Farewell to Grits

We had to put our dog to sleep last week. Grits was 15 years old, and it was time. I like to joke that she finally lost her battle with Itchiness because she spent well over half her life scratching and gnawing at herself because she had some kind of skin disorder that no vet ever had an answer for.

Grits gnawing on herself...like always

It's hard to remember Grits as a puppy. She has seemed like an elderly lady for so long, that it is difficult to remember her when she would run and play...or even expend any energy for anything other than getting extra food.

In 1996, my sister Jennifer, a senior in high school at the time decided she wanted a puppy just 6 months before she would move away to Kansas to go to college.

Right away, I noticed that Grits was a stubborn dog. She was plenty smart enough to be house trained, but would sometimes just poop or pee in the house out of convenience. She knew we would clean it up, why hold it? Once she even pooped on one of my Christmas presents just to make a point, I think. But the stubbornness was borne out of her smarts. Grits was a really smart dog. All the little things that puppies do that is cute - like chase a laser pointer around the floor - Grits would figure out after about 10 minutes and that was that. She grew up fast.

Grits learned a few tricks - sit, shake, lay down - but quit doing them after about a year because she knew the treat was out of the box and was meant for her whether she did our stupid trick or not. So, she would just sit quietly and look at you like you were an idiot for holding a dog biscuit in front of her and saying, "Sit...Siiiiiiiittttt. GRITS, SIT!" The reason I know is because if you ever stepped up the quality of the treat (say, from a biscuit to a bacon strip), Grits would go through her whole routine to speed you up. She was always like the kid that was too old for Halloween, but knocked on your door anyway and asked for candy. "Yeah, yeah...whatever, just give me the candy." It may sound terrible, but it was always something that we loved about her. She was only truly a puppy for a very short time, and then she morphed into an old lady.

Two years after Jennifer got Grits, my mom let me get a dog too. I picked out Pistol from the pound and brought him home. Grits disliked him right away, but he loved her unconditionally. He followed Grits all over the house, constantly looked to her for approval, and always deferred to her. Always. Eventually, Grits started to see the value in having a younger sibling around. He could be the one to bark, scratch at the door, wake up the owners to let them out. So Grits tolerated Pistol, that was their relationship. Then, she began to love him in her own way, and they just kind of went together. Pistol & Grits, the Queen and the court jester.

Grits trying to remain indifferent to the puppy who would love her forever.

They only spent one year apart, when Jennifer took Grits up to Kansas for her Jr. year. Jen's roommate played the Cello, and when she would practice in her room, Grits would go and sit outside the door and "sing" along. Jennifer got a HUGE kick out of this.

Once mom sent Jen a care package that had a stuffed toy for Grits in it. Jennifer described it as "the ugliest squirrel I've ever seen." So, Jen named it after my mom, Linda P, and taught Grits that that was the thing's name. When my mom went to visit, Jennifer said, "Grits, go get Linda," and she ran upstairs and grabbed the ugly squirrel. My mom got a HUGE kick out of that one.

But through it all, Grits remained lovably stubborn. She would dig out of the yard and then just sit on the porch as if to say, "I didn't have anywhere to go, just did this because I can." She would crawl under the bed to avoid being sent to the backyard as if to say "I know you've got somewhere to go, and I can do this all day..." That's just the kind of dog she was.

We decided it was not a good idea to ever split the dogs up again. So, they lived together for a while with Jennifer, and then they moved in with me and Dana. Dana was not a dog person. Seeing their routine and how they interacted with each other won Dana over. And she saw how they were a package deal.

Grits had a tumor on her back leg that slowly cut down on her already rare physical exertion. She would limp back and forth from the yard only to eat and "do her business." All the running around was left to Pistol. But her stomach was like an alarm clock and every day within 5 minutes of 5:00, she would yip "Time to eat." And she would continue to yip until you fed her. Again, stubborn.

On Monday, her legs started failing. We had "the moment" where you just know your dog is suffering. It was heartbreaking.

