A New Week

Famous people born on this day who

are actually older than me:

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Paul Anka
Peter Bogdanovich
Buddy Guy
Edd "Kookie" Burns


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I don't know how many of you remember Tom Snyder. He hosted 'Tomorrow' on NBC--which followed 'The Tonight Show.' He also hosted 'The Late, Late Show' on CBS--which followed 'The Letterman Show.' Sadly, he lost his battle with leukemia and has died at the age of 71.

I always felt that his laid-back style and the (mostly) quiet conversations on his show were a very good way to wrap up the day. Of course, seeing as the show was on so late, I didn't get to see it as often as I would have liked, but I was a fan of his nevertheless. I really feel sad about this. RIP, Tom--enjoy your colortinis for all eternity!

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I did laundry yesterday and every time I opened the dryer door, I smelled this god-awful odor! I would have stopped using the dryer, but we were in desperate need of clean clothes, so I kept on. Today K got a chance to pull the dryer vent apart--he was working last night--and found a dead chipmunk in the hose. Oh, yay. Now we need ANOTHER new hose. He just has to figure out a way to keep them out of the vent. I don't understand why we are having so many problems now--after all, we've lived here for almost 30 years and this year is the first time for this.

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We are having a heat wave. And I am not happy. The temp has been up to 93 here at our house--NOT the official temp, of course--and is supposed to go higher over the next few days. They are saying that we should break the old record of 91 on Wednesday! Obviously, I won't be leaving the house during the day for a while.

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And now for your amusement. At least I THINK you will be amused--I know I was!

About a month ago, our local paper started publishing the police log. Nothing very interesting, just a lot of parking violations and lock-out assistance. Of course, you had the public intoxication and the minor in possession, the marijuana busts and loud noise violations, too. As I said, nothing too interesting and nothing too unusual--that is, until Friday's log. Here are the police calls that I found the most amusing:


2:49 AM: loud bongo noises
(didn't know Matthew McConaughey was in town)


it gets better


3:58 AM: male streaker wearing socks
(why wear socks? And WHY specify the socks in the police log?)


and better, still


are you ready?


you won't believe this


12:47 PM (this is the middle of the DAY, people!): loud noise complaint, singing in the shower
(so, does someone need a life? Or was this a pissed off roommate? And WHY, dear Lord, are you complaining about someone singing in the middle of the day? Was the singing THAT bad?)


Hope YOUR day is going well! :)

Saturday

Famous people born on this day who
are actually older than me:

Sally Struthers
Jim Davis
Rick Wright
Bill Bradley

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The Crossroads Guitar Festival is going on at Toyota Park in Illinois today. Of course, I managed to forget and didn't start listening to the live broadcast until a couple of hours ago, but I DID get to see BB King! It doesn't get any better than that. At the age of 81 and he still can play. I would love to see him in concert--we really should have gone to see him when we were in Niagara Falls last year, but... I guess at his age we better hurry and do it or we will miss our chance.

Unfortunately, John Mayer came on right after BB--I'm really not a big Mayer fan. However, I have seen Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, as well as others--and I will hang in there till Clapton does his next (?) set. I want to see Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, and Jeff Becks, but am not sure if they played yet. I will just have to keep watching. I'm a happy camper!

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I'm really having a hard time these days: NO news from the Red Wings on ANYTHING! NOTHING to feed my addiction! And I have 52 days to go before the first pre-season game...one I can't even be sure of being able to see. Oh, misery...no wonder I love the blues! ;)

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Looks like we might have someone living with us for a while. K's nephew's son has one more class to take at our local university so that he can graduate and we were asked to put him up for the fall semester. I REALLY have been leaning toward saying 'no,' but K is all for it. My two biggest problems with this: 1) we only have ONE bathroom and 2) we really have become set in our ways, we enjoy the empty-nest thing an awful lot. I LOVE the fact that I can walk around my house NAKED if I want--not that I EVER do it, of course--and not have to worry about other people. The grand-nephew is a very good kid, nice, doesn't get into trouble, etc. He will get into town on Mondays and leave to go home on Thursdays, so it isn't like he will be here ALL of the time, still... And this will be from the end of August through the middle of December--not a real long time. I just hate change so damn much! :) Oh, well, I will have to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.

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And just in case someone wasn't too sure, here is a 'before' and 'after' video of some celebrities--just to prove they weren't all that different from the rest of us before the surgeon got hold of them. Some were better BEFORE the surgery!

