The Curious Case of Richard

I’m trying to get back to 100% ASAP because there is some weird stuff going on in my house.

At least we have 3 different flavors

1. Boxes of Triscuits are multiplying in the pantry.  Or maybe our local Kroger won’t let you leave the store without taking 5 boxes.  Either way, I’ve told Richard not to come into this house with any more boxes no matter what the flavor.
2. The child proof tops are disappearing on every bottle of Tylenol, medication and even my bottle of Cascade.  It looks oddly like someone has taken a pocket knife to all the lids.
3. Our new camper van is disassembling itself.

Yesterday I went out to the recycling bin in the garage and found this:

I don't think the seats belong here

Several pieces of our van including the 2 seats were in the garage.  So then I thought I better head outside to check on Richard’s new toy.

Richard loves working on his new project

So here is where I should be sitting.

I don't think this would be comfortable on long trips

And here is the ceiling.

We will soon have new speakers up here

Richard quickly explained that he can make it faster, stronger & better.  So for now he is installing a new stereo system, some insulation and I’m not sure what else.  I thought that the van was pretty nice the way we bought it, but obviously I’m still under the influence of my pain medication and don’t know what I’m talking about.  I really need to get well soon so we can start going on some trips and he can stop working on it.  Otherwise we may be the proud owners of the 6 million dollar camper van.

Road to Recovery

About a week after my surgery I turned a big corner on my road to recovery.  Richard called my doctor to find out why I couldn’t sit up, stand or walk without a lot of pain.  The doc said it sounded like my cerebrospinal fluid was low and that I should drink as much liquids as possible.  When you can’t even sit up to drink water much less get up and go to the bathroom, drinking a lot of fluids hadn’t been really high on my daily list of things to do.  But that day I drank everything I could get my hands on.  And the next morning, as quickly as it had come, the pain in my neck & back disappeared.  Needless to say this had a profound effect on my whole outlook on life.

These last 3 weeks have been filled with many firsts.

• 1st trip out of the house – to Lowe’s, of course, with Richard
• 1st time driving – Alex was the lucky guinea pig but I didn’t scare him too bad
• 1st time I made it through a day with only 1 nap
• 1st stroll around the neighborhood – maybe a 1/4 mile
• 1st walk around the Barboursville Park Lake – 2 miles

And while I have been taking baby steps in looking for the body that ran 13.1 miles 3 months ago, Richard has been working on his own version of my Road to Recovery.  Because I’m cracking from shacking and these WV roads are not big RV rig friendly, Richard has bought a camper van for us to take some weekend trips once the weather breaks and I am ready to do some hiking.  I had no idea that this surgery, leaving Richard unsupervised by me, would cost us so much money.  When Richard picked up the van it was running a little rough and when he found a walnut shell left behind by a squirrel in the linkage, Richard knew that this camper van must be named Jim Bob.

The latest addition to the Entrekin Family

But I must admit that I’m looking forward to getting out in nature again and it is great motivation to start back to the gym this coming Monday.  I’m looking forward to some training weekends to get ready for my & Richard’s trip to Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon this September.  I already had to cancel this trip once 3 years ago when I broke my ankle.  I’m determined not to have to cancel this trip a 2nd time!

Richard vs Jim Bob update

Much to my delight the saga between Richard and our backyard squirrel, Jim Bob continues.

Round 7

Richard decided to install one of the baffles over the aluminum pan.

Let's see if this baffles Jim Bob

This really didn’t slow Jim Bob down at all.

Jim Bob eating breakfast the next morning

Round 8

Richard decided to turn the pan upside down.

Richard turning the pan upside down

Because Jim Bob could hook his feet on the lip of the pan, this actually helped him get into the feeder.

This is just way too easy!

Round 9

Richard then decided to put a sleeve around the wire holding up the bird feeder.

Let's cover up the wire

A few minutes later Jim Bob was back onto the wire.

Jim Bob going down the wire

And easily back into the bird feeder.

This is like taking candy from a baby

Round 10

Richard then decided to put 5 pieces of PVC pipe around the wire.

Richard installing thicker pipes around the wire

Jim Bob held on to the pipes with his back feet while he navigated the pan to get into the feeder.

