Sad in Central Illinois
Defense has collapsed. Arizona's hit a shot every trip down the court. Calls are not going their way. Augie just fouled out. Not happy at our house right now. After as well as they played at the beginning of the season, I am saddened it may end like this. Elite Eight part Deux. But I supposed we could have always been Kansas or Wake.
I'm trying to keep it in perspective given the time of year and how basketball really does not trump my faith, life, family, and everything else...but I'm pretty darn sad right now with 4 minutes left.
Random thoughts on life, faith and current events, direct to you from a twenty-something conservative chick deep in the cornfields of Central Illinois
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Sweet 16 Weekend
Last year at this stage of the tournament, I was sitting in the upper deck of the Georgia Dome, still a bit heartbroken over Illinois's recent loss to Duke and cheering my heart out for Xavier and Thad Matta. What a difference a year makes to an Illinois fan huh?
This year an interesting confluence of events -- work, tons of work for my grad classes, Easter observance, and the fact that the Rosemont Arena / Chicago regional was sold out well over a month ago -- has transpired to keep me at home. I'm sitting here on my laptop trying to concentrate on a marketing project (due tomorrow night at midnight, Easter and the tourney must not be of significance to my prof) and trying to keep my mind off the Illinois-Arizona game tonight.
I should be feeling pretty good -- Illinois's play against UW-Milwaukee was impressive. They were hitting great shots and shutting down their foe offensively. James Augustine was pretty quiet, but I tend to believe that's because Dee Brown and Deron Williams were both inspired. Luther Head hit some key shots, despite playing with a sore hamstring.
Instead, I am a little bit weary of deja vu. About three years ago this weekend, I was out at a local Godfather's Pizza with my husband's family, watching Illinois take on Arizona in the Elite Eight. It was a brutal game that seemed to have one-sided officiating in that Illinois seemed to be called for foul after foul, with no one calling a thing on the Wildcats. To this day, my husband still claims it's because Lute Olson ran around the week before the game complaining about how physical Illinois was. I just remember watching Robert Archibald take shot after shot (think it was a career game for him) but still coming up short. Archibald and Lucas Johnson were two of my favorite Illinois players ever. It's probably their fault I'm such a nutty fan now. Man, was I heartbroken after that game though.
So I'm a little bit nervous about tonight, but I am comforted by one fact. This year, whenever Illinois has been confronted with a game that it views as a challenge, it came to play. Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Michigan State. There were tense moments in a few of these games, but Dee or Deron or Luther or James always took charge and turned the team in the right direction. Any time they've had a clear-cut goal, they've achieved it. I'm fairly confident that they will do the same tonight. Let's hope they show up as determined as they did for all those key match-ups earlier in the season.
As this Daily Herald article quotes Weber as saying, "I think it will be a catastrophe (in the players’ minds) if we lose. They’ve set high goals. We’ve laid them out there. People know it...They want it. We’re in a position to get it. Will it be easy? No. We’re going to have to play a great ballgame. I’m hoping, like we did in some of the earlier games — Wake and Gonzaga — we’ll be able to pick it up again to another level.”
Here's to hoping for win #36. Go out there, avenge the earlier Wildcat defeats, and make Illini Nation proud. Build the Big Ten up a bit more (yay Michigan State and Wisconsin), knock Salim Stoudamire down a peg or two, and show the nation why we've been Illinois believers all season long.
Last year at this stage of the tournament, I was sitting in the upper deck of the Georgia Dome, still a bit heartbroken over Illinois's recent loss to Duke and cheering my heart out for Xavier and Thad Matta. What a difference a year makes to an Illinois fan huh?
This year an interesting confluence of events -- work, tons of work for my grad classes, Easter observance, and the fact that the Rosemont Arena / Chicago regional was sold out well over a month ago -- has transpired to keep me at home. I'm sitting here on my laptop trying to concentrate on a marketing project (due tomorrow night at midnight, Easter and the tourney must not be of significance to my prof) and trying to keep my mind off the Illinois-Arizona game tonight.
I should be feeling pretty good -- Illinois's play against UW-Milwaukee was impressive. They were hitting great shots and shutting down their foe offensively. James Augustine was pretty quiet, but I tend to believe that's because Dee Brown and Deron Williams were both inspired. Luther Head hit some key shots, despite playing with a sore hamstring.
