The Big Dig Out
There is no task I half-ass more than shoveling.
Many of my neighbors take pride in revealing every inch of pavement, like eager children clearing their plates. Not me. I’ll take my chances with the sun. But the dog was hungry and it’s my job to provide food – food the snow prevented me from picking up yesterday. So I started digging an escape route.
As you can see, this proved difficult. Out of necessity, a seldom-used garden shovel came off the bench. The tool performed admirably under the circumstances, like Jeff Hostetler with the 1990 Giants, or Harry Truman in World War II.
After rearranging the cars, I was off.
I fully expected today’s low point to be the shoveling. But after retrieving Bailey’s food, I was grounded. Not by snow – by air. Or lack thereof. What pierced my tire is anyone’s guess.
In a slushy Starbucks parking lot, I slapped on the spare.
Upon my return from ETD Discount Tire, I watched Texas A&M – my Final Four pick – squeak out a huge win over Louisville. Just the catharsis I needed. If Winthrop finds a way to beat Oregon, I’d have to say today was a good day.
Update: I now realize Winthrop and Oregon play tomorrow. But I did treat myself to Fuddruckers tonight, which was far more satisfying. I noticed they’ve stopped asking for your name. This always baffled the staff. My two favorite examples came at the expense of college friends Phil Perry (”Fell P”) and Cass Dugan (”Ass B”). Frankly, I’ll miss that.