Geno Auriemma

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge UConn fan. A major part of my love for the Huskies has to do with Coach Auriemma. I love what he stands for and I love how he coaches. Recently I was discussing Coach Auriemma and I stated that he is one of the best basketball coaches ever. I met with some resistance (he's only coached good players, he's only coached at UConn, etc) but I'm not quite sure how you can argue with these statistics.

Overall	731-122 (.857)
Championships
6 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championships (1995,2000,2002,2003,2004,2009) 15-time Big East Champions 14-time Big East Tournament Champions
Awards
Naismith Coach of the Year (1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2008, and 2009)[1] WBCA National Coach of the Year (2002, 2008, and 2009)[2] Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Basketball Hall of Fame National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
Coaching career (HC unless

And don't forget the two longest winning streaks in women's basketball history...69 and 76! And this is probably his "worst" of his undefeated teams.

Don't take my word for it, John Wooden wrote an article for SI a few years ago praising the genius that is Geno. The reason I love Geno is not the winning though. It's his belief that the team is bigger than any one individual. It's his belief that you play hard for all 40 minutes of the game...even if you're up by 40! He epitomizes why team sports is such a valuable experience!

For the doubters out there, I highly recommend Geno : In Pursuit of Perfection. You don't need to believe that he's a great coach but can you really deny it?

For more mind blowing statistics check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geno_Auriemma

Thank Goodness for Galoshes!

There once was a time when spending money on such "luxuries" like umbrellas, warm winter coats, and raincoats was not an option for me. I remember the days when I would wear hooded sweatshirts under my old twirling jacket when it rained or double up on coats when it was cold. I certainly would never have even entertained the notion of buying galoshes to keep my feet dry!

Things have certainly changed. Earlier this year I bought a big, puffy down jacket from Eddie Bauer that single-handedly changed my outlook on winter. I even have two different umbrellas. I still don't have a raincoat but a few weeks ago, after the epic rainstorm, I decided that I did in fact have enough "expendable" money to invest in a pair of galoshes. Thank goodness I did, since we're experiencing yet another Noah's Ark moment here in New England.

They came in quite handy last night when JO and I decided to be spontaneous and try Koreana for dinner. Koreana, a Korean barbecue, is located just a few blocks from our apartment. My feet were completely dry in those galoshes! We ordered the chicken and beef and it was grilled right in the center of our table. It was a pretty fun evening. Walking in the rain is a lot more fun when you have the option of jumping in the puddles if you want to!

Up, Up, and Away

This weekend was all about March Madness. I love this time of year. This year's tournament has been unbelievable. Sports Illustrated had a great article in this week's issue about how this year's March Madness has been as close to perfection as possible and I would have to agree! By Friday night I had one my bracket bet with JO. I plan on celebrating my victory at Dante Restaurant.

We did take a quick break from the basketball to enjoy drinks at Top of the Hub. I love the view of the city from up there. We reminisced about all of our winter adventures in the city and all of the great things to look forward to in the spring and summer. I hear it's going to be 74 degrees on Friday...and I have the day off!!! Yippie!

Spring has Sprung!

Spring decided to make an early appearance here in Cambridge this weekend. Yesterday temps were in the 60s with lots of sunshine and today was in the 70s. Of course, in most situations, nice weather means an immediate trip to the Square. However, during March Madness I'm caught in a dilemma... enjoying fresh air vs. watching lots of basketball on tv.

Luckily for me, Harvard Square actually provides an answer to this very problem. It's called Charlie's Kitchen Beer Garden. Normally I get agitated because it's so hard to get a table at this place. Yesterday, I took great delight in the fact that we couldn't get a table. It forced us to take seats at the bar, in front of the flat screen tv and watch the end of the first round games. I'm already a huge March Madness fan but this added a whole new dimension to my favorite part of the year.

After the games were over we headed over to Fire & Ice for some improv grilling before heading back to Inman. We weren't ready for the night to be over so we stopped in at the People's Republik.

