Getting Better

Recovering nicely. I've been to work this week including a trip to Kinston. Although, Jason drove which turned out to be necessary.

I started out with 2 pain pills every 4 hours. Now I'm down to 1 every 4 hours. This weekend I think I'll cut back to 1 every 6 hours.

Infomercials and Internet

Speaking of pain pills . . .

One should be very careful when taking Percocet or any narcotic pain pill. Driving is a definite no no. Also, you should avoid infomercials and Internet commerce.


Although, I must say, I really like my new Cuisinart coffee grinder. It works wonderfully and is well worth the price. At least I had the sense to order the reconditioned one from Overstock.com.*

Also - Going to the State Basketball Tip Off Breakfast will be fun. It's at the RBC Arena Club. The team will be serving breakfast and Coach Gottfried will give a preview of the upcoming season and have a Q&A session. Though why I ordered 2 tickets is beyond me. Even if Jason is here, he won't get up for an 8 AM breakfast. Maybe Chip will go with me.*

And, I would have donated to Obama's reelection campaign anyway.*

*All done the morning after surgery, still somewhat affected by the general anesthesia combined with a double hit of Percocet.

Yankee Joke

Calculator, Laptop and Percocet

A Winning Work Combination

Southern joke:

Q: Why are Yankees like hemorrhoids?

A: The ones that come down but go back up – you can tolerate. The ones that come down and stay - can be a real pain in the ass.

I’ve been suffering from a hemorrhoid for the past 18+ months. It’s been quite painful. Finally, my doctor said enough was enough and I had minor outpatient surgery Tuesday.

Not be too indelicate, the tiny blood vessels were weakened and the tissue gave way to tiny micro cuts (or fissures). The pain causes the muscle to spasm which prevents the blood vessels and tissues from ever healing. Which continues to cause pain – which continues to cause spasms. A vicious, painful, circle. The counterintuitive solution is to make a small incision in the muscle, which lessens the spasms and allows the tissue to finally heal up.

Recovery is typically about 2 to 4 weeks.

JTN came up to drive me to and from the hospital and to help look after me. He’s been a great help.

I’ve been working from home since Tuesday and I plan to go into the office starting Monday. At least part time anyway – we’ll see how it goes.

The surgery pain is different. And constant. I’m not much for taking pills but without the pain medication, I’d be in a real world of hurt. I take two pills every four hours. In ten minutes, all pain is gone. The downside – In 20 minutes I’m asleep. It also keeps me loopy pretty much all the time.

Rush is right - Percocet is quite a drug.

Gettin' Whupped Up On

I don't know what to say about NC State football.

We were supposed to be good this year. Like, really good.

Instead, we've been manhandled by both mediocre Division 1 teams we've played so far (Wake Forest and Cincinnati). I don't know what's going to happen when we start playing good teams.

Our defense has been hit with an unusual number of injuries. But still, we were supposed to have a lot of defensive depth.

The weak offensive line is not giving our QB much time and certainly isn't opening paths for the running game. One bright spot is despite being hurried, harassed and multiple sacks, QB Mike Glennon is playing extremely well. Also, our rookie kickers are doing great too.

I've gone from looking forward to a really great, exciting, season to worrying that the wheels are about to fall off the bus.

Last night: NCSU 14 - Cincinnati 44.

This stat sums up how the game went: NC State - minus 19 yards rushing.

Sheesh.

South Alabama at NCSU

 

We won, 35 to 13. Still, it seems like we're not playing as well as we should. I just can't tell if we're going to be a good team or not.

Weather was yucky - chilly and damp. Had a good time though. We tailgated with subway sandwiches and beer and had a good time hanging out.

Afterwards stopped by Sadlacks but the band was already finished playing and starting to pack up their gear. At 9:30. On a Saturday night.

Raleigh rolls up the sidewalks early these days.

Chip, me, Nuke, Dave.

Overall, a nice way to spend a Saturday evening.

ACC Expansion

Practically no one at the game had even heard that the ACC was seriously discussing expansion with Syracuse and Pittsburgh - who delivered 'official' letters of application yesterday. I figured it was a done deal and the letters were just making it official.

Turns out, that's right. The ACC apparently voted (while everyone was at football games) to expand by adding the 'Cuse and Pitt.

All the sudden, possible expansion of the major conferences (ACC, SEC, etc.) is not just speculation but is now gonna happen. The question for the ACC is who will be members / teams 15 and 16?

I predict that real soon there will be four Super-Conferences each with 16 members.

