Issue #1: Our Debut Issue

It feels utterly like home on my front porch in the warm opening of Autumn; beside me the Hokies are on the radio. The hair on my arms stand when I hear the crest of a roar from Lane Stadium a split second before Bill Roth raises his radio-voice calling a Vince Hall sack. A half-mile away, I imagine a sea of orange ruffling like a flag in the wind in the bleachers. Darth Vader's cape rustles in my mind when the Highty-Tighties plays a Star Wars theme. Back on the porch, Pete the dog finds a place to lounge in the sun. Not completely unaware, his ears perk up to the sound.

Downtown, the game is on the TV above the bars and tables, and the bartenders and wait-staff recognize the mellow time, the calm before a storm. They know that when the floodgates of Lane open, pouring the crowd down Washington Street to Draper and Main towards celebration and refreshment, that it will be the beginning of a long, loud and, most importantly, lucrative night.

Tyrod throws an interception as Glennon paces the sidelines. The Hokies are off to a slow start, but I imagine they'll come around. In the living rooms of the sprawling undergraduate apartment complexes, those not at the game are drinking cans of beer and lounging on couches, maybe playing Tiger Woods or Madden on the TV beside their TV. They've got a handful of parties when the sun goes down, where the yellow beer will be flowing into plastic red cups to the sounds of squeaky pumps. Hopefully that girl from class will be there. Hopefully the kegs won't tap-out too early.

It's halftime and the sounds of a herd of fans are echoing off the stone columns underneath the bleachers as they head toward the smell of hot dogs, pretzels, and turkey legs. Now is the time to beat the traffic and run weekend errands or go to the grocery store to buy dinner groceries. It is the time to have a comfortable bike-ride or take the dog for a walk In the dorms and libraries, the studious are getting a head-start on that paper while others are putting it off until Sunday. In the labs and at their computers, the graduate students are wondering what the big deal is about moving a football back and forth across the field. There are three or four rock shows tonight, and the bands are wondering who is going to show up. "He still has legs and he's looking downfield," Roth raises his voice in excitement. He's a new young quarterback, and the Hokies quietly slip by for a too-close-for-comfort victory as I tune the radio to WUVT. For me and many others, it's just another day in the 16 Blocks.

This debut issue is dedicated to my family. My two beautiful sisters, my steadfast dad, and my mom who had a downtown store where I'd spend summers as a kid, getting comics at the Hobby Shop, and feeding quarters into the games at Arnold's Arcade.