These PVC pipes helped Jim Bob get into the feeder

Round 11

Richard then decided to glue the PVC pipes together so Jim Bob couldn’t hold on to them.

Now Jim Bob can't hook his feet in between the pipes

Jim Bob now loops his back legs around the PVC pipes to get into the bird feeder.

Oh the rewards of not giving up

I honestly don’t know who I hope wins this war, but I hope that the battles continue for months to come.  This has provided a lot of entertainment for me, Tyler & Alex.  But as for the Cardinals that live in our backyard, they are clearly pulling for Richard because I don’t think they enjoy watching Jim Bob eat all their food.

Cardinals on the waiting branch, watching Jim Bob eat their seed

Mayo Clinic

Some neat places we have been

I have a huge map of the United States in our media room and on it are push pins showing the National Parks, beach destinations and college trips we have taken over the years.  So it seems a little strange that my 1st pin for 2012 is Rochester, Minnesota home of the Mayo Clinic.  I have had a pituitary tumor sleeping somewhat peacefully in my head for years.  But during the last part of 2011 this little rascal started growing so much that even I couldn’t deny its existence anymore or the fact that something had to be done.

Monday, January 2

With my parents here to look after the boys, Richard and I load up the  car for the 850 mile road trip to Minnesota.  And let me just say that this was the weirdest weather I have ever driven in.  When we hit Indianapolis there would be patches of snow followed by sun and clear roads followed again by blowing snow.  We saw two 10+ car pile ups and many other wrecks on the over passes.  Richard had talked about driving the RV up there, but I was happy we were in a car.  A car that we soon learned was magic.  The Lady in the Car told Richard to get off the interstate because there was a delay ahead.  Richard and I both looked at each other.  We didn’t think that she really knew about the traffic ahead so we kept driving.  She was right.  And she was right about the next jam. And the next jam, too. Learn to listen to the lady.

Tuesday, January 3

Richard and I have decided that this new car is going to be great for our marriage.  You see I’m a lock your car even if it’s sitting in your driveway kind of girl.  Richard is a leave the keys in your vehicle kind of guy.  So when are taking a road trip I’m always nagging him about locking the car when we get out and unlocking the passenger doors when we are loading back up.  So with this car I keep a key in my purse and with a touch of the door handle I can lock or unlock the whole car.  Trust me this is important when it is 14 degrees and the wind is blowing 30 mph.  Not one time on this entire trip did I have to say anything to him about the car doors and we were both happy about that.

We arrived in Rochester around 3:00 and decided to find the location of my 8:00 am appointment tomorrow.  Our hotel is connected to the skywalk/subway, a pedestrian walkway connecting hotels, shops, restaurants and of course the Mayo Building.  This is especially nice if you are in Minnesota in the winter time and meant that Richard and I didn’t need to wear our coats, gloves or boots once we checked in to the hotel.  After a 10 minute walk we find the desk where I will check in to start this whole process.  We had dinner at a place called Chester’s that was fantastic and head back to the hotel to try to get some sleep.

Wednesday, January 4

Well, O.K. I didn’t really think I was going to get a good nights sleep.  At a few minutes after 8 Richard and I are called back to meet the endocrinologist.  Two hours later they are convinced that I need surgery ASAP and hand me a sheet of paper with my appointments for the day:

10:00  Complete Bloodwork

11:00 Chest X-Ray

1:00  Consultation with Neurosurgeon

1:40  EEG

2:55  MRI

It would have taken me a month to schedule all this at home.  Richard and I never had to wait long for any of these appointments except for the one that we showed up an hour early because I forgot we were on central time.  Everyone that we came into contact with was so friendly that I think the Mayo Clinic must ship employees down to Disney World for customer service training before they start working here.  I also know now that my surgery will be tomorrow and I have a follow-up appointment with the endocrinologist at 11:15 on Friday since 50% of the people having  Transsphenoidal Surgery get out in one day.  Well Richard is helping me stay positive that I will indeed be in that 50%, but we almost laugh at the scheduler who actually thinks that I will get busted out of the hospital and get over to the Mayo Building by 11:15.  But we don’t because we have never experienced a business model like this where the team of people you need are assembled so quickly and the procedures that you need are scheduled so quickly. We eat dinner at Chester’s again (yes it’s that good) and head back to watch the Clemson vs West Virginia game and try to get some sleep even though I have to report to the hospital at 5:45 in the morning for my surgery.

Thursday, January 5

After a 3 hour surgery of going up my nose to suck as much of this tumor out as possible, I find myself waking up in recovery.  The nurse asked me if my heart rate was really low.  Apparently it hovered around 40 for the entire operation and was quite a topic of conversation for my surgical team which included 2 anesthesiologists, an Ear/Nose/Throat guy, my neurosurgeon and a host of nurses.  After an hour in recovery they wheeled me to my room where Richard was waiting on me.  Richard takes a red A off my door and carries it into my room.  I think maybe its a Scarlet Letter providing some insight into my surgeon’s morals.  But it turned out that it was far worse than that.  It was an A for Alabama.  I was thankful that I didn’t know he was a Bama guy before the surgery.

I must admit that Thursday afternoon was a bit of a blur.  The pain meds are working pretty well except that my mouth is so dry that my tongue is sticking to the side of my mouth.  I can’t go more than 10 minutes without a sip of water.  This continues into the night and in spite of being jacked up on pain meds I can’t sleep more than 10 minutes at a time.  I’m pretty sure it was the most miserable night I have ever had.  Somewhere in the middle of the night I look over to Richard who decided to sleep on a roll away bed in my room (instead of our nice hotel bed) and eat hospital food for dinner (instead of going to one of the nice restaurants nearby).   Twenty-two years ago Richard stood in front of God, our family & friends and said that he would take me for better or worse and in sickness and in health.  It occurs to me that he must have meant it.

Friday, January 6

I don’t have a cerebrospinal fluid leak (40% of patients) or diabetes insipidus (10%) so I am in that lucky 50% of patients that can be released the day after their surgery.  However, I have developed a severe pain in my neck and the only relief that I can get is to lie on my side.  So I get another dose of pain medication, have blood drawn for a complete post surgery workup so we will know how my pituitary gland is working, meet with 3 of my doctors and leave the hospital by 10:15 am.  This gave Richard and I plenty of time to make our 11:15 meeting with the endocrinologist who give us the O.K. to leave Rochester.  We had lunch, got my prescriptions filled and headed home.

No matter how far I lean the passenger seat back I cannot tolerate the pain in my neck, so I have to lie down in the back seat.  Thank goodness Richard has the Lady in the car to help him navigate home.

Saturday, January 7

I still can’t sit up so it’s back to back seat for me.  Richard and the Lady in the Car had a horrible argument.  It seems that Richard wanted to go home on a route that took us by a RV dealership and the Lady in the Car wanted us to go the route using the most interstates.  Neither of them would give in to the other.  And since this is a G rated blog, I’ll just leave it at that.  Around 6:30 pm Saturday night we pull in to the garage.  Six days, 1700 miles, 7 states, 1 surgery – no wonder I feel like a truck hit me.

Sunday, January 8

And now I wait.  Wait to see how the headaches, vision & hormones settle out.  Wait for this body that God gave me to begin the process of healing itself.

2011 in a (JimBob) Nutshell

I hope that everyone has had a great year.  Here is a little summary of the Entrekin’s 2011.

Family vacation at Disney World

The year 2011 began with Tyler flying back to Texas and I was trying to be a good sport.

   With his new roommate forging his checks & driving his car, his visit was cut just a little short.

I don't really want Tyler to leave

In March Richard & I drove the RV to Bristol Motor Speedway to watch NASCAR.

   Where going shirtless or wearing a tank top is O.K. no matter how much you weigh or how old you are.

Waiting for the race to start

St. Joseph High School sponsored a golf scramble in May.

   My Dad & two buddies, Marvelous Marvin and Average Avery, drove up from Tennessee just to play.

Above Average Avery, Dad and Marvelous Marvin

Avery made some long putts & was upgraded to Above Avg. while Marvin sampled snacks before every shot.

   My Dad led Team Tennessee to a round of 10 under par.  We won 7 prizes and took the 4^th place slot.

Marvelous is already on a first name basis with all the snack ladies

Alex was accepted to Harvard’s summer school and signed up for Creative Writing and Philosophy.

