4 Hard Downs: About Last Night, Getting Upset and Being Upset

My friend turned 40, plus the Hoosiers and the difference of being upset vs getting Upset

Started writing this on the way home from Atlanta, I rode down with a mutual friend of the birthday boy, who did have a 40th Birthday at the Monday Night Garage. He drives a Tesla so it was my first time in one of those and I didn’t realize the charging part of it.

37 minutes to go and then we’re on the road back to Charlotte.

Millennials; we still got it.

I was at a party where late-30s and 40-somethings were blowing darts because it was their one of three times a year where they were away from their kids. There was beer and wine and whiskey and so many hugs. The birthday man, he’s 40, not a boy, his mom was there who I’ve known and has known my family since middle school.

Went to McClintock Middle School, East Meck and UNC with this guy. His mom kinda knows my mom, that’s rare because people “Know of” my mom but not many sort of know my mom. They’re great ladies, my mom and Roe, but neither of them suffer fools.

I won’t make you suffer this so let’s go ahead and SPOT THE BALL!!!

1st Down: It’s A Party, It’s A Pizza Party

So, PSYCH, I am going to make you suffer because the party was awesome. Shout out to Paul, who did officiate my wedding in 2014, and his wife Lauren who really worked to make sure she invited people who mattered and put together an event in spectacular fashion. There was pizza, wings, even vegatables and a charcuterie board with a boutique btewery and bespoke self-distilled bourbon.

I got to see the guy who I’ve known since I was 13 turn 40 and his wife and so many friends, including new friends and take a weekend for myself in the A.

I got to see my buddy LT, not Lawrence Taylor but a great volleyball player at UNC when I was there. We have been friends since 2004. It is a testament to enduring friendship between, me, LT, Paul, Whitney and of course LB.

That’s PT and LB and we’ve been thick as thieves since 2004-2005. Paul and his wife come to my house every Friday after Thanksgiving for Hot Turkey Sandwich Day. I make a fried bird every Wednesday for Roe, Paul’s mom, to take to her family Thanksgiving.

I also made some new friends and if you listen to HITD you’ll hear more about it.

2nd Down: Indiana Continues To Make People Upset

Winning games by 30-40-50 makes people upset and right now, in CFB, Indiana is the king of upsetting people. UCLA by 50. Illinois by 53 and this week Maryland by 45 on the road.

If you don’t think Indiana is good, you’re wild. They’re an elite club and absolutely belong in, not just the playoff discussion, but if not now then when regarding a national championship caliber team. They beat Oregon in Eugene. They’re on a collision course with Ohio State for what will be one of the epic games of Championship Week.

Throw in some UGA-A&M-Bama or Cincy-BYU-Texas Tech fighting to the end.

When you have the older brother watching the younger brother scoot for 50 yards laughing at your team, you’re cooked.

3rd Down: Georgia Tech Got Upset

If I told you Haynes King would have 400+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards in a football game for the Yellow Jackets you would assume they blew someone out.

Wrong.

They lost to NC State a team that is battling as a fanbase about their coach. He goes out and gets an upset over a Top 10 GT, throws the ACC into even more chaos and makes his base have to calm down. The league is a mess with 5 one-loss teams and an undefeated, in league, UVA plus Miami going from Top 10 to “Oh no” with two losses in three games.

Shout out to NC State though, just hanging around upsetting Tech and making their own fans upset.

4th Down: Halloween Scene

First and foremost, I did break one glass panel of my popcorn machine but I can replace that rather quickly with a trip to Ace.

Now, actual Halloween, we got to the cul-de-sac and did beers and hangs with our neighbors before trick-or-treat. Then my wife took our kid to go hang out with her friends in the neighborhood where we go to the pool. I stayed back, handed out candy and manned the fort to make sure we didn’t get egged or TP’d (That’s how I broke the popcorn machine, a curb is a hell of a drug).

A lot of candy giving out and a lot of beers and white claws too. “Take two” was my go to phrase of the night for parents walking around with kids about the Modelos or BLs or DubCs. DubCs are now what I will call white claws.

Did my wife have a flashlight plus walkie-talkies to talk to my kid so she didn’t (what some other parents had happen) lose her in a massive neighborhood? Yes. Carved pumpkins. I didn’t get to do the Belichick one I planned on because the UNC game was starting but…

I DID GET TO GIVE AN 11 YEAR OLD KID A WHOLE AS PUMPKIN TO SMASH AND IT WAS WORTH NOT CARVING IT.

Cheers!!!