Flotsam

I'm really glad today is Friday. This week, ten hour days have not been uncommon. Yesterday was closer to twelve.

My mind is a bit frazzled so all I'm good for now is random observations that have little or no meaning and absolutely no relation to each other.

I've forgotten how terrible radio is. I was in such a hurry to leave the office Wednesday night, I forgot my iPod. I was in a bind. So, I channel-surfed until I found a song that was worth listening to. I didn't find one until I was a few miles from the house. Tonight My Heart's in Texas came on. I'm not sure if it was the Carter Family's version or not, but it is a song heard not often enough.

Mine is one of the few offices around the country not involved in a tournament pool. Last night, I watched perhaps three of the finest regional semifinals and nobody, but nobody, is talking about them today. Also, I long for the days when the regional finals were referred to as the Great Eight. Sure, I know its bookends, the Sweet Sixteen and the Final Four feature same-letter sobriquets(not to forget March Madness). But the two E's don't even sound the same and don't roll off the tongue as well.

I've been Mr. Cliche the past couple of days. In particular, I've been using "Everybody gets what they get" and "It is what it is" as much as possible. Try it sometime.

From the files under "When I'm President": by Executive Order, the national anthem will be America The Beautiful. And when played in my presence, it'll be Sinatra's version. There was article in last Sunday's paper that claimed less than 20% of adult U.S. citizens know the words to the first verse of The Star-Spangled Banner. Probably the same percentage that can name their local congressman and state representative.