Your “Hallelujah, It’s Spring Break!” Saturday Evening Open Thread

I realize it’s a pretty rich statement, coming from a guy who’s only been back to work for two weeks after three months off. But we ran out of substitute teachers this week, because

1. illness, and
2. it’s not uncommon for the subs to take Spring Break early before shit gets crowded. (It’s kinda smart, really.)

So I had to stay until 9:30pm twice, so the evening block could have a teacher for the Grade 10 English class.

Let me tell you – teachers are pretty burnt out right now. I usually don’t have much time for the usual whining about the sniffles & woe-is-me stories about not being a millionaire, because

1. “You should have chosen a different career then”,
2. “Don’t you have a cabin on an island?” and
3. “Hey dumbass! We work with the un- and under-employed. Maybe don’t bitch about your full-time salary in front of the jobless!”

But it sounds different this time. Mostly, it comes from “being an essential service” but not qualifying for an early vaccine because there aren’t enough shots to go around. And the ones we do have are about to expire in April, as the government sat on the Astrazeneca doses until they figured out who was going to get them. Who is getting them, you ask? Well, because we have a socialist government that doesn’t believe in merit- or essential service- based provision, they went with age!

Not just teachers, but cops, firefighters and food industry also have to wait their turn. So I hope all the US commentists get there shots soon, because the raging incompetence with which the BC government is operating it’s vaccination strategy means I’ll likely be dead by the start of football season.

So someone will be necessary to manage the Open Threads. And please don’t spit on my grave.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Montreal vs Calgary – 7:00pm | Sportsnet / City
  • Winnipeg vs Toronto – 7:00pm | CBC / Sportsnet360
  • Pittsburgh vs Buffalo – 7:00pm | NHLN
  • Edmonton vs Vancouver – 10:00pm | NHLN / CBC
• NBA:
  • Denver vs Memphis – 7:00pm | NBATV
  • Toronto vs Charlotte 7:00pm | Sportsnet1
  • Dallas vs Denver – 10:00pm | NBATV / Sportsnet1
• NCAA:
  • Big 12 Final – 6:00pm | ESPN / TSN4
  • Mountain West Final – 6:00pm | CBS
  • Southwestern Athletic Final – 6:00pm | ESPNU
  • Big East final – 6:30pm | FOX
  • Mid-American Final – 7:30pm | ESPN2
  • Atlantic Coast Final – 8:30pm | ESPN / TSN4
  • Southland Final – 9:30pm | ESPN2
  • Western Athletic Final – 10:00pm | ESPNU
  • Pac-12 Final – 10:30pm | ESPN / TSN4
  • Big West Final – 11:30pm | ESPN2
• Curling:
  • Tim Hortons Brier: Championship Round – 8:30pm | TSN
• Fisticuffs:
  • MMA:
    • UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
      • Prelims – 6:00pm | TSN5 / ESPN+
      • Main card – 8:00pm | TSN5 / ESPN+
  • Boxing:
    • Showtime Boxing: Benavidez vs. Ellis – 8:00pm | TSN2

It’s “Selection Sunday” tomorrow night, so let’s get our prognostication hats on & guess how they’ll try to force Duke & Kentucky into the tourney.