A totally awesome day

Why, you ask? Because I just found out they're opening a Noodles and Company across the street from where I work!

Okay, that was a joke. I mean, that's cool and all, but the day was awesome because I surprised Alma with a fourth anniversary dinner and presents. I got out of work a little early and drove up, fortunately catching her just as she was starting her dinner, which she was able to put on hold for the next night. We went out for Indian, which was pretty good (if slightly marred by a slow start to the service, though it was close to flawless after the first 10 minutes), and then we came back home and had a nice bottle of ice wine I'd picked up. It was a nice classy night without being anything too ostentatious, a fairly quiet, enjoyable anniversary.

But then every anniversary is enjoyable with Alma. My best friend, my soulmate, the love of my life - every day is a good day when we're together. Happy anniversary, baby. Here's to dozens more.

Three and counting

First of all, Drew insisted that I post final standings for the Bowl Challenge just so everyone knows that he officially won. So, fine. Here you go:

1. Drew (22-10)
2. Stan (21-11)
3. Rudnik (20-12, -6 winner score)
4. Flax (20-12, -14 winner score)
5. Dad (19-13)
6. Tyler (18-14, -1 tiebreaker score)
7. JQ (18-14, -7 tiebreaker score)
8. NJ Dave (15-17, -7 tiebreaker score)
9. Rich (15-17, no tiebreaker)
10. NU Dave (11-21)

Happy? Good. Moving on.

In sports news, my new hero is Greg Archuleta of the Albuquerque Journal, the only AP voter who cast his #1 vote in the final poll for the country's last unbeaten team, Boise State. (BSU finished #5 in the final poll; Florida, of course, finished first.) Could Boise State beat Florida? I don't know; quite possibly not. But as a team that won all the games they could, don't you think they should get a chance? If anything, a playoff system is more necessary in college football than in most other sports; in basketball and hockey each team plays every other one at least once, for example, and the same is true within each league in baseball. In college football, you're lucky if the top teams play two strong out-of-conference games. (Ohio State played one, against a rebuilding Texas team, and while Florida did play two bowl-winning teams, they also played Central Florida and I-AA Western Carolina, both of whom they slaughtered.) So the national title contenders probably aren't going to play, unless they're in the same conference, and yet the two best are determined by human polls and computer formulas, and not anything that happens on the field. It's getting pretty ridiculous. Ohio State/Florida was probably the best pick for the title game, but it was by no means the only reasonable pick, and that was so because these teams don't play each other. Set it up so that the contenders meet in a playoff and the eventual title showdown will be much more conclusive. I know some people value tradition over finality, but if that's the case you should be rooting for a return to the old system, where the big bowls had specific conference affiliations and if the #1 team was from the Big Ten and the #2 team was from the SEC, there was no way in hell they were going to meet. Now that's the way to be unsatisfied with an outcome!

In other news, this is a real website. I don't know whether to be impressed or alarmed. Doesn't it just seem really, weirdly, oddly specific? I mean, just burritos? Maybe I should set one up for bubble tea, or turkey sandwiches.

January 9 means it must be Alma's and my anniversary. Happy three years, baby! I know other people are reading this so I'll spare you too much mush, but it has to be said, over and over again: I love this woman.

Not much toil or trouble, actually

Alma, taking a page from my dad's book, couldn't wait until the ninth to give me at least one of my "thirdiversary" presents, so she gave it to me tonight: a make-your-own bubble tea kit. She kept on telling me how much I was going to like it (until I had to tell her, "Stop overhyping it!"), but of course she was right. Although she cooked the first batch of pearls; we'll see what happens when I'm boiling them up myself at home. They have all kinds of syrups and powders you can get for flavor, but I think it's probably healthier just to make yourself a real fruit smoothie and get some pearls into it. (I did that tonight with frozen raspberries and it was plenty delicious, although incredibly full of seeds.)

Considering how often I stop in at Boba Bee these days, this is a nice alternative to have. I mean, you can get 90 servings' worth of pearls for 13 bucks, which will buy you three or four bubble teas at retail price, so... mmmmmmm. I wonder if Alma realizes she's created a monster.