Monday, September 29, 2008

Appalachian is Cold, Cold, Cold

I'm back in business after a damn good weekend in Boone. Chugging back up the mountain towards my old home, there are still familiar sights and sounds that jog my memory and take me back to another time. Everything is so recognizable. The hazy blue horizon out over the Blue Ridge Parkway, the sound of my 4-cylinder engine struggling up the hill, the smell of the foliage in the breeze; it was really quite pleasant to be back in such a comfortable and familiar place. As I got farther and farther up the hill, the leaves started to get darker and darker green, until they finally started to give way to a tinge of brown by the time I reach the 3,333-foot mark, where Boone resides. It is most certainly fall up there, complete with the chill in the air and the smell of autumn all around.

And autumn means one thing to me: football. And my Appalachian State Mountaineers had a home game under the lights on Saturday, facing the holy might of Presbyterian University, -- backed by God, I'm assuming. Saturday morning, I shook myself from a deep sleep somewhere around 2:00pm, in time to catch some of the afternoon action on TV before tailgate time. We headed out to our spot in Greenwood a bit later on, grilled some burgers and some dogs, and imbibed copious amounts of beer and liquor. It was raining coldly off and on, even further proof that it is indeed football season in the mountains.

The contest was hard fought for the first half, but even God himself failed to help the visiting team overcome the stifling defense of the Mountaineers. We win 48-14. Bad news though: QB Armanti Edwards went down with a leg injury in the 3rd Quarter, and unfortunately, it appears to be somewhat serious. Best of luck to Edwards as he tries to recover in short order.

Backup QB DeAndre Presley diving towards the endzone
(Photo: www.goasu.com)

I'm back home now and back to the "grind" -- even though it's really no grind whatsoever. I'm supposed to meet Mareshah in Raleigh for dinner or something tonight. I haven't seen her since before the summer started, and that is simply unacceptable. I don't have much time for her though; I have a bunch of shit to get in order this week. Dentist appointment, new contacts, vaccinations: round two at the doctor's, boat loads of laundry, a little shopping, maybe a haircut, and everwhat else I can cram into the next six days. Then it's off on a jet plane again. More on that trip to follow.