A Little Of This, A Little Of That

I've been kind of MIA these past few days because NOTHING is going on in my life. The weather has been hot, the humidity has been disgustingly high, K has been home for the last ten days, and my girls are having relatively calm existences, so nothing big to report. But, I will attempt to thrill and chill with the following:

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The cat has decided to go on an all hard food diet--or so it seems. I have been trying to feed her the new stuff (canned) that we bought while out of town and I SWEAR I saw her spit on it before she turned and walked away. So, it looks as if Science Diet canned is NOT going to be on her menu. Also, I had to throw the 'vitamin, glucosamine, older cat' treats away. The look she gave me when I tried feeding those to her! I KNOW she was looking at my throat, trying to decide how best to open my carotid artery! Oh, well, at least I tried.

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The youngest daughter finally got to go home for good on Monday. She had been pet/house sitting for two weeks and she said it was the LONGEST two weeks of her life! She also is making a move with her work: she now will be working full time at one of the clinics she has been at and will no longer work at the other one. It is a good move for her: she will have regular, NON-split shift hours, benefits, and better pay. And her husband's hours of work are changing, so it looks as if they will be a little closer to normal working schedules.

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I had to get a package out to the grandson. It seems as if the newest, greatest toy/s he can think of having are keys, so I had to make up some key rings and get them to him. Why me? Well, my father-in-law saved everything. Listen to me: my father-in-law SAVED EVERYTHING!!! They had a four-car garage and couldn't fit ONE car in it because of everything he had stashed away there. So, after he died, K came home after one of his trips to see his mother with a box full of keys that his father had kept. There were keys of every shape, size, and use that you could think of. Everything from skeleton keys to those little keys that came with those dime store diaries we used to get as little girls--they all were in that box. And, of course, they got stashed away in MY house--as if I need any more junk here! Well, C called the other day and said she remembered the keys and could I send some her way. Thank goodness, I now got rid of a few MORE things from my house. At this rate, the girls WON'T have to sort through too much junk after I'm gone. :)

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One example of my f-i-l and the stuff he saved. While he and my mother-in-law were cleaning out the garage one day, she came across a piano hinge from a piano keyboard cover. They NEVER owned a piano. They knew NO ONE who owned a piano. Why did he save it? Because SOME DAY, someone might need one and he would have it for them.

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Again with the in-laws. The day they cleaned out the garage I thought was going to be the last day they were married. As m-i-l carried 'junk' out of the garage and put it in the back of the pick up, f-i-l would sneak the same thing back INTO the garage and hide it. I still am amazed that she was able to get as much stuff thrown away as she did. And he was completely HEARTBROKEN because she was getting rid of the stuff. After all, as he said, "It's not like any of that stuff is a bother. It doesn't need to be fed, it isn't in anyone's way, it doesn't need to be taken care of." He TRULY couldn't understand why he had to dispose of any of it. (I would have agreed with him, but there wasn't anything worthwhile to be had, so...)

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My childhood friend emailed me the other day asking for the Finnish term for a word she remembers from when she was young. While we both grew up in Finnish households, her mother used different words than mine did, at times. I couldn't remember the word she wanted and haven't had any luck with the English/Finnish dictionaries online. She could be thinking of one of the various 'Finglish' words that we grew up with. I have forgotten almost all of the Finnish I knew when I was younger. When things like this come up, it is one of the very few times I wish I was speaking to The Mother--she would know what I was looking for.

The Pasty

*Slight edit.

The Upper Peninsula is well known for the pasty. Most, if not all, of you reading this will automatically pronounce 'pasty' as 'pace-tee.' (Such as what strippers use.) WRONG! The correct pronunciation for 'pasty' here in the UP is 'pass-tee.' And we are talking about food here, people.

The pasty is, as best as can be described, an individual meat pie. And it looks like this:


Cornish miners brought the pasty here to the UP. Pasties were easy for the miners to bring for lunch, so many other miners adopted this food, too. No other ethnic group took to the pasty quite like the Finns did. Eventually, most people thought it was the Finns who brought this delicacy to the region. There still are many who would argue about the origin of the pasty and insist it was a Finnish dish.

A pasty consists of potatoes, rutabagas, onions, salt, pepper, and round steak mixed together and baked inside a pastry. When I make my own, I always add carrots to the mix and usually use a very good grade of ground beef instead of steak. Most people eat pasties with ketchup. *It is perfectly acceptable to eat them without ketchup, too--K eats them without most of the time--but I just can't understand why! :)* Some people put gravy on their pasties--a practice which most Yoopers find a little disgusting. While pasties are not hard to make, they are time consuming. This is why I don't make my own--we have a little shop here that makes excellent ones and I get from there when I need to cure a pasty craving. For those who would like to try, the recipe for pasties follows. And they ARE worth the effort.

