It's October!

October is a great month to:

1.  Read John Bellairs books

Last month I bought a complete set of John Bellairs books on eBay:

It's a set of 28 books, all first editions, and 20 of them have artwork by Edward Gorey.  They are fantastically creepy.  I've put up photos of each book with Gorey artwork here.

If you're not sure where to start, try his most famous book, The House with a Clock in its Walls.

2.  Read the Monstrumologist series

The third book in the series, The Isle of Blood, came out last month.  We both read it and loved it. It's the best one so far, and is beautifully and gorgeously written.  The series is literary horror for young adults, with heavy emphasis on literary.  And it's classic horror, ala Frankenstein, not horror-movie horror.  The books are fantastic.  You must read them!  I've written about the first two books here and here.

3.  Watch The Man Who Wasn't There

This is one of my favorite movies, and every time October rolls around I want to watch it.  I have no idea why, because there's nothing at all creepy or Autumn-like about it.  It's about a barber in the late 1940's who becomes involved in a blackmail scheme leading to murder.  But it's shot in black-and-white, has beautiful cinematography, and is very moody and atmospheric.

Wendy and I first saw this movie purely by accident when it was released.  We went to see the movie From Hell, but the opening scene was too gruesome for Wendy to watch, so we walked out and wandered the theater's hallways until we found another movie that was about to start.  It was The Man Who Wasn't There.

4.  Star-gaze

In the southern sky, look for Fomalhaut (FOE-mal-oh).  Because there are no other bright stars near it, it's been called the Lonely Star of Autumn.  It's also orbited by a planet, which has been directly photographed by Hubble.

Also keep an eye out for Algol.  It's a binary star, and about every 3 nights it dims dramatically because the fainter star eclipses the brighter star.  This periodic dimming/brightening earned it the name Demon Star.

5.  Watch college football

Of course, any month is a great month to watch college football!

OU vs Nebraska

A few days ago Wendy and I were talking college football, and I was telling her about one my favorite OU vs Nebraska plays, when I remembered another favorite, and then another favorite, and I thought “Hey, I should blog this”.

So here they are, in chronological order:

OU vs Nebraska, 2000

Probably my favorite, because I was at this game. Nebraska jumps out to a quick 14-0 lead, OU trims it to 14-7, and then on 3rd and 14, Heupel throws a long, arcing pass right as he's knocked to the ground. I looked downfield, there were no receivers anywhere, and I thought “Man, incomplete. 4th down.”. Out of nowhere, though, Curtis Fagan breaks free, sprints underneath the ball, catches and scores. Tie game! OU goes on to win 31-14.

OU vs Nebraska, 2001

This was a defensive battle between the top 2 teams in the country, and what I remember most are the trick plays. OU ran a reverse to Mark Clayton, who stopped and threw back to a wide open Nate Hybl. Hybl, unfortunately, stumbled and fell while the ball was in the air. Incomplete pass. Later in the game, Nebraska ran the same trick play, but Eric Crouch did not stumble; he made the catch and scored a TD. Unbelievable. Both teams had been practicing the same trick play during the week. One worked, one didn’t. Nebraska won, 20-10.

OU vs Nebraska, 2006 (Big 12 Championship game)

Up 14-7 in the 3rd, OU had the ball at their own 1-yard line on 3rd and 10. Nebraska had momentum, and with a stop would get the ball with great field position. Instead, Paul Thompson hits Jermaine Gresham for a 35-yard completion and a 1st down. That kickstarts a 99-yard touchdown drive(!!), putting OU comfortably in the lead. Nebraska never recovers; OU wins 21-7.

And now I can add this to the list...

OU vs Nebraska, 2010 (Big 12 Championship game)

It’s too early to say what the most memorable play will be, but here are some nominees:

• OU falling behind 17-0, but rallying to tie the game in the 2nd quarter.
• Travis Lewis’ game-changing interception in the end zone, the first of 3 turnovers he recovered.
• In the 4th quarter, OU had 3rd and 24 when Cameron Kenney catches a 20-yard pass and fights, fights, fights for 3 more yards. That brought up 4th and 1, making it an easy decision to go for it. OU converts, throwing to Kenney again, for an 11-yard gain, which sets up the game-winning field goal by Jimmy Stevens. Go Jimmy!
• Late in the game, Nebraska attempts a fake punt on 4th and 4, but just as they start the fake, the play is whistled dead. Stoops realized it was a fake at the last second, and called timeout just before the ball was snapped. With the element of surprise gone, Nebraska is forced to punt.

