Wherein Nate Attempts to Resuscitate His Blog & Thinks About Christmas

Been a while, huh?

Right now, I’m watching the Coach Osborne: More Than Winning. I really miss that time past, when T.O. was the football coach at NU. And not just because all we ever did back then was win. (Although that would certainly be part of it.) It was almost like he was the face of the state. Nothing flashy, just hard working and honest as the day is long—living proof that good things could come with honest living.

That’s why I couldn’t have been happier back in October when he emerged as interim Athletic Director after Steve Pederson was fired. It was as though the morale in the state shot through the roof after four years of slow but sure decline. Pictures of previous Husker All-Americans were put back up, former players were once again welcome and encouraged to visit (even if they weren’t still in the NFL), and the Iron Curtain that separated the A.D. from the rest of us finally came down.

Coach Osborne brought back high expectations and accountability to the football program, too. Don’t get me wrong; I really liked Bill Callahan, and no one had wanted him to succeed over the past four years more than I did. To be sure, Coach Callahan devoted himself to the team, and he and his staff were certainly successful recruiters. Unfortunately, they weren’t successful in developing that talent, and that was their downfall. I don’t know enough about coaching to know why that was. Maybe it was the NFL mentality, in which losing isn’t as big of a deal, so long as you win enough to make the playoffs. Maybe it was Bill’s stubborn loyalty to a defensive staff that never achieved better than average success.

Anyway, after the Colorado game, Coach Osborne fired Bill Callahan and laid out the reasons why he did so. When he first took over, he told the coaches that if they won out, that they wouldn’t be fired. Any further losses, however, would’ve made it increasingly difficult to retain them. Even if they went 6-6 wouldn’t have been good enough. But he did support them as much as possible right up until the end of that Colorado game before making good on his ultimatum.

And now, Bo Pelini is our head coach. I’m stoked about that. Bo is as fine of a defensive coordinator you’ll find, and a true players coach—the kind for whom a player would run through the proverbial (or actual) brick wall. We’ve truly missed that. He’s an emotional guy who will fight for his players on and off the field and will demand nothing less than their best. Bo just gets it, and Husker fans are behind him. Already there are signs of what has been a very divided fan base coming back together. That is good to see. Spring ball can’t get here soon enough. In the mean time, I look forward to cheering on Coach Pelini as he operates the LSU defense for the final time when they play Ohio State for the National Championship in January.

Now there’s a Blue Man Group documentary on. It looks cool. If Angie and I are ever able to go anywhere again, maybe we’ll have to check them out in Las Vegas.

Right now, the two of us are counting down the days until our wedding on May 31 (173, as of this writing). Wedding plans are going forward. It’s not always the easiest thing. We’ll be glad when it’s all done and we can begin our lives together. We’ve both waited a long time for this, and it feels good that we’re finally hitting the home stretch.

You may not have heard, but we have also booked our honeymoon. We’ll be staying at the El Dorado Royale resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. I haven’t been to any tropical location before, so of course I’m excited. Truly, I’d be happy to be going anywhere so long as Angie was with me. :)

The holidays are soon approaching. Only two weeks to go. It feels like the time is just flying, as it always does. What a great time of year. I know not everyone feels that way, though. It can be stressful, with all the expenses, planning, traveling, etc. Not everyone has happy memories of this time of year, either. Thanks to the horrifyingly selfish and depraved actions of one troubled person this past week, for example, several families in Omaha are changed forever and may never look fondly upon this time of year again.

It’s in the face of such tragedy, perhaps, that the miracle of Christmas shines at its brightest. I realize that not everyone out there buys this. But I do.

I believe that, some 2,000 years ago or so, a man was born of a virgin into the world as a fulfillment to a promise made to God’s chosen people. A man who was, at the same time, God Himself. He turned heads everywhere He went, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and even raising the dead to life. He taught us to love our enemies as ourselves and that the meek would one day inherit the earth. He had the audacity to call upon us to turn from our sins and yet proclaim us forgiven at the same time.

Of course, it was for just that audacity that we killed Him, and brutally at that.

