California....Beautiful

This weekend is the 2nd annual "Everybody meets in Colorado to go skiing, except Sara and Hammen, who haven't skiied since Bob Dole was running for President, so they alternate between drinking in the ski lodge bar and drinking in the hot tub all day long until the slopes are closed, when they can hang out with everyone else again" trip.

"10 in the morning....I just figured she was a raging alcoholic!" This was the exact picture I wanted right here, but it was surprisingly hard to Google. Raise your hand if you had a friend in 1994 who tried to argue that the girl on the left was Lisa Turtle from Saved by the Bell.


We've added a few new members to the trip this year, all of whom are shitshows in their own regard. (The last time I drank with Alfsonso and Mike Ricky Bobby in Chicago, the now-infamous Wizard Sticks were involved. The last time I drank with the Zidon sisters over Christmas break (my second favorite set of twins, just behind Brandon & Brenda Walsh from Beverly Hills, 90210- and just ahead of KU's Morris twins and Luke & Leia Skywalker) I ended up locked out of my parents' house at 6 am and had to sleep on their parents' couch, only to be woken up by the their whole friggin' extended family the next morning. Not my proudest moment as a 27-year-old. And Paul is even coming down from Montana, and our stories need no re-introduction. So needless to say, big things are expected from this weekend. Gonna be causing shenanigans like Cat Stevens.

Plus it's Super Bowl weekend. I was really hoping for the Vikings to make it, so I had an actual horse in the race; but unfortunately that's not the case, so now I have to rely on prop bets and my hatred of the Colts to keep me interested (my least favorite teams in sports: Yankees, Lakers, Colts, and the college basketball triumvirate of North Carolina, Duke, and whoever John Calipari is coaching. See a common denominator? After all my favorite teams' success in 2007 and 2008, 2009 was rough.)

The ol' online gambling account is on hold for now (I didn't like how "involved" Congress was getting in the whole situation) so the prop bets are gonna have to be amongst friends this year. A favorite bet of Lane and I is predicting the set list of the halftime entertainment. He put up a very, very strong showing last year, nailing every Bruce Springsteen song in order, and he also dominated me in 2008 with his Tom Petty knowledge....but I feel confident about making my comeback this year, since The Who is one of my favorite bands of all time. Assuming a 4-song set list:

1. Baba O'Riley
2. Pinball Wizard (close call over 'My Generation', 'You Better You Bet', or maybe some other random song from 'Tommy.')
3. Who Are You
4. Won't Get Fooled Again (an absolute LOCK to be either the opening or closing song. I went with closing, since the synthesizer intro to Baba O'Riley is a perfect opening for a halftime show. Just a baby-maker of an intro.)


Other good bets to watch for:

- Jim Nantz starting off the telecast with "Hello, friends!" going off at 1-8 in my personal sportsbook, I would NEVER bet against that.
- Kim Kardashian sightings, over/under 3.5
- Brett Favre mentions, over/under 5.5
- Hurricane Katrina mentions (including anything about the team rejuvenating the city, anything about the Superdome, and anything about Drew Brees choosing the Saints in free agency to help the city's recovery) over/under 12.5


Enjoy the weekend. Cheer for the Saints, even though they beat the Vikings. Pete Townshend is, and Keith Moon would be if he was still alive.