WHY I PREFER TO WATCH THE CHARGERS ON TV

So we had tickets to the Chargers/Jets game on 9/22, a Monday night game.  I really enjoy watching the Charger games on Sunday afternoons with my family, relaxing in the living room & cheering on our team.  But my cousins were coming from Idaho & they're big Charger fans, so we decided to go with them.  First, tickets are expensive.  We wanted a good view, so we went looking on eBay for tickets.  Ended up buying some really good seats right in the front two rows of the view section (we sat right behind each other).  This was before Favre was traded to the Jets, and we paid over $100 a ticket.  After he was traded, we could have sold them for 3 times what we paid for them.  But we didn't.

Next issue: how to get to the game on time.  The game was starting at 5:30, so I just took the whole day off.  JD couldn't get it off, but he was able to leave at 4:00.  The plan was to meet up with him at Qualcomm.  Well, after my cousins & I drove to the Old Town trolley station & were unable to find an open spot anywhere, we ended up meeting JD at Hazard Center.  We figured they'd still have parking there, right?  Nope.  So we parked in the boonies and walked to the trolley stop at Hazard.  We weren't the only ones there.  One of the girls waiting mentioned that 3 full trolleys had already gone by.  I didn't realize what she meant by "full" until I saw the next one stop.  "Full" meant full - packed very closely together, breathing in each other's faces, some faces almost pressed against the window.  We waited through 3 of those.  A few people squeezed onto each one.  A couple guys at the stop told us they took the trolley to the games all the time & that usually every other trolley was empty so that people could be picked up from other stations (the line starts at Old Town).  We figured out that wasn't happening because it was a Monday, not a Sunday.  They had to get all the commuters home from work, and that was top priority.  I determined I was getting onto the next one, and I took JD with me.  My cousins said they would squeeze onto the next one & meet us in the seats.

The ride was not fun, but it wasn't horrible.  I couldn't move and it was hot.  At every stop, a few more people squeezed in, and it would take forever to get moving again.  We were late to the game and missed most of the first quarter.  My cousins got to their seats about 2 minutes after us and told us the next trolley had been empty.  Seriously?  Oh, well.  The game was good, and it's fun to be around a bunch of people cheering for the team, trading high-fives and all.  But there are always idiots who have to ruin the fun family atmosphere.

There were a bunch of Jets fans at the game.  Good for them.  I cheer for my team, and you cheer for yours.  But later in the game, after all the beer has kicked in, people start acting stupid.  They taunt the other team's fans, start talking smack, get in their face.  There are an equal amount of idiots cheering for each team out there, I'm sure.  They cuss at each other; sometimes they fight.  It makes me sick.  I wanted to throw my overpriced hot dog and water at them.  It really took away from my enjoyment of the game, especially since there were a couple of young kids right next to us.

We beat the Jets pretty soundly, so that was cool.  Now to get home.  We knew the trolley system would have a bunch of empty trolleys sitting there waiting to take people home, so we figured we'd just get on & ride it back to our cars.  Ha!  Yes, there were several empty trolleys, but I think the entire 59,000+ attendance rode the trolley.  It took us over an hour to get on one.  Somebody in line was saying that there are usually a bunch of buses on Sundays but that they don't run for the evening games.  The cars in the parking lot were all gone before we actually got on a trolley!

So . . . the moral of the story is to drive your own car & get there early.  Park in a place where it's easy to get out.  Or maybe ride the trolley from Old Town if it's a Sunday.  And get there early, too, so you know there'll be parking.  Or better yet, stay home & watch the game in air-conditioned comfort, with the snacks you want, hanging with the people you want!!

Visitor from TX, etc.

My brother Roger is here!  Flew in today from TX for a week, so I'm looking forward to catching up with him.  We all had an early dinner together & then he and all the other men in my family left for the Padre game (my mom & I begged off so we could get things done at home).

Went to a movie premiere of Igor this morning with my husband and two nephews.  In case anyone's interested, the movie was really fun.  I only got the tix so we could take the boys, but we all enjoyed it.  I never really enjoy the waiting in line beforehand, though.  But I guess it was worth saving $40 or so. 

Charger game tomorrow, y'all.  Hope I don't sleep through this one.  I don't know what happened to me last week. 