But in that death, His ultimate plan was fulfilled. On the third day after He died, He rose again to vibrant life. His broken body and spilled blood atoned for the sins of all humanity, reconciled them to the Father, and made manifest his promise that all who believed in Him would not perish but have life without end. After a time, He ascended to Heaven and sent us the Holy Spirit to aid us and guide us as we eagerly await His return. One day, He’ll return, and never again will we know hunger, suffering, or death.

In the face of tragedy, I cling to this and my hope is sustained. I hope yours is, too.

So, let’s see, what else has happened, lately? The last time I blogged was near the end of March. Summer turned out to be quite the Wedding-A-Go-Go, as expected. I was a groomsman in weddings for my friends Brad and Ted, and best man for my brother Tom. That of course meant attending three bachelor parties, as well. It was all an excellent time, but I was pretty exhausted by the end of it all, too.

After that, the Husker football season started, and as you might have guessed from reading above, I watched every excruciating moment of my beloved team’s steady decline. Even so, I didn’t miss a home game. Angie and I also followed the volleyball team, which was much more gratifying. We ended up watching the Husker ladies sweep Texas, South Dakota State, and Wichita State at the Coliseum. The latter two games were NCAA Tournament matches. Tom Osborne sat behind Angie, my parents, and myself for the SDSU game. :)

Well, that’s all I have for now. I’ll try to bang out another one of these again soon. But then again, who knows? Check ya later.

--N

Wherein Nate Endorses Ken Svoboda For Mayor & Watches American Idol

I’m watching the Lincoln mayoral debate on television right now. Lest there be any doubt, I wholeheartedly and unhesitatingly endorse Ken Svoboda for mayor. If you’d like to know more about him, click here. He’s all about building Lincoln’s economy. It’s time for Granny Colleen’s reign of terror to end, and Ken is just the guy to replace her. It’s time to get a Republican into that office.

There. I said it. What? You want to say something?

Now, flipping to American Idol. I used to ridicule this show, but thanks to Angie and Amy, it has sunk its foul talons into me and now I’m shamelessly addicted to it. So, I might as well share my thoughts about some of its contestants.

I’ll start with Melinda Doolittle. She has the best vocals of any of the contestants. That is beyond dispute. Initially, she was my favorite to win. Now, though, I’m disillusioned with her. For one thing, I’m tired of her overblown humility act. It was cute early when the competition was new. Now, it just comes across as false. Act like you’ve been in the endzone before, Melinda. And grow a neck, too.

Sanjaya. I’ve been referring to him as the face of evil, but I’ve rethought that. No, he isn’t as talented as the rest of the finalists. But it’s all beyond his control. He obviously appeals to a large demographic, and let’s face it: the producer/pimps that run the show are as much behind his monster as any voters. Putting things up for a vote just lets them wash their hands of it.

Then there’s Blake Whatshisname. A lot of people like him to win this thing. I don’t. That’s great and fun that he can beatbox, and he has shown that a gimmick like that is like a gravy train with biscuit wheels. Too bad his vocals are comparably weak and uninspiring compared to those of some of the other performers. If this was 1999, he’d have done fine in a boy band. That’s not a compliment. I don’t know what Paula had mixed into her Coca-Cola beverage last night when she praised his singing.

That brings me to Chris Richardson, the poor man’s Justin Timberlake. We certainly don’t need another one of those. And I hate the fact that he was featured in one of my beloved Mustang commercials.

Well, it looks like Chris Sligh has hit the end of his road. That’s too bad. I liked the guy. He was funny and reminded me of the Tom Baker Doctor Who. He was a good vocalist, too, and he loved his wife. Those are all things I greatly appreciate. I think he was maligned, and unfairly, I might add, for his ultra-conservative Christian background. That’s a shame, but not unexpected.

Two of my other favorites were also in the bottom two, Haley and Phil. I think Phil is the best remaining male vocalist, but he looks like Sick Boy, and that’s been a problem for him. I don’t see Haley lasting a lot longer, but the fact that she’s the most attractive remaining female performer could certainly help her out. She does have ability, but is also quite inconsistent.

I have to say something about the judges. Simon is honestly the only one with a shred of ability to judge talent. Randy and Paula are pretty much worthless. They just parrot each other’s opinions about 90% of the time, and, WTH, they’ve never heard of 311? Were they living under a rock during the late 90’s? I honestly feel dumber each and every time the two of them speak. I really shouldn’t watch the show at all, but, as I mentioned, I’m shamelessly hooked and I won’t stop watching.

