Where were the refs?

It looked like a particular ref was in the way of the puck?
Which helped them to get one of their goals...?
Just horrible calling on some of the penalty's, even Mickey Redmond said it during the game?
He likes to call out the refs bad calls.
I like that about him, as a commentator he says what he thinks.
Which I'm thinking the same thing as him?
So, I'm glad someone is saying it!

2-1 loss

1-2 in this second round of the playoffs

(That last move by Datsyuk was awesome though!!)
Great moves by all the players at one point or another!

Cleary Great for a walk on!
And looking good!


Filppula I'm not sure I've talked about enough? (He's also a rising star like Datsyuk? That's what I say to my friends.)To name a couple...

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Pavel Datsyuk scores the final goal making it 3-2. Tying the series against San Jose at 1-1.

Here is the goal below.

20 sec

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CIA analyst: Cheney, Libby lied to Congress about Pakistani nukes

When Richard Barlow joined the CIA in 1985 as a counter-proliferation intelligence officer with particular expertise on Pakistan, he quickly realized that Pakistan was continuing to develop its nuclear program, and that some of its clandestine and illegal procurement activity was occurring within the US.

It didn't take Barlow long to realize that US officials knew what Pakistan was doing. According to Barlow, individuals at the State Department later actively facilitated procurement, tipping off targets of sealed arrest warrants in undercover operations and illegally approving export licenses for restricted goods.

Some dare call it treason.

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OneDayBlogSilence.com

As I have already posted today, I will just put up a link to the OneDayBlogSilence site. This is to honor and remember the victims from Virginia Tech . Read more about it at the site. I will now go silent for the rest of the day.

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Of Birthdays and Other Holidays

The month of May begins on Tuesday and that means several things for me: 1) The Mother's birthday, 2) my oldest daughter's birthday, 3) Mother's Day. I bet you can't guess where we went today!? Yes, we took a trip up-north to bring gifts.

First, we stopped at The Parent's house so that I could give The Mother her birthday and Mother's Day gifts. (I ALWAYS try to do both at once. Why make two trips when I can get away with only one?) They weren't home. Now, I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. We left the gifts at C's house for her to deliver tomorrow--which I certainly HOPE she does, because The Mother's birthday is on Tuesday--so that means I will get a phone call and have to talk to The Mother. I guess a phone conversation with her is preferable to an in-person visit. Anyway, THAT is taken care of for another year. I won't have to go back to their house till the same time next year. (I send K to bring The Father his Father's Day and birthday gifts. I'm not needed for that one.)

I was so very happy to be able to see the grandkids--they are growing so fast. I took some pictures and sure hope they turn out well. K reminded me to take the camera--as he said, 'If we wait for C to send pictures, we'll be waiting forever!'

I managed to find the perfect birthday card for C. I must tell the story behind it, first. When C was in middle school, K was walking past her room--the door was open--and he heard her singing. He looked in and there she was, in front of the mirror, singing at the top of her voice (which, by the way, is VERY good)--and she was using her HANDS as her back-up singers! NO puppets--sock or otherwise--just her hands. He laughed till he almost fell over! As C is one of the most unflappable people I have ever known--even at a young age--we have been able to tease her about this endlessly over the years. And she laughs along just as hard as the rest of us. So, the card. On the front there is a sock puppet and it says 'Happy F(bleep)ing Birthday!' And on the inside it says, 'I wanted to have my sock puppet wish you a happy birthday. I should have known better than to use a dirty sock!' I think she liked the card better than the bag of Jelly Bellys!

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The Ordeal of Chaplain James Yee

He had become one of them.

Like the suspected terrorists with whom he spoke as an Army Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, Capt. James Yee was accused of being an enemy to the country. He was detained at a Jacksonville, Fla., airport without being told why. All his wife knew back in Olympia, Wash., where he had been headed, was that he didn't show up.

He was arrested and shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles. Goggles painted black were placed over his eyes. Large earmuffs blocked his hearing, he said.

"It's called sensory deprivation," Yee told about 500 people Monday night at UC Santa Barbara. "It's done to instill fear, intimidation and confusion."

"To instill fear, intimidation and confusion." That is an apt description of the broader policies of the Bush regime.

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"We cannot 'win' a war that serves our enemies interests and not our own. Thus continuing to pursue the illusion of victory in Iraq makes no sense. We can now see that it never did.

--retired Lieutenant General William E. Odom, U.S. Army, former Director of the National Security Agency

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Red Wings 3, Sharks 2

I am about the most pessimistic person in the world--I DEFINITELY will NEVER see the glass as half-full--but I really had every reason to be that way for the first 13 minutes of today's game. The Wings played just about the worst hockey I have ever seen! And then they got their first goal--and the tide turned. From then till the end of the game, they played their little hearts out and managed to win with only 1:24 left to the game. The win today gives me hope, but it doesn't turn my pessimism to optimism: they still have to win at least one game in San Jose if they want to take the series. They have a long, hard fight on their hands!



-Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk (13), of Russia, collects the puck to shoot the go-ahead goal against San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, of Kazakhstan, in the third period of an NHL hockey Western Conference semifinal in Detroit, Saturday, April 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)-

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And In Conclusion...

Before we got to go in to see Body Worlds 2, we spent some time wandering around the Museum of Science and Industry. While the place was okay, if I had my druthers, we would have been at the Field Museum of Natural History. Now THAT'S a place I could get lost in for DAYS and not want to leave! I don't want too much time to go by before we go back, so that I CAN get to the Field Museum.

Anyway, our tickets for the exhibit were for 5:00pm, the time the rest of the museum closes. By the time we decided we really wanted to see certain things, they were closing--namely, the U-505 submarine and the Pioneer Zephyr (Silver Streak) train. We did walk through most of the museum and found several things that were quite interesting.

