I cannot believe we are already rounding the corner into April. The first three months of 2010 have flown by for me and with the nice weather dominating the forecast I expect the time to coninue to pass rapidly. It was a pretty low key and relaxing weekend for the Bean Spiller. I'd have to say best of the weekend was my return to to the blacktop courts at Roosevelt Elementary School in Janesvegas. Laura and I joined the Schutlz clan for an intense and exhausting afternoon of basketball on the playground. It was old school style--chain nets, double rims, pea gravel on the court. We played no blood, no foul so things got quite physical as Lo ended up with a bloody nose and crooked nose. Despite the injury, I think everyone had a great time and was impressed by my killer cross over and silky smooth jumper. Just kidding, I think I went about 2-12 for the day but I am blaming it on the wind.
The worst of the weekend award would have to go to the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. How dare they lose prior to the semifinal match up with UCONN. Geno and Pat reunited after a multi-year hiatus. Ugh, this was the one thing I was looking forward to seeing in the women's game. I now have zero interest in watching the remaindar of the tournament. Seriously, does anyone? UCONN is crushing teams by an average of over 30 points. I don't think they have won a game by fewer than 10 points since the streak began. This is absolutely ridiculous. In the Sweet Sixteen round, the Huskies were beating Iowa State by close to 50 points. While this margin of victory and UCONN's historic run is remarkable, I do not see how this can be good for the game as a whole. I cannot see many casual fans tuning into and/or staying tuned into a game that is over within 3 minutes. And, this is probably pretty generous as I think UCONN is hands down the favorite to beat anyone still remaining in the tournament. I am confident that if they were forced to shoot only left handed jumpers that they would still win handily. Pat, you have let me down. Get it together down there in Knoville. Please! I miss the days of UCONN vs. Tennessee.
George comes home next weekend so I am sure next week's blog will be extra entertaining. Just kidding, I am crossing my fingers that he will pencil in some time to bond with his big sister.
Adios,
The Bean Spiller
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tourney Picks
In case you have not noticed yet, I will let you in a little secret, my bracket is busted this year. Thank you Kansas and Villanova. Much to my suprise I am actually in decent shape in some of my pools after the first 4 days of Madness but with Kansas as my winner and Villanova pegged for the Final Four I will not be collecting too many more "W's". Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I debated doing this blog because I wasn't sure if I could handle another round of sub-par picks. Let's be honest with ourselves and face the facts that this year's tournament is as wide open as any. I really have no clue who will win any of the games remaining. I was listening to Bill Simmon's BS Report ESPN podcast about his bracket predictions yesterday and his is horrible as well. It was fun to listen to after the first 2 rounds of games as I was able to see how off his picks were. It is crazy that we can make these "educated guesses" with such conviction every year and time and again they are dead wrong. Hell, if the Sports Guy can be that bad and still get his own ESPN podcast and column than I can post this blog without feeling too much guilt. Maybe I will fair better now that it is the Sweet Sixteen, err doubtful.
Butler vs. Syracuse: Syracuse
Washinton vs. West Virginia: Washington
Xavier vs. Kansas State: Xavier
Cornell vs. Kentucky: Kentucky
(All guesses, I really think they can all go either way. I would not be surprised to see Cornell knock off Kentucky or Butler take down the Cuse. But I'll stick with the number 1's and assume that the cinderalla's will have a let down after spending a week as Big Men on Campus who were getting showered with praise and media attention.)
Tennessee vs. Ohio State: Ohio State
St. Marys vs. Baylor: Baylor
Northern Iowa vs. MSU: Northern Iowa
Duke vs. Purdue: Duke
(Same as above other than I think the injury to Kalin Lucas may prove to be costly for Sparty).
I am hoping for a 50% hit ratio on these and anything above that would be euphoric.
Go Big Red,
The Bean Spiller
Butler vs. Syracuse: Syracuse
Washinton vs. West Virginia: Washington
Xavier vs. Kansas State: Xavier
Cornell vs. Kentucky: Kentucky
(All guesses, I really think they can all go either way. I would not be surprised to see Cornell knock off Kentucky or Butler take down the Cuse. But I'll stick with the number 1's and assume that the cinderalla's will have a let down after spending a week as Big Men on Campus who were getting showered with praise and media attention.)
Tennessee vs. Ohio State: Ohio State
St. Marys vs. Baylor: Baylor
Northern Iowa vs. MSU: Northern Iowa
Duke vs. Purdue: Duke
(Same as above other than I think the injury to Kalin Lucas may prove to be costly for Sparty).
I am hoping for a 50% hit ratio on these and anything above that would be euphoric.
Go Big Red,
The Bean Spiller
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Best and Worst of the Weekend 3/19/10-3/21/10
Hands down the best part of my weekend was being in Ft. Lauderdale with my parents and Aunt Sue. It was a quick trip but just what I needed to refresh my tank for the upcoming spring months. The majority of time in Florida consisted of relaxing in the sun, eating at my favorite restaurants, and watching the NCAA tournament.
