Splish Splash!

I went kayaking tonight. There were four of us.  It was a little windier than I would have liked, especially early in the evening. But the wind was initially from the south, and we kayaked along the south shore, where it was more protected.  Later in the evening, the wind shifted to the east.  It was very pleasant. 

I have avoided kayaking in the really, really hot weather. But I realize that the east end of the lake is shaded in the close end of the evening, and it should be pleasant on the water in the triple digit weather.

I was the third to dock, and I used the boat ramp.  After I got out, the last paddler came up to the ramp.  I got into the edge of the water, squatted down, and tried to steady her kayak so she could get out.   And, my feet slid on the slick ramp surface, and I plopped down.  Surprisingly, not too hard.  I could not get my grip, and in the process, started pushing the last kayaker away from the edge of the shore.

And then, I turned over on my hands and knees, and try as I might I could not climb the slope of the ramp.  Every time I tried, I just slid back into the water further.  And pushed the last kayaker, again.  I started giggling.  I could not help it. And, so of course, the last kayaker started giggling.  We were helpless.

Well, I did realize that I could crawl across the slope to the edge of the boat ramp. By then, one of the other kayakers came to the ramp, stayed on dry land, and helped me pull myself up and onto the dry part of the ramp. 

The other kayaker helped the last kayaker to get out of the kayak safely, on the side of the boat ramp, to avoid the slick area.

Even as I finished packing up, I was giggling.  Even as I drove home, I was giggling.  And, as I write this, I am giggling.  It was just too funny.

I was not embarrassed. I was among friends.  Isn't it nice to be able to say that!

The NBA Website is Crappy

Oops pardon me.  I do not usually use that kind of language. In writing, In print. Verbally. But on 4-28-13, I was trying to contact the NBA on their website to make a comment, and when I clicked on "contact us" I got no where.

So, this tells me the NBA really does not want to hear from me. Which does not surprise me. The NBA over the years has acted as if it is above fan involvement, and is totally about the bottom line: profit.

Or, this tells me that the NBA website has had a glitch, or is otherwise non-responsive to fans.

Well, if the NBA trolls the Internet to see what is being written about it, I wonder if they will comment to my blog.

I hope so.

Be Careful What You Ask For, You Might Get It

You have heard this before.  I know I am guilty of this.  I have asked for something for the last few years, and now that I have what I asked for, I realize that what I had was better than what the new situation was.

Has this happened to you? I bet it has.

I recall a story about a group of people who were on a retreat. They were asked to put their trials and tribulations on a piece of paper in a basket.  Then, they were to take a piece of paper from the basket, and decide if they wanted to keep that adversity, or turn it back in.  To a person, they chose to keep their own adversity. Better the devil I know.

We shall survive and persevere.  But what bumps and lumps along the way.

Blog

I do not know who you are that are following my blog in China, Russia, and other places around the world. I do not care. I suspect you are automaton trackers.  But it is really creepy to have you viewing my blog and not commenting or otherwise interacting.

When I was having problems with Suddenlink, they sent me a couple of comments apologizing, but it was obvious that they were automatically generated, because they did not relate or refer to prior comments I had also received from Suddenlink.

You can be as voyeuristic as  you want to be.  I do not care.  But I wish you would comment.

Stress

Work has been very stressful the last couple of weeks.  I will not talk about that, but about how I deal with it: Not well.

I come home from work, and do the necessary chores: feed the cats, take out the trash, read the mail, check the computer email, do the games I generally do, including the word games on Facebook. Sometimes I cook dinner. Sometimes, if the weather is good, I sit outside and read. Sometimes, I watch something mindless on TV, especially sports. 

But most nights, I do not de-stress before I go to sleep.  I nod off before I can de-stress. So the quality of my sleep is tense and not restive. Even though the activities in which I engage are really activities to help me to de-stress: read, mindless TV, word games, it does not always help.

With the emotional news content lately, and the inability to de-stress, I have been wearing out my body and my mind.  I need to let it go.  I need to just chuck it.  

Last night, I had a period of restive reading before I went to bed.  That was very helpful. Maybe I can do that again tonight.

