Jeopardy online test update

List of Jeopardy! tournaments and events (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You are not going to believe this…I can hardly believe it myself.  I totally forgot about my scheduled test.  Yes, you heard me right.  I just now realized that I’d spaced it.  How disappointing.  What in the world was I doing at that time last night that caused me to forget something that I was so looking forward to?  I don’t really remember.  I guess I was online with a basketball game on in the background.  Stupid basketball…haha!

Anyhow, that’s my update…no show for the test…sheesh!

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Sweet 16

Bloomington is ready…IU is in the sweet 16 for the first time in10 years.  The town is decked out in cream and crimson…

…ready to pull another upset over those pesky wildcats.

Hoo…Hoo…Hoo…Hoosiers!!!

Basketball fever

Center of the Basketball Universe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anyone who knows me at all knows I am a lifelong, die-hard Indiana University Hoosiers basketball fan…from the time I was a kid (yep, all those years ago).  We lived way out in the middle of nowhere, had a black and white television hooked up to an antennae…could only get the 3 major networks and one little Indianapolis station…fortunately for us, back then that station carried the IU games…all of them that weren’t on network tv.  With announcers who were partisan IU fans…Bob Knight was the coach…players like Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Kent Benson led IU to a national championship in 1976 (should have been, would have been, the second championship had May not been injured late in the previous season)…and, might I add, that was also the last team to make it through the entire season undefeated…there have been a lot of really great teams to play the game of college basketball in the past 36 years, but none that could match what that team accomplished.

Having said that, this IU team is pretty darn special in its own right.  This is a team that has faced tremendous adversity, a team that had to completely rebuild the program, that had to work hard for every single accomplishment, that continued to battle through 3 tough losing seasons…through it all, they never gave up, they continued to work hard, to improve individually and collectively.  No one gave them anything…they worked for everything they’ve achieved.  This group of seniors is making its first NCAA run.  The naysayers said they would lose their first game last week…in part because this is uncharted territory for every player on this team, they don’t have talented point guards, they aren’t as athletic as some of the other teams…and so on…

All year, this group of guys has proven the talking heads wrong…they seem to thrive on the doubters, on no one believing they can win…they relish the role of underdog.  Yes, they are, once again, the underdogs in their upcoming game.  When I hear certain analysts declare that IU doesn’t have a chance against UK Friday night in Atlanta, I just smile.  I seem to remember they didn’t have a prayer in that game played back on Dec 10 either, but somehow came out victorious.

Will they win Friday night?  I don’t know any more about that than those guys on ESPN and CBS…but I do know that this team has brought Indiana back to the national stage…the right way…that they’ll put their all into this match up, they won’t just meekly roll over simply because the team they’re playing is purported to be better than some pro teams.  They know they can beat this team…they know it because they’ve already done it!

Whatever happens the rest of the way in this tournament…I just want to say…Indiana Hoosiers…love us or hate us…we’re back!!

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Bracketology

Image via Wikipedia

For those of us who grew up in Indiana, this has always been the most exciting time of the year.  Nope, not because winter is over.

It’s NCAA tournament time!

When I was a kid, being in the tournament felt like it was a birth right.  But the past few years have taught us that, no matter who you are, you have to work hard to earn your place in the tournament.

We were down for a few years, but are back now, with a much greater appreciation for how special it is to see your team’s name come up on those brackets on Sunday night.

Last night, we found out who our first opponent will be and where we’ll play the opening round.  (New Mexico State and Portland).

Some folks are disappointed by the location…all I have to say is, it doesn’t matter who you’re dancing with or where you go to dance, it only matters that you dance your heart out. Seize the moment…

Go Hoosiers!!

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For the glory of old IU

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Okay, today’s post is going to be a little bit of a departure from my usual focus.  I’m basking in the glow of a huge victory for Indiana University basketball tonight.  The Hoosiers were able to knock off #1 Kentucky just down the road from my house tonight.  An unbelievably exciting game, kind of wish I could have been there.

I’ve been a Hoosiers basketball fan since I was a kid, back in the early Bob Knight years, through 3 national championships, through the firing of Knight and the promotion of Davis, Davis leaving and the hiring of Sampson (which, by the way, I thought was a huge mistake at the time and, unfortunately, was proven correct in that view) and the decimation that Sampson’s actions brought to a proud, tradition filled program.

When Tom Crean was hired as the head basketball coach, I had hope that he would be able to restore the program to its proper place in the basketball world.  The first couple of seasons were tough…I think most of us realized this would be a process that would take some time, but I’m not big on patience.  I continued supporting the team, watching the games (not enjoying most of them, actually felt like I was suffering through them), and hoping, hoping, hoping.

