proud of myself tonight; i actually predicted some of the upsets in the NCAA tournament's first round of thirty-two games, played yesterday and today. i often make a bracket, usually with no real expertise, but over the years i've found that any group of five young men can beat any other, if they're hot, and if they set their mind to it, and that makes college basketball just a little more fun than, say, very predictable pros.

two of them i got because i always bet on my own favorites one round past what i think they really can do. in this case my two favorites were iowa state and new mexico state; both won upsets. those victories were canceled out however when my own school, iowa, also one of my favorites, was upset by richmond. my other favorites, texas tech, ohio state, and kansas, were all supposed to win and did.

the other upsets that i predicted were really probably more chance than skill on my part. i picked creighton, and tcu, texas christian. ah, the small pleasures in life. there were a few more huge upsets in the tournament, and i didn't pick them, but all that means is that i'm out here in the great world unable to predict much of what comes by.

the tournament always reminds me of tesol, and that makes me nostalgic. over the course of many years i went to many cities, baltimore three times, and almost always, it was ncaa time while we were out there conventioneering. i have stories to tell about things i heard doing that. esl teachers in general have been around the world, in most cases living abroad. they come a long way. you put a beer or two in them and they generally have a lot to say.

you hear these wild stories about life in samoa or some such place, or peace corps in southern africa, and then there in the background is some big ten team running up and down the court on television. outside, a freak snowstorm, spring, cold, wet, difficult. plane flights canceled. a struggle to find participation in the esl world a meaningful experience. but, there were lots of good friends, and i miss them all...