Are you ready for some football?!

Heck, yes, I was!  Matt and Nigel chipped in on some football tickets for me for my birthday.  Yup, I got to see Peyton play.  Best. Day. Ever.  Matt said he had never seen me so excited about anything in my life.  I talked about it for days.  Weeks, really.  Too bad they didn't win.  But guess what?  Didn't care.  SO MUCH FUN!

 Right on the 50 yard line!

 Oh man, oh man!

THERE HE IS! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just because Matt and I were down in Georgia for Thanksgiving didn't mean we couldn't have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Clearly I need to learn how to cook for two and not an army.

Oh, why, yes, you are correct.  We did use our self-painted bowl for our rolls:



That's me in the back.  I worked until 2 a.m. the night before and had to get up at 8 to start cooking.  I won't tell you when Matt got up, but it was after 10:59 a.m., but before 11:01 a.m.  Needless to say I told Matt to make sure you couldn't see my face because it was not pretty.

Even Nigel shared in Thanksgiving dinner thanks to a rawhide turkey leg sent by my Mom.  He loved it so much he made the rounds of the apartment trying to find the right spot to eat it.  He does that with things he really likes.



We ended Thanksgiving with a trip to Taco Mac to watch the Cowboys game.  Thankfully they won :)

We Fell Down the Rabbit Hole

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"Do you think Howie has dogs?" "What do you think Howie, Curt and Terry do at slumber parties?" "Oh, my gosh, I can't wait for tonight" "Do you think I'll get to touch them?" "Matt, aren't you excited?" "I'm going to lay down and take a nap.  Oh, man, I just can't sleep." "I think I'll bring a camera just in case."

That's what filled the day leading up to "The Big Gig in Wonderland".  My mindless questions and giddy excitement.  Poor Matt was supposed to be having a man's weekend doing an Army training, but due to bad weather it was canceled and he had to come home early.  To me.  Who was obsessed with her childhood crush.  Don't worry, I bought Matt his favorite snack as a thank-you for putting up with me.

During the silent auction that Matt and I were manning - yes, I felt the need to insert another football crush - Terry walked RIGHT BY US.  I could've touched him if I wanted to.  Better judgment kept me from doing it.  Matt was appreciative.  We also were in the scenes on the local news station - check it out if you'd like.

Moving on to our next job - the live auction.  The live auction was actually what Terry, Howie and Curt were there for.  They were the guest auctioneers.  And guess who was assigned the table where the Longs, Bradshaws, Menafees and Londons (UVA football coach) were sitting... that's right, yours truly.  I about peed my pants.  So before the auction started I was able to overhear Terry telling stories about old football games and something about Oklahoma.  I think I was too distracted looking at Howie to pay attention to Terry's story. I later found out he was talking about his cattle ranch in Oklahoma.  Boy, am I glad I was gazing at Howie rather than listening to that!

Once the auction started the boys went on stage and the bidding began.  Our job was to mark who currently held the highest bid by standing by that person and holding up our lighted pom-pom.  After the person won the item we put a flashing necklace on them so that the "runners" were able to locate the winner and take down their information.  Let me tell ya, the Long/Bradshaw/Menafee/London table were big spenders so I got to spend a lot of time with them... even if it was just the wives.  So let's re-cap: I talked to Mrs. Bradshaw, Mrs. Long and Howie's son Chris Long who plays for the St. Louis Rams.  Actually, I got to touch him because I put the necklace around his neck.  He's closer to my age so it was probably more appropriate than if it had been Howie.  I'm pretty sure Howie could be my father.

No, I didn't get to talk to Howie or Terry, but I didn't really expect to have the opportunity.  I was just happy to be breathing the same air as them.  Plus, it was fun to see them as auctioneers.  They were very animated and you could tell they were having a good time.  My long-awaited excitement was quickly coming to an end, but you know what, at the end of the night, I think I got to go home with the best guy there.

There are Unions and then there are Unions

I suppose unions are in the news a lot these days, between the situation in Wisconsin and the impending NFL lockout.  The differences between the two situations are important to understanding the current struggle.  In the case of the NFL, even if you hate the idea of millionaires fighting billionaires, at least both sides have clear objectives and reasons for their actions.  Owners want an 18 game schedule to increase their revenues, while players want to maintain 16 in order to have a better chance to stay healthy.  On issue after issue, the sides disagree, but they are working together in good faith.

I contrast this with a public sector union.  In any confrontation between a public union and government the sides are not diametrically opposed.  If a union desires higher wages for its members, government officials are inclined to agree with them.  Why?  Quite simply, because they do not have a stake in the game since they are not spending the money.  If an NFL owner agrees to higher player wages, that money comes directly from his interests, but a government official simply commits other people’s money.  The taxpayer never has a say in the process.  In fact, the incentives in a public negotiation are even more misaligned because government officials who increase union wages often benefit from union donations during the next election (no quid pro quo there I’m certain). 

That’s why I do take heart at the Wisconsin Governor’s proposals, especially the idea that any raise above inflation must be approved by a referendum of the voters.  That way, the individuals who will be most affected by the higher wages get a say in when they are conferred.  If the voters believe workers are doing a good job, the wages will go up.  By removing the government’s perverse incentive to heighten wages, I believe this proposal better represents the interests of the voters.  Now, if only there could be a vote on the matter…