JANUARY RUNNING

The first month of the year looks like this:

Total Miles Run - 98.44 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 15
Longest Run - 12.75 miles
Approx. calories burned - 12,949

SUPER BOWL

The NFL playoff season hasn't been kind to those who enjoy predicting. I mean, the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. That alone throws a huge problem in try to forecast the outcome. None the less, I press on in trying to complete .500 mark for the playoff season.

Arizona Cardinals - 23

Pittsburgh Steelers - 20

The better offense is clearly the Cardinals. The better defense is clearly the Steelers. The special teams are basically a push. So here's my thinking behind this pick:

Kurt Warner is on an amazing run right now. He has gotten hot at the right time and is making the right decisions at all the critical times. The Steelers defense will no doubt blitz and he is calm, cool and collective against that. Not to mention that ...

... Larry Fitzgerald is having a playoff run like no other Wide Receiver in NFL history. His aerial show is next to unstoppable. Certainly the Steelers will contain him from time-to-time but they will also have to contend with Steve Breaston and Anquan Boldin.

Edgerrin James is running the ball like "the edge" of old. If he was playing this well in the regular season, the Cardinals would have gone 11-5.

The Steelers injuries on offense are a concern for Pittsburgh fans. Hines Ward is so key in both the passing game (obviously) but his blocking really spurs the running the game as well. Big Ben is banged up and he can certainly get the job done in this game but he's not playing that well during the playoff run.

Pittsburgh's defense will come to play. No doubt about that. However, the Cardinals offense played great against a very good Eagles defense (third in the NFL) in the conference title game. They know how to beat a good defense.

50 RANDOM THINGS ...

1) In 2001 I was the youngest General Manager in Minor League Baseball (22 years old)
2) I once went to 32 straight Notre Dame home football games
3) I have attended well over 500 professional baseball games in my life
4) Never had a good prom experience
5) I have broken four bones in my body
6) I was hit by a moving truck (actually I hit the truck) at age 9
7) My favorite movie is “A Beautiful Mind”
8) I want to ride the rapids through the Grand Canyon
9) My favorite thing to sleep with as child was a yellow blanket
10) In my opinion, U2 is the best band in the world
11) I got to meet my favorite female singer - Norah Jones - in 2007
12) I once has to pay a monthly heating bill of $215
13) Two times I have preached/taught on a Sunday morning
14) My first car was a diesel 1986 light blue Ford Tempo
15) I didn’t fly till I was 21
16) I drove my car on the highest auto road in North America (Mt. Evans, CO - 14,000+ feet)
17) I got cut three times from basketball tryouts
18) My proudest sports moment was helping lead the Donegal High School tennis team to the LL League Section II championships in 1995. The first tennis team title in 22 years at Donegal!
19) I won the 1996 Keystone State Game 18-and-under tennis title
20) I covered Virginia Tech football for two seasons for a local newspaper
21) Never held a full-time job longer than 34 months (a lot of reasons for this)
22) I have visited 14 different major league baseball stadiums
23) My favorite song is “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn
24) My “love language” is gifts and acts of service
25) The hardest physical thing I have ever done is complete a marathon
26) I love muffins
27) Waves crashing on the shore is the most peaceful sound in the world
28) I believe humility is a key (if not THE key) to a quality life
29) I am the very proud owner a Masters Degree in Ministries from Bethel (Ind.) College
30) I got my bachelors degree in Media Studies from Radford (Va.) University
31) It would be fun/exciting to teach a college level class on the role of the Bible and social justice in the 21st century
32) Many Parks Curve in Rocky Mountain National Park is a personal favorite outlook of mine
33) I saw Mission: Impossible in theater 3X’s because I was clueless on the plot and conclusion
34) I have three speeding tickets
35) I gave a graduation speech in high school on courage
36) Keeping a journal is a struggle for me
37) I once stayed up for 44 straight hours
38) Been to 38 of the 50 states
39) Completed two sprint triathlons
40) I was baptized in the Pacific Ocean
41) My first concert was in sixth grade – Newsboys and DC Talk
42) I “played” the snare drum for three years
43) I only got one detention in my life
44) I hit four home runs in little league
45) Matthew 11:12 is a personal favorite
46) The last alcoholic drink I had was May 7, 2005
47) Gilmore Girls is my TV guilty pleasure
48) Chicken Fettuccine is my favorite dinner dish
49) I went to the 1999 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony
50) It is better to try and fail then not try at all

DONE WITH SARAH!

