Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal

Well, I'm a day late but I was way too excited last night to sit down & post. Notre Dame beat Southern Cal 22-13, thus maintaining their perfect 12-0 season & securing their spot in the National Championship game! ND becomes the only eligible team in college football to go undefeated this year. ND hasn't been in the championship game in 24 years. So, you know, no big deal or anything.

Beauty & the Beast gif post!

USC is ND's biggest rival, so the past decade or so has been pretty rough on the Irish side of the rivalry. Under their former HC, Pete Carroll, USC maintained a decade dominance. They attracted all the bandwagon fans in the country. USC was basically thought of as LA's pro team since the city doesn't have an NFL team, therefore the Trojan circus has become ridiculous throughout the years, celebrity endorsements include. It all came crashing down a few years ago when Carroll bolted from the team in order to avoid being punished. You see, USC was cheating all those years. They were paying players to play, via cars & million dollar condos. The NCAA punished them by taking away the half of the National Championship they won during the time & stripping former USC RB Reggie Bush of his Heisman award. The team was hit with sanctions that barred them from playing in post-season game & limited their allotted football scholarships for a few years. This year was the first year that they would be allowed to play in bowl games again. This was supposed to be their comeback year. Preseason USC was the favored team to win the National Championship & their QB Matt Barkley was the favorite to win the Heisman. That didn't happen.

The Beast obviously being the of Trojan variety.

Instead, Notre Dame is now the #1 team in the country with a stamped ticket to the championship game. ND's LB Manti Te'o is now one of the leaders in the Heisman race. It's funny how things work out, aye? I never thought this season would happen. If you read my previous posts, you can definitely see that I had no idea my team would be in the position they are in right now. Preseason, I was convinced ND would go 6-6 or 7-5 in season & Brian Kelly would be fired. I was ready for it. I was gathering my torch & pitchfork ready for it. I was so so so damn wrong & thank the heavens for it.

I've finally learned to love Kelly.

Back to the game. I was so nervous all day long yesterday & it all came to a head once ND marched out onto the Colosseum's field at USC. I breathed a sigh of relief when ND's offense was able to move down the field with relative ease. Golson looked good & Riddick looked good. However, they ran into redzone problems & couldn't punch the ball into the endzone, so they were forced to kick a FG instead. Little did I know, but that first drive basically encapsulated the entire game. Barring a couple of exceptions, ND had little to no trouble marching down the field vs. USC, but they had a hell of a time getting touchdowns. Instead, they only scored one TD all game & had to settle for 6 FG attempts instead, making 5/6. This kept USC in the game. I have to give them credit, USC's defense didn't let up & they played a tough game against ND.

Just pushing you aside, Boys of Troy.

 USC's starting QB Barkley was out with an injury, so freshman backup Wittek made his first start last night. He performed surprisingly well with a few long balls that were right on target. Their RBs also enjoyed a few good runs that frustrated me to no end. Initially ND's defense didn't really look like the D they had been all year. USC's o-line stood very firm & protected their QB well, which stifled ND's vaunted front 7 from getting to & shaking up Wittek. A few passes caught ND's secondary by surprise too. Luckily, the D kept churning away & eventually they were able to wear down USC. A couple INTs later, including one by Te'o, Wittek's coming out party became not so much of a party.

So sad about your party, Wittek.

 The game all came down to USC's second to last drive. Notre Dame was only up by 9 points with a few minutes left in the 4th. USC, helped by a good kick return, was able to easily drive down to the 10 yard line & they were threatening.  ND nation collectively held their breath after 2 back to back passes in the endzone pulled up pass interference calls on ND's defense. USC tried with all their might to run it into the endzone, but failed against ND's extremely strong redzone defense. This drive also included a failed pass play that was stopped because USC's HC Kiffin was able to call a time out before the ball snapped. 4th down & inexplicably, even though they were down by 9 points, Kiffin went for it instead of going for the FG. USC lined up, pass play into the endzone & the receiver dropped the ball, pass incomplete. The Irish's vaunted defense put up yet another game winning goal line stand. 7 plays & no points for USC in the redzone on that drive. ND got the ball back with 2 minutes left in the game on the 1 yard line. A first down a few plays later cemented the game for ND as they took a knee on the next 3 plays since USC only had one timeout left. The Trojans got the ball back with about 30 seconds on the clock, but it wasn't enough time & a few plays later the game was over. ND beat USC.

Bye, USC. You tried it.

 A few ND players really stood out in that game. RB Riddick had the game of his life. He was on fire all night & at times seemed to be our only productive player on offense. Golson also had a good game, as he continues to improve with each passing game. I am so happily surprised with his progression throughout this season & I'm really looking forward to see how much greater he'll become in the coming years. You also have to give the game to the kicker Brindza, who, like I stated prior, made 5/6 FGs. Without those, ND would have lost the game. On defense, I'm going to have to say that CB Farley was our best player. He played lights out & garnered the most tackles on the team. He was also responsible for a few giant tackles at key moments that kept ND in the lead. Nix had the best game out of the d-line, as he once again caused USC's o-line fits all game long. Te'o again had a great game, as always. It's looking like he may not win the Heisman, which is a shame. I really hope that ND can come up with a great media plan to hype him up in the next couple weeks. Hopefully the allure of ND going into the championship game will rub off on his Heisman race too. 

