"Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account."

- Oscar Wilde



The end of the year - time to look back one last time before charging on ahead.

For me, personally, 2004 was a remarkable year that saw two major events in my life. First was getting engaged to an amazing woman. While I'm the one who's 6'7'' and she's 5'3'', I'm the one looking up to Lori in so many ways. 2004, if for no other reason, was a great year simply because of how much we've grown together, and for how much we have to be thankful for.

2004 was a great year for another reason. My dream project, release of a solo piano instrumental CD, was completed in February of this year. Even if "Maintain Radio Silence" had not been received in such an favorable way, I could still say I've managed to do one of those "life checklist" things that I've always wanted to do. I reflect back at the complete insanity that was the four-day recording period in August 2003 that made up the entire album - cutting the tracks, laying down the synths, and mixing it - and really can't wait to get back into a studio and grind out a sequel. (And if you bought it over the past year, thanks again!)

2004 saw the exit of my grandmother from this world. While so many things we take for granted, I consider myself fortunate when I say she was definitely not one of those things. The time we got to spend together toward the end of her cancer was invaluable to me.

Once we close the book on 2004, its time to look ahead and envision the new year. The first image that pops into my head upon reading Wilde's quote is the unbelievable masses of dead in Asia due to the recent earthquakes and resulting tsunamis. Earthquakes are so rare in the Indian Ocean region where this quake struck that the standard warning devices in the other major oceans weren't employed, and so the area was completely unprepared for the tragic disaster that literally left the rest of the world shaking. These people, just like the rest of us, were planning for a promising new year - a hopeful new beginning.

No one ever promised us anything. No one ever entitled us to anything. So let 2005 be the year we go out and do what we've always thought about doing - what we've always dreamed of doing.

2005 will be a very big year.

Auburn just closed out its SEC Championship victory over #15 Tennessee, securing its first 12-0 record in school history.

If they end up not playing for the national championship, something's really wrong. Of course we need a playoff in Division I-A football - everybody knows that. But for Auburn to get criticized for scheduling The Citadel and some other weak non-Division-I schools, when they have the 9th highest strength-of-schedule rank in NCAA Football (going into the SEC Championship) then they should certainly be playing for the national title. (OU and USC were both in the 20's and 30's in schedule rank.)

Meanwhile, having returned from a successful, adventurous one-day trip to New York City to launch AHSIMC fundraising efforts, I have had more time to spend with my new friend: Halo 2.

The game is just RIDICULOUS. Dave Cowart and I have been playing a lot, and we'll fire it up (frequently along with some other Auburn folks), create a party (a chat room where we all can talk to one another via headset until the game starts) and launch any number of different types of games and scenarios, all while staying on the same team and playing opponents of equal difficulty. The whole thing is really well done...guess there's a reason they've sold 5 million copies as of the beginning of December!

With the Nintendo DS arriving a week or so ago, as well as a plethora of highly-anticipated games (Metroid Prime 2, Half-Life 2, the new Call of Duty game, Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, etc., etc.) its amazing that Halo 2 is continuing to stand out as a premiere title.

One of these days, I'm going to get involved in the gaming industry. Just got to make some money before I can get in there and invest it!