Links and Thoughts

 Spring was great while it lasted.  Ok, it was a tad windy today, and not as warm as yesterday, but it was still nice... even the rain wasn't too bad, and it was sunny in the afternoon.  Much like COVID, people are sick of winter.  Hell, Lent is about half over, the sky is brighter longer...

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ron-desantis-trumpism.html

Reading  this...well, the left must be afraid of the guy if they are willing to spill that much ink on him. More seriously, reading this...I love the guy more.  Now, I don't share the optimism that GOP voters are souring on Trump, but I suspect there are a solid cadre of them who do.  The issue, of course, is whether that there will be enough of them to win some primaries.  Right now I doubt it, but... Ron has certainly give the base plenty of red meat to shake things up a bit.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/03/31/democrats-dreams-of-ousting-ron-desantis-crushed-by-new-poll-n1585773

Florida, a perpetually red state?  Oh, the horror!

https://americanmind.org/features/parents-rights/the-right-can-win-on-parents-rights/

Of course, this is why the GOP is winning (in part); people, as I am fond of saying, have seen what is really going on in the classroom the past couple of years, and have decided they wanted no part of it.  And this is good -- not only in the politics, but also for the fact that for all the complaining about not having parents involved in schools...now you have them!

https://www.youtube.com/jeopardy--

This is pretty cool!  I watched it yesterday, and...it was so modern, in so many ways.  You'll note that they all used the Forrest Bump/Holzhauer approach -- lots of jumping around, going for the higher-value clues.  The Final J! music is exactly the same.  Some of the questions were well before my time, but others were standard fare -- I even had a question about "Gotterdammerung" in 95!  The contestants don't quite have the answering thing down, and strategy is wagering was odd... but you got to keep the money you won if you came in second or third.  Can you imagine not winning and going home with $10K now?

So, Shaheen Holloway is off to his alma mater... I thought it was pretty classy what he did today at the presser, and for all of the sadness shared by the St. Peter's fans...well, you can't complain too much about a guy going "home," if you will.  I was amused...was reading an article over the weekend -- think on ESPN -- about how it is unlikely the St. Peter's will become the next Gonzaga.  I was like, well, this will save them a decade of complaints about how they never win the big one and play in a crappy conference...

Double Feature

 My sleep patterns -- as evinced by the frequency and timing of my posts -- are off, and it is starting to become an issue.  Not sure why this is happening -- low blood sugar last night, an inability to sleep today -- but I can feel myself just not being my usual peppy self; that and drinking more coffee.  Lots of stuff to do, lots going on... it all adds up.  Oi.  I also note that lack of sleep affects weight, and feeling the fatness as I do...

I have been able to get some reading done -- up to 15 books for the year (some of the volumes were smaller in size, and quite engrossing), and I've also been able to cross two movies off the list.  Last night I watched "Selena." Interesting; I mean, I remembered the story and knew what happened, but it was still...both sad and entertaining.  Shame I do not know Spanish, else I would listen to the songs.  J-Lo -- before her centaur-riding days -- certainly did recreate, I think, the singer in many ways.  Tonight I watched "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane;" yes, I hadn't seen the film until today.  It was...impressive. Two Hollywood heavyweights.  Interesting plot (sort of want to read the novel).  I watched some of the extra stuff about the film on the B-side... I do like Hollywood history, but it tends to be the genres I like the most.  This was quite informative.  And, for those counting at home...up to 791. One of my former coworkers told me it was his favorite film, and I told him I would never eat anything at his house...

Shots

 So, my plans tonight were changed by the totally crazy Elite Eight game between #1 seed NC State and #2 seed UCONN (playing a de facto home game in Bridgeport, CT); I was rooting for NC State, because who wants to see UCONN winning every year (let us not discuss why I believe Duke should win every year, of course).  Anyways, this game had a pair of defensive stops at the end of regulation, a game-tying three at the end of the first OT, and finally UCONN pulling away in 2OT.  I realize with the Allstate commercial or whatever that no one watches women's basketball (by choice) but tonight was a game they should have.

