I will never ever root for Ohio State (or Michigan)

I realize I haven’t posted on this blog in approximately forever, but with Auburn winning the national title and all the SEC people crowing about how great the conference is, I’ve had enough.  You see, I think that is patently ridiculous. I can’t just root for every team in the Big Ten.  I’m a proud graduate of Penn State and guess what that means? I’m a Penn State fan, not a Big Ten fan.  I really could care less that the Big Ten had a crappy bowl record this year.  I just want my alma mater to do well (which they did not so much do this fall).

Now of course there are certain Big Ten schools that I don’t mind and am rather indifferent to – Northwestern and Purdue come to mind – but there are others that I will never root for, not in a million years.  I’m sure you can guess what schools those are – Ohio State and Michigan. I hate both places with the fire of a thousand suns. I was happy to see Michigan get embarrassed by Mississippi State and only wish the same fate could have befallen Ohio State in their bowl game.  Even if Ohio State had been playing in the national title game, you bet your ass I wouldn’t be rooting for them.  The thought of even thinking that makes me feel like a traitor to the blue and white.

I can’t possibly be the only sports fan that feels this way.  Why would an Alabama fan actively root for Auburn to win the national title? Don’t those schools hate each other? If anything, you would think they would want Auburn to lose solely out of spite.  Isn’t part of being a sports fan hating your team’s rivals (and always hating them)?  I just don’t understand the ‘root for the conference’ mentality. It’s absurd.

Like vs. love

Whenever I think about like vs. love, I’m reminded of that scene from from 10 Things I Hate About You (the movie, not the crappy spin-off TV series) when Bianca says “There’s a difference between like and love because I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack.”

ANYWAYS, the point is that just recently one of my close friends made quite the life changing decision to go to school for something she loved.  Prior to this, she had been going for something she liked, but wasn’t crazy about.

I am so proud of her for doing this because it’s a very tough decision to make.  Also, I think she will be AWESOME at her new chosen major/future job.

My talk with her got me thinking…do I love what I do?  I know that I like it, at least for the most part.  But I definitely wouldn’t say that I love it.  I’m definitely grateful to be doing a job that I like, but it’s not completely fulfilling.  I do sit at a desk a lot more than I anticipated and that’s not really my style.

Coming to the realization that I don’t love what I do has kind of thrown me for a loop.  I do know what I would love to do based on experiences I’ve had.  I love sports (this is clearly a duh statement for anyone who knows me) and I love working with kids.

It all started with a summer job as a swim coach.  Best job ever.  Seriously.  Granted, getting paid what worked out to less than a dollar an hour is not financially feasible, but the kids, the other coaches, the variety, the sun and the fun made it all worth it.

As some of you know, I taught middle school in Baltimore for a year.  It was a horrible year overall, but there were some good times too.  Some of the best memories I have are the after school lacrosse lessons I gave some of the girls.  It was so fun to teach them about a sport I loved and get to bond with them on a different level.  If I could’ve just coached them and not had to worry about the teaching part of things, I would’ve been a happy camper.

And now, I’m coaching an Under-7 soccer team. The kids are full of energy and love to run around.  It’s a little crazy, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Anyways, the point is that working with kids in a sports environment makes me happy.  There’s a couple opportunities that offer this kind of environment.  The first is Soccer Without Borders.  Their mission “is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of marginalized youth.”  They have operations set up in Central America, as well as California and New York.  It sounds awesome.  It’s a volunteer thing though, which means you are responsible for raising all the funds you would need for a trip.  Volunteer trips can be anywhere from a week to a year.  It’s something I would love to do.

The other organization that is right up my alley is Right to Play.  RTP “is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.”  It’s also a volunteer thing, but there’s some chances for internships as well as careers within the organization.

Basically, what my friend taught me is how important it is to do what you love.  She had the guts to go for it, and now I guess the question is, will I?

