I really like this place. There is plenty of room for us, with even enough room for us to expand to three roommates if we want. There is talk of the softball assistant moving in with us, so we shall see. I've been working hard over the past couple of days to get this place situated, and I promise the DeKalb crew a party in the near future. That's the way you gotta do it 'round herrr.
Flip's fiancé, Katie, was in town this weekend. What a great girl. They really both amaze me. Doing the long distance thing is not easy, but they've made it work. They've got a lot of tough decisions to make before next August 7 rolls around, but all of their decisions will be worth every moment lost in thought. Oh yes, I'll be at their wedding ... hopefully finding lots of cute, single women. I've actually been handed a daunting task: selecting 40 songs for their reception. Their deejay gave me a huge list, of which I get to pick 40, or half, of the songs to be played. The deejay picks the other 40. Thank the Lord though ... there is a place to write in songs that should NOT be played. That's right ... so long to "The Electric Slide," and "YMCA."
I'm on yet another search committee here at NIU. I've been assisting our women's soccer coach with finding an assistant. His second candidate flies in today. I'll be picking this guy up from the airport and taking him to dinner tonight. Nothing like a nice big juicy steak paid for by the athletics department! WOO HOO!
A received a call from the Associate AD for operations and facilities at Arizona State last Wednesday. Their position of Director of Operations and Facilities is open. I applied for this position back in July, and it looks as if they will be moving forward with the search this week. Due to the fall seasons starting up and their hosting of Arizona Cardinals football games, they've been quite busy over the past few weeks. The call was short and pleasant, as he wanted to know if I still had interest in the position. I, of course, answered yes. From what I've seen on the internet and heard from friends who've been there and my one friend who does work there, the ASU Athletics Department is top notch. Their facilities are brilliant, and the area is incredible. They should be performing phone interviews over the next week, and I would be honored to receive a phone call for this job. Don't get me wrong. I've very comfortable here at Northern and I'm in no immediate hurry to leave. I've done some good things here in only one year, and I plan for even greater things this year. However, if the opportunity of working for Arizona State presented itself, I'd jump all over it.
With that happening last week, I decided it was time to update the resume on the web page. The resume I send out is always current, but the one here sometimes falls behind. As I was looking over it, I realized something ... I've done a hell of a lot. And I'm only 26. No, I'm not saving peoples lives, but I thoroughly enjoy the profession I've decided upon. You've read all about my goals, and so many of you have shown your support and belief in me. I just feel fortunate to be able to do something I love. I love being around athletics. I love being around a university setting. I love putting on events. I love working with the coaches. I love making things as enjoyable as I can for the student-athletes. I love making the game day experience a memorable one for fans. It's just a great career. No matter where I work, or where I end up, I'm lucky.
Got the opportunity to hit Wrigley last Tuesday with Ek. I tell you what, you give us tickets to a Cubs game and you'd better watch out. Ek is the guru or Wrigleyville, and we ALWAYS do it right when we head down there. We had two extra tickets, but couldn't find anyone else to go. So what do we do? Sell them for beverage money! That's right kids, we're smart. It was my third Cubs game, of which the Cubbies have been victorious twice. You've never be able to destroy my love for the Jays, but Wrigley is just a freakin' great place.
I've got a lot of tap this week. We are less than two weeks away from our first home football game vs. Maryland. Among the 1 million other things I've got going on, I'm responsible for making the credentials for football this year. It's actually kinda fun, and I have had some editorial assistance from my buddy, Flex. I'll be sure to post a picture of the credentials so all of my dork design friends can give me feedback. My boss is out Tuesday due to a death in her partner's family, so I'll be heading up the football operations meeting. Should be fun.
I hope everyone has a great week. I promise to start checking in more often now that I'm settled into the new place. If anyone wants to stop by and check out this PIMP palace, just let me know.
Until next time.
ps - Don't forget about the ARGUS show September 6, at Fatty's here in DeKalb, IL.