March Madness 2012

For those of you (like me) who are wondering what this March Madness chatter is really all about--

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball. The tournament, organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was created in 1939 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and was the brainchild of Ohio State University coach Harold Olsen. Held mostly in March, it is known informally as March Madness or the Big Dance, and has become one of the most prominent annual sporting events in the United States. The NCAA has credited Bob Walsh of the Seattle Organizing Committee for starting the March Madness celebration in 1984. Before working at SERVPRO, I had no idea what a bracket was or even when the NCAA championship was held. So there you go.

Hopefully your brackets are holding up so far.....

    As you can tell, the bracket challenge in this office is serious!

03/18	Xavier	70	-	58	Lehigh
03/18	Kansas	63	-	60	Purdue
03/18	Florida State	56	-	62	Cincinnati
03/22	Syracuse	64	-	63	Wisconsin
03/22	Michigan State	44	-	57	Louisville
03/22	Ohio State	81	-	66	Cincinnati
03/22	Marquette	58	-	68	Florida
03/23	Baylor	75	-	70	Xavier
03/23	North Carolina	73	-	65	Ohio
03/23	Kentucky	102	-	90	Indiana
03/23	Kansas	60	-	57	North Carolina State
03/24	Louisville	72	-	68	Florida
03/24	Syracuse	70	-	77	Ohio State
03/25	Kentucky	82	-	70	Baylor
03/25	North Carolina	67	-	80	Kansas
03/31	Kentucky	vs			Louisville	‎-6:09 PM (ET)
03/31	Kansas	vs			Ohio State	‎-8:49 PM (ET)

-Denea Duran

Content Credit: ESPN.com

Photo Credit: Google Image

Then and Now: New Orleans

First and foremost, let me start by apologizing to everyone. I have been absent in posting blogs last week because I went to New Orleans! Not only is the city rich in history but the people there are friendly and have great "southern hospitality". The food is not only amazing, but the people of New Orleans don't believe in portion control (Lets just say that I ate everything that I could get my hands on!)



Tip: New Orleans is known for their amazing praline candy. If you get a chance to head to New Orleans, you must STOP whatever your doing and try praline candy!  

I not only went down to New Orleans for pleasure, but I really wanted to take away a better understanding of the history of the city-- both before and after Hurricane Katrina. I think it is amazing how some of the homes and structures destoryed in 2005 look as if the hurricane had just made landfall. They are still boarded up and the water lines are still evident.

During my trip I got to speak with a few locals about the hurricane. Hearing them reminisce about that day, I was struck by the number of people who continue to hold positive attitudes following the event. Many even considered themselves blessed.

Before I left New Orleans, I met a business owner that lost his small business permanently. As we walked past his boarded up shop to the next stop of our vacation, I could feel my heart sink. It is amazing how a natural disaster can change your life forever.



My job here is to give you safety tips, but to be honest nothing can prepare you for a life-changing natural disaster. What I took away from my trip is that it is essential to stay positive through whatever is handed to you. And I thank the people of New Orleans for teaching me about courage and faith.

We will continue to keep the people and city of New Orleans in our prayers!

-Denea Duran