Technology Does Not Always Prevail

I was trying to print some very important and time sensitive documents tonight, and my printer just would not accept them.  I tried everything the troubleshooting help suggested, to no avail. Finally, I copied and pasted the documents into a new file, and printed them.  They did not look as polished and professional as they would have, if I could have printed them from the original file, but I need them for tomorrow morning, and I was running out of options.

Technology is wonderful, when it works.

Tired

I am very tired. I do not know why. I just am.  I worked overtime last week. I have worked long hours this week. Is that why am so tired?   I work overtime and long hours a lot. 

I think a lot of it is emotional:  Last week was a very emotionally distressing week in the USA.  And I followed it closely on the news. I really do not watch the news much, but I watch it more than I used to, when I got the newspaper.  But even if I got the newspaper, I would have watched last week's events on TV anyway.  I can feel the emotional drainage from the horrible news of last week.

Also, we had a difficult situation at work.  Our supervisor is out sick, and her substitute, today admitted she did not know the rules about the situation, although common sense should have prevailed and did not. So, two of us were put on the spot about a situation over which we had no knowledge and control, but were being asked to be accountable for, because the leadership in our department was not present.

That is so distressing.  I think the situation is resolved. I hope so. We do not need additional distractions at work. We are short staffed as it is, and these distractions take time and energy away from the task at hand.

A Change in the Weather

We were having spring and almost summer like weather in Lubbock, but last night, a wintry front blew in, and we are expecting a few days of cold weather. It was very cold this morning when I went to work, and although the temperature was in the low 70s midday, by the time I left work tonight, it was cold and the blustery wind made it feel even colder.

I grew up in New England. The wisdom about the weather in New England was "if you do not like the weather, wait a minute and it will change."  I moved to West Texas in 1977.  The word about the weather was "if you do not like the weather, wait a minute and it will change."  I never said anything to the native West Texans about that, but really, isn't that the truth almost everywhere in the middle latitudes.

This week is a good example of that.

Okay, So It Is Time To Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

One of the regrets that I have had as a social worker, is that for the first 15 or so years of my career, I had to account for every penny to survive. As the latter years have progressed, I have had more discretion with my finances, but have always been conservative. With the increased flexibility of my finances, I have been able to make charitable contributions that years ago, I wished I could make, but was too financially strapped to be able to do.  The life of a social worker.

One of the gifts that I have felt I have in the last few years is to have some discretionary funds so I can donate to various charities. There are five charities to which I donate monthly.  This is very private, so I will not name them, nor the amounts.  I would not mention this at all, but I want to make a point.

When certain circumstances come along, I supplement my charitable giving by donating to help with these special circumstances.  I send memorial gifts when someone has died. I send a one time gift when there is an unusual incident that I want to provide support to and to which I want to contribute.

I have very few regular blog readers.  I do not know why I am being read in Russia, Germany, Ireland, or China, to mention a few.  I suspect these are automaton readings, scanning for political, ideological or maybe religious or radical sentiments. 

I do not know who you are, or even if you are real persons versus electronic coding entities.  If you are real persons, I will challenge you now to put your money where your mouth is. Donate to help the people who have suffered because of the Boston Marathon Bombings.  Donate to help the people in West, Texas who have suffered due to the explosion of the fertilizer plant in their community.

I know that the few people in my personal circle who read my blog already contribute to charitable causes, either with time, talent or treasures.   So, if there is anyone who I do not know personally who is reading this, I will challenge you to contribute to a charity with your time, talent, or treasure, if you are not already doing so.

Prayers to West, Texas

On April 17, 2013, there was an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/key-facts-plant-explosion-west-texas-18990641.  The authorities treated it as a crime scene, and are slowly opening up zones to allow residents back into their homes. They are not saying it is a crime.  They are using crime scene techniques to help understand what happened, and to protect the citizens of the community.

West http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hgw06 is a small town, about 17 miles north of Waco, off of I-35. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West,_Texas.

This was a horrific tragedy, flattening a large section of the town, costing lives, causing injuries, and disrupting the town. 

There are no words to describe the sadness this event causes me.  This last week has been a week of sadness in the news. 

Prayers go out to West, Texas and those who have been affected by this tragedy. 

Many who lost their lives were First Responders.  This makes sense:  they had responded to the fire that lead to the explosion.

Once again, thank you to all First Responders.  Many of your days are quiet, but you never know when you will be in a situation in which you are putting your life on the line.

