Staying the Course -- March 31, 2021

Superbob · Mar 31, 2021

Hello, fellow Coursers! Greetings from the Wednesday-is-the-New-Monday guy.

Today I sing the praises of sports, warts and all. The seasons of sports are a major factor in keeping my sanity at least partially intact. And this week two seasons converge: the conclusion of college basketball's March Madness and Major-League Baseball's Opening Day (tomorrow in Cincy is the traditional starter -- go Redbirds, beat them Redlegs!)

I am more of a fan of baseball and football than basketball, but the Madness of March always gets me stoked. All these teams from every corner of the USA -- from huge universities and small private colleges alike, some powerhouse teams, some presumed lightweights that snuck into the tourney by winning the championship of some podunk league. And then the upsets start. And I get hooked. Especially enjoyed the run of Loyola/Chicago and also Abilene Christian upending the dominant institution in their state -- the University of Texas. And there were many more. UCLA is big, and years ago it was THE basketball powerhouse. But this year, it had to win a play-in game just to get in the big dance, and then it started reeling off exciting wins, capped with the 51-49 one over a No. 1-seed, U/Michigan last night, that put UCLA in the Final Four! I think their run ends there when they face 30-0 Gonzaga, about as well-rounded, skilled team as I've ever seen.But I'm thoroughly hooked. Got my Saturday schedule set. And I have MLB-TV so baseball is always available!

Okay, so I am a certified sports nut. But maybe thanks to my walking dawg I can call myself an outdoorsman also. Today, for the first time since I rescued Ellie 6 years ago, she ripped away from my hold on her leash on our daily walk, in hot pursuit of a cat. I finally caught her -- good thing for me, she now is well into her senior years. Maybe not so good for me, but I caught her -- even after running a bit -- without getting out of breath. Very steamy day today -- big thunderstorms expected today and tomorrow, followed by major drop in temps, to the point of freeze warnings this weekend. Crazy weather.

Meanwhile, scheduling nurse has called me with a choice of dates in June for my surgery. Trying to coordinate with busy family. By next STC week, hope to be able to announce my date.

Carry on, hardy Coursers! How are you all doing?

Cheers,
Superbob

Superbob · Apr 1, 2021

Trying to decide whether to play an April Fool's prank on my DW or not. We've had so many twists and turns in our senior years that I hesitate to risk upsetting her.

Maybe I'll just say I saw a bear in our backyard early this morning. That's plausible. People see bears around here a lot. We are near a Nature Preserve. They haven't hurt anyone. They seek bird feeders and such.

Have any successful April Fool's fibs you want to share here?

BTW, I finally have a date: June 9. That is for surgery to correct my incisional hernia that was first noticed in cardiac rehabilitation in Janauary 2020, 4 months after my second OHS. (But likely not caused by CR, I hasten to add. These are pretty common among seniors who have had multiple open surgeries. We didn't do any lifting in CR. I could have tried to do too much lifting too soon at home.) I'll have to make myself go easy for a while after the hernia surgery.

And that news bulletin is not an April Fool's fib. All true.

Be of good cheer,
Superbob

skeptic49 · Apr 1, 2021

Wow, you ARE a sports fanatic Superbob! I follow football and of course now is the quiet season for that sport, except for the draft and other trading, etc. Our Eagles won the Superbowl three years ago then crashed and burned totally. The coach and the quarterbacks from then are all gone, so we are in rebuilding mode. The Phillies have not made the playoffs in a while. If they do better this year I may take an interest. I'm not at all into hoops. Glad you were able to catch doggie. My arthritic knees won't allow me to run anymore. Today I'm headed to NYC to get my second Moderna shot. Happy Passover/Easter to those who celebrate. I observe some of the traditions anyway.

dornole · Apr 1, 2021

My extended family does NCAA brackets every year. I was doing unexpectedly ok until Michigan let me down! Right now it looks like my sister in law who hates all sports or the 9 year old will win. I live a good underdog.

As for April Fools my favorite trick ever ... you know those spray hoses some kitchens have where you can pull out the nozzle and spray your dishes? I put a rubber hand around the trigger. Then when my brother turned on the tap the nozzle shot straight out at him from its holder position. He jumped! I think I’m lucky he used the sink first and not my mom. I’m not sure she would have been amused.

rich01 · Apr 1, 2021

I've never seen a college team make basketball look as easy as Gonzaga does.

Superman · Apr 3, 2021

So happy not to pay a lick of attention to March madness this year.

. Oddly I think the pandemic really fixed a lot of my sports fanaticism. I check the paper once in a while now, but don’t feel compelled to sit and watch.

Finally a little down time to chime in on the course. On vacation in Florida relaxing poolside at the rental house. Not sure about hitting the resort pool with the pandemic. Might wander down there and see if crowds are low.

We did a bit of kayaking yesterday and saw some manatee. That was cool. Went for a run this morning. We have Easter Dinner reservations at one of our favorite Disney restaurants, although we aren’t doing the parks this year. Rented a big 600mm lens for this trip for Florida birds and wildlife.