Phish food for thought and the return of FOOTBALL

On Friday, Dad and I ventured to Noblesville, Indiana to see one of his favorite bands of all-time, Phish. I was pleasantly surprised by the experience.

Their music, which I have heard compared to DMB, is very good. The lyrics are a bit bizarre, but I love the eclecticism - one song would have country influences, the next reggae. There is something to be said about the guitarist Trey Anastasio and the keyboard player Page McConnell. They are incredible musicians and, like DMB, deserve the stereotype of 'jam band.'

There was one thing that captivated my attention more than the music - the crowd. I have never seen so many Grateful Dead t-shirts in my life. The audience was essentially a DMB audience...with less frequent showers and a whole lot more pot. In fact, DMB fans seem to be a preppier, more wealthy version of Phish fans.

I've also come to another conclusion: Phish Concerts = Where People Who Can't Dance Go to...Dance? People seem to go into a trance and just jiggle their bodies around. I suppose that's dancing.

Finally, once the sun went down, the glo-sticks started flying. It was incredible. There were tens of thousands of multi-colored glo-sticks and the fans seemed to throw them in unison. When I wasn't nervously dodging them or recovering from a direct hit, I just stood there and watched them fly over the lawn. I even threw a few myself. :)

Saturday, Jenn, TJ, and I went to Oxford to see my sister's new place and reunite with Eric and CJ. I love Jamie's house and I'm very happy to see that she loves it, too. I will miss her, but I'm so glad she will finally get this experience. I wouldn't have traded mine for anything in the world. It was also wonderful to see Eric and CJ again. We got dinner at Mac & Joe's (mac 'n cheese bites galore) and spent a few hours reminiscing and dancing at Underground. You can still faintly see our signatures on the wall where they painted over them. Sigh.

Sunday, the Bengals battled the Broncos in their second pre-season game of the year. This one ended positively, 33-24, and I am much happier with the way things looked. Our offense looked impressive, particularly our running backs, and the defense pressed and created some chances with turnovers. The game was also Tim Tebow's NFL debut and although he was greeted by a chorus of boo's from the audience, I was happy to see him. He even scored his very first NFL touchdown in the final minutes of the game. Although he made a few mistakes, he also proved that he can be a capable passer (even if it was against our 3rd-string defense). He's gunning for the #2 position. Look out, Quinn! ...and hush, nay-sayers.

I should have been there. It makes absolutely no sense that I wasn't. My Bengals' first home pre-season game, cheap tickets for better seats, and Tebow's debut in my hometown? What is wrong with me? Maybe I should get a job so I could afford these things.

I am so, so very glad that football season is finally upon us. Everyone downplays pre-season, but for me, it's prime scouting time. Time to size up the opponents and criticize my own team. It's also the first time in months that I'm able to see my loves across the league - Brian Urlacher, AJ Hawk, Tim Tebow, Chris Cooley, and Chris Long. Mmm...so much time and so many hockey and baseball games have separated us. At long last, we are together again...weekly on the NFL Network.

I tried to find shirtless pictures of all of them, but quickly ran into some problems. Trust me, you want AJ's helmet on (thus, pictures require a jersey). Cooley takes his pants off more often than his shirt. Finally, I would be committing a crime against humanity if I didn't include that GQ shot of Long.

This is also the first time I've ever been a part of a fantasy league. The whole New Orleans spring break crew decided to start a league (with an automatic draft). I ended up with Ochocinco(!) and Larry Fitzgerald...who apparently sprained his knee this week. Great.

At any rate, I am SO happy it's the most wonderful time of the year again. It's already consuming my mind...so, I hope you like football. ;)