It's time for me to pack up and head home to Florida for Christmas/New Year's vacation -- South Florida for Christmas, maybe Atlanta for New Year's (it's been too long since I've been to the ATL), and other parts of the state in between. I also have a conference to attend in Orlando the first week in January, so I won't be back in Arizona until January 9. There might be some updates if events warrant (I know that Nicaragua's playoffs won't conclude until the end of the month), but I don't plan on blogging unless I have to.
It's been quite a year, with World Cup qualifiers, the start of the CONCACAF Champions League, and some other endeavors. 2009 will be even better with the conclusion of the inaugural Champions League and the Hexagonal, culminating in the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff and the draw for the 2010 World Cup finals.
I'm naturally a thankful person (at least, I try to be), and Thanksgiving is usually a good time to give thanks, but I am more so at Christmas time as we approach the end of the year. I am very thankful for my readers -- a lot more than two now! -- who have visited this site over the past year. Most are silent, some are thoughtful, a (very small) few are obnoxious, but I am thankful for them all. Blogging is a very egotistical endeavor -- after all, it takes a big ego to think that other people are eager to read what you're thinking about every day -- and sometimes you do wonder if anyone really is reading what you have to say. But it excites me to know just how widespread my readership is and where this blog gets read. It makes this hobby worthwhile, and I aim to hold and expand this readership in the New Year.
I wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas, a safe and joyous festive season, and many blessings in the New Year.
