Random Mindlessness

Does anyone else think that, at some point, Oprah had a classic Scarlett O'Hara "As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again." moment? You know, just before she sold her soul to the devil. (Oh, come on, you KNOW you've thought that is the only way she got to where she is!)

**********

Our city is looking to make talking on a cell phone while driving illegal. Of course they are! Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think it is particularly safe to use a cell while driving--and I CERTAINLY don't do it very often myself. The thing is, the city isn't doing it for safety reasons--IMHO--they are doing it to make money. See, this town will do anything to make money. It is so bad here that we think the 'Welcome to...' sign should have the slogan 'Anything For A Buck' printed under the city name. It would be more than appropriate.

**********

K once told me that he heard a superior say, "If the Navy wanted you to have a wife, you would have been issued one in your seabag." Is it any wonder I never quite made it as a 'Navy wife?'

**********

Whenever I watch a hockey game on Versus, I miss the TV show 24--and can't wait till the next season comes on early in 2009. What does hockey and 24 have in common? Keifer Sutherland. Before every broadcast, this announcement comes on: "The following is a presentation of the National Hockey League." It is Keifer Sutherland's voice that is heard. I miss 24.

Read More

CIA Still Stonewalls on JFK Mystery Man by Jefferson Morley

Flouting a federal court order, the CIA refused Wednesday to make public long-secret records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

At a federal court hearing in Washington, CIA attorneys declined to provide any records related to the secret operations of a deceased undercover officer named George Joannides whose role in the JFK story has never been explained by the agency.

Read More

A leading scientist has warned a new species of "humanzee," created from breeding apes with humans, could become a reality unless the government acts to stop scientists experimenting.

Leading scientists say there is no reason why the two species could not breed, although they question why anyone would want to try such a technique.

What, because they can isn't a good reason anymore?

Read More

My favorite news story of the day

Some inhabitants of the Isle of Lesbos, also known as Lesbians, are suing a gay group for having the word Lesbian in their title.

Read More

Daytsuk's 5 goals so far this playoff season

Fifth goal vs Colorodo



Forth goal vs Colorodo



Third gaol vs Nashville



Second goal vs Nashville



First goal vs Nashville

Read More

About House and The Police Log

POSSIBLE SPOILERS?

So, House was new on Monday night. YIPPEE!! I'm still very annoyed by Cutthroat Bitch--I REALLY wish she would go away. However, she WAS partly responsible for a subplot in the episode. House decided that Amber and he should divide Wilson--House missed being able to spend time with him and he also thought spending time with Wilson could help him find a way to break Amber and Wilson up. Of course, House and Amber couldn't come to an agreement, so they went to Cuddy to make a decision. At one point, Cuddy told Wilson to say something. Wilson replied, "I'm going to piss off one of them and they BOTH scare me!"* One of only many great lines in the episode. I only wish there were going to be more than three more episodes for the year. I REALLY enjoy this show.

**********

It is time, once again, to see what our city police logs have to say. There have been some weird calls again.


--11:30 AM, car parked on street for a few days

I REALLY don't understand this. I mean, why can't a car be parked on the street? The winter parking bans are over for the year, so I am perplexed by this one.


--1:33 PM, large boulder placed in roadway struck by taxi

Um, did the taxi strike the boulder on purpose? I guess I understand what is meant, it just is written very strangely.


--2:50 PM, reports of subject in yard late at night playing guitar

Okay, so the guy next door bothers you late at night with his guitar playing. Fine. WHY do you wait till the following afternoon to report it? Can the cops actually do anything if he is no longer causing a nuisance?


--6:35 PM, two dead birds found in apartment, one missing

WHAT? First, why are you calling the cops about dead birds in your apartment and second, were there supposed to be more? How many birds, total, were in this apartment? Again, written very strangely.


--5:32 AM, vehicle parked on road with very loud music

So, WHAT had the very loud music? The car or the road?


--3:50 PM, kids climbing on building, eating pizza

Is it really relevant that the kids are eating pizza?


--8:03, large truck tire in yard
and
--9:53 AM, dispute over tire

I really would like to know if it is the same tire.


-6:09 PM, strong suspicious smell

I'm assuming the smell is outside. Just how strong and how suspicious must it have been for someone to call the cops?!


*You REALLY had to see it in order to appreciate how really funny that line was.

Read More

One Step Closer

The win tonight was a definite relief. Colorado had Forsberg playing tonight and Theodore didn't do quite as badly as the last two games, PLUS they were at home. They were desperate and it showed.

I knew the Avs would really play physically tonight and they did. Forsberg got a double minor for high-sticking Samuelsson--two minutes for the high stick and two minutes because he drew blood. Shortly after Sammy sat down, a linesman skated over to the bench and handed over the tooth they found on the ice--it was Sammy's. I guess that's why the blood. :) It was lucky that the Wings brought their dentist along to Denver--maybe Sammy's tooth can be saved. But, I would be surprised if this is the first tooth he had knocked out while playing hockey.

While I am not ready to say 'sweep,' the Wings CAN do it if they win on Thursday. It would be nice for them to get rid of the Avs, but then they will have too many days till they have to play again. It would be good for them to rest, but they also could get very rusty, so... Two of the four other series are on the verge of sweeping, also--only one of the series has both teams winning at least one game. A very interesting round, to say the least.

Read More

Canadian connection in the Martin Luther King assassination

In the worldwide manhunt for Martin Luther King's assassin 40 years ago, the RCMP and Toronto police appear to have overlooked some important clues and never fully nailed down the killer's Canadian connections, a CBC News investigation has found.

Was King assassination 'triggered' in Canada?

For his part, Ray had long claimed that he met a man named Raoul in Montreal in 1967, on his first trip to Canada. It was Raoul, Ray said, who dictated his movements until the day King was assassinated.

However, the U.S. committee's secret investigative plan, obtained by CBC News, goes beyond finding a Raoul.

It actually gives a last name to the infamous Raoul — Martell — and also sought a Rene Martinez, a Marjorie Holmes and a Clifford Andrews "concerning the allegation of a conspiracy to kill Martin Luther King Jr."

Read More

A Little Sad

The finalists were announced for the Hart trophy today and Lidstrom is not one of them. I feel a little sad. Oh, well. I guess 'they' decided that he will (probably) win the Norris for the sixth time in seven years, so he doesn't NEED the Hart. (There are some who have suggested renaming the Norris the Nick Lidstrom Award, as he has won or been nominated so many times. :) He still hasn't set the record for number of wins, though--that goes to Orr with eight.) Also, he will get so many accolades if the Wings win the Cup. He will be the first European to captain a Cup winner--something that many say will NEVER happen. I certainly hope he proves them wrong.