In one area of the museum, there are full-sized aircraft suspended from the ceiling. There were several planes from WW2--a German one and a Japanese one. Also, there was a United Airlines Boeing 727--which we got to walk through. It was a bit unnerving to realize you were suspended in mid-air while walking through! Here is a picture of the planes:


The other exhibit that I liked was called The Great Train Story. While I wasn't particularly interested in the trains, the miniature Chicago that the trains went past was really cool. Some of the buildings had to be 5' tall, anyway. (This display was right under the planes.)


On Sunday, we spent three hours at the Ikea store! I LOVE Ikea--such a fun place to explore. Our friends had never been in an Ikea, and we had only been in one once before, so we had a good time.

As we headed back north, we stopped at the Jelly Belly Center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. We went on the tour--a little lame :)--and bought 'Belly Flops'--'not quite right' Jelly Bellys. It was very touristy, but fun. We got to wear paper hats and ride a 'train' around the warehouse, as we were told the story of Jelly Bellys. (Yes, there is a picture of K and me wearing paper hats. No, you cannot see it. The pic is locked away in a secret underground vault and will only see the light of day when I am skinny and beautiful--or after I am dead. Guess which one will happen first! :)) Here are a couple of pictures from there:



Final thoughts:

The thing that surprised me and flabbergasted me the most on this trip were the tollways in Illinois. You had to pay to get on a road AND you had to pay to get off! It was a little nerve-racking, considering we don't EVER have to go on toll roads. We missed paying at least two tolls--both because we found ourselves in the wrong lane! Now, I am trying to figure out how to pay these tolls--it isn't fun. When you go online to pay, they ask you all sorts of questions that I can't answer: What highway were you on? What exit/plaza did you use? What day did this occur? What time did this occur? What color was the sky at that exact moment? (I made the last one up, but they might as well ask it, cause I won't know the answer to THAT one, either!) Oh, well, I guess I will make up some kind of answers and hope they don't mind--after all, I WILL be sending them money, so why should they complain!

We got home early on Monday evening--exhausted, but happy. Now I get to start planning our next trip: the end of May we will go to see The Lion King! I can't wait!

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Body Worlds 2--The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry--mainly so that we could see the exhibition Body Worlds 2. When we were in St. Paul for the Clapton concert, the exhibit was just down the street from where we were staying--I had NO interest in it. Then, our friends asked us if we wanted to see it when it came to Chicago and I thought, "Why not." I definitely was convinced that I would not like it. I was wrong. This was one of the most amazing, incredible things I have ever seen.

Soccer Player

When we first walked into the exhibit, I was surprised by the quiet. There were MANY people, but everyone talked in hushed tones--as if we were in a funeral home. Everyone was polite and stood in line to wait their turn--even though this was an exhibit where you just 'milled about.' (Once everyone got used to the exhibit, we all kind of 'loosened up' a bit. Still, everyone acted with a certain degree of dignity and reverence.) In the first display area, there was only one body--and MANY display cases. I was afraid we made a mistake--I wasn't there to look at bones and other body parts in glass cases! Bring on the bodies! And then we saw them.

Ortho Man

A soccer player. Yoga woman. Ring man. Drawer man. A ballerina. Ortho man. Each more fascinating than the one before. There also were many more display cases. Each case held different body parts, organs. We saw diseased lungs next to healthy ones. There was a 'slice' of a breast with cancerous tumors. The entire digestive system was in another case. The entire circulatory system--veins, arteries, capillaries--of the fingers, hand, and arm were display. This last, was in the SHAPE of the arm, but without any bones, muscles, or other 'structure' holding the veins, etc, in place. It is something that has to be seen and cannot be described adequately.

Male and Female Torso Slices

The 'Ortho Man' was really cool--they had done various orthopedic 'surgeries' on him. There was a knee replacement, hip replacement, pacemaker, artificial jaw, etc. Now, when would a person--other than medical personnel--get a chance to see this? It was neat.

Brain Slice

Some of the bodies that they 'plastinate' are sliced--as are the torsos and head in the pictures above. There was an entire body that was sliced and displayed spread out--almost like an accordion. Some of the bodies had the organs kind of 'exploding' out of the areas where they are located. The way things were displayed was imaginative, to say the least.

Ballerina

I believe the display I thought was the neatest was: there were two adult 'bodies' with a child. One of the 'bodies' was only the muscles, and the second body was the skeleton and internal organs. The adult 'bodies' were the same person, taken apart. Cool.

The only display that disturbed me at all was the prenatal one. They had unborn babies from a couple of weeks old to 30 weeks. All I could think about were my grandkids--the one who was stillborn and the rest who were premature. There also was a 5-month pregnant woman--with the unborn child in place. It was too emotional for me.

In all, we spent about two hours looking through the exhibit--and if I get a chance, I will do it again. This is something I would recommend for ANYONE to go and see--well worth the time and money. If I could get through it, anyone can.

(There is no age limit on seeing this exhibit. However, I think some children might be disturbed by it. Every parent would have to make the decision based on what they know about their own children. I saw children there from babes-in-arms all the way up. One little girl--pre-school?--had her head buried in her mother's neck. While I didn't hear what the girl said, her mother was saying, "There's nothing to be scared of--just look!" I was disgusted by the woman.)

--All of the pictures I posted were from the Body Worlds site. No pictures were allowed to be taken at the exhibit.--

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San Jose 2-Detroit 0

I want to know how a team can get 34 shots on goal and NOT. SCORE. ONCE! I don't know if there is some kind of voodoo magic going on, but this has been a problem for the Wings for too long. Guess they have to pick themselves up, wipe their noses, and show the Sharks just who the dominant team is on Saturday. Go Wings!

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Light Wavelength Analysis Nets Purple Earth

This visualization shows global chlorophyll concentrations. Data taken with the MODIS instrument on NASA’s AQUA spacecraft, between July 1, 2002, and Dec. 31, 2004. Image Credit: NASA.