Final score: OU 23, Nebraska 20.

Boomer! Sooner!

I can’t let this week pass without mentioning college football.

Last Saturday, sometime around 6pm, there was a volcanic eruption of cheering centered around our house. OU, clinging to a 1-possession lead with a minute remaining, recovered a muffed punt to seal a victory against Texas!

I don’t think I’ve ever cheered so hard before. I’ve certainly screamed that hard in disgust (the Oregon game in ‘06), but this was a pure victory celebration. OU was in control for most of the game, but a bizarre series of plays tightened the game late in the 4th quarter, and only when OU recovered the muffed punt could we breathe a sigh of relief. Or, to put it more accurately, run all around the room, jumping up and down, screaming because we just beat Texas.

Boomer Sooner, baby!

Recapping the New Year

Wendy and I made the usual rounds over Christmas, visiting each of our fams for several days, and having a delightful time. Fortunately travel went relatively smoothly for all involved, despite the blizzards in Colorado and storms in Dallas.

In Tulsa, we got a chance to have lunch with our friend George, which was cool. And we also made our annual trip to Bill & Ruth's, a local sandwich shop that has super-tasty 3 cheese and avocado subs. If you're ever in Tulsa, stop by and check 'em out. In Wichita, we got a tour of the new house Wendy's parents are having built. It's rapidly coming together, and Wendy and I are both jealous because it's going to be very nice when it's done!

When we got back home, we were surprised to find the oak trees in our front yard had been trimmed. We had a company come out and give an estimate for it, but we never agreed to have the work actually done. After talking to them, we found they had made an honest mistake, and after a bit of haggling we reached a fair compromise to settle the issue. That's just part of the fun of owning a home, I suppose.

We also said goodbye to the college football season by watching nearly all of the final bowl games. Sadly, OU lost its bowl game to Boise State, 43-42 in overtime. It is, however, being called one of the greatest games of all time. OU fell behind by 18 points in the 3rd quarter, then staged a miraculous comeback, only to see Boise State stage an even more miraculous comeback. The way I look at it, though, is that Boise State ran, quite literally, every trick play in the book, and they still barely managed to pull out a one point win in overtime. At least it was a good game. And now the countdown to next season can start!

And, finally, our blog has been updated to a new version, so you'll notice a few things may look slightly different. We can now label posts, which is super-handy, and the Archive links to the right have been made a bit more useful. And for those of our readers that use RSS feeds, you'll find links on the sidebar to subscribe to posts and to comments. Enjoy!

Holy Toledo!

We haven't blogged about it yet, but college football has started! This is the third weekend of the season, and is being billed as "Separation Saturday" or "Showdown Saturday" depending on which sports site you visit. The reason? There are seven games pitting Top-25 teams against each other.

Lost in the hype, though, was Friday night's game between Kansas and Toledo. I had been looking forward to it all week long; Toledo is a scrappy team from the overachieving Mid-American Conference, while Kansas is a solid, middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team. You could just sense that these two teams were evenly matched. "It's gonna be a barnburner," I told Wendy. "I think Toledo might take it."

The game did not disappoint. It took double-overtime for Toledo to pull out a victory, 37-31. Before the first overtime started, the announcer summed up the unusually exciting game by pointing out there'd been 5 lead changes, 2 safeties, 2 two-point conversions, 2 fourth-down touchdowns, 17 punts, and 17 penalties. And on top of that, Toledo didn't get a single first down in the second half, but still managed to score 14 points! In the end, though, Kansas was doomed by their 5 turnovers. (These last two stats prompted Wendy to ask "Is it really a barnburner if the offenses are so inept?" That's an interesting question that I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.)

This is why I love college football, though. It doesn't matter who's playing -- New Mexico vs. New Mexico State, Kansas vs. Toledo, or Pittsburgh vs. Ohio -- it's so easy to get into it because the games are all about emotion. It's the emotion, the pride, the passion, and the tradition that make it so great. For the next 12 weeks you'll find me glued to the TV on Saturdays, enjoying every touchdown, overtime, last-second field goal, goal-line stand, and fourth-quarter rally.

College football. God bless it.

Update, 7:04pm: I neglected to mention that on Saturdays you will also find me yelling, screaming, and cursing vehemently at the TV (and the officials) when things aren't going well for the Sooners.

