Update number one from Florida

Penn State Friends--

Guess I over promised with the idea of a "daily" update. The fun and sun has kept me away from a computer. A really nice change of pace I must say. Think about it, how many days have any of us avoided a computer/balckberry this past year. For a New Years resolution we all should double that number in 2006!!

But, let's talk about getting ready for the Orange Bowl in Florida!

Wednesday, Dec 28:

• Woke up in Chicago at 4:00AM to a balmy 37 degrees. Caught the 6:15 flight to Fort Lauderdale.
• Step off the plane in Ft. Lauderdale to be greated by an Orange Bowl poster....a big smile appears on my face. Penn State is back in the big time! Pass a few more Orange Bowl signs and I am welcomed by a tour agency....must have been the Penn State shirt I was wearing. She wanted to know how many of "you Penn Staters" are coming to the game!
• Get to my rental car and enjoy the 77 degree weather. Why am I living in Chicago again?
• Start the drive down to the Keys, and pass the Orange Bowl stadium. It already has the temporary signage hanging on the outside. I was ready to just drive straight to the parking lot and start cheering...but there was scuba diving to be done first!
• Along the drive on US 1 I got excited because I came upon the world famous Shell World. Said to be the best store in the US that sells collectable shells. Of course, I stopped to browse and add something to my collection. Then about 20 miles further south there was another Shell World....hmmm I was feeling a bit cheated about the first store!
• Got to my Dive motel...and it was exactly what it is called! A huge dive, but very convenient for the following day.
• Watched MeCheatAgain lose to Nebraska. What a bunch of chumps! Big 11 Officials were on the field...no wonder so many calls were blown. At least they sucked equally for both teams!!

Thursday, Dec 29:

• Nothing like the first day of diving....spend an hour the night before setting up gear. Then awake at 7:00AM to get ready.
• Quick breakfast and on the boat at 8:00AM heading out to sea.
• The water in the summer in the Keys they say is 85 degrees.....but today it is 71 degrees. Think about laying in your bath tub submerged in 71 degree water for 45 minutes to get a sense of the cold. I was not a happy camper under the ocean...even the fish appeared cold as one was wearing a Penn State beanie!
• Saw lots of great fish, took lots of pictures...but let talk football.
• Ran into a Florida State fan...who thinks Penn State will "kick the crap out of Bobby and his dumb ass son!" Seems like the FSU fans are giving the Bowdens the same support we gave the Paternos last year.
• The news broke about the Florida State Penitentiary linebacker today. So typical for their team of thugs. Guess A.J. Nicholson was missing some team mates in jail. What is bad for FSU is good for PSU. Can you say M-Rob and Hunt up the middle????
• Met a PSU family at dinner. (Must have been another Penn State shirt I was wearing) Dad and I talked at the bar about the turnaround, Joepa, recruiting and the Bowl game. With a tear in his eye he told me he can't go, as his family is flying back to Philadelphia on Sunday. After his family was seated, and he continued to chat with me for another 15 minutes, his youngest daughter came to tell him that "Mom says you need to come sit down now or you can't renew your Penn State season tickets!"

Friday, December 30:

• Wake up at 6:30AM for a 7:00AM boat departure. Going to dive wrecks all day. More great fish to see and pictures to take. E-mail me if you want to see the pictures!
• Sat outside for lunch (it was 80 degrees) and watched Minnesota blow the game to Virgina. How can you be up so big in the first half, then lay an egg in the second? These Big 11 teams are making the conference look bad.
• Just read all of my key websites to get "up" on my Penn State info. The only highlights I dicerned were: Joe does not like how the team is practicing and D-Wheels is out for sure!
• Time to go catch my last dive of the trip....going out at night. Diving in the dark is so much fun...but even more cold!

Hope to update you again soon. Tomorrow in Key West for New Years!

Go State, beat the criminals.