What I'll remember about Grits was how quirky she was, and how learning her quirks was the joy of being her owner. I'll remember how if she wanted something bad enough to bark, it would begin as a heavy breath, then a blow that sounded like a sneeze, then a "whisper," then a full-on bark - like she wanted you to know how annoying you were being to not jump up every time she thought you should. I'll remember how itchy she always was, and how she would chew on her leg until she was exhausted, then catch her breath, and start chewing again. I'll remember how she would bark at other dogs and then check to make sure Pistol was still behind her in case there actually would be a fight and he could take care of it. I'll remember how she'd scratch her own back: violently roll onto her back in the yard, and then shimmy with her legs in a bicycle motion (she did this all day). And I'll remember how when she was sweet to you, you felt like you'd earned it because she saved her sweet moments and only came and nuzzled up to you once in a while.

I'll miss Grits a lot. Probably not as much as Pistol will, but a lot. It was a really sad day on Thursday. My mom drove over from Tuscaloosa because she wanted to say goodbye. That night, I went to feed Pistol. He would always wait for Grits to eat first before he started eating. This time he looked around and was confused. Where was she? A couple of moments later he just started eating...he is a dog after all. A few days later and he keeps looking around for her. I think he'd rather be picked on once in awhile than live as the lone Jackson dog. I know that's what Dana and I want too. We will all miss Grits.

Resolution Rewind

Somehow, we're at the halfway mark of 2011.  How can time possibly go this fast?  It's maddening.  Still, I haven't mentioned my aforementioned 2011 book resolution since January or February.  But good news!  I haven't quit!  The resolution is going famously and I'm really enjoying reading lots of new books.  Knowing that I have to read something every month has made me break out of my usual book routine and try new authors and genres.  Some have been fair, some have been great, but I don't think any were truly bad.  So, for those wondering, here is the rundown of titles.  I'm providing an archaic rating system of 1 to 5 stars.  Astounded by my own creativity.

January:
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 
Star Power:  3 stars
Previously described here.

February:
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.
Star Power:  2 stars
I had a difficult time connecting with the characters in this book.  I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing really did.  I was disappointed because I'd   been looking forward to this book for awhile, but in the end....eh.

March:
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Star Power:  3 1/2 stars
Very creative story that showed me a world and setting I'd never read about before.  I felt that the best writing was in the present day (the story is told as a flashback by an elderly man).  These chapters brought me to tears.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Star Power:  4 stars
Fascinating page turner, and in my opinion, the best one in the series.  I'm stalking information about the upcoming movie.  When I told friends and family, they looked at me like I was weird.  Children forced to fight each other to the death?  Hey, I didn't write it.  I just read it.

April:
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Star Power:  3 1/2 stars
I threw the half star in because it's Jane and she's wonderful.  That being said, this wasn't my favorite of hers.  I liked the main character very much, but the story seemed to drag on and on.  By the end, I was just ready for a happy ending and a cup of tea.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Star Power:  3 1/2
Still intriguing, but the novelty fell off for me a bit after the first book.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Star Power:  3
The last in the series and the last in my heart.  Sometimes I have a hard time with series because I get tired of the same style and the same voice for several books in a row.  Again, I was just ready for some closure.  This book was very violent for a long time, so it lost me there.  Still, the ending jerked me awake.  I still recommend this series.

May
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Star Power:  The 5!
I truly loved this book.  I loved the writing style, the three different narrators, and the story.  I didn't want it to end.  The author brought so much life to every character in the story--the good and the bad.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Star Power:  4
My venture into non-fiction.  I usually run from non-fiction books and never look back, but after multiple recommendations, I took a chance.  This is one of the most amazing stories I've ever read or heard, and I'm not exaggerating.  At times I thought, this can't be real.  It's the story of a WWII bomber in the US Air Force who crashes and is taken as a prisoner of war.  Inspiring story.

June
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Star Power:  4
After the emotional toll of reading Unbroken, I needed something light and fun.  I found this book and read it in a weekend.  It's delightful and charming, written as a series of letters in the 1940s.  Contains war, love, humor, and lots of writing and bookspeak.  My favorite quote from the book:  "Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers?  How delightful if that were true."

