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January 02, 2007

Physics Party!

[On location in Cumberland, Wisconsin]

Physics is phun! Or at least seeing physics friends again is. On Saturday I drove down to Dave's place down in Minneapolis for a sort of physics reunion of sorts, which Dave named "The Nerds Are Back In Town!" party. Since Dave lives right by the Seven Corners area near the University of Minnesota campus, we didn't have to go very far afield all night, just going to bars that were right there at the Seven Corners intersection. :-) Brendan & I were the first to show up around 4, so he, Dave & I got the night started off at Town Hall Brewery, where we were able to catch up and have a good chat and everything. Then Carl, Seth, Jolene, Zach, John & Cory showed up, so we all went to have dinner at Grandma's. Even more people joined us after dinner when we moved across the street to Sgt. Preston's for quite awhile, it was fun. Our physics group was starting to thin out just a bit by the time we decided to head on over to Bullwinkle's (Carl really, really wanted a hot dog), but the fun kept rolling. Eventually we went back to Dave's to crash, but there were enough other people there to claim the couches that I got a spot on the floor, but that was okay. Before John & I left on Dave's place on Sunday afternoon, Kate came by for a visit too, which was awesome. It's kinda sad that I won't get to see most of them again for another year, but I guess that's how life is after college. Anytime we can all hang out and catch up, even if it's only for an evening, is still a great time though.

We got a bit of a snowstorm here on New Year's Eve. Southern Minnesota got a good dumping (10 inches), while we only got about 2 inches up here in Cumberland, but hey, snow is snow. It was snowing at a pretty decent clip pretty much my whole drive back from the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon, so at least I got a bit more practice in with winter driving, because who knows if we'll have winter weather at all back in State College the rest of the season... But it was a pretty morning around here with the heavy wet snow sticking on the trees beneath a clear blue sky!

I had thought about staying down in the Twin Cities another night for New Year's Eve, but elected to come back to Wisconsin. So how did I spend New Year's Eve? Playing Cities & Knights of Catan over at Nathan & Laura's. Not a bad way to ring in the New Year, even if I didn't win. :-)

So how have I spent New Year's Day? Well, since 10am, right here in the living room watching college football bowl games! First up was the Outback Bowl, pitting the Tennessee Volunteers against Penn State. I was quite impressed with how well Anthony Morelli, Penn State's embattled QB, played throughout the game. He didn't throw a pick or make dumb decisions, it was really the best he's played all year. And the result? A 20-10 victory for the Nittany Lions, which will undoubtedly create a ton of enthusiasm for next year, with all the talent the Lions are returning. That, when combined with the spectacular home schedule next year, featuring Notre Dame, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State & Purdue, will surely make the demand for student season tickets absolutely insane. I'm gonna be sure to order them the day they become available this time, so I don't get shut out like I did this past year.

Anyway, after the Penn State game, I caught the end of the Cotton Bowl (Auburn beat Nebraska 17-14, making Daniel quite happy, I'm sure), and then saw Wisconsin hang on against Arkansas 17-14 in the Capital One Citrus Bowl. Then it was time for the Granddaddy of Them All, the Rose Bowl, pitting Michigan and Southern Cal. I was very conflicted over who to cheer for, whether Michigan for Big Ten Pride, or USC because I hate Michigan so much. I tried to stay neutral, but even as few as five minutes into the game, I couldn't do it anymore. Each and every sack of Michigan QB Chad Henne brought a smile to my face unconsciously, so pretty soon I couldn't hide my cheering for USC. I was especially happy that they dismantled the Wolverines so convincingly, 32-18 (it wasn't even that close a game, Michigan scored a TD in garbage time), because all the Michigan fans were whinging (a little Aussie lingo there) that they should've gotten into the national title game. Well, all that's been put to rest now!

And then, to top off a great day of college football viewing, was the Fiesta Bowl, a David-and-Goliath matchup between little Boise State and mighty Oklahoma. Holy cow, what a game! The Broncos leapt out to a 28-10 lead in the 3rd quarter, and looked like they were gonna blow out the Sooners, when most people were expecting the reverse to happen. Well, heavily favored Oklahoma came storming back, tying the game at 28 with a minute and a half to go on a touchdown and 2-point conversion (on the 3rd try, because of penalties). Then on Boise's next play, they threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown, putting Oklahoma up 35-28 with one minute to play. The clock has struck midnight for Cinderella, right? Wrong! On a 4th and 13 play from midfield with about 20 seconds left, the Broncos complete a pass, and the receiver turns it back to the middle of the field (no!! you're not to the first down line yet!!), and then flips it behind him to a teammate who runs the other way 30 yards for a touchdown!! (yes!! what a brilliant play!!) Hook & ladder!! Boise State tied the game at 35 with just 7 seconds left!! I was so excited that I was jumping up and down here in my living room, but shouting silently because my parents were asleep (very reminiscent of last year's Orange Bowl between Penn State and Florida State, haha)!! So then Oklahoma scored on the first play of overtime to go up 42-35, forcing the Broncos to match it with a TD to stay in the game and send it to another overtime. On a 4th and 2 play from the 5 yard line, they send their quarterback in motion to the left as a wideout, and snap the ball to a wide receiver, who trots to the right and tosses a TD pass to the back right corner of the end zone! Boise's just gonna kick the extra point and buckle up for the 2nd overtime, right? Wrong! They go for 2 and the win, and run - guess what - the statue of liberty play! The quarterback fakes a hard throw to the right, but is actually holding the ball low and behind him in his left hand. The Broncos' star running back Ian Johnson walks up, grabs the ball, and sprints to the left corner of the end zone for the win!! Genius!! David slew Goliath!! Boise State downed Oklahoma 43-42 in OT, in one of the greatest sporting events I've ever seen! And then to top it off, a Fox reporter was interviewing Ian Johnson after the game on the Boise State sideline, with his cheerleader girlfriend on his arm. And then he gets down on a knee and proposes on national TV! (She said yes!) That just topped it off as one of the best games I've ever seen!! :-)

Wow, and after all that, I think it's time for some sleep! I don't know how the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, or National Championship Game that are still coming up are gonna live up to the bowl games today! It was a great first day of 2007!

Posted by Jared at January 2, 2007 01:20 AM

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Posted by: Kate at January 9, 2007 01:46 PM

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