Fortunately/Unfortunately

Fortunately I have very successful friends. I have friends who are outstanding attorneys, business people, teachers, doctors, and all-around good people.

Unfortunately, I have shingles, diagnosed and treated by a doctor friend. Shingles, to get you up to speed on my condition is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Once you've had chixpox, you have it inside you waiting, waiting for just the right moment to travel through your nervous system and cause painful blistering on your back and side or on one side of your head and face. For two thirds of cases, the right moment is after age 50. For me, it was last Thursday night. It got progressively worse on my bus ride to New Orleans Friday for a youth group convention at which I was the songleader. Fortunately, one of my doctor friends was there ready to prescribe stuff, including steroids. Unfortunately, this makes me a very unlikely candidate for the baseball hall of fame.

Unfortunately: 2
Fortunately: 2

Fortunately, I was right about the Memphis basketball team (so far). I didn't buy that they would lose before the Sweet 16 as Dick Vitale and others found it fashionable to predict. They did not disappoint. Neither, I might add, did our neighbors. Let's hear it for the Great State of Tennessee, which has three teams remaining in the field - my beloved Tigers, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. Memphis plays Texas A&M next. A tough draw against my mortal enemy as a Texas Longhorn. Tennessee, the Tigers' cross-state rival, plays the archrival of my brothers' Michigan Wolverines, the Ohio State Buckeyes. There is a lot of bad blood in this regional for me. I would LOVE to see the Tigers emerge as the Final Four representative!

Unfortunately, I was right about the Texas basketball team. I didn't buy that they would do all the great things, including a possible run to the Elite 8 or Final Four that Dick Vitale and others found it fashionable to predict. I did think they would win one more game than they did, but they took their beating early, at the hands of a USC Trojans team that was most certainly out to avenge their football team's Rose Bowl loss at the hands of the Longhorns in January of '06.

U: 3
F: 3

Unfortunately, I am not doing well in my tournament pools, after slow showings in the first and second rounds. Fortunately, I have done well enough to still make a run at winning if the right things happen. I have all eight of my Elite 8 remaining. I'll, of course, keep you posted.

U: 4
F: 4

Fortunately, the Lady Rabs won their first game of season 3 a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, they lost last week's game by forfeit due to spring break travel.

U: 5
F: 5


Big game tomorrow. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we'll probably tie.

Sincerely,
Even Steven