Cheers to the Irish!

I was elated after the game. I really can't believe this season happened. I have watched every second of every ND game since I was 10 (besides a couple games that weren't televised & I had to listen to the game in it's entirety on the radio). Notre Dame football is who I am. There's really no words (or gifs, haha) to describe how happy this makes me. It's everything.

It's a celebration.

 So, now we wait to see who ND will play. Bama or Georgia, we don't really care. ND isn't scared of anyone. They say that ND has an easy schedule, yet Sagarin says otherwise listing ND as having the hardest schedule in the country. ND has played 9 bowl eligible teams this year (10, if PITT wins next week), in comparison, Bama has only beat 5 & Georgia 4. They said we wouldn't beat MSU, then they said Denard from Michigan would run all over us, then they said we couldn't get passed Stanford, then they said we would never beat Oklahoma at Oklahoma, then they said USC would kill our dreams. Go & look at them now. 

ND's defense is coming for you, whoever you are.

Go Irish!

Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame

All I have wanted was this past month for Notre Dame was for them to put a beatdown on an easy team & gain some style points. I finally got that today when ND played Wake Forest. ND won 38-0. They are now 11-0 for the first time since 1989. Considering I've been religiously following ND for 18 years, this is the first time I have ever experienced a season like this. I don't even know how to react, to be honest with you.

Me right now.

Today was ND's last home game of the season, therefore it was also Senior Day. Senior Day is when ND honors it's senior players by giving them individual introductions & the seniors run out of the tunnel solo & meet with their parents/families on the field. It's a really special & bittersweet moment to watch. There were 29 seniors honored today, with Manti Te'o being the biggest fan attraction. I nearly cried when he ran out of the tunnel & into his parents' arms. I know that I wasn't alone in feeling that way. I am so unbelievably proud of him & so honored to have him as a player of my favorite sports team ever. The ND announcer introduced Te'o in Hawaiian as ND's special son. Truer words have never been spoken. Manti is a special kind of person. After his introduction his mother looked at the camera & said, "thank you, thank you for everything", presumably to the ND family for everything they have done for her son & her family. No, thank you, Te'os. We have been so lucky to have Manti Te'o for four years. I'm going to miss him so so much.

This perfectly describes my going to lose Te'o soon sadness.

Ok, enough with the sentimental stuff, back to the game.  ND came out guns blazing & put up a quick 21-0 lead in the 1st quarter. The game was never in doubt as ND marched up & down the field with ease, which included a 68 yard TD run for Cierre Wood. Cierre had a really good game with 150 rushing yards. Golson had a great game & looked really in sync with his offense. He enjoyed fantastic protection & scrambled when needed in order to buy time. Besides a few ill-advised & poor form throws that lead to one INT in the endzone, he had a great game. Eifert broke a 30+ year record by becoming the all-time leading TE in career receptions. He's had low reception numbers this year, but his blocking has vastly improved, as well as his draft stock.

You can't ignore Ralph when posting Simpsons gifs.

The defense shut out Wake Forest & had a fantastic day. Wake Forest never even came close to scoring today. Tuitt played lights out & seemed to always be in the QB's face. Nix also had a great game. The front seven is just so stout. You can't run against them & God help you if you hold on to the ball too long. They are as good as advertised. It's the first time in a long time that ND has had this type of D. This is a defense that causes nightmares for other teams. & it's MY DEFENSE! Haha. The game was pretty much over by halftime & the starters were rested halfway through the 3rd quarter.

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

ND has one more in-season game left & it's against USC. Even though USC's loss today caps off a disappointing season for them, they are still incredibly dangerous for ND. The Trojans have a real chance at spoiling ND's championship run. Man, I'm already nervous about that game. It's going to be a long week. Right now I'm watching both the Stanford vs. Oregon game & the Kansas State vs. Baylor game hoping that one or both of them lose. If Oregon & Kansas State both go undefeated, then it doesn't look like an undefeated ND team could make it into the national championship game. All I can do is hope... for the tears of other teams.

Testify! Testify!

Go Irish!

Edit: I wrote the above entry prior to Kansas State & Oregon losing. Edited to give you my reaction after the Kansas State & Oregon losses, that raises Notre Dame to be the #1 team in the country & a guaranteed spot in the national championships if ND beats USC.

I interrupt my Simpsons gif post bc only Lebron can convey the happiness I'm feeling right now.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College

Here we go, quick immediate post ND game post. Boring is the best word to describe this 21-6 Notre Dame win over Boston College. While I am happy that ND won, I am disappointed that they couldn't get more points & put up impressive numbers to help boost themselves in the polls. Which, as the media likes to remind us, is very important for ND in order to have a chance of making it to the championship game. But let's get back to the game first.

Spartacus gifs!

