Monday's Meatloaf - Peaches, Herb..and some Riuniti on Ice

I think I posed for more pictures this weekend than I did at my own wedding. So I now feel a strong kinship with the likes of Sean Connery, Mel Gibson...Uga.

Reunions can certainly help the cholesterol climb during the planning process. And sometimes the thought of seeing old friends after your beer gut is noticeably in it's second trimester and you've added some shades of gray to the do is enough to make a weekend of yard work look appealing.


But once you're there, you're home. Suddenly you're cerebral cortex is being flooded with memories you had either repressed for 2.5 decades or had simply let slip away into an area of gray matter where MTv actually plays music and no one carried around computers because they didn't fit inside a warehouse much less a car...or the palm of your hand.


I grew up in Athens First United Methodist and spent many hours there as a kid pretending I could sing and learning the art playing 9-ball on green velvet. While doing that I met some people who have evidently been as busy as I have since the mid 80s. Many thanks to the church's current staff for allowing us oldies to return to the scene of the crimes. The church itself has changed dramatically: a newer pool table now sits in a room where air hovered over a parking lot and the Youth Room has traded its old jukebox for a flat screen. I pressed a lot of buttons and never got it to play Otis Redding...oh well.


But the conversations and reminiscing really took me back to that dock of the bay. Now if I could just fit into that old Journey t-shirt.

Today's Ingredients

• Turns out me and my elderly cronies haven't been the only ones recalling past glory. Coach Richt has done some reminiscing as well, calling up the old P-44 Haynes to entertain the fans in Macon last week.
• Finebaum influenza is spreading. I understand the fact that Will Muschamp may very well be a head coach somewhere else other than Texas when the time comes. But to suggest it may be Georgia overlooks the fact that we have a coach, a darn good one. That being said, I'm not thrilled at the idea of having a former player in Gainesville either.
• Speaking of the Coach Richt/hotseat blather, Mike takes this piece by TFPs David Paschall and adds some 80 proof.
• And the more we hear from people close to Corch, the less it sounds like this return to the sideline will be a long one. Of course...his retirement was one of the shortest in history, besting Brett Favre by at least several weeks.
• I get Alumni Association emails frequently. I always read them, but rarely link them. But whenever there's a meeting at Gnat's Landing...well, that's meatloaf worthy right there. So for all you St. Simons readers, register here. If you can UPS me an order of fried pickles and a cold pitcher of PBR we'll call it even.
• It's this kind of post by The Senator that gets that smell of charcoal in my nose and the anticipation of hearing the Battle Hymn being played from the southwest corner.
• Couple of new commits to the class of '11: Sterling Bailey of East Hall and Justin Scott-Wesley of Mitchell County.
• Speaking of recruiting, if you watched that Extreme Home Makeover show last night you may have caught a glimpse of Kenarious Gates, a '10 signee. Dean Legge re-posted a nice article and video from back in early February on Greenville's newest Georgia Bulldog and his very special coach.
• The show also had a nice cameo by Hines Ward. So if you didn't catch it, go Hulu it. (corrected link)
• Looking better while getting swept doesn't exactly settle the stomach. The fact that the gaytorian reptiles had the brooms is just salt in the wound.
• PWD is crossing his fingers that Coach Fox may have caught a break in his quest to sign Marcus Thornton.
• The volleys certainly haven't been easy this season for the tennis team, but yesterday's dramatic come from behind win was just enough to ensure the Dawgs will be more than spectators on their home court in the round of 16.
• Looks like Prez Obama and my younger irresponsible brother have a slight lead over Hanoi Jane and KiffyBaby. Guess I'll leave that poll up for a couple more days to let the dust settle around that broken lamp.
• Lastly, whoever once told Ian Anderson that you can't be a flutist on a rock stage deserves a measure of gratitude for their short-sightedness. Because without their ignorance we never would have caught a whiff of locomotive breath.

After a weekend of giving thanks, I would be hard-pressed to not be moved to the core by Coach Jeremy Williams' story last night on Extreme Home Makeover. I consider myself a strong man, but if I were faced with a slow, debilitating death like the one ALS brings I would pray for half the strength that Coach Williams shows.


No, I'm not one to usually tune into shows like that. But when I heard it was in Georgia and that it featured the coach of one of CMRs signees I decided to tune in. After re-connecting with so many friends it was a fitting end to the weekend.


We're only on this spinning rock for a short time in the grand scheme of things. Some are here a shorter time than others. We should at least attempt to make good use of the time we have. Even if that means giving up a weekend to be reminded that I once was an awkward teen with no gray hair. And especially if it means reading less of Paul Finebaum.


I think yard work would be more beneficial than that. But now it's time to get reunited with that fork Reader. And if that doesn't fill you up, there's also some leftover cake from the Last Resort.


Here's your napkin. Go have a Monday.




Bernie