Lounging in the lounge

A couple of random ideas to talk about after another weekend spent in airports…

1) There is nothing like a Chicago airport the day after a Notre Dame home game. It seems like every other person you see is wearing a Notre Dame t-shirt or hat. Seriously, I think about half my plane has attended the game. What is more impressive is that the airport is a two hour drive from the stadium, which just shows how intense the fans are (and how tough it is to actually fly into South Bend). Also, it just gives a sense of how everyone travels from all around the country to attend the game.

2) It’s been a bad couple of months for American sports. We got killed in the Ryder Cup and the World Cup. Our Men’s and Women’s basketball teams can’t beat the countries that we taught basketball to. Heck, we can’t even do well in Davis Cup tennis. But, there is one sport where the U.S. has finally regained its dominance. I’d like to send out congratulations to Phil Pfister for becoming the first American in over twenty years to win the World’s Strongest Man competition. Yes, the reign of terror of large men named Magnus is finally over. You’ve got to respect the winner of the World’s Strongest Man. First of all, he could probably tear your arms off. But more importantly, he is very important to know in case you need to move a telephone pole or lift very large rocks and place them on platforms or pull a truck using only a rope.

3) When I was in Chicago over the weekend they were having tryouts to be on Deal or No Deal. What qualifications do you need to show to be a contestant on that show? That you can jump around and act excited? That you have no concept of probability? That you wouldn’t spend the entire time trying to convince Howie Mandel to put the rubber glove over his head again?

4) Though you can now get a Deal or No Deal home game. I’m not kidding, it’s at stores now. You could literally build the game with an excel spreadsheet. It’s like the toy you get kids you hate.

5) You’ve got to hand it to my Illini for beating Michigan State, thus winning their first Big Ten road game in recent memory. Even better, we planted our flag on the turf at Spartan Stadium, causing the Michigan State players to defend their fifty yard line with more dedication than they did their end zone the entire game. It’s not like I am impressed by Illinois football. It’s been horrible with moments of brilliance since I was a student. But it’s nice to know that we can defeat a Division One team every once in a while.

The five random CDs for the week:
1) Anders Osborne “Live at Tipitina’s”
2) David Ford “I Sincerely Apologize for All of the Trouble I’ve Caused”
3) Jack Johnson “In Between Dreams”
4) 10,000 Maniacs “MTV Unplugged”
5) Terrance Simien “There’s Room for Us All”