on wisconsin

A true Marquette fan cannot cheer on the Badgers. Sorry. ~ an unnamed Marquette Alum

And so the "rivalry" begins...

There is a reason why it's "rivalry" and not rivalry. A true rivalry denotes a dislike on both sides (read: Ravens v. Steelers, Bears v. Packers). Seeing that the Badgers usually don't give a rat's ass about Marquette, it's hard to consider that a rivalry. It seems to be something that's been inflated in the minds of Marquette alum.

Yes, I am a Marquette alum. I cheered on the Badgers (over Oregon, Baylor and Arizona mind you). And I hope they serve up some Kentucky Wildcat for dinner on Saturday. 

Does that mean I am not a true Marquette fan? I say no, but it depends on who you ask.

Some background: I grew up on the east coast, raised by Midwesterners. As a kid, I cheered for the ACC because of Maryland, the Big East because of Georgetown and the Big 10 because of Minnesota. Today it's the Big East because of Marquette and Georgetown, and the Big 10 because of Maryland (that's just weird) and Minnesota. The ACC...meh. The PAC 10 was considered evil...and still is. Dad was hoping for a 75% Big 10 Final Four (thanks for screwing that up, state of Michigan). I know Mom would have cheered for Wisconsin (even with the whole Minnesota Paul Bunyan axe thing).

Bottom line, I never hated or even disliked Wisconsin. Maybe I've just kept quiet about it. Why? To save face with some of my fellow Marquette alum. Perhaps.

When Marquette plays Wisconsin in basketball, you're damn right I go for Marquette...I want those state bragging rights. However, I don't like anyone when they play Marquette.

But at this point, I don't care if I'm ostracized for cheering for the the Badgers. There, I said it.

I've lived in Wisconsin as long as I've lived in Maryland. I call both places home. Maybe that's why the Badgers have grown on me. Or maybe if Wisconsin wins, the majority of people around me are happy and life just seems better.

Or maybe there are more pressing things on which to expend my energy. Will they ever find the remains of Malaysian Airlines light 370? Is there a possibility for peace in the Ukraine? And more importantly, what am I having for lunch?

And I can tell you, Maryland and Georgetown don't have this one-sided rivalry; they peacefully co-exist along the Capitol Beltway. If it works in Maryland/DC, surely it can work in Wisconsin. 

Will I bleed Marquette blue and gold when it comes to college basketball? Absolutely. 

Does cheering on Wisconsin make me a bad Marquette fan? No. In fact, it makes me an open-minded one. And trust me, Marquette needs to be more open-minded (but that's a post for another time).

So I leave you with three words...
Fuck 'em Bucky!

lucky seven months in....

One would think that since I am currently among the ranks of the unemployed, I would be really good at blogging.  Alas, that is not the case as I  have realized that I'm a good month overdue for my "six months in" update.  I know all you adoring fans were on the edge of your seats waiting for it...ha ha.

So the anticipation in over. Here we go....

• successfully complete a 5k - my friend did not kill me. I completed my first 5k on 1 December in the "speedy" time of 37 minutes. not great, but I finished. next up: a 10k in April.
• continue to be physically active - when one does not have gainful employment (what is this thing called "work" y'all speak of?), one must find things to do. I decided to spend more time at the gym/doing yoga/running. it must be working...I dropped a jeans size.
  
• explore more in the culinary world - still cooking...or as I like to say "gourmet on a budget". really, that means a lot of inventive ways to make pasta and rice.
• continue the "no soda" quest - since losing my job on 4 January, I have become reacquainted with my old friend diet mountain dew. we have both enjoyed this reunion.
• increase social media knowledge/promote rjl creative -  I am still working on this...but did come up with a new name to better include the social media component: xpresso media - design & consulting.
  
• continue to engage in artistic endeavors - meh. I retitled my end tables, and that's about it. well, besides creating the xpresso media logo.
• get my bartending license - I should do this. hell, maybe it'll help me get a job.
• become involved in causes I believe in (namely Pancreatic cancer and APBT/AmStaff groups) -  if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. I'm still part of the problem.
• visit at least two of the remaining 11 states I haven't yet - make that 10 states...Louisiana baby!!! NYE in NOLA was freakin' awesome!
• organize my finances - hmmm, this would require a job. anyone wanna hire me? and I still cannont bring myself to eat ramen.
• figure out this whole "relationship" thing - or not. I should probably figure out employment first. but in the meantime, I'll just go with the flow...
• cherish the time with friends & family - life is short (something that came to realization about a year ago). make time for those you care about.  remember, it's not what you do it's who you're with.
• be thankful/grateful for the things I have, rather than lamenting about what I don't have -time to practice an "attitude of gratitude".  I've gotten better at this, not perfect, but better. baby steps.

