Happy New Year!

Happy 2009 to all! I'm not much of a New Year celebrant; to me as it is to many others, New Year's Eve is "amateur night". I stayed home and grilled chicken, drank beer, and watched football. No, it's never too cold for the grill. I once grilled pork steaks with the temperature 9 below. When it's that cold, the secret is to bring the grill up on the porch so you can run back inside.

They said it couldn't be done, but not only did the Vanderbilt Commodores appear in their first bowl game in 26 years, they actually defeated Boston College 16-14 to give them their first winning season since 1982, the last bowl year. Detractors might point out that the game was played only four miles from the Vanderbilt campus, but given Vandy's downtrodden history, they'll celebrate whatever they can, and considering that this year's Commodore squad was expected to win only two games, their Music City Bowl win is a worthy accomplishment. Congratulations to the Vanderbilt players and coaches for a job well done.

2008 was certainly a bittersweet year for me, but in those sad circumstances we find the means to change and grow. The years give us many good memories as well as bad ones. I look forward to 2009, and the opportunities it brings to learn and to experience new things. I'm still amazed at the number of people who show interest in this humble blog, and I thank you once again for your continued readership. Now let's drink more beer, eat more chicken, and watch more football.