Spring Break?

Spring break is next week, but with the end of the winter quarter near (writing finals, grading finals), the start of the Spring quarter just around the corner (planning calculus, statistics, and making sure my syllabi are ready for the first day of classes), the XM-Sirius merger project I'm working on for finance class (and prepping for an exam I have to take in a couple of weeks), the econ primer I'm supposed to deal with (to ensure that I don't get kicked out of the MBA program), and of course, taxes, I feel like I'm going a little crazy...



That's my hair, by the way.

The Weekend

Well, the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is over, and 3 of my final four teams made it to the sweet 16. Maryland let me down yesterday, by losing to Butler. I'm not even sure where Butler is. I want to say Illinois or Indiana, but I could be wrong.

I spent much of this afternoon looking at financial information for XM and Sirius Satellite radio. I'm working on a project looking at the possible merger of the the two companies. Man, both companies have had a terrible time over the past few years. Based on what I've looked at, I don't see a merger really helping either of them a great deal. I think mp3 players will never allow satellite radio to flourish.

What else have I done this weekend? I graded about 75 exams, about 25 assignments, and wrote a final, all while watching basketball. Good times!

I also broke out my Ireland soccer jersey yesterday. I hadn't worn it in a while (I don't think I wore it last St. Patrick's day). I would wear it more often except that I don't really care that much about Ireland soccer.

π

Happy π Day!

My Final Four Picks

I want to preface this by saying that I have been pretty bad at picking the final four in the NCAA men's basketball tournament over the last few years. That said, here is my final four:

UCLA
Maryland
Georgetown
Ohio State

Why did I pick these teams?

Don't read this, unless you really care.



UCLA - If UCLA gets to the sweet 16, their games will be in San Jose, which will basically be a home game for UCLA. Having seen UCLA play in last year's tournament, in Oakland, they were the home team in both games. The crowd was so UCLA heavy, that I felt weird not wearing that annoying blue color that the UCLA faithful wear. I also think they are a very good team, and the bracket they are placed in will give them a fairly good road to the final four.



Maryland - This is an odd pick, I will admit. Being "from" Maryland, I've followed the team (to some extent) for over 15 years. I watched no Maryland games this season, but I did see highlights, and they attack the basket like no team I've seen this year. I think this can get them by Florida, who many people pick as winning the whole thing. I also think Maryland can get by Wisconsin, which (I think) has smaller players that will not be able to handle the intensity of Maryland.



Georgetown - Georgetown has been on fire over the past few games, and I think a hot team can go very far in the tournament. I think they are in a fairly easy bracket, with only North Carolina (overrated) and Texas (good team, but not a great one). I think it will be a good Final Four for the DC area, with both Georgetown and Maryland making it that far.



Ohio State - Ohio State has the easiest road to the Final Four. There is almost no competition in their bracket. Memphis has a nice 30-3 record, but have not played very many good teams this season. I think Ohio State will march through their bracket, and easily get to the Final Four.

I've said way too much about my thoughts on college basketball. We'll find out...

Ghana's Independence Day Weekend

Tuesday, March 6, marks Ghana's 50th year of independence, and there are celebrations going on all over the world. Being that I am half Ghanaian, there is cause to celebrate.

We went to a program put on by the Stanford Ghanaian community on Friday, and went to Sacramento on Saturday, for the celebration put on by the Sacramento Ghanaian community. The Stanford program was better; poems were read, songs were sang, and we talked to some interesting West Africans.

The Sacramento event, while a lot cooler looking (everyone had their Ghana outfits on), was not that great. There was too much talking by people no one probably knew, and too many people for all the food. We were one of the last tables to get food, and missed out on the plantain (although I probably make better plantain than they served there). There were some cool drummers, and it was nice to see everyone in a festive mood. Unfortunately, because I was really tired, we missed out on the fun stuff. There was to be dancing later in the evening, but we missed out.

Here are a few pictures from the event.

The crowd gathering for the evening



We weren't as flashy as a lot of the attendees

The other big event of the weekend was Geordi's tail catching on fire. He walked by a lit candle, not paying attention to where his bushy tail was, only to set the very tip of his tail on fire. I was able to put it out in a couple of seconds and no harm was done. I don't think he even realized what happened. He seemed to be more concerned about cleaning the soot off of his tail afterward than the fact that he came close to becoming a furry fire ball!