Instead, I am a little bit weary of deja vu. About three years ago this weekend, I was out at a local Godfather's Pizza with my husband's family, watching Illinois take on Arizona in the Elite Eight. It was a brutal game that seemed to have one-sided officiating in that Illinois seemed to be called for foul after foul, with no one calling a thing on the Wildcats. To this day, my husband still claims it's because Lute Olson ran around the week before the game complaining about how physical Illinois was. I just remember watching Robert Archibald take shot after shot (think it was a career game for him) but still coming up short. Archibald and Lucas Johnson were two of my favorite Illinois players ever. It's probably their fault I'm such a nutty fan now. Man, was I heartbroken after that game though.
So I'm a little bit nervous about tonight, but I am comforted by one fact. This year, whenever Illinois has been confronted with a game that it views as a challenge, it came to play. Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Michigan State. There were tense moments in a few of these games, but Dee or Deron or Luther or James always took charge and turned the team in the right direction. Any time they've had a clear-cut goal, they've achieved it. I'm fairly confident that they will do the same tonight. Let's hope they show up as determined as they did for all those key match-ups earlier in the season.
As this Daily Herald article quotes Weber as saying, "I think it will be a catastrophe (in the players’ minds) if we lose. They’ve set high goals. We’ve laid them out there. People know it...They want it. We’re in a position to get it. Will it be easy? No. We’re going to have to play a great ballgame. I’m hoping, like we did in some of the earlier games — Wake and Gonzaga — we’ll be able to pick it up again to another level.”
Here's to hoping for win #36. Go out there, avenge the earlier Wildcat defeats, and make Illini Nation proud. Build the Big Ten up a bit more (yay Michigan State and Wisconsin), knock Salim Stoudamire down a peg or two, and show the nation why we've been Illinois believers all season long.
Little fun reading for you...
ESPN's Jim Caple had a bit of fun at U of I over the past two weeks. It's a great account of how basketball fever has been sweeping Champaign-Urbana. Check out these accounts for a bit of a laugh -- there's funny pictures involving Tigger suits!
Day 1 -- Back to school at Sigma Phi Epsilon
Day 2 -- Classes, Brothers & karaoke
Day 3 -- Perfect storm of St. Paddys & FDU game
Day 4 -- Out with the girls
ESPN's Jim Caple had a bit of fun at U of I over the past two weeks. It's a great account of how basketball fever has been sweeping Champaign-Urbana. Check out these accounts for a bit of a laugh -- there's funny pictures involving Tigger suits!
Day 1 -- Back to school at Sigma Phi Epsilon
Day 2 -- Classes, Brothers & karaoke
Day 3 -- Perfect storm of St. Paddys & FDU game
Day 4 -- Out with the girls
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Notes from the RCA Dome
We had an incredibly good weekend in Indy. We are beat as usual, but I must say: if you are ever pondering attending NCAA tournament games, go for it. The tickets are not that expensive and the atmosphere is incredible. Especially when you are one of the orange-wearing throngs cheering on the #1 team in the nation in a packed dome of a basketball stadium. Random notes from the front...
We had an incredibly good weekend in Indy. We are beat as usual, but I must say: if you are ever pondering attending NCAA tournament games, go for it. The tickets are not that expensive and the atmosphere is incredible. Especially when you are one of the orange-wearing throngs cheering on the #1 team in the nation in a packed dome of a basketball stadium. Random notes from the front...
- We arrived towards the end of the EKU vs. UK game on Thursday. Eastern Kentucky gave UK quite a scare. Some of the freethrows they hit were incredible. I wasn't sure who to root for -- the underdog or the team I have heading to the Final Four in at least one of my brackets!
- For perhaps the first time in my life, I heard the crowd go nuts when the pep band walked onto the court, setting up for Illinois during the Iowa-Cincinnati game.
- A teenage girl still lurks inside me somewhere, because I got a bit giddy and went Nick Lachey picture hunting after Cincy put Iowa out of contention. Sorry guys, but he's just as good looking in person. And the coaches say he's a nice guy!
