November 23, 2008

RU vs. Army, or The Period In Which I Almost Lost a Number of Valuable Appendages


Because of that silly little thing called law school, SOME people were not available to accompany to the Rutgers game on Saturday.  However, Dad was quite excited to relive his many decades of Giants seasons tickets and step up to the plate to attend his first RU game.  And lucky for him, he got to be there on the most frigid day in the history of football!  Hoo-rah Hoo-rah Rutgers Rah!

(Ok, so that is a completely unfounded, and almost assuredly completely inaccurate statement, and yet over the past five years of devoted football fandom, never in my life have I been half so cold.  Therefore, my statement will remain.)

Now, I knew it was chilly.  I layered up like a pro.  I wore some snazzy leggings under my jeans, and approximately 4 shirts/sweaters under my down coat.  I was decked out in some abominable snowman mittens.  And my trusty Uggs to keep my feet toasty warm.  

We parked on College Ave and did the 30 minute trek to Busch campus, because I would rather swim across the disease-infested waters of the ol' Raritan than get on an overheated shuttle with dozens of drunken, chanting college students.  I refused to do it when I was a college student, and I most certainly refuse to do it now that I am aged and crotchety.  

So, we opted for the fast-paced walk, which left us feeling perhaps a wee bit overconfident about our ability to withstand the cold.  Sure, the thermometer had barely reached 35 when we left the house, but we're so warm now!  Look, I'm even unzipping my coat a smidge.  And taking of my gloves.  I'm working up a sweat here!

We zipped up to our seats (and by up I mean UP, as in up in the 2nd tier where the winds blow with gusto) and sat down, an incredible half hour before kickoff!  

(Note - never ever in my football-fan life have I been in my seat to actually SEE kickoff, which Jared will crankily attest to)

(Note to note - Not true - I was definitely in my seat for for the Louisville game in '06, aka the Most Glorious and Wonderful Moment in RU Football History)

The fans slowly trickled in.  I watched the pros march to their seats armed with sleeping bags and fleece blankets and zippy seat cushion things.  I began to reconsider whether I should have swatted away Mama's proffered seat cushions.  But no, Dad and I were tough.  We didn't need those wimpy things.  We had layered.

And then, perhaps right around the time they finally kicked off, I realized I had lost feeling in my fingers.  And that is when I knew bad things were about to happen.

From that moment on, I alternated between completely loss of feeling in my fingers, thighs, forehead, and toes (alas, Uggs, you failed me).  

As we waited for the officials to review a play, the guy in front of me cried out "Flip a coinnn.  We're colddddd. Just make a decision already.  Please just leave the clock running... hurry uppppp."  

I still do not think you are comprehending how cold it was.  

And really, not just the cold.  The wind.  The FREAKING wind.  A blustery  you-are-being-punished-by-Mother-Earth wind.  A wind that sent the frozen garbage of filthy fans swirling around the stadium all damn day.  A wind that knocked Dad's hat off and skittering down the stands.  Twice.  A wind that made me cry inside and wonder why I wasn't watching this stupid game on TV on my couch in my sweatpants with a cup of tea in my warm warm house.

At halftime everyone went sprinting down the stands, many of them for hot chocolate, the rest in surrender and on their way out.  As we stood up and started the trek down, we both realized our knees were frozen.  We couldn't really, you know, bend them.  It made walking down very steep concrete steps a bit of a challenge.  

I stood in a long long line for hot chocolate.  Finally, I was up next.  Dad had his wallet out.  

"Um, I don't know if I can last the whole game," I say.  

Dad's head whips around.  "Oh, um, did you want to go now?"

My eyes light up with glee.  "Oh, well, do YOU want to go now?"

"Well if you're cold and want to go..."

"I mean I'll stay if you want to stay..."

We look at each other and sprint down the ramp.  We join the mass exodus and powerwalk back to College Ave, trying very hard to regain feeling in any of our limbs.  

"Ok well, when your mother asks why we left," Dad says, "I'll blame you, and you blame me.  Ok?"

"Ok!"

By the time we're in possession of ABP hot chocolate and chai tea, and the car is within our sights, we're already remarking how it's not really that cold, is it?  I mean, I kind of worked up a sweat...

1 comment:

Linda said...

Im so glad you two went and had a good time with the whole "father/daughter" bonding thing. Gee wish I could have been there, but I was curled up on the couch, under a fleece blanket, with my crispy rounds in hand, watching on the big tv in glorious HD!!
But, seriously, wish I could have been there!!!