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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

NCAAs...

I've officially finished my three brackets (with Carolina winning them all, obviously. Come on Tywon, my hopes for greatness lie squarely upon your shoulders, orrrr big toe). Now comes the best part. The giddy part. The NCAA tournament is on my top ten amazing things list. I've never really tried to actualize that list, but the NCAAs are right up there with massages and goodberrys and rum and diets and wine and cheese outside on a warm evening with good company. So when tournament time comes around, I can't focus on anything but basketball (which I think has helped my diet...I was so distracted talking basketball last night, that I only ate about 1/4 of my Kanki and have lost a pound as of this morning). The fact that I get this way has provided me a much needed reminder - sports, college sports specifically, is where my heart is and where I will ultimately end up. I sometimes find myself getting complacent now that I have a job and a steady paycheck. I can never let that happen. Everytime I get complacent I need to remember the stories of Shammond Williams beating the odds and making it to the NBA. I need to remember Chris Webber's timeout against UNC in the NCAA Championship. I need to remember Matt Doherty saying "Duke cheerleaders are ugly." I need to remember watching the Miami football team dance as Carolina beat them at Kenan. I need to remember falling down the hill at the Dean Dome in a mad rush to Franklin Street after we won the 2005 National Championship (and dedicating the fall to Jackie Manuel). When I lose focus, I need to remember those moments. Those moments are the reason I love college sports. Those moments are the reason I can't become complacent.

So with that said, let the games begin. And may there be many more moments I need to remember.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

ACC Player of the Year

Ty won. But I've decided there should be a "Player of the Year" and a "Most Valuable Player." Player of the year: Tyler Hansbrough
MVP: Ty Lawson
So, ACC, if you could get on making the new award, I would appreciate it.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Rant for the Day: ACC Player of the Year

In my opinion, Ty Lawson, hands down. (Logic: Carolina would not be anywhere without Ty Lawson. Bobby Frasor and Larry Drew at point give me flashbacks to 8-20 season with Adam Boone...::shivers:: While I don't think we could win a national championship without Tyler Hansbrough, I have more faith in the Ed Davis/Deon Thompson/even Tyler Zeller combo, than the Frasor/Drew combo) BUT, with that said, I think it's ridiculous that many people aren't even considering Tyler. What in the world?? Since when does a player who will soon lead the ACC in ALL TIME scoring (and who already leads the NCAA in career free throws made) not deserve some consideration??

Following the same logic, Ty means more to Carolina than Gerald Henderson to Duke. End of story.

Monday, March 9, 2009

The Best Day

Yesterday was the best day from start to finish. It was the kind of day that's fairly uneventful, but even as its occurring you know its a good day. I love those days. Yesterday was that kind of day. Yesterday was the kind of day you want to store away in a little box somewhere so that when you're feeling low you can pull it out and get instant reassurance that everything will be alright. :)

I started the morning with one of my favorite people in the world. Being game day, we both refused to speak to each other, which I love. He's a Duke fan and I'm a Carolina fan. We are both a little obsessed with our teams. I swear we could be one of those commercials on ESPN about the rivals. So we refused to speak to each other and left my apartment with the words "May the best team win..." (And it did, by the way).

I then headed to my dad's where my brother was writing a report on Teddy Roosevelt. I tried to help him with his closing sentence. It was supposed to begin, "Teddy Roosevelt was a Great American because..." My suggestion: "Teddy Roosevelt was a great American because he set precedents in the United States that are still in tact today." Apparently that's not the kind of thing they are looking for in first grade because my brother laughed hysterically at that.

After my dad helped me with my taxes, we headed to Chapel Hill. I swear I start smiling as soon as I get in that town. I will live there again one day, hopefully sooner rather than later. We wanted to go to Azure for lunch, but discovered it wasn't open for lunch on weekends. We settled on Brixx where we discussed basketball and drank blue moons on a gorgeous 80 degree day. Perfection.

We then went to the Dean Dome where I saw two of my best friends from college. I was in tears before the game even started. Tyler Hansbrough was too. It was a great game and Carolina ended up winning 79-71. After the game, all the seniors spoke. Danny danced and Tyler cried. Roy choked up in the postgame interview. Those are the times I remember I will always be a "basketball girl" at heart.

Yesterday was perfect. :)

Thursday, March 5, 2009

One Year Ago...

I woke up this morning in a horrible mood. I was grumpy, tired, and concerned about the most petty of things. That is when I remembered what today was. A year ago today, Eve Carson was murdered. I lived very close to Eve and had the pleasure of meeting her a few times. I get chills thinking about this time last year. I remember reading in the DTH that there had been a murder, but that the identity of the girl was not yet known. It was a few days before anyone knew it was Eve. I remember walking through campus a few days before Spring Break of my senior year and seeing people crying and painting signs for Eve. The announcement had come about an hour earlier while I was in class. Though I didn't know Eve well, I saw her on a regular basis and had talked to her several times. Eve was taken from her home, just yards from my home.