The history between ND & BC has been an interesting one for sure, it's peppered with BC playing spoiler for perfect ND seasons. Many a ND heart has been broken from BC hangover games, therefore one can never overlook BC. I know that many of my fellow ND fans thought that this would be an easy, almost practice like game for the Irish. Yeah, that didn't work out that way.

I was surprised & impressed by BC's QB Rettig.  He has a really good arm on him, makes good decisions & he's surprisingly good in the pocket. His head's up plays in the first quarter certainly made me nervous. I was also very surprised by BC's o-line, they protected Rettig frustratingly well. Thankfully, ND's D was able to successfully adjust & held BC to only 2 FGs the whole game. ND LB Shembo had a really good game, as well as DE Tuitt.

Bye, Boston College.

ND's offense did well, besides two drive killing fumbles from Atkinson & Riddick respectfully, the O drove down the field with relative ease against BC. It was a decent game for Golson. He had some really good throws & runs, but he also made a few decision mistakes, which is to be expected considering his age. I feel like I say this after every game, but every young QB learns on the job. You have to take the mistakes in order for them to grow. I was really happy to see Eifert get so many touches today, considering he hasn't been as visible this year as he was last.

The crowd roars at the sight of Gannicus Eifert.

I was very nervous towards the end of the game. The undefeated stress is strong, I tell you what. Bama lost to Texas A&M, which starts to open the path for ND's championship run. It's questionable whether an undefeated ND could jump undefeated Oregon or undefeated Kansas State. I'm of the belief that ND could jump Kansas State with a win over USC, but who knows? A lot can happen in the next few weeks & I don't believe that both Oregon & Kansas State will be undefeated by the end of the season. For that matter, there's a chance ND won't be undefeated either. ND just has to win & we'll have to continue to worry about NC dream scenarios.

My fav Spartacus ever, too bad it's blurry.

For now, Notre Dame is 10-0. Keep on keeping on. Go Irish!

PITT vs. ND

So, here's my almost immediate (sorry, I had to eat dinner first) post ND game post. Boy howdy, that game nearly did me in. Remember the level of optimism I had in my last post? Yeah, that's the same level of pessimism I had watching the Pitt game. I could see all the dreams for going to another national championship & having a Heisman winner again slip through ND's collective fingers. It made me feel sick to my stomach. But somehow, some way, ND pulled out a victory in triple over time to continue on to 9-0. Luck of the Irish indeed.

It was clear from the start of the game that ND just wasn't playing at the same level they had played all season. Was it because of an Oklahoma hangover from beating a top team on the road & proving yourself to the country? Perhaps they overlooked Pitt? Or maybe it's because a lot of the players came down with the flu this past week? Who knows, either way they just didn't look like 2012 ND, especially the defense. ND's D has been spectacular this year, so to see a 4-4 Pitt just thrash through them at times was very concerning. A lot of sloppy tackles & bad angles by the D definitely had me screaming at my tv like a crazed loon. The offense was no better, after initially marching down the field with ease, ND just couldn't punch it into the endzone. That's when I started yelling at Brian Kelly's playcalling. I also yelled at my tv when Rees kept coming out. Basically, there was a lot of yelling.

I wasn't down with your shenanigans, ND.

 Honestly, I just wanted to take a nap after the first half of the game. I was just frustrated & tired & worried over ND's play. But I was hopeful that they would come through with their second half adjustments & finally get the ball moving. But you know, that didn't really happen until the 4th quarter, which made me go from feeling sleepy to feeling like I was going to throw up. Thankfully, ND woke up & Golson was on fire, minus a few very bad plays. The defense stiffened & ND fought back from a 14 point deficit (including a 2 pt conversion) to tie the game & send the teams into overtime.

I calmed down a bit at that point, but that didn't last long. First overtime included a FG by each team, not much drama there. Then came the second overtime, where ND marched down the redzone & Cierre Wood fumbled outside of & into the endzone, where Pitt recovered. Enter panic meltdown mode for me. All Pitt needed was a FG to win & they had a sure footed kicker. Pretty much guaranteed, right? I watched the Pitt players start to congratulate & hug one another as my heart sank. They set up the kick & he missed it. HE MISSED IT. Triple overtime. Pitt gets the ball again & ND's D holds to force another FG, which they make this time. ND gets the ball. Golson picks his way through the redzone via a few plays, then runs to the 1 yard line. Here we go, just punch the ball into the endzone & you win the game. Golson takes the ball under center & does just that, TD Notre Dame. Notre Dame wins in triple overtime! 9-0! All dreams of another national championship & another Heisman winner continue.

Agreed, Arthur. Agreed.

I let out the biggest sigh of relief. Did ND get embarrassed? They sure did. Did Pitt outplay ND? They sure did, in the first 3 quarters of the game. Should ND not overlook BC & Wake Forest? You bet your bippy. Hopefully this game lit a fire under ND. They can't take anything for granted. They have to fight to stay where they are & they have to fight to climb higher.

Fight, Fighting Irish. But hey, my team's 9-0!

ND vs OU.

Here's my late review of the Notre Dame vs Oklahoma game. I was doing so well there with two immediate ND post-game reaction posts, but the night game on Halloween Saturday really delayed me.

