Fumbling Forward
A Girl's Guide to Discovering A Love of the Game
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Ok, Bleacher Report…you know I’m a fan of your daily emails, but give girls a littlee more credit. This article (http://bit.ly/fXMGk6) is just mildly insulting…no girl is going to ask “why are there so many girls playing!?” Reacting to some of the players with extra long flowy locks like Troy Palamalu aka the guy whose hair grows in the Head & Shoulders commercials (jealous of your volume, Troy!). Or, “why is it called football when they don’t use their feet?” Sure the name “football” makes more sense in the euro way, but still, who asks that? Either way, I am totally supportive of asking questions, as they say “no question is a stupid question”…except some of these really are (some are also kind of informative!)…sooo if any of the silly ones are on your mind this Super Bowl Sunday (I’m talking to you ladies and gentlemen…not all guys are into sports!), read the answers now and save yourself some embarrassment!
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I’m pretty sure that “don’t text while driving” is the unrelated, yet updated, 2010/11 mom phrase from 1983: “you’ll shoot your eye out!!” You know….in response to Ralphie wanting an “Official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle (A Christmas Story anyone? I’m talking to you my fellow bored Jews with nothing to do on Christmas).” We’re all guilty of it…you’re driving…you hear that tempting vibration…your brain goes wild: “someone is contacting me…it may be important…yay! I have friends!” And you desperately want to look at the text/respond…(though in my case 90% of the time it’s an email from Guilt Groupe or Rue La La and the urgency to check was not needed). Sure it may be important, but it’s probably not, and then before you know it: wham, bam, accident ma’am as a result of getting a spammer email or your mom’s confusing/rando text (check out whenparentstext.com sooo funny) because she’s still learning how to use that crazy text-y thingy.
Ok, so where am I going with this? I’m a total fan of safety first and cool apps and since ya know…I spent so much time in a car this past week and was oh so tempted by the buzzbuzz of my cell (having cameras on you is a big deterrent for doing something wrong, like checking your cell while driving, I must say) …I should have downloaded the “Txt U L8r” app…check it out (it’s like an out of office reply for your phone) and drive safely ladies and gents! -JLM
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Bears vs. Packers
Atmosphere
Sure I’ve been to sporting events in large stadiums before, but as you know, I’ve never been to an NFL game and thus I have never been inside a pro-football stadium. The first thing that came to mind as the group emerged from the tunnel, and was officially inside the stadium with a clear panoramic view of the crowd and the magnitude of the space itself was, “wow so this is what it must feel like to be in the Quidditch stadium at Hogwarts!” While the movie adaptations of the books semi captured what I pictured a Quidditch stadium to look like, I could never get a full feel for what it felt like to be at a Quidditch match and being at a football game is exactly how it must feel (maybe the closest I’ll ever get to living out my dream of attending Hogwarts…wizards might be real right? You never know!). Fave thing: I loved how the stands were literally pulsating with spotted dots of the home team’s colors like a Seurat Pointillism painting come to life (I saw La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute on Saturday, amazingg).
The Game
Coldest day of my life. Each limb was number than the last, silently taunting me with the threat of imminent amputation if I stayed out in the cold past their breaking point (being a little dramatic, but damn, it was cold). I could say the crowd, the excitement, and my semi malfunctioning hand and feet warmers helped, but they didn’t…I was a frozen popsicle (at least I was a totally excited and happy frozen strawberry popsicle who stayed the whole game!) . Of course you all know what happened yesterday…the Cutler injury, his possibly unfair crucification, Hanie turning the game into a game after Collins was unable to do so, but let’s talk about what it was like to be there when the Bears did well (after touchdowns, ya know that sort of thing). I’ll be honest, I was rooting for the Bears despite being pretty sure the Packers had this one, and while it’s fun to root for the team that is gonna win, I couldn’t be at Soldier Field and not root for Da Bears. Up in the stands, surrounded by fans, the excitement and fanship camaraderie that explodes is insane. Just like at the tailgate, everyone immediately becomes bff…cheering together, high-fiving one another, everyone’s emotional ups and downs are n’sync (would have been a better halftime show than Lee Dewyze, is he from American Idol? Also, some fans are a tad overzealous, as to be expected, and their emotional lows surpass everyone else’s in an R rated fashion), it’s just a great feeling to celebrate with lots of randos who are as excited as you are…until the team that everyone is rooting for loses, as was the case yesterday. As we all exited Soldier Field in a sad and deflated manner, it was eerily quiet as if we were all doing Charlie Brown’s sad forlorn walk in unison (George Michael from Arrested Development also happens to do an impeccable sad forlorn walk). Nothing is sadder than a half naked grown man in sub zero temperatures with only team pride body paint to keep him warm doing the sad Charlie Brown walk. All in all, a great first game experience!I am extremely sad that the road trip is over, it has been such a great and unique experience! However, I’m pretty pumped for the next destination: the Super Bowl in Dallas…Go Pack, Go!