The slap heard round the world...all I can is that I thought it was staged to boost media attention for the Oscars; prolly not, of course, but...at least people were talking about them.  I give Chris Rock credit for not decking the guy, but... let's just say that no one seems to be getting any positive press from the show.

So, Ron DeSantis signed the "Don't Say Gay" bill (which, of course, it does not say that). I watched the presser, and it was...impressive.  I mean, I don't think that this is a terrible problem, but from what we have learned from home schooling, Zoom, and today's presser... it is a problem in some instances.  I don't know; if I was a parent, I certainly wouldn't want my kid at 5, or 8, discussing this at all, and I certainly wouldn't the school to handle the discussion before I did (if at all).  I think most parents feel this way; certainly, the bill polls well, which is...indicative.

There is another point here, which is...well, I think over the past two years, as parents have come to assume more of a role in their kids' schooling, is that people do not like what they see... from teacher behavior, to curriculum, to the NEA refusing to open the schools, and people have decided it is time to get active in their schools.  Nor do I am blame them; teachers and their unions (and the school boards) have acted poorly; not in the interest of the students, but in their own interests.  So, when some GOP governor senses a mood....well, as a certain Democratic president used to say, "Good politics is good policy," and I don't understand why all of a sudden the rules have changed now.

Goings Away

 Busy day... food pantry duty in the AM -- not terribly busy but steady; the decline in site visits is across the diocese, and no one has any good hard ideas, just the usual one, that all of the extra aid the government is doling out is keeping people from needing it.  Of course, this rising inflation might start boosting visits, as the people on the bottom are often most affected by this.  Of course, SNAP will probably go up to win votes, so...maybe not.

Then it was off to the PACC to help prepare for a dinner they were throwing for Ukrainian relief.  I mean, on the one hand, I have other stuff to do, on the other, I don't mind helping, it's for a good cause, and they sort of like me -- even though I don't speak Polish, they are kind to me and I slowly becoming part of their team (when they need me).  And, the Polish ladies can whip up a nice plate of grub, if nothing else!

https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/are-the-oscars-over-2/

Probably, and good riddance!  I don't know, but if more and more of your output is devoted to doing less and less of what people actually want to see...

And good riddance to him, too!

https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/03/the-haters-guide-to-woodrow-wilson/

Scrappy

 Those Scrappy Blue Devils!  Pulling one out.  Honestly, I thought they were dead the entire game, and when they had those back-to-back turnovers with under 5 to go... but, this time, at least, they didn't fall apart, they kept calm, and...they pulled it out.  To be sure, Texas Tech is not their type of team -- tough, tall, physical, excellent defense.  But, they too have size, strength, and talent... and hence Mattie is a happy, yet relieved, camper.

Big event today, sort of...my first Board meeting as East District President.  It was very long, and I was not only the youngest one there, but also the only one who is a public school grad (I suspect).  That said...  it was good.  Learned a lot -- ministry ideas, stuff to do; also have a list of questions and follow-up queries for more ministries and stuff I would like (to try!) to do.  I also met all of the leadership team -- in person -- which is certainly good.  So, tomorrow -- I was pre-occupied tonight, you know -- I will start on going through these things.

I got a kick out of the confirmation hearings today...if Ketanji can't tell us what a woman is...I would think she is too damn dumb for the Supreme Court.  I wish someone -- Lindsay Graham, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy -- would have said that.

Odd today; my blood sugar was high this morning, and was so most of the day... I had a light dinner and a good workout, and the result is that my blood sugar has been the opposite.  Been popping snax like mad (we all know how I love that), buy trying to keep in mind that I don't want to wake up high again.  Sigh.

Upsets!

So, the Buckeyes women's team is going to the Sweet Sixteen -- beating LSU and Kim Mulkey (convincingly) on their own court.  Most impressive.  Funny; I think some sportswriter got into hot water for pointing out (mostly true) that the women's tournament tends not to have the upsets and scares that the men's tourney often features.  But not this year!  Hell, Belmont took Tennessee to the wire; Arizona is out of the tourney, and even South Carolina looked mortal for a few moments.

