Happy 2015!!!

Good evening everyone.  As we're nearing darkness here in San Antonio, Texas, with the calendar reading December 29th, I can assure you that this will be my last post of 2014.  All in all, 2014 was a pretty good year for me, and I'm more than ready for 2015 to begin.  Before we get to all of my mushy personal stuff however, we're going to get our football out of the way...  Joey and I both finished under .500 for the second straight week with our 'Lucky 7' picks, and as a "reward' for that, we both get to weigh-in on 12 bets this week.  We're giving you our bets on both of Thursday's NCAA playoff games, in addition to all of this weekend's NFL playoff action, both against the spread and the totals (overs/unders).  We're throwing in our score predictions at no extra charge...  I'm going to lead things off this week just because I feel like it...  :)  Brittany helped lead me to a 3-4 mark last week, but I have faith that we'll turn it around this week.  Also, Brittany is a Cowboys fan, so she's probably going to like my prediction on that game...  :)

Coach's Lucky Dozen (Last Week 3-4, 62-63-1 Overall)


Oregon 41  Florida State 28  ---  Oregon (-9)  ---  Under 72
The Seminoles can't afford to give the Ducks a head start.  I think that Oregon's tempo on offense will give the Seminoles problems.

Alabama 38  Ohio State 17  ---  Alabama (-9)  ---  Under 58.5
The Buckeyes are way down on their quarterback depth chart, the Big Ten is not the SEC, and Ohio State doesn't deserve to be in this game anyway.  The Tide should roll...

Cardinals 23  Panthers 17  ---  Cardinals (+5.5)  ---  Over 38
I really like the Cards getting the points here.  Arizona still has a formidable defense, and just needs to keep the game close to win this bet...

Steelers 27  Ravens 17  ---  Steelers (-3)  ---  Under 47
I'm not pleased that my team lost Bell to an injury, but the Steelers are still chucking the ball with success.  I constantly say that Flacco is overrated, so I have to back it up...  Go Steelers!

Colts 31  Bengals 24  ---  Colts (-4)  ---  Over 49
The Bengals were running of receivers last night, and will need a big game from Hill to beat the Colts.  I do expect points to be scored in this one, but I like the Colts in the dome...

Cowboys 34  Lions 20  ---  Cowboys (-7)  ---  Over 48.5
It's amazing what the Cowboys can do when they block and tackle, isn't it?  Romo, Murray, and Bryant are a formidable trio, and Stafford is now 0-16 on the road against teams with a winning record in his career...


In case I haven't clarified this before, I tailor my score predictions to match my feelings on my bets against the spread and on the totals (overs/unders).  I'm just saying that I'm more interested in getting my bets right than being close to my score predictions (for what's it's worth)...  Now that I've clarified that, we'll get to Joey's picks.  You'll notice that several of Joey's predictions differ from mine.  Joey is also betting against the weatherman, as he feels that this week's prediction for snow in Las Vegas won't come to fruition...  :)  With that being said, live from the Palace Station Sportsbook, here's Joey...

Well, that was a fast NFL season.  Happy holidays and I hope you made some money during the regular season.  Here are my wild card and college playoff picks...


Joey's Lucky Dozen (Last Week 2-5, 58-64-4 Overall)


Florida State 37  Oregon 21  ---  Florida State (+9)  ---  Under 72
The Seminoles are the defending champs and still undefeated.

Ohio State 17  Alabama 14  ---  Ohio State (+9)  ---  Under 58.5
Even with their third quarterback, the Buckeyes are a top four team.

Panthers 31  Cardinals 24  ---  Panthers (-3.5)  ---  Over 38
***Joey bet this early at (-3.5), and I took today's line of (+5.5)***
The Panthers are now my pick to win the NFC, at least til they lose.

Steelers 17  Ravens 10  ---  Steelers (-3)  ---  Under 47
Big Ben is good enough to keep the Steelers winning.

Colts 28  Bengals 27  ---  Bengals (+4)  ---  Over 49
The Bengals can be good when they don't have the flu.

Cowboys 31  Lions  17  ---  Cowboys (-7)  ---  Under 48.5
Suh is out - Romo gets a playoff win.