Light Wavelength Analysis Nets Purple Earth

Researchers here on the Oblate Spheroid, struggle to explain why microbial evidence throughout the Earth is varied yet so stratified.

The answer may come from the fact that the evolution of microbe life on the earth to date has come down to how these organisms were able to convert certain wavelengths of light.

Simpler structures on early Earth were able to absorb and utilize light from the green spectrum of visible light. If this is true, it suggests that the Earth would reflect light from the red and blue spectrums thus yielding a purple Earth.

Further, if this theory holds up, wavelength analysis may give astronomers greater understanding of the evolution of potential life through biomarkers on distant planetary objects.

Lakes in Australia appear purple because they are filled with halobacteria, a microbe that uses retinal to capture the Sun's rays. Image Credit: Cheetham Salt Limited

Excerpts from Life Science -

Early Earth Was Purple, Study Suggests
By Ker Than - LiveScience Staff Writer - originally posted: 10 April 2007

The earliest life on Earth might have been just as purple as it is green today, a scientist claims.

Ancient microbes might have used a molecule other than chlorophyll to harness the Sun’s rays, one that gave the organisms a violet hue.

Chlorophyll, the main photosynthetic pigment of plants, absorbs mainly blue and red wavelengths from the Sun and reflects green ones, and it is this reflected light that gives plants their leafy color. This fact puzzles some biologists because the sun transmits most of its energy in the green part of the visible spectrum.

“Why would chlorophyll have this dip in the area that has the most energy?” said Shil DasSarma, a microbial geneticist at the University of Maryland.

After all, evolution has tweaked the human eye to be most sensitive to green light (which is why images from night-vision goggles are tinted green). So why is photosynthesis not fine-tuned the same way?

Possible answer

DasSarma thinks it is because chlorophyll appeared after another light-sensitive molecule called retinal was already present on early Earth. Retinal, today found in the plum-colored membrane of a photosynthetic microbe called halobacteria, absorbs green light and reflects back red and violet light, the combination of which appears purple.

Primitive microbes that used retinal to harness the sun’s energy might have dominated early Earth, DasSarma said, thus tinting some of the first biological hotspots on the planet a distinctive purple color.

Being latecomers, microbes that used chlorophyll could not compete directly with those utilizing retinal, but they survived by evolving the ability to absorb the very wavelengths retinal did not use, DasSarma said.

“Chlorophyll was forced to make use of the blue and red light, since all the green light was absorbed by the purple membrane-containing organisms,” said William Sparks, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Maryland, who helped DasSarma develop his idea.

The retinal pigment in halobacteria absorbs green light and reflects red and blue light. Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light and reflects green. Some scientists think this mirror relationship suggests chlorophyll evolved to exploit parts of the spectrum unused by retinal. Image Credit: American Scientist

Chlorophyll more efficient

The researchers speculate that chlorophyll- and retinal-based organisms coexisted for a time. “You can imagine a situation where photosynthesis is going on just beneath a layer of purple membrane-containing organisms,” DasSarma told LiveScience.

But after a while, the researchers say, the balance tipped in favor of chlorophyll because it is more efficient than retinal.

“Chlorophyll may not sample the peak of the solar spectrum, but it makes better use of the light that it does absorb,” Sparks explained.
----
Also, the process for making retinal is very similar to that of a fatty acid, which many scientists think was one of the key-ingredients for the development of cells.

“Fatty acids were likely needed to form the membranes in the earliest cells,” DasSarma said.

Lastly, halobacteria, a microbe alive today that uses retinal, is not a bacterium at all. It belongs to a group of organisms called archaea, whose lineage stretches back to a time before Earth had an oxygen atmosphere.

Taken together, these different lines of evidence suggest retinal formed earlier than chlorophyll, DasSarma said.
----
“I’m a little cautious about looking at who’s using which wavelengths of light and making conclusions about how things were like 3 or 4 billion years ago,” said Des Marais, who was not involved in the research.
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Implications for astrobiology

If future research validates the purple Earth hypothesis, it would have implications for scientists searching for life on distant worlds, the researchers say.

“We should make sure we don’t lock into ideas that are entirely centered on what we see on Earth,” said DasSarma’s colleague, Neil Reid, also of the STScI.

For example, one biomarker of special interest in astrobiology is the “red edge” produced by plants on Earth. Terrestrial vegetation absorbs most, but not all, of the red light in the visible spectrum. Many scientists have proposed using the small portion of reflected red light as an indicator of life on other planets.
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Shedd Aquarium-Chicago

Our purpose for going to Chicago was to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit, but the tickets we had were for 5:00pm, so we had the entire morning and early afternoon to do other things. We decided to go to the Shedd Aquarium first. We left the hotel about 9:00am and arrived in Chicago about 30-45 minutes later. I was amazed at the amount of traffic--in some places it was bumper to bumper! I never dreamed we would have any traffic problems with it being the weekend--my small-town upbringing showing it's face, I guess. :) I was in awe of the buildings--we have NOTHING to compare here in the UP. Believe me, I had the slack-jawed, wide-eyed look that anyone could read as 'tourist.'

After only ONE wrong turn, we finally found our way to the parking garage for the aquarium, Field Museum, and Soldier Field. When we walked past Soldier Field--which I was told is where the Bears play--I saw the dedications to the veterans and realized why it was called Soldier Field. That was kind of neat. As we walked up to the entrance of the aquarium, we got a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline--the first thing I took pictures of.


Quite impressive!

The aquarium was featuring their lizards and komodo dragon exhibits, so the entrance was covered by a lizard canopy.


As you can see, we were there at a good time--we just walked in and only had to stand in line for a few minutes to get tickets. When we left the aquarium at 1:30-2:00, the line to get in was all of the way down the stairs and way out in front of the lizard's head!

