Deep breath. Here it goes. I am going to blog about my bracket. Even though when it comes to the NCAA tournament, or any big game, I become completely superstitious. I move to a different television if my team has played bad more than once when I've watched from a certain room. I quit wearing my team shirt if they end up losing when I wear it. etc. etc. etc. I'm sure that you sports people out there can relate.
So this is big. Cause the last time I wrote about my favorite team they lost.
Yikes.
I might have just shot my team(s) in thier foot.
But I can't help it. My fingers won't sit still until I just write about it for a second. Because it has been on my mind EVERY SECOND since this madness began. I've even been praying about it (I can't help it and God cares about everything, even the little details, right?).
So here it is. I lay my heart out on the table in complete vulnerability:
Yes, I realize two of my final four teams are already out. Don't rub it in. Minnesota I'm not surprised about (ummm, apparently neither was Minnesota. Poor Tubby.). But Wisconsin??? That was completely disappointing. Yes, I realize my overall picks have been poor so far and yes, I realize I left a few blank--but I was still pondering who to pick and then kind of forgot to go back and fill them in. I tried to get our Bracket Nazi to let me fill in who I had in my head all along but he says I might cheat. He's such a die-hard.
Anyway, enough about my bracket issues and my 50% Final Four average.
Enough about the two red teams that are out.
Let's talk about those other two red teams that are still IN.
Those two red teams that I've been wanting to see play one another since the middle of last year.
Those two red teams that have been ranked number one repeatedly and a constant top ten all season long.
Can you imagine these two teams playing?
CAN YOU IMAGINE???
My family has been harassing me to pick an overall winner. Unlike my thoughts on leather, this is one time I am drawing a line in the sand and sticking.
I cannot and will not predict a winner.
Nope. Not gonna.
I grew up in Indiana. I watched them win the National Championship in 1987, while I was in Florida on Spring Break my junior year of high school. There's history there.
However, I lived in Louisville for the last eleven years (until six months ago). I know so much about some of the players, like Peyton Siva and Russ Smith...well, they almost seem like family.
I've watched Cody Zoeller mature as a ball player these past two years and have read every article I can find on his over-athletic and faith-filled family. I'm such a fan.
Likewise, I've read and watched Peyton Siva testify to God's grace in the life of he and his daddy. What's not to love?
Tom Creane brought the Indiana team from nothing, recruiting many of his players from within the state. I find that so admireable and unusual in today's world of college basketball.
Rick Pitino and this team have weathered much over the years and there is a comradie between them that is so real and down-right fun to watch. I love how much they love their coach and the game of basketball. It shows all over their faces.
There's Watford and his three pointers, Jordan Hulls and his intense face, Olidapo and his theatrically-big plays, Yogi Ferrell with his 'fro.
There's Russ Smith and his wildman quickness, Gorgui Dieng and his blocking, Behanan and his toolsy-talent and Luke Hancock, who just happens to have a way-hip beard.
And I don't care what you say, Indiana has the coolest pants around.
And, U of L's neon orange-red uniforms are outstanding (are they ever gonna wear those, by the way???).
Last but not least, Indiana has the best fans around. How do I know? Hey, I'm just quoting Dickie V.
Yet, I am a girl of statistics. For as long as I can remember, I've always statistically analyzed everything in my head (what's the probability of this plane crashing? what's the probability of there being an earthquake while my son's sleeping on the bottom bunk? what's the probability of someone picking our house to break in out of the twenty on our street? what's the probability of the car crossing the median and hitting me?). And thank you for the suggestion, but I am not in need of medication. Really.
But back to probability. President Obama picked these two teams to go to the final game too. And he picked Indiana to win. Yet, last year he picked UK to win. What is the probability that he'll get it right two years in a row? Yet, Uof L is on a 14 game winning streak. What's the probability they can keep it up? What's the probability that two red teams will make it to the championship? What's the probability that Louisville will win while we sit and watch them on our red CARDINAL sectional?
And alas, perhaps the biggest question at stake:
What's the probability that these two teams will survive this weekend after posting this?
We just recently moved for the second time in six months. I have a friend who has moved about six times in eight years (or something like that). Moving twice just about did me in, so I can't even imagine how she has coped with a the chaos that is involved in moving a lifetime of possessions for yourself and six others. It sure does make you think about the fact that we Americans sure do carry around a lot of stuff. Of course, that's another blog entry for another time.
Anyway, the past fourteen years have involved birthing and raising four boys and one girl. For many, many years we were right in the middle of the busy toddler years. Then we moved into the rough and tumble years of rough housing, running and tumbling through the house. You know, those ball launching, lamp breaking, couch jumping years. Couple that with homeschooling my hoodlum, and you've got yourself years of decorator neglect. Yep. Complete and utter neglect of the interior decor. Number one, there was no time to care; number two, the wear and tear by the mayhem made it impossible to care.
When we bought this house, finally at a place to settle ourselves down for awhile, we realized that the last time we had bought a couch was in 1998. Yikes. Our current couches were rag-tag hand-me-down's.
Thus, we decided it was finally time.
It was time to buy.
Not one, mind you, but two. And one of those purchases was gonna be--brace yourself--a SECTIONAL.
Oh my. My brain could barely wrap itself around such a concept.
I tried not to feel guilty. Buying one couch--let alone two--well, it's such a rich person's problem (a new term we've coined in our home lately...whenever one of us complains about something petty, like not liking what's for dinner, we quickly remind the complainer that many are going to bed hungry and we are so rich to have a variety of food choices at our fingertips. Then we end it with, 'That's not a real problem. That's a rich person problem.')
Yeah, I never really shook the guilt, but nevertheless, I gathered up my closest comrades that share similar taste and we went shopping.
I strongly considered this:
But I decided that the rest of my decor might get lost in it (yes, that pun was intended).
All joking aside, When I began shopping I really thought I wanted a dark gray sectional or some other kind of neutral and I was CONVINCED I did NOT want leather. Nope. No way.
Be careful about prematurely drawing lines in the sand. Cause far too often, you'll be eating that sand.
My sister-in-law (one of those comrades I was talking about, whose hip-factor rates way higher than mine) threw some of that sand in my face when she pointed out a sectional she thought I should consider. One that had been off my radar. WAY off.
Cause it was leather. And it was RED.
RED LEATHER? Only motorcycle riders with names like Pinky Tuscadero consider such things, right?
I went home and slept on it (the idea, not the couch). And the more I thought, the more I liked. Not to mention, it was marked down to almost half it's original price. The next day, I went back to the store to do one more 'once over'. When the salesman told me the name of the couch was 'CARDINAL SECTIONAL', it was like the heavens had rolled back and sung the hallelujah chorus.
I took it as a sign.
And before the rooster crowed...
Thanks to Heather, we now have red leather.
