NCAA Tournaments – Saturday and Sunday

UConn men still in it!
Saturday night I listened to the UConn men’s game while driving to Middletown to attend a poetry reading. When I pulled up in front of The Buttonwood Tree the game was close…I think UConn was ahead 58-56. It had been so close with the lead being tied and changing constantly I thought for sure UConn was going to bite the dust.

What a surprise when I got home and checked scores on line. UConn won. On to the Final Four they go where they will meet Michigan State. Hmmmm. I really don’t think UConn can get past State…not if State plays the way they did today against Louisville. I had picked Louisville to win, but I am unable to feel sorry for Rick Pitino. His players, yes. The coach, no.

On to the Women
The UConn women steamrolled over California. It was a rough start, though. For the first time this season UConn was down by eight points…the most ever this season. At the half UConn was up by two. In the second half UConn just ran away with it, winning 77-53.

Have You Paid Attention to Mother Nature This Week?

Earthquake swarms along the San Andreas Fault.
Epic blizzard conditions across the Northern Plains.
Flooding along the Red River putting Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN at devastating risk.
Mount Redoubt in Alaska has erupted.
Tornadoes and severe thunder storms are ravaging the Gulf Coast States.

What? No hurricane? (sorry I didn’t mean it)

NCAA Tournaments - Going Into the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen

The Men's Game

Louisville vs Michigan St.

UConn vs Missouri

Pitt vs Villanova

North Carolina vs Oklahoma

Who will come out of these contests the victors? I think it will come down to Louisville vs UConn, and Pitt vs UNC. I guess it won't be an all big east Final Four but three out of four isn't bad.

What about the Women?

The Sweet Sixteen is next on the list of games. My interest, of course, is with UConn tomorrow.

NCAA Tournaments – Tuesday through Thursday

So far, both UConn teams are still in it. Along the way there have been so many upsets. The most recent notable upsets occurred last night. DUKE and MEMPHIS both bit the dust. In a previous posting I said if Memphis lost I would throw in the towel and consider my brackets ka-poo-ie! So...ka-poo-ie it is.

So, now what happens?
I’m not sure UConn can go all the way. If they do, the Final Four will/could look like a Big East face-off. It could be Louisville, UConn, Pitt and Syracuse or Villanova. Hey, people! This is why we play the games. It doesn’t matter what it looks like on paper.

Of all these teams, Louisville is the one I'd least like to see make the Championship game. It's my personal dislike for Rick Patino. He single handedly almost destroyed the Boston Celtics. He obviously is successful at the college level...just keep him away from the Celtics.

Last night’s music/poetry event
The Ninth Annual Women Composers Festival presented an evening of chamber music performances combined with the poetry of the Riverwood Poetry Series. I have never participated in anything like this before, and it was such an honor to be part of it. The performances—musical and poetic—were outstanding. Let’s give Minta White and Heather House a big round of applause for their vision and hard work. Hopefully we will have more of this type of entertainment.

I’m finally gonna get hitched!
Don’t go getting all excited here. I’m headed off to Liberty Honda in Hartford this afternoon to have the bike rack hitch installed on my Honda Fit Sport. While the service department is installing the hitch, the parts department will be assembling the rack. The two will be united and I’ll finally be able to get my bike to the shop for spring maintenance. Nice weather is coming and I’m itching to hit the road. I’ll have pictures of course.

NCAA Tournaments – Sunday & Monday

Tennessee lost?!
I was so stunned by the Lady Vols loss to Ball State that I was sent to my bed in a swoon and could not bear to write about the games. And if you believe that, you don’t know me. I was so elated I was out celebrating! When I went to bed Sunday night I was sure I would wake up the next morning to find Tennessee had moved on to the next game. Imagine my shock-turned-celebration when I saw the score. I really feel sorry for the players. I can just imagine the brutal tongue lashing those kids must have received. I don’t know that they did…but, based on what we have seen from Pat Summitt in the past, I can only imagine.

As for the rest of the tournament games, the results of the Men’s games sent me reeling. However, the four teams I picked to go into the Final Four are still in the hunt.

