Perfect Weekend

This past weekend, I went home to visit the family, catch up with old friends, and go to the Bama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa. I couldn't wait for my plane to land in Alabama so that I could see my family and make the thirty minute drive to T-Town. Well, the weekend had a lot more in store for me than I had originally planned.

ESPN College Gameday was in T-Town; so, me and my parents drove down around 9AM to watch the broadcast and hopefully see some T.V. celebrities. Well, look what I found:



I could hardly speak. My favorite sports analyst was standing right next to me and agreed to take a picture and shake my hand. I was one happy girl regardless of how the game turned out. Now, I did give him a hard time because he predicted Georgia would win (and he was right, unfortunately), but he was one of the nicest people I've met (And he's not too bad on the eyes either).

Still on my high, me and my parents went over to tailgate over at an old high school friend of mine, which was right on Bryant Drive about 100 feet from the stadium. By far, the best tailgate in Tuscaloosa. After catching up with old friends and enjoying the amazing atmosphere, we walked over the Quad, which was a sight I had never seen. In all my years of going to Tuscaloosa for games, I have never seen the Quad this alive and this electric. There were tents covering every inch of grass and Denny Chimes was holding strong right in the middle as a trademark of The University of Alabama. We walked around enjoying the feeling, running into old friends occasionally, and screaming "ROLL TIDE!" at the top of our lungs every 20 feet.

After a long and spectacular day of tailgating, we made our way to the stadium. On our way to our gate, me and my parents ran into this fella:



For those of you who do not know this amazing gentleman, this is Herschel Walker. Arguably, the greatest running back in college football history and a previous Heisman Trophy winner. He was absolutely phenomenal at UGA and I am so lucky to have met him. At this point, I could careless about watching the game (KIDDING).

Me and my parents were running to the gate to get a glimpse of pregame and meet up with my brother and Lauren. Let me tell you, this sight never gets old:



Even though we lost, this was one of the most spectacular games I have ever witnessed or been a part of. You could feel the energy throughout the stadium 2 hours before kickoff and until Georgia executed a tremendous play call perfectly, which ultimately ended the game.

Was I disappointed? Hell yes, I was disappointed. But, there is hope back in Tuscaloosa. There is a change of attitude and an ideal that we will be a championship team sooner rather than later. The college football world can say whatever they want to say about Nick Saban; but, he brings credibility to any football team that he is associated with. Period.

Next up: Florida State.
ROLL TIDE.

Hall of Fame?

Naturally, people who were not born and raised in Alabama hold inaccurate stereotypes about this great state in the heart of the Deep South. Granted, I realize that Alabama is normally ranked 49th in many categories including education; however, there are a number of amazing things that come out of Alabama, which include me (wink wink).

ESPN.com posted an article about Dr. James Andrews that discusses how his accolades and his contributions to baseball in particular should gain him entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Athletes from every corner of the country and anywhere in between have taken flights to Birmingham, AL to get the opinion of this Orthopedic/Sports Medicine doctor, which could potentially save their careers and their livelihoods.

There are some amazing Ortho/Sports Med Doctors in this world, but very few can gain and keep the trust of their patients when they are dealing with a person's way of life. For instance, a pitcher comes into his office with shoulder pain and a possible tear his rotator cuff, which could potentially end his career. With an inappropriate assessment, the inappropriate surgery, or poor technique in surgery, he would lose every ability to play the game he has loved since he was a child and the ability to provide for his family. I believe this holds true for any doctor, not just an Orthopedic/Sports Medicine Doc. Choosing the right doctor/healthcare provider is critical to ensure a healthy lifestyle and prevention of potential problems.

Anyways, I am proud to say that the nation's best Ortho/Sports Med doctor resides in my hometown. Read it here.

Happy Thursday folks.

The Art of Competition

These Florida fans took the words right out of my mouth:



That is just pure genius if you ask me.

As for my Alabama Crimson Tide, I'm a quite happy fan right now with my team sitting at 3-0 heading into this weekend against Georgia and ESPN College Gameday heading to The Capstone. And to be honest, my happiness continues to grow just thinking about the 1-2 record the Auburn Tigers have earned themselves up to this point in the season. Now, I realize that it is extremely early in the season, but I have heard all of this mumbo jumbo of "fearing the thumb" all last year and the threat of losing 6 in a row to Auburn. Well, I'm banking on the fact that every Auburn fan can take that fist of 5 fingers and (fill in the blank) after the UA v. AU game this year.

