Weekly Spurs Update

I've decided that I'm going to try and limit my posts about Tottenham to once a week, since 4 out of 5 of my readers probably "couldn't give a toss". The one reader who does is actually myself, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense since I'm the one writing it in the first place. I mean, is it bad that I write these posts and then enjoy thinking to myself "that's exactly what I was thinking" after reading them? Anyway, I'm already off topic (see my previous post about narcisscism).

Monday night's game against Hull was huge. Considering we played at least a day after everyone else, we knew going into the game that if we could get a victory it would put us 5 points above relegation. If we lost, we would stay in the same spot we've been all season with fewer and fewer games remaining. We ended up winning 2-1, on a late header from Woodgate. This is a huge result and gives us at least a game cushion considering our superior goal difference. Big, big win.

Thursday we host Shakhtar, and I'll just follow this one online. After the Hull game Harry was interviewed and flat out said we beat Hull because we rested our players against Shakhtar a few days prior. He pointed out that Villa had not rested their players and they ended up losing to Chelsea. Yeah, it was Chelsea, but they and Villa had similar records and so did Spurs and Hull. He proceeded to slam the fixture list about this and the fact that we have a game on Thursday night a few days before a cup final! Anyways, if we fielded a weak team last week, this week's matchup against Shakhtar is going to be even weaker. I'm pretty sure he said he'll make 11 changes to the team that played Monday night against Hull and will give even more of our "youngings" a run out.

This leads me to Sunday morning...8 a.m. Tottenham face United in the Carling Cup Final, hoping to pull off the upset in the same cup final as they did last year against Chelsea. Anything can happen, but I wouldn't bet on it this time around. Regardless, another cup this year would slightly sweeten this bitter season. Additionally, it would get us back into the UEFA Cup next year - something we can't do in the league since we're so far down the table.

Things are looking a bit more hopeful right now. Who knows, if we happen to win on Sunday and hit a good stretch, we could end the season in mid table and with a cup! That's a far cry from even a few days ago. Here's hoping.

The Death of Facebook

I wanted to pass along a great article that has been floating around. It's an insightful take on so-called online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It's just something for you online social network users to think about.

Although blogs can also serve as a platform for narcissism, I believe this blog's primary purpose is a way for us to share pictures and videos (and sometimes thoughts) of our life with our family and friends. That is, it's a facilitator to the relationship and not a replacement.

EDIT: AFTER THINKING THROUGH THIS ON MATT'S BLOG, I'VE COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT ALTHOUGH THIS BLOG IS SUPPOSED TO FACILITATE RELATIONSHIPS, IT MAY IN FACT REPLACE THEM AT TIMES. HMM...I THINK I NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS SOME MORE BEFORE I MAKE THAT LAST STATEMENT.

Check this out: The Death of Facebook

Extreme Ice Climbing

Mark

Josh

New Mountaineering Techniques

Watch carefully as I demonstrate these new techniques:

Australian Glissade

KP Rapid Descent

Mount Shavano

This weekend Josh, Mark Rockefeller, Chris and Lara (newlyweds/SAR in training), and I headed out for an overnight trip up Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak. I left Colorado Springs at about 9 a.m. on Saturday and met up with everyone except Mark who was coming from Denver in Woodland Park. We met up with Mark at the Gunsmoke gas station in Johnson’s Village, only shortly behind schedule due to Mark getting pulled over by a state patrolman a few miles outside town. Luckily, he was only cited for a bald rear tire!

The road to the trailhead was covered with snow, so we were only able to make it to the first creek crossing and had to park our vehicles there. Unfortunately, that stopped us almost 3 miles from the summer trailhead. The walk up the road was easy and we didn’t need our snowshoes until we actually reached the trailhead 3 miles into our journey. We snowshoed until dark, in some places breaking trail. After a very salty dinner, Mark and Josh and I snuggled up in the 3-man tent while Chris and Lara did the same in their 2-man.

That night our tent was directly on snow, so I was able to test out my new sleeping pad and bag. A few days earlier I had purchased a 0 degree synthetic North Face mummy bag and a Big Agnes inflatable sleeping pad. Both worked great and I never woke up cold. If anything I was hot sleeping between Mark and Josh. I did wake up a few times during the night due to the wind. Luckily, we had picked the perfect camping spot below tree line to be out of the wind. When I awoke, I pulled out my iPhone to check the forecast for the day since it was supposed to be fairly windy. Unfortunately, the forecast hadn’t changed and still called for wind…which seemed to be fairly accurate since it was constantly whipping through the trees above our heads!