Fanaticism

We were talking at work about the terrorism seen in Boston this week.  One of my coworkers asked what is it about the Muslims.  My comment was that it is not Muslims that behave in this terroristic way, it is the fanatical groups like Al Qaeda.

I went on to explain that I see Al Qaeda as the Muslim version of the Klu Klux Klan.  We agreed that the Klan members claim to be Christian, but their violent racist behavior is not Christian. And even with the advances of integration in this country, the Klan still has followers and there are White Supremists in this country who are capable of that kind of terrorism.  We acknowledged that the Klan does not do international terrorism.  But it helps us to think about the difference between Muslims and Al Qaeda.

Fanaticism about anything is dangerous. "Anything in excess is too much."

Thank You to Law Enforcement and First Resonders

I have followed the events in Boston and Watertown, MA today.  From the city wide lockdown, to the dragnet in Watertown, to the all clear, to the discovery of the suspect of the Boston Marathon bombings http://www.nbcnews.com/ in a boat in Watertown. 

I am so impressed with the citizens in those communities, at the time of the bombings and continuing into the saga: To Carlos Arredondo, who helped save Jeffery Bauman, Jr's life, and then stayed on to help at the scene. To those who stepped up and identified suspects and gave background information about the suspects, including Jeffery Bauman, Jr, a victim. To obey the lockdown order, with all of its economic, and social inconveniences. To the citizen, David Henneberry, who found the suspect and acted swiftly and appropriately by calling the police. 

And to all the law enforcement and first responder agencies. As they left the scene, the citizens of Watertown acknowledged their efforts with an ovation.  I have previously mentioned that on the 15th, I heard of tales of local citizens opening their businesses and homes to the victims of the bombings.  And not all the victims were those who were injured physically.  Victims included people who could not access their hotels.  Or get transportation home. Or were emotionally shocked.

As with 9/11, the Marathon Bombings did not destroy the spirit of the citizens of the Greater Boston area. Indeed, instead, it seems to have strengthened the spirit of the communities.

From all accounts, the various entities worked together, and this is known not to be the norm. There are always territorial, turf, and authority questions, jealousies and power struggles.

And, the president made it clear the due process would prevail for the suspect.  This, too, is a measure of the character of our country. One, that has not always been the case. 

So, how can I say it, but thank you to Law Enforcement and First Responders.

Consoler in Chief

I suspect that when someone runs for the Presidency of the United States of America, the role of Consoler in Chief is not the role to which they aspire. 

Yet, it is an important role that the Commander in Chief takes on.  During President Obama's terms in office, he has had to take that role many times.  In the last 12 months, alone, he has had to console victims of Superstorm Sandy, the shooting victims at Sandy Hook, the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, and the victims of the fertilizer plant fire and explosion in West, Texas. And these are just a few of the incidents that have resulted in President Obama becoming Consoler in Chief.

Over the years, the various presidents have brought their own style and ability to this role. President Obama certainly is very capable.  In my opinion, President Clinton and President Reagan were very well spoken in this role. 

Consoler in Chief is not a role that everyone can do comfortably.  It takes a certain sense of self to be able to connect with others who are in pain.  Consoler in Chief can help the country to heal, to retain its spirit and sense of pride in its country.  It seems to be happening with President Obama.

My Heart is Heavy

My heart is heavy.  I grew up in Western Massachusetts, and only own Boston in a peripheral sort of way, but I own its sports, legend, and history deep in my heart.  The Boston Marathon http://www.baa.org/ is an icon in the world of sports. My heart is heavy at the terrorism attack that occurred at the finish line of the race on 4-15-13.

I am not sure what news source to site regarding what happened at the 2013 Boston Marathon, so I will go with The Boston Globe http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/16/some-areas-downtown-boston-reopen-today-boston-marathon-bombing-investigation-continues/qTROe6L0b98qRl9W7dnWiJ/story.html. 

I was at work when I Iearned of the bombings.  One of the security officers told me about it.  As I moved about the building, the staff were able to keep me posted of the latest results.  As I finished my patient rounds, I made my way to my office and turned on the radio.  When I do office work, I do not usually listen to the radio, but for this, I did.  Many of my coworkers, Monday and Tuesday, recalling my Massachusetts roots, expressed condolences, and asked about my family.  I think they really "got it" that the bombing was to be mourned, for its heinousness.