So, what happened in the game? Oh, I don't know... #3 ND just beat #8 Oklahoma at Oklahoma, no big deal or anything. It's not like no one picked ND to win. It's not like everyone expected OU to put a beatdown on ND & prove to everyone that ND didn't deserve their lofty ranking. Oh wait.

East of Eden gifs, yes!

I fully admit, like I said prior, that I was very nervous for this game. OU just doesn't lose at home. In fact, Stoops had never lost twice at home in a season since he was the HC of OU. Oklahoma is the real deal of college football royalty. I've always like Oklahoma & Texas because just like ND, they are traditional powerhouse programs that helped build present day college football. This demands respect from every college football fan worth their salt. Stoops is an excellent coach. While I know that some of my fellow ND fans are still salty over Stoops' supposed ND job offer rejection 3 years ago, I never held it against him. I also highly doubt that he has ever regretted the decision to stay put in Norman & I also doubt he ever will.

That being said, ND kicked OU's ass. I was a little nervous during OU's first few plays of the game as ND's D tried to settle down & I thanked the heavens for that poor snap by OU's center that slowed the game down & allowed ND's D to adjust. It was a slugfest for most of the game, but ND held their own in a game that no one thought they could win. This is a team that doesn't care if you believe in them, they'll force you to believe in them instead. I let out a huge sigh of relief when Cierre broke out that huge run, that was the moment that I knew ND's O would be able to chug along.

This is basically how I watch people who hate ND watch ND.

What about Golson though? He played one hell of a game. It looks like ND is finally finding their offense. This is why it was so important stick with Golson through his tough moments. He's a young QB & young QBs need to take their lumps & learn from them in order to become great QBs. It's a process that requires a lot of patience. Luckily for ND, they have Rees as a back up QB that can be inserted right into the offense without missing a beat. Yes, internet, I finally stopped being nervous every time Rees has trotted out on the field. Progress.

How did ND's defense get so good? I find myself wondering that often. Also, give Manti Te'o the Heisman already. He has had such a fantastic season. I am so proud to have him represent my favorite team. He'll completely humiliate you & then he'll pray for you. HeisManti.

Because who doesn't love James Dean?

 It's really looking like ND will roll into the USC game 11-0. Their next three games are versus some real bottom feeders, but they definitely can't overlook them. Especially Boston College, in a classic "if we don't learn from our past we're doomed to repeat our mistakes" scenario. Beat SC, go to the championships. Let's get this.

(Yeah, the ND optimistic side is really trying to bust out over here. Meanwhile my realistic side is battling to keep me cautious.)

Go Irish!

BYU vs. ND

Yay, second immediate ND reaction post in a row! Whew, big sigh of relief over here. ND pulled out a close win in a battle game against BYU. They are now 7-0 & still in the conversation. ND's fate is in their own hands & if they manage to win all of their games then they WILL be in the National Championship game. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

Game of Thrones gif post? Yeah!

I didn't expect ND to come out this flat & sloppy for the game. The stupid & rather unnecessary personal fouls were really driving me crazy. But I'll give it to BYU, they really played a good game against ND. Their QB is really good & made me miss the mobility of Golson. BYU's little cupcake passes were really torching ND for a bit there. I was definitely getting nervous & yelling at my tv a bit too much.

Sometimes ND frustrates me, ok?

Thankfully ND really came through in the second half. The o-line, especially, did a very good job at imposing their will on BYU & eventually wearing them down in the 4th. Riddick had a fantastic game, so did Cierre, with both RBs reaching over 100 yards today. I was, as always, nervous about Rees playing. I think anyone that has watched ND during 2010-2011 gets nervous when Rees plays. But it was a good idea to protect Golson after his concussion last week.  We definitely need Golson in full form next week.

The D really stepped up. It's so strange to have a great defensive after years of having D problems. KLM, Nix & Te'o had really good games again. I was really happy for Spond as well. He has really stepped up this season. I'm glad for that Te'o's that ND beat BYU. Manti has received a lot of heat from that school ever since he picked ND over them. It's as if they believe that because of his religion he was bond to them. It's not like the guy has the freedom to choose whatever school/team that best fit him or anything.

We'd be rollin'.

ND heads to Norman next week to play Oklahoma in primetime. Boy howdy, I have been scared of this game since last year. OU is OU & playing them at home is nearly impossible. This will be ND's biggest test of the season. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. I don't know how ND will fair against OU, but that game will for sure tell everyone if ND is truly back. Win that game & silence everyone.

It's just a gold helmet, that's all.

Go Irish!

Stanford vs. Notre Dame

What was that? I'm still in a state of shock over how ND won that game. I'm also still coming down from the adrenaline rush, holy moly. Once I calmed down a little from my excitement, I thought to myself, "I really need to listen to Eye of the Tiger. Haha, I don't know why. It just feels like an Eye of the Tiger moment. Now, you do the same.

Perfect for this moment, right?