So this morning, when I woke up and was rushing around pressed for time, (mentally) complaining about work, and trying my best to ruin something amazing because of it's lack of structure and definition, I stopped for a minute. I was running out the door ten minutes late and realized I hadn't read my devotional. That is when I remembered what today was. I immediately started crying and took a deep breath. Eve's death still angers me to this day. While I am certain that I am not nearly as smart or poised or mature as Eve, she inspires me to do the best I can with who I am. She inspires me to look at the good in everything instead of trying to pick it apart with "what-ifs." I have been crying off and on all morning and I know it will continue throughout the day. But as upsetting as the situation is, there is no place I'd rather be this afternoon than in the Pit on the most beautiful campus in the world with the Clefs singing James Taylor. I'm pretty sure Eve would like that, too. :)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Like Sister, Like Brother




My little brother makes me smile ridiculous amounts. When asked where he wanted to go to dinner the other night, he immediately responded, "El RO!" When he was told "no" by the parentals, he decided to try his backup..."Then how bout...Taco Bell?!" Seems his culinary tastes are very much in line with those of his big sister. When we finally went to dinner, out of the blue, he said, "So, Lindsay, tell me your top ten most embarrassing moments." (Where does he get these things?) He then proceeded to take a candid, extremely zoomed-in picture of me and said, "I'm sending that to Larry Drew. I bet that will go on your embarrassing moments list." But my favorite is when we're in the car alone listening to his Queen CD (his musical inclinations are not that of the typical seven year old). After several minutes of silence he'll say, "Lindsay?"
"Yes, sweetie pie?"
"I love you."

Those moments are the best. :)

Literary Inspiration




For those that know me, you've heard me talk incessantly (not that this is rare) about the book, "The Shack." Most books I fall in love with, I fall in love with more for the writing than for the story. Example, "The Great Gatsby". The Great Gatsby is without a doubt my favorite book of all time. Yet, I really could do without the story. Sure, there's the whole "American Dream" thing that's nice to read about, but in reality, the story is lacking. The Great Gatsby remains my favorite book, however, because of the writing. I get chills just thinking about the writing in that book. The way F. Scott Fitzgerald can make a moment stand out is unlike any other author I have ever read. I will never forget that "men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars." The plot itself is relatively irrelevant; people come and go from parties all the time. And that is what I believe makes the mark of a good writer - the ability to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, the mundane, magical.

I am currently on my second reading of "The Shack." It will still go down as a book that changed my life, but I find neither the plot nor the writing remarkable. "The Shack" is a book that speaks volumes, but in the most simple and peaceful way. When a book is able to have a physical effect on someone, it transcends the category of literature and ventures into the world of therapy. In my second reading of the "The Shack," I am less concerned with the plot and in turn am able to resign to the peace that this book brings. While I am normally a lover of literature for the sake of the writing, this book has proven to me that some literature serves a greater purpose.




Monday, March 2, 2009

Fashion Fix: Grey Tights


My daily winter uniform typically consists of a knit dress or a top and pencil skirt, paired with black tights and heels. I find it a frightening thought to give up dresses and skirts just because the thermometer drops below freezing ("work" pants have really never done anything for my almost non-existent backside). My black tights allow me to avoid the (gloomy, dismal) fate of pants and wear the cute dresses and skirts I long to wear. Recently, however, my mom bought me a pair of grey tights. I decided to wear them today with my new adorable green (bargain!) dress from Target and I am LOVING the results.

The grey still goes with almost everything, yet adds an extra element of fashion that still works in the corporate world. I will be buying more pairs immediately.

Explanation

I've never really wanted to write a blog or have my own website. Don't get me wrong, I love writing, but when I think of blogs I think of teenage boys that weigh less than me, wear tighter jeans than me, and listen to the White Stripes while they "blog" about the materialism of America or trees getting cut down or their vegan diets. None of those things describe me. Yet, I have succumbed to the world of "blog-dom" in an effort to advance my career. Recently one of my role models in the writing/public relations world pointed out to me that I have toyed with almost every aspect of writing (magazine, newspaper, sports website, etc)...almost every aspect except blogging, which is apparently pretty big in these technology savvy times. So here I am... a twenty something recent graduate working an administrative job until I get my "big break" in the writing world. I am admittedly more interested in Christian Louboutin shoes than the "problem" of materialism, I typically go through more than two notebook's worth of paper in journals a month, and I could eat a filet mignon topped with a nice pinot noir reduction every night. But here I am in the blog world in an attempt to live my dreams.... here goes....