- Most of the RCA Dome was holding its collective breath as Dee Brown took his first few shots. But you haven't heard cheering until you heard that place after Dee hit a couple threes. The rough patch seems to be over.
- Not sure how it looked on TV, but the Farleigh Dickinson game felt close. They had nothing to lose and were playing to win. The anxiety in the air was palpable at halftime. Half of the fans stayed in their seats, wringing their hands and willing a better second half.
- Illinois exhibited flashes of brilliance throughout the second half of the FDU game. For two 4-5 minute streaks, they seemed back to their "normal" rampaging selves. Then they let up and backslid a bit. We're hoping Weber can break them of this habit before next weekend -- they need to be playing to win and not to avoid losing.
- Either out of a love for the underdog or jealousy of the Illini, Kentucky fans wholeheartedly were cheering for FDU to pull off the upset...which just led to the orange masses cheering for Cincinnati on Saturday night.
- TV timeouts -- I'd never really thought about them until this trip. But they seemed to be popping up every couple minutes, and WOW did they influence the momentum of the games.
- James Augustine. WOW. What can I say? Augie dominated on both ends of the court -- an amazing performance against Nevada's Nick Fazekas. I think Nevada's defense limited the guards a bit, but James (and Jack Ingram) did more than make up for it. They set the tone of the game. Here's to hoping he can maintain this standard of play throughout the rest of the tourney.
- As for the rest of the game, let's just say the Illini got their groove back. It felt like they came to play again, and the crowd was loving it. Here are a few details from the Sun-Times.
- Around when Illinois was up by 20 points in the second half of the Nevada game, I mused out loud that I wondered if Bill Self was sitting at home, watching the game and feeling a bit sorry for himself. Several fans around us laughed, but no one seemed to take much joy in it. At that point Saturday night, the Illini fans were thrilled with the team and coach they had.
- Onto Allstate Arena and UW Milwuakee! Here's the Bruce Pearl grudge match round up from the Herald & Review's Mark Tupper. I was 11 when it happened, and I could care less. Let's just see them put up a W and another fine performance to build some momentum for that ticket to the Final Four.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Madness is about to begin...
Illinigirl finally has a few minutes to herself, so I thought I'd post about one of my favorite topics. My favorite time of year has arrived. The NCAA tournament begins in just over 48 hours with the play-in game in Dayton, OH. (I'm rooting for Oakland in that game btw. How can I not root for the team who took a timeout seconds into their game against Illinois to capture the Kodak moment of keeping pace with the #1 team in the nation?)
How did I get so obsessed with college basketball? I wish I knew. I grew up in a household that didn't care much about sports. However, I basically grew up in the shadow of U of Illinois, so any games that my household watched or attended were in Champaign. As I got older though, basketball was the one that held my attention. I remember during high-school my grandmother became quite a follower of the Illinois women's basketball team in the mid-1990s, and she got me started watching collegiate games. Once I met my husband (Peoria-born orange-and-blue basketball junkie that grew up envying Sergio McClain's abilities), I was a goner. Now, I watch every Illinois game and almost all other college basketball games I can find. In a few short days, Illinihubby and I will take to the road again and follow our favorite basketball team to post-season play at the RCA Dome. We'll be in the cheap seats (still have two mortgages people), but we're still thrilled to be going.
We have mixed feelings on the Chicago regional bracket. My husband seems to think that Illinois got a somewhat rough draw, as the #2 seed Oklahoma State could well have been a #1 seed. With a better performance in their league tourney, Arizona might have secured a #1 seed as well, and the once lauded abd undefeated Boston College rounds it out as a tough #4. Similar thoughts have been echoed today by Doyel over at CBS Sportsline. The fact of the matter is though -- with all cylinders firing, the Illini can outplay any team in the country. With even a few major cylinders firing, they will at least give any team a good fight as evidenced in the Wisconsin and Minnesota games this weekend. Overall though, all the regionals seem stacked with the possible exception of Albuquerque. As evidenced this weekend, there seems to be a lot of parity in college basketball right now.