I don’t even know off hand how long it has been since I last blogged. Regardless, the last few weeks have certainly been eventful. Probably the most significant thing is that I moved out of Ted’s place just a week and a half ago. It was bittersweet; I lived at Theo’s house for almost three and a half years and have a good many fond memories of that time. But really, once Ted and Kelly got engaged, I knew my days there were drawing to a close. Anyway, I made it through the painful process of packing and moved way across town into Jason’s new townhouse. I’m getting settled in and really liking it there. I also transferred my Prairie Life Center membership from the West Q branch to the one on 70^th and A St. The latter makes the former look like a shoebox. I love it.

Spring football practice has started, so I’ve been staying on top of the updates that are posted at HuskersIllustrated.com. I feel terrible for Kenny Wilson. He broke his femur while moving a TV, which will likely keep him out of commission for an entire year. It’s really, really hard to come back from an injury like that. I hope he can. Zac Bowman also hurt his knee yesterday. I’m cautiously optimistic that it isn’t a season ender like his ACL tear last year. We really need him.

A couple weekends ago, I went to the Shrine Circus with Angie, Amy, Joel, and Aubrie. It was entertaining, but I can’t help but feel bad for the animals. There was a lion that was grossly overweight, which can’t be good for it’s health, especially when it’s commanded to run and jump around such as it was. I felt bad for the elephants, too. Watching some of the people who attended the circus was almost as entertaining. One lady, for example, looked almost exactly like Hurley from Lost. Not a good thing.

Well, that’s all I have for now. Here’s a haiku about The Office.

Some people like Pam.
Other people like Karen.
I like Angela.

Seriously, Angela, Kevin, and Oscar (the accountants) are the unsung heroes of this show. There are five episodes airing this Thursday, which will set the stage for the new episode next week. What a great television program.

Keep Hope Alive, and have a good one.

Love,
Nate

I'm watching last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy with Ted and Kelly right now. Not a bad episode, but as much as I like the show, I'm pretty sure I hate just about all the characters. At least, I don't like the interns. Some might call them full of bravado, but I think they're just callow and borderline sociopathic. Especially Izzy and Christina. It's also annoying that the word "seriously" has become the catchphrase for the show. Not funny or catchy. Annoying.

And the whole "Meredith is dying" story is just stupid. If I thought for one minute the writers had the balls to kill off the main character, I'd be uber-impressed. But I know they don't, which makes this just another "protagonist has a near-death experience and learns to cherish blah blah" plot that has been done to death on so many shows. They even did it on Star Trek: The Next Generation, for crap's sake.

Also, I also want to make it clear beyond any shadow of a doubt that I think Ryan Seacrest is a tool.

The current season of Lost has resumed, and I'm glad for that. I think some interest in the show had diminished while it was on hiatus, but I think interest has been rekindled. Some of my theories on the show are starting to look credible, e.g. the time travel/timewarp stuff explored with Desmond last week.

Speaking of theories, here's another prognostication for those of you who watch Heroes: Nathan Petrelli is going to die, likely as the result of his brother's actions. That's unfortunate, because I like his character. But much as the Simone character's usefulness had expired, I think we're reaching that point with N.P., too. And I don't think it was just a coincidence that Peter saw both Simone and Nathan die in his most recent vision. I hope I'm wrong about this one, but I've read enough comics to be fairly certain. Incidentally, I wasn't sorry to see Simone bite the dust. She wasn't particularly interesting. My attention always waned when she was onscreen.

Moving on to another favorite show, let's talk about Smallville. That's the show based on a young Clark Kent's various adventures preceding his debut as Superman. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder why I bother watching this show anymore. It's plotlines are convoluted and drag out way too long, and it's nigh impossible to take any of the characters seriously. I've felt this way for quite some time, but especially since Heroes debuted. Both shows are based on a similar premise, but Heroes has an element of realism that Smallville is woefully lacking. It doesn't help that they keep recycling stories, e.g. the ones where Clark almost reveals his origins to Lana, but then opts not to after some stupid mishap. The writers of that show have clearly been trying to build up to that moment over the course of the past six seasons. However, the buildup reached a fever pitch about two years ago, and became annoying and insulting after that.

