The Worm Word

If April Showers Bring May Flowers, What Do May Showers Bring?

This weather just can't decide if it wants to warm up all of the way or not. I'm not going to complain about rain though, I love all of the flowers that are blooming and they need the rain. Speaking of flowers, Mother's Day is this Sunday and nothing says love like flowers. Be sure to be extra nice to your mom this weekend, they deserve all of the praise they can get.

This weekend is also Graduation for SIU. Congratulations to all of those who will be walking across the stage, and to those who earned their degree, but aren't going to the ceremony. Good luck out there as you go forth to use all of your well earned knowledge.

There are so many things coming up fast. HerrinFesta Italiana will kick off on Monday, May 19th. For a full list of events you can go here. Silkworm is the Corporate Honoree, so expect to see quite a few Team Members milling about. I will be out for the Parade on Saturday, May 24th. I heard that I might even be getting a T-shirt of my own to wear.

The Southern Illinois Miners will be playing their first home game on May 24th at 7:05pm. That means you will have time to see me in the HerrinFest Parade and then go cheer on the Miners. I may have mentioned this a few times before, but I LOVE BASEBALL!!!

For those interested in art, music, wine and fun in the sun, the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Wine and Arts Festival at Riverside Park in Murphysboro will also happen on May 24th. The festival will continue on May 25th. There will be live music, lots of art, crafts and all wineries from the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail will be there. For more information on the Wine Trail and its Wineries go here.

I hope you have a great weekend, and be sure to give your mom a hug for me!

Sezmore

Still Sleeping it Off

Last weekend was so busy and eventful that I'm just now recovered enough to type about it. I started my Saturday at the Community Yard Sale at the SIU Arena parking lot. I mostly went to see how well stuff was moving at the Silkworm tent where a couple of the friendly sales team members were selling SIU apparel. They never have anything in my size, but I am very small most of the time. They did sell a lot of stuff, making room for all sorts of new designs on www.siualumni.com. I have heard that there may be another Yard Sale like this one in August. I will keep you updated as I find out more.

From the Yard Sale I hiked up the hill by the Arena to get to the SIU Boat Dock where everyone had their cardboard boats setup. My small size came in handy since most of the boat makers let me climb on them to get a really good look. There were big boats like this tank, and smaller boats too. I love going out and watching the boats. There was even one boat that was shaped like a banana and the people in it wore monkey masks. I had a great time watching, maybe next year I will make one and go for it myself.

From the boats, I headed to Turley Park to check out the Southern Illinois Irish Festival. I did notice one thing that was a little strange there; for an Irish Festival, there sure were a lot of kilts. I was no exception to the kilt phenomenon. I'm not really Scottish, but I do enjoy my kilt. I had some shortbread and listened to some good music, then I started watching the Scottish games. I watched a sheaf toss which is where a someone takes a 14 burlap sack of twine, sticks a pitchfork in it and heaves it over a bar. I think the highest I saw someone throw the sheaf was 32 feet. Then they brought out the cabers; if you haven't ever seen a caber toss, it is pretty much a person throwing a telephone pole. It is very impressive and terrifying at the same time. By the time I had seen all the Irish Festival had to offer, I was sunburned (I swear I put sunscreen on) and very tired.

I do want to remind everyone that Relay For Life of Jackson County/Murphysboro will be on June 13th and I will be at that one. If you need more information on it you can go to www.relayforlifeofmurphysboro.com.

There is still so much stuff coming up to get excited about. This Saturday will be the first Cruise Night in Murphysboro for the year. There will be classic cars and vendors along Main Street from 6 to 9pm. The event will be happening on the first Saturday of the month through September.

This weekend is a huge weekend for being outside and enjoying a glass of wine and/or live music. It starts with the Downtown Art and Wine Fair on Main Street in Carbondale on May 2nd, from 4 to 10pm. Then Saturday and Sunday there are events going on at a few wineries on the wine trail, you can get more information on those by going here.

I am starting to get worn out just from mentioning it all. I think that I will go to SIU and watch the baseball games this weekend. The Dawgs will take on Creighton at 3pm on Friday, 2pm Saturday and 1pm Sunday. Speaking of baseball, tickets for the Southern Illinois Miners go on sale this weekend. Their season will kick off later this month.

I hope you have a great weekend,

Sezmore

Fun in the Sun

I love this time of year; the flowers and trees are blooming, the birds are singing happily and I am loving every minute of it. There is so much to get out and enjoy and I highly encourage you all to do as much of it as you can.

This past weekend I got to hang out at River To River Relay. Silkworm sends a team of volunteers to Goreville to work one of the timing stations. It was chilly, overcast, windy and rainy at times, but we had fun anyway. We were out there from 9am until about 2pm. The highlight of the day was when the Silkworm running team showed up. Jason Nugent was the team member who ran into our station and Soo-Jin Fager ran out of it. The whole volunteer team and running team hooted and hollered and cheered as Jason came up the hill and continued doing so until Soo was out of site. We also cheered for the other teams, so we weren't really playing favorites.

