I won the NCAA pool I was in. This is a victory of sorts, not only because I don't follow college basketball, but also because I don't follow any kind of basketball. My picks were based willy-nilly (but conservatively) on what names sounded better to me. As an example, I was working with a colleague named Xavier (who happens to be French and pronounces his name - ZAH-vee-ay) when I was picking, so I picked Xavier to advance to the second round.

Last year, I came in second place, which was a bummer because it was a difference of about $120. Last year it came down to the final game, and I lost to someone who knows probably as much about basketball as I do.

This year, I did better. I had enough points going into the final game that I won the pool no matter what. I hd OHIO winning over FLORIDA. The guy who ran the pool had FLORIDA winning over OHIO. But only 16 points are awarded in the final game, and I was leading 121-103.

So ... I won! Yay!

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The more I try to plan time to write, the more things that pop up in my crazy life that circumvent said plans. What is the saying -- "Man plans, and God laughs." I think the cards are stacked against me. Thus, I am planning some time off after Tax Season ends and I'm shutting the door.

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My son's baseball team (Rangers) won their game against the Mets on Saturday. The Mets are a really good team, one of the best. Both teams went into the game with a 2-0 record. Now, we're 3-0.

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I've had the last two HARRY POTTER books ruined for me, because I read reviews or articles or blogs which gave away the pivotal endings. I found out who died at the end of Book 5 and Book 6 before I read the books. I'm not going to say the names here.

When Book 7 comes out, I am going to shut off all media in the house, and I'm not leaving the house until I finish the book. There's no way to avoid hearing about it. I may even stop all newspaper reading and radio listening during the week prior to the book coming out.