Monday, I went home after work, and after tending to chores, spent an evening watching the news. I was horrified, sickened, mortified, and hopeful.

The hopeful part of me was because of the stories of people who helped, runners who went to donate blood, restaurants that fed people for free, the many people who offered to help, to open their homes to people who were stranded.

Boston is a sports town. Monday was Patriot's Day, and part of the traditional celebration, in addition to the Boston Marathon, is the Red Sox home game at Fenway Park, early in the day.  So, it was finished by the time the bombs went off. The Red Sox were on the bus on the way to the airport before things shut down.  http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130416&content_id=44976856&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos.  At their Tuesday game, they recognized the tragedy.

The Boston Bruins http://bruins.nhl.com/ Monday night home game was postponed, the Celtics http://www.nba.com/celtics/?SR=SearchNBA_GXUS__NBA.com_Boston_Celtics home game on Tuesday was postponed http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/04/15/security-at-sports-venues-after-boston-blast/2085755/

Tuesday, many baseball teams offered a solidarity tribute to Boston by playing "Sweet Caroline" the Fenway Park "anthem."  This includes the New York Yankees ttp://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26326395&topic_id=8878548&c_id=nyy. Neil Diamond responded with acknowledgements:  https://twitter.com/NeilDiamond. 

Tuesday, there was a vigil on the Boston Common. Three people were killed, hundreds were injured. They were recognized at the vigil. 

So, I have focused on the sports aspect of this tragedy.  It is a defense.  And because the tragedy occurred at a sports event, and little else was known.

April 15th is celebrated as Patriot's Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots'_Day.  There are some thoughts that the bombings were making a statement about Patriot's Day.  But, as far as I have heard tonight, no one has come forward to claim this.

I cannot imagine the devastation and destruction caused by these bombings.  President Obama addressed this and the resources devoted to try to find the answers about these bombings http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57579706/obama-on-boston-bombings-we-will-find-out-who-did-this/

The  devastation and destruction is the kind that occurs at war.  Is the United States at war?  We have troops throughout the world, and many are engaged in combat of some sort. But no warring faction has claimed responsibility for these bombings.

I do not know what to think about the perpetrators of this attack. I have to wonder why, and what statement they wanted to make. I have to wonder if they were trying to save someone, including themselves. But, it seems, more likely, they were protesting something, but have not enunciated their cause.

What human tragedy this is.  It is senseless and useless.  What ever it was intended to do, it unified and solidified the community spirit of Boston.

A Baseball Sort of Day

It was a bright, sunny and warm day today.  And very windy.  I am still suffering the effects of the dust that blew Tuesday.  I could have been outside.  But I decided to take advantage of a baseball http://mlb.mlb.com/home sort of day:

The Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox were on TBS earlier today.  I watched the Red Sox win.

Then, I went to the movie 42 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/.  And thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now, I am watching the Baltimore Orioles vs. the New York Yankees. 

It is a baseball sort of day.

Jackie Robinson Day 42 and

The first Jackie Robinson Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson_Day was celebrated by Major League Baseball in 2004, and was designated as a celebration annually in 2005 http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130410&content_id=44442254&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb. This year, Jackie Robinson Day is 4/15/13.  If teams do not play on 4/15/13, they celebrate the next day.  If they are not in their home stadium on 4/15/13, they honor Jackie Robinson at their next home game.

If you do not know who Jackie Robinson is, he was the first Afro-American baseball player, hand picked, to play in the major leagues.  This occurred in 1947, and frankly he faced a lot of racism as he traveled with his team and played baseball across the country. He handled the situation with courage, grace, respect, and dignity. 

His number, 42, was retired in 1997 by Major League Baseball, but Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, whose number is 42, was allowed to continue to wear the number, as he did before the number was retired 

In 2007, Ken Griffey Jr. asked permission to wear 42 on Jackie Robinson Day in Robinson's honor.  In 2009,  all players were allowed to wear the number on Jackie Robinson Day. Now, everyone wears 42 on Jackie Robinson Day.

The movie "42 The Jackie Robinson Story"  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/  has a line: "Someday everyone will wear 42."  The point is symbolic: if we are all 42 we are all the same: race, creed, color, whatever, we are all the same.  The movie was nationally released 4/12/13, timing it to coincide closely with Jackie Robinson Day 2013.

