fighting the bull

we know it's coming. it happens every year. the off season. the shock is so complete, that most of february is dedicated to getting used to it. no wonder valentine's day sucks. for most teams and fans, football season is already over. but for the best ones (like us)there's still one week left. sadly, it's not this week. during the interim, we're getting a good taste of what sunday life is like without football.

network tv doesn't do much to help ease the off season shock. they show a lot of (speaking of things that suck) golf, basketball, golf, basketball, and "antiques road show." but i found something almost worth watching this afternoon: bull riding. cowboys, wild animals, and redneck accents ... who could ask for anything more? when everything is let loose, it's fun to watch the poor cowboy sap get his shoulder bounced out of its socket, but it takes so long to get there. these guys spend two minutes strapping themselves down in order to spend, if they're lucky, all eight seconds on the ride. sometimes they make it, but sometimes they get stepped on and the crowd goes wild. rob bell had to get stitches in his chin. and it's that kind of thing that keeps you watching.

the biggest disappointment, tho, isn't when they fall off after 2 or 3 seconds or when the cowboy's hat comes off, which hardly ever happens. the biggest disappointment is that the PBR cuts and files the bulls' horns. they probably do that because bulls are nasty ass animals and they don't want the cowboys to get hurt any more than they're already asking for, but i want to see the bull in the bugs bunny cartoons with the sharp horns that he primes with chalk before taking off after the matador ... or daffy ... whoever's closest.

so, even tho i don't appreciate puns, that's my beef with bull riding. and it has clowns, but they're basically just targets for aggression, and i'm good with that.

on a happier note, it's snowing and schools are already closed for tomorrow. i bet they'll be closed tuesday, too. keep your fingers crossed and i'll call the inclement weather line before i go to bed. i have some reading to catch up on ... and tomorrow would be perfect for that.