Sorry, I tried to submit this one last night, but it wouldn't go through...

What a sweet weekend!

This was by far the most exciting last five days I have had on campus. There is so much to talk about, and you know the big thing about this weekend, so I'm going to start actually from wednesday.
Well, the week's activities began back on sunday the 14th really, but the festivities for the first three days weren't much to talk about, especially since I didn't go to any of them... There was a flag football tournament on sunday, but I never registered, and if I'm not mistaken a full team was required to register. For me, the fun began on wednesday. That night had a scheduled pillow fight over on the South Oval, which is practically across the street from Siebert Hall. The aim was to break the world record for the largest pillow fight, which is held by Duke University. We needed about 1100 or 1200 to do it, but during the day it rained. That cut the turnout way down, probably to about 400. The pillow fight still went on as planned, though, but with many people playing in the mud. I was intelligent and didn't get dirty, especially since I had to head to a math midterm right after, which I won't talk about because I want to forget it already. The fight didn't last long, surprisingly; the aim was for only two minutes. Still, our stunt got on ESPN at no. 6 on the Sportscenter Top 10 for the night. That was sweet. We beat out a Kobe Bryant slam dunk and a Snoop Dogg appearance at USC in the countdown, amongst others.

As per Ohio State tradition (and you do know that we embrace tradition), on thursday night thousands of people were on hand to jump into Mirror Lake. And I was one of those people. You don't even need to ask or think about it... it was cold! It was also only four feet deep, too. Or at least as far as I went with my roommate Robbie and a bunch of his friends. Amusingly, we jumped in twice. The first time we got in and then got out pretty fast... and when I got out, I felt like I was in 60 degree weather. Sadly, no one was able to get pictures of our first trip, so we went in again. One of Robbie's friends got a few shots in, and then we walked along in the lake for a short while. It was adrenaline keeping my legs intact while I was in there. The worst part of it was that I lost a sandal in the lake! Ya, I lost it while landing into the water. The funny thing was that it seemed that everyone was losing footwear! I found two matching sandals scattered around the area, and used those to walk back to the dorm. (Don't worry, Mirror Lake is also very close to the dorm) Hey, I still have a pair of flip-flops now! There were so many other animated things going on at Mirror Lake. Really, there were probably just as many people at the lake who took the plunge as there were who were just there to watch. I saw one guy in the lake lathering himself up with soap. It was a good thing that he was a fat guy, or else he might not have been able to stay in the water for as long as he did. Another group of guys were paddling around in a canoe! I think one of them had viking headgear on too... Some people ventured out towards the fountain in the lake, jumping on it, trying to act like they were king. (The fountain was off, if you're thinking otherwise) I heard also that Troy Smith was down there, but I didn't see him, there were so many people. Many people were playing in the mud again that night, as many ladies and gentlemen engaged in slipping, sliding, and wrestling in the mess. Again, I didn't take part in that, but that's only because I had a bad feeling of the temptations I would have had if I were wrestling around in the mud with some females... especially since there was a lot of female mud wrestling action going on down there! And I kid you not! The festivities didn't end at the lake. Afterwards, many of the participants from my floor of Siebert Hall were having a shower get-together (ya, I am already feeling the homosexual implications you all have in reading that, you sick people!), but we still had our shorts on, thank you very much... We were just trying to warm up and get the mud off of our feet. And for the record, I will forever call Dr. Mahoney a wuss for not jumping in the lake with me... naw, just kidding... since he snapped me some good photos with my digital camera! But for my roommate Alan.........
Also on thursday, before Mirror Lake, was the weekly Block O meeting. It was pretty mild, not too big, even though it was the last meeting before the big game, but we watched the fourth quarter of the 2002 OSU-scUM game for inspiration, and got news on other buckeye sports. Also, I learned that Block O "does not endorse nor acknowledge the tradition of jumping into Mirror Lake". That's weird, especially since the Public Relations director Kyle mentioned something about waiting 45 minutes after you eat... and we had wings there...
Friday was mostly a day of gearing up and getting rested for the game. After class, I went over by the Ohio Union, where people from SBC Yahoo were there to endorse their DSL and phone services. They had a trailer where they set up about a dozen Xbox and Playstation 2 consoles, each with a copy of NCAA Football 2005 (which I also own) ready to be played. Many people chose to play the OSU-scUM game, as I did, but many others picked random teams. Also, there were Dell Laptops set up with the DSL internet hookup, so I took some time to surf the web while I was there, even though I could do the same thing in my own dorm room. Lastly, there were some phones set up with free long distance phone service, but I didn't have anyone far away to call, and I don't think any random person in China waould like a random phone call from me, so I didn't go there.

