.png)
- The reason for the subtitle "October Surprise part deux" is fourfold. One, I already used "October Surprise" in a past edition and I didn't want to repeat it here. Two, the "part deux" part reminds me of the movie "Hot Shots Part Deux" and I like being reminded of and look at things that make me laugh. Three, as most of you in the U.S. are aware of, this is a presidential election year and, for those who either can't or won't vote early, voting day is a week from now, November 6th. I would like to remind people who are registered to remember to vote. Four, aside from election-related stuff, the "October Surprise" is a recurring theme in some of the blurbs in this edition.
- There is one October surprise that many people didn't want to have this Halloween and that was a hurricane. The storm formerly known as Hurricane Sandy (it's not at hurricane status anymore) has been bearing down hard on the U.S. east coast, flooding many areas including New York City and affecting many areas in the East and upper Midwest regions. The area where I used to live, Columbus, got snow but amazingly Akron only got rain...it has been pretty chilly though. I've been through windstorms myself (check out the "windstorm of 08" edition in the Past Editions to see that) and have been pretty fortunate to get through those unscathed, but there are many people who haven't been that lucky though. To those people, I will continue to pray for as they face this and the consequences whatever they are of this so-called "Frankenstorm."
- There is something I've been going back and forth on in my head since this storm started making news and for some time before that. I used to work with the American Red Cross as an AmeriCorps volunteer and worked in disaster relief, even going on a deployment a few months after Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. It's been a few years but I've been considering getting back into working with the Red Cross as simply a disaster relief volunteer again. The reason I've been debating it is due to being uncertain as to whether I can or should put forth the time and effort to be a part of something like that again. There's a lot I want to do and a lot I need to do in my overall life, but I have had the itch to help out in that area again...I'm just not sure with what I have to do elsewhere in my life that I can put in the time commitment for something like this. If anybody has any input or wisdom they want to share about this, talk about it on the DJRT Facebook, Google Plus, or Twitter pages (JSYK, Twitter might be tricky...you may have to split thoughts into separate tweets there).
- The Ohio State Buckeyes pulled off what I think was the comeback of the decade against Purdue about a week and a half ago. They were down 8 points with a minute left in the game and came back to win it in overtime. I could only say "wow...just...wow!" to that. I've seen something close to that only once before but this was the first time as a win for a team I'm a fan of. Along with a win this past Saturday against Penn State, the Bucks are still undefeated this season (they still don't have a postseason this year though). However, I do wonder if QB Braxton Miller will make it through the season though. In half the games, he has had to go out with some kind of injury including a scary-looking one in that Purdue game. He came back for the Penn State game and didn't have to go out then, but I do wonder if he's gonna make it to the end of this season intact.
- The Browns finally won their second game and have won two of the last three. That is a good step in the right direction but there is a lot to be worked on. They're taking on the Ravens next week but since that team doesn't have LB Ray Lewis I don't know what to expect. At least they are starting to win some and that's always good news for Browns fans.
- Turning to alternative football for a moment, the UFL suspended their fourth season halfway through. They are claiming that they will be back to continue it in next spring and then return to their regular fall schedule, but with the issues they've had and all the problems they've brought on themselves, I think it's safe to stick a fork in it and call it done. I don't think they're coming back and it might be for the best. They've had a problematic existence with very few teams and playing at the same time as the NFL, colleges, and high schools. It was pretty easy for them to get lost in the shuffle. I did follow it for a while and followed the Florida Tuskers, but when they folded that franchise I turned my back on it for several months. Since that happened I was skeptical of its chances for survival as it seemed they would shoot themselves in the foot on a regular basis. Now that it's done, I've turned the bulk of my alt-football attention to something I've been keeping tabs on and talking with people about, a new version of the United States Football League. I started following it after the old owner of the USFL's trademarks sold them to the group currently overseeing it's return back in February. There is a group that is working to bring a franchise here to the Akron area (I mentioned this before in DJRT). When I heard about that back in June, my interest in this obviously increased. It's still a work in progress and it had to push back it's launch date to spring of 2014, but from what I can tell they are working on laying a solid foundation to make sure they don't have the same problems past leagues had that led to their demises. I'm not getting the same alarming vibes from my gut instincts about the USFL that I got for the XFL and UFL when I started following them. My instincts on that level are pretty solid and reliable so I have a good feeling about this league and it's chances. As things shake out, I will likely talk about the league in future editions of DJRT.
- Query: What do you take for granted? This is a question that pops into my head from time to time. To be honest, I don't know what I do take for granted but I don't believe it's as much as people believe I do. I think most people say and believe they don't do too much of that either, but it's a question worth thinking about. What do you take for granted?
- I didn't actually watch any of the presidential debates, but I did follow Twitter while they were on. That was an interesting experience, especially reading stuff from comedian Chris Rock...he had me laughing out loud at several things. Anyway, I can sum up the debate with one simple phrase: "Big Bird, binders, and bayonets, oh my!"
- Freebie Alert: On Veterans Day weekend, neither the Browns nor the Buckeyes play that weekend, which I think is the first time I can think of actually happening during the fall. If anybody is looking for something to do, the U.S. National Park system is letting people into its parks for free on November 10, 11, and 12. Normally many of these parks charge an entrance fee to enter, but this Veterans Day weekend you can go check out a national park for free. It might make for a good family outing if it's not too cold where you're going...or even if it is if you're brave enough. You can find out more here: U.S. National Park Service - Free Entrance Days.
- Song on Repeat: "Marry Me" by Train. If I ever find the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, I would definitely use this song either as part of the proposal or somehow put it in the wedding if it were agreed upon to use then. I could use it as the actual proposal itself...I don't know. I guess I'd have to find a way to make that work somehow. In any case, when I start going forward again in that area of my life (relationships and stuff), that will be something I keep in mind in the event I'm thinking about marriage.
- Shoutouts: Bob, Holly, Cory, Tom R., Lynn, Jenny, Katie, Kristin, Karen S., Cheryl, and Ernest W.
That's it for this edition. November this year is going to be an interesting month with an election, an MCW show, Thanksgiving, my dad's birthday...a lot of things going on that I'll likely talk about in the next edition. Until next time, folks. Take care and God Bless.
DJ
