Friday Fun Video -- Happy New Year, Rose Parade & Game

Happy New Year!

Every year, as long as I can remember, I've watched the Rose Bowl parade, which, during my childhood in Oregon, meant getting up way earlier than it does here in the Southeast. One year, back in the '80s, we sprang for a Rose Bowl tour package, which gave us an insider look at the volunteers building the floats (which are way bigger in real life than they appear on TV!), grandstand seats at the parade, and great seats at the game.

Since we didn't have a team playing that year (Sweetie went to Oregon State, and I attended Arizona State), we rooted, as we always do, for the PAC 10 team, which that year was USC. They were playing Ohio State, and every time the Trojans scored -- which was a LOT of times -- the gorgeous white horse Traveler would run up and down the sidelines, mane flowing in the bright California sun. After a while, one elderly, very annoyed Ohio State woman fan hit Sweetie on the head with a necklace of buckeyes. (Which, for those who don't know, are large, very hard nuts.) Still, we had a super time, even though, due to a Dec 2nd deadline, I had to proof a manuscript during halftime surrounded by thousands of screaming fans.

This morning I'll be enjoying the parade from the couch while drinking Mimosas and eating Sweetie's traditional New Years Day biscuits with marmalade and honey.



And then, later, there's the game. This year it's Oregon State's nemesis, the University of Oregon Ducks, against those Buckeyes again. The Duck's mascot once caused quite a commotion with his takedown of the BYU Cougar's mascot, which earned him a suspension. Today's Friday Fun Video depicts both that takedown, how the repentant duck spent his suspension, and his subsequent apology. Enjoy.

And, although it's hard for this Oregon State Beavers household to say -- Go Ducks!