Let's get to this immediate game reaction post. Stanford vs. Notre Dame was a hard fought battle kind of game. A lot of turnovers, a lot of dropped passes & a lot of poor passes were plentiful for both teams. It was also full of hard fought runs & great defensive stands. Basically, it's the game that I expected to happen today, especially considering it was raining for the entire game. Like I said a few weeks ago, I love football in the rain. I love the grit of it. Football is rain & mud, when you can tell how good a player is by how filthy his jersey is. But I digress, back to the game.

I would be lying if I said I didn't worry about ND. It was definitely a stressful game to watch. I was really doubting Kelly at the end of the 4th when it was clear ND was going for the tie with a FG instead of trying to punch it in for a TD at the end to win it. I also got really scared when Golson was knocked out of the game & Rees came in. I was really nervous about playing Stanford in OT. Basically I was a bundle of nerves, that's what I'm trying to tell you. But ND fought with all they had the entire game.

ND had the first possession in OT & scored a TD. Then Stanford came back & eventually marches to the 1 yard line. 3rd down & they ran it up the gut, ND stopped them, 4th down. Do or die, game on the line. Stanford runs again, ND stops again. Game over! ND WINS! The ND players are euphoric against a rain soaked background & the ND students start to rush the field. Hold on, the refs are going to review it. Both teams go back to the sidelines & the fans are pushed back into the stands. NBC replays the final play over & over again. Apparently the Stanford player was initially stopped short of the goal line, but he kept churning his legs & twisting. At some point he reached over & it looked like he was able to get his hand & the ball in the endzone, but by doing this he also fumbled into the endzone. The question is if he maintained control of the ball before he broke the line, at least that's what Mayock kept asking. Meanwhile, I kept shouting at my tv about when the ref blew the whistle to stop said play. If the play was already blown dead then it wouldn't matter how much the guy churned & twisted.

& this seals it. His elbow was down before the goal line. This gif was sure made fast.

After it seemed like 30 mins, the ref finally came out & I held my breath the whole way through. He stated that there was no foul on the field for excessive celebration because ND had thought the game was over at that point. I was sitting there like, "there was an excessive celebration flag?". Then he said the call on the field stands & the game is over. ND WINS! For real this time.

Does any of this make any sense? Sorry, I'm still so excited & I'm writing this rather rushed. But hey hey, ND 6-0! BCS tomorrow. & I'm outta here. Have a good weekend, internet!

Halloween: Xena's Chakram Tutorial

This is a DIY Xena's Chakram Halloween post, I'm pretty excited about it.  This was one of the reasons why I wanted to start a blog in the first place.

Hello, Lucy Flawless.

 I was Xena for Halloween 2 years ago (yay!Xena!) & I was able to find her costume pretty easily. I tried it on at Party City & then bought it for $30 cheaper on Amazon. This is the one I bought, but it was cheaper 2 years ago, figures. I think it's a really great costume & it's pretty good quality too, especially considering it's a basic pre-packaged one.

Pretty badass, aye?

 & that's my costume in all it's full accessorized glory. The cape & the arm bands were included with the dress.The sword is just a cheapo one I found at Party City & look, it's still in stock! It's a good deal considering the how big it is & the fact that it comes with a sheath. I wore black leather over the knee boots with this, but forgot to take a picture of them.

Now let's get to the gritty here. Once I had the costume, I needed Xena weapons in order to properly represent her. Yeah, I'm that kind of Halloween person. I like to research my characters & have fun with it for a reasonable price. While I'm in awe of cosplay people & their incredible skills, I just don't have the funds to create the costumes they do. Maybe one day, but not today. In order to be Xena you have to have a chakram, right? That circular throwing thingy is her trademark weapon. But two years ago I couldn't find a Xena chakram for sale online, therefore I had to make my own. So I did what I always do when I need to get crafty, I searched online for a tutorial. Much to my dismay, I couldn't find any picture/video tutorials on how to make a chakram. I was on my own. Wild west frontier on my own.

This was my goal.

First I went searching for pictures of Xena's actual chakrams, so I could have a design plan. Then I went searching for plain metal chakrams & I was able to find one on Amazon, but it cost too much. Considering I didn't need an actual working weapon & I wanted to make this as cheaply as I possibly could, I decided to use what I already had in abundance at home: aluminum foil & cardboard. The only thing I bought for my homemade chakram was gold paint.


Materials:

• Cardboard boxes
• Aluminum foil
• Gold paint, I used this one in Glorious Gold
• Drawing compass
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Pen
• Scissors
• Box cutter
• Elmer's Glue
• Black permanent marker

& here's what I was able to come up with.

My next step was to create a template. Initially I thought it would be a grand idea to trace pots & pans in order to get perfect circles, until I tried it & couldn't trace pots & pans for the life of me. So, I rustled through my office supplies & found my old drawing compass from elementary school. Hey look teachers, I actually used math in real life! Ha. I made an outer circle & then an inner circle. Easy enough. Then I needed to figure out the chakram design. It's basically a series of 18 equal sized rectangles, 9 gold & 9 silver. They need to be equal or else it will be very obvious. In order to find the exact needed length of the outer lines of the rectangles I figured out the circumference of the outer circle & divide it by 18. Then I found the circumference of the inner circle & divided it by 18 in order to find out the exact needed length for the bottom rectangle length. More real life math! Disclaimer: math was always my worst subject, so I'm sure there is probably an easier or more precise way to figure out how to do this, but this was the only way I could think of. Please don't laugh at me, mathematicians.

