Strike a Pose: My life as a Model

Enjoying a great day in Idaho on Lake Pend Oreille.  Who know this photo could lead to so much?
 

My life as a model.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I am now a professional, working, fashion model.  Yes, me.  Don't be so shocked!!!  Okay, you can be surprised, but my own vanity and ego won't allow you to be completely taken aback.  It is an interesting story of how it all began so enjoy a look at my foray into the modeling world while I go exfoliate, moisturize, put on a mud mask, starve, or do whatever it is I am supposed to be doing, now that I am a model.  Warning, massive amounts of sarcasm ahead, lest anyone think I'm taking myself too seriously.  But come on, I'm a model.  You can say you knew me when...  Embrace it!

This all came to be through a friend of mine that is a professional model/actress/host/etc.  She does tons of stuff on a regular basis and is well-known here in Arizona.  She alerted me to a photo shoot that was happening for a national sporting goods chain where they were going to have an open audition supposedly looking for "real runners".  More specifically, marathoners.  Now, I'm no model(well actually, now I am) but I am most certainly a marathoner and not just someone that runs to finish them, but I actually race them, for time and to place and I've run many of them.  I know I don't have pretty-boy, model looks, but I know I'm not offensive to look at either.  Hence the Ukrainian model I dated in Seattle, the Colombian beauty queen I dated, the Brazilian Playboy Playmate I was involved with; at any rate I could not have been involved with any of those women if I wasn't attractive on some level(At least to foreigners, apparently. Just doing my part to make us all one world.  I'm nothing if not a humanitarian).  So I have something going for me I suppose.  But the closest I'd ever really been to modeling was the time, years ago, that I attended a basketball game with supermodel Cindy Crawford in her hometown of DeKalb, IL.(Home of the Barbs!)  So I thought I would take a chance and audition for the shoot and see what happened and if nothing else it would make for a great story to tell. Or an embarrassing one.  Either way.

This is about as close to a modeling photo as I've ever had.  I had to dig it out of the archives.  I was maybe 18 and channeling my inner LA Law.  I object!!!!

To even be considered for the audition I first had to email my headshot, resume and credentials to the Casting Agency, based here in Phoenix.  Well I had none of those things, so I sent them a selfie I took over the summer(the picture at the top of the blog), told them about my running experience and waited to hear back.  A week or two went by and I figured that was that, I wasn't chosen.  But then as soon as I had written it off, I got an email telling me to come audition on a Tuesday afternoon, to wear bright running clothes and be ready to run.  I was intrigued and excited I guess, but I also figured that even though they stated that they were looking for "runners", it was  a photo shoot for a catalog, so really they wanted people that looked good wearing their clothes, meaning they would likely end up choosing real models, as if anyone would care if they were runners.  When I showed up for the audition, that was exactly what I saw.  First thing I noticed was that I was considerably older than all of the people that I was auditioning with that day.  Then I noticed that they all looked more like models than runners.  I mean if this was a race, I would destroy the field, despite the age difference, no question.  But I wasn't nervous or anything, I know who and what I am, so I figured if it's to be, it will happen.  There were "stage moms" with some teenagers and other models who've clearly been through this process a million times.  I found it all interesting. They called us into a room one by one and when it was my turn, they took video of me from every angle, asked me a ton of questions about my running and then they had all of us go outside and run around for a few minutes while they took video of us running by the camera one at a time. Then they told us they would let us know within a week.  The whole thing took maybe an hour.  So I went home and figured I would never be chosen.  A week came and went and no word.  Another week went by and still nothing. So that was that.  But again, just as I had written it off completely, they contacted me and told me I had indeed been chosen for the shoot.  It would take place in Sedona, AZ the first week of November and I would need to be available all day that day and for part of the day before for a fitting of the clothes.

The audition process wasn't quite like this, but it was definitely a new experience.  Maybe next time I'll be asked to sing!

