Nashville, TN

I have to admit I’m still not over the fact that ten years ago, ABC stopped covering UT’s national championship game so we could hear everyone who’d ever worked with Keith Jackson’s opinining over how great he was and how much they’d miss him. And I’m really not ever going to forgive Brent Musburger being able to figure out how to pronounce the last name “Clausen” correctly in the nationally televised UT win over Miami a few years ago.

So, just add one more reason for me to dislike the family of networks that is ESPN…and shockingly this has nothing to do with Lee Corso.

I guess ESPN wasn’t thrilled with the fact that the Titans were on Monday Night Football the other night. I’m guessing they’d rather be covering Dallas or Chicago or some other city’s team. Why do I say this?

Becauce Mike Terrico couldn’t even bother to get the names of the Titans players right during the broadcast. Which this smacks of unprofessionalism, but it’s really no more than I’ve come to expect from ESPN. They look down their nose at Tennessee for some reason I’ve never understood. We’re not all rednecks here Terrico, not that you’d be bothered to look into that or care…cause you’re too busy not getting the players names right on the Titans.

So, next time Monday Night Football features our beloved Titans, I’ll be doing what I should have done–turning your useless banter off and turning on the voice of the Titans, Mike Keith. Yes, Keith is a homer, but he could show you a thing or two Terrico…cause Keith doesn’t get the names of the opposing team’s players wrong.

I guess that’s because he’s a professional…

So what does that say about you?

Well, the Titans made a triumphant return last night to Monday Night Football, keeping the Saints winless with a 31-14 victory.

I love it!

Great defensive play and some good strides on offense. And we’ve got wide-receivers for Vince to throw the ball to…who knew?!?

Savor it folks. This team is on the rise….we may not be going to the Super Bowl this year, but in the next five years, definitely.

It’s been a couple of years since the Titans graced Monday Night Football. So you can imagine I’m pretty excited to see Tennessee’s team showcased for one of two nationally televised games this season this evening.

The Titans head to New Orleans to play the struggling Saints. The Saints were picked by many to go to the Super Bowl. The Titans are looking to head into their bye-week with a 2-1 record. It should be a good game, but I’d be happy if Vince and the boys blew out the Saints like everyone else has the past two weeks.

Let the Aints start rolling next week…tonight, let’s hope the Titans take care of business in a big way.

There’s a new study out that says that commuters spend a week a year in traffic.

There are times when I’m driving up I-24 to work that it feels more like a month….

The growing legend of Vince Young could have written a new chapter yesterday…if one of our receivers had held onto the ball. He holds onto the ball and we could be talking about a whole different outcome to the Titans vs Colts game.

All that said, how electric was it with two minutes to go, seeing Vince come in with a chance to lead the team downfield to a win? You could just feel the electricity around middle Tennessee and hold your breath.

The Titans have a good team and next week we can hopefully show the nation what we’ve got on national TV on Monday Night Football. But I will admit–part of me is worried. The Saints are a wounded animal and playing at home for the first time after being destroyed the last six quarters….this could be a huge trap for the Titans.

Hitting newsstands today is the “Girls of (insert college football conference)” issue of Playboy Magazine. And this year, it appears the ladies of the SEC will be gracing the pages of the photo spread, including Vanderbilt’s Ally Ramirez
.

“It’s just one of those things where not a lot of people can say they came out in Playboy. I just thought it would be a super cool thing to do,” said Ramirez, who is studying economics.

Ramirez said she doesn’t plan on doing anything else for the magazine. She wants to focus on school.

All 12 teams from the SEC are featured in the pictorial in this month’s issue.

When I was in school at UT, the SEC came up for featuring in an issue and I seem to recall a great opinion column by The Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Sam Venable on who would win the SEC based on the variety of photos, how much skin was shown per school and how many women from each school made the pictorial. I wonder, based on this system (which I can’t recall enough of it to be of any real use to anyone), who is projected to win the SEC this year.

