Men in uniform?

I should have seen it coming.

For years, I wondered what sparked Rachel's obsession with Northwestern football.  After all, she was a casual sports fan at best when I first met her.  She passed up the opportunity to attend the Michigan/NU game in 2000 (which NU won in dramatic fashion, 54-51, in one of the best NU games ever) to go to the mall with her friends.

But at the game on Saturday, I put the pieces together.  Rachel has continually oogled one of Evanston's finest, a uniformed policeman who stands guard on the sidelines in front of the band.  She describes his look as "classic."  There was a twinkle in her eye this week, as she realized that despite two years absence, he has not abandoned his post. 

So perhaps this NU love has all been a charade, to condone her near-daily wearing of purple clothing and jaunts to Evanston to catch some eye candy at the stadium?

In less gossipy news, I am pooped from making apple crisp.  Peeling and slicing 10 apples is far more labor intensive than I remember.  However, it tasted good.  Sometimes a nice tart Granny Smith hits the spot.  We had decent apples all year in China, but never the same variety as you get here.  It was a nice after-dinner complement to Rachel's lasagna.

Rachel has a half day tomorrow, as the students are taking their practice ACT exam.  My school is doing the same, but having them take the test over several days during their English class - so I do not get the same break.  No fair!

Most of my students could not correctly identify the fuel for the fire in a burning candle.  Can you?

-alan