Porcaro is back for his second season of blogging, while King gets his first crack at it. Today is their eighth entry for the 2013 season.
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Top 5 Things To Do On The Bus
So, while we were driving up to Minnesota, I was bored out of my mind and thought it would be a good idea to make a list of the top five things to do on the bus. This is also a chance for ya’ll to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be on a long bus trip as a Panther.
#5: Attempt to do homework
Notice, I said attempt and not do. It is almost impossible to do your homework on the bus. First off, you’re driving, and the bumps the bus hits every two seconds get really annoying when trying to write notes or do math problems. Second, you have plenty of distractions to keep you from doing your homework. There is usually a movie on, you got your cell phone by your side, and you also have the company of your teammates. The thoughts going through your head on the ride there are always, “I’ll do my homework on the way back to Milwaukee”. But, then on the way back, after playing a game and being completely exhausted, the last thing you want to do is homework. Your brain is fried and your body just wants to rest. This usually leads to an early wake up call the next day to finish homework before class.
#4: Attempt to nap
Once again, I said attempt. If you’re a freshman or sophomore, chances are you are sharing a seat and sleeping is very hard. Even if you have your own seat, it’s hard to get comfortable on the bus. Some guys go with the 'lay-out on both seats and have your legs in the aisle' technique. That usually kills your back. Others will go with the 'sleep on the floor' trick. That might be the most effective way to nap. You got to have a pillow to nap. Headphones are important as well so you can block out the noise on the bus. Personally, I try to nap by lying on both seats with my feet up on the seat on the other side. Usually works until someone from the front of the bus decides to take a bathroom break and runs into your legs. Then you spend the rest of the time trying to fall back asleep. Rooks!
#3: Utilize the technology you have
This is probably one of the most common things done on the bus. Before the trip it is important to make sure your phone, laptop, iPod, iPad and whatever other technology you have is fully charged. Otherwise the trip will be much longer. Most guys will go through their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feed every half hour. We are probably the most active people on social media during our bus trip because we have nothing else to do. Some guys will use their laptops or iPads to watch movies. Others will just listen to their iPods and think about life. Playing games on the phone is fun until you’re battery is low after two hours. Then you can’t even check your phone to use the map and see how far out we are. Once the phone dies, you go old school and look out the window and daydream.
#2: Watch the movie
We usually show about 2 or 3 movies on long trips, ones that are 9 or more hours. This is a pretty effective way to kill time. If you sit back and enjoy the movie, it saves battery life on your phone and makes the trip go faster. Comedy movies are definitely the best. There is usually at least one Will Ferrell movie on every trip. He’s a team favorite. When we don’t have a long trip and only show one movie, then you’re stuck trying to find another way to kill time.
#1: Play cards
This is by far the best thing to do on the bus. Bunko and euchre are the two most common card games played on the bus. Usually, there is a game of each going on at the same time. Six guys play bunko and four play euchre. I am a bunko guy. This is the first year I participated in playing bunko. It’s really fun and has made the road trips a lot faster. Playing cards is definitely a veteran move. Not a lot of young guys participate, but they’ll learn, as they get older it is the best way to make a road trip faster.
Well, we just got to Minneapolis. As my good friend Mike Goetz would say, this six hour drive was a lay up.
Time to go Gopher hunting.
Go Panthers! Paco
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