Dome Pondering

3 Up 1. Easter! He is risen! 2. Opening Night in Baseball - Something just seems right when baseball is on every night. 3. Louisville Basketball (Men's and Women's) 3 Down 1. Kevin Ware freak injury and broken leg - That was just gruesome to watch on national television, especially on a holiday with families watching together. 2. NCAA Court Set Up For Tournament - Elevating the court is such a bad idea logistically and for various safety reasons. 3. Seven Day Work Weeks - Just did it, and it's not fun.

What's it about?  Dealing with her ailing, quick tempered father and her community being destroyed by the melting ice caps, Hushpuppy quickly learns how to deal with courage, love, and life.  Who is in it?   Quvenzhané Wallis - Hushpuppy Dwight Henry - Wink

On a night where the Miami Heat's incredibly impressive winning streak came to an end in a game filled with high drama, the idea of "streaks" are a hot topic. There are so many great streaks throughout the course of history that span so many topics that are impressive. In the midst of the discussion, I'll throw my two cents into the "streaking" debate piggy bank as well. The following Pondering 10 are my top impressive streaks.

With the state of California looking (actually re-looking) into how it handles the seemingly always-controversial agenda of same-sex marriage, the idea of marriage as a whole is once again at the center of examination by this nation. It's quite astonishing how far this country has come in a mere few years. It wasn't very long ago when the majority of our nation was against the idea of legalizing same-sex union. However, here we are in what seems like a trend of a younger generation moving for "marriage equality".  But as this movement progresses, and in some ways becoming the trendy thing to do, the issue of same-sex marriage has become the it - injustice-  that many are now picking up for. However, as I watch the legal proceedings and the comments, and the arguments, and the foundation slogans, and the Facebook and twitter movements, I wondered why marriage, the hetero-sexual kind, hasn't been focused on.

181. If you could change one thing about your typical day, what would it be? The commute home. It's usually longer on the train because of the rush hour traffic, and of course, the packed subways. I would pick a private car service with no traffic. That would really help the events of my typical day.  182. If you discovered a Shakespeare manuscript that no one else had ever seen, what would you do with it? Get it appraised, valued, and sell it off to the highest bidder. I wouldn't know where to even begin if I tried to produce a theater attraction.

Yesterday, I had the esteemed opportunity to supervise and assist in an event I've worked on for quite a while. At this point in my career, its becoming a bit more difficult to be surprised or consider an event "new", but this one definitely was - but, in a good way. The event was the Special Olympics for the city of New York, and is under my responsibilities in my new position in college athletics.  In years past, I've done some things with the Special Olympics of New York, including some fringe work on some of their other events, but was never around to see the results of it. And as any person in the parks, recreation, event, sports, or entertainment industry will tell you, seeing the event brings it all together.

3 Up 1. Special Olympics and attention of special needs children. 2. Article on the poor uniformity on which this nation handles same-sex marriage - " Gay People Live in 50 Americas "  3. Florida Gulf Cost Atlantic University - Who would've thought? Heck, who knew they even existed? 3 Down 1. Gun Violence Since Newtown, Ma - What happened to your focus and efforts towards curbing gun violence? 2. Amanda Bynes - She's pretty much lost it. 3. Opening Day Lineup for 2013 New York Yankees

My days of being into comic books and trading them with my friends are over. Actually, have been for a long time. While I have friends who are still into the hobby (like one of my good friends who runs the awesome site Nerds on the Rocks), I have fallen away from the art form filled with intrigue, creativity, and imagination. However, it doesn't mean we can't tap into this former enjoyment and lay it out for the Pondering 10. The following P10 will take a look at my favorite super heroes growing up.

Note: I used to work for a park slowly in continued development in Manhattan that is five miles along the waterfront of the Hudson River. As a Public Programs Coordinator, yours truly handled anything public related in regards to permitting (athletic facilities, film shoots, photo shoots, weddings, and other small gatherings), and of course, dealing with any questions or inquiries from the public. The following series will present stories, e-mails, phone calls, conversations, interactions, and sights I've seen from the people of New York City in regards to a public park. And yes, these are all real! And are all true! Welcome to another little snippet of Parks and Recreation.

