Author: Mike

2012 Football Contests. Bring it.

2012 Football Contests. Bring it.

Mike

It’s time!

Last year we had 3 of these contests going, we’re kicking it up a notch. Just not all the way to 11, because that might get a bit excessive. So let’s do this. Join one or join them all.  But hey, don’t be a weenie.  Join them all.

 

Survival Football

The easiest and hardest all at the same time.  Pick one NFL game each week. If they win you move on, if they lsoe you’re out. You can only use each team once.

Join now

Group ID:  5974
Password:  gobears

 

 College Pick’em

This one is just like it sounds. Pick the college football games each week.  All games will be picked against the spread.  Why?  Because anyone can pick that kU is going to lose each week, but do you know if they’re going to lose by more or less than 44 point?  That’s where the real prognostication comes in. Your lowest weekly score gets dropped from the overall standings.

Each week in this league we’ll be picking all the games involoving Big XII teams, all games involving an AP Top 25 team, as well as an occasional other interesting game as deemed by Yahoo.  Cause Yahoo likes interesting games.

Join now

Group ID: 4912
Password: gostate

 

 

NFL Pick’em

No spreads for the NFL Pick’em.  Instead it’s all about the confidence points. You pick the winner of every game each week. But then you assign points based on your confidence level. If you know for sure the Bears will beat the Chiefs (cause, duh), then give that pick 16 points. If you don’t have a clue who will win between the Cardinals and the Packers, cause it turns out they both really suck, then give it 1 point. Less to lose that way.

Join now

Group ID:  13278
Password: gobears

Salary Cap Football

New this year! This is like fantasy football, except that we can all have the same team if we want, so there are an unlimited amount of players.  Each player has a value that changes each week. Buy low, and keep their salary low. You can change as much as you want, you just have to have a full roster, and you have to stay under the salary cap.

Join now

GroupID:  1134
Password: gostate

 

Reflections on Aurora: It’s just that simple

Reflections on Aurora: It’s just that simple

Mike

I learned a lot yesterday watching the world try to make sense of tragedy.

I learned that it’s completely ok to take children to movie theaters to see movies that they probably are too young to see.  That it’s wrong for people to be in movie theaters if they’re making too much noise and disturbing others and that personal rights to enjoy a movie preempt the rights of everyone else in the theater to see the movie. I learned that this isn’t a discussion anyone can have because it’s rude to kill people in a theater. And it’s just that simple.

I learned that it could have been me because I’m a fan of Batman.  I learned it could have been you because you go to midnight movies. I learned that it was almost your friend because they were in Colorado.  I learned it was someone just like us because they were on Twitter, too. I learned that it could have been any of us, and it had to be all of us.   And it’s just that simple.

I learned that community is locally global. I learned that if you don’t think globally, you can ruin your local and global perception. I learned that right here at home can mean across the street or a thousand miles away. It’s just that simple.

I learned that in times of tragedy no one wants anything to be politicized, theologized, or philosophized. I learned that no one can speak without doing one or all of those. I learned that the loudest voices aren’t the ones that want to be political, but the ones that are worried it will become political. I learned that nothing can be separated from politics, theology, and philosophy. And it’s just that simple.

I learned that if we had stricter gun laws things like this wouldn’t happen. I learned that if only someone in the theater had a gun the madman would have been stopped. I learned that guns don’t kill people, people do, and if they didn’t have guns they couldn’t kill people. And it’s just that simple.

I learned that all things happen for a reason and that there’s no reason for any of it.  That there’s a demonic stronghold on the Denver area and that God had everything and nothing to do with this. I learned that God allows evil. And it’s just that simple.

I learned that we need someone to blame. The inability to discern mental health. The parents who bring a child to the theater. The industries that glorify violence. The society that makes it so easy to get and use guns. The right. The left. The center. The gunman. And it’s just that simple.

I learned that when we can’t understand we look for answers. We look for solutions. We all mourn together, and we just need something. Anything. We know we can’t go back, so we just need to move forward.  And so it’s all right. And it’s all wrong. And still we mourn.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
-Matthew 5:4

And still, it’s just that simple.