   The fact he would be 796.61 miles away for 7 weeks didn’t exactly make me jump with glee.

Jim Bob, the backyard squirrel, likes to eat from the bird feeder which is no easy feat.

   Even though Richard has engineered 6 iterations, Jim Bob has proven that he still can’t be beat.

Jim Bob wasn't even slowed down by Richard's green wire

Tyler decided to move to WV and he & Richard loaded up the CRV and drove home on June the third.

   Now he works for Kroger, studies graphic design & is a proud member of Marshall’s Thundering Herd.

My favorite produce guy

In June we flew to Disney World and stayed at our favorite hotel, The Polynesian, for a week.

   The high point, quite literally, was when we were stuck on the coaster Expedition Everest at its peak.

Our 2nd stay at the Polynesian

For family movie night I learned to pay closer attention to the movie ratings so I didn’t turn pink.

   While the boys’ picks had good music, cool action scenes and great messages like our 2011 favorite Ink.

Family movie night

At the end of June we loaded up in the car for a 7 state, 1651 mile road trip to the Northeast.

   We spent a couple of days in Philadelphia so that the drive there wouldn’t be such a beast.

Alex at the Liberty Bell

We saw the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin’s home and toured U Penn with 126 other prospects during our stay.

   And for dinner we ate an authentic Philly Cheese Steak at an outdoor café.

Eating Philadelphia Cheese Steaks in Philadelphia was a big hit

Then it was off to Cambridge to get Alex settled into Greenough dorm.

   In less than 5 minutes Ty, Richard & I were dismissed and I wondered if this was the norm.

Alex's home for the next 7 weeks

Ty wasn’t thrilled with his introduction to a roll away bed, but all was forgotten as we ate Boston Crème Pie.

   Then Sunday morning came and I was filled with dread as we stopped by Harvard to tell Alex goodbye.

So this is a roll away bed

Alex’s Creative Writing class published a book of short stories for us to see.

   And he signed up for several Psychology experiments to pay for his many Starbuck sprees.

Duggan Entrekin's book

Meanwhile back in our neighborhood’s common space Richard & I picked blackberries that were finally ripe.

   Do we live on the street?  Are we going to save her any?  The Blackberry Police did gripe.

This looked like shared neighborhood space to me and Richard

In August Alex came home with two A’s and weighing 20 pounds less.

   When he figured out he had only 1 day of summer vacation left he was a little distressed.

Back from summer school with 1 whole day till his Senior year starts

In September we met my Dad at The University of Tennessee for college visit number six.

   When we were stranded for an hour in the hot sun I felt like this wouldn’t be Alex’s first pick.

I think Alex looks good around Orange

Alex is a National Merit Semi Finalist & the colleges have cluttered our mailbox with 9 inches of mail.

   Will he get into his early decision choice, Harvard, only time will tell.

Our mailman has really been busy

I had an orange feather put in my hair to bring good luck to the U Tenn football team was my reason.

   I even went to 2 home games with my Dad but with all of this we still couldn’t salvage the season.

Grandpa & Alex walking to Neyland Stadium

This fall Richard & I took the RV on some rig unfriendly roads to Watoga State Park.

   We hiked, mountain biked, ran the trails and were passed out each night in our bed by dark.

Green Briar Rail Trail

In November Richard ran the Marshall Marathon while I did the ½ & somehow I ran the whole way.

   We took Advil, sat in the hot tub, & I shaved my legs to cut down on wind resistance to prepare for the day.

Crossing the finish line

Richard bought me a new car & now I finally have a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles.

   Even though we only had it for a week, I’m afraid that Alex has almost worn out all the dials.

If this knob can live up to 1 month of use by Alex, it should go down in automotive history

After a year in our new house, I only have 4 boxes to unpack and that shouldn’t take much time at all.

   Which is great because I have to train for my & Richard’s Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon trip next fall.

College Visit #7 – Duke

Alex on Duke's campus

The latest leg of the Great College Search took us to Durham, NC this past weekend to visit Duke.  I was really excited about this visit because it would be the first road trip that we have taken in my new car.  And this is not a new to me car, it is a NEW car.  Yes, the Entrekins now have a car in their fleet with less than 100,000 miles.

