Like the Crimson Tide surprising most of the NCAA this year with an excellent performance (hey, I live in Knoxville their rival and this also makes the analogy work), Eric McGowan threw a southern pine disguised with bright lights and shiny ornaments at me. The result would be what you are about to read, or you could always click away quickly before you see your name at the end...too slow, is that your name etched in glass and decorated with glitter that I see?

The Christmas MeMe. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Change all the answers so that they apply to you.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?    Both, as long as the gift bag doesn't say Target.

2. Real tree or Artificial?     Artificial, dropped needles are awful and I can buy pine scented air freshener.

3. When do you put up the tree?    Usually the day after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down?  New Year's Day while watching football.

5. Do you like eggnog?   NO.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Atari...yeah, I'm that old.

7. Hardest person to buy for?   Dad.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Dog.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?  Both.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Book of Lifesavers candies. Seriously, these suck! You may have liked them when you were a kid but the kid you are giving it too is just being nice so don't do it or you may be on one of these lists in the future!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?   Elf.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?   Popcorn balls. This photo is a link to recipes for popcorn balls; make them with your kid or grandkid this holiday!

16. Lights on the tree?  Yes.

17. Favorite Christmas song?    Whit Christmas.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home?  Stay Home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?  Does that include Rudolph the Hollywood Reindeer? Probably no.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?     Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  Morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?    Sappy, dripping with cheese, people you want to smack.

23. What theme or color are you using?  Red for prosperity.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner.   Tofurky.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?     World Peace, a long walk on the beach, and puppy dogs...soryy was reading something aloud...Anyway, I would like a vacation!

And now I am supposed to pick three people to do this, and I am also supposed to tell you not to be a Grinch!

Are you familiar with OPEN Sports? If you are, it will be interesting to get your reaction to the press release announcement that NBA badboy, Dennis Rodman has agreed to partner with Mike Levy, the founder of CBS Sportsline, in his newest venture OPEN Sports. Levy believes that this partnership with Dennis Rodman shows a high level of commitment to bringing the highest level of sports and entertainment to the fans. What do you think? Is this partnership with "Dennis the Menace" or "the Worm" as Rodman has been known an example of an unprecedented level of commitment?

Dennis' role will be that of blogger and video blogger. He will reportedly be conducting interviews in both written and video format with some of the sports world's hottest athletes and stars. His expert knowledge of basketball will reportedly be shared with fans through his contributions to OPEN Sports in the form of commentary, analysis, and predictions. Though rodman has undoubtedly been one of the most colorful NBA basketball players in recent memory and is well respected for his previous basketball achievements, is he the person you would want to see in this position? Is his presence a reason for you to visit OPEN Sports?

In our busy lives some things that we really want to do occasionally fall by the wayside, this is sometimes simply the reality. Unfortunately this was the case with my participation in the Bloggers Unite initiative yesterday in recognition of World AIDS Day. Though this post comes a day late I felt that the message was important enough to warrant this belated post.

Perhaps you have noticed the badge in my sidebar; it has been there for several weeks. These badges became available with the last Bloggers Unite effort in concert with AIDS.gov and NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse, a part of the National Institutes of Health). This year's efforts are focused on the effective use of the media, particularly the internet social medias like Second Life, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace to help raise awareness that HIV/AIDS continues to be a severe crisis on the world stage.

By raising awareness that this 27 year old pandemic remains a serious health concern for every country and every population on the planet World AIDS Day and their partner organizations hope to slow the continuing spread of this deadly disease. It is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans do not even realize they are infected. There is an estimated 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide with 2.5 million new infections reported in 2007 (UNAIDS/WHO, 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2007). Knowledge of infection is an important step in reducing the spread of the virus. While it might be pleasant to think that people, regardless of HIV status, would behave responsibly and practice safer sex this is obviously not always the reality. Many factors can influence awareness and infection rates. Gay and bisexual males account for half of the new HIV infections. Being part of a racial or ethnic minority statistically demonstrates that African-Americans are contracting the HIV virus at 7 times the rate of white Americans and Hispanics at 3 times the rate of white Americans (Media Statement by Dr. Kevin Fenton Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, November 24, 2008).