While Lidstrom gets his share of praise, I don't think a lot of people realize just how good he actually is. The man does his job with such ease and perfection, that he makes it look easy. (And the same can be said of Datsyuk!) If he had to struggle to put up the numbers he gets, maybe he would be acknowledged more. He comes by the nickname of 'The Most Perfect Human' that his teammates have given him, honestly.

Read More

More...

With C's birthday this Sunday, I've been making more bracelets. The first one I made for her is one with her birthstones. I used emerald green and clear Swarovski crystals and liquid silver spacers.




Considering the amount of kids she has, it is not very easy to find Mother's rings/necklaces/bracelets, so I decided to make her a bracelet myself. The pendants are her and her husband's birthstones. The colored birthstones are Swarovski crystals and I used silver beads, silver rondelle and daisy spacers, and Swarovski pearls to complete it.



I think she will like them. (By the way, I REALLY admire jewelry photographers. It is not an easy task, at all. ALL of the pics I take seem to be a bit fuzzy. Oh, well.)

The gem stone and color for 'serenity' is amethyst. Considering I long for serenity constantly, I made myself bracelets to invoke the concept. These I wear all of the time.

This bracelet is made of amethyst beads, amethyst colored Swarovski crystals, and silver round beads. The large bead is silver and says 'serenity' on it. (Just in case it isn't easily readable.)



And this one is made of ametyst beads, clear Swarovski crystals, and silver round beads.



(These last two photographed MUCH darker than they actually are.)

As you can see, I have WAY too much time on my hands! But, I enjoy making them and it isn't anything that taxes my brain too much. :)

Read More

A Wedding To Remember

When K and I got married, it was decided that the ceremony would be held in the church that my great-grandparents helped build/found. (Yes, it was ME that made the decision, but K was so much in love he would have gone along with just about anything! :)) It was a tiny church in one of the small towns that I grew up in--cozy, not elegant or elaborate in decor. So many people squeezed into the sanctuary that the basement door wouldn't close--the floor sagged under the weight. (We found THIS out several days later.)

The pastor who married us had a long history with both of our families. He was a student of my great-grandfather, a lay preacher. He married my parents and K's parents. He baptized me. He confirmed both of us. (There were many other family events he had a part in, also, but you get my drift.) So, we decided he should officiate at our wedding as well. At the end of the rehearsal, he made a point of saying that the ceremony will begin at 7:00 PM SHARP! We understood completely and vowed we would be there and ready on time.

On the day of our wedding, I was very aware of the time. I didn't want to disappoint the pastor in any way, so I KNEW I would be at the church early. As it turned out, I was at least an hour early. As the time crept closer to 7:00, I could hear all of the people filing into the sanctuary. I sent someone--perhaps my maid-of-honor--to make sure K was there. Once I was sure he wasn't about to bolt, I relaxed a bit and waited to walk down the aisle.

At precisely 7:00, word was sent to the organist to begin. My father and I climbed the stairs and made our way down the aisle. Of course, the only person I saw was K standing in front of the altar. Slowly I made my way to him, gave him my hand, and together we faced the altar. And that is ALL we saw--the altar. The pastor was not there. As a matter of fact, he was nowhere to be found. We started the wedding before the pastor got to the church.

So, what to do? At first, I panicked. Was I supposed to go back downstairs and begin again when Pastor got there? Were we supposed to stand there and wait for him to show up? The buzz behind us got louder and louder as the seconds ticked by. After what seemed like HOURS--it actually was only about a minute and a half, according to the tape--the pastor came running down the aisle. As he passed K and me, he pointed to his watch and said, "I told you 7:00!" And then he smiled at us. Everything went fine after that. Except for the fact that he called me by the wrong name when he pronounced us husband and wife. :D

(As it turned out, the pastor was halfway to the church when he realized that he forgot the marriage license, so he went back home to get it. It was a lucky thing he drove as fast as he did--scary man on the road--otherwise we would have waited much, much longer for him to get to the church.)

Read More

UFO crash in Alabama

What was it last night around Decatur that had people talking?

Friday night and into today, our newsroom has been flooded with people inquiring about a strange sighting in the western sky.

What did people see?

What we do know is that an object was in the sky that night. What it was is the focus of tonight's WAFF 48 Investigators Report.

"I saw it coming thru the sky back that way and it".

Cody Terry was driving by the Aquadome Recreation Center Friday night in Decatur when he happened to look up in the sky and he notice something strange.

When it was coming through the sky, I really thought it was an airplane that lost control so I came to a complete stop on the road. When I got out and looked at it was no sound coming from it."

No sound, and he says it didn't appear to be an aircraft.

"It speed up to maybe two hundred miles per hour it went straight to the ground and disappeared."

Some people say they saw Med-Flight back here but some people say they saw something else.

Cody says he saw three military helicopters in the air and ambulance on the ground.

"We saw what was in the ambulance and to me it looked like what was a giant pearl and it was shiny. It put off kind of like a diamond type reflection on it"."

For now what ever was in the sky will remain a mystery.

Read More

Photo of the Day

Read More

Wings Take The First Two Games From Colorado

A dominant performance by the Red Wings as they smashes the aves, 5 to 1. McCarty also renewed his rivalry by getting into a fight with Cody McCormick!



Here is just the fight...



Game one was fun to watch, but the Red Wings let off a little bit towards the end, and the Avalanche came back, but still lost 4 to 3! Ozzie with a bunch of huge saves including one with just 8 seconds left in the 3rd period..



Late games coming up, better get your naps in! 10 o'clock start here in Detroit on Tuesday...

Read More

Pinball Wizard And Body Table King

Mr. Gary Stern, the last pinball machine magnate, is a wise-cracking, fast-talking 62-year-old with a shock of white hair, matching white frame glasses and a deep tan who eats jelly beans at his desk and recently hurt a rib snowboarding in Colorado. Gary says half of his company’s machines now go into homes and not a corner arcade. Image Credit: Sally Ryan - NYT

Pinball Wizard And Body Table King

There was a time in America where pinball could be played almost anywhere … corner shops, markets, bars, arcades and bowling alleys to mention a few. The game was so popular that dozens of companies popped to produce the machines and fill the demand.

Today, however, demand for new machines is down and instead of dozens of manufacturers, there is only one on this Oblate Spheroid that remains true to the goal of providing the stand-up flipper and ball game machine.

Many assume the luster is off of the rose of mechanical gaming devices like pinball machines but the problem may be more than competition from electronic alternatives provided by home computers, dedicated hand held touch-screen PDA’s, and cellphones. The problem with the demand being down might be more in having to do with footprint and the availability of spaces that were once pinball friendly.