I watched -- what was extant -- "Bread" today; it's a silent film from 1918 in the same vein as "Shoes."  Even has the same female lead, and a similar plot -- girl goes to big city to live out dream of hitting show business, and must face starvation or surrendering her morals.  As always, I was amused by the fact that the horizontal casting couch is a century old...and seems to be only now seems to be slightly receding.  Sadly, much of the film is lost; what's left is what was saved from the Dawson City cache (the reels that were used as a landfill filler and due to the permafrost were saved)... but it was still cool to see (and a female director, rare for 1918).  This brings me to 789, and tough sledding the rest of the way on progressing through the remainder.

I finished two books this past weekend, one of which was Conspiracy, which chronicled the efforts of Peter Thiel (and later Hulk Hogan) to bring about the death of Gawker.  It was interesting, the length Thiel went to keep his role in the affair secret, and the way the author told the story... well, it does seem that some mores are changing; not sure how much of a role the trial played in this, but some of the stuff they did simply doesn't pass now.  On the other hand... it does seem a little off that a billionaire could take out a media site simply because it pissed him off.  Course, he is on our side, and they were not, so... let's just say that I was almost sympathetic to their plight.

Survive and Advance

 Well, that was an exciting Duke game!  To be sure, I expected a tough, hard-fought game, and I was not disappointed, even if I needed to drink afterwards.  That late 3 from way out...I never expected that go in.  Normally, of course, this is when Duke plays like crap and falls apart, but not this time.  And it was good!  And, of course, Coach K gets win 1,200.  A nice, round number...but not as nice as 1,204.  

Two other basketball observations.  One, people shoot from three -- and make them -- at distances that, 20 years ago, no one would have ever attempted, save for the most dire of circumstances.  Now, they go up -- and in -- all the time.   Two, is it me, or is the lane a lot more crowded nowadays?  I know players are bigger and stronger nowadays, but dribble-drive penetration...seems to be less.  I can see why people want to widen the court, to create some space and get the small guys back in there.

In other news...the Big Ten has one team left -- that of Michigan, the lowest seed.  The supposedly down ACC has three -- including Miami, which put the wood to Auburn (no one saw that coming!); indeed, only ND lost in the round of 32, and as the lowest seed...  I of course was amused.  And, St. Peter's is still in, warming the hearts of everyone in 49 states.  Exciting times, all around!

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/20/republicans-2022-campaigns-00018591

Oh, I don't know...the party, like it or not, is changing, and thus so too is the definition of what being a Republican actually entails.  This is not necessarily a bad thing -- I like the populism, for one, and the appeal of the working class party is true to my roots.  But it is also an issue for those who are not fans of certain changes... I mean, a more Trumpy GOP is not exactly one that can win everywhere, which is why I would prefer door number two.  Speaking of...

https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2022/03/17/the-desantis-doctrine-n2604617?fbclid=IwAR2JFKhzltlxssm8AxJDGWfV845ZfuOWAlTrq7aMKj-E2BehDy3yYSqe8aA
This is why, I suspect, people like the guy; much like Trump, he doesn't flinch from the attacks, and in some ways he is better at punching back; going after Disney for supporting China is sheer genius.  

https://stream.org/project-veritas-torches-the-new-york-times-and-explodes-the-january-6-narrative/

Snicker, snicker...  honestly, I think telling the people at the NYT to "man up" is something that should be done at every opportunity...

Implosions!

 So, those scrappy Blue Devils pulled it out once again....a tough matchup with Sparty awaits.  My darlings of the tournament -- the Chattanooga Mocs -- didn't pull it off, sadly, and the pool carnage continues.  I really should just set fire to my money in these thing, but, look at the fun I am having.  Ha!

In other news...that GOP Senate debate...actual fireworks!  Mike Gibbons and Josh Mandel getting into it -- literally -- on stage.  Exciting!  More serious...what is Mandel thinking?  I mean, it's one thing to go after AOC and a C-level candidate in a debate, but this... how does this help him?  How does this make him more electable?  Especially given that Gibbons seems to be the front-runner, this makes him... an aggrieved party?

