Chase Bird, basketball and a haircut: Random 5 Friday

Happy Friday! I hope you’re doing well, dear readers, on this last Friday in March. Is it just me, or does this year seem to be flying by already?

One of the best things about Friday is being able to join Nancy at A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday. I hope you will visit Nancy HERE and find other bloggers who are sharing their randoms.

Chase Bird relaxing on Larry's lap.

One

Chase Bird seems to be feeling better. It’s not that he had been sick. But he seemed subdued and was licking his fur a lot, enough to leave some bare spots.

He wouldn’t eat the hypoallergenic food, so taking that route to see if he had a food allergy didn’t pan out.

We are sticking to a few tried and true foods that don’t upset his stomach.

Larry and I have both noticed that he seems to be licking less. Fur is growing back in.

And he is playing more. I love to see (and hear) him galloping around chasing a stuffed mouse or other toy. He likes us to throw the toy out ahead of him so he can chase it and catch it.

I hope he has settled into his new life enough to feel less stressed. He is such a sweet boy.

Chase Bird snoozing.

Two

Can you stand me writing about basketball a little more? Virginia plays Michigan State tonight in the NCAA college basketball Sweet 16. Michigan State will be a formidable foe, but I am hoping Virginia will win. Go ‘Hoos!

Three

I got a haircut on Thursday. Larry had an appointment, and we see the same stylist. We were going to Lynchburg together—I had a doctor’s appointment—and I suddenly got an urge to do something with the shaggy mop I had been sporting. So I called up Jenny, who said she could fit me in.

She just trimmed it and cut some layers around my face. I want to keep it long enough to put up and braid.

She made it look so much better. I wish she could show up at my house every morning and style my hair for me.

I took a couple of selfies to try to show you the newer look, but they didn’t turn out well enough to share. I’ll blame it on the cell phone.

A random photo of Larry walking along the Staunton River in early February.

Four

My doctor’s appointment was at 12:15. The doctor called me back at 1:15.

When I arrived, I was told he was running behind about 40 minutes. Could I wait? Yes, I told them. I came too far not to wait.

It takes me 45 minutes to drive to his office. That’s not terrible, but it’s in an out-of-the-way part of Lynchburg and the traffic to get there can be heavy.

He was running more than 40 minutes behind, obviously, but my irritation was outweighed by the fact that he’s a terrific doctor.

But I set my next appointment in the morning. I’ll be his second appointment of the day. He can’t be too far behind by then.

Five

My doctor and I discussed several options to try to combat my tiredness. One of them is to take my depression medicine in the evenings instead of the mornings.

Seems simple enough, and I’m anxious to see if I notice a difference.

I usually take my medicine right after I get up in the morning. But an hour or two after I get up, I have been experiencing such fatigue that I feel like I could go right back to bed. I’ve wondered if it was the medicine, since I take a higher than usual dose.

I also don’t sleep well at night. I wake up every one or two hours.

So I hope to see good results from this small change. I’ll be working on some other changes, too, that I hope to share about soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

My weekend and habits

Sunday was a rainy day, but I wanted to get some pictures of the daffodils anyway.

The daffodils that came with the house—we didn’t plant them—are at the edge of the yard where the woods begin. They bloom every year and are an early reminder that spring has arrived.

I haven’t taken pictures of anything lately. On Saturday night, as I planned the next day out loud, I mentioned getting some photos of the flowers. Larry reminded me that it was supposed to rain.

I’ll go out before the rain, I said.

Sunday morning I slept in, and it was raining before I finished my shower and got dressed. I decided I wasn’t going to change my plans.

I held the camera close to my body and shielded it the best I could. The rain wasn’t coming down hard. It didn’t feel like a gentle spring rain, though, because the air had a cold bite to it. Winter hasn’t fully let go.

I got my photos of the flowers, and then came inside. I left my camera sitting out of its case, letting any dampness evaporate.