Happy New Year and may all your parlay cards cash!


I'm really surprised at how many games Joey and I disagree on, and at how many totals we do agree on - this ought to be an interesting week of football...



And now for my last keystrokes of 2014...  I'm really thankful for the family and friends that I have, and for the opportunities that I've had to live life (like that Brittany?  :) ) every year.  I have seriously been blessed to have had the opportunity to do so many different things in my life, and go so many places, and meet so many people.  I've gone about a week and a half now without working (Christmas Break), and I went almost three months during the late summer and early fall without having to work.  My point is that it would be very hard for me to complain at all about 2014.  With that being said, my resolution for the new year is to make money.  When I say make money, I mean MAKE MONEY!  I'm serious when I tell you that I'm probably going to GRIMACE every time that I write a rent check in 2015 - NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS a month for a one-bedroom apartment.  GRRRRR...  Oh well, at least I should never be bored during the new year.  If I do ever complain about boredom in the next twelve months, just tell me to get a job (or another job, or a better job)...  :)
Well, I'll have plenty of time to fill up your computer screens in 2015...  I hope that all of you have fun welcoming the new year, and that you have an OUTSTANDING 2015!

It's Getting Serious Now

Good morning everyone.  Things are starting to heat up now in the football world as some of the more prestigious bowl games are approaching, coupled with the impending NFL playoffs, where several seeds have yet to be determined.  Joey and I both had losing weeks last week for the first time in a while, but we're still hovering around the .500 mark.  I'll avoid stalling since Joey has picked some of today's games.  Live from Las Vegas, here's Joey!

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope everyone received the gifts they wanted.  Santa left me a list of seven things to go get.


Joey's Lucky Seven (Last Week 2-5, Overall Record 56-59-4)

Cincinnati (-2) vs. Virginia Tech
South Carolina (+4) vs. Miami
Boston College (-2) vs, Penn State
USC (-7) vs. Nebraska
Chargers (+3) @ Chiefs
Giants (-3) vs. Eagles
Panthers (+4) @ Falcons


One day Santa will tell me where all the naughty girls live...  Good luck and may all your tickets cash!


And now it's my turn.  As usual, I'm picking all NFL games, although I will weigh-in with predictions on next week's college playoff games, in conjunction with next weekend's NFL games (we'll be coming to you with an earlier post than usual, tentatively on Tuesday or Wednesday).  I have a new good luck charm for this week since my random girl from Las Vegas went 3-4 with me last week (I'm pretty harsh, eh, after probably more than a month with a winning record?)...  However, my friend Brittany posted a pair of photos on Facebook that was too late for my 'Merry Christmas' post, and Joey's naughty girls/Santa joke reminded me of her pictures.  I'm gonna need Brittany's good karma this week, because all seven bets that I'm giving you revolve around games that have playoff implications (for qualifying or seeding).  This wasn't even intentional, but off we go...

 

Coach's Lucky Seven (Last Week 3-4, Overall Record 59-59-1)

Packers (-6.5) vs. Lions - I think Lions will literally freeze up in the 19-degree wind chill...
Chargers (+3) @ Chiefs - Bolts fighting for playoff spot/Chiefs are out, and won't have Alex Smith...
49ers (-6.5) vs, Cardinals - Arizona is free-falling due to their quarterback situation...
Raiders/Broncos (Under 48) - Raiders don't score, Peyton will suffer in 22-degree wind chill...
Panthers/Falcons (Under 47.5) - Betting that the good Carolina defense shows up...
Ravens (-13) @ Browns - Ravens still alive for playoffs/Browns have QB issues...
Bengals/Steelers (Under 48) - Battle in the cold for the AFC North...


And that's it for this weekend's football my friends.  Hopefully my picks are nice as opposed to naughty - C'mon Brittany!!!  :D  It's been awhile since I've leaned on a friend in this spot...  :P  Have a great football weekend my friends, and we'll see you soon!