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The Tailgate
There’s been a lot of kidding around over the course of the road trip that this experience is jam packed with “Jenna firsts.” Jenna’s first road trip, Jenna’s first NFL game, Jenna’s first time in the midwest…you get the point. One of the firsts included a real tailgate. Sure, I’ve “tailgated” for things before…if you count sitting in a parking lot eating dinner tailgating…and yea, I’ve bar hopped before a baseball game…but I’ve never had an authentic tailgate…grill, snacks, music, fan camaraderie and all. Most people tailgate every weekend in college…my University wasn’t too big on sports and though that was never a big deal to me, I definitely feel like I missed out on something quintessentially “college” in the John Belushi/Bluto Blutarsky Animal House sense. However, I am proud to say I lost my T card today (don’t worry Bostonians, I’ll be able to get home from Logan tomorrow, I didn’t lose my T pass…my “T” card as in tailgate…c’mon admit it, I’m clever…). Though I must say, our tailgate today has spoiled me from here on out…we had a tricked out bus and a spread fit for the hungriest blood thirsty fan in the world. Of course I thoroughly enjoyed our tailgate fit for a star, but Phil and I decided to leave our luxurious accommodations behind and venture out into the masses to capture on film just how intense a fan can be…and as you can see, they did not disappoint. Sure when I think of a tailgate I think of manly men manning the grill, knockin’ back beers, getting pumped up… but I have come to the conclusion that a true tailgate, the heart of a tailgate if you will, lies in one’s interaction with strangers who are bonded to you simply by your shared love of a team. Phil and I made the rounds in the parking lot mostly dominated by Bears fans, of course, and though we were not dressed up even in the slightest to indicate which team we planned on supporting, we were welcomed with open arms (or maybe it was Phil’s business card with the provocative pic of a scantily clad woman that he was circulating…). We were enthusiastic about them, their tailgating, and their amazingly ridic outfits, so they in turn were enthusiastic about us. The energy radiating from the tailgaters was intense, and even though I wasn’t a part of each individual party, I felt included. All the neighbor schmoozing, sharing food, sharing laughs, stories…their fan love made them bffs for the day. One man shared some of his freshly grilled (perfectly seasoned and juicy, I must add) meat with us (bad idea to accept meat from a stranger? I guess it’s OK if it’s not from Big Ben…?). Another group let us on their intense Bears fan bus outfitted with Bears memorabilia, bobble head dolls, pictures, flags, you name it…everyone welcomed us into their “tailgating homes” just because they wanted to share their excitement with anyone and everyone. However, I do not believe this would have been the case if we were wearing Packers jerseys, obvs.
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Despite the cold and the wind biting my arse through my many layers, I must say, I loved Chicago! The city is beautiful…so much unique architecture and interesting little fun details…like the bean (Da bean! Get it? Like “Da Bears!”)! I was such a big fan of all the Bears pride radiating from every person, store…statue…literally…I went to the Art Institute and the lion statues outside were proudly dressed in their Bears best!! It was adorablee! I think it’s official, I’m a fan of the city of Chicago and thus I’m rootin’ for Da Bears and I can’t wait to get down, dirty, and intense with the rest of Chi-town! Packers and cheese heads and Da Bears, oh my! Can’t wait!!