Miscellanea

Not much has been going on since I returned from Texas; Wendy and I have both been working away this past week. So here are some random thoughts and observations to pass the time:

-- Thunderstorms rolled through Illinois yesterday, bringing rain for most of the day, along with a brief shower of nickel-sized hail for good measure. Last we heard, this part of Illinois is still about a foot below normal rainfall.

-- Kudos to the Kansas Jayhawks, who snapped a 36-game losing streak to Nebraska. Our friend George claims to have helped in the victory, by posing for a picture in the Kansas paper that, he says, "angered Nebraska so much they couldn't focus on the game."

-- Wendy has discovered a back way to get to work that shaves about 5 minutes off the commute. Not only is it quicker, but it's much more scenic, too. The road twists and turns, and is lined with large trees whose branches hang over the road. Judging by the number of palatial houses along the way, I would also say it's a fairly well-to-do area.

-- A small shopping center about a mile from our house recently opened up. So far it has a 7-11 and a Rosati's pizza. We tried Rosati's last week and we both enjoyed it. Hopefully it won't become too much of a temptation having it so close!

I would like to apologize...

OU 37, Baylor 30 (2 overtimes)

I'm afraid I jinxed OU. Earlier today, when the Michigan - Iowa game went into overtime, the announcers pointed out that it was the first overtime game played at Iowa's stadium. I turned to Wendy and said "You know, I don't think OU has played an overtime game under Bob Stoops." So, of course, Baylor (of all teams) took us to two overtimes. Thankfully we still pulled it out.

To their credit, Baylor is a much-improved team this year, and I'll be rooting for them to become bowl eligible. I'm just glad they didn't do it against us.

After a quick check of the statistics, this is indeed Bob Stoops' first overtime game at OU. OU's last overtime was a win over Texas in 1996.

Weekend Recap

Today we made it to the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford. It was a very pleasant experience, and was made even more so thanks to the fall colors. The Gardens turned out to be a fairly popular place to be this afternoon; there were several employees out directing the flow of pedestrians.

One interesting sight we came across was a tree growing horizontally off of a hill. It was still growing strong thanks to a very tall log that had been put in to prop it up.

There were also several paths blocked off with "Private Property" signs; they all appeared to lead to a house at the top of a hill. We overheard a group of people in front of us say that the gardens were basically someone's back yard, open to the public. What a very cool back yard that would be. (Incidentally, we also overhead those same people discussing various creative ways that an ostrich could kill a lion.)

Most of the trips we take during the fall tend to be on Sunday, since Saturday is, of course, college football. Thanks to the magic of digital cable and ESPN Gameplan, there were 29 football games available for us to watch yesterday. When your team of choice is being trounced by their arch-rival, it's nice to be able to switch to any number of other (more competitive) games to take your mind off the resounding defeat.

On a happier note, Friday night Wendy and I went to see Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was incredibly funny, with moments of absolute genius. We both highly recommend it.

Finally, a sunset from late August. If you look closely to the left, you can just make out the beginnings of townhouses that are being built across the pond. (Fortunately all of the trees are staying.)

Birthdays, Tourism, and Trojans -- Oh my!

Wendy celebrated her 26th birthday this week! For her birthday dinner, she chose Chinese takeout, something we hadn't had in a long time, and which we both enjoyed. We also had a chocolate hazelnut/nutella cake, courtesy of a Nigella recipe. Very tasty. All told, it was a fine birthday, although Wendy is starting to feel really old. If anyone out there who has successfully navigated the waters of their mid-20's wants to offer her some advice or words of encouragement, I'm sure she would appreciate it. :-)

Earlier this week, I happened to notice an ad on weather.com with the following picture:

I'd seen it before, but I've become so accustomed to ignoring ads that I paid it no attention. This time, though, it caught my eye, and I noticed it was for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, showing a trail in Tunnel Hill State Park. So, I (gasp!) clicked on the ad, and was taken to http://www.enjoyillinois.com. The site lists a number of attractions and trip ideas, and it reminded me of just how little of the state Wendy and I have seen. There are a couple of places it listed in Northern Illinois that I'd like to check out soon; namely the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, and the Starved Rock State Park, which is located in the Illinois River Valley.

