In a different world, today I would be basking in the post-game glow of UK making it to the Sweet Sixteen. As they should have. Their coach, the much-overpaid and overblown John Calipari, kept them (and me) from that pleasure. Big Blue Nation knows he’s the problem. How does it feel, John, to lose the most crazy-loyal fan base in the sport? It can’t be good.

But we live in this world. To fill the void of college hoops, I’ve started re-reading Vernor Vinge books. Friday I read The Peace War, and Saturday I started Marooned in Realtime. It’s been a real eye opener for me – Vinge was a *great* writer with an amazing imagination. I’ve read too many so-so novels the last few years, so reading these by Vinge is a reminder of how good SF can be. And often isn’t. Marooned takes place millions of years in the future but is still driven by good characters and interesting plot. Reading this stuff is like coming home to a warm fire.

It’s impossible to avoid news about the Bloated Orange Thing this weekend, given his $500M showdown with the NY AG on Monday. This NPR article is particularly depressing. It discusses how MAGA rallies have become religious events, not political events. The political party that became a cult that’s becoming a religion. It’s hard to stomach, hard to believe.

I also started watching Ted Lasso yesterday. I’m late to the party. But the first few episodes are good, real good. Makes you smile. I’m starting to understand what all the Emmy’s were about.

One last bit of nostalgia from yesterday. I listened to some decade-old music that I loved then, and it’s still great. Not just the song, but the whole album.