Nine Days!

Just nine days until USC kicks off its football season against Hawaii at the Coliseum.

Last year was the first year since 1992 (as in, my senior year in high school before I was a Trojan), that I wasn’t able to make it to one game all season.  Neither law school nor an Iraq deployment nor my first Afghanistan deployment nor the many years in between when I could barely afford the $55 ticket after my rent check was cashed — nothing kept me from cheering on my Trojan football team.  But in 2011, shifting priorities and family demands left the 10,000 miles between the Coliseum and me too much to overcome in the fall.

I was devastated.  Lost almost.  Left to redefine myself.  Had the war so scarred me that Trojan football didn’t matter as much to me anymore?

Hell no!

And now I’m back, to let you know, that I can really shake ’em down…  A quick recap of what has happened since I got home from the ‘Stan:

• Penn State Football went down.  Star RB Silas Redd ran west.
• Matt Barkley announced he would return for his senior year.  I shed a tear.
• @JDonels introduced me to the land of twitter.  I put on the @JenVitela jersey.  I’ve since switched to @TailgatingGirl.  Look for me on the sidelines.
• Season tickets were renewed for the four M’s…Mia, Morgan, Mary and Me.
• Before Jim Mora coaches even one game across town, his total lack of class  proves he will fit right in wearing Bruin blue and gold.
• USC unveiled the new John McKay Center.  How badass is that?
• As USC’s post-season play ban expired and scholarship restrictions took effect, the Trojans nabbed the top spot in the pre-season AP poll.  Take that, NCAA bastards.
• The amazing team of Craig Paddock  from craigpaddock.com fame and David Burke at visualfuture.com are to thank for redesigning the GirlsGoneTailgating site.  We’re still tweaking (and not in the Breaking Bad way) but the site should be ready for primetime soon.
• My new USC shirt just arrived in the mail.  It will look great with the Chanel gold nail polish I picked up last weekend.

Ok, maybe that last part is less noteworthy than the rest.  But, the point is that us girls are getting ready for the 2012 college football season.  It’s either going to be a four-month journey to the crystal football or one big consolation party.  Only time will tell.  But over the years we’ve learned the only thing that really matters on college gameday…it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s who you celebrate the gameday experience with.  So come out and join us for a great season.  For my non-SC college football fans, here’s wishing you a memorable season with good friends and great stories too.

See you in nine days!