Is it 14:59 or 15:01 for Sarah Palin? Is she deserving of all this attention or is she just attention starved?

Think about like this – how many times do you hear about the losing vice-presidential candidate three months after the national election is complete?

When the Alaska Governor bursts onto the national political scene at the end of August it was hard not to like her. She had so much going for her. A seemingly good family life. The leader of healthy state that was taking steps of improvement. And hey, let’s be honest here, she was an attractive woman and that never hurts, right? Now it seems like her time in the spotlight needs to end. Her 15 minutes of fame seem complete.

Like many people I enjoyed Palin when she was introduced to the nation. Now it seems she wants continued attention. In fact, she is seemingly acting like a 13-year old who wants whatever she asks for. Almost a brat if you will. She is actively pursuing a book deal but no one is currently signing on. She wants prime time at the National Governor conference and ticking people off. She was reportedly complaining (although she denies it) about not getting enough attention on election night. You almost want to tell her to get over herself. Please swallow your ego a little harder and please try a little more humble pie.

Far be it from me to stay in complete judgment of Palin. Granted the media has a certain fascination with her and that has probably influenced some of my rant. In comparing her media time with Joe Biden the ratio of TV face time has to 6-to-1 in favor of Palin. Shoot, she is still getting more media time after losing.

So I ask again – 14:59 or 15:01. At least for me, it’s 16:00 and counting …

WORKING ON A DREAM

When Bruce Springsteen released “Magic” 15 months ago, I thought he produced the final great album of his career. That observation may have been a little premature.

His new album “Working on a Dream” is definitely one of his top five albums he has ever made. It is not quite up there with “Born to Run” but it’s not that far off either. Rolling Stone gave the album a five-star rating and who am I to argue with them?

There may not be a better story teller on the planet than Springsteen. The song “Outlaw Pete” is absolutely amazing from start to finish. One of the best Springsteen songs of the last two decades. The “rock opera” is 8 ½ minutes of awesome-ness. It’s a great way to kick off the album with a little bit of a mellow tone with some great guitar riffs throughout. Just awesome and the album flows really well from there.

Good guitar riffs – check
Harmonica – check
Solid overdubs – check
Lyrics – check
Clarence on the Sax – check

What more could you ask for from The Boss? The only question is now, do I want to see him in concert again.

INTERNET FACTOID

The World Wide Web has hit the 1,000,000,000 mark:

The top 10 countries in terms of online audience are:

1. China: 179,710,000
2. United States: 163,300,000
3. Japan: 59,993,000
4. Germany: 36,992,000
5. United Kingdom: 36,664,000
6. France: 34,010,000
7. India: 32,099,000
8. Russia: 28,998,000
9. Brazil: 27,688,000
10. South Korea: 27,254,000

* About 3/5 of the U.S. population on the web. Yet less than 5% of India's populations is using. Also notice not one country from Africa on the list (granted many of their countries don't have huge populations ).

MERE CHRISTIANITY

If this book was compared to fine food, it would have to be something similar to slow cooked prime rib or a fine aged wine. It’s perfect on so many levels but like a fine food you must slowly “in take” it to get a level of complete satisfaction.

C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” is based around a series of radio talks he did around the World War II time period. What he said more than a half-century ago still rings true today on so many levels.

There are many issues that Lewis expounds upon in his writings from marriage, servant hood, chastity, sexuality, forgiveness and faith just to name a few. Each chapter is written at a very academic yet thoughtful level. You may completely disagree on some of his conclusions and according to Lewis he is totally fine with that.

He makes a very compelling case to keep “Christian in-fighting” to a minimal level if at all (THANK GOD!) because all that fighting does is decrease God’s advancement among humanity.

You must remember that this book is written in the context of the 1940’s so some of the analogies he uses can be awkward but by no means does it make them any less applicable to today’s society.

One of the bests book I have read on walking with God and sharing His good news. Brilliant stuff!

CARDINALS T-SHIRT

This t-shirt was too perfect. It HAD to be posted. If you don’t get the joke about the t-shirt just watch this YouTube video of former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green after the Cardinals blew a huge lead against the Chicago Bears during the 2006 season. Who would have thought that three years later they would be in the Super Bowl. Absolutely perfect t-shirt.