foot fracture...could be worse...

das boot with das bier

For anyone who knows me, it shouldn't come as a shock that I tend to injure myself now and then...ok, that might be an understatement. And in fine fashion, I decided it would be a good idea to fracture my foot whilst running earlier this month. (note to self: re-evaluate the run a 5K goal)

I'm no stranger to visiting the orthopedic section at any medical facility.  Having knee issues since I was in my early teens,  I've become well-versed (for a non-medical professional) in physical therapy, x-rays, MRIs and orthopedic devices.  In my life I've managed to accumulate a variety of assistive walking devices and immobilizers, as well knee and ankle braces - now add "das boot" (aka walking cast) to collection.

As with anything, I try to put a positive and humorous spin on it. Case in point: last Friday I had an appointment with same doctor that did my knee surgery almost three years ago, basically to confirm the inevitable diagnosis of a fracture. Apparently the doctor and the physician's assistant remembered me, so I told them I missed them and wanted to visit. It also helps that said physician's assistant is hot (and how did I not notice this during treatment for my knee?)

fun with friends

Sometimes my "determination" will overtake my otherwise positive outlook. While with friends, I can joke about the fact my foot looks like that of a Stormtrooper or Moon Man. Or that if someone annoys us, I'll give them das boot in das ass. But once I try to get up and do something, such as get a chair to prop up my foot or go buy by own beer, no one lets me get up.  They insist on doing it for me.  While I greatly appreciate the gesture as I know they do it because they care, but I'm of the mindset I can do still do things myself.  Oh, and I might be a bit stubborn.

This not being able to do things is frustrating beyond belief.  I like playing volleyball and my "running" club, and I miss the daily 2.5 mile walk with the pup. And being a beerleader at vball can only do so much.. It is incredibly hard to sit and "do nothing", especially when it's not in my nature. Yes, I know it's for my own good and that's required for healing, but dammit, it's hard!  (another note to self: use this "down" time to work on creative pursuits)

It's enough to drive me bat-shit crazy - and thankfully I have friends who will accommodate plans to work around my gimpiness.  And it could be worse...

As frustrating (in my mind) as a fractured foot is, in 2-3 months I'll be good as new and back to my active self (and hopefully not finding a new way to injure myself). But the ordeal - no matter how minor or insignificant - will be over.   

And I know I'm lucky health wise (some would argue, but injury-prone is different than health issues) amongst people I know. I don't have chronic allergies or asthma. I only take one medication daily, and that's by choice. I don't have any heart ailments or abnormalities. I don't have cancer.

mom & i at plaza de espana

Then I think of Mom - and all the chemo, radiation, procedures and medication she has gone through in the past 13 months for treatment of pancreatic cancer. If she can courageously put her body, mind and spirit through all that AND still maintain a level of optimism, surely I can walk around in das boot for a couple more weeks with minimal bitching. 

And then when I'm out das boot, maybe we can use it to kick cancer's ass.

it's still milwaukee, sportscasters

With all the political banter running amok in this state, one might think I would blog (aka bitch) about that.  However, I figure we all hear enough of that on the news, facebook and various other social media outlets.  So, in my infinite wisdom, I will bitch about something else:  Milwaukee media coverage of state college basketball.

If this sounds like a familiar rant, you are indeed correct.  This has been done by me before (see post from January 2010).  No, it hasn't improved since then.

Eventually, I should learn to accept (but likely never will) that Wisconsin is the state school and likely has more followers than my alma mater, Marquette....despite the fact that this is Milwaukee, where Marquette actually is.  And remember, UWM is also in Milwaukee.  However, I still maintain that Marquette and UWM coverage should take precedence over Wisconsin when it comes to bball.  Yes, there are exceptions, like when Wisconsin knocked off then #1 Ohio State.

Yesterday, all three teams has events (games or otherwise) that were newsworthy.  One station's "Sports Minute" only covered the Badgers.  Really?  I get that it was Senior day and they had a perfect home season....but really?  Marquette beat Providence  by over 20 points, thus keeping their chance of an NCAA tourney bid alive.  This is a team in Milwaukee!  At least the station but that on the news ticker (and finally made mention of it for about 10 seconds). 