Of course, the other big news of the day was that the Browns signed Deshaun Watson.  In addition to the king's ransom to get the guy, there is also the matter of his...character issues?  As one who has championed the cause of Trevor Bauer (no charges there!), the fact that there are no charges for him... of course, there is the notion that the Browns are 1) getting rid of Baker, who seems to be loved and genuinely like playing here; 2) getting a guy who doesn't; 3) are picking up a guy who will probably miss some time on suspension; and 4) someone who will piss off a large segment of their fanbase.  Now, as someone who hasn't care about the NFL in 20 years, and as someone who cut his former favorite team due to the incompatibility with my values... all I can say is, "Welcome to the club!"

Mayday Parade

 March Madness is upon us, and it is glorious.  UK losing as a 2, OT in the Creighton-SDSU game... if SDSU loses this one -- after coughing up a lead -- it will be a very bad day for the Mountain West.  This might deflect attention from the Big Ten; aside from UM's win (comeback!), they did not have a good day, with Iowa upset by Richmond -- scrappy bid stealers that they are -- and Indiana taking it in the pooper from St. Mary's.  Let's hope that this is the only #15 upset of the tourney...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaabk/buzz-williams-calls-out-ncaa-college-basketball-world-reacts/ar-AAV9XVQ?li=BBnbfcL

Um...ok, he has a point, but... there are a dozen mid-majors who could really complain.  I mean, not only do those teams get screwed on bids, they also have to play every big game on the road, with a fraction of the resources of the power conferences...but no one gives them an 8-minute screed to bitch about the vagaries of being on the wrong side of the bubble.  Hell, no one even gives them 10 seconds.  So I don't really have sympathy for Buzz here.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/bishops-gambit-have-the-germans-lost?s=w

This popped up on my radar because I finished Douthat's To Change The Church, and he identified this issue -- the German bishops trying to change the marriage laws of the Church -- as the point where things have gone off the rail  To wit... while Francis may have allowed discussion of the issue, the immutability of the Sacrament of Marriage -- the actual teaching of Christ, spelled out in the Bible, to say nothing of the strong tradition of it in the Church (a key reason for the spread of Christianity in Rome) is the third rail for theological conservatives...and moderates, as well, given the trickery of getting it right.  Interesting read, and I think he gets the main drift correct..

So Tuesday I went to the Agora to see Magnolia Park/Real Friends/Mayday Parade... if anything, I have learned that I love live music.  And it was fun!  Sort of a hundred dollar day, but it was good to get out of the house, listen to some good tunes.  I love Mayday Parade -- awesome as always -- and Real Friends was quite good; haven't listened to them in a while but they were sweet. Magnolia Park also had a good sound -- but no CDs at the merch stand, very sad... I mean, you can get it for free anywhere, but to support a band...

Primary battles

So, yesterday I finished The Spider Network, which concerned the efforts to game the Libor rate (used by banks to calculate inter-bank interest rates).  Interesting stuff, in many ways; unsurprisingly, of course, of all the people involved in this, only one went to prison, and in most cases neither the traders nor the banks that hired them faced no repercussions for their actions.  I am not exactly a build the barriers type, but even I found this to be something of an injustice.  Today I moved on to Douthat's To Change the Church, a look at the Francis papacy.  Like a lot of what Douthat writes... I like it and find it interesting, even if I do not necessarily agree with what he says.  It's also a quick read -- not even 200 pages -- and as the book list is long...

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/13/florida-america-culture-war-00016797

I don't know; maybe they think it is a winning argument?  Florida has a gubernatorial race this year, and of course, DeSantis is #2 in the shadow GOP primary, and what better way to remind everyone that you are a real conservative by passing laws and going off on left-wing corporations?  As Bill Clinton used to say, good politics is good policy.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/03/ohio-gov-mike-dewine-signs-into-law-bill-allowing-people-to-carry-guns-without-training-or-permits.html

Does this happen if DeWine isn't facing a contested primary?  I think not.  Now, I am sort of torn by this... I don't necessarily think it is a bad thing that people should get training before strapping on a weapon (concealed or not), and I don't think it is a bad thing to tell a cop that you are packing (the whole part of law-abiding citizen).  On the other hand... these things are not exactly in the spirit of the Second Amendment.  

