I’m pumped!
My birthday isn’t until Monday but I am already going to have something crossed off my list. Thanks to my neighbor Jeff, and his generous employer, we will be attending the Ravens game on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins. You see the company that Jeff works for, (shout out to St. John Properties!) buys up a whole bunch of tickets each year and gives them out to their employees. Jeff was given two tickets to this week’s game and as a birthday present to me, he has invited me along. Now I know he is only doing this because the tickets were free and now he doesn’t have to actually buy me anything, but I’ll take what I can get. The point is, I’m already off and running towards completion of my 30 before 30.
I’ve been thinking of ways to combine some of the list items in order to make the most out of each experience and there are several options for this game. I could check off “catch a pass from an NFL quarterback” with a well-timed sprint onto the field during a Raven’s drive, but that would land me in one of two places; jail or traction, so I think I’ll save that one for later. I may attempt to get some memorabilia signed but even if that doesn’t pan out, I will still hopefully get to enjoy a Ravens victory which is good enough for me.
As far as the rest of the list is concerned, I’ve been getting lots of feedback from you, my loyal readers, which I appreciate greatly. Some ideas for the last 3 spots on the list have included skydiving, visiting a national park, and scuba diving. I even received the suggestion of streaking at a sporting event. While the idea is sure to provide me with some notoriety, I’m not sure it’s the kind I want. I mean what if it’s cold that day! Guys, you know what I’m talking about. For anyone contemplating this idea for themselves, I recommend staying away from Philadelphia where they taze first and ask questions later. Anyway, I am still taking suggestions as I have not yet decided how to round out my list. Keep in mind the bylaws I mentioned in my previous post when providing your suggestions as I am doing my best to abide by them.
A few issues have crept up in my research of certain items on the list. I want to mention one of them now because I am only going to get one shot at it before I turn 30 and I would love to check it off. It turns out it is actually pretty expensive to go to a basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium if you are not a student at Duke University. I suppose it has something to do with the history of the arena, the school, the fact that it ranks in the top 15 of the world’s greatest sports venues, blah blah blah. Now my seething hatred for Duke basketball is well documented so you may wonder why I would want to visit the “cherished” Coach K Court. The answer is simple. I would love nothing more than to witness a Terps victory, decorated in full Maryland garb, surrounded by 9,000 defeated Cameron Crazies. The victory may be difficult for me to contribute to although I always feel that my coaching, whether from the stands or my living room, gives the Terps an added advantage. Being a part of the atmosphere, however, is something a basketball fan like me dreams of.
That being said, it is proving difficult to get tickets to this game which takes place Sunday night, January 9th, 2011. It is the only meeting between the Terps and Blue Devils at Cameron before my 30th birthday so like I said, I only have one shot. If anyone thinks they can help me out, please let me know. I would even be willing to accept assistance from a current or former Duke student to make this happen. It’s like when Jerry teamed up with Newman to form an alliance in an old episode of Seinfeld. Sometimes you have to do things you normally wouldn’t do to reach that ultimate goal. Anyway, spread the word people…I could use some help on this one.
That’s the latest update for now. I’ll be sure to get a picture of me at the game on Sunday and post it with my next update. I’m sure you will all be waiting in breathless anticipation for that. Thanks as always for following my story and Go Ravens!!
The Wordslinger 
take up a collection. or, have another poker game and take all our money again at 2AM
Maybe I’ll put a donate button on the site for people to help me out!
I’m pretty sure you can find tickets on stubhub.com, however, you might be paying a premium.
I’ve seen the tickets on stub hub. Crazy prices.