Tell Me About It In The Morning, Ok?

School started last week; and from the looks of it, I should be able to (IY"H) pull off this 18-credits + a-30-hour-work-week thing. Today I was my first day back and the first time I've seen my boss since she left on vacation 16 days ago. I came in armed with my print out of the month of October from Chabad.org. Yes, you are not reading that incorrectly...there are 3 weeks when I need two days off back to back. Awwww...I knew you would understand! I can work 9-hour days to make up for it, no problem. And no, I can't be reached on my cell phone...I'm very sorry.

B"H, that religious people can even exercise these rights with their employers nowadays!

If only it were so easy to explain the Jewish calendar to those who are not your employers. I received an e-mail from a friend from my old college days (waay back from when I was on campus) regarding Fantasy Football. Hmmmm...whatever that is. On one hand, I can't be coy...I know why he contacted me. I grew up with football. Plaxico Burress, Charlie Batch, and Willie Parker are in my extended family (as proudly told to me by my Grandmother). I went to two high schools that had powerhouse football programs. On top of that, I was in the marching band, so I was required to attend every game. As I moved through high school, some of my very good friends became starters; so it became "personal". Then I could begin to appreciate the talent present in professional level football. Then came college...

A person can never overestimate the importance that the football program of West Viriginia University holds over the school, the students, and the state. I actually did play in the Pride of West Viriginia (the university marching band) for 1 season, but it was waay to intense for me. Band practice at 8 am on a Saturday was not my idea of fun at all. I very much preferred the following year of making the trek to Milan Puskar stadium sipping beers that didn't need coolers because it was super cold/windy/snowy outside anyway. Sitting around with 60,000 other fans (or foes) being as entertained by what going on in the stands as what is going on with the game. Football started to appear almost like a chess match. I could pick out the positions and anticipate the calls. You began to recognize the plays. I never got into remembering statistics, but at least I could match the number on the jersey to the player.

I was probably one of the few women my friends knew who could do this, so I guess this is why I stuck out in his mind as a pick to participate in Fantasy Football?

So I sent an IM back on AIM, "Ummm...thanks, but I don't really have the time for all of that right now" (which is true).
Reply: "Oh it's cool. Hey are you going to homecoming?"
Response: "What? Where, in Morgantown?"
Reply: "Yeah. I think it's on Oct. 11"
Response: "That's a Saturday?"
Reply: "Yeah."
Response: "Oh surely not :-)"
Reply: "Why? You can get tickets since you're a student now. Don't have to go to the scalpers like I do."
Response: "Ok...do you want mine then?"
Reply: "No, they check your ID. Thanks though. So are you planning to go to any other games?"
Response: "Not really."
Reply: "Oh how come."
Response: "Aren't they all on Saturdays just about?"
Reply: "Yeah. Except for the Pitt game which is Friday."
Response: "Yeah. No. :-)"
Reply: "What...you're going to miss the Backyard Brawl!?!"
Response: "_____, Fridays/Saturdays are the Jewish Sabbath..."

Then commenced some more explaining revolving around why going to a football game would be a problem on Shabbat...

Just to verify I checked the upcoming football schedule for WVU. And yes, just about every game was on a Saturday. But even if one fell on a Sunday or something, I honestly do not know if I could get motivated to attend. In fact, probably not. It's weird, because if I had TiVo, I would record the games and watch them (surely before watch the Steelers). But dealing with being in a football stadium -- I would have to pass. It's funny, because I only have the greatest memories of going to the games. And I still love football. It's something else.

I recognize that waves of pure irrationality sweep throughout large crowds. Here you have 11 college athletes on a 100-yard field. They are surrounded by thousands upon thousands of people whose extreme happiness or extreme disappointment/frustration is dependent upon them. I guess I will "go there" and wonder out loud if it is all nothing but a form of avodah zarah -- one of the biggest no-nos a Jew can do. What we have is a modern-day Coliseum (no pun intended...in that WVU does in fact have a "coliseum" where they play basketball games) where the humanity of those being watched is stripped away. Are they elevated to being worshipped as demigods? Or are they being degraded to the point where their own well being is only secondary to the much desired victory? Whatever the case, it seems...it just feels so "twisted".

So I guess if I did want to get swept up in a mob-type mentality along with 60,000 other people, I would not want to do it for the sake of cheering on a football team.

I did not watch the Olympics either (just couldn't change my schedule and stop what I was doing to watch them I guess), but at least with the Olympics, you sometimes get a little insight into the athletes. I thought it was fantastic that Jamaica won so many gold medals...because I get tired of the continuous bad rep the island seems to get (so it's great to see the world cheering them on). But I hardly felt bad that I did not see them competing. Just tell me the outcome...and I hope they win in the end.

So I wish the Mountaineers an excellent season in 2008. I'll be checking the highlights on Sundays.