Instagram Exposed

Instagram Exposed

Mike

I love Instagram. Don’t get me wrong. I love it for the social aspects of sharing photos and telling story through stunning visual imagery1.  But more often than not people just don’t seem to get it. They take a picture and then run it through unnecessary filters that  detract from a photo rather than enhance it2. And don’t even get me started on people that feel the need to blur things out3.

Instagram starts by lowering the resolution on the photo, dropping the quality right as you begin. Then as you filter, blur, and otherwise manipulate the photo you’re destroying it just a bit more each time.  So this morning I thought I would do a little experiment. I took a quick picture of my breakfast.  I think it looks pretty delicious:

 

 

Mmmm…. bacon4.  But I digress.  That’s just a quick cell phone shot. I didn’t even really try, but I think it looks pretty good.

Even the no filter version of this picture on Instagram doesn’t look as appetizing:

 

And from there I just kept layering on photos5.  Follow below to see the transformation of my breakfast from delish to giant blob6.

PreviousNext
  1. OK, sometimes stunning visual imagery. It is out there, you have to follow the right people [↩]
  2. If you follow me on Instragram @RealMikeT, you’ll find that almost everything I upload is nofilter [↩]
  3. Seriously! It’s ridiculous. If things are in the same depth of field but one is blurry and the other is not it looks ridiculous. Enhance the photos, don’t ruin them! [↩]
  4. I realized this morning that people who follow me on Twitter have seen a lot more pictures of my bacon than they have of me. They probably appreciate that. [↩]
  5. I also discovered there’s an Instagram jail for someone who keeps trying to upload photos. I’m currently in it. This post was meant to just be a series of Instagram photos, now it’s here instead. [↩]
  6. Obviously this abuse is on purpose. It’s the first filter with each subsequent filter layered on top. But I think you get the point. [↩]
The Ambiguity of Heroism and Villany

The Ambiguity of Heroism and Villany

Mike

Two years ago LeBron James was a hero to everyone1. He seemed like the ultimate good guy and everyone wanted him on their team. The problem, of course was that 29 teams couldn’t have him. Only one could, and as all know, he took his talents to South Beach.  And just like that, he became the villain2.

The next two seasons have seen millions root against the Heat. Why root for the team of superstars that realized they couldn’t handle leading a team on their own, and had to all come together with the expectation of dominating the league for years.  But that didn’t happen the first year, and while they finished with the championship in year two, it was anything but dominant.  They didn’t even finish with the top seed in their conference, instead losing out to the injury plagued Bulls3.

But now LeBron has a ring, and suddenly the media wants to throw the “Now is he the next Michael Jordan?” question at us again. Anyone who understands sports knows that there can’t be a comparison between the two. Comparing players from different eras is next to impossible.

But is it really a question of the best player, or is it a question of the biggest hero? We live in a world where if you’re good, people inevitably root against you.  It’s why the Yankees and Duke basketball are the most hated teams in sports. If you’re good for that long, everyone will hate you4.  But no one hated Michael Jordan. Even his biggest rivals could only marvel at what he did. He was a hero.
But Jordan was far from perfect5. There were stories of gambling problems, affairs, treating those around him pretty terribly, and some of the things villains are made of.  And Lebron’s biggest crime? Taking a job in another town6. The line between hero and villain is certainly a thin one.  And which is which?
But that’s where we just can’t make a call anymore. The game has changed to the point where it’s nearly impossible to compare Jordan and James. They do different things under a different set of rules. Lebron just isn’t the hero that Jordan was. But is it because of who Lebron is, or is it because the world doesn’t look at heroes the same way anymore.  We can n0 longer define good and evil. You don’t have to look past the movie we’re all waiting for this summer. There was a time when Batman was pure good, and now we want our heroes to have a balance between good and evil.  We have no time for the purely good.
So will Lebron be the next Michael Jordan?  No, we’ll never let him be. But is he really a hero or a villain?
Yes.
  1. We almost forget how much everyone totally loved for him and rooted for the Cavs [↩]
  2. I don’t know if he would have been that much of a villain had he gone to Chicago or somewhere else, but running off to be with Wade and Bosh to create their own super power certainly did it [↩]
  3. Had Rose & Noah not been hurt in the playoffs, I feel pretty confident we’d still be talking about how they couldn’t get it done [↩]
  4. I fully endorse hating the Yankees. They are pure evil. But I gave up on hating Duke a long time ago. They run a class program and Coach K is pretty freaking awesome [↩]
  5. Please note, this is coming from a life long Bulls fan who can’t stand the Heat. So don’t accuse me of trying to paint a pretty picture of LeBron. I say keep hating him [↩]
  6. Albeit in a completely arrogant and ridiculous manner [↩]
I Know a Spot that I Love Full Well…

