xtcian

3 reasons I'm awesome: (not to brag or anything...)

1) ate cow brains recently. they weren't gross, just not very good. I sincerely hope I don't get mad cow disease, because for how lousy they were, in this case the costs far outweigh the reward.

2) I walk a fine line between doing shit like (unsuccessfully) trying to save a friend from a bizarre and abusive self-help scheme/cult and agreeing to help the girl from upstairs after her boyfriend beat her up and taking my dog to the vet at 3 in the morning when she was really sick last week -- things like that -- while simultaneously recognizing that those things don't make me any less of an asshole, just a little less selfish than usual.

3) rooting for ucla, but if by some fluke unc were to win, not only are they a really solid squad, I imagine I'd legitimately be happy for all you fine chapel hill types. (southern hospitality and all, a concept I admittedly know nothing about, but which you folks embody in a most elegant manner.)

(really, just so long as a team wearing light blue wins, right?)

3A) though I always give my real email address here, I've been known on occasion, from time to time, more than once, on a fairly regular basis, to give my ex-girlfriend's phone number out when someone I don't especially like asks for mine (which I suppose just makes me an asshole with a twisted sense of humor.)

If not awesome, then 3 reasons why I'm worthy.
1) I'm a sleep deprived working (maybe not much longer) mom who needs a distraction.
2) My mother and aunt actually went to Winthrop.
3) I have our interlocking NC tattooed on my ankle, damn it.

I'm awesome because :
I love and support my husband so much that we just bought a townhouse in Durham so he can go to Dook and get his MBA.
Go Heels!

What a cool invitation - but I won't even pretend to care enough about March Madness to take part. However, let it be known that I'm picking Penn to win everything, just because of the low odds, and so if Penn wins I want admiration and respect.

Well, obviously I am in. And awesome.

Why yes, I am awesome. Let me count the ways:

1. I am a sleep-deprived working mom like Scruggs. I simply don't understand why the Insurance Company does not roll out the red carpet for me when I drag myself to work each day. Don't they know how lucky they are that I am here? Why is there no latte and hot breakfast waiting for me here at my cubical stall? Where are my company car and my vacation villa? Ha!

2. I would re-mortgage my house and sell everything in it to pay for my beagle's exorbitant health care costs. Because he is my baby and I love him so! SLS - we did the ACL surgery, and he is on the mend!

3. I patiently tolerate all the Heel-bashing that goes on around me, here in Garyland.

Ian, I have given you my work address, rather than my usual home email address. Send that password on, Baby! There is no time to waste!

I'm awesome because I am one of the very few out in the open liberals in Texas not living in Austin. There are very few of us left and they are raising the hunting limits so you might not get to hear from me much longer.

I am awesome because:
I am a sleep deprived non-working mom who needs a diverson.
I routinely pick the 12/5 seed upsets. Watch out, Tessa.

I am not awesome. However, I usually am good for padding the coffers for these tourney pick things. I have never won a single one, however, I'm usually at the top until the Elite 8, and somehow ALWAYS manage to fall to the bottom, Icarus-style. Anyway, let me in because the people at my work get their panties in a wad about "gambling" and nobody has a pool here for me to play in.

And, I should be let in because the LAST time the Tar Heels won the ACC Tourney, I was doing my air shift on WCPE (a classical radio station) and announced the Tar Heels victory. I got so many calls thanking me for the information, and one call from the station manager telling me to cut it out, nobody cared about basketball. Hmph.

I am not awesome- but like Tanya will ensure that your tournament predictions look genius!

I am awesome -- but only as a college hockey fan. Bring on the Frozen Four!

I'm awesome because I successfully navigated my son through a fifth grade basketball season (of which he never played a lick prior to going out) with his self esteem intact and a genuine appreciation for the sport

I'm awesome because, um, I, um, er...well, I just am. I won't bore you with the details.

Sadly, my boys (Michigan State) will have to go through your boys in the 2nd round if they want to get to the sweet 16. But I'm not getting ahead of myself...we have to win round 1 first.

Bring it!

I am a little bit awesome, mostly for being a sleep-deprived working mom as others have said, but also for raising two very young tarheel fans!

I'm infrequently awesome, and usually unintentionally.

However, I'm looking forward to the Tarheels/Hoya game, when my beloved Georgetown team will win a close, clean and soon-to-be-legendary game against UNC.

