Sunday, November 29, 2009

FAITES DU BRUIT!

The ostensible reason for our recent trip to Montreal was for Pierre to take our daughter and myself to see one of the final games before the big whoop Grey Cup Game, which is being played tonight even as I type this.  At the game we attended, the Montreal Alouettes won big-time against the BC Lions, 56 to 18.  I was the only one in the stands to cheer the Lions AT ALL, EVER, throughout the game, and I only did so once, for fear of my life.  The rest of the stadium was silent the few times the Lions managed to score, silent being a relative term as the decibel level in the place was akin to that of an over-amped giant beehive full of happily buzzing (roaring) bees at all times.  I just could not believe the amount of noise in the place, but when you consider it was full of 54,000 people, mostly men (and by men I mean pumped-up, half-crazed, rabid sports nuts), I guess it's understandable.  And I'm just talking about the times when they weren't being encouraged by the guy with the microphone to "FAITES DU BRUIT" (make noise)...which I thought he was inexplicably saying "ONE TWO THREE" but as most of football seems inexplicable to me,  I didn't question it.  After awhile, though, I did notice the crowd roaring, banging empty seats, stamping, blowing horns, whistling whenever the 1-2-3 signal was given and I eventually looked up at the giant screen to behold the magic words "FAITES DU BRUIT" and all became clear. Well, at least that part of the game.


I don't think I was ever in a place with 54,000 people all at once before.  Here's a cross-section of what it looked like.  They actually got the "wave" going around the entire stadium a few times.  I was too busy with other things to participate...


Other things looking something like this

Well, no, it wasn't the hairy leg I was preoccupied with, more to do with not spilling my beer.  Truth to tell, I only consumed one.  But at least I did my part.  Here's what was attached to the leg



Beer Boy really got his exercise, carrying beer up and down the stairs.  Unfortunately, hot dogs weren't delivered to the seats but our dutiful daughter went and lined up for them for a half hour or so.   We ate them too fast for me to get a picture.



Of course there were cheerleaders to go along with the display.  They're more distracting than anything else but still inspiring enough for this aspiring little cheerette to get her groove on.


I have no clue who these guys are but they were pretty stoked about the Alouettes being Number 1.  At least, I think that's what the fingers signify.  It's all a mystery to me.


So now, gentle silent readers, I must hurriedly post this and dash off to join the men folk over at our buddy's house to watch the final game of the NFL season--the Grey Cup.  This is the game the Montreal Alouettes won the right to play in.  They have won that right 7 times in the past 10 years...but have not won.  Their reputation is on the line tonight.  I'm just in it for the half-time nachos and beer that promises to be served up.

Go Als!

UPDATE:  The Montreal Alouettes won the Grey Cup 28-27 after being behind at half-time 3-17! 

12 comments:

  1. So the artist can be diverted and distracted from artistic endeavors by the temptation of nachos and beer ! How mortifying ! Back ! Back to your easel !
    :-D

    Just kidding, have a grand time, and eat a nacho for me please... and if you see the Saj on the road, please say hi...

    PS did I ever mention that my first real job with a paycheck and all was at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, home to the Eagles in football season, and the Phillies for baseball... I worked for the concessions company that sold all the beer and coke and hotdogs to all those thousands of yelling themselves hoarse fans... I never was a vendor in the stands though like your hairy legged beer boy here... I worked underground in the stadium warehouse, we unloaded all the trucks and stocked all the stands before events... then kicked back until it was time to clean up after... I had more than my fair share of dogs and beer...

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  2. I think, Brother Owen, that your early employ must have set the stage for both brawn and belly!

    Tonight, after all, I was lured by spaghetti and cider; nachos & beer got side-lined.

    I was first exposed to the Grey Cup on black & white TV when I was a kid, playing with my dolls in the living room, allowed to stay in my pyjamas till the game was over. This is the first time in my life I had some idea of what was going on. I mean, not what's going on in my life generally--I'm still pretty clueless about that--but in the football game. I left my dolls at home tonight and watched the game with 3 grown men, 2 of whom are named Dave. None of us were wearing pyjamas. But we were all fully clad!

    Saj is too quiet. She must be having fun without us!

    WV: "caticien" Someone you take your cat to when it's ailing.

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  3. Bravo Alouettes! For last week's game against BC and for last night's Grey Cup win. Bravo Lynne for your "Faites du Bruit" contibution in this Big O Report. And bravo Roughriders too! That last game yesterday was a great game. Now that Canadian football is over, we could turn our attention to South-Canadian for more of it on a smaller field with more downs or just atart cheering the winter season coming our way!
    Go Als Go!

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  4. That Grey Cup game was the best ever.
    Such a lesson to be learned about never giving up. The Riders and Als
    provided such excitement. Nice seeing a small miracle live on TV.

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  5. Pierre,darling, I don't know quite how to tell you...but I think I may have had enough football to last me the rest of my life! But it's been swell.

    I think it's now "Gone Als Gone!"

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  6. Hi Shirl--A small miracle on your BIG TV! It was certainly a knuckle-biting (as opposed to knuckle-dragging) game. I didn't see how the Als could possibly pull of a win so late in the game. Taught me a Big Lesson, as you say, about "never give up!" Right to the bitter end. Conversely, don't count on your win until the bitter end, as proven by the Roughriders. (I can't believe I'm talking football!)

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  7. oooh, have finally managed to leave the bathroom!
    Ah so, apologies for my quietness and kudos for tracking me down anyway! :-)
    Our team won at the weekend too, The All Blacks 39 and France 12. Was a great game too. But we had bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast with our game! (Brekky in front of the TV - works like a charm.)

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  8. And the referee cried, "Foul !" Ah perfidy, perfidy, the browen has neither brawn nor belly; forsooth, the fates dealt other cards that day, tis only a pity, that they dealt but a poor pittance of brains that day as well, had the browen but a few more mere morsels of the revered gray matter, he might have been dangerous...

    WV is "bured", as in, if he continues to blather on like that, certain readers may get bured, and go do other things instead...

    And for some reason the comment didn't take, so now have to type ANOTHER WV, which this time is "hicent", as in, the noise one makes when in one's cups and hicupping down the street, he went hicent off to his house to stagger off to bed..

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  9. Saj, I am very jealous of your TV brekky in front of the game. Perhaps you should talk to Pierre. He just might be able to lure me back to watch another game or two with such temptations. I imagine you had a Mimosa to wash it all down?

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  10. BrOwen, I do like how you've taken to referring to yourself as the browen. Sounds a rather shadowy and devious creature, skulking about and snickering on other person's blog stoops in the wee hours of the morning, scratching barely decipherable symbols on their blog doors, drinking the dregs from bottles left out for recycling. The browen is clearly small of brawn, belly and brain, yet unfathomably brave, some might say foolhardy; and most peculiarly, somehow well-loved by most whose blog paths he crosses and recrosses in his hicent, staggering way.

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  11. Oh dear, I was a boring ol' tart and washed it all down with a cuppa luv!

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  12. Ooh, Saj! I blush to think on this admission!

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