First Trip Back Home

Driving back to Englewood last night, I felt like I was coming home for Christmas. It has now all officially sunk in, where I'm at in my life and where I've come from. No matter what I do or where I go, I feel professional, I feel grown up. It's fun having that feeling, especially knowing how hard I had to work to reach this point. That makes me appreciate it even more because I know how quickly it can be taken away. I'm having a hard time remembering when my mind was so at ease. Even with living away from home and having to deal with stitches, I'm loving every minute of life even more. For the last year and a half or so, I've gotten rid of my always worrying ways. Instead of worrying about the negatives, I'm focused on making the positives happen. I used to think that in order to be driven and get the absolute best out of myself, I had to always think about being the best I could be at every possible moment. Now, I just focus on what I can make happen and what I can control. Instead of carrying a nervous intensity, I carry a positive, infectious intensity. Instead of wondering, "What could possibly go wrong," now I think, "What can I accomplish now, no matter how challenging it is, bring it on, let's see what I can do."

Now, although I'm enjoying where I am, I'd be lying if I hadn't already started thinking about what's next. And what's next will probably involve additional schooling that will allow for further advancement in my career. I'm at the perfect starting point, and I'm going to enjoy it. But I think you know by now I want to maximize everything that's been given to me. I want to have used all of my skills, traits, attributes, etc. to the fullest. So for now, I'm going to enjoy where I am. But, there will be more goals to achieve, let's just put it that way.

I've changed my way into work. While waiting to get my stitches taken out, I was watching TV in the clinic lobby and on one of the local stations, they interrupted the program with breaking news. 2 men had barricaded themselves with guns inside a Family Dollar on the corner of Grand River and Evergreen. Well, I take Grand River to 96 to 75 to get to work. I go by there every day, twice. Well, not anymore. I will stick with all freeways, taking 275 to 96 to 75 to work. It can be quicker, it only took me 32 minutes to get to work, a new record for me, but there are also more accidents there. 275 and 96 combine, making it very busy. It is 5 lanes of congestion. Add in some of the crazy Michigan drivers and it becomes NASCAR. So we'll see how this goes.

Now for hoops, and my observations from today:

• It wasn't pretty, but Miami has won 6 in a row, hanging onto a 51-49 win over Illinois St. Miami now has a showdown with Akron next as the battle for 1st in the MAC East and the #1 seed in the conference tourney heats up.
• Speaking of Akron, they got it handed to them by Nevada in their Bracket Buster game. In fact, the MAC overall weren't very good this weekend. Overall, I believe they went 5-7 (Kent, Central, Miami, Eastern, and OU all winning) The MAC, again, will only be a 1 bid league. Against Akron, Nevada made 12/19 3s, which is really good for them because shooting the 3 has been their weakness the last couple of years. Nick Fazekas led the way with 24 for the Wolfpack.
• Bucknell/Northern Iowa wasn't a pretty game, but it was a good game in the fact that both teams never quit. Neither team folded when the other went on a run. Bucknell had this game, but 2 costly turnovers at the end of regulation and 1 at the end of the first overtime let UNI hang around. Ben Jacobson is a really good player for UNI, he needs to handle the ball more and take more shots. Both teams showed how to play good team defense and what having seniors can do for a team. Neither team panicked when down and stuck to running their stuff, confident that it would work.
• UW-Milwaukee isn't nearly as good as they were last year. Too many turnovers, and they don't have the experience they had last year. Not to take anything away from Missouri St., who are very solid, have a nice inside/outside balance and made a strong case they should be in the NCAAs as well. Winning in Milwaukee isn't easy.
• And in the wacky world of the Big 10, we have a tie again. Ohio St. held off Northwestern, Iowa did their Jekyll and Hyde act on the road at Minnesota, and they are now tied with Wisconsin for the lead. Michigan St. looked like the Final 4 team from last year, running and gunning their way to a blowout win over Michigan.
• Florida is very good, but not great. They have a lot of offensive weapons, are very athletic, but have lapses during games. At times today at Arkansas, they looked like world-beaters. Then, they could be mediocre, especially defensively. I think that comes with inexperience, which they have a lot of.

Bode Miller didn't finish today's Super G, making him 0/3 in the Olympics. Bode being Bode isn't working. Maybe it's time for a new Bode.

I watched some ice dancing last night and have no idea how the judges could rate the skaters based on the things they do. Last night was the compulsory round, where the skaters do the same exact thing to the same exact song. I don't understand the judging of figure skating, I particularly don't understand the judging of ice dancing. I don't care how attractive Tanith Belbin is, it doesn't help me understand the sport more which means I probably won't watch any more of it.

Tomorrow, we go shopping and we'll be eating dinner at Maggiano's!!!! It's going to be a long afternoon on the treadmill Monday when I return to Detroit.