1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts for the close of 2009:

A. Becoming a Husband & Dad in the last decade were the absolute highlights.

B. 2009 was not my favorite year. I've never before been more happier for a year & decade to come to a close.

C. This past decade was an absolute roller coaster. I'd prefer some gentle wave action this coming decade.

D. My friend, Bill Butler, is now living the life that everyone wishes they could live. Granted, pre-Hopetown wasn't great - but he's past that now. Salud my friend!

E. Companies...listen to me...the customer is now in charge of the transaction. Learn it, live it. We can buy from wherever we want, whenever we want. If it's good, we might tell someone. If it's bad we'll tell everyone. If you go the social route take the good with the bad.

F. I am so tired of selective friendship. We're either friends or we aren't. Most people confuse friends with being an acquaintance. If you're in Tucumcari, NM locked up for some crazy reason and you're my friend - the phone will hit the floor before the call is done - period. I'm on my way.

2. I think my Internet prediction for 2010 is the decline of Facebook. I don't know, I think it's peaked here in the USA. My friend, Scott Gordon, said it best, "When my Grandma asks me about Facebook, I start looking for the next thing."

3. I think I'd present these thoughts to you:

A. Football should be year round.

B. MLB plays WAY too many games. Same with the NHL.

C. Life in 140 characters...we'll have to see where this goes. I'm @cgallent if you're interested.

D. I love tech, but I am very concerned about my step-son's inter-personal skills. He's not learning to talk to people - they're all texting. We'll have to wait and see where this goes, too.

4. I think it's a very long shot, but Q1 2010 is going to be a record quarter. I think a lot of people have been waiting to close out, write off and purge '09 and are going to start fresh in 2010 - with a bang.

5. I think as much as I've had my differences with the news media, it's not going to change. Extremists on both sides are going monopolize the conversations. Thank God there's sports talk!

6. I think this is what I liked about 2009:

A. I think 2009 taught us all that a job is not an entitlement. And, that's a good thing.

B. "The Hangover" - what a great movie.

C. Thank goodness for savings accounts and a good financial planner! Regardless of your income level, you can get good financial advice - take it.

D. Radio on TV works. "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN2 and Dan Patrick are the best. I don't have Direct TV, but from what I hear Dan and the Danette's put on a solid TV show on the 101. I listen to them most every day on the radio.

E. Kindergarten rocks. I love seeing the world through the eyes of my 6 year old son. It's the best cure for a bad day, grumpiness or anything else. Dylan, you better stay that way.

F. The turnaround of Vince Young was something to behold - it happened right in front of my eyes. It's as American as it can get. Everyone, including me, thought his NFL days were over - but he overcame, learned and changed. That's a lesson for us all. There are times when our talents will be equalized, that's when the work begins.

G. Any LEGO game on the Xbox360 - great family fun! Still waiting to play Lego Rockband, though.

H. Best kid story - Dylan is 5 and sitting in preschool and they're asked to go around the circle and sing their favorite song. So, it comes around to Dylan, and what does he sing..."Back in Black" - yeah, the AC/DC song. Needless to say we got a note home. But, I lifted the rock horns in the air and was a proud Dad that day.

I. Best cookbook I read in 2009, it's a tie - John Besh's "My New Orleans: The Cookbook" and "My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals" (it was published in '07, but I just found it a few months ago - great stuff).

7. I think this is what I didn't like about 2009:

A. All things financial.

B. Bailouts.

C. The fraternity that is comprised of chief executives in the finance world. Once you're in, you're in. You really have to screw up to be black balled from this fraternity. Hey, just a medium-sized screw up will net you $20 million.

D. Boards of Directors of Homeowner Associations. Get a life people.

8. I think this is what I am looking forward to in 2010:

A. The passion bucket filling back up. I can feel it coming.

B. Getting back to being proactive rather than reactive.

C. Toes in the sand.

D. Advancing - professionally, personally, intellectually, musically. 2009 really felt like a bad detour - time to get back on the road.

9. The three best shows on TV right now are Three Sheets, Spectacle and Pawn Stars.

10. I think these are my non-year-end thoughts of the New Year:

A. To my musician friends...here's an observation: those musicians who are treating their fans like customers are winning. Those who are treating them like fans are gone.

B. Websites relied on the merger of the sales, marketing & IT departments. Social media is the merger of the PR and customer service departments. Ad people need to stay out of the social media thing - you don't belong.