There are pachinko machines at the museum, which the curator of the museum keeps working on, so he has always has some spare parts he doesn’t need. So: when you visit the museum, don’t forget to take home your complimentary piece of pachinko history! Or better yet, indulge your burgeoning gambling addiction with a personal pachinko machine at home. Caption and Image Credit: pingmag.jp

Pinball enthusiasts believe that the pendulum will swing back and space available will come back for these grand body table amusement devices (not to be confused with the Asian game, Pachinko) … the pinball machine.

GameSetWatch has a wonderful gallery up showing off some of the amazing pinball machines that can be found at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. In their second set of pictures, the site concentrates on some of the "classic" pinball machines found in the collection. The grooviest by far has got to be Bally's Tommy-themed pinballer Capt. Fantastic, though there are plenty more to see on the site. Caption and Image Credit: Brian Crecente

This excerpted from the New York Times -

For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn’t Over
By MONICA DAVEY - New York Times - Published: April 25, 2008

Being inside a pinball machine factory sounds exactly as you think it would. Across a 40,000-square-foot warehouse here, a cheery cacophony of flippers flip, bells ding, bumpers bump and balls click in an endless, echoing loop. The quarter never runs out.

But this place, Stern Pinball Inc., is the last of its kind in the world. A range of companies once mass produced pinball machines, especially in the Chicago area, the one-time capital of the business. Now there is only Stern. And even the dinging and flipping here has slowed: Stern, which used to crank out 27,000 pinball machines each year, is down to around 10,000.
----
“There are a lot of things I look at and scratch my head,” said Tim Arnold, who ran an arcade during a heyday of pinball in the 1970s and recently opened The Pinball Hall of Fame, a nonprofit museum in a Las Vegas strip mall. “Why are people playing games on their cellphones while they write e-mail? I don’t get it.”

“The thing that’s killing pinball,” Mr. Arnold added, “is not that people don’t like it. It’s that there’s nowhere to play it.”
----
Though pinball has roots in the 1800s game of bagatelle, these are by no means simple machines. Each one contains a half-mile of wire and 3,500 tiny components, and takes 32 hours to build — as the company’s president, Gary Stern, likes to say, longer than a Ford Taurus.
----
The manufacturing plant is a game geek’s fantasy job, a Willy Wonka factory of pinball.

Some designers sit in private glass offices seated across from their pinball machines.

Some workers are required to spend 15 minutes a day in the “game room” playing the latest models or risk the wrath of Mr. Stern. “You work at a pinball company,” he explained, grumpily, “you’re going to play a lot of pinball.” (On a clipboard here, the professionals must jot their critiques, which, on a recent day, included “flipper feels soft” and “stupid display.”)

Pachinko Balls - Pachinko is a game where the player floods a verticle board with hundreds of balls that bounce off of pins. Some balls find there way to accrue poins or money. Image Credit: pingmag.jp

A Box Of Pinballs - The typical machine has only six balls where the player keeps one ball in play as long as possible to accrue points for extra game plays. Image Credit: Sally Ryan - NYT

And in a testing laboratory devoted to the physics of all of this, silver balls bounce around alone in cases for hours to record how well certain kickers and flippers and bumpers hold up.
----
The creation of the flipper — popularized by the Humpty Dumpty game in 1947 — transformed the activity, which went on to surges in the 1950s, ’70s and early ’90s.

“Everybody thinks of it as retro, as nostalgia,” Mr. Sharpe said. “But it’s not. These are sophisticated games. Pinball is timeless.”
----

Jovita Maravilla uses a soldering iron to attach wires to the game board of a pinball machine. Each one contains a half-mile of wire and 3,500 tiny components, and takes 32 hours to build. Image Credit: Sally Ryan - NYT

“The whole coin-op industry is not what it once was,” Mr. Stern said.

Corner shops, pubs, arcades and bowling alleys stopped stocking pinball machines. A younger audience turned to video games. Men of a certain age, said Mr. Arnold, who is 52, became the reliable audience. (“Chicks,” he announced, “don’t get it.”)
----
In the United States, Mr. Stern said, half of his new machines, which cost about $5,000 and are bought through distributors, now go directly into people’s homes and not a corner arcade. He said nearly 40 percent of the machines — some designed to appeal to French, German, Italian and Spanish players — were exported, and he added that he had been working to make inroads in China, India, the Middle East and Russia.
----
“Look, pinball is like tennis,” said Mr. Stern, noting that a tennis court could never, for instance, be made round and that certain elements of a pinball play field are equally unchangeable and lasting. “This is a ball game. It’s a bat and ball game, O.K.?”
Reference Here>>

Read More

Celebrate

Here are the celebrations for this week:

27 April
National Prime Rib Day
Write An Old Friend Today Day

28 April
National Blueberry Pie Day
Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day
Cubicle Day

29 April
National Shrimp Scampi Day
National Hairball Awareness Day
Sense of Smell Day
National Dance Day

30 April
National Oatmeal Cookie Day
Hairstylists Appreciation Day

1 May
Save a Rhino Day
Frequent Flyer Day
Mother Goose Day
Stepmother's Day

2 May
National Truffles Day
No Pants Day

3 May
National Raspberry Popover Day
Lumpy Rug Day
International Pilates Day
National Scrapbooking Day

Read More

Six Down, Ten To Go

The Wings went on a kind of tear today and beat the Avs 5-1. This was the best they played during the playoffs so far AND was the second game in a row that the Avs goalie was replaced. Hmmmm. Franzen got his first career hat trick--how cool to do that during the playoffs?!--Baby Boy got his second goal of the playoffs, and Z got a goal. Even McCarty got in on the action and had a fight. All in all, a very, very good game.

Tuesday the series goes to Colorado. I think things will be a bit more difficult for the Wings in the next two games. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Read More

Shasta’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Dotting a rocky plain north of Mount Lassen, 42 radio antennas are cocked like ears toward the sky, being readied for an expanded hunt for life beyond Earth. The Allen Telescope Array is slowly coming together as the new listening post for SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Graphic Credit: The Sacramento Bee

Shasta’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

In some of the most Northern reaches of California sits one of the most beautiful stretches of wilderness known as Shasta County.

The wilderness is exactly why this part of the state has become the site where man’s latest attempt to search for life in the universe that surrounds our Oblate Spheroid.

By installing an array of 350 antennas that will be point out into the sky from wilderness located just North of Lassen Volcanic National Park, it is hoped through no-profit support, an understanding of the origins and prevalence of life throughout the universe can be achieved.

