15 JAN 03: FOLLOW THE BOUNCING.... uhh....

I'm still rejoicing over the 1-Day Sale Rich's had at The Mall today. I bought a nice dressy shirt and a new pair of socks for only about 12 bucks! Why, you can barely buy a pair of Tommy Hilfiger socks for 12 dollars these days.

Last night I did something I had not done in decades. I went to a high school basketball game in town. It wasn't a work assignment - just a change of pace, for fun. How amazing to rediscover a competitive sports event you actually can enter for four dollars.

For that four-dollar ticket, you get TWO games. But much to my surprise, the boys' game was first - BEFORE the girls. The way the boys from Columbus High played in the first quarter, I could understand why. They trailed Shaw 22-3 - and wound up losing by more than 20.

Even more amazingly, that four-dollar ticket lets you sit in the third or fourth row of the bleachers at Columbus High's gym. I was close enough to the floor that I could have pretended to be Terrell Owens, and danced with the cheerleaders.

It wasn't the cheerleaders that distracted me from the game, though. It was the woman sitting at one corner of the floor -- the coach of the Columbus High girls' team. With all due respect meant, Ashley Powell is the dictionary definition of a "hottie." It's a good thing the gym wasn't full, or the heat might have been too much for me....

(Before you ask the obvious questions: no, I didn't introduce myself to her - and I DID notice a ring on her left hand. Sometimes it pays to be the shy type.)

Methinks most reasonable people who've seen her would agree with me -- Ashley Powell is drop-dead gorgeous. She has flowing long blonde hair, and does NOT pin it up or tie it back when she coaches. No wonder she can get the referees' attention so easily, to lobby for her team....

(I'm wondering if this woman missed her calling. If Ashley Powell had been a journalism major, she could be anchoring for CNN now.)

Remember when high schools had concession stands outside the gym? Columbus High doesn't. Oh, no. It's called the "Hoops Café." Nice try, gang - but if you want a REAL café, you're missing two important things. Tables and chairs for seating, and flavored cappuccino.