Pasties (about 4 or 5)

1 lb. round steak--diced
1 cup potatoes--peeled and diced
1 cup rutabagas--peeled and diced
1 onion--chopped fine
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
enough pastry dough for a double-crust pie
(ALL ingredients can be adjusted for individual tastes. I NEVER use a recipe--I just peel veggies till the mix 'looks right.' :))

Mix first 6 ingredients together well. Divide dough into 5 pieces. (Depending on how many pasties you want to make, you can divide the dough into more or less pieces.) Roll one piece of dough into a circle--much like you would do for a pie crust. Place a heaping amount of meat mixture on one half of the dough. (If meat has very little fat, put 2 T. butter on top of mixture. Otherwise, the pasty will be too dry.) Fold the other half of the dough over the top of the meat mixture and seal the edge. *Cut a small 'air hole' in the pastry so steam can vent out.* Place on jelly-roll pan. Continue doing the same with the rest of the dough and meat mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Pasties can be served hot or cold.

As I said, you can make pasties as big or small as you want. Some pasty shops in the area make teeny tiny ones--about three or four bite sized--as party food. Pasties are quite filling, so I usually don't make them overly large--but it is an individual preference.

8 Things College Edition Meme

Burg posted this meme the other day and left it open for anyone to do. I found it was something I actually could write about, so here goes.

There are a few rules:
- Each player must post these rules first.
- Each player starts with eight random facts relating to college.
- Tagged people post their eight things and these rules.
- End your post by ‘tagging’ eight new people to play.
- Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog for these instructions.


1) I have been to two universities and I'm still at the freshman level.

2) The first university I went to was right after high school. It was--and is--very well known as an engineering school. NOT exactly up my alley, but I couldn't afford to go away to school.

3) I left the first school shortly after midterm of the first semester I was there. K had just been home on leave and our talks were beginning to get 'serious,' so I figured we weren't too far off from getting married. I decided to find a job so I could save money for 'when.' We married a year later.

4) I slept through every one of my algebra classes at this school. The teacher gave me dirty looks every day--that is until she handed me my graded midterm exam. I got every answer correct. That's when she understood that I slept out of pure boredom. (I should have been in a more advanced class, but I figured it was an easy 'A.')

5) The second university I attended was here where we live now. It is more of a liberal arts school--perfectly suited for what I wanted. I started out wanting to get my high school teaching degree, majoring in math. I then changed to English as a major. I only went for a year to this school because of financing--couldn't afford it anymore.

6) My second semester at this school I got a 4.0 grade point average and got on the Dean's list. I was very proud. And I did it while raising two girls, taking care of the house, and having a border living with us. It was a bit hectic.

7) At the time I attended the second school, there weren't all that many non-traditional students. A good many of my classmates were young enough to be my kids. The age of the students didn't bother me too much, but the day I walked into a class where I was the oldest one there--and that included the TEACHER!--I wondered what the hell I was doing.

8) The last time I thought about going back to school, I decided I would go into computer sciences of some sort. That was a few years back. Today, I don't really care if I never get a degree. I take classes of all sorts whenever the mood strikes--whether on the college level or 'enrichment' type--and that is more than good enough for me.

Like burg, I won't tag anyone for this. Just do the list if you should happen to feel like doing it--and let me know so that I can read your list, too.

We're Back ...and Other Nonsense

We got back from the road trip early on Friday. The town we go to is about three and a half hours away--close enough to do a day-run, but far enough to (kind of) warrant an overnight stay. Sometimes I wish we went to Milwaukee: that at least is a 5 hour or more trip! It would actually seem worth it to stay the night.

Found some food for the cat. I didn't find too much, but at least there was enough to have a variety for her to taste. Knowing her and her finicky ways, she probably will spit on most of it. I hope she at least likes the Science Diet foods--they are easy enough to find.

I was able to get a couple of tops for C--poor girl still has some of her maternity tops from her first pregnancy: 11 years ago. Old Navy had new stock in at reasonable prices. Thank goodness 'baby doll' type tops are fashionable right now.

Otherwise, I went to Hancock Fabrics and picked up some material on sale--we'll see if I ever feel like actually making something out of it. I just love fabric stores and I buy just to have. Well, you NEVER know when the sewing bug might bite.

I finally bought my last (?) knife. I have been buying some Wusthof brand knives over the last couple of years and I needed one more to complete the collection I wanted. At least I THINK I'm done. Who knows, I just may buy more. I never realized how much help a REALLY good knife is in the kitchen. This is the one I just bought:

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I don't know what was wrong with Site Meter, but none of the visits to this blog were recorded for two days. When I looked at the blog, the Site Meter counter was invisible, so I had to put a new one on the sidebar. Very strange--I don't know what happened. But, it seems to be working okay now.

