By Gary Dickman:
Every now and then, things occur (in my world, at least) that show things are getting back to normal. In this awful year, some things will never be the same. I wish the way fans react after a win or a loss would change. I write this because it’s always kind of funny how a lot of fans get too high after a win, or too down after a loss by their favorite teams. I’m sure you know I’m talking about University of Hawaii fans.
And this isn’t really a knock on Hawaii fans. They’re mostly like all other fans. After the football team beat Fresno State, some fans were suggesting things like, “Let’s show up at the airport when the team comes back home to celebrate the big win.” Other fans thought that at 1-0, the team was about to win the Mountain West Championship. “Why not?” they said, “We’re 1-0.” I wonder if these are the same fans who, after the Wyoming loss last Friday, thought their ‘Bows season just ended and there was no chance to save it? For me, at 1-1, I’m okay with the split on the road. All is not lost.
My biggest concern now is that, at 1-1, there’s no room to have an unexpected loss if Hawaii wants to play in the MW Championship game. Boise seems to be as good as they always are, meaning almost a guaranteed loss. San Diego State will be a road game, although it’ll be played in Los Angeles so it’s kind of a road game for the Aztecs as well, who have only let up 13 points total in two games so far. If you pencil those games as losses, and I know UH could win one of those games, it’s not that unlikely, but if they lost both, 5-3 would be the best record they could get. And even though last year they won the West Division at 5-3, I doubt very much that 5-3 would put them in the top two of this year’s one-division conference. Let’s just enjoy this ride and just hope for the best.
There are a few things that I can’t stand – things that I might try to avoid at all costs. One of them is waiting in line. Any line over five minutes is way too long for me, and I’ll adjust my plans and schedule accordingly to avoid these rare occasions when I have to wait on a line. Last night, I forgot to have a Plan B. I actually waited on a line for 45 minutes. I was not happy with myself. And I did this for one reason: to eat at the Olive Garden at Ala Moana. “What is wrong with me?” I asked myself. The food is good, not great. Not worth waiting on a 45-minute line. I can’t remember the last time I waited on a line that long for something that was avoidable. I’ve waited on lines at airports, there aren’t many options there, but the Olive Garden? And what is this fascination here in Hawaii with the Olive Garden? I’m guilty of this too, but so often I read on social media or hear from people, that on a mainland trip, a must stop is the Olive Garden. WHY? It’s good, but not the place you should go out of your way to eat at, especially if you have to wait on a long line. This seems to be the same obsession that a lot have with In N Out burgers, which, by the way, are okay but not as good as the Shake Shack, Don’t get me started on that.
Can I ask a favor? Can all of you please stop going on social media and start talking about the next time the moon is a certain color, or super big? Because every time I read about what’s about to take place, I eventually go to check it out. And every time, I notice nothing. Nothing different at all. The moon was not blue on Halloween. The moon wasn’t blood orange a while back, either. And these super moons aren’t super, it’s the same moon every time. So please, stop talking about the moon and the many changes it goes through. Am I the only one who thinks it looks the same every single time? I doubt it.
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