We started off towards a place in La Jolla (lə-HOY-ə) beach that I didn't catch the name of. My sister checked it's hours on her iPhone and discovered it was closed, so we took a gamble and pulled into a local place called the ElbowRoom. When we walked in, we were greeted by 2-dozen excited Browns fans, all wearing their favorite player's jersey and a beer in hand. I wasn't expecting such a warm greeting. They employees were more like friends that could run drinks for you and the manager was always walking around checking if you needed a stool, napkins, or different seating so you could see the screen. Even though the abundance of energy exhausted me, I felt welcome.
Trying to be sociable and vicariously enthusiastic, I put on my "game face" and cheered when 'we' stopped 'their' (Browns were playing the Michigan Vikings) offense or we made a 1st down. Then we made a touchdown and our crowd exploded. I suggest turning your volume down a tad, especially if you have headphones on.
That really got me in the spirit. Sure, I'm not much for crowds or organized sports, but I can be caught up in a group's enthusiastic energy and jubilation. After that touchdown, I was hooked. Crossing my fingers, pleading under my breathe for us to catch the ball or make the play. I even joined in on a bit of superstition. My brother-in-law's (Andrew) mother was in the bathroom each time we landed a touchdown. So we started requesting she hang in there at crucial moments. Rationally I know it had 0 affect on the outcome of the game but on the surface it "worked" and we pulled ahead at the very end for the win. All thanks to his mother being in the bathroom.
I'm glad I had a good time. I try to be a part of the group and have fun, even if it isn't an activity that sounds fun to me. I just need more time to recharge after that much excitement.
Turns out I'm bad at taking panoramic pictures and they aren't the best for rooms of cheering fans after their favorite team won a game. Deformities aside, I still dig the picture.
We came home and watched a few episodes of The League, a show about 6 people in a fantasy football league. I know, I know. It looks/sounds super dumb. And while I know little about football, I know even less about fantasy football. Though, it does make me feel better knowing grown men have fantasies similar to me playing D&D. Anyway, the character interactions are what make the show for me.
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