Yesterday and Today

Another crazy day yesterday... met with the Superintendent again... man, between the dickheads at CTA sending out memorandum "recommending" that the bargaining units not meet with districts at this point (guys... if you don't meet with the other stakeholders: A) you can't get what you want and B) you don't have the right to bitch about what you don't get), and the entrenchment of the district (and their seeming inability to change or even look at change with more than a "but we've always done it that way" look)... man, it's just discouraging.

Maybe Randy Newman was right...



and let's see what happens.

OK, on the better things...

MARCH MADNESS begins today.

UCLA got a pretty bad draw, a sixth seed across the country. I wasn't expecting to a four-seed in the west, but jeez, we're no 17 in the nation (that would make us a 5 seed, right?), and then setting us up to play two teams in what amounts to home games for them... wow, this is going to be tough.

And granted, we haven't played consistently enough this year to realistically expect a fourth consecutive Final Four... even in the best case scenario, I'm thinking Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight. But even with all of that, the way the media is not only tearing us down (expected and, given our performance this season, understandable), but propping $UC up... well, it's just laughable. This from Plaschke over at the Trojan, er, LA Times:

The Bruins will lose early -- if Virginia Commonwealth doesn't get them, Villanova will ...

The Trojans will win early ...

When UCLA loses early, it will break a mind-boggling streak of three consecutive Final Four appearances, and maybe folks should pause from their howling to be happy with the achievement.

When USC wins early, it could lead it to the school's first Final Four appearance in 54 years, and maybe folks will pause from their indifference enough to be frustrated with the drought.

Whoa, there big fella, I think you just jumped from getting past the first weekend to putting SouthernCal in the Final Four... uh, isn't there a weekend of roundball in between? one in which the Trojies would have to play Kansas? plus Wake Forest or, uh the NUMBER ONE seed, Louisville?

Plaschke, for your health (or at least for your journalistic bona fides), put down the damn ketchup-n-mustard-colored kool-aid.

Do I expect us to make it out of the weekend? No... I hope it will happen, but I don't expect it... I could easily see us upset in the first game... but I also know we can beat anyone in the country, so I could also see us making through the weekend (I'm pretty sure that we can't string six of those "we can beat anyone" games in a row, so I'm not making plans to go to Vegas and collect on my bet on the Bruins).

Regardless, today begins the best two days in the world... tv on behind me, games on, coding while watching/listening to the best package of games of the year... man, it just doesn't get better than these two days.

Of course, Lisa's birthday is tomorrow, so that's good, too -- she said if this blog isn't about her, then who cares! well, there you go, baby... ;)