Things I Learned This Week

Since this is the first Sunday of this blog, I can't really say whether or not this will become a Sunday tradition, but as of right now, those are my intentions. Kind of a mash up between Peter King's 10 Things I Think I Think and your average, run of the mill recap of the comings and goings of my life.

Let us begin...

1. This writing thing isn't a phase or a passing fancy.
Not that I ever thought it was, but many have, did and do still. This week confirmed to me that it wasn't. I hammered out a couple posts for Bugs - one of which got some love from The Big Boys while the other only went up today - engaged in an outstanding discourse over at The Starting Five that started off poorly and has morphed into something meaningful and even put in a little work on the book project that is in the works. The only thing I didn't do was make an attempt at synthesizing the housing data I'm supposed to be dealing with for a friend...

2. We - everyone - often pay attention to the wrong stories
Let's take sports / athletics this week as our basis. While everyone spent their week counting down to today's Super Bowl, some seriously important happenings took place outside of the National and International spotlight. Does Brady v. Manning seem that important up against the story of Genarlow Wilson?

The back story and the events of this week... Read and get back to me.

3. New England is still perfect... and might remain that way
So, what else is there for them to do? They beat their arch rivals, in their own house, while making more mistakes than they seemed to have made all year. The remaining schedule, after next week's bye, offers maybe three challenges at best (Baltimore, Pittsburgh and The Giants). The '72 Dolphins might be getting company.

4. I'm 360 days away from turning 30.
My friend Bucky emailed me on Tuesday, wishing me Happy Birthday and noting that thus far in his 30th year on the planet, it's been mighty rough. His aging body just can't handle the booze like it used to when we were, say, 23 or 25 or even 27. Baring in mind that Bucky always has been, still is and always will be a much better drinker than me, I'm not looking forward to drinking any time soon.

5. My old computer was a real piece of shit
That isn't really a new development since I knew it from the time I acquired it last summer. But stacked up against the new one that Sarah so lovingly bought me last weekend - thank you Baby for the beautiful HP Pavillion Media Center Television Computer - it's like eating Filet Mignon after a healthy diet of Salisbury...

6. I still love a good cartoon
Both Meet the Robinsons and Ratatouille have been in my DVD Player this past week and they were both excellent. The things the folks at Disney Pixar do are amazing. Everything has been a home run. Makes me look forward to Wall E.

7. Speaking of movies...
I saw Gone Baby Gone on Tuesday night and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't the best ever and doesn't contain any Earth shattering performances, but it did make me think with the ending and all. I won't play spoiler and give it away, but it is an interesting question that is raised, one I am still going back and forth over in my head.

8. That goal that Sam Gagner scored in the shootout the other night... GOD DAMN!
Scariest of all is that he is only 18 years old and will only get better. As much as the NHL doesn't command the attention it once did, the future does look bright as some of these kids - Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago, Gagner and Andrew Cogliano in Edmonton, Phil Kessel, Carey Price - are going to be mighty exciting for the next ten years.

9. I know I don't have a vote, but I'm voting for Barack Obama
If I were an American, this is the man I would want leading my country. This is a man I could respect and admire as My President. Is there any way we can make him a Canadian Citizen and have him as a Prime Minister?

10. My niece - Cutest Halloween Monkey Ever
Click here and tell me she isn't adorable... I dare you!

End of the week shout outs to David Chalk for vouching for me at TSF, my man Francis Dennis Santos for being 4 hours older than me and everyone who has stopped by this week and offered some encouragement.... cheers for that.

P.S. Adrian Peterson is a not human!