Thursday, January 28, 2010

Online Anonymity

Ridiculous update:
Turns out if you sign up for an xbox Live account online you cannot merge that account with your local account easily or for free. Microsoft will let you merge the 2 accounts for 800 xbox points (about $10) and a completely confusing and unnecessary process. So, while I still have the cashbutter gamer profile I most likely will not be using it. I, instead, have come up with new account originated through the xbox (not the xbox website) which merged my old/local account information and will be using the accurate and appropriate gamer tag:

theREALbmills

I have login credentials at dozens and dozens of websites. They always ask you for a username and on every single site I am either:

bmills
or
bmills313 (if bmills isn't available)

For our 3-year anniversary, Katie got me a wireless adapter for XBOX and Modern Warfare 2 which I'm super stoked for. Part of the reason is that I'll get to play some MW2 and other games against Kuka back in Missouri, who will kick my ass but all in good fun.

Enter my online registration @ the XBOX Live website. I'm filling out the usual form entries and then it asks for a username. XBOX Live has been around for a long time so I believe that the chance of bmills being available is 0% (and I was right) so then I default to my bmills313, which is my birthday concatenated to bmills; it's never failed. Much to my astonishment:

Sorry, that username is unavailable. Please choose another.

Are you F'n kidding me?? Has Barney Mills born on March 13th been playing HALO for 3 years or Betty Mills who lives at 313 Elm Street beaten me to the punch??

[sidenote: I went and looked: bmills has no information on their profile. bmills313 looks like some fratboy who has his motto listed as "Big Daddy B." Ugh...he's ruining the bmills313 moniker.]

All of this got me to thinking: is it time for a change? Should I assume an online identity that offers no clues to my actual identity like millions of other people out there? I mean, how may people are really named "cutie girl" or Warhammer" or any of the millions of other completely anonymous usernames out there? If millions of other people can hide behind their "handle" and be complete A-holes and make themselves look like total douches, knowing there is absolutely no chance that anyone will know who you are and how to find you to make you say those nasty comments in person...then why can't I? Alter egos or 2nd identities are all the rage, I just never hopped on the bandwagon because I don't hop on bandwagons.

OK, so I'm not gonna be an A-hole and I won't shout bigoted and extremely hurtful comments over the headset while I pwn n00bs and become part of the fabric of online gamers, but the change should do me good, at least in online gameplay.

So what username did I go with? Well, let's evaluate who I am and we'll come to an appropriate alter ego. I am:

  1. A fan of humor
  2. A trader
  3. Not afraid of ridicule
  4. Inspirational; I'd love people to speak of me with great respect and envy
So with all that said, I give you my XBOX Live "Gamer Tag"

cashbutter

How about that?! OK, let me explain. When I first started learning about commodities trading I went through the CME's website and reviewed all the different commodity contracts out there and bar none, my favorite contract has to be "cash-settled butter" for obvious reasons (as noted above). Yes, you can trade butter; a lot of it, if you happen to be interested. In fact, here are the "udderly awesome" contract specifications from the CME's website (<-- get it, udderly...cuz it's butter and butter comes from...nevermind):

Contract Size 20,000 lbs. of Butter ( ˜9 metric tons)
Product Description Grade AA Butter
Pricing Unit Cents per pound
Tick Size (minimum fluctuation) $0.00025 per pound (= $5.00 per contract)
Daily Price Limits $0.05 per pound above or below the previous day's settlement price, with
multiple expansions. No limits in the last 5 days of trading. See CME Rule: 5602.D

It's perfect. Seeing as I don't plan on playing a ton it should provide the occasional chuckle and maybe I'll even be mentioned in circles on the XBOX Live community as "The Butter Guy" or something else that accurately describes the awesomeness that is my gamer tag and the extreme envy that it conjures up in the minds of those late to the great GamerTag land-grab.

So, add me to your friends list on XBOX Live and prepare to be pwned by the uber-awesomeness that is cashbutter !!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

YouTube Tuesday: Economics Rap

Ever wanted to know basic market theories created by the most famous 20th Century economists of all time but were afraid to ask because the subject is so daunting, boring and confusing? Do you like learning lessons and hearing tales spun by lyrical rap? If so, I think I've found the perfect video for you...



Learn more about the economic theories behind John Maynard Keynes and F.A Hayek at the Econstories website...

http://econstories.tv/home.html

Thursday, January 21, 2010

California rains FTW

You win, California. Your aquatic display of fury from the heavens over the past 48 hours is by far the craziest, most absurd and impressive rain I have ever experienced. What's that? The worst has supposedly not arrived yet? BAD. ASS.

Sure, many people in Southern California are saying that right now but I'm different. Remember: for 25 years of my life I lived in either the Midwest (Minnesota and Kansas) or up in Seattle, neither a stranger to wet weather. This, folks, would make either locale blush.


This is in Huntington Harbor, just a couple miles from here. Yeah, this is California.

Sheets of rain pounded the area for hours, a tornado flipped over a car and damaged several buildings in Seal Beach / Sunset yesterday, Delaware Street in front of our place turned into the Delaware river (didn't Washington or some guy cross that?) with the raging water breaching the curbs that consider a lot of water to be a couple dudes washing their trucks on a Saturday afternoon. There was rampant flooding on giant streets you'd never imagine would flood and the building next door under major rennovation couldn't hire enough day labor to bail water from the newly poured concrete patios.

Hey Bro, I borrowed your car but I don't remember parking it so badly...that must be some good weed

All in all, it was killer. Maybe the best part is that I sat here all day, indoors sipping pot after pot of Gyokuro tea; I did not venture outside other than the occasional peek out the front door to make sure the potted plants weren't potted buoys.


 San Clemente Pier. That right looks killer...literally.

I did have to venture out yesterday to the office to pick up a package and was reminded what horrible drivers Californians are when it's not 72 and sunny. In heavy wind and rain I'm not sure that Beach Blvd. (the giant, arterial road here in HB) got above 30mph (normally people are pushing 55-60) and I didn't know that the windshield wipers on some of these cars could move that fast nor that people could press their face that close to the windshield and actually drive.

This photo pretty much exemplifies the typical SoCal driver. Nothing like taking a compact car through 3-feet of water on an off-ramp.

In any event, I loved the last 48 hours and look forward to more. If Southern California exhibited more crazy weather like this and we experienced a few days of panic and concern because it's not 72 and sunny I think it would do everyone good; I know I'd love it. Here's hoping this El Nino year delivers even more craziness...


 This, people of California, is a tornado

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

YouTube Tuesday: Food, Inc.

A month ago, I watched the following film. I read Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma a while back so I was very interested in Food, Inc. as my Generation Y desire for visual media yearned for something more than just pages on a Kindle.

I'm not going to go vegetarian or protest food companies but this film and Omnivore's Dilemma has really made me become far more active in choosing what I put in my body and what companies I endorse. This film (or preferably the book) should be very important to you, regardless of what you choose to eat. The information in this film is just as important and eye opening to vegetarians as it is to omnivores. There's a pretty f*cked up world that we are forced to be a part of whenever we seek nourishment that's controlled by a handful of companies and regulated by the people who used to run those companies. You truly have to wonder who is looking out for us, the consumer, and for those of you with children I implore you to do what you can to ensure that your children are nourished with the right calories and don't fall prey to cheap/empty calories that lead to things like diabetes and other illnesses as well as contributing to the overall obesity of this nation, which is a byproduct of the cheap, processed calories that our government has pushed on us our entire lives.

I realize that going to an all-natural diet and making many of the changes in this film is very expensive from a cost standpoint but you owe it to yourself to try. Try cutting out high-fructose corn syrup for a week and watch your weight and overall health improve. Eat fresh vegetables, plant a garden to eat in-season vegetables or at least fresh herbs (for those with limited space); every little thing helps. And while I disagree that you cannot put a cost on your health (it's just not feasible for 90% of the people in this world to eat as Food, Inc. would recommend) I do agree that every single one of us can make better decisions when it comes to nourishment.

If you want more information, check out the Food Inc. website http://www.foodincmovie.com/ or check out the book Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Anyway, get you some Food, Inc...and start becoming more concerned about what you put in your body.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

How to make a Michael Cera movie

I love the guy, but this is so true...


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Don't be THAT guy: Eager Elevator Entry




OK, it's time for a new regular installment here at übersurf. You see, I'm an extremely level-headed, accommodating, understanding guy. I listen to and appreciate different points of view, cultures and social dynamics whether I agree with them or not.