I really can't wait for the next World Baseball Classic. It's no secret that I've been a fan of the idea since the Olympics began it's mission to completely kill it's own credibility as a worldwide athletic event ( High Five for the World Baseball Classic ). However, after the third installment of this tournament, it is quite clear that it has been a complete success.  When the ratings for one of Japan's games tripled - yes, TRIPLED - the ratings of the last record-breaking Superbowl here in the states, you realize what this tournament has become and will become. Sometimes it takes time with anything new to catch on, but the importance and rapid growth of the WBC after three tournaments is shocking.  After a dominant performance by the Dominican Republic in this year's tournament, one in which they ran the table with eight wins and no losses, there are a few things I came away with from this year's tournament:

It's that time again, March Madness! While I find the aura of the NCAA tourney to have dwindled, the excitement of the unknown is still there. And that is very much true this year with field of teams who aren't separated by much in terms of talent. With obvious favorites, filling out a bracket this year should be fun for everyone. With that said, here is the official Dome Pondering bracket. How does it differ from yours?  Click to Enlarge

I'm having a really tough time developing any type of remorse for the two young men recently found guilty in the Steubenville rape trial. I understand that what we saw transpire are two young men who will never be the same, and will forever be affected by this case.  Their bright futures of college and athletics now flushed. Their names, now a mere Google search away from this resurfacing to haunt them. And the stamp of "sex offender" will always follow them like the permanent black mark that it is. Even if they attempt to leave Ohio.  One of the two young men uttered, "my life is over" when the verdict was announced which created what was said to be a very emotional environment. As we try to make sense of this trial and situation, it seems there has been a slight sense of remorse from some for these two young men who made a decision at such a young age that will affect their lives before it began. There are also a few who think the decision was a b

171. If you could go back in time, as yourself, to live for one year at any point in history, what year would you choose, and where would you go? I would love to go back to Junior High School as I had a lot of fun and had many memories there. However, for the sake of redemption and a clear do-over, I will select my senior year of college. I would love to have that year over, and possibly handle a few things differently. And heck, maybe even blog throughout it.  172. If you were to receive a letter today from anyone you have known during your lifetime, who would it be from and what would it say? From my brother. It would say, "sorry (to me and my family), I was a total idiot".

"The excuses need to stop. The shifting of blame and responsibility needs to stop. It is all up to the black student. What do you want out of life? The opportunities are there. They are everywhere. We just need to do better." I wrote those three years ago in response to the decline of black students in New York City's specialized schools. Today, as the riots in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn in protest of the killing of a child by the NYPD, those same words come flooding back to my mind.

161. If you could discover that something you thought was true was false, what would you wish it to be? That there are people - sick people - in this world that find it OK to harm children, be a part of sex trafficking, and/or own slaves.  162. If you could leave flowers on any one person's grave every week whether you knew them or not, who would it be? All of my grandparents. I didn't know my grandmothers very well, nor have I ever met any of my grandfathers, but from the way my parents, especially my mother, talk about their parents, I almost feel like I know them. Flowers would be a nice gesture.

I saw it coming for a while now. Actually, we all saw it coming. Bully Ray was the President of Ace's and Eights. Even if you didn't know, you had to be at the very least suspicious of Ray never being attacked by the group and suddenly becoming the honorable babyface we all know he isn't made to play. Bully Ray makes for a decent babyface, but there is a reason he goes by Bully Ray. Because he's a damn good heel.  But you know what, who cares if we saw it coming? Predictable? Sure, but so what? After all, we all had John Cena/The Rock pegged for a rematch coming up. And let's be honest, the entire card for Wrestlemania is rather predictable right now. But again, so what?

