RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS (Vol. 1, No. 13)

If you rode behind a truck which said "Follow me to your perfect paint color" on your way out of town, what would be your first set of thoughts?  Well, as I inadvertently followed this True Value tractor trailer on I-495 through the wonderful city of Wilmington, Delaware, my vivid imagination took a dark turn.  Instead of perhaps some jovial gentleman being armed with paintball gear and taking you to the time of your life--which I literally thought as I began typing this intro--it's some poor soul with an axe to grind with both his company as well as his wife who he believes is cheating on him because he's always on the road.  You decide to follow him without knowing his rig is actually a front for his paint bootlegging business.  He leads you down a secluded alley in a sketchy neighborhood to meet a few unsavory characters.  While the deal is going down, your inability to be incognito in life-or-death situations spells your demise as you are spotted by the truck driver.  He thinks it's a setup, pulls out a pistol and shoots in your direction.  If you didn't high tail it out of there like you were playing Need for Speed, then you would've found out the "perfect color" he was leading you to was crimson.  Moral of the story (and with my DIRECTV voice-over narrator swagger): don't follow anyone to your perfect paint color.  Get the Sherwin Williams app instead.  Now that you're creeped out, let's fly into some safer havens...

Scribbler's 11th Hour Post of the Week: Recap of the 2016 CollegeFootball Playoff National Championship

Although I cannot say that I go crazy over NCAA football like I do with the NFL, I still enjoy a thrilling game nonetheless.  I was heartbroken as my favorite team in the land, the Miami Hurricanes, got cheated in 2002 against Ohio State--who I also liked a lot that year.  (I know have friends who are still adamant about not discussing that game.)  Then, despite Matt Leinart's butt-hurt remark about being the "better team", my favorite West Coast team, the USC Trojans, suffered defeat in 2006 at the hands (and feet) of Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns.  Finally, in one of my personal faves in recent memory, Jameis Winston led a thrilling game-winning drive as the Florida State Seminoles triumphed over the Auburn Tigers in 2014 and ended the BCS era in style.  After Ohio State surprisingly dominated Oregon in the inaugural CFP National Championship last year, this year's game between the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 1 Clemson Tigers more than made up for last year's let-down.  I'll try to keep my takes as short as possible.  (Keyword: TRY.)

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: Jack Hoffman

In the everyday struggle called life, it seems like we're on a perpetual roller coaster ride.  We don't give ourselves credit enough for who we are, lose sight of or don't recognize whose we are, and overlook how special we were made.  We get distracted by the trials and tribulations that befall us on a regular basis, and as a result, we often focus on the size of circumstances and assume that we can't overcome them.  When nothing seems certain but death and taxes, it's extremely hard to remain positive or believe in anything or anyone good.  That's why I'm so inspired by this week's "Highlight"--which might easily be my "Highlight of the Year"--because seven-year-old Jack Hoffman is the very antithesis of a defeated attitude.