I could end up anywhere...

Saginaw, MI
Forth Worht, TX
Harrisburg, VA
Weslaco, TX
Decatur, IL
Jackson, MS
Denison, TX,
Charleston, SC
St. Petersburg, FL
Los Angeles, CA
New Bern, NC
Salinas, CA
Anchorage, AK
Springfield, IL
Baltimore, MD

Am planning on submitting resumes for positions in each of these areas. Who knows what else will open in the next two months!

NCAA Tournament Lovin'

My NCAA picks for the tournament are always random. Or, maybe they're not. I suppose if I kept a record of past picks, there would be a clear pattern of teams that almost always are selected to win or lose because of team likability rather than likelihood of success.

Duke always loses. The ACC is full of teams we love to hate.

A first round win always goes to ND, if they make the tourney.

UCLA wins. Multiple times.

'Zaga, 'Bama, 'Cuse, and other teams that can be shortened similarly are automatically warranted at least one win (funny though, I haven't written out picks longhand for at least two years).

Tourney newbies with low seeds and names I never remember frequently pull off upsets unless they play an obvious winner.

Choosing based on what a team 'sounds' like is like choosing based on team colors or mascot. It clearly explains why I'm ranked a the bottom of the family stack with TahoeLizzy and SoftballStar. I suppose I should have chosen "CharHawk" or something of the like to ID myself.

The Big 10 teams tend to lose in my picks. The Hawkeyes have been pretty pathetic my years here in IC. That, of course, excludes the 05-06 season, which was in fact pretty spectacular. The team was undefeated at home, tied for the best conference record and won the conference tournament. That they had a three seed and allowed Northwestern State (who?) to hand them a first round loss perfectly demonstrates "the Madness". Any team can win on any day, right?

While I have no real team loyalty, I'd hate to give too many games to the guys who pounded over us this year. Further, I didn't allot too many wins because of the league's overall poor performance in the Big Dance last year. Really, it comes down to an allotment. Oh, MSU and Illinois win, so Wisco (they lost to Iowa in regular play!) and Purdue are going down. Any of them are LUCKY to get even a second thought in the second round.

I generally don't even check season records. Last week, a bawtenda in Bawston suggested if I had, I'd know Wake wasn't geared up for a win because they lost six consecutive games in a row.

(I did, however, observe that CBS is not taking into consideration viewers' alcohol consumption into consideration; I imagine switching between games can be quite confusing to some fans after knocking a few back.)

Anyway, this whole entry came about on accident. Really, I just wanted to share this. I took this pick on the old console tv at Mom's house a few years ago and get a kick out of it every time I see it.

"Raise your hand if you're a Republican..."

Seriously?

I didn't think TA's were allowed to ask that question. But in American Foreign Policy on Monday, my "English-is-my-second, maybe-even-third-language" TA threw it out there.

I begrudgingly raised my hand and subjected myself to scrutiny from my classmates.  I wondered to myself if what I was feeling was a little bit like gays do when they are unexpectely outed.  Then I told myself not to be so dramatic.

Anyway, apparently my TA thought it'd be fun to have a little class debate.

And I am here to tell you that a little debate is NOT FUN when you are the ONLY conservative in the class.

I am not the debating type.  It's why I don't introduce myself to others in the PoliSci major, "Hi, my name is Charlie and I'm a Republican."  

It's just not worth fighting over.  Unless you're drunk, re: Why I don't talk politics in a bar.

If we're talking politics, I prefer to sit around with my own kind.

For the class discussion I was teamed up with moderate Democrats and Independents.  I think independent is the worst choice because, really, you should just make up your mind.  At my age, declaring yourself independent is saying you think you're better than everyone else (opposed to being Republican, which says I decided I was just fine with the political socialization of parents).

We talked about how China, Iran, and North Korea are (or aren't) threats the the U.S.  Obviously, in a class full of like-minded liberals, there's not much of a debate.  So, to get things going, I suggested the U.S. make a preemptive attack on China to maintain our role as sole superpower in the global system.

Now my TA thinks I'm a neo-con.

The Urinal Rule

Isn't there some sort of unspoken rule at the gym that you don't take the empty treadmill (or any other machine) next to a fellow worker-outer if there are others available?

I really should just run outside.

On Monday I made it to the UI Fieldhouse at 6:15AM to find the Fitness Loft locked up. Several people were leaning against the wall outside the door and two had even set up camp on the floor.

The gym is supposed to open at 6:00 am. I hung around for a few minutes, especially as people with 6:30AM training sessions began to arrive. After no more than 10 minutes I'd had it.

The great thing about the UI fitness pass is that it gives you access to four different gyms on campus. Rather than go home and go back to bed, I decided to head over to the tennis complex. It's a brand new facility and my roommate's boyfriend recommended it. The drive is a couple minutes longer, but there's free parking. Parking fees at the Fieldhouse are actually higher than the other university lots, so free parking at this gym is a great perk. It is a tennis complex but it has a small area with cardio equipment. The machines are all new, there's a lot of natural light, and there aren't a lot of people there at that hour.

I liked it so much I went back Tuesday.

I liked it so much I went back tonight. Big Mistake. Huge.

That building at 5pm reminded me very much of the YMCA in Bettendorf, where I worked out in high school. LITTLE KIDS EVERYWHERE. The downfall of the cardio area is that it's open to the lobby and tennis courts. Anyone coming in for a tennis lesson walks right by you. There's apparently a portion of the center with Astroturf where most of these kids where heading to play indoor soccer. Parents were chilling in the lobby waiting for their kids to finish up.

I know any gym will by crowded at that hour. I do not like being around a lot of people. Especially kids.

I think my afternoon workouts will be redirected back to the Fieldhouse. This actually was a plan in the making anyway, because I like to lift in the afternoon when I have more time and the tennis complex does not have lifting machines I know how to use. They have a bunch of multi-purpose things and I just have no idea how they function.

Plus, at the Fieldhouse I occasionally run into someone I know or someone who knows someone I know and it's definitely important to have word out that I'm putting in face time at the gym.