I'll continue to watch the show since I just can't not watch shows based on comics, but I hope this show is put to sleep after this season. My expectations for the end of this show and its mediocre actors are no more than that.

The Office remains awesome, though. I celebrate each and every moment of every episode of that show. Even the moments when I want to go hide in another room because Michael Scott's total lack of self-awareness has broken the Fourth Wall and made me feel embarrassed. I don't want that show to ever end. The only thing that would make it more awesome is if John C. McGinley was to appear on the show.

Enough about television, though. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. I can't believe Lent is already upon us. I think this year I'm going to give up sweets, and maybe skip lunch on Fridays. You know, I actually look forward to this time of year. I think it's fitting that we go through a time of attrition to prepare our hearts to celebrate the unparalleled gloriousness that Easter represents. All the while, the days become noticeably longer, the sun shines a little brighter and warmer, and the green returns to the trees until *bang* it's spring.

And that's a really good feeling.

Hmm, trying to think of some music recommendations, but I can't think of any right off hand. I guess you'll have to content yourselves listening to "Wrong Planet" by Los Straitjackets and "Summer Song" by Joe Satriani. And, what the heck, let's throw in "Fugue In Concierto" by Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Nothing like good guitar riffs.

Yeah, that is good stuff.
I now take my leave of you.
Good evening to all.

Yep, that was a haiku. ;)

Cherish blah blah and Keep Hope Alive.

Love,
Nate

Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long. The answer, as it turns out, was "yes." :)

Yep, that's right, Angie and I got engaged on 20 January, and I couldn't be happier for it! May 31, 2008, will be our wedding date. (Yeah, I know that rhymes. It couldn't be helped.) But before I get into that, I suppose you'll be wanting to hear the details of the proposal and whatnot.

Well, to give you a little background, you first must understand that a year ago on January 13, Angie and I had our first date. We had hoped to celebrate on our anniversary, but her work had called her into the office and we decided to postpone our celebration until the following weekend. At this point, I had already picked up Angie's engagement ring, a simple, round-cut "Hearts On Fire" diamond. So, that was out of the way.

The next thing to do was secure Angie's parents' blessing. I went to visit them at home that Wednesday evening. I'll admit, I had been a little nervous about it. But her folks were so sweet and welcoming, and they gave me their permission without hesitation.

So, Saturday arrived. I had made a reservation for the two of us at Billy's restaurant here in Lincoln. Neither of us had ever eaten there before, so I told her I thought it would be a cool place to check out. That afternoon, I wrote my previous blog entry, cleaned up, and waited for Angie to come over. Ted and Jason had cleared out of the house for the evening, so I just kind of paced around and kept an eye out for Angie's vehicle through the window. As soon as I saw it, I turned the blog live and waited for her at the door. I tried, probably not very convincingly, to casually let her know that I had written a new blog entry and that she should check it out before we went to eat.

Angie went to my computer and read the blog, and I waited with the ring behind her. She finished reading, and I did as guys do in these situations, that is, I dropped to one knee, said some things that remain between the two of us, and asked her to marry me. She said "yes," and I put the ring on her finger. I'll admit, in my nervousness, I started to slide it onto the wrong finger.

But, hey, at least I put it on the correct hand. :)

After that, we went to eat at Billy's. It was a really neat place. It was actually a mansion next to the Governor's Mansion that had been converted into a restaurant and named after the famous Nebraska politician William Jennings Bryan. The food was excellent. We both had tilapia (I think), with a bruschetta appetizer and cabernet sauvignon. It was really good; I highly recommend the place.

Anyway, after dinner, a limo picked us up and took us for a celebratory ride about town. We just sat back, sipped some champagne, and enjoyed the moment. It was particularly memorable in that it was actually snowing. There was no wind blowing the snow; it was just falling lightly in big flakes.

On the whole, it's an evening I'll never forget.

The following day, of course, Angie jumped into preparations for the wedding and took me along for the ride. As I mentioned, we've set the date, and we've already booked the church and our photographer, too. We spent the past weekend checking out potential sites for the reception and should determine that soon, too. I won't lie; the process is sometimes stressful, but it has been fun, too. At least we have plenty of time to prepare. For my part, I'm just looking forward to being married to Angie.

