There is nothing quite like the Old Oaken Bucket
weekend. For Hoosiers, it’s a perfect
time to hate on Purdue and further question the sexual preference of its
mascot. For Purdue, it’s usually a time
to win one more game before the bowl ga---oh, wait. Due to a losing season this year, Purdue won’t
be going to a bowl. My apologies to
Purdue and its former week 1 ranking. Anyway,
now you have some background.
In an unfortunate turn of events the Thursday preceding Oaken
Bucket weekend, a certain piece of the HPER basketball floor decided to thwart
my Oaken Bucket fun by chipping off a piece of my talus bone and rearranging
some ankle ligaments. The doctors’
diagnosis, as evidenced by my X-ray, was Purduesucksititis,
a rare condition where evil, black-and-gold germs creep into major IU campus
locations, carried on the shoes of early Purdue visitors. The disease threatens to ruin the spirit of
the most hard-core IU fans but, as expected, I rose above and beyond the
challenge. I gimped up to Assembly Hall
to watch the basketball game Friday night, played 45-cup pong – and won (in
double OT, mind you) – and then crutched from Terra Trace to Nick’s. And, of course, I tailgated the next day and
made my way into the stadium for my last Bucket game as a college student. When I left for the game, IU led 7-3, and
when I arrived, Purdue led 24-7. This is
either testament to the time it took for my crippled self to get there, or the
time it took for IU to suck at football.
Probably both.
So, did the weekend suck for me? Well, pretty much. But my spirit didn’t. There are those (you know who you are) who
have dubbed me Mr. IU, and I don’t think I disappointed. I did manage to break my phone and get a
speeding ticket on the way home Sunday, though.
As usual, there was one high point:
the neighbors’ Thanksgiving feast on Sunday.
Big props go to C1 for hours of preparation and for more amazing food
than anybody could eat. Big props to my “special
helpers,†too, for giving me rides, making me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and
walking around the apartment on my crutches and imitating me.
But now I’m home, Thanksgiving is almost here, and it’s time
to give thanks for what I do have: a broken ankle, bronchitis, an ear
infection, a speeding ticket, law school applications to send, a paper due next
Tuesday, and a cell phone bill for a phone I can’t use. However, you can’t forget my awesome family,
and I’m going to have a great break (no pun intended) and get to see a lot of
friends. Most things seem to even out. Most things.
To any Purdue fans, basketball season has begun, and you
know you can’t compete with that – or with Marco, DJ, Vaden, Strickland, Monroe,
Ratliff, Allen, Cem, Rod, Suhr, and…KLINE.
BAM. To the HPER floor, I’ll see
your ankle break and raise you an intramural championship – bitch. And to God, thanks for all the great things
you do.
Peace out, and Happy Thanksgiving.
