The Panthers finally begin their 2008 season and they are only 9 point underdogs to the San Diego Chargers this Sunday. I won't be able to watch the game since i don't live in the Carolinas, but i plan on following it on my phone as much as possible - as well as whatever game i can get on the TV. We'll see. Speaking of the upcoming season there are a few games i am looking forward to:
14-Sep: The Chicago Bears - this game is sort of a personal rivalry thing. Back when i was called up to active duty my poor Panthers were struggling. They were coming off of their 1-15 season and was working their way through a 7-9 season under first year head coach John Fox. Any way my platoon leader, a die hard Chicago Bears fan, wanted to "make the game interesting". I relucantly agreed when he mentioned sweatshirts. I thought to myself, "how much could that be? $20-$30 at most?" It ended up he wanted to do the NFLshop.com! I gulped when i found out, but i was committed. By the grace of God the Panthers won. I still have the sweatshirt. :) The tradition has continued and i now have a nice hat and 3'x5' flag - all Carolina Panthers gear. :) I think that tradition is due to swing the other way - but this time my friend is serving over seas. Not sure what he might he might want - but I'd be willing to send him something, just to let him know i am still thinking about him.
12-Oct: @ the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - the past several seasons this has really developed into a nice rivalry. Each time both teams bring their very best effort. It is also a division game, and the Panthers tend to wear their 'alternate' uniforms. A dream present for me is an authentic John Kasay jersey. But i hope i never get it in a way... they are incredibly expensive.
19-Oct: The New Orleans Saints - Since Hurricane Katrina, with the exception of the season they played all 16 games on the road, have been playing with a chip on their shoulder. They have also really stepped up and actually performed with more than pride. Even before that though, the two meetings each season between the Panthers and the Saints have been some really good games.
8-Dec: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ESPN) - for the same reasons above, but to include that this is the only nationally televised game for the Panthers so i will plan on sitting down and watching it.
28-Dec: @ The New Orleans Saints - for the same reasons above, but this is also the game that closes out the regular season. With God's provision this won't be the last game for the Panthers this year, but... we shall see.
I also found a new button for my Facebook flair board:
Sad, i know. LOL
Not too much more to report other than it is still 52 more days until the release of the game. I've also been busy on eBay to try and pick up a few trinkets. All of them are sales like promos done by Bethesda Softworks. 
The first is a CD that i got when i pre-ordered the game from my local Game Stop. The label on the CD and the jacket were both done up to look like an old 45 lp. The songs are not all that great from strictly a music stand point, but are funny and fit the atmosphere of the game. 
The second item i picked up was the 'Vault Dwellers Survival Guide'. This is a tongue in cheek 'guide' for how a person who is used to living under ground all their lives should act in order to survive out in the nuclear wastelands. This was a promotional item available at a computer games convention known as the "Penny Arcade Expo" (or PAX for short). 
The last item i picked up for fun is a 'Nuka Cola bottle opener'. Since I am such a fan of Coke and Dr Pepper (especially in glass bottles for some reason) i thought i would pick this up. I am not sure if it is even usable as an actual bottle opener. All of these things will most likely sit on a shelf somewhere until i die and my kids are going through my personal affects and they say, "what in the world is this", and "what was he thinking"? LOL Still, they are interesting conversation pieces I guess. None of them cost very much, but I am sure I will feel guilty for spending the little bit extra it did cost me.
Two countries, Australia and Germany, have restricted the game in some sense. Australia does not like the 'realistic' depiction of the use of drugs within the game (I totally understand their reservation here). Germany on the other hand has reservations about the graphic depiction of violence within the game (yet another "i get it"). I've considered trying to get the game from Germany but I am not sure. Part of the game is the 'campy over the top' of certain things. One of them is the result of combat within the game. Having said that i have also learned that it is completely possible to play the entire game in 'pacifist' mode. That is you would only have to kill one creature, and that is in the tutorial at the beginning of the game where you are trying to learn the controls of the game.
Verse for today:
Psalm 25 : 1-7, ESV
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
1 comment:
So one day a couple of weeks ago, I heard South C or North C on ESPN, which my son was watching. He's 19, as you know. I said, "Are they talking about the Panthers?" and he just looked at my like I was a Martian. Anyway, I sort of thought about you, but it didn't really count!
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