FALL!

Be still, my heart!  Tomorrow is the "official" first day of Fall (at least according to weather.com), and I think we actually started getting the Fall weather a few days ahead of schedule.  Yahoo! 

Much as I love hot hot weather, the leading edge of Fall makes me want to...well, first of all, not work.  Also on the "things I want to be doing in this glorious weather" list: drinking coffee outside, vacationing in North Carolina (doesn't that just scream Fall?), wearing sweaters, going for a run, hanging out around the firepit at night, and tailgating.

Of course, all of those things presume real Fall weather.  Those of you in my neck of the woods realize that the "Fall weather" I'm presently feeling (and am way too excited about) involves a low of 85 and a high of 92.  Mysteriously, on home game Saturdays, Summer inevitably returns and it's 115 degrees in the Swamp (hello, USF game!), so I'm not likely to get a chance to do the Fall weather tailgate for another couple of months.  For that matter, none of the other stuff on that list will be really appealing to do until sometime in November, if this faux-Fall keeps going.

A girl can dream, though (fueled by the super-cold air conditioning in my office!)....and the Fall weather daydreams are still much more fun than the day job!

Dye-ing for the next home game

Noon in Gainesville this time of year is insane.  Nearly unconscionable to be outside, unless you're at least half-submerged in a pool or lake.  And yet, someone in Gainesville apparently thinks it's the perfect time for a football game (?).  Last weekend was H. O. T.  This weekend will no doubt be more of the same.

So, what's a girl to wear when it's 100 degrees in the shade?  Tried out the shorts/t-shirt combo last weekend, but that was NOT the way to go.  As far as I'm concerned, the ideal game day outfit touches no more of your skin than is absolutely necessary, and is also super-cute.  Bonus points if the entire outfit is in team colors (i.e., no denim, khaki, white or other neutrals).  The shorts/t-shirt combo was cute enough, but there was way too much contact with my skin.  Ugh.

Enter the swimsuit cover up.  I've been hanging out in my Billabong cover up all summer, and it's perfect on a hot steamy day.  The only problem is that the one I already have is teal.  Not exactly on the Gator faithful color wheel.  But hello, internet!  I found the same dress in white from some surf shop in California (on sale!), and figured I could make it work with some good orange & blue accessories.  White = cool, right?

When the dress arrived, it was adorable - but completely see-through.  Add a little Swamp steam, and it would only get worse.  In addition to the see-through problem, the General reminded me that I'm not the world's most coordinated person, and I'd be likely to spill/smear all manner of tailgate food & drink on my white dress.  Fair point, my friend. 

So, on Monday, E and I made a trip to the hobby store while the boys napped, and we found the perfect orange dye.  Came home, put E down for her nap, and Z jumped in to help me with my project.  (When was the last time you dyed something?  Easter eggs when you were 10?  Tie dye in high school?  I don't know when I last dyed something, but I'm pretty sure it's been at least 15 years.  Heavens!)  A few minutes later, we had one perfectly orange dress (also an orange sink, but that's a small sacrifice for team spirit, no?).  Layer a lightweight blue tank under the dress, and I'm all set.

Bring it on, Gainesville - I'm ready.  All day, baby.  All day.

The Tailgate Toolbox

The first tailgate of 2010 is just a few days away - time to dust off the tailgate gear, and maybe even toss a few new items in the truck.  So what, exactly, do you need for the perfect tailgate?  Here's the recipe for a Hot Mess of a Tailgate:

• Sweet Tebow.  Sweet tea + bourbon + ice = heaven in a cup.  Try it.  If you don't like it, I don't like you.  The specs: tea must be Publix diet sweet tea; bourbon must be Beam.  No exceptions.  You're going to drink too much of it to make the fancy bourbon worthwhile.  Half tea, half bourbon.  Drink up.  For the FSU fans, rename if you must - Sweet F'ing Tebow has a nice ring...just don't try to pretend it isn't delicious.  (OG, if it makes you feel better, the General says the name of the drink is spelled TeaBo - but I don't take spelling advice from the General.)
• ICE.  Put it in a good cooler, too - it's hot out there, and if you're going to make it to game time, you're going to need ice that can survive the heat along with you! 
• Coolers.  Note the plural.  If you're really doing it right, you've got to have one cooler for drink ice, one cooler for all the pre-game tailgate stuff, and probably one for the post-game.  You could put the post-game stuff in the pre-game cooler, but if it's really hot out, you might just end up with a cooler full of cool-ish water by the time the game's over.  A separate cooler that doesn't get opened until after the game is the best bet.  If you're packing up the coolers the night before the tailgate, or if you're just into really amazing coolers, check out the Yeti coolers.  I'm pretty sure they'll keep stuff frozen for an entire football season.  Incredible.  As an added bonus, they're bear-proof.  I don't know how they hold up to fraternity boys or drunk adult male tailgaters...but my brother has one, and it's still intact, so I imagine they'd survive both of those tests pretty well, too.
• A tent (or two).  If you're tailgating in the South, you're entirely too close to the surface of the sun to tailgate without a tent.  The shade is essential to keep you from bursting into flames before the team takes the field, and it's also key if you intend to be able to see whatever is happening on your TV (you DO have a TV at your tailgate, right?  Just checking...).  Even if it's a night game, you'll need a tent - obviously, the tailgate will start while the sun is still up.  And depending on the time of day (and the angle of the sun), you might need more than one so you can line 'em up and huddle in whatever shade you've managed to create at the far end.  Tents are also super-handy for staking out your territory - particularly if you're in a primo location.
• Tervis tumblers.  Preferably with lids.  If you aren't using Tervis, I'm not sure we can be friends (unless, of course, you're using a flashing plastic wine glass - I mean, that's classy!).  Ok, so there are other exceptions, but they mainly revolve around beer - i.e., beer from a can or bottle, or from a Solo cup.  Heyyo, beer pong!
• Games.  Speaking of beer pong...you need tailgate games, and you need a table for your food, so you might as well get one that does double duty.  Our beer pong table has a custom top designed after Florida Field.  No need for a tablecloth, and a great way to entertain the masses during a long tailgate!   Other super-fun tailgate games: cornhole (the MD13s bring theirs to every game, and I'm never any good at it - but it's still a blast), or a good old football.  If you go for a game that involves throwing (or catching) anything of substance, just make sure you don't invite me to play.  It could will get ugly. 
• Grill.  Hello.  My name is Captain Obvious.  Really, though, I should mention that the type of grill makes a big difference (by that, I mean good grill = happier General = happier tailgate!).  For the last couple of years, we've been using a grill that mounts on the tailgate of the truck and sits at waist height.  No more leaning over and into the heat to tend the food, and no more trying to find a place to put the grill that won't melt or catch fire.  Downside: if the truck is parked on a hill, so is the grill.  Great way to lose some potato skins and a few Sweet Tebows (call it a sacrifice to the tailgating gods?).
• TV.  With Satellite.  Our tailgate crew pitched in for a tailgate dish last season, and it greatly improved the pre-game amusement.  If your school is hosting ESPN Gameday and you're not tailgating close enough to see the madness, it's always fun to see the hoopla...and how are you going to text-harass your non-tailgating-friends about their teams' lackluster play if you can't see the games that are on before yours?  Note: TV & Satellite also double as a fun tailgate game, which consists of attempting to keep people from knocking over the satellite & TV, triipping over the extension cord, or otherwise wreaking havoc with this inevitably delicate setup. 
• Chairs.  Again, way obvious, but it is one of those things you'll be miserable without.  Make sure they're sturdy enough to support you when you've lost the ability to hold yourself upright and flop down into the chair with gusto.  I think we lose one chair at every tailgate from that sort of flopping.

