Monday, March 21, 2022

Do Over


I remember when I went back to school to get a graduate degree. By then, I had four children, the youngest a toddler. I liked being an older student, but the challenge was balancing my time - an already scarce commodity. My grad program required lots of research and papers; I found I liked it. 

Have you ever typed a document and then lost it all? I have, and it was gut-wrenching. This paper was due in a month. So for the past month, I researched, outlined, and wrote notes. I kept track of my sources so they could be appropriately cited. Finally, on a Friday evening, I sat down to type. I powered up my computer, reviewed my notes, and started typing. My thoughts were flowing seamlessly, and I was pleased with the way my research came together. This is amazing! I'm going to ace this paper. But then something happened, and in an instant, all my hard work was gone. AARGH!!!!


Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Rumble in the Jungle


When Muhammad Ali was scheduled to fight George Foreman in October of 1974, the fight was coined the Rumble in the Jungle because it took place in Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo). 

Sidebar: this fight was almost 50 years ago. I remember my Dad watching this fight; he was a huge Ali fan.

Ali was the underdog as he was recovering from a series of legal challenges and was not allowed to box simply because of his anti-war stance (BTW, Ali was right, the government was wrong). Muhammad Ali was also a Black man trying to make his way in this world, and boxing was his means of doing so.