I know. It has been a while.
As I sit down to write this update, it is a few short minutes before the year 2008 comes to an end. I know for some people, that is really good news. 2008 was a tumultuous year for our country economically and politically. Wild weather, boardroom bailouts, and political propaganda made the year very trying for thousands upon thousands of people.
For all of the trouble that 2008 brought others, it brought The Collins Chronicles and BDC's family more blessings and memorable moments than we could have ever imagined. It was an amazing year full of joy, stress, excitement, anxiety, and fun. As the minutes of the year wind down, I am sitting in a new house in a new state with a new job and a new son sleeping upstairs. That is a lot of change to face in a single year, but I would not change a moment of it for anything now.
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, though. This year has been so incredibly transforming for our family that The Collins Chronicles got neglected for several stretches of time. Taking care of a baby, landing a new job, buying and selling a house, among other things left very little time for web updates. With that in mind, let's take a look back at the year of 2008 in review and get caught up.
January 2008 - When the year started, BDC and Wife were readying our house for a new baby and trying to find anything to watch on TV. The writer's strike lasted through the holidays and left us with nothing but reality TV and sports to watch. My Tivo sat idly by and waited on something to record. It is too painful to even remember, so let us move on to February.
February 2008 - The second month of 2008 was a busier one for BDC. I invite you to check out the archived entries from that month (and all the others, of course) on the left side of the screen now to get caught up. I will especially point out the entry from February 10th. In that update, I fearlessly predicted that Brock Lesnar would rebound from the humbling submission loss that he had just suffered and someday win the UFC Heavyweight Championship belt. For those that are not aware, that very thing happened in a major upset just over one month ago. Well done, BDC. Also in February, the world got to witness one of the biggest basketball games in the history of the University of Tennessee. The Vols went to Memphis as the #2 team in the country and left with a huge win and the #1 ranking. It was an amazing night and an emotional win. I encourage you to use the links to the left and go back and read my update from that weekend to get the full effect.
March 2008 - This is the month that changed my life forever. I am sure you remember how that month ended, but it started out with a bang, too. BDC began the month in Columbus, Ohio in attendance for the Arnold Expo and UFC 82. Several good friends of the site and BDC made the trip up, and we had a great time and witnessed a great UFC. Speaking of witnessing great sights, on March 9th of 2008, BDC was able to stand in Thompson-Boling Arena and watch Bruce Pearl cut the nets down as the Vols captured their first outright SEC basketball championship in 41 years. Watching the confetti rain down was awesome, but my definition of awesome changed on March 25th of this year. BDC became a different person on that day as my son, Robert Ozias Collins was born. Oz has brought so much joy to his mother and I that I would need an entire new website to explain it. Needless to say, this easily wins the award for my favorite day of the year.
April 2008 - Sometime in April, the laptop that powered the first two years of The Collins Chronicles sadly bit the dust. It probably had something to do with hundreds of pictures of a newborn being loaded onto it, but who knows? The lack of internet access kept things slow around the Casa de BDC and on The Collins Chronicles for a few weeks. BDC did find time to make it to the NHRA drag races in Bristol, Tennessee with KastleKeep and other friends. That trip is always a good time with good company.
May 2008 - May was milestone month for BDC. During that month, I celebrated my 28th birthday and 7th wedding anniversary. Also in May, The Collins Chronicles celebrated its second anniversary. Thanks again to all of you that keep checking in on us and spending a few minutes on the site.
June 2008 - June saw us launch our latest and most ambitious reader tournament to date. We started with a list of 200 of the most popular television shows of the past ten years and kicked off three months of voting to find a single winner.
July & August 2008 - The Collins Chronicles did not get updated a single time in July or August 2008, and in hindsight, I hope you all now understand why. Over the course of these two months, BDC and Wife concluded it was time to make a move, professionally for me and physically for us. There were countless trips up I-75 to interview, explore Lexington, and hunt for a new home. It was a crazy few weeks, but in the end, everything worked out wonderfully for us.
September 2008 - BDC kicked the month off by composing an exit letter to his old company that ended up causing more stir than I ever anticipated. Once I gathered my things and left my employer of over seven years, there was just enough time for a road trip to Atlanta with a large gang of friends before the move to Kentucky. UFC 88 was an absolute blast to attend, and Rashad Evans provided me with a visual I will remember forever when he knocked Chuck Liddell out cold right before our eyes. We also had time to finish The Collins Chronicles reader tournament and crown The Office as the greatest TV show of the past ten years before leaving Tennessee. The second half of the month was consumed with moving and settling in a new house and job here in Lexington, Kentucky. A whirlwind month, to be sure, but one that provided more fun than anticipated.
October 2008 - After having a month to get comfortable in the new Casa de BDC, it was time for another road trip. BDC and family headed up with my parents to visit our family in the suburbs of Chicago. After a stop in Carmel, Indiana to conquer a food challenge and get a picture of BDC & WDC on a restaurant wall, we had a great visit with family. The highlight for me was getting to attend UFC 90 in Chicago with my father and grandfather. A very cool and surreal experience for BDC, indeed.
November 2008 - While it was kind of a slow month for BDC personally, all fans of the University of Tennessee will remember this month as the month that Phil Fulmer ended his run as head football coach of the Vols. I was definitely in the camp of fans that agreed it was time for a change at the top, but I will admit to getting misty-eyed as Phil was carried off the field after beating Kentucky. That win was especially important for me, as I would have never heard the end of it up here in Lexington if the Vols has lost.
December 2008 - December, of course, brings the holidays and all that jazz with it, but I want to focus on one other date that had triple significance this year. December 3rd, 2008. In a span of three hours, three very cool things happened. First and foremost, BDC became an uncle when my nephew, Trooper Lee Collins, was born in Knoxville. He is an awesome little guy, and I look forward to taking him and his cousin Oz to watch cagefighting as soon as they are...oh...nine or so. Secondly, just a few minutes after Trooper was born, Tyler Smith recorded the first triple-double in the 100-year history of Tennessee basketbal. A truly amazing feat for a truly deserving individual. Lastly, just ninety minutes or so after Tyler's performance, a new show entitled "Man v Food" premiered on the Travel Channel. This may be my new personal favorite show of all time, and I have to thank reader DDP for turning me on to this TV gem.
There you have it. You like how I brought that all full circle and started and ended with TV news? It is the one addiction that I don't think I will ever cure.
Okay folks, as I finish writing this, the ball has dropped in Times Square and Robbie Knievel has jumped the volcano at The Mirage in Las Vegas. 2009 is here and it is time for me to go to bed,
Check back on the site later this week for my look forward at 2009. I think the new year has cured my lingering case of writer's block, and I want to share my annual outlook with you all ASAP.
Until we meet again, happy new year and go basketball Vols!