The participation of NIDA in this effort through their Learn The Link initiative will also highlight the link between drug abuse and the increased likelihood of risky sexual behavior. In an effort to reach out to young people, NIDA has put together a series of Public Service Announcements (PSA) that utilize text messaging as an awareness vehicle of what could happen when high risk sexual practices occur because of lowered inhibitions that are directly attributable to drug use. To that same end, NIDA has also created posters, print ads, and web banners for use by the general public. In her Message from the Director, Nora K. Volkow, M.D. writes:

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been with us for a generation. Today's teens and young adults have never known a world without it. While research has shown that a large proportion of young people are not concerned about becoming infected with HIV, the proportion of young people (age 13 to 24) who are living with HIV in 2005 comprises approximately 4 percent of all cases.

Though my contribution to the Blogger's Unite and other fantastic organizations in support of World AIDS Day is in fact a day late, it really is never too late.

Did the title hook you? It refers to the beautiful, vivacious, and seemingly innocent Chris Fisher!!! She is actually quite a clever woman who, by her own admission is not Magellan but may be Dr. Doolittle, and apparently has some sort of shoe fetish and Draconian fashion rules. Oh yeah, you Danielle Steele and Top Gun fans beware!!!

So enough delay already...according to the smiling Edina who may have had a nice cab to help enhance that smile I am supposed to divulge Six Useless Things About MeMe!

1. I am a huge Disney fan! I do know they are the evil empire and all that business. But come on, The Rescuers, The Jungle Book, and Winnie the Pooh, these are classics!
2. I cannot stand cold weather! Though I was born in Connecticuit and have spent significant amounts of time in New England, I am not a cold weather person. Perhaps it was being raised in the deep south, or spending sevearl years in south Florida. And yes I am familiar with the saying you can put on many layers but can only take off so many.
   
3. I am a huge dog person! I love dogs! Big dogs, little dogs, mongrels, purebred doesn't matter. Dogs are fun! Dogs give unconditional love! Dogs don't care if you miss a shower!
4. I love to cook! Let me say, I am a vegetarian, no fish, no chicken, no fake vegetarians! With this said, I do not mind cooking meat (with the exception of fried chicken and bacon) but I won't taste it so I will definitely be depending on your opinion of it to know if I did good. There are lots of great dishes that do not involve meat and those I haven't made in my life, I hope to. BTW, tofu...blackened, grilled, stir fried...yum! One of the best things about cooking tofu is that it really has no flavor so it will taste however you choose to spice it; that is a real test of cooking prowess!
5. No raised voices! I do not like it when it seems someone may be raising their voice or shouting; be it people I know or strangers in public. There really is no reason  that disagreements cannot be resolved without shouting. Anger and irrational behavior really robs one of the ability to reason. This does not mean you are a pushover, rather that your arguments are better thought out and stand a better chance of success.

SO now it is my turn to pass this Six Useless Things About MeMe! on to the next five! And here you are...

Heather Joubran

Kimo Stowell

Mirela Monte

Ryan Martin

Carole Provenzale

I hope you all enjoy writing your MeMe! And just so you know I have found this revealing photo of Chris Fisher!

I, like many of you, have watched with hopeful optimism as the news of the Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008 or any number of the bailouts have been approved by Congress to help stimulate the economy. Please understand there is a distinct difference between being optimistic about what is being done in the name of economic stimulation and supporting the method being used. While you may or may not agree with the moves the current administration and Congress have taken, it is important to try to maintain an optimistic and positive attitude with regard to the success of those moves.

You may be asking, why would I want to maintain some hope that moves I did not support are actually effective? That question has an easy answer, as real estate industry professionals across all fields our incomes and families are directly effected by the current economic turbulence many markets are experiencing. It would be counterproductive to hope for anything but success with regard to measures that had already been approved to help curtail the economic issues in many markets.

A natural follow up query might be, shouldn't I question what is being done? I believe that as a patriotic American it is your duty to criticize and question. The act of debate is an important historical tool used to better our country by examining the various sides of an argument that may not be readily apparent. So yes, you should question what is being done but the tone with which that questioning is done must rise above children screaming at each other on a playground. If the tone of discourse, though vigorous, cannot also come from a place of hope and optimism then there is the real risk of alarming those other kids on the playground who are not screaming and may not even understand what the argument is about. This debate may be the best opportunity to educate those confused bystanders who otherwise will get the gist of their information from the evening news and newspapers.

