Bye Week 2021 Plans

My partner and I bought our first home in April and we're having our (very late) housewarming party on Saturday! Doing a tailgate theme, which will be fun! He went to Georgia Tech, so a weekend with both of our teams off worked out great!

Excited for a fun weekend with friends. Go Blue!

Wrapping up 16 weeks of training by running my first marathon in Detroit on Sunday! While it would be nice to watch the Maize and Blue on a day where I have nothing to do but carb load and relax, I think a Saturday free from the emotional tension of football will be good for the head, heart, and legs.

Camping up north, maybe. Took our new (to us) fiver in a couple weeks ago for some minor maintenance/repairs. Can't just go and 'borrow' it from the RV shop as it all apart, waiting for a part. Oh, well. Always things to do around the house and yard, and my daughter and her two little dogs are coming to visit us next week from FL so I probably should do some cleaning and picking up. Maybe I'll go for a hike, too.

I will use the bye week to remember that I have actually have a life, a pretty darn good one at that, outside of watching football on the weekends. I'm in no way as invested or involved as the folks who run MGoBlog but with the football team being pretty good and my FF team doing well, I've been way too connected to the tv screen over the past month and 1/2. 

If Brian, Seth and Ace have taught us anything over the past year, it's that while sports are where our allegiances and interests run, it's important to not let them determine the outcomes of other, often more meaningful life goals we have for ourselves. I will no doubt be crushed when we lose a game this season and I'm certain the 2nd half gauntlet will make sure of that but I'll try to keep the frustration to Monday only. So if you're like me, use this weekend to snuggle with your lady friend, cook an omelet at 11:55am so it can be technically be classified as breakfast and go do something active on a nice fall day.

Cheers!

Taking the girl to Longwood Gardens to see the flowers and whatnot. Then coming back to watch Pac12 after dark. 

I'm headed to a UofM@IND matchup.  Sitting on the Wolverine/Groom side of the aisle.  

Wife Day!

Gibbs botanical gardens in north Georgia, a 30 minute drive.  Hope to see the fall colors, too, but it may be too early.  We haven't hit 55º yet.  BBQ and beers for dinner.

https://gibbsgardens.com/ 

Getting together with a bunch of guys I lived with in Ann Arbor . . . more than 30 years ago. We've gone to a cabin or shack or house on Lake Michigan for a weekend every Fall since the mid-80's.  Last year with the pandemic was the first time we cancelled altogether. Guys are now all over . . . Palo Alto; Manhattan, NY; Chicago area; GR; AA area; Detroit 'burbs, E. Lansing. Some guys can rarely make it, and others are there every year. A few are already retired. Engineers, professors, a photographer, consultant, teacher, counselor, insurance and financial products, commercial and residential real estate, an epidemiologist and a pastor. Some are successful, others less so. Some have grandkids, some have no kids. Some are conservative, some are progressive.

As the years go by, I appreciate these lasting friendships more and more. Most (but not all) are Michigan football fans. And we can debate about football and politics and economic policy and the pandemic and still walk away friends. We have a safe place to talk about personal heartache and have friends who listen and care, and a safe place to share good news without it being an arrogant brag. I'm very, very thankful, and realize those friendships forged in Ann Arbor have lasted more than half my life.

I'll be scouting future opponents on Sat. and I see Wisconsin is actually playing Army this weekend.  Probably a low scoring slog of a game.  Does #CHAOSTEAM have any juice for this weekend?

Didn't see anyone mention this yet, but I'll be watching my O.G. alma mater, Grand Valley take on Ferris State in what is a pretty good D2 grudge match. Both are 5-0 on the year, Ferris is ranked second and GVSU is fifth in the poll. Grand Valley has scored 242 points and given up 85 while Ferris has scored 251 and given up 103. So, fireworks are likely.

Ferris has owned the rivalry since Tony Annese took over for the Bulldogs, winning eight of ten and the last four in a row. Each of the last three wins have been by five points or less. Ferris runs a wildly creative offense and usually has a ton of speed for the D2 level while Grand Valley's calling card this year is an unusually deep group of running backs with a variety of skill sets. 

Looking forward to this one, but sadly as a Grand Valley fan, this game is starting to have a bit of an Ohio State vs. Michigan feel on a LOT of levels.

I'm headed to Duluth to watch Michigan play hockey vs UMD.

Every October my wife and I spend 5 days on Mackinac Island. We usually target the middle of the month, which almost always coincides with a UM bye, as it does this year. This affords us the opportunity to hike the island, sit in a bar and watch games, and generally enjoy ourselves without the stress of a UM game. 

Can't wait!

Drat!!! Double post.

Picked up a day of work on Saturday. Might as well get some OT in 

Taking care of the wife. She just had knee surgery last week and has essentially been immobile for a week and a half, which sucks when you also have a one year old just starting to get up and walk.

Thankfully my parents are coming for the weekend to help me take care of her and the kid. The in laws did that the past week as well, so I’ve been very fortunate on that front. 

Going to the Red Wings vs. Canucks game with my nephew.

Working the Intercontinental GT Challenge race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - GT3 and GT4 cars if anyone likes sportscar racing!

In-laws coming!