Once I had the measurements I needed, I went at it with my trusty ruler & compass & made all the rectangles. I measured out the outer & inner (or top & bottom) rectangle lines with a ruler & then drew them with my handy compass. Then I drew the side rectangle lines straight with a ruler. Finally I used a pen cap & traced a small circle in every other rectangle to complete the design. Template complete.

It's like the cardboard Olympics.

I cut out my template & gathered a couple cardboard boxes I had laying around. Three layers of cardboard were the perfect amount of thickness needed so I used the template to trace out three cardboard chakrams & cut them out carefully. I used a box cutter & scissors. Then I glued the three cardboard chakrams together with standard Elmer's glue, piled on a few heavy text books on top of them to press them together & left it out overnight to dry.

The back was pretty wrinkly, but what can you do. No one sees the back anyway.

The next step was to wrap the cardboard in aluminum foil. I had to wrestle with it a bit to get it to work (the inner circle was a challenge), but I eventually figured it out & Elmer glued the aluminum foil to the cardboard chakram. Again, I piled on a few heavy text books & let it dry overnight.

Hello, first coat of paint.

Now time for the design fun, or the design, "do or die, is this going to work or will it be a complete disaster?" fear part of the project. I didn't take a picture of this step, but I cut out the gold rectangles part of my paper template laid it on the aluminum chakram. I then fearfully drew out the design with a black pen, using my compass & ruler again, to make sure I had perfect lines.

Time to paint. Again, I used this paint from Joann's in Glorious Gold to carefully paint the gold design. I painted 3 layers & let it sit out to dry for a few hours in between each layer.

Whoomp, there it is.

Finally, I outlined the gold design with a black permanent marker. & yes, I did use a compass and a ruler with the black permanent marker. Perfect, perfect. Have to be perfect. I free handed the little circles though, I got lazy at that point. & done. Whew. I was really pleased & proud with how it turned out. It was actually really fun to make it too.

I must admit that I really love this thing & I wish I could carry it with me always.

 I attached the chakram to my costume using one of those Velcro thingys (technical term) that come with laptop cords in order to keep them neatly bundled. I just looped it through a couple of my belt holes & then looped it around to my chakram in order to hold it into place.

Not only is it functional, but it's fun! You try whipping out a sword attached to your back & not feel like a boss.

 I also used two other Velcro laptop cord thingys to secure my sword to my back & be like Xena. That way the sword could easily slide into place & be held by the Velcro loops & I wouldn't be forced to carry a sword around in my hands all night. The back of the sword sheath has holes, so I looped one of the Velcro thingys through them & then over the left shoulder strap of my costume, securing the Velcro. Then I sewed the back of the second Velcro strap into the back of my belt near the right side of my waist, making it so the sword would be attached diagonally across my back, just like Xena! I told you I'm one of those Halloween people.

 & that was it! Thanks for sticking with me through this long picture post.

Miami vs. Notre Dame

Time for my late in the week ND recap. I say this with a lot of caution, but I'm a little excited about this team. I'm a little scared about this team too, so scared that I'm scared that admitting that I'm a little excited is going to unleash some kind of evil purple smoke, Once Upon a Time curse on ND. ...or reinvigorate that curse back on to ND, whatever way you look at it.

Let's make this an Evil Queen gif post, ok? Ok.

That Miami vs. ND game did not go the way I thought it would. I admit that I haven't really paid much attention to Miami this season. I don't really pay that much attention to them at all. In fact, whenever the ESPN talking heads drivel on about how ND is irrelevant, I always use Miami as an example of a truly irrelevant team. Let me explain. I understand the force that Miami became years ago & I understand their importance to college football. I also understand their NFL factory. All of that demands respect, but no one talks about Miami when they're not good. No one goes to Miami games when they're not good. Their football seasons usually start off pretty strong which generates some media excitement, but once it's clear that they are not fielding a national contending team that season it goes silent. Silent. No one talks about them. That's true irrelevancy. Compare that with ND's recent past, where regardless of how poorly the Irish have played, the media has never shut up about them. Even ND's woeful 3-9 2007 season caused a media frenzy. ND was the most talked about 3-9 football team in history. That is not irrelevancy. You're not irrelevant when people spend hours talking about how irrelevant you are, year after year. You are irrelevant when no one even mentions you. My biggest fear as a ND fan is becoming Miami's brand of irrelevant. When no on talks about you, then you are truly over.

Serving you up some vintage Disney realness.

 
Now, I'm not saying Miami is over. I'm sure that they will be fine, given the talent-rich land of Florida football recruits. Rumors are definitely circling about the sanctions that the NCAA will hit them (via they're own bounty system paid for by a large booster) with once the season is over. If you haven't, definitely check out the investigative reporting article done by Yahoo Sports on the Miami scandal, it's a really good read. I'm really loving the fact Yahoo Sports actually investigates & brings to light sport scandals. It's refreshing compared to other sport "journalism" outlets. But I digress.