To say I was shocked would be a massive understatement.  Over 300 people had auditioned including the professionals from the modeling agencies that were contacted directly and after being around all the professional models, I honestly never thought I had any chance. But this was actually going to happen.  I would be modeling running clothes and shoes and I was going to be paid quite handsomely(get it...handsomely).  I still really didn't get nervous but my linear brain started thinking, and likely over thinking, the whole situation.  Do I need to get my haircut, colored, do I need to get a spray tan, should I work out more or run more or less....I thought of everything.  In the end, I figured they would let me know if I needed to do anything ahead of time and meanwhile I was just going to keep up my daily running schedule and maybe eat a little bit better than I normally do, which is pretty good already, so that's what I did.

I had kept this pretty quiet from friends and family so far, figuring until, or if, I was ever booked, then I would let them know.  So now that it was official I called my parents and they were surprised and excited and intrigued as well, as our family has zero familiarity to anything involved in this type of industry.  Then I told my brother and some of my friends and of course, as guys kid each other relentlessly, I was met with the following:

"You're going to be a model?  Are you going to be the before or the after guy for something heinous?"

"Are you going to be Headache guy? Or Hemorrhoid Guy or promoting Cialis or Viagra or
something?"

"So you're going to be like the New Jan Brady?"

And my personal favorite:

"They chose you?  Are you dying? Is this your Make-A-Wish?"

All good stuff and of course I would have had the same type of response if roles had been reversed.  We are men, half-caveman, half-...., well, you can fill in your own blank. But whatever, I'm a model and I get to hang with a bunch of hot women! I win.



Looking good ladies.  I'm a model too, let's talk.

A few weeks went by and the photo shoot was soon upon me.  First thing was the fitting.  I was told to meet at a hotel where the production company from NYC that was handling the whole shoot, was set up and I would be trying on clothes and shoes so that everything would be ready for the shoot the next day.  Again, I'm new to all of this and really had no idea what to expect.  I arrived at the hotel and all the models were there.  They had chosen around 20-25 people for the shoot.  They were going to take pictures at around 10 different locations and they would have different models at each spot.  I filled out a bunch of paperwork, so that I would get paid properly(very important), and to sign away all of my rights to all the photos they would take.  In essence we were shooting for the catalog but they can then use the pictures on their website, for in-store ads or store signs, or billboards or really anything they want.  If they partnered with ISIS and used my photo to recruit new members, at this point I had signed away permission and there would be nothing I could do about it.  Obviously they likely won't use them for anything ridiculous, however, they own them and  can do whatever they choose and I had readily signed on. 

They had all of us models(yes me too, I am a model!) in a conference room and then one by one or two they were calling us into another room to try on the clothes they thought they'd want us to wear for the shoot.  Again, I was in a room full of mostly professional models from large agencies.  There may have been a few of us rookies that auditioned and were selected, but mostly it looked like to me that they hired professionals and who can blame them.  When you are in a room full of professional models, you quickly notice a difference in physical beauty.  There are tons of beautiful women in Scottsdale where I live, but in a room full of professional models, the beauty is kicked up a notch.  Again, I wasn't nervous nor did I feel out of place, per se, but I was clearly the oldest person in the room by a long shot, as most of the others were clearly 30 or younger and more likely 25.  I was having nice conversations with a  few of the female models and of course I am a man so in my mind I was hopeful that despite an age difference, maybe I could get date out of this.  A slim chance but maybe my sparkling personality could win someone over.  That was until they called my name for me to try on the clothes.  Let me set the scene.  I am in a room filled with beautiful women.  Much younger women.  And then..

Production Person:  "Christopher, you're up."

Me:  "Great, I'm ready"

Production Person:  "Nice to meet you.  You will be our Dad in the shoot"

Me:  "Okay.  Wait.  What?!?!?!?!"

That's what I said audibly.  But inside my mind it was more like: 

"Are you kidding me?  Did you have to say that out loud in front of all the young female models?  It couldn't wait until I was in the other room?  I know I have slim to no chance with any of these hot, younger models, but did you really have to ensure that I had NO chance by making them all look at me like I'm the dad?  Thanks production lady. Ugh."

Which just goes to prove, that even at our highest points, we can all be humbled.  And in this case there was no real penalty.  At least I keep telling myself that.  I mean I could have potentially dated a model!!! Oh wait, I've done that before.  But still, I could have dated another model!  But now you know how the male brain works, if you didn't already.  And I mean EVERY single, male, no matter what they tell you.  Moving on.

