>It’s almost a good, bad, ugly scenario. The Good: The Packers could go to the Super Bowl! The Bad: Husband would have to follow them in a satellite truck! For weeks on end! The Ugly: I’m soooo envious, even as I look at the schedule and call in the reserves (a.k.a. Grandma) to help.
But luck was with us. Not only did the Packers win their Showdown in Snowtown, the NY Giants did their jobs, too, handily beating the Dallas Cowboys. I jumped out of my chair and shouted “YYYEESS!” so loudly that I think I scared the rabbits. I may have scared Husband, too. We were both relieved, though. He didn’t have to pack his bags and hit the road for Dallas, Texas today as feared. Instead, he’ll make sure his long underwear is clean. Game time temperature Sunday is expected to be in the single digits. Brrrr.
So for the last week, with the potential for a sudden “business trip” hanging over our heads, we’ve been tense. We’ve stressed ourselves over preparations for the trip that might or might not happen.
I checked and double checked Amigo’s final exam schedule, arranged one of my rare personal days to cover the day that Grandma couldn’t, and hoped that La Petite’s sleep routine isn’t totally messed up by her short vacation with her roommate and she can help out, too. I cooked a good meal every night, knowing that Husband would be eating too much fast food on the road. I made sure all of the laundry was done. I almost (I stopped myself, don’t worry) counted his underwear and socks to see if he had enough to last the three weeks.
Then I stopped and thought. For this I went through the feminist movement of the seventies? We’ll all benefit from decent meals, and I’ll take the leftovers to school in my lunches. But underwear? Forget it. The man is capable of washing his own if he runs out. In fact, he could cook the meals, too — better than I can — if only the TV station didn’t run him so ragged with overtime hours.
Oh, no, now he’ll be embarrassed that I blogged about his underwear. I’d better get off the Internet and go cook a meatloaf or something.
Meanwhile, I’ll make sure all of my green and gold attire is clean. Shoes, socks, hair ribbons, or sweaters, I’m ready. I will display my team colors every day this week. (…but probably not on my long underwear)

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and it looks like this inside!

Update: Husband, who worked at Lambeau Field yesterday, describes the weather as “…near white-out conditions.” In his sideline job during the game, he had plenty of opportunities to look up and watch the sky. As he watched the huge flakes drift down to the so-called Frozen Tundra, he had a random thought: “If I were out in the woods right now, it would be downright peaceful!” Well, peaceful it wasn’t, but exciting it was. Next on the list: Go Giants! Why? Home field advantage actually matters as much to our family as it does to the team.

>Last year I posted this, an open letter to Bear fans. I remember telling them (in true Cheesehead fashion) not to get used to winning.
Well, sure enough, here we go into a Packer playoff weekend. but the implications in our household are, at the least, complicated.
Husband works for a local television station.
Let me put that another way. Husband works for a local television station in a major NFL market that happens to be the smallest city in the U.S. to support an NFL franchise. Did that make it sound like a big deal? It is.
I could make a flow chart, but I’ll try it in words first.
A Packer win will mean at least one more game. Depending on where the game gets played, which will be determined by the winning NFC team on Sunday, he could spend the week driving a satellite truck to Dallas or stay at home, preparing to work at Lambeau Field again the following weekend. (Deep breath. Are you confused yet?)
A second Packer win would see him heading to Arizona, and he would drive the satellite truck there to cover it for the folks back home.
In the big picture, if he is asked to pack his bags, the end result could mean heading south and then turning right. I mean west. He could be gone for three weeks — or more.
It’s not fair, really. Husband may be headed to the Super Bowl, and I’m the football fan in the family!!!

((P.S. Go NY Giants!))

>Husband and I have a different perspective on the Packers and their post-season. He’s a Packer fan in a way, but he looks at their success from a slightly different angle because he works in television.
Television news in a major NFL market is a whole different, well, ball game from working at a station with no football to cover. For him, an extended post-season is both a blessing and a curse. It means more work, and it means more work. More work means overtime, and more work means overtime. An extended season can also mean travel…unless the Pack manage to earn home field advantage.
Who cares? I hear you wail. Well, here’s transcript of a conversation we had less than an hour ago.
Me: It’ll be great if they keep winning and get home field advantage through the playoffs.
Husband: No, no, n-n-n-n-n-no!
Me: What? I thought you’d like it because you wouldn’t have to travel!
Husband: I don’t want to work outside on the sidelines in the freezing cold!
Me: Okay, then you want Dallas to win so that you can work a game in Dallas, instead?
Husband: No, No, n-n-n-n-n-n-no!
Me (confused): Huh?
Husband: I have this fear that the news director is going to look at us engineers and say, ‘Erbert, Gerbert, load up the satellite truck and drive it down to Dallas. and when they win? Turn right.’ I could be on the road for three weeks! (editor’s note: he said “IF they win.” I changed it.)
Me: Then you should cheer for the Packers to keep winning. They’ll earn home field advantage, and you won’t have to travel.
Husband: (speechless, waving arms in air)
Me: I suppose it’s a lose-lose situation for you.
Husband: Yes! Yes! Yes!

>By a score of 10-8, last week I actually won the prediction game! This week we started early because of the games on Thanksgiving, and we included the other family members who were here for Thanksgiving. As of noon Sunday, we’re all tied — except for Grandma. She insisted on being pessimistic and predicted Detroit to beat the Packers. Therefore, she remains one game behind the rest, because all of us, yes all the rest of us, chose Green Bay, Dallas, and then Indianapolis.

Today will be more interesting, with more variety. I’ll report the scores as they come in — our scores, that is. You can find the actual NFL scores on your own!

Hop, hop, hop, Touchdown!!