C. Rest in peace, Mac.

D. Caffeine Free Diet Sun Drop is the best diet drink on the planet.

E. What happened to hobbies? People...go out and find one. Facebook is not a hobby.

F. Sudoku - damn you! I hope everything they say about stimulating your brain cells is correct. This is supposed to be good for you, right?

G. There's nothing more precious than a little boy waiting on the first snow fall of the year.

I'll close with my all-time favorite toast from one of my favorite literary characters, Travis McGee, "Here's to life, love and happiness; and time to enjoy them all!" Happy New Year everyone. <clink>

We've been playing the new Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game lately. However, before I let him get the game I made him listen to some of my Aerosmith CD's so he'd have an appreciation of the music before getting into the game. He's really enjoyed their stuff and has been asking a ton of questions about the band and different songs. So, I'm out washing my car on Thursday and fired up the old boom-box I keep in there to listen to when I'm working in the garage. And, I look up and there's an old cassette of Aerosmith: Classics Live.

Great album, by the way.

So, this morning I told Tommy I found something for him and went and got the cassette. I handed it to him and then I got this:

"How am I supposed to watch this tape?"

Are you freakin' kidding me? Has it been that long since cassettes were around? Surely this kid has seen a cassette tape - much less heard music from one?

Needless to say, I'm feeling really old this morning. I need another cup of coffee. But, I will tell you this Aerosmith's version of "Mama Kin" on Classics: Live rocks!

I grew up in Baton Rouge and unfortunately moved away in 1996. But, I was there in the early days of the Coach Bertman era of LSU baseball. My father was on the Coaches Committee then, so I was very fortunate to get to know the team and every little nook of Alex Box.

I have so many memories of that place and the people. It was a great place and time for a young teenager who loved baseball. Here are a few:

• The first regional trip in '85 to Austin, TX - that one started it all.
• Andy Galy's sweatband that he wore all the time at practice with "OMAHA" on it.
• Riding back on the plane from a trip to play Central Florida when Robbie Smith wore a Goofy hat from Disneyworld all the way home. And, how nervous Eric Hetzel's mom used to get when he pitched - she couldn't watch at all and would go hide somewhere.
• I can't tell you how many hundreds of buckets of balls I soft-tossed to Albert Belle in the batting cage - he was so nice to me.
• I went to every game in the '86 season - home and away - except for the final series against Kentucky when I got sick.
• The first trip to Omaha in '86 was incredible. I remember missing the bus from the hotel to the stadium and having to catch a ride with Jim Mashek, one of the Advocate reporters. Man my Dad was mad at me.
• Not to mention all of the Kid's Clinics I attended as a kid there - that was great getting tips from pros from all over the major leagues.

The best thing that I can say about Alex Box is that, at least for me, being a kid in Baton Rouge infatuated with baseball - Alex Box was THE aspiration. It was the goal. I never made it, but I got a taste. That place made the years when I was between 12 and 14 some of the best of my life.

 I did a little research and found the rest of the story and background info here:
Sgt. Rafael Peralta, American Hero: Everyone should know his name

Here's an excerpt:

During the firefight, a yellow fragmentation grenade flew out of the room, landing near Peralta and several fellow Marines. The uninjured Marines tried to scatter out of the way, two of them trying to escape the room, but were blocked by a locked door. At that point, barely alive, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it to his body.

His body took most of the blast. One Marine was seriously injured, but the rest sustained only minor shrapnel wounds. Cpl. Brannon Dyer told a reporter from the Army Times, "He saved half my fire team."

The thing that got me in this article was this:

Kaemmerer recounts how later on the night of Nov. 15, a friend approached him and said: "You're still here; don't forget that. Tell your kids, your grandkids, what Sgt. Peralta did for you and the other Marines today." Don't forget. Good advice for all of us.

Take your own opinion of what's going on and put it to the side for a moment - this guy is a hero. He was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor not long after his death. A side note: the only time a general first salutes someone of lesser rank is when that person is a Medal of Honor recipient. Usually, salutes are initiated by those of lesser rank as a sign of respect to their superiors.

Here's the Wikipedia source: Sgt. Rafael Peralta.

Footnote: I am not interested in political views regarding the issues with terrorism or Iraq. I always try and separate politics from the Military and the men and women who serve. I hope you do too, because, for the most part, they just do what they're told - plain and simple. That's their job. The politicians set the policy and I'm not opening that can of worms.

I skied about 2 months ago and was sore for a week. It was a great motivator to get in the gym and start working out again. Sure enough it paid off. I was just a little sore on Tuesday morning. Now I just need to work the cardio so I can stay up a little longer.