Everything above is fun and makes for a great tailgate, but here's the super secret to tailgating bliss: Iced hand towels.  The. Best. Thing. Ever.  Count the number of people in your tailgate crew.  Get that many hand towels or washcloths (plus a few extras, just for good measure) wet, put them in a Ziploc bag, and drop them in the bottom of one of your coolers.  Forget about them, until you're about 20 seconds from melting because you're tailgating on the face of the sun.  Stick your hand in the cooler to get some refreshment, and notice the cold, wet towels.  Pull one out, wring it out, and wipe down your face, arms, neck, legs, whatever.  It's amazing.  Rally for more tailgating!  (Also incredible for post-game refreshing.)

That covers the gear from last year's tailgate...but what's new in the tailgate toolbox for you?  Drop me a line and let me know what I'm missing!

The Friday Night Massacre -or- Tailgate Training Camp

Holy hell, we've got some work to do if we're going to be in tailgating shape by Saturday!  Got the Crew together Friday night for dinner & drinks, and to hang with the Kingpin, who was in town for the weekend.  We had a blast, but I'm pretty sure none of us were functional the next day. 

Ouch.

It went something like this: Happy hour.  Then dinner (the General's new creation: grilled quesadillas = YUM).  Then more drinks, sitting around the dining room table while the kiddos ran around like a pack of monkeys.  And then it happened...we migrated to the dock.  Somehow, the backyard always makes the drinks go down faster. 

The OG may have split his chin open (apparently he's not as fragile as I've advertised him to be - no need for medical intervention), and the General took an unplanned swim in the canal.  The blues playlist was replaced by the Kingpin's iPod (JT?  Really?), which seriously betrayed him and turned the dock into Club Kingpin for a short while.  Then the drinking games commenced.  By that point (and probably long before then) I was useless, but I gave it a go.  Good thing I'd already switched to water, or I'd probably still be hurting - it turns out my skills are seriously lacking. 

We had such a great time, but I'm amazed how much longer it takes to bounce back these days.  When did this happen?  Hopefully our tailgate training camp did the trick and got us back into shape for the first "live" tailgate this weekend.  If not, it could be a season of painful Sundays (because, obviously, we're not going to go easy on our tailgating - I mean, come on!).

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we....???

Yes, my Football-loving friends - we are almost there! The emails have started flying (among the gems I've seen so far: Will's Mom sent this one around earlier this week, and I nearly peed my pants right there in my office), and we're all lining up the babysitters (thanks Millie & Pops!) and dusting off the tailgate gear. I'm pretty sure that when I check on the munchkins before bed every night, the General is checking on our season tickets to make sure they're safe and sound, dreaming of touchdowns and extra points.

I have such fervent fall fever that I'm actually expecting to feel crisp, cool fall air every time I walk outside. That's ludicrous. I live in Florida, and being outside in August in Florida is like walking in a bowl of hot soup. But, honey, it's time for football - and football fever makes every good Southerner more than a little crazy! Me and my fall weather hallucinations are evidently no exception.

This isn't really a "Florida fan" blog, but there's no hiding my allegiance, so I might as well just get it out there from the start. I bleed Orange and Blue, y'all. The season might technically start before the boys from old Florda take the field, but as far as I'm concerned, that's all just the college preseason. For me, it isn't really official until we're headed to Gainesville with a truck full of bourbon and bbq.


So...less than two weeks 'til kickoff, and it's time to get serious about our tailgating plans. Heeeere come the (tail)Gators!