The Montreal paper had a nice little article about Jake and his time with Hawkins here at Davis

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/football/cfl/ex-als-coach-hawkins-instrumental-in-stamps-qb-jake-maier-coming-to-cfl

I was thinking of this thread when I stumbled on all of those competitions on ESPN 2 today. I must say I did get sucked in to watching a fair bit of the Air Hockey and out of pure morbid curiosity the Cow Chip Throwing Competition.

Underwhelming is precisely my thought. I see a 3 and I completely agree on the NASCAR numeral look of it. I guess they were going for something similar to what the Big 10 did with their logo, but it's a swing and a miss for me

Very nice! I'm planning on driving up from Dallas and am looking forward to being a part of the Aggie contingent

Haha, I've gotta say it does make a trip to the tournament which I was already looking forward to sound just a little bit more appealing!

I'll do my best! It's been a few years since I've been up there and there's actually been a fair amount of development in that time. In terms of nightlife or entertainment options, I'd recommend the Blue Dome District downtown which has the best selection of bars and restaurants in the area It's turned into a pretty cool little scene in an area of downtown that had previously been totally dead. There's also a Hard Rock Casino & Hotel on the edge of town that's also only a few years old that's a really good option to spend an evening. If you're looking to kill some time shopping there's a nice upscale mall, Utica Square, that's centrally located with several quality restaurants also. The area right around the campus doesn't really have much to offer and isn't exactly in the nicest part of town, so I'd probably try and stay near downtown. Ask away if there's anything else I can help with!

http://bluedomedistrict.com/
https://www.uticasquare.com/
https://www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com/

I'm definitely planning on driving up from Dallas for that one for sure. I used to have family in Tulsa and know the lay of the land pretty well so if anyone needs any recommendation for hotels or anything or that sort just let me know. Hope to get to meet a few fellow Ags!

Lol, I like the way you think!

Amen brother! Pitt's blue and yellow / gold are a fairly unique combination and make for some really sharp uniform combinations. I did a quick search for those black uniforms you saw them in and yeah, their "Steel City" uni's are honestly some of the ugliest I've ever seen!

I'm with you 100% on taking a hard pass on the crazy "black out" idea. I always just shake my head when I see a school who doesn't even have a hint of black as one of their colors decide to wear black uni's. I get that the players love it and guess it supposedly can help you in recruiting to do stuff like that, but it still drives me a little crazy! Stay true to who you are! I'm right there with you in appreciating our blue and gold!

He stroked that jumper like Stef from downtown last year!

It sounds like your kids and I are very much in the same boat as single 30-somethings trying to navigate these *different* times. You're definitely right, even in the best of times dating is a challenge, but this has taken it to a whole other level! I had actually begun casually seeing someone, just a couple of dates, right before the onset of the pandemic. We've done a pretty good job of keeping the relationship afloat and getting to know each other as best we can through texts and phone calls but there's obviously no substitute for real face to face interaction. I have no idea exactly how things will play out, trying to judge the true romantic potential between the two of us at this point is still virtually impossible, but regardless we've developed a really nice friendship over the past few months and if we are lucky enough that something further comes of it, it'll certainly make for a heck of a story! As tough as it's been, I can't imagine what it would have been like to have still been in school and lost out on all the social experiences of high school and college. I feel so bad for those kids that are losing out on all those rites of passage that you mentioned that we've really come to take for granted.

I truly appreciate all of the thoughtful responses. One of the other things that I didn't mention in my initial post is that even things like being a part of this message board and the sense of community it provides have been a welcomed outlet throughout all of this. In terms of working, I work out of my apartment as an online counselor. As you can imagine, we've seen huge surge in people reaching out to us struggling with the various mental heath aspects associated with the current situation. From what I've witnessed, the pandemic and lockdowns haven't necessarily caused a huge number of new mental health problems but rather it seems to have greatly exacerbated ones that were simmering below the surface and are now front and center. So unfortunately I don't get out of the house for work, during normal times I'm a huge coffee shop guy and have a Starbucks that's almost like a second home where I'm friends with most of the staff, so missing out on that has been disappointing, but it is what it is. I know I'll appreciate it all the more when I am finally able to return to my usual hangout spot.

references cutting down on a lot of the live television, unfortunately I'm quite the news junkie and if the TV is on chances are it's got CNN on or news of some sort. I know full well it can be an overload and I TRY to maintain an awareness of when I need a break and listen to some music or a podcast. The ads that are running, don't get me started! You could do a great dissertation on all the different aspects and approaches companies have taken. I'll just say in general I'm pretty cynical when I see all these ads with companies patting themselves on the back for just how much they care and how much of a good actor they are.