Illinois seemed above that playing field until the last week or so, which has been somewhat disappointing. Watching that Ohio State game slip away, and the hopes of the perfect season disappear...that was disappointing. Work was like a funeral on Monday. We've had some really bad things happen to people that I work with lately, and rooting for Illinois had given us something to cheer about. But whether or not the one loss was a good thing...that remains to be seen. At the very least, it seems to have sent Dee Brown's play into a funk that we hope he can break out of against Farleigh Dickinson on Thursday.
The story of Bruce Weber's mom sudden passing over the weekend...that was quite a heartbreaker as well. You just looked at the faces of the players and knew how much they felt for Weber, how much they wanted to make his life easier and honor his mother with a Big Ten tournament win. That made the frustration on Dee Brown's face even more evident, even more palpable every time he missed a shot. The rest of the team got it done though. Luther Head came up huge, Deron played a solid game even if his shooting was not stellar. Roger Powell Jr. was going after every ball and making some great shots, and Augustine played like a beast and was rewarded with the tournament MVP award. The weekend wasn't inspiring ball, not everything was clicking. There was a feeling though that with a few slight adjustments, it could. It could be an inspiring story and a great trip through the tournament. All the ingredients of a truly inspiring story are here -- they just need to be mixed well and to heat up at the right moment. Here's to hoping that can happen this week.
Some other great coverage
Illinigirl finally has a few minutes to herself, so I thought I'd post about one of my favorite topics. My favorite time of year has arrived. The NCAA tournament begins in just over 48 hours with the play-in game in Dayton, OH. (I'm rooting for Oakland in that game btw. How can I not root for the team who took a timeout seconds into their game against Illinois to capture the Kodak moment of keeping pace with the #1 team in the nation?)
How did I get so obsessed with college basketball? I wish I knew. I grew up in a household that didn't care much about sports. However, I basically grew up in the shadow of U of Illinois, so any games that my household watched or attended were in Champaign. As I got older though, basketball was the one that held my attention. I remember during high-school my grandmother became quite a follower of the Illinois women's basketball team in the mid-1990s, and she got me started watching collegiate games. Once I met my husband (Peoria-born orange-and-blue basketball junkie that grew up envying Sergio McClain's abilities), I was a goner. Now, I watch every Illinois game and almost all other college basketball games I can find. In a few short days, Illinihubby and I will take to the road again and follow our favorite basketball team to post-season play at the RCA Dome. We'll be in the cheap seats (still have two mortgages people), but we're still thrilled to be going.
We have mixed feelings on the Chicago regional bracket. My husband seems to think that Illinois got a somewhat rough draw, as the #2 seed Oklahoma State could well have been a #1 seed. With a better performance in their league tourney, Arizona might have secured a #1 seed as well, and the once lauded abd undefeated Boston College rounds it out as a tough #4. Similar thoughts have been echoed today by Doyel over at CBS Sportsline. The fact of the matter is though -- with all cylinders firing, the Illini can outplay any team in the country. With even a few major cylinders firing, they will at least give any team a good fight as evidenced in the Wisconsin and Minnesota games this weekend. Overall though, all the regionals seem stacked with the possible exception of Albuquerque. As evidenced this weekend, there seems to be a lot of parity in college basketball right now.
Illinois seemed above that playing field until the last week or so, which has been somewhat disappointing. Watching that Ohio State game slip away, and the hopes of the perfect season disappear...that was disappointing. Work was like a funeral on Monday. We've had some really bad things happen to people that I work with lately, and rooting for Illinois had given us something to cheer about. But whether or not the one loss was a good thing...that remains to be seen. At the very least, it seems to have sent Dee Brown's play into a funk that we hope he can break out of against Farleigh Dickinson on Thursday.
The story of Bruce Weber's mom sudden passing over the weekend...that was quite a heartbreaker as well. You just looked at the faces of the players and knew how much they felt for Weber, how much they wanted to make his life easier and honor his mother with a Big Ten tournament win. That made the frustration on Dee Brown's face even more evident, even more palpable every time he missed a shot. The rest of the team got it done though. Luther Head came up huge, Deron played a solid game even if his shooting was not stellar. Roger Powell Jr. was going after every ball and making some great shots, and Augustine played like a beast and was rewarded with the tournament MVP award. The weekend wasn't inspiring ball, not everything was clicking. There was a feeling though that with a few slight adjustments, it could. It could be an inspiring story and a great trip through the tournament. All the ingredients of a truly inspiring story are here -- they just need to be mixed well and to heat up at the right moment. Here's to hoping that can happen this week.
