Ah yes those best laid plans of mice, men and parents.
Ellen and I planned to go to the Notre Dame- Maryland football game at FedEx Field on Saturday evening November 12. We had a sitter lined up to watch the boys overnight, had great seats, a nice hotel room and intended to tailgate with lots of friends from the Notre Dame Class of 1981.
Then Conor got sick- and got sick again with a nasty flu bug. Ellen was feeling a little under the weather so a decision was made that Emmett and I would go to the game. Now Emmett is no rookie at attending Notre Dame football games. Three years ago, he went with all of us to the Notre Dame-Navy game in Baltimore. Although he was only 3 at the time, that game had a profound impact on Emmett. Since that game he has become a die-hard, life long fan of ...Dippin' Dots!
So anyway, I was still excited. All those parents who think that the only way to bond one-on-one with your child is by sleeping on rocks in a freezing cold tent while eating pork 'n beans from a can with a spork need to roll with Emmett and I. We'll take the Hilton, room service, club level seats and Dippin' Dots any time.
Sharon Virostek Wolford was having a big tailgate party and Kevin "Murph" Murphy (there is a legal requirement that all ND guys with the last name Murphy be nicknamed "Murph") reported that, in addition to the entire Virostek extended family, Domer classmates Gates Demartino McGavick, Joe Loehle, Keith Melaragno, Janet Bergeron and others would be at the party. Emmett and I made good time from Richmond and I called Murph and he said that he was at another party and not at the tailgater, but that Sharon's family was in the Platinum Lot F, near the stadium, in spot "200 something." Emmett and I soon walked to Platinum lot F and we saw the spot numbers increased by 10's going back from the closest row to the stadium. At this point I should have realized that, if there were rows all the way back to the 200's, then this parking lot would have to extend all the way back to Baltimore. It was already pitch black, but Emmett and I decided to try our luck and walk around looking for the tailgaters.
Now, at this point, you are probably thinking that any somewhat intelligent person would call back Murph, who surely had Sharon's cell phone number plus the cell phone number of many others already at the tailgater.
However, you are forgetting Anthropology 101.
Women are the gatherers and men are the hunters.
Ellen would have been on the phone a half hour ago. Not I. Just as all men innately, when they get lost in the car, turn off the radio because they know their Spider sense will kick in and their destination will magically appear, I knew that in a few more steps, I would pick up the scent of Sharon's famous bean salad and would soon be "reminiscin' with my old friends."
Never happened- never occurred to me to call Murph back.
Feeling parched, I eventually did invite myself to a tailgater with a bunch of Maryland fans. I was "wet willied," given a "wedgie," had beer poured on my head and, when I went to use the port-a-potty, they tipped it over. So, even though I saw not one "Murph" all night (what are the odds of that at a Notre Dame game?!), all in all, I did experience the same tailgate experience I went through at every home game in college at Notre Dame!
