I love March in North Carolina. From the time I was little, the month of March has held a special place for me. It's the start of the year in a lot of ways for me, whether it be the introduction of warm weather, the start of baseball, or obviously March Madness. Of course, the day-to-day tasks of school or work don't stop for March Madness, so I was forced to be creative.
Elementary School
In the elementary school days my only tactic was negotiation. You approach the teacher with a smile and throw out, "You know Mr [LASTNAME], [NAME OF TEAM] plays at Noon today. If we get all of our classwork done early, could we watch it?" It always helps for this to come from a straight A student, which is why I asked my friends to do it. Often the teacher's response is a "we'll see", but for the rare chances that this happens, its like Christmas. I still remember times when the TV was rolled into the classroom.
Middle School & High School
As I moved into middle school and high school, the teachers seemingly got more strict and the students had to improvise. The popular tactic then was to get a coat or sweatshirt and cut a small hole in the inside pocket. This would allow you to put a walkman in the pocket and run the head phone cable inside and down one of the sleeves. Then all you had to do was sit in class leaning your head on your hand and your listening to the games.
College
In College, I just skipped class and watched the games. Not much creativity required there.
The Real World
Now that I'm in the real world, technology has caught up and I have a new solution. The Slingbox. 10 year old me is quite jealous of this, in fact. Now I have my TV wherever I go because, quite frankly, with the Slingbox if its on TV, its on everywhere.
Images of Slingbox
Just yesterday, my 16 year old had a high school baseball game and instead of missing out on the end of an ACC Tournament game, I was able to follow along from my phone. We're talking HD picture as seen on an iPhone 6 Plus. I joke with my wife that if I hold it close enough its practically a big screen. Yeah, she doesn't think its funny either.
An iPhone Screen Grab
The Slingbox has saved me countless times quite honestly, whether its being at work, attending kid's games, or maybe even just giving yourself another viewing option while your wife is watching the Bachelor. Geez, that show is awful. But seriously, the Slingbox has been a life saver for years.
March brings out creativity
You have to love this time of the year. I was blessed with two children that were born in March, meaning I will be attending weekend birthday parties in March for the rest of my life. That said, I know I'll find a way to watch the game.
***Thanks to Slingbox for sponsoring today's discussion***
