It's like it was all timed perfectly.

Even last Friday was still a little cold, lows reaching the 20s, highs not quite at 40. Saturday warmed up a bit, but there was still a chilly winter wind in the city. Then � BAM! � Sunday sees sunshine and 60s, and yesterday and today have cooperated as well. I love it when Mother Nature turns on a dime and turns winter into spring with the flip of a switch.

On days like this, I'm excited to leave the house in the morning for work and I enjoy the slow-downs and delays. I sometimes take the long way in, and it's only for fear of the economy and job market � and for love of the paycheck � that I'm able to force myself to turn left into the parking lot. With the windows and sunroof open, I cruised with my left arm out the window and, without realizing it, as if it was an involuntary reaction, I shouted, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" along with Counting Crows' "American Girls."

I wanted to drive forever.

This week cannot go fast enough. The weather is expected to hold, the NCAA Tournament is less than 48 hours away (this is a Happy Entry, with no Bad Things allowed, so I'm not going to bring up anything negative, like how the tournament could be postponed, or why) and I have an enjoyable sports-filled weekend ahead of me. Saturday will be devoted to the drafts for my two fantasy baseball leagues � one with my friends in the morning, one with my parents and mom's coworkers in the afternoon. I've been preparing for it since the beginning of March, and I don't think I studied harder on any test in all my 16 years of schooling. I feel like I know all the players, all the injuries, all the talk and speculation. I'm at that point where I've done all the studying and preparation that I can. All that's left is to get it on. It's very similar to preparing for a college exam: I study for days (well, I did on one or two occassions) so that by the day of the test (or draft), I can go into it confidently knowing that I've done all that I can. No extensions, no amount of further research will help me. My mind is saturated with stats and figures, position battles and rookies who will hit the scene this year.

It works out nicely that my drafts are being held the weekend Casey will be visiting her sister in Scotland. But when you think about it, the scoffs that come from her general direction and the comments made by people around the office when they hear Pete and Jim and me discussing the merits of Vladmir Guererro vs. Alfonso Soriano are no more warranted than those that people throw out regarding any other hobby someone enjoys. Fantasy leagues simply take sports fandom to another level � precisely the way TWoP does for television or so-called "entertainment" magazines do for music and movie fans. It's a deeper and more intricate view of our national pastime, and I'm not ashamed of it. I laugh, too, at how people seem to make a living off of it as "fantasy gurus" and whatnot.

So this weekend I'll break out a button-down jersey and make my final adjustments to my draft list, then settle in for two more days of basketball games in the NCAA tourney. There'll probably be a bit of drinking happening Saturday night as well.

What's it like to live where there aren't any seasons? It's amazing what the coming of spring can do to rejuvenate a person.