drive home highlight monday...

odd bus trip back. we were in, but didn't earn it. (six losses in seven games.) so you're quiet for a while, then everybody is asleep. (well, apparently everybody's not asleep. i was reading, and monday's pitcher was apparently drinking.)

so bus driver stops at a rest stop. this wakes everybody up, with about 2 hours left in the trip. (perhaps now the pitcher starts drinking.)

i get back to my book. (word freak, almost done.) i listen to the ipod. i try to watch super troopers on the tv screens, but the screen is small and the sound isn't loud enough and i decide to go back to the book. or maybe get some sleep.

we're ten minutes from home, and there's some friendly yelling from mid-bus to front of bus. then mid-of-bus (the pitcher) comes up, and starts yelling obscenities. friendly obscenities, i think. (along the lines of, [smiling] "shut the fuck up fuckin' fuck fuck" [giggling]...that kind of nonsensical stuff.)

so, then, at this point, manager turns around:
"hey! yo! you think my wife wants to hear you talk like that!" "sorry." "no i'm serious! you want me to call your parents and talk to them like that!?" "[silence.]" "shut the fuck up. [back to his phone, to his wife...] ahhh, fuck..."

so, there's "back of third grade" giggling among some of us, because it was a funny exchange. this quickly becomes "back of third greade" failed attempts to stifle laughter, when...

"[in pitcher's phone] hey dad! we're going to the playoffs! we're going to fuck [wrong team name] them up!" [phone response from dad] "yeah. we're going to fuck them up in the second round! fuck!"

and this continues for a few minutes, as i start cough-laughing and the skipper acts oblivious. odd.

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is this the state of my life? three times in the past 36 hours, there has been conversation initiated with me. the only point of the conversation, the "main point," without even an ounce of small talk... "here's my fantasy football team. whaddya think?"

i mean, really. i talk fantasy football with nemo, because his tards are about to battle my destroyers. but others? uncool.

and yet, i oblige.

(note: yes, this is also a fantasy football forum. apologies.)

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conan's over. and now, the first guest on carson daly (not a regular watcher, but i'll subject myself to it on occassion.) is dennis rodman. dennis rodman!? can't believe he qualifies, especially on a network show.

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reflections on the first weekend of college football:

college football is the best.

i hope the cats beat niu on saturday. (and i hope i'm there. woof. ticket hookup.)

i sure hope the irish beat michigan on saturday.

i think that's it.

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for the first time in several years (since i was in seventh grade, helping out my dad), i think i'm entering an nfl confidence pool this season. 3 bucks a week. high school people. keeping a ledger, pay at the end. maybe i won't enter every week, but i think it'll be fun. i've suckered the boy into joining, and i think there'll be a turnout of some sort. i think this will bring my nfl gambling for the season to 40, i think for fantasy football, plus as much as 51 for nfl confidence-ing. maybe that's too large of an investment.

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based on commercials, i think i'm going to try to watch the new show called "....... earl" on nbc. also, i've read that chris rock's show on upn is supposed to be funny. then i'll watch arrested development on sundays. and that's about it.