Anyway, if you’re of legal age and want to see a sample of the photos, you can do so here. I don’t have to tell you that this link is definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

Vandy hosts Ole Miss Sunday at 6 p.m. If you buy a ticket, some of the proceeds go to help Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

The Titans open the 2007 home season with division rival, the Colts. Both teams are undefeated and looking to take a big step toward the division lead.

The last game at LP Field was the memorable Rob Beronas 60 yard field-goal to win it last December.

About the middle of August, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever have cool weather. And by cool weather, I mean, where I could step outside and not immediately break out in a sweat.

Which is why the weather yesterday and this morning…..beyond awesome.

Comfortable, cool and last evening a light breeze blowing. I loved it.

I know this being Tennessee we’ll have a few more hot days in there somewhere, but for now, I am loving the weather.

We’ve not had a sustained rain in so long, that I think it threw people for a loop yesterday. I had to stop into my local Kroger store to pick up one item and you’d think it was getting ready to snow.

People, it’s going to precipiate, but it’s still warm for the frozen stuff!

And seriously, I think there should be some kind of test you have to pass to use the self-check out registers. If you can’t listen and/or read and follow the basic instructions, you should sent directly to the slowest line in the store. I also think you should have your self-check out priviledges revoked if you go through with more items than it says on the sign….seriously, if you’ve got a cart brimming with stuff, go to a regular line!

Can you sense my annoyance?

If not, read that again and imagine as much sarcasm as possible.

Of course, it’s not as if the Kroger people were the most helpful. I understand it’s busy and stressful. And I’m standing there, trying to put in some change because…well, I am trying to get rid of the mountain of change in my pocket (with the rain coming, I’m fearful of tripping, falling into a puddle and drowning….nuerotic, me? Why do you ask?). Anyway, it won’t take my dime…so I try another one. Rejected. Try another one…rejected. Finally, the clerk yells at me “Just give me the money already!”

Yeah, I’m pretty sure yelling at the customers wasn’t covered in the basic customer service training Kroger gave you.

I thought of telling the manager on the way out, but it was such a zoo I just let it go. Well, at least until I could blog about it. Why whine and moan to just whine person when you can whine and moan to at least dozens of people on-line?

Anyway, the rains came and I appreciate them….even enough to almost overlook that none of us can drive worth a darn in the rain.

Well, it wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day of the week.

The Tennessee Titans went to Jacksonville and re-took “home field advantage” at All-Tell Stadium (or whatever corporate sponsor they have these days) yesterday.

If you had Chris Brown as a fantasy football player, you probably had a big day. If you had Vince Young, probably not so much, though he did score the Titans only touchdown of the day (should’ve had two really…but I wouldn’t woulda, shoulda, coulda the game to death.)

The running game was in fine form with Chris Brown and LenDale White tearing up the Jacksonville vaunted run defense.

And the game was a very typical Jeff Fisher type of game–establish the run, pass when you have to and play strong defense while letting special teams do their thing. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t one you’ll see again on ESPN classic, but it was a win. And it’s a good start to the season and let’s face it–the defense did well against the run. Now, against the pass…well, not so much.

But for now, let’s savor the win and get ready for the world champions to come in for the home season-opener for the Titans. Last year’s two games were close with the Titans pulling off that miracle win in December that was one of the most memorable of the year. If the Titans can keep it close, they’ve got a chance…

Today I called Metro Water to set up service at my new diggs starting Monday. My conversation with “w’ell-call-her-Rhonda” was a little dry, yet entertaining. Here’s how it went (in my head - you know in that alternate universe Ally McBeal style)

MW: Thanks for calling Metro Water, my name is “Rhonda” customer service #41, how may I help you. (no, no question mark - because she didn’t say it like a question. It was all rather monotoned and ran together, you see.)

Me: Hi, I need to establish new service (I only knew to say it like that because the programmed menu kept saying, “if you’d like to establish new service, press 2″; otherwise, I would have stammered until something less eloquent came out like, uh…I need water)

Rhonda: ok what’s the address

Me: (I gave it to her, but I’m not gonna write it here. Duh, do you think I’m crazy?)

