Selection Sunday 2017

Sick Unto...?

Some guys have all the luck...

Men have a reputation for being
big, whining babies when they get sick. Personally, I always considered that canard to be unadulterated female propaganda, but I'll admit
I have no experience with having
to take care of sick guys.

In any case, in addition to the fever, chills, headache, aching muscles, lack of energy and appetite, and assorted other symptoms which began manifesting Thursday night and kicked into overdrive Friday morning, I have my usual depressive tendencies to cope with as well.

That ain't easy under normal circumstances, but when you hit me with physical and emotional crises at the same time...well, that is a recipe for your basic "the living will envy the dead" situation...

"You can't check out now! Who would take care of me?"

Don't know, but you're cute and cuddly, so I'm sure you'll be just fine...

Springing Forward

What could be better for a person who's sick and depressed than being deprived of an extra hour of sleep?

I might be at death's door, but I can still spot a pointless government idea when I see one...

Cyc'd

My planned trip to Kansas City this weekend got canceled, contributing to my misery, but thousands of Iowa State basketball fans made the trip, and had a great time, too.

The Cyclones won three games, including an exciting 80-74 win over West Virginia in the Big XII Tournament championship game.


It is the Cyclones' third Big XII Tournament championship in the past four seasons. Fans are hopeful that this one will spur the team to a better showing in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

The only drama left for Selection Sunday is how high the Cyclones will be seeded, and where they'll play in the first round. In addition to Iowa State, I'll be rooting for all
of the Catholic institutions in the field, including defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Villanova, No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 19 St. Mary's, and No. 22 Notre Dame. The current projection shows another eight Catholic institutions making the field also.

"So, will my team be dancing?"

I'm afraid not, old friend...UC Irvine won the Big West Conference regular-season championship, but lost in the finals of the conference tournament...they will be playing in the NIT, though, and that's nice reward for a fine season...

Filling Out Your Bracket

From the wry comic strip FoxTrot, by Bill Amend, which you should read every Sunday, as I do.

Until Next Time...

As I have mentioned in this space on many occasions, I am a big fan of the current practice by producers of TV dramas to use popular music in addition to traditional scoring. I have discovered a number of musical artists this way, and every so often
I also get to hear a song from an artist I've followed for a long time.

The circumstances of my life have made me an emotional pushover for dramas featuring bittersweet romantic story lines. When I'm feeling blue, as I am at the moment, I also like to wallow just a bit by listening to sad songs. Those two tendencies collided yesterday, as I watched a rerun of the NCIS Season 11 premiere episode, "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," which featured a song by a longtime favorite of mine.

Enya Patricia Brennan, who goes professionally by just her first name, is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose music has been enchanting me for more than 30 years. I'm not alone, as she is one of Ireland's most popular recording artists, having sold more than 80 million records and won four Grammy Awards.

The most recent of those was for her album Amarantine, which was certified platinum by RIAA within
a month of its release and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

The album's song "If I Could Be Where You Are" plays at the episode's conclusion,
as one of the main characters, separated for some time from his true love, wonders where she is. Enya's haunting voice and heartfelt lyrics hit me like a sledgehammer
as I watched the scene unfold. It had had quite an impact on me when I saw it the first time on September 24, 2013, and it slammed me again for a related reason last night.

Today's send-off is the original album track paired with an evocative video that captures my current mood quite well. Enjoy...