Forgot to mention... Friday I hit St. Andrew's, the Ukrainian Catholic parish on Hoertz in Parma for their fish fry.  Never been...I didn't realize how much space they have; the church is in front, and they have a cemetery behind (couldn't help but notice the monument to the Ukrainian insurgents, and how we may need another one), then the parish hall.  The fish fry was carry-out only, but... there was a lengthy line.  As my sister likes to say, if you are going to be stuck inside, you might as well be able to eat there, too.  I suspect they would save on all those carry out containers, as well.  Anyways...I soon discovered that they had ran out of fried fish, and that was the delay.  I ordered baked, and hoped it would get my food faster...and it did, but... I was surprised that they had ran out.  Ideally, it was due to people supporting Ukraine.  I did my share and bought a cookie for relief; amusingly, many people gave me with the proviso that it be spent on ammunition.

The food itself was pretty good; the baked fish was lightly breaded but decent.  The two potato pancakes were huge (one was lunch the next day), and the extra side of cabbage and noodles was pretty decent; not sure it was worth $5, but it was flavorful (and a good mix of cabbage!).  The cookie was nice; home-baked butter cookies always make a nice ending...  I have to admit, after last year...three good meals is quite heavenly.

March Madness

 So...that was an interesting weekend of basketball.  More top seeds fell -- Princeton, Nicholls State in the Southland; Duke also fell.  I mean...on the one hand, you can't stop a guy from going 7-7 from three; somedays, guys just have it.  Of course, when you are 3-20 from three...well, at some point, you have to stop.  Oi.  Duke now gets sent West to set up a matchup with Sparty, Texas Tech, and Gonzaga... which seems a very tall order; yes, Duke beat 'Zaga earlier, but that was then.  Winning that tournament would have given them a better seeding, I suspect. Alas.  In the meantime, the NIT and CBI pairings are up, and there is now literally two weeks of basketball -- playoff basketball -- on the schedule.  Words really cannot describe the awesome in this case.

Then, of course, there was the MAC Championship, where, before the festivities started, we had this:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2022/3/12/22974381/kent-state-players-suspended-akron-diss-track-video-mac-title-game

This could be me, but this is...pretty tame?  I mean, I say worse about people before morning prayer.  Yes, I am not posting it online, but...  I don't know, I just find this sort of thing amusing more than hurtful, especially as we are all adults here.  Then Akron went out and beat the snot out of KSU.  The TV guys were of the opinion that the video was the cause... I suspect KSU's 20 turnovers were more of a factor.  But that's me.

https://www.avclub.com/four-columbia-house-insiders-explain-the-shady-math-beh-1798280580

Old but interesting; looking back, a good quantity of my CDs came from them, and I suspect I lost money on the deals...

Hoops

 I was really busy today -- the new job has me hopping -- and will be for the next few days, and you know what?  I love it.  It's not the old job, for one, and... not saying it is simpler, but there is less junk to deal with in a day, and that means something.  Little reason to yank my hair out, I can sense progress as to what I achieve...it's nice.

Is it me (probably) but did a lot of #1 seeds lose in the conference tourneys today (and this year)?  Auburn in the SEC, Toledo in the MAC, Providence in the Big East, both top seeds in C-USA; let's not forget CSU, Liberty, and Iona earlier in the week, and I am probably forgetting someone.  Lots of auto-bids for the NIT, at the very least, but it also means some separation for a good mid-major; maybe a move to a 12 line where stuff gets interesting.

In coaching news...one, this could be me, but maybe the Big XII coaches were sad to see Cuonzo Martin go because they figured they could keep beating him (I know, I am cynical about this)?  I also saw that ECU fired Joe Dooley... I was surprised he took the job in the first place.  He took over for Andy Enfield at FGCU (remember them?), made an NCAA and an NIT (I think), and then left.  I don't know; I am sure it is a hell of a lot easier to get to the tourney from an AAC school than an A-Sun one, but... ECU has been rather moribund, while FGCU was/is....well, famous (Dunk City!) and the location is...pretty sweet.  Not sure I would want to leave...

