March is by far my favorite month of the year, hands down. The greatest sporting event known to mankind will kick off with Selection Sunday six days from now. Ooooooh. The NCAA Basketball Tournament. The 64 Team Showdown. The Big Dance, Baby!
There is nothing that moves me like a 14 seed pulling the big upset on the 3 seed...or a classic 8-9 match up coming right down to the wire. Seriously, buzzer beaters make me just plain weepy! Who will emerge as the cinderella story of 2006? Which number one seed will plummet first? Which kid will come out of the closet as the next top NBA prospect? How long can I sneak out of class to watch as many games as possible?!!!
I'll let you know about what I'm thinking on this year's bracket's...but not until our big fantasy league is underway. I'd hate to let my secret selections out of the bag. Ha, ha!
There's just something about the whole bracket thing that makes me
kinda goofy. Sheesh, I love those brackets! Every since high school, I get this tingly rush making my gambles and random guesses on teams, and then, oh the best- during the first two rounds...watching and updating as the scores pile up. Oh, admit it, some of you deep down feel the same way! So, if you want to join the bracket craze, send me an email and I'll get you signed up for a fantasy league with the hippest bracket junkies around.
Oh, and this year the Madness is even more intense because I'm coaching my way through a bracket! It was Selection Monday for us in Saskatchewan. I was a little disappointed with our seeding- 9th out of 16. I'm not convinced the strength of our schedule was taken into account as it might have been (we were 10-14 overall this season, and 5-10 in Regina playing against a majority of 3A and 4A schools), but oh well. That's alright! We're headed to Herbert to play in the tight 8-9 game vs. Radville. Should we be victorious in the Friday night game, next up will be the mighty Herberters?- the number one ranked team in the province. The slipper might just fit! Go Mustangs!
It's actually a pretty fun time for high school basketball here, with all of the divisions holding their regionals this weekend and then four from each will move on to the Big Dance- aka Hoopla, the following weekend in Moose Jaw.
Anyway...countdown to the Madness is on...I know you're counting down, too! :)
Today was Field Trip Day. In Mandarin class we went out for lunch to a local Chinese restaurant and filled ourselves on spicy tofu, ginger beef and wonton soup. Immediately following the Chinese feast, the Grade 10s and myself drove to the Legislative Building to sit in on question period, take a tour of the building and visit with our Regina Rosemont MLA, the Honourable Joanne Crofford. She is a fantastic lady and kindly introduced our class to the Assembly during the session. She commented on Western being a welcomed bright spot in our community as well as stating our "students seek a high standard for their life decisions"- or something to that effect, although it sounded better when she said it...anyway, it made me think, hey, that's a pretty neat thing to recognize in our kids. I have now taken both Gr. 4's and Gr. 10's to the Leg., and I'd have to say in terms of management, they work at about the same level...ha ha. Just kidding, they were good reps for our school.
On a positive note, lately I have realized I am not socially inept, as I had feared I was becoming during the last few months in the height of teaching and coaching busyness. Birthday celebrations (Happy Birthday Crystal!!!! You're my Hero, the Funniest Distraction, and the Queen of Peppers), India buffets, plenty of March Madness, soccer, basketball, badminton, working out at the gym, a monster long chat to China...all these I have enjoyed in the past week. Now, I really must head for bed. It's better for all that way!
About a week ago, the Maxima and I journeyed together to Portage for my Aunty Laurie's funeral. Actually, it was not a funeral, it was a celebration. She would have nothing to do with funerals; she wanted her friends and family to get together and have a party in remembrance of her life. So that we did. We played bingo, listened to an Elvis impersonator, and later we ate pizza and cake, her favorites. We cried plenty too, and remembered all that Aunty Laurie gave in her life on Earth. The word that described her over and over was love. Love, love, love. It was a very good reminder to me that it really is all that lasts and endures. Love. People remember love- love as an action that helps and shares and gives. She loved like that and it touched people. We admired her amazing endurance through so much pain- she was courageous to the end.
March is by far my favorite month of the year, hands down. The greatest sporting event known to mankind will kick off with Selection Sunday six days from now. Ooooooh. The NCAA Basketball Tournament. The 64 Team Showdown. The Big Dance, Baby!
There is nothing that moves me like a 14 seed pulling the big upset on the 3 seed...or a classic 8-9 match up coming right down to the wire. Seriously, buzzer beaters make me just plain weepy! Who will emerge as the cinderella story of 2006? Which number one seed will plummet first? Which kid will come out of the closet as the next top NBA prospect? How long can I sneak out of class to watch as many games as possible?!!!