In other news, it has been a ridiculously long time since I've blogged. I won't attempt to play catch-up. Obviously, I've stayed pretty occupied for the past couple months. The holidays were wonderful. Angie and I celebrated Christmas with both of our families in turn. It was a lot of fun exchanging gifts with everyone, and of course there was plenty of excellent food, too. New Year's was fun, too, except for the part where I contracted food poisoning/the flu. (I'm not sure which it was, but I do know that I was damn sick.) The Huskers lost the Cotton Bowl to Auburn. It was kind of a frustrating game to watch. We had the lead, and it just slipped away. Speaking of the Huskers, I also went to the Big XII championship. That game was ridiculously cold. It was so miserable. I was wearing multiple layers, including Under Armour up to the gills, and I was still cold. That game was frustrating, too. We actually outyarded Oklahoma, but it still wasn't enough. I do feel that Bill Callahan has things on the right track, though, especially when it comes to recruiting. I'm looking forward to next season.

Speaking of recruiting, Letter Of Intent day is this Wednesday. NU has a really good recruiting class lined up, and I'm eager to see how it all pans out. After that, it's going to be a long off season. I suppose I'll still have plenty to do.

Since my last entry, I've thought of a bunch of things that annoy me. I wanted to write about them, but right now, they escape me. I'm going to be vexed later on when I remember them. Ah well.

I suppose I'll call it a night. Someday, I hope to blog regularly again. It's just hard to set aside time when there is so much else going on. There is hope, though. In the meantime, if I don't see you, you keep...keep on truckin'. Yeah, good stuff. Keep Hope Alive.

Cordially,

Nate

P.S. Watch "The Office." They show reruns on NBC.com, so you really have no excuse to miss it. Watch "Heroes," too. Oh, and "Lost" is back on Wednesday. You're going to need a DVR.

A Humble & Heartfelt Request For Someone Wonderful

(Of course that's referring to you, Angie. :D)

Can you believe it has already been a year since we first met? It doesn't seem so long ago that we were playing phone tag, trying to set up our first date. From the time I first laid eyes on you that night, I found you gorgeous, but as the date went on, I realized you were someone truly special.

And so, in the ensuing days, I'd find my thoughts constantly turning to you, yearning for the next chance we'd get to spend time together. Then, when we were together, I'd find more reasons to love you.

Many of them were little things, like the way you make lists of things to do, the fact that you already have all of my family members' birth dates memorized, and the way you so urgently insist on ordering a side of honey mustard to go with your fries at Lazlo's. But there were also major things, such as your dedication to family, your generosity, your patience, and the Christian faith we share in common.

This hasn't changed one bit. I thank God for you each day, and it would be an honor to build a life with you. So, naturally, there is something I must ask. . .

Hiya. Surprised to hear from me? I don't doubt that you are. I haven't blogged in over a month. It wasn't for lack of desire, but it takes some time to bang these things out. I usually don't get time to do it until the end of the day, and by then I'm usually working out or going to bed. We'll see, though, if I can get back in the habit of writing regularly. Because I do enjoy it. . .and miss it. And if I miss it, I can only imagine how the rest of you feel.

So, the story so far. . . . Let's see. Well, the regular Husker football season is over. Our record stands at 9-4, with losses to USC, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma. Even despite those tough losses, I'm really pleased with the progress the team has made over the course of the season. We ran the board in the Big XII North, and also pulled off a huge win on the road against Texas A&M. This paved the road toward the Huskers first North division championship since 1999. That, of course, included a trip to the Big XII Championship in Kansas City, which transpired just this past weekend.

Brad and I made the drive down to Arrowhead Stadium, where we played Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the game didn't go our way. NU had an off night on offense, and OU played a heck of a game anyway. They're a really good team, and it was going to take a good game to beat them. The worst part of the game, though, was the cold. It was plenty cold when Brad and I got to the tailgate around 3p, but then the sun went down, and we endured a whole new world of cold. As the game drew to a close, I started to forget what it felt like to be warm. So, the first thing I did when I got home was take a hot shower for about 20-30 minutes.