So, that's it for now.

With love,
Reborn Book Nerd

Spring Breaking, Phase Two

Well, after two friendly comments from my last post, I'm back to finish up the trip.  I'm a bit overwhelmed with pictures and stories, so I'm just going to take the photo/caption approach, somewhat haphazardly.  Enjoy!

We spent our first day just sailing to Mexico and relaxing.  The nighttime picture is not my best work, but I thought it was a pretty shot of the water and sky.  One day I'll figure out how to use my camera.

We arrived in Costa Maya, Mexico the next day and were immediately greeted by a friendly dolphin.  Seriously, the cutest animal ever.  It swam right up to us when we walked up, sort of like Pistol when he sees treats.






We spent the rest of our time there shopping around and hanging out.  Caught a beautiful sunset on our way back to the ship.

Lighthouse!  I don't think it has room for me though.

Day Three:  We woke up in Belize City.  I don't have very many pictures from Belize, and I'm not too sure why.  We actually went on a really fun snorkeling excursion while there.  We took a boat out to a barrier reef, jumped ship, and snorkeled in the middle of the ocean.  Typically I completely fail at snorkeling (I don't trust the breathing tube), but I figured it out this time.  I wish I had a waterproof camera so I could show you all the cool fish and reefs we saw.  Aside from the two minutes where I thought I had lost Kent to the sea, we had a great time.  Here are some random pics from our morning wandering around Belize City.  We didn't walk too long because we had NO idea where we were going and it got a bit scary at times, and we had to catch our snorkeling boat.

Day Four:  Roatan, Honduras.  Roatan was a beautiful port with an awesome beach close by.  We pretty much camped out on some beach chairs all day and relaxed.

Pulling up to Roatan.  Fortunately our boat did not look like Ol Rusty.

Docked in Roatan

Riding the chair lift that led from the port city to the beach.  It was high and it swung around a lot, so Kent liked to scare me by making sudden movements.  Scary, but a beautiful view.

Day Five, and Final Stop:  Cozumel, Mexico.  Cozumel was our favorite stop of all the ports, partly because we had the prettiest weather that day.  Other than the weather, we really enjoyed walking around the city and heading to the beach.  We took a cab to a beach club that was pretty much heaven.  Chairs with umbrellas on the beach, gorgeous day, fresh guacamole, pina coladas, and beer, pretty water, and great company :)  I think we took the most pictures on this day so bear with me.  I loved this day.

Walking around Cozumel.  This picture taken right after giant iguana ran right past us. 

At the club...a huh huh huh huh huh (That's for you Ashley)

Beautiful water and happy couple!

Swoon...

After leaving Cozumel, we were at sea for another full day before arriving back in New Orleans on Sunday.  We had the greatest week just seeing new places, hanging out, eating A LOT, relaxing, reading, talking, and not thinking about anything but enjoying our time together.  It was hard to come back to the real world, especially when my body still felt like it was on the boat for a few days, but we have great memories.  I'll leave you with some general fun on the boat.  Thanks for looking at our pictures!  

The most intense towel animal I've ever seen!

Spring Breaking, Phase One

Our vacation finally arrived after months of anticipation.  Now, I can't believe it's over (sad face), but we enjoyed every minute, and it provided some much needed rest and relaxation.  


Our cruise left from New Orleans, so we drove there on Saturday morning to have a little mini-vacation before we set sail.  Little did we know how much time we would actually spend in New Orleans because our ship was delayed until late Sunday night. Kent has visited NOLA several times, but this was my first time.  We had so much fun on Saturday and Sunday that we couldn't really believe that our trip hadn't actually started yet.  So, here are the highlights from our fun weekend in New Orleans.  


We began by heading down to the Garden District, which was so beautiful, peaceful, and unique.  I couldn't believe that people actually lived there all the time in their regular lives.  Exhibits A, B, and C:

Then, we turned the corner and walked straight into a St. Patrick's Day Parade...on March 12.  Unbeknownst to us, this is a big event, and there were tons of people there specifically to participate in that.  So, we wove our way through people throwing beads and heads of lettuce, and grown men dancing drunkenly down the streets wearing kilts (isn't that Scotland?).  All part of the experience...