I was also able to visit the school that my mom is tutoring at and spent time with 5 young Haitian students and 1 boy from Brazil. The kids were between the ages of 11-13. The students from Haiti had recently moved to Florida following the earthquake so they were still adjusting to the new school and environment. We spent about 90 minutes with the kids reviewing some basic English vocabulary including foods, activity times, and numbers. All of these students struggled to speak, read, and understand English so it was a challenge to get them to open up and participate. It was frustrating for me to not be able to convey the language to them more easily. Despite the language barrier the students seemed so happy and eager to learn. I am a sucker for kids and quickly became attached to these kids and wished that I could do more to help them.
While it was difficult to see these kids struggle and for me to walk away with out making that much of an impact, I am glad that my mom took to me to the school because without seeing it for myself it would be hard to fully imagine the situation at these schools. I don’t want to go into a huge debate about our school systems as I do not know enough about K-12 schools, but after just 90 minutes it was evident that there are a lot of things that need to be adjusted to better educate the youth of America. It is easy to point to sources of blame like overloaded teachers, limited resources, and unprepared students; however, it is unlikely that these things will change in the near future. Coming up with a sure-fire solution is no easy task, but it would seem that all parties involved including the parents, teachers, students, administrators, politicians and whoever else I am missing need to take more responsibility for their roles in education. Maybe these roles need to be redefined and restructured to better serve the student and the overall goals of the schools…Or maybe there needs to be a new system of incentives and penalties put into place…Or perhaps we should restructure the system to better match the needs of society and match what other countries’ have done with there educational system. As I mentioned, I do not have an answer but I know that I am even more concerned than I was prior to going to this school. Sorry that I have gone on a bit of a tangent but I would be interested in hearing other people’s opinions on this subject and/or your experiences with different schools. Also, I’d like to give a huge shout out to my mom, (and other people who volunteer their time), for all the tutoring in Madison and Florida that you have done over the past few years. It is easy to see that you have made a huge difference in these kids’ lives. Hopefully, there are lots of people like you that are able to donate some of their time to the schools in their communities.
Other bests of the weekend include:
Best meal: Trulucks in Ft Lauderdale. I had an amazing au pouvre steak with crab fried rice and sweet potato fries. It was fantastic.
Best game: Kansas vs. Northern Iowa. Despite what it did to my bracket, this was an amazing game to watch. What a ballsy shot by that guy named Ali F? I cannot imagine what Chris would have done to me if I took that shot with 35 seconds left up by 1 point. Ha, it is fun to imagine.
I could probably give a few more bests since I had a fantastic weekend but that is probably good for now. As for worst of the weekend I would have to say the turbulence on my flight from Memphis to Madison. It was by far the most bumpy flight I have ever been on in my life. I was clutching the arm rest for dear life and had some very negative thoughts going through my mind. Not so fun. Other than that it was a great trip and I was sad to leave the Lago Mar to return to reality. Hey, at least it has been beautiful in Madison since I have been home! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I look forward to hearing from you all.
Shout out to all my fellow Ivy Leaguers. Let’s go Cornell, you have already made the rest of the Ancient Eight proud but an upset of Kentucky and all their one and dones would be fabulous.
Shoot ‘em straight,
The Bean Spiller
I was also able to visit the school that my mom is tutoring at and spent time with 5 young Haitian students and 1 boy from Brazil. The kids were between the ages of 11-13. The students from Haiti had recently moved to Florida following the earthquake so they were still adjusting to the new school and environment. We spent about 90 minutes with the kids reviewing some basic English vocabulary including foods, activity times, and numbers. All of these students struggled to speak, read, and understand English so it was a challenge to get them to open up and participate. It was frustrating for me to not be able to convey the language to them more easily. Despite the language barrier the students seemed so happy and eager to learn. I am a sucker for kids and quickly became attached to these kids and wished that I could do more to help them.
While it was difficult to see these kids struggle and for me to walk away with out making that much of an impact, I am glad that my mom took to me to the school because without seeing it for myself it would be hard to fully imagine the situation at these schools. I don’t want to go into a huge debate about our school systems as I do not know enough about K-12 schools, but after just 90 minutes it was evident that there are a lot of things that need to be adjusted to better educate the youth of America. It is easy to point to sources of blame like overloaded teachers, limited resources, and unprepared students; however, it is unlikely that these things will change in the near future. Coming up with a sure-fire solution is no easy task, but it would seem that all parties involved including the parents, teachers, students, administrators, politicians and whoever else I am missing need to take more responsibility for their roles in education. Maybe these roles need to be redefined and restructured to better serve the student and the overall goals of the schools…Or maybe there needs to be a new system of incentives and penalties put into place…Or perhaps we should restructure the system to better match the needs of society and match what other countries’ have done with there educational system. As I mentioned, I do not have an answer but I know that I am even more concerned than I was prior to going to this school. Sorry that I have gone on a bit of a tangent but I would be interested in hearing other people’s opinions on this subject and/or your experiences with different schools. Also, I’d like to give a huge shout out to my mom, (and other people who volunteer their time), for all the tutoring in Madison and Florida that you have done over the past few years. It is easy to see that you have made a huge difference in these kids’ lives. Hopefully, there are lots of people like you that are able to donate some of their time to the schools in their communities.
