Thanks For Nothin...

Sometimes, it is rewarding to think of all the things in your life for which you are grateful and take a moment to ponder life's gifts, both big and small. This is not one of those times.

Thanks for nothin':

**West Virginia PowerBall. Yet again, you let me down with your picking numbers which did not match the ones the computer picked for me. Now, I have to continue with my life's goals to make money and retire like a normal person with such goals. No magic dream vacation to some private island where I sip Mojitos all day long whilst laying about in the sun on a perfect beach of bliss. No endless shopping trips to the Kate Spade store where I get to buy things full-price and not off eBay. No payoff checks for my mortgage. No RV to drive to Mountaineer football games. Yeah, thanks for nothin'.

**Pittsburgh Steelers. You, upon whom I pin my entire week's happiness, can't seem to honor me with a win lately. I know you can't win them all. I'm not asking to win them all. How about winning more than you lose? How about that? Huh? Don't you know I am only one of millions in Steeler Nation whose entire Sunday night may be ruined after you allow the pitiful Bungals to score a touchdown after two consecutive 4th and 10 conversions? Yeah. Ugh.

**WVU Mountaineers. Okay, you aren't so bad as the Steelers. Yet. Let's keep it that way and forget that dreadful rainy performance in Alabama a week ago. Please.

**Academy Awards. Seriously, I wait all year for this night - which is bigger than most other nights in my life (unless the Steelers are in the Super Bowl which, at this point, looks like a longer shot than the West Virginia PowerBall, making the Oscars the premiere event of the winter in the Poling household) and I work diligently to see all nominated films. Now, you expand the field to ten nominees for Best Picture, so that unworthy commercial projects can be included and further reinforce the idea that the public's opinion is the same as critical opinion. Now, I love a dumb, guilty pleasure as much as or more than the next person - I mean, I own the movie "Hush" with Gwyneth Paltrow and I love that movie and no one will ever accuse it of being quality filmmaking. But come on. We don't need any more attention paid to these projects. Why mess with something which works for the most part and which makes me happy? Don't you know I am change-adverse? Please come to your senses after this year and change it back, so my little world can return to normal.

**Brett Favre. Can't you just suck in your umpteenth comeback so I could have that small bit of atonement? Maybe later? Okay.

All right, I think I'm done now. Whew. Feels better, I'll tell you that. Next up, I will accentuate the positive. For real.