The ACC, SEC, Pac-(16?) and Big (16 made out of the Big 12 and Big 10). That will pretty much capture the top 64 football and basketball programs. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a fifth Super Conference - but that might be a long shot.

I'd also bet that the BCS will align with the pairings of ACC-Orange Bowl, Big Something or Other - Rose Bowl, SEC - Sugar Bowl and Pac-whoever - Fiesta Bowl.

The BCS bowls could continue as they do now with 10 teams in the the four bowl games plus the BCS National Championship Game. Or - the four bowl's eight teams could make up a final four playoff.

The Big (not really) East will slide down and become more like a top mid-major. Kind of like Conference USA.

Overrated

NC State’s football team is overrated.

Our two games so far have been basically the same. Terrible game plan and execution in the first half - playing catch up in the second half.

In both games we clearly have the better talent and players. But we get man handled in the first and second quarters. The responsibility lies squarely with the coaches.

When you spot the other team a 20 – 6 lead by halftime, that’s hard to overcome in the second half. Still, we darn near pulled it out yesterday at Wake Forest.

Our defense was supposed to carry the offense until new quarterback Mike Glennon got himself established. Well, MG is doing fine. The defense, in the start of both games, couldn’t stop a pee wee team. Especially our defensive secondary. Wake and Liberty passed at will against us in the first halves respectively.

We make adjustments at half time and come out and play really well in the second half. But the way we’re unprepared in the first half is inexcusable. Our coaches had better get their act together.

Notre Dame at Michigan

The Game yesterday was Notre Dame at Michigan.

My goodness, what a barn burner! Three touchdowns in the last minute and 20 seconds. Winning score made with two seconds left. This game will be seen time and again on ESPN Classics.

Both teams wore classic uniforms, a throwback to the early 20th century, 118,000 fans, and a tight, well played game. This is what college football is all about.

The Big House looked awesome under the lights.

9/11

I'm not going to post about today’s anniversary. I’ll let others talk and post.

A heartfelt thank you to my friends FG, JTN and DB for their service in the United State Army and National Guard.

Finally Football +Addendum

State plays Liberty University tonight. Liberty is a strong Top 20 FCS (Division II) team. I'd rather us play Division 1 teams, but if you're going to play a D2 team, Appalachian, James Madison or Liberty will be in the game right with you. (Just ask Virginia Tech).

I think I'll pick up some KFC and we'll do a little tailgating.

Thrilled to see Russell Wilson getting off to a fantastic start at Wisconsin. In the big scheme of things, Russell going to Wisconsin was the right move. If Russell had given up baseball and stayed at State, we'd be sure to do really good. But at the time, RW was still trying to decided if he wanted to play pro baseball or give his full attention to college football.

That put State's next quarterback Mike Glennon (and Coach O'Brien) in a difficult position. If RW had stayed at State, we'd have an outside shot at playing in the ACC Championship and possibly in the Orange Bowl. Or, more likely, the Peach Bowl.

By transferring to Wisconsin, RW has a legitimate shot at the Rose Bowl or possibly even the National Championship. And that gives MG the opportunity to start his junior and senior season at State and to see how far he can take the Wolfpack.

RW at State might have meant us winning 1 or 2 more games this year than otherwise might be expected. But with the total team package at Wisconsin, RW could go even further. And I expect MG will do quite well in leading the Wolfpack.

Watched the TCU - Baylor game last night. What a thriller.

I love college football.

Addendum


The score (43 - 21) makes it look like State in a walk. Not so. In the first 3 quarters Liberty was beating us in every statistic except for turnovers and the score. In fact, Liberty was only 9 points down with 10 minutes left to play.

Our Offensive Line has got to do a lot better job. They have to protect Glennon (3 sacks) and give him time to throw as well as open up paths for the running backs. If the OL doesn't step up their game, we're in for a long season.

Kicking game and defense is solid as expected.

It all hinges on the offensive line.

Link to ESPN Game Recap and Highlight Videos.

Thanks to Chip, Erica and Dwayne for going to the game with me. We did a little tailgating and had a good time.

Firewood

 

Last year when I had my septic field cleared and some leaning trees taken down, I had the tree trunks cut into pieces. Some were stacked in the front yard and some left in the back woods.

I finally got around to hiring a guy with a wood splitter to come in and help me turn the tree trunks into firewood. He split the wood and I hauled and stacked it. Took us several days, working evenings and this past weekend.

Turned out to be a heck of a lot more wood than I had figured. I've measured the stacked wood. There's over 3 solid cords.

For casual use in the fireplace, that's about 3 to 4 years worth.