Slacker, Slacker, Slacker...

OK, it's clear that I don't have the energy to post here as often as should, which mean that folks coming here will/are losing interest. I've been in a bit of a funk for a while, so i think the best thing for me to do is take some time off, with the intention of coming back with a bang!

Hence, I will"close down" Zyzzyva for the month of April, and begin posting again on a regular basis in May -- I hope with a lot to say, LOL!

Folks that come here are my friends, and I want things to get interesting here again, meaning you'll want to stop by.

So, I'll see you on May Day (my late dog Gypsy's birthday).

P.S. Feel free to post any comments/keep conversations going -- it's just that I won't be making Blog posts here for the next month (realizing that catching my breath and shooting for a goal is the way to go).

Revving up Gaming (and March Madness!) Again...

Got in a couple turns of Sicily last night with Mike (we started late, and called it quits earlier than usual). The invasion is making inroads, but Mike is now mucking up key points on the pathetic road network -- something I'll have to deal with the whole game. It'll be a race to see how fast I can move vs. how fast he can evacuate units to the Mainland (so I don't get points for eliminating and/or isolating them). A very interesting game.

Spartacus will get a play (at least!) at Saturday's Millennium meet. Looking forward to that, and whatever else hits the table there. It'll be nice to just kick back for a day and just play.

For NCAA hoops, this is the best time of the year! I really enjoy "March Madness," and have made my picks in several pools. I NEVER do well in these pools, so you may want to pick opposite of me, LOL! For some early round upsets, I have Mississippi State over Washington, Western Kentucky over Illinois, and Temple over Arizona State. My Final Four is Louisville, Memphis, Pitt, and North Carolina. I have Pitt beating Louisville in an all Big East final. But, no matter what happens, it will be fun! Syracuse should make a good run, we'll see if Boeheim can let the athletes play without screwing things up...

St. Paddy's Day Ramblings...

Yes, I wore a green shirt today. Of course, I have much more in common with the Orangemen of Northern Ireland than I do with Irish Catholics... It's also Deanna's birthday. I doubt we'll be doing anything tonight.

Over the weekend we celebrated Cheyenne's birthday. As a "rescue" dog that came into our lives at ~ 1 year old, we'll never know here exact birthday. But, based on vet records from her previous life, March 15th seemed to be close, so, she turned three on Sunday. We went to Corbett Glen Park in Brighton, so she had a long walk and a swim in nice cold water -- her lab side overrules her border collie side when water's involved! It was good seeing her so happy -- running all over the place, enthused like a little puppy. I truly love seeing my dog happy. She got 3 presents, opening them all herself. One ball has a very annoying squeak, so, of course, she spent a lot of time running around the house squeaking it. On her birthday, that was OK.

Corbett's Glen

Well, Syracuse came up a little short vs. Louisville in the Big East tourney, but the epic game they played last Thursday vs. Connecticut will be one I'll always remember. 6 overtimes, and a 127-117 Syracuse victory. The most amazing game I've ever witnessed. And yes, since it didn't end until 1:22 AM EDT on Friday, I was really dragging Friday at work! SU got a nice seeding for the NCAA tourney, securing a #3 seed (I was thinking they'd get a 4 or 5). I love this time of year, as college hoops is really an exciting game to watch.

Finished in the $$$ in two online poker tourneys this weekend. Unfortunately, it was in the "little" money, but that's OK. I continue to learn, and I'm doing more than breaking even overall, so it's not just fun, it's profitable! I need to get to the casino to put some tricks into practice -- a Saturday night is the time to go, as the weeknights seem filled with old guys from Buffalo that are good. The drunk youngsters on Saturday nights give up their $$$ much easier!

Mike and I will be starting the Sicily: Race for Messina campaign game on Wednesday. We played through the U.S. Invasion scenario a week and a half ago, now it's time for the whole enchilada! It should be fun, and I think I have the rules down pretty well. This coming weekend is the monthly Millennium meet. I have a Spartacus game scheduled, and am looking forward to that -- I'm much more comfortable with CDGs!

School continues to drone on. April Break can't get here soon enough. Then summer. Woo-hoo! I have no idea what I'll be doing this summer, other than WBC. Perhaps Cheyenne and I will take a vacation somewhere...

School and Yuck...