I, in no way, like to do anything on or in the water. You will not catch me swimming, water-skiing, surfing, boating, etc, etc. BUT, I love being around the water and love sea creatures. If I had the space and money, I would own a ginormous salt-water aquarium--so Shedd's was a fantastic adventure for me. Unfortunately, you couldn't take flash pictures in the place, so many of what I took just didn't come out. That, plus despite what I said about no crowds outside, there were enormous amounts of people inside and the opportunities to get decent pictures were few. I did get some okay ones, though.

I was able to get a great picture of the komodo dragon. He was rather beautiful, in a reptily sort of way. I didn't realize just exactly how green they are--and he was very big. He weighed over 100 pounds. A piece of info: komodo's have saliva that will cause infections in whatever they bite. Their saliva, also, has one bad stench--possibly the worst in the animal kingdom. They also are quite cranky--the handlers won't go anywhere near him when he is eating, as he could attack at any time.


We watched the dolphin show--nothing too great. No pictures of the dolphins--they moved too fast! I was surprised to see at least 13 trainers during the show. Now THAT would be a fun job. We also got to see the Beluga whales--there was a baby born not too long ago. Penguins, Pacific otters, sharks--they all were there. I was in heaven!

In one spot, there was a display in the floor. The display was covered by a clear piece of plastic and you could watch the rays swimming right under your feet. Very neat.


I was very disappointed that the pictures I took of the sea horses and sea dragons didn't come out! I didn't even know there was such a creature as a sea dragon! They really aren't all that big--just 6" or less--but they are quite impressive. Here is a pic I found online:


More pictures I took--a moray eel, some starfish, sea anemones, coral, and various other underwater creatures.

This is just one of many varieties of eels that were there--some of them were quite impressive in size! I wasn't aware of the many different colors and patterns they come in. This one is one of the prettier ones:



Starfish are so neat--and who would have known that they come in various colors? Of course, if you look closely, you can see the sea urchins, too.



This was most impressive , as it just waved in the flow of the water. A camera can't capture the true beauty of the colors, though.



Coral is just so awesome--to think a living creature is behind all of that beauty! The aquarium even grows their own!



Salt-water fish are the most colorful there are. Again, a camera can't show the real beauty of the colors.



If you look closely those are--for real!--two fish in the middle of the picture! Most of the pictures I took were of the pretty sea life, but these two guys were just way too interesting to pass up!



We stayed at the aquarium for about four hours and I could have stayed there for four DAYS! A most impressive place. I can't wait to get back there again.

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John Kerry talks about the collapse of World Trade Center Building Seven and Controlled Demolition. Is this just a gaffe?

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George McGovern:

It is my firm belief that the Cheney-Bush team has committed offenses that are worse than those that drove Nixon, Vice President Spiro Agnew and Atty. Gen. John Mitchell from office after 1972. Indeed, as their repeated violations of the Constitution and federal statutes, as well as their repudiation of international law, come under increased consideration, I expect to see Cheney and Bush forced to resign their offices before 2008 is over.

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GOP's Cyber Election Hit Squad Exposed

Did the most powerful Republicans in America have the computer capacity, software skills and electronic infrastructure in place on election night 2004 to tamper with the Ohio results to ensure George W. Bush's re-election?

The answer appears to be yes. There is more than ample documentation to show that on Election Night 2004 , Ohio's "official" Secretary of State website—which gave the world the presidential election results—was redirected from an Ohio government server to a group of servers that contain scores of Republican web sites, including the secret White House e-mail accounts that have emerged in the scandal surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s firing of eight federal prosecutors.

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has been recruiting former military and government intelligence officers for a branch of its global security office aimed at identifying threats to the world's largest retailer, including from "suspect individuals and groups".

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Scumbag Tom DeLay says top Dems close to treason

Democratic leaders are acting like traitors by opposing the Iraq war, and President Bush must answer with a toughened stance, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Monday.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "are getting very, very close to treason," DeLay said in a meeting with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

He remains under indictment in his home state of Texas on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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Iran Foreign Minister accuses US of supporting terrorism

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday claimed in Havana that Washington supported terrorism in various parts of the world, criticizing last week's release of a former CIA operative convicted in the deadly 1976 downing of a Cuban airliner.

The Iranian diplomat, who was on a two-day visit to Cuba, decried what he called Washington's "support for terrorism in various parts of the world."

His remarks followed last week's release on bail of former CIA operative Luis Posada Carriles, who is wanted in Cuba and Venezuela for a 1976 bombing that killed all 73 people aboard a Cuban passenger jet.

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The Office of Special Counsel will investigate U.S. attorney firings and other political activities led by Karl Rove.

"We will take the evidence where it leads us," Scott J. Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel and a presidential appointee, said in an interview Monday. "We will not leave any stone unturned."

I hope they nail the bastard.

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Getting Beautiful Isn't Pretty

I have to thank Yoopergirl for sending me this--it is one funny story!

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet."

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.

No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees.

("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.

Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek! (It was a long strip.)

I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted.

I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.

Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.

Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax.

I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax?

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.

Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!

I call my friend, thinking, surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter "So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!"

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo- ha?"

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night, while we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works!!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.

I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color......

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Sweet Home Chicago

I do not now, nor have I ever lived in Chicago--and I don't want to. But what a weekend! I got to show my true self--that being a small town gal who lives just a block away from Hicksville where I was born and raised. Even though we didn't get a chance to drive the Miracle Mile or the Loop, we were close enough for me to gawk at all the big buildings. I even got to take pictures of the Chicago skyline.

For a bunch of non-city people, we did rather well. We didn't get lost at all--well, almost. I guess you can't call it getting lost if you find your way to where you want to go, but you wind up taking a different route than you were supposed to. This happened a couple of times--only once that could have been a disaster. This was the first time I was a bit disappointed in my Mapquest directions--they just were oh-so-slightly off. The only consequence of that: K and I almost got into a boxing match. But, those adult beverages I consumed helped take the edge off of my being pissed off at him, so all was okay.

