Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.

The thing I love about this one is how being "happy" is an active responsibility. Lord knows I've had my issues with the world. Usually when things are bad, I'm the one to blame in some way - not all the time, but most of the time.

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>

I am distracted with setting fire to people wearing Crocs, learning to speak Japanese, just generally being the life of the party to anyone unfortunate to cross my path, my day is filled with fluorescent light from midday to whenever. I am not complaining though. I need a nap.

I probably I will write something that makes sense soon. Seriously! I will write more to certain yous; but it might not be you in particular who I write to...

Franklin is also the place where most of the Tennessee Titans live and many of the music and other celebrities as well - Sheryl Crow, Keith and Nicole, etc... In fact, just last night we ran into Ashley Judd at the grocery store. This has been happening more and more and it's really kind of cool to watch. Our little Publix is a popular spot - you never know who you'll run into there. Even Santa Claus stopped by Publix last July while he was on summer vacation - really, my 5 year old Dylan got his card.

There's an unwritten rule that you have to learn about living here and it's this - this is home, leave them alone. People in Nashville don't tolerate others being rude to our more well known residents. It's not cool to go up to someone at dinner, while they're out or while they're with their families. They aren't on stage or on TV while they're home so we try and let them lead as normal a life as possible.

It's not uncommon to be standing in line with someone famous or sitting next to them at dinner or at a bar or a party. It happens all the time. You just have to remember that they're people, too. Just be nice, say hi and if they're interested (just like anyone else), they'll strike up a conversation. The best lesson I learned a long time ago is not to talk about their business at all. Based on my experience, they're dying to be treated normally.

Anyway, I really have no idea what I'm trying to say here other than it's pretty cool living in Franklin. Watch CMT sometime and you'll see a lot of our town.

What adventure most changed your life?
I'd have to say it was my honeymoon. I wanted to go somewhere a little out of the ordinary. It had to be a island, but not touristy. So, we settled on this little island in the Bahamas called Elbow Cay. We stayed at this great B&B on the island. The neat thing was that there were no cars allowed and only two telephones on the island. It was the first time in my life that I was really incommunicado and I loved it - but it took me about four days to settle into it. And, it took my wife a little longer. The interesting thing was when we flew back and laid over in Miami. After being away from the world for 10 days and walking back into that airport, you could just feel the tension and bad vibes in the place.

What skill should every man have?
Every man needs to know how to be an interpreter. There are so many things we deal with on a daily basis that require interpretation. What did the wife really say? What does my client really need versus what they want? What did my son mean by that? Why is that guy looking at me that way? Stuff like that.

Do you have a scar that tells a story?
Yes, there is a scar that runs from my mid forehead down my nose and under my right eye. My dad bought a ski boat right after I got out of high school. About 4-5 weeks after we bought it, the dealer came up to our house for a check-out ride - just to make sure everything was running properly. So, we went out skiing on this reservoir in Utah where I was living at the time. After skiing for a while, we were driving around and I sat up on the motor cover in the center of the boat. We'll then we hit the sandbar doing about 30-35 mph. I flew forward and hit the windshield bracing after stopping dead cold. 200 stitches later - there's my scar.

What was your first car?
It was an '84 Ford Bronco II that was tan and chocolate, two-toned. I eventually blew the engine trying to get unstuck from a snow bank on the way to ski one Saturday.

Where's the strangest place you ever fell asleep?
No comment.

What's the best advice you ever received?
It's simple - treat people the way you want to be treated. Always.

Which commandment do you break most often?
Thou shalt always listen to thy wife.

What's the worst physical pain you ever experienced?
My senior year in high school, I played on the football team and was the starting center on the offensive line. About 5-6 weeks into the season, we were playing out cross-town rivals and we're on about the three yard line and about to score. Everyone on the line was blocking to the left and my guy next to me blocks the guy across the line right into my right knee. Then I heard this huge pop and my knee bent in and my lower leg just kind of dangled. That hurt, but not as bad as this...

About a week after surgery I was hobbling around on crutches. I went up to my Dad's office one afternoon and he had a few steps to go up before entering the door. Well I slipped and my right foot slammed into the front of one the steps and this excruciating pain entered my knee. I almost blacked out and I definitely saw stars.

A close second is when I busted open my chin when I was five and the Dr. sewed me up with no anesthetic - nothing. My Uncle and Dad had to hold me down.

What's the most cherished possession you ever lost?
The guitar that I learned to play on. My Dad had this 1978 Fender Telecaster Custom that was awesome. I wish I still had it - I loved that guitar. But, Dad sold it about 10 years ago.

How do you make your favorite drink?
It all starts with ice and something glass. The rest really depends on the setting and/or my mood.

Do you have a recurring dream?
Since I was a kid I have had this dream about driving off a really high bridge.

What song do you have to hear once a week?
That's a tough one. I have such diverse musical tastes that it really depends on the setting and my mood.

What's the most scared you've ever been?
I can't say that I've really ever been scared. There have been a few times where I looked back and should have been scared, but wasn't at the time.

Which of your senses could you live without the easiest?
Probably smell because I don't have that great of a sense of smell anyway. Too many allergies for way too long.

What modern convenience do you wish had never been invented?
I love just about every modern convenience. But, sometimes I wish the cell phone wasn't invented - do we really need to be that accessible?

What's the first thing you'd do if you became President?
I learned about this really interesting law relating to stock ownership in Germany. Their stock exchanges encourage long-term ownership and investment. So much so, that there are no capital gains taxes on stocks held for longer than a year. There are no day traders in their system and you don't necessarily see the volatility in their stock markets - at least as far as I know.

Right after that I would repeal the law that allows your taxes to automatically be withheld from paychecks. Make everyone write that tax check and then we'll see some real tax reform. Ask any small business owner or self employed person about that one and you'll get some interesting feedback.

Why do we put up with this? Maybe I should send them a bill for my waiting time.