I will be one of the Alabama faithful attending the game this Saturday against Georgia and I will be the crazy girl jumping wildly behind Kirk Herbstreit probably yelling for no good reason at all. So, be sure to tune in at 9AM eastern time on ESPN to witness how tailgating is done properly and what a college campus is supposed to look like on game day.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend; I will be in Bama. Roll Tide.

No Helmet Law

Living in Texas, I'm trying to adjust myself to the new laws, rules, and regulations that this huge state has implemented. All in all, I haven't been taken by surprise on many things until I came across the "No Helmet Law" regarding motorcycle drivers. In the two previous states that I have lived in, Alabama and Tennessee, the state required all drivers to wear a helmet when operating or riding a motorcycle. In a state as huge as Texas and with over 4 million people living in Houston alone, you would think that the politicians in this state would get something right. Well, I was completely wrong.

In my third week on the Trauma Floor, I have seen more motorcycle-related injuries, crashes, and deaths that could last me a lifetime. And I could put money down on the individuals not wearing a helmet at the time of their accident who suffer the most severe and life-threatening injuries.

Young teenagers who have a future in athletics, engineering, medicine, law, ministry, business, and astronomy had it all taken away from them the minute they drove that motorcycle without a helmet. I never dreamed I would see the influx of traumatic head injuries within a 12 hour span that would be devastatingly crippling to a the patient and their families. Individuals come through those trauma doors full of life and they are lying on the stretcher lifeless because they failed to put on the helmet to protect one of the most important organs in the human body, the brain.

Every day we round on the hospital floors assessing and documenting the status of each patient taking note of how well the patient is doing or how quickly they are deteriorating. Patients involved in motorcycle crashes not wearing helmets have gone back and forth to the Operating Room at least a dozen times within a week to stop the bleeding or perform painful skin grafts to repair/replace skin lost at the site of the accident.

In my opinion, it's not worth it. It's not worth losing your mind, your quality of life for a joy ride without protection over your head. I have nothing against motorcycles. Do I think they're dangerous? Absolutely. Do I think that they can kill you? Absolutely. However, there is a difference in being cautious and being stupid. Even though the law says you don't have to wear a helmet, wear one anyway.It's just like the old saying: "If your parents tell you to go jump off a cliff, are you going to do it?" The government isn't always right when it comes to matters of health care (Look at our present situation of dealing with the uninsured). And the government (Texas) definitely didn't get it right this time with instituting a law that will cause more deaths than they could have ever imagined. The amount of labor and man hours that go into saving an individuals life who plants his unprotected head into the pavement going 70mph can be spent on an individual dying from cancer or tending to individuals struck by a mass casualty.

All it takes is a little common sense and a little responsibility. With those two things, a lot of injuries and deaths could be prevented. Today, over half of our patients were motorcycle crashes and every single one of those patients has a long road ahead of them.

Wear a helmet. It doesn't have to be a law.

Budweiser Presents: Real Men of Genius

I received this email today from one of my best friends from college and it made my day. As much as I wanted to deny the ever-so-true statements, I found myself chuckling and nodding in agreement with every verse. Nothing but pure genius:

Bud Light Salutes - The Alabama Crimson Tide - (Begin Bud Light theme
music)

Announcer: Bud Light Presents, "Real Men of Genius"
Backup singer: Reaaaaal Men Of Genius

Announcer: Today we salute you, Mr. Delusional, Irrational Alabama Fan.
Backup singer: Mr. Delusional, Irrational Alabama Faaaaaan!

Announcer: Season after season, year after year, you try to justify your
absurdly high preseason ranking.
Backup singer: Why aren't we number one?

Announcer: You scramble to make futile attempts at damage control when
the Tide lose to a grossly inferior opponent.
Backup singer: Neeeeeed to hire Nick Sabannnnn!

Announcer: Inevitably, you'll bring up the past, and boast of
championships won 20 years before you were born.
Backup singer: Those were the daaaaaays!

Announcer: You will point out that you have more bowl wins than any
other program, as though that is relevant to the current season.
Backup singer: Been playing since the 1880ssssss!

Announcer: Go on, ignore that home loss to your archrival in the regular
season finale for the 5th year in a row, and continue to believe that
you'll defeat your bowl opponent with striking ease.
Backup singer: We'll still whoop that ass and win by thirteeeeeeey!

Announcer: So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Emperor of Excuses,
and take comfort knowing that when you don't finish in the top 25,
you'll be back to number three when the preseason polls come out next
year.
Backup singer: Mr. Delusional, Irrational Alabama Fannnnnnn!


Roll Tide.