An Interesting Story...If Only To Me

So, today is supposed to be the day that our good friend, Tom Hanson, returns to the Valley of the Sun for the first time since June, when he left. He's coming back to teach at M.C. Cash Elementary School, and he's flying out today to take care of some paperwork and introduction stuff. Now here's where the story comes in...

Tom is flying in to town today. My roommate, Curtis, and I were supposed to pick him up from the Mesa airport after school, but Curtis didn't realize that his girls basketball team had a game tonight (instead of last night, like he originally thought). So, Curtis decides that we're going to drop off his truck at the airport for Tom to drive. The truck has a keypad entry system, so the keys can be locked inside. As long as you know the code, you're fine to get in. So, last night, we dropped the car off at the airport, and called Tom to let him know where it was, etc.

This morning, I get a call from Curtis...Tom just realized that he's not flying to Mesa, he's flying to Sky Harbor. So, he now has to take a taxi from there to our house, and we have to drive back to the Mesa airport to get Curtis' truck that could have never been there to begin with.

Murphy's law, I guess. Or, just dumb luck. Or, Tommy.

I love that he's back.

Fiesta!

What a game last night! I think when we look back on the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, it will be seen as one of the greatest football games that meant nothing. That's too bad, because Ohio State and Texas put up such a great fight, and they really have nothing to show for it. When time passes, they neither one will be remembered any more than this year's Cincinnati team will be. The BCS is the worst format to find a champion. That being said, I don't know that playoffs can be used at this point. There's just too much money in the bowls, too many opportunities for lower level schools to make money, too much money for other programs besides the cash cow football to be funded, and not really a chance to establish a good system that would/could/should compete with the second-best knock-out playoff system that the NFL has (of course, the best is the NCAA basketball tournament).

They could use March Madness as a template, but in order to satisfy the number of teams that are being represented there, they would have to have a six-week playoff, and that's too long. Even a 24-team playoff (with 8 byes for the typical BCS rankings) would be five games, and the only way that's truly going to work is if you cut the regular season to 9 or 10 games. That would not be fiscally responsible for the Conference Commissioners to work out, so we're stuck with what we have...

Or are we?

If, for example, we look at the 2008 season, and we start on December 13, one week after the season ended, with a 24-team playoff, this would work out as such:

Start with the 24-team field...which would include the 11 conference champions from the MAC, Conference USA, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac-10, Sun Belt, and WAC, and then add thirteen at-large teams (which could be added with a BCS-style points system or a selection committee like the basketball tournament). In any event, the top 8 teams would be given a first round bye. In this hypothetical case, Oklahoma (Big 12 champ), Florida (SEC champ), Texas (at-large), Alabama (at-large), USC (Pac-10 champ), Utah (Mountain West champ), Texas Tech (at-large), and Penn State (Big Ten champ) would get the byes. The other teams would be seeded 9-24 and play each other in the first round on December 13. Those games would feature Boise State (WAC champ) vs. Troy (Sun Belt champ), Ohio State (at-large) vs. Buffalo (MAC champ), TCU (at-large) vs. East Carolina (Conference USA champ), Cincinnati (Big East champ) vs. Missouri (at-large), Oklahoma State (at-large) vs. Pittsburgh (at-large), Georgia Tech (at-large) vs. Virginia Tech (ACC champ), Georgia (at-large) vs. Michigan State (at-large), and BYU (at-large) vs. Oregon (at-large).

The winners of the first-round games would play at the teams with the first-round byes on December 20 (this year, this was the first date for bowl games). This would be the final round for on-campus games.

The final three rounds would rotate between six current bowl sites, this would most likely include the following in this situation: Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl); Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl); New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl); Miami, FL (Orange Bowl); Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl); and Atlanta, GA (Chick-fil-a Bowl [formerly Peach Bowl]). The championship game would rotate each year, and its site would get to host two games (one in the third round [quarterfinal] and then the final).

The third round would be December 27 and would whittle the field down to four teams. Next, obviously, would be semifinal, on January 3, and then the final would be January 10, just two days after this year's scheduled championship game on January 8. As far as time goes, this is very doable, and it keeps those cities in position with at least the economic benefits of having their games still.

Welcome to 2009

I haven't posted in a few weeks, and I thought that I would take this time to write.

So much has happened. A lot of football has been played, I spend New Year's at Disneyland for Maggie's birthday, and another year has come: 2009. Let's hope it's better than 2008.

Today is our first day back to school, and it's a sad one. It's Doug Keough's last day. It's bittersweet. I love Doug professionally. He is by far the best teacher I've ever worked with, so it's sad to see him go. At the same time, Tom Hanson is replacing him, which excites me. He's one of my best friends in the world, and he'll be next door to me.

Relationship-wise, it's status quo. All quiet on my southern front. This has to end, right?

Hey, Hey Paula

So, it's weird for a grown man to have a crush, right? Right?

I've been working (and flirting) with a woman for about a year (since shortly after my divorce), and I feel as though I could be with her for a while. I don't know if she's a long-termer, but she's hot, so she could definitely be a short timer. However, I feel like Paula Kirk is way too hot for me. I believe on a personality scale, I'm a 9 or 10, but on looks alone, I'm pulled down. And, therein lies the problem. I have no confidence in myself, so I won't make a move.

Even if I did, though, would it matter. I mean I'm talking about a woman who last weekend, in one night, texted me a photo of her chest and then followed that up with sex with another man. I mean, she obviously knows where I stand in this, and she's taunting me with it.

I can't seem to win on this one. I've been down this teasing road before. More than once. Jenny and Karen both did this same song and dance and drag-along. I finally had to cut ties with both of them, because it was definitely hurting me. Eventually, I'll figure this out, right? Right?

Bored

I'm so bored with work. I need a new challenge. I really like being around my students, but at this point, there is nothing that makes me excited to be here on a daily basis. I feel like I need a new challenge, or at least, a conversation with adults during the day. That is the one thing that I desperately miss. I don't see an adult for longer than a minute between 8 and 3 most days. I wish that I could find a way to get out of the classroom and into another arena, but I've never been one who has been 100% sure how to look for a new job.

This is testing week for the 2nd quarter. Basically, I feel like a babysitter all day instead of just my 2 hour window that I normally feel like that.

And, these kids (at least some of them) say that I am boring. Excuse me? I've always tried to make my room as fun as possible and include material at the same time. I guess you truly can't please all of the people all of the time, but that's ridiculous.

With that in mind, I'm looking for a new avenue to travel professionally. Who knows? Maybe a new professional life could lead to a new personal life. We'll have to see what happens.

The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is...

Apparently, everything is fearful.  This is the realization I came to last night while talking to my friend Matt for several hours last night over drinks.  I've looked at it as just going with the flow for so long, but I know that I don't try things because I'm afraid.  

I'm afraid to go after a new job because I might not have anything to fall back on.  I'm afraid to go back to school because I may not be able to afford it.  I'm afraid to make attempts to go out with women because they may say no and I'll be embarrassed.  It's not good, and I need to figure out a way to overcome fear.  Easier said than done, though.  But, a thousand-mile journey begins with one step...or something like that.

Simpson Sentenced

O.J. Simpson was sentenced to "at least 15 years" in prison today. It's about time! He should have been put away thirteen years ago when he was on trial for murder. However, he wasn't because so much evidence was thrown out. This time, that couldn't happen. It was all on tape. That bastard couldn't get away with this one, and I hope he dies in prison. He doesn't deserve the freedom that we are given in this country.