*You're a Superstar..."

Hey yaars,

I'm back for 2008, with good news to begin with. I figured it would be best to fly under the radar for the first few weeks of the new year in order to prevent any "evil eyes" to veer my way. Luckily, I can say with much happiness that I've passed my 3-month probation period and am a full-fledged employee of MLSE. Huzzah!

It's difficult to precisely describe how much of an effort I've made to walk on eggshells the whole time. After the "experience" of the summer, I wanted to ensure that I didn't make any enemies, endeared myself to my colleagues, and also proved that I was an asset to the organization. I think I've achieved all of the above, and am eagerly waiting the new responsibilities that head my way.

It's been a very eye-opening experience at 40 Bay St., and nothing but positive. Say what you want about the performance on the court, but on the business side they are VERY professional and will make every effort to ensure that all of their employees strive for greatness. The encouragement and kind words I've received not only re-enforce, but have motivated me to go to the next level.

For those out of the loop, this last summer I gave a concerted effort in a previous position, only to be told by a higher-ranking colleague that I was "useless, a mistake, and not having a good work ethic". That's hurtful enough, but it hurt me more knowing what I had done for the organization and how much help I had provided. It didn't help that I was essentially ignored for the last week of my tenure.

Looking back, I really feel that certain people were insecure with my presence. I'll pinpoint it back to the end of summer when I completed a project which had my department impressed. I truly feel that moment catalyzed a reaction where I was repeatedly thrown under the bus in efforts to remove me from the equation.

Having said all that, I'm so very thankful that I've been graced with such wonderful fortune. I finally put to rest any doubts I had over my competency, while working with colleagues who treat me with the respect anyone should deserve. I may be looking back with some sour grapes, but I really tried to be fair in my thoughts and have still maintained the same opinion.

Yes, I know that starting the new year with a vent-session probably isn't the most cheery thing to do, but I needed to get some venom out of my system. Those of you who know me well are aware of the pride I take in my work and know how much I value my self-respect. Which is why I'm loving every second of what I'm doing right now!

Now that all that's out of the way, here are some of my random thoughts!

- I was at the Raps game against Cleveland on Jan. 6th when LeBron took the game by the scruff of it's neck in the 4th. My question was, and still is, why the heck wasn't he being double teamed? I'm no basketball expert, but when a guy is torching you left, right, and centre, shouldn't you make life a little difficult for him?

- I don't give Zan much credit for his auditory senses, but for once I'll give him some kudos. He encouraged me to listen to Lupe Fiasco for the first time, and I must say that The Cool is possibly the first hip hop album I've enjoyed from start to finish. Not only is he a great lyricist, the beat for each one of the album's tracks stray from the typical bass-heavy beats that are in every rap song. I'd recommend the album to anyone, with a 5-Star rating.

- Is it wrong that I want to see the new Rambo film? Rambo was the first Sly Stallone character I saw as a kid, and for whatever reason my pops always liked him over Arnold as his favourite action star. Human growth hormone or not, for 62, he looks VERY good in that film

- Not that I want to overstate my current situation, but I wanted to underline how happy I am in comparison to my situation 4 months ago. While back then I was told I was useless, my current boss has encouraged me to throw ideas his way, ask questions, and get my name out there. You really have no idea how morale-boosting when your boss says he's got your back, contrasted to the laissez-faire mentality I had to work with before.

- Guitar Hero 3 is bloody addictive. Until of course your brother practices like a madman and shows you up every day. I'm still having difficulty grasping some of the harder songs in medium, whereas he's perfecting them!

- Super Bowl Sunday is next week. While I've teased Zan about his love for Brady and the Cheat-riots, I can't possibly see the Giants win this one. They're close game in Week 17 had more to do with the Pats letting them make it closer than it did with the Giants perseverance. And there's no way in hell Eli had FOUR straight games without a turnover. If I had money to gamble with, I'd pick the Pats to cover!

- What's up with everyone going to Cuba these days? Is it really cheap to go there, or is it just heaven on earth? Regardless, I'm expecting Cohiba's from everyone who's went!

- So Britney's going out with an Afghani-born Paparazzi photographer. This might mean that I actually now have a shot! Say what you want, but she's bloody rich, and I still think she's good-looking (50% of the time).

- Akin to baseball and 2002, I find myself falling in love with basketball this year. I guess when you have access to games and you get to see these giants up close, it's a little easier to enjoy. Plus, the Raptors are a playoff team, which makes things interesting

- After waiting 3 months, Cedric FINALLY gave me my birthday present this year. This is an improvement from 2 years ago where he waited 13 months to give me a gift certificate (which I think to this day was a guilt-trip gift). Anyhow, he's given me this great book on sports economics by Andrew Zimbalist which details why teams do what they do. Let's just put it this way, the fans don't come first if it affects the bottom line!

Alright, I think I've blogged enough to bore y'all. I'm off to watch No Country for Old Men. I hope it's as good as everyone says it is.

Ciao!