Fight Song Friday: USC Week

No amount of analysis or speculation will calm my nerves for the showdown with USC this week, so rather than providing my own evaluation of the team's chances, I will simply fuel the fire of excitement with these gems:

Notre Dame Victory March

Rally sons of Notre Dame,
Sing her glory, and sound her fame
Raise her Gold and Blue,
And cheer with voices true,
Rah! Rah! For Notre Dame.

We will fight in every game
Strong of heart and true to her name.
We will ne'er forget her
And we'll cheer her ever,
Loyal to Notre Dame.

Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send the volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky,
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to Victory.

Fortune's Pep Talk in Rudy

"You're 5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin', and you have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football players in the land for 2 years. And you're gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself. And after what you've gone through, if you haven't done that by now, it ain't gonna never happen."

Notre Dame, Our Mother

Notre Dame, our Mother
Tender, strong and true
Proudly in the heavens,
Gleams thy gold and blue.
Glory's mantle cloaks thee
Golden is thy fame,
And our hearts forever,
Praise thee, Notre Dame.
And our hearts forever,
Love thee, Notre Dame.

GO IRISH.

Tuesday Tunes: Journey

This week's tune is directly related to this week's Notre Dame football matchup. "Don't Stop Believin'" is arguably Journey's biggest hit, and it was excessively popular on campus while I was a student at Notre Dame. I figured it was appropriate this week as the Irish face annual rival USC. The message is clear: Keep the faith, and all things are possible. We'll see how that works out come Saturday. Until then, enjoy this 80's classic.

Fight Song Friday: Bye Week

The Irish are enjoying a much-needed bye this week, so I, too, am taking a break from my football posts. Enjoy the weekend, and get ready for a classic ND-USC showdown next week. Go Irish. Beat Trojans!

Tuesday Tunes: Etta James

This week I've had wedding plans on the brain (who knew that planning a wedding required making so many decisions?!), which has inspired today's Tuesday Tune. For some time now (long before I even had a boyfriend, much less a fiance), I have been sure of one detail (and, apparently, only one detail, as I'm quickly discovering now that I have to plan all the rest of the details) for my future wedding ceremony: At some point during the reception, my new husband and I will dance to Etta James's "At Last." If you're not familiar with her rendition of this classic song, get familiar. This singular song exemplifies everything that true love and faithful commitment are about, and for a girl who spent much of her adolescence and young adulthood pining for someone to love (and I do mean PINING), it is also profoundly appropriate.

I love the way that James delivers this song, in such a way that even if she were singing nonsense words, you would understand the intended meaning. The lyrics speak of the joy of found love, and the music shouts the sentiment with piercing strings and a willowy, flowing, ethereal sound. I can feel this song from beginning to end. I eagerly await the day I can share a newlywed moment with my true love as we're completely immersed in this song and embraced by each other. At last.

Fight Song Friday: Washington Week

Not everyone who reads this blog (all 3 of them) is a college football fan (and for that I say, "Shame on you..." Just kidding...kinda). If you're not a college football fan, you may not know that Notre Dame plays Washington this week. You also may not know that Washington did not win a single game in 2008. Zero. You might have also failed to realize that Washington has won 2 of its 4 games in 2009, including a shocking upset of highly-ranked USC. The same USC team that has shellacked Notre Dame every year since 2002. What makes this whole scenario very interesting is that until last year, Washington's head coach, Steve Sarkisian, was USC's offensive coordinator. Naturally, you would expect that he might be able to mastermind a win over the Trojans given that he knows the team so well. You might also expect that he knows how to beat the Irish given the recent history between Notre Dame and USC.

This is what concerns me. By all accounts, Washington should be a mediocre team. Not great, but certainly improved from the 2008 debacle. They have a reliable, shifty quarterback and some good raw talent on their team, but they are obviously still adjusting to a new coaching staff and learning how to win again after last season. But couple Sarkisian's knowledge of Irish strategic weaknesses with the actual physical weaknesses of the ND players due to injuries, and we are likely in for another thrilling (read: heart attack-inducing) game tomorrow. We'll know then what each of these teams is truly made of. Go Irish. Beat Huskies!