Richard and I went to pick up the car in Charleston on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  As he was driving it home on the interstate, however, he noticed that there was a vibration.  Well part of the reason we bought a new car was for it to be perfect and also so Richard could take a little break from Car Wars.  So on Sunday we drove back to Charleston to leave the car at the service department.  The service lady called Richard on Monday and told him that they had found a rock in one of the tires and everything was great now that they had removed it.  Richard told the lady to have someone drive the car on the interstate before declaring it O.K.  On Tuesday a man called Richard and told him that 2 tires were out of round and that he would have to order new ones.  The car would be ready on Thursday.  Richard and I decided that we would just swing by Friday morning on our way to Duke and pick up the car.  As we neared Charleston Richard called and found out that the car wasn’t going to be ready until after lunch.  Richard just kept on driving to NC.  He is taking this surprisingly well.

As we drove through the south part of WV I’m shocked to see some snow.  Yes, I did hear on the news that they had some snow but I wasn’t mentally prepared to actually see the white stuff.  As we are heading down the interstate Alex has a little shock of his own.  He had downloaded a new album from iTunes so he would have some new music for our 6 hour car ride.  When he cranked up his iPhone he discovered that the only music he has is the new album – minus the first two songs.  Needless to say this put my teenager in a bad funk.  This has been just a swell trip so far.

We reached our hotel and decided to walk around and explore Durham.  The sun was starting to set, the wind was blowing and there was definitely a chill in the air.  Richard, Mr. Former Scout Leader, realized that he had forgotten his coat.  I happened to bring a coat and a purple jacket.  I’m wearing my coat, but I offered my jacket to Richard.  He says no, that he will be O.K.  I’m thinking that if he gets cold enough that he will change his mind.  Well thank goodness he fathered young Eagle Scout Alex who announced that he has brought 2 jackets.  Richard quickly borrowed his jacket and we are on our way.

Alex's 2 jackets exploring Durham

After walking around for a while we still weren’t very hungry and decided to have a soup & salad at the hotel. 

A tall drink of water for a tall drink of water

The food was good but the service was lousy.  But that was O.K. because we were not in a hurry and it gave us time to catch up on the week.  We talked about Alex’s welcome speech he gave for the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in West Virginia on Thursday night.  Mrs. Scaggs, after hearing him speak at the Rotary Club luncheon, didn’t give him much input as to what he should say in his speech.  So, Alex said that he was equally flattered and unprepared to welcome the crowd.  He also spoke of how he selected St. Joe when we moved to WV last fall.  He said that he had found a room full of kids playing chess and eating Chinese takeout.  These are my people!  I’m still amazed how he can get up in front of a crowd with no notes, no practice and deliver a witty and heartfelt speech.

Alex off to speak at WV Catholic School Meeting

We attended our information session on Saturday morning and toured the campus.  The West Campus was beautiful and it reminded me of Hogwarts.  After this visit I’m still not sure where Duke is on The List.  I’m also not sure where Alex is on Duke’s list because the SAT scores are pretty impressive for incoming Freshman.

Touring Duke's West Campus

And what trip would be complete without a visit to a RV dealership.  Alex told Richard that we already have an RV.  I guess that Richard and RVs are like me and houses – it’s fun to look at them even if you are not in the market for one.  But quite honestly with Richard  I’m never 100% sure if we are in the market or not.  As we loaded up in the car to head home the service department lady called back to see when we are going to pick up our car.  Richard told her that we were 6 hours away – we would be there around 9.  I saw that Free Pizza look on his face.  (Yes, years ago Richard did actually get us a free pizza for dinner with only a look.)  I guess that she didn’t want to work till 9 p.m. on a Saturday night.  She arranged to have the car delivered to us on Monday.  I guess that you can sometimes see the Free Pizza look even over the phone.

Name That Tune

It all began as an innocent dialogue between me and Alex.  But by the time it was all said and done, I’m afraid that we have ruined the holiday shopping season for Richard.

In past years I would hear a song on the radio that I liked.  I wouldn’t know the name or the artist and sometimes I would never hear it again on the radio.  I would tell Richard all of the lines from the song that I could remember and by some miracle the CD would end up in my stocking on Christmas morning.  Richard would later tell me stories of going to different stores and reciting lines to a song he has never heard to different clerks until he discovered the name of the mystery song.  I was always amazed that he could figure out the correct song and I think that Richard actually enjoyed the challenge of the whole thing.