Other bests of the weekend include:
Best meal: Trulucks in Ft Lauderdale. I had an amazing au pouvre steak with crab fried rice and sweet potato fries. It was fantastic.
Best game: Kansas vs. Northern Iowa. Despite what it did to my bracket, this was an amazing game to watch. What a ballsy shot by that guy named Ali F? I cannot imagine what Chris would have done to me if I took that shot with 35 seconds left up by 1 point. Ha, it is fun to imagine.
I could probably give a few more bests since I had a fantastic weekend but that is probably good for now. As for worst of the weekend I would have to say the turbulence on my flight from Memphis to Madison. It was by far the most bumpy flight I have ever been on in my life. I was clutching the arm rest for dear life and had some very negative thoughts going through my mind. Not so fun. Other than that it was a great trip and I was sad to leave the Lago Mar to return to reality. Hey, at least it has been beautiful in Madison since I have been home! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I look forward to hearing from you all.
Shout out to all my fellow Ivy Leaguers. Let’s go Cornell, you have already made the rest of the Ancient Eight proud but an upset of Kentucky and all their one and dones would be fabulous.
Shoot ‘em straight,
The Bean Spiller
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Bracket Picks
Alright here are my men's and women's brackets for this year's tournaments. I want to go on record and say that I never do very well in polls so I do not want to hear about how my brackets stink or how I don't pick upsets, etc. etc. I tend to finish in 3rd-4th place of my pools. I think this is one place where my excessive college basketball knowledge works against me. I tend to over analyze every game and possible situation. Sometimes less is better but I have a hard time shutting down my brain. I should also mention that I am a multiple bracket type of person. I filled out 5 this year. Yikes! One for the JPC office pool, one for Scout and since she is bold I picked a lot of upsets, one for my mom-straight chalk, (I've always wanted to see how this would play out), and one for my dad which is a combination of Scout and my mom. I will only share one of them with you guys. If it turns out that another is doing better I reserve the right to repost that one. Thanks. Here it is. Yah, for March Madness. Let's hope the Badgers make a deep run!
Lo's trip to hawaii: take 1
My first ever guest blogger. Hope you enjoy this snipet of Laura's journey to Hawaii.
Alright so my trip to Hawaii is officially underway. Michelle took me to the Van Galder Bus stop in Janesville so that I could catch the 8am bus to O'Hare. As I walked up to the bus and found my seat, which just so happened to be the one with extra leg room, I couldn't help but recall my bus trips with the Lafayette women's basketball team. Hearing overly played music from my earbuds and stopping at McDonalds made it real easy to imagine that my old teammates were with me on the bus. Until I look up and see an old man with a dirty grayish, black pony tail (I sat far away from him) and a hippyish man who probably lives down the street from Jeannie and I on Willy St (those familiar with the neighborhood can easily picture this specific character).
We arrived to the Chicago airport early so I was in no rush to get to my gate. I walked around, got a snack, and finally plopped down at the gate. The flight to LA was on time which today is always a shocker. I had the aisle seat next to 2 women. The movie that was played was the Blind Side. I had already seen the movie but wanted to watch it again so I could pay more attention to Sandra Bullock to see if she indeed deserved the Oscar... I fell asleep to it.
We landed in LA about 15 minutes early. I walked around the terminal to scope out where I wanted to eat. I really wanted to sit down and be waited on but I decided to order a pizza at Wolf Gang Pucks because I knew I wouldn’t be ordering pizza over the next few week weeks considering the fact that Grandpa has never had it before. After devouring my lunch I walked around more keeping my head up and eyes peeled for celebs. When I was beginning to give up on my fantasy of seeing someone famous Bradley Cooper walked right by me. He fit in real well so I think I was the only one who noticed him. He was shorter than you would expect and wearing khaki pants with a t-shirt. He traveled by himself.
Once I accomplished my goal of seeing someone famous I took a seat at my gate. Also I needed to relieve my shoulders of my extremely heavy back pack. Sitting across from me were 2 West Coast "Coasties." These girls looked as if they were still in HS. I was able to confirm this observation by eavesdropping on their conversation with the flight attendant on the plane. They were talking about Justin Bieber and also about how they record everything they eat. The one girl said how she can't wait to have French Toast... "It will be my one big breakfast of the trip." (side note: they were eating fairly large BBQ chicken salads with a plentiful amount of croutons. Salads aren't always healthy girls!) These girls made me thankful to be a born and raised Midwestern girl!
I paced the terminal a few more times hoping for another run in with Bradley. I was getting greedy. While walking I couldn't help to think that even I would look like a celeb if I hid my face behind large sunglasses, scarves, and a hat. Too many times I saw a nobody dressed like that and I tried to figure out who it might be. After all this searching I regretted purposefully choosing a 2 hour lay over in LA. But I can't complain too much because the time went fast.
My flight boarded and when I found my window seat I could tell this was going to be an empty flight. My luck continued when no strangers came to sit next to me. For a 6 hour flight over the Pacific Ocean I had a whole row of 3 seats to myself. However to every positive there is always a negative (vise versa as well). This flight had the same entertainment. Sorry, Sandra but after watching your movie for a 3rd time you still didn’t convince me that you deserved the Oscar over Meryl Streep. Instead of watching the movie the airline provided I read my book and watched the 2nd season of Friday Night Lights on my computer.
