The Unexpectedly Short Week...

...and other goings-on:

My wife Brandi had surgery to have her gall bladder removed last Friday. I had to take the day off from work to be at the hospital with her. While normally I'd be all in favor of having an unexpected day off of work, this is not the way I'd like for it to happen. Being in the waiting room by myself for approximately three hours was both boring (although I did have a book) and trying. Even though I knew the surgery was fairly routine and that everything was going to be fine, it's still a little unnerving to have to sit there and wait while someone you love is under the knife.

The book I had with me in the waiting room was a paperback copy of Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore. On the back cover, of the book, there's a banner proclaiming "EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR INTERVIEW INSIDE." Now, I've read this book cover-to-cover twice now, and I still haven't found the author interview, in which I'm at least vaguely interested (and only partially because I can't find it). Maybe it's written in code.

After the surgery was over and Brandi had mostly recovered from the anesthetic, I was able to take her home. She did a lot of sleeping that day. Because I had to be around to monitor and take care of her, though, I was unable to make the trip down to Troy for the football game against Trotwood-Madison that evening. It's the first time I've missed a Troy home game since I was a high school freshman, fifteen years ago, so that was a little weird. I was more than happy to look after the health of my wife, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a twinge of regret over breaking a streak like that. The fact that Troy lost the game did nothing to make me feel better about it.

I'm happy to report, though, that Brandi is recovering well after the surgery. Actually, I have to give her props for being a real warrior. She shocked me by accompanying me to BGSU's homecoming football game against Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon. Her friend Cricket and I were planning to go, but Brandi said she'd like to get out for a while, so she came along as well. I thought the two of them would end up leaving early, at the very least, but Brandi stuck it out to the very end. She was definitely ready to go by the time the game was over, but she kept up her enthusiasm for the game despite her discomfort.

The surgery, of course, took place at Wood County Hospital here in Bowling Green. This week, the hospital was the site for the shooting of a lunatic. On the bright side, if you get shot at the emergency room...you're already at the emergency room!

So the Detroit Tigers are going to the World Series for the first time since 1984 after making the playoffs for the first time since 1987. I have to admit that I'm getting a little caught up in the fever. Being just an hour from Detroit, there are plenty of Tigers fans in the area, and it would be pretty cool to see them win it all, especially since I'm a big fan of first baseman Sean Casey. I'm hoping his calf injury will heal enough to let him play by the time the Series rolls around. All that said, I've been a Mets fan since I was a kid, so I'm still pulling for them to go all the way. I wouldn't be disappointed at all to see Detroit win it, though.

I caught a clip of the brawl that took place during the game between Florida International and the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl on Saturday. Whatever punishment is/has been handed down for that snafu won't be nearly enough. To me, that's the sort of thing that programs should go down over. There's no excuse for it. Occasional fights will happen, but for it to rage out of control like that is inexcusable. There were guys kicking other guys in the head, stomping on each other with cleats, and swinging helmets. I heard one injured player even ran onto the field swinging a crutch. What the hell is that all about? I know there were some cheap shots taken during the game, and I'm all for defending your boys, but at some point common sense has to take over. I don't care who said what about whose mamma. I'm just glad there were no serious injuries to come out of the whole mess, which is surprising when you see the video. Personally, I think both teams should forfeit the remainder of their games at the very least. Although I suppose that would screw over other teams that are expecting them to visit, so maybe they should forfeit their home games but play the away games. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

GO TROJANS!!! BEAT PIQUA!!!