Brian

My MLB postseason picks were wrong.  Again.  But why let reality step in the way of my prediction train?

What did we see?  The KC Royals have not lost a game in the postseason.  They took out the Orioles, a team that many pundits believed would be in the World Series.  Their bullpen and their defense makes up for their lack of offense.  The Giants took out the Nationals and the Cardinals, who were both deep teams but ran into the experience of Bochy and boys.

So… in the spirit of predicting the surefire loser, here is your 2014 World Series Champion:

[Read more…] about World Series Pick: Misguided and Misinformed

Ah, the playoffs.  As a Blue Jays fan, I am once again on the outside looking in from the perspective of emotional interest.  (/endbluejayspityparty).  But it is tradition to take a stab at picking the teams that will advance to, and ultimately win, the World Series.

I say “take a stab” because I haven’t been right in picking the winner yet when choosing at the beginning of the playoffs.  My analysis has usually been misguided and misinformed.  Therefore, I’m only picking the teams that will advance without any armchair commentary on my part.  My picks (and in # of games, for funsies) are:

AL Wildcard Game:  Kansas City over Oakland

NL Wildcard Game:  Pittsburgh over San Fransisco

AL Divisional Series:  Los Angeles Angels over Kansas City (3 games); Detroit over Baltimore (4 games)

NL Divisional Series:  Washington over Pittsburgh (3 games); Los Angeles Dodgers over St. Louis (4 games)

AL Championship Series:  Los Angeles Angels over Detroit (5 games)

NL Championship Series:  Los Angeles Dodgers over Washington (7 games)

World Series:  Los Angeles Angels over Los Angeles Dodgers (6 games)

Question:  Who do you think will win it all?

Week one has passed, and it has been interesting.  I’ve been taking a coffee challenge based on this article and infographic.  Here’s an update:

• I drink one cup before 8:00 am.  I tried waiting until 9:30 to have a cup, but that’s difficult when you brew a pot so everyone can take a tumbler to work, and then you have to leave it there.  It’s like buying your own Christmas present, wrapping it, and then waiting until Dec. 25 to open it.
• I drink a tumbler at work or 2 cups of Keurig coffee until 11:30.
• I drink 1 cup in the afternoon at 1:30 or 2:00 pm.

The results are mixed.  As my body has acclimated to the new routine, I’ve found 3 things:

I’m not feeling rested in the morning, but…  I think this is temporary.  I’m waking up around 4:00 or 5:00 pm every morning, and end up falling back asleep and missing my alarm.  This morning was the first time that I just woke up at 6:00 and felt like I didn’t want to go back to sleep.  It’s been a tough transition, but we’ll see in anther week.

I’m actually drinking more coffee not less.  I’m actually adding a cup in the afternoon rather than skipping it.  The article suggested that I would be able to ingest less caffeine for greater energy boost.  So far, not so much.  However, it’s only been one week.

I’m not feeling more energetic.  I thought that this new routine would primarily give me an energy boost in the afternoon.  I haven’t seen that yet.  Again, one week is not a huge sample size.

I’ll keep going and keep you updated on what’s happening!  I may even try to limit my intake before 9:30 am!  Maybe….

Question:  What’s your coffee routine?  Does it help you achieve the energy boost you need?

I love waking up and having coffee.  I usually think of feeding the pets first (you sacrifice for those you love), but after that, it’s coffee time!

But this study suggests that there are better times to drink coffee regardless of whether you are a morning person or a night owl:

Timing your coffee breaks with your body’s cortisol schedule means you will get the biggest bang from your caffeine jolt. According to the infographic, cortisol levels peak between 8 to 9 a.m., 12 to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., meaning the best time for a coffee break is between 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 5 p.m., when our body’s cortisol levels drop.

From “Why You Shouldn’t Drink Coffee In The Morning” via Fast Company.

I’m going to give this a try and see if I feel more energetic.  I will drink one or two cups during those periods and report back.

Stay tuned!

This was not the best game, but a win’s a win for this Leafs fan.  (I had a moment where I wanted to buy tickets, but the TV coverage was just as good.)

I’m not sure what played more of a factor, the snowy ice or the cold.  The snow clearly had an impact on crisp passing, and the cold clearly had an impact on the speedy players.  I also wouldn’t discount the fact that The Red Wings pushed the Leafs around most of the game.

Despite the cold, snow and grind-it-out style of game, the Leafs win 3-2.  In a shootout (again).

Like I said, a win’s a win.

Oh, we’re perfect in 2014!

Christmas is a crazy time of year, especially when you’re a preaching pastor.  You know what you’re going to preach (the birth of Christ in case you were wondering), but you need to preach it in a new way to help people past the “yeah yeah we’ve heard this before” syndrome.  Oh, and do it 5 different ways if you observe Advent.

Did I mention I’m excited for a vacation?

I’ll be doing a lot of my dissertation, and a lot of gaming with Josh.  (After all, Skylanders Swap Force is a serious game where he will need a gifted wingman.  That’s good parenting in my opinion).

I will also be doing a lot of reading.  That leads me to a question:

Got any suggestions on good books to read?