R. Rich

Who's Melissa?

Rich's chick? Actually, she's my wife, NOT my chick. For the record, she's been to 6 Bills games in Buffalo, 1 preseason game in Baltimore, 2 TBD home opener tailgates, one preseason/2 offseason tailgates in Baltimore, and she's a Steelers fan! She has gotten to know quite a few people from the message board and they have gotten to know her. She has found out, much like I have, that there's a lot of good people here in this community of ours.

She does read this board, which is why I posted the message. As you can tell (I'm guessing) from the way it was typed, it was meant for her. She doesn't post much, but she does lurk from time to time.

Vacation, which I still am on until Monday morning.

We went out for a nice early dinner at a local Japanese steakhouse. It was a nice time. After the vacation I've been on since last Thursday, we didn't have a lot of $$ to do something huge for our anniversary this year. Plus, we're in the process of getting a fence for our backyard.

Hopefully some time soon.

I'm cleaning out the PMs right now. Try to send it again.

Somehow, I missed the Penn State-BC game. I thought I set up the Tivo for it, but I guess not. Oh well.

What? No mention of the big Central Florida vs Penn State game?

Okay, who knows how I can get these damn pictures posted here? I really don't want to have to upload them to another site or anything. I've seen others who use Webshots and have posted their photos. What am I doing wrong here?

Oops! I must have logged out. Try it now. I logged back in , so it should work.

Well, it's been a long time we've been together. It was 17 years ago today that we became an item! It was 7 years ago today that you said you'd marry me. And, it was 5 years ago today that we were married. It's been wonderful and I'm looking forward to many many more years with you. I love you.

First off, I want to say thanks to LancasterSteve and his wife Lisa for letting us stay with them last weekend. You guys are the best! We had a wonderful time and you both were fantastic hosts! We look forward to returning the favor whenever you're in the Baltimore area. As for the pre-game festivities, it was nice seeing those of you I had met before at Nick Tahou's and it was nice meeting you 34-78-83. Too bad you couldn't make the tailgate/game; you must be trying to be like Dan Gross, another no-show at the games when I come up. Racism; it's a b**ch at times. On to Friday night. Duff's was awesome......for the most part. It was great to see jan and her husband Bob again and it was nice to get to meet and talk with Kelly, The Fair And Balanced Dog this time (we met, but ever so briefly last year at the tailgate). But, it would've been even better had I not tried to leap the fence outside! Sure, I was a hurdler in high school and college, but that was 17 years, 100 lbs, and (for that evening) 2.5 pitchers of beer and a shot of "ta kill ya" ago! Some guys have to learn the hard way, I suppose. My left knee got twisted on the way down (I almost cleared the fence.......almost!) and it was very sore and difficult to walk on afterward. It's better now, but still a bit sore. I should be at 100% in a few days. Saturday at Danny's was crowded, but fun as well. I finally caught up with Thailog80, who is one of the nicest guys I've met on this board. A bit of a smarta**, which is something I really don't like as I don't go for that type of sarcasm, but still a great guy. Nice family too. It was also the first time I met TBD's legendary ICE. What a jerk! This guy had nothing nice to say about anyone. He's a big meanie! Just joking! ICE, you're absolutely NOTHING like your board persona! You even displayed good football knowledge! Shocking (haha!!). Most of the rest of the gang I had met previously, and what a gang it was! One thing I noticed: Bob Lamb, you really need to get out more. Stop being so shy in public. We won't bite you....much. Sunday's tailgate was fun and it was nice to get there at a reasonable time this year, not at noon like last time! Isn't it ironic that the first person we saw at the tailgate was Campy, running toward us (who would've thought it after last year's "gut buster"?) and offering me my first beer of the day. How is it that you and Theresa escaped injury-free and I end up limping, Chris? Go figure. Brandon (BF in Indiana) was on his best behavior this year. Much different than last year, when he greeted me at the tailgate (just after I arrived) with a "Hey Rich, braah waah aaar raaaargh aaaaaarrraaaarrrarrrrrgharrrrgh!", which I guess was drunk for "how's it goin'?". BF, you're okay with me. Sorry I had to force that beer on you. Sidbuff, great to see you again, but you and Pat in Livonia were trying to kill me with food! Here's Sid walking up to Jay Rosen and I: "Here! Eat these pieces of jerk chicken!" Damn, man. Can I let breakfast settle first? Nope. Seriously though, that was some damn good chicken!! Bring some of that when we go to CNJ for the Bills @ Pats game. I'll be ready for it. As for the game, as I said to numerous people, I believe the Bills are a work in progress. I'll be happy to see them win big, get into the playoffs, or win the Super Bowl, but I'm not expecting it. Now, next year, I don't wanna hear any excuses from One Bills Drive. But, for now, I think they're at least developing. The offensive line did much better than I expected them to, especially the interior players. Bledsoe was decisive and accurate; I only wish they had tried to throw the ball a little deeper than they did. The defense did a great job controlling Fred Taylor and not letting Leftwich get into any kind of rhythm. Unfortunately, the offense didn't capitalize on enough scoring opportunities and kept the Jags in the game to where they could take it from us on the last play. Lindell looked pretty bad though, even on the PAT and the FG he made. He's either lacking in confidence or he can't get it done. Regardless, something may have to be done about the kicking game. We'll see if anything changes in the next couple games. Things will get better, I think, but there's still a ways to go before becoming a serious contender for the NFL title. As I said, we're a work in progress. Again, I want to say that I had a wonderful time last weekend and it was great to see my TBD family again. I'm looking forward to the Arizona game (Halloween), as that is my next trip up there. Heck, I may even wear a costume for that one. I posted some photos from the weekend on Webshots. You can view them here.

You'll both be missed.

I think it's 100.

And you certainly were.

I'll do that, as those who know me know that I don't drink. Happy birthday, Scott!

Only my friends know if I do.

Yep. BTW, I was just cracking up reading that post you did about Madden. I remember listening to him ramble on about "...a fumble is a fumble..." and he really needs to give it up. He's THE main reason I no longer watch MNF (or is it FMN?).

We're meeting there at about 7:30pm.

No. Either PM me at BillsZone or email me at RRich@GoBills.net and I'll receive it.

We'll see. BTW, I never did get your cell phone #. Are you planning to hang out with the group tomorrow at Danny's?

We had fun. It was nice seeing Dan, Chris, Theresa, and Rockpile again and it was nice to meet 34-78-83 for the first time. I hope I'll get to see you the next time I'm up for a game (next month vs Cardinals). It was also Ken and Kristy's first time going to Nick's (they rode w/us). They're now officially part of the WNYTBDGPS.

Down.

If you're asking if we 'waiwed' for 12 years to 'consumate' the relationship, the answer is...