A one-night stress-buster

I guess I'm a little stressed out. It's just work and everything going on all at once. Too much pressure. I needed a break. I needed a bit of luck.

On Friday, I got one.

A fast-moving snowstorm arrived in the area at about lunchtime. By the time school was dismissed, the two basketball games I had to cover (one in person, on the other side of the county; the other by talking to the coach the next day) had both been postponed.

So instead of driving across the county in heavy snow, covering a basketball game and then driving back home, my challenge was to enjoy a relaxed supper at home, sit down on the couch and watch (A) the Winter Olympics and (B) Pink Panther cartoons with my wife. Then we went upstairs, and she said she was feeling a little cold, so I warmed her up. ;) And she slept very soundly and warmly. As did I.

Work has been ridiculous lately. That special section is done, but there have been too many games (volleyball and basketball) and too many meetings lately. Because of the snowstorm, one of the games has been rescheduled for Monday night. That gives me five--count 'em--five events taking place simultaneously that I have to cover on the night of Feb. 27: two basketball games, a volleyball match and two meetings.

Obviously I'm spreading myself pretty thinly. Maybe I'm just too damn conscientious for the money I'm making. And, really, the big thing on my mind right now is getting my mom's Medicaid application completed and shipped out. As I told S in an e-mail a day or too back, it's like a kidney stone that I have to pass. And once it passes, I'll feel a lot better about life. I have to run down to the funeral home to get some papers early next week, and then I think we'll be all set.

I'll be feeling better soon for another reason. The sports seasons are nearly over. The regular season lasts one more week, the girls volleyball districts are next weekend and the boys basketball districts are the week after. True, one team in each sport may go far in the playoffs. But then, again, they may not. That's sports. You never know.

I've got (personal) stuff I want to work on at home (such as preparing for my fantasy baseball draft), I've got to do my taxes, and I like to be with my wife. She enjoys having me around, too. We've got a backlog of good movies to watch.

So I'm looking forward to March, for a number of reasons. And today is Feb. 25. March can't be too far away ... can it?

(I'll try to post some new snowy pictures today. Eight brand-new fluffy inches, and with the sun out this morning, it was quite pretty. Plus, I moved my car out before the plow guy came around.)