The majority of our flight was pretty smooth until we approached Maui. A lot of winds caused the plane to be rather shaky. I was starting to become nauseous and nervous. Grandpa later told me he was surprised that we didn’t have to land some where else. Eventually the pilot landed the plan; needless to say, it was not a smooth landing.
Betty and Grandpa were waiting for me at the baggage claim. As soon as my suitcase came around we headed off to the car to drive to Kanapla Beach. My trip began at 8am central and finished at 12:30 am central.
Aloha,
Laura
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Weekend
Apparently, I am not as big of a Dan Patrick radio show fan as I claimed to be last week. I was informed by Michelle that not only do Dan and the Danettes provide their “bests of the weekend,” but they also offer up their “worst of the weekend.” I had a momentary brain fart and forget this detail. Sorry readers. I really do listen to Dan Patrick pretty much every day especially now that I have my own radio at my desk so I am not sure how this tidbit escaped me. Oh well, we live and we learn! Without further ado, here are my best and worst of the weekend.
Best of the Weekend: Overall, the best part of my weekend was going to Chicago for the premature St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Within this trip there were several highlights so I will just hit on a few. 1. Spending time with people that I do not get to see very often. 2. California Pizza Kitchen. 3. Seeing the green river. 4. Georgetown vs. West Virginia game.
Worst of the Weekend: 1. The weather on Friday and Saturday was terrible. I was quite annoyed with the fog since I could not enjoy the 40th story view of Chicago from my hotel room. 2. My internal clock waking me up at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. Ugh. 3. Jameson. 4. Sitting by two of the most annoying guys ever on the train ride home.
Anyone have any good stories from the weekend and care to share. Please I beg of you.
Until next time,
The Bean Spiller
Best of the Weekend: Overall, the best part of my weekend was going to Chicago for the premature St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Within this trip there were several highlights so I will just hit on a few. 1. Spending time with people that I do not get to see very often. 2. California Pizza Kitchen. 3. Seeing the green river. 4. Georgetown vs. West Virginia game.
Worst of the Weekend: 1. The weather on Friday and Saturday was terrible. I was quite annoyed with the fog since I could not enjoy the 40th story view of Chicago from my hotel room. 2. My internal clock waking me up at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. Ugh. 3. Jameson. 4. Sitting by two of the most annoying guys ever on the train ride home.
Anyone have any good stories from the weekend and care to share. Please I beg of you.
Until next time,
The Bean Spiller
Friday, March 12, 2010
No Weekend Picks
Sorry readers! I am not going to make any picks this weekend. The main reason for not doing this is that there are so many match ups that are still undecided. I do not feel like forecasting the next 3 days for all the remaining conference tournaments. It would be way too much work and I am lazy. The other reason is that I am in a VERY VERY bad mood after watching the Badger game. I am not going to go into it other than to say WTF, it is tournament time. How can you come out and play like that?? Play like you want to be playing and that you only have a few games left before the season and/or your career is over. It just doesn't make much sense to me and is disappointing to me as both a fan and former player. Alright I have already said more than I wanted to on that subject. So yeah, as I was saying no weekend picks today. I plan to display my bracket picks next week so that is something you can look forward to reading.
Sorry for the short blog but like I said I am in a horrible mood and cannot bring myself to write an entertaining, uplifting column. Maybe next time?!
Disappointed,
The Bean Spiller
Sorry for the short blog but like I said I am in a horrible mood and cannot bring myself to write an entertaining, uplifting column. Maybe next time?!
Disappointed,
The Bean Spiller
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
MOOOOOOO! Me Loves Dairy Cows!
If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be? For some odd reason, I ask myself this question quite frequently. Does anyone else do this? I would say I have this conversation with myself at least once per month. Strange, I know but I never said my thoughts were normal. Well, I was driving home from Brookfield yesterday and the “if I could be any animal” thought came back into my head. I spent the next ten minutes audibly conversing with myself about becoming an animal. There is no shame in talking to yourself when you are driving solo.
Much like the previous discussion, I reaffirmed my decision that if I was an animal that I would want to be a dairy cow. I cannot think of an animal that lives a better life than a dairy cow. It may be tempting to be plain and boring and say a dog or a cat. Or for the rebels out there, you may choose to be a fierce predator that lives a life of action like a lion or shark. But if I was an animal I would want to be out of harms way and living a life of leisure; hence, my desire to be a dairy cow. A dairy cow spends its day grazing in a pasture and feeding on grass. How great is that? I think it sounds fabulous! Sign me up ASAP! The only real requirement of a dairy cow is to produce milk. I am not real familiar with farming, but I would imagine that with today’s technology this is a relatively painless process for the animal. So, as a dairy cow, I would get to spend the majority of my day being lazy and eating, and then occasionally get milked! Please keep your minds out of the gutter—I am talking as a cow not a human. Before becoming a cow I would have a few requests to the animal maker or the applicable powers that be. 1. I want to be a California dairy cow. Sorry, Wisco cows but I would much rather be meandering in sunny, warm weather than in the bitter cold that dominates the Midwest. 2. I have zero desire to be a beef cow (is that the proper term?) so if I can’t be a dairy cow I need to pick a new animal. 3. If the ability to produce milk is not unlimited, please keep me around to graze the pastures and act as a mentor to other cows. I don’t even know the life expectancy of a dairy cow. Hmmm, maybe I should have done some research before writing this blog. 4. Do not make me sleep outside. This would subject me to the idiots that think cows sleep standing up and can be tipped over. I do not want to have to deal with that. I am starting to look like a high maintenance dairy cow.
I know that everyone has thought about this many times so please share your animal aspirations with me and my readers. Don’t be shy. I just got done telling you how I would want to be an animal that gets milked!
A few other items to mention:
1. The Rubber Souls bowling team got its first victory last night! We beat the 2nd place team with amazing performances by all team members. Shout out to Sabs for breaking 100 and getting her first turkey.
2. I saw a billboard that was advertising a pair of jeans. The slogan read as follows, “Ballroom jeans. Crouch without the ouch.” Is that an appropriate message to be displayed in the city of Madison? Maybe I have a gross mind but when I read this billboard, I had one thought and one thought only.
3. I have not had pop or candy in 69 or 28 days respectively. The pop cravings have subsided for the most part; however, there is not a day that goes by that I do not contemplate raiding our receptionist’s candy bowl and eating every piece of candy. Will it get any easier?
Dairy Cows 4 Life,
The Bean Spiller
Much like the previous discussion, I reaffirmed my decision that if I was an animal that I would want to be a dairy cow. I cannot think of an animal that lives a better life than a dairy cow. It may be tempting to be plain and boring and say a dog or a cat. Or for the rebels out there, you may choose to be a fierce predator that lives a life of action like a lion or shark. But if I was an animal I would want to be out of harms way and living a life of leisure; hence, my desire to be a dairy cow. A dairy cow spends its day grazing in a pasture and feeding on grass. How great is that? I think it sounds fabulous! Sign me up ASAP! The only real requirement of a dairy cow is to produce milk. I am not real familiar with farming, but I would imagine that with today’s technology this is a relatively painless process for the animal. So, as a dairy cow, I would get to spend the majority of my day being lazy and eating, and then occasionally get milked! Please keep your minds out of the gutter—I am talking as a cow not a human. Before becoming a cow I would have a few requests to the animal maker or the applicable powers that be. 1. I want to be a California dairy cow. Sorry, Wisco cows but I would much rather be meandering in sunny, warm weather than in the bitter cold that dominates the Midwest. 2. I have zero desire to be a beef cow (is that the proper term?) so if I can’t be a dairy cow I need to pick a new animal. 3. If the ability to produce milk is not unlimited, please keep me around to graze the pastures and act as a mentor to other cows. I don’t even know the life expectancy of a dairy cow. Hmmm, maybe I should have done some research before writing this blog. 4. Do not make me sleep outside. This would subject me to the idiots that think cows sleep standing up and can be tipped over. I do not want to have to deal with that. I am starting to look like a high maintenance dairy cow.
I know that everyone has thought about this many times so please share your animal aspirations with me and my readers. Don’t be shy. I just got done telling you how I would want to be an animal that gets milked!
A few other items to mention:
1. The Rubber Souls bowling team got its first victory last night! We beat the 2nd place team with amazing performances by all team members. Shout out to Sabs for breaking 100 and getting her first turkey.
2. I saw a billboard that was advertising a pair of jeans. The slogan read as follows, “Ballroom jeans. Crouch without the ouch.” Is that an appropriate message to be displayed in the city of Madison? Maybe I have a gross mind but when I read this billboard, I had one thought and one thought only.
3. I have not had pop or candy in 69 or 28 days respectively. The pop cravings have subsided for the most part; however, there is not a day that goes by that I do not contemplate raiding our receptionist’s candy bowl and eating every piece of candy. Will it get any easier?
Dairy Cows 4 Life,
The Bean Spiller
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Best of the Weekend
Per the suggestion of one of my devoted readers, I have decided to implement a new feature on my blog. Each Monday I will post a write up that will document the best event, moment, activity, and/or thought of the previous weekend. If any of you listen to Dan Patrick’s morning sports radio show you will likely recognize this feature. Every Monday DP asks the Danettes, who are the four guys that help with the show, to describe the “best” of their weekend. These guys will talk about anything from sporting events to movies to their personal lives. FYI: if you do not listen to the Dan Patrick Show already, I would highly suggest it. It is on 1070 am or Fox Sports on XM radio and airs from 8:00-11:00 am. He can really get you through a slow morning and it is not just about sports. Alright here goes my best of the weekend:
I had a nice relaxing, yet productive weekend and I would have to say that three events tied for my best of the weekend. They were all equally great so disregard the order. First, Sunday dinner with my Gram, Laura, and Kris was fantastic! We grilled out steaks and played euchre and the WII. It is always nice to have my Gram over and return the favor for the countless meals/snacks she has made for me. Second, the backsplash tile that Kris installed turned out fabulous. He still has to grout it, but the tile really adds another dimension to my kitchen. I am slightly obsessed with the new look and can’t wait for everyone to see Kris’ tiling skills. It is probably a little weird to admit this but I have caught myself just rubbing the tile a few times. Lastly, the fabulous pre-Spring weather was another ‘best”. Friday night we were able to walk to and from dinner and the Comedy Club. Then, Laura and I went on a great walk Saturday afternoon in search of the perfect sandwich. We stopped at three different places before settling in at the Local Tavern for a grilled cheese and cheeseburger respectively. Madison is such a fun city to walk around with the capital, shops, trails, and lakes. I am looking forward to many more walks this spring and summer.
