brace yourselves, for pictures will be taken.

And now, I close with a haiku.

Daytime soaps are wack.
They are so terrible, but
Nothing else is on.