Back in the Saddle

Yesterday I was a sleepy boy and crashed at, well, 11:30.  Today of course I am not quite so sleepy, but have much to do -- and am doing it -- so we power through.  I joked that the 30-degree shift in temperature would cause me to do more to stay warm, and it is not quite a joke.  It was a bit jarring to hear the furnace come on, and seeing the rain -- and feeling the bite in the air when I opened the door -- was hardly pleasant, but this is spring.

Last night Team Eleven returned to Pub Quiz action (my fault for dropping the ball and not getting us to play more).  We went to Saucy Brew Works in Ohio City for a J!-sponsored league.  It was funny, as I parked by St. Ignatius off Lorain, forgetting that I am 52 blocks from Detroit (last time I was in Ohio City, I parked on Franklin).  Oops.  It wasn't too bad -- the rain just ended when I parked -- but I guess it was a bad storm there, as the lights were out in many places.  But, the power was on at Saucy... good, as I had never been there and I wanted to try it out.  My chicken-and-waffles pizza was quite rich but good -- anything with that much syrup should be.  :)  As for the quiz, we came in 3rd -- not too bad.  The format was just like J! -- two rounds, 60 questions and a final, but the questions were somewhat easier.  (We overthought a few, hence the third place.)  I think we agreed we would go back, and that we should play more, as the Victory Banner need to be raised more often.  I concur!

Listened to the big speech tonight, and while I think it hit the points, I did not exactly come away convinced.  Not that we aren't winning, but... I guess I would say this reminds me of Japan in 1945; all they had to do was to make it so bloody to the US that we would come to the table.  Similarly, all Iran has to do is hold on, drive up oil and gas prices, and force POTUS to retreat.  Will he?  Will they?  I mean, if we and the Israelis keep killing their leaders, we may stumble into one who want peace, but that is hardly a winning strategery.

Gulf allies privately make the case to Trump to keep fighting Iran | AP News
All I have to say of course they do, as they really aren't fighting; we are.  Now, if the Saudis or someone else wanted to join in...more the merrier.

‘He’s lied about everything’: Iran war puts Trump on shaky ground with young MAGA men - POLITICO
Now this is a problem; again, one of our own creation, and one that needs to be resolved quickly.  I realize the youngins do not realize the history we have with them, but...

Democrats risk a historic upset in California - POLITICO
I will believe it when I see it, but it would be funny as hell if it happened...

Linx

Long day -- busy and productive, and thus good, but still long.  Didn't quite achieve all that I wanted, but I did a bunch, and tomorrow is another day.  Hard to believe it is almost April, Lent is almost over, Easter is nigh, and spring may have sprung?  The weather looks to be improving, at least in terms of snow and cold; I don't necessarily like the prospect of thunderstorms, but it beats shoveling (mostly).  I should also probably do a quarterly financial report for the OC...

Duke’s college basketball program has a problem they need fixed
I think this is a tempting solution, though I am not sure we are there yet.  To be sure, most schools would kill for a Final Four and two Elite Eights in three years, but the way we have lost...  the main problem is that Duke (and other schools) will throw millions of dollars at these kids, and there is no guarantee that you will get kids who are... good at the fundamentals, if you will.  It is the nature of the business, but I can see how everyone is frustrated beyond belief.

Akron coach takes another job after NCAA tournament loss
I have to admit, this was my first thought as well -- Charleston does not seem like that much of jump from Akron.  The CAA is a step up from the MAC but it is still a one-bid league... if they have more NIL $, yes, I can see how the ceiling is higher, but... I expected more.  It does seem the process is working at it best -- the next guy moves up and everyone is being polite about it.  Still sucks for UA, though.

The Epstein Class - Dissent Magazine
Interesting and some good points -- the guy didn't blackmail anyone (it seems) and was mainly interested in himself (and money).  And, in some cases, the victims were not underage and scummy is not criminal.  For all of the talk about people not being charged, this is probably why...

Catastrophe

Well, that was...catastrophically bad?  I mean, there is the whole loss of the 15-point lead, and then there was the final play.  There is enough blame to go around for all... Cayden Boozer for making a stupid turnover, the inbound team not realizing that they just needed to hold the ball, and Coach Scheyer for not communicating that better.  That said, this team has been making turnovers, blowing layups, and not playing all that well for the whole tournament.  As I so often say, for all of the money spent on NIL stuff and such, we should be getting more for our money.  Hopefully next year's team will spend more time on fundamentals and less time on commercials.