The SETI Institute so far has been able to install only 42 of an anticipated 350 - or even 500 - radio antennas at the Hat Creek observatory north of Mount Lassen, at a cost of $50 million. And each one had to be disassembled and blasted with baking soda to dull the surface, when they showed up shinier than promised. Image Credit: Seth Shostak / SETI Institute

This excerpted from The Sacramento Bee -

If E.T. calls, these 'ears' will be listening
Nonprofit aims antennas at sky in Shasta County
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg - Sacramento Bee, Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, April 26, 2008

HAT CREEK – Dotting a rocky plain north of Mount Lassen, 42 radio antennas are cocked like ears toward the sky, being readied for an expanded hunt for life beyond Earth.

The Allen Telescope Array is slowly coming together as the new listening post for SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

Here at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, silver-snouted antennas soon will take up the quest for a technological culture that is audacious or lonely or hopeful enough to deliberately beam a signal into the beyond.

It would be a sort of cosmic "Hey, is anybody out there?"

This summer, when the alien-hunting function of the telescope array is expected to start coming online, only a powerfully blasted or very close message would get through.

The array is missing 308 of the 350 antennas that the SETI Institute once hoped to have installed by this year. And equipment is still arriving to enable SETI operators to simultaneously focus on key stars while the antennas are also used in other research.

The Bay Area-based SETI Institute is dedicated to understanding the origins and prevalence of life throughout the universe. The scrappy nonprofit, which decorates some antennas with donor names and advertises an "adopt a scientist" program on its Web site, is scrambling for $35 million to $40 million needed to finish the array.

Even then, "finish" isn't quite the right word. Beyond 350 antennas, some researchers speak wistfully of what they might do with 500.
----
SETI runs on hope, fueled by yearning for the breathtaking long shot of alien contact. But its telescope is grounded in pragmatism.
----
"Even with 42 antennas, it will be an impressive survey instrument … really a uniquely powerful instrument," Carilli [a radio astronomer with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in New Mexico, who is currently involved in telescope development in Chile] said.
The Allen array relies on multiple, small antennas to create a bigger picture. The complex electronic "back end" of the telescope can be turned into four different instruments, all using the same antennas for different purposes.

Only one of those instruments is devoted to the SETI search. Others are aimed at mapping galaxies, probing how stars are formed, and capturing the distant drama of black holes feeding and supernovas exploding.

Unlike optical telescopes, which measure stars and other objects in the visible spectrum, radio telescopes tune into the wavelengths emitted by solid objects, gases and electrons whirling through space.
----
Among astronomers, the telescope's progress is being followed closely because its solutions to technical problems could be incorporated into the next generation of much larger radio telescopes.
----
The radio dishes don't need to gleam, and astronomers had promised the Forest Service that they wouldn't, so that reflected sunlight would not hamper the wilderness experience for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail just three miles east of the observatory.

When the equipment showed up shinier than expected, technicians began a tedious process of disassembling each antenna, blasting the curved dish with baking soda to dull the surface, then putting its delicate innards back in place. This week, the ground below some antennas was still dusted white with baking soda.

It has cost about $50 million so far to design, create and install the 42 antennas that make up the first phase of the Allen Telescope Array, named for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, whose foundation donated $25 million to the effort.

Other funds have come from private donors, UC Berkeley and the National Science Foundation.

Because so much expensive design and development work has been done, the remaining 308 antennas will be much cheaper, probably coming in under $40 million, said Jill Tarter, SETI director.

There is no firm timetable for completion, because that money is not in hand.

"If I had a check today, it would be two years," Tarter said.
Reference Here>>

Read More

No Comment

I STILL don't believe this.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Read More

The Lion Cut

There is a hair (fur) cut that some people do to their cats. It is called the Lion Cut. While I understand it--it REALLY would make taking care of a long-haired cat so much easier--it is just so wrong in so many ways. This picture is NOT a pic of my cat, but this is what she would look like if she had a Lion Cut:



Poor kitteh!

Read More

Lesbian al Qaeda operative Huma Abedin on a boat

Read More

Best headline of the 2008 Presidential campaign: "I grabbed Chelsea's Ass"

Read More

The Newest

We took a trip up north to bring some stuff to C today. As usual, they were running late for something, so we just stayed a couple of minutes. I guess she would want a longer visit if we weren't in the habit of just dropping in. No problem.

After we left C's, we went to The Parent's house. yippee. The Mother's birthday is next week, so this was the perfect time for me to bring her gift. I made her a really pretty bracelet with emerald green (her birthstone color) Swarovski crystals, which I thought she would rave about. She didn't. It's not as if she didn't like it, she just didn't like it as much as I thought she would. Here's what it looks like: (the pic doesn't really do it justice)


Also, for a kick, I got a set of retro kitchen canisters and matching salt and pepper shakers. She had a set of the exact same canisters in her kitchen for most of my childhood and when I saw them, I thought she would think they were fun. WRONG! She LOVED them and can't wait to use them. Obviously, I don't know the woman at all.

Here are the shakers: (The canisters look exactly like this, only they are different sizes and have flour, sugar, coffee, and tea written on them.)


The Mother was a little strange. Her mood was a bit weird, but I suppose it is due to the fact that she isn't feeling all that well. (She had rotator-cuff surgery about a month ago and it has been a long rehabilitation. I think she is getting discouraged.) She made a couple of 'off' remarks--she commented about how VERY THIN my hair is, as if it is something I can control--and it reminded me how grateful I am to not be involved with her anymore. (You have to know The Mother to understand her tone of voice, words, and look on her face when she made her remarks. I know what she meant--someone else might not have heard the disapproval in her tone. The hair-thing was a criticism of me having long hair--she doesn't approve.) AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

**********

On our way up north, K woke me up rather abruptly at one point. He had to point out the coyote crossing the road--quite cool. I still would rather see a wolf, though. I didn't see an eagle today, but I did see a swan--neat.

**********

When we got back into town, we decided to pick up dinner, so we went through a drive-through. As we were leaving the parking lot, K noticed that the brakes on the Jimmy didn't feel right and the 'check brakes now' light was on. GREAT! Thankfully, we were only about a block away from where we bring the Jimmy for repairs, so we went directly there. After a short look-see, it was determined that one of the brake lines broke. GREAT! At least we weren't driving 70 down the highway when the line went. We left the Jimmy there and they said they would get to it when they could, but they were completely booked at the moment. Not too much trouble, as we still have the truck. They called about 10:00 PM and said it was all taken care of. Amazing--I didn't think we would get it back till tomorrow.

