Accomplishment

I finally got my sister to read a novel.
She only reads books on computers and other work-related stuff. She thinks that novels are stupid; why read stories about things that are not true? I counter with, why watch movies or tv, the majority are stories about things that are not true.

I found a book of frothy chick lit at the local Joseph-Beth about an independent woman marrying into a family with a very domineering mother and how she deals with it. My sister is about to gain a quite overbearing mother-in-law so I figured of all the books out there, this might be one she can actually relate to right now, and she might even acquire some advice on dealing with this woman for the rest of her life.

I asked if she had read any of the book yet, and she said that she has already read nine chapters (I gave it to her on Sunday) and it is very easy to read and funny. Success! Now, what else is out there that might pique her interest? I must feed this fire; I never thought it would happen in the first place!

Duran Duran

Last night I attended the sold-out Duran Duran show in Louisville with my DD-fanatic friend, Kim. (And a big thanks to her dad for getting us such awesome seats) I was 7 years old way back in 1982 when Hungry Like the Wolf and Rio dominated the airwaves and MTV. I was mesmerized by the videos; of these beautiful men gallivanting across the screen. I was drawn to John Taylor, the model-perfect bassist, and I was surprised last night how much his bass licks were ground into my memory. I have vivid memories of heading out to Cave Run Lake in the huge station wagon we had with The Reflex on the radio on a hot summer day. I'll never forget the video of Wild Boys or my 45 of the song with all of them posing just so on the sleeve (which I still have). John had the looks, Simon had the swagger, and Nick was mysterious under his blond hair and eyeliner. Over 20 years later, John still has the looks, even in a kilt, Simon hasn't lost his swagger, and Nick is still mysterious. They've aged remarkably well for men in their 40's; still hot, still fit, and still melting the hearts of girls who are now in their 30's and 40's.

They played all the hits and the much-loved gems that didn't make it to the airwaves. They played some new songs off their latest album, Astronaut, and they were as funky and fun as those released 20 years ago. It was a great night, and even though I'm having vocal troubles at times today, and am dead tired, it was all worth it. Their songs took me through my childhood, and I'll always smile when I hear them.

March Madness is here...

So, in honor of March madness, I present to you this article regarding UK fan's feelings of Rick Pitino in the years since his arrival at UofL. I work with some die-hard UK fans, and they still proclaim him Traitor Rick to this day and take great delight in his losses on the court, in recruiting, and beyond.

This article says that for the most part, those bad feelings are gone. There are only 8% who still feel betrayed. I believe that it is because this article was written in Louisville and appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal, not the Lexington Herald-Leader, the paper of the town in which UK is actually located. Had that poll been conducted here, or Frankfort, or Somerset, or Pikeville, the outcome would be different. People are still holding their grudges, and probably will to their grave in their UK coffin.

In the article, Pitino states, ""If someone from UK has said they've had a problem with me, I just know that I've done more for UK than they've ever done, and leave it at that." The key word is from UK. If you ask a regular UK fan on the street, I bet they'd have a different opinion. Even if you ask a UK professor, or hey, the president, I'm sure they'd have a different opinion. Pitino has been quoted as saying that his biggest regret is leaving UK. Nice sentiment, but you still went to UofL, and have been bad-mouthing Lexington lately.

But for all Pitino was, in the lore of UK basketball, Tubby Smith is the current head coach, like him or not (I do), and he is now in a dead heat with Pitino in accomplishments in his 8 seasons as head coach, the same amount of time Pitino had. I won't throw all the statistics at you, you can read them here. But, its nice to know that for all those Tubby-haters, who compare his results to Traitor Rick's years here, there's no reason for your hate. He's done a fine, outstanding job coaching the Cats. Stats don't lie.