I Know a Spot that I Love Full Well…

Mike

…’Tis not in forest, nor yet in dell.

There is a political climate in this nation that is currently broken and divided, and seemingly beyond repair.1  To what degree we can get away from it depends on where we can go to be unified. Throughout my life there has been one place where that seems possible…

Ever it holds me with magic spell…

There’s something about the love that comes from a place where you spend four of the best years of your life. Walking on campus always brings back memories of a time where things couldn’t have seemed more difficult, but couldn’t have been more simple.  You walk by the dorms,2 apartments, and houses you once lived in and remember the fun. The wild. The disappointment. The hope. The promise. The friends.  You remember everything that could have been, and everything that was.3

If you’re a sports fan that only becomes intensified as you remember the wins,4 the losses,5 the tailgates, and different versions of every emotion that you’ve spent in your life. Every football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball game gives you the chance to transport back to that time, even if it’s just for a few hours.

I think of thee, alma mater.

And that’s what brings us together. For 3 hours we may disagree on what play should be run,6 whether we should be in a man or a zone, or how long the pitcher should stay in.  Some want the traditional football uniforms7 and others love the grey new style of basketball uniforms.8 And you can’t do it without carrying a passion for everything that a place like Kansas State University means to you. And while we may passionately disagree, we’re all wearing purple.

K! S! U! We’ll carry the banner high.

And we wear purple through a dark time. We wear purple as a coach we loved, and who we thought loved us, leaves us. When you love someone and they hurt you, you don’t want to believe they could possibly have hurt you.  There has to be someone to blame, and it can’t be them. So we blame the athletic director. We blame the president. We blame the NCAA.  We blame everyone we can except the person who was the one who actually made the decision to pack up and walk away, and leave us staring into an unknown future.9

But we still wear purple.

K! S! U! Long, long may the colors fly.

Like our divided nation, the fan base is divided as well.  No one wanted Frank to leave, but how we react to it makes up who we are. Most fans understand the flaws and the problems. It’s not difficult to see things from all sides of what has happened at K-State as a boss and an employee couldn’t come together, and the relationship couldn’t be salvaged.  And here we are.10

There’s a small, but extremely vocal minority of fans who have chosen to take a very dark side. They want to win at all costs. They want to thumb their nose at the rules, invent crazy conspiracy theories, and harass anyone who thinks any different. They believe they’re the only true fans, and they’re determined to make sure that everyone knows.  Rationality and ethics mean nothing. Only the conclusions that they’ve arrived at long before any information could be addressed.

But they’re small. As small in size as in decency.

Loyal to thee thy children will swell the cry…

It’s a dark time, indeed. But it doesn’t have to be. The rest of K-State can move forward. The rest of us can see that K-State doesn’t revolve around one man, but instead everyone that wears purple from the freshman in the dorms to the players on the field. From the professors in the classrooms to the coaches on the sidelines.  From the administration in Anderson Hall to the alumni around the world.

We are K-State.

And we go on.

And we all wear purple.

Hail! Hail! Hail! Alma mater.

