"10 things": #7 - Border wars

I hardly doubt I’m the only one who just recently realized that the Winter Olympics are coming soon, but I know for a fact I’m not the only one grateful to hear the news. The Summer Games younger, slightly less cool little brother shows up in Vancouver this year and should promise some El Niño-mild intrigue. Here are three hopes I have for the 2010 Games:

1. Lindsey Jacobellis, the snowboarder who cost herself a gold four years ago by method airing her way into infamy, repeats the trick to similar results this year before throwing an Olympic-sized tantrum in the snow.

2. Thanks to a last minute outbreak of H1N1, Wisconsin native Dan Jansen steps onto the ice to challenge Apolo Anton Ohno in the finals of the 500 m speed skating race. Jansen falls behind early but wins in stunning fashion after Apolo bafflingly begins foxtrotting near the finish line.

3. Canada finally bests the US in the overall medal count, only to discover that nobody cares.

If even one of these things happens, I’ll be a happy camper. And at the very least, we can expect the possibility of another Bode Miller meltdown.


USA! USA!

"10 things": #8 - Health care reform at last?

This one may not be a whole lot of fun, but it’s unquestionably the most vital item on this list.

Will the final legislation include a public option? Will we see an expansion of Medicare to provide more coverage for uninsured Americans? Will Joe Lieberman stop being a douche bag? I’ll leave all that to the people who know what they’re talking about. Either way, here’s hoping that 2010 is the year when this shit gets done.

The gland total

After a terrific Movember gala on Friday night and some generous donations from schools, the Tokushima JET Movember team raised a grand total of $1,109.23 this year for cancer research. I couldn't be more pleased or more grateful. Thanks for the wonderful contributions, and thank you for helping me keep the mo alive.

"10 things": #9 - A hot new soundtrack

After what I’d consider an “off year” for music in 2009, the first quarter of 2010 should provide a nice bounce-back with new albums from some quality bands. Alongside efforts from MGMT, Spoon, and Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend will release their sophomore disc Contra on January 12th. Fire up your coolest screensaver and listen to the single “Horchata” here.

Steppin' out

On my way to the 2009 Movember Gala downtown. Unofficially, our team raised nearly $1000 for prostate cancer again this year, and a huge thank you goes out to all of you who helped me lead the way with nearly half of that. The moustache goes first thing tomorrow, but the donations will help out long after that. Big love and thanks.

"10 things": #10 - The devolution of Brandon Jennings

It may seem like a strange way to start this list, but here are the facts: At 20, Jennings is a young rookie burdened with carrying a defensive-minded team on his back. In forgoing college and playing professionally for Italy’s Lottomatica Roma, the point guard averaged only 17 minutes per game last year. Now, he’s expected to take the big shots for an NBA team who will play at least 82 games this season, perhaps many of them without it’s injury-prone star shooting guard. At some point, it’s only fair to expect that Jennings will drop off. Why look forward to this? Because, frankly, there will be much to be learned from the way that the rookie handles the bumps in the road. If he does so with grace, toughness, and a mind open to learning, Jennings could be a good player for the Bucks for a long time.

10 things to look forward to in 2010

Now that Movember has all but been shaved away, I'm looking ahead to post-Christmas and beyond. This month I'll be counting down ten things I'm personally looking forward to in 2010 and that I hope you'll be excited about as well. There's plenty left to celebrate in December alone, but there's no time like the present to start looking toward the future.