For the Women’s games, I really got clobbered! I told you I’m not a familiar with the women’s teams because of lack of TV exposure. My Final Four picks are still intact, so we’ll just move on.

Weather
It has been so cold and windy the last few days. OK. It’s March and March is traditionally windy. It has also been dry. Last year it was wet. I will be watching the first two weeks in September to see what the weather is like along the Erie Canal. If it’s dry, I will not be happy. Not after bike riding in Sept. 2008 in rain every other day. That was brutal.

Speaking of bike riding
When I bought my Honda Fit it was very obvious my old bike rack could not be used. Too much glass and the spoiler makes it difficult to use the old rack. “Not prudent” and “disastrous” are terms that come to mind. So I bought a new bike rack…a Thule hitch-type rack. (Actually I did not buy it...my kids got together and made it an early Mother's day present. How great are they!). The Thule does not come with the “hitch” part. That had to be ordered separately from another company. That should be delivered today. Once I get it, I’ll call Liberty Honda and arrange for it to be installed.

Once that is done, I can get my bike to the shop for spring maintenance. After riding in so much rain last September, I didn’t have a chance to get my bike into the shop because of my mother’s health issues. I’m thinking the worse (all the cables are rusted out and everything else is rusty, too) and hoping for the best (it won't be costly to fix).

I’ll just be glad when it’s all done and I can ride.

NCAA Tournaments - Saturday

This is where it gets complicated. We have both Men’s and Women’s to report on as of Saturday.

In the Men’s Second Round (Saturday) I had only one miss. I had picked Washington to beat Purdue. Everything else went well. After Friday, this was such a relief.

This is why we play the games
What you have to love in this tournament is how the underdogs are either whipping the favorites or giving them a huge run for their money. Cleveland never should have beat Wake Forest, and Arizona whipping Utah was never a possibility…my opinion of course. ☺ ☺

In the Women’s first round, Saturday, I had two misses: I picked Texas to beat Miss. St., and Xavier to beat Gonzaga. That’s pretty good since I know less about the women’s teams.

Why do I not know the women’s teams?
Simple. They don’t get as much TV exposure so I don’t get to watch them as much. I’m very familiar with Duke, Tennessee, North Carolina, Stanford and the Big East teams, but the rest are strangers. I have to pick them by chance…that means I will get some of them correct.

NCAA Men’s First Round - Friday

What in heaven’s name was going on in the Midwest Regional on Friday? I had five wrong picks! In the East I had one wrong. Not a good day.

Some of the teams I have picked to win are not teams I particularly like (it’s personal or, sometimes, personnel), but I have to pick them because they have a proven record. Do you know how hard it is for me to cheer for them to win? Normally I would be cheering for the opponent and it’s hard breaking myself from that.

I can’t stand Memphis, for example, but I had to cheer them on. Oh! Life can be so cruel. ☺

And the Women’s Tournament started today. This must be heaven. All basketball all the time.

I do have a life outside of basketball
This past Thursday night the gathering at Wintonbury Branch Library in Bloomfield had a great audience packed with poets and poetry lovers alike. We are usually finished around a little past 9 p.m. This time we didn’t finish until after 10 p.m. If you like poetry, consider coming out to Wintonbury Library on April 16th. This will be the last meeting of the season.

On the last Saturday of the month you will find poetry at The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, and on the April 30th and May 28th consider coming to Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor all sponsored by the Riverwood Poetry Series.

I don’t remember if I mentioned before that I’m working on my first chap book—Beyond the Mists, poetry from my spiritual, magical and dark sides. I will self publish and it will probably be out by midsummer.

NCAA Men’s First Round

Yesterday’s games provided some drama. From Coach Calhoun not being on the floor because he was in the hospital, to Memphis almost destroying everyone’s brackets it proved to be quiet exciting.

The two biggest surprises has to be the close call Memphis had with Cal State Northridge. Apparently no one told CSN they were supposed to be afraid, very afraid of Memphis.

Then, how in the world did Clemson manage to lose to Michigan by THREE POINTS?

