I am no longer a virgin...

...and instead a LION!

Does anyone really follow the zodiac? Even as a kid I thought the zodiac was rather goofy and thought the zodiac signs must be some ancient culture's names for the months of the year. I also remember being able to read my day into someone else's horoscope. Never really made sense to me.

To confound and frustrate me, I was labeled a 'girl'. Who want's to be a girl? Really?! But now, because of some glitch caused by the moon's gravitational pull, I can proudly boast that I am not a girl, but instead a LION!

I'm a boar on the Chinese calendar and I'm hoping they've messed up as well. I'm hoping I come out as a DRAGON!

Underrated.

A couple of nights ago, I met up with some friends in Laramie at Lovejoy's. It's a sports-bar in the downtown area that seems to attract more than it's fair share hockey fans. Not sure why, but as an avid Avs fan, you won't hear complaints from me.

My friends that I met up with are from Canada. As you might guess, being Canadian, they're hockey fans. We've discussed meeting up for an Avs game in the past and finally got around to watching one. Although close, this one was rather sloppy and, unfortunately, we lost 2-0 (empty netter at the end). As much of an Avs fan as I am, a second game on at the same time, the bowl game between Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee State, held almost as much interest as the hockey game (note that I said "almost").

The reason I was interested in this rather obscure bowl (the GoDaddy.com Bowl) is because the Bowl Challenge Cup was on the line January 6th. The Cup is awarded annually to the conference with the best winning percentage in the bowl games (minimum 3 games). If Middle Tennessee State won, the Sun Belt would finish the post season a perfect 3-0 (although it should be noted that all 3 wins would have been at the expense of the MAC). However, if Miami (Ohio) won, another conference would take the cup.

Thankfully, Miami (Ohio) prevailed 35-21.

Why am I thankful that this tiny school that really should be playing D-IAA defeated another school that should also be playing D-IAA football? Because it meant the Mountain West Conference would win the Cup for the 2nd year in a role, 4th time overall, and 3rd time in the past four years! To put this in perspective, since its inception at the end of the 2002-03 season, no conference has won it outright twice other than the MWC (if you want to read a good breakdown of the bowl games over the past several years, read this).

Both last year and this year, the MWC won the Cup with a 4-1 record. In fact, both years our only bowl loss came at the hands of a school that will be joining the conference next season, Boise State.

So why bring this up? In case you didn't know or having been living in a cave, the BCS sucks.

Earlier this year, the president of a certain evil school in the Big 10 made the case that schools from non-automatic-qualifying BCS conferences really didn't have a place playing with the 'big boys' of automatic-qualifying BCS conferences.

This type of thinking is simply outdated. The Mountain West has made its case that it belongs with automatic qualifiers thrice:

2005 Utah (11-0) destroyed the Big East's best, Pittsburgh (8-3), 35-7

2009 Utah (12-0) did it again when they crushed the SEC's Alabama (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl 31-17

2011 TCU (12-0) beat the Big 10's best, Wisconsin (11-1), in the granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, 21-19.

Billboards such as this were put up around the college town of this particular outspoken president as a reminder that his thoughts on the BCS are, as is the BCS itself, outdated.

Thank God for the NFL.

Out with the old, in with the new...

I made a trip to the Little Apple for New Year's. It's a good time and not just because I'm with friends. Aggieville hosts a night of live music capped off with fireworks and a laser-light show to kick-off the new year for the thousands brave enough to face the cold and celebrate the turning of a calendar page with their neighbors.

A new year offers the opportunity (some would say 'excuse') to change and set goals for one's life. I've set several New Year's resolutions for 2011, which is nothing that out of the ordinary except maybe that I've already started working on them. In case you're curious, I have 3:

1. WALKING...by the end of the semester, I was walking/running 20-25 miles a week. I would like to continue this.
2. COFFEE...I am not a true coffee drinker and likely never will be. I'm one who likes a 'little coffee with my cream and sugar'. However, I've been making an attempt to cut back on the sugar I use with my coffee and cream.
3. SAVINGS...My friend Jon is probably better at this than anyone I know. I am not a big spender, but I would like to be more like him in this area.

This past fall my church in Fort Collins offered a number of classes on the Bible and spiritual living. One of the courses caught my interest, a course on the Old Testament. Since it was advertised as a class on the history of the Old Testament, I assumed it would be a course on just that: the history of the Old Testament. I was wrong.

It turned out to be more of a course on how the story of Christ is mirrored and alluded to through the tale of the ancient Israelites. At times this seemed more of a stretch than sound doctrine (I come from the school of thought that some of the OT stories stand on their own), but I still enjoyed the class. If nothing else, taking the course forced me to reread much of the Old Testament.

I'm not sure when the last time was when I read through this portion of the Bible and I'm always surprised at what I learn or what catches my eye with a second read. This time through it was the story of Saul.

In the past, I had always dismissed Saul, for lack of a better term, as an idiot. Here was a man who had been chosen by God to lead the 12 Tribes of Israel only to waste most of his reign chasing after David and ultimately mess it up by seeking the advise of a witchdoctor near the end. He made poor decisions throughout his life and was eventually replaced as king because of it. But this time as I read his story, it was different. I found myself relating to his story; I found compassion for this man.

What brought about the change was the realization that at nearly every turn Saul sought God's will and advice, even when he visited the sorcerer! The problem was he didn't go about it in a proper manner and didn't wait for God's timing, he wasn't patient in other words. He wanted answers and he wanted them now! This was the lesson learned for me; how often have I demanded an immediate response only to rush into action when it's not given?

So this year, in addition to the 3 before mentioned resolutions, I resolve to learn from Saul. To continue to seek God's guidance and, arguably more importantly for me, to wait for His response.