Odds and- soggy!- sods... My best friend and his wife had their second child last week, an adorable lil girl; 'attaboy, Big Fella!... Another good friend has been nominated to a Hall of Fame in his avocation and will be inducted this fall- WTG, Chris!... It looks like we're on tap to have the rainiest March on record around here- hey, it beats snow but I'm ready to grow webbed feet!... Maybe not for Easter, but this dish sounds dee-lish! Rack of Lamb with Porter Demi-Glaze (For more beer-infused recipes, see here.)... I've mentioned before that I'm a sucker for police/crime drama novels, films, TV shows, contemporary ones too but especially 70's-era ones. I recently re-watched The Choirboys (based upon the Joseph Wambaugh novel; also entertaining.) I have a- non cop- friend who, FWIW in certain ways reminds me of the character Baxter Slate: "It's not evil, Sam. I haven't enough dignity to be evil."... Of my Final Four, only Duke actually made it to Indy, and while I know that Butler is the sentimental favorite, the job Tom Izzo did with an injury-riddled Michigan St. squad has them as my rooting interest... Here's one for any vodkaphiles reading this: 8 Infused Vodkas That Are Weirdly Awesome ...

An interesting piece: Are men better bloggers than women?, Susanna Breslin... And another: An American idol: Lindsey Vonn... And one more: 9 Ways to Enjoy More Energy (Active.com is a pretty good site!)

I'm not naive, but sometimes I can be gullible. There are worse things I suppose...

This (Lover Undercover, Melody Gardot) is a great song, by a truly talented songstress... might resonate with some folks reading this, too :)

Whenever you need some company

Some love of a diferent kind

Come to your lover, undercover...

Thursday, March 18, 2010: My Final Four are: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, and Duke, with KU beating Kentucky for the championship.
Um, nevermind... Suffice to say, my brackets took a huge beating; a lotta upsets :( More importantly- and fortunately- for me, I eeked out a- small- profit ATS, all the more fortunate as I suffered some serious loss of coin Thursday. Yeah, sometimes I ask myself how wise it is to base part of my livelihood and income on whether or not some 19 yo kid makes or misses a pressure free throw or three point shot... it does make things interesting, tho' (as long as, at the end of the day, or the season, the wins are more than the losses.)

72 degrees yesterday- yes!!! It felt goooooood! Instead of hitting the gym in the afternoon I got in a second- lil shorter- run, to get a lil sun, a lil color, and just to get out in that beautiful and warm early spring sunshine!

I've refrained from- much- political opining of late. Big shock I know but I am NOT a supporter of the health care "reform" being foisted upon us. Leave aside- legitimate- philosophical concerns over whether guaranteed health care is a "right" under our Constitution (note: it is not) as well as the fact that poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans do NOT favor this, as well as the fact that it does NOT have broad, let alone bi-partisan, support in Congress (see: all the deals having to be cut to bribe members into supporting it; if it were so good, these wouldn't be necessary), but more mundanely... how is this going to be paid for?! Anyone who believes the rhetoric that it will pay for itself needs a check-up from the neck up. Quite simply; we cannot afford it. We can't. Unless we drastically cut other spending. Or we drastically raise taxes. This is just wrong...

Let's dance, baby! Infants are born to move to the beat, research shows
(Yeah? So how did I grow up to be such an utter klutz on any dance floor?! It's not as if I'm uncoordinated otherwise, but put me on a dance floor and unless it's a really slow one, I evoke pity at best, ridicule at worst!)

"I know you know/What I'm about, I won't deny it/But you forgave what you don't understand/You turned your head/You dropped my hand..."

I have a very good friend whose mom is going thru some serious health issues. He's been someone who has always been supportive of me, someone I'm truly blessed and honored to call a friend. He, his mom, and their family have some difficult challenges and choices ahead. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

An early day today (already got in a good run!)