Anyway, losing the Big XII Championship locked us into the Cotton Bowl against Auburn. That should be a pretty good game. It'll be played on New Year's Day, the first time we've had a bowl on Jan. 1, or later since 2001. The only bummer is that it's a morning game.

But enough about football. As much as I love the college football season and going to Husker games, I'm looking forward to having my weekends open again. Especially to sleep in on Saturdays. Occasionally, anyway; I have a hard time sleeping past 7:30-8:00 most mornings. It'll also be easier to go on dates with my girlfriend, go out for drinks at night, see movies, and all kinds of other stuff. Rock and roll.

So what else. Hmm. I'm working at getting back on the fitness & wellness wagon. I've been lifting regularly, back on a stricter diet, and getting to the gym in the morning more often. I kind of fell out of practice over the past month and a half or so, and paid the price in the form of a little extra weight. I've stemmed the tide, though, and I'll be back in form soon enough. As lifting goes, that's looking pretty good. My bench is getting close to my previous peak, and I'm going to work hard to push the envelope even further.

The other night, I rented You, Me & Dupree and watched it with Angie and Amy and Joel. It was pretty funny. I recommend it. It was only rated PG-13, so it's pretty clean. Honestly, I think PG-13 humor is underrated. It can't afford to go the risque, gross-out route of R-rated humor, so it has to work harder.

Of course, I suppose you're wondering what I'm having to drink as I type this entry. Well, it just so happens to be a glass of Yellow Tail shiraz. It's OK, but nothing to write home about. I just picked it up on a whim, mainly because I haven't tried too many different shiraz. (Or should I say "shirazes" or "shirazi"? Words and grammar is great fun!)

Anyway, as I finish off this underwhelming glass of shiraz, I'm watching part of the movie "The Cider House Rules." I actually saw that one several years ago. Before watching it, I assumed that it was a frat guy kind of comedy. (Yeah! The Cider House rules!!! Drink, freshman!!!) Not so. In fact, the movie is much more socially relevant, and on the whole, depressing. And on that note, I'm changing the channel.

For what it's worth, if I ran a house named for the juice of an apple, it would most certainly rule.

That Burger King mascot really creeps me out. It's like a character from a crappy slasher movie.
So, how about a story? I don't think I've told this one before. Back when I was in late elementary school, I had an after-school job delivering newspapers. It was kind of a fun job. In the summer, when my cousin, Eric, would be down to visit, he'd ride along with me to help out. So would another friend, Brian. Part of the route included a few customers at a local nursing home, which was full of all sorts of colorful characters. One of them was an old gal (we'll call her Lurlene) who was constantly trying to escape through one of the side doors. Well, one day, as we left the building, Lurlene was blocking our exit in her wheelchair. Brian and I squeezed around her as politely as we could and went out the door, but Eric stayed back and asked her if she wanted to go outside. (We had seen residents sitting out on the sidewalk before, so he figured it'd be OK to help her out.) She said she did.

I was climbing on to my bike as I turned back to see Eric pushing Lurlene out onto the side walk. Unfortunately, he pushed her a little too hard, and the front wheels of her wheelchair went over the edge of the sidewalk, causing her to pitch forward and be dumped unceremoniously on the grass. Lurlene let out a blood-curdling scream of "HELLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Brian courageously pedaled his bike to his house and hid inside as fast as he could. My first instinct was to do the same, but in the end, I couldn't leave my cousin behind. I was determined to go down in flames with Eric, if that was indeed to be our fate.

Happily, it was not. As it turned out, Lurlene's wrist tag malfunctioned and didn't trigger the alarm, and no one saw any fault in Eric for trying to help her outside. And so, that was that. Disaster avoided.

Well, I suppose it's time to call it a night. Here's a haiku.

It was really cold.
At the football game, I mean.
We sat by morons.

Keep it real, and keep hope alive.

Serendipitously yours,

Nate

P.S.: Fran Drescher is a crime against nature.

Hiya. Remember me? Of course you do. I've poured myself a martini, so I guess I'll go ahead and get right into things.

I know you're all wondering what I've been up to lately, and as you can well imagine, I've been happily immersed in Husker football. The season has gone reasonably well, up to this point. Our record is currently 6-2, with our only losses occurring at USC back in September and against Texas this past Saturday. I was present for the latter, an absolutely amazing contest. We were set to win 20-19 with less than 3 minutes to go, but an unfortunate fumble on an attempted 3rd and 2-3 conversion put UT in excellent field position. They moved down the field, where we kept them from reaching the endzone. However, they still chipped in a field goal, and that's all it took.