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The friends we go to see when we do our road trips are going to an all-inclusive resort just south of Cancun in November. They want us to go with them. I really don't know if it will happen--even though I would LOVE for it to--because it won't coincide with K's long weekend and K has his heart set on going to Vegas this winter. I really, really could see myself sitting in the hot Mexican sun for a week--but, then I really would like to see Elton in Vegas before he quits performing. Damn. Maybe we'll win the lottery and will be able to do BOTH! If only. Anyway, the picture here is from the resort--NICE!

Road Trip

Boy, you would think we are NEVER home with the amount of road trips we do! But once again, this is only going to be an over-nighter. One of the reasons we have to go is so we can get to a pet store. The cat is supposed to be eating 'senior formula' food and I have had no luck finding any senior food in cans. It is easy enough to find dry, but the wet will have to be found in a big pet store. Or I will have to order it online. Oh, yay. If I don't get a chance to post while we are gone, I will be back on Friday.

Fun, Fun

*Meleah had problems with the link. Now, if you click on the link, there should be a pop-up box asking for your name. Type in your name--or whatever you want--and go from there. Hope the link works now.

As mental_floss says, this is the first thing you should do every day when you go on the internet:

click here

The Sauna Experience

Sauna is pronounced 'sow (like a female pig)-na.' It is NOT pronounced 'saw-na.' I REPEAT it is NOT pronounced 'saw-na'!
To read the generalized article on Wikipedia about saunas, go here. To read the article on Finnish saunas, go here.


There are very few things that I miss by not being 'with' The Family, and the number one thing I miss is the sauna. It has been at least 5 years since I actually had a sauna and I am beginning to feel my Finnish ancestors booing and hissing from beyond the grave! This is a completely unheard of situation for a Finn--and I am not too sure how I am going to fix it. We don't have our own sauna--yet--and I am not sure if we will build one before we build our new house (hopefully it will happen).

The sauna experience I am used to is probably quite different from any you may have had. The sauna, to us, is where we bathe. We are completely naked in the sauna and would laugh our asses off if someone tried to go into the sauna wearing a bathing suit. (We once had friends ask if they needed to bring their swimsuits in order to go into the sauna--we laughed.)


A sauna is not a very big building/area--at least the ones I was ever familiar with. A lot of the saunas I was in as a child looked a lot like this:


When you first walk in the door, there is a changing room where you, well, change. Actually, you take your clothes off before proceeding into the next room, which is the washroom. In the washroom there are several benches made of wood attached to the walls on one side--usually two, sometimes three levels of benches. Close to the benches is the stove. Our 'authentic' saunas here have wood-burning stoves in them. Some municipalities don't allow wood-burning saunas to be built in homes, so a lot of people have electric heat. Anyway, on the top of the stove is a layer of rocks. They usually are a nice size, about as big around as a baseball, and are quite flat. A good place to get these rocks are on the shore of Lake Superior. The rock level is several inches deep. In the really old saunas, there is a water tank next to the stove. This was from when saunas didn't have running water and all of the water had to be hauled in. The stove heated the water needed for bathing. In some saunas, the cold water was kept in milk cans. There are always buckets at the ready--this is where you would prepare your wash water. Even today, with running water and showers in saunas, there still will be wash buckets.

I always preferred to go into the sauna after everyone else had been. I like it when the fire is just beginning to burn down. I also find the temp of 120-150 to be the best for me. Some people like it very hot: 170+ degrees! Sitting on the top bench makes one sweat--and that is what the sauna is for. The sweating process helps rid the body of toxins and does great things for the skin. Just when you are getting used to the heat, it is time to 'take steam.' Remember those rocks on the stove? They are there just for this purpose. The fire has heated the rocks very, very much and to 'make steam' you pour water onto them. Believe me, if you aren't used to this, you want to do it v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. If you pour too much water, too fast on the rocks, it can literally take your breath away. NOT a good feeling. And once again, you sit and sweat. Some people like to 'beat' themselves with birch or cedar branches, once they have gotten to this point. It is supposed to get the circulation going and help release more toxins. NOT for me--I guess I'm just not into S&M. Once you get too hot, you can always go into the changing room to cool off for a while and then begin the process all over again. Of course, if you were lakeside, you could jump into the lake to cool off--bathing suit optional. But, the sauna experience for me is all about the cleansing. Some people will repeat the process over and over for several hours.

When all of the sweating is over, then it is time to wash. The Parents have a shower right in the washroom. How convenient! Other saunas have showers separate from the steamroom--for the most part, these would be newer ones. Again, the washroom/steamroom was one and the same in the older saunas because of the lack of running water.

The WORST part about the whole sauna experience is trying to quit the sweating process. Unless you stand outside in the snow and cold, it takes a while. In the summer, there are times where you feel as if you haven't bathed at all. Depending on how many times you do the steam/cool down bit, you can feel very 'drained' when you are done. It is a great sleeping aid!

