What I did last night: Sewing and Innuendo

As some of you know, our dear Riders are in the Grey Cup for the second year in a row!  The Guy is going with his sister and two friends to Ed'ton for the big game.

I am staying at home with Monty and Maddy  and LynnieC and we're going to have a girl weekend.  Poor Monty.  I expect he will hide under the bed when we start putting pink bows on him.

Last night, The Guy's sister, K, came over with what looked like the pelt of Oscar the Grouch.  She also had white plastic type material and some cheap Rider neck warmers which we cut the logos out of.

We sat down for supper and I planned what to do with them.  As soon as I put my fork down, I was up and cutting material.  An hour later, we had the final project.  The THREE of a kind RIDER MUFF!

The muffs in all their glory

These immediately lend themselves to bad jokes, but they are pretty awesome.  And by awesome, I mean terribly ugly, but no one else will have them.

They are trying to kill me

After not bothering to play the first half, the Riders managed to play awesomely the second half and led us through two overtimes.  Finally, they pulled it out at 41 to 35.  Thank goodness.  I'm sure I had a stroke.

Now we're in the finals!  Only one more win to Grey Cup.

I'll tell you, my life was easier when I didn't care.

Sweet Sixteen: the year I found rugby and beat people up

My life in stories can be found here.  Start at the beginning though or you'll think I'm aging backwards.

Is there anything worse than being a teenager?  I mean, other than a parent of a teenager?  I think not.  A friend from high school and I were talking the other day after my year fifteen post and she reminded me that what I thought about myself was not how others perceived me.  And then, she reminded me about rugby.

I don't know what made me try out for rugby.  I don't remember, but what I know that when I stepped on the field I knew I belonged there.  The toughest of the tough girls and the fastest of the scrawny girls gathered together to play a game normally reserved for guys.

It was the first year that a girls league was starting in the city and we took to it with passion.  We practiced our hearts out -- running, tackling, scrumming, laughing.  We had comradery even with girls who wouldn't have spoken with us on the school grounds.  We compared bruises and injuries and tackle techniques.  We were suddenly smiling when we used to act sullen and hide from the world.

I loved it.  I loved the scrum (huddle like thing) where we all interlocked.  I was the 8 Man.  The muscle and power at the back end of the scrum.  I held people up and pushed them forward.  That was my role.  Then, when the scrum was finished, I got to run like hell and hit whoever had the ball.  It was everything I loved all rolled into one.

As a teen, I was angry.  I was angry at me and the world and my parents and my siblings and my school and... well, you get the point.  In rugby, I found a place for my anger and violent tendencies that did not involve getting me arrested.  And I was good at it.  I was big, solid, fearless, and would have run directly into a train knowing I could at least slow it down.  I spent a great deal of that season with major bruising and numerous concussions, but I was happy.

After high school, I didn't get to play again.  I worked two jobs right out of school.  I went straight into university while still working and then moved to Saskatoon for a few years.  It's sad that I have glory days that I look back on, but those moments on the field were the happiest of my teenage life.

I'm the one with the arrow pointing at her head.

Even if I was unconscious a lot.

How I got a Rider license plate

When the Riders announced they were making license plates, I immediately started planning my purchase.  The Guy's birthday was coming up and it would be perfect.

On the day we could finally order them, I got up early (from after a night shift) and headed to the local insurance agency.  I walked in and walked straight into The Guy.  Busted!  He beat me to it and ordered one for himself. 

Frustrated that I had been thwarted, I decided to get one for my Alberta brother.  I placed my order and waited.  FOR EVER...

After some mix ups, they finally sent our plates.  The Guy got his plate which was composed of the number of a good player and the number of the year the Riders won the Grey Cup.  He was thrilled.

And then I opened the one I was going to send to my brother.  And I burst out laughing.  I knew immediately I would have to keep it for myself.  Only a month before, I had turned 34 and the rest...  it was too funny not to keep.  My brother would have to fend for himself.

Inappropriate Rider plate.  All mine.

I'm such a teenage boy that this makes me laugh every time I see it.

Rider fans in Ukraine

I'd heard that Rider fans influenced culture all over the world, but I had no idea!

I want to hug all the Riders. Some more than others.

Tonight was the Grey Cup.  For those who are not CFL fans (like me up til 3 years ago), the Grey Cup is the big one -- the Super Bowl of the Canadian football.

Our team has won three times.  In almost 100 years of Grey Cups.  Do the math.  We're the underdogs.

Tonight, we faced a team with a 15 - 3 record.  A good team.  We knew it would be a tough game.  I didn't expect us to win, but I knew if our boys played well, it would be a good game.  A close game.

If I only knew.

Our boys played well.  They played really well.  They were ahead. Unbelievably, amazingly, fantastically ahead.  For the entire game.  By a lot for most of it.  It was an intense and wonderful game.  We thought we might win.  In the last minutes, the other team came within 2 points of our score.  It came down to the position on the field.  A field goal chance.

They missed the field goal.  We went ballistic.  And then we noticed the flag.  A flag.