I went to see the movie today.  I wanted to get to it early in its showing in Lubbock, because Lubbock is not a baseball town, and I did not think it would stay around long.  I was surprised by the crowd, including many women, even solitary women as myself, without a companion, in the audience. During the movie, when there were good baseball plays, the audience clapped (I did) like it was a real game.

I appreciate the struggle and pain Jackie Robinson went through as the first black player in Major League Baseball. But I can not imagine what that was. 

I am glad Major League Baseball recognizes him. And, that Major League Baseball (the national past time) recognizes its role in the integration of our nation.

I have to wonder what Thomas Jefferson, Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King, Jr. would thing about Barak Obama being the President of the United States of America.

If anyone says that sports does not have an impact on our culture, they are wrong.  And, while it is not the end all and be all of integration, sports has had a very large impact on integration in this country.

Plantings

I have been itching to get some vinca to add the plants I already have.  I am trying to grow ground cover under a shady area in my yard.  I have been working on this for a couple of years, but it is going slow. I have decided I need to get a lot of plantings and feed and water them heavily.

Well, today, I was visiting with folks who have done some early planting this year: their plants have been nipped by the freezes we have had. I see in my own yard:  the little fingerling oak sapling lost its leaves, and the volunteer trumpet vines have all wilted. One person said her neighbors peach blossoms were nipped, so they will not have peaches this year.

So, although I had thought to buy vinca this weekend, I will wait a while longer. There is a prediction of overnight freezing temperatures in the coming week.

Shopping

Depending upon which route I take, there is a grocery store between my house and my place of employment.  During the week, if I need an item or two, I will stop at this store on my way home from work.  I have noticed a series of patterns. 

If I get to work early, and can leave even 5 or 10 minutes before 5 PM, the traffic at the store is not too bad, usually. But if I leave work at 5 PM, or anytime between 5 PM and 5:40 PM, the store is generally very, very crowded. If I get to the store close to 6 PM, the congestion has already cleared.

The day everyone gets their disability or state benefits the store is very crowded, and right after work is especially bad with congestion.

The store plans well, and during the peak times, generally has many registers open, including the express registers.

Sometimes, I need to stop off at this store to get something on my way to work.  It is never crowded before 8 AM.  However, they seldom have many registers open, so you might find a line at the register. However, the management is very responsive to this, and will generally quickly open a register if this happens.

I try to plan my shopping for less crowded times, but also, I want to stop on my way home from work.  Once I get home, I do not want to go out shopping again, if I can help it.  

Setting My Schedules

It is easy to set my schedule according to the national broadcasts of my favorite sports teams:  the Yankees, the Red Sox, http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/broadcasts/national.jsp?tcid=mm_mlb_schedule and the Boston Celtics http://www.nba.com/celtics/2012-13-boston-celtics-schedule. Their websites have a listing called "national broadcasts" so I just add the information to my calendar, with reminders.

The Weather Has Changed

Saturday and Sunday were so beautiful, I went kayaking both days. It was so nice!  Monday was very warm, but the wind was up, too windy to go kayaking after work.

I had to stay home from work this morning, for repairs. The morning was beautiful.  I had the house opened and enjoyed the breeze blowing through.  It was so warm, I was concerned that the house would be too warm for the girls in the afternoon.  It was in the high 70's in the house when I went to to work, and in the high 70s or low 80s outside.  I even turned the air conditioner on.  I hated to do it.  I always like to be home the first time I run the air conditioner or heater for the season, but it needed to be done, in case.

I need not have worried. The front that was supposed to blow through tonight blew through this afternoon. The dust was up and the wind was strong.  It is in the high 40's now, about 9 PM, but the house is snug.  That is one thing about this house.  It does hold the heat well.

There is a possibility of precipitation with this front, but I think most of the moisture will be to the north.

The Noise

I heard the noise at night.  I could not tell what it was or where it came from.  It sounded very much like a cat had knocked something over. I looked throughout the house, and even outside front and back. I could find nothing.

Until, in the morning.  A cable had snapped on the garage door. I could not open the garage door and get the car out. I called a repair service and they came shortly after opening.  The serviceman could repair the springs and cables, but not the garage door opener.  He thought he could be back the same morning to finish the job. He did. The door is fixed.