Hey, I didn't mention that all week we were singing a popular Buckeye tune, We Don't Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan. I didn't have to go far to hear that tune somewhere.

We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan,
the whole state of Michigan,
the whole state of Michigan,
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan,
'cause we're from O-HI-O!
We're from O-HI-O, O - H!
We're from O-HI-O, I - O!
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan,
the whole state of Michigan,
the whole state of Michigan,
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan,
'cause we're from O-HI-O!

Everything came to a halt on saturday, except for one big game. THE BIG GAME. I felt privileged to be able to watch this game at home during my first year as a Buckeye. I didn't go to the skull session, nor did I take part in the spirit tunnel. My main concern was being one of the first people through the gate at The Horseshoe. And I was. Mike and I arrived five minutes prior to the gates being open, as per the audioblog I posted at the time. We got the best seats we've had all year on Saturday. When the team crossed the field from the north tunnel to the locker room, us Blockies gave Coach Tressel an O-H, and got his hearty I-O in reply. The countdown of the 50 Greatest Buckeye Football Classics was being shown on the videoboard to pass the time. Later on, Mike Nugent came out to warm up, and he put on another show, again. He nailed one from 60+ yards again thie week. I can't wait to see how high he goes in the NFL draft. He might be harder to replace than Craig Krenzel was. I felt bad for the scUM fans that were in attendance. I don't know why they all came to see their team lose. Especially when their sections are near Block O. We drowned out all of their chants with our own. When game time came near, the festivities began to shout. First, the scUM players took the field, and their band came out to perform their traditional "M" pattern and fight song and alma mater. And again, afterwards, The Best Damn Band In The Land schooled the scUM. It is so amazing to see that band play. It has been more than once that I have seen The Incomparable Script Ohio, but each time I have not failed to get chills to watch that one lucky Sousaphone player dot the i. It is the best college football tradition, period. After that sweet performance, out came the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University, down a path lined with TBDBITL and football alumnae and their families. The line went all the way downfield, from endzone to endzone. The seniors were introduced, with Mike Nugent being announced last, to the biggest cheer of nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge that I have ever heard. We all appreciate him immensely. Watching these players go makes me sad, since another link to the 2002 championship team will be moving on. So much more happened in between all of these pregame events, but the next item up for bid was the kickoff. The Buckeyes recieved the opening kick, and were going in the direction of the south endzone, right into Block O. The first drive, a TD pass from Troy Smith to Anthony Gonzalez. The scUM came right back, and scored twice to take a 14-7 lead after one quarter. But the scUM didn't realize the power of Block O, as the scUM didn't score at all in our endzone in the second quarter, while the Bucks rolled in 13 more points to go up 20-14 at the midway point. Michigan continued to suck as Ted Ginn Jr, MY BOY, hit for another TD punt return, but this time it was ridiculously unbelieveable. If anyone has the game taped, just stare at that one play. I still don't know how he eluded the first defender. Our passing game kept rolling, as did our running game, surprisingly. Another TD pass put us up 34-14 going into the final quarter. The entire stadium (minus the scUM fans) was able to purely enjoy singing Hang On Sloopy while enjoying a 20 point lead. And During the entire game, Block O never shut up. We were loud for 60 minutes. But so were the rest of the 105,456 fans (minus the scUM fans) in attendance. Whenever the scUM fans tried to start anything, Block O took the upper hand. If the scUM fans wanted to start their Go Blue chant, we just got to yelling Let's Go Buckeyes. If the scUM fans tried to use their damn cowbell, we started a Stadium OHIO cheer. In the biggest game of the year, we never faltered. I got really angry when Braylon Edwards scored in Block O's end zone in the final quarter, but I couldn't complain when Nuge put up his 3rd FG of the day to put us up by 16.

And then it was all defense, baby.