Return to Glory

 So, tonight -- for the first time in two years -- Team XI (and myself) played Pub Quiz.  It was at the Rustic Grill, part of the Stone Water Gold Club in Highland Hills (so it was sort of a hike).  And...we won!  It was glorious, even if I didn't exactly play a large role in the victory (the questions weren't exactly in my wheelhouse).  Seven rounds (value of the questions going up every round), with some bonuses and a Final J!-style wager on the final question.  We had the lead going to the finals and of course got the answer right in the finals... winning a mini bottle of booze and a BOGO dinner couple...which is nice, aside from the hike there and the fact that it has to be used by April.  Oops.  Oh well.  We did have fun and will be returning to defend our crown.  The food was ok; I had chicken paprikash, which was good, but they put the spaetzels and the side literally on top of each other, so... well, I prefer some food separation!

https://spectatorworld.com/topic/democrats-desantis-florida-dont-say-gay-bill/

Between this and the clips of him laying into various reporters... I am beginning to think I might have to view drinking orange juice like I do eating at Chick-Fil-A; every time you do it, a liberal dies.  And that would be a damn shame.

I managed to do a gym double today, lifting in the AM and doing legs after PQ; my blood sugar was a bit high and I had some nervous energy to burn off.  That, too, was glorious; good to get some extra exercise in, build some muscle, and have some quiet time for my thoughts... of course, it affected my sleep schedule, but if I feel it is worth it...

More Wakey Wakey

More wakey wakey, or rather... I had movie last night and didn't blog.  I watched (around Dr. Pimple Popper) "Midnight Express," the 1970s movie about the guy who was caught smuggling hashish out of Turkey and spent several years in a Turkish prison.  It was...interesting.  Yeah, it was good... I wouldn't say it was great, and it's not like I was sympathetic to his plight (smuggling drugs out of a third-world country?!), but I did enjoy it, sort of.  At least now I get the "Turkish prison" reference in "Airplane."

I also watched "My Name is Oona," a short film on the National Film Registry (787).  All I can say is...some movies are better seen when on something, like drugs, and this was one of them.  At least it was short -- 10 minutes -- and I didn't exactly need to search around for a deeper understanding.

In the meantime, I woke up early today and lifted; the prospects are good for a gym double, even though the low blood sugar meant no cardio and no reading.  Alas.

The Britney Griner story amuses the hell out of me (speaking of Americans languishing in foreign prisons). On the one hand, I suspect she is being railroaded, for any number of reasons.  On the other hand...trying to bring her narcotics set out of Russia, if true, is pretty...stupid.  I mean, I have considered her judgment to be extremely suspect -- choosing Baylor as her college of choice despite her LGBT status, for instance -- so this is probably par for the course, but if it never crossed her mind that she should purge her contraband before crossing the border...

Wakey Wakey

 I fell asleep yesterday at 7:15...oi.  Woke up at 4:30.  Double oi.  This was unfortunate, as I missed some exciting college hoops -- fan fights, Wright State's winner at the near-end -- and then got up at the literal buttcrack of dawn.  As my plan was to do a gym double Tuesday and Thursday...well, now I will do one today. I got there at 5:15 this morning and -- I counted -- there were 28 people working out there.  Now, there can be three times as many at a more normal hour, but... I was impressed.  

Also impressive:  LSU's Will Wade is in trouble again with the NCAA.  I mean, I am not sure how he survived the last time -- he was on tape, for Christ's sake -- but now...well, ok, the school didn't want to fire him (see Meyer, Urban), so... will he survive again?  This, of course, happened the same day that Bellarmine won the A-Sun tourney, but can't dance, as they are in the middle of their transitionary probation period...I can see why the rule is in place, but now...hell, Pedophile State didn't even serve all four years of their probation, why should they?

https://wondery.com/shows/tides-of-history/episode/5629-tides-of-history-book-report-the-guns-of-august/

I like this podcast, so I signed up for the free trial (have to remember to quit in time, though I might let it go for one month to make sure I listen to all the saved ones); he's interesting, admits the scholarship can change (a J! alum, to boot) and is progressive but hardly woke.  Guns of August is one of my favorite books, so I had to listen...and I think a lot of what they said is spot on -- impressive, exciting prose, sometimes wrong, historical focus has changed -- so I was quite pleased.