I woke up Saturday with one mission in mind. I wanted to go to the Square, sit outside, and enjoy a glass of wine. Nice and simple. I was pretty sure everyone wanted to do the same exact thing, so I wasn't deterred when we couldn't get on the roof deck at Daedalus. We happily took the table by the huge bay windows and enjoyed a relaxing lunch.

After lunch we continued on our urban scavenger hunt to find outdoor seating. I have to laugh whenever I think about outdoor dining. On the South Shore, where I used to live, outdoor dining is not something to covet. Outdoor dining was created to allow smokers to smoke during meals. On the other hand, in the city outdoor dining is the jackpot of summer lunches and dinners. In Harvard Square alone Daedalus, The Grafton, Pamplona, Algier's, Border Cafe, Charlie's Kitchen, The Red House, Grendels Den, Upstairs on the Square, Small Plates, Shay's, Bertucci's, Crema Cafe, Conga, Legal Seafoods, Noir, and OM offer outdoor seating. Trata and Tory Row offer bay window and floor to ceiling window tables. Even with all of those options, outdoor seating is at a premium.

We took a walk past Charlie's Kitchen but it was ridiculously crowded so we decided to try out O M Restaurant & Lounge. I'm so glad we did! They have a great outdoor seating area and a great menu. We proceeded to spend the next hour and a half relaxing in the sun! Mission accomplished!

One of the "hard" parts about living where we live is that there are so many places to try there isn't always time to go to our favorites. That being said, I'm thrilled we've been to Daedalus and Charlie's Kitchen twice in three weeks.

Tomorrow is sure to be a busy day. The UConn women begin their quest for a second straight National Championship and undefeated season and we hit up Ivy Restaurant for dinner.

Pedestrains, Bike Riders, and Drivers- A Rant!!!

I should not be writing this right now. I should be sitting on my couch with my feet up watching March Madness. I should not be looking at the computer screen (although it's quite hard for me to watch this Georgetown game... you are the number 3 seed... you should not be losing by 15!!!) So why am I writing this?

I'll tell you why! I am absolutely sick of what I am seeing on the roads lately. I'm pretty sure it's a direct result of the nice weather. More people are walking and riding their bikes and the entire system of crosswalks and rules of the road is breaking down!

If you are a pedestrian you have the right to:
*safely cross the street

If you are a pedestrian you have the responsibility to:
*cross at the designated crosswalk. The City of Cambridge did not paint them on the sidewalk just for the fun of it!

Please, please, please stop jumping into lanes of traffic wherever you feel like. I don't want to see you smushed...and I certainly don't want to be the one to smush you! Please don't sneak out from behind trucks and vans and expect me to know that you are there. And for your own sake, don't decide to cross the street when the sign says don't. That really messes up traffic and makes people very angry. I'm afraid I'm going to get caught up in a huge road rage incident because you weren't patient enough to wait the 40 seconds until it was safe to cross. For crying out loud... the cross signs have an electronic countdown on them.

While I'm at it if you are a bike rider don't forget that you have to obey the same rules that drivers do. I don't get to drive in other lanes if I feel like it. Stay in the bike lane when there is one. Don't sneak up next to my car so that you can blow through the red light. If I can't go through the light, neither can you! And don't give me a dirty look when I pull into the right part of the lane at the Fresh Pond intersection impacting your forward progress. You're supposed to stop at the light!!! And if I didn't pull into that lane I would be stuck at the light for 15 minutes.

We get a little nice weather and everything falls apart! Thankfully the coolness that is Cambridge prevails. Please check out

TROMP | Travel Responsibility Outreach & Mentoring Project

for more information on traveling on the streets safely!

March Madness

March Madness has arrived, and I don't mean in just the basketball sense. (Although that is my favorite kind!) It's been raining for three days straight and I think I forget what the sun looks like.

March is my favorite month, because of the birthday, basketball, and the impending signs of spring. But, March is also my least favorite month because I always seem to be too busy to do anything. I decided I'm putting my foot down and taking advantage of whatever opportunities come my way... even if I have a million things to do.