Inconsolable Kitty

Every once in a while, Sake becomes inconsolable.  She not only has to be held, but I have to walk her around while I hold her, and her claws dig into me while I hold her.  I do not know what brings this on, but something triggered it this morning. 

So, I spent a large part of my morning walking around with her instead of doing housework. Unfortunately, I had a noon engagement, so at one point just HAD to put her down so I could keep this commitment.  When I returned about 2 hours later, she was no longer so distressed.

I wish she could talk so I could understand these things.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

I have previously mentioned the National Public Radio http://www.npr.org/ show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/ in a blog. Well, this show is a hoot, and it is being broadcast to movie studios around the country on Thursday night, May 2, 2013.  Cinemark Movies 16 http://www.cinemark.com/  in Lubbock will be showing this event. I bought my ticket on line last night. I am not sure how that works, because I have a bar code I have to bring to the theater.

I think this will be fun.

Papal Exhibit in Lubbock

An exhibit of the artifacts related to Pope John Paul II has arrived in Lubbock, Texas http://lubbockonline.com/faith/2012-11-29/lubbock-first-city-us-host-exhibit-honoring-pope-john-paul-ii.  This is a widely advertised exhibit, and is expected to attract a lot of visitors to Lubbock.  I suspect that is happening. I got online last night to buy tickets, and could not get a ticket for April, so I purchased one for May.  That is good.

Tonight, I was at a Catholic Charities function, and my second cousin, Tom Musiak and his wife, Helen, were there. Tom told me we are not related to Pope John Paul II, born  Karol Józef Wojtyła, from Poland. Neither of us were surprised by this statement.

Tom and Helen have been to the exhibit, with a group, and with Father Malcom Neyland as commentator.  That would have been interesting.

But, I will take the regular tour, and enjoy what I get to watch.

Balaclavas in Baseball?

I am watching the baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox http://mlb.mlb.com/home.  The weather in New York City is cold tonight, and I am seeing many of the Boston Red Sox players wearing balaclavas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaclava_(clothing).  It makes sense to me, but I am not sure I have seen that in baseball before. 

I am a cold woosie.  I have good warm clothing, and if it is the least bit cold outside, I wear my winter coat, a funnel scarf http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=funnel%20scarf&clk_rvr_id=464854481672&adpos=1o1&MT_ID=69&crlp=24074180405_2416792&geo_id=10232&keyword=funnel+scarf&adgroup_id=%7BADGRP_ID%7D&crdt=0, and sometimes, another scarf.  I use gloves, and when it is very, very cold, I will use a pair of mitten over my gloves. I have plenty of warm clothes.  There is no reason for me to be freezing cold in cold weather.

Uh Oh! I Did It!

When I arrived home tonight, I entered the house from the garage. The door between the house and the garage is on the west end of the house.  As I entered in, I heard a noise, emanating from the east end of the house, and Taki came racing around the corner, and stopped with that look in her eyes that said "Uh Oh, I did it."  I did a quick walk through of the house, and this initial check did not reveal anything.

So, I followed my usual routine that included feeding cats, taking out trash, reading the mail and changing into comfortable and warm clothes. It was when I went sat at the computer that I saw what had happened.  The keyboard for the desktop was knocked to the floor.  And, the monitor for the desktop, which is positioned behind the laptop, was leaning forward, on the laptop! Had the monitor spilled forward, there could have been some serious damage to the laptop!

Taki is a slow learner. I do hope that she has learned her lesson, and whatever she did, she does not repeat it.

2013 NCAA Woman's Basketball Tournament

I purchased tickets to the Round 1 and 2 games of the 2013 NCAA Woman's Basketball Tournament http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-women/d1 in early February, while it was still not certain that the Lady Raiders of Texas Tech would be in Round 1.  The tournament rounds 1 and 2 were being played in at the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech was hosting Round 1 and 2 of the tournament, and I wanted to support women's basketball.  I was glad I purchased tickets, because by the end of the season, it was obvious that the Lady Raiders would participate in Round 1.

