Resurrection and Death (of a dream)

Well, the day started well.  I slept in til 7, which was fine, I guess; then it was off to Mass, which was quite full... and exceptionally beautiful.  As I have said, we do Church well, with trumpets and timpani and incense.  Mass was a bit long -- Fr. Alex (the new priest) was a little long today, which is a problem at 8:30 Mass, because the Polish crew (for the 10 AM Mass) likes to arrive extra early...and their arriving to a full church and parking lot was not something expected.  Of course, part of it was the crowd; lots of people needed Communion, new faces in the pews (I traveled a bit more today, always good), and I certainly felt I was going to have a repetitive injury distributing Communion.

Then it was off to the gym -- surprisingly crowded, ok, maybe not that surprising -- and then home to change and pack up for the travels of the day.  This brief respite accomplished, I was off to the west side, where I took Communion and babcia to my new Polish friend (she was happy to see me!) and then to my cousin's for meal and fest... which was fine.  My cousin made a lemonade pie -- a mix of concentrate and vanilla ice cream -- which was quite refreshing; I had seconds, and not something I do often (the gym will be visited extra tomorrow).

Then it was back home to watch Duke...lose.  A first half was effective, but the second half... the team went cold.  Dumb fouls.  Too many turnovers.  The defense sagged... and that was that.  Alas.  While no one can complain about a trip to the Elite Eight... well, this one is going to sting a while.  NC State has been on a roll, so there is that.  Alas.  I guess my pledge of getting my nails done if they win out is safely deep-sixed, so there is some silver lining in this.  I realize, of course, they will not fix this, but they do need some size and HEFT in the middle.  Ryan Young is a fine role player, but... watching the big bodies of NC State run through the middle... sigh.  

At least the trips to the godchildren -- many of whom are also Fans of the Brotherhood -- went well, even if it was a bit sepulchral.  Gifts distributed, children (no matter the age) thrilled, parents not so much...the way things are supposed to be.  Now we are home to... catch up on stuff that has not been done the rest of the weekend.

Can This Forgotten Anti-Poverty Progam Be Saved? | The New Republic
Interesting.  One thing that always fascinates me throughout this trip in the world of social justice is that for all of the talk about solving the "benefits cliff," no one actually does it; I have no doubt that it will be difficult, and mistakes will be made, but it can't be that hard to try something new.  Funny thing is, it could be done in a bipartisan way; Dems would get more benefits in some cases and GOPers could get, say, people working while reducing benefits to those who don't work.  Again, the point of a compromise is that everyone gets a shit sandwich...

America Made a Huge Bet on Sports Gambling. The Backlash Is Here. - WSJ
I am not much of a gambler, and as you all know, grew up in a family of them, so I am not really surprised by this.  The chasing the money, the blurring of the links between acceptable and unacceptable behavior... this could be me, but people making threats against coaches and players over prop bets should be prosecuted -- harshly -- to teach them a lesson.  Of course, in this day and age of everything is a mental illness, it wouldn't take long for some enterprising defense attorney to claim that the better isn't really responsible for their actions.... and some idiots in the jury box will believe them.

Who wouldn't like prices to start falling? Careful what you wish for, economists say (msn.com)
Dare I say they protest too much? I think we have an issue of banks NOT lending because interest rates are too high; people who can afford to buy houses with cash will do so, but everyone else is sitting on their hands.  Lower prices would help a lot of people on the bottom of the scale, especially for such items as gas and food.  Wages need not rise so much if prices fell, but people wouldn't mind; I think the costs are what cause the angst, and a series of small raises would be ok...