Well a month ago I heard a song on the radio that I thought would be a good addition to my workout playlist.  As Alex and I were driving to school one morning I told him how I had heard this rap song and that I really liked the “unrap” part of the song.  But I was sure that I would never hear it again because I don’t often listen to radio stations that play that kind of music.  Alex just looked at me and told me to Google it.  So I had to explain to him that I had no idea what the name of the song was or who either of the artists were.  I just thought I heard something about the streets in New York.  Again, Alex just looked at me and said Google any phrases I could remember and type lyrics after them.

So for a lark I googled “streets of New York lyrics” and up came a song by Alicia Keys.  I looked at the words and decided that this was not the song that I had heard.  Then I looked at the bottom of the page and under related searches I see “Empire State of Mind lyrics”.  I click on this and discover that this was the song I had heard.  I click on my Itunes store and download the song to my Iphone.  The whole process takes less than 5 minutes and I didn’t even have to buy the whole CD. 

Sweet!  Except for now with the thrill of the challenge to Name That Tune gone, how and I going to get Richard excited about shopping this Christmas?

Marshall 1/2 Marathon

Last Sunday I ran my personal Best Time in the Marshall 1/2 Marathon.  Of course since I had never ran anywhere near 13.1 miles before, my time could have been 2 days, 14 hours and 5 minutes and it still would have been my personal best.

Even though my knee kept me from training like I wanted to, I did take my pre race day preparation seriously.

• Richard & I began the day with a healthy dose of Advil and a trip to the hot tub.
• I shaved my legs so that the wind resistance from my long leg hairs wouldn’t slow me down.
• I drank gallons of water even though it meant that I had to get up 2 times to go to the bathroom Saturday night.
• I didn’t eat any Halloween candy so I wouldn’t have to carry an extra pound for 13.1 miles.
• I dusted off, updated & charged my old iPod.  I didn’t want to damage my iPhone in case I fell down from exhaustion during the middle of the race.

Since the storage building for our RV was about 2 blocks from the starting line of the race, Richard and I decided to spend Saturday night in Junior.  That way we could sleep in an extra 30 minutes Sunday morning and I would have a place to shower & change clothes while I waited on Richard to complete the full marathon.  I did decide then that my goal for Sunday was to complete the 1/2 marathon before Richard completed the full marathon.

Richard is ready to run with his fancy wind breaker on

The temperature at the 7:00 a.m. start was 40 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky.  Approximately 1200 racers began the course that had the 1/2 marathon runners completing 1 loop while the full meal deal guys had to make 2 laps.  Here is how my race went:

• Mile 1:  I was passed by a 60 something race walker.  I never saw him again.
• Mile 2:  I passed by our RV but resisted the urge to abandon the race although I had the key in my pocket and Richard would have never known.
• Mile 3:  I figured out that I can’t drink water while I run even though runners on TV had made it look easy.
• Mile 4:  I figured out that I can’t eat while running without getting seriously choked.
• Mile 5:  I calculated that I was running 12:30 miles which is exactly where I wanted to be.
• Mile 6:  This was the hilly portion of the course, but I managed to run up all of them.
• Mile 7:  I left behind the 2 girls I had been running with.
• Mile 8:  I counted only 14 runners behind me – not exactly a number that inspired me.
• Mile 9:  I was energized because I had never ran this far before.
• Miles 10:  I started to wonder when the gut check would come.
• Mile 11:  Gut check time came.  Parts of my body hurt that I didn’t even know I had.  I kept on running.
• Mile 12:  High 5 Richard as he starts on his 2nd lap.
• Mile 13:  Get passed by the winner of the whole Marathon.  But I fend off the 2nd place finisher.
• Mile 13.1:  Run into the Marshall football stadium to cheers from the crowd.

Richard finished the marathon in 4:31:57 and came in #299 out of 422 runners.  This is probably the fastest Richard has ever made it through downtown Huntington.  You can always count on him to catch about 90% of the traffic lights when he is driving.

