My thoughts on the OSU scandal

Here are my thoughts on the recent Jim Tressel/OSU football program scandal.

Let me preface this rant by saying that I am a huge Buckeyes fan. I love it when the Buckeyes win, and I want them to have a winning program just as much as the next guy. Trust me, they are the only team I root for that consistently has a winning record. However, I am disgusted at the conduct issues that are becoming more prevalent in the NCAA, especially in larger programs.

I understand that NCAA athletics is a big money-making business, and that's fine. But that means the players and coaches are employees of the "business" and it is part of their "job" to follow the rules! These "kids" knew they were breaking the rules, knew it was wrong, and they also thought they could get away with it. It's clear now that Jim Tressel was more than willing to lie and break the rules in order to "protect" his players and his winning record and 2010 season.

In my opinion, these students ARE paid, with quality educations and room and board. Therefore, they need to follow the rules or risk loosing their scholarships. I am so sick of hearing people whine about how it's unfair that student athletes don't get compensated for their performances. They are paid with an education and the opportunity to showcase their talents and possibly move on to the NFL. However, they are NOT guaranteed a spot in pro football, so they shouldn't jeopardize their educational opportunities. They should be just as focused on their education and keeping their noses clean as they are on their sports.

Yes, student athletes are held to a higher standard. Yes, they are often put under a microscope, especially in larger programs. However, they are very aware of this when they choose to become members of these programs. And they should be held to a higher standard, they represent the school nationally and are examples to other students. They should take pride in their roles as student leaders.

In my opinion, Jim Tressel should be fired and all 5 of these students should be kicked out of the football progam and loose their scholarships. All parties involved knew the rules, knew the difference between right and wrong, and knew the possible consequences of their actions. Ohio State should now make them pay the consequences for their actions, instead of sucking up to Tressel and acting like this violation is no big deal. This situation is a perfect example of what is wrong with college sports today, and it's obvious that these problems are becoming more rampant. Let's hold our colleges and universities to a higher standard, and focus on the reason they exist in the first place: preparing students for jobs, for life, and giving them a quality education!

I know my opinion is naive, and idealistic, but it's how I feel nonetheless. In a perfect world, students would be focused on education and being leaders at their schools, not on being all-stars.

Our First Anniversary Trip to San Francisco

My husband Nate and I went to San Francisco for our first anniversary a few weekends ago. We had a wonderful trip, and enjoyed our time together. It was our first trip to San Francisco, despite the fact that we have lived nearby for 5 years!

We left for our trip on Friday, and took the Amtrak train from Reno to Emeryville, CA. It was a relaxing 7-hour trip through the Sierra Nevada mountains. We passed through many small towns, and got to see a lot of very beautiful scenery.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency near the Ferry Building in the financial district. After we arrived at the hotel, we went to Sinbad's, a local seafood restaurant with a great view of the Bay Bridge. The food was good, but we thought it was over-priced.

The Millan's at Sinbad's - First Night in San Francisco.

On Saturday, we took the Light Rail to the SFMOMA (Museum of Modern Art) to get our city passes and see the city. We enjoyed riding the light rails and trolleys, and those got us to most of the places we wanted to see.

After touring the MOMA, we went moved on to Pier 39. We saw the cute sea lions basking in the sun, and we had some sea food and clam chowdah on the Pier.

Sea Lions on Pier 39.

Nate enjoying some clam chowdah.

While at Pier 39, we also visited the Aquarium on the Bay and went on a boat cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge and past Alcatraz. We enjoyed the cruise, but it was very foggy and cold on top of the boat! A seagull also kept on flying above our heads, and all the passengers were afraid we were going to get pooped on!

A foggy view of the Golden Gate Bridge from our cruise, and a shot of Alcatraz Island.

The highlight of our trip was on Saturday night, when we went to see the musical Wicked. I am a massive fan of the soundtrack, the book the play is based on, and the original Wizard of Oz, so I was very excited to see the show. It was fantastic! We both loved it and hada great time at the historic Orpheum Theatre.

Before the show, we went to dinner at a great local italian place in Little Italy called Firenze by Night. It was probably the best meal we had during our trip, and we met a family that was headed to Reno the next day for the Junior Olympic Volleyball Tournament. Small world....

Looking spiffy outside of the Orpheum Theatre before Wicked.

On Sunday, our anniversary and our last day in the city, we went back to Pier 39 for breakfast, then headed to the Golden Gate. We walked across the bridge and took some fantastic pictures of both the city and the bridge. After our trek across, we went to Golden Gate Park and visited the De Young Museum and The California Academy of Sciences, which featured a planetarium and a rainforest.

On the fantastic Golden Gate Bridge.

By the time we returned to our hotel on Sunday evening, we were exhausted. We were able to cram a lot of fun into our little trip. We had dinner and drinks at the hotel restaurant (we had fun talking to our server, who was from Youngstown, Ohio), and then got packed up for our trip home on the train.

We had such a wonderful first anniversary together! It was a great trip, and we hope to go back to San Francisco soon!