Week 47: Sloppy Joes and the Skins!

I know it seems like I've had a number of football-related SPs recently. Well, it's due in part to the fact that that's how I spend my Sundays in the fall. That, and I've been doing a horrible job of remembering to take SPs during other, more exciting activities that take place off the couch.

This was a rare NFL week in which we got full coverage of a Colts daytime game on Sunday. Since they were up against the Ravens, they were on CBS at 1, while the Redskins took on the Cowboys on FOX at 1. We seriously considered bringing the bedroom TV out into the living room to watch the games side by side, but realized we didn't have cables long enough or with the right attachments to make it work. In the end, it was Colts on the living room TV, Redskins on the bedroom TV (Tivo'd), and switching back and forth between drives to catch as much live overlap action as possible.

Ultimately, the injury-riddled Skins lost in a low-scoring heartbreaker, while the Colts barely edged out the Ravens in a rather close and dramatic game! We enjoyed the game while eating some homemade crockpot sloppy joes, which were hearty and delicious!

Week 46: Fun with Meg!

I went out with Meg and a few other folks on Saturday night where we attempted some bar self-portraits. Yes, this was the best of the bunch after at least 5 attempts that I won't post here (SPs late on a Saturday evening are decidedly not the best idea). On Sunday night, I watched the amazing Colts game with both Canganys who are true Indy natives. Due to a text message miscommunication over dinner plans, Meg and I ended up having a macaroni & cheese-off dinner in which we each prepared a huge pan of homemade mac 'n cheese. The final verdict is that Martha Stewart's got nothin' on either of our versions (except that she might have provided the recipe I used - big deal). Needless to say, I'll be eating mac 'n cheese for lunch and dinner for the rest of the week. Let's just call it practice for Thanksgiving!

Week 45: More Football!

On Sunday, I went out to Skelbs & Erik's new adorable and homey home in Reston, VA for an afternoon of football, chili, delicious snacks (like Heather's Chex Muddy Buddies!) and good company. You'll note in this photo I opted to wear my new Colts tee instead of my Cooley jersey just to change things up. We still did watch and root for the Redskins, and after another disappointing (but not surprising) loss, we decided to head to a nearby field to see if we could practice to be on next year's squad. It was a nice fall day, and despite the dismal state of our DC's football team, we all had a great time!

Pictured here with me is Riley, Skelbs & Erik's lovable black lab, who is enjoying a rubbery UVA football in her mouth.

Week 44: Happy Halloween!

As of about 3 days before Halloween, neither John nor I knew what we were going to do for Halloween. John came up with the last minute idea to go as the Squirrel Crasher couple, popular among nerds who follow Internet memes, but after some focus group testing/surveying, it occurred to us that not everyone would "get it" and it would also be difficult to pull off with a photo of a squirrel on a stick as our only real prop.

While watching this week's episode of "The Office," I found myself laughing hysterically at Andy Bernard, then immediately looked over at John and realized they had some similarities - not just in wardrobe but in goofy behavior and mannerisms. We decided to abandon Squirrel Crashing and go with John as Andy Bernard, and me as my recycled Alvin costume from Halloween '07 (which turned out well because it was an entirely new group of people).

After heading out in public, it basically appeared like John was coming straight from work and escorting me during trick-or-treating. But the Nard-dog came through with some choice quotes and a few bars of acapella to truly put himself into character. As for me, I got some love from some kids in the street, in addition to having to refresh some 20-something memories as to everyone's favorite childhood chipmunk. Happy Halloween!