Grandpa's Pond

It's hard to believe that I am almost 30 years old. My life has hurtled through space and time with increasing velocity with each passing year, so much so that sometimes I have difficulty remembering who I am. It's difficult to imagine that the boy who not so long ago bounced on his grandfather's knee to the tune of 'ol Dan Tucker is now so old. Time, it would seem, is the great equalizer and it spares no one. Even my Grampa, who in my little world was the epitome of strength, has now been gone for over 13 years. My Grampa was a great influence in my life and was the man who taught me how to fish, which is quite possibly the best gift a young boy can receive. I try to keep the memories of me and my grandpa sitting side by side on the pond bank while watching a red & white bobber sway with the wind and play on the water surface close to my heart and fresh in my mind.

Redneck Banjo Montage

Click here for a good time via Google Video. While I do take exception to the concept that anyone who has ever posed with a dead animal is a redneck, I can not deny the hilarity of this clip.

March Sadness

For anyone who cares, my brackets are kaput. Unpredictability is what makes March Madness so much fun too watch though. Even the 16 seeds have looked tough in this year's tournament, which has given me even more confidence in my prediction that a #1 seed will indeed fall to a #16 within the next 5 years (it nearly happened to UCONN this weekend). As more exceptional high school players have prematurely darted off to the NBA, the parity of college basketball teams has narrowed greatly. There are a few perennial powerhouses that remain, but they vary in strength from year to year. The purists may not like the watering down of college basketball talent, but to me that's just part of the American dream and capitalism. Besides, the NCAA tournament games are more entertaining now than they were 20 years ago; just look at he records of the lower seeds in the tournament over the past 15 years. Plus, opportunities may be awarded to players/students at Universities that may not have been possible a few years ago, and that certainly isn't a bad thing for those individuals.

Back to the games.

March? Already?

I can't decide if March has quietly crept up on me, or if our mild winter has lulled my inner clock to sleep. Either way, I couldn't be more happy that March is here. It's a transitional month first and foremost as the seasons change from winter to spring, and while that phenomenon is noteworthy enough to cement March in the top 5 list of months, the varied traditions that take place during March give it an arguable chance at breaking through the top 3. Think about it...

Yes, March can be bitterly cold, there's no question. However, there are always enough gorgeous days thrown in to counterbalance winter's waning grip. The warm days, like today, beg to be enjoyed; even old men & women leave their winter retreats and come out squinting like moles before finding some mundane task to pass the time or merely sit for a spell while gliding rhythmically on a porch swing. Everybody finds a way to frolic on these warm days, whether it be a brisk jog or a quiet walk with a dog; and everybody has their windows down, both at home and on the road. I think we tire of breathing stale air during winter and leap at the chance to have circulating air coursing through our hair and filling our lungs (note: allergy sufferers won't appreciate that analogy, I'm sure).

At some point, large numbers of pale-yellow daffodils will spring up from the cold ground as if to brilliantly announce the official start of spring. Then, brown grass will begin to turn green; redbud trees will explode in a cacophony of magenta, followed by the fragrant blooms of serviceberry, gooseberry, and eventually dogwoods.
There is more to March than just natural occurrences and the blessing of another spring season. There's St. Patrick's Day, which doesn't hold any meaning for me personally other than a good excuse to drink some green beer and a couple pints of Guinness. Baseball also gets under way with spring training games at the first of March and the inaugural opening day of the season, usually on or near the 31st. I think opening day is the greatest any one day in all of sports. It doesn't get any better for me than to spend a warm, spring afternoon in the bosom of downtown St. Louis on the opening day of the Major League Baseball season. Finally, there is March Madness, which is hands-down the greatest sports postseason tournament. Regardless of what the weather is doing outside, I can always be found glued to the TV at a bar or at home hoping that every low seed wins. Oh, and if you have the means I highly recommend trying your luck out in Vegas during March Madness at least once- it is just too much fun. What about drinking for free and legally betting on March Madness at Ceaser's sports book in Las Vegas doesn't sound awesome?

March is here and all that it brings with it. I just checked the weather and it is an unbelievable 81 degrees right now!!! Global warming rocks!