Even though it's still a long way out I'm letting myself think ahead to the travel that I intend on doing once it's again safe to do so (i.e. vaccine). I've spent so much time in the past with the mentality of "someday I really want to visit...", well this has really made me realize that you have to take advantage of the opportunity to take these bucket list trips when you have to chance to because the future is not guaranteed to any of us. I was actually in the hospital with a health scare at the beginning of all this in March, so that served as a huge eye-opener for me as well. As hard and trying and this has been, I can honestly say I have grown from it and am a better person in spite of it. And I know that hopefully in the summer of 2021 I'll be on a plane to Paris and then onto Italy! said it best, Carpe Diem!

Really enjoying this thread. For me, this has definitely been a challenging time. As a single guy in his 30's who lives alone, the past several months have honestly been a pretty difficult. Being isolated in a 900 sq ft apartment isn't exactly the best of situations for someone who's battled with depression most of his life as well. I've always been an avid jogger so my daily runs have been a welcomed escape. For me, surprisingly I've found some of my closest friendships have grown even stronger despite the lack of face to face interaction for the most part (there have been a few outside, socially distanced meet ups). I typically hate relying on texting and technology to communicate, I'm all about being with people in person and hanging out and talking to each other face to face, but this has obviously forced me to adapt, and though it all I feel like I've become closer to a lot of the most important people in my life. Just having a running text conversation going throughout the day and evening have been a life saver. Couple that with some nice long phone calls at the end of the day and it has really been kind of special and unexpected. Having said that, I'm definitely looking forward to the day when we're able to return to some sense of normal and we won't have to fear being around those who are closest to us.

Wow, he definitely looks like a great addition to the team. Like you guys have noted the athleticism looks to be off the charts which just opens up so many opportunities be a key contributor in multiple ways. I also love to see the notes regarding his academic achievements, he looks to be another high character, quality individual which should be a great fit for everything we stand for.

Love your post my man! As a fellow millennial now in my 30's, I think there's a significant part of the population that will forever consider "our generation" as carefree college kids in our early twenties. I wish my life was still that simple and unworried!

Love your post my friend! I'm so grateful to have this forum to stay connected to all the happenings going on back around campus especially now being over 1,000 miles away. I really value the connections we're able to make on here especially in light of the current circumstances of a lot of isolation and social distancing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the day that this is all behind us and I can hop on a plane and come back to cheer on the Ag's and hopefully get a chance to meet some of you guys and put a face to the name. Stay safe!

Sorry but I can attest to the fact that deaths and hospitalization are most certainly NOT down in many areas around the county such as Dallas / Fort Worth where I'm located. The level of spread we're experiencing right now is down right scary, It's very difficult to know exactly where to go to test in a timely manner, and even when you can get tested, it's taking 5+ days to get results, at that point it's to late to be of much help. Hospitals and ICU's in the area are at over 80% capacity and that number creeps upward everyday. And yet WAY to many people are just ignoring it, seemingly totally oblivious to what's going on the just how bad it's getting.

Thanks for the like to the article, it was a great read. I know it's got to be an odd time for you guys in Davis and other college towns. I saw a similar story on CNN that featured Ithaca and just how much the economy has been hurt by the absence of the Cornell students and how vital they are to keeping the local businesses afloat. I'm definitely wishing I was back there in Davis than in the middle of this huge spike here in Dallas. Scary times

Sick, perverse, incomprehensible, take your pick. I'm pretty much at a loss of words to adequately describe in actions of this administration. Just when you think they've reached to bottom of the barrel, they find a way to stoop even lower.