Rainy Saturday

Not exactly a day for yard work, which is fine by me. The bride has already declared that all activity will stop at 3:30 so we can watch Ohio State start its football season against Northern Illinois. The University of Akron, in which we have a rooting interest, will be playing Penn State at the same time, so there may be some channel-flipping.

I expect the Buckeyes to proceed matter-of-factly to a win. I hope UA's Zips at least put up a decent fight, especially given the way Kent State got slapped around a couple of days ago. But how could you not be disheartened when you look at something like this, from the game info box in today's Beacon Journal:

''Coaches: Joe Paterno, 41st year (354-117-3) for Penn State; J.D. Brookhart, third year (13-11) for Akron.''

May watch some golf later, too, although Tiger's already playing (and struggling), and not even XM is carrying live coverage until noon.

But mostly it feels like a rain-mandated day for relaxation. The bride and Target Demo are out and about, younger son has gone to work and I have puttered about the house while listening to ''Dinah Washington: The Queen of the Blues.'' Four sublime discs.