The last event of the year in Arizona and the 20th, yes, 20th, I ran at in 2008. I wouldn’t say the autocross year went out with a bang persay, it was more of a screeching sound as I ventured into many, many cones going sideways. Yes, sideways. The pavement was cold, tires were cold, and my right foot was… not. On my first run I came in to the sweeping left (the split near W1) way too hot with the car way too loose. The result was going sideways into a sea of cones. It wasn’t pretty. My second run didn’t go all that much better. Tires still cold, shoe still hot, and another DNF, just not quite as spectacular and sideways this time. My third run I got things in order and ran a clean 62.686, which was a second and a half faster than any other STX Open competitor. Time only heats were shortened because the day was running long but I managed to match (clean) and beat (by a second but with a cone) my competition run.

So, not exactly how I would have chosen to end the year. None the less, it’s done, I won the STX Open series for the Fall (in Phoenix, Tucson, and Sierra Vista for that matter), and it’s time to look towards ’09. Suspension upgrades, driver upgrades (Evo School), and hopefully more competitive times will come.

Summer and I also spent Saturday night in Phoenix to go to the Red Wings – Coyotes hockey game. It was an awesome back and forth game and the first I’ve been to which went to overtime and a shootout. Detroit won the shootout after forcing overtime with less than 20 seconds to play in the third period. It was awesome, and I can’t wait to go again next month when the Wings come back to town.

The word is, as it seems to be every year that the Wings are getting old. I think they’ve been getting old since somewhere around 1993. Steve Yzerman may be in the front office and Scottie Bowman may be managing for the Blackhawks, but Nicklas Lidstrom is still anchoring the defense, the second coming of the Grind Line (Draper-Maltby-McCarty) is upon us, and we still have those kids named Zetterburg and Datsyuk that seem to score at will. It’s going to be a great year, and I can only hope Versus carries enough of the games.

- Maryland trip was great, got to see lots of family and friends and of course, more crazy stories courtesy of CPD
- I passed the CISSP! Such a relief, and I’m going to take a break from the studying thing for a while. Between the CEH and the CISSP, I’m a bit burned out in that department
- The cats and Peanut continue to get along well and we’re working on making Peanut more comfortable by addressing his anxiety
- Everything with the house is awesome. We’re definitely settled and living the good life. It’s getting hot and the A/C is crankin’. Summer’s
- Work, well, is work. We’ll see if the budget gets cut, and by how much, and if I have to find something else, again. Yes, I’m a bit frustrated.

Despite everything going on I feel bored, if that’s the right word. Things have become routine and it probably didn’t help that I have spent so much time on the certification stuff at home, which was basically an extension of work. Again, bored might not be the right word, but I do want to mix things up – get cracking on the car projects that have sat for a while, get back into the groove of learning something new on the programming front since I’m not doing that everyday anymore, get back into taking pics on a regular basis… something. Maybe all three.

Summer and I made the trek up to Glendale last night for the Red Wings – Coyotes game. Her first NHL game ever, and the first game I’ve been to in almost 2 years. Besides getting there late because I thought the game started later than it did, it was excellent. Even sitting in the last row, it was still great; there really just aren’t any bad seats at a hockey arena. I can’t wait to go back in late December when the Wings visit Phoenix again.

Who wants tacos?

Oh yeah, and go Wings! They scored 4 unanswered in the 2nd and 3rd periods to win 5-2.

First time in probably four or five years I’ve been to a hockey game, way too long, and it was fantastic. The only other sporting event(s) that I have been to that are in the ballpark as far as atmosphere and how much the fans are into the game are Maryland basketball games. Only at a hockey game can you see a middle aged man dressed in suit and tie get up and bang on plexiglass like he wants a shot at someone on the ice (believe me he doesn’t). Just like only at a Maryland game can you hear scores of college students sing Rock and Roll Part 2 with ‘Hey, you suck!’ without any help from the band. It was so much fun, and it’s crazy that for the same price at a Wizards game we would have been in the nosebleed seats. Not like I was there to root for the Captials anyway, sorry, but ever since they traded one of my favorite players, Dino Ciccarelli, to Detriot in 1992, I’ve been a Wing’s fan. Even when we lost to the Sharks in the first round in ’95. Even when Ciccarelli moved on, the Russian 5 was dismantled, and when Chris Osgood almost single-handedly ruined playoff series after playoff series. He also let in a weak goal as time expired in the 3rd on Friday, by the way. Anyway, it was also great to see Steve Yzerman play, probably for the last time. If you watch hockey and you don’t know who he is, then really, you don’t watch hockey.

Saturday was my first venture into holiday shopping (minus some online activity) and I took care of my major purchases. I need to get my ass in gear and finish the rest though. When did it get to be December 13th already? Good grief. Your guess is as good as mine when I can get to a mall again. This holiday season has not been one I’ve been able to slow down and enjoy as much as I’d like, which has made me grumpy at time (no, I’m NOT a Grinch, stop saying that). Holiday shopping was slightly stressful for the first time I can remember, but such is life. Oh well, the next couple of weekends will be fun. After the holiday shopping came home, hung out, watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. See this movie. Besides that fact that Angelina Jolie is just hot, there’s no other word. Hot. She can kick me to the ground with the ‘Who’s your Daddy now?’ line anytime, anyplace. The movie was very cool, good action, lots of subtle humor, and some great one-liners. It’s a little predictable, but who cares, still worth a watch. Then yesterday after work I went and got the car chipped. So no more ‘when are you gonna get chipped’ questions, it’s done. Forced induction may, unfortunately, be further off than I’d like, and I just could not pass up the deal Induktion was running on GIAC for the holidays. Car feels like it has another extra kick in the ass now, similar to the change when I added the intake, then later, the exhaust. I’d take and post some pictures of the ride, but right now she’s a very dirty girl.

Hockey.

Yes, I said it, the sport America loves to ignore (second only to soccer) and that nearly killed itself with a year hiatus, but yes, I said it, hockey. I have waited 15 long months since the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team from one of the last parts of the country you’d be expecting ice hockey to take place, walked away with the Stanley Cup, to see hockey again. My beloved Detroit Red Wings are aging (aren’t they always) and were last seen as the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs getting bounced by Jarome Iginla and the sixth seeded Calgary Flames who came within a game, no, a goal of winning the Stanley Cup last June. I will still, of course, cheer for them. In fact, I need an Yzerman jersey. My old Fedorov sweater is resigned to the closet at home, it no longer fits, in more ways than one. Where is he playing now?

I like the rule changes. I like the salary cap (parity!). Barry Melrose said it best on last night’s SportsCenter, it was something like ‘How can you not like the changes the game has made. Buffalo scored 6 goals tonight. Do you know how long into the season it usually takes Buffalo to score six goals in a night?’

Welcome back hockey. I missed you.