Given the opportunity. . .

It's ten minutes past pumpkin, and though I've done all I can do, it's not enough to prepare me for the three hour afternoon meeting I'm required to attend tomorrow chaired by a box of rocks. But you know what? I'm done. And this post from the Green & Gold blog on PackersNews.com (you bet there's a such thing) sends me off with a smile:

View from Georgia: Oh, yeah, he's primed
Bruce Van Vreede checks in from Atlanta:

"Last Thursday, Jan. 10, ... I'm at work, slugging through another day, waiting for the weekend and, most importantly, the Packers game on Saturday. My ex-girlfriend randomly e-mailed and said she had a line on a ticket for the Seahawks game and would I want it? I didn't really believe her, but after a million questions and making sure she could, she actually came through. Oddly enough, it came from a client based in Virginia. Beats me, so don't ask.

"At 2:38 p.m. on Jan. 10, she initially e-mailed about the ticket. And by 4:35 p.m. on Jan. 10, I had a flight booked and called my sister to tell her the good news. (She lives in Appleton and has season tickets.) Naturally, I completely abandoned work and weekend plans and immediately packed. About 40 hours later, I'm tailgating at Kroll’s West, downing deep-fried cheese curds and a few PBRs.

"The entire day was one of the top five moments in my life. How could it not be? How cool was that that 72,168 of us did what millions of sports fans everywhere would die to do: See a (snowy) playoff game at Lambeau with Favre under center.

"And, as an added bonus, he pulls out that ridiculous scramble/pitch. I was sitting next to a Seahawks fan and he was beside himself. He admitted he didn't care about winning, just that he couldn’t believe he was at Lambeau, watching Favre, in the snow. He spent more time taking pictures and saying, 'I can’t believe I'm here' than rooting for his team. By the third quarter, the smile on his face was permanent; he cheered at anything and giggled a lot. Basically, he was like the rest of us. He said he couldn't convince his friends to join him on the trip. Morons.

"But it can't stop there. Sunday, the G-Men pull out the win. After yelling and high-fiving with the family, for some reason, I ran outside and start screaming 'Yesssss!!!' Then, I immediately got on the Internet and checked out the flights, tickets, etc. This time, I'd have to pay. But, whatever. It is the NFC championship game.

"Plus, the Packers are undefeated when my sister and I see a game together (basically every year at Lambeau since 2000, at St. Louis this year, at Atlanta in 2005). So, I can't screw up that vibe; I have to return for the NFC championship game. But I also really can't miss work this time. The only affordable, possible way is to fly into O'Hare on Saturday, drive three hours north to Appleton and return on a flight that leaves Chicago at 6 a.m. on Monday. You got it … I am driving through the night after the game. I may be a complete idiot, but I am loyal.

"By the way, my sister just texted me and said she just picked up my game ticket. Yes!

"Play the music! I don’t want to work … I wanna bang on the drum all day!"