However, I'm also an extremely critical guy with no tolerance whatsoever for stupidity, ignorance, unbelievably selfish acts and so forth. One of my favorite sayings is "don't be that guy" when speaking to people about the actions of another in social situations. You know the guy; we've probably all been THAT guy a couple times and felt badly for it. The thing is, these people don't give a damn or are clueless about what they're doing.

So, the first "don't be that guy" in our new series is the:

"Eager Elevator Entry" Guy

Here's the setup...

Your luck is running out when you hit the lobby, Leprechaun...

The elevator arrives (let's say in the lobby) and the bell rings alerting the waiting riders that their vertical chariot hath arrived. The people eager to get back to work (or wherever they're going) rush to the doors of the elevator, before they've opened, standing just a foot or two from the door. As the doors start to open, THAT guy starts walking into the elevator, completely oblivious to the fact that elevators are multi-taskers that transport people up AND down.


Any one of these guys could be THAT guy...

As THAT guy enters the elevator, he's met by the people that rode the elevator down (our leprechaun above) and he becomes a log-jam that prevents the people from leaving.


I love a good elevator stampede

The worst part is, THAT guy almost seems annoyed that he has to move and that these fools are freeloading on his elevator.


STEP...AWAY...FROM THE ELEVATOR DOORS...

So, people, don't be THAT guy. When the elevator bell rings, let the doors open and see if anyone comes out. Then, enter the elevator...and wait for THAT guy to greet you on whatever floor you're headed to.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

YouTube Tuesday: Simmer down now...

When we were driving back from Seattle Katie plugged in her iPod and  had a big collection of SNL skits on there that had us LOL'ing the whole way home. One skit in particular has been making the rounds here at the house: Simmer down now.

So, without further adieu, simmer down now...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Oh yeah, it's a new decade PART 3

For the final installment, some final thoughts on the decade that was.

I guess the overall theme to the decade was "changes." Transitioning from college life to the working world, immature college kid to adult, moving intra and inter-state, several new careers and all sorts of stuff in between it was a decade of changes far more than any other time in my life.

Were they all good changes? Yes, or rather, they were all necessary. I realize there are a lot of changes to come and the changes in my life over the last decade have prepared me more so than any other time in my life.

If I had to give my overall satisfaction with the 2000's a grade I'd guess I'd go with B maybe B-. I don't have many regrets--regrets that are actually worth being regretful over-- and I feel I capitalized on a great deal of the opportunities presented to me over the last 10 years. You always wish you could have made more money, spent money wiser, visited this place or that place, ket in better shape and such but overall I have no complaints. I met some amazing people and save for the core group of KU people I met in years prior and a handful of people from other decades, pretty much everyone I call a friend now was introduced to me in the 2000's.

I didn't get involved in politics or religion whatsoever in the 2000's and I'm fine with that; maybe even better for it. I start to notice more of the impact politics and religion has on the world around me and it sort of scares me. I've always been somewhat naive to both topics and exposed to them on a very limited basis my entire life but now that I'm on my own and have my own things to worry about I'm realizing the importance of things such as politics and religion have on my life. I still have no aspirations of making either a very integral part of my life though I can see myself getting more involved in the political side of things, ensuring a better place for myself and my family, and becoming more spiritual (not religious) and looking inside myself for the strength and wisdom I know is there.

The last few years have taught me some important lessons regarding fiscal matters that were all but ignored for the majority of the 2000's. It's funny how you learn to save an spend more wisely when your income stream is limited and you live in the most expensive place in the US. I'm hopeful that the lessons I've learned as of late will translate to the years ahead, no matter how much money I may make...though I might ditch generic stuff for the name brands, given the opportunity. LOL

Love-wise, I'm set. I look forward to the future with Katie and learned some valuable lessons in the 2000's.

Career-wise, the 2000's were a really exciting ride. I start at a dot-com in KC and I end as a trader in my home-office in HB. I'm really glad I got to experience the workplace but even more glad that I got out. The bulk of the decade was taken up by Arcadia Capital and it was fun, though I realized pretty quickly into that endeavor it was not what I wanted to do. I spent the better half of the decade looking for new things to do and ways I could make a living, ultimately falling into the profession I believe I was made to do. I see trading as a vehicle to deliver me to the places I want to be and accomplish the goals I want to accomplish and not just from a dollars and cents perspective.

Going forward into the 2010's I look to be even more of an adult and begin to explore new worlds around me and capitalize on the opportunities already presented to me early in this decade. I have no doubt that I am positioned in such a way that I am mentally, physically, fiscally and spiritually ready to face the challenges and capitalize on opportunities the 2010's will present me so I'm very excited for what the new decade holds.