Saunas are, for the most part, ALWAYS heated on Saturday. And most people who have saunas can pretty much count on having 'sauna company.' These are people who don't have their own saunas, so they visit on sauna night so they can use yours. While I was growing up, we didn't have a sauna, so we would always visit somewhere on Saturday. We usually would go to my aunt and uncle's farm--they had kids around my and The Brother's age, so we would have someone to play with. We always got there early and left late.

This is how my Saturday nights went when I was growing up:

We would get to the farm where the cousins, The Brother, and I would get to play for a few hours. Depending on the time, we sometimes went to get the cows from the field for milking. Sometimes we would play in the hay barn or watch the milking process. But, mainly, we would just run around, having a good time. Eventually we would be called in so that we could start the sauna process. The youngest kids--usually The Brother and the cousin his age--would go and have their baths first. (This was when the sauna was the coolest.) The Mother and my aunt would go in and wash the boys up--at least when they were too young to wash themselves. When they were done, my cousin and I would go in and wash. Then the grownups would go--usually a husband and wife would go together--until everyone was done. During this entire evening, food was being prepared and served. And there was TV watching to be done! First came 'The Lawrence Welk Show.' (Not a favorite of ours.) After that came 'Gunsmoke' followed by 'Have Gun Will Travel.' The evening was topped off with 'Saturday Night Fights' or 'Hockey Night in Canada' during the winter. By this time, it was time to get home and into bed.

There definitely are times that I get nostalgic and would like things to be different between me and my family--and then I remember why things are as they are. I think I will just keep my memories and thoughts of a simpler time all to myself.

A Wing For Life?

In an interview with a Swedish newspaper, Henrik Zetterberg said he would like to play in Detroit for the rest of his career. Considering he is only 26, that is probably another 9 years or so. It would be great to have another player stay in Detroit for his entire career--a good thing, too, considering he probably will be named 'captain' as soon as Lidstrom retires. :) Please, please, hockey gods, make it be so!!

Eating Diet Food

The other day I went into the pantry to find something to eat. Because I wasn't really, truly hungry, I knew that the only reason I was looking for food was pure boredom. And that is a big part of my weight problem. But, I'm not going to talk about my weight.

After rummaging around the pantry for a few minutes, I came across a semi-empty package of Weight Watcher dessert cakes. I believe they were double-fudge chocolate or something along those lines. Anyway, the words 'chocolate,' 'cake,' and 'dessert' all screamed 'EAT ME,' so I did. Has anyone noticed that when you are not on a diet, diet food DOES. NOT. TASTE. GOOD? I found that out very quickly. (I also ignored the fact that I don't remember WHEN I bought said dessert cakes. It has been a loooooong time since I pretended to be on a diet, so that just may be part of the reason why the cakes didn't taste very good.)

It is truly amazing how, when one is very hungry--like when on a diet--the most God-awful stuff tastes decent. I mean, really, when would you VOLUNTARILY eat a rice cake, other than when on a diet? Brussel sprouts wouldn't be around if it wasn't for people dieting. (I do have to admit to liking them--but only if they are floating in butter and are sprinkled with salt! NOT recommended when one is dieting.) Most of the Weight Watcher frozen dinners don't taste much better than the cardboard box they come in--unless you are 'on program.' THEN they are the most delicious things ever made. There must be a mathematical equation that can explain the ratio between how hungry a person is compared to how good diet food seems to taste. There MUST be an equation, but I'm not the one to come up with it!

One thing that should have been a clue to how good/bad the 'cake' would taste is this: the fact that it is a 'diet dessert.' Now, isn't that what is called an oxymoron--of the highest level? I'm sorry, but it is my experience that if something is called 'diet,' good for you,' healthy,' or 'low calories,' it probably is not going to taste good. Some may disagree with me, but I stand by my opinion.

And on that note, all of this talk about food is making me hungry. I know I have strawberries in the frig (fruit: good for you), and angel food cake (egg whites and flour: good for you), and vanilla ice cream (milk--okay, cream, but still dairy: good for you), so I think I will go and make myself a strawberry shortcake. I guess I was wrong--you CAN eat stuff that is good for you and have it taste delicious!

Wii Fit

I wrote yesterday about the new fitness 'game' for the Wii that was introduced at E3--and here is the video showing what it is all about! It will be cool when it finally comes out--unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out when that is. What probably will happen, though, is the supply won't come close to the demand--as is STILL the case with the Wii--and I will have to wait for months to get mine! I can't wait.

Multi-Purpose WII

When I got my Wii a few weeks ago, I mentioned how much of a workout one could get just by playing Wii Sports. Well, I guess the good folks at Nintendo have really figured out how to make video gaming a more physical activity. This week at the E3 video game conference, Nintendo unveiled some of their upcoming innovations. The San Francisco Chronicle reported this:

Nintendo took another step in courting the mass market, unveiling a balance board that will power a fitness game. Building off the wide appeal of its motion-control Wii console, Nintendo took aim at the fitness market with its Wii Fit game and accompanying Wii Balance Board.