Because this one is cool, that's why.

Back to the game. What was that? I feel like Miami just quit. They hit a bunch of bad luck, early dropped TD passes, questionable/bad calls, etc. & then they just seemed to lie down. I'm certainly not complaining, but it was pretty strange. Believe you me, I know ND isn't perfect. There's still a lot of problems. Unlike many of my fellow ND fans, I do not believe ND is a championship contending team this year. I do believe that they will still lose a few games this year. I do not think we are Bama & I shudder to think of what would happen if ND ended up playing Bama in a bowl game. However, I have no complaints about the ND team that showed up to play Miami. I lied, I'm still wondering when we're going to return a punt, but besides that I was a pretty happy & relaxed fan during that game. The Irish are 5-0 & are ranked #7 in the country, so how much can I really complain? But I'm still trying to keep my hopeful excitement down. It's more of a fearful excitement right now.

I see you not having a care to give, Evil Queen.

Please don't lose.

Go Away, Cold Weather.

This is the time of year that seemingly every girl becomes really excited about being able to wear fall fashion again. Layers, coats, boots, etc. But I'm the opposite of that. I prefer summer fashion. I just think that it is so much easier to throw on a dress & look put together, rather than having to pair a ton of pieces together. Also, I really hate wearing coats. I just feel so restricted in them. I'm one of those crazies that wont wear a coat unless the temp. dips below freezing. Hey, I'm from Chicago, I can take the cold.

I'm also not a layering girl. I feel like some odd duck, but I really don't like layering clothes. I like clean lines & layering is the opposite of clean lines. I feel like it disturbs/breaks up the natural flow of a garment. Especially when you wear a cami under a low cut dress. I certainly understand trying to keep an air of modesty, as I am very well-endowed, but a cami under a low v-neck dress just looks bad to me. It breaks the pattern, if you know what I mean.

I also hate leggings. Like REALLY HATE LEGGINGS. I only own one pair of leggings that essentially came free with a pair of shoes I bought at DSW. I've never worn them, but if/when I do, it's only going to be with a sweater dress & tall boots. I don't like the break of flow leggings cause on legs. They make everyone look stumpy. At least when you wear them with tall boots, there isn't that pesky break of flow. Let's not even get into detail about people that wear leggings as pants. They're not pants, period.

The one cold weather staple that I do love is boots. Every year I buy boots, but yet every year I still want more. I have muscley, athletic calves from a combo of genetics/working out, so I have to be super careful with tall boots. My shoe size is only 6-6 1/2, which only makes my problem worse. All regular sized boots are too small for me, thus I've had to give away a beloved, but too small pair before to my little cousin. I bought a pair of black knee high, lace-up boots last year thinking that the laces would make the boots adjustable. I was wrong, the laces were basically just for decoration. I still have them, as I'm planning on getting an elastic extension sewn into the back of the boots. I really wish most companies would just make adjustable tall boots. I know a lot of skinny calf-ed (is that a word?) girls also have problems with boot fit.

Any, to end this post about fashion complaints, I give you what may be my last warm weather outfit of the year. Because ending a post with a summer outfit makes sense when the post started off about fall fashion peeves, right? I wore this when it was still in the 70s, I'm holding on to summer as long as I can.

Come back, Summer. Come back.

 This is just a simple coral tank from Victoria's Secret. This one comes close. It's a little short, so I only wear it with high-waisted skirts, otherwise it drives me nuts having to pull it down all the time. The skirt is from Tulle & it's sadly not in stock anymore, but here is a link to their skirt sale selection if you're interested in a similar style. I love Tulle, they have great high quality clothes at reasonable prices. They're sale events are second to none, I got that normally priced $50+ skirt on sale for $6. It's a bit longer than I prefer, so I'm planning on hemming it myself once I get the time.

For when you want to sacrifice comfort for cuteness.

 I got these shoes last summer at DSW. I was able to find a couple pairs on Ebay if you're interested. They are really cute, but not at all comfortable. I only wear them if I know that I will be sitting down a lot.

Old, made to look old, new.

 & finally the accessories. The gold watch is actually one of my dad's old watches. His parent gave it to him for his 8th grade graduation, so it's about 45 years old. I really like the look of men's watches, so I asked him for one of his & he gave me this one. I think it's cool to think that I'm wearing a watch that my grandparents gave to my dad. I got the necklace from Francescas a few months ago, so again, it's not in stock anymore. I was able to find it here though. It's a clock necklace with an Alice in Wonderland background & it was such an exciting find. You can also find embellished versions of it on Etsy. Finally, the bracelet is from a store I can't remember, but it's just a simple basket weave beaded bracelet. You can find these anywhere.

& that's all I have for you today. Look, I didn't mention football once! Oops.

ND vs. Michigan

Hey there! So, this is where I apologize yet again for taking nearly 2 weeks to blog. It's pretty much my theme here.