**********

Before the game tonight, Versus showed a guy run to the edge of the ice and throw an octopus. They then showed the refs cleaning the octopus off of the ice--using a shovel and scraper. It took them five minutes. It takes Al less than a minute to go onto the ice, pick up the octopus, swing it over his head, and leave the ice. What a bunch of idiots. Obviously, Al didn't get the octopus and take the fine. I'm sad. It just isn't right.

**********

The Avs and the Wings came together tonight for the first game of round two. The Wings won 4-3. I want this series to be over. Eleven more wins and the Wings can drink out of Lord Stanley's Cup. Do it!

Read More

Connie Stevens, alleged McCain paramour

This week, McCain is featured in a cover story in the National Examiner, one of the weekly tabloids (and btw, the Examiner does not appear to have a website). The headline: "Shocking Charge: John McCain & Connie Stevens Affair!" There's a photo of John and Connie, arm in arm and all smiles; a subhead next to a mug shot of an unidentified man reads "HE ignited scandal -- then was MURDERED!" Well, this sounds promising, I thought to myself.

Here's the story in short order: a in 1999, a "shady businessman and one-time journalist" named Ron Bianchi went to the Arizona Republic to try to hustle a story that McCain was having an affair with his "friend" and political supporter Connie Stevens. Stevens, in case you don't know, was an actress and minor sex symbol back in the day. She's two years younger than McCain.

Well, apparently the Arizona Republic didn't bite. And here's when things start to get interesting -- in the Examiner's words, "Bianchi wound up dying in a hail of gunfire the following September -- a crime that's never been solved!" Moreoever, McCain himself "was reportedly grilled by cops in Gila County, where Bianchi's body was found."

Read More

And not to leave out Obama

Read More

Huma Abedin in the Globe

Yes, respected supermarket tabloid Globe has an article on Huma Abedin. Hillary Gay Love Scandal Revealed! The sultry beauty who's with her DAY and NIGHT

Read More

John McCain: Hero or Collaborator?

Does the Vietnamese government have damning audio and film evidence of Senator John McCain's collaboration with the enemy during the Vietnam War? This article Sen John McCain: The "Ultimate Rhinestone Hero" says yes.

Other sources have told the U.S. Veteran Dispatch that the Vietnamese are holding as much as fifty hours of film footage secretly taken of McCain during the time his KGB-trained handlers had him isolated from other U.S. prisoners of war.

Some of the film, according to the sources, is of McCain receiving special privileges during the time he claims he was being tortured and held in long-term solitary confinement.

The sources say interrogators have candid camera footage of McCain with the nurse, who allegedly supplied him with more than just medical attention during those lonely days and nights in so-called solitary confinement.

Read More

John McCain and the POWs

Some of the strongest criticism of John McCain comes from Vietnam-era POWS and their families. They damn him as betraying the cause of POWs left behind after the war ended.

Journalist Sydney Schanberg gives an interest account in The War Secrets John McCain Hides

But there was one subject that was off-limits, a subject the Arizona senator almost never brings up and has never been open about -- his long-time opposition to releasing documents and information about American prisoners of war in Vietnam and the missing in action who have still not been accounted for. Since McCain himself, a downed Navy pilot, was a prisoner in Hanoi for 5 1/2 years, his staunch resistance to laying open the POW/MIA records has baffled colleagues and others who have followed his career. Critics say his anti-disclosure campaign, in close cooperation with the Pentagon and the intelligence community, has been successful. Literally thousands of documents that would otherwise have been declassified long ago have been legislated into secrecy.

Beyond covering up the evidence, and enacting laws to cover up the evidence, as Schanberg shows, McCain also abused witnesses before the committee investigating the POW issue, including Dolores Apodaca Alfond sister of MIA pilot Capt. Victor J. Apodaca.

Other than the panel's second co-chairman, Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., not a single committee member attended this public hearing. But McCain, having been advised of Alfond's testimony, suddenly rushed into the room to confront her. His face angry and his voice very loud, he accused her of making "allegations ... that are patently and totally false and deceptive." Making a fist, he shook his index finger at her and said she had insulted an emissary to Vietnam sent by President Bush. He said she had insulted other MIA families with her remarks. And then he said, through clenched teeth: "And I am sick and tired of you insulting mine and other people's [patriotism] who happen to have different views than yours."

By this time, tears were running down Alfond's cheeks. She reached into her handbag for a handkerchief. She tried to speak: "The family members have been waiting for years -- years! And now you're shutting down." He kept interrupting her. She tried to say, through tears, that she had issued no insults. He kept talking over her words. He said she was accusing him and others of "some conspiracy without proof, and some cover-up." She said she was merely seeking "some answers. That is what I am asking." He ripped into her for using the word "fiasco." She replied: "The fiasco was the people that stepped out and said we have written the end, the final chapter to Vietnam." "No one said that," he shouted. "No one said what you are saying they said, Ms. Alfond." And then, his face flaming pink, he stalked out of the room, to shouts of disfavor from members of the audience.

I have reported on Army Colonel Earl Hopper previously. To see see an interview with him or to read the transcript, take a look at John McCain: Privileged 'War Hero', Liar, Colloborator, Traitor

Read More

Watch John McCain insult the sister of an American missing-in-action pilot, reduce her to tears, and then storm off in a huff.

Read More

Alexander Cockburn trashes John McCain again:

Meanwhile Cliff Schecter, author of The Real McCain says an AP reporter "recounted to me seeing John McCain wander off into the red-light district of Hanoi in 1996 when he was there to normalise relations with the Vietnamese", and that "a few reporters told me the McCains don't really live together anymore, and that until the campaign Cindy McCain spent much of her time in San Diego with their daughter, because her husband was just not Johnny-on-the-spot anymore."

Read More

Leave Al Alone, Please!

On April 15, 1952, the first octopus hit the ice during a Red Wings game. Al Sobotka wasn't even born. Al is the buildings operation manager of Joe Louis Arena, where the Red Wings play today. He has been with the Red Wings for 37 years. Al takes care of the ice for the games and he drives the Zamboni. He is also in charge of picking up the octopi that are tossed onto the ice. When one makes it to the ice surface, he goes and picks it up--WITHOUT gloves, mind you--and swings the octopus over his head while leaving the ice. It is a tradition and it makes the crowd go wild. Everyone loves Al and the Red Wing mascot is named 'Al' in his honor. The NHL has decided that Al can't swing octopi any longer.

The Wings were told by the NHL last Friday that Al--or anyone else--is NOT allowed to swing an octopus over the head while removing it from the ice. If this is not adhered to, the person doing the swinging will be fined $10,000. When asked for a reason to the ban, the answer was, "Because matter flies off of the octopus and gets on the ice when he does it." Ah, excuse me? Have the powers-that-be even WATCHED a hockey game? With the amount of nose-blowing and spitting done by the players, octopus guck is nothing! Add blood--which we may see during the Colorado series--and I'm sure most people would be able to overlook a little octopus 'matter.'

