Matt Holthe's Fleeting Thoughts

Last weekend was our first camping trip of 2018. It was the second time out with the new travel trailer we bought towards the end of the summer in 2017. I had to do all the de-winterizing and sanitizing of the water system prior to the trip. The camper takes a lot of time, but it's also a lot of fun to go camping. I have seen people say that owning a camper is a money pit, and they are 100% true. I keep finding things that I "need" for the camper. As an example, a step stool for my wife and daughter. We have 3 short step stools at home, but it's a pain to remember to pack those for every trip. So I bought one to keep in the camper. There are tons of examples like this - things that you just keep in the camper and so you have to buy special to have one to keep in the camper. And during the trip last week, I was realizing just how little storage space we have in the camper. We knew it was going to be tight when we bought it, but just spending more time in there it b...

A couple nights ago Villanova beat Michigan for their second championship in 3 years. They were dominating this tournament - winning margins were 26, 23, 12, 12, 16, and 17. The Big Ten yet again failed to win a championship. Since 2000 when Michigan State won, the Big Ten conference has now lost the national championship game 7 times and has 6 other Final Four appearances. (Wisconsin also appeared in the year 2000, so 7 including that year). Starting with the year 2000, here are all the conferences that have appeared in a final four: Conference National Championships Runner-Ups Lost in Semifinals Total Final Four Appearances ACC 7 2 5 14 American 1 0 0 1 Big 12 1 2 6 9 Big East 6 (*) 0 6 (*) 12 Big Ten 1 7 7 15 Colonial 0 0 2 2 C-USA 0 1 (*) 2 3 Horizon 0 2 0 2 MVC 0 0 2 2 Pac-10/Pac-12 0 2 3 5 SEC 3 2 5 10 West Coast 0 1 0 1 (*) = Memphis from 2008 had to vacate their national championship appearance, and Louisville from the Big East had to vacate their 2012 f...