Merry Christmas 2014

"You need to stop focusing on the darkness behind you.  The past is the past..." -Breaking Bad-

"Hang on to your hopes my friend..., that's an easy thing to say, but if your hopes should pass away, simply pretend..., that you can build them again..." -The Bangles- (Hazy Shade of Winter)



Good afternoon everyone.  I'm currently passing the time at my brother's house just days before Christmas in the same way that I passed it at my apartment in Austin in the days following Christmas last year - I'm watching episode after episode of 'Breaking Bad...'  We're all thrilled that I'm expanding my horizons...  There is actually a two-day marathon on AMC that begins on December 28th, but I found a half-dozen episodes on Time Warner's "Entertainment On Demand," so off we go...  Joey and I will still be back with some football picks for you this weekend, but there wasn't much of a chance that I'd give you a post before Christmas after today.  And yeah, I also watched 'Less Than Zero' again yesterday (where those 'Bangles' lyrics came from, for those of you who are keeping score at home)...

I'm hoping that I'll get my head screwed on straight (or that I'll run just a little bit better) so that I'll find myself in a better financial position at this time a year from now.  Two years ago at Christmas, I was less than 4 months removed from a Labor Day Weekend break-in out in Las Vegas.  Last year I was just about five months removed from a San Marcos to Austin relocation at this time.  I have already proved to myself twice that I can save money while living at the apartment complex that I'm moving back into less than three weeks from now.  However, I'm going to be paying the highest monthly rent that I've ever paid in my life when that lease begins, and that means that 2015 is going to be a very busy year for Coach...

As I've said before though, don't shed any tears for me.  I seem to remember that I visited the desert from August until the last week of October, Las Vegas and Reno, while doing nothing but playing poker and betting on sports.  I drove each leg of my journey in a 2014 rental vehicle.  I didn't have to show up for work at all during this time, AT ALL...  However, since I plan on saving money at the same rate that I did last year (at least), and my rent is going to be about $300.00 a month more, Coach will be showing up for work A LOT in 2015...

Back to the part about not crying for me, don't.  A couple of years ago at Christmas I was thrown when I abruptly discovered that a friend of mine was at best, immature, or at worst, someone that I completely misjudged as a person.  That revelation was soon followed by a week-long trip to Las Vegas however, a visit that helped take the sting out of that fall's Labor Day Weekend break-in. Last Christmas was much more positive as I was able to spend some time with a friend from high school when she visited Austin, someone who was able to remind me of the things that I'm capable of simply by the life she lives.  And then of course this holiday season I've been fortunate enough to have good friends and family looking out for me as I patiently wait to take over my new apartment, people who I'll be forever grateful to.

Like I said here recently, give me about another month (give or take) to get settled into my new place, and then I'll resume boring you on a more consistent basis...  In the meantime, here are some cheery Christmas photos from my friends to send you into the last week of 2014...

 
This one is from my friend Jessica, and her outfit is probably cute enough to win her a prize in a bikini contest.  Oh yeah, it did...  Congratulations Jess, and Merry Christmas!

  
This shot is brought to you by Austin's Capital City Dancers, courtesy of my friend Heather, the cute reindeer on the right.  It was from Heather's lips that the words, "You better stop watching me" were spoken (for you longtime blog readers), still the best first words ever said to me, and one of my favorite stories...  Merry Christmas Heather!

 

And this picture is from my friend Taryn, showing that Santa is alive and well in Austin, and making the last of his practice runs for tomorrow night in the Lone Star State.  Have a Merry Christmas Taryn!


And as for all of you, have a Very Merry Christmas and I'll see you soon!

Joey's Bowl Picks

Good afternoon everyone.  I'm not making individual picks on all of the bowl games this year due to time constraints.  However, Joey is making wagers on every single bowl matchup (as usual), so I thought that I'd post his picks here.  Joey obviously has varying levels of confidence in these picks, so I'll let him choose which bets (if any) he wants to include in his weekly "lucky seven..."  And here he is, live from the Palace Station sportsbook in Las Vegas, Nevada...

Bowl picks of the year.  A couple of places out here are doing a special winner take all parlay card if you can pick the most winners in the bowl games, so here come the winners...


