March Morning Musings

March 31st. The year 2008 is 25% over already. Hard to believe, isn't it? I start back to my Grad School studies tomorrow. I've set myself a goal to get the last of my current Champions stuff finished by the time I go to bed tonight so that I'll have one less distraction tomorrow. I'll need to be more focused this time around; I learned that much from my previous experience, at least. I suppose that's the point—to learn from one's mistakes and shortcomings, and not to make the same mistakes again. Time marches on. Progression is optional.

--

We've had one of those springs here in Utah. It was a cold, wet winter, but March rolled around and brought warmer temperatures with it. But we've also seen our share of foul weather this month. Yesterday, for example, it was overcast and lightly precipitating for most of the day. When I awoke this morning, I was greeted by bright sunshine—and three inches of fresh snow on the ground. I had to smile. Barren desert, indeed.

--

We spent most of Saturday afternoon and evening helping Nancy's sister move. I didn't do a lot of the actual moving, heavy lifting, etc. Most of what I did was to keep the nephew entertained while the grown-ups did the actual work. (Good gig, if you can get it.) The nephew's idea of 'entertainment' was playing soccer in the front yard. It was a lot of fun, but it was a little chilly, and my perpetually bad left ankle was starting to feel the strain by the time we left the house.

When I awoke yesterday, my ankle was killing me. I managed to hobble around and accomplish everything I needed to at church, though I got a lot of, "Oooh, you're limping, what's wrong?" comments. It's good to know that there are so many people there who 1) noticed and 2) cared enough to inquire. My ward really is good to me. After Sunday dinner at Nancy's mom's house and a family viewing of Undercover Blues, we returned home and I iced the ankle before going to bed.

Today I'm feeling—and walking—a lot better. I'm still limping noticeably, but every step does not send pain shooting up my leg like yesterday. I need to do my exercises more consistently.

--

Today is opening day for the defending NL Champion Colorado Rockies. They open against my mom's lifelong favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Most of the media outlets I've seen are picking the Rocks to finish second in the NL West, though one of the guys at Yahoo Sports picks them to win the division. It's interesting to note that since the realignment, every team in the NL West has won the division at least once...except for the Rockies. Is this their year? Maybe. It's certainly the best the team has looked at the beginning of the season for a long, long time. And I've seen at least one writer picking the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series this year, so you never know. Anything's possible.

--

We're leaving in a few minutes to meet Nancy's sister and her son (the aforementioned soccer-playing nephew) for lunch. They've been in Utah for the past week and a half on spring break. They're flying back to Chicago today, so we're having one last meal with them. We're going to Cafe Rio, which is always a treat. I've No idea what I'll have. I'm not feeling the salad or the burrito today. I guess I'll just have to see when I get there.

And that's about it. TTFN!