U2 - Get On Your Boots

(This isn't the actual video for the new U2 single. Only the audio)

First heard this song yesterday and when it came on the radio my first thought was, is this a new Stone Temple Pilots song? The intro sounded like something from STP. Anyway ... It's got this get rock sound so please enjoy!

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

So my playoff picks haven't exactly been, well, that good. None the less I press on as I hope to salvage the last three games of the NFL playoff season:

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Pittsburgh Steelers - 23
Baltimore Ravens - 10

There is WAY too much going right for the Steelers in this match-up. They are the home team. They are going against a rookie QB. They are much more healthy. They have a better offense. They are playing better in all facets of the game. This is why I am nervous to pick them but the Steelers are just better. It is very hard to beat a team three times in one season but Pittsburgh gets it done.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Arizona Cardinals - 34
Philadelphia Eagles - 30

If you had this match-up for the NFC title you should look into a career change as a poker player. Or at the very least go play the lottery right now! Anyway ... The Cardinals have a better offense and are playing at home. Big Factor! The Eagles defense is stout but the Arizona offense is REALLY clicking right now. For that matter so is the Arizona defense. Is it me or does the Eagles offense just look very "blah" right now?

WOMEN IN CHURCH LEADERSHIP

Onto a soapbox …

Not so long ago I came across this YouTube clip of Mark Driscoll (Video) and was fairly flabbergasted by it. It’s nine minutes and it’s very, well, head scratching. Only men (soldiers as Driscoll says) can plant a church … ummm… what?

That video clip was shown at a conference. One prominent church leader was there and proclaimed the following, “After that video I would like to acknowledge that there are women in this room and they have spiritual gifts.” Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor at Willowcreek, said that.

Driscoll and Hybels have very different views on women in the church. How they should/can lead. How women are “allowed” to present themselves to the congregation, etc., etc.

I bring this up because I came across this article (article) this morning about women in the teaching and preaching role within the local church. This is quite the hot button issue among evangelicals. It’s kind of a fun topic to break down and discuss as well. Unfortunately, the topic can get people a bit over heated say we shall.

Anyway, I just wanted to a make a stand here by say that “truth is truth whether it comes from a man or woman.” If you listening to some one preach or teach does it matter what their gender is? Really?!? So to all women in church ministry (whatever that necessarily means) you have gifts use them. If you have the gift to lead then lead. Do it well. Do it with confidence. Do it to advance the Kingdom of God.

There are numerous reasons why I believe women can and should lead in the church. Do you have to dig a little deeper into the Bible to find where and how women lead? Sure you do but it’s there. Trust me.

Off the soapbox …

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Six Degrees (or less) to a “National” Title in College Football

The Florida Gators were voted as the No. 1 team in college football for the 2008 season. It all happened a week ago in south Florida.

However behind the scenes there was some scientific research being done as too why a few other schools should be claiming a national championship. It all starts with those dang Mississippi Rebels.

Three Steps -- Florida lost to Mississippi who lost Vanderbilt who lost to Duke … The Blue Devils can stake a claim

Four Steps -- Florida lost to Mississippi who lost to Wake Forest who lost to Navy who lost to Notre Dame …. The Irish can stake a claim

Five Steps – Florida lost to Mississippi who lost to South Carolina who lost Clemson who lost to Maryland who lost to Middle Tennessee State … Blue Raiders for National Champions!!

FINALLY -- Florida lost to Mississippi who lost to Alabama who lost to Utah and, well, who beat everyone!!

Yet ... Utah Utes are No. 2?!?

CALL AND RESPONSE

A “docu-concert” to help end slavery. Very compelling. Extremely moving. Highly education.

The tagline of the film is “the first feature rockumentary to expose the world’s 27 million most terrifying secrets.” The film both terrifying and hopeful all the same. It is terrifying because there are 27 million people (mostly children) doing things they should never be doing and hopeful because things are being done to help them out of their slavery. In fact, there are up to 200,000 slaves in the U.S.

Most the film revolves around the slaves who work in the brothels in India, Cambodia as well as eastern European nations. The film briefly talks about the child soldiers in African countries. What you watch is unbelievable. What is also unbelievable is how many big cooperation are profiting off of these slaves. This film is beyond sweat shops. It takes you to a much darker but real place.