I'm sure everyone has seen this by now. If you have, there really isn't anything left to say. If you haven't, well...there are no words that could do it justice. Poor Brandon Knight has had a tough year. First, being embarrassed over All-Star Weekend by Kyrie Irving and now this...

When the news came down that Amar'e Stoudemire will miss the next six weeks due to ANOTHER knee injury, you simply had to feel sorry for guy. Whether you are a Knicks fan or not, seeing any great athlete crumble before your eyes the way he has been is disheartening. Especially, when we know the potential that is on the other end of the current misery and disappointment. We've seen it so many times, especially, with basketball players. Anfernee Hardaway comes to my mind as someone who was extraordinary but saw that ability diminished due to injuries. The Phoenix Suns' highly regarded medical staff believed he would never be the same player he was in year three of any deal, the year Stoudemire is now in. Kudos to them, as they were right once again.

Well, it's my last day here in this place, and as I said last night, I am pretty much itching to get out of here. Whether that is from the smoke in the air or the sin-filled filth that is everywhere in this city, I'm not sure, but heading back East is something I can't wait to do.  I miss New York City. And, yeah, I miss my wife.  So with that said, here some other tidbits from my days here:

This was the last day of conference fun here for yours truly in Las Vegas, and while it is a rather chilly and windy day here, that is not the reason I am ready to head home. I just am. I’m Vegas’ed out. On my first trip here, I spent seven days working. I wanted to run out of Vegas. This week, after spending three days of networking, learning, walking, sharing, speaking, walking, exploring, eating, and oh yeah, walking - I’m tired.  Actually, exhausted. I’m very much ready for my feet to touch down in Brooklyn, NY.  However, before leaving Vegas, the last day of this conference really opened some new opportunities and lines of communications professionally. I met with various recreation directors in our conference (UAA) and made many connections that also should help me in the coming months of my collegiate professional development.

After a long day of conference sessions, networking, and tossing around ideas with representatives from other schools, my supervisor and some fellow colleagues met with my supervisor’s brother for dinner. We ate at the wonderful Lazo restaurant at the Palazzo hotel. It was there where I spoke with my supervisor’s brother, a hotel developer and hotel industry professional, who really exposed the ins and outs of Las Vegas. Everyone knows of Las Vegas, and what it is about. We usually think about the city on the surface as a place of craziness wrapped up into a short stay. As the saying goes, it’s sin city.

It's been about five years since I have been in Las Vegas. In my first visit, it was my first business trip of any kind, and an especially big one as it was for an event I had been working on for months. See, before there was college athletics, recreation, and student life, before there was my crazy experience in parks and recreation, there was my career in coordinating and developing national finance conferences.  My trip to Las Vegas was for a conference I helped coordinate - the Native American Finance Conference. Attended by over 3,000 people, I ended up staying in Vegas for eight days working fourteen hour days. Not fun. While I did walk the strip and get a chance to experience Vegas a bit, my exploring of it was rather limited due to fatigue.

What is it about? After a stint in a mental institution, Pat Solitano tries to get his life back together which is centralized around reconciling with his ex-wife. In doing so, his focus becomes more of a challenge when he eventually meets Tiffany, who has problems of her own. Who is in it?   Bradley Cooper - Pat Solitano Jennifer Lawrence - Tiffany Robery DeNiro - Pat Sr.

Saw this name during the World Baseball Classic, and had to take a picture of the TV.  How about that last name? 

Recently, it was made public that team representatives were asking prospective NFL players during the combine questions about their sexual orientation. Some were asked if they were heterosexual, with one player stating that he was asked, "do you like girls?" As the NFL investigates the situations, the recent allegations have stirred up controversy and debate. Some say that teams should be allowed to do so in hopes of selecting the right player to mesh within their existing team locker room. Others claim that the question was that of psychology in which a question is tossed out to force the brain away from stock answers the responder has prepared. And finally, of course, many wonder why it would matter, since such a question is illegal within the realms of a job interview.