The sports

We’re all still sick, but we feel much better – except for Karin, who feels poorly again. She did go to the office today.

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I picked these teams to reach the Final Four:

Indiana, because of my loyalty to the state. ELIMINATED!

Purdue, also because of my loyalty to the state (not to former University President and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels). ELIMINATED!

Kansas, because I used to live near the Kansas-Missouri border. ELIMINATED!

Mizzou. Ditto. ELIMINATED! Who’d’ve thought Mizzou would finish second to Princeton in the Battle of the Tigers.

Now I’m cheering for Kansas State. It’s a respectable prairie team. I saw Kansas State beat Kentucky in the Battle of the Wildcats. I’d like the Big 12 Conference to secure its third straight title, or at least its fourth straight title game appearance.

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The schedule has been set for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final of the UEFA Champions League:

In the top half of the bracket, Chelsea will play against Real Madrid, and the winning club will face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich.

On paper, the bottom half is much easier: Napoli will play against Milan, and Benfica will play against Inter.

I’m pleased that Napoli is likely to scale greater heights than ever before in this tournament. I’ve seen Napoli play in several games. The players are smart, they work hard for each other, and, skill-wise, they range from excellent to breathtaking. Look out, especially, for the Cameroonian, the Georgian, the Nigerian, and the Pole.

The ghost of Maradona is smiling down …

In limbo

I stayed at home every morning of this week. At bedtime each night, there was no dreading the next day (good). I met my daily writing quota in one attempt of four (not good). (Not terrible, either. My plan is to consistently meet the quota by the end of January.)

Ziva and Jasper are glad to have me more at home. They also are rather wearying in their demands.

Though my priority is to finish the dissertation, I’ve been looking for other jobs. I found a posting for an attractive job at a Purdue campus in the tiny town of Westville, Indiana, between LaPorte and Valparaiso. Karin & I looked at Westville on Google Maps as much as we could. Then, last weekend, we visited in person. It’s a nice-looking little town – as much of it, that is, as we could see (we were there in the dead of night). To the north of the town is the university (mostly parking lots); to the south, a prison. The town also has a Dairy Queen, a Subway, and a McDonald’s. I’m still unsure whether to apply for this job.

We stayed up late that night. Since then, I’ve had a cold. What little relief I’ve enjoyed is due to Mucinex. … Yesterday, Karin & I ate supper with a family from our church, but, due to my cold, I wasn’t my usual bouncy, bubbly self. I soldiered through it, though. The husband works as a graphic designer. I talked to him about fonts for several hours.