I hope everyone had a good weekend and feel free to share your “bests” below!
Be happy,
The Bean Spiller
I had a nice relaxing, yet productive weekend and I would have to say that three events tied for my best of the weekend. They were all equally great so disregard the order. First, Sunday dinner with my Gram, Laura, and Kris was fantastic! We grilled out steaks and played euchre and the WII. It is always nice to have my Gram over and return the favor for the countless meals/snacks she has made for me. Second, the backsplash tile that Kris installed turned out fabulous. He still has to grout it, but the tile really adds another dimension to my kitchen. I am slightly obsessed with the new look and can’t wait for everyone to see Kris’ tiling skills. It is probably a little weird to admit this but I have caught myself just rubbing the tile a few times. Lastly, the fabulous pre-Spring weather was another ‘best”. Friday night we were able to walk to and from dinner and the Comedy Club. Then, Laura and I went on a great walk Saturday afternoon in search of the perfect sandwich. We stopped at three different places before settling in at the Local Tavern for a grilled cheese and cheeseburger respectively. Madison is such a fun city to walk around with the capital, shops, trails, and lakes. I am looking forward to many more walks this spring and summer.
I hope everyone had a good weekend and feel free to share your “bests” below!
Be happy,
The Bean Spiller
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Weekend Picks
Only a week remains in the college basketball regular season and many teams are hanging on to hope to make the NCAA tournament. There are plenty of games this weekend that could help teams seal their tournament faith, affect tournament seeding, or burst the proverbial bubble. Either way it should make for an exciting couple of days of basketball.
Cincinnati @ Georgetown: Georgetown has been struggling of late and recently found out that they may be without their leading score and 2nd best player. The Hoyas are 9-8 in the Big East and 19-9 overall. Marquee wins have been few and far between lately. Georgetown needs a strong performance this weekend to give them some momentum going into the Big East tournament. Georgetown 68 vs. Cincinnati 59
Syracuse @ Louisville: Louisville should be in the NCAAs, but a win here would seal its fate. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening so the Cardinals will have to wait until their Conference tournament to strengthen their resume. I am sure Syracuse would like to seek revenge for the upset Rick Pitino’s club pulled off on Valentine’s Day in the Carrier Dome. This will be the last game played in historic Freedom Hall so the atmosphere will be great and emotions will be running high. Expect Louisville to keep it close but fade as the second half progresses. Syracuse 79 vs. Louisville 66
Kansas @ Missouri: Like Louisville, Missouri should be dancing this March but an upset of the 2nd ranked Jayhawks would be huge. Missouri is a different team when playing in Columbia so I could see them pulling off a shocker. In order to do this, they will need to force Kansas to play helter skelter basketball for 40 minutes. In addition, the Tigers will need to contain Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry. Kansas 74 vs. Missouri 69
Texas @ Baylor: Baylor is currently in a three-way tie for 3rd place in the Big 12, while Texas is in 6th place. However, an upset over Baylor would put them in a tie with the Bears for 4th place. Again, I think both these teams will get into the tournament but if the tournament committee limits the number of Big 12 teams, a head to head win/loss this late in the season will play a large role in the decision making process. Texas is the biggest mystery in college basketball this season so no one ever knows what to expect from game to game. My guess is today they will be ready to play and take down the Bears in Waco. Texas 72 vs. Baylor 66
Wisconsin @ Illinois: I have heard multiple times that an Illinois win over the Badgers will put the Illini into the tournament. Illinois has had some bad losses in the last few weeks and is need of a marquee win. The Badgers will be playing for a higher seed and have an opportunity for redemption. It was not too long ago that Tisdale and McCamey tore up the Badger defense and cause a lot of Badger fans to leave the Kohl Center unhappy. Illinois always makes me nervous because you never know what you are going to get from Mike Davis. He could go off for 20 or be held scoreless. Davis will be forced to play defense Sunday, which he was able to avoid in the teams’ last match up since Leuer was injured. The Badgers played great against a really bad Iowa team so this will be a good challenge going into post-season play. Wisconsin 68 vs. Illinois 59
Quick Hits:
Tennessee @ Mississippi State: Mississippi State
Florida @ Kentucky: Florida
West Virginia @ Villanova: Villanova
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma: Oklahoma
Enjoy the picks and your weekend,
The Bean Spiller
Cincinnati @ Georgetown: Georgetown has been struggling of late and recently found out that they may be without their leading score and 2nd best player. The Hoyas are 9-8 in the Big East and 19-9 overall. Marquee wins have been few and far between lately. Georgetown needs a strong performance this weekend to give them some momentum going into the Big East tournament. Georgetown 68 vs. Cincinnati 59
