BEARS WIN!!!

When it comes to pro sports, I'm a Chicago man through-and-through. That's meant lots of losing and some heartbreaking seasons in recent years. I even watched the Cubs lose game 7 of the NLCS (in person, at Wrigley field). So I was prepared for the inevitable Bears collapse today--not really letting myself get too excited by the fact that there was just one more hurdle to clear before the Super Bowl.

So it was a sweet thing to see the Bears win the NFC Championship game today. It might take a couple days to sink in. I can actually look forward to the game instead of the commercials now. Yes.

Friday Musings

That Crazy Jamie
Pollard's at it again. ISU announced this week that the only way to get into the ISU-Iowa game this year is to buy season tickets. It's a gutsy move, but I think the guy knows what he's doing. Will there be 10,000 empty seats? I doubt it, given the demand for the game. But regardless of the outcome, JP has gotten people talking about ISU football in the middle of January. For a team coming off a 4-8 record, that's saying something.

Taming Your Inbox
I used to treat my email inbox at work like a to-do list. Emails would hang there, mocking me, until I finally got around to answering them or doing whatever I need to do. If you work in an office environment you probably know what I'm talking about. It's not the way to get things done. Check out this series called "Inbox Zero" for great ideas to keep the inbox shackles off.

A Muslim Who Found Jesus

Last week I was running a few errands around town and flipped over to WHO Radio. Steve Deace had a very interesting guest on the show named Umar. He was a dedicated Muslim intent on murdering Christians. Yet when he finally heard the pure grace of the gospel message, it was so foreign to him, so appealing and completely different from anything Islam had to offer, that he became a follower of Jesus. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hear the entire interview, so I was excited to find out it is available online. You can grab it from this link or subscribe to the Steve Deace podcast from iTunes.

Thanks to Voni for the heads-up.

Friday Musings

Blog Update
As I mentioned in my last post, this site has been pretty neglected lately. I dusted off my sidebar and added some folks that have been blogging and have already linked to me: Jenny, Marcie (& Seth), Voni, and Hope.

ISU Basketball Is Back
Coming into the year, my expectations (and excitement) for Cyclone basketball couldn't have been much lower. After all, McDermott wasn't left with much in the cupboard to work with and he would be coaching a group of guys who were just learning his system and playing together for the first time. The non-conference schedule went pretty much according to script with disappointing losses to Drake, UNI, and Iowa. So the 2-0 start in the Big 12 comes as a pleasant surprise. The comeback win on the road at Missouri seems to have been the jolt needed to get apathetic fans back on the bandwagon. I'm not going crazy here--an NIT berth would be a good accomplishment for this team. But it's nice to have a well-coached team that is fun to watch again.

The Illusionist
Newly released on DVD this week, The Illusionist is a fictional story set in early 20th century Vienna. Edward Norton plays the lead role of Eisenheim the magician, who unexpectedly finds his childhood sweetheart (Jessica Biel) after many years apart. A member of high-society, she is engaged against her will to the cruel crown prince when tragedy befalls her. The film deftly blends mystery and romance as we try to piece together the clues of her death and the key to Eisenheim's greatest trick. Even though I guessed the conclusion beforehand, the film still kept me engaged throughout. My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Derailed?

This picture is a good illustration of where my blog is right now. Hard to say how it went off the tracks exactly, but my ten-month-old in diapers is a prime suspect. Those few faithful readers that are left may be wondering if this train will start blowing smoke again (pardon the pun).

Never fear. The coals will be burning again soon.