The atmosphere was absolutely incredible, though. Everyone was pumped up and loud despite the cold, wet conditions. In fact, when we rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, it even snowed. It was one of those perfect moments that arrives unannounced and departs before you can take the time to savor it completely. This is the nature of such things, I suppose.

We lost the game, but the potential for a rematch with Texas remains, should both UT and Nebraska make it to the Big XII championship. The road to that game will be tough for us, but certainly not out of reach. None of the teams we play the rest of the year will be as good as Texas was, but we have to avoid a letdown. Especially this weekend at Oklahoma State and next week when Missouri comes to Lincoln. I'm confident in this Husker team to take what rightfully belongs to them (the North division) and win out the rest of the regular season. After that, they'll have every opportunity to even things out a little against Texas.

I sure do like martinis. Usually, I tend to favor dirty martinis, but I forgot to add the olive juice to this one. Still good, though.

I'm watching an episode of Nip/Tuck, out of the corner of my eye. It's hitting that mid-season point where my interest trails off for a few weeks. I didn't even watch last week's episode. There are a bunch of other shows I've really enjoyed recently, though. I've had a ridiculously long "watch list" this season. Here's a rundown:

Sunday: Desperate Housewives. Laugh all you want, but that show is addictive.

Monday: Heroes. This is a new show on NBC about various people living throughout the U.S. as they discover and come to terms with their budding superpowers. Right up my alley. This is the sort of show that I'm convinced someone out there has psychically robbed from my thoughts.

Tuesday: Nip/Tuck. The fourth season has had some good moments, but still isn't as good as the past two seasons.

Wednesday: Lost. Another show for which I wish I was a writer.

Thursday: Smallville, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and occasionally ER. The Green Arrow has appeared on Smallville, which has been interesting. The Office has been hilarious. All of the purists out there who wrote it off as not as good as the BBC original during the first season need to give it another chance. ER has been good, too, but I'm not quite as into that one. Maura Tierney just kind of makes me feel depressed. I like Grey's a lot, but that's already in re-runs, it looks like.

Friday: Doctor Who. This show is the godfather of modern science fiction. When it's time for a new Doctor to take over on the show, I think I might audition. Even though I'm short, American, and don't have that great of a voice for acting.


Obviously, it doesn't really work to watch all these shows as they air, but as is customary in modern times, my roomates and I have a DVR. Angie and I like to watch some of the shows together, but not the sci-fi, comic-booky ones. I'm nerd enough for the both of us.

We've also watched a lot of Husker volleyball this year. The gals are currently undefeated, and we've watched a lot of their conference games. Angie and I were in attendance for their routs of Kansas and Kansas State. Last week, we went to a volleyball bar here in Lincoln to watch the Huskers beat Texas in five games at UT. We have a badass volleyball team. There just isn't any way around it. All other teams behold our glory. . .and despair.

Angie and I have also done a little traveling recently. About a week and a half ago, we flew down to New Mexico for her nephew Jesse's wedding in Santa Fe. We had a really good time, as all of her family was gathered for the happy event. New Mexico was gorgeous, too, but in the end, I think I much prefer the gentle, fertile landscape of Nebraska to the desert.

Speaking of weddings, I have some more news on that front. You remember my brother Tom? Well, he and his girlfriend of many years, Lesa, just got engaged this last Saturday! I knew he was getting close to popping the question in recent months, and sure enough, late this last Thursday he showed up at my house to show me the engagement ring he had picked up (a very nice one, btw). He was so excited, and I was, too. It's not every day your younger brother gets engaged, after all. :) Our family is so happy for the two of them, and Lesa is just the sort of sister-in-law anyone would be privileged to have. Congratulations to the both of them!

Well, that's about it for this evening. Because I'm tired and want to go to bed. So here's your haiku:

Thomas and Lesa
Will get married in July.
That's pretty badass.

I'll try to blog again soon. No promises. In the meantime, keep it real, and keep hope alive.

Vociferously, garrulously, and infindibulously yours,

Nate