You mean you can't tell from this picture of me at age 7 in Florida that I would someday be a model?  Do you see those socks and the blue shoes? It was only a matter of time.  Go Green!

So they had me and my "son" try on our clothes.  The kid was 15 and I guess, realistically I could have a 15 year old son, but when you don't have kids like me, you tend to think of yourself as younger on a regular basis.  But he was a nice kid, his whole family has been in modeling and acting and this was his first gig, just like me, but without his family pedigree.  As we tried on our clothes, it turns out they thought I looked much too young to be the dad(of course they didn't say that in front of any of the female models, of course not) so they had me try on all sorts of clothes and ended up deciding on some wild designed stuff for my "son" and just a plain, solid colored light blue shirt for me and running pants to make me look "older".  Hmmmmmmm.  It was all Brooks running clothes and shoes for me and Nike clothes, but Brooks shoes for my boy.  But here's where it was interesting for me, again being new to this whole process.  When they called my name, they brought me into a conference room they had converted into a dressing room. There were about 5-6 woman and the requisite fashionista gay guy, who took photos of me in every outfit.  They had me change right there in front of everyone.  For minors they had them go to a private room if needed.  But, again, I'm new to this and I walk in the room and they are like "change into this", right in front of everyone.  Thankfully I am not bashful and almost took that as a challenge.  I mean I workout and run every single day and I may not be an Adonis, but I am a man and I have no shame so I proceeded to strip and change right there for all to see.  That may sound unusual, and it is if you're not used to it, but these people do this all day, everyday, and it is absolutely no big deal to them.  They honestly could care less and no one looks or cares, as odd as that may sound.  When they finally decided on my outfit, 3 women started working on the clothes, while I was wearing them, pinning this and taping that and whatnot as they would tailor them up to a perfect fit for me to wear the next day.  It was interesting having a bunch of people, in essence, feeling you up as they wanted everything to look and fit just right.  But it's just all part of being a professional model.  Tough life.  But don't hate me because I'm beautiful, over the years I've given you a million other reasons to do that.

Holy Cross Chapel sitting high atop the Red Rocks of Sedona.  It really is a beautiful place for a photoshoot of any kind..

The next day the shoot was to start at 7:00 a.m. in Sedona, which is about an hour and a half away from where I live in North Scottsdale, which meant I had to get up extra early to drive up there to be on time.  Our location had 6 models; 3 male, 3 female and we all met at a hotel first and then we were shuttled down to the set location at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village where they would shoot us running around the streets.  Getting up early and making the drive wasn't so bad, however Sedona sits at 4K elevation and we were getting hit with a real cold snap.  It was, a chilly 35 degrees when I got there.  Once again, this was all new territory for me.  On set there were motorhomes and vans for the models to relax in, until we were called out for our shots.  We were all relaxing and trying to stay warm inside the motorhome when they called me up first for hair and makeup.  I've never worn makeup, ever in any way, so I had some trepidation I suppose.  But I sat in the chair and the makeup artist looked me over, put on a little bit of foundation and that was it.  She was also doing the hair, ran her fingers through my hair and said I was good to go.  Not quite what I anticipated, but no argument from me.  Then my "son" did the same thing and the two of us went out on set for the shoot.  They were going to have us run up and down one street lined with shops and the photographer was going to take pictures.  He said just keep running back and forth until he told us to stop, so we did.  Then he kept telling us to sprint and run faster and before you know it I was actually working up a sweat.  There were production people standing at the ready with my coat and anything else I needed any second we stopped.  The talent has to be catered to after all.  It was a weird feeling for me but you could easily get used to it. We did this for about 20 minutes and then we were done.  They had also chosen me to be the male shoe model, so they switched out my shoes, but they put my shoes on and tied them and such, as the talent is just there to look pretty.  Again, very strange to me.  They took a bunch of close ups of my leg and the shoes, a new version of a Brooks running line, me tying the shoes, me stretching, etc...Another 15 minutes and I was done.  That was it.  It went by very quickly and was even easier than I had envisioned.  Now I joke around a lot as I write this and talk about it, but once I was chosen, I took this whole thing very seriously and treated it all very professionally. I tried to be very easy to work with and took all direction without hesitation.  I know when to have fun and when to be serious.  I went back to the motorhome with my "son" and we pummeled craft services and the catered breakfast they had provided.  I was told I was welcome to stick around for the other shoots or I could go home.  I opted to leave, if it was warmer I may have stayed but I have thin Arizona blood now and it was freezing.  By 9 a.m. it was all over.

