I'm a Tarheel Born, I'm a Tarheel Bred

And where Duke's involved, I'm absolutely, blindly, unswervingly, uncompromisingly biased.

One thing you have to realize about Carolina fans. We hate Duke. We say that, and people smile patiently at us, and we can tell that they think we're exagerating.

We're not. We really do. Really.

Now, when we encounter a Duke grad or fan in real life, we may like them just fine on a personal level. One on one, they're typically nice, normal people, especially those that are either from North Carolina to begin with, or who decide to stay here after college. Heck, I even married one once, and my son is good friends with one.

But Duke in the abstract? As a conglomerate? Hate 'em. My sister was invited to sing in a Christmas Eve service at Duke Chapel, and went, and as she was getting robed realized that the choir robe was Duke blue. She thought to herself, "Gosh, I hope no one I know sees me in this." THAT'S how much we hate Duke the entity.

This post that my friend Cindi sent me is how much we hate them. (Note: The post was written LAST year, 2007, so if it seems off, that's why)

And yes, the feeling is mutual. My family is primarily comprised of normal, sensible, Carolina fans. One or two State fans, which is odd but acceptable. But I once had a great-aunt who was...a Dookie. Not sure how it happened; but she was rabid. Towards the end of her life, she suffered from dementia, and had basically stopped recognizing people and had very little notion of place or time. But one night my Dad went to sit with her for a bit, and, teasing her, said, "Pauline, I saw one of your best friends the other day, Dean Smith!" Without missing a beat she opened her eyes, looked Dad straight in the eye and said, "Go to hell!"

It's rivalry week, baby!

For the record, Carolina's women's team just beat up on Duke, at Duke. Life is good..... (and yes, I did wait to post this until AFTER I knew the outcome....)