Josh, Mark, and I decided to head up to the bottom of the angel at 11,800 feet, just in case. My hope was that the weather might change or that we might be sheltered that close to the mountain. As you’ll see from our pictures, that didn’t really pan out. The highest reading Josh got was about 42 mph. On the way home I looked at the current forecast and it said gusts up to 65 mph. Needless to say, when the wind gets that hard the fun factor blows away with it. So, we made the decision to call it a day and try again some other time. Before we left, we did some self-arresting with our ice-aces but also played around on some of the hills as you will see in coming video posts.

At the end of the trip Josh guessed we had covered 11 miles and my guess was 10. After loading the route from the GPS into the computer it showed a round trip of 10.51 miles! Technically he won unless we were playing by The Price is Right rules…which then means I won. At any rate, it was a good trip. We had a good time and it was great to catch up with Mark along the way.

Music by OK Go (Here It Goes Again)

Deep Thoughts

Since I had a few moments at work today, I can up with my own top 10 deep thoughts. Some are serious and some tongue and cheeck…regardless, I hope you enjoy them!

Ever notice that the people that talk the most usually have the least to say?

Intelligence without application means nothing.

It’s not enough to just have dreams. If it’s something that you can also do while sleeping, chances are it won’t ever happen.

Woman are like alcohol. They can make you happy, sad, broke, and/or vomit. Choose wisely.

Babies are like alcohol. They will make you happy, sad, broke and they vomit. Choose wisely.

Insecurity leads to bad decisions.

Those who want to be the winners of every argument are usually the bigger losers.

Watch and learn from other’s mistakes. Then, laugh at them.

A little hard work now and a lot of fun later or a little fun now and a lot of hard work later…it’s your choice.

It’s not called “duck tape”.

Shakhtar 2 - 0 Tottenham

Not much I can say about this game... Obviously, it wasn't a priority in the grand scheme of things this year as evidenced by the fact that Spurs left 14 of their regulars back in England while the youngsters traveled to the Ukraine. For 3/4 of the game Harry's gamble looked like it was going to pay off until the trifecta of a needless foul, lack of marking, and a goalkeeping error led to Shakhtar's first goal.

When I saw who was playing for Spurs tonight and in what positions before the game started, I actually predicted the final scoreline. We had a RB playing as a LB, a midfielder as a CB, a 17 year old making his first start, and the rest of team comprised of all other players that ride the bench at Spurs except for Michael Dawson. Of course, this was all preceded by Harry stating publicly that this match wasn't a priority for us especially considering that we have 6 games to play in the next 17 days.

In the end, I'm glad that Matt got to see Shakhtar win this game since he had to travel a few days on a train to make it there. I'll probably just follow the second leg live online next week since overcoming this scoreline will be very difficult and even less of a priority considering we will be playing United 3 days later in the Carling Cup final.

I hope that another loss won't add to the already losing mentality at the club. On Monday we have a big league game against Hull. Our next 3 league games are against Hull, Boro, and Sunderland. This is clearly the easiest run of games we have left, so it will be very important that we get the maximum points possible from them.

Mullet Power

Julia got her first haircut this weekend! We just couldn't take her ratty mullet anymore. I busted out the clippers and made it a game, so she stayed pretty still for a 14 month old. I think it turned out pretty well, all things considered. Sure, it looks like a boy's cut in the back now but at least it matches the "business in the front". However, she's now growing some hair on the top so should eventually get passed this white trash phase.

Little Pretty

She's only 14 months and one week old, yet she already wants Daddy to buy her an iPod.

Happy Birthday Mum!

Happy Birthday and Valentine's Day! (this message has been Julia approved)

Recent Lack of Posting

The reason why I haven’t posted a blog in a while is due to the fact that I’ve been under the weather since the Super Bowl. Long story short, I got a really bad cold and needed some antibiotics to help knock it out. Basically, I’ve done nothing but work and sleep.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll ramp it up again…mainly because we actually have some cool things coming up. This weekend is Valentine’s Day and my Mom’s birthday. Hopefully I’ll remember to take some pictures and post them. Next weekend I’ll be headed up Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache with Josh, Jason, a few others and none other then Mark Rockefeller! We’re going to hit 2 14ers and make it a winter overnight camping trip. It should be a blast. The following weekend Stacey and I are headed up to Vail to celebrate Valentine’s Day and our 5th anniversary (and the Carling Cup Final).

Of course, I’ll try and get some videos up of Julia for you all to see. She’s quite the mover and shaker now and immensely entertaining and cute.

