I understand the appeal of March Madness. Really, I do. We all need a little distraction to get us through this month when midterms and papers abound, everyone’s depressed post-Spring Break and the warm weather is teasing us. But while I’m normally a pretty enthusiastic sports fan, I haven’t had a spare moment this month to turn on an episode of Gossip Girl, let alone keep track of a bracket (that I would most likely pick blindly, like my girlfriends that chose to participate).

When it comes down to it, I’m just bitter that my friends are fussing over the Elite Eight while I’m spending eight hours a day at the library. And I could really use that $600 prize…

Hence, my love-hate relationship with March Madness. I love sports (although I admittedly don’t follow college basketball), and the whole thing is awesome in theory. Nail-biter games, last-second-game-winning baskets, drinking lots of beer on a weeknight…. I see why people go mad for March Madness.

But I haven’t seen my guy friends in a week (I have lightbulbs that need to be changed and luggage that needs to be lifted, hello!). On the rare occasion I do run into a few of them (usually between classes), the convos are inevitably all about brackets and players and upsets. Which I do not understand. And while they’re all sitting at the bar chowing down on wings and rooting on whatever teams are still left at this point, I’m sitting in the ‘brary, alone, drinking bottled water (because that’s all we’re allowed to have).

March Madness, I want my friends back!

Makeup for your skin.

Hilary Duff does SVU.

20 colleges worth the price.

Save money and give yourself a massage.

Dog poops money?

Octomom = Octo-stripper?

Most boring NCAA tournament ever?

The easiest way to tone those legs.

More women getting pierced…down there.

Rehab that fried hair.

There could be some little Paris Hiltons running around soon.

Once you get past the fact that the NCAA Selection Committee made the mistake of not including some of the best teams that could have been this year’s Cinderella (Arizona State instead of St. Mary’s? come on), the board actually came up with a pretty good draw. And for the next 2 weeks, I will be fully immersing myself in the insanity and awesomeness that is the most exciting sporting event of the year: March Madness.

The best conference in the country (and maybe in history) is hands-down the Big East. 3 out of the 4 number 1 seeds are from the Big East: UConn, Louisville, and Pitt. Even Barack Obama believes in the dominance of this conference, since his bracket that he filled out on Wednesday (live on ESPN! what a cool prez) shows it filling half of his Elite Eight. Although Obama didn’t have our lovely school in his Final Four, Coach K isn’t worried.

And he shouldn’t be worried either. Thursday was the big first day of the NCAA tournament, and the big seeds shined just like they were predicted to. During lunch I heard the big news of #1-seeded UNC ripping Radford to shreds in the South, winning 101-58 (42 points too many, in my opinion). The other #1-seeded UConn also came out with a deafening roar, with the Huskies winning 103-47 against Chattanooga. #2 Memphis (who I have going to the Final Four) won as well, and of course the almighty Blue Devils beat Binghamton (ha, no chance at all).

The upsets were few, but pretty significant. Both the #10′s beat both the #7′s: Maryland showed they earned their spot in the draw by crushing California, while Michigan just got by Clemson (serves them right for beating Duke once in a fluke). Editor’s Note: GO BLUE!

#12 Western Kentucky beat #5 Illinois in a shocker, which definitely messed some of my friend’s brackets up and led to some name-calling on FB statuses (but with a “hilltopper” as mascot, they’re kinda asking for it). #9 Texas A&M beat #8 Brigham Young, which was expected, but the one non-upset that got me most upset (because it ruined my otherwise perfect bracket) was #6 UCLA squeezing by #11 VA Commonwealth! The score was 65-64, in a real nail-biter of a game (seriously, you should see my nails).

Oh well, 15 out of 16 – that ain’t bad. Watching the madness ensue on our flat-screen tv in the common room – that ain’t bad. Having Super G on our team – that’s the total opposite of bad. Now, if only Ty Lawson from UNC never comes back from sitting-out due to his injury…well, that’ll just be the icing on the cake.

WTF is up with Lindsay Lohan?

Are Drew Barrymore and Mac Guy back together?

Beyonce is making us dumb.

Light jeans are officially here.

New female condom gets FDA approval.

ASU builds a faith-based dorm?

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I now hate Reese Witherspoon even more.

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DVF: The City vs. Real Life.

Is that…Channing Tatum?

Online education is just as good as the other stuff?