Big/small time sports and 33 years

I meant to give these guys a shout out last week, but was super busy and, honestly, forgot.

I really could give a care about basketball, but since it is March Madness and people are obsessing over brackets for D1 ball I figured they need some props too.

How often do you see a team with kids with doing well in sports in college AND doing well in school? There are some, but I know from my D1 college experience that most of the football and basketball athletes are not too stellar in the classroom. One of the guys is rocking a 4.0. At Washington University in St. Louis. In Computer Science. And they won by a lot.

In other news, I am moved. I woke to the huge storm last night and was so reassured that I did not have to immediately bounce up and make sure the rain buckets were in the right spot and being emptied at the correct intervals.

I guess now I have to get back to regular life and grade papers or something after giving my parents their wedding anniversary gift. 33 years and counting! Amazing!

Too much stuff, but I'm hopeful

Counting down the minutes when the movers will call to say they are ready to haul my stuff.

Last night the dripping was almost soothing.

Packing sucks. I have been getting rid of and giving away a ton of stuff over the last couple of years to simplify my life, but I still seem to have a butt load of books, binders and other miscellaneous items. Kitchen stuff is the worst.

I'm starting to get excited about track. I was really indifferent at the start of the season. Mainly because last year was such a let down due to circumstances out of my hands. But I am finding it hard to be pessimistic this season. But I am ready yet to fully embrace all the possibilities that could come together this year. I think the kids see it too, though, so hopefully it will work out. The kids are working hard and I think I still can own Donnie's name for me "Coach Sargent Murder".

Things I don't think will happen this year that happened in previous seasons:

• Shit found on a bus blamed on my athletes, but likely placed by the angry bus driver
• Hotel fights among girls who are after the same dude
• 4 hospital visits via ambulance in one season
• 21 second 100m dashes
• Kids getting pulled by their mothers the day before the District qualifying meet

But it is still early and you never know what will happen.

Got to get back to packing.

I am not a receptionist

When you make a phone call at 4:55 in the morning, you should really double check to make sure you are calling the correct number. And when I answer the phone (thinking it must be some sort of emergency, other wise why would someone be calling my number that early) sounding like Walter Matthau, and I do not answer with the zest or pizazz you are expecting, and I don't refer to any sort of institution, PLEASE do not go on asking me three times if I am sure this is not the naval hospital and that Dr. (I-can't-remember-the-name-she-asked-for) is really not available.

Have some courtesy.

Now, I'm awake, still listening to the incessant dripping of the leakage even though the rain stopped early last evening. The people said the new place should be ready Friday, and I am not-so-patiently awaiting that moment hoping with all hope that when I return from work today there is nothing on the floor soaking wet due to the buckets over flowing.

On the positive side, at least there was no family emergency. And I have been able to make up some clever songs to the 70 beat per minute tapping of the water -- in both 3/4 and 4/4 time.

However, I am still upset at this lady and the fact that she ruined my already not-so-good night sleep.

Unsure insurance assurance

There always seems to be the same issues that the politicians and the media seem to be focused on during their campaigns. And rarely do they actually tie to what is going on with the majority of people's every day lives.

One issue that they don't typically talk about or debate enough is health care. Every day there are a ton of people in this nation who do not go to the doctor for serious ailments because they do not have health care. There are people who stick with jobs they hate just so they can keep the health benefits.

The AFL-CIO conducted a seven week on-line study where respondents answered questions about health care. Ninety-Five percent of the people surveyed believe the health care system in this nation needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt. Shocking, isn't it? Not really.

Here are some of the results that they gathered from the 26,000+ people responded to:

• Ninety-five percent say they are somewhat or very concerned about being able to afford health insurance in the coming years.
• Forty-one percent who buy private insurance say preventive care and checkups are not covered or affordable, versus 36 percent overall.
• Fifty-three percent with Medicare, compared with 46 percent overall, say prescription drugs are not covered or affordable.
• Fifty-two percent of people who buy private coverage say prescription drugs are not covered or are unaffordable, compared with 44 percent who have employer-provided coverage.
• A third of college graduates say they or a family member skipped recommended medical care because of cost.
• Half of people in insured families say their coverage does not cover all the care they need at a price they can afford.
• In the past year, 76 percent of people who lack insurance themselves and 71 percent of people with insured children say someone in their family did not visit a doctor when sick because of cost.
• Sixty-seven percent of the uninsured and 66 percent of those whose children are uninsured report skipping medical treatment or follow-up care recommended by a doctor.
• Fifty-seven percent of the uninsured and 61 percent of people with uninsured children had to choose between paying for medical care or prescriptions and other essential needs (such as the rent or mortgage and utilities)
  

What is really going on?

And why are more people in the media not asking the candidates what they plan to do to change this situation?

Flooding, signing day, and unmitigated disaster

The weather here has been crazy. There are deaths and missing people. The Mid West has been declared a spot that can be called an emergency. There are people being displaced due to flood damage to their homes.

What I have experienced the past few days in no way compares to all of that, but it has been really annoying.

I can't remember when it started raining. I just know that on Tuesday the leaks in the apartment started. Tuesday night they got really bad. It spread to six of the eight windows in the place. I am on the top floor of an old building with a flat roof that is draining into my apartment.

The dripping was so incessant that I literally couldn't sleep Tuesday night. I had to get up, no joke, every hour to empty buckets. This went on until Wednesday morning when the rain stopped. Then I was only having to empty buckets every couple of hours. The sun started shining, is still shining, yet I am still emptying buckets that are steadily filling.

I couldn't sleep last night, either, because the dripping was so loud.

I have to move to another apartment.

The manager said he will help by providing movers if I stay in their buildings. I hate moving. I hate packing up stuff. I have seriously downsized my belongings, but was looking at them yesterday and realized that there is still a lot of stuff. So today I will get rid of more. This is the way I am spending my Spring Break. Wonderful.

I will hopefully move this weekend. If you have boxes, hook a sista up.

On a totally different front.

Why is this such big news to our society? Why don't we hear news of top academic recruits to schools? Why are schools not given public acclaim for the awesomely smart people they get into their schools?

Back to the war. Democracy Now! from yesterday talked with soldiers who had to deal with rape in the military, with raiding the wrong homes, as well as with parents who had soldiers with PTSD and couldn't get treatment for their twenty three year old son who after returning from the war committed suicide. Check it out.

Also check out the Granny Peace Brigade who staged a knit-in in New York to protest the war.

Something right with the world today

People everywhere are talking about race issues.

Finally.

Unfortunately it has come at a time where it all could be the highlight or downfall of a man's run for presidency. Many are pointing fingers saying this is a sign that this man is not willing to give in to both sides, others are saying that this is a sign that he is a true uniter. You be the judge.

Over the weekend, I rode with a friend for a about three hours total. For about 1 1/2 of those hours, we talked about race issues. She is white, I am brown. It is really refreshing to have when people are willing to discuss, ask questions -- just try to understand people who are different from them.

The whole "debate" going on in the country right now is nothing new to brown people. It is new to others because they tend to push the issues under the rug, and ignore the big hump of dust, dirt, and grime that is blocking their way to the other room.

I try not to address political issues with this blog. I did so recently because of all the issues going on with this continuous war, with the campaign, and even with brown people's views of themselves (although that is not entirely political).

This one is somewhat similar. I want people to learn from this, to talk about it, to not be afraid to talk about what other people are thinking and feeling about being members of this nation.

AngryBlackBitch wrote on the topic wonderfully on her blog.