No more points were scored, but I can't remember it being any louder in the Shoe than when we stopped Michigan on fourth down of their last possession. It was sealed up. All I had in mind was a postgame trip onto the field. When the clock hit :00, I was one of thousands to rush onto the field in a frenzy. It was such a feeling! First of all, it was a struggle to stay on your feet from all of the pushing and shoving. I ran right into the middle of the pack that I saw, and I found myself face-to-face with none other than Ted Ginn Jr! He was smiling through his facemask and visor. As I patted him on his helmet, I noticed that the Buckeye stickers are bigger than I thought. Two guys ended up lifting Teddy onto their shoulders. Then, I saw Troy Smith doing a TV interview. I'm thinking, how did the camera guy force his way into the crowd? But that wasn't the point. I was there, alongside Troy, telling him, "That was your game, Troy!" as I patted him on the helmet. He was smiling, too, and he was carrying the game ball! I saw the OSU logo on it. Ted and Troy didn't even make it to sing Carmen Ohio with the team since there were fans all around them. Once they got out of the crowd, I got into some camera shots, which I didn't know from what station. Everything then became a social event right on the field. It was a leisurely event at that time. Many people, including myself, were gathering up some turf to take home as a keepsake. Really, I probably came out with one of the smallest samples of turf. Many people were tearing out entire sheets of sod from the ground. I didn't think that was very cool. Some groundskeepers finally came out after some people were trying to tear out the entire "O" from midfield. I called my mom, because I was dying to say, "Ya, I'm on the 40-yard line right now. No, not in the seats, on the line." What a rush it was! The goalposts were guarded by several policemen, though. I also heard later that the goalposts were greased up in case someone really did try to tear it down! I still can't believe the memories of walking over the painted lettering in the endzones, of walking across the field like it was a stroll in the park! I wish I had a football at the time. I would have sprinted all the way downfield and made a dive into the endzone. And seeing a fat guy doing that must be some kind of accomplishment, so you know I'm serious. But what an awesome game!

Wow, it is really late now, and I have school at 10:30... And I haven't even finished the weekend yet! Stay tuned, I'll get finish the story as soon as I can get the time too. Read on, and GO BUCKS!

This is me before the first OSU men's basketball regular season game... No doubt I'm geared up! I mean, check out my shades! If you look closely, I'm crazy enough to wear shades with red lenses! I was seeing scarlet all night! 

The Happenings

I don't know why I waited this long to post, because I'll probably not remember everything that happened this weekend while I'm typing now. Well, where to start... Right now, Friday in my mind is a wash... I know that we didn't do much here in the dorm, but I can't remember exactly what we watched or what we played. I guess I just played SOCOM for the most part... Anyway, Saturday was another good day, because of another Buckeye football victory, this time over Michigan State. Somebody is going to have a lot more stickers on his helmet after this week. My boy Ted Ginn Jr had his biggest game yet - 3 TDs, one run on a reverse, one on a punt return (again), and the last one, a catch on a slant route over the middle of the field, and he sprinted away from everybody to give the Buckeyes the lead for good. He was FAST. The commentators on TV even said that Coach Tressel needs to find ways to get Teddy the ball more often. If Ted could have broken out games earlier, he could contend for All-American Honors. But he is still a freshman. His best years are still ahead of him. Now the Buckeyes have momentum going into next week's game at Purdue, whose team is struggling, since their star QB Kyle Orton is hurt.

Also on Saturday, Mike and I watched Pleasantville on TV, a great movie actually. I'm thinking of buying the DVD, if there is one. Speaking of DVDs, we watched a Metallica concert on DVD... Again. Too bad it's just too good of music to pass up. I sometimes wonder why no one complains when we pump up the volume while watching it... But then I understand that it is Metallica, and they all must like the music, because it's Metallica. So then I feel inclined to turn it all the way up so that they all can enjoy it more. It reminds me of the Metallica concert Mike and I went to weeks ago (I haven't mentioned that yet, have I?), which was f***ing awesome, need I say anything else.

