ICE SKATING

Our football team is going to the National Playoffs. We are happy and excited and a little bemused. This is only our coach's second season and while we had big hopes for the future, we thought it was just that: the future. We didn't think this year would see us go so far.

But it did. And while we're still shaking our heads in wonder, we're all geared up for the game. Go Dawgs! Win or lose, we're proud of you!

But you may be interested to know that, despite the South's fixation on football, our college has other sports. And one of them is....

Da dum!

Ice hockey!

Yep, that's right. We have a convention hall that hosts the team's rink during hockey season. And it's open to the public for a few weeks. So when we had visitors last week, we naturally took them over.

It is a spacious rink with hideous orange rental skates. (Although you can bring your own. In fact we saw someone who did, but I suspect he's from up north where ice skating is common.) There are also tables that visitors can sit at to enjoy the spectacle of people gliding or falling face-first.

Here's the rink. We got there early so it wasn't too crowded:

And here's the Zamboni that comes out between sessions:

We almost made it for the entire hour and half session. But the next day, after the unfamiliar exercise, we had lots of groans and slow moving people!

NEWS AROUND THE COUNTY

Although we haven't had any interesting crimes lately, we do have other news. Like...

Jekyll Island is getting an ice skating rink!!!

"What?" you ask. "How can this be? Not only does it not snow on Jekyll, it seldom gets below freezing.

Synthetic ice is the answer. Evidently, they're setting up an artificial ice rink with a view of the ocean for tourists' -- and locals! -- enjoyment. We won't have to deal with the cold! We are so excited!

And today there was this headline:

Russian Spy Ship off GA Coast

"Really?" you say. "Are they looking for peaches or did they get lost?"

No, evidently they're spying on our submarine base where our latest, super duper submarines are housed. Maybe they have super duper spy equipment that will let them look through the walls and figure out blueprints or whatever. I have faith in our military, however. I'm sure we have any x-ray vision cameras blocked.

And finally this:

Film Crew Sets Up Shop Downtown

Yes! Confirmation of the rumors! Ben Affleck has indeed picked us for some of the scenes in the movie he's filming. This is more exciting than an ice skating rink and a Russian spy sub!

Evidently the film will be based on a Dennis Lehane novel set in Boston in the 1920s.

We do have some old buildings downtown that might work for a seedy Boston. Of course, I have no idea how the palm trees can be explained. Maybe they can crop them out.

Hey, that skating rink may come in handy!

Oh, and I bet that sub was lurking around hoping for a glimpse of a movie star!