What I'm reading now: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink
According to Pink, everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong. He pits the latest scientific discoveries about the mind against the outmoded wisdom that claims that people can only be motivated by the hope of gain and the fear of loss. Pink cites a dizzying number of studies revealing that carrot and stick can actually significantly reduce the ability of workers to produce creative solutions to problems. What motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential.
And a related short (2 mins) video: Two Questions That Can Change Your Life (Yeah, a lil bit of hyperbole, but still worth 2 mins of your time :)

I finished my NCAA hoops brackets, posted 'em on ESPN and Yahoo! Sports (bracket name is Kellie's Heroes; I'm not sure if you can search for 'em or not.) My Final Four are: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, and Duke, with KU beating Kentucky for the championship. Anyone else who is into it, let me know who yours are! (And a very good night AT$ last nite on NIT games- about time someone's Dayton Flyers put a lil $$$ in my purse ;)

We're looking at another stretch of nice weather- yay! I'm one of those people who wears shorts pretty much year-round anyway but it feels nice to be able to wear 'em and not feel a lil chilly... The longer days and higher sun of daylight savings time are a plus as well; hafta start getting a lil color again :) We did get quite a bit of rain- close to 7"- around here earlier this week and there's been some flooding, but whaddya gonna do...

"She's a summer love in the spring, fall, and winter/She can make happy any man alive..."

You don't know what's going on
You've been away for far too long
You can't come back
And think you are still mine...
Out Of Time, Rolling Stones

Some great mid-60's Stones (I've always luved that song!)

I hadn't realized I let this much time go without any entries... some folks even said they missed my brain droppings here- who knew?! (And thanks :) I've spent a lil more time on Facebook... I have several messages, requests, et al to respond to and catch up on as well, and I will; I appreciate the interest... The last couple of months have been more hectic than usual for me (what was it I wrote previously about improving my time-management skills?! Shure...) My sincerest thanks to those who have given me their interest and support :) I still have a few on-going items to deal with, but onward and upward...

Catching up... We've had a touch of spring around here the last few days (today was a lil cooler.) I'm ready for the end of winter!... Work has been and is what it is. I seriously have to make some changes, some improvements, there; frankly, I've been burnt out on my status quo for too long as is, accepting the security of the status quo rather than taking greater risk to expand potential rewards. Nuf ced on that for the moment... I had a very successful season ATS with college football and a smaller- but still profitable- season on the NFL... College hoops I've been doing profitably with as well, particularly well given that my time to 'cap has been limited (my friend Frank may disagree, as I've probably steered him to more of my losses than my wins!) And I'll share my for-entertainment-purposes-only bracket picks next week (and hope any of my fellow degenerates will share yours!)... My running has been down a bit this winter- in early January I stepped on a piece of ice on a run and slightly re-injured a foot I had broken back in high school (first time that has bothered me in about 6 years maybe?) Not enuf to keep me from running but enuf to make it a lil unpleasant, as well as cut my distance down a lil bit; seems to finally be feeling better now (or else I'm just used to the pain, waaahhh! ;)... I hafta change my lifting routine some; I already have done so a couple of times but it just seems as if I'm getting nothing out of it, none of the results I had been seeing awhile back. Right now I'm thinking I may just stop lifting for a month or even two (do a lil body-weight work is all, think: push ups, pull ups, dips, squats, step ups, lunges) Any workout warriors reading this who have any suggestions, feel free to pass 'em along!

What I'm reading now: finishing up Last Words: A Memoir, by George Carlin, as well as slogging my way thru (almost finished! ) a re-read of Atlas Shrugged. I wouldn't classify myself as an Objectivist (there are aspects of Dagny Taggart that I've admired tho'!)

I caught this- Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals- on HBO On Demand the other night. If you were an NBA fan in the 80's (like me!) you'll enjoy it!

My mom was in the hospital last week (she's already out, and seems to be doing very well- whew!) At one point while visiting, for a break and a lil quiet time as much as anything I headed down to what was- charitably- called the hospital's chapel. So I find it and it looks alright from the outside, some vaguely stained-glass looking windows and soft exterior lighting... Now I realize I'm a Catholic-centric gal and further, I don't make a habit of visiting hospital chapels and I understand the desire to be reasonably inclusive and all the rest; it wasn't a church-affiliated hospital, so I guess a crucifix or Stations of the Cross might have been too much to ask. So... I enter. Candles? No. Pews? No- conference chairs. Any vaguely religious or spiritual paintings, pictures, images- angels, cherubs, etc... ? No. And at the front of the room, not an altar or lectern of any sort but simply a shelf with... a potted plant on it! That's it! I suppose maybe it might have been inspiring for any Druids who happened by, but... I sat there for maybe three minutes and then I'm like "What the heck am I doing here?" and left... I thought it was mildly amusing, anyway :)