There are two main thoughts that gripped me while watching the 90 minute documentary. 1) What goes through a person’s mind when they “contract out” a 13 year old to perform sexual acts or go to war to kill? 2) what would drive someone to pay money to have a sexual act performed on them by a child? How “hurting” must that individual be if they are one of those two people? It is hard to wrap my mind around those two thoughts.

The rockumentary features performances from musicians Imogen Heap, Rocco DeLuca, Talib Kweli, Cold War Kids, Switchfoot and Matisyahu, as well as a fascinating history of the relationship between music and slavery delivered by Cornel West. Some of the more key individuals interviewed are Ashley Judd, Madeleine Albright and Julia Ormond. The footage of children in slavery to go along with the interviews of the activists and musical performances is woven together quite brilliantly.

LAKERS 121, PACERS 119

For whatever reason on Friday morning I decided it would be a good idea to see if I can find tickets to the Lakers/Pacers game that evening at Staple Center. Finding tickets can be a job in and of itself but fortunately I didn’t have to pay too much over face value and I was on my way. I “cutely” labeled the game the battle of the old residence of Stephen Hinkel vs. the new residence (silly/stupid, I know!).

Just getting through the gates was something resembling airport security. The ushers (or guards shall we say) did everything but pat you down to make sure you were going to be a “good fan” during the game.

Going to a Laker game was more about being seen then actually seeing the game. A vast majority of the fans were all about “their look” more than they were about cheering for the home team. People watching at a Laker game is quite fun. During every timeout the big screen in the middle of court had at least one celebrity sighting. Of course, Jack Nicholson was there as well!

The game itself was fairly entertaining from my top level seat in section 306. The Lakers should have won the game by 15 (or so) points but needed a last second basket by Kobe Bryant for the win. The last second shot made the investment in the game more worth while.

Ticket to Game - $50 (Face Value - $35)
Pretzel - $3.50
Parking – Free (I got lucky)

So to spend “just” $53.50 for my first (and potentially only) Laker game experience didn’t seem to bad. I was entertained from start to finish and, well, I can’t ask for much more than that.

NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND

After posting a 2-2 record last week in the Wild Card round I press onward to the Divisional Round. I'll take my split of those four games since, after all, ESPN analyst and future NFL Hall of Fame member Chris Carter went 0-4. Yikes!

Anyway, read them and ... pray:

AFC

Pittsburgh Steelers - 30
San Diego Chargers - 17

This game could get ugly. The Chargers might be playing their best football of the season but a) no LT, b) Antonio Gates is injured and c) Sproles will not, I repeat, will not come close to repeating his wild card round effort of 300+ all purpose yard. AND the game is in Pittsburgh. The one thing the Chargers have going for them - and it is a small thing - is that the Steelers don't score a lot of point.

Tennessee Titans - 20
Baltimore Ravens - 17

Two very normal quarterbacks in this game against two VERY good defenses. The Titans run the ball a little bit better and get the the win. Joe Flaco can't QB the Ravens to back-to-back wins although the Ravens defense keeps them in the game long enough that they just might pull of the upset on the road.

NFC

Carolina Panthers - 31
Arizona Cardinals - 20

This is a tough one even though it looks obvious on paper than Carolina should win by 20. The Cardinals haven't won an east coast game all year (0-5) and they will, at best, have their best WR at 50 percent. Carolina is relentless at running the ball as well.

New York Giants - 27
Philly Eagles - 23

The Eagles might be following the same script as the Giants during their run to the Super Bowl crown. Close game through out but a healthy trio of Giant running backs makes the difference. This game could be lower scoring because of the call for all kinds of horrible weather which also favors the New York running game.

26.2 MILES, PART 2

So I got this e-mail the other day in my inbox:

Dear Stephen,

Congratulations! You are now registered for Big Sur International Marathon. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.bsim.org/

Thank you for choosing a Big Sur International Marathon event, we look forward to seeing you the last weekend in April. Please take a minute to visit our website at www.bsim.org for detailed information on all our events, travel and lodging information, a virtual tour of the course and photo gallery, our merchandise, our online community, and much more. We will stay in touch throughout the year via blast e-mails and our quarterly newsletter.

