Spring is Here

Unlike most people, I do not define the coming of spring by the positions of moons, stars, or suns. Nor do I celebrate the spring season when birds are chirping and the frost of winter is no longer. There is only one thing that signifies spring to me: starting up the grill for the first time.

TJilla and I feasted tonight on brats cooked on the grill. It was wonderful, delicious, and beautiful. I love spring.

Weekend Comebacks

I don't know if anyone watched the Illinois victory on Saturday night game, but it was pretty much the greatest comeback in NCAA tournament history (in my biased opinion). What makes it so amazing is that the comeback happened against Arizona, one of the elite programs in the country with one of the best coaches in NCAA history.

Question: Which part of the comeback did you enjoy the most? My personal favorite was when Illinois was down eight with 58 seconds left and Head drilled a three from about eight feet behind the arc.

For the best comeback in history, please read here.

Christmas No More at 1668

[Note: For the past 14 months, a Christmas tree has resided in the 2nd floor of my apartment. Last night, it was removed.]

I'm telling myself that I needed more room, that I wanted to get it out of the way so I could put my mini-couch there. I'm convincing myself that it isn't about a holiday, but about having more space. Still, I find emptiness inside, as if part of me has died.

What once was full of life and celebration now resides bunched up in a box, hidden above the 2nd floor in storage space. It only sees darkness now, and can only feel the cold drafts of the attic.

Someday, that Christmas tree will return to the light and feel the fresh air of life. Someday.

The Beauty of Intercession

A friend left a voicemail last night, telling me that he was sick with the flu and his wife was also sick from some complications after giving birth in the last month. He ended his voicemail by asking me to keep him in his prayers.

It got me thinking of prayer and what it really means to pray for someone else. What I realized about intercession -- asking God for specific things for yourself or others -- is that it signifies our complete weakness as humans in comparison to God. Whenever someone wants prayer, they are in essence saying that what they want to happen cannot happen in their own strength; and they look to God for help, suggesting He alone can provide for what they want.

Too often, I see prayer as a good-luck charm, as something I do so that I might have a better day. I lack humility in my prayers, not realizing that I'm conversing with a God who could give me anything if He wanted.

Bill Hybels said in a simple but profound statement that "the most common cause of unanswered prayer is prayerlessness." I wonder what would happen if I actually prayed. Would my life change? Would the lives of the people around me change?

Best Two Days of the Sports Year

Tomorrow and Friday mark the highlight of a sports fan's year. 32 college basketball games will be played to kick off the NCAA tournament.

I remember in junior high when I brought a radio to school in an effort to get updates on the tournament games. I wired headphones under my shirt and placed on hand on the side of my head where the earpiece was and listened to games in study hall and in-between classes. In high school, I remember getting out of a class (thanks for a teacher who shared my passion for sports) to listen to a Wisconsin - Temple game. Thankfully, I have the internet at my fingertips at work, so I won't be far from the action this year.

My upset picks: Old Dominion (12) over Michigan State (5), UW-Milwaukee (12) over Alabama (5), Niagara (14) over Oklahoma (3), and UAB (11) over LSU (6).

ESPN at the SigEp House

ESPN writer Jim Caple is looking for a place to stay next week at U of I. Check out who the frontrunner currently is.

John Malysiak is responsible (see 3rd letter from bottom in article).

(Update)

Caple's 1st day with SigEps
Caple's 2nd day with SigEps

And The Peasants Rejoiced!

For all you Cheeseheads out there, it has been confirmed by the AP that 35-year-old Brett Favre will return for at least another season to play quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.

Another year of hope for my football team.

Counterclockwise

One thing I've observed, working for a cellphone company, is the presence of digital clocks everywhere I go. Be it on the cellphones we work with, on the desk phones in our cubicles, on our personal watches (which everyone has), or on our laptop and desktop computers, we always have the current time staring us in the face.

However, I've also noticed that when I attend meetings, I am usually one of the few people present at the time when the meeting is supposed to start. It is not uncommon for the meeting leader -- who is usually an important person -- to arrive 5-10 minutes late. That means, I just wasted 5-10 minutes of my time. I could have read the latest ESPN.com article, I could have read the Hifidelity blog, or I could have even played a quick game of ping-pong.

I know I'm just a peon. But please be on time. That's all I ask.

Brewers Update

As of today, the Milwaukee Brewers are undefeated and on top of the Central division. Now, I know that you'll try and tell me that it's still Spring Training, but I'm a firm believer in the saying "practice makes perfect". And if the Brewers are perfect in their practice (i.e. undefeated Spring Training record), they will be perfect when the regular season comes.

Current standings:

Brewers 5 - 0
Cubs 4 - 1
Cardinals 3 - 1

Hallway Ethics in the Corporate World

Working for a large corporation in an office building with ~200 people, there are some interesting dynamics that take place. The specific interaction I would like to focus on today is that of the hallway encounter.

I would estimate that I am out in the hallways 8-10 times throughout my day, either going to the bathroom, getting hot chocolate, or visiting other people at work. In my path, I usually encounter one of three types of people, and what follows is the rules necessary when interacting with them:

1) Stranger -- someone who I have never before had a conversation with and/or you don't even know their name. Upon approach, no verbal or physical contact is initiated, but a smile or head nod is acceptable. If verbal contact is initiated by Stranger, treat as Acquaintance.

2) Acquaintance -- someone who you have been introduced to and have had a conversation with before. Verbal contact is initiated, and consists usually of a "How are you doing?" or a "Hello". Note that when a question is asked, such as "How are you?", no response is expected. There is no hesitation in walking pace, and the dialog should be brief. If other party does not respond to your verbal contact, they may in future be treated as Stranger.

3) Colleague -- someone who you have had many conversations with. Physical contact is initiated by slowing down the walking pace. If the other party also slows down, you stop and begin a conversation. If the other party does not stop, you must increase pace to normal walking pace and treat Colleague as Acquaintance. Conversations (when both parties stop) must last a minimum of 90 seconds. Upon ending of conversation, parties salute each other by saying "See you later" or something similar, knowing their paths will likely cross soon.

Any questions?