Right after the my shoot with Vista Ridge behind me.  Bundled up because it was freezing but I am still wearing makeup, as if you could tell, I have fantastic skin tones after all.

As I drove home it felt surreal as it all happened so fast that day.  The whole process from start to finish lasted about 2 months but really only took a few hours on 3 days; audition, fitting, photoshoot.  To get paid so much for such little time, well for me it was the easiest money I've ever made in my life.  My whole approach to this thing was simple; "If someone wants to pay me thousands of dollars to take my picture, I'm in!".  It was definitely unique to be called "Talent" and "Model" and to only be there for my looks, as no one cared what I thought or said; unless I needed something, because those things were irrelevant to getting good pictures.  Logically I understand all of that, but it certainly was the opposite of every job I've ever had in my life where I had to use my brain. The pictures were taken for the stores catalog and they may also use them online and in the stores for ads or signage. They may use a number of my photos, they may not use any.  There is no way to know as they have to look at all the pictures they took and then decide what they will use.  I am 99% certain they will use my shoe modeling shots as I was wearing new versions of a Brooks  running line and obviously they will want to promote those.  I hesitate to name the chain at this point as  maybe they won't appreciate my sarcastic wit, but the next time you are in a mall or near a large sporting goods store or if you see a catalog, take a look and you just might see my face and if nothing else you are bound to see my foot in a Brooks shoe.



Is that me and my shoes?  Could be.

So what happens next?  I have no idea.  I had to audition for this shoot and by some miracle I was chosen.  If they call me back to do anything else, I am sure I would.  But if I really wanted to make some type of career out of this I would have to get an agent and some real headshots and such.  The casting company I worked with here in Phoenix does a ton of print work, commercials and small movies and they are great people and would be easy to work with again.  I may audition for something in the future or I may just leave it like this with good memories and a great story.  But at one time in my life I can now say I was a professional, working fashion model.  It may not have been high fashion, but it was clothes and shoes and I got paid.  So to all my fans, I mean friends, you can say you now know a professional model and to the women I dated, you can say the same.  You missed your shot ladies, you didn't know what you had when you let me get away.  Then again, you probably did.  Oh well. 

What can I say, it's tough being pretty.

Stay Fired Up my friends!  I don't always drink......
But I will happily be paid to act like it!

Valley of the.....Bacon?

A great photo of me and Jon celebrating our graduation from the infamous J. W. Sexton High School.
Or is it?

A few weeks ago one of my good friends, Jon "Bacon" Laing was able to visit me in Arizona.  Jon and I have been friends since 1979 when his family moved and he started to going to Averill Elementary where I was already attending.  We became friends right away and went through grade school, middle school and high school together, where Jon was an all-star pitcher and key member of our nationally ranked baseball team.  My friend Kevin and I gave him the nickname Bacon in the 7th grade.  How that came about makes about as much sense as a 7th grade nicknaming would, so I won't bore you with that story.  But even though Jon went to College in Indiana and we sort of went our separate ways after high school, we always stayed in touch.  He's visited me as I've lived all over the country and every time I was back in Michigan I tried to visit him and his wife and son as well.  Not having any kids of my own it has been enjoyable watching his son grow up as I attended any number of his football, basketball and baseball games when I lived closed by or was visiting.  To think he's not too far off from College is humbling to me, I can only imagine what it feels like for Bacon. So knowing this would be his first trip to Arizona and always excited to have a friend visit, I prepared for a great "reunion" with my fellow J Dubb!  I thought it might be interesting to get his take on Scottsdale and Arizona in general so I have turned the blog over to him, with my comments in red, and Jon's additions to my comments in green.  Of course it is my blog and I have to make smart ass comments one way or another even when someone else is doing the writing.  But you know what they say, better to be a smart ass than a dumb one.  So enjoy Bacon's take on AZ and me and a fun and legendary weekend in Scottsdale.  Little rascals not included.