When paired with the game, the balance board tests a player's ability to do step aerobics, push-ups, yoga poses and various balance exercises. The pressure-sensitive pad also calculates a user's body mass index and center of gravity, helping improve weight and posture.

Nintendo's top designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, said the game fulfills the larger hope for the Wii, which was meant as a console for the whole family.

The company hoped the Wii "would be relevant to everyone in the home," said Miyamoto. "The one subject we felt we had to have to achieve this was health."

I KNEW that eventually I could proudly say there is a reason that I play video games and now there will be: I am doing it for my health! :)

Today's Hodge Podge

I'm beginning to run out of titles for my 'random thoughts' posts. Maybe I should just come up with one title and use it over and over again. Now that's a thought!


USA Today ran a really interesting article titled 'The long goodbye.' It is a list of 25 things that have 'disappeared' in the last 25 years. The article mentions typewriters, rotary phones, phone booths, and carbon paper. It was a very enjoyable read and a fun walk down memory lane. While I don't completely agree that everything on the list has 'disappeared,' I will say that most, if not all, of the things are no longer in the mainstream. I was very surprised that Western Union telegrams didn't make the list, though.

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Lady Bird Johnson died last week at the age of 94. To me, she seemed like such a gentle, kind LADY. With what has been written about her husband, she must have been made of steel to put up with what she did. For the most part, I admire First Ladies. (There are exceptions that I won't go into here.) They are put in a position that is very hard and often have to put up with the difficult men who are their husbands--AND smile while doing it! Here is a nice tribute to her.

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My long-time readers know this about me and now I will share it with the 'newbies': I do not now, nor have I ever, liked Katie Couric. Frankly, perky, peppy, cheerleader-type, girl-next-door people piss me off to no end. As I have said to numerous people, "I don't do perky!" And frankly, I always thought Katie's attitude was all a great big act. Apparently, at least in a small way, it was.

New York magazine did a story on her for the current issue and she didn't come off as too perky and peppy. After reading the article, I thought there were more than a few spots of tarnish put on her reputation. One story that was related really got to me. As the National Ledger reported it:

(The typos in this story appeared in the linked-to article.)

CBS News anchor Katie Couric is being accused of slapping an editor after he injected a word she detested into a script. The one-time perky news reader (when she was at the NBC Today Show) is struggling as the CBS anchor but has vowed to fight on, however New York magazine reporter Joe Hagan will report in a story set for publication on Monday that "The stress has caused her to blow up at her staff for small infractions on the set."

A flash from matt Drudge gives a tease of the story: "During the tuberculosis story in June, Couric got angry with news editor Jerry Cipriano for using a word she detested— 'sputum' —and the staff grew tense when she began slapping him 'over and over and over again' on the arm, according to a source familiar with the scene. It had seemed like a joke at first, but it quickly became clear that she wasn’t kidding."

A top CBS executive tells the Drudge report that no formal complaint has been filed against Couric over the incident. "I sort of slapped him around,” Couric admits to the magazine. “I got mad at him and said, 'You can’t do this to me. You have to tell me when you’re going to use a word like that.' I was aggravated, there's no question about that.' But she says she has a good relationship with Cipriano. 'We did ban the word sputum from all future broadcasts. It became kind of a joke."

A CBS insider says Couric slapped the staffer in a playful manor. "Look, it wasn't serious, whatsoever."

What I want to know is this: would ANYONE have passed this off as 'not serious' if a MAN had been doing the slapping? I think not! Is it just because she makes more money than God that she is allowed to get away with this kind of sh*t? This story made me even LESS impressed by her--if that is even possible--and the article in the New York magazine did nothing to redeem her in one little bit in my eyes. For those interested, here is the link to the magazine article.

SUCH A "Happy" Subject

"According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, an estimated 6 to 12 million Americans are infested with head lice each year."

"Twenty percent of all school-age children will have lice at some point during their school career."

"Head lice are parasites that affect the whole world, with children ages 3 to 10 the most susceptible, according to the National Library of Medicine."

So, why the quotes about head lice? You guessed it, C called tonight--three of her five kids are infested. The best part about all of this? I live 100 miles away from her!

This is more proof that the 'mother's curse' is alive, well, and working the way I want it to: C herself, had lice at the end of 7th grade. To say it was a pain in the ass to take care of, doesn't even come close. She has enough hair for two people and the amount of HOURS I spent 'picking nits' is not to be believed. This of course, was in addition to the number of hours and days it took me to clean the house once we found the problem. I was just lucky that the other daughter never had lice--and that C never had another case.