The NFL draft sucks

Ok, so actually I have no problem with the idea behind the draft: each team gets to pick college players based on their specific needs.  That’s all well and good, but the draft has become so overly hyped, it’s ridiculous.  I hate the draft because…

• It takes too long.  Why must it be spread out over three days? (Thanks, ESPN!)  Two days wasn’t nearly long enough?  And of course, the time that it takes each team to pick.  All these teams have back-up plans for their back-up plans and beyond.  They know who they want well in advance.  What the hell is the point of giving them 10 minutes to make their choice?  Each team should get five minutes max for making their picks (with an option for extra time if a trade is being worked out).  Although, I say three minutes is more than reasonable.  I do not have the attention span to sit through all the bull to get to the good stuff.  All I want to know is who my team picked and 30 seconds of info saying why it’s a good or bad choice.  If I was in charge of the draft, it would take three hours tops from start to finish.
• Pre-draft coverage has taken over all the major sports outlets.  AHHHH.  Too much overanalyzing makes my brain hurt.  All these so-called experts with their own draft boards (clever) and making picks on the clock (again, clever).  And now, this year, ESPN has introduced a feature where Jon Gruden sits down with a prospective player and looks at film.  It’s definitely an interesting idea, but come on ESPN, this is Sportscenter, not 60 minutes.  I don’t want to sit through that, I want to find out what the latest news is.  Seriously, the segment is way long.  I wouldn’t mind a clip or two from it, but save it in its entirety for your hundreds of pre-draft specials.  And of course, as the draft goes on, we’ll hear endless talk about how it’s shocking that so-and-so wasn’t picked earlier and blah blah blah.  I already can’t wait for Sunday.

If you would like to avoid the draft on Thursday, you can always call my mom since it’s her birthday.  Or you can always watch Survivor or CSI or 30 Rock or the Office.  There’s plenty of other options.  Of course, the best option is to go play outside because it’s lovely.

Selling photographs

I’ve been trying to figure out a way that I could make some extra money for a while.  I’ve contemplated a second job, but didn’t want to end up with zero free hours away from a job.   I want to do something that I know I enjoy.  Thus, I have decided that I want to start selling some of the photographs I’ve taken.  Not trying to toot my own horn, but I’ve gotten a lot of compliments of some of my shots.  I have a bunch hanging on my wall and to be honest, I wouldn’t hang them up if I didn’t think they were good.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some amazing places around the world and I love being able to showcase the various landscapes and colors that different countries/states offer.   I love the thrill of capturing a perfect moment in time.  I wish I could be a full-time travel photographer.

Now I’m wondering what’s the best platform for selling photos?  I know there’s always Etsy (which I adore), but I’ve never tried selling anything on there.  Is it any good?  Are there better options out there? 

I need to figure out the answers to these questions before I get too excited about my new venture, but this is definitely something I’m looking forward to pursuing.

I hate Duke

Best license plate ever.

I despise Duke basketball with every fiber of my being.  Abhor, hate, loathe, detest are all words that express how I feel about Duke  A large part of that hatred stems from my Maryland fanhood.  The rest of it comes from the media’s love affair with Coach K’s team.

I used to love watching the Maryland/Duke games.  They were always intense and down to the wire more often than not.  But now, the ridiculous prevalance of Duke games on TV and the media’s fawning over Coach K makes me want to punch someone.   I’ve boycotted any game on TV involving the Blue Devils, including games against Maryland.  It’s been over two years since I’ve watched Duke on TV.

Duke only had ONE regular season game that wasn’t televised.  It was against Radford and Duke won, 104-67, in case you were wondering.  Show some love for the rest of the ACC (except UNC because they are on TV all the time too).

I did attempt to watch the Duke/Baylor game yesterday.  I mean, it’s the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.  I LOVE the tournament and all the associated madness.  It took less than 30 seconds of game action before I was ready to explode.  I had to change the channel.  The best option on TV? Richie Rich.  Granted, I did check the score a couple times hoping that Baylor would come back and shatter Duke’s Final Four dreams, but alas, it wasn’t to be.

I’m so happy I get to hear about how %@#%ing great Duke basketball is for another week.  I’m not sure I will be able to watch the Duke/West Virginia game on Saturday, but I will most definitely be rooting for the Mountaineers.