This is one of the STUPIDEST things that have come from the powers-that-be. With all of the rule changes, name changes, expansions, and taking away of traditions, this is no longer your daddy's NHL. I'm waiting till they decide to stop the playing of the Canadian national anthem before games because it is annoying to the majority of the teams/fans--simply because the majority are in the US. I can't wait till the game tonight to see if Al follows the 'rules.' Or, has he been told that the fine will be paid for him? ;)




--Joe Louis Arena building manager Al Sobotka twirls an octopus that was thrown on this ice during the singing of the national anthem before the Red Wings-Blackhawks game in Detroit on April 7. The Wings went on to a 7-2 victory. (JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)--

Read More

Alexander Cockburn raises the question of John McCain's collaboration with his captors as a POW. His piece is a come-on to an article by Douglas Valentine which is available by subscription only. Save your money--it is available here for free.

So, McCain leveraged some details to get some medical attention, not anything too contemptible. Who’s to judge someone in the position?

But McCain was held for five and half years. The first two weeks’ behavior might have been pragmatism, but McCain soon became North Vietnam’s go-to collaborator.

McCain provided his voice in radio broadcasts for the North Vietnamese. General Vo Nguyen Giap, a nationalist celebrity of the time, interviewed him. McCain’s uneasy compliance was a moment of affirmation for Vietnamese. His Vietnamese handlers thereafter used him regularly as prop at meetings with foreign delegations, including the Cubans. McCain became what he is today, a psywar stooge.

Vietnamese radio propagandists made good use of McCain. He was on the air so often that, on June 4, 1969, a U.S. wire service headlined a story entitled "PW Songbird Is Pilot Son of Admiral".

The story reported that McCain collaborated in psywar offensives, aimed at American servicemen. "The broadcast was beamed to American servicemen in South Vietnam as a part of a propaganda series attempting to counter charges by U.S. Defense Secretary Melvin Laird that American prisoners are being mistreated in North Vietnam."

I have not seen the wire service story mentioned but I'm sure the Democratic National Committee has a copy. It will be interesting to see to what extent attacks on John McCain's record as a POW reach the mainstream press.

This Pensito Review article contains a video discussion by some POW activists along with a transcript. Here is an excerpt of a part of the discussion between Congressman Bob Dornan and former Senate Chief Investigator, U.S. Senate Minority Staff, Tracy Usry.

USRY: Information shows that he made over 32 tapes of propaganda for the Vietnamese government. Certainly, you do what you need to do to stay alive. Nobody would fault anybody for that. But there comes a point in time when enough is enough.

REP: DORNAN: They made those transcriptions, and in the transcriptions, I heard a POW who heard them comin’ into his cell and said, “Oh, my God, is that Admiral McCain’s son? Is that the admiral’s son? Is that Johnny — telling us that our principal targets are schools, orphanages, hospitals, temples, churches?” That was Jane Fonda’s line. Where are those transcriptions? Believe me — they’re in the archives of the museum, the bragging military phony museum in Hanoi. McCain could not have wanted those [to] turn up in the middle of a presidential race. He knows that. I know that, and a few other people know that, and that’s why he went against Bob Dole’s legislation.

Read More

Just Saying

I don't get too political on this blog--or at least I haven't for a while--but this has just crawled up under my skin and is irritating the hell out of me. Hence, the post.

I know politicians have always 'kissed babies' and mingled with the 'little people' as if to say they are just like the rest of us. They try to make themselves appear more human and humble. What I don't understand is, when did this change and candidates become total idiots? Frankly, I WANT my leader--the most powerful person in the US, which makes him/her the most powerful person in the world--to be above me. I WANT my leader to know more than me. I WANT my leader to be better than 90% of the people in this country. I WANT my leader to be a LEADER!

We are NOT seeing this type of attitude anymore. What we get to see are candidates being 'human.' They bowl and fish and down shots of whiskey and tell jokes on late-night shows and dance with Ellen. In my opinion, this does not show them being human, just like the rest of us. I find it condescending and insulting. Like I would ever believe that one of these candidates would be sitting in my local pub on a Friday, having a beer with the 'guys' before going to the bowling alley to bowl a few frames. And then wake up on Saturday morning and go to the ol' fishing hole to catch dinner before mowing the lawn. All the while discussing nothing more important than the crabgrass or how the Wings will do in the playoffs. RIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHHTTTTTTT.

These people SHOULD have more important things on their minds than the Red Wings. They SHOULD be thinking about and discussing the life-and-death issues that face each of us every day. They should NOT worry about making it look good for the camera and trying to be like the rest of us. They SHOULD be better. Enough with the foolishness--get serious and get REAL! And when the candidate emerges--at whatever point in time in the future--that can be like this, he/she will have my vote AND voice. Completely.

Read More

It's Done and Done

I spent the day getting everything scheduled for my LASIK surgery. The big day is 22 May and we will be traveling to Green Bay for the procedure. I am having all of the pre- and post-sugical appointments done locally--much easier that way. I'm really excited about the whole thing!

**********

It took until after midnight--less than two hours ago--to find out which team Detroit plays in the second round of the playoffs. Calgary just kind of melted, so San Jose won their series. This means that Colorado and Detroit go at it in the second round. I'm not too sure how I feel about this. But then, I'm not too sure I wanted the Wings to play the Flames, so...

This series is going to be ANOTHER excuse to bring out everything having to do with The Great Rivalry. All I know is that halfway through the second game I will want to drop kick the TVs out of the front window because I will be tired of hearing the name of Peter Forsberg being praised over and over and over and over... Oh, well, I guess he IS the only European good enough to be praised by Canadian/ North American announcers. Yeah, right.

Once again, I am cautiously optimistic about the Wings chances in the second round. If they play to their ability, they can win. If they let their guard down for an instant, they will lose. Here's hoping they play their best! Thursday, round two begins--guess where I will be?

Read More

Many Hope for Obama-Clinton Ticket

"Hillary would be the LBJ of 1960 - both served longer and had more experience, and LBJ was willing to take the vice presidency. And Obama would only come into his own more as vice president," he said, referring to Lyndon B. Johnson, who was John F. Kennedy's vice president and then successor.

Oh, right and that turned out so well.

Read More

Spring Has Sprung?

We just MIGHT be experiencing the start of spring.

The tulips are coming up:




The neighbor's magnolia tree is budding:




And there is some new, green grass growing:




Yup, we just might get summer this year.