Rhonda: and what name should go on the account?

Me: Ramsey

Rhonda: I need first and last name

Me: ok, try Emily Ramsey

Rhonda: do you have a middle initial?

Me: Do YOU have a middle initial?

**** silence ****

Me: K.

Rhonda: and I’m gonna need your social

Me: I’ll give you mine if you give me yours…

***silence***

Me: (…and then I give it to her…cuz I need water)

Rhonda: click

So… come Monday, I will either have water, or a stolen identity. But it’s ok, because Rhonda doesn’t know she’s closing on a house today and has a new mortgage come November.

Click.

The Nashville Sounds have made the post-season again. They began play yesterday against the New Orleans Zephyrs but lost the first game. The second game is this afternoon and I believe the return home this weekend.

This is the third time in as many years the Sounds have made the playoffs. Two years ago, they won the Pacific Coast League Championship.

You know, not to sound like a broken record but a quality baseball team deserves a decent stadium. And let’s face it–Greer ain’t cuttin’ it. The Sounds have put a quality product on the field and through bungling and mismanagement by a lot of sides, a deal for a new stadium is no where on the horizon. And it should be…

For those of you who attend 4 hour night classes at Nashville State on White Bridge Road, I have tested a hypothesis and intend to post the results here.

Hypothesis: It is possible, within the standard given time span of a 10 minute break, to leave the classroom, get to your car, get a sandwich from Subway (on White Bridge Rd.), eat a sandwich from Subway, and make it back to class.

Results: It is possible, given the following contingencies:

1) you do not forget your car keys in the classroom and remember them half-way to your car which is parked .35 of a mile from your classroom.
2) you are not stopped by campus security for going over a speed-bump too hastily.
3) you can turn left onto to a major city street without a light within 30 seconds.
4) you do not get behind a slow driver in the right hand lane of White Bridge Road.
5) you do not show up to an otherwise ‘dead’ restaurant, only to wait behind one indecisive customer ordering three toasted sandwiches, being made by one very bored and unmotivated employee whose greatest pleasure is catering to undecisive customers and ignoring those who are in a hurry (me).
6) you order a mini sandwich, and not a six-inch, untoasted with minimal toppings, because that is all you’re going to have time to eat.

Otherwise, it is completely do-able.

This has been a public service experiment for night students of NSCC.

Dear Gabby,

Thanks for talking my ear off   entertaining me yesterday as I sat in the waiting room of the ER at Skyline Medical Center. Fortunately, I was not in a state of grief, turmoil, or anxiety over the condition of a loved one since I was just there waiting for a friend who was checking in on her dad who is now 2 fingers less, but doing fine (thanks for asking).

Thanks for letting me into your otherwise private life, as well as your daughter’s life, and your son’s life. I’m sure she won’t mind that I know she’s a cosmetologist and that she has scary dreams about your hair. I’m sure she would be thrilled to know complete strangers join in your celebration of her ability to deliver your last grandchild vaginally. Who knew a woman that small could complete the task. Congratulations on not having to go with a C-section.

I’m sure your son is not losing any sleep over the fact that I know his boss is a bum for not wanting him to take off work to take you to the ER again. In fact, that was him sleeping right next to you, wasn’t it? It seems the sound of his mother’s voice is so soothing that he is continuously led to slumber each time she makes a new ‘friend’.

I hope you didn’t have to wait long after I left you yesterday, since your number was 866, and they were only on 830. I’m so glad they didn’t try to give you number 666 as you originally thought your ticket said. I’m with  you, I wouldn’t have taken it either. Especially since that would have been a much longer wait. I’m sure everyone else in the waiting room was glad you didn’t have to wait any longer than you did as well.

Maybe I’ll see you next time I visit the Skyline ER. Since you apparently visit often due to chronic arthritis.

Much luck to you in the future,

Emily (the girl with the friend whose hairstyle you’d like to try)

If you’ve got a Facebook account, be on your guard if you’re invited to use Quechup. Apparently it will infilitrate your address book and send out a SPAM to everyone on your list to join as well–without your permission.