As I break from my first day back to work after two full snow days, I found myself missing the lifestyle I once had in the mountains of Colorado. Granted, I was only a child and the true inconvenience that massive amounts of snow can levy upon a person or town escapes me. However, as I drove out my home Monday, which sits in a valley at an elevation of 20 feet, seeing less than a half an inch of snow on my car I recalled thinking, "Man, I wish it had snowed more." I work about 50 miles away, going up into the Sierra-Nevada foothills and I saw on the news that the storm had dropped quite a bit more snow overnight in those parts. The phones were down, power was out and I had no way of finding out if my office was closed.

I called about two dozen times getting only an "all circuits are busy warning", then texted a co-workers work email and was finally able to leave a "not coming into work" message to my supervisor at around 1pm that afternoon. The next day, I got up and headed into work in my 2002 Toyota Corolla Sport. Not the brightest idea I've ever had, considering the overnight low was in the teens and black ice was rampant even on the main highway.

As I drove that long 50 mile trek, I was blessed to see the rustic hillsides turn into beautiful white rolling hills with the first glimpse of the morning sunlight hitting the landscape. I was quite impressed - since I've lived in temperate zones for the better part of 20 years now. Naturally, I have taken the family up into the mountains to sled and build snowmen, but I was hit with a different kind of feeling this week.

I came to realize that I have been living a lie. My lie is based on the fact that I lived in San Diego for many years and northern California for even longer. The heat, the sun, the...smog. I'm just tired of that. I desire the memories of my youth more and more. That short three year period I lived in Colorado back in the 1980's. Thus I have decided it's time to say goodbye to California.

Of course, I need a lot of things to happen first. I need to finish my trade school in the next 12-18 months. I need to save up enough money to make a move of that magnitude. I need to get my wife to have this baby already!(She is scheduled to be induced on Tuesday by the way) And I need to figure out the right tact to use on my wife to convince her that moving that far from her roots is a good thing. It's taken about 8 years, but she has finally begun to warm to the idea of leaving California for good.

I know this has nothing to do with football or the Denver Broncos, but in a way, this is how I am reaffirming to myself and all of you that my home is where the heart truly is - and that is not in the once great state of California.

I have two destinations in mind. The first of which is obviously Colorado. My training is in Network Administration, so obviously I will have to be near major tech hubs - so a mountain man I will not be. This option is the only one I have been able to really sell my wife on.

My second destination, and truly the one I desire the most, is Idaho. Of course, the only place my field is strong enough for me to get work in would be Boise, but to be in a state that carries an independent attitude that reflects my own would do well for my soul. However, Idaho has a negative image to the rest of the country thanks in large part to an over zealous media that always like to focus on the extremes of society. Thus my wife is not even remotely close to agreeing to that dream.

Which is fine, because the first damn thing I do when we make it to Colorado is to make that phone call and put my ass on the wait list for season tickets. If I can't have Idaho, then by God I'll have my Denver freaking Broncos!

Anyway, enough of my rant. Now I don't know if I have much to say today, but I've chatted about myself for long enough - let's get on with it!

Continue reading this post »

Happy belated birthday, Mdierk!!

John and various members of the staff here are once again competing in the annual MHR Pick'em challenge. You will notice the Denver Broncos game is not included.  We'll just say everyone roots for the Broncos each week! Guru's wife is a Patriots fan, so her pick will be of the Broncos game.  Just so homerism doesn't affect the outcome again this year.

WEEK 13
-	John	Steve	Tim	Doug	Ted	Mdierk	Guru Wife
NYJ @ BUF	BUF	NYJ	BUF	NYJ	BUF	NYJ	BUF
PHI @ ATL	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
TB @ CAR	TB	CAR	TB	CAR	TB	CAR	CAR
STL @ CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI
DET @ CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
TEN @ IND	IND	IND	TEN	IND	TEN	IND	IND
HOU @ JAX	JAX	HOU	JAX	HOU	HOU	JAX	HOU
OAK @ PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT
NE @ MIA	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	DEN
NO @ WAS	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
SD @ CLE	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD
DAL @ NYG	DAL	DAL	NYG	DAL	NYG	NYG	NYG
SF @ SEA	SF	SF	SF	SEA	SF	SEA	SF
MIN @ ARI	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	ARI	ARI	MIN
BAL @ GB	GB	BAL	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
Last Week	13-1	11-3	11-3	9-5	11-3	10-4	11-3
Season Record	118-46	112-52	117-47	106-58	108-56	109-55	113-51

Continued from...

