Degree Of Difficulty

Well, it would seem things got a lot easier for me the other night. With the Patriots now out of the running for a title I can relax a bit. As I have said before, it's much easier to lose track of the basketball and hockey teams from day to day. Even when I was following them, I was never all that sure when they were playing. From a distance, I am proud of the effort for the Patriots this year. And, I am not entirely without relief that they aren't playing for a title in a few days. A title I would not be able to watch.

Meanwhile, it's time for an update on how I have been spending the time previously dedicated to paying attention to pro and college sports. As I said to a friend recently on Facebook, life feels very different without the constant stress of how teams are doing. My evenings are invariably spent with a little juggling, a good amount of guitar playing, and some fun reading. I also find myself at the gym more regularly than in most phases of my life. A good thing, since I am rapidly approaching a certain somewhat regrettable milestone. I'll let you guess which one.

What's interesting is that it's not just the evenings that have changed thanks to this shift in focus. All day long I used to have one eye on ESPN.com and other sports outlets to make sure that I knew if some rival had swiped a free agent, or some new injury had popped up at practice. Nowadays, I find myself seeking out more interesting sources of news. Because of that, I have some recommendations!

Lettersofnote.com is a great source for some distraction when you need it. Just about each day they provide a remarkable example of a letter. Sometimes they are between famous people, often just regular folks. Regardless, it's always compelling to read the transcription and then look at the phot of the actual letter. Enjoy!

Openculture.com has been another great source for me. Each day I get their email blast, which lists about 5 stories, and one or two always seems to catch my eye. The stuff they deal with is too wide in topic to even try to describe, so I'll just trust you to go check it out.

Finally, I have really been enjoying playing with the Lumosity app. That's the neuroplasticity site that helps you maintain and improve brain function. It seems like all the studies that have shown its value have been paid for by Lumosity itself, so it remains to be seen if it will actually do anything. Still, it's fun, and no one ever complained about snake oil if it was free.

Beyond that, the little forays into cooking and drink making continue, and more big ideas are brewing. So, maybe now that the degree of difficulty is a bit lower, I can hope to see even more results!

With Feelings Like These...

I saw about 10 minutes of a Celtic game the other day. It was, perhaps, the first true revelation of this whole experiment.

Don't be too disappointed in me, folks. It really wasn't my fault. I've been in other situations over the past few months where there was a sporting event on, and I have managed to look away, or simply leave the room. This time, there just wasn't anything I could do.

I was at the gym, working on a 25 minute session on an elliptical machine. There was someone in front of me on a treadmill one machine to my right. Just perfectly in my natural gaze. The TV on my own machine was broken and I was listening to headphones. Still, I could see everything that was happening over at the Garden. It was early, but the Celtics had a nice lead on the Houston Rockets, a much more talented team (at the moment, anyway). I had a long way to go on my workout, and so there I was, caught. Unable to turn away, and forced to see the game.

At first, I was shocked and delighted to see that Boston was winning. I have seen the headlines about how this years scrappy, underdog team has been able to play with just about anyone from time to time. Still, Houston's talent is plain to see, so I certainly wasn't expecting to see the C's ahead. Of course, I was also just happy to be seeing the game played again. It really has been a long time for me. Like catching up with an old friend. Several actually. There was Pick and Roll. And over there was The Extra Pass. Oh, and look! It's Fast Break! He just showed up out of nowhere! How nice. 

Sadly, like many parties, before long it wasn't just old friends that we're showing up. It shouldn't have been a surprise to see Houston start to assert itself. All of a sudden, Extra Pass was hanging out with Rushed Shot. Someone must have let Slow Defensive Rotation in, and he was really starting to fuck with things. Goddammit, Telegraphed Crosscourt Pass is here? Seriously? AGAIN? The Celtics were blowing it.

Thats when I noticed it. It was right in the center of my chest. I'd gone so long without it, it was hard to recognize at first, but then it became starkly clear. The stress and tension of watching this lead dwindle was palpable in the center of my chest. Another bad pass and my teeth were clenched. As it happened, I was holding heart rate monitors, and I could see that I was up at over 140, when my goal had been to stay at 115 or so. In no time, I couldn't wait for my session to be over so that I could get out of the line of sight of this game. A big turnaround.

When and if I return to watch the teams I love, I am going to have to find a way to make sure that rooting for them does not manifest in me this way. It was never something I noticed while I was watching all the time, but being away from it for so long, I'm amazed at how tangible it was in its return.

Back to the Grind

I work in academia, so I tend to get pretty enviable amounts of time off (as opposed to great pay, of course). At no time is that more apparent than during the winter break. Shortly after the students pack up and head home, the college shuts down and the staff gets at least a week off without even asking. Depending on when the holidays fall, we could get even more. This year, what with the Wednesday holidays and the snowstorm that hit our region, I ended up with 16 days off at a cost of only about a day and a half of vacation time. I'm certainly not complaining.

Tomorrow though it all comes to an end and it's back to work, which will be nice. It's also a big moment for the Off-Season. I spent the majority of the break with family and friends who are not at all engaged in the sports world (or who were decent enough to discuss something else while I was in the room). At times, I was up in NH and not really in any kind of news cycle, so I feel as removed for the sports world right now as I have since before I started rooting for the Tar Heels back in the early 80's (pre-Jordan, thank you).

That will likely end once I get to work tomorrow, or possibly even on the commute. From Facebook I already know that the Patriots will be playing the Colts next weekend. It's going to be interesting to see how far out of the hype and excitement I can stay. It's also going to be hard. I hope Lori and I are able to make some good plans for whenever the game is taking place. Not paying attention to that game will be the biggest test I have faced so far. I am determined to avoid direct knowledge while it is happening!

Wish me luck...

I hope you all had wonderful and fun holiday seasons filled with peace and joy. May 2014 treat us all like dear friends.