Over the next few days I will go on and on and on about the trip--and I will post some pictures. I just had to get on here and say we are back home, the house is still here, the cat didn't pack up and leave out of pissyness that we weren't here to cater to her, and K and I are still talking to each other. What more can you want?

Did I ask what more can you want? Well, I guess nothing today: THE RED WINGS WON THE FIRST ROUND OF THE QUEST FOR THE CUP! Missing the last two games of the series is the only thing that was bad about the weekend--but I've gotten over it 'cause THE RED WINGS WON! Now they start playing San Jose on Thursday for the next round. And I start chewing my fingernails again. Hot damn.

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AL-QAEDA leaders in Iraq are planning the first “large-scale” terrorist attacks on Britain and other western targets with the help of supporters in Iran, according to a leaked intelligence report.

Spy chiefs warn that one operative had said he was planning an attack on “a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki” in an attempt to “shake the Roman throne”, a reference to the West.

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Unidentified gunmen have killed 23 people in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police said.

All the victims were said to be members of the Yazidi religious minority which follows a pre-Islamic religion and worships an angel figure.

As I recall the story, Gurdjieff once witnesses a frightened Yazidi (or Yezidi) boy "trapped" inside a circle drawn in the dirt.

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Respect for America in the world sinks lower with each Iraqi death and mutilation. Like the empires before it, America today looks like a pitiful Gulliver tied down in Lilliput, essentially powerless against a disparate and decentralized occupation resistance.

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Are the ref's trying to fix the game or what? Maybe they have a bet going on that they don't want to lose. I'm not to worried though. Todays game just may be a blow out. Either Datsyuk or Zetterburg will shine today.

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Maury Island Update:

Wreckage from secret 1947 mission found

It was a mysterious, secret government mission. It ended in a fiery plane crash, and a crash site that was all but unknown. Almost 60-years after that plane went down, a curious explorer has found the wreckage, and is now trying to uncover its secrets.

http://www.seattlechatclub.org/Arnold.html

The plane had impacted the hill at the base of three alder trees and there was burnt debris everywhere. The military had used Davenport¹s property as a base camp and spent over a week in cleaning up the debris. Also found in the area was a large black stone which directors believe may have been one of the pieces of slag the officers may have been hoping to analyze.

The Tacoma Times that day¹s headlines read ³Sabotage Hinted in Crash of Army Bomber at Kelso and a sub-headline read ³Plane May Hold Flying Disk Secret². Written by Paul Lance the article stated the plane had been sabotaged or shot down to prevent shipment of flying disk fragments to Hamilton Field, California, for analysis.

By the way, I recently purchsed a copy of Ray Palmer's The Coming of the Saucers on e-Bay, and Ray Palmer, Jr. related to me that he still has a piece of the "slag" that was allegedy ejected from the saucer in the Maury Island Incident, for sale if the price is right.

Via Cannonfire

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In a question-and-answer period after his speech, Rove was asked whose idea it was to start a pre-emptive war."

``I think it was Osama bin Laden's,'' Rove replied.

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Military planners have abandoned the idea that standing up Iraqi troops will enable American soldiers to start coming home soon and now believe that U.S. troops will have to defeat the insurgents and secure control of troubled provinces.

Training Iraqi troops, which had been the cornerstone of the Bush administration's Iraq policy since 2005, has dropped in priority, officials in Baghdad and Washington said.

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The Chunnel Begets ... The Strunnel!

On the train to France entering the Euro Tunnel (Taken on June 11, 2006 ) - Image Credit: Flickr - mbcrawford

The Chunnel Begets ... The Strunnel!

Russia is proposing to dig a tunnel, a very long tunnel, by which crossing and transporting goods across the Bering Strait to Alaska (and back) can be accomplished without the necessary calculations for weather and/or the limitations of air transport.

Much like the "Channel Tunnel" - The Chunnel ... I supposed one could call it The Strunnel!

The Chunnel, (Euro-Tunnel), Mini-Europe, Bruparck, Brussels (Taken on May 19, 2005) - Image Credit: Flickr - demode

Excerpts from Bloomberg (ht: SlashDot) -

Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska
By Yuriy Humber and Bradley Cook

April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.

The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.

A 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) transport corridor from Siberia into the U.S. will feed into the tunnel, which at 64 miles will be more than twice as long as the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France, according to the plan. The tunnel would run in three sections to link the two islands in the Bering Strait between Russia and the U.S.

"This will be a business project, not a political one," Maxim Bystrov, deputy head of Russia's agency for special economic zones, said at the media briefing. Russian officials will formally present the plan to the U.S. and Canadian governments next week, Razbegin said.

The Bering Strait tunnel will cost $10 billion to $12 billion, and the rest of the investment will be spent on the entire transport corridor, the plan estimates.

The Chunnel Construction Tour (Taken in August 1989) - Image Credit: Flickr - aplumb
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In Alaska, a supporter of the project is former Governor Walter Joseph Hickel, who plans to co-chair a conference on the subject in Moscow next week.

"Governor Hickel has long supported this concept, and he talks about it and writes about it," said Malcolm Roberts, a senior fellow at the Anchorage-based Institute of the North, a research policy group focused on Arctic issues. Hickel governed Alaska from 1966 to 1969 as a Republican and then from 1990 to 1994 as a member of the Independence Party.

Alaska's current officials, however, are preoccupied with other issues, including a plan to develop a pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the lower 48 U.S. states, Roberts said.
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Rail links in Russia and the U.S., where an almost 2,000- kilometer stretch from Angora to Fort Nelson in Canada would continue the route, would cost up to $15 billion, Razbegin said. With cargo traffic of as much as 100 million tons annually expected on the World Link, the investments in the rail section could be repaid in 20 years, he said.

"The transit link is that string on which all our industrial cluster projects could hang," Zubakin said.