So, here I go again! I'm very excited about it and I have learned from my first attempt back in May. I think my favorite part of registering for the Big Sur was signing off on this disclaimer:

"I understand the Big Sur Marathon is physically strenious ... I nevertheless wish to compete ..."

Doesn't that sound a little scary? Of course, it sounds like a good challenge too!!

If anyone is around the Carmel, CA area on April 26 feel free to stop somewhere along the Pacific Coast Highway and cheer on all the runners. Doesn't this look so beautiful and amazing:

TO CARE OR NOT?!?

What does the intersection of truly caring about people without being hyper-sensitive about your make-up look like?

Does that question make any sense? Maybe I just phrased it wrong. Let’s try this again:

One on my resolutions for the New Year (and for the rest of my life for that matter) is to truly give more than I take. I have concluded that this is quite an undertaking in today’s current culture. However today’s current culture is not an excuse for not trying to give more than you take. There seems to be this really tough inside conflict that is happening.

In trying to help and care for others first, there seems to be this sense of “thinner skin” being developed within me. It’s kind of like the more empathy I feel for some one the more I let my personal guard down. Thus creating a little more personal sensitivity than I can ever recall having. Maybe I’m being too over analytical.

Part of the problem is trying to meet everyone’s needs. That’s a some what obvious statement when trying to look out for others above yourself. Yet, with that being said, maybe there is a more correct way in trying to understand were an individual is coming from in helping solve whatever problem they have.

So I guess the question is – after a few meandering thoughts – what does truly caring for a person(s) look like without having to sacrifice your own self-confidence? What does truly caring for a person(s) look like without losing your ability to be “thick” skinned?

I completely understand and agree with the thick skin principal: If someone you trust and really “speaks into your life” tells you something about yourself and it is true, then act appropriately to make the necessary changes/adjustments. On the flip side, however, if someone who is “Joe Shmoe” says something about you then don’t read into more than you should. Pretty much just take it as a grain of salt whether good or bad.

With all that being said, anybody out there with any thoughts? Just curious …

RISK AND COMFORT

(This line of thought just sort of came out of my brain one day and I wanted to get it down some where before I completely lost it)

I value risk. It is more fun, exciting and even more rewarding than making a comfortable choice or decision.

But what about comfort? How much should a person value comfort? In making a decision, when is it the right move to do something that is comfortable?

I understand the common sense nature of this process. For example, if a person wants to take a hike in the woods they probably wouldn’t venture out at dusk in a location that has experienced recent bear attacks (random example). Maybe another example, a cash strapped individual should not purchase stock in a company with a reputation for little or no return on investment.

The discussion here revolves around more realistic life scenarios. Quitting a job you weren’t designed to do but you keep the job because it is safe, or sharing God’s message with a “threatening” person(s) regardless of personal well being. Does any of this make sense?

So this leads me back to the question. When is it the right thing to make a comfortable decision?

Mike Breaux wants said to the congregation at Willowcreek, “God doesn’t care about your comfort, He cares about your character.” I will never forget when I first heard that. It rattled my cage. Made sense to me then and, quite frankly, it still makes sense.

So I guess here’s my conclusion. It boils down to Kingdom Advancement. If you choose the comfortable decision and ultimately that choice hurts the advancement of God’s Kingdom, the wrong decision was made. As a Christ-Follower, you are first and foremost a carrier of God’s message. Pretty much everything else is secondary. Your comfort included.

Jesus allowed his body to be broken even though He didn’t really want it to happen (Luke 22: 39-42) because advancing God’s Kingdom was much more important than Jesus’ comfort. Take a look at Paul. He wanted to go to Rome no matter the consequences. His entire journey revolves about going to the riskiest place on earth because that’s where he had to advance the Kingdom. He knew death was a very, very good possibility when he arrived in Rome but the risk was worth taking.

At this point in this thinking process I guess the question should turn from risk or reward to this – will what I’m about to do help advance the kingdom of God or not? Is this decision more self serving or “other” oriented?

CHANGING THE BCS

Here’s a thought on how to improve the current state of college football.

The BCS system is the current reality of how things work. Like it or not, a playoff isn’t going to happen anytime real soon. It may happen with the next five (or so) years but for now the BCS is what it is. And it is not working. In fact, it’s worked less than five times since it started in 1998.

