When Jimmy Orr called in December and asked me to do this thing, my first thought was, “What the hell am I going to write about until football season starts?”

The long wait is over.

Cynics who were still awake last Sunday morning when the clock struck midnight might say the matter was over before it had even begun.

Pssst.

I was awake then and most of the bitterly cold night afterward, trying to figure out what the hell had happened in Arizona.

But the tide has turned.

Now it’s time for the first home game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., the time all games should kick off, in the sun-drenched War Memorial Stadium.

I hate opening the season away from home because, my goodness, if the unthinkable happens there, it takes about 5 percent and a few hours off the excitement until the home opener.

We’re spending half a month’s salary to stay two nights in Laramie this weekend because Hall of Fame is on Friday.

Hotels there require a minimum stay of two nights and when I booked in February I didn’t know what time it would start.

Although we will luckily be home by nightfall on Saturday, we will head to our room sun-baked with drive-thru food, watch football on TV and head home very early on Sunday.

The hotel industry may be free enterprise and something that the market provides, but it is criminal and should be regulated in some way.

I have long been calling for some kind of summit between the university and the city government, but these two things do not have much to do with each other.

So this weekend we’re going to the Hall of Fame, next weekend there’s a Pi Phi reunion, and the weekend of September 28th is Homecoming.

We may never recover financially, but it is happening.

Since moving to Glenrock 16 years ago, I have become accustomed to our three roads: from I-25 to Highway 34 to what I call the “Road to Heaven.”

The 55 mph speed limit through Sybille Canyon is killing me, but looking for cute animals gives me something to do.

I spend the last stretch after the turn checking my face, putting away the snacks, calling people to check in, and getting our hotel confirmation and/or parking passes and tickets to the game.

The two hours and 10 minutes fly by.

Now that we’re in the big time where almost every game is televised, I love hearing what the commentators say about Laramie after the game. Of course, the result has to be right or the game will be erased from memory.

Last year, Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman traveled to Laramie for the first time for the Texas Tech thriller.

Brando in particular couldn’t have paid a higher compliment and you could see that he really liked it.

Rich Waltz is one of my favorite hosts and he and the great Aaron Taylor have been to Laramie many times.

This year, Brando and Waltz both have new partners at the booth, which takes some getting used to.

Waltz also seems to appreciate the uniqueness of location 7220.

Last year, his one-line opening sentence was unforgettable and we were reminded of it this week when football’s social media used it for their teasers.

I don’t want to be the Idaho Vandals this week.

I think the Pokes are ready to give them a beating. And I think the defense will remember what the hell to do.

Waltz said, “Welcome to Laramie, it’s just different.”

Thank God.

Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at: [email protected]