As usual when KJW rides in my XTerra, we forgot to return her car seat to its proper home on Tuesday night. You would think that this would be difficult to forget seeing as how one has to pry the baby out of said seat before leaving, but somehow we always manage to leave the seat in my vehicle. So yesterday, I returned the seat.
Not wanting to waste the trip, RAW, on his day off, KJW, and I ate at the Tropical Smoothie Café. Their slogan is "eat better, feel better." I cannot be certain that the food is healthier than other restaurants but I feel better about myself for intentionally eating healthier anyway. That has to count for something.
As you can tell from the photos, KJW was far more interested in her potato chips than the healthy wrap and banana we bought her. They are Sun Chips, so even the potato chips are healthier I suppose.
KJW typically turns any dining experience from a short film into a miniseries, so we were there for quite some time. The televisions were tuned to the Roger Clemens congressional hearing and VH-1's "Air Guitar Nation." Being unable to hear either program, we commented on the ridiculousness of both.
Why is Roger Clemens’ situation a congressional issue? Evidently, the 4½ hour session ended in a stalemate which essentially means that nothing was accomplished. What were they hoping to accomplish anyway? This is our tax dollars at work. It is times like these that I am thankful that I make virtually nothing and as such contribute very little to the government!
On the plus side, Tennessee Congressman John J. Duncan, whom SMA had seen at Ye Olde Steak House on Saturday, was featured, asking why Clemens never met with Senator Mitchell of whom the infamous Mitchell Report is named. He did not at any time say, "Go Vols!" but otherwise he represented Tennessee well.
I spent the night at Thompson-Boling Arena with a slightly different crew in a slightly different location. We were not in 315A for the Tennessee-Arkansas game. MPW acquired four extra tickets in Section 300, so he gave away our standard seats. There is a price for every transgression and we paid severely for this one. Three incredibly obnoxious fans sat directly in front of us. One of them was wearing a sweater vest. Need I say more?
Giving away our wonderful seats was not the dumbest move of the night. On a shivery day when it even snowed gently, I wore only a t-shirt at an event I knew included a significant walk. That coupled with a strong wind, made for quite an unpleasant trek to and from the stadium. A barking scalper actually asked for some of what I was smoking. Knowing that there was no one else to blame made it even worse.
The new crew consisted of myself, MPW, CL, and D, the point guard on our YMCA league team this past season. CL is becoming a fixture at MPW events, which is fine by me. D came to see his cousin, Gary Ervin, a senior point guard for Arkansas. Ervin did not play especially well, scoring seven points and shooting just 3 of 8 on free throws. The game is recapped in the currently inaccurate name of "View from 315A."
Kenya’s African Acrobats (http://www.africanacrobats.com/) performed at half time. They had a few impressive stunts but most of their act could be replicated by cheerleaders.
The halftime highlight for me was a replay of Ryan Childress’ marriage proposal to Lauren Clabough after the Georgia game on January 26. I suppose with tomorrow being Valentine’s Day, the powers that be thought that this fit the romantic theme. It was not for sentimental reasons that I enjoyed the clip. D, the only married member of our party, wanted confirmation that Childress was a current Tennessee basketball player. He then substantiated that he was not a senior. His conclusion was summarized in one word - "Dumb@$$!" His sincerity made the moment priceless.
The night was concluded at Applebees for half-priced appetizers with MPW and CL. There, I got to embarrass MPW (not that this feat is difficult) by telling her several facts and stories, including his nickname. All in all, it was a great day.
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