So with as the back drop, here’s an idea. What if coaches who have a vote in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll didn’t actually vote for the winner of the BCS title game? Under the current BCS agreement the Coaches Poll is contractually obligated to vote the winner of the BCS title game the National Champion (this year is either Oklahoma or Florida).

However, recently at least two coaches have publically stated that they will not vote for the winner of the BCS title game as the National Champion. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said he is voting for his undefeated Utah team while Mack Brown will vote for his 12-1 Texas Longhorns as the National Champion on their respective ballots. Nothing like bucking the system and ruffling a few feathers, right?

There are 61 coaches that currently vote for the Top 25. At least two aren’t voting for either Florida or Oklahoma. Just imagine the chaos and “fun” that would ensue if the 59 other voters followed their lead. What would the National Championships t-shirt and hat look like when there could be a four-way tie for the top spot? The ESPN College Gameday crew might be speechless for the first time. You can almost see President-elect Obama (who supports a playoff system) laughing.

The best way to start a revolution is from the bottom up and not the top down. The coaches ultimately have their say and most of them say the current system is broken down worse than a 1950 Studebaker. The people at the top of this college football mess aren’t changing the system. What is the worse thing that could happen? It’s not like these coaches would lose their jobs. They get a slap on their wrist.

So all you 61 voting coaches, vote for who you believe is the best team. If you think the Oklahoma-Florida winner is the best then great but if not, your vote could do more than decide a National Champion on paper. It might start a movement to actually crown a National Champion on the field. What a novel concept.

REFLECTION OF AN 11-5 SEASON

There are two distinct moments as a Dolphins fan I look back upon with a great deal of fondest and happiest. The first was during the 1993 season when the Dolphins shutout the Chargers 31-0 at home to clinch a spot in the AFC Championship game. The second was on Dec. 28, 2008 when Andre Goodman intercepted Brett Favre with the Jets driving for the tying score late in the fourth quarter to all but clinch the game and the division title for Miami. (Side note – I love watching the reply of Jet’s head coach Eric Mangini saying about the Favre throw, “What were you thinking”)

Whether it is 10 days or 10 years from today, I will look very fondly upon the 2008 Dolphins season. A level of pride has been restored to the franchise.

On Oct. 5 the Dolphins just completed back-to-back wins over the Patriots and Chargers to even their overall record at 2-2. As the final seconds ticked away in that win over the Chargers, for the first time in a long while I sensed the Dolphins were headed some where positive. I never thought that it would wind up with a division championship and hosting a first-round playoff game.

To watch them win close games week-after-week just reiterated the fact that Miami is by no means the most talented team in the league. However, they may have been the most relentless. They did all the small things right. They a) committed very few turnovers b) played solid defense, c) played as a team and d) they out worked their your opponents as just a few of things that the Dolphins did every game to produce their 10 game turn around. It was so fun to watch every week.

The key now is sustain what this team has started. Watching Chad Pennington throw four INT’s on Sunday was gut wrenching to say the least but not as gut wrenching as watching them stumble to a 1-15 season in 2007. Certainly it would have been nice to see the Dolphins advance to the Divisional Round but Sunday’s game showed was that this team has a lot of room to grow.

Make no mistake, the Dolphins are growing. It feels good to be a Dolphins fan again. Maybe, just maybe, my hope that Miami will make the Super Bowl before I die might still happen.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

You know, I have been thinking about what 2009 will bring. How much control will I have in creating my year? Well, that remains to be seen. But I have a new thought on making New Year's Resolutions.

What if you took the time to evaluate your resolutions and then based them on the strengths you have? For example, a person who is an introvert should probably not make a resolution to attend a party every weekend for the next 52 weeks. Another example, a person who

There might seem to be exceptions to the rule. Like a person who wants to lose 15 pounds but doesn't like exercising should find another way to lose the weight besides exercising. Nice try but that doesn't really work.

Maybe the reason most New Year's resolutions fail is because most people just simply choose the "wrong type" of resolution. That or they just value their current results more than a "new and improved" result(s). After all, "the way you are living your life is perfect for the results you are getting. If you like your results, then don't change. But if you don't like your results, something better change."