In the words of Bacon:

So this trip out west for me to visit Chris started in the planning period about a year ago. Or more accurately about three years ago when my employer began looking at different vendors to replace our antiquated finance software program. Two years later after implementing and going live with the program we found out the company has an annual conference and I attended it in Baltimore last October 2014. At the conference it was announced the 2015 conference would be in Palm Springs, CA. At some point after the conference last year I mentioned to Chris where it was gong to be at the following year and without hesitation he said if I was able to attend he would come and pick me up after the conference and we could then make a weekend out of it. Talk about a true friend, how many people would volunteer to drive four hours out of the way, and then four hours back. (It wasn't that hard of a decision, the chance to see a lifelong friend.....and I made a stop in Vegas the day before) (Chris did not win big in Vegas so unfortunately we could not party like rock stars in Scottsdale). And Chris was not hesitant to say this was not a scenic drive. We're talking four hours as the crow flies straight from Palm Springs on Hwy 10 all the way to Scottsdale, with nothing in between but a whole lot of sand and scrub-brush with a scattering towns along the way.

The drive between Palm Springs and Phoenix is pretty wide open. All that was missing was seeing a coyote chasing a roadrunner.

Chris was also kind enough to transport my two co-workers to the Palm Springs airport(only because they were not scUM fans) at the end of the conference so they didn't have to fight for one of the scarce taxis in the area along with the rest of the conference attendees who were waiting to head out of town. So once we dropped them off at the airport our adventure was on as we made our way to the Valley of the Sun. Wait a second....what's this? Rain? In the desert? As a matter of fact yes, and also in fact it rained every day I was with Chris in Arizona. I'm not saying that I brought the Michigan weather with me to remind Chris of his "mother land", but it was extremely coincidental that after several days in a row of upper 90s to 100 degrees that suddenly storm and cold fronts came through the valley and dropped the temperatures into the cooler mid 80s by the last day. Suffice to say although I was fully prepared for the expected heat, the "cooler" temps made it easier not having to worry about changing clothes and wringing sweat out of my shirts a few times a day. Now I'm sure for an extended stay you would get used to the warmth, but us Michiganders aren't used to 100 degrees in mid-October. Of course I was hearing weather reports from back home that lows were in the 20s and some places got some snow. Too soon.(Exactly why I moved and will never move back)

Here's a picture from Michigan just last weekend. It looks pretty you say?  Well it looks even better from Scottsdale.
Enjoy your snow and cold Michiganders

 

Before I go any further I have to mention that a couple of weeks before I left for the trip out west Chris gave me a mission: Find at least one picture of the two of us together from when we were younger, like grade school preferably. For background, my parents built a new house in 1979 which changed where I was going to go for 3rd grade and that year I started at Averill Elementary in Lansing, MI. where Chris was already going to school. I can't recall if I actually met Chris on that first day but I can say that we've been friends ever since. There were some semesters in middle and high school we had every class together. (We were both great students, that NEVER caused any problems...) True, prior to modern communications, there were times we weren't in contact for a period of time, but it was never for long and it was always easy to catch up like we never had missed a beat. Now of course we email, text, whatever, several times a week as most people do with their friends in this modern age of technology.

Despite 30+ years of friendship, finding a picture of Jon and I together is like seeing a Unicorn.  They don't exist.
 

So with that being said you would think we have numerous pictures of us together at some point in our 36 years knowing each other. I looked through all the pictures I had, Chris the same, I also looked through my parent's extensive collection, and Chris had his mother look through hers. Nothing. Well, mostly nothing. The best I could find was a picture of us playing in the Gus Macker basketball tournament in Lansing in the summer during our college years, Chris had his back to the camera and only a third of my body was on the right edge of the frame.(we may have won the toilet bowl that year) Much like the elusive Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot we both were unable to find any conclusive photographic evidence that we ever knew each other. No matter, as long as we've known each other we have our memories. Ok, pretty sappy, right? But that brings me to the first night and morning of visit.