Japan, China and Korea have expressed interest in the project, with Japanese companies offering to burrow the tunnel under the Bering Strait for $60 million a kilometer, half the price set down in the project, Razbegin said.
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The figures for the project come from a preliminary feasibility study. A full study could be funded from Russia's investment fund, set aside for large infrastructure projects, Bystrov said.
Reference Here>>

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Damn!

Detroit lost at Calgary--again. I'm not feeling very optimistic about the Wings' chances to get past the first round--this really gave Calgary a boost. Unfortunately, Detroit just can't get it together often enough to do what they need to do out west. And if they happen to get past the first round, they have to play out west during the next round. I just don't think it will happen. At least, if they lose the next two games, I won't have to see it.

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I kind of expected a possible loss. Only because the hype of being at home for Calgary is tremendous.
The fans cheering them on, their at home where they are more comfortable. Little thing's like that can be detrimental for the other team.

But I do not think Calgary will pull it off this time? The hype is somewhat gone hopefully, and I would think the Red Wings will play pretty hard considering of course, they would like to continue to be in the playoffs. They don't want to get knocked out in the first round like before.
It goes both ways though. Calgary wants to continue in the playoffs also.

Either way it will be an interesting game to watch!


I have to give Mika Kiprusoff a little credit though.
Here is just one of the many saves against Detroit. (below)

Game #1

14 sec

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Newsy Post

From the title of this post, you can deduce one thing: BORING! While to me, my week has been a bit hectic, other people would say, 'Why can't I have that little to do?' :) Anyway, here is what has been going on in my world.

I don't know what it is about Mondays, but that is when I have to do most of my phone calling--or receive phone calls. A little over a week ago, I went to see our new dermatologist here in town. She is just a sweetheart and I am well pleased with her. (I didn't REALLY have problems with my last derm--I got along well with him. The biggest problem is, he is a little curmudgeonly and you never quite know what mood he is going to be in. And, I think he is close to deciding to retire, so it was time to move on.) She gave me some samples of a new med for my skin and told me to call if I want a prescription for it. I don't know how well the stuff is going to work long-term, but it seemed to help a bit so I called for a prescription. I decided to use the local pharmacy instead of my insurance's pharmacy--after all, it would be nice to help the locals whenever I can. Me calling the office--1st call. The doctor called me back about some test results--2nd call. The nurse called me to say she has a $50 coupon for use on the prescription for the meds--3rd call. The pharmacy called to tell me the prescription CO-PAY was going to be $100 and do I still want them to fill it--4th call. Of course, NONE of these calls were less than 5 minutes in length--more like 10-15 minutes. And there were the normal, everyday phone calls, so I spent more than my share of time on the phone.

To make a long story even longer, the point to all of this. I am VERY grateful for our health/prescription insurance. I am very well blessed and know it--I would NOT be using meds from a dermatologist or allergist if it wasn't for the insurance. Now that I have that out of the way, I have a complaint. The medication that I would have had a $100 co-pay, PER MONTH, at the local pharmacy, will only cost me $45 for a three-month supply if I use the insurance company's mail-order pharmacy. The cost savings is great for me, but in no uncertain terms, the insurance company is FORCING me to use mail-order instead of using local. This just is not fair--either to me OR my local pharmacy. The locals just cannot compete--and the insurance company will not let them. When I order by mail, I get three month's worth of a prescription--when I buy locally, I CANNOT get more than a one month supply at a time. It is not fair. But, I have to go with what will cost me the least. I hate it.

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My meds's saga isn't over. On Tuesday I had to go to the doctor's office to bring in the paperwork so that they could fax my prescriptions to the mail-order pharmacy. This helps shortens the time it takes for me to get my meds--by almost a week. So, it was out and about early.

K STILL didn't finish removing the old TV and stand from the living room, so it still was a mess. I, however, DID go out and buy the storage unit for our DVDs--I needed to get them off of the window seat in the dining room. I needed to go grocery shopping and needed some stuff for our trip, so it was off to the stores after K left for work. It is so hard for me to get out of the house at a reasonable time with the time change. I find myself thinking I have all the time in the world because it is still light out, when it actually is close to closing time for some of the stores! And I also was racing against time because the game started at 10:00pm, so I wanted to be home for that--and I made it!

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Today the woman who will taking care of the cat for the weekend came over. My youngest worked for a pet sitter before she moved away, and this business was sold to the woman who is sitting this weekend, so she needed to come by and get instructions and meet me and the cat, etc. For the price of $12, she will feed the cat, scoop the litter, clean up whatever litter is on the floor, clean up any hacked-up hairballs, bring in the mail, bring in the newspaper, water plants, play with the cat, brush the cat, and what ever else I need done! Not a bad deal! Of course, her job is much easier here than in other places: she probably won't even see the cat. To say my cat is antisocial is putting it mildly! Our neighbors--who usually take care of her, and are out of town--have said the only way they know the cat is still in the house when they feed her is the fact that the food is gone the next day. But, the woman said she might sit and read for awhile anyway, just to see if the cat comes out of hiding and wants to make friends. Good luck!

I still have so much to get done before we leave. Between the mani/pedi I need to do for myself--and the other grooming-type stuff I put off too long--I take care of all of the packing and household stuff before we go. I know I have talked about this before, but it is enough of an annoyance to do it again. I appreciate K doing all of the driving whenever we go on a trip. If it was up to ME driving, we would never go anywhere. But WHY do I have to do ALL of the preparations! Cleaning the house, packing, garbage, watering plants, feeding the cat, ironing, planning the driving route, adjusting the thermostat and window blinds, etc, etc, etc. I EVEN have to decide what K is going to want to wear! I just don't understand it. So, while I am doing all of the last-minute preparations--which means packing, feeding the cat, thermostat, etc--what is K doing? Sleeping. What COULD he be doing? Putting gas in the vehicle and going to the ATM. When do those things get done? On our way out of town--which adds another 30, 45, or 60 minutes to our trip! The explanation for this? He is a man.

