Final Four, 2021!

The second “weekend” of March Madness has come to a close and there are now only four (4) teams remaining from the original sixty-eight (68) that started this journey a couple of weeks ago.  Cinderella is alive and well as the UCLA Bruins (#11 seed) defeated the Michigan Wolverines (#1 seed) to go from the “first four” to the Final Four. So, going into next weekend we have two #1 seeds (Baylor and Gonzaga), one #2 seed (Houston), and one #11 seed (UCLA) who have survived the gauntlet on the Road to the Final Four. Good luck one and all! Here’s the recap of the weekend games.

East Regional
UCLA (#11) defeating Alabama (#2) and Michigan (#1).

South Regional 
Baylor (#1) defeating Villanova (#5) and Arkansas (#3).

West Regional
Gonzaga (#1) defeating Creighton (#5) and USC (#6).

Midwest Regional
Houston (#2) defeating Syracuse (#11) and Oregon State (#12).

A Self-Denial!

“The athlete decided to abnegate the unhealthy snack even though he really wanted to have a bite.”
(Source: https://wordsinasentence.com/abnegate-in-a-sentence/)

abnegate

\ ab-ni-geyt \, verb;

1.  to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.

 

2.  to relinquish; give up.

 

Source: The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich, and http://www.dictionary.com

Osage Orange!

Turned wood is an artform that I have recently discovered and have started collecting. Whether it be the beautiful woodgrains, or the unique shapes and sizes of the bowls, each piece holds its own attraction. The wood: Osage Orange, the artist: Bill Goree (The Wood Potter), the medium: turned wood. Unlike paintings, bowls require counterspace which at times can be just a sparse as wall space (to a collector).

It’s Element-ary, Number Twenty!

This month we move on to the next of the transition elements: iron.  Iron is at the center of everything.  It is the main element in our blood’s hemoglobin (the substance that transports oxygen throughout our bodies) — it keeps us alive!  It can also be found at the center of the Earth.  It is the most abundant substance on the planet.  Iron is the most important metal ever known to humankind.  Its use for tools and weapons transformed the ancient world.  Using it for construction and industrialization made the modern world.  It is used (mixed with carbon) to create steel, but oxidizes easily when exposed to air and water (rust is a constant problem).

Iron – discovered in 2500 B.C. (earliest known use)

Symbol: Fe
Atomic number: 26
Atomic weight: 55.845
Density: 7.874 g/cm³
Melting point: 1,538°C (2,800°F)
Boiling point: 2,861°C (5,182°F)
Color: gray
Standard state: solid at 25°C (77°F)
Classification: metallic

Source: The Complete Periodic Table: Elements with Style, by Adrian Dingle and Dan Green.

Ancient History, Number Thirty-One!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from March 27th that occurred pre-1492 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1492 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• On the death of Arnold I, Count of Flanders, King Lothair IV of France occupies Arras and other southern parts of the county, but the Flemings prevent full confiscation and proclaim Arnold’s grandson, Arnold II, as their count (965 AD).
• The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa takes the Cross (agrees to go on crusade); by his order Henry the Lion, the dispossessed Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, goes back into exile (1188 AD).
• King Sancho I of Portugal dies; he is succeeded by his son, Alfonso II (1211 AD).
• King Philip V of France makes peace with the Burgundians. This marks the end of the Movement of the Leagues (1318 AD).
• The “Battle of the Thirty” is fought between thirty English champions and the same number of Bretons and others of the Montfort party, in an attempt to end the dispute over the occupancy of the duchy of Brittany. The English party lose (Hundred Years’ War, 1351 AD).
• The dauphin Charles escapes from Paris, France (1358 AD).
• Pope Gregory XI dies (1378 AD).
• St. Francis of Paolo, Italian monk, founder of the Minim Friars, born in Paolo, kingdom of Naples (1416 AD).
• Uncertain to ascertain for certain the mental condition of King Henry VI of England, the House of Lords appoints Richard of York” protector and defender” of England during the period of the king’s insanity (1454 AD).
• Mary of Burgundy, heir of Charles the Bold of Burgundy, dies. Her husband Maximilian of Austria competes with the Estates for the regency of their infant son Philip (1482 AD).

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Fun Fact Friday, Number 222!

Today’s real facts (courtesy of http://www.snapple.com) are all about lobsters.  Did you know that . . .

