Bye Weekend Plans?

Have you looked at your calendar lately? I have–and it shows a big, fat, absence of Bama this coming Saturday.

It’s Bye Week in Alabama, which means I’m stuck with a serious quandary–how in the world do I entertain myself this weekend? There will be no wringing my hands nervously until game time. No waking up extra-early to make it down to Tuscaloosa in time for the game (and all the festivities beforehand). No watching SportsCenter starting Friday afternoon at 3 pm (and into the wee hours of the morning), getting every last bit of detail on the upcoming Alabama matchup (who am I kidding? I’ll still do that–because there are way too many other good games this weekend!). No spending the afternoon and evening with 92,000 of my closest friends.

See? A serious quandary.

Never fear, though. My life is more than Alabama football. I can make it through a normal weekend without singing the Alabama fight song or liveblogging about the game. I have good plans for the Bye Weekend–and a few of them are actually non-sports related. Well, maybe one is…

I’ve decided that I’m going to take Coach Saban’s words to heart and do as he advised in his press conference this week: “You’re supposed to relax and chill” (he was actually saying this in reference to the day off his players received going into the Bye Week, but I’m going to make them my own). I will “relax and chill” by…

(1) Watching high school football on Friday night. There’s no better way to get into the weekend football spirit than going to a high school game on Friday night. I’m lucky this week and get an extra special treat–my daughter’s high school team will play my alma mater, and I’ll be there to enjoy it. A little briskness in the air, hot chocolate from the concession stand, the band’s halftime show, socializing with friends, and…oh yeah…some good football to watch…makes it a great way to spend the evening. (Even if you don’t have a child in school, I recommend that you watch your local team. It will bring back memories, for sure.)

(2) Sleeping late on Saturday morning. Instead of spending those last few moments of available sleep getting ready for a trek to T-town (finding the perfect outfit to wear, gathering all the needed cash, locating the tickets, filling the car up with gas, getting my camera and accessories ready, searching for my keys, accessorizing the car with flags and stickers and other crimson-colored details, leaving the driveway and then heading back to the house because I forgot my tickets), I will spend them…sleeping.

(3) Spending $25 on some “real” food. Sure, I enjoy spending $6 on a Coke and $5 on Dippin’ Dots as much as the next gal, but I really am looking forward to using my “food allowance” on something a bit more sophisticated. I can get a seriously good Letter D meal and frozen margarita from my favorite Mexican restaurant for the same amount..and I think I will!

(4) Watching the Red River Rivalry (and cheering for the Horns!). I grew up as a Texas fan, and still have a special place in my heart for the Longhorns (meeting Earl Campbell in 1977, when he came and spoke to my 3rd grade class in Austin, is still one of my all-time favorite memories), so I will be cheering Colt McCoy and the boys on. This game, though, has even greater significance. While the teams still have to battle Missouri one way or another (and Mizzou is an awfully good team itself!), I think that the winner of this one is on the fast track to the national championship game. An undefeated Big 12 team and an undefeated SEC team will make it to the Big Show, and I’m hoping for Bama and Texas. (GameDay will be at the game, too, so I will hole up in front of my television starting around 11 am.)

(5) Watching the LSU-Florida game. As much as it hurts me to say it, I will be doing the Gator Chomp and yelling “Te-bow, Te-bow” on Saturday afternoon. A win by Florida makes the East a little more interesting (as much as I love Vandy, it’s still hard for my meager mind to wrap around the notion that the Dores are in first place in the East) and gives Bama a little more breathing space in the West.

(6) Enjoying some family time. While my daughters (16-, 12-, and 4-years-old)understand my love for Alabama football, they also are ready for Mom to be home on a Saturday (we get two tickets for every home game, and it’s a battle each week over who gets to go with me to the game!) So, in between watching the aformentioned (#4 and #5 above) games, I have been informed that this weekend will involve…a campout in the backyard (I’m supposed to bring Smores), a shopping trip for pageant dresses, and a movie night with the whole crew. We’ll see how that all goes!

So…
Do you have any big plans for the weekend?
What other games are you especially interested in this weekend?
And how, in general, do you deal with Bama Withdrawal Symptoms?