UL-Lafayette (Pick) vs. Nevada - Joey just got that one right...
UTEP (+10) vs. Utah State
Utah (-2.5) vs. Colorado State and (Under 58)
Air Force (+1) vs. Western Michigan
South Alabama (-2.5) vs, Bowling Green
Memphis (Pick) vs. BYU
San Diego State (-2.5) vs. Navy
Central Michigan (+3) vs. Western Kentucky
Fresno State (+2) vs. Rice - Joey like Rice, but line had already moved 3 points...
Louisiana Tech (-6) vs. Illinois
North Carolina (-3) vs. Rutgers
Central Florida (-2) vs. North Carolina State
Cincinnati (-3) vs. Virginia Tech
Arizona State (-8) vs. Duke
South Carolina (-1) vs. Miami (FL)
Penn State (+3) vs. Boston College
USC (-6) vs. Nebraska
Texas A&M (+3.5) vs. West Virginia
Oklahoma (-4) vs. Clemson
LSU (-8) vs. Notre Dame
Georgia (-7) vs. Louisville
Maryland (+13.5) vs. Stanford
TCU (-4) vs. Ole Miss
Boise State (+3.5) vs. Arizona
Georgia Tech (+7) vs. Mississippi State
Auburn (-5) vs. Wisconsin
Michigan State (+3) vs. Baylor
Missouri (-5.5) vs. Minnesota
Florida State (+10) vs. Oregon
Ohio State (+10) vs. Alabama
Pittsburgh (-2.5) vs. Houston
Iowa (+3) vs. Tennessee
Kansas State (-1.5) vs. UCLA
Washington (-5.5) vs. Oklahoma State
Florida (-7) vs. East Carolina
Toledo (-2) vs. Arkansas State


That takes us through all the college bowl games.  May all of your parlays cash.  Merry Christmas!!!!


Based on what Joey has said, I believe that the Marshall/Northern Illinois and Arkansas/Texas games are omissions and not non-bets.  I will update this list as soon as I get those games from Joey.  In the meantime, have a great football weekend!  :)

UPDATE;  Marshall (-10) vs. N.Illinois  &  Arkansas (-3) vs. Texas

2014 Is Winding Down...

Good evening everyone.  I only have one more day of work this year, which is tomorrow, and then I will be heading south to San Antonio for the holidays.  Since I'll be making that trip tomorrow night, I thought that I'd be better off posting these football picks for you now.  I planned this to give Joey the opportunity to give his thoughts on some of Saturday's bowl games, so naturally he went with all NFL games this week too.  This means that you're actually getting all of our selections way ahead of time this week, a true Christmas miracle...  :P  Well, the miracle part may be that after sluggish starts to the season, BOTH Joey and myself have clawed our way back to .500 records on the season.  Joey went 5-1-1 last week, while I went 5-2.  Without any further ado, let's get to this weeks bets and hope that the positive trend continues...  Joey didn't have much to say this week, surely because he's picking sides on ALL of the bowl games, but here are his selections...

Joey's Lucky Seven (Last week 5-1-1, Overall record 54-54-4)

Eagles (-6.5) @ Redskins
Vikings (+6.5) @ Dolphins
Chiefs (+3) @ Steelers
Patriots (-10) @ Jets
Bills (-5.5) @ Raiders
Colts (+3) @ Cowboys
Broncos (-3) @ Bengals

That's it for my best seven.  I hope all your parlays cash...


Joey and I didn't have any matching selections this week (which is disappointing because we were starting to do well on those bets when we did), but here goes anyway.  The Vegas girl in blue is still bringing me good karma, so she's back as well...  ;)

Coach's Lucky Seven (Last week 5-2, Overall record 56-55-1)

Lions/Bears (Under 44.5) - Cutler haters rejoice because Clausen is the answer - PFFFTTT...
Patriots/Jets (Under 47.5) - Can the Jets score 10 in this game???
Browns/Panthers (Over 40.5) - I expect a very strange game here...
Colts/Cowboys (Over 55.5) - I expect a very wild game here...
Seahawks (-7.5) @ Cardinals - Lindley is looking at a long day is this one...
Ravens (-5) @ Texans - Texans are way down on the QB depth chart also...
Broncos/Bengals (Under 48) - This matchup should be interesting...