But that's not the worst of it.  I heard on talk radio this morning that UWM, with their late-season run, is the #1 seed in the Horizon Conference - meaning the conference tourney is in Milwaukee.  This the conference with Butler (#2 by the way), who came oh-so-close to knocking off Duke in the NCAA tourney final last year.  Why the hell wasn't this on the news?  In the local sports world, this is bigger than both Marquette and Wisconsin wins. 

There is potentially that all three teams could be dancing this year, which is awesome.  Sadly, we'll only hear about this team in red. 

491 again...

I will admit, I have been ripping on my alma mater quite a bit lately (for reasons mentioned in previous posts, but mostly political rhetoric). However, this past Saturday reminded me of the good things about Marquette.

Saturday brought the (almost) annual MU basketball game with the "girls of 491" - or as I'd like to call them - some of the best roommates ever. And as fate would have it, Saturday was National Marquette Day - appropriate, wasn't it? Our seats were "stellar" - 400 section, row W - despite getting them 2.5 months in advance. But we were in the BC, dammit! Plus, Marquette beat then #10 Syracuse. Go Warriors!

Although we only seem to get together for our reunions 2-3 times per year, it's always a blast. Yes, it's always great to reminisce about our days at MU: drunken stories (including Orioles cups on Wells St.), 90210 viewing parties, Tony-Tony-Tony, Club 742 Upper...to name a few. It's also nice (and sometimes entertaining) to catch up on what's going on with our lives, as phone and e-mail don't always cut. And it's comforting to know that there's always a sounding board for life's trials and tribulations, and the reassurance that you're not the only one who has been in a similar situation.

I wouldn't trade the good friends I made at Marquette for the world. Thanks for making my college years memorable, and being there in our "adult" years.

Until the next "girls of 491" reunion...

swimming for burritos

In June of 2008, some of my friends were talking about competing in an event called The Burrito Union10-Hour Triathlon - or now better known as "death by tri". Not being a quiet person, I pipped up by giving my opinion on running (it should only be done whilst chasing a volleyball or soccer ball), biking (doable) and swimming (by far the easiest of the three).

Me and my big mouth. I should have never mentioned that swimming was easy, nor divulged the fact I was a competitive swimmer.

As it turns out, they needed swimmers for their three-person teams. How "death by tri" works: a team of three people - although some crazy folks did it all themselves - strives to complete as many triathlons (600m swim, 14 mi bike, 3.1 mi run) they can in a 10-hour period. One person swims, one bikes, one runs. After much prodding, I told my friends I'd think about it.

I remember talking to my dad about it, because that constitutes "thinking about it". The conversation went something like this:

B: Dad, my friends are doing this "death by tri" thing and want me to do the swimming part. What do you think?

D: Bec, what's the worst thing that could happen?

B: Well, I could drown and die.

D: (laughs) You took to swimming like a fish and you're a strong swimmer. You're not going to drown. Go for it.

Thanks to encouragement from Dad (and continued prodding from friends) I agreed to swim on a team. Six weeks before the event. After I hadn't swam a lap in three years. I started swimming 3-4 times per weeks leading up to the event, so at least I wouldn't perform horribly.

Fast forward to the event. It was a chilly early morning (6:30 am) in Superior, Wisconsin but the masses were ready to compete. And I was ready, or so I thought. We were told the water temperature was 73 degrees. I'm sure it was....at the surface...but it was balls cold. Once I adapted to this ice bath, I was fine. Actually, more than fine. I passed both my friends who were swimming as well (on all the split times). Yes, they were beaten by a girl :) And the biker on my team had to hurry up because he wasn't ready for me to finish that early. Perhaps those days of 6:30 am swim practices finally paid off.

All in all, team PowderPuff Samurai finished five triathlons in 10+ hours. It may have been crazy, but it was a lot of fun. And I'm glad I was "coerced" into it.

We even found out that Duluth-Superior is a fun town, complete with patronizing Burrito Union, the sponsor of the "death by tri". I'd go back to Duluth just to eat there, being a self-anointed burrito connoisseur. Plus we discovered a mall of bars, meaning that one can bar hop without going outside. Seeing it gets balls cold in those parts it's a damn good idea. I also found out that UM-Duluth has an underground tunnel system for the same reason.

But why be contemplative about this more than two years later?

Turns out a plan is in place (unveiled to me on New Year's Eve no less) to return to Superior in 2011. And, go figure, swimmers are needed.

To swim or not to swim?