A tribute today to those college years when you furiously studied that week before Spring Break to get ready for that mid-term or final exam. A big difference between the two before vacation. Having went to two different colleges, one with two semesters, the other on trimesters, I got to experience both the mid-term and the final exam before break and the break is MUCH better with the latter as the last thing I want to do on Spring Break is worry about a class that still has seven weeks remaining.
With that, here is my book report before Spring Break:
Grant (biography)
A great read on the life of U.S. Grant. I had read his memoirs awhile back but those were a bit long-winded so this was a nice, concise (yet still over 1,000 pages) tribute to one of the great ones. I can't get enough of reading about the Civil War and the shi* our forefathers went through to create this great country of ours, flaws and all. People assume the war ended and the south just jumped in line to what the north was telling them how it was going to be. The south may have lost the war but uneducated people will act like uneducated people do and as like today, nothing good happens in those scenarios.
I had forgotten Grant was supposed to join Lincoln at Ford's Theatre that fateful night when Wilkes Booth did a bad thing but Mrs. Grant wanted to get out of town (presumably to avoid Mrs. Lincoln as she was a b-word according to the book) so history might have been different had things went differently. Would Lincoln survive had Grant been with him? I would like to think yes but if security was crap to allow someone to get to the President, I doubt the same crap security would have been different. Who knows. I do know that the only north general with any balls was Grant with William Tecumseh Sherman as a close second.
As Grant was known to love his whiskey and cigars, the book gives both perspectives on assumed drunkenness during slow times during the war. "The General was tired that evening" were some of the sympathizer views with the other side advising the general can't hold his booze and was falling all over hurling.
Unconditionally good read.
Football for a Buck - The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL
One of my favorite reads as I was in high school during the USFL years. Michigan's last pro football champion and I couldn't get enough of it. Michigan Panthers. Best uniforms, bar none.
An outstanding collection of stories behind the individuals who played in the league back in the 80's. Stories about the Michigan Panther defensive end who had a large 'johnson' and liked to flaunt it to anyone and everyone in the locker room; press and all. A story about a coach having to hire a security firm to guard for his life as a steroid-raged (lot of steroid stories) defensive lineman was not too happy being cut.
It was all great until our current Prez got greedy, tried to compete with the NFL and down went the league.
Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death and John Madden's Oakland Raiders
If I could do it all over again I would be an Oakland Raider in the '70's. Curfew Smurfew for the Raiders in the 1970's. Just be ready on Sunday was more or less what Madden told them. And they were. They OWNED the area. Stabler is a hall a famer for being the player he was outside of the football arena. He was a play-uhh.
Great read.
Basketball: A Love Story
A compilation of stories/narratives from everyone involved in the sport, high school, college, pro, men and women. A good book to put by the crapper because you can open it up at any point and the blurb will be just long enough for you to finish business and not have elbow marks on your thighs from sitting too long.
The Yucks: Two Years in Tampa with the Losingest Team in NFL History
Misery loves company and as a Lion fan, an enjoyable read on the things that can go wrong when the wrong people are in charge. Tampa and Seattle were the expansion teams in '76 and both tried to build different ways. Tampa lost 26 in a row so I don't think their method worked. Thankfully for the people in Tampa, they eventually got new ownership and....wait for it.... they won a Super Bowl! Hint, hint Ford family. It's time.
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
As I am a little bit 'outside the box' as I have my oddities (everyone does), I enjoy reading books on others speaking up on their oddities and laughing about it. Enjoy the body you are dealt with.
I had forgotten Grant was supposed to join Lincoln at Ford's Theatre that fateful night when Wilkes Booth did a bad thing but Mrs. Grant wanted to get out of town (presumably to avoid Mrs. Lincoln as she was a b-word according to the book) so history might have been different had things went differently. Would Lincoln survive had Grant been with him? I would like to think yes but if security was crap to allow someone to get to the President, I doubt the same crap security would have been different. Who knows. I do know that the only north general with any balls was Grant with William Tecumseh Sherman as a close second. 
The winter mountain biking season for those looking to ride in the metropolitan Detroit area this season was a disappointment to say the least. I think its the curse of the local riding chapter's purchase of a trail grooming machine this season. Scared all the snow away. December lacked snow which allowed for moronic riders to destroy the trails during muddy time, January brought about rain/freezing rain/thaw/rain/snow/freezing rain which more or less put a layer of ice on every trail in the area. February brought about the 'polar vortex' allowing for extra freeze on the existing layer of ice.