We ducked into a bakery/sweet shop on the parade route called Sucre.  It was like walking into Heaven.  Everything was sparkly and pastel and pretty.  For months I been wanting to try French Macarons because they are so pretty and look absolutely delicious.  I've never seen them in real life, only on other blogs.  Sucre had shelves of them in every color and flavor.  Joy!  I picked chocolate, lemon, and strawberry, but wish I'd bought them out because they were as wonderful as I'd imagined.  

We love it here!

Saturday night we ate a wonderful dinner at a new place called Mojito's Rum Bar and Grill.  I now understand the crazy obsession with food in New Orleans--everything tasted like perfection. I look like I'm about to slip into a food coma in this picture.  Success!

The next morning we paid a visit to Cafe Du Monde for the obligatory breakfast of fried dough and chicory coffee.   I was not disappointed.  Side note of interest:  celebrity sighting of former Florida football coach Urban Meyer having breakfast with his daughter. 

 Fatty, sugary delight.  

 Shot outside Jackson Square on Sunday morning. 

Ship delay?  No problem.  We rode the streetcar back to the Garden District to walk around and see things without the parade craziness.  We had another great meal at a taqueria and just hung out for the afternoon.

We went to a casino for about an hour, where I met the cruel temptress Blackjack.  Walked about a million miles, ate more (oops!), and finally boarded the ship that night.

More to come....

P.S.  Sorry for the weird formatting on this post.  Blogger hates me...the feeling is mutual.  Any tips?

One Down, Eleven to Go

Success!  I finished my January book and have moved on to February and book #2.  Since I confessed my 2011 book goal on this blog, I feel I have some sort of accountability, which is good for me.  For January I read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  It’s an old-fashioned book, written in the 1940s, set in the 1930s English countryside, somewhat reminiscent of a Jane Austen novel.  If you like stories like this, then I recommend it to you.  The book is written as a journal of the narrator and tells the story of her eccentric family that lives in a decomposing castle without money or prospects.  Two handsome Americans arrive one day.  The plot thickens. 

I chose this book mainly because it’s been sitting on my shelf for years.  It belonged to my grandmother, and I always wondered if it was any good.  It’s an easy read with several humorous lines and characters, and a generally interesting story, though at times it feels a bit too Austen-ish (but can that truly be a bad thing?). 

So, onto February!  I’ve begun another book that’s been sitting on my shelf for far too long, The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.  I’ve only read a few chapters, but I’m really enjoying it so far.  It is set during World War II and that alone earns it at least one thumb up.  It seems to center on three separate women whose lives are interwoven.  We’ll see how it turns out. 

What are y’all reading?

Hello

Just chilling on the couch watching another season of The Bachelor.  Ahh, some things never change.  I'm pretty sure I was doing this exact same thing with my mom in high school and with my friends at Samford.   How can The Bachelor be one of the connecting threads of my life?  I'm immediately retracting that sentence.  


It's 2011, and no, I did not make a resolution to write on the blog more (I know my limitations).  However, I did vow to read at least one book each month in 2011.  Sounds easy enough, and yet, I am cramming to finish my January book so that I don't fail my resolution in month one.   If I read 70 pages every day for the next week, I will prevail!  Procrastination, another common thread in life.  (Note that I began this blog by stating that I'm watching TV, not reading.  Ahhhh!)


Nothing too exciting to report, but I like 2011 so far.  Already I've seen lots of good friends, had a snow day from work, watched my husband coach several winning basketball games, and been informed that Verizon will grace us with the iPhone in a few weeks.  Huzzah!