This weekend is starting to look like a very busy time. The fun begins on Saturday the 26th at 8am with the SIUC Civil Service Council Yard and Craft Sale at the SIU Arena. Silkworm will have a tent set up to sell SIU items. Once you have seen all the sales available in the Arena parking lot, you will want to walk over to the boat dock on campus lake to watch the cardboard boat regatta. I love going to this event, mostly to watch people sink. There are always a few boats that are amazingly well put together and make their way all around the course. Then there are the ones built to sink, those would all be trying to win the Titanic award for best sinking. There are even instant boat kits for last minute entries. A boat kit is really just a sheet of cardboard, so bring tape if you plan on entering with that group.

This weekend is also the Southern Illinois Irish Festival in Turley Park. There are so many neat vendors, yummy food and such great music. I highly recommend going and hanging out and taking in all of the sites.

I hope I have helped to make your weekend full and exciting, I know mine will be.

Sezmore

Spring is Finally Here!

It felt like it took forever, but I think Spring is finally here to stay for a while. I can't tell you just how excited I am to be able to get out and enjoy the sunny, mild days. It is a good thing too, because there is so much going on outside that I am going to be running to get to it all. It all starts this weekend with the River to River Relay; teams of 8 members run from the Mississippi River to the Ohio River taking turns running 3 mile stretches. Silkworm has a team of runners, as if that were a surprise, and I can't wait to go cheer them on from the timing station that is staffed by Silkworm volunteers. I love working the timing station; I get to hang out in the sun and cheer on all of the runners as they approach the end of their leg and the beginning of the next person's run.

I'm not really the running type, but a good walk I can get into. On May 3rd there is a 5K walk at the Southern Illinois Airport to support local Red Cross disaster relief. The cost is $25 for an adult, $100 for a team of five people, $10 for a student and $5 for kids 5-12 and you get a t-shirt. I love to go out and walk, and this one will be on the airport runway. How many times do you get the chance to walk on a runway? If you need more information you can go here.

If you need to plan your walking with lots of advance notice you might want to think about The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Jackson County/Murphysboro on June 13th to June 14th. Teams raise money to give to The American Cancer Society and the fundraising culminates in the overnight event of Relay For Life. This year we have an Olympic theme "One World, One Hope." There are fun and games and music all night long, and you don't have to be on a team to come out and join us. For more information, or to donate you can go here. Silkworm has a team out all night and we have a great time there.

If that isn't enough walking for you then you can head to Bald Knob in Alto Pass on June 14th, there will be a Walk for the Cross to raise money to repair the Bald Knob Cross. The cost is a donation of at least $10 per person and you get a t-shirt with that. I'll post more details as I hear them.

I hope you get out and enjoy this beautiful weather,

Sezmore

Your Shoe is Untied

Happy April Fool's Day everyone!!! I hope no one has gotten pranked too bad. I did get a bit of a shock when I went to check the discussions on www.Salukitalk.net. Though I hear the same thing happened to the Shocker board. I personally am not a big prankster myself, though I will admit that I get a good laugh out of other people's pranks.

I didn't post last week, so I didn't get the chance to tell you all about the Murphysboro Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny and I have been pretty good friends for a few years now. I got to ride on the back of a fire truck all the way from Murphy Pride Car Wash to Longfellow Park. I have to admit it was really neat. The Easter Egg hunt itself went faster than I can describe. I didn't even get the chance to find any eggs for myself. I guess it was really for the kids, but I like Easter eggs too.

SIU is having its "Outside the Box Music Festival" starting later this week. There is way too much going on for me to mention it all here. If you want to know what is going on and when go here.

Spring is starting to look like it is really here; the flowers are starting to bloom and the weather is getting warmer. Try not to get too discouraged by all of the rain; after all "April showers bring May flowers."

Sezmore

The End of Basketball Season

I have to give it to them; the Men's Basketball team played a good season. They didn't make it as far as hoped in the MVC. They played a great game against Oklahoma State in the first round of the NIT. The Arizona State team was just too much for them. I'm sure having two major team players out with injuries and it being way past any reasonable person's bedtime had a bit to do with that. I just want to give a big "THANKS" to the seniors who will be moving on and the rest of the guys that I can't wait to watch next year.

Just because Basketball season is over doesn't mean there aren't a lot of great SIU Athletic activities going on; today at 1, tomorrow at 2 and Sunday at 1 the SIU Baseball team will take on Indiana State in the MVC Opener here in Carbondale, additionally, both Men's and Ladies Tennis will be going on this weekend.

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 22 the Murphysboro Easter Egg hunt will start at 11. The event has been moved from Riverside Park to Longfellow Park. I will be out there to watch the fun so you should come too. The hunt goes really fast, so if your kids want to participate you should get there before 11.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Sezmore

Preparing for My Extra Day

Tomorrow is February 29th; the day that happens only once every four years. I don't know why I have such an affinity for Feb. 29, I think it is like the change to daylight savings time; any extra time is appreciated. I just wish it had fallen on a weekend, then it would really feel like extra time gained. I also want to wish a special Happy Birthday to anyone celebrating theirs on the 29th, it would be tough to only celebrate every 4 years.