And that's it for tonight my friends.  Once I get settled in San Antonio for this break, you'll probably see a few more posts than you have been from me.  Let a month pass, and I'll be back on a regular writing schedule.  Have a great football weekend and I'll see you soon!
 

At Your Service

Good morning everyone.  Today's showcase college football game is Army vs. Navy (two service academies), so I'm "at your service..."  Yeah, I think that's pretty weak also, but I can't top it right now, so let's move on to our football picks.  Joey and I have been winning recently, so don't dismiss our picks until you've read them at least twice...  Coming live to you from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, Nevada, HERE'S JOEY...

Joey's Lucky Seven (Last Week 4-3, Overall Record 49-53-3)

Navy/Army (Under 56 1/2) - Both of these teams love to run the football...
Dolphins (+7.5) @ Patriots - These two teams hate each other.  Take the dog...
Bills (+5.5) vs. Packers - We will see if Buffalo can rebound from Denver...
Vikings (+7.5) @ Lions - Vikings have won two straight...
49ers (+10) @ Seahawks - 49ers offense is terrible.  I'm hoping their defense keeps them in it...
Cowboys (+3) @ Eagles - Again, gotta take the dog when both teams are fighting for first place...
Colts (-6) vs. Houston - I just cannot bet against Andrew Luck...


That's it for the best seven.  May all your tickets cash.


And now it's my turn.  Random Las Vegas girl has been very good to me so far, so...

Coach's Lucky Seven (Last Week 4-3, Overall Record 51-53-1)

Steelers (-2) @ Falcons - Let's see if I can jinx my team...
Broncos (-4) @ Chargers - Let's see if I can jinx Joey's team...
Raiders/Chiefs (Over 41 1/2) - This number is just so tempting...
49ers/Seahawks (Over 38) - This number is even more tempting...
Dolphins/Patriots (Under 48 1/2) - I don't see this one being a shootout...
Packers/Bills (Under 48) - The Bills offense and defense should both keep points off the board...
Saints (-3) @ Bears - I have a strong gut feeling here, and I'm a gambler...  ;)


And that's it for today folks.  My next post should be a little bit longer, but in the meantime, have a great football weekend!

Thirteen Days

Good evening everyone.  I took one of my patented naps after returning here following work today, and now I'm typing up some more drivel for you (because that's the thoughtful type of person I am) as my friend's family (and all of their pets) rest comfortably in bed.  Upon the completion of my nap and entering the living room, I found the whole family watching 'Million Dollar Arm.'  This was a pretty cool family activity to intrude upon as all of the lights were turned off and everyone was comfortably enjoying the movie together on the couch and love seat.  If you continue to stop by and visit my blog, you're going to continue to see me expressing my gratitude to my family and friends for all of their kindness in looking out for me upon my return to Texas from Nevada...  I don't think they have any idea how much I appreciate them...

If you haven't figured it out yet (did you even try?), 'Thirteen Days' is a reference to how many days of work I have remaining before I move into my new apartment (at my old apartment complex)...  For those of you keeping score at home (and really, aren't you all?), I have 3 days of work left this week, 5 days next week, a 1-day "work week" the day after New Year's (don't get me started), and 4 days the following week.  If I'm doing the math correctly (and I know that I am, or I wouldn't even bring it up), I have more days off in the next month than I actually work (and I can already tell you that's going to be in drastic contrast to what will be happening after I move into my new place, my new, EXPENSIVE place).  Regardless, I expect the next month to fly by as Christmas and New Year's are fast approaching.  We actually had our Christmas party at work today (well, Christmas meal, again, for those of you who are keeping score at home).  While there weren't any gifts exchanged, there was A LOT of food.  As I type this, Christmas is just over 15 days away, and 2015 is just over 22 days off.