Everyone knows that head lice can be caught by anyone. The cleanliness of the home has NOTHING to do with whether or not you get lice--strictly, close contact with another person who is infested is the only way you can catch the little buggers. (Sharing combs and brushes or having the bugs migrate to an article of your clothing are other ways to catch them, too.) But this doesn't stop a person--read that as 'mother'--from feeling as if there was SOMETHING she could have done to prevent this horrible event from happening. And really, it is just the luck of the draw as to who does/doesn't get infested.

So, if you have never had head lice in your life, there are only a few reasons why:

--you don't have kids
--you home school your kids and they have no contact with the outside world
--you put your kids--and all of their belongings--through a pesticide bath before they are allowed into the house
--you and your children are bald--and have always been
--you and your children are of a mutant, alien race resistant to head lice

OR

--YOU ARE JUST PLAIN LUCKY!

If you are one of the lucky ones, I certainly hope your luck continues--cleaning up a lice infestation is one nasty, long, tiring job.

You Knew I Had To Do It

It has been over a week since I did an actual hockey post--and I could wait no longer! If you haven't noticed, on the sidebar to the right there is a countdown clock to the first pre-season game the Wings play. Only 67 days to go! The first regular season game is on October 3--against the Ducks. Oh, yay. Not going to be a favorite game of mine unless the Wings knock the shit out of them. I'm bitter and I don't care who knows it. :)

The biggest player news that has happened is this: Dallas Drake is coming back to Detroit. Drake was a star player at our local college--in the early '90s. He was drafted by Detroit in 1989, is 38 years old, and isn't at the top of his game (come on--a -13 and a -14 plus/minus in the last two years?!)--hopefully, getting back to a good team will give him a jump start to a better season. I can only hope.

A Mish Mash of Nothingness

Some things that have been on my mind:

C was going for a 3-D ultrasound tonight. This didn't have anything to do with her pregnancy--other than she was asked to do this because she is pregnant. It seems as if her local hospital is thinking of buying new equipment and needed a pregnant woman willing to have an ultrasound. A friend of hers works in the department at the hospital, so she was asked to participate. It should be interesting to see the pictures she comes home with.

She is on her blood-thinning injections and will continue those throughout the pregnancy. She will only have to travel to see the specialist once this time--as long as all goes well. Fingers crossed is about all I can do for the duration.

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The other daughter, A, had another consultation with her specialist and is feeling a little better about the situation. I believe she will be going through with the next stage of trying to get pregnant, but if it doesn't 'take,' I think they may step back and relax for a while. She said--as I told her (mothers are SOMETIMES right, even me! :))--the doctor said they could take the time off from trying and get in the best health they can. Both need to lose some weight, so it would be a good 'cooling off' period for them. They have a lot of possible decisions to make in the future: continue mildly-invasive fertility treatments, go all the way with IVF, consider adoption--all viable alternatives they will consider. And even though they don't really want to hear it, they still are young enough that they don't need to rush.

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We just found out that AT&T will be buying our local cellphone company. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I know a lot of people aren't happy with AT&T's cellular service, but I can't believe it could be worse than what we have. I can only hope.

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I still haven't seen the rabbit/s from the nest in our yard. While I really don't believe--as Virginia Belle asked--that any animal 'got' them, I would like to know where they moved to. I hope my belief isn't just wishful thinking, but from the condition of the nest/hole, I can't see how any dog or cat could have gotten to the babies. And I have never seen any weasels around, so I am thinking good thoughts.

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In my meme of random facts about myself, I mentioned how I have collected Hummels for a while. That isn't my only collection, however. A few of my others are: cows, angels, Nativities, baskets, tins, cobalt blue items, Beanie babies. I must, I MUST think about downsizing! :)

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I was watching the Weather Channel earlier and had a flashback to when we lived in Charleston, SC. Now we didn't actually live in Charleston proper--we were first is Hanahan and later in North Charleston. The reason this came up is because they were experiencing a tornado watch and it was announced on the Weather Channel. I think I actually forgot the names of the suburbs where we lived--it is partly because it was so long ago and partly because I'm getting old and suffering from CRS.

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The Bigfoot Field Research Organization is here to collect evidence that the UP is home to one or more 'sasquatch.' I'm not one to poo-poo someone else's beliefs--after all I truly believe in ghosts and other supernatural phenomena--but I don't know why they would come here to do a search. All of these years of living here and I NEVER heard any mention of them being here. Interesting. It did seem as if the newsreaders on our local news were having a bit of a difficult time trying not to laugh when they were reporting the story.