Anyway, did you see that ND vs. Michigan game? It was an ugly one for sure, but man did it feel good to finally be on the other side of a game like that. For so many years ND has been the team that suffered incredibly bad luck (or play, depending on who you ask), especially when we played Michigan in recent years. I have become so accustomed to it that I was waiting for some monumental football type catastrophe to happen in the final minutes of the fourth, but thankfully that didn't happen. Michigan, however, won't be able to run that Denard for Heisman campaign this year.

Notre Dame has it's own Heisman candidate this year though, Manti Te'o. Even though it's near impossible for a defensive player to win the Heisman & no linebacker has ever won it, I think Te'o may have a good chance. His play has just been so out of this world the past two games. He plays inspired & he inspires as he plays. He's ND's Tebow, except you know, he has NFL talent at his given position. Like I had stated in my previous blog, tons of ND faithful wore leis in honor of Manti's grandmother & his girlfriend's recent passing. It was such a nice sight to see & I can't imagine how special it was for Manti, his family & his girlfriend's family to see so much support.

I did my part & wore a lei with my ND jersey even though I watched at home.

ND had a bye week this past weekend & they play Miami in Chicago at Soldier Field on Saturday. Even though I am from Chicago, I am not pleased with the decision to play there. Soldier Field is the smallest NFL stadium in the league & they seat 20,000 less than ND stadium. I don't see the point of playing at a smaller stadium when your own home stadium is 1 1/2 hours away. Now, I understand the concept of barnstorming & unlike many traditional ND fans, I actually like when they play in different stadiums. But I only like it when ND plays in unique venues. ND played Army in the first football game in New Yankee Stadium. ND played in Ireland vs. Navy this year. They are also playing ASU in the Cowboys stadium next year. One of these things is not like the other. Sure, a game at Soldier Field is exciting if you're Northwestern or Iowa, but Notre Dame is Notre Dame. If they wanted a nearby NFL stadium they should have went for the Colts stadium. But hey, I don't make the decisions (even if sometimes I think I should).

Moving on with football. How about them Patriots? Whew, thankfully they beat the Bills. I was getting nervous & I never get nervous about the Pats. The Pats organization is the only sports organization that I completely trust to do the right the ship & fix their problems. Hopefully this will ignite their fire & they can get back to complete domination. Hopefully it also makes Tom Brady angry. Angry Tom Brady is my favorite kind of Brady. He makes me scared & attracted to him at the same time, haha. Oh yeah, he also plays like he's possessed.

It's been awhile since I posted an OOTD, so I'm posting my warm weather Pats outfit now, considering this may be the last time I'll be able to post this & have it be believable. Winter is coming.

Blurry pic of my Pats outfit, oh yeah.

This is the full outfit. I got the shirt from Victoria's Secret about a year ago. I just checked out their new line & I'm pretty disappointed in it. But I do like this shirt. That would be cute layered over a tank. I'd also like these shorts, I'm really feeling mesh mini workout shorts. This long sleeve top is really comfy cute too. I'll have to wait until they go on sale, & you know, I actually have the money to buy them.

Oops, I got sidetracked with online browsing, haha. The shorts in the pic are from Forever21 & I got them a few months ago. I LOVE these shorts, they were only about $10 & they came in a ton of bright colors. I ended up getting another pair in coral. Seriously these are my favorite shorts, comfy & cheap. Sadly, they don't seem to have them on the website anymore, but these seem to be very similar Essential Woven Shorts (Google Affiliate Ad). These are less bright, more neutral.

My Patriots purse is very sophisticated.

Yep, you saw that right. I have a Patriots purse! I love this little thing. I really don't like carrying my expensive leather purses to places where I'd watch football. There's so many gooey kind of hazards to avoid when you're in a stadium or a sports bar. It's so nice to carry something you don't have to worry about, but with added team spirit, haha. I got it at NFLShop but they don't seem to have it in stock anymore. I did a little searching & found it here but it's out of stock. Amazon has a few similar ones, but they are in blue & have different detailing. Sorry about that. Hopefully you can find it somewhere if you're interested in it.

If you don't like boat shoes then I don't like you.

These are my Rock & Candy boat shoes. I got them from DSW last summer & look they're still in stock! Haha, finally I can give you guys a good exact link. These are really cute, like a little slice of Americana in a shoe. However, they can be so-so on the comfy scale. The sides & the back of the shoes really gave me a problem until I was able to break them in.

No, you're not too good for Forever21.

Finally, my jewelry. I've posted the necklace before, it's Forever21 & this one comes pretty close. The bracelets are also Forever21. These were the closest that I could find for you, which sucks because the ones I have were only about $1 for the set of three bracelets & they came in a ton of fun colors. I'm actually wearing a yellow set right now & I also have a purple set. I'm a big match my outfit with a bracelet kind of gal, so I have a ton bracelets in different colors. I'm always on the hunt for cheap bracelets in new colors/materials & these were a great find. I noticed that Forever21 often brings these back every now & then, so keep a lookout if you're interested.

Yikes, this got really long. I get really talky when football & fashion collide, I guess. I feel like all I talk about is football & I swear to you guys that I have more interests, but tis the season. I want to do a few beauty/fitness posts & a Halloween costume series, so be on the lookout for those. That is, if I can actually churn out the amount of blogs I want to, haha. See ya later.