Not that we got emotional, but we talked a lot. Of course the ride from Palm Springs to Scottsdale was four hours so we had to talk about something, but just general catch up, sports, etc. you know, usual guy stuff. That evening we got to talking about other things, mainly the last several years for Chris and his various moves, reasons for each, and his divorce. I won't go into the details because it's not my right to do so (and it's not really that interesting), some people know and some don't and if Chris wants to talk to anyone about what he went through he will. Suffice to say we had a good talk. Sometimes I think people just need to talk to someone. Family and friends can only do so much from thousands of miles away. Which makes me thankful for the friends he has in Scottsdale that he sees regularly and has for in-person support. This leads to Friday morning. On the way to Scottsdale Chris had mentioned that in the morning we were going to join his regular Friday morning men's prayer group. This is a group of 7 men from his church who meet every Friday morning for coffee, discuss a specific topic or reading each week and then just talk about whatever. Unfortunately there were several of the men missing so if we were playing basketball instead we would of have had a game of two-on-two. But I did get to meet Bill and Sammy and found out how fortunate it was for Chris to have these friends as part of his Arizona life and regular routine.

After the prayer group we headed to the next adventure Chris planned for us - climbing Camelback Mountain. I know it sounds daunting, and maybe insane, like who the heck wants to climb a mountain in the desert, but Chris assured me many people climb it each day. It has a "groomed" trail to follow, though Chris did say someone has to be rescued almost every day. But usually because they go off the trail, don't bring water to stay hydrated, or climb in the middle of the day when it's over a hundred degrees.(tourists, especially this kind) Thanks to my trusty guide, we had planned to go for the climb around 7:30 in the morning and thanks to me bringing the Michigan weather to the Valley of the Sun, when we started the climb it was in the upper 70's to low 80's. Now when I say several people climb Camelback every day I mean probably at least a hundred or more, and it wasn't even extremely busy from what Chris said it could be. And there where all types of people, every age, gender, families, people running up and down the trail, the natives and regulars and the newbies like me. The trail is also narrow in some areas and if you were to put your foot in the wrong spot you could find yourself descending the mountain a lot faster than you intended. In fact in the narrow areas it's commonplace to move off the side a bit if someone else is coming the other way or wants to pass you. This would be a great place for a "singles event". John Taffer would be proud of the natural "butt funnels" that are created due to the narrow passages at some points. (If you've never seen an episode of Bar Rescue on Spike TV you would have no idea what this means, unless you've been to a bar that has one and felt semi-violated when you brushed up against someone going on or off the designated gathering area with a narrow entrance). I won't say that I'm a hero and climbed all the way to the top of the mountain, but I did get past the first hump and to the Helicopter Pad which to myself I felt was an accomplishment.(It is a great accomplishment for a first time and it's a great spot to see the valley in all directions) As we got to this point and I looked up to the incline for the final stage I asked Chris if he would be disappointed if we didn't go any further and he said not at all, this is where most people stop and head back down So at least I got to the point of "most people" at least. I know what I was feeling at that point and did not want to push it any farther and end up being one of those people who have to call in the air support to be rescued. Chris wore a Michigan State shirt on the climb to gauge the reaction of possible fans on the mountain as the showdown against Michigan loomed the next day. Or as Chris so politely calls them - scUM. We had several comments of "Go Green!" on the climb, even a nice conversation with a couple on the Helicopter Pad who were Iowa fans and wanting MSU to win the game. Surprisingly we only ran into one couple who were scUM fans, but they were older and I'm sure Chris and I could have taken them(not coincidentally they were struggling going up and were turning around to head back down. Defeated.  I may have said that to them as well.  It was an omen for the game on Saturday). So I survived my first official mountain climb without incident. Next time I'll go higher!

High atop Camelback Mountain.  Nice job Bacon!  Go Green!

What could top a mountain climb? I'll tell you...one of the most exciting games in the history of the MSU/UM rivalry, and quite possibly one of the most incredible impossible endings in the history of football on all levels of play.

