I was on vacation without access to the ‘net most of last week, so I didn’t get to immediately blog the USC’s utter dominance in the Orange Bowl last Tuesday. I got to watch the game with several college buddies (the benefit of vacationing in LA) and we just had a ball. After the bittersweet shared championship last year, this feels great. Who would have thought it would be over at halftime? I called it “in the refrigerator” 4 minutes into the third when SC went up 45-10. I would have called it at half time, but I figured OU would come out with some life in the second half, but they didn’t.

While I am glad about many things about this season, I am most glad that the Orange Bowl rout leaves the title undisputed. Even the most die-hard Auburn fan, having watched their team nearly blow the Sugar Bowl the night before, has got to be hard pressed to honestly argue that they deserve to be #1. Especially when they think to the last time they played USC – they got shutout at home 23-0. Sure, Auburn isn’t the same team but then again, neither is USC.

There’s already talk of USC being a dynasty and of a threepeat (or should that be three-Pete?) Frankly, that talk is a little premature in my opinion. But given the massive drought USC football went through when I was in school there (during the decade long plus losing streak to Notre Dame) it sure is nice to be on top.

Christmas was spent with just my local family – me, Julie, Patrick and Julie’s mom Patty (who lives ten minutes away). New Year’s was spent with Julie’s side of the family – three of Patty’s four children and all six of her grandkids are at Brother Jim’s in Santa Barbara. Even Julie’s dad drove up, making it the first time this much of her family was together since Julie and I got married 4 1/2 years ago.

However, it’s hard to be happy without feeling for the people who’s family and friends were devastated by last week’s tsunami. I’ve got a few friends in the area – I’ve done TechEd Malaysia twice and have been working closely with the Indian MSFT office of late. I’ve heard from I think everyone I know in the region and luckily they’re all OK (though one had a close call). Of course, there are countless others who were not so lucky and my heart goes out to them. I wish I had more to say, but given the scale and scope of this tragedy, mere words seem almost trite.

I don’t make resolutions anymore, since they are pretty much the same every year (more time with family, lose weight, smarter with money, etc.) I make a little progress on each every year – enough to be somewhat proud of but not enough that I can quit working on it. I’ve been reading Dee Hock’s Birth of the Chaordic Age which my Dad lent me at thanksgiving and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve marked down several passages, but this one seems most appropriate for the new year:

“Riches are not in the number of possessions, but the fewness of wants.”

By that measure, I know few richer than myself.