• Time Immemorial
• Ascension
• Il Duca
• Upheaval
• Apex

The Empire crumbled to dust. Bloodletting. Suffering. Sorrow. Thus began a decade of nomadic wandering.

No leader emerged, traitorous souls grew bold. The Master of Minds worked tirelessly to rebuild, to no avail. A new rival arose, a great figure who rode upon a colt - destroyer of orangemen.

The rider of colts squelched the hopes of the Master of Minds everywhere he went. Desire waned, complacency spawned.

Languishing as a pawn to other greater nations, a Lynch mob formed - led by a bearded plumber and a great Champion of the people. Together they would rebuild.

Seven long years past Imperial glory, the armies of orange won many key victories, spearheaded by the big Ahl warrior, over all rivals. Even the magnificent Bray-dee, and his compatriots, could not overcome the orange onslaught.  Empire feared.

Total victory at hand, the armies were utterly destroyed by a goliath of a man they called Bus. Trampled under his massive stride, a great many slaughtered.  Retreat became one's desire.

The great bearded plumber returned the following year and led his army to many great early victories, but there was an usurper within the ranks. The Master of Minds conspired against the great Empire to install this usurper to the head of the army.

The heroic warrior, Ahl, slain.

The bearded one fell from grace to the mutiny, destroying any chance for Imperial glory. Thus began the spiralling decent of the Empire into debauchery and destitution.  A vagabond through sin and self indulgence.

A once great dynasty fell into disrepair, giving way to a new rival empire. A foe Charged into the homeland to bring pestilence and death.  The bolted armor of the enemy flowed like rivers through the ranks of the once great orange army.  Defeat was certain, the usurper shrugs. 

The bastard usurper imbued upon himself all the rights and privileges of a King - claiming divinity through every victory, shifting blame to goats after every defeat. The army lamented, falling into its own selfish arrogance.

For two and a half years, decadence and complacency ruled the hearts of the orangemen. The Great King became weary...impatient; The Master of Minds blinded by his own arrogant genius would foolishly insult his Lord.

The Great King, with aged wisdom, gathered up his allies to depose the all-too-powerful Master of Minds. A great purging was nigh.

To be continued...

Well, another week in the books and I am once again left befuddled by our beloved Denver Broncos. There comes a time when you stick a well sharpened fork into a tender piece of meat and find that it is indeed NOT done.

That is what I discovered 3 short days after a 32-3 embarrassing home loss to the divisional rival San Diego Chargers. My fork was misplaced and hopefully will continue to be misplaced for the remainder of the season.

With just five games left, there is much to talk about - so let's get on with it!

Continue reading this post »

John and various members of the staff here are once again competing in the annual MHR Pick'em challenge. You will notice the Denver Broncos game is not included.  We'll just say everyone roots for the Broncos each week! Guru's wife is a Patriots fan, so her pick will be of the Broncos game.  Just so homerism doesn't affect the outcome again this year.

WEEK 12
-	John	Steve	Tim	Doug	Ted	Mdierk	Guru Wife
GB @ DET	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
OAK @ DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL
MIA @ BUF	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA
WAS @ PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
TB @ ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
SEA @ STL	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	STL	SEA
CAR @ NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	CAR	CAR	CAR	NYJ
CLE @ CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
IND @ HOU	IND	IND	HOU	IND	IND	IND	IND
KC @ SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD
JAX @ SF	SF	JAX	SF	JAX	SF	SF	SF
CHI @ MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
ARI @ TEN	TEN	ARI	TEN	ARI	TEN	ARI	ARI
PIT @ BAL	PIT	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL
NE @ NO	NO	NO	NE	NE	NE	NO	NYG
Last Week	11-4	10-5	12-3	11-4	9-6	10-5	11-4
Season Record	105-45	101-49	106-44	97-53	97-53	99-51	102-48

Continued from...