I will say, a few years ago, Texas Tech hosted Round 1 and 2, when Texas Tech was obviously not going to be in the tournament, and I attended those games, and was glad I did.  I was glad to be a part of the small crowd that supported women's basketball.  What amazes me, is that while attendance in Lubbock has drastically dwindled since the Marsha Sharp Era, our attendance is still very good, compared to many other markets in the sport. Which is why we get to host the early rounds of the tournaments.

So, when the Lady Raiders played against the University of Southern Florida, I was delighted to see a very large crowd.  However, the Lady Raiders lost.  Theirs was the second game of the day, the first being California against Fresno State.  California won.

The second round saw California win against the University of Southern Florida. I attended that game. The crowd was small but appreciative.  

I did not think I was really interested in the rest of the tournament, but surprise, surprise, I was pleased to watch California progress through the tournament.  I did not watch all of the California games, but I watched some.

By happenstance, I turned the TV to the Louisville vs. Baylor game as it was in the last 5 or so minutes.  I was flabbergasted, and sorry I did not watch the entire game. But I was delighted to see Louisville beat Baylor. Wow!

So, since then, I have been paying more attention to the tournament.  Tonight, an Elite Eight game is being played between Louisville and Tennessee. The other final four contestants are California, Notre Dame, and Connecticut.

So, where do my loyalties lie:  I am from New England, and I could justify a loyalty to Connecticut.  I was raised Catholic, so I could justify a loyalty to Notre Dame.  Since I have followed California from Round 1, I can justify following through with them.  I will have to see who wins between Louisville and Tennessee.  I can justify cheering for each team:  Louisville, because they beat the seemingly invincible Baylor.  Tennessee, for sentimental reasons, because Holly Warlick is now the coach, succeeding the amazing Pat Summit who had to retire due to Alzheimer's Disease.

We shall see who are in the Final Four.  

What Season Is This?

We have had some wonderfully warm and beautiful weather the last few days:  shirt sleeve, sunshine, and spring like.  I was able to sit out and enjoy the sunshine Friday night, part of Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  It has just been delightful.

I heard the weather forecast last night: it was going to be colder today and we would have some mist and overcast, with possible snow and rain mix overnight Tuesday night.  Sometime in the last few days, I had turned of the furnace.  It was too nice to have to run the heater.  And, when I woke up this morning, the house was comfortable, and I did not think about the heater being off...

Until I left work a little after 5 PM tonight.  I was not too concerned, because the temperature was in the low 40s.  Sake and Taki do not seem to mind if the house is cool, but Haiku does not like it. But, there are plenty of throws and blankets under which she can bury herself (and she does) if she is cold.  When I got home, the house was in the middle to low 60's, which it would have been had the heater been on.

But, I turned the heater on.  We are anticipating mixed snow and rain tonight.  I hope for rain. We need the moisture.  I hope it rains hard tomorrow. 

But, I am ready for spring.

The Weather Channel - Geography vs. Perspective

Since I have very few regular readers, if you stumble upon this blog, you would not know that I am a fan of The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/.  But I am. I was watching their Weather Center live broadcast earlier tonight, and they showed video of a very large tornado that occurred last night, April 1, 2013, in Briscoe County, Texas. They reported that this tornado occurred "northeast of Lubbock, Texas" which is technically and geographically correct.

But that is like saying that Philadelphia, PA is southwest of New York City, or, from my home town perspective, that Greenfield, MA is west of Boston, MA.  Well, these are all geographically correct descriptions, involving a distance of about 100 miles.  But, it leads the reader to think close vs. intervening territory.

Granted, in West Texas, there are not a lot of intervening markers between Briscoe County and Lubbock, Texas.  This area is largely rural, the towns in between are small, and probably unheard of outside of West Texas, and the two "marker" cities are Amarillo, northwest of Briscoe County, and Lubbock, southwest of Briscoe County.  So, from the perspective of name recognition and national notice, I am glad to report that Briscoe County is northeast of Lubbock, Texas.

Go Baseball!

Baseball http://mlb.mlb.com/home season has started. So excited to see members of my family acknowledge that on their Facebook accounts!

I watched "Opening Night" between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros, who are now in the American League.  It was an okay game, but nothing to write home about.  Today, I watched the "Opening Day" game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.  Both are very changed teams.  It was an interesting game, but the Red Sox won handily. 

Wednesday night, I will be able to watch these teams play, once again.  Go Baseball!