Goodbye 2011

Good morning.  Since I'll be doing my regularly scheduled weekly NFL predictions tomorrow, we'll take this opportunity to say goodbye to 2011.  2011 was a mixed-bag for me personally.  Those of you who know me or have been following this blog consistently know that the overwhelming low point of my year came during the summer when I was unsuccessful in finding a teaching and coaching job after spending the majority of my summer driving all over the state to fruitless interviews.  On the bright side, that has resulted in bringing me back to San Marcos, America, which is a place that I have always enjoyed.  If I have to be in a place where I don't have instant access to sportsbooks and poker tables and the ocean, I'll take San Marcos...  :)  2011 also has the distinction of being the year that I decided to start my little sports-related blog.  I will continue to refer to 'Bikini Hill' as being "sports-related" because I am going to continue writing my Monday ramble, which is and can and will be about anything and everything.  Additionally, just as there already have been, some of the Tuesday and Thursday topics that I write about won't necessarily be sports-related.  As much as I follow sports and have enjoyed starting this sports-related blog, I have friends that I don't get to see very often who couldn't care less about sports, friends who inexplicably enjoy my sarcasm and wit and would be perfectly happy if the subject matter here didn't stretch beyond the scope of my weekly rambles.  :)  Being the team-player that I am, I will continue to be there for everyone...  ;)  It definitely appears that there is a niche for my sports-related blog, as the viewership here has started to explode during the course of December.  My blog had been viewed about 900 times since its inception (in late September) through the end of November.  In this month alone, my little sports-related blog has seen over 1,300 clicks.  As I'm sitting at my computer this morning, watching the stand-ins on the 'Mike and Mike' show and cringing, I almost feel obligated to write my blog...  :)  Since I woke up this morning, I have heard this on the show:  1)  One of the guys (who I do not know) said that the NBA's Eastern Conference is better than the Western Conference???  2)  Brian Billick was comparing the late-season schedules of the Giants and the Cowboys heading into Sunday night's showdown, and he mentioned that the Giants had losses to the 49ers, Packers, and the Saints, while the Cowboys were playing teams "like Miami and Washington."  Ummm, Coach Billick, Washington beat the Giants TWICE this year...  You MIGHT want to use a different team in your comparison???  3)  Mark Schlereth said that fans shouldn't be involved in voting for the Pro Bowl because "fans are stupid" - OUTSTANDING Mr. Schlereth...  :)  ANYWAY, I'm glad that there is room in cyberspace for my little sports-related blog, and I hope that you continue to enjoy it.  Now on 'Mike and Mike' the guy just asked Mark Schlereth if he thought that Ben Roethlisberger would play against the Rams this week (the team that the Steelers beat LAST WEEK).  This show is turning into a total trainwreck...  Regarding my blog, remember that you are always free to leave comments here, and if you have suggestions for any subjects that you would like to see covered, or if you have any questions that you would like to have answered, let me know.  Back to 2011, I hope that the year went well for you, and maybe more importantly, I hope that we all have an OUTSTANDING 2012.  You have less than three full days now to make those resolutions for next year...  Remember to visit again tomorrow if you want to know what may or may not happen on this final Sunday of the NFL regular season...  (I'm just gearing up for my playoff predictions, okay???)  ;)  Have a good one!