J-E-T-S, wretch, wretch, wretch

Twas a pretty good weekend. A lazy Saturday morning led into a bike ride up to Prospect Park with the kids, a stop at the Green Market in Grand Army Plaza (bought some cheese made by Haverford classmate Mark Gillman), received a visit from Sameer and Shruti (finally), and then Cathleen and I saw another movie (in a movie theater): The Kingdom. I think it had good intentions in providing a more nuanced take on terrorism, but the first half was pretty dull, and the ending just settled for heart-racing, but unimaginative shoot-em-up conventions. Oh, if you happened to be at that movie last night and you are reading this by some random occurrence, ummm, it is not OK for you to bring your 8-year-old child to a movie like that. Really.

Claudia and Walter (my beloved inlaws) stayed over last night, and took the kids for the day: first out to breakfast, and then out to Staten Island to visit with Walter's daughter, Polly. Cathleen and I each got in a run, and then I headed into Manhattan to meet my college friend, Schweitz (nee Jen Schweitzer) at Port Authority to head to the Meadowlands for the Jets game. Jen had received tix to five home games as a birthday gift (17th row in the corner of the endzone!) and had invited me along. My first football game in a good four or five years.

The Jets looked terrible all game, and somehow managed to lose only by 16-9 to the mediocre Eagles. I have finally gone over to the "dump Chad Pennington" camp, as he looked ineffectual all game. With a running game working, and getting good field position over and over again, he could not get the ball in the endzone, or even near it. But the weather was beautiful, seats were great, and it was good to catch up with Schweitz after several months of being incommunicado.

Some other game related thoughts:

First, the conversation I overheard in the crowded bathroom, right after the announcement is heard that the Jets have won the opening toin-coss:
-- Guy #1: "At least they won something."
-- Guy #2: "C'mon, they're going all the way to the Superbowl." (chuckling among the urinators)
-- Guy #3: "Try taking your hand off your dick and saying that."

Obesity an issue in America? I have never seen so many thick-necked, XXXL-wearing dudes as I did in that stadium today. I weighed probably a third of the average dude there today. Or maybe green just makes you look exceptionally fat.

I signed up for season tickets with the Jets about three or four years ago, at which point there were over 10,000 folks ahead of me on the wait-list. Now that number is down below 7,000, and with the new stadium due to open in 2010, I can reasonably expect to get tickets by then. Today I allowed myself a few moments to fantasize about coming out to the games on a regular basis, tailgating with the kids (and Mike, who will no doubt come down for games), and coping with the crushing disappointment of being a Jets fan from a more live perspective. That will be cool.