Well, tonight…tonight all of that waiting and suffering and hoping paid off.  A huge win over arch rival Kentucky shows that the boys are back.  I’ve always heard that Irish eyes are smiling, well, tonight it’s Hoosier eyes that are smiling…and I’m sure we’ll still be smiling in the morning.  I’m going to borrow something from my nephew…welcome back to the dance, Indiana!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The long and winding road to fitness, day 149

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Right now all I want to do is go soak in a hot tub and go to bed.  What a crazy, hectic, stressful, exhausting day this was.  Ahh…tis the season!!  A funny thing happened today though.  I was in the stockroom sorting repacks (freezing, by the way…wouldn’t you think they’d spring for some heat in that stock room?)  when some guy stepped through the door (the door that clearly has a sign that says “employees only”, and asked me if I worked here.  I felt like smacking my head and saying, “duh”…but I didn’t…I simply told him that I do indeed work at the store.  He then asked me if I knew how much “that is” and points up toward the ceiling.  Well, I had no idea what he was talking about, so walked out of the stockroom to try to figure out what he needed.  He wanted to know how much a floor plant was but then quickly told me he wasn’t going to buy it…oookay…so I moved a bunch of stuff around so I could get a ladder in there to tell him how much a plant that he wasn’t going to buy would cost…hmm…if you’re not going to buy it I guess it won’t cost you anything, will it?

My day was so crazy that I didn’t eat the lunch I brought to work…I didn’t eat lunch at all…so I ended up with only two fruits and a veggie for the day.  Darn it!!  I even left my lunch bag in the fridge, so I guess I can eat that yummy salad tomorrow.

I did do about 10 minutes of strength training before I left the house this morning.  Of course a lot of walking and lifting and throwing things and screaming (oh wait, make that silent screaming…no one heard me screaming, it was all in my head…no, no, not voices in my head, just that silent screaming to relieve some of that stress). 

I have to admit I was more than thrilled to get out of there today.  My body hurts and I’m tired…what’s that?  I think my bed is calling my name even though it is only about 6:30.

Oh, and I must mention this…go Hoosiers!!  The boys are coming together, looking vastly improved, the basketball world will be in proper alignment once again!

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Why was it raining inside Assembly Hall?

Image by santanartist via Flickr

That might well have been the question some people were asking a few years ago when I went to an Indiana University basketball game at Assembly Hall with a group of my friends.  Who among my group of friends was present?  I can’t really remember for sure, but I think Cheryl and I went with a group of our guy friends…I’m pretty sure James and Mike were there, and maybe Johnny.  Did Kevin and/or Cindy accompany us? How about Tom?  I’m just not sure.  In my defense, it has been more than 20 years ago…whoa!!  Can that be right?  We must have all been children at the time…

Anyhow…our seats weren’t the worst seats we’d ever had, but definitely not the best either.  Believe me, there were times when we had some pretty awesome seats (and some pretty awful seats at times too).  This time our seats were in the first row of the balcony at about center court.  The balcony at Assembly Hall has a wall ledge like thing going on.  Perfect for leaning on while watching the action on the court.  Also handy for setting your drinks right there in front of you.  Well…until some crazy action on the court causes everyone to jump from their seats while wildly swinging their arms…ah yes, you’ve figured it out.  One of the guys knocked his drink over the edge of the balcony.  Oops!  We all just kind of slunk back into our seats, none of us dared look to see who had been doused with Coke or how angry they were.  I sure hope it wasn’t the lady who always wears her fur coat to the games;>

So the next time you go to a basketball game at Assembly Hall, take the time to look around.  Are you in the line of fire of falling, sloshing, spilling Coke?  Maybe that’s why you see so many people wearing those caps at the ball games…

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My new training routine

Image by cindy47452 via Flickr

Okay, don’t laugh, but I did this last year and it worked.  So I figure it’s time to pull it out, dust it off, and go for it once again.  Last summer I decided I needed to start a training routine to get me in shape for the long hours of work during the Christmas season.  I tackled it just like a basketball player would tackle training for the upcoming basketball season (with that basketball analogy, how could you not know I was from Indiana?)…well, maybe not exactly, but you get my meaning.  I sat down and charted where I was and where I wanted to be and what I needed to do to get there. 

I did cardio every day, mostly walking, biking or dancing.  I also did a lot of strength training and flexibility exercises.  I knew I wasn’t in any kind of shape to get me through those 12+ hour workdays and decided to do something about it.  I’m right back in that same place again this year…yes, I need to figure out how to avoid going back and forth between fit and unfit, fat and thin…so I’m going to attack my training routine just like I did last year.  But I’m adding the online fitness and nutrition courses that my insurance company offers (for free…how cool is that?) to make these changes become permanent.  I have to admit, I was starting to think about bariatric surgery, but man, is that a huge step?  Now I’m going to attempt this once again, and I’m hoping that this new doctor I’m going to see next month will be able to help me solve this ongoing problem once and for all.

I’ve got a cardio plan set up for the next eight weeks, utilizing mainly walking and biking…but I’ll gladly throw in some different forms of cardio for variety.  The cardio plan is set up for five days a week and is very do-able for me.  I’ll also be doing strength training six days a week for the next eight weeks.  I’ll go to the site and track my cardio as well as my food intake…after the assessment, I rated my diet as fair, but the counselor rated it as good…needing a few tweaks here and there…need to eat a few more veggies, another serving of calcium and another serving of protein a day…doing well with whole grains and generally well with fat intake.  So I’m encouraged to see what I need to do laid out in those simple steps.  Up until today, I was feeling a little discouraged because I don’t feel like I’ve made the progress I’d like to have made during the past two months.  But now I see how making a few easy, small changes will get me where I want to be.

My Christmas season training routine is underway…starting right now…I’ll keep you posted!!

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