It’s for days like today that I don’t drink…

This seems to be consistently popping up again these days. The clash between my decision not to partake in the consumption of alcohol, especially that which occurs in large quantities.  While it certainly does me no favors in the social arena as I am very aware, I simply don’t feel that it is a very good idea to explore too deeply that aspect of life.  I refuse to let myself drown my many sorrowing in alcohol.  That would serve me poorly, and provide no solutions to the problems, and in all likelihood create additional troubles for my friends and family.  I really have so specific reason for which to base my convictions on as I have never been surrounded by people who are loaded all the time or who even consume alcohol on a regular basis, but attitudes toward this are founded in being a responsible person and never do I want to have the excuse of alcohol for hurting anyone, especially my friends and family. Get high on life…that is how I live.

So I guess what brings this up again is point is another crushing, U of M loss today against Ohio State. It has been a tough year to be a Michigan fan.  As much as it was last year when we were going through our worst year in program history.  Seemingly I am doomed this days to be tugged around by my heart-strings by all my favorite sports teams.  The Cowboys are particularly the largest such offenders as expectations and results sometimes are in striking contrast. But back to the game today, I was quite the display of self-afflicted injuries.  I don’t really want to pile on Tate Forcier, but being responsible solely for 5 turnovers is simply too much for any team to overcome.  A couple better decisions in these situations, and we have a shot to win at the end of the game. Instead we get serenaded with the cacophony  of O-H-I-O cheers by the multitude of OSU fans in attendance.  We were unable to run the ball throughout, but were able to make some plays downfield when we weren’t making huge mistakes. Our defense played well above expectations and gave us every opportunity to win the game.  We unfortunately unable to hold the Buckeyes to a FG attempt there in the 4th quarter as they simply called the perfect play for a charged up defense ready to take down the quarterback.  No hard feelings there.  I have to have witnessed more U of M losses in person than anyone in many decades at Michigan after today’s loss I have now witnessed 11 of them in every conceivable fashion. 

Next year will be a different year (maybe or hopefully with a different coach), and hopefully we can get back to the mantra “Those that stay will be champions.”  Until then I have basketball season to enjoy, Michigan is fielding another strong team led by Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims.  We should be competing down to the last day for the Big Ten championship and I will be watching both on TV and in person down the stretch.  I am perhaps more excited about the prospects of Wright State this year.  In the few games that have been played already, we seem to have a strong team this year that too should be able to complete for a conference championship.  Butler better watch out…there are Raiders on the prowl.

Out of the Archive: November 14, 2006 "Ups and Downs"

So I wrote back in 2006 when I still was an undergrad...reflecting upon this as a graduate student.  I think it in may ways still applies.  I might say that the ups last a bit longer here and the downs can be somewhat lower.  The stakes have changed dramatically though...what was I really worried about anyway?

November 14, 2006: "Ups and Downs"

I'm not sure what exactly it is about college but it seems to induce quite the emotional roller coaster of emotions. One day things are great, life is great, and emotionally you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. The next day is the complete opposite, everything goes wrong and you feel like crap, wondering what the heck you are doing in life, and unsure of what the future holds.

Perhaps this is just an intrinsic part about college simply because of the block scheduling of classes, so naturally one day can be completely different than the next. To me, it seems as though this may contribute but is not the most significant contributing factor. A large aspect relating to the ups and downs of daily college life is probably the amount of sleep you have. I have found getting a goods night's rest can solve a lot of problems, or at least settle the mind.

The more I think about it though, the high stakes of college and all the things that go with it. The pressure to perform or impress, getting everything done, and then maintaining a life outside of the school front. Some days these issues have less of an impact (like the day after an exam or at the beginning of a quarter) and consequently you are more likely to have an "up" kind of day. While other days are just the perfect storms of stress and aggravation that result in "down" days.

Gladly today is an "up" kind of day. But I'm on the watch for the next downer of a day.