2nd straight March Madness collapse has Duke fans demanding answers from Jon Scheyer
Jon Scheyer under fire after Duke's historic loss to UConn
Um yes?  Once can happen to anyone, but two years in a row, being down by double-digit to Siena...all of these things are, to many, an issue.  And this issue is going to fester for a long time (as it should)!

Catholic dioceses report surges in adult converts across the US | Fox News
There have been a bunch of articles about this, and reading the convert count... good?  I find it interesting -- I have certainly seen a few new faces at the Shrine.  To be sure, I think a lot of this is cyclical -- but it could be something to wonder about.  The Holy Spirit?  Younger people looking for a sense of belonging?   I guess we should not reason why but instead welcome them...

Other than the big and sad news, it was an interesting weekend.  Saturday I had OC duty and it was...slow?  Didn't even reach 100.  Not sure why; I joke it is the superior approach of Trump to the economy (which went over fairly well but I cannot discern what else could be causing it.  Then it was bank, gym, errands, and then home a spell.  A brief spell, and then it was off to my cousin's for a poker night (hence the jello).  I didn't win but it was still fun.

Today was Palm Sunday... the Passion sequence from Matthew was read this year, and it is interesting to considering the difference between the Gospel.  No good thief, for instance.  I should read more about these differences, and maybe when I read all of the other things on the list... I think you can see my issue.  After Mass I went to the St. John Nepomucene pancake breakfast (quite good, and the Easter theme was a nice reminder after the Passion of the real reason for the holiday.  Next was off to St. Vitus for their Palm Sunda dinner -- pretty good on the dessert and entree, but the sides were just ok.  I went over after dinner to the church, and it is really quite nice; not St. Stan's pretty but close, and like our parish, it has been renovated.  The side altars are quite beautiful, and the ceiling frescoes are... interesting, very universal Church team, which I like...

Survive and Advance

Well, that was... an interesting Duke game.  It was certainly exciting, and for 80% of it my thoughts were "There is no way this team can win this game" and "For all of the NIL money they are getting, we deserve better."  I mean, all of the missed FT, the unfinished layups, the stupid turnovers; it really is a bit much.  To be sure, St. John's regressed to the mean on 3s, Duke played a bit better, Caleb Foster did his Willis Reed impression, Duke went to the line 24 times for 8 for St. John's (nothing to see there), and... I am not sure?  The Brotherhood pulled it out?  I was making (and still am!) a seven-layer jello for a family fest, otherwise I would have had a coronary.

I have decided that the only way to make sure the jello layer are perfect is that you have to wait a full 30 minutes for each one to set.  Yes, it takes time, and yes I could let the bottom layers bleed a bit, but that would not be right, and we all know how I feel about that.  In the meantime, I can do all sorts of things -- laundry, paperwork, not cleaning my house.

I went to the PSRCH today to attend the Communion of All Saints fish fry and meet their new Conference President.  Getting there was a bit of an adventure -- traffic and East Side driving certainly made it an interesting trip.  The food was...pretty good?  Decent-sized cod filet, seasoned well, nice presentation.  Bit pricey but quite solid.  The natives were friendly, though I couldn't but feel like a lion in the Daniel's den.  I didn't stay long, as I had to get to Stations (not missing it with the Duke game) and I made it just in time.  Last evening Stations, as Holy Week is upon us!

My sister gave me a pile of photos, and I took some time this evening to put them into an album.  I have a whole box of them, and I was thinking I really should looking through these things more, and I should echo my mother and start labeling them... of course, there are so many other things to do, as with so many other thigs in life... 

Crashing

 I meant to post last night and ended up falling asleep on the floor.  Oops.  Tonight there is NCAA hoops, so that won't happen, even if the late games are not particularly compelling.  The Purdue-TX game... crazy ending.  One keeps waiting for Purdue to choke, but they have actually done pretty well -- just not won it all yet.

Jay Bilas calls out 'laughable' double standard after Will Wade leaves NC State for LSU
Quite true, but to me the issue is that Wade was fired for... NCAA violation...from LSU.  His successor struggled in part because he had to deal with the scholarship reduction and such caused by Wade.  Now you bring him back?  I realize this is the NCAA and the SEC (at that), and the school that hired Brian Kelly, but... they seem to have replaced Louisville as the place where ethics go to die.

You know, it was quite nice today for about 8 hours -- 70 and sunny and warm.  I took a walk outside just to enjoy it.  Of course, that wouldn't last, and you saw it get darker and colder as the evening went on, followed by rain and storms.  I was driving home from the gym and saw/heard the lightning and thunder; it appears we missed the wind here (I hope).  But my plan to shut off the furnace has been delayed.  For now.