 

What's that?  The world doesn't revolve around us?  That's okay, just more time for you to play Dungeons & Dragons or other nerdly adventures, rather than have to worry about attending a real bowl game.

As I write this it has been two weeks since the MSU/UM game and if you haven't heard or seen the ending then you're living in a cave (of course that would mean you're also not reading this blog)(blasphemy!!!) or care nothing about any sport. Needless to say it was an unbelievable almost impossible ending to the game and MSU victory that you have to see to believe. I won't bore you with the details of the game leading up to the ending as it's not important other than the game was close the entire way and you play the entire 60 minutes, you cannot take one second off if you expect to win. To start at the beginning, prior to my trip west, Chris had checked all schedules of local football teams, high school, college, and pro and no one was playing at home while I was there. When Chris found out the MSU/UM game was going to be the weekend I was visiting he was excited to be able to watch the game with another MSU fan. Most large cities have specific bars that are designated for fans of specific teams, so we had the option of watching the game at his home, his local bar hangout, or the MSU bar in Phoenix. Not that I'm overly superstitious but I didn't want to disrupt the Mojo that an undefeated MSU had going so we decided to watch the game where he normally did, which was the local sports bar that Chris readily admitted was one of the best places to watch games any ways because of the set up and number of large TVs that are in your field of view regardless of your seats(plus the beer is always 29 degrees and I may or may not know one or two of the waitresses.  Let's move on)(I will add that a bleach blonde recommended their own brand of Dirty Blonde ale and it was quite cold and refreshing) I won't go into my MSU game day rituals so that I don't jinx it by talking about it, but Chris knows about it and went along with mine so we were good to go with an MSU victory assured, right?

One of the great things about being out west is the start times of sporting events and being three hours ahead of the time in Michigan. So even though the MSU game started at 3:30pm in Michigan, we had already watched most of the early games at Chris's home and then got to the sports bar just after noon. Another great thing, since most of the fans out west follow the western teams like in the PAC-12, the sports bar wasn't that busy when we arrived because they didn't care that much about a Big 10 game, even though it was a big rivalry game and both teams were ranked, so we had plenty of options of where we could be sat and we were fortunate to be placed were Jessie was our waitress. Not important initially, other than she was nearing the end of her shift and for the majority of the time we were there we were her only table, so plenty of one-on-one service, but the end of the game is where you will see Jessie proved her value. Initially when we first arrived the bar was only about half full, and there was a couple of guys with Michigan shirts on and then Chris and me, so fairly even for MSU vs UM fans. As the game progressed and the bar began to fill, there still wasn't a lot of fans either way, I would guess if something good happened for UM maybe 10 people cheered, and if something good for MSU there was about half as much cheers. So while we were outnumbered, there wasn't a significant fan base either way since we were 2,000 miles away from where the schools are located and the game was being played. As the game wears on and MSU stays within range we can tell it may come down to whoever has the ball at the end. Which in the end it did. As MSU lines up for their potential last offensive play with the ball near mid-field and a 4th down and 19 yards to go I ask Jessie what kind of play she can come up with in this situation and to call it in to the MSU coaches. As I recall, and Chris can correct as needed, Jessie's response was almost verbatim "I'll think of something good, though I can't tell you, but you will know when it happens". As Connor Cook throws an incomplete pass I'm thinking "that wasn't the play I was hoping for". Check please, Jessie! Chris and I then start figuring out the bill and discussing with MSU's one time out left their best case scenario is forcing UM to punt with 10-15 seconds left, maybe get a good return and possibly have the chance for a Hail Mary (in prayer as much as a final play). MSU does keep UM from getting a first down and ending the game, but as UM lines up to punt with 10 seconds to go and everyone resigned to a UM win, and I'm pretty sure I mean EVERYONE, I'm looking at my phone when all of the sudden Chris yells "They fumbled the snap!" What the???? I look up in time to see the now immortalized Jalen Watts-Jacksonrunning with the ball, and well, as I said at the beginning, you know the rest. Needless to say, pandemonium in the bar as now everyone was yelling, us MSU fans delirious with "Did that just happen?!" and the UM fans also delirious with "Did that just happen?!" (It's possible, although I refuse to confirm, that I may have run around the bar seeking out all said scUM fans after the play, but they had mysteriously disappeared.  Typical, happy to shout it out loud when winning but shrivel and run away when things go awry.  Just another in the LONG list of reasons why I hate them.  IF I had run around the bar...)(Given our history of not taking pictures of each while together there is obviously no photo or video evidence of Chris taking a victory lap around the bar. Or maybe there was but it has all been deleted now. You’ll never know) I saw Jessie and pointed at her and said "Now that was a great play you called." In the end I don't know if it was the Mojo of going to Chris's normal sports bar to watch the game, my game ritual that Chris participated in with me, or the genius play calling of Jessie, but whatever it was it will now go down in history as one of the most incredible game ending plays in the history of all sports. And being Michigan St over Michigan, and watching the game with a great friend made it all the sweeter.