Syracuse @ Louisville: Louisville should be in the NCAAs, but a win here would seal its fate. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening so the Cardinals will have to wait until their Conference tournament to strengthen their resume. I am sure Syracuse would like to seek revenge for the upset Rick Pitino’s club pulled off on Valentine’s Day in the Carrier Dome. This will be the last game played in historic Freedom Hall so the atmosphere will be great and emotions will be running high. Expect Louisville to keep it close but fade as the second half progresses. Syracuse 79 vs. Louisville 66
Kansas @ Missouri: Like Louisville, Missouri should be dancing this March but an upset of the 2nd ranked Jayhawks would be huge. Missouri is a different team when playing in Columbia so I could see them pulling off a shocker. In order to do this, they will need to force Kansas to play helter skelter basketball for 40 minutes. In addition, the Tigers will need to contain Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry. Kansas 74 vs. Missouri 69
Texas @ Baylor: Baylor is currently in a three-way tie for 3rd place in the Big 12, while Texas is in 6th place. However, an upset over Baylor would put them in a tie with the Bears for 4th place. Again, I think both these teams will get into the tournament but if the tournament committee limits the number of Big 12 teams, a head to head win/loss this late in the season will play a large role in the decision making process. Texas is the biggest mystery in college basketball this season so no one ever knows what to expect from game to game. My guess is today they will be ready to play and take down the Bears in Waco. Texas 72 vs. Baylor 66
Wisconsin @ Illinois: I have heard multiple times that an Illinois win over the Badgers will put the Illini into the tournament. Illinois has had some bad losses in the last few weeks and is need of a marquee win. The Badgers will be playing for a higher seed and have an opportunity for redemption. It was not too long ago that Tisdale and McCamey tore up the Badger defense and cause a lot of Badger fans to leave the Kohl Center unhappy. Illinois always makes me nervous because you never know what you are going to get from Mike Davis. He could go off for 20 or be held scoreless. Davis will be forced to play defense Sunday, which he was able to avoid in the teams’ last match up since Leuer was injured. The Badgers played great against a really bad Iowa team so this will be a good challenge going into post-season play. Wisconsin 68 vs. Illinois 59
Quick Hits:
Tennessee @ Mississippi State: Mississippi State
Florida @ Kentucky: Florida
West Virginia @ Villanova: Villanova
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma: Oklahoma
Enjoy the picks and your weekend,
The Bean Spiller
Friday, March 5, 2010
Turkeys, Chickens, and Quails Oh My!
I’d like to give a shout out to the one and only Gillian Apps, a fellow Dartmouth graduate I am told that you read this blog so hopefully you will see this post. Appsy, as we called her in college, won her 2nd gold medal this past weekend in the Vancouver Olympic Games. Congratulations! It was fun watching you on TV over the week. I ended up getting nostalgic and thinking about some of our times at Dartmouth ranging from Freshman English with the Boone to the River Dorms to Jenny from the Block to Larry and the Senior Lobster and Corn Dinner. We had plenty of good times and great memories in Hanover and even mini-reunion in Paris. Hopefully, we can meet up again sometime soon. I know I’d love to get to Toronto and you need to come see all the scooters in Madison.
Now for the blog! You may be wondering what is going on with the strange title. No, this will not be a write up on the different types of poultry. It is actually going to be about the bowling league that I participate in on Tuesday nights. Yup, that’s right I am in a bowling league. It still sounds strange when I say it out loud. Apparently, I do not look like your typical bowler, as my coworkers all but laugh at me when I tell them I am headed to the alley for another round of 10-pin. Well, everyone should believe it! From here until the middle of May I will be spending my Tuesday nights at Badger Bowl with Madison’s finest bowlers.
I have to admit the first couple weeks of the season did not go very well. I had to miss the first week as I had pilates class and the following week I was a half hour late because I was getting 3 cavities filled. Side note: it has now been 3 weeks and 2 days since I have eaten candy! Who’s proud of me?? Also, during the 2nd week we were matched up against some really rude people. They were not fun to bowl with at all. In fact, one of the guys stared down Sabrina and got within about 3 inches of her face because she bowled before he completed his roll. Since no one on our team had ever been in a bowling league we were not up to speed on proper bowling etiquette. Whoops! Needless to say, we are learning fast! Oh, and we also got dominated in each of these matches. After this shaky start, the bowling league was not looking like the most promising idea. I shouldn’t paint the picture to bleak; there were a few bright spots—free pizza each week, time spent with friends, and a place in the league record book! Laura bowled a 232, which is the 2nd highest total for a female bowler thus far.
A sudden turn of events occurred during Week 3. The people we bowled against were great. They actually talked to us and made it a somewhat social event. Despite the first couple weeks, this seemed only natural since it is called Have a Ball Bowling League and is geared toward first time leaguers. (Can’t believe that is a word?? Maybe it is not but it is not showing up underlined. I’ll leave it because Word’s spell checker is never wrong). While these bowlers were nice, they were definitely not amateurs. They ended up beating us pretty soundly. So, we were a struggling 0-3 in the league. Not the best start for an overly competitive person who hates to lose at anything she does!