So, it was fun 2000's...but I've gotter bigger and better places to go and plenty of photos, knowledge, wisdom and memories of the times we spent together...and for that, I will be forever grateful.

bmills

Friday, January 08, 2010

Oh yeah, it's a new decade PART 2

Here are what I'd classify as the highs and lows of the 2000's in a free-form, off the top of my head as I think of them, no particular order sort of way.

HIGH's

 - Meeting Katie
 - Graduating from KU
 - KU winning the National Championship
 - Learning to surf
 - Surf trip to Indonesia
 - Visiting a Mentawai village
 - Skydiving (twice)
 - Buying a BMW, taking delivery in Europe
 - Doing that ^^^ a 2nd time
 - No Doubt concert in Irvine
 - The Strokes concert @ The Joint in Hard Rock Las Vegas
 - Leaving Kansas for Los Angeles
 - Leaving Los Angeles for Huntington Beach
 - Learning to trade
 - Meeting Bill Schamp
 - Learning to trade Bill Schamp's LOGIC
 - Brisbane the Pointer puppy
 - My sister's wedding
 - My Dad marrying Suzanne
 - Meeting Charlize Theron at a benefit in Los Angeles
 - Meeting Kelly Slater
 - Helping SurfAid International
 - My first barrel (in Indonesia, of all places)
 - My awesome quiver of surfboards
 - Night surfing @ San O with Mike...full moon and the craziest red tide I've ever seen; it's like we were in space
 - Every San O camping trip with Mike
 - Amit/Mitch's bachelor party in Vegas
 - Rishi's bachelor party in BFE
 - AOE & MTGO battles with Kuka
 - Jap balls and Golden Tee @ Tanners with Brian Brown more times than I care to count
 - My first "real" cuban cigar
 - Discovering green tea
 - 4th of July session with Ed
 - Chicago with Katie, meeting BenT and Greg
 - Sears Tower with the aforementioned gang

LOW's

 - Driving home from Jardine's in KC
 - Wrecking the Audi on the way home from Jardines
 - Spending a couple hours in jail for wrecking the Audi on suspicion of being drunk (case was dismissed for lack of evidence...not very proud of the whole situation at all)
 - Losing my grandmother
 - Losing Raymond to Seattle
 - Leaving Lawrence
 - Getting pulled over by CHP for driving with expired Kansas plates, 3 months after I got here
 - Having my car towed by CHP for ^^^ and being left to fend for myself with a business card telling me where my car would be
 - Not telling Charlize Theron how gorgeous she was (maybe we could have made out, ya know?)
 - My first REAL earthquake from the 20th story of my office/building in El Segundo
 - Buying land in Florida
 - Selling land in Florida
 - Continued litigation over the Florida deal
 - Buying the old Bronco
 - Selling some of my quiver to pay bills
 - The drive home from Seattle through the Siskyou's
 - The gash in my knee from the tail of a surfboard
 - The resulting infection that left the knee the size of a football
 - Passing out @ eScout and losing my sense of smell in the fall
 - Getting hammered @ Oktoberfest in Big Bear
 - Thinning hair


I'm sure there's more but this is the stuff that really matters. I guess what's most important is that there were more high's than low's and I really had to think hard for the list of low's...and I'd say that's an indicator of a successful decade of life.

Part 3 is all that's left. You get it this weekend...

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Oh yeah, it's a new decade PART 1

It dawned on me as I read through a couple blogs and articles here and there that we've entered a new decade. Well, at least it's a new decade if you don't buy into the year 0 thing...but let's assume it's a new decade unlike the fanatics who swear by year 0 and think 1/1/11 is the real start of the next decade.

So what have I/we learned this decade? Where am I now 10 years after everyone was freaking out about a stupid Y2K bug? We're gonna do this in several parts. Part 1 will be a time-line from then until now, part 2 the highs/lows of the decade that was and Part 3 the "what I learned" portion.

Midnight January 1, 2000

I was home alone this night ringing in the new year in my apartment in Lawrence, alone. Don't feel sad for me; it's how I wanted it. I remember having a bottle of champagne all to myself and was watching whatever TV coverage looked most interesting; NBC for the poignant, very real look at what was to come as we start a new millennium, MTV for the hot chicks making out in the TRL studio overlooking Times Square. What? You want the truth, you got it...