  1. The good news is that nothing is beyond repair, it’s certainly not as broken as it was during the Civil War [↩]
  2. 4 Years in Goodnow Hall for me. Loved every second of it. I’ll never forget walking into that tiny cell of a room the first day, or sneaking on the roof to smoke cigars on my last night… and a million things in between. [↩]
  3. and maybe even a few things that weren’t [↩]
  4. Nebraska. November 14, 1998. Best day of my life. [↩]
  5. A&M. Big XII Championship. Worst day of my life. [↩]
  6. I still don’t get why Klein didn’t run it in at Oklahoma State. [↩]
  7. Thank you, Bill, never change [↩]
  8. My least favorite. Love the white ones and the purple ones. The black ones are ok… but I can do without the grey. [↩]
  9. Let’s face it… Frank is at least 50% of the blame here. You can’t rationalize with someone who can’t possibly believe they could be wrong… and you can’t placate them forever either. [↩]
  10. Better than we were post Wooldridge. K-State is a good job, and it’s now about continuing something, not building something from scratch. [↩]
Bracket Time

Bracket Time

Mike

We all know what time of year it is.  Bracket time is back.  I don’t care what all you Christmas, summer, or other time of year lovers say, starting this week we’re in the most wonderful time of the year. It’s March, baby!

So my yearly bracket contest is back. As always it’s just for fun, no money involved, but the winner will get a prize direct from the Final Four in New Orleans. It’s never a great prize, but it’s something you can’t get anywhere else. Well, except maybe on Ebay.

So here goes, all you have to do is click here to sign up.

Also, this year, for the first time, I’m doing a women’s one. I’m not going to be at the Women’s Final Four, so no prize, but if you’re feeling adventerous, give it a shot as well.  You can enter it by clicking here.

Bring.

It.

On.

 

Buck-A-Board

Mike

If you’re reading this you probably know that I’m the co-host of The Salute, a fan podcast1 about K-State sports2 on CollegeSportsVision.com.  We don’t do it for money, or really any other reason than to amuse ourselves, but Cory and I thought we could try and do it for something just a bit more, at least this once… so we’ve decided to try to organize some support for The Global Orphan Project.

What we’d like to do is ask you to come along side us in pledging $1 per rebound3 during the K-State vs. KU game on this Monday, February 13th.  As of today K-State is averaging 38.7 rebounds a game, so a buck a board would come out to about $40. If that’s too much to do, then consider pledging $1 per offensive rebound.  That’ll likely be about $15.  But if you’re a KU fan, we want you to be able to join in as well. When you pledge you’ll be able to select to go by KU’s rebounds as well. The point isn’t who you’re rooting for, but the difference it can make.   If you have some other amount that you want to pledge, there’s a spot for “other” and you can fill in whatever you want.  Everything will help.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Make your pledge now by clicking here.
  2. The day after the game you’ll get an email reminding you of your pledge amount and a link to TheGlobalOrphanProject.org .
  3. Head to The Global Orphan Project’s website to make your payment by credit or debit card, or mail the donation to their organization. Mike & Cory will never touch your money.

That’s it. Oh… and one more thing: Our sponsor, Tallgrass Brewing Company,4  has agreed to donate a prize pack for one lucky winner. We’ll randomly5 draw the name of one person who pledges and they’ll send you some awesome Tallgrass swag6. As if helping change the world wasn’t awesome enough.

So thanks for taking part, and K-State fans7… we salute you!

  1. Which of course you can always listen to at http://kan.st/6a or subscribe to at http://kan.st/6b. You can even find it on Stitcher. [↩]
  2. Also well known as the longest running podcast in the history of K-State sports [↩]
  3. Don’t worry, we won’t touch your money, we’ll just trust you to donate it directly to them [↩]
  4. The official beer of The Salute podcast [↩]
  5. Trust me, I’m a giant nerd. I’ll use a random number generator and everything [↩]
  6. Sorry, no beer, though. That probably gets into some crazy legal issue that none of us want to deal with [↩]
  7. And I guess, KU fans, too… in this one instance, but only if you’re pledging [↩]

Cheer Loud, K-State

Mike

Back in December K-State played West Virginia and the big conversation was whether or not Bob Huggins should have been cheered or booed. There were plenty of great points on both sides. Those who cheered pointed out that Huggins gave the Cats the jump start they needed to be a top 25 type program again. Those who booed pointed out that he’s not generally thought of as someone of high character, and that after being given his second chance at K-State he left after only 1 season in the Little Apple.  All the hype was there for the match-up, and when it came time the cheers far out numbered the boos, even if I didn’t agree with it at the time1. But Huggins isn’t the only former coach we’ll be facing this season.

