CH CH CH CH CHANGES....

All of my nostalgic whining about the sanctity of the Orange Bowl has turned out to be just that: nostalgic whining. I went to the first game of the Hurricane's new era, and it turned out just great! RIP Orange Bowl. Thanks for the memories, but change is good.

D2 and I picked up Amanda and caravaned to Dolphin Stadium last night. We parked right next to the building, and then walked over to Mike's crew, where the grill was already fired up. The sun was setting, the blender was whirring, the beer was cold, and the bonhommie was everywhere.

We ate and drank and laughed. My partner Paul cornered D2 and explained the true meaning of life, along with the benefits of attending a $50k/year college, as his kids did.

The sun was setting and all were in high spirits. "Is this so bad?" I asked. No one thought it was. Rob smoked his cigars. Old friends stopped by, like Norman, whose life has paralleled mine, except for 3 sons and a divorce instead of my 2 daughters and long marriage. Norman and I reminisced about Canes years of yore, and spoke about our kids. I introduced him to crazy Steve the cop, and we shared some police/lawyer jokes.

D2 and I entered the stadium. We're sitting in the "Club Level," which has huge air conditioned plazas, and bathroom attendants. It was the first time I gave a tip after peeing at a sports event! The staff all welcomed us, and asked if all was ok. It was.

D2 and I agreed that even famously finicky D1 would enjoy a game from the Club Seats, since she could escape to one of the leather sofas overlooking the city, and eat organic chicken sandwiches on whole wheat while texting her friends.

We walked over to Eric's section, where he was there with Dana and his mother. More talk of seasons of yore. Norma, Eric's mom, told me the new seats were at the same angle that her first UM seats with Eric's late father Marvin had at the OB. There's always a bittersweet moment at a happy event; talking about Marvin was it.

The game was great, too, as the Canes completely dominated Charleston Southern. Someone once said that if a college has a direction in its name, it's a rinky dink institution. This was true last night --many Miami high school teams are better than Souther Charleston, but that's ok. We got to see our beloved Canes play well, and that made the house warming party complete.

I came home to Wifey watching Barack Obama on TV. She has a huge crush on him. Years ago, my 11th grade Social Studies teacher, Fred Froelich used to say that "the dream of every middle class white woman is to be taken by a large black man." This was, of course, in 1970s all white Levittown, LI, so Mr. Froelich wasn't fired. He was prescient, though.

That's ok. Wifey used to have a crush on Tony Soprano. I guess Obama is a step up, although I like to fantasize about a Tony Soprano administration.

So, Canes football is back, and there's joy in the heat of late Miami Summer. We're off to Gainesville next weekend, likely to see our team lose handily. That's ok, though. The beer will be cold, and the laughter freely flowing. D2 will be at a fraternity with her sister D1, enjoying REAL sorority.

Paul, Mike, Eric and Barry will be there --some of my closest brothers. Change is inevitable. Sometimes it's great.