Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2013, AWAAAAAAYYYY WE GO!

It's 2013.

Can you BELIEVE IT? Sheesh...where did the summer go? I think I feel caught by surprise every year lately when we shift to the next year. Honestly, it feels like time has indeed picked up speed as I'm getting older. 2012 is suddenly in the history books. And we have a whole new year in front of us...like blank pages in a journal ready to be filled in. Just what will be on those pages we don't yet know. Will it be a good year? A bad year? Lots of high profile tragedies? Great and wonderful things, new discoveries and such? I have no crystal ball...but I hope it's better than 2012. I personally live for the day when somebody finally invents the Star Trek transporter...you know...gee, think I'll go to Rome for lunch today......HEY HEY HEY! That transport took like 12 milliseconds, what's up with THAT? I don't have all DAY for crying out loud! THAT will be a good year. Unless it's not.

The one good thing (for me anyway) going on throughout the holiday season and into the new year is COLLEGE FOOTBALL! I finally got to see a bunch during my time with my Dad...he LOVES football...we can just sit and watch game after game, drinking egg-nog, munching on snacks, and life is good. I don't do that at home for many reasons (watching the football part I mean...I DO participate in the egg-nog and munchies)....primarily because Jeannie isn't much of a football fan and I won't make her go thru that...it would be like her watching episode after episode of American Greed (which I hate) and me having nothing else to do but sit and stew (oh wait, that does happen sometimes). Also there's the 'time' thing...at home I just seem to have SO MUCH to do...but when I go visit, I have nothing to do. If they are going to watch Football, far be it for ME to suggest otherwise (GRIN!)

Here are the bowl games I had some interest in, along with how I did. I was rooting for the underlined team, while the winner is in bold. I've also added either a 0 or a 1 after each game, 1 being if I chose the winner.

New Mexico Bowl:           Nevada vs Ariz :                                    0
Poinsettia Bowl:                BYU vs San Diego State:                        0
Maaco Bowl:                    Washington vs Boise State:                    0
Hawaii Bowl:                     Fresno State vs SMU:                            1
Little Caesars Bowl:           W. Kentucky vs C. Michigan :              0
Military Bowl:                    San Jose State vs Bowling Green:         0
Belk Bowl:                        Cincinatti vs Duke:                                0
Holiday Bowl:                    Baylor vs UCLA:                                  1
Russel Athletic Bowl:         Rutgers vs Va Tech :                              0
Meineke Car Care Bowl:   Minnesota vs Texas Tech :                    0
Armed Forces Bowl:         Rice vs Air Force :                                 0
Pinstripe Bowl:                  West VA vs Syracuse :                          0
Fight Hunger Bowl:            Navy vs AZ State:                                 0    (Navy got DESTROYED!)
Alamo Bowl:                      Texas vs Oregon State:                          0
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl:  TCU vs Michigan State:                       0
Sun Bowl:                          USC vs Georgia Tech:                          0
Chick Fil-A Bowl:              LSU vs Clemson:                                   1
Heart of Dallas Bowl:         Purdue vs Oklahoma St:                        1
Gator Bowl:                       Mississippi St vs Northwestern:             1
Outback Bowl:                   South Carolina vs Michigan:                  0    (But SO very close! Boo, hiss!)
Capital One Bowl:              Georgia vs Nebraska:                            0
Rose Bowl:                         Wisconson vs Stanford:                        0
Orange Bowl:                      N. Illinois vs Florida State:                   0

Sugar Bowl:                        Louisville vs Florida State:     half-time as I type, Louiville is ahead
Fiesta Bowl:                        Oregon vs Kansas State:       yet to be played
Cotton Bowl:                      Texas A&M vs Oklahoma:    yet to be played
BCS Championship:            Alabama vs Notre Dame:      yet to be played

As you can see, my 'picking' of winners is quite pathetic. I have thus far have picked only 5 out of 24, with 4 games left to play (the Sugar Bowl is in progress as I type. I watched it up to halftime and Louiville was leading and looking pretty good....GO LOUISVILLE!!!!).  I think my problem in picking winners is because I base my choices on emotion. Some teams (especially some of the underdogs) I choose BECAUSE they are the underdog, even though deep in my heart I know they most likely won't win.Other times I pick a team  because I don't care for the other team, which isn't a smart way to do it either.