Kent is beyond busy with work, coaching, and school.  My job is about to become crazy, but we have a springtime vacation planned and booked, so the countdown is on!  Kent put a surprise in my Christmas stocking announcing our getaway, and I couldn't believe it!  We've been talking for months about a vacation, but we could never make a decision about anything.  Thankfully, Kent took the bull by the horns and got in touch with a travel agent to plan the perfect, relaxing trip for us.  He's awesome, and I'm so excited to get to spend an entire week with him.  I bought warm weather clothes the minute they came into the store.  Thanks to the J. Crew salesgirl for pointing out that white shorts will definitely look better once I get a tan.  Yea.....


Hope everyone else is having a great year so far!  Ok, gotta go read!  

Mid-Season Reflection

Well, it's the middle of the college football season already. There have been some surprises, but I just looked at my pre-season predictions again and they were actually pretty close with the glaring exception of picking Georgia to come out of the East. But, hey the East is so open now that they very well could come back and win it. I said Auburn would start strong and fade down the stretch. As it stands right now, I'd take that back and say that Auburn probably only has one loss in them (to Alabama). I also said their new backfield would be good, and that was wrong, it's really good. Newton is a terror, a one-man wrecking machine.

This is still possible.

Alabama lost one of the games that "really scared me," to South Carolina. This team is not last year's team. That becomes more evident every week. But the maddening part is that the offense IS the same, but puts up crap numbers and can barely run the ball. No amount of nicknames, media hype, or Heisman talk moves the ball on the ground for Alabama. to me, that is the biggest surprise of the year so far - Alabama's offensive struggles. For the last two years, the other teams would know we were going to run, line up to stop and then get run over anyway. This year, we haven't been able to do that to anyone...anyone good, that is.

Hey, remember when we could run the ball?

While the defense showed their age against South Carolina, I have been pretty happy with them all year. There are numbers I look for - <>

I like Alabama to win out, but wouldn't really be surprised by anything at this point.

Some surprises:

"Everything is under control. I got it."

-Lucky Les is undefeated down at LSU. It has been said that anyone - ANYONE - can get 10 wins as head coach at Alabama (every single coach we've ever had has won 10 games in a season before including Dubose and Shula), which sort of cheapens it, right? Well that is how I look at Les Miles at LSU. I really believe with their resources, talent pool, etc. that he wins despite himself. Earlier in the year when they almost lost to UNC, ESPN panned the LSU crowd and they looked so nervous and scared. I was immediately struck with the proper analogy. Les is a terrorist and LSU fans are his hostages.

-Florida is in shambles. I have always had a healthy respect for Florida so this is not to pile on or anything. But the hubris of Urban Meyer is astounding sometimes. His playcalling in the Alabama game down by the goal line said, "I'm the smartest guy in the room, just watch how clever I am." But he forgets that he's only the smartest guy in the room when he has all the talent on the field and on his coaching staff. This is a program that has lost both coordinators, an all-everything QB, tight-end, corner back, and linebacker, and their coach took the summer off. This is why I thought they'd struggle this year, but I never thought this would happen. They lost at home to Mississippi State!!! They got swept by the SEC West this year.

The spread that Florida runs is just like any offense - only as good as the players running it.

-Auburn is still undefeated. Not surprisingly, they opened 6-0 against a weak schedule that still had plenty of close calls. But each week the chirping gets louder from these AU fans. Understandably so. They've had to hear all about Alabama for more than two years now, they have an incredibly exciting player, and they've just passed their first real test of the season. At this point, it looks like they're going to go undefeated into Tuscaloosa. And yes, that is annoying.

Here's the case for Auburn: they've got a player who is unstoppable so far. They've got a schedule that sets up very well for them, and they've got momentum.

Here's the case against them: If a Clemson receiver can catch the ball, they've lost at home to a mediocre team. If Spurrier doesn't pitch a hissy fit and pull his QB who'd thrown for 300 yards already, they might have lost at home to South Carolina. And if Kentucky had one or two more breaks, they lose to the Cats on the road. Those are three games that could have become losses. The Arkansas game was a strange one, but I think it could have gone either way. The score doesn't reflect how close that game was (and AU still gave up 500 yards of offense to a backup QB).