LifeKeys

For those of you who don't know (which is probably most of you), because I was on active duty and paid $1,200 into the program my first year as an officer, I am eligible for the G.I. Bill. Basically, I paid in $1,200 and now I am eligible for up to $48,000 for college or other training program. I just have to use it by the year 2017 (10 years after I separated).

Considering I've already been out 2 years, I've been thinking about what I want to be when I grow up. My current job has been a great blessing, and regardless if I make a career change or not, I'll continue to work at Focus into the foreseeable future. However, with this option I could go back to school, get another degree, and change careers if I wanted to.

Let's take a step back though. When I was stationed in Hawaii, a member of our small group bible study recommended the book LifeKeys when I mentioned we were considering leaving the Air Force and I didn't know what I was going to do next. In short, it's a Christian-based book that walks you through the various well known personality tests, your values, spiritual gifts, etc. It doesn't give you definitive answers on what you should do with your life, but it sure helps you understand yourself, who you are, and how you were made. Sure, it's not the end all, but for me I can really see the value in them because I agree with my results and Stacey confirms them about me as well.

Long story short, according the personality tests I'm an ISTJ and a Realistic. Anyway, last night Stacey and I were talking about how I'm good at financial stuff, but that I don't really get satisfaction out of it. If you look at the picture, finance/accounting types typically fit into the Conventional category. Since the Conventional and Realisitic types are next to each other (i.e. usually share some common traits), it pretty much explained to me why I can succeed at what I'm doing while not necessarily finding fullfillment. That is, I have the skills required (proximity of Conventional and Realistic) at what I do but I will probably find more satisfaction doing something in the Realistic category.

So, what are traits of a Realistic? What's funny is the exact things I was saying to Stacey in our conversation are listed in this section in the book. So the point of all of this is that whenever I decide to start using my G.I. Bill, I think I'm going to pick something in this category (regardless if it's just for fun or a serious degree program). I'll let you decide if this sounds like me:

The Realistic Type - "Let's Roll Up Our Sleeves and Get It Done"

"Outdoorsey", "athletic", "mechanical", "hands-on", are just a few of the words that describe the Realistic type. Few Realistics choose to spend their time at major society events - and they may also resist being behind a desk! Many appear to be "loners", preferring the company of one or two carefully chosen friends to large-group activities.

Realistic children typically can be found building superhighways in the sandbox, climbing trees, or maybe training a dog or two. One boy was fascinated by anything on wheels from the age of three. His parents let him celebrate on birthday with a visit to a truck dealership. He eventually joined the Army Reserve, where he could drive jeeps and equipment vans every other weekend.

School can be frustrating for Realistics if practical applications of what they are learning aren't clear. They prefer hands-on experiments, concrete problems to solve, and mybe a double dose of physical or industrial arts. Without these elements, or a teacher who can help them understand future uses of what they're learning, they may long to be elsewhere - especially outside.

These interests lead Realistics to choose careers in agriculture, engineering, construction, for example - careers that let them use their large and fine motor skills to produce tangible results, that allow for pragmatic approaches to problems, and where the work is focused on things rather than on people, ideas, or data. They often seek to provide safety and order, as in military and police-work.

In their spare time, Realistics like to enjoy the out-of-doors, even if they spend that time just attending to home maintenance tasks. Many own recreational vehicles, sporting goods, and whatever tools they might need to get the job done. Typical life gifts include mechanical aptitude, operating heavy equipment/driving/piloting, manual dexterity, building mechanical/structural devices, physical coordination, organizing supplues or implements, taking physical risks, emotional stability and reliability.

According to wikipedia, a Realistic can typically be found in the following careers that I've at one time been a part of or thought about doing:

- Architect
- Athlete
- Engineer
- Firefighter
- Information Techonology
- Mechanic/Automobiles
- Physical therapy
- Pilot
- Veterinarian

It's really funny how I've been around or thought of a lot of these careers. The reason why I currently am in Finance is because that's what my degree is an and what the Air Force put me in after I decided I didn't want to be a pilot in the Air Force (lifestyle, time commitment, etc). Maybe I should use my G.I. Bill to finish my private pilot's license...or something similar...hmm.

Annual Credit Report

I thought I would remind you all to go and get your free (by government mandate, once a year) credit report from:

https://www.annualcreditreport.com

I pulled up an Experian and Equifax (TransUnion requires it to be sent by mail) credit report on Stacey and my social security number in about 10 minutes. The good news is, the only open accounts they both have are on our mortgage and 2 credit cards. No one's stolen our identity.

