march madness

I just do not get the whole March Madness thing.  Seriously - nobody follows college basketball during the rest of the season then all of the sudden they have to start filling out brackets and getting into office pools and take time off of work to watch games.  How did this American gambling addiction start?  I don't remember it being such a huge deal when I was a kid.  Am I just blocking it out of my memory?   Did they have brackets that they would Xerox and pass out at work?    I don't think I even knew that they had college basketball on tv.  Of course, maybe it's just because my family never really watched sports...  The only basketball I really remember from my childhood is the world's obsession with Larry Bird and those very popular athletes - the Harlem Globetrotters.  Short shorts and over the calf tube socks.

My version of March Madness is what I've been living this month:  One weekend at a retreat in Chicago, one weekend at a competition in Madison, the next going to South Dakota, and sick family members in-between.  I'd say that's madness.  I don't even have time for brackets for my month.  I can tell you one thing though.  If I come out of it all alive - I'm the winner.  What's my prize?