We were invited to dinner at Jacob Wirth Co. Restaurant which is a German style restaurant. Ever since last year's Dietermiester experience at Epcot's Germany restaurant I've been hooked on sauerkraut. So even though I had a late meeting and a million things on my to-do list we headed into the city. So glad we did... it was a ton of fun and I found this new gem Bina Osteria that I cannot wait to try!!! We also spent some quality time with the gang from the Cape. I always leave there smiling and thinking about how much our lives have changed since we lived in our apartments in the woods.

Saturday night we didn't venture far out of our neighborhood, what with the hurricane force winds and torrential downpour, but we did brave the weather to go to Trina's Starlite Lounge. And as my friend pointed out, we did walk to Somerville. I have to say that Trina's is a nice addition to our neighborhood. They have a nice menu with lots of inexpensive choices and some really fun drinks.

The weekend ended in much the same way our last few weekends have ended...with Christina's Homemade Icecream. I'm a bit concerned that we have been eating so much ice cream, and that JO actually went outside in yesterday's rain to get us frappes, and it's not even warm out yet. What is the summer going to be like?

And now I must spend the rest of my evening on tackling the biggest project of March... my brackets! I really want to pick Vermont over Syracuse... is that wrong of me? I called it the last time Vermont beat Syracuse in the tournament.

Just Call Me City Girl

Wow! This weekend was absolutely amazing! Friday afternoon was the first time I had had the chance to walk into Harvard Square, and down by the river, since November. It was a bit brisk but I felt like I was in my element again!

After my walk I was starving, and craving pizza, so I decided to hit up City Girl Cafe. I've lived in Inman for a year and a half and I've only gotten pizza here once. That will be changing! So yummy!!! Just don't be fooled by the tomato and mozzarella salad... they marinade the cheese in a mix of balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes and it just doesn't work.

I definitely felt like a city girl on Saturday. It was so gorgeous out and the sun was shining so brightly that JO and I took a walk into the Square to grab lunch. I just absolutely love our neighborhood and how close it is to everything. We arrived in the square and we weren't alone. There were so many people in the square and it had such a great, lively energy. I especially loved all of the SFD, Season Fashion Disorder. I mean I know it was nice out but it's not sun dress weather. On the flip side it was a tad too warm to justify Uggs and a down bomber jacket! SFD tends to me more of a problem in the fall, those poor Harvard freshman from the West Coast don't realize that the fall is actually a separate season from the winter.

It was even warm enough for some of the restaurants to open up their outdoor dining areas. In the city, outdoor dining is the ultimate sign of spring and summer. One of our favorite outdoor venues is Charlie's Kitchen which offers an awesome Beer Garden. It wasn't supposed to open until next week but they opened up early and we took advantage.

The city day didn't stop there. We headed back into the square later that night to have dinner with some friends at Daedalus Resturaunt. I've blogged about this place's amazing roof deck, but their dining room is really nice too. The food was so delicious and I was thrilled that there were four people who had never eaten there before that loved it!!! I love sharing my favorite spots! After a delicious dinner we headed over to Tommy Doyle's Irish Pub & Restaurant :: Harvard Square.

Today my parents came to visit and we headed back to the Square to have lunch at The Red House Cambridge. The Red House has an awesome outdoor patio, although we didn't take advantage of that today. Even indoors, the experience was lovely...and the food was delicious!!

I had an awesome birthday weekend in the city, with such great friends! I cannot wait for outdoor dining season...better squeeze in those last few winter restaurants!

And now to end the weekend with the Oscar red carpet... sweet perfection!

Sweet Start to the Weekend

This has seriously been a great few weeks! For the longest time I have felt like I've been wearing a backpack full of boulders at work. Finally, after four years I got to ditch the backpack for smiles and satisfaction! Of course, I'll really be jumping up and down in a few weeks if some other things go my way but this was a nice start.

So of course I was in a good mood when I got home today. My good mood turned great when I was surprised with birthday cupcakes from Sweet. Sweet is this great cupcake boutique in Harvard Square. I discovered it last summer with my best friend who was visiting from France. I especially loved that my cupcakes were covered in blue sprinkles!!! It is UConn Husky time after all!!! It was such a great surprise!

It was also such a nice day outside that I decided to go for a walk in Harvard Square. Definitely a great start to the weekend!