There’s no need to point out that I’m referring to Lon Kruger. Every K-State fan should know that not only is his number 12 hanging in the rafters as a player, but that he spent 4 years at Kansas State as the head coach who followed the legend, Jack Hartman.  I, like many who will read this, wasn’t around for Kruger’s time at K-State2, so it’s time for just a bit of a refresher.

Lon Kruger was a true home state Kansan. He grew up just down the road from Manhattan in Silver Lake, Kansas and went on to a great career at K-State including 3 letters, 2 Big 8 player of the year awards, and 1,063 points. There’s a reason that his number 12 hangs in the rafters in the Octagon. But as good as he was as a player, his numbers as a coach are even more impressive.

Kruger spent 4 seasons at Kansas State as the head coach and is still the only coach to take the Wildcats to 4 straight NCAA tournaments3, including an Elite 8 run in 19884.   He also was the first coach at K-State to lead the team to a 20 win season in his first year5.

So sure, Lon left after 4 years to head to Florida. And sure, Lon, after stops at Illinois, the Atlanta Hawks6,  and UNLV he came back his home conference7, to face off against his alma mater. But there hasn’t been any serious questioning as to whether or not we should cheer Lon on Saturday when his Oklahoma Sooners come to the Little Apple. Boo his team all you want, but when they announce, “Coaching for the Oklahoma Sooners, Lon Kruger,” even if just for this first trip back, let’s make certain we blow the roof off of the place.

Welcome back, Coach.

  1. Ok, let’s face it… I still don’t agree with it. [↩]
  2. As many readers know, I grew up in Iowa and moved to Kansas while I was in high school. Before about 1993 I had no clue that Kansas State ever existed, so I didn’t grow up watching Kruger play or coach, but I love sports history, and I love K-State, so I appreciate him just as though I had [↩]
  3. Frank is looking at getting K-State to their 3rd straight this year, and appears to be on pace to match Lon in this feat [↩]
  4. Also a feat that Frank has matched… 20 years later [↩]
  5. You guessed it, Frank did too. [↩]
  6. The only stop in his coaching career where he was not successful. [↩]
  7. Which of course, is now the Big 12, but contains only 2 more teams than the Big 8 that he left [↩]

On Joe Paterno

Mike

When Joe Paterno was fired it was one of the biggest stories of 2011. Everyone was talking about it whether they were fans of college football or not. The Sandusky cover up, the scandal… it was too much to believe. Paterno took the fall for his failure to act.  At the time at which he was fired I said on multiple occasions that I thought he would be dead within a year. I’m very sad that prediction has come to pass.

I don’t know what to believe about the scandal. There’s no question that the power Paterno wielded, that he could have done more. But I’m so far from the situation that I can’t understand or know what he knew, or what he thought he had accomplished with any action he had taken.  Maybe I’m a sucker, but I tend to assume the best in people, and I want to believe that he did what he thought was right, and thought the problem had been taken care of. For years it had been said that he was too old and was somewhat of a figurehead in the program and didn’t know what was going on. That was applied to his coaching, but that view was never given in this situation. I don’t know what he knew, or what he tried to accomplish to stop it. But I do know one thing… he wasn’t the one who did it.

There is never a time to celebrate one’s death. And yet right now I see a split between those who want to celebrate, and the people who want to tribute a coach who spent 46 years roaming the sidelines of Penn State University’s football field and collecting a record 409 wins. He was a man that by all other accounts was seen as a good and honorable man. The mistake we learned of in the last few months of his life was a big one, by all accounts. And perhaps we all have moments that define a lifetime. No one can pretend that these past few months aren’t a major part of the story, but should it be the story? I just pray that my worst moments don’t end up defining my lifetime.