One reason I didn’t want the rain to get in the way of my plans was because I’ve been letting too much get in the way of my plans lately. Procrastination and lack of motivation—are they the same? Whatever they are, they’ve been visiting me lately. Again.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I sometimes struggle with procrastination. It’s not fun. So I do what I can to fight it. I try to get one thing done. Then another. Then another. Step by step.

I also try to remember what I did experience. I didn’t do a lot of work this weekend. But the weekend held inspiration and love.

Larry and I attended the funeral of the former mayor of our town, our Rudy Burgess that I wrote about last week. It was a sad event, of course, and also a spiritually uplifting one. As I said last week, Rudy was a person who inspires me to be better.

Larry and I spent some fun time together watching basketball. Sunday’s Virginia game was the focus, but we got interested in a couple of other games over the weekend. It’s funny how you can know nothing about the two teams playing, and yet you pick out a favorite and cheer for them like you’re a real fan.

I finished reading a good book, Mad River, by John Sandford.

And I got my pictures of the daffodils.

What did you experience this weekend?

Spring is here, and it’s time for Random 5 Friday

Happy spring! Though we’re still looking for some wintry weather next week, it’s officially spring, and I’m looking forward to seeing new life and colors.

And Happy Friday! I’m joining Nancy of A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday. To read other bloggers’ randoms, be sure to check out Nancy’s blog.

My media pass into the Siegel Center for the big event.

One

The Altavista High School boys basketball team won the Group 1A state championship!

I made the trip to Richmond last Saturday to cover the state final game between Altavista and Radford. My co-staff writer took photographs.

As I said in last week’s Random post, I’ve never covered a basketball game or written about basketball.

I had a great time at the game, and it was exciting for Altavista to win. If you’d like to read the game story I wrote, you can find it HERE.

The media room in the Siegel Center where interviews were held after the game.

Downtown Richmond outside the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Downtown Richmond

Two

Do you keep up with the NCAA college basketball tournament? I usually have a few teams that I pull for. This year, Virginia has done very well. They won the ACC regular season and the ACC tournament and are ranked number one in the East Division. So my first loyalty goes to Virginia. I also like Duke.

I didn’t fill out a bracket, though. I just don’t know enough about all the teams to make intelligent guesses about who is going to win.

Three

Spring is here, and worst of winter is over. I should be full of energy, right? Only I’m not. I am sleeping way too much and have little energy or motivation to do things beyond what I am responsible for doing.

What gives? I don’t know. I’m going to talk with my doc next week during an appointment because I’m tired of this. Pun intended—I can still laugh.

Four

The other day for lunch, I ate some turkey and rice soup at a local café. It was delicious. However, I fished out every carrot that was in it and placed it on my plate. I didn’t eat them.

I don’t like cooked carrots, and I decided I was old enough to admit that and to stop making myself eat them.

What good-for-you-food do you just not like?

Five

And a strange random fact: Both Chase Bird and me need new brushes. Chase Bird needs a new soft brush, and I need a new vent brush to use when I dry my hair. It broke off in my hand recently. I can still use the brush part, but it’s a little hard to hold in my hand.

Chase Bird and I just can’t look our best without good grooming tools. J

An upcoming adventure and other randoms

I’m once again joining Random 5 Friday with Nancy of A Rural Journal. Check out her website for more bloggers joining in with their own randoms.

I didn't have any basketball photos to share. So I'm sharing a photo of my messy work desk on a layout day. The proof sheets are on my desk. The InDesign program with a newspaper page is pulled up on my computer.

One

Last week, my editor called me into his office.

“What’s your word for this year?” he asked.

“Adventure,” I said.

“Well, I have an adventure for you,” he said, and laughed.

“Oh, you’re going to give me a horrible assignment, aren’t you?”

“Oh, no, no. It’s going to be fun,” he said.

He asked me to cover the state basketball finals.

Two

Why is this assignment significant? I’m not a sportswriter. I’ve never covered a basketball game. I’ve never written about a basketball game.

But my editor has to be out of town this weekend, and both the Altavista boys and girls teams were playing in the state semifinals last Friday in Salem.