• Time Immemorial
• Ascension
• Il Duca
• Upheaval

A new army, so stout and voracious, emerged. The Duke, the leader at it's core; Tee-dee, the horse that tramples - leaders of the pack.

Together with a great sage whose Sharp speech incited rage and foolishness in enemy hearts; an assassin whose blade became nightmare's for many, including those hailing from the Kingdom of Niger; and an aging mercenary from the land of Chieftains, whose spiked mace cut through even the strongest of defenses.

Never had such an army been put forth onto the battlefield - vengeance and redemption were within the clutches of this mighty imperial force. Through the first many months of campaign, no evildoer could stand in the way of this awesome show of strength of will.

The spoils of war were not without stumbles, first the hated Chieftain tribe, led by the infamous Mar-tee, exacted an embarrassing defeat to The Master of Minds and his mythical God-like army of heroes. Then the City of Steel levied another crushing blow to the pride of the Orangemen. Yet, all was not lost. The Duke assembled the troops.

Il Duca, displaying his wisdom and stoic pride, delivered a tantalizing oratory to the masses - inspiring them to achieve incredible accomplishments.

Regrouped, reorganized and refocused to the task, the great heroic army marched forth against the hated left-handed demon whose pet wildcat once ravaged their sacred lands. The destruction was so massive, so complete, that no stone was left unturned, no blade of grass left unburned. Never again would the left-handed devil threaten the supremacy of the great Orange Dynasty.

Emboldened by the route, The Duke marched upon the great chieftain village and the once lame Mar-tee - the battle would become a bloody draw, until the magnificent Tee-dee charged forward to destroy the defensive lines of the natives. A late counter-offensive would be thwarted by the Empires trusty Assassin and the Mercenary.

With vengeance again filling the hearts of the righteous, the great army marched upon the City of Steel. The battle, fought too and fro; victory near, the great sage hoisted a beacon of light above the enemy - all perished.

Fate sealed, one final adversary standing in the way of the mighty armies of Orange. An enemy, whose sacred writ ordained the God-like figure of the Fav-rey. A cheesy worship of a man who preferred fame to ultimate glory.

The Duke, blundered; Tee-dee, a hero's embrace. The assassin, assassinates - the Fav-rey capitulated.

Thirty-eight glorious years of history and in the fourteenth year of the Great King's reign, the Imperial Kingdom achieved total victory. Vengeance attained, redemption secured. The armies descended upon all the lands, exacting tribute and receiving gifts of earth and water. All adversaries humbled by the sheer strength of the new dynasty.

A Golden Age ensued, the first full year without war the world had ever known. Little did anyone know, an old friend/foe was about to rise from the ashes in rebellion.

The ole General, exiled to the ends of the earth, gathered up an army of crows; hungry for the pure blood of righteousness. The rebellion, true and mighty, descended upon the sacred homeland. The Duke, trusting of the Rod, repelled the skies of those demonic creatures. The corpses of the dirty birds littered the battlefield; the ole General castigated.

Another year of peace reigned supreme across the lands of Orange.

The grand Duke retired into obscurity and into Imperial lore. No hero before or after measured up to the ultimate deity of one man. Legends were made.

Unbeknownst to the righteous King and the purity of the heroic men of the Empire, a diabolic plan was being hatched by evil ones that would ultimately bring the great Empire to its knees.

The departure of the grand Duke left a void in leadership, which ultimately enabled the evildoers to unleash their wretched plan, striking down the great warrior Tee-dee from behind. The army quickly disintegrated, the empire collapsed - fear and desolation filled the hearts of its citizens.

Retreat was the Empire's only recourse, the Master of Minds bided his time.

To be continued...

Continued from...

• Time Immemorial
• Ascension
• Il Duca

Civil War averted by the Great King through a brokered truce between The Duke and the wily ole General.  The façade would prove to be short lived, but for a time there would be successes within the realm. 