So with that being said, here's my resolutions for 2009 by certain categories:

Character

- Love My Neighbor As Myself

- Give (at least) 51%, Take (no more) 49%

Physical

- Run 1300+ miles

- Get stronger upper body

Mental

- Read "Origin of the Species" by Darwin

- Finish 20 books by Dec. 31, 2009

Misc.

- Visit the Grand Canyon

It is much easier to measure results with the final four resolutions as opposed to the first two. However, there seems to be this internal compass that tells me whether I am achieving the necessary results for the first two.

NFL PLAYOFFS

Let the fun begin!

For the first time in long time I am very pumped up for the NFL playoffs. Granted the Dolphins are playing in the post-season for the first time in six seasons so that has certainly jacked up my interest. Man, I am so freakin' excited that Miami has done what they have done this year.

In looking back on my pre-season predictions I certainly had my fair share of solid pick and my fair so of "what was I thinking picks" as well. The top team remaining with their possibility of actually winning the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

1) Pittsburgh 4-1

2) New York Giants 5-1

3) Carolina Panthers 5-1

4) Indy Colts 7-1

5) Tennessee Titans 8-1

6) Philadelphia Eagles 8-1

7) Atlanta Falcons 9-1

8) Baltimore Ravens 10-1

9) Miami Dolphins 15-1

10) Minnesota Vikings 15-1

11) S.D. Chargers 15-1

12) Arizona Cardinals 20-1

So with that being said, here's my fearful predictions for the Wild Card round of the playoffs

AFC

Indy Colts 31

S.D. Chargers 21

The Colts seem to always get a tough game from the Chargers. See last year's playoff game in Indy that some how the Chargers won without their three top offensive players in the second half. This year is a different story. The Colts are H-O-T and will take control of a tight game in the second half.

Baltimore Ravens 21

Miami Dolphins 13

As a Dolphins fan it is hard to pick against my team but I am so what realistic. A 'Fins win would not surprise me but I think the Ravens defense is as good as the NFL has. It's actually a good match-up for both teams but the Ravens "D" makes the difference. However, if Miami scores a non-offensive TD, it could turn the tide in favor of the Dolphins.

NFC

Philadelphia Eagles 33

Minnesota Vikings 24

Andy Reid has never lost a first-round playoff game. It won't start here since the Vikings have one player on offense who really scares you - Adrian Peterson. He could have a HUGE game but it still won't be enough as the Eagles experience wins out.

Atlanta Falcons 38

Arizona Cardinals 34

Tough game to pick. Kurt Warner has just one loss in eight games against the Falcons but Atlanta plays just enough defense. Both teams could score 40+ points but that probably won't happen.

JAN. 1, 2009

For one day the town of Pasadena turns into Mardi Gras. Granted I have never been to New Orleans for that festival but I imagine that it's a some what close analogy.

When I got to my apartment (which is very, very close to the parade route) at 8:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve there were already thousands of people along the parade route. It was like watching a football tailgate. People with grills, tents, air mattresses, etc. getting ready for the parade that wouldn't start for 12 hours. It, quite frankly, boggles my mind because it didn't seem like your parade viewing really improved because you slept on Colorado Blvd. overnight.

The next morning I awoke to what seemed to be organized chaos. People everywhere but everything was very peaceful and civil. I don't I have ever seen so many people at 6:30 a.m. By all estimation there were something around 550,000 people watching the parade along the 5.5 mile route.

As for the actual two hour parade, I was fairly impressed by what I saw. The idea of parade is something similar to fireworks for me. Once you have seen one "show" you have seen them all. Of course, this IS the Rose Bowl parade; very creative floats through out not to mention one VERY cool fly over by the stealth bomber.

After the parade I made my way to the Rose Bowl to see if I could purchase tickets for the game. I wasn't willing to go over $40. It would have been nice to get into the game but I'm not a fan of either team and, well, money spent on a game is like a week's worth of groceries for me (welcome to the current economy).

I was offered a ticket for $50 but wouldn't take it. Most tickets were going for something in the $70-$80 range but I'd rather watch the game from the comforts of my living room then pay that amount.

I tried up until game time (about a two hour effort) to find tickets before heading back to my apartment to watch the game. As the game unfolded, I'm VERY glad I didn't pay money to watch that game. By the way, face value is $150 for a ticket.

New Year's Day was a good start for me. It was enjoyable to watch the Rose Parade and at least try to see the football game. I have no regrets to the start of my year.