HOWEVER, were I to use the George Kastanza method (from a Seinfeld episode where he realized that every decision he has made is wrong or bad, so he now makes his choice and then does the OTHER thing calling it the Anti-George, and he's suddenly always right) I would be quite GOOD! In fact, I think I could make a great deal of money on this if I could consistently NOT pick the winner (and thus picking the winner with my anti-choice). I will have to consider that for next years games (someone remind me please and we'll see how it goes).

I also tabulated up my 2012 cycling numbers. It was an 'ok' year for me, but not stellar. Here are my stats:

Bike                       # rides     Miles     ' climbed
Ritchey       Rd        40          1333       97,357'
Canondale  Rd        17            961       62,633'
Santa Cruz MTB     22            391       62,574'
  totals:                    79          2685     222,564'

I'd surely like to up a few of those categories next year, but Im not overly confident it will. You see, I'm a FAIR WEATHER biker. I didn't go out yesterday (New Years Day)because it was quite chilly out (AND, I watched the Outback Bowl, AND I took down all the Christmas lights). But those are just excuses...I could have gone out early but it was COLD (yes, I said chilly before, but I was wrong...the grass was FROZEN from a hard frost). I'm kind of like the ground-hog...I come out of my hole and see if it's sunny (and cold, and windy)...and then the future of cycling for that day is then decided. Which explains why my brother Greg has been CRUSHING me on the bike the last few years. He's been going out BEFORE WORK lately as that's the only time he has to ride...I also have that time available, but it's DARK AND COLD out (and besides, I leave for work at 5:20am most days for my fundraising, work starts at 6:30am...I'd have to get up at midnight or something to slip in a ride and shower). Greg's annual mileage was over 6000 miles I think for 2012 with a gazillion feet of climbing...(or close to it, can't remember for sure, other than I was humbled).

And so.

The new year is underway....so far so good. I've got ZERO miles on 2 wheels. But I DO hope to ride tomorrow (Thurs) after work...providing it's not too cold or windy I mean.

Hope your year is off to a banner start! I'd like to hear of any resolutions you've made...(my only one is that I resolve every year not to make any resolutions, which means I immediately failed...my resolution is like matter and anti-matter colliding. Or more accurately, Matt'er and Anti-Matt'er...ha ha...get it? Matt's resolution....Matt'er?? I'm so clever sometimes I just slay myself!

OK..I need to sneak back to the game...Jeannie went to bed and the TV is MINE! Not sure what the score is, but Florida just ran a kickoff back for a TD (I think it's the 4th quarter). I think I still have some egg-nog left...mmmmmm!

Cheers!

15 comments:

  1. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all!

    I've been trying to keep up with reading, but Christmas with the kids has sucked away all of my extra time to comment! Just wanted to drop by quickly and let you know that I was thinking of you guys :)

    I'll try to stop back more often too!
    -Janann

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  2. I like the Anti-George decision making process. Me, I just try not to make decisions at all. That's why we have our Better Halves, isn't it?

    I rode less miles in 2012 than I did in 2011, and it shows, both in my waistline and my soul. So if I have a resolution for the year, it is to fix that mileage shortage. Happy New Year, Matt!

    tj

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  3. Happy New Year everyone! I'm a little late to the party, but I had my 88-year old Mom up for Christmas so it was lots of work, but plenty of reward! Hope everyone survived the holidays (sometimes I just want them to be OVER ALREADY!!) and are tackling 2013. I've signed my contract with the team for the year, so here we go again!!!

    Matt, my son was accepted in the fire academy at Hancock, starts next week and found a room to rent in a house - all set!

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    1. Hey Cathy...long time no hear...glad you are inked for another year! And happy that your son is in town and has a place to stay...that is good.