And that bring us to week 4; thus far, the pinnacle of my bowling league career. This past Tuesday, the Rubber Souls bowling team did not lose its match. Unfortunately we didn’t win either; we tied with each team knocking down 1779 pins. I thought this was remarkable. How can there be a tie in bowling league with that many games, frames, rolls? Well, it happened and I should tell you that I could not have been more thrilled. I have always known that I am a cutthroat competitor but I did not think it would apply to something as leisurely as bowling. After all, I am not a great bowler and bowl maybe 2 times per year. However, my competitive spirit was in full effect on Tuesday. This was the first week that there was a chance that we could actually win. The Rubber Souls were cheering for each other and expecting nothing less than excellence with each throw. Sadly, I found myself internally cheering against the other team—not sure my teammates were as in to it as I was so I do not want to make them look bad. I felt kind of guilty about this since they too were a nice team. But hey we were 0-3 and desperately needed a victory. Well, we came up 1 pin short, but this match boosted mine and the team’s confidence. Look out fellow Have A Ball bowlers, the Rubber Souls are on a mission to start winning.
As for the title it’s a little bowling lingo. For those of you who are not up to speed on “alley talk” I’ll clue you in on a little secret. Most everyone knows that a turkey is what a bowler calls 3 strikes in a row. But not everyone knows that a chicken is called out when a bowler makes 4 strikes in a row and the rare 5 strike streak is represented by the quail.
Roll ‘em straight and hit the pocket,
The Bean Spiller
Now for the blog! You may be wondering what is going on with the strange title. No, this will not be a write up on the different types of poultry. It is actually going to be about the bowling league that I participate in on Tuesday nights. Yup, that’s right I am in a bowling league. It still sounds strange when I say it out loud. Apparently, I do not look like your typical bowler, as my coworkers all but laugh at me when I tell them I am headed to the alley for another round of 10-pin. Well, everyone should believe it! From here until the middle of May I will be spending my Tuesday nights at Badger Bowl with Madison’s finest bowlers.
I have to admit the first couple weeks of the season did not go very well. I had to miss the first week as I had pilates class and the following week I was a half hour late because I was getting 3 cavities filled. Side note: it has now been 3 weeks and 2 days since I have eaten candy! Who’s proud of me?? Also, during the 2nd week we were matched up against some really rude people. They were not fun to bowl with at all. In fact, one of the guys stared down Sabrina and got within about 3 inches of her face because she bowled before he completed his roll. Since no one on our team had ever been in a bowling league we were not up to speed on proper bowling etiquette. Whoops! Needless to say, we are learning fast! Oh, and we also got dominated in each of these matches. After this shaky start, the bowling league was not looking like the most promising idea. I shouldn’t paint the picture to bleak; there were a few bright spots—free pizza each week, time spent with friends, and a place in the league record book! Laura bowled a 232, which is the 2nd highest total for a female bowler thus far.
A sudden turn of events occurred during Week 3. The people we bowled against were great. They actually talked to us and made it a somewhat social event. Despite the first couple weeks, this seemed only natural since it is called Have a Ball Bowling League and is geared toward first time leaguers. (Can’t believe that is a word?? Maybe it is not but it is not showing up underlined. I’ll leave it because Word’s spell checker is never wrong). While these bowlers were nice, they were definitely not amateurs. They ended up beating us pretty soundly. So, we were a struggling 0-3 in the league. Not the best start for an overly competitive person who hates to lose at anything she does!
And that bring us to week 4; thus far, the pinnacle of my bowling league career. This past Tuesday, the Rubber Souls bowling team did not lose its match. Unfortunately we didn’t win either; we tied with each team knocking down 1779 pins. I thought this was remarkable. How can there be a tie in bowling league with that many games, frames, rolls? Well, it happened and I should tell you that I could not have been more thrilled. I have always known that I am a cutthroat competitor but I did not think it would apply to something as leisurely as bowling. After all, I am not a great bowler and bowl maybe 2 times per year. However, my competitive spirit was in full effect on Tuesday. This was the first week that there was a chance that we could actually win. The Rubber Souls were cheering for each other and expecting nothing less than excellence with each throw. Sadly, I found myself internally cheering against the other team—not sure my teammates were as in to it as I was so I do not want to make them look bad. I felt kind of guilty about this since they too were a nice team. But hey we were 0-3 and desperately needed a victory. Well, we came up 1 pin short, but this match boosted mine and the team’s confidence. Look out fellow Have A Ball bowlers, the Rubber Souls are on a mission to start winning.
As for the title it’s a little bowling lingo. For those of you who are not up to speed on “alley talk” I’ll clue you in on a little secret. Most everyone knows that a turkey is what a bowler calls 3 strikes in a row. But not everyone knows that a chicken is called out when a bowler makes 4 strikes in a row and the rare 5 strike streak is represented by the quail.
Roll ‘em straight and hit the pocket,
The Bean Spiller
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)