Bottom line: their defense will lose them a game, maybe two. But even I have to acknowledge that the Cameron Newton mania (while annoying and filled with half-assed puns like 'War Cam Eagle') is deserved. He is good.

Now, it is Tennessee week. Which means that a maniacal rage will wash over me around daybreak on Saturday that will then be followed by a lit cigar and smug smile to all those in orange by 9:30 pm. No one hates them like I do (except my dad). And even though they are down and having a bad year, it is still Alabama-Tennessee. We must break them.

Prediction: Alabama wins in another ho-hum kind of way which is actually the most satisfying way to beat rival. You beat them in a way that says, "Yep, it's just another year, just another win, just another example of how we are superior to you." I hope to say that on Black Friday too.

Total. Epic. Fail.

Ugh, I'm so disappointed in myself. I started out so strong, and then became a big fat quitter. Please forgive me faithful readers. There's just something about downloading pictures off my camera that makes me cringe. Too many cords and files with 15 numbers attached. Oh well....I've sucked up my loss to the 30 day picture challenge. Time to move on.

So, here's what's buzzing around in my brain lately. August is almost over! This brings joy to my heart for multiple reasons:

1. This summer has been miserably hot, and August is the crown jewel of summer heat. Over it.

2. I'm ready to embrace crisp fall air and cozy wardrobe. I know that technically, it won't be cool until at least October, but September means summer is officially over, and that's enough for me.

3. Only a few more weeks until football season!

4. September = birthday! :)

5. New nephew arrives in September

I've thrown myself back into reading and am currently enjoying/stressing out over

book titled Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a cool book, but you never really know what's going on, or what's the truth. The narrator speaks like you do, but nope. You only know whatever she chooses to reveal--a little at a time. This is both annoying and intriguing....but mostly intriguing. I'm bad at describing plots, so I'll just refer you to the description on Amazon.com. I'm hesitant to recommend it at this point, since I'm not finished yet. But, as of right now, I say thumbs up, despite the mysterious tone that causes me constant anxiety as I read.

Other items on my Must List right now:

• Project Runway - I'm loving this season so far.

• Mad Men - Duh.

• Pistol and Grits (aka, our dogs) - they crack me up and their little faces make me smile.

• Baja Burger - Kent and I recently discovered this gem of a burger joint where you can not only get curly fries, but also sweet potato fries AND onion rings! And the burgers are amazing with lots of variety

• Inception - still trying to decide about the ending. I'll leave it at that for those who haven't seen it yet.

• Crossword puzzles - I wish every day were Sunday

• Alabama Crimson Tide - new season is upon us. Getting ready for lots of fun and lots of nerves. Roll Tide!

Ok, I think I've exorcised the writer's block demon for now. Have a great weekend!!

Football is almost here...

A few random thoughts before I talk sports. I know you probably came here for a long awaited return to picture posts from Dana. What can I say? I'm not sure why she's stopped doing them, but it's not for lack of encouragement.

Homewood starts back tomorrow, and luckily for me, so do I (I kept my job there - I think it's because I resisted the urge to include snarky jokes about teen angst in my newsletters). I am happy for the new year to start and to see and interact with the kids again - a good sign for working in a school long term.

Dana's newfound love of the dogs continues to grow. She helped me bathe them yesterday. We should have taken pictures of it. Both the dogs are getting too old to fight off a bath the way puppies do. Now, they just sit there now with a look like, "If you didn't feed me every night, I would attack you right now."

As far as any news from us, we've had a pretty uneventful summer. Dana's still quietly taking over her company, and I continue to quietly detest UAB while taking classes there. It was a boring summer all-in-all, but I'll still list some of our accomplishments:

-We celebrated Anniversary #2

-I went 3-0 against Dana in Monopoly.

-We killed our plants on the front walk.

-We got lost in Oak Mountain State Park in what amounted to a 4-hour hike.

-We saw Inception and disagreed on the what happened at the end.

-and I learned how to brew Moonshine in our backyard

Only one of those is made up.

