Super Bowl Preview

Philadelphia Eagles
Once again, I am forced to write about the Philadelphia Eagles because they keep winning games and are now headed to the Super Bowl. Let me repeat - I hate the Eagles, I don't like Andy Reid (reminds be to much of Holmgren).

New England Patriots
Tom Brady isn't necessarily the most gifted QB in this matchup, but he's the smartest and most likely to come out on top in the big game. Brady's supporting cast is better as well, so New England is more equipped to handle the Eagles than vice versa.

Go Patriots. 38-24

Weekly NFL Picks

My NFL Wild Card picks:

• Rams over the Seahawks - This is the greatest thing that could've happened, adios to Holmgren.
• Chargers over the Jets - I missed this, but I didn't take into account Marty-ball.
• Colts over the Broncos (barely) - Way off on this one.. Peyton Manning & Co. rolled over Denver.
• Vikings over the Packers - I like this one, but Randy Moss' mooning or "ass whipe" was ridiculous. Suspend him for at least one game.

Divisional Playoff Games:

• Steelers over the Jets - Big Ben & Co. need to put them in their place; Chargers should've taken care of them in the Wild Card game.
• Rams over the Falcons - I think St. Louis is gaining steam and Vick can't carry the whole team (pretty close, but not against Rams).
• Vikings over the Eagles - Just desserts here... bye, bye Philly. Owens reallly does make that much of a difference for this sorry squad.
• Colts over the Patriots - This is the closest one, but Manning should continue his hot streak and lead Indy to the Conference Championship game.

Random thoughts

Not sure what to write about today, other than how busy work is right now.

With us missing a few employees, we're having to pick up the slack and keep up with all of our projects. This wouldn't be so bad, but we have a few technical issues that require research & troubleshooting and that takes us out of our work time (completing projects). When you're judged by what projects are completed, that research starts to take it's toll.

Looking forward to this weekend, especially if I get to watch a couple NFL playoff games. I have plans Saturday afternoon, but hopefully I'll get a chance to see portions of those games.

My weekly NFL picks:

• Rams over the Seahawks (I hate Mike Holmgren)
• Chargers over the Jets
• Colts over the Broncos (barely)
• Vikings over the Packers

My fantasy Basketball teams are doing alright - I'm in 2nd place in both leagues right now. If I could combine the teams I'd be doing great. In one league Lebron, Yao & Maggette are killing me on turnovers. In the other league, my centers can't score enough or shoot a decent FG%.

Btw - My favorite site to play fantasy sports on is Yahoo Fantasy Sports. They consistenly have the best games & most players to compete with.

Artisans Market.com

Artisans Market.com blog
Great information on crafts, artists, etc.

Or visit their real site at www.artisansmarket.com.

NBA Tsunami Relief donations

I don't know about these latest tsunami donations being made by NBA players (Jermaine O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, etc.) based on how many points they score in some games this week. It would seem that they have enough money that they could just make a donation (and keep quite about it).

Those players making the donations seem to be those that are trying to improve their image, when they should just be trying to help out the victims of the tsunami in Asia (without benefit to themselves).

Here's a novel idea... How about the NBA itself donates $100 for every point scored in their games over the weekend? Better yet, make it $1,000 for every point. You know they are making bank with their TV contracts and merchandise; they probably have a huge stockpile of cash sitting in the bank somewhere. Why don't they donate $20-30 million themselves, on behalf of the entire league?

Do something right for a change... don't do it just because it benefits you or your public image.

Don't get me wrong - a donation, regardless of it's motivations is great and I applaud all the players involved, as well as Arn Tellem who appears to have orchestrated the idea and is going to match the highest player donation.

My 2 cents.

Latest Edition of What Gives?

This week, I'm still pretty upset w/ people's driving skills, but that's not my main beef right now.

When is the damn weather going to improve in Phoenix? That's what I want to know...

I am sick of all the rain and cold weather; I'll move back to SLC if I want that. Give me sun!

Until next week.

New Year's Eve Weekend

My weekend was pretty slow, especially after going out to the bar on Thursday. I went with a buddy and we hooked up w/ my girlfriend and some of her friends after going to another bar first. That night was crazy - so much so that I was trashed for New Year's Eve and didn't even stay up for the ball drop in Times Square. (actually I saw it on ESPN at 10PM)

After thinking my motorcycle was fixed, my buddy crashed it and now it's having some other problems. The gas leak is fixed, but now it's dying when shifting down (into 2nd gear) pretty consistently. Not sure what the problem is there.

I would've loved to watch the last week of the NFL on Sunday, but my girlfriend is trying to quit smoking (new year's resolution), so she didn't want to be in the house. Unfortunately, that meant that I couldn't be in the house either. We went to try and redeem a few Christmas gift certificates, but didn't really find anything. We did get a rifle target and decided to go shooting that evening though; it was pretty fun.

No more holidays for awhile...

Eagle River Mortgage launches new website and marketing campaign for 2005

I've recently been part of the team responsible for helping Eagle River Mortgage, a mortgage refinancing company in Idaho and Oregon, re-design their website in an effort to increase their conversion rate.

Released last week, www.LoanIdaho.com will allow an individual to complete the majority of the "paperwork" behind a mortgage loan at their convenience from the comfort of their own home.

The new website is a major upgrade from their old site and is informative, efficient, and more user-friendly. I welcome you to visit their site for more information.

Full press release

About www.loanidaho.com
Eagle River Mortgage, your local loan specialists, is easing the strain of applying for a mortgage. Featured on KBCI-TV's "Ask the Pro", Eagle River is a full service mortgage banker that specializes in New Home Mortgages, 2nd Mortgages, Debt Consolidation, Credit Repair Assistance and Mortgage Refinancing.