Varia and Quick Hits

Friday Quick Hits and Varia

It’s a blustery Friday morning. Like the few small flurries yesterday, mornings like this are a good reminded us that in North Dakotaland, winter is over when winter is over, not when we decide that it’s spring.

While I was hoping for more springlike weather, a chilly weekend will be a good incentive to stay inside and keep working hard until the end of the semester. Plus, there is baseball, NBA playoff basketball, Formula 1, NASCAR at Talladega, IndyCar at Long Beach, and Formula 1 in China. But wait, there’s more: there’s an epic prize fight on Saturday night: Devin Haney v. Ryan Garcia (well, provided that Garcia makes weight!). 

Otherwise this is a weekend of book making (not the wagering kind), grading, and getting ready for my summer research sabbatical. And perhaps collecting some quick hits and varia:

Friday Quick Hits and Varia

This weekend sounds like it will offer a taste of early summer with temperatures over 70 on Saturday and into the upper 60s on Sunday. This, of course, means spreading mulch, riding my push-bike, and maybe my first outdoor run of the season (depending on how my knee feels and whether it’s too nice out not to go for a push-bike ride).

There is also sport this weekend! Today at 10 am is the fourth T20I between the US and Canada (the third was abandoned for weather). This evening the Sixers continue their quest for the 6th seed in the East and the Phils look to keep doing good early seasons work at the Pirates. The NASCARlers are in Texas, which I’ll probably skip, but is what it is. 

There are also a gaggle of new music including a new Vampire Weekend album, a new album by Shabaka, Dave Douglas, and Kenny Garrett (as well as something from Meshell Ndegeocello with an outfit called Red Hot Org titled Red Hot and Ra: The Magic City featuring Marshall Allen). 

In any event, there’s also, always, some quick hits and varia:

Friday Quick Hits and Varia

It’s starting to feel like spring here in North Dakotaland with temperatures soaring into the mid 50s this weekend and no snow or “significant winter weather events” in the foreseeable future. I’m not saying that we won’t get more snow or some kind of dizzying drop in temperature, but there’s reason for hope.

The nice weather this weekend might make it a good time for my first outdoor run of the season (or maybe an outdoor ride), but even if that doesn’t work out, there’s plenty to happening to keep me distracted from my gainful employment. The Phils take on the Nationals for a series that should help their season get some positive momentum. The Sixers face the Grizzlies in their push for the 6th seed (and avoiding the play-in tournament). I’m not saying that they’ll be the 6th seed, but I’m saying that it’s not impossible at this point. More importantly, the F1 circus is in Japan at Suzuka, which is a favorite track of mine (even though it doesn’t always produce riveting racing). The NASCARlers are at Martinsville (drink every time someone says “beatin’ ’n’ bangin’). And, most importantly, Our Star Spangled Cricketers are beginning their T20I World Cup summer with a series against Canada. 

I also have a stack of grading to get on top of (perhaps for a nap?), some reading that requires my attention, and an exciting gaggle of new music that is begging for my ears. Of course, there is always the quest for more quick hits and varia:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

Up until about ten minutes ago, I had decided to take today off from blogging and to tuck into a bunch of errands and publisher work, but then got itchy fingers and decided to write something.

First off, this is a glorious weekend for sport with opening weekend in baseball, the NCAA tournament, and four championship cards in boxing (two featuring Australian boxers). The Cup guys are at Richmond Sunday night which is one of my favorite tracks. 

This will all be a nice distraction for me since I have both a ton of reading to do and a bunch of publishing related work to do that will keep me super busy. 

This probably accounts for the rather meager haul of quick hits and varia this week:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

Spring on the Northern Plains is pretty confusing. Right now, it looks to be coming in like a lamb and going out like a lion with a big winter storm heading our way. It seems like it will only deliver us a glancing blow, but there is still wintery weather in our forecast.

That said, there’s no better weekend to hunker down inside. Not only are the Formula 1 guys down under for their annual weekend in Australia, but the Cup circus is at the Circuit of the Americas for some road racing chaos. Of course, there’s also the NCAA basketball tournament where I’ll cheer for Big East teams and the St. Mary’s Gaels (for their Aussie connections). It’s a bit hard to stomach, of course, that no Philadelphia schools are in the Big Dance this year, but I suppose this is the world that we live in.

There’s also the long tale of a number of projects that I need to get sorted and I hope to finally get back to some reading projects that have been put on pause lately. All-in-all, there is reason to be excited for the weekend:

Let’s kick it off with some quick hits and varia:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

We’ve enjoyed a week of thawing which made our world a muddy mess, but also tempted me to get outside a bit more than I have the past four months. This weekend, we’ll be plagued by wind which should dry out some puddles, but won’t make it very pleasant.

