Five things friday (march is mad)

Ahhhh... it's the greatest time of year. If you like college basketball, that is.

1. Madness is in the air, and on the basketball courts! I love watching the NCAA college basketball tournament. Especially so when my Fighting Illini are playing (and playing well). Fortunately I was able to watch them yesterday afternoon as they sent Morehead State packing. Yet I also enjoyed seeing BYU and Kentucky lose.
2. I haven't been participating much in the Illini message board group this year. Another one of those things I felt the need to cut back on. But I still read it, and am a big fan of this year's team. My favorite player continues to be Coleman Hawkins. I know a lot of people get frustrated with him because he's 6'10" and they want him to bang inside. But he was a point guard in high school (who then grew too large for the role) and is so multi-talented he almost defies a traditional position. I also like that he's stuck it out with the same school for four years. An oddity in today's college sports. My other favorite players are Marcus Domask (a transfer from Southern Illiniois), Dain Dainja, Luke Goode (from Fort Wayne), and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. I mean, I like ALL the players, but these are the ones I especially root for (for various reasons). 
3. Today I will squeeze in one of the grand-daughters middle school basketball games. She plays for a Lutheran school and it is their national tournament (or something). Fortunately it's in Fort Wayne, and there are teams from all over the country here. It should be crazy and I can't wait!
4. Luckily my sorta-so-called "job" hasn't interfered as yet (though it will tomorrow night). I've become the 'set-up guy' for the concert hall ... because I have the availability and I'm like the only person still able to lift and move tables and chairs and whatnot. I usually do it on Thursday or Friday of the weeks we have shows. Normally it takes a couple hours depending on the type of show it is. Yesterday afternoon I set up for a Saturday concert, and we also had a beer delivery which I stacked in the cooler. Saturday I will once again be bartending (which seems to be my "thing" now and also involves showing up an hour before doors open to set up the bar) and then we both help clean/tear down after the show. I actually kind of like doing it - though I wish it maybe paid a little more than just the tips I get from the bar. I also wish I got to decide how the chairs were laid out, but I suppose I can deal with it.
5. I will end today with this quote from George Bernard Shaw (that I gleaned from David Brooks' book 'How To Know A Person'): "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." Hmm... so what kind of life are ya'all working on right now?

There ya have it, freelancers. Do that stuff you do!