And, finally, the USC Trojans. They dismantled OU in last season's national championship game. Now that the Sooners are firmly out of the national championship race for this season, I find it much easier to admire the incredible talent USC has. I watched the first quarter of their game against Arkansas last Saturday, in which they scored 28 points in a span of 92 seconds! It was almost unbelievable; they scored so effortlessly every time they got the football (the final score was 70-17). If they play to their potential every week, I don't think any team in the nation can beat them. But, you never know. I remember Florida State looked invincible in 2000, but OU shut them down, and Miami looked invincible in 2002, but Ohio State pulled the upset. In one game, anything can happen.

Argh!

I completely forgot about Terry Bowden. He means well, and he tries hard, and he gets excited about college football, but he's just not that great of an announcer. However, in today's loss to TCU, he had the quote of the day. Late in the game, OU's quarterback made a bad throw to a wide open receiver, who still had a chance to catch the ball, but dropped it. Bowden promptly said:

"Folks, that's rebuilding, not reloading."

And that, in a nutshell, sums up the game.

News and Notes

The Job Search
Unfortunately, Wendy didn't get the job she interviewed for. We're both disappointed. She was incredibly well qualified, and the interview went really well, but they decided to hire someone from within the department. Something else will come along, though, so we'll keep our eyes open.

New Orleans
Let me say first of all that I'm very glad that supplies have finally made their way to New Orleans. I'm extremely appalled, though, that it took ALMOST 5 DAYS for them to get there!! It's very, very wrong for that to happen.

The Weather
Wendy heard recently that this has been the 3rd driest summer ever for this part of Illinois. It certainly appears that way: I've been driving by acres of brown and withered crops on my way to and from work.

College Football
I'm still struggling with how sports fits into the national scene right now, but the fact is that the college football season has started. These are the games we're looking forward to this weekend:
* OU vs TCU: What will our offense look like? More importantly, how good is our defense?
* Notre Dame vs Pitt: Charlie Weis vs Dave Wannstedt. Whose coaching skills will reign supreme?
* Miami vs FSU: Usually a good contest, but why make this the first game of the season? It would probably be a better game if both teams had a few weeks of experience first.

The Local Sports Team
The Chicago Bears' preseason has been a trainwreck to say the least. Their starting QB got injured and is out for the season; their backup QB turned out to be so bad he's fallen off the depth chart; so their only option now is give the helm to Kyle Orton, a rookie QB. Not an auspicious start. At least we get to watch former Sooners Mark Bradley and Tommie Harris play.

On Instant Replay
I have to say I'm not a big fan of instant replay, and I'm a little sad to see it appearing at the college level. It slows down the game and seems to change the way that referees officiate.

Sometimes, we're a little lame
The light in our loft hasn't been working the past few weeks, and we were really stumped as to why. There are 3 lights in the light fixture, and they had all stopped working at the same time. It didn't seem likely that they'd all burned out together, and they didn't even look burned out. All the other electrical outlets in the loft worked, so we didn't think it was circuit-related (but we're not electricians, either). Finally, today, Wendy solved the mystery. There's a second switch for that light in the loft that we'd totally forgotten about, and it was neither on nor off, but stuck right in the middle. Wendy flipped the switch and presto! The lights now work. I think we're both a little embarrassed that it took us several weeks to figure it out.

Boomer! Sooner!

Now that the Tour de France is over (Go Lance!), the countdown to college football season can begin. The first slate of games begin Thursday, September 1st, which, by my calculations, is 5 weeks and 2 days away. Since we're no longer in Big 12 country, we'll be upgrading to digital cable soon so that we can get "ESPN GamePlan", a TV package that airs games not typically shown in your region. In addition, we're in dire need of a new TV. The set we currently have gets blurry on warm colors (yellow, orange, and red), and the remote stopped working some time ago. We've looked at Circuit City, but so far haven't come to any decision on what type of TV we'll get.

This past weekend we had a mini-reunion of sorts with friends from OU. George, Danny, and Rubén all travelled up to our place to hang out for a few days. It made for a full house, but it was a lot of fun. The weather was incredibly hot (Sunday we had a heat index of over 110 degrees), so we pretty much stayed inside all weekend and played board games, with Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, and Taboo being our games of choice. There was much hilarity. Sunday we also went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which we all very much enjoyed.

Fortunately the weather cooled down remarkably today. Temperatures were in the low 70's, and it was gray and dreary with a light rain falling all day. It sounds dismal, but it was an incredibly refreshing change.