I didn't think too much of the new millennium at the time; it was just another year. I was graduating from KU in the spring, I'd lined up a job working at a dot-bomb in KC and I was single with a whole world out there just begging me to leave the sheltered confines of college.

Summer 2000

I moved into an apartment in Lawrence with one of my best friends Ben. I'd begun working at eScout and although the drive to KC was a bitch, it was at least a straight shot on I-70 to the office in downtown KC. This was a great living situation. Ben and I decided we needed a table but that an air hockey table was a far more practical use of the space in our dining area so we did it. I wish we'd had more time to live together as I'm confident that we would have needed another table and could have rationalized getting a foosball table instead.

Fall 2000

eScout moves to Lee's Summit, MO which adds I think 30-miles R/T to my already long commute; thanks, assholes. Whilst at eScout, I passed out in the bathroom and cracked my skull on the concrete floor of the bathroom. Literally. This was the accident that left me senseless. Literally. The fall had severed my olfactory nerve, leaving me without my sense of smell and although I've gained a small portion of it back, I'm still unable to smell anything of note; let's give it a # of say, 95% inability to smell. In retrospect, I wish I'd sued eScout. 2 doctors told me that the fall was due to stress and I was working my ass off at a dot-com startup for a maniac...my being laid off less than 6 months later would have had ambulance chasing lawyers foaming at the mouth and in-house council sounding the damage control bell. Missed opportunities...

A budding friendship developed with someone I can point to as the source of a great deal of people I call friends these days, one Rishi Parekh. I think of my post-college days in KC, this is/was the reason I stuck around and was supposed to be there; we were meant to meet one another, in some strange way. We had tons of fun, listened to jazz, drank scotch and wine and established a lifelong relationship with one another that continues on today.

Spring 2001

eScout laid me off. Thanks, assholes. I'd just moved to KC by myself and at the time the 2 weeks severance pay seemed awesome, especially when coupled with unemployment pay from Missouri. The cost of living was such that I could afford to watch TV and mess around all day and look for jobs in the evening and have money leftover to get wasted at night, every night. My neighbor Brian Brown provided many a night of fun and craziness as we stumbled home from the bar that backed up to our building. Good guy, would love to reconnect with him...

Summer/Fall 2001

No jobs in KC; giving up hope. It's at this time that my partner Raymond called me and pitched the idea of starting a mortgage company together here in SoCal where he lived. What did I have to lose?

9/11 happened and I remember being woken up by Raymond telling me to turn on the TV. It was pretty surreal and the days that followed were filled with a lot of hate, fear and uncertainty. A month later, Raymond and I packed up the car, sold everything that wouldn't fit, I said my goodbye's to KC and before the gravity of the situation hit me I was halfway to Southern California.

Winter 2001

We had started Arcadia Capital, LLC and were struggling to find business. It was very slow going and it wasn't until Spring 2002 that we actually closed a deal. Southern California was incredibly foreign to a Kansas boy and I was feeling homesick as I called friends back in KS looking for something to keep me going as the fast pace, abundant a-hole residents of SoCal, pollution and all the other fun stuff around here was anything but inviting, or at least, too great to be offset by the great weather (as so many people here continue to lean on as THE reason people want to be here).

I began surfing shortly after I got here, which I honestly think was what kept me around. Had I not begun surfing there's an excellent chance I would have ended up back in KC or Seattle.

Spring 2002 - Fall 2006

Arcadia was moving along, though Raymond had left me by myself as he and his wife left for Washington state to live in the sticks and start a family. I was pissed. Here I'd uprooted my entire life to move to SoCal, knowing nobody here other than Raymond and he leaves me less than a year after I get here. This still sort of hurts and I believe the failure of Arcadia (more on that in a bit) is due solely to his leaving. I'm happy he is where he is but I think that the impact of the situation has never been fully appreciated by all involved which leaves some feelings of resentment when things are rough, as they have been several times since.

I'd moved into an apartment in Brentwood, which I loved for it's location and size, and had begun dating a girl named Nicole. She was young, a wild soul that was very different from me but I liked it. It was almost as if I started dating her because I normally wouldn't date someone like her. She was this hot California blond, outgoing and naive to a lot of things in life and I just enjoyed being with her. It was easy and I didn't have to work hard at the relationship, which ultimately destroyed our relationship.

