This past weekend, my online girlfriend, Julz, (HOLLA!), and I went to a craft show. We'd been excited to go and planning on how to ditch the kids for a while. It actually got complicated, and then there was a hiccup in our plan, but inevitably, with enough will power, we found a way to get a couple of hours away to a craft show. If you've never been to a craft show, I highly recommend it. You'll see things you never need nor thought of, like old iceskates with winter scenarios painted on it and used as a vase. Or, 16 different crafts you can do with corn. Did you know you can make a heat pack with corn? You can. You can reheat it in the microwave. Freaky, I know. Interesting, or old pieces of wood scraps with funny or insightful quotes on them. Most of it we walk through and I exclaim, "I have wood scraps at home, I could do that." I haven't a creative bone in my body, so no, I really couldn't do that. But my mantra keeps me from buying all of this stuff, well, keeping it to a minimum at least.
So, we're wide-eyed walking in and out of the school rooms that once educated young minds, are now literally dumbing us all up. I planned it perfectly so that we could go during a Nebraska Football game. It's a town of half a million people, but it's a ghost town during game day. If you're not at the game, you're tailgating outside in the parking lot with your mini tv and keg arranged perfectly on the truck. If you're not at the game or tailgating, then you're either hosting or attending a football party. So, we took full advantage of getting the whole craft show to ourselves. Weaving endlessly in and out of booths and rooms.
And then it happened. Over the loud speaker,
"Your halftime report, Huskers 7, Longorns 16. Second half starts in 21 minutes."
I laughed so hard. We're at a CRAFT SHOW people! Who cares about the frikkin football game, and then I looked around and saw everyone rushing to get home within 21 minutes. It really is crazy here, and I'm almost okay with it.
Julz dropped me off at a bowling alley. No, she wasn't mad I didn't buy her craft show phone jewelry, she was dropping me off to meet the kids and Ricardo at a Bowling Birthday Party. When I got there, it took me two seconds to realize why the kids were playing on the waxed alleys and the parents were okay with it. Instead of all game scores posted, the GAME WAS PLAYING on the overhead screens. And soon, to the kids' birthday dismay, the Huskers had come back to win, only to fumble in the last few minutes, and Texas recovered the ball to score, and win the game. It was just devastating.
Mack Brown, UT's head coach, went back home and touted at what a great crowd and loyal (translation, PSYCHO) fans Nebraska has. As they ran off the field, the crowd chanted "Go Big Red". That's kind of cool. We're just nice folks up here, nice folks in denial. And I guarantee, Coach Brown, before you even left the field, all 82,000 fans in the stadium, the rest at home, and the others at the craft show were speculating what the game plan for next week should be.
That's how I roll.
Hey, You gotta have something........ and that's all there is in this state.
Until our kids get to college!!!
The highlight of the day for me (other than being with you, and marveling at the score being presented via loudspeaker) was when you showed me the stuffed animals dipped in smelly wax. What is that all about? They resembled a stuffed animal that a dog had gotten a hold of and slimed all over. You said to me "These are really creepy, they really gross me out!", and the woman who may have possibly spent hours making these frightening things said "What did she say?". I told her nothing and hustled us away before she heard our laughter. You only get that experience at a craft show. That and truffle on a stick. Who knew? I think next time we should find out where the loudspeaker is and mess with everyone a bit! You said it may be the indicator of what sort of mood their men (or they themselves) would be in when they went home! I will not let the score of a game control me. I will not give in!
Dear Julz & M.O.T.R., you are the only two women I know who could "fight the power" at a craft show. Don't give in to the Red Menace also known as Husker Football!
I have lived in Nebraska most of my life and I still don't understand this phenomenon. The day I picked for my wedding happened to be a game day. About 90% of the people there had small tvs or radios. Phil says that I should be greatful that we got them to put them down for pics!
Believe me, it's almost as bad in Texas. The week before the Texas/Nebraska game, I visited a friend in Dallas & we dedided to get pedicures - while the Cowboys were playing. Being a nail salon, we thought we were safe. Naturally, the Cowboys game was blaring on the tv in the salon and as luck would have it, I got the only male working. Let's just say he spent most of the pedicure craning his neck to see the tv. I thought to myself, hmmmmm... there are very few male pedicurists (or whatever they're called) and tried to remember if I'd ever seen an Asian man watching football before. I also got my eyebrows waxed...the eldest lady of the bunch did this task. Whew, I thought. I wouldn't want Asian Football Maniac waxing off an entire brow because the Cowboys missed a touchdown. So I need to note here that I am very hot-natured and Texas can be very humid, pretty much all year 'round. Being as a "cold front" had cooled it to about 85 that day, the salon owner didn't have the AC on. So my brow was sweaty. Sweet little Asian woman with hot wax could not stop laughing at me for prespiring. So there I was - football blaring on the tv, my eyebrows in the hands of a woman with hot wax and the giggles, and my feet being pruned by Asian Football Maniac. I'm pretty sure I was in hell.
God bless Texas