Another surprising event happened Saturday night. Remember when I mentioned my run-in last week with my good friend Dave? Well, history repeated itself on Saturday night, when I became reunited with another friend, Alex, whom I haven't seen since eighth grade. First, I could never imagine that he was going to the same school as I. And second, I couldn't believe that he is living in the same residence hall, four floors above me! He was setting up his laptop for the LAN party that was assembling in the lobby of Siebert Hall. And for all of you who think that I was drinking and going crazy at this LAN party, you don't understand. LAN parties are consisted of a bunch of people (many times nerds, or geeks, or whatever this generation calls it... But not always) who connect their computers to each other through a close network, and play video games together through the network. We were playing Battlefield 1942. I wish I had CounterStrike or Unreal Tournament, so then I could get involved in some other LAN parties... Anyway, that was some fun, seeing what other people in Siebert Hall had setup with their computers. A couple of people even had AlienWare PCs, which are tuned out to be ultimate gaming machines, but those machines are HUGE. They're big units, but they pump out big numbers and polygons, so it pays off for gamers. Playing some games with others + meeting up again with an old friend = A legitimate, fun night. (And you probably thought that all we do down here is find a party with a keg, huh?)

Sunday shaped up to be swell, because another Big Ten championship came to The Ohio State University. Our women's soccer team pulled up an upset over Penn State 2-0. And again, like Thursday's game, some of us members of Block O went top support our fellow Buckeyes. Those girls played good defense, not great, but they were able to get the ball cleared when needed. Things got a little dirty in the second half, though. First was an altercation causing a Penn State player to throw down one of our Buckeyes, obviously to the dismay of all of us Blockies. One of our girls must have done something to provoke that, though, because the ref didn't card the offending player. After that, everything became more physical, and later, another Penn State player made a blatant sliding tackle on a Buckeye attacker, trying to prevent a goal. It was obvious, and the ref sent her off, red card, and so we had an advantage for the rest of the match. One more goal put it away later on, and the clock ticked to zero, and it was trophy time. This was a great moment for the team, but I bet that tomorrow will start with aspirations of something bigger... a national championship. Currently, the schedule is not available, but when it is, you can visit ncaasports.com for updates on who, when and where the Buckeye women will play in the big tournament.

Well, my parents are coming down here on Saturday, which kind of bums me out because I can go to the football game against Purdue for only 42 bucks, but I already put my parents off of an earlier visit, so I gotta stick with the plan at hand.

Hopefully soon I will have a digital camera on hand so I can throw some pics on this blog, so hopefully someone brings me a digital camera (maybe my parents, hint hint?) so I can get to snapping. That's all for now, believe it or not (since this is my longest post yet)... Blog ya later.

Something New

Well, I hope everyone that could did go out and vote on Tuesday, or sent in the good old absentee ballot like me. So Bush got re-upped... he wasn't my first choice, but I'm ready to stand behind him. Anyways... I went to the Buckeye Women's soccer game today, where our talented ladies got a 2-0 victory over Purdue. That moves our team to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, where they will either play Wisconsin or Michigan (hmmm... the two teams we hate the most). I went to the game with several members of Block O, the big Ohio State football extreme fan organization (obviously we cover more than just football), and we all got the first glimpse of cold November weather. It was chilly and windy, and a mist of rain was falling. That didn't deter the Blockies from continually chanting and cheering for all 90 minutes of action. Some Purdue fans were there (we're talking only 5 or 6) and they couldn't raise anything against us, but who can? Plus, they were in no position to talk since they were down 2-nil.

Well, I wonder how many of you saw the post that wasn't by me... but it unexpectedly disappeared. Mike apparently wants to call himself Dr. Mahoney, and he posted a couple of days ago. But it isn't here anymore... Mike thinks he may have mistakenly deleted it. I think he wants to call himself Dr. Mahoney out of jealousy, since people like to call me Dr. Love.

It is now 16 days until the Buckeyes whip some scUM on the football field. I just got the schedule today on Beat Michigan Week. On the 17th there is a pillow fight on the south oval. I'm already thinking of inviting some of the girls there to a private pillow fight in my dorm, if you get my drift...

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost last night in double overtime to the Indiana Pacers. Its frustrating to think that one more shot would have won it on numerous chances. One game doesn't matter... I'm hoping that the cavs sign LeBron to a max contract extension and keep him here for a while. Most people don't realize that his contract is up after next season. And I'm hoping that the Cavs sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas to a new deal; his contract is up after this season, and he's the second best center in the eastern conference (behind Shaq, of course).

Some bad news has transpired recently... OSU men's basketball player Brandon Fuss-Cheatham is feeling the loss of his mother, who died in a car crash on Wednesday. Please keep Brandon's family in your prayers.

Thats all for now... Tune in next time...

Look Who's Still Here...

