Great Hurricane of '13

The Canes have provided us so many thrills over the years. And when they play the Gators, the games are bigger and MORE thrilling. At yesterday's tailgate, we were remembering 1981, when Miami's kicker Danny Miller hit a 55 yard field goal to win the game. Barry, Eric, and I almost threw each other off the back of the Orange Bowl as we hugged and jumped with joy. So yesterday the game was set for noon. I fired up the man sized Buick as the rain was pouring, at 7:30 am. I picked up the Ds and their boyfriends on Brickell, and headed to the local Walgreens for rain ponchos. The $35 investment in 5 of them was an excellent one: it prevented any rain at all from falling at the tailgate party or game. We arrived at the stadium with little traffic, at about 8:45 am. I brough over 3 jumbo bottles of vodka, and Norman already had the party going well. I had decided before hand I would be mature, and NOT drink alcohol at that absurd hour. Ha. As if. Norman poured shots of tequila (I checked -- it was 8:50 am) and so I was COERCED into drinking. I avoided the tequila, though -- I didn't want to hallucinate during the game. The party grew, and I poured my healthy share of shots. Happily, Eric and Barry acquitted themselves well, as did Dana. The Ds and boyfriends visited other tailgates, and friends, new and old, came by. It was delightful to see the generations of fans. We made our way to the Club Section right at kickoff. The Canes jumped out to a lead, which they never gave up. The defense was awesome -- like the Canes teams of yore. At half time we made our way to Norman's firms skybox -- the Ds ended up staying there for the duration. Since I'm superstitious like many sports fans, I new I had to return to my original seat if the Canes were to hold on to the lead. It worked. They fended off a Gator comeback, and won. It was football ecstasy. The Gators dropped the Canes off their schedule after repeatedly getting beat by the non SEC team. They saw no major upside to losing to a team that competes for recruits. They are chickens. It made the victory sweeter still. We reconvened in the parking lot, and re hydrated. I stopped by McDonalds near Brickell, and the Ds got dipped ice cream cones. It made their day complete. So all in all, this was an AWESOME weekend for me. I find out I'm not dying from a dreaded disease -- at least not now. We had a great gathering Thursday, and have one planned for today as well -- a brunch for D2's boyfriend Jonathan's family -- reciprocating for a dinner thay hosted a few months ago. And the Canes beat their old rival. Things are sweet, so far, in this new year...