Thoughtful Thoughts

Good evening from the halls of Bentley dormitory. Where I sit here in my room enjoying the nice cool breeze blowing in through my window and the extra hour of sunlight. "The stache" contemplates on his long hair, the evolving and building excitement of Championship Week, and how fortunate he is to be at a school and a location such as this.



At present, my hair has gone uncut since mid-August 2008, about 7 months or so. I made an interesting observation today, my hair is ridiculously long and out of control. I can stretch out the front down past my nose with ease. I am thankful for the curls in my hair. It gives it some poof and it just looks better than having straight hair and with a hat on it makes me look quite interesting. Especially when I sport "the stache" as I currently am at this moment. I am also thankful that my hair grows, unlike a few people I know who are either balding or are currently bald. But when you have to wear a hat nearly everytime you go out just so you can see normally, it is time for a change. Not that I don't mind wearing hats, but when you go out for a run or play a game of hoops. You have to constantly push it aside, making for an interesting part in the front. It does get hot I admit, even in the winter time and it does get a little annoying sometimes. It is pretty impressive the amount of hair that can be grown on one's head, but as a mentioned previously, the time for change is near. When will it come? You'll have to check back later for details. Hopefully the suspense won't kill you.



Championship week as it began earlier this week has already brought some excitement with overtime thrillers in the Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley tournaments. I can't wait until the big boys get going this week. Will the SEC get more than 2 teams in? Will any ACC or Big East teams play themselves into the tournament? What does the Pac-10 have to offer? The Big 12, how good is Kansas? These questions will be answered soon, it should be fun. Selection Sunday for the Big Dance is a week away. It will interesting to see who gets matched up with who and who the top few seeds will be. The top 4 overall should be North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and either Oklahoma, Michigan State, or quite possibly Louisville depending upon the results of the conference tournaments. I don't see 4 number 1's making it to the Final Four like last year but I am having trouble finding the right combinations of teams to make it to Detroit at the beginning of April to play for all the marbles. I definitely see North Carolina there but not sure of the others, it will all depend upon the matchups, of course.



My first visit up to Lees-McRae College involved a black rental car that overheated, some nighttime fog, ending up by Lake Lure, and eventually arriving in the tiny town of Banner Elk, NC about 7 hours later with my dad for a tour of the campus. From there I met Coach McPhail on the urging of my dad and from then on, one thing led to another and I was a student here at the school. I grew up in the suburbs and I wanted to experience something different, I wanted to get away and separate myself from my past. Not that there was anything bad about my past, I just wanted to get away and create a new life for myself. I did not want to feel obligated to go to school with any of my high school classmates. So many of them went to the bigger schools in state, which is fine, and in another life I would probably have gone to a bigger school like that to experience all the things that go along with that. As I have mentioned in previous entries, family is an important part of my life, and this school with its location and class sizes, and the personalization of it all, made me feel comfortable. When everyday you can look out your window and see mountains not to far off in the distance. Where the weather in the fall is absolutely ideal for running and being outdoors. Where classes are taught by your professors and not some grad assistants and the professors all care about your well being. It is all not perfect, however, I don't like the cold and seeing the same people over and over again can drag you down sometimes, but I feel that these things are important in their own special way. For instance when its cold, it makes me appreciate the warmer weather, and when I hear people complaining at other school of how they felt lost or just like a number. Everything happens for a reason I believe. I was supposed to come here and experience such places as Roan Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway and all the trails that branch off of it, Linville Gorge, all of the waterfalls in the area, they are all so cool and right on my doorstep. Not many people get to experience things like this and get an education and compete in collegiate athletics at the same time. In the fall when the leaves change, it is just spectacular, coinciding with the cross country season and the team like bonding we all share. I know in my heart this was the right place at the right time for me. No matter how many times I hear people bicker about how much they dislike the school or how they wish they were somewhere else. My four years hear were and are special. I think it takes awhile for you to appreciate something and realize how fortunate you are to be in the situation at the time you were in it.



I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of "the stache." I am thankful for all of my loyal readers out there and thankful for all the opportunities I have been blessed with over the years. Take care and enjoy the weather. Catch you on the flip side. Hugs and handpounds for all.



mb