Friday Happy Hour: No, Don’t Tell Me!

Mike

Time for another edition of Mental Floss’ Friday Happy Hour. Questions theirs, answers mine.

1. I have two young daughters, and each time my wife and I didn’t know the sex until a little girl popped out to meet us. If I have any more kids, I would do the same thing. It was such a wonderful and bizarre feeling not knowing until the last second. But the obsessive planner in me completely understands why people find out. Did you (or would you) find out what you were having?

First, this is probably a question I’m not going to have to answer.  Second, even if I do someday find myself in this situation, is it ever really up to the dude?  But that being said, I would much rather wait. I’ve always thought that’s the way to go.
2. Think back to high school. What class or teacher had the most impact on the rest of your life?

D.O. AKA, Mr. Ortman. I looked up to him a ton, and used a lot of what he taught me when I was a teacher. His huge focus was about learning how to think, not just how to do the problems, and that has always stuck with me in a variety of areas.

 

3. One day back in 2006, I checked my voicemail and heard this:

One new message is in your mailbox. First message…

Hi, it’s me Joe Piscopo! Yes it’s me, Joe Piscopo!

I’m sorry to come into your home like this. I just wanted to make sure that all my friends get out and vote on election day. You know I’m a Democrat but I’m going to vote for Tom Kean.

Always be proud to be from the state of New Jersey. And get out and vote!

Have you gotten any robocalls from ’80s celebrities this (or any) election cycle?

Nope. But I do get robocalls from Bill Snyder and Frank Martin from time to time.

 

4. Time for another edition of ‘what are you reading? (Do you recommend it?)’

The Know-It-All by AJ Jacobs. No question about it. It’s rare that I literally laugh out loud at a book, and this one gets me frequently.  Jacobs has a way of writing that draws you in, makes you care about a pointless quest, and entertains you the entire time.

Passion vs. Bias

Mike

Last week I was asked a question. It was a fair question about an issue that had come up in conversation. I was in a room full of people, but it was certainly possible that only one person really cared what my answer was.

The topic happened to be something that I am very passionate about, and one that I don’t tend to pull punches on when I talk about. It also happens to be a topic that I developed my strong thoughts on by questioning, debating, and researching an issue that was I knew I needed to establish a position on.  Several years ago I embarked on a journey to discover.  Over the course of that time I found that there seemed to be a clear right and wrong on the issue, and I strongly felt that I needed to stand for and defend the side that I believe is right.

So back to last week. When asked my opinion I opened strong, before I was given the opportunity to state why I held the position I did someone jumped to conclusions about me, and stopped the conversation by saying they only wanted to hear input from someone who was not biased. Based on most rhetoric on the issue it’s hard to blame someone for assuming that to be passionate about an issue is to be biased.  Our political, spiritual, and ethical landscapes are clouded by people who take a position because their group, clan, or “god” has told them that is the position that is accepted. Rather than exploring what is right they defend what they are told is right. The end result is not movement towards what is right, but instead the defense of a position.  Why be right when you can win?

It’s possible to be passionately biased.  It’s possible to e passionately wrong. But it’s also possible to be passionate about something as the result of an unbiased journey as well. If you want to dialog, end the rhetoric that defends a position, and embrace the passionate search… and consider that the person you’re talking to may have done the same.

2011: The Year in Review

Mike

I’ve been doing this questionaire each year as a year in review, so why not do it again? This just happens to be the first time over on this website. The old ones were on my former blog.  But old is old, here’s the new:

1) What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

  • Started a podcast
  • Took a job in social media marketing
  •  Bought season tickets to a pro sport (Even if it was just Arena Football)
  • Appeared on a network TV show

2) Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I normally don’t do resolutions. I’m thinking of a 2012 one to write/blog more. But let’s make it unofficial.  Less pressure that way.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
I think everyone I know on Facebook had a baby in 2011. They’re all doing it again in 2012. But none of my family did.

