The Madness is upon us

This is one of the best times of the year. My personal favorite Thursday - Sunday long weekend, pseudo holiday. Historically, I should be thawing my bones by a roaring fireplace in the mountains somewhere, easing the pain of muscles used of the first time in 11 months, drinking spirits with friends and loved ones, and of course, examining up to three 8 1/2 x 11 quarter folded photocopies that have been in & out of my pocket a dozen times since the beginning of the week of St. Patty's Day. There is definitely something special about enjoying this time of year in a cozy chalet or cabin at the foot of a snowy mountain. Engulfed by an oversized armchair in damp clothes that are slowly crusting over from a blistering fire with a beer/cocktail in one hand, and a bag of chips in the other while a gentle mix of the aroma of pine, cedar, smoke & fresh mountain air circulates about. Sounds like heaven... if such a thing exists. Unfortunately, we all can't be that lucky, and setting the bar that high is tough to live up to year after year. Regardless, annually, I'll make a point of taking off work the 1st Thursday and/or Friday of the NCAA basketball tournament to fully enjoy the spectacle of college basketball in it's finest hour, home alone on my sofa if those are the cards that are dealt. Exhilarating basketball games from 9 am to 9 pm, 4 doses of 4 games simultaneously, 16 games/day for 2 days, and another 16 games on the weekend... unbelievable baby! It's a minor travesty that CBS's coverage of the tournament is interrupted in the afternoon to air Oprah to appease... appease who exactly? Housewives, that are missing there normally scheduled soaps that are mindlessly absorbed between loads of laundry? Thank you TiVo & ReplayTV for DVR. I'll start the madness at least an hour in progress, and with a break for lunch (Board & Brew maybe?), FF through an onslaught of commercials and Oprah too, if I'm lucky and my timing is precise. Who will I pull for? It's a long 2 1/2 week roller-coaster that can derail a loyal fan hopes at any moment. My loyalties this year are firmly in place, and my $$ is actually in line with my heart (probably a bad idea, & why hedge funds make too much money). If the Devils can pull off a somewhat improbable run and cement Coach K into NCAA basketball immortality, Life will be sweet... and a round of beers on me.

Addendum: I didn't make it to Board and Brew... too lazy. Also, I previously thanked Tivo. I want to thank NCAA.com as well. Break in coverage? what break in coverage when you can stream ANY game all day. Sweet!

My god... time flies, I'm back?!

Yes, I can see it's been well over a year since posting last. A lot has changed in that time. A new job, my dad's fight with cancer, a kitchen remodel, my mother's ankle surgery, my daughter's latest obsessions with star wars and E.T. ... and wasting time watching television. Dexter is the best show on T.V. and is most definitely not a waste of time. I was dismissive of this series for a long time despite critical acclaim. Can a show about a serial killer be good T.V.? YES!!! I inexplicably felt an urge to post, because this is what I'm passionate about at the moment. I do wonder what it says about me, liking this show so fanatically... I don't care, because it is so good.

I was surfing the web a bit and came across my buddy Dave's blog. Seeing he was relatively current with posts stoked my competitive juices... what spurred this post, in part. In reflection of his post Irony?, I have to say that I save a similar urge to write about my life and opinions of life as I see it. I'd like to think it's because I like to write and is therapeutic. I do & it is. It shouldn't matter if anyone will read any of this... It shouldn't, but it does. I'd like the validation. I think I'm back? This doesn't seem too laborious... for now. There are plenty of issues to vent about. After a somewhat crazy 12 months, things are settling down, and right now, i feel I can commit to this (new macbook pro facilitating this greatly... sofa posting is key). At this moment, Life is sweet.