Just follow the online instructions and then find the link to print or view the entire report. You can then print it out our just save an electronic copy once you have the full report up on the screen. Cheers.

The Parable of the Lost Striker

KEANO!!! This one's for you.

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"There was a club who had four strikers. The Irish one said to his manager, 'Manager, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his gate receipts between them.

"Not long after that, the Irish striker got together all he had, set off for a distant part of the country and there squandered his wealth of talent in rotational living. After he had spent all his energy, there was a severe goal famine in that distant part of the country, and he began to be in need. So he went and pleaded himself out to his manager of that town, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the goals that the pigs were getting, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my old team's hired men have minutes to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to the current manager and say to him: Manager, I have sinned against the club and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your striker; make me like one of your mish-mashed men.' So he got up and went to the new manager.

"But while he was still a long way off, the manager saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his striker, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The striker said to the manager, 'Manager, I have sinned against the club and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your striker.'

"But the manager said to his servant Bent, 'Quick! Bring the best kit and put it on him. Put the captain's ring on his arm and boots on his feet. Bring the fattened calf Huddlestone and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this striker of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

"Meanwhile, the injured, English striker was walking on the field. When he came near the clubhouse, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the ball boys and asked him what was going on. 'Your teammate has come,' he replied, 'and your manager has killed the fattened calf Huddlestone because he has him back safe and sound.'

"The injured, English striker became angry and refused to go in. So his manager went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his manager, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a pint so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this striker of yours who has squandered your tactics with scousers comes home, you kill the fattened calf Huddlestone for him!'

'My striker,' the manager said, 'you are always with me, and everything on the bench I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this former teammate of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Super Sunday

Today is Super Sunday, the biggest day in sports in America, and I've got football on my mind. The interesting twist is that I'm talking about the kind of football where people actually use their feet to kick a small round ball.

Instead of heading over to watch the Superbowl at a friend's house with 50 (that's right, 50) other people, I decided to stay at home and watch it on a 50 inch plasma instead. So I swapped a person for an inch on my television - sue me. Actually, I'm not feeling that great and I preferred the surround sound to come from the television instead of other people and their little children.

Anyway, as the Steelers and Cardinals come out on the field, I've got this nagging feeling that Tottenham could go down this year. I know I've said it before, but this time I actually did a little research. I took the teams that are in the bottom 10 places in the league and listed out the remaining 14 games (about 1/3 of the season) for each in an attempt to predict where teams will finish at the end of the year. I took 2 different approaches, and both of them have some serious shortcomings. However, short of me predicting what will happen in 141 games (14 * 10 plus Blackburn's 1 game in hand), this is the best way I could think to do it.

Approach #1

I used current position in the table and previous head to head result. To simplify it, if the team in question is playing a worse team (position in the table) and in the first meeting beat that team, then I gave them 3 points for a win in the upcoming game. The reverse is true too. If the team in question is playing a better team (per their position in the table) and previously lost to that team, then I gave them 0 points for the loss in the upcoming game. There were various situations that resulted in giving the team in question 1 point for a draw...such as tied on points and the first game was a draw, or if they previously beat a better team or lost to a worse team (i.e. inconsistencies in the position versus previous result). If the previous meeting ended in a draw, the 3 points would go to the better team in the table. If the teams were tied on points in the table, the 3 points would be awarded based on the result in the first meeting. I know it sounds a bit confusing, but I got it all sorted out in my head.

Approach #2

I used past results to predict future results. So, if a team in question beat a future opponent in the past, the assumption is that they will beat them again (or draw or lose). The only drawback to this approach is that each previous game was either played home or away and that will flip when they meet a second time (i.e. each team plays each other team home and away). Also, this doesn't take into account current form.

Results #1

16. Tottenham - 32 pts
17. Stoke City - 32 pts
18. Blackburn - 29 pts (relegated)
19. Boro - 27 pts (relegated)
20. West Brom - 26 pts (relegated)

Results #2

16. Tottenham - 39 pts
17. Sunderland - 38 pts
18. Boro - 38 pts (relegated)
19. West Brom - 37 pts (relegated)
20. Blackburn - 34 pts (relegated)

So, depsite the obvious shortcomings, the results bascially confirm why I'm worried. If everything stays status quo, obviously the teams currently in the bottom will stay in the bottom. However, some of the other teams level on points with Spurs (Newcastle, Portsmouth) climb the table while Spurs remain in the bottom. As you can see, there isn't any room for error. Good thing the games aren't played in paper.