Let's be honest right up front. Many of us at Sojourners are movie buffs. And basketball fans. So when the Academy Awards and the NCAA men's basketball championship game were up against each other on television, it was like choosing between a double-cheese pizza and a double-dip hot fudge sundae (for those of us who have addictive tendencies toward both).
To further complicate matters, the Sojourners editorial staff was on a planning retreat out in the wilds of Maryland when the events hit. Fortunately, the Recreation Committee (Danny Collum) had planned ahead and, in addition to the usual deck of cards and box of "Trivial Pursuit," packed two small black-and-white televisions for the trip.
The Weather Committee (Joe Roos) was not so lucky. When it actually started to snow that first day, on the eve of April 1, we were forced to say to Joe, "Thanks for nothing." Wind, rain, snow, and cold forced us to abandon our usual afternoon volleyball session, and all that was left to do was work. I suppose we could have watched soap operas, but who knows what effect "Days of Our Lives" and "All My Children" might have had on people who have never seen them?
By mid-afternoon the lack of exercise had begun to affect Danny's brain. The first sign came when he suggested "Life in the Faith Lane" as a new department in Sojourners. Then we had our semiannual conversation about how mind-boggling it is that our December issue will go to press in October, meaning that the author of our annual Christmas meditations needs to write them in August, to which Danny suggested, "Get an Australian."
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