Back to the Alma Mater

This past weekend the husband/lover/date planner outdid himself.  He, like I'm sure many other men, thinks that he's not any good at "planning things."  But he just proved himself wrong on Saturday, and so I won't be buying that excuse any more.

We had a wonderful day together, which started when we began checking several errands off of our "To Do" list.  Bing, bang, boom.  We accomplished a lot in such a short time.

Then, when I thought we were done and heading home, he took me to the grand opening of a local coffeehouse in a nearby church for a special coffee drink together.  We drank our beverages and had some chats with other folks there that we recognized.  You know, it wasn't that the coffee was so great.   (It was good though, and I do love coffee.)  What tripped my trigger was the surprise of him thinking to take me there.  He showed me that he is creative, resourceful, and fun, as I have always known.

Later that evening then, he took me back to my alma mater, Bucknell University here in central Pennsylvania, for a men's basketball game.  Bucknell was scheduled to play Lafayette University, and it was predicted to be a great game, as Bucknell is having their most winning season to date.  I love basketball, and as I once played on the women's team back there in my own college days, I have a fondness for following the games there on occasion.  Typically we attend a game or two each season.

I enjoyed myself from start to finish.  My good friend Joan and her husband were seated in the row in front of us, and my brother-in-law and his two sons were two rows in back of us.  What are the chances of that in such a huge arena?

It was a good game, though not a nail-biter like  the Bulls and Celtics game I had watched on tv the evening before.  Early in the game, Bucknell players were missing lots of their shots.  But they persisted in finding openings and taking shots, and ultimately they found their stride and won the game, 66-51.

I got a kick out of watching all the varieties of how to show team spirit nowadays.  One thing hasn't changed even since I was there - the Bucky the Bison mascot is still there and is still stirring up the crowds.  He can dance with the best of them, for sure.

Bucky the Bison was hanging out a lot with the crowd of Bucknell students, cheering on the game.  Appropriately they were wearing a lot of orange and blue, the school's colors.  For whatever reason some of them had decided that it was beach day and were dressed in beach wear.

These young people seemed to have boundless energy.  They stayed standing the entire game, balanced on those bleacher seats.  I'm glad our tickets didn't place us behind that section - we would have had a great view of a sea of orange and nothing else.

Nowadays even the time outs and halftimes are fun-filled.  I was amused with the precision lifts the cheerleading squad did, and held my breath every time they did the dismount.  Is it just me or do those cheerleaders just keep looking younger and younger?  It may be a silly thing to wonder about, but why are the pom poms pink?

Bucknell's dance team did an amazing number at the halftime too.  Very entertaining.  Made me want to tap my toes.  If I could.  If I didn't have this Frankenstein boot on, that is.

Perhaps what most amused me, other than the game itself, was this group of guys at the other end of the gym.  Wearing not much other than Speedo swimsuits and neckties, they were all full of team spirit.  Maybe they just kept moving to stay warm.

Alas, Lafayette succumbed to the superior performance of the Bucknell Bisons, with the final score standing at 66-51.

So it was a great day, don't you think?  Special coffee beverages, a dose of my good ole alma mater, dancing girls and bisons, and guys in swimsuits.  Oh, and my team won the game, too.

Yes, I think the husband/lover/date planner did just fine.  I guess I'll keep him around for a while.