Hello again all... I got back not long ago from doing Physics homework with my buddy Matt, and I'm feeling much relieved after all of that trouble. That stuff is HARD. We spent an entire hour on one problem, and at 11:30 we decided to just write down some intelligent bullshit on paper. It turned out that this intelligent bullshit led us to the answer. We hugged each other we were so happy. The other people in the study room were wondering what was going on between us. Thankfull that is over... Now I'll fill you in on the weekend's festivities. There were many original Hallowen costumes out there the entire weekend. My buddies Matt, Mike and I hit a Halloween party on friday night, but we are coming to realize that not leaving the dorm until midnight isn't a good plan. Still, we caught some okay business. Costumes there were okay, for the most part... Actually, my two buddies and myself were some of the few people not wearing anything festive. I liked some of the original ideas though. One guy was a genius. He fashioned a cardboard box to look like one of those cheap boxes of wine, but he actually had a real box of wine inside, with the tap sticking out in the most obvious of places... But it worked! There were several girls who got on their knees to get a drink from the tap. Several photo ops for that guy. I should have thought of that. But of course, I didn't think about a costume until saturday, when I decided to wear some gift ribbons and go as God's Gift To Women. Mike put a big "E" on his shirt and went as "E-Male", and Matt just made something up, because he was wearing his Buckeye Football jersey. That saturday night was much better, if you get my drift. But why am I talking about saturday night when I should be talking about the bigger event of saturday?
The Buckeyes Got Another Victory!
Yep, another win in the books at home. My boy Ted Ginn Jr had a punt return for a TD, and Tyler Everett returned an INT for a TD. I can't believe Mike Nugent got blocked though... Well, we have Michigan State coming up, and I feel horrible for the Spartans because they had a victory in the bag against M*ch*g*n, but lost it in a heartbreaker. It's alright... It's now only 18 more days until we beat that scUM.

I hope you've enjoyed the previous audio blogs, especially since I find that option quite convenient to use. I bet you're wondering why this is The Bigman's Rolling Buckeye Blog... Well, I'm not sure myself. The best thing to say is that I will be posting in audioblogs when I'm away from my laptop or on location. Anyway, on to more about the weekend.

Sunday was mostly about getting rest. I mean, not just because of friday and saturday, but that I need to sleep in once per week at least. I've been wearing myself down with so much activity in and out of class.

I got a nice phone call on sunday, though...

I was on the phone with a sort of "long lost friend". It has been a while since this friend and I have kept in regular contact, and I'm glad I shook off the butterflies I had... I dunno why I can become nervous for certain people, because I know that no matter what that there's nothing to get nervous over. I hope she reads this, because there are some people whom I've been missing, and hopefully she'll dial me up after reading this, so I at least know that there is one more person reading my blog!

I'll probably be calling her first.

But sunday night consisted of a very LOUD Yellowcard concert. The opening bands were not bad. The Matches opened... It looked like they were trying too hard or trying too much to get into the music. They were jumping and running all over the stage, but too crazily. The Starting Line followed, and I was impressed. It was a good sound, and a good performance. They reminded me of Yellowcard last year, when they opened for Jane's Addiction at the Gravity Games in Cleveland. When Yellowcard came on, the shit got LOUD in there. I became more of a fan after the concert. They play better live than on their albums. Shit, they play their music heavier live. The only downside to the show was the fact that the average fan's age there was probably 16. There were so many girls there screaming... At least they were screaming for a punk band, and not some cheesy boy band. But really, it was a concert where you saw fathers taking their daughters and their friends to the rock show. Really Weird.

After the concert was a shocking scene. Mike and I went to 7-Eleven after leaving the Schottenstein Center, and I saw none other than my good friend from back home Dave Jack. He apparently was at Miami of Ohio over the weekend with some friends, and they all came up to see the concert. It was a really pleasant surprise, especially since he now looks like Grizzly Adams, or maybe Al Borlan from Home Improvement. But wow. I told him to dial me up the next time he comes down here. He's at Kent State, and that isn't too far away if he really wanted to get out and go.

I think that may be the bulk of it for the weekend. Oh, by the way, I'd like to formally introduce the previously mentioned Mike to the Blog, if he will accept my invite already. Mike will be your source for all the news, stats, scores and rumors around the sports world... no, I'm kidding. Mike will hopefully be popping in from time to time with some of his take, and hopefully I can get others to follow. But, that's all for now. It is late, and I still have some homework to do for my Engineering class, so so long for now...