Sign me up.

First, I'm awesome because I won the pool, if you remember, one year when we were living in Hollywood in the 90s.

Second, I'm NOT joining in the fun this year, because I like to quit when I'm ahead!

To the rest of you. If I can win it, anything is possible. Be brave.

I'm awesome because I get to post right under my good friend Christi and I am only about one-third of one degree from knowing every other Tar Heel ever. Kevin Bacon's got nothing on me.

I'm also awesome[ly stupid] when it comes to filling out the brackets because I ALWAYS work backwards, placing the Tar Heels in the winner's bracket and then working backwards. I've been correct and won my respective office pool exactly twice in the last 14 years.

I'm awesome because I have to put up with Alabama/Auburn shit 365 and I'm still somewhat sane. I'm so glad that overrated bama is NIT bound. Even though I detest both football teams,I do admit that I am warming to Auburn basketball because I do love Lebo. I am usually a lurker, but GFWD (not surprising since he DOES know everyone), Emma, and Neva can vouch for me.

I am awesome because I have always been a kind of casual basketball fan, but am now learning so much that I have already filled out my little bracket and tacked it up over my desk. I always rooted for Carolina, and I always kind of paid attention to March. But now my delightful boyfriend is being kind enough to teach me the finer points. Last year I learned how the Tournament teams are picked, and, with his help, filled out a bracket with a bit of seriousness for the first time. This year I'm trying my luck and my knowledge on my own. You encourage lifelong learning, right??

I am awesome:
- because I have made beer pay for itself,
- because I am half of an awesome team of biological and adopting big people who have extended their awesomeness to being big people who foster (something I recommend to all) while all the time considering myself and living the life of a slack bastard even if a good and helpful lawyer and
- because I have a banjo and made it part of my awesomeness.
Send me the code, Mr. Williams.

LFMD- I am so glad your beagle is feeling better. My Parker is a new dog since her ACL surgery. Yea Beagles!

Okay, okay, I'm awesome because although I have no interest in basketball I'll do anything to try and win something, even this thing. Send it to me..

I don't think I'm awesome for birthing a 9 pound 4 ounce human person out of my ladybits and then letting it feed from my body eight times a day, every day, on less sleep than an intern...ok, I'm at least awesome enough for this pool. Count me in!

ps--thank you for all your warm wishes from 3.5 weeks ago, Commenters!

i am awesome because i am married to chris (aka 'chip'). or maybe i am married to chris because i am awesome....

anyway, my family has a basketball pool, but girls aren't allowed, normally. when i married chris, they invited him, and then by extension, he invited me. it was 2005 (the year unc won), and chris won the family pool. i came in second... we have not been invited to join since!

so make sure to invite us both

I am awesome because I'm humble.

I am also awesome because I emailed Ian a few weeks ago and haven't called him out for not responding.

1) I'm awesome because I proudly sport UNC tags and stickers on my car despite being deep into UVa, VaTech a UMd territory.

2) I don't hate the French for disagreeing with the US over the decision to invade Iraq.

3) My first published sports photo was for the Black Ink (thanks N'Gai!)

I'm awesome because that one time when you woke up on the beach, and you looked behind you and you saw only one set of footprints? It's because I was carrying Hal Hartley who was carrying Dominique Swain who was carrying Cap'n Lou Albano who was carrying Fairuza Balk who was carrying Jimmy Durante who was carrying Colin Powell who was carrying Frieda Kahlo who was carrying Michael Stipe who was carrying Daniel Day Lewis who was carrying Rita Rudner who was carrying Courtney Thorne Smith who was carrying Louis Pryjma who was carrying Amy Poehler who was carrying Niels Bohr who was carrying Ponch who was carrying John who was carrying Damien Echols who was carrying George Hamilton who was carrying Frank Oz who was carrying Norman the Calf who was carrying August Strindberg who was carrying Helium who was carrying Jesus who was carrying you. Jesus was also carrying Todd Solondz, in his other hand.

I'm awesome because when I was eleven years old, I taught myself to wiggle each eyebrow individually, a skill that never got me far with women, but amuses the hell out of my two year old.

I'm awesome because I have friends like Chip and Ian. And because I have two dogs and two cats. I'll join your pool. And finish second. Always second in these things.

I don't know that I'd say I'm awesome...but either me or my wife finish in the money in the pool at my office EVERY YEAR. So I got that goin' for me...which is nice.

