23 + 94 = 600!!!

This is good math.  Let me explain.

As some of you may or may not know, I'm an Avs fan.  This past weekend, I took advantage of my close proximity to the Pepsi Center to take in a game with some friends.  We were not disappointed.

This season has been a bit rough.  Much as we were last year, we have been injury riddled.  Sakic, Foote, Statsny, McCormick, and Laperriere are all on injured reserved.  How big are these injuries?  Pretty big.  Sakic is our captain, Foote and Laperriere our two assistants, and Statsny, now in his third year, was a Calder finalist (first year MVP) and an All-Star last year.

Even so, there have been reasons to celebrate.  We are still in the playoff hunt and we have Milan Hejduk and Ryan Smyth.

These two future Hall-of-Famers had a memorable night this past Sunday when I saw my Avs play the Calgary Flames.  It was a great game.  Not only did we win 6-2 (scoring our last goal with only 0.5 seconds remaining!), but both Hejduk and Smyth scored their 300th career goal!  It was an evening I hope never to forget.

Congrats to #94 and #23!

A second patrol...

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg got it right several years ago when they produced Band of Brothers.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the film production, it's based on the real life experiences of E Company--more commonly referred to as "Easy Company".  The series succeeds in portraying the shortcomings, bravery, and wisdom of the individual soldiers, and company as a whole, as they prepared and then pushed their way through Nazi-occupied Europe.

One of the episodes focuses on the Battle of Bastogne.  The small Belgian community became a focal point during the Battle of the Bulge as it served as a strategic crossroads for supply routes.  Towards the end of the battle, Easy Company was given an order that would take them into harms way.

The orders and objectives for the first patrol were relatively simple: cross the river and capture commanders behind enemy lines.  The men were to target a building using the cover of darkness and the element of surprise to their advantage.  The young soldiers were not thrilled, to say the least, when given the orders.  It was risky and they knew their time on the front lines was coming to an end.  Even so, they obeyed and proceeded forward.

The end results were mixed: 2 captured, 1 dead.  Neither of the captured Nazis possessed useful information and it could, therefore, be argued nothing was gained by the patrol.  However, top brass viewed it as a successful operation and gave orders for a second patrol the next day.

The second patrol was to proceed under the same guidelines as that of the first--only the men of Easy Company were now required to venture deeper into enemy territory and would be operating without the element of surprise.  Add in the fact that the men knew they were to be leaving the next morning and no one wanted to take part in this mission.

The commander of Easy Company gave the orders and then ... told the men to sleep in.  They would make up a story the next morning.

Given this scenario, I thought this a very wise decision.  My roommate strongly disagreed.

So I ask you, my faithful readers: What would you do? Is it ever acceptable to disobey orders? and if so, when?

Welcome to Wyoming!

Need I say more?

A rotten end to the year...

I'm in a relationship I shouldn't be.  I've been seeing this young lady for a while now.  She's an outdoor enthusiast who has traveled to more countries than I have.  I enjoy spending time with her, but the relationship lacks the spark, the 'butterflies-in-the-stomach' feeling that one needs to continue down this road.  The telling point came when my parents asked which department she teaches in ... and I didn't know.  I'll likely end it upon returning to Laramie.

This past year was a year of tough decisions.  Now I realize that many years possess numerous such examples, but 2008 was different for me in that I really needed to step out in faith with these decisions.

The first such example was with a young lady I had been in contact with for some time.  This was someone I shared much in common with and have the upmost respect for.  There was no glaring reason why I should end it but rather a nagging gut feeling that this was the right thing to do.  As it turns out, she's met someone new; a better match if you will.  I'm happy for her, really.  It's bittersweet, but good.

The second was in regards to my employment.  I had been looking here and abroad and had sent out a number of applications to no avail (not even a follow-up).  My position at the time was my only offer for the coming fall.  In a step of faith, I turned down the offer.  Two months later, I was offered a position in Laramie.

On both occasions, I was fortunate in that something positive resulted, something I could take comfort in.  I realize this is not always the case.

Last night, I went over to a friend's place for dinner.  This is a friend I had gone out on a couple of dates back in August.  Later that night, I had plans to meet some friends down in Aggieville for New Year's festivities, in which she was welcome to join us.  Originally, we were not to be alone for dinner, but somehow (as I half-expected), plans changed and we found ourselves alone together.

She was looking nice last night, very nice.  And I was struggling.  As I was getting ready to leave I (attempted to) explain that I thought it would be best if we drove separately because of this.  I realize this is a drastic move on my part, but I really was trying to act in an honoring way towards her.  At any rate, she did not take to this well and, long story short, we parted ways with her telling me she never wanted to speak to me again.

It was a rotten way to end the year.  But I remain thankful that nothing happened and that I had supporting friends to meet with afterwards.

Welcome to 2009.