Things are good in Hawkeye town. I was in Iowa City over the weekend to hang out with the family, tailgate, and cheer on the Hawks. I was at Kinnick Stadium when the Hawks rolled Ball State 56-0 to open the season. The only drawback to the game was the fact that our starters didn't get much work, and we didn't run very much of the offense. Drew Tate was 9/10 for 99 yards, but only played 6 series and was out midway through the second quarter. The nicest surprise (well, not really a surprise to hard core Hawk fans) was Jason Manson, who is one of the better backup quarterbacks around. He was 9/9 Saturday, and I really feel that he would be a starter on a lot of teams. Half of the Big Ten would probably give him a shot.

We had a tremendous tailgate on Saturday morning right down the street from the stadium, and I hung out with the family Saturday night. I attended the 10th year high school reunion for the Linn-Mar High School Class of 1995 as well on Saturday, because TheGirl is an alumni. It was, as are most high school reunions, positively brutal. I take little solace in the fact that I predicted the brutality of the whole venture and complained loudly and frequently leading up to it, as I consider it pretty much a waste of an evening.

What's worse, being a date at a high school reunion, and having to shake hands and make small talk the entire time while dying to leave? Or being an alumni at the reunion, and dealing with the awkwardness of the whole affair while trying to interact with people you don't (and probably never did) care about?

I say forget the high school reunion altogether. If you care about someone from high school, you will keep in touch with them. You don't need a reunion to see the people you care about; you do that anyway.

Things are looking up slightly for those caught in the aftermath of the hurricane. It looks like the water drainage has begun, and everyone is out of the Superdome. I have to think that Lake Ponchartrain will never be the same again, as they are draining the water into the lake, and it is filled with toxic chemicals, human waste and remains, and other nasty stuff that gathers when 20 feet of water runs through the streets of a town like New Orleans. It's a shame, but getting the water out and finding anyone left in the town, dead or alive, has to be the priority right now.

Short weeks are great. Tomorrow is already hump day, and pretty soon the weekend will be on us. TheGirl is heading out to Utah this weekend to scout a probable wedding location. It has good golf, good scenery, and proximity to Las Vegas, which is all you need. I will be doing my part to secure the wedding date and location by staying here, keeping out of the way, drinking the Hawkeyes to victory over Iowa State, and honing my golf game. Everybody's happy.

Have a good Tuesday.