Your strategy for coping with work, football.

by lolwaihallothar on Aug 6, 2008 8:15 PM CDT Comment 9 comments

Sustinence....or the Longhorns. It's a tougher choice than one might think.

If you have a degree from UT, then you probably have a full-time job. If you have a full-time job, you've undoubtedly had to work a Saturday or two during the football season. If you've had to work a Saturday or two during the football season, chances are you've probably contemplated quitting.

Who needs a steady paycheck, right?

Then reality sets in, and you realize you won't be able to watch the game next Saturday if you don't pay the cable bill. So you're stuck at work, or on the road while everyone else kills brain cells in front of the TV. What do you do? Share your coping mechanisms. Maybe it'll save someone's life (or job) some day.

For me:

I work covering another Big 12 team for a newspaper, so Saturdays are pretty much off limits for the foreseeable future. So, I made probably the best investment in the history of investments: The Slingbox.

For close to $200, you buy this box. Hook it up through your cable box, install some crap on your laptop, set it up and boom: you've got access to your TV on your laptop/cell phone. Just connect, pull it up and use the little remote on the side of the screen to flip channels.

Of course, if you don't have access to a laptop, there's always good ol' Craig Way. If you have no radio...uh good luck.

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same goes for kids

During the 2006 season, I saw precisely one game live: land thieves. Every other game I DVRed and watched later, forcing myself to go through a “media blackout” the entire day That even goes for the horrendous loss to the agros. But, it was what I had to do that year to watch games with a newborn and 3-yo. Last year was better as my son was old enough to stay interested in half the game most times, but I still did it a couple of times.

It sucks – I’ll be the first to tell you – but the good news is that it only takes about 1 1/2 hours to watch the game that way .:-)

by bigfatdrunk on Aug 6, 2008 9:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Last year

Was my first with a DVR, I only missed one or two Longhorn games that required recording, but where it really shined was other games that I was interested in, but didnt want to kill an entire day to watch.

The best part, is Dish Networks skip forward 30 seconds button. For most teams, The second the play ends until the second they snap the ball, takes about 31-32 seconds. So if you think watching a game by skipping the commercials is fast, just try watching a game by skipping commercials and huddles. Game takes about 30 minutes, and you see every play. Plus if you want more detail on what just happened or whatever, of course you can go back and watch it in its entirety.

by BoddickerIsClutch on Aug 7, 2008 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

For those starting to college/grad school and worried about work, you have a more flexibility than those who have work or kids. I know a lot of grad students who claim to not have time for football. They lack the requisite dedication and are not worthy of your sympathy. A proposed solution? Either get more done during the week (including Friday night) or get up really early on saturday and get it done.

You’ll ask yourself if it’s worth it- the answer is always yes. Even early in the season against Rice or North Texas. You can sleep when you’re dead; college football waits for no man, woman or child.

by learned hand on Aug 6, 2008 11:39 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Well said.

Those that have no time for football are not made of strong mettle. Grad school wants not these people.

by pleaseplaykindle on Aug 7, 2008 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

In the vast majority of cases it is not a question of time but scheduling. If you are able to budget your time, you will find that 7×24 provides plenty of options and that you will be able to fit in 3 hours for the Horns. But if you have to be doing something else a gametime, consider the possibility that others at that event would also prefer to watch the game and see if it might be rescheduled. Since these are Saturday events, there is often some flexibility since most serious work is scheduled during the week. People scheduling social events often forget about games, and if you let them know ahead of time, they will schedule around them. Noone wants to be the spoilsport.

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

by Caradoc on Aug 7, 2008 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I only travel in Texas

So I have always looked up the Local Texas Exes association and watched the game where they were. This works in big cities around the country also, But I would be careful wearing your Burnt Orange with Pride in Oklahoma, you could lose a nut thath way!

by billb on Aug 7, 2008 8:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Never had that kind of job ...

... that required me to work Saturdays during football season, I mean.

I’ve had to work Saturdays during baseball season though (I’m a CPA), and most of the baseball games are available online now, so that’s pretty much how I coped with it; that and radio and update threads are pretty much all you have.

I did have to miss the OU game last fall because of my brother’s wedding, and his wife would not allow a TV at the reception, so I (and a lot of other people) spent a lot of time out at the car listening on the radio and watched it on DVR later. The bride was pissed, but she asked for it.

by bassale47 on Aug 7, 2008 1:08 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs

It wasn't work, but

for a few years there my cousin and I were missing games, at least visually, during deer season (no more place to hunt so not a problem anymore) because of a crappy antennae tv out in the middle of nowhere. We finally got fed up and took an extra satellite dish we “came into” and an extra card we talked out of a rep and hooked it up at the hunting shack. Hunting was much better after that.

At least this year that T+1 game is back to T+1/2 so less people will be at work.

As far as graduate school, I went to law school for 3 years at UT and never missed a game with no problem. Face it, if school was that much more important to you than football you would have gone to a graduate school with a crappy football team, Lord knows there are enough of them out there.

by tdwalsh on Aug 7, 2008 11:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

seriously.

I was in a tough, time-consuming grad program and still found time to watch football, read about football, play in a rock and roll band, and tour Austin’s various bars and TexMex joints. People who whine about grad school taking up 100 percent of their time are either wusses, bad time-managers, lazy, or simply don’t care about football or having a social life.

by crocodile235 on Aug 8, 2008 2:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs