I hope everyone had a Happy and SAFE New Year, I know that I did.  I like to reflect on things and think about where I've been and where I am headed.  I'd like to take a few minutes to share with you a few of my favorites of 2008.

Sports

I have to say that this summer's Olympics had to be my favorite event/story of the year.  So many positive things happened.  From the opening ceremony to Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, women's beach volleyball, the Redeem Team, and even the closing ceremony.  I enjoyed watching the events and for some reason, I was drawn to these games more than any of the others before.

Coming in at number two was the Giants victory over the Patriots in the Super Bowl.  Watching Eli match his older brother Peyton in SB victories was cool, but not as cool as watching the Patriots lose their undefeated season.  I did NOT want them having that piece of history to tote around.  Of course, how can anyone forget "The Catch II"??!!??

Movies

There was a lot of buzz on a lot of movies this year, but there weren't a lot that really stood out to me.  My favorite for this year was Iron Man.  Robert Downey Jr was outstanding in it and I can't wait for part two to come out.

Other faves of mine this year, in no particular order are:  Doubt, The Dark Knight, Stepbrothers, Foot Fist Way, Traitor, Burn After Reading, Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist, and Pineapple Express.

I still want to see Seven Pounds and Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Music

My friends and family know that I enjoy mostly hip-hop music, so this list probably won't cover what you like unless you enjoy what I do!

Some of my favorites on the year were:  Common (Universal Mind Control), Killer Mike (Pledge Allegiance to the Grind), Q-Tip (Renaissance), Jon B (Helpless Romantic), Nas (Untitled), and Ludacris (Theater of the Mind). 

There were some others, but my mind can't think back a full year without looking at something, but those were the ones that popped into my head. 

Also, another music story that I think should be noted was the merger of XM and Sirius, the two main satellite radio companies.  I had XM, but when the programming changed I noticed a lot of extra talking on the stations.  If I wanted a morning show, then I would have just stuck with regular radio!  So, needless to say, I cancelled both of the radio subscriptions that I had, although they did try to give me two months free.  They asked what they could have done to keep me as a customer and I simply told them that NOT switching their programming would have been the only way to keep me.  Plus, on top of that, I would have had to pay extra money to get the NFL games that are on Sirius.  If you are going to merge, then make it a complete merger and don't make the customers pay extra for an inferior product!

Future Outlook

Well, I am getting closer to being done with school (finally) and I am pretty excited about that.  It has been a long time in the making.  With being in the Air Force Reserves, I have put my education on hold many times, so I happy to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. 

As most of you know, I would like to work in the front office for a pro-team, with the ultimate goal of becoming The GM!  But I also wouldn't mind going in the direction of being an Athletic Director.  I think the thing that intrigues me most about both positions, other than just the sports aspect of it, is the process of building something and putting my stamp on it.  Maybe that is me being egotistical, maybe it isn't, but that is my dream and I am going to keep working toward it.

Thank Yous

I have to say thanks to all of my friends and family for helping me along the way.  I appreciate every bit of support that I get.  Whether it is constructive criticism or helpful tips, or even the downright hurtful truth, I try to learn from it all.  But, mostly they keep me as grounded as possible and that keeps me going.

Thanks to Brian for keeping this network together and running smoothly.  It has been a full year and a half now and I enjoy it very much.  Being able to get my thoughts out of my head and into something that is halfway coherent is a fun challenge for me and I look to expand my skills a little more in the new year.

Thanks to everyone else on the network as well.  Special thanks to Jack Cobra for getting me involved early on, Bruce Paine for being a hard-ass (I'd expect nothing less from him), Kelper for helping out on the page when he can, The Graphics Department for all of her hard work (although, she makes it look too easy at times), and the guys at TUP for all of their uncensored hilarity (what happened to Hot or Not??).

I hope 2009 is as fun as 2008 was!