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I think I will be able to have the house to myself tomorrow, even though K will not be working. He probably will be driving up north to bring some things to C--among them: the old TV. YAY!!!!! I may have it out of the house before we leave! At least I won't have to be tripping over him while doing what needs to be done--it makes my job a whole lot easier.

I don't know how relaxing this trip will be. To begin with, I will be starting out tired--as I am with every trip we take. Then, we will be rushing around all day Saturday, just so we can do all that we want. We still don't know what we will do on Sunday, but we will travel, at the very least--which is tiring enough. One of these days, I WILL get a vacation where I can do NOTHING but relax--maybe we will get to go to one of those Mexican or Caribbean resorts that you hear about. A nice thought--sitting in the sun, drinking mimosas, reading trashy novels, taking leisurely naps, having massages. Now, THAT'S a vacation!

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How They Stole Ohio (and thus the election)

Leading up to the 2004 vote, Bennett oversaw the quiet purge of some 168,000 registered voters from the Cuyahoga rolls, including 24.93% of the entire city of Cleveland, which voted 83% for Kerry. In one inner city majority African American ward, 51% of the voters were purged. Centered on precincts that voted more than 80% for John Kerry, this purge may well have meant a net loss to the Democrats of tens of thousands of votes in an election that was officially decided statewide by less than 119,000.

Meanwhile, new evidence is emerging that Karl Rove and the GOP had real-time computer access to both the actual vote numbers in Ohio as well as the exit polling data that would have allowed them to direct how many votes they needed from the suspect Ohio southwestern Republican counties that gave Bush his official margin of victory in the 2004 election. Stay tuned.

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Disappointed, But Not Very Surprised

I have been a bit MIA yesterday and today--I am trying to get things ready for our trip. I was hoping to do a nice, newsy post, but it will have to wait till tomorrow. I am beat!

Just finished watching the game and Calgary won 3-2. It really isn't surprising: Calgary is the best team in the NHL on home ice. And it's not as if Detroit played poorly, it's just that Calgary played much better than they did the last two games. Well, there goes the sweep, but no one expected Detroit to win the series in less than 5 games. Hopefully, they will win on Thursday and then just have to finish them off, at home, on Saturday. I can always hope! And I won't even care if I can't see the game on Saturday, just as long as they win the series with it! (I won't be seeing either Saturday's OR Sunday's games--we won't be home. Boo-hoo!)

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"There seems to be a complete failure to understand that we have been trying to suppress a rebellion against our occupation."

"As long as we are there we are the number one public enemy for the Muslim-Arab world."

"We were after all, a Christian army occupying a Muslim Arab country, something which in the Middle East is essentially a disaster."

--retired Army Col Doug McGreggor, a former advisor to Don Rumsfeld

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We got it right during the early days of Afghanistan -- and then lost focus. We have never gotten it right in Iraq.

--retired Marine General John J. Sheehan, in the Washington Post

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2 goals in two games of the playoffs against Calgary.
For not scoring since 2002 in the playoffs. He doesn't show signs of stopping?

I found the video for Game #1

47 sec

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BEE Afraid, Be Very Afraid! (UPDATED)

One of the most familiar insects in the world is the Honeybee. This member of the insect order Hymenoptera plays a key role in the human and natural world. More has been written about honeybees than any other species of insect. The human fascination with this insect began thousands of years ago when people discovered what wonderfully tasty stuff honey is! Image Credit: Carl Hayden Bee Research Center

BEE Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

Here is an item that is really troubling, in that, we here on Earth do not know what may get to our human population first - famine (lack of food) or disease (animal flu crossover).

The bee populations throughout the world are in decline. This phenomenon was first observed last autumn, but is being observed in many places throughout the world.

The many theories as to why this is happening include climate change/global warming, chemical pollution, and parasite mites - but the chief cause may end up being our increased radio frequency technology use and density.

Excerpts from the Independent News and Media Limited -

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?
Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees
By Geoffrey Lean and Harriet Shawcross - Published: 15 April 2007

It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail.

They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well.

The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.

The central feature of the bee hive is the honeycomb. This marvel of insect engineering consists of flat vertical panels of six-sided cells made of beeswax. Beeswax is produced from glands on the underside of the abdomens of worker bees when they are between 12 and 15 days old. House bees take the beeswax and form it with their mouths into the honeycomb. The cells within the comb will be used to raise young and to store honey and pollen. Image Credit: Carl Hayden Bee Research Center
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The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.

CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.
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The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".
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German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines.

Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.

Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."
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Equally alarming, blue-chip Swedish research revealed that radiation from mobile phones killed off brain cells, suggesting that today's teenagers could go senile in the prime of their lives.

Studies in India and the US have raised the possibility that men who use mobile phones heavily have reduced sperm counts. And, more prosaically, doctors have identified the condition of "text thumb", a form of RSI from constant texting.

Professor Sir William Stewart, who has headed two official inquiries, warned that children under eight should not use mobiles and made a series of safety recommendations, largely ignored by ministers.
Reference Here>>

Additional resource information HERE.

UPDATED - April 28, 2007:

It turns out that bee experts meeting this week in Washington D.C. have come up with an alternative and more credible answer to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

Excerpts from the Los Angeles Times -

Experts may have found what's bugging the bees
A fungus that hit hives in Europe and Asia may be partly to blame for wiping out colonies across the U.S.
By Jia-Rui Chong and Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff Writers - April 26, 2007

A fungus that caused widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia may be playing a crucial role in the mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is wiping out bees across the United States, UC San Francisco researchers said Wednesday.

Researchers have been struggling for months to explain the disorder, and the new findings provide the first solid evidence pointing to a potential cause.

But the results are "highly preliminary" and are from only a few hives from Le Grand in Merced County, UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi said. "We don't want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved."

Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country — as well as in some hives where bees had survived. Those researchers have also found two other fungi and half a dozen viruses in the dead bees.
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Cox-Foster was one of the organizers of a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday where about 60 bee researchers gathered to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder.

