There is beer in the hallway, beer in the bathrooms, beer taped to the walls...

Continuing the eastern leg of my Crusade Against Corporate Evil, I found a parcel of time to browse the headline news. It seems that somebody with far too much time and far too much money spent alot of both determining throught a scientific study that the Midwest has the highest rate of binge drinking in the nation.

Hell, a visit to an O'Neill dorm party on home football game Friday night could have told you that. It is not just a coincidence that ND is in the Midwest, you know.

Happy Birthday Joey!

In honour of this most triumphant occassion, David Brent has decided to compose a little celebratory jig.

.

What a difference a century makes...

Oft repeated phrase at Notre Dame: "They've been doing things the same way around here for one hundred years..." Well, this article tells me that things indeed got better before I graduated (although, I'll bet the Class of 1900 still got to have kegs in the dorms...). I particularly enjoy the part about drinking and football, two things that apparently are phenomena of recent times:

Most of today's seniors learned early (read: freshmen disorientation) how easy it is to disregard the drinking guidelines on campus. Back in 1900 though, any use of "intoxicating liquors" was grounds for expulsion. Perhaps the Sisters at Saint Mary's assumed all women there were of high virtue, for the catalogue for students for 1900 has no mention of drinking, smoking or other immoral acts. Instead, it has provisions for the procurement of proper ladies — students were required to write home at least once a week, there were regular hours kept every week for sewing so women could keep their wardrobes in order, all pocket money was turned over to the treasurer and detailed records of expenditures were sent home to parents monthly, etc. Saint Mary's women were not allowed to bring "frivolous" jewelry with them.
Visitors were only allowed from 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, as the Sisters felt all other time should be devoted to studies. And you thought parietals were tough!

***

Though students paid considerably less, they spent considerably more time at either school. Imagine a sojourn spent confined to campus property with no fall, winter or spring break, no Easter holiday and only two months for summer. With examinations every other month and as many as nine classes in a session, it is hard to imagine the students of the illustrious centennial class having any time to socialize. Never fear though — school spirit for Notre Dame athletics was just as strong then, though the University made it clear then as they do now that "undue attention to athletics at the expense of study will not be permitted." In the 1899-1900 issues of Scholastic, fervent rally cries are made for the students to fill the quads and support their teams. The football team had a great year in 1900, finishing with a 7-2-1 record (maybe Bob Davie should visit the Notre Dame archives to see if he can't find some coaching tips from days of yore). Baseball also finished strong, ending their season with an impressive 15 wins and only five losses.

"You Think You Know...But You Have No Idea."

Here is a quick profile of the Drunken Donkey, written as promotional material to their 2004 Reunion in the Bend:

Well gents--it has come to this. September 10-12--the fantastical, magical, most triumphant return of the Drunken Donkey to South Bend Part Deux. Like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rambo, Rocky, and Back to the Future--a sequal would not be denied.

After a five-year hiatus, the band is back together for their 2004 reunion tour. From all parts of the globe and the farthest reaches of this great country. From the urban heights of New York to the emerald shores of Washington, from the down-home heat and hotness of the Dirty South to the melodic craze and clamour of Nash-Vegas, all the way to heartland of the nation, we have come to keep the dream alive.

We don't care who's party this is--we want a bad time.

Rules will cease to exist, barriers will be overcome, and carbombs will drop like incendiary gut-bombs. Standards will be overcome and raised to new heights, customs will be broken and forged anew, and plenty of Mario Kart races shall be won, and lost.

El vino will flow--brumfast will be consumed--and naps shall be had by all.

In the midst of it all, four gents will tear at the fabric of time and space and transport the Bend back to 1999--a time where class was irrelevant.

A time where responsibility was something for grown-ups.

A time where all MBA students were welcome at our house.

A time where Shamoo was gay, where floor vents creeked and moaned, and where pure entertainment could be had by all.

A time where truck seats, grungy carpeting, and front lawns were all mattresses, and kegs, coats, and hats were all pillows.

A time where fish sticks were outlawed in every form.

A time where the refrigerator magically distributed frothy goodness without fail.

A time where the only sports we played were bowling with 40s, 2 story beer bonging, and dexterous feats with plastic cups on warped wooden tables.

A time where you saw the gobbler not just at Thanksgiving.

A time where a clay monster named Grego, horribly mutated by excessive use of the microwave, inhabited basements and emerged only to feast upon processed pasta products and starch-bombs.

A time where ruthless land barons collected rent from his vassals in exchange for meager housing.

A time where country crooners would sing proudly at 100 decibles at 5am in the morning.

A time when women weren't nothin' but bitches and ho's, where we fucked shit up, and where we kept the dream alive.

This is the place, gentlemen. Now is the time. As I sit back watching the ND
game this weekend, boyos, I will be thinking about the here and now. But
my mind will be on the there and then. Cannot wait to see everyone back in
the Bend.

--His Gayness, BGJ

Never Forget The Family

Whilst imbibing Sam Adams Lights and enjoying the living heck out of my HDTV broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX (which was in and of itself, drama), it occured to me that several members of our Notre Dame Family were involved in rather high-profile roles last night:

The Weis-man himself, Charlie Weis, who made critical adjustments during the extended halftime which resulted in the Patriots moving the ball with greater success in the second half

WR David Givens, who was sorely under-developed under the hapless Davie regime, proved his mettle by scoring the first TD of the night for the Patriots

Weis was forced to match wits all night with Eagles' Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson, who coached the 1977 Irish Defense under Dan Devine to a National Championship. Other Irish family members who played a part of Super Bowl XXXIX included Eagle defensive lineman Paul Grasmanis (1992-95), Patriot linebackers coach Dean Pees (Irish secondary coach in 1994) and Eagles secondary coach Trent Walters (Irish secondary coach from 2002-03).


With his halftime recalculations, Weis once again proved his genius in the world of X's and O's. If he can translate his professional precision into success in the NCAA arena, then a new golden-era for Notre Dame football may be just around the corner.


The Daily Herald has a nice piece telling all the ND faithful what lies in store for Weis during this much-anticipated off-season:

Weis isn't naïve. He understands Notre Dame football is broken and he's eager to begin fixing it.


He has already gone through part of a recruiting cycle, the one that culminated in Wednesday's signing day. He tried to stay in contact with prospects while scheming to play the Colts, the Steelers and now the Eagles during the NFL postseason.


"Every hour I'm not spending on this game," Weis said of how much time he devoted to Notre Dame. "I carried two cell phones and made calls on buses, after practice ...
"Recruiting is selling. You have a product, you have yourself and you try to sell it. Having gone to Notre Dame, it's an easier sell for me. The only thing is, I had a shorter time frame (this year). Now I'll have a full year. I'll have no excuses, will I?"

Nor will Weis make any. He isn't complaining about having had only two months with recruits this time around while other coaches had two years wooing them.

"The first thing we have to do is get the off-season program going with the entire coaching staff," Weis said. "I have to get my philosophy over to the defensive staff and get my special-teams coaches on the same page because I have two of them."
But not until today's Super Bowl is history.

"I've got a lot of adrenaline flowing right now," Weis said. "This game can't get here fast enough."

Once it ends, he can store his New England hat in the closet and plant his Notre Dame hat firmly on his head.

Landsharks, Leaderkillers, and Crack Hits: A Year In The Life...

Check yourself....

There are strange creatures about the place....