I went out to suburban Chicago on my off days this week to visit the dentist. I stayed with my parents who are enjoying a winter much snowier and colder than usual. The average temp of 15.7 degrees Fahrenheit recorded at O’Hare during the month of January was the coldest for that time in Chicago since 1985. The 33.5 inches of snow that fell during the month is the most there for the period since 1979. Another several inches of white stuff is falling there to start February.

Smartly, my folks have retired their snow shovels and signed on with a snow removal outfit to clear their driveway. Before the winter season started, they had the option of paying a flat fee regardless of the number of snow events – or payment based on a per-cleanup basis. They went with the unlimited option. So, now they’re sitting there saying let it snow. Let it snow.

On Wednesday night, my Dad and I renewed one of our favorite traditions by attending a high school basketball game. On any given night in the wintertime (except for Sunday’s), there’s a good hoops game to be found at a Chicagoland HS gym.

Since we’ve adopted nearby Huntley HS as our favorite school to cheer for, we hit their road game vs. conference rival Crystal Lake South. The CLS school building in a suburb that’s doubled in population since my youth has a big gym and pretty decent fan support. The school’s band played several pre-game tunes and the national anthem before exiting early in the first quarter.

Huntley’s star player Amanze Egekeze (pictured above left – with the ball) had 28 points and 11 rebounds. The 6 foot 7 inch senior will attend Mercer University in Macon, GA next fall and play hoops on a full-ride scholarship. Egekeze is strong and quick to the hoop and a powerful force on the glass. He contests a lot of shots and appears to be an enthusiastic team guy. Attentive in the huddle and communicative on the floor, Egekeze was great fun to watch. South’s student section tried to rattle him with chants of “over-rated,” but Egekeze pretended not to hear them. I actually thought the chants were inappropriate in a high school gym setting, especially with a school administrator monitoring on the spot.

Huntley won by ten and is undefeated in the conference. It’s hard to picture them making much of a state tournament run given a lack of depth but Egekeze can take over a game. It’ll be interesting to watch him make the next step.

I flew back to New York Thursday afternoon. A TSA agent yelled at travelers putting shoes or boots in plastic bins used to organize belongings for screening because the items were tarnishing the bins. “I’m getting yelled at for the salt messin’ up people’s coats!,” said the screener. The admonishment prompted quizzical looks from passengers who are typically instructed to put said shoes in said bins.

Airline workers sprayed glycol on the 737-900 at O’Hare that would take me home. The heavy snow that fell stuck to the taxiways but not the airplane. Lots of Seahawks and Broncos fans filled the train station at Newark Airport for the ride to New York City. When we disembarked the NJ Transit train at busy NY Penn Station, cheerful Super Bowl volunteers in yellow jackets were on hand to help fans wearing football jerseys find their way.