the madness continues...

I should really be working on some projects now, but I was inspired by the response to my last post. After watching West Virginia beat Wake Forest in double overtime on Sat., I can understand why people spend so much of their lives watching sports. Sorry, you lost your top pick, Raj. Actually, I was happy, but now I'm a little sorry. The pool is close to even, so everything rests on the final rounds. I'm in a relativelly good position, with 3 of my final 4 left.

So if you want to know who to root for in the rest of the tournament, or just judge me for my ignorant picks, here they are (teams still in the tournament are in caps):

Elite eight: ILLINOIS, OKLAHOMA STATE, LOUISVILLE, Gonzaga, NORTH CAROLINA, Kansas, DUKE, Oklahoma (But you can root for Michigan State to beat Duke!)

Final four: ILLINOIS, LOUISVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, Oklahoma

Championship: ILLINOIS, NORTH CAROLINA (no upsets here)

NCAA Champion: ILLINOIS! GO BIG TEN!

Enough basketball. For the next month, I will only think about the following 4 things: 1) How dredge and fill permits issued under the Clean Water Act affect water use and development; 2) Colorado River restoration (and destruction), especially as it affects birds and mammals; 3) Floodplain forest restoration along the lower Mississippi River, and experiments to test its effectiveness; 4) Social Security reform. Which of these doesn't belong? Which of these makes me want to throw things across the room? I have to produce 3 presentations, 3 papers, and a detailed outline on these topics. And this completely leaves out Aquatic Chemistry, which I will probably have to think about a little before the final.

As of tomorrow, I can add high school physics tutor to my resume. I hope I remember something about physics. I brought my old college notes from home, but I can't get any idea of what they're studying till we start tomorrow. It's weird, I only communicate with these teens through their parents. Were we like that in high school?