Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Haiku in the Snow


my, how the snow falls
stacking high on the curbside
from the midnight plow







school's not cancelled yet
so lace up your skates and grin
find new diversion







spirited and game
we just play with more clothes on
it ain't all that bad





frog pond "on the rocks"
low-angle view of high-rise
a boston common

Monday, January 12, 2009

five things i learned about sports while down south

it's monday night up here in rockport, ma...figure it's got to be monday night just about everywhere in the US right now...and i began thinking about television...we've downsized our cable service to the basic network stations...an exercise in winter hibernation (and life on the cheap...)

despite our acts of telecommunication piety, kate is already planning her wednesday nights at my parent's apartment to watch top chef...I, on the otherhand, don't think i'll miss television too much...(what's the first sign of withdrawal?...denial?...check!!)

now, although i would not call myself a big sports guy, my mind wandered to monday night football (or lack there of)...then to the nfl playoffs (or lack there of, pats fans)...then to sports in general (thank god for the bruins...and the eagles, pats fans)...which i then realized, i haven't heard a peep about college football since i left asheville over a month ago...

to all you up here in new england, you're probably thinking, so what...but, let me tell ya, down in the south you would more likely find statues of heisman trophy winners gracing city hall steps, than some ancient white guy in a three-point hat and calf-length stockings...i suppose they have the stockings in common

anyway...i think they play the national championship games on new years day...and despite all the trouble they had deciding who was #1 towards the end of the season, they must have laid it to rest by now...

where am i going with this?..i have no idea...but it got me thinking about the sports i watched while in asheville...here's a quick list of five things i learned about sports while living south:

5.  universities have football teams...and people seem to care...(apparently the gators are #1...yeah team esselstyn!!)

4.  most of these universities have basketball teams too...

3.  no matter how well a hockey team from the south does, nobody notices... (carolina and tampa bay won back-to-back stanley cup championships while i was down there...nobody noticed)

2.  the favored strategy for winning in sports...go straight, turn left, go straight, turn left, repeat

1. being a "yankee" and red sox fan is possible

things i'm still trying to figure out...who the SEC and Big 10 are and what sports they play