This is turning out to be a pain in the butt week at school. First of all, we lost an hour of sleep this weekend -- I know, I know, we all did, but... I've gotta be in my classroom by around 7:15 each day -- that's almost 2 hours earlier than the real world. And I'm a late night kind of guy... Secondly, mid-term progress reports are due on Wednesday. I've procrastinated for as long as I can... Finally, we have New York State Math testing Wednesday and Thursday. Always throws a monkey wrench into things. So, I'm even more tired than usual, and have a lot more work to do. This means I probably won' be able to play Sicily with Mike this week. Dang... We went through the learning scenario (U.S. landings only) last week -- I just need to reread the rules and I should be good to go.

I've also been feeling really rundown lately. I'm sure it's just a combination of lack of sleep, too much stress, and getting old, but I really want to feel better...

I'll shoot for Friday being a good day!

Wild Brighton...

Thinking about my peregrine falcon sighting yesterday, I started thinking about all the wildlife I have come across in the town I live in -- Brighton, NY. Even though we're smack in the middle of suburbia, some animals have thrived here. Evolution at its finest!


Here's a quick list off the top of my head of animals that live around us:

Birds (not including songbirds -- too numerous!):

Turkey
Peregrine Falcon
Red Tailed Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Barn Owl
Mallard Duck
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron
Shrike
Great Horned Owl

Reptiles/Amphibians:

Garter Snake
Grass Snake
Newt
Spotted Salamander
Leopard Frog
Bull Frog
American Toad

Mammals (including marsupials!):

Red Fox
Raccoon
Opossum
Coyote (wish these weren't around!)
White-tailed Deer
Woodchuck
Mouse
Rat
Beaver
Muskrat
Rabbit
Chipmunk
Squirrel
Mole
Bat (Little Brown Bat, I believe)
Skunk

I'm sure I've overlooked some animals, and there are others which have been spotted in Brighton in the past couple of years (Black Bear and River Otter), but not by me. I think that, if I had it to do all over again, I'd become a wildlife biologist. As it is, I enjoy having wildlife around, and I'm very glad that some species have been able to adapt to "city living!"

Peregrine Falcon...

In my school, there's a small courtyard enclosed on all sides by three-story walls. I often cut through the courtyard, on the way to the copier or office from my classroom. In the past few weeks, I have seen no fewer than 5 pigeon wings. Nothing else, just the wing. Figured it was a hawk, eating a kill on the edge of wall, dropping the wings into the courtyard.

I was wrong.

Cutting through the courtyard today, I saw movement on the far side. Focusing on it, turns out there was a peregrine falcon eating its kill! The pigeon was about 1/2 eaten or so (a lot of food for a falcon that ain't that big!) and the raptor was staring at me. I quietly stepped back in the door I came out, not wanting to spook it.

I checked later, and the carcass had been picked pretty well clean (whether the falcon did this him/herself or mice/rats/crows/whatever helped out is unknown). The mystery of the pigeon wings is now solved. Evidently, this falcon understands it can "trap" pigeons in the courtyard, as they come down to eat seed and crumbs. A nice little hunting ground it's scoped out for itself! I am impressed, and hope to see this bird again, soon.

Pretty close to what I saw today

The Ancestors...

While my surname is quite English, and my biological father supposedly traced it back to the Mayflower and Edward Winslow's family (look at me, a Blueblood, LOL!), the "good" side of me is all Italian. My mother's maiden name was Fumia, while my grandmother's maiden name was Caggiula. I grew up in an Italian household (having had my parents divorce at a young age), and both maternal grandparents influenced my life -- with more than food, though that was part of it...

Now, getting back to the Italians, the Caggiulas emigrated from northern Italy, around the Milan area. Boring... The Fumias, on the other hand, came from Sicily, around Caltanissetta. Interestingly enough, one of Rochester's "Sister Cities" is Caltanissetta, Italy! We even hosted an exchange student from there one summer -- I was 16, she was 20ish and beautiful, I was in love all summer, but I digress... I have always had a soft spot for Sicily in my heart, and it's one of the (very few) places in Europe I'd actually like to travel to (the British Isles being the other). I know my uncle went there about 10 years ago, ran into many distant relatives, and almost bought a vineyard (how we wish he had -- he now owns a vineyard in Oklahoma, of all places!). I think I could go there, use the Fumia name, and be treated well. Sicilians really are the best -- not truly Italians, but better!

So, with my fondness of Sicily, I actually agreed to play a hex game (no cards!) with Mike Cardwell on the Allied liberation of Siciliy in WWII -- Sicily: The Race for Messina. The rules have a bit too much grit for my liking, but I'll plow through them again in the next couple of days, to get ready. I hope to play the Allies, and I'll toast Papa Fumia when I liberate Caltanissetta!



Connections like this can truly make games "come alive!"