Just in Time to Study

Allow me to rehash for you the past 11 weeks of this semester.

When exactly did this semester begin? If I remember correctly, I was too wrapped up in the NFL playoffs to remember, or should I say care?

Well, let us just say the latter half of January and the inaugural Sunday in February captivated most of my attention via my fantasy league and ingenious discussions with my fellow gridiron astute. I am not ashamed to admit that scholarly afternoons in Lockwood were not my top priority.

And then Black Monday came. The day following the Super Bowl is always very depressing for us football fanatics, and thus the studious frame of mind is once again forestalled by at least a week of apathy and withdrawal. That, and the month of February is utterly dreadful in this sun-forsaken city, leaving us with Seasonal Affective Disorder to spend countless hours daydreaming of sunny beaches and blue skies.

I think Tim Burton filmed "Batman" in Buffalo during the month of February. Or at least he should have. He would have greatly economized in terms of the special effect budget.

Anyways, while a couple of days in February were, in fact, devoted to my education, the lethargic frame of mind due to Buffalo's climate that constipated my mental output was swiftly shunted by the contagious basketball fever that swept through our campus, still constipating any hopes of scholastic productivity.

And once again my schoolbooks took a back seat, this time to a Mighty Maniac T-shirt and my tape recorder. We at the sports desk wanted to fully embrace the monumental season the Bulls were having - the best since joining the Mid-American Conference six years ago.

So, after an exciting home playoff victory over Northern Illinois and a road trip with friends to Cleveland's Gund Arena, we all welcomed another distraction from school with open arms: spring break.

And it is common knowledge that the week following spring break is delegated to recuperation for the hardcore partiers and melancholy reminiscing for those who visited their significant other and/or family. All the while, sports fans' attention remains on the madness that is about to ensue.

The March Madness tournament consumes even the least fervent of sports fans. Office pools and alma maters are vehemently cheered for throughout conference championships and then ultimately (if their team is lucky) throughout the NCAA tourney.

Which brings me to today, Wednesday, April 7, just under three weeks from the end of the spring semester, exactly enough time to focus on the task of final exam preparations.

And because the Sabres, well, suck, and the fact I am not Canadian, the NHL playoff race appeals to me about as much as the Division III Water Polo Championships. And we still have a couple weeks before the NBA's postseason commences. And even I, an avid MLB follower, just can't get excited this early in the season.

So, yes, three weeks reserved for adamant reading and devout note-taking.

Well, almost three weeks. NFL draft weekend is April 24-25. Oh well, two and a half weeks isn't bad.