Many people say that there is unfettered and unwarranted optimism coming from the real estate industry. I would respond by asking simply, what is the alternative? Coming from a positive place does not mean that one is ignorant or naive, it means that one chooses to rise above the screaming cacophony of negative to a cerebral place where reason and intellect grow from a place of optimism and hope.

See the image I have inserted into this post? It is from Digg.com's Business & Finance front page. Some of you may not be familiar with Digg so a simple explanation is that this is where millions of people get the stories they read on the internet everyday. The number in the yellow box represents votes by people in favor of a particular article. The stories that get the most votes make it to either the sectional or general front page of Digg. Making it to the front page (and yes there is criticism on how many people do this) can garner that article thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of hits as well as comments on the article, and on Digg comment section for that article. Like most programs on the internet, the number of votes is a mere fraction of the actual visitors to an article. I use this to further illustrate the importance of real estate industry professionals being active and positive participants in this conversation.

Last Friday I was quite remiss in my promise to post a blog highlighting some of the great writers I have come across in the greater blogosphere. In honor of all the eating that I hope everyone did yesterday I wanted to highligh a couple of great cooking / recipe blogs that I frequent. Maybe these would have given you some more food ideas for Thanksgiving, but honestly, didn't you eat enough as it was!

These two writers and chefs have some great recipes. I have made several of their dishes and find them to be as tasty as they are easy to make. While I enjoy cooking, and I love to eat, I do not have multiple hours to spend in the kitchen. I usually take about an hour to fix dinner and much less for breakfast and lunch. Most of the recipes I have found on these sites can definitely fit within those parameters. Whether you cook for fun or for special occasions, these two sites definitely have something for everyone and every situation. Just so you know, both of the icons below are clickable and will take you to that blog's homepage.

First up is Food Askew. In addition to the tasty recipes there is a Friday food art post that is pretty entertaining. And if you are looking for something to do with that leftover turkey, check out this recipe: Turkey Chilaquiles

This second blog, 1 Blog & 2 Sides, has some great recipes that are also simple and quick to make. In fact, there is a mouth watering Cranberry Nut Bread that I will be making today to give out to family I will be seeing this weekend. And not to worry, I will be making some for me too!

BTW, these writers welcome and appreciate comments, so feel free to leave them a note.

In addition to the University of Tennessee, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville is home to several animal rescue organizations. In this post, I want to highlight the good work that the volunteers do at the Wolf Creek Weimaraner Rescue, Inc. This organization is a 501(c)(3) so all donations, which are the majority of the groups operating budget, are tax deductible.

This dynamic organization found it roots in the heart of two people who were dedicated to rescuing dogs. In the eight years since its inception, the Wolf Creek Weimaraner Rescue, Inc. has grown to a dedicated group of 45 volunteers. During that time this organization has saved an estimated 250 animals from abuse and possible destruction. This organization and its volunteers and foster families have come to know and understand this breed whose popularity has been spreading in recent years. The popularity of the breed is a double edged sword. On the one hand it is good that more people are wanting this type of dog. At the same time, many irresponsible back yard breeders and puppy farms are cranking these puppies out with little regard for the breeding mother's health, the genetics of the offspring, and overpopulation in general.

The goal of this organization is not to end breed specific breeding. In fact this organization explicitly supports the ethical breeding of Weimaraners from genetically sound animals. They do emphasize that ethical breeding includes the education of potential pet owners about the breed and a commitment to honor all health guarantees.

If you are interested in donating money or your time to this worthwhile organization, click HERE.

See the picture to the left, that is Emmy. She is currently with her foster family but is just waiting to be placed with her loving forever family. If you want to read about her specifically, just click her photo. If you would like to see and read about all the Weimaraners that are currently looking for their forever families, click HERE. If you think that being a parent for one of these loving and beautiful creatures is something you might like to become, you can e-mail the rescue group at info@wcweimrescue.org  and you can learn about the adoption process by clicking HERE.