Lots of things are going on with the SIU Men's Basketball team. The 71 to 60 win against Bradley on the 26th was a great game to watch. That makes 5 wins in a row for the guys. I think we can make it 6 and take down Illinois State on Saturday. You can count on me being there. A special Congratulations to Bryan Mullins; he was named an Academic All-American by ESPN the Magazine. A 4.0 in Finance is hard to achieve for anyone, let alone someone who has to balance academics and athletics. I am really proud of you Brian.

If you didn't already know, the MVC tournament will begin next week. Don't forget to stop by the SIU store in the Hilton at the Ballpark. It will be located directly across from the SIU Alumni Association Hospitality Suite. There are going to be some really neat looking new items there. If you can't make it to the store, everything will be available at the SIU Alumni Association Online Store in the coming weeks.

I also want to let everyone know that the SIU Baseball team will be playing at Rent One Ballpark this weekend. There will be a doubleheader at 3pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. I may go because I love baseball so much. I am also looking forward to the Miners season starting in May. More details on them as we get closer to that season.

I hope everyone gets to do something fun on their extra day tomorrow.

Sezmore

I'm a Wormcicle

I don't like this weather. Last week the ice storm on Monday threw off my whole week. I didn't even make it to work on that Tuesday. Though I did make it to the Men's Basketball game against Drake on the 13th. I was beside myself with joy when we beat them 65 to 62. Then we took Wichita State at Wichita 74 to 67. Last night was the big win against Northern Iowa with a 67 to 47 win. This weekend the Salukis host Nevada for the ESPN BracketBuster. It should be a really fun game.

The Missouri Valley Conference will be starting up in just a few weeks. I want to remind everyone to go to the SIU Alumni Online Store to get your Saluki apparel to cheer on the dawgs. If you get to St. Louis and don't have just the perfect Maroon attire, visit the MVC SIU Store at the Hilton at the Ballpark, across from the Alumni Suite.

Just a few other great things to report: Katie Wilson, a SIU Softball outfielder, was named the State Farm MVC Softball Player of the Week. Congrats Katie! Cody Adams, a SIU Baseball Pitcher, was ranked in the top-50 prospects in the nation in "Baseball America's 2008 College Preview." The same publication picked SIU to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Great Job Adam!

The SIU 2008 Football schedule was released today. I would recomend taking a look at it here and adjusting your calendar accordingly.

Everyone needs to be careful if you have to leave the house today or for the next few days. The ice is really dangerous, so take your time and take lots of caution.

Sezmore

When I Said Super, I Meant Super

What a crazy week it has been already. Can you believe that the Giants won the Super Bowl? I was sitting on the edge of my seat for way too much of that game. 17 to 14, I just can't get over it. I keep seeing news coverage of the celebrations in New York and they look absolutely crazy.

Last night was also really intense. I decided to stay in and watch the numbers come in from the primaries, that and the weather was terrifying. I won't say who I like for either the primary or the general election coming up in November, but last night was exciting no matter who you are rooting for. The weather though, that was even more nerve wracking than the poll numbers coming in. I haven't heard of too much damage around Carbondale and Murphysboro, but my thoughts go out to all of those areas that were hit hard.

On the happier side of life; the Saluki Men took down Sycamores 80 to 69 last night. They obviously weren't too worried about the weather. This win means that the Salukis are now tied for 3rd with Creighton. The guys will get a few days to rest now; their next game will be on Feb 10th against Creighton at Omaha.

In case you didn't know; February is Black History Month. SIU has a number of events going on to celebrate the month of February. There is so much going on that I can't list it all in this blog, but if you are interested go here.

Sezmore

Super Days Ahead

I have been so excited by the SIU Men's Basketball team winning their past few games that I didn't even remember to write about them. On January 26th SIU beat Creighton 48 to 44. That was also the ESPN Gameday and I can't even begin to explain how intense the game was; everyone was yelling and cheering. I had so much fun at that game. On Tuesday the guys took on Evansville and won 59 to 39. This Saturday, Feb 2nd, the SIU Men's team will take on Northern Iowa at Cedar Falls at 7:05pm. We have won the past two games in a row and I think this will be a nice third to add to the list.

The SIU Women's Basketball team will head to Cedar Falls today to play at 7:05pm. In a few weeks, on February 8th, the ladies will hold the Second Annual "Pink Out" against Missouri State. The tickets are just $2 with $1 going to the SIH Women with Hope support group. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pink shirt from SIH. All breast cancer survivors are invited to attend a pre-game reception at the arena and will be given a "pink-out" shirt. This is a really great cause and I encourage everyone to attend.

This Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, as if you didn't know. The Giants and the Patriots will compete in Arizona and I'm excited. I do have to admit that I really enjoy the commercials more than the game some years. I am also looking forward to the half-time show, I am a Tom Petty fan. Be sure to keep safe as you head to and from your Super Bowl Parties.

Tuesday, February 5th, is Super Tuesday. 24 states will have a primary or a caucus on the 5th and both Illinois and Missouri are included in that number. Be sure to get out and vote. The general election will be in November, and just a reminder, if you are running for office and need signs, banners, bumper stickers or anything else to get your name out, call Silkworm.

Sezmore