As you can see in the side bar, we've been watching Arrested Development and loving it. I always knew we'd like it, but we finally started watching it and it's been worth the wait. And now I hear there's a movie coming. Also, Gob Bluth takes his place in my top 5 comedy characters of all time. He's fantastic...COME ON!!!

And now for football:

Alabama has stated Fall practice. Saban refuses to refer to the team as defending champs or in search of a repeat - anything that equates last year's team with this year's. It's a smart psychological ploy, but I can't imagine it really working. Luckily, I don't believe it will have to work. Meaning, Mark Ingram, Greg McElroy, Dont'a Hightower are guys that will be motivated regardless of the circumstances going in. We have character leadership. There are some question marks for this season for sure, but leadership -at least on offense- is not one of them. Everyone is talking about the secondary being a possible problem. It might be, but I'm much more concerned about our quality opponents that come off a bye week before they play us. There's six. SIX. Only two SEC teams play Alabama without a bye week beforehand. It's too much to expect another undefeated season if that is the case. In fact, if I were betting on Bama either losing no games or two, I'd bet on two.

List of teams that play Bama coming off a bye week:

Auburn (of course)*, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St, South Carolina, and Tennessee

*not to be all narcissistic, but Auburn's entire self-image is wrapped up in what Alabama does. So, it is not surprising that although it would be helpful towards having a more successful season to schedule the bye week somewhere in the middle of the season to get healthy, regroup, etc., Auburn schedules theirs after 11 consecutive weeks of football. On the bright side, when you beat them anyway, it is extra sweet.

Who I know we'll beat:

San Jose State, Penn State, Duke, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miss St, Georgia State, Auburn

Who we should beat, but I'm not 100% sure on yet:

LSU, Florida

Who scares me:

Arkansas, South Carolina

Obviously, LSU and Florida should be better than Arkansas and S.C., but our players know that too and will be sufficiently up for those games. Arkansas has a good offense, they're at home, and our defense will not be completely gelled yet. The South Carolina game scares me just because it is a tough place to play anyway and I never take Steve Spurrier lightly...even when he's been an average coach for 7 years.

So here are my top 5 predictions for this year in the SEC:

1) Auburn will start 6-0. Their schedule is set up for this, and it is also set up for a fade down the stretch. I think their new offensive backfield is going to be good. But as they saw last year, leads are never safe with them because their defense was soft. If their defense is good, AU wins 9 games. If not, they will fall flat after that 6-0 stretch just like they did last year. And by the way, I wouldn't mind it being just 5-0 with Kentucky winning at home against these guys. But I just don't see it happening.

2) Tennessee, by contrast will start 2-5. Their schedule is difficult, they have no depth, their coach is new (although he is likable). I keep trying to hate Derek Dooley, and it's not working. My dad pointed out that I haven't seen him on the UT sideline in orange yet, and that is the key to disliking anyone. Good point. My hope is that the UT fans lose patience with him before he turns them around. I wish they still had Lane Kiffin...life made more sense.

3) The SEC East will be represented in Atlanta by Georgia**. This is my boldest prediction by far. I just think that Florida will lose two games they shouldn't, and if UGA is one of them, I'll look pretty smart for this one. It's also bold in that I'm trusting a freshman QB and an unproven defense against a pretty tough schedule. I just think that something's going to be different in the SEC East this year.

**subject to change if Mark Richt allows another ridiculous uniform change for a big game.

4) Les Miles will be out of the SEC this time next year. I think he's going to fall flat this year. He's lost the fans which will lead to losing the players the first sign of adversity. His QB is a Jekyll/Hyde type. And he's certifiably insane. And if he somehow has a great season, he'll use that as his ticket to take over for the fledgling Rich Rodriguez at Michigan.

The room was actually empty, but Les kept taking questions anyway.

5) Alabama will win the SEC West and then the overall championship. Regardless of the way I feel about their chances to go undefeated, I do think that they'll win the important games. I don't want to make any prediction on who is going to be in the National Championship game, but if it doesn't include an SEC team, then the 2010 winner will be viewed as a paper champ.

I'm so happy it's almost here. Roll Tide!