Am I rubbing in too much?  Oh well, there's always next year or the year after that or the year after that...someday.
 

This being my first time ever in California and Arizona I'll give a short review and analysis. It's hot and barren. Ok, maybe it was just the areas I was in. Palm Springs was definitely hot, especially for the time of year and not what Midwesterners are used too in mid-October. Scottsdale was warm, but not as bad as it could have been given the cooler weather that came in while I was there. My father-in-law lives in Texas, which we have visited many times, so I've been in that type of environment before. And the cities are similar, covering lots of land because of the bedrock and not having the ability to build many tall buildings, so they are more spread out than midwest or eastern cities. I'm also used to driving by a lake or river every few miles in Michigan, so not having that in the landscape is quite a difference. Though there was a lake that Chris used to live near on his first stint in Scottsdale. I can't recall the name (Lake Marguerite) but based on his description and advisement to not swim in it I'm thinking it was Lake Tepid. Could I live in Arizona permanently? I guess anyone could and would adapt to the environment eventually, as Chris obviously has and loves living in Scottsdale. (A mild understatement) But for now I'll take our forests and abundance of lakes in Michigan. That is until winter comes and the forests look dead and sterile in the snow and the lakes turn to giant ice cubes. Someone asked me a while ago if I go ice fishing and I replied that I prefer to take my boat out on water that's melted. I'll visit Chris again out west, but whenever Barb and I decide that it's time to move it will be somewhere warmer, just more likely to be to place with permanent and more abundant unfrozen water nearby.

Since it just snowed heavy in Michigan, let me remind you of just a regular day in Scottsdale.  You can choose for yourself which you prefer.

As I said goodbye to Arizona while Chris took me to the airport I thanked him for his hospitality and, wait, what?? We again forget to take more pictures of us together, are you kidding me? Ok, so here we are, photographic proof that we and our friendship exists. Given the Scottish heritage in my family tree and desire to be near water I guess that makes me Nessie, The Loch Ness Monster. Which then of course means Chris is Sasquatch (Hmmm, not sure I like that nickname)(Hey, I could have gone with a Yeti for you, just didn’t seem right an abominable snowman in the desert). Thanks again for picking me up and showing me your town. This is Bacon, signing off in gray, overcast, raining, 45 degrees Michigan, enjoy your sun in the valley.

Better get in a photo before its another 36 years!  Thanks for visiting Bacon!

I hope you enjoyed Jon's take on his trip to Arizona.  I love it here and I love to talk about how great it is to everyone but it is always interesting to see what others think.  It is the desert and it's not for everyone.  But you won't catch me living in a snowy climate ever again, so to each their own.  Jon and I have been friends for virtually our whole lives.  How lucky is that?  I'm proud and happy to call him and his family, friends.  It was a great time getting back together and acting like teenagers all over again.  I can only hope for another great 36+  years of friendship.  A special thanks to my friend Matt for photo-shopping the graduation picture, it looks real to me, who says you can't rewrite history?  Thanks for visiting Bacon!  I look forward to seeing the whole family next time. And to all of my friends back in Michigan, feel free to visit now that those rotten, cold, snowy, awful winter months are here, but not in Scottsdale, where it's always another sunny day in Paradise!