Fortunately, I have a good bit to do this weekend despite the Formula 1 circus having off. The NASCAR guys head to Bristol and there are enough meaningful basketball games to keep me distracted while on my bike or the treadmill. The boxing cards are intriguing, but not essential watching and I can’t even with the NBA right now.

In other words, I’m glad to have a stack of things to read, a smaller stack of things to grade, and some new music to listen to (new James Brandon Lewis, new Charles Lloyd, and some cuts to celebrate what would be Blue Mitchell’s 94th birthday).

And, I can always spend some time restocking the quick hits and varia pile:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

Our brief flirtation with spring ended as quickly as it arrived and we’re now back to the long winter (or “spring December” as I like to call it). I’ve officially given up on waiting for weather to get nice having spent all of “so-called” Spring Break in doors. I’m going to smoke a few pork butts and a chicken tomorrow and pretend that its barbecue season.

Fortunately, there’s Formula 1 racing this weekend, there’s some intriguing boxing this afternoon, and there’s the usual assortment of basketball. Plus there’s the New Zealand-Australia second test which looks to be interesting if not exactly competitive right now.

I also should have a stack of papers to grade, a manuscript to review, and some reading to finish (plus a growing stack of articles that I simply MUST read). In the meantime, here are some quick hits and varia:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

After a week of thawing, we had a nice fresh cover of snow last Tuesday, but we’re back to the more regularly scheduled weather this weekend with highs in the 40s before another blast of winter on Sunday. I guess March is going to march in like a lion, at least.

While at some point in the next few weeks, I’m planning to do my first outdoor runs of the 2024 season, we’re probably not quite there yet. That’s fine with me as this is a brilliant sports weekend. The New Zealand-Australia Test appears to be going nowhere other than a crushing Australian victory, but it is still nice to see who in the Australian side is doing the best good work. Tomorrow night is also the rare treat of Australian National Rugby League in the Las Vegas with my mother-in-laws Brisbane Broncos playing in the nightcap. The Cup guys are in Vegas as well. Of course, the main event of the weekend is the start of the F1 season on Saturday. There are two solid cards of boxing later that evening with Amanda Serrano taking on Nina Meinke in Puerto Rico (supported by Jake Paul doing Jake Paul things) and two featherweight title fights in upstate New York (supported by [using my best Joe Tessitore voice] the Return of Nico Ali Walsh). What a way to start spring break!

Of course, there’s a stack of books to continue to read, some writing and editing to do, and some book making to commence! And, as always, there are quick hits and varia:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

We’re back to regularly scheduled weather here in North Dakotaland after a couple of weeks of disturbingly warm weather. Today, the temperatures will get to the mid-teens and the lows will be solidly single-digit. According to “the forecast,” this seasonably brisk weather won’t last long and we’ll be back into the 30s next week. My colleague Rebecca Romsdahl has some thoughts on what this warm weather in the region means historically. (And if you like her musings, check out her book: Mindful Wandering: Nature and Global Travel through the Eyes of a Farmgirl Scientist. [it’s free]).

This is a fun weekend in sports. If not for the tricky time difference, we’d have our eyes pinned to the Australia-South Africa women’s test (although this seems to confirm that there are “levels to this game”) and the England-India test (where Ben Duckett has bazzballed England into a strong position at the end of day 2). There’s an entertaining night of boxing tonight and Sunday is the Daytona 500 and the NBA Allstar game. I wouldn’t ordinarily watch the latter, but I want to celebrate Tyrese Maxey’s first AllStar appearance. He just plays with just exuberance and bounce.

The rest of my weekend will be spent reading for class and making books!! Look for an update from The Digital Press next week with a preview of springtime releases!

Until then, here’s a little gaggle of quick hits and varia:

Friday Varia and Quick Hits

After a week of thawing, mud, rain, and slush, we’re finally going to get back to seasonable weather and temperatures this weekend. Yesterday’s layer of fresh snow was a nice start.

Superb Owl weekend kicked off last night with a moderate entertaining fight card headlined by Teofimo Lopez. Apparently it was a mediocre fight, but the rest of the card was entertaining enough. The semi-new-look Sixers play the Hawks tonight, which I’ll dutifully watch, and some intriguing fights Saturday afternoon in the UK. 

Otherwise, this a weekend for grading, reading, book making, and music, and, of course, some quick hits and varia: