I thought for a few minutes this evening that I'd been picked up and set down somewhere near Tikrit, given the lack of stability in our power grid here on The High Plains of New Mexico. We had eight... count 'em... eight power outages between 1800 and 2000 hrs, the last of which had me pacing the floor as it lasted nearly half an hour. And this on the coldest night of the season, so far. It might have been all of 12 degrees outside the last time the power dumped but I have no idea, really. The temp was 11 when the juice was restored around 2030, apparently for good. This sort of inconvenience is actually more than that... it's life-threatening. Do you know how quickly an RV cools off when the temperature approaches single digits? Short answer: Very.
The timing for the outages was just about perfect: I missed the last three minutes of the first half of the BCS championship game and a few of the plays during the short bumps before the long outage. And about that game: THE most entertaining BCS bowl we've seen all year. What a finish!
Silly me, I thought you could just start the engine and it would blow hot air eventually, just like a truck. Don't those things have a big-ass alternator?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, another alternative is a small Honda generator. I say Honda, because they self-start (no rope pulling) and seem to be the quietest). Enough for the heater fan and the TV/Computer, and some lights. It would probably fit in your car trunk when not in use.
Are RV lights still 12 volts?
When I think of how LSU lost to Auburn AT Auburn by only a touchdown with an offense under wraps (God knows why) it galls me no end. LSU overall is, IMHO a FAR better team. But then they stepped all over their fore-skin at Ark, so....
ReplyDeleteBuck, if Les Miles goes to Mich I think he's making a BIG mistake (although I think the Tulsa guy would make a great HC at LSU, and he looks like he wants it if Miles leaves) as Title IX has meant mucho parity anymore, so it's tough to lock up all the good players and land-bank 'em just so the opposition won't get them. Plus Michs academic standards hurt as well. Past reputation/tradition doesn't get it anymore with young black players who want to start NOW. Used to be the 3rd best running-back in the state would be content to warm the bench at Enormous State Univ. for 4 yrs just for the glory and tradition--no more.
And it's rare for a superstar to last 4 yrs, so hard to keep program continuity. When Tenn. football legend Johnny Majors went to take the head job at Pitt to turn around its program in 70s he immediately jump-started it by putting over 150+ players on scholarship. Hell, at one point when I was at LSU in the 60s we had 188 guys on scholarship. No more.
Another thing. Mich alums are DESPERATE. They want to win NOW. Ain't happenin'. Of, course, fans/alums are fickle. If you don't win the Nat.Championship EVERY YEAR their calling for your head. Miles may feel that it's inevitable at LSU, so why not take the $ and run so when he's inevitably fired at UM (and he will be--sooner rather than later) he's set for life.
PS: One other little little-mentioned thing that makes it so hard to consistently win in the BIG 10 (vis a vie other conferences) is that they don't get the superstar blacks from the South anymore like they did right up thru the mid-60s as desegregation meant they all stay home now and play for the likes of LSU & Alabama. A BIG difference!
PPS: I also forgot to mention that unlike at LSU which HAS NO maj instate recruiting/program rivals, Miles would face a major program (and revitalized at that) just down the road in MSU--so recruiting will be/is AUTOMATICALLY twice as tough..
ReplyDeleteBuck, it is indeed life-threatening. Dude, get you a Coleman heater, or something for backup. Please.
ReplyDeleteVirgil...huge LSU fan here. But, Auburn stomped us in the stats. I think they doubled us in yardage, and it shoulda been a blowout.
Same thing last night. Auburn should have won that game by at least two TDs. As good as they are, they have trouble sealing the deal. If they had played that game against a top level team from any other major conerence...say, Ohio State even (cringe) they probably would have gone home whipped.
Luckily, they had the highly over-rated Oregonians.
Miles would be making a huge mistake to go to Michigan, as far as program success goes. But, some things in life are more important. He has said before that it's his "dream job." You don't get a shot at your "dream job" very often...at least not twice in a few years.
I think he'll go.
Anon: RV lights are indeed 12v.
ReplyDeleteVirgil: You really think Miles will go to Michigan? I have no way of knowing, of course, but it would seem he's pretty happy down on the bayou. Your other points are well-taken, especially about Mich/Mich State.
Andy: You know the LSU thing better than most, so I'll bow to your wisdom. That said... Oregon screwed up too many times. IF they would have capitalized on their blown opportunities THEY would have won by two TDs. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteYou could be right, Buck. Oregon missed some chances. But, a dropped sure TD, and an awful throw to a guy wide open by Newton...
ReplyDeleteThe stats bear out a fairly even game, even though Auburn destroyed Oregon's running game.
Oregon played well. Better than I thought they would. But, I watched every play of the game (the first time I've pulled that off this season), and I say it should not have come down to a last play win.
Entertaining game, though.
Entertaining game, though.
ReplyDeleteThat it was. And you have NO ideer how pissed I was to be sitting in the dark for the last three minutes of the first half.
Oh Buck...I can put myself in your shoes, as I've experienced such things.
ReplyDeleteI'll just say, that I'm glad it was you, and not me. ;)