The precarious truce morphed into a battle of ego and subversion.

To be broken at last by the ole General when he attempted to install an usurper to The Duke.  The usurper, a pawn - innocent, but it mattered not.  The army split, two factions had formed - war imminent.

The ole General, though cunning and secretive, was arrested by the bold King and his royal guard. Before the ole Generals allies could react, he was exiled from the lands of Orange. 

Justice fell swiftly upon the kingdom - none guilty spared. War decisively precluded, the Duke's preeminence reinforced.

The most high King anointed a portly fellow, a son of a Bum, to General. Though command was ultimately bestowed upon The great Duke - a wild run, without a strategic objective ensued. Great victories, crushing defeats.

The Duke heroic and great in his own right, without ultimate victory.

Bum's son, ineffectual; supplanted by a wizard of sorts. A Master of Minds, who would bring forth the greatest warriors the Kingdom of Orange ever beheld, would become the supreme leader of the armies of righteousness. 

A dynasty was born, The Duke's power ceded to the great Master of Minds.

One magnificent warrior, whom they called Tee-dee, was the greatest of all the Master of Minds brought forth. The ultimate hero, legs as thick as the largest tree trunks, arms so massive that beasts of burden were no match in strength, and wits that gave even the greatest Generals pause.

Tee-dee's gallop towards the enemy shook the very walls of Hades. All foes fell before his onslaught.  His cry struck fear into the hearts of many; his bludgeon's reverberated throughout the enemy lines - crumbling them. 

The trembling bones of the opposition emboldened the armies of orange with courage they once found wanting.

Poised for greatness, the armies of Orange burst outward from their protective barricades, advancing in all directions; a horde unlike any the known world have ever seen.  For months, no foe could muster the courage or fortitude to withstand the orangemen's military juggernaut.

On the cusp of world domination, a young upstart republic and their left-handed peasant hero beguiled and bewildered the armies of the Master - defeat was dealt severely upon The Duke. 

The disaster was so disparaging that the once great Duke nearly hung up his broadsword to retire into obscurity and shame.

He and the armies of Orange persevered; with vengeance on their minds and a thirst for redemption in their hearts, the armies resurrected their pride and marched forward - leaving only despair and destruction in their wake.

To be continued...

* Please note the Denver Broncos did not practice on Monday.  The Level of participation is an estimation if practice were held.  Meanwhile, the New York Giants held a jog through for their Monday practice.

I had to think long and hard about how to write this post. I thought sincerely about being level headed and rational, but that really isn't my style. I will leave the level heads and rationale to John and the rest of the staff - I just can't.

What I will do is offer my own brand of level-headedness and rationale to the first part of this post. Keep in mind it will be hollow and fake; a mindless monotone of the facts and figures, cherry-coated by the "good" outlook. Truly, I mean none of it, but it still needs to be said.

The rest, well, look into your hearts and you will know what the rest will look like.  Prepare yourself for a short, somewhat poignant post.  Let's get on with it!

Continue reading this post »

John and various members of the staff here are once again competing in the annual MHR Pick'em challenge. You will notice the Denver Broncos game is not included.  We'll just say everyone roots for the Broncos each week! Guru's wife is a Patriots fan, so her pick will be of the Broncos game.  Just so homerism doesn't affect the outcome again this year.

WEEK 11
-	John	Steve	Tim	Doug	Ted	Mdierk	Guru Wife
MIA @ CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR
IND @ BAL	IND	BAL	IND	IND	BAL	BAL	IND
WAS @ DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL
CLE @ DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET
SF @ GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
BUF @ JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX	BUF	JAX	JAX
PIT @ KC	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT
SEA @ MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
ATL @ NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG
NO @ TB	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
ARI @ STL	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI
NYJ @ NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	SD
CIN @ OAK	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
PHI @ CHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
TEN @ HOU	HOU	HOU	TEN	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU
Last Week	6-8	7-7	8-6	6-8	7-7	8-6	10-4
Season Record	94-41	91-44	94-41	86-49	88-47	89-46	91-44