Been lurking on the blog for years now...time to get off the bench. Loved 'ya back in the days at UNC, Ian...still do.

Alan (Class of '94)

I'm awesome because I'm one of the two best-looking red-headed guys on that page of portraits in the 1990 UNC yearbook. The other guy maintains this blog.

I'm awesome because:
I'm a Jawhawk born, but I'm a Tarheel bred (both NC born parents went to KU for grad school). So two of my favorite teams are #1 seeds!

Please send me the password, because I would love to show you what a loser I really am at filling out those damn brackets.

I'm awesome because I was born 4 minutes before the tipoff of the 1969 ACC Championship game, in Chapel Hill Memorial Hospital. UNC beat dook.

Send on the invite por favor.

I'm awesome because I'm gonna win it all! That and because I get to spend my first NCAA tournament with our new 7 month old tarheel fan. Count me in.... Ken

I am not so much awesome as I am awwsome (I inspire aww and pity). This, you see, makes me awesome. Plus I have one more rib than I should have.

i'm awesome because i never travel without bringing something back for my mom.

i'm awesome because in 2001, one of my best friends and i decided that we had to - HAD TO - go see the yanks play the mets in the subway series. we are both from the bronx and are just die-hard yankees fans (i know, i know, they're duke in pinstripes, yeah, yeah, yeah, but what can i do???) somehow, we got our signals crossed and each got a great pair of tickets (which we paid HANDSOMELY for) online. we were thinking about selling them, but as we're both attorneys and the cops were swarming around yankee stadium, we decided that that might be a quite ungood idea. we noticed a father and son just milling about, just enjoying the pre-world series atmosphere (as were a ton of people who were not going to the game), and struck up a conversation with them, learned during the course of our chat that they were from the neighborhood, which, as some of you might know, could be better.

anyways, we very happily gave them our extra tickets, thereby making a father and son's night, week, month, life. i consider it one of the most special things i've ever done.

it was also a quite memorable game; it was the night that clemens threw the bat at piazza, and mo rivera closed the game for "my other guys."

and i'm awesome because i went to chapel hill - DUH!!!

sooooo, did i do good? can i be down?

I'm awesome because I'm finally posting here after lurking for awhile. Okay, for a few years. I found your blog after googling "pink house" while looking for a Barbie house for my daughter. Don't laugh. You think it won't happen to you, but then boom! You're suddenly drowning in tiny mini-skirts and shoes and freaky dolls with giant alien-like eyes and pursed lips. If Lucy doesn't go all Barbie-gaga on you, give her an extra allowance until she's 30.

Anyway, I used to work with you at That Internet Company, where I had the pleasure of copyediting your movie reviews and Dana's restaurant reviews. We also played basketball together a few times whenever you were in town. I believe Chip was there for a game or two. So count me in for the pool because I love all things basketball, plus this was a perfect opportunity to come out of lurker-dom. If you don't remember me, oh well. Maybe I'll kick butt on the pool. BTW, Lucy is adorable, "Coastopia" was brilliant, and Tessa's movie rocked (the freaky thing was that I had it in my Netflix queue before finding your blog).

I'm awesome because I know "Tar Heel" is two words because I went to freshman orientation and paid attention (apparently).

I cannot say whether or not I am awesome, but I have searched the annals of xtcian for evidence, and note the following references in support of such a finding: http://www.xtcian.com/arch/001233.php and http://www.xtcian.com/arch/001680.php. It seems I am well regarded in the context of this forum, and I accordingly petition for a finding of awesomeness.

I would like to play.

I'm awesome because I went to UNC and I love my Tar Heels. Also, I'm a faithful blog reader who's been coming here every workday since I found out about Coastopia. Finally, I abhor Dubya and his cronies as much as anyone.

I hope it's not too late to join. I just remembered the contest this morning.

Hope I'm not too late, either!

I'm awesome because I'm a Mommy to an incredible little boy, who has opened my girly-girl eyes up to a whole new fascinating world of cars, trucks and things that go.

And because of moments like this morning when my husband asked quietly,

"Jennifer, why is he wearing a tiara and saying 'pretty, pretty?' "

You just can't beat a dramatic sense of style and a healthy dose of self esteem, so I must be doing something right. :-)

PS - I think the winner should also get the orange roll recipe. I'm just sayin'...