Fridays That Baffle And Excite

Is it just me, or is there something about Fridays that magically changes when a school year begins? I assume it's probably the fact that thousands of kids are anticipating the weekend, and so that excitement permeates the air. Also, Fridays and school years beginning means high school football. This is Texas after all. I LOVE football season. My dad refereed high school football, for the longest time, when I was growing up. My mom always said that his heart was the shape of a football. He loved it. (That really is an understatement, but I don't know what other word to use besides love.) He spent Friday nights running after teenagers, and Saturdays icing his knees and shins, and watching 20 different college football games on TV. (his... girth... was such that running after teenagers was a tiresome activity)
Anyways, as I was out on a walk with Pete this morning, I could just feel it. The anticipation that comes with a new school year, the excitement of the weekend to come, and the knowledge that you have to cram as much goodness as possible into the next two days before the whole week begins all over again. It was completely different than how last Friday felt. Isn't that weird? I think Pete sensed it as well. His tail was more jaunty and waggy than normal. (until about halfway through the walk when he was probably thinking - as I was - 'when do we get air conditioning?')
Also, on our walk, we observed something that was kind of... confusing to both of us. You know how people put those signs in their yard, advertising what their kids do? You know, it has a picture of a basketball and the kid's name and jersey number. Or it's the shape of a boot and says that they're daughter is some high stepping whatever. Or maybe a picture of a bench and it says 'My kid doesn't do anything but wood shop?' We saw one, in someone's yard, for a kid in band. It had the high school's name, the kid's name, and the kid's NUMBER??? Seriously, it was something like:

Bob Smith High School

Marching Band

Jeremey #15

True story! (names have been changed to protect the innocent and the numbered) We were both baffled. I think those things are a bit ridiculous actually. People in this country, now-a-days, have enough opportunities to tell other people how much better they are than them. This is just another chance, and their kids get dragged into it too. (I understand some of them are there for school spirit...) 

Also, the car stickers. You know what I'm talkin' bout? Those bug me as well, for 2 reasons:

1.) My little sister has been out of high school for pretty much a year and a half, and my mom has yet to get Holly's band sticker off of her car. I don't know that a nuclear bomb could get it off. It's stuck real good.

2.) Part of me just thinks that kidnappers or child molestors could easily figure out where those kids participate in their activities, and know them by name.

Paranoid? Probably. Weird? Debatable. Ingenius? Absolutely.

Anyways, it's a new school year, it's Friday, and I can feel it. It makes me get all excited for upcoming holidays (like I'm ever NOT excited for the last 3 major holidays of the year... you know which ones I'm talkin' bout.   ,   , and last but not least,   !!!!!!)

What are you looking forward to in the upcoming school year?