Some other great coverage
- Blame it on a root canal? -- Chicago Sun Times Mariotti column on Dee's recent slump
- Unofficial team motto: 'I do this'-- STL Today, includes a great pic of the starters
- Illini not perfect, but good enough for top seed -- Gregg Doyel, CBS Sportsline
- "Illinois has lost enough lately. The unbeaten season. Bruce Weber’s mom. They won’t lose again." -- Ray Glier at NBC Sports.com
Administrative notes
Things are starting to settle down a bit, and the family laptop is finally equipped with a functional wireless connection. Therefore, I hope that regular posting will resume in the next week or so. There may be a hiatus as I make the groupie trek to Indy Thurs-Sun this week, but after that I'm jumping back into the deep end. Thanks for stopping by and check back soon.
Things are starting to settle down a bit, and the family laptop is finally equipped with a functional wireless connection. Therefore, I hope that regular posting will resume in the next week or so. There may be a hiatus as I make the groupie trek to Indy Thurs-Sun this week, but after that I'm jumping back into the deep end. Thanks for stopping by and check back soon.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Brief notes...
1. Want a true glimpse of Central Illinois local color? This weekend, TLC's What Not to Wear would like to introduce you to Ed, a 37 year old who works at a "large company outside Chicago". A good two to three hours outside but that's just details to Clinton, Stacy, and pretty much anyone from outside the Midwest. Anyways, here are airtimes for anyone who is interested.
2. Go Illini! I can't let a day go by without that. This area hasn't had a sports team to be proud of in so long, and I can't get enough of it. The team seems to be jelling at the right time -- keep your fingers crossed for no injuries and some luck!
3. Hiatus is going well so far. Got through an exam, did some more unpacking, having open houses for the old place, putting in the overtime so work isn't crazy. Once the stress level gets dialed down a bit, I hope to be back to posting a few times a week at least. In the meantime, there are great sites to peruse in the blogroll at right. Thanks for stopping by!
1. Want a true glimpse of Central Illinois local color? This weekend, TLC's What Not to Wear would like to introduce you to Ed, a 37 year old who works at a "large company outside Chicago". A good two to three hours outside but that's just details to Clinton, Stacy, and pretty much anyone from outside the Midwest. Anyways, here are airtimes for anyone who is interested.
2. Go Illini! I can't let a day go by without that. This area hasn't had a sports team to be proud of in so long, and I can't get enough of it. The team seems to be jelling at the right time -- keep your fingers crossed for no injuries and some luck!
3. Hiatus is going well so far. Got through an exam, did some more unpacking, having open houses for the old place, putting in the overtime so work isn't crazy. Once the stress level gets dialed down a bit, I hope to be back to posting a few times a week at least. In the meantime, there are great sites to peruse in the blogroll at right. Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
First True Hiatus
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Well perhaps not that much...because I don't really have much time for it. Basically in the past few weeks, I have had to take stock of my priorities...because time is in such short supply for me that I can hardly keep my eyes open. Here's what's important to me right now, in no particular order
Where does blogging fall? Unfortunately, right now it's after everything on this list. I really do enjoy my blog, but I am a perfectionist. I hate making posts that I don't consider high-quality, and I am too tired to produce that kind of material right now. I don't have time to fully understand all the ramifications of recent developments in the Middle East or the new Social Security proposals, and those are some of the few political topics I have an interest in at the moment.
Hence, my first true announced blogging hiatus. While I don't want to close up shop here at Illinigirl, I cannot commit to posting regularly at this point in time. I've tried to keep up some semblance of regularity since November or so, but it's not working. At least for the next couple months, I will only be posting when I feel inspired. (Hopefully about Illinois's long run into the NCAA tournament if there is any justice in this world). I will keep reading my usual blogs and possibly commenting, and I look forward to rejoining the blogging community in an official fashion sometime soon.
(I am hoping for this to be a relatively short hiatus though, so I'd appreciate anyone who has pity on a busy girl and doesn't remove any links to my lazy blog quite yet. For what it's worth!)
