1 October 2023
You might know the one day I feel like my morning walk, it’s pouring down rain. Of course, it’s poured down rain every day this week, but at least I felt like getting out today. In any case, unlike yesterday, I had a great night’s sleep. I attribute that to Ole Miss beating LSU in Oxford.
I started out watching the game but got antsy. I can’t stand to watch Ole Miss play a full game. I get too frustrated when they fall behind. I crawled into bed and started reading but finally my curiosity got the better of me and I used the iPad to stream the last part of the game. Ole Miss scored to take the lead in the last 39 seconds and then I had to sit on pins and needles to see if LSU retook the lead. They didn’t.
If anyone were to ask, I would say LSU is Ole Miss’ greatest rival. It’s always an interesting contest with accusations of cheating (the longest 30 seconds of football took place on an LSU field – it took 4 seconds to run off 1 second on the clock so LSU could win the game) close games, and potential national championships.
I remember listening to the game on the radio with my Dad the night Billy Canon made his infamous punt return in 1959 to beat Ole Miss. Ole Miss lost the game but in a rematch in the 1960 Sugar Bowl, Ole Miss got its revenge by beating LSU 21-0. Ole Miss’ defense was so amazing, it limited LSU to 74 yards of total offense. In the second half, LSU never crossed the 50 yard line.
Back then, the games were either played on Halloween or very close to Halloween which added an extra spooky feeling to the game. Whenever they played, somewhere, sometime, over the PA system, someone played Brenda Lees’s version of “Jambalaya.”
While stationed at Coast Guard Communications Station in New Orleans in the 70’s I met and became good friends with Lester Theriot (great Cajun name – everyone called him Terry) and his wife Debbie. He was an avid LSU fan and he and I would rag each other unmercifully when the two teams played. We decided to put together a trophy of 100 years of Ole Miss/LSU football with all the scores (in 2011, it was the 100th meeting of the two teams). It was a huge plaque that we passed back and forth for years after we both left the Coast Guard. Terry died a few years ago but I still send Debbie holiday cards.
At Broward College my LSU connection was Natalie who did her graduate work at LSU. She’s a rabid fan as well and we still text each other back and forth during the game. By the way, the record stands at 63-41-4 in favor of LSU with Ole Miss vacating 1 victory and LSU vacating 2. At least I have bragging rights for the coming year!
Otherwise, everything is as usual. The numbness in toes and fingers hasn’t gotten worse, but then it hasn’t gotten any better, cryotherapy not withstanding. I’ve developed a tick of my left eyebrow. It is pretty much nonstop. At least it’s not the eyelid so everyone doesn’t think I’m winking at them. The two a pop anti-diarrhea medications have worked and I’m back to solid stools. Tuesday will be a 2-fer. I get both Taxol and Herceptin. It’ll be an extra long day because they have to administer them separately. Add the magnesium cocktail and I’m looking a 4 to 5 hours in the chair.
By the way, I highly recommend Chef Jean-Pierre’s chicken wing recipe. It turned out really well. I didn’t make the dip because I’ve never been one to really use dips with wings. I figure the leftovers will be my lunch today. I guess I should be grateful for the appetite however, even though I have lost weight, I seem to have developed a Buddha belly. I wonder if I rub it I’ll have good luck?
Stay tuned!