PotW 3/27/13

Hi Everyone!

It's March Madness once again.  Which means bracket pools.  Which means that I just did my annual blind-folded free-throw selection of teams.   Not that I give a dribble about basketball, mind you.   It's just that Andrew thinks he needs something to do.  You know.  Cross off losing teams, circle winning ones.  Compare his sheet to mine.  And Nate's.  And Naismith only knows how many other people's.  

I turn in my choices each year, accept the ridicule that comes with them, and then sit back and get my daily update without having to watch a single tip-off.  And you know what?  I don't do half bad.

I picked 66% of the first round teams correctly.  I even picked Harvard!  Why, you ask?  Well, because last year we went to see a friend's daughter cheer for the BU basketball team in a game against Harvard.  I could say I scouted them pretty hard, but I'd be lying.  I was watching Allie get tossed into the air and chatting with Susan.  If I've heard of the school before, they pass the first level of consideration.  If I've actually ever been to one of their games, well, sheesh, I practically HAVE to choose them, don't I?  My selection criteria is extremely stringent and highly scientific, as you can see.  

Which is why I, along with almost everyone else, was caught off guard by FGCU.  Who the heck are they?  Hah.  We all know now, don't we?!  But I heard in my status report last night that despite missing this year's Cinderella boys, I still have 50% of the teams active on my sheet.  (Are we down to 16 teams now or 8 or what?)  Yup, I've been following the tournament very, very closely.

March Madness is just that--madness.  And now the games are stretching into April!  So what is that--April Absurdity??  As far as I'm concerned, the only interesting hoops are made of gold or silver.  If you happen to agree, you might like the ones I just made today.  They are...the Piece of the Week.  Link to the website below my signature.

Until next week--Sweet (hoop) Dreams.  Wake me when it's the Final Four.

Kim

Two Willows Jewelry

http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com

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PotW 3/15/13

Hi!  

Remember me?  Here it is mid-March and I haven't written a PotW message for about a month.  Bad dog, no biscuit.  My ski-bum alter-ego has gotten a bit out of hand this year.  Thanks to those of you who have placed custom orders, because without you I might have forgotten where my workbench is or how to hold a pair of pliers by now.

But I decided that today, of all days, March 15th, the "Ides of March", would be a sufficiently auspicious day to make my return to weekly ramblings.  And as it turns out, there is some interesting trivia out there about March 15th, so here you go:

In ancient Rome, on March 15th a festival was held in honor of Anna Perenna, sister of queen Dido.  You know Dido, right?  No, not the pop singer!!  Dido, the character who kills herself in Virgil's epic poem "The Aeneid".  Haven't read it?  Neither have I.  Waiting for the movie, I suppose.  Maybe Dido can sing the theme song for the soundtrack?

The Ides of March was significant to the Romans in other ways as well.  

In some months, the Ides is on the 13th, and in others on the 15th.  It's supposed to be on the day of the full moon.  That's what 'ides' means--the day of the full moon!  Good Words with Friends word, I think.

Finally--March's ides marked the start of the consular year---when the annually-elected Roman consuls started their term in office.  Well, this was the case until 153 B.C. anyway.  After that they started their terms on January 1st.  But it USED to be significant, way, way, way back when.  And with all those epic poets out there committing dates and names to parchment, it's hard to forget and just move on, I guess.

So--put together a festival when all the commoners would be away, convene some Senators, cue the full moon...and you have the perfect setting to plot the execution of the Emperor, right?  Which is exactly what happened on the 15th of March in 44 B.C.  

Surely you know about this famous event which taught us all to heed the advice of well-meaning soothsayers:

Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me? 

I hear a tongue shriller than all the music 

Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March. 

Caesar: What man is that?

Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

----Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15-19

Caesar didn't listen and, well, it didn't turn out so well for him.

Well, I'm no soothsayer.  Just a ski-bum who makes jewelry and sometimes sends out random email messages.  But I think it would be safe, prudent and very responsible on this Ides of March to go to http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com and check out the new Piece of the Week.  Just to be safe.  It'll only take a second.  

Until next week---Happy Anna Perenna Festival!

Kim

Two Willows Jewelry

http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com