Cougar Mania!!

I thought I was a pretty avid Cougar fan, having participated personally in the yearly frenzy as a member of the POWER OF THE WASATCH, the COUGAR MARCHING BAND. (Some day I'll post a pic. of me in my marching uniform.) BUT....I was wrong. It turns out that I am only a tepid, pathetic sort of fan, in comparison with the FREAKS that come out in Provo, UT on the big game day. FACE and TORSO PAINTING replace unremarkable and modest dress modes, normally humble, pleasant people wave fists screaming "GO COUGS!" long before the first minute of play, and vehicles wave blue and white cougar flags and sport all manner of ridiculous decorations. LOOK WHAT I FOUND at the neighorhood market!!!!
LOOK CLOSELY, because the noodles are actually tiny COUGAR HEADS, yes, now you can
EAT Cosmo the COUGAR at your game day lunch!! This weekend, my brother and his boys, (who, incidentally, cut their milk teeth on stories of the "EVIL RED TEAM" up the street--BYUs rivalry with red-sporting U. of UT is LEGENDARY) came down to cheer our team. He only had one ticket, and hit the streets trying to pick up a few more. Check out his sign:

You non-mormons aren't going to get that sign, and I really can't explain it--suffice to say it smacks of its own brand of FAN-atical freak-ness. OK, its more of a joke, and yes, you can see my artistic touches in the cougar prints, but seriously, people didn't bat an eye. AND HE DIDN'T GET ANY TICKETS. Don't worry, tho', he sent his oldest boy with Uncle Mike, GRAMPA DON and cousin NICK (check out the family blog), so everything worked out OK. And happily for his "testimony," there was slaughter enough to satisfy even via television (he could hear the roaring crowd from our yard) so he's still going to go to church. SO FOR NOW, aside from being just the tiniest bit backward (I was shooting from the wrong side of the party),everything is OKELY-DOKELY here in Happy Valley (see below).