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Well perhaps not that much...because I don't really have much time for it. Basically in the past few weeks, I have had to take stock of my priorities...because time is in such short supply for me that I can hardly keep my eyes open. Here's what's important to me right now, in no particular order
- Work: Extremely busy and extremely frustrating lately. I could put in 50 hour weeks for the next 2 months, but life is not leaving me the time.
- Time with my husband and family: Always seems to be in short supply, need more of it
- Faith-related activities: Still has dedicated time (Sunday school, Disciples) but I am shortchanging my personal devotions
- MBA classes and homework: Keeping up with the reading and assignments, but that's about it
- Getting the house fixed up: We have a basement full of boxes that says it isn't going well. Our living room got curtains last night though, hooray!
- Selling the old condo: We have spent a ton of time on fixer-upper activities but not enough time marketing this baby. Meanwhile two mortgages loom.
- Watching Illini basketball: This is a once-in-my-young-lifetime kind of season, and one of the few things that gives me pure, unadulterated joy in my life right now. I can't stay away from it.
- Staying in contact with my friends: Not doing very well at this lately
Where does blogging fall? Unfortunately, right now it's after everything on this list. I really do enjoy my blog, but I am a perfectionist. I hate making posts that I don't consider high-quality, and I am too tired to produce that kind of material right now. I don't have time to fully understand all the ramifications of recent developments in the Middle East or the new Social Security proposals, and those are some of the few political topics I have an interest in at the moment.
Hence, my first true announced blogging hiatus. While I don't want to close up shop here at Illinigirl, I cannot commit to posting regularly at this point in time. I've tried to keep up some semblance of regularity since November or so, but it's not working. At least for the next couple months, I will only be posting when I feel inspired. (Hopefully about Illinois's long run into the NCAA tournament if there is any justice in this world). I will keep reading my usual blogs and possibly commenting, and I look forward to rejoining the blogging community in an official fashion sometime soon.
(I am hoping for this to be a relatively short hiatus though, so I'd appreciate anyone who has pity on a busy girl and doesn't remove any links to my lazy blog quite yet. For what it's worth!)
Congrats
Before I run out of here for awhile, I wanted to send out congratulations to Kevin Holtsberry on the arrival of his adorable daughter Ella Hope, and to Jeff Utech on his impending bundle of joy. And of course, my thoughts are with my old buddy Iowa Wine Guy whose bouncing baby boy is due in a few short weeks.
Hooray for babies! We love babies! (Perhaps a bit too much for a 27 year old who is not planning on having her own for approximately three more years, but that is another story for another day. Let's just say I would advise young ladies to get their masters degrees out of the way earlier before the maternal instinct kicks in.)
Before I run out of here for awhile, I wanted to send out congratulations to Kevin Holtsberry on the arrival of his adorable daughter Ella Hope, and to Jeff Utech on his impending bundle of joy. And of course, my thoughts are with my old buddy Iowa Wine Guy whose bouncing baby boy is due in a few short weeks.
Hooray for babies! We love babies! (Perhaps a bit too much for a 27 year old who is not planning on having her own for approximately three more years, but that is another story for another day. Let's just say I would advise young ladies to get their masters degrees out of the way earlier before the maternal instinct kicks in.)
Monday, February 07, 2005
That's entertainment
This is how busy our household is lately: we DVRed the Superbowl. DVR is our new toy. We pay five dollars extra to the cable company each month, and we never have to wonder where our shows are again. Of course, the little 30 hour box is approximately half-full at the moment. Whenever I get around to watching the end of the Illinois-Michigan State game, that will make a dent in things.
We did watch part of the Superbowl though. Saw a couple cute ads, but which one impressed us the most? Which ad left my thoroughly non-alcoholic hubby commenting that he wanted to run out and buy some beer? The Anheuser-Busch ad honoring following our returning troops through the airport. As Michelle Malkin puts it, "simple, elegant, inspired, and inspiring".
Michelle has up some great commentary on this ad, along with a testimonial from an airline employee at Dallas Fort Worth airport who sees this happen on a regular basis. Read about it, watch it, and crack open a Bud if you so desire. Not that we buy much unless we're entertaining, but Casa Illinigirl will be voting with its wallet and purchasing Anheuser-Busch products when possible. Kudos to their marketing execs.
