Anyone else feel guilty about not going to the Cotton Bowl?

After last year's RoseBowl I crossed it out.
But I was Just thinking tonight f*** it go there on a shoestring without any real plans. That is the best way to do this. But who would watch the kids? Can I really afford this?
If I didn't have these negative pressures around me I would be on my way there. It would be a terrible decision. But this is a huge game

I can't make it either. The problem the last 2 years of playing in the best bowls is that you don't know where MSU is going until there's just a couple of weeks to make your plans. Vacations for us have to be approved months in advance. You can't just come in and say "I'm taking the week of Jan 1st off" on Dec. 7th.

We're going to Miami for vacation, but not Jan 1st. We got time off for a few day over the New Years, but already made plans to visit the kid living in PA. Maybe someday Indy can host the Championship Game. When MSU made the Conference Championship games, I've been able to go.

Yes. Sign me up for the guilt train.

Last year I had a baby that just turned 1, a 4 year old who was super jealous of his baby sister, a wife who just went back to work full time, and I had just gotten back from a full season of going to games and then Indy for the Champ Game. And I told her I'm going, sorry, don't care what it costs. She understood and it was the trip of a lifetime but I still feel guilty about it.

Just couldn't do it this year. She told me it would be fine. But can't do it.

Double guilt because I've been meaning to visit "a friend" 3 hours away in Austin since my oldest was born and didn't take advantage of how easy my life was at the time to do it. And then when kid 2 hit...holy shit no way. I should have done this in the past 3 years but I didn't.

This would be a great opportunity to go down there and visit with this fro-haired douchenozzle with tripples and his family, see their new house, and hit the bowl game. And I know my wife wouldn't give me shit but I just can't do it.

It's funny last year my wife understood. I couldn't even bring up the topic even though I knew I had to go. I get back from the Big Ten championship game and have a message from her cousin in Long Beach. So she says "It is too expensive for the family why don't you just go".
I don't know if she would have the same attitude for the Cotton bowl. She probably doesn't even know we are in the Cotton Bowl let alone how important this game is.

Herbie Green wrote:It's funny last year my wife understood. I couldn't even bring up the topic even though I knew I had to go. I get back from the Big Ten championship game and have a message from her cousin in Long Beach. So she says "It is too expensive for the family why don't you just go".
I don't know if she would have the same attitude for the Cotton bowl. She probably doesn't even know we are in the Cotton Bowl let alone how important this game is.

Ha. Last year it was kind of an unspoken thing. She knew I had to go regardless. Hell, the year before my daughter was due on 12-12 and I told her at the beginning of the season - if you have delivered, and we make it, I'm going. She gets me. But last year she had taken half of the year off and was getting anal about spending.

Flights were already trending way upward per social media. I logged onto my delta account Sunday morning from the hotel in Indy and I was going to book. I had been looking at my miles and I thought I had like 15k and the cost of the flight was 60k points. So I clicked through the whole thing, found some flight times that I liked and clicked "book with points". It charged me $5 for taxes and I was like WTF just happened?

Turned out I had no idea that I had enough points to book a RT flight and the "miles" that were showing prominently on my account were qualifier miles or something. So I booked my nonstop RT flight to LAX from DTW for $5.

I called my wife on the way home and told her and she said, verbatim "Holy shit. Ok, I can finally be excited for you.".

Yeah my flight was $800 with 3 stops.

But it caused me to be stuck in CA for two additional days because of the snow storms. Those were two of the best days of my life. My wife called me to try to get the snowblower started. "Im sorry it is hard to hear you with these waves crashing"

Had started a new job last year was too soon for me to ask for time off. Plus if i did go i would have to of flown the day before and returned the next day and couldnt risk missing a flight because of weather. Have no desire to go to Dallas. I have massive regrets now that I didn't go to the rose bowl. I should of just went for the red eye out and back.

Still might go, but probably not.

And I never feel guilty about spending time with the family.

12 family/in-laws went to Orlando for the basketball tournament around Thanksgiving. Kids had a blast.

No guilt about not going. I'll go to most Florida bowls, but that's about it. Too much outgo and not enough income.

I'm not due to the location. Can't really drive to Dallas and no such thing as cheap flights into their. Plus it's the Baylor bowl. Let them have their moment

I would feel more guilty about not going to Bob's Cotton Bowl watch party. Please PM Nigel for info and tickets.

I'm going. Should be fun.

I wish I could go, but I am wrapping up grad school and don't have a job and need whatever money I have to pay off my student loans. Just can't afford a trip to Dallas unless it was super-cheap.

I went to the Rose Bowl last year, so I can't feel guilty about not going to a bowl game after spending so much last year to go. More than content just watching the game at home.

God I'm so happy I unloaded the bank for the Rose Bowl last year. It was an absolutely terrible financial decision but if I hadn't gone I would have kicked myself for the rest of my life.

Tim Wakefield wrote:God I'm so happy I unloaded the bank for the Rose Bowl last year. It was an absolutely terrible financial decision but if I hadn't gone I would have kicked myself for the rest of my life.

What happens when you make two terrible financial decisions and go to both? Bet the ML?

Tim Wakefield wrote:God I'm so happy I unloaded the bank for the Rose Bowl last year. It was an absolutely terrible financial decision but if I hadn't gone I would have kicked myself for the rest of my life.

"Because capitalism places such an emphasis on material gain, and forces individuals to choose between happiness and material gain, it is doubtful many people will ever be able to watch their favorite team play in the Rose Bowl. They simply will not be able to find the needed resources, or give up the time otherwise dedicated to making money."

- Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto

Turtleneck wrote:

"Because capitalism places such an emphasis on material gain, and forces individuals to choose between happiness and material gain, it is doubtful many people will ever be able to watch their favorite team play in the Rose Bowl. They simply will not be able to find the needed resources, or give up the time otherwise dedicated to making money."

- Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto