Brackets, Spaces, Question Marks, and Other Punctuation (in bullet points)

I'm in the midst of a very busy season so have not written as much as I would have liked.  That said, a few things have been percolating.  So, here are my thoughts in bullet points:

• March Madness has begun.  I am not a big college basketball fan, but my wife and I usually try to put together brackets and compete against one another.  It is usually just for bragging rights, though on occasion we have placed small bets with one another (usually a Mt. Dew for me and something of similar value for my wife).  So, I have North Carolina winning it all, which is actually who I pick almost every year...primarily because they have a foot as their symbol on some of their parephernalia.  I will probably lose (as I do most years), but it is still fun.  Who do you have winning in your bracket?
• The sport that I most love is baseball...particularly Chicago Cubs baseball.  We are currently in the space between the end of last season and the beginning of a new season, but that space is coming quickly to an end.  Spring Training has begun and hope springs eternal!  The Cubbies go into the season with some new faces and some young up-and-comers.  Most are counting them out in 2012 because they see them in "rebuilding" mode.  But there is nothing I love more than an underdog story...and if it came in the form of my beloved Cubs making a run at the World Series, it would be even that much more amazing.  So...GO CUBS GO!!!!
• On a very different note, it was recommended this week that my wife have surgery to remove a couple of masses that have grown on her thyroid.  We were told all the statistics regarding the likelihood of the masses being cancerous and the stats regarding all the possible dangers of the surgery, and in the end we chose for her to have the surgery.  But we still have many question marks.  Are the masses cancerous or benign?  We won't know for sure until she is under the knife.  How will she come through the surgery?  Will there be any lasting consequences?  We obviously won't know that for a while.  Who will watch our kids so I can be with her before and after the procedure?  The answer to that is beginning to become clearer, but has not been fully answered yet.  I have a deeper appreciation for the many people who have gone through these situations with a loved one or for themselves.  My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are in a similar situation as us with many unknowns, those who are facing the "knowns" of cancer or other illnesses, those undergoing treatment, those whose loved ones are gone, those whose loved ones are still fighting, those whose loved ones are in remission, and those who live in fear of disease wreaking havoc on their own body or that of a loved one.  May you all experience healing, peace, and wholeness!
• As a tool for relaxation, and because I simply enjoy it, I have been doing a lot of reading lately.  My current selection is Book 2 of the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.  It is a wonderful fantasy series about a magical preserve that is home to all sorts of wonderful, mystical creatures.  If you like fantasy (or even if you don't), I recommend this series.
• As far as my own writing goes, I am blessed to have had one of my readers finish reading The Lantern of Rahela and provide me with some wonderful feedback.  I now have two other readers in process and a few who have received the manuscript but have not told me they are reading it to this point.  I hope to have had three readers finish the manuscript by the summer so that I can make some edits, have another round of readers, and then begin preparing a query letter to send to literary agents with the hopes of getting my novel published.  In the meantime, I have been working on the beginnings of two new novels: the sequel to my first, which is tentatively titled The Mountain of Me'arah, and a YA sci-fi novel that is presently untitled.  I'm hoping to do Camp NaNoWriMo (www.campnanowrimo.org) in June to complete a draft of one of them.
• Finally, I am LOVING the almost summer-like weather in mid-March.  What an amazing blessing!  I hope you are all having a wonderful year so far...full of exclamation marks!