Two of the teams I had picked to win yesterday, Clemson and Illinois, lost. That doesn’t mess up my brackets because I have not picked them to go very far anyway. So I adjust my brackets slightly. These are my brackets and I’ll do them my way (that’s for those who are howling that I’m cheating). I have no money riding on the outcome so it doesn’t matter. ☺

Where it starts to matter is if Memphis doesn’t knock off UConn in the Elite Eight. I will be ecstatic if UConn can get past Memphis, but I still don’t think that will happen. That, indeed, would foul up my brackets and I would have to throw in the towel.

I don’t even want to think about the day after the champions (Men’s and Women’s) are crowned. It’s such a letdown. The NBA just doesn’t have the excitement that college Bball has. And it will take a while to allow the slow pace of baseball to take over.

Bracketology

Photo
Safe passage through a swampy area at Stebbins Wildlife Preserve in Longmeadow, MA.

This is how I see it.
I have filled out my brackets in both the men’s and women’s NCAA championship tournament.

Men’s: Memphis will knock UConn out in the Elite 8. The Final 4 combatants will be…Memphis, Louisville, Syracuse and Duke. Memphis and Syracuse will battle it out for the championship with Memphis taking the prize. Too bad President Obama didn’t see my brackets before he published his.

I didn’t expect it to work out this way. I do not like Coach Calipari going back to his days at UMass. After Marcus Camby bailed to avoid his scandalous conduct, Calipari bailed right after him. Calipari knew all the while what Camby was up to, but turned a blind eye. (all my opinion only) Just because I don’t like the man personally, doesn’t mean I have to ignore the fact that he has a very good team.

Women’s: I see Tennessee getting knocked off in the Elite 8 by Duke. No love lost there. Going into the Final 4 I have UConn, Stanford, Maryland and Oklahoma. The Championship game will be between UConn and Oklahoma and, of course, UConn will take the trophy.

You may have guessed I don’t care for Tennessee. This is a classic case of a team truly mirroring their coach. Coach Summitt may be a good coach, I just don’t care for the way she coaches. My feelings go back to the days when Lobo, Rissotti, and Wolters were playing. Summitt came across as so mean and miserable I could not like her personally. I felt sorry for her team. Still do.

As you can see, basketball, for me, goes beyond the game…it deals in personalities, too. I love Geno; don’t really care for Calhoun.

Tough Being Sick

Photo
These pictures come from one of my most favorite places, the Scantic River Linear Park in Enfield.
The picture on the left I call “animal mushroom.” It looks like a long flat animal, maybe one that slithers (?) and it has a long tail. Maybe it’s aquatic.
The one on the right is one of the many rapids on the river. They must be getting ready for the spring run of the rapids pretty soon. Can you imagine being in a canoe or kayak on/in this cold, rapidly flowing water? Wet suits (maybe it’s dry suits) and helmets are required if I remember correctly.

Finally human
Today is the first day I have felt human since the onset of this cold. It has been a week (right on schedule?). This is the first morning I woke up without a sore throat. Up until now, late morning, I have not taken any medication at all. I do think, however, I need to keep up the decongestant syrup…I can’t take any chances on my lungs.

I did go to the doctor on Monday. My concern was I had strep throat. The good news is I did not.

I cannot remember the last time I was sick, so I really don’t know how to BE sick. There is no yardstick to tell me the sore back and ab muscles are normal for all the coughing and sneezing I’ve been doing. So I probably worry more than if I caught frequent colds.

This has been a nasty one for sure and from what I understand, I’m not alone in my suffering.

Nadia
Has this woman had her 15 minutes of fame yet?
Have you wondered what special plans God has for these eight babies? I wonder what their special mission is. Could it be to tell us to stop playing God?

Riverwood Poetry Festival
We have our own website now and things are coming together. The festival will be June 24 through 28. There are multiple venues and the poetry heard this year promises to be as varied and as excellent as it was last year at our Beat Poetry Festival. Keep visiting the site often to catch up on the latest plans for poets and venues. This is going to be so awesome!

