Jenny's comment on my Dook game post, along with Karyn's recent comment, reminded me that I shouldn't only report bad news... Brooklynne and I were at the Clemson Game last night and it was a classic Tar Heel experience. Not classic in that we got beat in every aspect of the game for 35 minutes, but classic in the sense that we left the Dean Dome happy and tired from jumping and screaming. We had tickets in the upper deck, but I spied out some unoccupied lower-level seats directly beside the student section, and shortly after half time, we moved down. Brooklynne has experienced a couple ACC games now, including last year's bloody win against Dook, and she has been in the risers for a game against UNCW, but she had never been in the lower level for a true ACC battle royale, and it was awesome to share that experience with her. We were also glad we made the decision to leave Halleigh at home. We took her to four games last year, but I think she has grown out of sitting still in my lap for 2+ hours. Maybe we'll try her again when she gets to be the age of Marshall's daughters.

Speaking of kids at games, at about the 3 minute mark, I watched an old guy leave with his 12-year-old-ish grandson (?). Later, when we were really coming on strong and when the game was at its climax, I thought about that kid again.

Don't get me wrong--I don't always hate the people who leave early. I understand that not everyone is like us, and usually the people who care most about the game are not the people who can bankroll the team. If UNC wanted older-than-average, often status-hungry, only-marginally-basketball-devoted people to pay tens of thousands of dollars to come from hours away AND stay to the end, they would build better roads and parking, and schedule games earlier.

But my heart broke for that kid who missed the end of the game because gramps didn't want to fight traffic. That kid had been robbed of a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He probably went to school today assuming the Heels had lost, only to be heckled by his classmates for being at the game and not knowing it had been one of the greatest finishes in recent memory. If you are going home, go home, but if you brought a kid, don't rob him of that moment!

Now in other news...

1. Obama won another Grammy. Good for him.
2. I read the other day that even though we spend a lower percentage of our GDP on defense than many other nations, we spend more actual dollars on defense than all of the other nations in the world combined. Can that possibly be true?
3. I have been sick for the past week. My head still feels like it weighs 30 lbs. and might explode at any second. Unfortunately, I only recently found out that my new job gives me no sick leave. What the ....!!!? I never thought to ask, since I consider that to be one of the most basic and universal forms of compensation. Guess not.
4. I am making Lost predictions each week, which I won't publish, but if you are a fan, ask me. I'm writing them down.
5. My cousin, Cory is now living in town and we had one of the most relaxing nights hanging out with her this weekend. Let's just say a movie and apple pie with ice cream. Can it get any better than that? It is going to be great having her around.