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  4. Well...just watched the BCS title game...boy did Bama take it to ND...(pretty much what I expected, but I was ROOTING for ND). I think Bama is better this year than they were last year when they beat LSU for the title (and I was rooting up a storm for them, cuz I'm not a LSU fan). I've actually been rooting all year for Bama..but when ND went so high in the polls I had to give them my cheers...

    And actually I was 2 for 2 in those final 4 games..which isn't too bad actually! that makes my final total 5 of 27. Turns out rooting for a team is a far cry from THINKING they will win. That is my fatal flaw. But I'm a Raider fan, so I'm quite versed in disappointment these last MANY years of rootin'.

    OK...college footbal is DONE, OVER, IN THE BOOKS for another year. Boo Hoo. But hey...that means CYCLING season is pretty much HERE! I don't have any trips planned (but that can change with a phone call)...last year at this time I was frantically preparing to fly to England for 3 months. This year I really hope to log some quality miles on the bikes and not be embarrassed when I ride with big bro Greg...

    And so...looks like Hockey will get some sort of a season after all. And I just started reading Tyler Hamiltons book (Greg loaned it to me...I have to say that after just the first chapter, it's pretty interesting to say the least!)

    OK...get out there and RIDE! (or stay inside and have hot cocoa and stay warm if that's ur thing). I'm only sad that my last carton of Egg Nog is gone...I LOVE that stuff! If only they made it year round...

    Cheers!

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  5. sheesh...I guess I failed basic math...I meant my final bowl game tally was 7 of 28...(must be that new math).

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  6. Happy New Year everyone!

    and, hey Matt, road cycling IS just around the corner! The tour down under starts on the 20th I think -- wonder if any of it will be on NBCSPorts? or over the internet? the time difference makes it a real challenge to follow.

    Did you know that the UCI World Cyclocross championship is being held in St. Louis, Feb. 2? I've watched a little of that sport this winter, it might be fun to go see... St. L. is about a 4-5 hour drive from here I think.

    Cathy, glad they didn't keep you wondering this year. Good luck to your team and looking forward to another year of Jens! Plus, congrats to your son, hope he likes it!

    Hi, Janann!

    Rae

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  7. Hey Matt, I mentioned you today over at Rant's. Will be my last day there for a while, maybe a long time. After trying to ignore, then spar with that Asperger LOON "LL", I've decided she is one of the most vile commenters I've come across in 10 years. It's bad enough to see what has happened to Lance without having to read a fabricated, self-righteous play-by-play.

    And, uh, not sure how to tell everyone here, but I think I'm at the end of my cycling viewership. 29 years. Actually longer than I've owned my car! Can we talk about other sports & stuff here? I hope to come back tomorrow to talk about college football. My Domers were replaced by pod players on the way to the NCG! I couldn't even watch the whole game. I admit - I'm gutless. After the Gator game (OMG, what happened to THEM?!), just couldn't take another CRASH & zeeeeeeeeeeee BURN!

    Take care, everyone! And stay away from that flu, it sounds NASTY!

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    1. Aww, Susie, I am sorry! I won't talk about football or baseball or BB, But! I will happily talk about investing!

      Rae

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  8. Hey Susie...it's been crazy over at Rants...LL is INSANE! She really has a psychological problem that she has the UTTER NEED to belittle you if you don't agree with her. I agree she's the most condescending egotistical BITCH I've ever encountered...no wonder she got a lifetime ban at CycleNews. If she continues to hang out at Rant's I'll prob stay away, just don't need that and can't bear to read her comments...she doesn't HEAR anything you say...she reads it only to come back and crush you with her "fact-pinion" (she continually states her opinion on everything as the undeniable truth).

    Anyway, I agree w/ Rae...you (we?) can always chat about INVESTING here...(and by chat I mean that you two can chat about investing and I'll be taking notes).

    I say don't give up on cycling...it's been a hard time lately but what can I say...I'll still be watching. Fabian is still in the mix...and it will be good to see when Spartacus 'leathers up' against Boonen in the Spring Classics this year...should be quite a showdown! How can you stay away from THAT?