Currently Listening Albertine By Brooke Fraser see related

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

There has been so much going on that I haven't even had time to blog.  Seriously.  Every time I thought about it, I started off by reading & leaving comments on others' blogs, and then there was no time.  So now I'm blogging first, commenting later. 

Not that I've been doing anything really exciting.  Just fun stuff w/friends & family.  Paddle boating in Coronado with my Little Sister, going to the premiere of Traitor (which was very good, by the way), dancing & hanging out at Downtown Cafe in El Cajon while our friend's band Good Mojo played, betting on the horses with money provided by my company at Dunham's Day at the Races (in our own room overlooking the track), using free movie passes before they expired to go see Longshots (very cute), hanging out at the beach with my folks one night to hear Surf City All-Stars and Rockola, and going with a group last night to see a sneak preview of the movie Fireproof.  GO SEE THIS MOVIE when it opens on Sept. 26.  There were 8 of us who saw it last night, and it was funny, sad and powerful (and very well-made).  And if you're having any struggles in your marriage, then it's that much more important that you see it.  Check out the trailers and such at www.fireproofthemovie.com.

Can I just say that I am excited about a fresh start with our high school & junior high groups at church?  Not that things were bad, mind you.  But it's exciting when you have new teachers and helpers and fresh ideas.  I'm looking forward to constantly improving and growing.

Now . . . time to clean out my closet.  Yikes!

THE OLYMPICS

Any free time I've had recently has been spent in front of the TV watching Olympics events.  Love the volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, etc.  How awesome was it when the men won the 4x100 freestyle relay when France was favored (and talking smack)?  JD & I were up past our bedtime (it was almost 11:30), and it looked like we were going to take 2nd place.  I couldn't believe Lezak pulled it off in those last few meters - WOW!  I really didn't think he had time, and I kept telling JD that.  Then I was saying "well, maybe . . ."  Then I was yelling & cheering, and our windows were wide open, and I started to worry that I was waking up the neighbors.    Aw, who cares?  They really should be up watching this!

Have enjoyed watching beach and court volleyball, too.  Not to the final games on that yet, but it's still a joy to watch.

Was getting annoyed at the judging last night during the all-around for women's gymnastics.  It seemed (and the commentators agreed with me) that our girls were being scored lower than they should be and that some others were being scored higher than they should be.  I was going to be pretty ticked if that cost them a medal.  But all was well in the end, despite the judging irregularities, and Lukin & Johnson went 1-2 in the all-around.  Well deserved, ladies.  It was so good that I stayed up until 1 a.m. even though I had to work today.  Hope I can stay awake at choir practice tonight!

Currently Listening Don't Look Away By Kate Voegele see related

SYTYCD and Movies

First, can I just say that we're in the process of evicting tenants in Vegas AND Arizona?  Ugh.  Doesn't anyone pay their rent anymore?

We finally got around to seeing some movies this last weekend.  Took my Little Sis to see Wall-E (her choice out of 3 movies I offered), and we both really enjoyed it.  It's not one of those movies I would rave about and tell everyone to go see, but it was entertaining, cute & funny.  Went with my hubby and some friends on Sunday afternoon to see The Dark Knight.  I loved it, but Heath Ledger was soooo creepy as The Joker.  It's scary that there are people in this world who like to hurt people just because.  It's not just a character in a movie.

Went to the premiere of Swing Vote on Tuesday night with my parents and JD.  It's always a good sign when we ALL enjoy a movie.  Kevin Costner plays a total loser in this movie, and I can picture alot of this happening in real life.  Other than the presidential election coming down to one person's vote, that is.  But it was very good, funny, and thought-provoking.  And I love Kelsey Grammer, who plays the president.

I just finished watching So You Think You Can Dance.  We're down to the top 6 now, and how can I possibly vote?  They are all SO GOOD!!  I love every one of them & can't even tell you who my favorites are.  I could honestly say that I would be fine with any of them winning.  Every other year, I've had a favorite or two, but there's so much more outstanding talent this year.  Every dance was great tonight, and a couple of them were just fantastic.  Samba, hip-hop, paso doble, Viennese waltz, jazz, contemporary . . . how can you not be watching this show?!?  If you haven't watched it at all before now, watch the results show Thurs. night at 9 p.m. and watch the finale next Wed. night.  Don't miss it!