A New Sports Blog + 2012 Progress Report!

I outlined several goals for myself in 2012 in my first blog post of the year. How are they coming along, you ask? Not too shabby, I guess, but there's still room for improvement.

So far I've:

• Read The Scarlet Letter and started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Watched The African Queen
• Lost another 4 or 5 lbs. (I'm still working out every day.)
• Been playing Chess regularly.
• Updated my journal every day (not yet today).
• Blogged more often (Twice already this month!)
• Been working on my writing portfolio slowly, but surely.
• De-cluttered, some. I've been throwing stuff away and getting other stuff ready to sell.

And finally, I wrote a new article for Pocket Doppler: The 10 Most Heartbreaking Playoff Losses In Green Bay Packers History!

The article was inspired by the 37-20 beatdown the Packers suffered at the hands of the New York Giants this past Sunday. The loss came in at Number 5 on my list. Of the ten games, I've actually personally witnessed 8 of them. Lots of heartbreak in Packer land over the years... Head on over to Pocket Doppler and give it a read!

One other goal I've decided to add to my resolutions is to take better care of my teeth. I had a dental exam and I need to have a bunch of fillings. I brush twice a day, but I need to use an electric brush and I need to force myself to floss. I've been flossing at least every other day since my appointment. That's better than I was, but still not good enough.

Bring it on, 2012! I'm ready for you!

Amazon Kindle - I Joined The Dark Side...

Thanks to a wonderfully thoughtful Christmas gift giver, I am now the proud owner of the 3rd generation Amazon Kindle (in graphite, no less)! I did it. I joined the dark side. I joined the eBook revolution!

I admit I was skeptical. I was reluctant to try it, like many people, because I just love books so much. I love how they look and feel and smell. I love everything about them. But honestly? So far I love it!

Despite my tactile love for and emotional attachment to the physical nature of books, it's my greater love for READING in general that ultimately makes the Kindle so awesome!

The visual quality is great. I haven't suffered any eye strain and I'm not having any difficulty reading the text. The battery life, from what I hear, is close to a month! Be sure to turn off the built in wireless when not in use, though, if you want to test out that claim.

Speaking of wireless, the new Kindle 3 that I have has built in WiFi and 3G support, so you can browse the Amazon Kindle store anywhere you can get a cell phone signal. How awesome is that?

But the best part? I have TONS of books (and classic literature) downloaded to my Kindle and so far, it's all been FREE! I've managed to find The Complete Works of Shakespeare, H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe along with classic novels like Dracula, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Treasure Island, Huckleberry Finn and A Tale of Two Cities!

Want thousands of free books for your Kindle (or other e-reader)? Try:

- Project Gutenberg - The original source for over 33,000 free eBooks!

- Many Books - The best eBooks at the best price: Free!

- Planet eBook - Literature galore!

- Amazon's Kindle Store - Hundreds of free titles from the Kindle source!

- Ultimate Guide To Free Books - The title says it all!

It's amazing what's out there!

And when you start buying books, check out Amazon's Kindle Deal of the Day!

I honestly don't think the Kindle (or devices like it) will ever make me abandon physical books entirely, but in the meantime I am very much enjoying catching up on all of the literature I could ever hope to have...

Technology is amazing: thousands of books and all in the palm of my hand! And best of all? I won't have to box them up the next time I move...