Monday did not go as planned.
Now I know the California folk think they understand how 'awesome' and 'huge' football is. They have the Raiders and the Chargers and some other teams I can't remember because I think professional football is stupid... did I say that out loud? For those of us who attended a real university (i.e. Big 10), we know what football really means. It means waking up at 8 am on a Saturday when you're hungover as all get-out from the previous nights stupidity to head to the nearest fraternity house for 'kegs and eggs'. Eventually making your way to The Horseshoe where you spend the entire day screaming obscenities at people you don't even know and would probably like if you took the time to get to know them, but that would never happen simply because they are wearing a color other then scarlet or gray. The majority of the game is surrounded by tradition, such as the classic cheer "O-H!" "I-O!" (and yes, we are excited that we can spell the name of the stated we reside in). The day concludes with an outstanding walk home, high-fiving people from your Econ 101 class that you'll never again make eye contact with and others with so many wrinkles it's a miracle their knees still function well enough for them to stand. You come together simply because of the colors you're wearing, the greatest colors of all time... scarlet and gray.
But back to Monday...
As I pulled on my "2002 National Championship" t-shirt, classic Ohio State football hoodie, and Ohio State socks, something was missing...
"Where is my necklace?!?!?"
The buckeye necklace is the essential accessory.
I turned my entire room upside down. Looked through every box/bin/drawer/dresser/bag and could not find my Buckeye necklace anywhere! Then it occurred to me! The boyfriend! You see, he cheers for what Woody Hayes would call 'the team up north'. I will enlighten those who do not understand: The boyfriend went to Michigan for undergrad, I went to Ohio State. Ohio State/Michigan has been called possibly the biggest rivalry in all of sports. ALL. College, professional, international, ALL. So take that feeling you get for USC as a UCLA fan and multiply it by infinity, at least twice. Then, maybe, you'll experience a hint of what it feels like to think about a Michigan fan. College football is a hot topic for he and I, we usually avoid the subject entirely. However this time I acted on my suspicions via text message:
Shell: Did you take my Buckeye necklace?!"
Boyfriend: "No, but I wish I had thought of it!"
I took his word for it, with a hint of doubt in the back of my mind, and kept searching. Kick-off was in less than 15 minutes and I had to be at a friends house for the game. I found all kinds of things I wasn't looking for but was delighted to have found, "Oh there's my cowboy boots!" "Do I really need this much wrapping paper?" I also found my banner from the Fiesta bowl a couple years back, recognizing OSU had taken the Tostitos so many times everybody had lost count:
Yes, the game was televised on ABC and yes I wanted to get on TV.
My search was unsuccessful and I still haven't found my necklace. Watching the game was more painful then ever without my buckeye security blanket. I somehow feel responsible for the ending result... failure, two years in a row. I guess you can't win every year, what fun would that be? Oh I know, it'd be like professional football which is really boring and the players are overpaid and they all beat their wives and bet on dog fights... am I thinking out loud again?
**UPDATE!! In my recent nightmare of a move the necklace was located and boyfriend has been cleared of all charges.**
