Football and Fealty

I've figured out my football pool mojo -- I win on even-numbered weeks. This is week 8, so that badge is coming home again this week. This week I'm not going to try to pick a special color, just something that show up decently against all that purple.

Oakland @ Baltimore
Arizona @ Carolina
Tampa Bay @ Dallas
Washington @ Detroit
Buffalo @ Miami
St. Louis @ New England
San Diego @ New Orleans
Kansas City @ NY Jets
Atlanta @ Philadelphia
Cleveland @ Jacksonville
Cincinnati @ Houston
NY Giants @ Pittsburgh
Seattle @ San Francisco

Monday Night Football
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Total score tiebreaker: 40

Byes: Chicago, Denver, Green Bay, Minnesota

OK, so the picks part is out of the way and it's time for the links part. Last week I got slapped on the wrist from the Commish because I didn't link to her in my picks post. I was tired. I apologize. But I was really tired. This week, I'm not tired and even if I were, I'd still pay my way in the currency of blogs and show the appropriate link love.

So, please, if you are interested in participating, post your picks on your blog, then go visit the one, the only, the amazing INSTA-MOM and join our merry band of football freaks. But really, you should go visit her anyway -- now -- and read every word she has ever written...or at the very least check out her most recent post where she has hot guys from the NFL there for your viewing pleasure. One of the selections is mine. And she chose a HOT picture of him that made my knees sweat just a little. I'm not going to say which one, but if you go visit her to see for yourself -- NOW -- I bet you can figure it out. Ooh, just posting that link singed my fingers, he's that hot. (And, to paraphrase the words of the very fabulous Insta-mom herself, it was hard not to slap myself silly after writing that.)

Let me close by paying obeisance to her right here and now in such a way that she will never, ever again be able to doubt my devotion to her, links or no links.

I - is for the Inspiration, which she provides daily
N - is for Nurturing, a quality she shows even to a fish she didn't want
S - is for San Diego, a place she loves and the team she roots for
T - is for Tolerance, since it's an attitude she embodies
A - is for AllMediocre, because that's where we met
M - is for Males, as she is surrounded by them at home
O - is for Obama, whom we both strongly support
M - is for Mom because, duh, she's a great mom

What's that spell? A great friend whom I'm going to meet eventually. ☺

Ah, Elbert, we hardly knew ye

"An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness." - Elbert Hubbard

Personally, I think there's a lot to be said for cleverness. But loyalty, that's an animal of another, far more rare, color.

I've always wondered why that is; why it's so difficult for people, friends in particular, to be loyal for the long haul. I don't mean friends of mine necessarily -- I think I've lucked out in that department and I would hope they might feel the same way -- but in the stories I've heard people tell about how so-called friends have back-stabbed, bad-mouthed, sold-out or otherwise been awful to someone close to them.

I've got no answers, but as we wrap up our little week of quotes from Mr. Hubbard, lets take a moment to be thankful for the loyal people we do have in our lives.

Then go borrow twenty bucks from them.