(Hat tip to Spoons for the Michelle Malkin link)
This is how busy our household is lately: we DVRed the Superbowl. DVR is our new toy. We pay five dollars extra to the cable company each month, and we never have to wonder where our shows are again. Of course, the little 30 hour box is approximately half-full at the moment. Whenever I get around to watching the end of the Illinois-Michigan State game, that will make a dent in things.
We did watch part of the Superbowl though. Saw a couple cute ads, but which one impressed us the most? Which ad left my thoroughly non-alcoholic hubby commenting that he wanted to run out and buy some beer? The Anheuser-Busch ad honoring following our returning troops through the airport. As Michelle Malkin puts it, "simple, elegant, inspired, and inspiring".
Michelle has up some great commentary on this ad, along with a testimonial from an airline employee at Dallas Fort Worth airport who sees this happen on a regular basis. Read about it, watch it, and crack open a Bud if you so desire. Not that we buy much unless we're entertaining, but Casa Illinigirl will be voting with its wallet and purchasing Anheuser-Busch products when possible. Kudos to their marketing execs.
(Hat tip to Spoons for the Michelle Malkin link)
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
SOTU Slacker
Apparently I really have fallen off the political wagon, as I didn't realize that the State of the Union was tonight until I returned from class. WLS coverage on the way home was very positive. I'm hoping to record a re-reun this evening and comment later, but until then The Corner, VodkaPundit and InstaPundit have some interesting commentary.
Apparently I really have fallen off the political wagon, as I didn't realize that the State of the Union was tonight until I returned from class. WLS coverage on the way home was very positive. I'm hoping to record a re-reun this evening and comment later, but until then The Corner, VodkaPundit and InstaPundit have some interesting commentary.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Where do we draw the line?
Ben Kepple has up an interesting analysis over at his site on a recent news story: a company in Okemos, Michigan that fired all its employees who wouldn't quit smoking. Basically
Kind of an interesting questions, because I did a case study on an incredibly similar situation at my MBA program orientation last fall. You know what's interesting about that? Ninety percent of the students couldn't believe that a company would think about doing something like that. Perhaps these employees should just go find other employers with more libertine policies, but the whole thing just sort of creeps me out.
With sky-rocketing health care costs and the drive towards wellness at all costs, this is an important question to examine. I hate smelly co-workers and people taking "smoke breaks" fifteen minutes of every hour as much as the next guy, but where does your right to privacy intersect with you employer's right to tell you what sort of behavior is acceptable? Where will we draw the line? While today it's private corporations doing this sort of wellness compliance, it could soon be the government making decisions about whether you can ingest any nicotine or how many grams of fat you can eat each day.
(On the other hand, perhaps I'm just paranoid. Had a pretty much terrible day and I'm swamped at the moment, but thought I'd stop by and say hello. But speaking of Michigan, go Illini! Thank you for offering a bit of solace in my day. My MSU loving co-worker shall have the Illini mat out in our aisle for a good couple months!)
Ben Kepple has up an interesting analysis over at his site on a recent news story: a company in Okemos, Michigan that fired all its employees who wouldn't quit smoking. Basically
Kind of an interesting questions, because I did a case study on an incredibly similar situation at my MBA program orientation last fall. You know what's interesting about that? Ninety percent of the students couldn't believe that a company would think about doing something like that. Perhaps these employees should just go find other employers with more libertine policies, but the whole thing just sort of creeps me out.
With sky-rocketing health care costs and the drive towards wellness at all costs, this is an important question to examine. I hate smelly co-workers and people taking "smoke breaks" fifteen minutes of every hour as much as the next guy, but where does your right to privacy intersect with you employer's right to tell you what sort of behavior is acceptable? Where will we draw the line? While today it's private corporations doing this sort of wellness compliance, it could soon be the government making decisions about whether you can ingest any nicotine or how many grams of fat you can eat each day.
(On the other hand, perhaps I'm just paranoid. Had a pretty much terrible day and I'm swamped at the moment, but thought I'd stop by and say hello. But speaking of Michigan, go Illini! Thank you for offering a bit of solace in my day. My MSU loving co-worker shall have the Illini mat out in our aisle for a good couple months!)
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