In November 2004 I moved to Huntington as I was sick of LA and it was closer to Nicole who lived in Belmont Shore. My apartment was awesome. 2 blocks from the beach, newly renovated, an outdoor shower to rinse off after a surf, right in the middle of downtown; it was awesome. HB was this magical land or surf, sun and isolation and I loved every second of it.

After almost 4 years dating I ended it with Nicole. We were too different and I didn't put forth any effort as subconsciously I knew I wasn't really seeing any future with her. It was tough but it had to happen.

October 2006

Indonesia! I went on a surf trip as a way to sort of clear my mind and soul just a month or 2 after ending the relationship and had a blast. It was Bryan-time and I was thousands of miles and dozens of hours by plane from life back home. I want to go back and will someday, though Indo seems really far from where I am right now both physically and metaphorically.

November 2006

Now it gets interesting. I met this girl named Katie who lived at the other end of the building, one thing led to another and now we live together with a dog and a lot of good times. I also met some other friends that are big parts of my life now; this was a really happy time in my life. There was probably 6 months of pure perfection. I have Katie, some really fun friends, I'm making great money pimping loans; life was just easy, fun and prosperous and I would give anything for that feeling again.

Winter 2007

Katie and I move in together and get Brisbane the wonder-pup. The house was a disaster from a legal/rental standpoint as the landlord wasn't paying the mortgage and pocketing every penny of rent (money orders only) and was all but a ghost as the property manager couldn't even verfiy that he existed.

Spring 2008

This began the beginning of the end of Arcadia Capital. The once profitable and successful venture was struggling and I saw enough in the real estate market to know when to get the hell out, and I did. I began looking into other businesses and ultimately decided to become a trader, which I am doing full-time now.

Fall 2008

Eviction notices posted on the door of Hartford verified what we already suspected: the landlord was a crook. After hunting down the doofus of the operation (the property manager) and getting our deposit back, we moved out and found another place in HB.

Fall 2009 - present

Life as usual. I struggle to learn the art of trading and watch life savings dwindle to nothing as I try to stay afloat paying for rent, debt, you name it. I'm not trading all that much and view the time as a sort of "going back to school" but instead of coming out with my masters or a nursing degree I hope to emerge with knowledge that can open any and all doors when used properly. It's rough. For the first time in my adult life I'm not making any money, and that means no unemployment either. But I view it as a necessary step in my progression forward and realize that without the rainy days you can't appreciate the sunny days quite as much.

Midnight January 1, 2010

Katie and I complete a 1000 piece puzzle in less than 4 hours with a couple Jersey Shore breaks thrown in for good measure. I spent the last day of the decade with the woman I love and the puppy that we love and welcome in a new decade and surely a new chapter of our lives together.

It's a fitting way to end the decade don't you think? I start the decade by myself and after 10 years, countless friends and acquaintances, a move cross country and starting from scratch at least twice I end it with just 1 more person. I guess what counts, though, is the quality of that company. Who needs raging parties with teary-eyed drunks and horny guys looking for the first BJ of the year from a stranger when you can be with the ones you love and quietly celebrate the passing of another year and ring in the new year in peace?

Part 2 coming up later this week...

Sunday, January 03, 2010

2010 Blogsolutions

As we're now into 2010, I feel it necessary to give you some new year "blogsolutions." It's the popular thing to do and since this blog doesn't need to lose weight and can't plan a budget or eat healthier, here's what you can expect for the upcoming year...

1. More posts
I can't promise you every day but I can sure tell you every day now at the beginning of the year, try my best, come up short and then link back to this statement at the end of the year to prove that I never promised you a thing.

2. More interactivity
YOU need to be involved in this blog! Maybe through polls, suggestions, guest bloggers, whatever. Come hell or high water I'm going to get you involved here this year and look forward to the ensuing train wreck.

3. More controversy
Yeah, I said it: more controversy. I don't have enough time to gently meander around political correctness and side-step discussing many of the issues that I would like to but have previously avoided for lack of pissing people off or having labels attached to me. Not that anything is really that bad, but I think you might learn a bit more about me if I weren't pushing all my toughts and content through the Brita water filatration of blog-editing.

4. Brisbane
He has his own blog that hasn't been posted to in a while and with his schedule and mine starting to settle in nicely, we should be able to get him on the keyboard and start posting either here or at his own blog.

So, let's light this candle and have a very fun and entertaining 2010 here at übersurf...