Tonight: I’m finally getting me some deep dish pizza and I want the meatiest, cheesiest, deepest one around.
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Find out what happens (at this link) when obvs things get real. Friends, family, nice strangers somewhere out there who read this blog, if you are lookin’ to learn more about the Chrysler 200 road trip (because you’re possibly still confused as to what I’ve been doing this past week…don’t worry, I am too, it’s been super surreal…) and witness first hand footage of how extremely awkward I can be on film…I legit now know why reality TV stars like Jersey Shore’s Snooki are famous and making bank for having no talent…they actually have a secret talent…the talent of feeling perfectly comfortable getting down and dirty with cameras rolling on them non-stop. Let me tell ya, you have to be ridiculous, wildly outgoing, and in pop-culture reality TV terms, have no shame (not in our case of course because I’m 99.9% sure that we are all definitely a tad more normal than the ladies of say, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and dudes like the Situation) to get wild (“smooshing” for the cameras? Really Shore cast?) with the cameras rolling. Sooo yea, keep checking in at Chrysler’s facebook page…videos from my leg of the trip will be up soon!
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Words really can’t express how excited I am to be in Chicago…I’ve always wanted to visit (dying to nom on deep dish pizza) and just haven’t had the chance, but here I am! The ride into the city was really beautiful (after we took a little um, detour through a, well…more sketch area…)! As we drove along Lake Michigan, my co-driver, Fred, played tour guide with the help of the ipad because this is his first visit as well. The route we took to enter the city gave us the perfect view of the towering buildings overlooking the chilly iceberg filled lake. My excitement grew as we passed Soldier Field and I have to say, I was so impressed! The top of the stadium is extremely futuristic as if it was designed by George Jetson himself. However, what really makes it stand out from other football stadiums that I’ve seen is how it blends together 432 BC and 2112. The Jetson-like top structure sits perched on a majestic Greek style base reminiscent of the Parthenon in Greece. One would think that blending the Jetsons with the Greek Gods would make for a hot-sloppy-architectural-mess, but I actually found it to be strikingly beautiful and wonderfully unique. After seeing it in our drive-by, I am even more excited to go to the game on Sunday!
Tonight and tomorrow I’ll be enjoying all Chi-town has to offer and then my first NFL game on Sunday!! I’m smiling from ear-to-ear!
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Welcome to Indy everyone!! As I’m sure you’ve seen (below) our ride today has been less than smooth (we spotted snow induced accidents galore)…however the ride we were riding in (Chrysler 200, duh), well, that was smooth…luckily we made it safe and sound to Indianapolis after visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. We got a private tour from a delightful elderly British Gent! I wonder what brought him to Indianapolis all the way from England? He must have quite the affinity for cars…the need for speed perhaps? He did kinda seem like he may have been a bad ass back in his day. The whole museum was filled with seriously cool vintage cars. I happen to love anything vintage…purses, jewelry, shoes, posters, photographs, outfits a la Jackie O., Audrey Hepburn…not that any of those things slightly translate into a love of vintage cars, but somehow I guess it has. They are just so…prettyyy (yes, yes roll your eyes boys).
So here we are in Indianapolis…home of zee Colts. Don’t worry, little bro, I will make sure to take a trip to the hotel gift shop and purchase some Colts swag just for you! Random alert! Here’s a brain teaser brought to you Sesame Street style: by the letter “K”- A celeb connection that I’ve put together to randomly connect Indianapolis to our Super Bowl destination, Dallas (bear with me, I apologize for any lost brain cells). Sooo, before I started learning about football one of my main sources for any tid bit of sports info was of course the #1 fame whorin’ Kardashian fam with their immense love for sporty men. Though this is no recent news- Kim was at the Indy 500 supporting racer Graham Rahal in the oh so manly QuikTrim sponsored car (poor dude stuck with a diet car…I bet his buddies really ripped on him for that). Kim had also been dating NFL super hottie, Miles Austin…who is a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys…and Voila Indianapolis to Dallas via celeb randomness!
Next stop on the road trip: Chicago…Deep dish pizza! Da Bears! Wind! Can’t wait!