4) Did anyone close to you die?
Lost one of my former students. Heartbreaking.

5) What countries did you visit?
Texas. It’s like a whole other country.

6) What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

  • K-State getting a Big XII championship (preferably men’s basketball and/or football)
  • A surplus of money
  • Dates that don’t ultimately end in disaster
  • Bowl tickets

7) What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I can’t think of a specific date that mattered this year. Lots of events that were fun, important, or meaningful, but no dates that will live in infamy or glory.

8 ) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Starting a podcast, gaining some listeners, and even getting a sponsorship.

9) Did you suffer illness or injury?
I don’t remember being sick. Crap. That means I’m probably due for my every other year flu.

10) What was the best thing you bought?
I buy them every year, but I’ll say my K-State football tickets. 2011 was a really fun season.

11) Whose behavior merited celebration?
Cardinal Steve. You wouldn’t expect to see progress in a 42 year old, blind, autistic guy, but no suicidal hospitalizations, and he seems to become more thoughtful all the time.

12) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Most of the people I follow on Twitter. Sick people on Twitter. Sick and awesome.

13) Where did most of your money go?
This list is the same every year:
Paying off debt
Car/Car repair
Living expenses
K-State tickets

14) What did you get really, really, really excited about?

  • K-State football & basketball
  • Learning just how great beer can be
  • My job change

15) What song will always remind you of 2011?
“All I Do is Win”

16) Compared to this time last year, are you:
Wiser?  Yes, but probably not in any healthy ways.
Healthier?  Probably so. I’ve been working out, so there’s that.
Richer? Making less and no more work on the side. Guess that’s a no.

17) What do you wish you’d done more of?
Blogging. Really. I feel like when I’m writing more, I’m thinking and learning more.

18) What do you wish you’d done less of?
Wasting time, money, and emotions on people who didn’t really want it.

19) How did you spend Christmas?
In Indy with the fam, eating prime rib and making my nephew cry.

20) Did you fall in love in 2011?
Now that’s just funny. Or not funny at all.

21) What was your favorite blog post that you wrote?
I didn’t write many, but I guess I’d say this one.

22) What were your favorite TV programs?

  • Raising Hope
  • Community
  • Parks & Rec
  • Breaking Bad (catching up late)
  • Mad Men (also behind)

23) Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Tim Tebow. But that’s not real hate, just sports hate.

24) What was the best book you read?
This was the year of fiction for me. It had been a long time since I had read any fiction.  I’m 2 of 3 books done with the Millennium series and loving it, but for the best ones I’ll say the Hunger Games series.

25) What was your greatest musical discovery?
How about a re-discovery? I saw Tom Petty live and it totally renewed my appreciation of him.  I had no idea how good of a show he would put on, and had forgotten how good his stuff is.

26) What did you want and get?

  • Various rare beers
  • A new tv for my home office

27) What did you want and not get?

  • A K-State Final Four
  • A winning lottery ticket

28) What was your favorite film of this year?
The Muppets. Oh yeah. I went there.

29) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 34. Watched K-State blow a game to Oklahoma State, and then hung out at The Foundry for awhile.

30) Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?
Bill freaking Snyder. I’m appreciating him even more as a coach, and more as a person than I have in the past… and that’s saying a lot.

31) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Umm, don’t buy anything unless you have to?

32) What kept you sane?
This question is making some big assumptions that aren’t necessarily true.

33) Who did you miss?
I now have a better job with fantastic people I work with… but I miss many of the people at my old job, too.

34) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Never believe anything a woman says or does. It’ll change before the next “date.”

35) What did you gain this year?
My very own dot com.

36) What did you lose this year?
My house church. That was a bummer. I’d really like to get a new one going.

37) Who were the most interesting new people you met?
I had several tweet-ups and met a lot of people from Twitter in person. That was a lot of fun, and a lot of really cool people.

38) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“You’re a 3 decker sour kraut and toad stool sandwich
With arsenic sauce!” -from “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”