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  9. Don't comment too often but always think of Matt's blog and the entire gang here as the perfect cycling community. May not get a lot of traffic off-season but there is an honest attempt at respectful passionate discourse.

    I don't pay for OWN so hoping I can find a way to see the interviews tomorrow and Thur. Don't know about the rest of you but I find myself choked-up when I consider the situation.

    Keep thinking about the hierarchy of the cycling community. And the risk of pulling the curtain back and revealing its ugly side. And how vehemently many non-riders derided those who did try to pull back the curtain, when we didn't like their tactics or way of going about it.

    I think of the high-achieving, ambitious people I've worked for, you know, those ones who chop an equal number of people off at the knees as those they help excel and motivate. Those ones whose erratic, juvenile behavior gets waved off in acknowledgment of their potential to bring about massive, positive change.

    Can't help but think that is what I've always felt about Lance. I wish for better things for him. I'll wear my bracelet proudly for all the people I've lost or nearly lost to cancer.

    Thanks for letting me vent.
    Jessica

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  10. Tell me something, if B.A. & that female soigneur had not REPEATEDLY written & spoken how Lance allegedly called them "fat", "bitch', or "prostitute" & a "drunk", how & where would ANYone have known? So, how does that 'destroy' your reputation if the only ones who know are the ones YOU tell? Did he take out a full page ad? Did he write it on a blog? Did he say it in an interview?

    Seriously, I want to know.

    And since when does calling anyone some derogatory name constitute a FELONY? If so, the ENTIRE population of internet users would have to go to freakin JAIL. Plus, the riders on my grade school bus, the US Armed forces, the country's police forces, & every male athlete to have ever put on a jock.

    And besides the TRAUMA of being labeled "fat" & a "bitch", how exactly was B.A.'s life RUINED? And can someone please make a list of all Frankie's "career opportunites" that Lance supposedly ruined? Was he FORCED to work, year after year, for OLN/Versus? Barbaric! I agree, for this alone, Lance needs to do hard time.

    And if Lance was as powerful & evil as they accuse, why didn't he just burn them to dust with his evil gaze? ;)

    You would think since the INTERNET has "existed since the 1950s", we'd all know this & much, much more!

    Personally, I almost don't want to give up my cycling fandom, as the inevitable future of PED-free perfection is just around the corner. And all it took was to throw Lance-Escobar on a funeral pyre.

    "Every time it rains, it rains
    Pennies from HEAVEN!
    Don't you know each cloud contains
    Pennies from Heaven?
    You'll find your fortune's fallin' all over the town
    Be sure that your umbrella is upside down

    Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
    If you want the things you love, you must have showers
    So, when you hear it thunder, don't run under a tree
    There'll be pennies from heaven for you and me"

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  11. Question - what is the definition of "blogging"? Does it strickly mean writing on your OWN blogsite? Or does it mean writing repeatedly on websites all over the internet in the form of comments, posts on forums, "opinion" pieces, or interviews? I think the latter. Lance Armstrong is alleged to have said Betsy Andreu "blogs 24 hours a day" about him. Andreu replied (via a lawsuit she filed) that she "never blogged...about him or anyone for that matter". Who's the liar here? Lance's statement is an exageration for effect. I've personally seen Betsy Andreu's comments on the Daily Peloton forum, & in the comment sections of Bicycling.com & Velonews.com. I think but am no longer certain she also chimed in at the Podium Cafe. Andreu's statement is at best an obfuscation. Who's ZOOMIN' WHO?

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  12. Al Trautwig was on ESPN radio yesterday & sounded off on his views of L.A. He said he doesn't "feel sorry for Lance", he feels sorry for himSELF. Because Lance was so "arrogant" & "insufferable". As ONE of the small handful of American cycling fans who actually liked Trautwig on OLN's Tour de France coverage, this is HYSTERICAL. "Hello, I'm AL the POT & you, KETTLE Lance Armstrong are BLACK".

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