• among North Atlantic lobsters, about 1 in 5,000 is born bright blue? (Real Fact #255)
• lobsters can live up to 50 years?  (Real Fact #455)
• spiny lobsters migrate in groups of 50 or more, forming a conga line on the ocean floor?  (Real Fact #694)

Source: http://www.snapple.com/real-facts

Kitchen Intel, Number Twenty-Five!

Today’s topic: mixing. During every stage of mixing batter, please don’t overdo it.

• overbeating butter — can soften it too much (this makes it a bit greasy and less able to trap air).
• overbeating eggs — whips in too much air.
• overbeating once the flour has been added — can promote the formation of gluten (and, toughens the cake).

Source: How to Break an Egg, by the editors, contributors, and readers of Fine Cooking magazine, p. 185,
Caroline Weil.

Note d’Or!

Here is yet another print that I acquired several years ago (one more to go). And, it is another one of the “free-with-purchase” prints that was thrown in with another painting I bought. Again, fabulous colors and a musical theme make this one resonate with me quite nicely. The title: Note d’Or (translated “Golden Note”), the artist: Linda Le Kinff (French), the medium: seriolithograph. Yes, my collection includes several similar “prints” (received as gifts or “free-with-purchase”) that I have not yet framed, but one of these days, I will get around to getting them all framed and up on the wall, or the ceiling, or wherever I have the space.

The Sweet Sixteen, 2021!

So, the first weekend of March Madness has come to a close and there are now only sixteen (16) teams remaining (from the original sixty-eight (68) that started the journey last week).  And, true to form (or history), several of the higher-ranked seeds did not survive the first weekend (upsets are in red).   Six (6) lower seeds won the first day (one 9 seed, one 10 seed, one 11 seed, one 12 seed, one 13 seed, and one 15 seed).  Day two corrected slightly with only four (4) lower seeds winning (one 10 seed, one 11 seed; one 13 seed and one 14 seed).  Day three had four more lower seeds winning (one 8 seed, one 11 seed, one 12 seed, and one 15 seed). Day four had two lower seeds winning (one 7 seed and one 6 seed). Here are the lucky surviving sixteen (16) teams by regional, with their seeding in parentheses.  The Big Ten had seven (6) of their nine (9) teams make it to the final thirty-two (32), but only one (1) of the original nine (9) made it to the Sweet Sixteen!  Four (4) of the remaining teams are double-digit seeds. Good luck one and all!

East Regional
Michigan (#1) defeating Texas Southern (#16) and LSU (#8).
Alabama (#2) defeating Iona (#15) and Maryland (#10).
Florida State (#4) defeating NC Greensboro (#13) and Colorado (#5).
UCLA (#11) defeating BYU (#6) and Abilene Christian (#14).

South Regional 
Baylor (#1) defeating Hartford (#16) and Wisconsin (#9).
Arkansas (#3) defeating Colgate (#14) and Texas Tech (#6).
Villanova (#5) defeating Winthrop (#12) and North Texas (#13).
Oral Roberts University (#15) defeating Ohio State (#2) and Florida (#7).

West Regional
Gonzaga (#1) defeating Norfolk State (#16) and Oklahoma (#8).
Creighton (#5) defeating UC Santa Barbara (#12) and Ohio (#13).
USC (#6) defeating Drake (#11) and Kansas (#3).
Oregon (#7) defeating VCU (#10) and Iowa (#2).

Midwest Regional
Houston (#2) defeating Cleveland State (#15) and Rutgers (#10).
Loyola Chicago (#8) defeating Georgia Tech (#9) and Illinois (#1).
Syracuse (#11) defeating San Diego State (#6) and West Virginia (#3).
Oregon State (#12) defeating Tennessee (#5) and Oklahoma State (#4).

Laugh or Laughter!

We have all heard on numerous occasions that “laughter is the best medicine.” It really is true! However, if you are still skeptical, here is an article that may help you further. Check out some synonyms for “immoral” below.

laugh / laughter

\ laf, lahf \, verb; \ laf-ter, lahf– \, noun;

verb (used without an object)
1. to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.
2. to experience the emotion so expressed.
3. to produce a sound resembling human laughter.

verb (used with object)
4. to drive, put, bring, etc., by or with laughter (often followed by out, away, down, etc.).

noun

1. the action or sound of laughing.
2. an inner quality, mood, disposition, etc., suggestive of laughter; mirthfulness.
3. an expression or appearance of merriment or amusement.
4. Archaic. an object of laughter; subject or matter for amusement.

Other words you may consider using (depending on your context/usage, of course):

• cachinnate
• fleer
• snicker
• risibility

Source: The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich. Definitions courtesy of http://www.dictionary.com