If either or both teams won, I would have to go to Richmond on March 15 to cover the game or games, along with the other staff writer, who would take photographs.

The girls lost, but the boys won last Friday.

Three

So I’ll be on the road to Richmond tomorrow to the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

I’ll sit in the press row with the other reporters and follow the game, then interview coaches and players afterwards.

I’ll write a short overview for the website, and then on Monday, I’ll write the full story for next week’s paper.

My co-worker, who will be doing the photography, is an old hand at covering such events, so he’ll be a big help.

I understand the game—I love the game! And I’m going to do my best to write a great story.

Four

The Altavista Colonels will play the Radford Bobcats.

Altavista won the state title last year in the Group 1A division. Radford won the state title last year in the Group 2A division.

After last year’s games, schools were reclassified, and Radford got moved to the Group 1A based on size of school.

So in a twist, the game will feature two defending state champs.

Five

I’m nervous, but I’m also looking forward to the experience. It will be an adventure—doing something I’ve never done, watching the game and trying to capture it in words, being a part of all the excitement.

I’ll have to maintain my professional distance while I’m covering the game. So let me give a shout out now: Go, Colonels!

What adventure do you have planned for this weekend!

An old passion comes to life

I couldn’t sit still. I kept moving around in my chair. My legs were shaking. Every couple of minutes I got up and paced. My heart rate had gone up—I could tell.

What was I so nervous about? Was it a situation at work? Was I trying to stare down a compulsion? Was it a panic attack?

No. It was a basketball game.

I don’t think I’ve ever written on this blog about the obsession that I once had about basketball, specifically college basketball. It wasn’t an OCD obsession. It didn’t adversely affect my life. It was more of a passion. I haven’t indulged in it for a long time, but Tuesday night, I did.

I had a passion for college basketball, especially ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) games, especially University of Virginia games.

It started when I was in high school. I remember watching my first NCAA championship game in 1979: Indiana State versus Michigan State, Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson. I was pulling for Indiana State. Even though Michigan State prevailed, I was hooked.

I soon discovered UVA basketball, when Ralph Sampson joined the team during the 1979-1980 season. Sampson, Jeff Lamp, Jeff Jones, Ricky Stokes, Lee Raker—those were among the names I followed every Saturday afternoon, watching the games on TV.

I knew who most of the starting players were on all eight teams in the ACC. I knew who all the coaches were. I read the sports pages and even kept a scrapbook of clippings about Virginia basketball.

I loved the constant action of basketball, the finesse, the beauty of the basketball swooshing through the net, the skills required.

When I watched the games, I was totally immersed. I called out to the players, encouraging them. I cheered, I yelled, I pounded on the floor.

My family put up with me.

When I was a student at UVA from 1981-83, I attended a game at University Hall every chance I got.

During my first year, a guy I had met at a party called me up one late afternoon to see if I’d like to watch that night’s game on TV with him. I politely declined, telling him I had a ticket to the game and would be there in person.

My suitemates were astounded that I would turn down a “date” to go to a basketball game. I was astounded that they thought I would give up the chance to be there.

No worries. The guy called later and said he’d scored a ticket, so we attended the game together.

As I got older, I got busier with adult responsibilities and didn’t keep up with the game.

Right now, I can’t name five players on the UVA team. I can’t even name all the teams in the ACC anymore.

But Tuesday night, I watched the game between Virginia and one of its archrivals, Virginia Tech.

Virginia is having a very good year—the best since the early 1980s, when I was such a fan. I finished up at work earlier than usual for a Tuesday night, so I came home and turned on the game.

It was a nail biter. Virginia Tech made Virginia work for the win, but my team won: 57-53.

And I was almost as excited as I was when I was a teenager. Go, ‘Hoos!

I think more games are in my near future.

And on a side note, the win was particularly sweet because I live with a Virginia Hokie. Yes, Larry is a Hokie. But I claim victory tonight.

What passion from your past do you still hold on to?