UNC -- Onto the Final Four!

Shannon and I were ecstatic about her team getting back to the Final Four for the first time since 2000. We really wish that there was a way to get to St. Louis and go to these games at the Edward Jones Dome, but hopefully one of our two teams will be regular participants for many years to come!

One other thought:

Shannon and I thought that this picture from this past weekend's UNC-Wisconsin Elite 8 game was a hoot. We have both been bombarded with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's American Express (2) and Chevrolet ads have displayed during the NCAA Tournament. We think that the AMEX ads are just about the perfect vehicle for communicating what Duke wants to its potential recruits. Is this fair? Seems to be a big debate on this issue these days, even warranting an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (registration required to view).


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THE ACC TOURNAMENT (WASHINGTON, D.C.)
The Showdown in D.C. . . . Georgia Tech vs. Duke. The good guys vs. the Evil Empire. It was not to be this time, but that's only because Larry Rose and Co. decided that protecting Duke, Coach K and J.J. Redick's stature was more important than calling a fair game for a full 40 minutes.

All the disappointment of the championship game aside, I would unequivocally state that this (our 3rd ACC Tournament trip) was our favorite junket to basketball nirvana thus far. We have been extremely fortunate in the past two years to acquire the ducats to the event and realize that this will not be an every-year event for us in the coming years. Nonetheless, for two very dedicated college basketball junkies (Shannon = North Carolina, Patrick = Georgia Tech), we could not have been more in heaven in downtown Washington, D.C. and the MCI Center than we were for four days covering March 10-13, 2005. Goooo Jackets and goooo Heels in the NCAA's!


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Patrick and Shannon getting ready to watch the ACC Championship game, Georgia Tech vs. Duke.

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Shannon showing off her Tar Heel "game face" while we were at the Capitol area, looking back towards the Mall and the Monuments.

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Shannon showing the love for her Tar Heels on Friday morning before the game vs. Clemson. Did some sightseeing around the Capitol building and the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

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Looking from the "Atlantic" end of the World War II Memorial towards the "Pacific" half of the site . . . Seems that there is a really impressive, multiple fountain display that is normally running in the middle of this site, but was turned off because of the cold weather.

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At the corner of the outside of the World War II Memorial in D.C. (note the Georgia "station" in the background). This memorial was completely open and welcoming. As a fan of all things WWII-related, I (Patrick) could have stood around in here for hours imagining all the important events that took place in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. (Does anyone know what the sequence of states' monuments around the WWII memorial signifies? There is no apparent rhyme or reason to their order!)

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Shannon listening to a few words of wisdom from Honest Abe in the Lincoln Memorial. This monument feels sooo important and empowering. Definitely my (P) favorite one (until I saw the new WWII memorial a few moments later)!

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Really cold, gray day on Thursday in Washington, D.C. Hard to tell, but part of the reflecting pool in the Mall (background) was partially frozen (even though the crazy geese didn't seem to mind).

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