Mattie is Bemused

 I love March Madness, for a bunch of reasons, but some of it is just that...the basketball can be incredible.  I mean, tonight's SoCon championship -- Chattanooga and Furman -- the ending was simply ridiculous.  Mind you, that was an overtime game; the end of regulation was pretty wild as well.  To say nothing of UK upsetting South Carolina in the women's bracket...and more to come.  In other news, March Madness for CSU will be in the NIT, where -- as several wags pointed out -- they can face Duke, making up the game they missed earlier in the year.  I would take CSU to cover...  alas.  Good season, but you can't advance when you go 3-20 from 3.  Wonder if Gates leaves this year (probably) or this affects his stock so that he sticks around....

Had our first meeting of district Presidents today for the SVDP...only three showed up.  Alas.  It was good to meet the ones who showed, and I got some feedback as to what we need to do, and where to expand our ministry....but it would have been nice to have met more people.  Oi.  Let's hope this is not the new reality.  Course, with COVID still an issue -- albeit less of one -- maybe some people are staying away.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/morgan-wallens-album-of-the-year-acm-win-polarizes-twitter-racist-country-fans-can-rejoice/ar-AAULf9k?li=BBnb7Kz

Oh, I don't know; I mean, if you think he is/was truly sorry and should be forgiven... Or, as I like to say, the people who defended/defend (even now!) Jussie Smollet are the ones who want to fully cancel him.  Not, of course, that Jussie -- or his defenders -- will ever apologize for their actions.  Again, I am not doubting the sincerity of his apology (forced as it may have been) but we can't have a system where, say, Kobe Bryant is lionized while Morgan Wallen is damned even after apologizing.  Funny thing -- no one is bragging about the diversity and inclusion shown by the Academy as the Brothers Osborne (one of whom is LBGTQ!) also won an award...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cleveland-store-owners-fight-shutdown-due-to-neighborhood-drug-activity/vi-AAUL3jF

Shouldn't we ban the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party?  All they do is support crime and corruption... couldn't we also call them a public nuisance?

Recovering

 I survived yesterday's catastrophe in Raleigh; honestly. I expected it, given their fondness for playing like crap when it matters most.  Do you trust this team in an NCAA Tournament?  They have the talent, but as to the other things...not really.  Paolo Banchero seems to have "empty" games against big-time foes.  Keels is hit or miss.  Williams is a good defender but he could use a little more beef -- if we could shave a little off Theo John, it would be perfect.  Hell, I don't even trust this team in the ACC Tournament.  Thank God they have an autobid to the NIT.

Another thing...I am not a fan of the idea of neutral-site conference tournaments, especially for the smaller schools.  To me, nothing is more exciting -- COVID or not -- to see the fans charge the floor once a team wins; for a lot of these players, this is the moment of their playing careers, and it should be celebrated with the fans and everyone else...on their home court.  Like last week, it was CSU's last home game...wouldn't it be cool if they could have the tourney downtown?  Not that they have a huge home field advantage, but...I would think the city would want an -- any! -- opportunity to get people to visit, as well.

God, it's nice out today; I even went for a lengthy stroll around the block -- it was too nice not to, and there is of course the residual fatness.  I had some stuff to do, which I did (could have done more), but it was just awesome to stretch my legs and get some sun and fresh air in.  I suspect this will NOT last, but there is no reason why I can't get out more this week, and in the future... 

https://www.commentary.org/noah-rothman/dont-go-full-liberty-cabbage-on-russia/

Oh, I don't know...maybe we should?  I mean, for one, we are all civilized people, and if someone doesn't want to act as such... two, it does give people who are justifiably outraged about this a way to voice their feelings (let's face it; people don't have a lot of direct options nowadays to help). Three...so what if this affects Russians?  They voted for the guy; ok, prolly not as many as claimed, but some of them did, and if we really believe in consequences...