"We still haven't ruled out other factors, such as pesticides or inadequate food resources following a drought," she said. "There are lots of stresses that these bees are experiencing," and it may be a combination of factors that is responsible.

Historically, bee losses are not unusual. Weather, pesticide exposures and infestations by pests, such as the Varroa mite, have wiped out significant numbers of colonies in the past, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.

But the current loss appears unprecedented. Beekeepers in 28 states, Canada and Britain have reported large losses.
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Dr. Charles Wick of the center had used a new system of genetic analysis to identify pathogens in ground-up bee samples from California. He found several viruses, including members of a recently identified genus called iflaviruses.

It is not known whether these small, RNA-containing viruses, which infect the Varroa mite, are pathogenic to bees.

Skowronski forwarded the samples to DeRisi, who also found evidence of the viruses, along with genetic material from N. ceranae.

"There was a lot of stuff from Nosema, about 25% of the total," Skowronski said. "That meant there was more than there was bee RNA. That leads me to believe that the bee died from that particular pathogen."

If N. ceranae does play a role in Colony Collapse Disorder, there may be some hope for beekeepers.

A closely related parasite called Nosema apis, which also affects bees, can be controlled by the antibiotic fumagillin, and there is some evidence that it will work on N. ceranae as well.
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What must worry Washington more than the massive size of the demonstration on April 9 was its mixed Shiite-Sunni composition and nationalistic ambience. The prospect of Sadr's appeal extending to a section of the Sunni community, with the tacit support of Sistani, is the nightmare scenario that the Bush administration most dreads. Yet it may come to pass.

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Phone Calls, Sleeping, Husbands, and Hockey

I got a phone call at 10:00am. Now, that might not mean a whole lot to a lot of people, but to me it is a big deal because THE CALL WOKE ME UP! Yes, people, I was still in bed--and I still had two hours to go before my alarm rang. (I probably would have stayed in bed beyond noon, but the game started at 1:00pm, so...) I used to be embarrassed or ashamed to admit I have lousy sleep habits and that I LOVE to sleep during the day, but no more. See, sleeping at whatever time you want, for however long you want, is a person's reward for raising the kids and getting them the hell out of the house. I raised them, I deserve a reward! And I will sleep when I damn well please.

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The phone call I got this morning was from my friend--the friend who, along with her husband, is going to Chicago with us. Turns out, she was surfing the museum website and clicked on 'buy tickets online' and found out that they were sold out for Saturday morning--when we were going to go! Who ever would have thought that a museum would sell-out tickets to an exhibit?! Anyway, we changed plans quickly and decided to see the exhibit on Saturday afternoon instead, so she bought tickets on the spot. Looks like we will get to the aquarium after all (on Saturday morning)--and, if I have anything to say about it, to the Lush store! (I will feel as if I died and went to heaven when I step foot into the place.) We still haven't made plans for Sunday--we might just stay in Schaumburg and not even drive into the city. We'll see.

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K came home from work this afternoon--overtime again--and when he took his shoes off I noticed he wasn't wearing any socks. That isn't THAT big of a deal, but we still have snow and he NEVER goes without socks. So I asked him what was going on. His answer? 'There are no clean socks in my drawer.' I was just about to call him a liar, when I decided to go and see for myself. Sure enough, no clean socks. (He DID have dress socks, which he had to put on, but no everyday socks.) I then realized I hadn't done laundry since a week ago Saturday! This just blew me away: I actually FORGOT to do laundry! I MUST be getting old!

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In the previous paragraph I said 'when he took his shoes off.' K doesn't walk through the house with shoes/boots--at least not very often. I have him trained very, very well. Just another reason why I wouldn't want to get married again if something should happen--like death or divorce. I raised one, wouldn't want to raise another.

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So now that I have let everyone know how lucky I am with my choice of husband, now I have to complain about said hubby. My forearms are scratched and cut up today--they look like I tried, though not very well, to cut into my veins with a dull plastic knife. And here is the story.

The end of March, K went out and bought the new TV. We then decided to wait till the following payday before we bought a new stand for it. All well and good. This past Monday we went and cruised the stores, looking for what we wanted. On Wednesday, we went and bought the thing, brought it home, and propped the box up in the living room--it was a put-it-together-yourself deal. Fine, it was late, so I was okay with nothing being done. Thursday came and went, Friday came and went, and the stand STILL had not been put together. Finally, last night I decided to build me a TV stand--by myself. Actually, I thought he would take over once I started, but it didn't happen that way. It wasn't hard to do--I have actually done things like this before--it just was time consuming. And somehow, someway, I cut my arms all up. I actually think he got a flash of a guilty look on his face when he saw my arms, but I may have been imagining it. After all, he STILL hasn't removed the old TV and stand and placed the new one on the stand I built. He says he'll do it tomorrow.

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Earlier in this post I mentioned 'the game.' The Wings won again!!!!!! The score was 3-1 today and, once again, 'my boy' got a goal! Damn but he is going to be a star some day--and I'll be able to say 'I remember him when.' The next game is in Calgary on Tuesday. It won't be as easy of a game for the Wings--Calgary is VERY good on their home ice. We'll have to see what happens.


--Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula (51) scores over Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff of Finland in the third period of an NHL Western Conference quarterfinal playoff hockey game in Detroit, Sunday, April 15, 2007. Detroit beat Calgary 3-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Mother's Day is coming up and I have to decide whether I should tell K what I really would want as a gift. The trouble is, I don't know if he would pay the price, so I don't want to ask. Anyway, I want an authentic Red Wings' hockey jersey with Filppula's name and number on it. That's all--nothing more. And K REALLY could get it for me--after all, I got HIM his leather Red Wings jacket as a 25th-anniversary present! And the jacket cost at least twice as much as the jersey--ON SALE! Some day.

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