Read More

The Marilyn Monroe sex tape may be a hoax, according to The Smoking Gun.

A New York businessman's claim that he recently brokered the $1.5 million sale of a Marilyn Monroe sex tape is belied by the very FBI documents the man has cited to support his bizarre and unsubstantiated story, The Smoking Gun has learned.

Defamer has more: Debunking The Marilyn Monroe 'Sex Tape' Hoax

Read More

Why are the Pope and President Bush standing before the Confederate Flag?

Update: OK, so it's the Mississipi state flag. Welcome Metafilter visitors and thanks. Please come again.

Read More

Red Wings Advance To Round 2

Lidstrom scores from beyond center ice to give the Red Wings the lead... They never looked back from there and win the game to advance to round 2 of the playoffs to face either Calgary or Colorado! Here are the highlights from the game including the half ice shot...



History repeated itself as Nicklas Lidstrom scored from center ice in a past playoff series...



Go Wings!!!

Read More

Adieu, Ducks, Adieu

I hope this doesn't come back and bit me in the ass--which it probably will--and I'm trying not to be TOO happy--which is very hard for me--but, the Anaheim Ducks have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. They WILL NOT REPEAT as champions. I'm trying not to cry for them--as if I could EVER feel sorry for them. They have the dirtiest player in the NHL--even The Hockey News says so--and they manipulated and skirted the rules by having two of their top players 'retire' for half the year and come back rested and they STILL were not able to get the job done. The only down side to this? Detroit will not be able to humiliate them for the dirty way the Ducks eliminated the Wings last year. Get out your golf clubs boys, tee time is early for you!

Read More

Four Down, Twelve To Go

Today the Wings defeated Nashville and won round one of the playoffs. Thank goodness that is over. I feel as if the first round and the last round are the hardest on the players and this series was no exception. The Nashville goalie was fantastic and that is why the scores were as close as they were. Now the Wings have a few days off and then will go on to round two against either Calgary or Colorado. Either team is going to be hard for them to play, so it doesn't matter which one they get. For a couple of days, anyway, the knot in the pit of my stomach will be eased. :)

One of the greatest things about hockey is the post-game handshake at the end of a playoff series--no other sport does the same thing. Hockey players are a class act, in many ways, as opposed to a lot of other athletes.



--NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 20: The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Nashville Predators to move to the next playoff round on April 20, 2008 during game six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)--

Read More

Celebrate

A little late, but here are the celebrations for this week:

20 April
National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day

21 April
Kindergarten Day
National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day

22 April
National Jelly Bean Day

23 April
National Cherry Cheesecake Day
Administrative Professionals Day or Secretary's Day

24 April
Plumber's Day
Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day

25 April
National Zucchini Bread Day
Red Hat Society Day

26 April
National Pretzel Day
Shuffleboard Day
Hug An Australian Day

Read More

I Can See Clearly...Soon

The only thing that has been decided since my eye appointment on Friday is, I WILL be having surgery. After the evaluation, I was told I am an 'excellent' candidate. Then, I was given all of my options. Great.

I have three surgery options. I can have straight LASIK done. This would give me excellent, crisp, clear, vision--nothing more. Mono-vision surgery would correct my nearsightedness and astigmatism problem AND would correct for reading. I also could have the lenses in my eyes replaced with artificial ones--this would correct all of my problems permanently. Each option has its pros as well as cons.

The straight LASIK would correct my vision the best. I probably have NEVER seen as well as I would with this option. The downside is that it will not correct my reading vision, at all, so I would still need to wear reading glasses. I never went into this because I hate glasses, so this option wouldn't be a problem for me. And knowing how anal I am, I KNOW I would have reading glasses in every room of the house, so having to look for my glasses wouldn't be an issue. This also WOULD correct both my nearsightedness AND my astigmatism. Astigmatism used to be a problem with this surgery, but they now have THAT obstacle cleared.

Mono-vision is a viable option. My right eye would be corrected for distance and my left eye would be corrected for reading. The tech put a pair of glasses on me to show what it would be like and it was interesting to say the least. I really loved how well I could READ--with all the pairs of bifocals I have had over the years (I've worn them since around the age of thirty), this was the clearest the words have EVER been for me. The downside is that my distance vision wouldn't be as good. There also is a few days worth of getting used to the vision--there is a lot of 'ghosting,' at first, until your brain figures out how to 'see.' Also, it doesn't seem as if the reading correction is permanent--tweaking is needed a few years down the road.

The third option is the artificial lens. They would replace the natural lens in both eyes with a lens that is similar to a no-line bifocal. This is a permanent solution and would negate the necessity of EVER needing cataract surgery. It also is a much more invasive surgery. AND it takes longer to get vision back--there is a bit of a 'learning curve' with this one. Having LASIK doesn't mean that this couldn't be done some time in the future, so a decision about this isn't needed right now.

I believe I WILL have the straight LASIK. As I said, I went into this JUST wanting to be able to see better and this is the best option for that. I can wear reading glasses, no problem, and I think I will even be able to see to read better than I do now. So, first decision made. (I think.)

Of course, I have many more decisions to make. I have to figure out WHERE I want to have the surgery. I can go to either of two different cities, but both require a minimum of a two hour drive for us. I can have all of my pre- and post-surgery appointments taken care of here in my own town--OR I can travel and have everything done where the surgery takes place. I just CAN'T have my own doctor do them. (The surgeons work with a doctor in another office here in town.) Bummer. There are three levels of aftercare that have to be decided on--of course, the higher the level, the more expensive. And, we have to figure out when to do this. As of Friday, the soonest I could have this done in Appleton is the 22nd of May. Don't know if I could have it done earlier if I go to Green Bay.

Tonight I have to finish figuring everything out so that I can call tomorrow. As of this moment, the only thing I am absolutely sure of is that I WILL be having surgery within the next month or so. Other than that, I'm not sure. I HATE having too many options. :)

Read More

Washington Post: McCain: A Question of Temperament

Former Senator Bob Smith (R): "His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him."

John McCain: "I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's."

Jon Hinz Jon Hinz, former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party: "I've just seen too much. That temper, the intolerance: It worries me."

Read More

Read More

Covering Fingergate

Oh, my fucking god. This is what the media coverage of this campaign has come down to? Blogger Joseph Cannon, who voted for Obama before he turned on him, says that "this gesture is not accidental, and it certainly is not presidential."

Fox News: Did Obama Give a "Flip" Response to Clinton Attacks?

US News & World Report: Obama's Wayward Finger

If Obama did this on purpose, it's a sign of incredible immaturity. If he did it by accident, it's a sign of inexperience. If a president were to make an accidental gesture like that while talking about a foreign leader, for example, it could cause a global uproar.