Against us.  For having too many players on the field.  A mistake. A miscommunication.  And they got a second chance at the field goal they had just missed.  And they got it.  They won.  By one point.  And we were crushed.

The entire auditorium went silent.  Everyone slowly put their jackets on and plodded to the doors.  People swore and stewed.  Others were silent in their grief.  I just wanted to go home and hide. 

I find it funny in a game that three years ago I wouldn't have known was being played, I am near tears in the disappointment.  Not only for myself, my friends, and the other fans, but for the players themselves.  I feel heartbroken over a game.  Not for how the game was played or what it meant, but for how disappointed those poor players must feel. 

Riders are a strange bunch of fans.  We dress our pets up, we dress ourselves up, we paint our face, we wear watermelons on our heads.  We get married with Rider themes, we name our children after players.  We bleed green.  And tonight, we cry green.



Late addition: Maryanne wrote a beautiful addition to this post about our heartache.  Go here.

Monty says "We're going to Grey Cup!"

He's excited. Can't you tell?

Baby, it's cold outside

In case you are looking for me, I will be spending my Saturday afternoon at the football game. I will be outside. For three hours. In -6 C with a wind. To cheer for a football game. In ski pants.

Sure, it's the playoffs and it will be exciting. I'm just thinking it would be more exciting indoors. With heat. And a hot chocolate.

I like to remind The Guy that my other boyfriend isn't mean to me like this. He likes to remind me that his other girlfriend doesn't complain like I do.



I am participating in NaBloPoMo for November. Why? I hate you. It's true.

Pros and cons of football

I went to my first football game as a season ticket holder last night. After it rained all day, the clouds moved on just in time. It was a good experience and not nearly as bad as I had been dreading. I am still considering buying tickets to Reba McIntyre and Kelly Clarkson's concert just to make The Guy go to something out of his element, but we'll see how it goes.

While I was at the game, I started making a list of things I like and dislike about going to football games.

I like:

• stadium hot dogs
• smell of the ozone coming off the lights
• exciting plays I actually followed and understood (sorta)
• the guy 5 rows down with the homemade combine hat
• little girls with pigtails and face paint
• fire works
• parachuters dropped from a plane into the middle of the field
• the mascot. (Yes, I admit. I think Gainer is funny. Even if he "likes women"*)

I do not like:

• drunk people
• heckling
• booing the visiting team
• yelling "You suck" at a coach or player
• the cost of drinks and hot dogs at the stadium - ($7.50 for a coke and a hot dog. What?)
• drunk people getting louder

I have a hard time with what I consider unsportsmanlike conduct. That was my least favourite part of the game. They say it's worse when Calgary comes to play. I'm going to skip those games. I just think it's tacky and uncalled for. You can watch a game without getting drunk and offensive.

Although, I am new to the sport.


*edit: I forgot to explain this. Janny was at a gas station when Gainer happened to be there. Gainer tried to hug her repeatedly and followed her around when she tried to evade him. A strange trucker who was standing by said to her, "Gainer likes women" in a leery Ozarks kind of way.

More comments from the peanut gallery

Since I have become *shudder* a season ticket holder for our local sports team, I have had to juggle my schedule so I can make it to the games. As I was debating which days I would take off from work completely and which I would simply take a few hours for, I was astounded and a little appalled I was taking time off for football. So, I emailed The Guy to share my misgivings.

My email to The Guy:
Subject Title: I can't believe...
I took time off for football. I would like this to stand as a testament to how much I love you.
B

The Guy's response:
Subject Title: I can't believe...
It's not butter.
W

All sorts of excitement

Saskatchewan is in a bit of a tither. Since the Riders won the Grey Cup tonight, the whole city is in an uproar. I was expecting more along the lines of looting and pillaging, but it turned into a great big neighbourhood party. Everyone was hugging and crying and laughing and drinking. It was a blast.

I went to watch the game at the casino again. The show lounge was filled with Rider fans and one lonely little Bombers fan. He, of course, was with us. But he didn't get beat up which I was disappointed surprised. We had a great time. It was a fantastic game. And yes, I got a little teary when our Quarter Back cried.

Upon returning home, I figured I would get the dogs night walk out of the way. I bundled up and set out to forcibly exercise them and me. I discovered there are many things my dogs do not like about the Grey Cup.

The dogs do not like:

• being honked at
• being cheered at
• having people scream "Go Riders"
• having people come up to give high fives to their human
• sirens of police cars (there were 4 riot squads out tonight)
• people laughing loudly
• fireworks

When the fireworks exploded, Vicki took off at a dead run. It's the first time she's ever led the walk run home.

Hell has frozen, News at 11

Janice has told my secret. Roger is going to die of shock. Jamie is going to laugh her head off.

I am enjoying football.

I will let that sink in before I move on.

• I went to my first game with The Guy this year.
• I am now the reluctantly proud owner of a season ticket to the Riders for 2008.
• I went to the Rider vs BC semi-final game with a group of people tonight
• I not only followed what was going on, but I cheered loudly. So loudly, in fact, that my throat hurts.
• and here is the worst of it... I took time off from work to watch the Grey Cup. Me. Time off from work. To watch sports.

I feel sick. I think I need to sit down.