By the way

I'm working on my twenty-some page research paper for World War I lit right now. It's due tomorrow. It's been painful, but actually less painful than previous semesters, specifically last semester. The anxiety level never reached the height of the fall, thank goodness. That was torture. Now I'm merely tortured by stress and the fact that even after this one is turned in and behind me I still have another smaller paper to write and a story to revise. Does it ever end? Yes, Friday at 5 pm.

And then it's to Hutchinson for my brother's high school graduation! It will truly be surreal.

Just for the record...

I'm not an American Idol fan. But I must say that I got dragged into it this year. Yes, I followed it, admittedly, but I will still not claim to be a fan of the show. But I have to tell you all out there just what I think because, well, it doesn't matter, but I need to tell someone.

David Cook should win. He is the only one of any of them that would put on a good show, that would make a good album. He's not the typical "I'm pretty and I can sing" American Idol contestant. He actually has substance, a personality, a style.

David Archuletta is just a kid who has a good, common, does-nothing-for-the-senses voice. He needs to go back to high school.

Syeesha (is that how you spell it?) is talented, sure, but she's not going to sell a ton of records. What kind of an album would she make, anyway? She needs to go to Broadway.

Okay, I'm done. That's enough American Idol to last me the rest of my life.

Win

I'm sure you've heard all about the Jayhawks this week. Damn, what at time to be at KU!

Now, I've never experienced the KU basketball frenzy in person. I grew up a KU fan. I even secretly cheered for KU while I was at K-State (shhh). But nothing prepared me for the night KU beat UNC in the Final Four. Yes, Roy Williams was the legendary coach at KU for fifteen years before he up and left for North Carolina. Yes, KU fans have held a grudge against him ever since. And for KU, the current team under Bill Self, to beat Roy's team? Well, that was some payback, some sweet redemption for these Jayhawk fans. Personally, I have no grudge against Roy Williams. I remember being utterly disappointed when he left KU, but, come on, it's his life and his career, and it wasn't like KU basketball would go under under some other coach (nor did it.)

I watched the KU - UNC game from home, reading Dr. Atkins's new book during timeouts and halftime. It was quite exciting, of course, when we won. But then I heard screaming outside. Within the first minute after the game was over, people all around the apartment complex and neighborhood were outside screaming. I had no idea what was going on, but then there was a constant roar coming from Mass St. I watched from my patio as people streamed from their homes and flocked toward Mass. Constant cars honking. Constant whoops. After about twenty minutes of me on the phone with Jedsen, trying to relate the craziness, I decided to don my sneakers and partake. I jogged down to 9th street, a block north, and joined the processional. People were hanging out of their cars, headed toward Mass. Flags were flying. High fives between strangers. Rock Chalk chants broke out. Everyone was a friend. Everyone was celebrating. It was overwhelming and inutterably exciting. It kept up--all the screaming, honking, chanting, high fives, all the way to the mass at 9th and Mass. Really, you had to be there. I heard later that there were 20,000 people down Mass St. I was there for maybe 15 minutes, just taking it all in. I thought that may be the only time I'd ever get to take part in such a celebration.

Until Monday.