.it's beginning to look a lot like christmas + ffl championship + my nba ballot.

Please forgive me for being MIA for almost 2 weeks. Here I am! :) I’ve been busy with Christmas preparations and the start of a New Year. My quest to finish buying gifts early this year was not as easy as I thought. Last month (right around Thanksgiving), I wrote up a gift list and committed to getting through it as quick and painless as possible. I started off strong by doing some shopping over the weekend after Black Friday. I was able to get about half of the people on my list crossed off. Now I sit here a week before Christmas with presents that still need to be wrapped and gifts that still need to be bought. How did I get so behind? *sigh*

Anyhow, enough about my holiday stress. The good news is, I got my Christmas tree up a week ago and it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside when I see it. I love the twinkling lights and refreshing Christmas tree scent. This year I switched from the Noble Fir (which I bought for years) to my new favorite, the Fraser Fir. Wow, it is so beautiful. It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Now on to sports! With my fantasy football league; I am on edge at the moment because I am in the Championship game this week. Yup, I made it to the big game and I’m so nervous because my team isn’t what it used to be. With Plaxico’s mess, Barber’s injury, and LT’s disappointing year, I’ve had to make some changes to my line-up. Wish me luck.

One thing that I haven’t touched on much is the NBA season. Just so you know, I’ve been watching and keeping tabs on the league. Mental notes are being taken by yours truly for future posts so I'll be chatting about that soon. Oh and yes, I know I promised you a NBA Rookie post; stay tuned for that as well. I can tell you that I am very excited for the Celtics vs. Lakers game on Christmas Day. You can bet I’ll be watching from the comfort of my home in my PJ’s with a warm cup of cocoa. Speaking of the NBA, I’ve cast my 2009 NBA All-Star Ballot. The game will be held in Phoenix, Arizona over Valentine’s Day weekend.
My NBA All-Star 2009 picks are:

Western Forwards:
Carmelo Anthony, Denver
Pau Gasol, LA Lakers

Western Guards:
Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
Chris Paul, New Orleans

Western Center:
Greg Oden, Portland

Eastern Forwards:
LeBron James, Cleveland
Paul Pierce, Boston

Eastern Guards:
Devin Harris, New Jersey
Dwyane Wade, Miami

Eastern Center:
Dwight Howard, Orlando

If you wonder why those players, I have my reasons and I gave it a lot of thought. For instance, how could I leave out Melo after he tied an NBA record by scoring 33 points in a single quarter during his team's 116-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves last week? Or, how could I leave out Kobe who is still going strong all the while his 81 points scored versus Toronto back in 2006 is still fresh in my mind? I’ve also got silly reasons like; I think Greg Oden is hilarious. On top of that, he is finally playing some decent ball now that he’s back on the court, not to mention I met him (but I’ll save that one for another time...remind me though to explain the handshake, lol). Oh by the way, have you seen the 2008 ESPY performance by Justin Timberlake w/Oden?! Seriously, it's so great!



Love,
Christmas,
& Basketball~
-C

.mnf + plaxico + my must see tv.

This weeks Monday Night Football game was pretty awesome. First off, you had the 0-2 Chargers at home up against Brett Favre and his new green team, the Jets. The anticipation was crazy! There were so many questions leading up to the game. What if the Chargers lose and go 0-3, what then? How would Rivers hold his composure playing against one of this childhood idols, Brett Favre? Would LT be able to play with his sore toe? It turns out the game was more than anyone could have asked for. From the opening kick to the final few minutes, it was the kind of game that kept even the casual football fan glued to the TV. It was actually really nice to see Brett playing ball again. You can't help but have respect for the guy. He looked happy which was cool to see. As you may know, in the end the Chargers were able to turn up the heat and take control of the game for the win. All in all, it was one of the better MNF games I've seen in a while. Welcome back Chargers and *high five* to Cromartie for an awesome performance!

Quick FFL update. Lucky for me, I was able to come from behind on Monday night and continue on my winning streak in my fantasy league. Surprisingly, Rivers has been a great pick. Since we play 2 QB's, Cutler and Rivers have been a high scoring combination. I'm still in first place and it feels good. :) I'm thinking that people aren't happy campers in my FFL. :o/ Speaking of fantasy football, what's up with Plaxico Burress getting suspended for 1 game? That headline pinched me a bit when I heard about it since he's a starter on my team. Thanks Plax, appreciate it. I'll have to say that I was very impressed when I saw Drew get on Sportscenter ASAP for damage/PR control. What a smart agent you have! I love the sense of urgency! Unlike the NBA rookies (not going to name names on this particular blog) who recently got caught doing bad things and we don't hear from any of them, nor do we hear from their agent or publicist for DAYS! I personally thought that was poor judgement on their agencies and/or management's part. Especially since when the players finally released statements, they claimed their non-involvement and innocence! A press conference style apology would have done these kids wonders but oh well--that opportunity came and went. You'd think they'd have learned from Kobe!

Anyway, enough about that because that will be a blog in itself! Stay tuned for more on the NBA Rookies; I'll be writing about that soon. On to must see TV! This week in TV, it is pretty special because (aside from the MNF game) a ton of shows are on this week. I've been waiting all summer for a few of my favorites. You can bet I'll be watching Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, (my all time favorite), the Office, and probably LOST (if I can muster the patience). I just finished watching the Heroes premiere on my DVR. I have to say that I'm pretty overwhelmed with the 2 hour episode. It seemed like so much went on, almost like an entire season crammed into 2 hours! The ending was pretty interesting so I'm curious about next week. For all you MTV junkies, I'll admit to watching the Hills and Making the Band 4. Right now, I'm looking forward to tomorrow so I can watch Grey's. Now you know what keeps my interest on TV when I'm not watching sports!