UJ In The Keys

UJ is down in Key West, where the sun is warm and the rum drinks are cold.

C’mon, UJ! I haven’t been on a spring break trip to Florida in years. How about a report from the sunny south?

What’s that warm sand feel like? What about the hot sunshine on your skin, and the feel of a cold, beaded glass of Captain Morgan’s and Coke in your hand? And those bright rays on your sunglasses, and a languid scent of cocoa butter suntan lotion on the skin, and the gentle breezes of the Caribbean ruffling the canopy of the beach umbrella?

I’m working this week, but that doesn’t mean I can’t live vicariously through some Webner House posts.

Tourney Time

It’s a great time of year if you love college basketball. (I know, this excludes my pro-loving friend Winship.)

Tonight I’m sitting and watching the first day of the Big Ten Tournament. I’m a traditionalist, so I think the regular season champion is the true Big Ten champion. Still, the conference tournament has its attractions.

For teams like Ohio State, which has already punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten Tournament is a nice tuneup and a chance to stay sharp for the Big Dance. For the desperate teams — like both Purdue and Nebraska, who are playing now — the tournament means a chance to redeem an otherwise tough season. So long as they stay alive, there’s a chance they might win, and win, and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Imagine what it might be like in their locker rooms, knowing they might be playing their last games of the year and can only keep playing if they win this game!

So we’ll see how this game ends, and who survives to play the Buckeyes. And when this game ends, I’ll watch the next one. The Big Ten has been tremendously exciting and competitive this season, and I’m expecting nothing less from the Tournament.

As I said, it’s a great time for college basketball fans.

#SuitFail

Yesterday I was deciding what to wear to work.  After careful consideration, I selected an old favorite — a camel-colored, nail head-patterned suit.

As I was removed the suit from its hanger I noticed some wear and tear along the seams . . . and then I saw, to my horror, that the fabric of the pants had worn through, at about the point the keys in my pocket would occupy when I sit.  Apparently, during my last wearing of the suit — at least, I hope it was the last wearing, and I haven’t been walking around oblivious to a hole in my trousers for months — the fabric had endured all the keychain and wallet-induced tension it could stand.

I’m sorry to lose this suit.  I’ve had it for at least 15 years, and it’s been a faithful member of the Webner suit rotation, hauled out and donned every week or so, winter, spring, summer, and fall.  I knew which shirts and ties and belts and shoes “went” with it.  That helped make getting dressed in the morning into more of a comfortable routine, where I could let my lower brain make the familiar shirt and tie selections as my higher brain focused on the day ahead.

A good suit becomes like an old friend, capable of gently giving you important guidance.  This suit fit well, and if it started to feel a bit snug I knew it was time to push myself away from the table and work to lose a few pounds.  Now I’ll need to find another suit to fill the not-gray, not-blue spot in my closet — and to let me know when I should start that diet.