My version of counting sheep is pretty lame, but it works. I put on a pleasant movie I've seen a billion times (like The Life Aquatic or Swingers or Back to the Future II) to put me in a happy place and I simply listen to it with my eyes closed.
But that's only part of the equation. The lame part comes next.
The movie itself doesn't put me to sleep - so I have to think of something else that makes me happy. Without fail, it's Ohio State football. Every time. I know, I'm pathetic.
Here's how it works:
I name the current backups who have the potential to become stars. For whatever reason, I always start with Brian Rolle, who I am certain will be a monster. Following him are Thaddeus Gibson, Ross Homan, Chimdi Chekwa, Etienne Sabino, Terrelle Pryor (of course) and Lamaar Thomas (trust me). And I never consider offensive lineman (too boring). If I'm not yet asleep after rattling off the same names for the billionth straight day, I ponder the names of the gents who are in the "Others receiving votes" category. I always consider giving Ray Samll another chance, before moving on to the cases of Jermale Hines and Taurian Washington.
It is extremely rare for me to be awake at this moment. If so, I simply move on to an old staple: The depth chart. Nobody survives the depth chart.
So, as you can see, I'm completely insane. But doing this every night puts my mind in a joyous state before my 6.5-hour slumber.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Buckeyes are on my mind more than what is generally considered safe and/or reasonable. (Predictably, I'm single; I suppose that helps.) And I read everything I get my hands on. Whether it be Bucknuts, the Hineygate board, College Football News, Bruce Feldaman's blog, Phil Steele's preview magazine or the Heisman Pundit, I devour it all with hopes of attaining a little nugget that might excite me a little more for the upcoming college football season - as if that's possible.
To be continued...
-Brad Spieser (Brad@TwinKilling.com)
7/16/08
