A Phoenix in Charlotte

For the last 15 years or so, NFL draft weekend was a big deal.  I’d stay in front of a TV for virtually the whole draft, taking breaks for meals and such with XM Radio tuned into the draft in my car.  I knew quite a bit about most of the players who would end up getting picked in the first two rounds, as well as a ton about VT players and those of the teams they had played the past few seasons.  But not this year.

This year, I didn’t even remember the draft was this weekend until late Saturday afternoon when I asked Jason about it on the golf course.  Even after that, I didn’t bother to watch any of it.  Just a few minutes ago this morning, I went to ESPN.com and looked at the results.  I recognized the name of maybe one of every ten players picked.  It appears only one Hokie was drafted.  Oh.  As a side note, this was also the weekend of the Virginia Tech spring game.  I had already lost interest in that a couple years ago, except for the tailgating aspect.  

On one hand, I could look at this as lack of interest in an activity I used to enjoy, which would be a sign of depression.  However, that would require me to accept ’sitting and watching a bunch of suits select players on TV for 6 straight hours, for two consecutive days’ as an activity, which is oxymoronic in nature.

In place of watching the draft and the spring game, I enjoyed a gorgeous weekend of weather, I went to the farmers’ market, I planted some vegetables in our garden with Janice, I bought a chest freezer for the garage, I played golf with Jason, I went shopping for some interview clothes for Janice, I watched some golf on TV, I installed a shelf in the garage, and I grilled some catfish.  That’s a substitution for the NFL draft that I would pick #1 overall any year!

I feel like this is a significant change in me, going from sitting and watching the world move on without me to participating in it in a fulfilling manner.  This, to me, is breaking out of the rut I had so often lamented being stuck in previously.  It’s why I left Blacksburg, it’s why I moved south, and it’s why I changed jobs.

It was a longer winter than I had anticipated, but it’s over now, and I couldn’t be happer!

This weekend is the Quail Hollow Championship, formerly the Wachovia Championship.  It’s Charlotte’s PGA Tour stop, and I’ve been going every year for about five years.  I have weekly passes again, and will be attending on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and possibly Sunday.  It’s one of the best weeks of the year for me.  Should be a great time as usual!  The weather looks solid.  Not sunny, but also not steady rain.