Climbing the Mount

 Long day -- but good -- as you can tell from the lateness of my post.  Full day of work, then off to Holy Name for dinner and then Stations, which were interesting.  We used the one on the sheet, which is somewhat modern and... not as august and reverent as the old-school ones we usually use.  I think we all know how I feel about going old-school, of course!  One thing I noted while actually looking at the Stations was on the Fifth Station -- Simon of Cyrene carries the cross -- was that the figure of Simon has his back turned to us.  I was struck by the symbolism of this -- it is faceless and thus could be anybody, which I think is the point.

Duke won, and gloriously so.  I wouldn't say that I was worried, but of course I was concerned -- never what will happen with a 16 seed, will Cooper Flagg, will he be hurt -- and I guess I can say that I was pleased that my fears did not come to pass.  They played well, Cooper didn't get hurt, and in the end it was a big win.  I went to my friend Andy's March Madness party -- a good time as always, plenty of snax and good chatter (even if the other guests are not fans of the Brotherhood).  I was surprised to see the Flames to go down hard and early, but Oregon really shot the lights out, and in some ways you cannot combat that.  Alas.

The Bidens want back in
I sort of want this to happen, mainly because 1) it will only help the GOP and 2) I think the Bidens are disconnected from reality, and getting booed out of the hustings might just be the thing to bring them back to reality, in so far as a drooling senile moron and his cadre of enablers can be brought to clarity.

Why Many Americans Are On Board With Federal Worker Firings - WSJ
Umm...yes.  I mean, I think there are plenty of people who have dealt with lazy/unhelpful workers, and they never seem to get fired/disciplined forever, and at the end of the day, people have had enough.  I do not blame them...

VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom Nearing Deal for Virginia Men's Basketball Job
Dare I say that I think the saga of Ryan Odom is why players have the case for an NIL-style settlement?  What, he has three/four jobs in six years, each time getting a big raise and a fat contract?  I mean, God bless him -- it is the American way -- but the players who have created and enabled this success get nothing but a new coach (which may not benefit them)?  It stinks to high heaven, and while I am still unsettled by the new landscape, the old one was... rather one-sided.