The Browns board has been calling this the third biggest regular season game since the return, behind:- Week 17 vs. Atlanta in 2002 - when we clinched a playoff spot "Run William Run!"
- And Week 16 at Cincinnati, where we threw the division title and a playoff spot away because Winslow and Anderson had a lover's quarrel on the field. Derek threw 4 interceptions as the Bengals upset us...I was there, and it was painful.
I'm not making any predcitions on this game - as per most division games, I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I can see any sort of outcome here. We do have 2 weeks to prepare for this game - as we were on a bye last week. So that's a lot of thinking and anticipation for the fans to get ready for this game.
Which brings us to Boracay - an island in the middle of the Phillipines that was our first Chinese New Year vacation getaway. At the time, we had all sorts of anticipation for this trip - really? 2 weeks where the country shuts down? And we are going on a 9 day vacation to a resort that claimed to have one of the best beaches in the Phillipines.... well, we expected a lot.
The anticipation grew as we found out it was one of those places where you "couldn't get there from here". Our itinerary to get there was simple!
- Fly to Manila
- Layover for 2 hours
- Domestic flight of one hour to some remote airport
- Bus ride of 90 minutes
- Then a boat ride to the island
That was not easy with a 2 year old that was in the middle of the terrible twos.
But it was well worth it. Boracay was a mix of isolation, pampering (of course we stayed at the Shangri-La), and a bit of East Coast-boardwalk atmosphere in the city.
The main beach was spectacular - white sands, juice/shake shops and bars up and down a 3 miles stretch where it is the most populated. It was a boardwalk atmosphere -without the boardwalk; you just walk up and down the beach in barefeet from one "store" to another. Yes, there were the hawkers tryign to sell you shell necklaces and other junk, but it was far from high pressure sales.
We took tuk-tuks down to the main part of town 4-5 times during the stay. The kids loved it. Remember, this is 6 months removed from the US-based smothering safety laws; the idea of riding in an open-air golf-cart type vehicle on the main roads was fascinating to the kids - and it still is!
On the other side of the island - where the beach wasn't so good - was a spot for kitesurfing. We got to the beach area there - and saw 50 kites in the air in this large open water area - each attached to a kitesurfer. We spent two hours there just fascinated by those guys....how is there not a tangled mess of wires every 10 minutes?
The resort itself was nice - how could it not be? - and they had ocean-based activities every day for the families and kids. One of the days was a father-son kayaking competition in the ocean.....oh yeah, I'm a first class kayaker. So Warren and I go first, go out to some buoy and turn around (it's freaking hard to turn around!!!) and drag ourselves back. Warren was 7 at the time, so he was little/no help in the paddling.
We got back to shore, clocked in, and I fell down on the beach, tired.....and 30 seconds later, Freddie comes up. "OK, now it's my turn!!!!" hoo boy.....
This was our first vacation where we experienced:
- the laid back attitude of the Phillipines (and South-East Asia, in general); Martin was screaming and wanted a Sprite; we went to the bar to get him one...the 6 people behind the bar all nodded, "yes sir" ....and stood there. No, I mean NOW! Do you not see this kid screaming???
- how close the Asian ex-pat community is. We saw a random American couple on the beach; they lived in Shanghai...We told them we were from Guangzhou. "Oh", they said..."Do you know the..." and named a family that works on our floor at P&G. It is a small world.
Other than the one night where Martin screamed from 1-3 am in the hotel room due to a sunburn, it was the vacation we anticipated.Hope week 11 turns the same anticipation for the Browns into reality....
On to the games....
Buf 26, NYJ 16. The Jets are a horrid road team, and the Bills should disrupt Geno.
Chi 27, Bal 20. Bal is a pure one-dimensional team now, and easy to plan for.
Hou 20, Oak 13. I know Pryor is out...but are we sure Houston can score points?
Az 27, Jax 10. I believe last week's showing was an aberration for the Jags.
Phi 34, Was 20. Possbily too easy - how can you turn down Philly's offense vs. the horrid Washington pass D?
Det 20, Pit 16. No real idea. Nothing would surprise me here.
TB 20, Atl 13. I'm impressed the Bucs have not given up yet; it sure looks like the Falcons have.
Mia 24, SD 20. Just a hunch here.
NO 31, SF 17. The Saints are a juggernaut at home, and they have tje defense to contain Kapernick.
Sea 27, Min 20. The Seahawks run game can be exposed....and does Minnesota have a running back?
NYG 27, GB 23. I think both teams will move the ball here.
Den 30, KC 27. Hoo boy. It will be fascinating to see if the Chiefs are for real and can score with Denver...or if the rush can stop Peyton.
Car 24, NE 20. I have no real feeling on this game...Anything can happen. Great D for Car...Pats off the bye...Brady looks better....Can Cam handle it? Too many questions.
Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-5-1; overall: 74-69-3
Buf +1 1/2
Chi -3
Bal/Chi over 42 1/2
Oak/Hou under 41
Az -8 1/2
Phi -4 1/2
Det/Pit under 45
TB +1 1/2
Atl/TB under 43 1/2
Mia +1
NO -3
Min +12
GB/NYG over 40 1/2
KC +7 1/2
KC/Den over 49
Supercontest picks: Last week: 4-1; overall: 24-24-2 (back to .500, finally)!
Buf -1
Az -7
TB +1 1/2
NO -3
Min +12 1/2
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