Playoffs??

           It’s NBA and NHL playoff time, and that means the bandwagon fans are coming out of the woodwork to support teams that “they’ve liked for years!” who are pushing for a championship/Stanley Cup after an impressive regular season. Unfortunately, the Bruins didn’t make it into the playoffs this year, which means I will not be watching much (if any) playoff hockey this year because I really only like the Bruins. Playoff hockey is one of the more enjoyable sporting events to watch, but I have a hard time staying interested in a sports game if I have no personal attachment to either of the teams playing.

            Luckily, the Celtics did manage to make it into the playoffs this year, despite not having a very impressive lineup. They’re seeded at 5 of 8 in the East, which means they’re matching up first round with the Atlanta Hawks (the 4 seed in the East). Since their seeds are so close, this series was destined to be close but difficult. It’s been back and forth, with the Hawks up 3-2 in the best-of-7 series. The Celtics have had some trouble and have been rather frustrating to watch at times- mostly because of poor shooting- but they have a lot of fight in them and every game (with the exception of game 5) has been exciting to watch through the end. Unfortunately, if the Celtics do manage to rally and beat the Hawks tonight (and take them down in game 7 when they don’t have home court advantage), I think they will have immense difficulty against Lebron and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Regardless, playoffs are always a joy to watch and they make the last month or so of school much more enjoyable.

The Big One Eight

         Well, it’s official. I’m an adult. Yesterday was my 18^th birthday, but in all honesty I don’t really feel much different. I still live with my parents, I still go to school every day, and I still enjoy hanging out with my friends doing nothing productive on the weekends. This is the case with every birthday I’ve had so far, though; it feels as though not much has changed. This birthday was kind of a bummer, officially graduating from being a child. The realization that I will be leaving the town I have known for the past decade and a half for college in a few months has really started to sink in, and it’s kind of bumming me out.

            I’m definitely ready for a change of scenery, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to leave behind my old stomping grounds. I am so comfortable in Reading- the people, the restaurants, the traditions- I know them like the back of my hand. Because of this going off to college will definitely be bittersweet, but I’ll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations, so it’s not a farewell as much as a see you soon. Regardless, I know I am ready to move onto the next stage in life. School has grown kind of stale with its lack of independence in some regards (seven hours of mandatory class every day). Also, at this point my grades really don’t count for much so there’s minimal motivation to keep me going. My friends and I have also really burned through everything and anything fun to do on the weekends, so we’re all ready to go live it up at college instead of driving around the town aimlessly with nothing to do. My eighteenth birthday itself was nothing special, but it definitely made me think a little more of the impending change my life is about to embark on.