Iran built a vast camera network to control dissent. Israel turned it into a targeting tool
This is...almost sad.  More seriously, this is yet another reason NOT to have the surveillance network -- letting anyone hack into these things is... unwise?  To say nothing of the privacy concerns, not that that is a concern anymore -- not in this era of Only Fans (the economics fascinate me, if nothing else), TikTok, and all of that.  I realize I am a curmudgeon and a Luddite, but I think I prefer a world where we see less of each other.

A Practical and Ugly Way to Fix America (Most of You Will Hate This Answer)
I rather agree -- and find that voting GOP is a solution for every problem -- but there are two issues.  First, you need to get rid of the government unions, and no one seems to want to do that.  Second, in Ohio, voting GOP isn't that helpful if the people you elect don't act like Republicans... between Mike DeWine, the SB6 scandal... well, I am not exactly sure that Vivek is the solution, but he is something of an outsider, and that is... nice?  He just has to be electable...

Fireworks

Had a meeting and a haircut in Lakewood today, and I have to admit:  it is nice to visit and drive through, but driving there is like driving on the East Side, which makes me wonder why I do it.  Of course, I also note that there are a bunch of interesting restaurants there that I need to try.  I should try to find the ones with decent parking first, I guess.  To be sure, I am overdue for restaurant tourism, but I have been parish fish-frying, so the funds earmarked for food are being spent, just elsewhere.  Lent is almost over, so... we can resume our usual duties.

My blood sugars were much better today, and while it is one day, the more serious re-adjustment of injection sites might be the cause.  Not proclaiming victory yet, but... let's keep an eye on it.  And still feel sheepish about it.  It would also be nice to be able to reduce insulin use a bit, for a bunch of reasons -- I do have a dislike of putting stuff in me, no matter the results.

‘He has to justify what he did’: Black leaders slam JB Pritzker after Illinois primary - POLITICO
This amuses me, as I am at a loss as to what they will do to him....vote Republican?  Shit on his budget?  Deep-six his Presidential ambitions?  As with so many other things, I will believe it when I see it.

Source: Hubert Davis fired as North Carolina hoops coach
As a Duke fan, I fully support this move, as I think Davis is quite a solid coach, and I am not sure that anyone else out there could do as good of a job as he has done.  I realize he had not won enough (for some) and UNC is like tOSU in that you don't necessarily have a retirement dinner, but...

Syracuse Women’s Hoops Coach Calls Having to Face UConn in NCAA Tournament a ‘Personal Attack’

This seems a bit strong?  First, coach better?  I mean, not saying it doesn't suck to get blown out by Syracuse, but lots of teams do.  Second, it is the NCAA rules that are keeping them close to UCONN; if they were the #9 seed in the West and lost to UCLA...is that better?  Finally, a personal attack?  Good Lord, I doubt anyone on the women's selection committee even cares...

Mattie Tries Something New

The NIT is the mid-major tournament we all wanted
You know, they are right; the NIT is doing what people always say they wanted -- a place for good mid-major teams to play other quality teams on somewhat even terms.  That said, the NCAA isn't doing the NIT, or, for that matter, the Women's Tournament, any favors by airing most of the games at the same time as the Big Dance.  Let's face it, no one -- or very few -- are watching, which is a shame, as several of the games have been as close and compelling as the main action.  I realize there are only so many hours in a day, and there are so many games, but... it is still not good.

Went to the endocrinologist today to discuss -- among other things -- the issue of my Dawn phenomenon, and he suggested I rotate my injection sites, and even showed me where I could inject.  I guess I had forgotten about it -- if I am hitting scar tissue it won't take -- and while I am not sure that it will work, I am willing to try.  I have to admit, it was...unsettling for him to rattle off these rare conditions that could be the cause, followed by him telling me that as I didn't have any of those symptoms... well, lovely.

Finished my current read, The Washington War, which looks at the war inside DC with FDR and his advisors during WWII.  Interesting; for all of the wise decisions he made during the way -- most of which were let the generals and the admirals fight the war -- it certainly seemed that FDR let too much go in the way of infighting and internal fighting, and it is not unfair to say that we won in spite of this.  It is correct to say that once the industrial might of the US got started it would not stop, but the delays certainly impacted how we fought the war.  Which meant that the USSR moved farther west instead of us moving east, and we all know how that came out.