Never been so happy to see the Marshall football stadium

 I finished the 1/2 marathon in 2:43:13 and came in #552 out of 621 runners.  And even though 85% of the people finished ahead of me, I couldn’t have had a better day.

My first 1/2 marathon

West Virginia University

Alex’s short list of prospective colleges is now down to 17.  And with the deadline for most applications less than 2 months away, I’m not sure how I’m feeling about our progress.  We have visited 6 campuses and 3 of those are no longer on “the list”. 

Last night Alex was invited to a reception by WVU in Charleston for the National Merit Semi Finalists in WV.  Even though it is not as good as a campus visit it was less than an hour drive, they fed us and it did give Alex a chance to learn more about the university. 

I think this is Business Casual

I was a little worried that we might be underdressed.  But as we pulled into Berry Hills Country Club I saw someone in shorts and told Alex that he was dressed O.K.  Then I realized that the guy in shorts was a golfer and not attending our meeting.  We walked in and in 2 minutes realized that WVU sent all the big guns to this party.  Alex really enjoyed speaking with the head of the honors college and the head of the law school who told him that there was a need for patent litigators which sounded right up his alley.  Most notable for Richard was the head of the Engineering department where they discussed the future of big engines.  He gave us his card and promised to give Richard a “back lot tour” if we came to Morgantown.  A lady introduced herself to me as a Provost.  I’m not sure exactly what that is, but it sure sounded important.  Alex cut in front of one WVU staffer in the food line.  He introduced himself as the President of WVU.  Later I told Alex so much for getting into this college.

The staff and current students spoke after dinner and we really enjoyed our evening.  I was thinking that WVU might have moved up on “the list” after this evening.  When they gave Alex a goodie bag and cookies as we left I am sure they are now at least a few spots higher.

Cool cookies that tasted great

UT vs SC

Richard and I spent last weekend on the farm with my Dad in Tennessee.  Other than getting beat by South Carolina, we had a great visit.  I did, however, find myself reflecting on how different the whole football game experience is now that I’m a more “mature” fan.

Dining

Since it was a 7:15 p.m. kickoff we decided to eat an early dinner at Ye Old Steakhouse.  Come to think of it, we can always find a good time to eat here – no matter when the game starts.  Unlike our visit here before the Montana game, we actually got to sit in the front room even though Richard was not wearing any orange yet again.  When it came time to look at the menu, we had to pass around Richard’s reading glasses.  Although I want to go on record as being able to read up close with my left eye so I haven’t had to buy any readers yet!

Maybe someone will get me a Tennessee hoodie for Christmas

Richard was even mistaken as a Kentucky fan on the way home Sunday.  How embarrassing!

Parking

Our parking spot was literally 5 minutes from our seats.  No walking 5 miles to save $10 or traversing railroad tracks to get to the game.  This was definitely a change that I could learn to live with.

Alma Mater

When you go to a SEC football game, every fan knows the words to their fight songs like Rocky Top.  But the Alma Mater, not so much.  For years my Dad would stand beside me and sing something although I am sure it was not the correct words to the song.  Last Saturday night standing by my Dad, I listened to him belt out the UT Alma Mater like never before.  Not only was his singing voice pretty good, I actually think that he got all of the words right.  I wonder if he hasn’t secretly found a web site with the words and practiced them before the game??  The lady standing on the other side of him even complemented my Dad on his fine singing.  I hope she hasn’t created a monster.

Tweeting

My Dad commented that Tyler Bray, Tennessee’s injured quarterback, had tweeted that he wanted a Black Out.  Well, since I’m not on the Twitter I didn’t know this and therefore had on just my Orange.  As I looked around the student section I noticed that almost all of them were mostly in black.  But since I was sitting in a section with more “mature” fans who obviously don’t tweet either, I was in good company in my Orange.

We still have the best band

Shopping

On the way back home Sunday Richard and I stopped by a Cracker Barrel to eat breakfast.  While browsing through the store we noticed that all the UT stuff was 25% off.  Since I can’t find much UT stuff here in Huntington, I picked out a hoodie & wind breaker to purchase.  I started to ask the sales clerk if the UT items were on sale because the season was almost over or because of the terrible record they have this year.  Then I decided that I really didn’t want to know the answer to that question.