Again (and obviously to your detriment), you will see more posts from me once I get moved into my new place.  Although I'll be working more once I eventually get settled, I'll do my best to catch up on summarizing my experiences from my almost three-month vacation in the desert from the late summer and early fall.  I won't be visiting any casinos for a while, but I'm tentatively aiming for a December 2015 vacation in Las Vegas.  I'm going to have to save up a significant amount of money over the next year to make this vacation happen.  Another monkey in the wrench is that the lease that I just signed recently will be ending at the conclusion of next year, so I'll have to figure out if I'll be remaining in my new apartment for another year.  If I stay, that will be another expensive year, and if I leave, I'll obviously be moving at the onset of 2016.  Yeah, I'm also wondering exactly when this blog became my diary...  :)  If I have the money and I can get the time off from work, an upside of this vacation is that there's no cheaper time to visit Las Vegas than in December (something about families being home for the holidays I hear)...  Speaking of families (SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT), my brother's family is about to (yeah, can you believe it..., SERIOUSLY???) MOVE... BACK... TO... LAS VEGAS...  Just let that sink in for a minute.......  :)  Yes, so if I'm successful in working this trip out, I'll be visiting them over the holidays next year (like I will be this year, except that they're in San Antonio right now).

I think that I'm going to turn in for the night now (releasing breaking news is pretty exhausting)...  ;)  Have a good one and I'll see you later in the week with some football picks...
       

We Need Eight Teams

Good evening everyone.  The Florida State/Georgia Tech game finished up not too long ago and I'm probably going to be returning to a youth select team baseball tournament tomorrow (and watching NFL games the rest of the day), so I thought that I'd retype my opinion on a previous topic for ya really quick.  Somewhere in the archives here I recall stating my belief that we need to have an 8-team college playoff system as opposed to a 4-team format, and the finale of this first season under the current plan seems to back up my stance.  If your team can't CLEARLY make a case for being recognized as one of the eight best in the nation, then I don't want to hear your crying.  However, there are several teams that I feel have a legitimate argument for being included in this group of four, and it's very difficult to differentiate among them.  I just wanted to say good luck to the committee members as they try to sort out this mess...  :)  Have a great Sunday and I'll see you soon...
 

Attitude Is Everything

"Attitude is everything.  Pick a good one..." -Anonymous-



Good evening everyone.  Joey and myself return tonight to share more of our football wisdom with you for this weekend.  Joey went 4-3 last weekend and I went 5-2, so we're going to go with "wisdom" for the time being...  Joey and I decided that we'll treat most of the bowl games as we would any other football game, meaning that we'll have the option to include or omit the matchups when we make our weekly picks.  However, we will be picking against the spread and totals (over/under) for the NCAA semifinals and final, as well as for all of the NFL playoff games, including the Super Bowl.  Now we have Joey coming to you with his top seven picks straight from Palace Station in beautiful but wet Las Vegas...

Joey's Lucky Seven (4-3 Last Week, 45-50-3 Overall)

Louisiana Tech (+11) @ Marshall - The wrong team is favored here...
Temple (-1) @ Tulane - I've rode the Owls all year long - no reason to get off the horse on the last week of the season...
Chiefs (Pick 'Em) @ Arizona - The Chiefs will rebound after last week...
Dolphins (-3) vs. Ravens - Dolphins are another team beaten by Broncos that won last week and will do so again...
Colts (-3.5) @ Browns - Colts match up good when they can throw the ball...
Seahawks (+1) @ Eagles - Seahawks still have a chance to win the division...
Falcons (+12) @ Green Bay - A lot of points although Packers are the best team in the NFL...


I really don't like that Joey picked Temple when my Bobcats are looking for them to lose this week, but what can you do???  The random girl from Las Vegas has been good to me so far, so we're going to stick with her again...  :)  Now coming live to you from an undisclosed location near Austin, Texas, here's me...

Coach's Lucky Seven (5-2 Last Week, 47-50-1 Overall)

Colts (-3.5) @ Browns - Browns aren't even confident in their starting QB...
Seahawks (+1) @ Eagles - More power to Sanchez if he can beat his college coach and the defending Super Bowl Champions...
49ers (-8) @ Raiders - If Rams can beat Raiders by 52, 49ers should cover this line...
Rams (-3) @ Redskins - Another home team with quarterback questions...
Bills/Broncos (Under 48) - Bills have solid 'D' and little 'O'...
Panthers/Saints (Over 49.5) - Saints have solid 'O' and little 'D'...
Packers (-12) vs. Falcons - Packers have a cold forecast for visiting Hotlanta in Monday night's game...