Catching up

 So, I finally post now, after three days and my usual complaints about not sleeping.  Wednesday I just took off -- paperwork, Dr. Pimple Popper, that sort of thing.  It was nice; a brief respite of catching that is now almost completely forgotten.  :)

Thursday I went to Rood Food and Pie in Lakewood....I was in the area, and was fascinated by some of their pierogi offerings. I went with the mackerel pierogi, a vegan corn cake appetizer, and, of course, a bananas Foster-style piece of pie for dessert.  It was really good!  The pierogis were fine; interesting flavor, not too overwhelming.  The vegan corn cakes (I wasn't that hungry and wanted to save room for pie) was pretty outstanding; three decent-sized corn patties (good flavor) on top of a bed of salsa and lettuce, topping with two good sauces (with a bit of kick at the end).  The pie was decadent and delicious; not sure it is $7 worth, but...  I definitely would go back, even if it is sort of far and has no parking to speak off, so you are hauling ass in Lakewood.  Sigh.

Then it was off to downtown for the Horizon League quarterfinal, featuring CSU (my new favorite Cleveland team, I guess) and Robert Morris in the men and CSU and NKU (the Norse, I like it) in the women's game.  Both were won by CSU, thank God; it was not a large crowd, but large enough, and they made some noise and created a good atmosphere. The men's game went interminably long, as the scoreboard/shot clock/game clock conked out early.  After about 15 minutes of trying (and failing) to fix it, they decided to play without it (I was sitting in the RMU section, the fans had some colorful, and amusing, commentary), with the PA announced regularly calling out game info and the players -- not having mobile phones -- the only ones to not know what is going on.  Anyways, we did win, so it is off to the semis, far, far away...in Indianapolis.  Alas.

Today I did a gym double, completing it after Stations, as I felt fat.  Stations was sparsely attended, sadly... not sure if this is a thing or the usual first Lenten issue (people forget).  It is nice, though... I do feel more spiritual doing so, and considering how I am, that says something.  I had dinner at Holy Name, and honestly, it was better than ALL of the dinners I had last year.  Not sure what they did to the baked tilapia (three nice pieces), but it wasn't just paprika; it had a generous spice rub that was delicious. The cabbage and noodles was also done well, and after last year's running fiascos...

A morning of meh

 So, was supposed to post last night, but I decided to get to bed early -- 7 AM Mass today.  I helped Fr. Joe with the distribution of ashes as well as Communion.  It is a little odd, just sprinkling the ashes over the head instead of getting the cross on the forehead.  I guess it is safer, but one does miss the holier-than-thou feeling of walking around with the ashes.  I don't think it is a coincidence that today's Gospel was the one about not being a hypocrite and doing your charity in public...

Watched the SOTU last night...it was...meh?  I don't know; it would have funny as hell if all the GOPers wore masks to protest the political decision by Pelosi not to wear them.  I did like the comment about "13 of them;" actually, I thought it hit pretty hard, but considering the messenger...they will concentrate on them.  I guess 1) No one seems to bring up Joe Biden and his history of lying; 2) No one seems to bring up the Trump claim of "if you haven't done it yet, when do it how," and 3) If all the stuff that he said would happen hasn't yet...what makes you think now it will?  I don't expect the chattering classes to do so, but the GOP must then.

Similarly meh, I watched the latest/last Bond film last night... "No Time to Die."  It was...long; very long, almost three hours.  And while there was some good action and fight scenes...not enough.  Rami Malek is an interesting choice for a Bond villain, but it was...well, not very convincing.  Plus, the ending...not exactly sure what they are trying to do with it?  Kill him off?  Start something new?  It was a hot mess.

So, the library announced that soon Ohiolink (the system that allows you get to stuff from any library in Ohio) will be offline for about six weeks (until May) due to some unspecified issue.  Oi.  I use it quite a bit -- lots of stuff from the NFR, some of the more esoteric things I read -- so this is going to be a mini-catastrophe.  Course, considering all of the stuff I have to do the next few weeks, there will be little time for extraneous reading (alas)...