"The Final Countdown"

It's hard to believe that in just a few hours 2012 will be over. The year has flown by, as so many of them do. They go by even faster when you are making up for lost time, as I am. I'm sure many will be glad to see 2012 go into the dustbin of history and start 2013 afresh and new. However, 2012 has been pretty good to me, so I'm not as eager to see it go. There were a number of highlights for me :

• I celebrated the fifth anniversary of my heart transplant. Following that, I celebrated another anniversary with my wife (our 17th), another birthday, and another Christmas. 
• This blog reached a milestone of its own with its 500th blog post and will reach the 600 mark shortly after the first of the year. Not bad for an amateur. In addition, I'm quickly closing in on the 50,000 page view mark.
• I went to my first NCAA Baseball Tournament game in Tallahassee, FL as Florida State played Samford in the regionals.
• I saw KISS in concert for the first time ever.
• After a disappointing defeat in 2010, I was blessed to be one of several who volunteered their time to help re-elect Susan Lynn to the Tennessee House of Representatives.
• I shot four deer during deer season, including my biggest buck ever, and my first with an AR15 (that story to follow).
• I saw the non-profit organization I founded in 2011, Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc., complete it's first, full calendar year of operation.

So, as I said - 2012 was good to me. However, I think 2013, even with all the economic uncertainty and chaos, shows even more promise. It will also bring some very minor changes to The Second Chance Sheepdog blog. The content, topics, etc. will not change. However, the frequency of articles posting will. They will be more random. There will not always be multiple articles every week, and some weeks will not have a Music Monday.

The reason for this minor change is simple. As I mentioned above, I founded the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. back in November 2011 in order to more effectively advocate for organ and tissue donation. I have realized over the last few months that I need to put more time into it in 2013 in order for it to grow into the effective advocacy organization I envisioned when I founded it. In order to do that, I cannot devote as much time to The Sheepdog blog. However, do not be concerned - The Sheepdog will still be around watching and growling at the wolves. He just won't do it as frequently.

As I started thinking about a song with which to wrap up 2012 and 2012's Music Mondays, I wanted something fast with a metal sound. While watching some movies with friends over the weekend, I was reminded of a song I felt was perfect for the task - "The Final Countdown" by the Swedish rock band Europe.

Europe released "The Final Countdown" on it's 1986 album of the same name. It quickly became the song that put the band on the map. As we closeout 2012 with Europe's first Music Monday appearance, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a 2013 full of blessings. Today's video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

Enjoy and have a Happy New Year.

Related articles

• Hair Metal Mondays: The Final Coundown (whsjr.soistmann.com)
• EUROPE Frontman Talks About The Making Of 'The Final Countdown' Song In New Video Interview (blabbermouth.net)