And that's all for tonight my friends.  Have a great weekend and I'll see you soon...

Making Lists

Good evening everyone.  It's going to be Thursday already (at least) by the time that most of you read this, but I'm starting to type at 10:15 p.m. and I know that I'll finish well before midnight, so good evening...  Now that we've wasted the time to cover that, let's move on...  I'm currently watching the last five minutes of the Duke/Wisconsin basketball game, having watched the first half of 'The Lost Boys' up to that point.  Duke is up 5 with just over 5 minutes left, if you're wondering.  I'll let you know who won when it's over.

Since I signed the lease on my new apartment, I've been making a lot of lists.  I think that we've covered the topic of my penchant for making to-do lists more than once here.  I'll end up utilizing several memo pads at any one time (and a dry erase board when I'm in a place of my own) to write down all of the things that I need to get done.  As you can imagine, the multiple lists are longer than normal due to the fact that I'm still transitioning between staying with my friends and my brother's family (and I can't thank any of this group enough) while I wait to get the keys to my new apartment.  In addition to moving into my new apartment, I'm also going to have to find a way to pay for it.  Well, paying for it isn't the thing so much as making enough money so that I have the ability to save money.  The $280.00 spike in rent from my previous lease to my upcoming one that I discussed in my last post is going to require Coach to find an additional source of income.  Whether it's finding a second job or a better paying job (or both), I'm going to have to make some more money.  From my viewpoint, the good news is that Austin must have A TON of jobs, because there has to be a reason that so many people are moving to the ATX, resulting in the increased demand and short supply of housing that I've discussed here recently.  So, I've been making lists...

Some of the lists that I've been starting are for this blog, as I still have several stories to tell from this summer.  As I may have mentioned here already, and I've definitely pointed out to several friends and members of my family, don't feel bad for me because I'm back in Austin.  If you ever hear me whine or complain about the current situation that I'm in, this holding pattern of waiting for my apartment to open up, etc..., or ESPECIALLY if you hear me complain about work, just remind me about the almost three-month poker and sports betting vacation that I took from August until the last week of October, where I wasn't required to report to work for even one day, not even one minute...  :D  Yeah, so don't cry for me Argentina...

In the sports world, my Texas State Bobcats are once again bowl eligible.  Last season we finished bowl eligible with a 6-6 record, but we played poorly down the stretch and did not receive a bowl bid.  We finished this season with a 7-5 record, but all of the automatic bids for the Sun Belt Conference have evidently been awarded, and the word is that we did not receive one.  (Duke just beat Wisconsin 80-70, and yes, it takes me this long to type my blog entries - oh, and now I'm watching 'The Lost Boys' again)...  Back to my alma mater, now we must depend on receiving an 'At Large' bid to a bowl game.  The word is that we've been talking to the Armed Forces and Cactus Bowls.  Due to the fact that we don't have an invite yet, Bobcat Nation will be rooting against Oklahoma State and Temple this weekend, as these teams each have five wins and could reportedly snatch away a bowl berth from us if they reach the qualifying sixth victory.  Oklahoma State faces Oklahoma while Temple plays Tulane.  Stay tuned...

Once I have a residence of my own again, you should see the volume of entries increase here, and especially the part where I steal material from my friends (don't let me down Leanne and Francesca) and other sources.  The fact that my drivel has been viewed more than 80,000 times completely dumbfounds me, but if I can do all of this typing for you without profiting even a single penny from it, well, how can I beat that???  :)

Let's see, what else, what else???  I'm not sure if Joey and I are going to predict all of the bowl games for you this year, or maybe just our favorites, or maybe just have the opportunity to call them in our weekly 'Lucky Seven' segment.  I know that you're on the edge of your seats awaiting this decision, so we've both had such stellar records in the blog this season.  AHEM...

Okay, well it's almost 11:00 p.m. now, and some people wake up really early for work.  However, I can recall SEVERAL nights this summer when I went to bed in Las Vegas AFTER I'm currently waking up for work, so I'll wipe this tear away now...  Have a great day and Joey and I will see you soon with our picks for this weekend...