Monday, September 25, 2006
(The Superdome last December on my 1st visit after Katrina)
I've been engaged in a fierce debate for quite some time now, and it reached its zenith today. I wish I could tell you it was over some vital theological concept, or at least some political issue; instead, it was whether I would try to go to a football game tonight or not.
It was a foregone conclusion that I would go to the reopening of the Superdome tonight (Saints versus Falcons) when the idea first arose a few months ago now. I had always wanted to attend a Monday Night Football game, not to mention the fact that the very idea of being there when the Superdome took the center stage of the world once more would be a very cool thing to do. Add to that the fact that the city of New Orleans believes their #1 draft pick, Reggie Bush, is the savior of the Big Easy, and that tonight will be his home debut... well, it was obvious that this would be a very special game.
But a few factors complicated things for me...
* My wife surprised me with the Father's Day gift of all Father's Day gifts: tickets to a Monday Night Football game in Texas Stadium in October (which made the Saints game a little less "necessary" in my little sports mind)
* The Saints sold out their entire season through season tickets (which made purchasing a ticket a bit pricey (over $100 bucks a few weeks back at stubhub.com - recently climbing to well over $200 a ticket)
* I took two very tiring trips this past week, and I am really, really tired (and the trip would get me back home around 2am)
Still, the debate wasn't over until about thirty minutes ago. In fact, I dressed today ready for a football game just in case that side won, and I filled up my car with gas and checked the weather for New Orleans and all sorts of other things just in case...
On the "go" side, there's this part of me that lives for experiences. Tonight in New Orleans qualifies as one of those "once in a lifetime" things, if anything does, and it is hard for me to pass that up. I also found out last week that U2 and Greenday would be in concert before the game tonight, and seeing Bono in person would be quite unforgettable. And, both the Saints and the Falcons are undefeated, so it just might be a really good football game, too!
On the "don't go" side, there's the fact that my eyelids are already heavy this afternoon, and not getting home until 2am or so with the alarm set at 5:30am tomorrow would be the least bit stupid. And, there's the fact that I don't have a ticket, and though I have no doubt I can find someone that will sell me one on the street corner (along with a plasma television set), the amount of money that might cost could pose a problem. And, I could go to jail for buying it. There's that.
But I just couldn't decide all day long. For reasons I won't bore you with, my critical decision time was set at 3:50pm. I had to decide then. At 3:47pm, I still was completely torn.
So I asked my 9-year-old daughter... She has "Open House" at her school tonight, and I asked her opinion. She said, "I'd like for you to go to Open House, but then again, I know you want to go to the football game, too."
That was enough to tip me over the edge.
When I think of it, her 4th grade Open House is "once in a lifetime," too... Plus, she's more talented than Bono and Reggie Bush put together anyway...
