Signing bonuses are a mythical creature, the great white whale of an MBA students' motivation. This mysterious monetary incentive is the carrot that keeps them going and the teaser for the lifestyle to which many aspire. I must sadly admit I was not immune to this tactic, and over the past 30 months my bonus was going to cover, at one time or another, the following: a plasma display of ludicrous proportion, dubs for the truck, a trip around the world, a wooden canoe, a Chris Craft Speedster, a naming gift to undergrad alma mater, an endowed scholarship at the high school from which I graduated, a down-payment on a house, a Cadillac, season football tickets, Ben Folds playing our wedding, trips to visit every person whose address we have, and dinner at Ann Arbor's venerable Gandy Dancer. Instead of all that we blew what was left on a single frivolous purchase, which arrived last night via UPS. Rollerblades. Two pairs; his and hers high-performance recreation inline skates. We were too tired to even use them, plus, symbolically, how could we?
Now a long weekend, albeit a long weekend that marks the beginning of a long uninterrupted stretch of normal weekends. We have no big plans, really… perhaps a fair or faire or library, but certainly a neighborhood party and laundry and unpacking.
Finally, this. It is a big day tomorrow. It is the 201st straight game over 100k at Michigan Stadium. It is the first game in a season full of promise. It is the beginning of college football season. It is the prelude of autumn Saturdays. It is why a big fan feels it when James Earle Jones says on the admissions video 'and in fall, there is Big Ten football.' It is why we say GO BLUE.
Friday, August 31, 2007