Let's first of all go right to some football picks.
I was 11-7 last week--not bad!
COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Auburn at Alabama.  My pick:  CRIMSON TIDE.  They're at home; and 'Bama, despite a couple of close losses, has both a solid defense and offense, and I think that offense will drive the ball against a suspect Auburn defense and keep Cam Newton off the field.

LSU at Arkansas.  My pick:  RAZORBACKS.  LSU's defense has given up a lot of points.  Arkansas can score a lot of points, with Ryan Mallett at QB.  This time it'll cost the Bengal Tigers.

Michigan State at Penn State.  My pick:  SPARTANS.  I'm going out on a limb here; but I think that comeback win last week over Purdue may have just given Sparty the momentum needed to get a big win on the road.

NFL PICKS

New England 7 over Detroit.  My pick:  PATRIOTS.  Because Tom Brady is way better than Shaun Hill.

New Orleans 4 over Dallas.  My pick:  SAINTS.  Because Drew Brees is way better than Jon Kitna, along with that suspect Dallas secondary.

NY Jets 9 over Cincinnati.  My pick:  JETS.  Because the Jets have a lot to play for, while one suspects the Bengals will start to mail it in--witness the collapse last week vs Buffalo.

Atlanta 2 over Green Bay.  My pick:  FALCONS.  Atlanta, its run game, and Matt Ryan continue to improve and mature.

Pittsburgh 7 over Buffalo.  My pick:  STEELERS.  Buffalo and Ryan Fitzpatrick are improving...but the Steelers will undoubtedly teach the young QB a few lessons here.

Carolina at Cleveland--even.  My pick:  BROWNS.  They've proven to me over the past several weeks that they're a better team.

NY Giants 8 over Jacksonville.  My pick:  JAGUARS.  The Giants will win.  But they tend to play down to the level of their competition, and the Jags can score.

Washington 2 over Minnesota.  My pick:  REDSKINS.  Probably the Vikings have more talent; but they're a fractured, dispirited team, on the road, and the "Skins have a lot to play for and still have some fight left in them.

Tennessee at Houston--even.  My pick:  TEXANS.  Because Matt Schaub is a much better QB than whoever it is Jeff Fisher is apparently playing this week.

Miami at Oakland--even.  My pick:  DOLPHINS.  Just a hunch--I think they'll make one fewer mistake.

Kansas City 1 over Seattle.  My pick:  CHIEFS.  I just think the Chiefs have progressed a lot this year, and have very good team speed.

Philadelphia 4 over Chicago.  My pick:  EAGLES.  Too much team speed and Michael Vick.

Denver 4 over St. Louis.  My pick:  BRONCOS.  The Rams aren't the same team on the road.

Baltimore 8 over Tampa Bay.  My pick:  RAVENS.  Ray Lewis and the rest of the Ravens' D will teach Josh Freeman some lessons.

Indianapolis 3 over San Diego.  My pick:  COLTS.  Something magically good happens to the Colts when they play at home.

San Francisco 1 over Arizona.  My pick:  49ERS.  Somehow, this time, their defense will create a turnover and generate a win.

In other news...

WHY THANKSGIVING IS SO COOL
Whatever your political persuasion, I think all can agree this guy has a good point:
"When I was a child, Christmas was by far my favorite holiday, for all kinds of reasons — the presents, the tree, almost every house in the neighborhood suddenly strung with lights. Now, seeing the holiday season from the other side of the parenting coin, Thanksgiving seems like Christmas stripped down to the latter’s most essential and enjoyable parts — good food, a quick prayer, and family too long unseen around a table — and missing the parts of our overly commercialized Christmas that I can easily do without: the challenge of finding the right gift, the crush of shoppers, strings of lights emerging from the closet in a Gordian knot, and one too many choruses of “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer"....the four-day weekend and its traditions are a soothing reminder that....some parts of American life are gloriously impervious to change. The best parts of life are timeless, and beyond the reach even of the rapacious hand of the most ambitious politician."

EXERCISE NEWS
I have no doubt this is true:
"Walkers who squeeze a bit of light weight training into their workout get more bang for their buck in terms of being fit and trim without increasing their total workout time, according to a new study of sedentary people with type 2 diabetes.  What's more, those who mixed up their workouts showed the greatest improvement in blood sugar control after nine months, says Timothy S. Church, MD, Ph.D., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who led the study"

I seem to be seeing lots of walkers out there with weights these days...