BitterSweetLife

Who would have thought that Spring Break could be so bittersweet? On Wednesday, as I conscientiously supervised a roomful of high school students, imparting crucial life lessons and advanced mathematical principles,* I sensed a change coming. It began as a dry feeling in the back of my throat and expanded. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late. The cold/flu bug ambushed me and I never had a chance.

Funny thing about being sick. One of the best things to do, at least in my experience, is something. Almost anything. Drive somewhere. Buy something. Playing some basketball, even when weakened by a cold, is therapeutic, because you're not thinking about being sick. Ironically, staying home in an environment perfectly tailored to one's mood can be a mixed blessing. Sitting on the futon, wrapped in a flannel blanket, sucking cough drops and watching NCAA games is a happy arrangement on many levels. However, it's hard to forget that you feel like you're swallowing gravel and just emerged from a sauna where you were battered with wet towels—raspy, hot and achy.

On the other hand, the ecstatic appeal of March Madness has begun to materialize. In characteristic fashion, I picked a total of 22 upsets, major and minor, and at this point my bracket is sitting pretty. (In case you're wondering, Yes, I had Wisc.-Milwaukee beating Alabama.) Lindsay and I are competing, as usual, though our brackets coincide on an important point...
Final Four picks taped in the hallway with care
In the hopes that the Jayhawks soon will be there

We're not betting, of course. We are bartering, though. For me, an apple pie hangs in the balance. Lindsay's demands include a massage and frozen custard, but my picks are burying her picks at the moment. She's really into the tournament this year, having baked "March Madness cookies" to kick off the festivities.

All this, as you no doubt realize, is the sweet, counterbalancing my new cough drop habit. Factor it all together: A cold coming on like gangbusters amid the Madness. Sitting in a classroom, keeping on eye on students and writing a slightly disoriented post. My emerging break is bittersweet.


* Crucial truths like, "Flattery will get you nowhere" and advanced mathematical principles like "If you put one number below another, that's a fraction."