Time for Reflection

Photo
Reflections. I love this picture. The reflection of the stark branches is so beautiful. Taken behind Loomis-Chaffee school in Windsor where the combined Farmington and Connecticut Rivers regularly encroach on the athletic fields during spring floods.

I have a cold
You might say “So what!” This is significant because I can’t remember the last time I had a cold. I’m not whining; I’m just trying to cope. I don’t know how to have a cold. It probably isn’t a very bad one, but to me it sure feels bad.

This cold tried to catch me three times…the third time was the charm. First it tried to give me a sore throat and I started taking Cold Calm®. It went away. A few days later it tried to be a head cold. Again Cold Calm®, and bye bye cold. It’s last assault, the current one, became a chest cold with sore throat and Cold Calm® did absolutely nothing. So I stopped the Cold Calm® and started a cough syrup to clear chest congestion.

This morning I awoke to a very sore throat, but as the morning moves along, it seems to be getting better.

I was supposed to join friends for breakfast this morning, but for their ongoing good health, I’m staying home. No sense infecting them, too.

I have cancelled most of my weekend plans because of the cold and will spend most of the time with vats of herbal tea with honey and lemon and the two-volume book, Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.

Looks like I’ll have a lot of time for “reflections.”

Major Catch Up

Photo
This is the new logo for our poetry series. Riverwood will be hosting a poetry festival from June 24 through 28. More info and a web address will be posted here as soon as available.

The name represents the two main venues for the series is Wood Memorial Library (South Windsor) and The Buttonwood Tree (Middletown). Both venues have "wood" in their name and both are close to the Connecticut River.

Avon Mountain
In the process of car buying, I had to drive over Avon Mountain several times. There is one stretch, west bound, that is downhill, but any car I have ever driven on that stretch seems to lose speed. That doesn’t make sense…going downhill and can’t maintain speed. Even pressing hard on the gas pedal doesn’t do anything. Has anyone else experienced this? I’ve heard it is caused by reverse magnetism. Is there such a thing? Whatever it is, it’s spooky.

Naming cars
I have been asked if I name all of my cars. Yes, I pretty much name my cars. It started with my 1980 yellow Pinto that I named Buttercup and in her dowager years became The Lady Buttercup. Next my Chevy Nova was named Nova. How original. Then my Saturn was named Celeste (for celestial). Now I have my Fit and Hissy just seemed right. I want to get her name painted right above the word “FIT” on the rear lid. Between that and the Cape Cod Canal Tunnel Permit bumper sticker I have to replace (I had one on my Saturn), I hope to cause a few people to smile.

On the home front
Things at home are very quiet because my mother has been in the nursing home since January 26th. When she went in she couldn’t walk…she was that weak. After a week she was taking a few steps. Now she is able to take her walker out of her room and do a little hall walking. She is determined to come home and continues to amaze us, especially when you consider we didn’t think she was going to live after her surgery.

Next Wednesday she will come home for about an hour, under the watchful eye of a physical therapist, to see how she functions in her home space. We’ll see how that goes. We need to be certain she is strong enough to manage daily activities. I need to be confident that she will be OK if I leave her for a couple hours or more in order to go grocery shopping, a doctor's appointment, or attend a poetry event.

Poetry
Poetry readings have been going well. In addition to Wood Memorial Library and Buttonwood Tree, I recently read at the West Hartford Art League.

During the month of March, the Riverwood Poetry Series board of directors have been invited to read poetry in conjunction with the 9th Annual Women composers Festival of Hartford (presented by The Friends of Women Composers Society). We will be reading at three different venues: Konover Hall, University of Hartford; Tisane’s Restaurant, Farmington Ave., Hartford; and the Unitarian Meeting House, Bloomfield Ave. in Hartford. For more information on the Entire Festival, go to www.heatherhouseproductions.com or call (860) 389-4884.

Taste as you go
I have added a new link (under Other Blogs Worth Reading) to the website www.tasteasyougo.com. I worked with Michelle’s dad at Connecticut Natural Gas before I retired. I think you will like her site. Check it out.