One Youtube poster did the media's job and showed that the Obama was clearly just scratching an itch -- with two fingers not one. Watch it here. Yes that's right: video from another angle shows Obama scratching his face with TWO fingers. Have you ever flipped someone off using two fingers?

Watch Obama's full remarks here. He comments on "gotcha" and "slash and burn" politics and the ABC debate with intelligence and humor and passion and then says "but not this time!" He says that he is going to just brush off this sort of commetary, which he illustrates with an intentional gesture of brushing his shoulders. The media and parts of the blogospher respond by analysing and over-analysing whether Senator Obama was flipping off his opponent.

I never thought I would see the day when this blog would have higher journalist standards than the mainstream media.

This whole incident underscores everything Barack Obama said during and after the latest debate.

Read More

Operation Sudden Impact

RogueGovernment.com, a new site to me, reports on "Operation Sudden Impact" conducted in three states last weekend.

Federal law enforcement agencies co-opted sheriffs offices as well state and local police forces in three states last weekend for a vast round up operation that one sheriff’s deputy has described as "martial law training".

Law-enforcement agencies in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas took part in what was described by local media as "an anti-crime and anti-terrorism initiative" involving officers from more than 50 federal, state and local agencies.

Given the military style name "Operation Sudden Impact", the initiative saw officers from six counties rounding up fugitives, conducting traffic checkpoints, climbing on boats on the Mississippi River and doing other "crime-abatement" programs all under the label of "anti-terrorism".

Read More

The war in Iraq is "a major debacle," according to a study in the Pentagon's National Institute for Strategic Studies.

The report said that the United States has suffered serious political costs, with its standing in the world seriously diminished. Moreover, operations in Iraq have diverted "manpower, materiel and the attention of decision-makers" from "all other efforts in the war on terror" and severely strained the U.S. armed forces.

"Compounding all of these problems, our efforts there (in Iraq) were designed to enhance U.S. national security, but they have become, at least temporarily, an incubator for terrorism and have emboldened Iran to expand its influence throughout the Middle East," the report continued.

Read the report

Read More

I'm going to predict 6 games Red wings win it, then they continue to face the next team.
The ref with a mustache, is what I call a bad referee? Are all the ref's blind when Tootoo stepped on Draper?
Not even called, Unsportsmen like conduct!
For lack of better terms "trying to injure a player"
Dirty players need not apply...
The game is a matter of skill, not kill...
That being said check this video
out as well.
I'm not sure if I have this video already but it's a good one!

55 sec

Read More

There is life on Mars according to William Shatner. Starts at 5:27 on the video.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret, that I have been told not to reveal. So I won't reveal who told me, but there is going to be new information about Mars. It won't be too long away, about the existence of life.

Read More

Memories

One evening at the end of my junior year in high school, The Family was sitting around the table eating dinner. The Brother, looking at me--with a 'nanner, nanner' look on his face--announced, "I am going to Camp Wayoutinthewoods with my class! I will NOT have to deal with YOU for an ENTIRE week!" I looked at him with an extremely evil and malevolent look of my own and answered, "Don't be so sure. I was just asked to be the coordinator for the girl's counselor's at Camp Wayoutinthewoods--the week YOU will be there!"

That night I learned the meaning of crestfallen--the exact look on The Brother's face. (I also learned the word 'blanched.') :D

Read More

Chelsea Clinton hangs out with drag queens.

Read More

Damn

After the loss tonight, I AM beginning to worry. But, there are three potential games left to this series, so they can still pull it off--and two of the games are at the Joe. I will NOT be like the Nashville fans/management and whine about the bad/non-existent calls and the bad luck. (The Wings management is the classiest in the NHL--THEY don't blame the refs, etc, either--unlike too many other teams do.) The Wings didn't play the way they can for a full 60 minutes--as they didn't WAY too often during the season--and that is the only reason they lost. Now, they have to pull themselves up, wipe their noses, and come out fighting from the opening puck drop on Friday. Enough said.

Read More

Life Goes On

Right now, our thermometers are showing 69 degrees. And yes, that IS outside. All of the snow we got with the last storm is pretty much gone from our yard. That is NOT to say that we don't still have snow--I'm looking at another week or so before it is all gone. I guess there still is some cold air in Canada that needs to be watched, so we are not totally out of the woods in terms of getting more snow. Never say never here.

**********

We are doing a road trip on Friday. It will be nice to get out of here for the night--we haven't done an overnighter since January, so we're due. The major reason for the trip is an appointment with an eye doctor. I'm going to be evaluated to see if I am a candidate for LASIK surgery. The more I read, however, the more I'm afraid it won't be an option for me. Oh, well, the evaluation is free, so I won't be out anything but a little time. I'm still hopeful, though.

**********

I'm having a real problem trying to get C to write up a guest list for her birthday party. I don't know what gives. I know she is looking forward to the party, but she would be just as happy with a small dinner party. I think she is a little embarrassed about the fuss. She will just have to suck it up, though--I've already sent in the deposit, so the party WILL happen. I will need the list before the week is out--I need to talk to the caterer about the menu and I have to get the invitations out before the postage goes up.

**********

Game number four is on tonight--I just hope there is ONLY one more after this. If they get their shit together, they can finish off the series in five games.

Our Central Division Champion T-shirts were delivered the other day. I'm hoping to get two more shirts this year: Western Conference Champions and Stanley Cup Champions! If not this year, then another.

We won't be able to watch game five as we will be out of town. Hmmm. I watched a part of ALL of the regular season games and now will miss a possible series-ending game. Unbelievable! :) I will be wearing my newest jersey--a blank one that I just got--on Friday when we go out to eat. Hey, the boys will be playing, so I HAVE to wear the colors! :D

**********

I'm having some computer issues. There seems to be some problems with Firefox--I am getting error messages. The trouble is, nothing is consistent, so I couldn't re-create the problem and ask any tech support about what might be going on. I also am having a problem that crops up saying there is a network/IP problem--again, not consistent. ARRRRGGGGHHHH! I SO want to get a new computer, but I can't even think about it until Microsoft fixes Vista--or decides they will continue to sell XP. They have announced that the new OS will be out in 2010, but we all know how right-on-the-money Microsoft is with getting their products to market on time! UGH! Unfortunately, I think the only thing I will be able to do is re-format my hard drive and start with a clean slate. I don't want to do it. (And I DON'T want to hear it, Meleah! I KNOW you are hooked on Apple. :))

**********

And, for a little laugh:



I LOVE the smile on her face--as well as the hanging-down boobs!

Read More