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I remember posting about how we were going to upgrade to high definition cable, but I don't remember if I posted the results. (And I'm too lazy to look back at my former posts.) Watching hockey--as well as everything else--in HD is the most amazing experience! The clarity is not to be believed--and I figured the extra money was more than worth it. And then K started 'experimenting' with the remote. The tech who came in to set up the HD, told K that there was no manual for the remote to tell how to work it. He told K just 'play around with it' to figure things out. And K has done just that--and managed to screw up the HD. There are several features we no longer have and I actually think he managed to set the TV back to standard broadcast instead of HD, but he won't admit it. He says there is no change in the picture quality, just a change in features, and that he is okay with the way things are. So far, I have restrained myself and not called the cable company because it will require another house call and another fee--which I don't want to pay. But, hockey season is just around the corner and I. WILL. NOT. WATCH. A. GAME. LIKE. THIS!!!!!!! Men. :/

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I don't know how many of you were fans of Mr. Bean, but I always thought he was hysterical. Of course, the hilarious Rowan Atkinson played the title character--no one else could! This is one of my favorite episodes--it IS over 9 minutes long, but well worth it. The singing at the end is the best.

My Second Meme--Of The Day

I typed this all out last night and got ready to post it when I discovered that I had lost my internet connection. Thankfully I didn't lose the entire post! So, here is what I was going to post last night:

Here is the meme burg tagged me with. I am to list eight things about my husband and myself. I guess I could do that--and, no I WILL NOT tell you about the last time we got frisky, no matter how much you might beg! :D

1. My husband and I have been married for 34 years on our next anniversary. It was an arranged marriage, as I was only three at the time. :D (I hope everyone knows that was a joke.)

2. K and I met on the first day of kindergarten. We went all through school together and never even thought of dating each other. I dated his best friend in high school. K went into the Navy after we graduated and the boyfriend and I broke up. K and I started dating when he came home on leave.

3. K was on leave and came to pick me up from work—several months after we began dating. (I use the term ‘dating’ for lack of a better word—our actual dating was more of a correspondence, as he was away being a sailor.) We were sitting in front of my parents' house when he said, "I think we should get married." I thought he was joking and said, "Sure, why not." Then he pulled out the ring--I almost fainted. This was only a year after we graduated.

4. We planned on getting married during the Thanksgiving weekend (five months after he proposed,) but he couldn't get leave. I called to change the date with the pastor and talked to his wife. When I said we needed to get married earlier, she stopped me and asked--very sternly--"And what is the reason for this?" When I started to explain, and the explanation DIDN'T include an unexpected pregnancy, she cut me off and asked what date we wanted instead. We got married on October 6.

5. The pastor called me by the wrong name when he pronounced us husband and wife. I always told K that this could be a legal loophole if I ever decided I didn't want to be married to him anymore.

6. Both of us would not have been surprised if we could not have had children. I had been exposed to quite a number of x-rays in my young life and the places he worked on the ship were not very good for fertility. Surprisingly, the thing that could have screwed up my chances to get pregnant was something altogether different--my endometriosis.

7. The closest we have come to divorce was during the times we were having problems with the girls. Not only could we never come to an agreement as to how to handle things, but the problems were so big and insurmountable that we each just retreated into ourselves. Not a good practice. We still don’t talk much about what we went through.

8. We have so little in common that I wonder how we ever have stayed together. When we first got married, I was a huge hockey fan. (Surprise.) I wound up watching too many games by myself, so I gave up--K wasn't as interested in hockey as I was. Several years later, K's mother started talking to him about the Wings and he started watching again. I was pissed off because he would do for his mother what he wouldn't do for me, so I boycotted the sport for far too many years. When I realized just how much I missed hockey, I became a rabid fan. I think he is pleased that I know more about the team than some of the people at work. And I think he will help me realize my next dream--to see, in person, a Red Wing game at the Joe Louis Arena. Or at the Xcel Center--I don't care. :)

And even though I have done my list of eight, I will say this: the years have been tough, but we have been tougher. I guess we never even dreamt that there was anything like divorce in our lives, so it wasn't a real big consideration. And the 'empty nest' years are proving to be WAY better than the years before we had kids. :)

I'm not going to tag anyone for this--I will leave it up to my readers to decide if they want to or not.

First Of Two

Well, wouldn't you know it, I've been tagged for two different memes today! I guess my readers are just so damned sick and tired of my subject matter that they have to come up with something they might consider interesting to read. :D Here goes with the first one--interesting or not!

Dazd is the 'culprit' behind this tag. And here are the rules:

1. Post the rules for the meme at the beginning of your post.
2. This meme consists of the blogger listing eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged in this post are to write their own post listing their own eight random items and list the rules.
4. At the end of the post/meme, list the folks you are tagging and leave them notice of such in their comments.

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1. I could pass on enough things that my mother has said or done to make my daughters hate her for the rest of her life. Even though I am pretty convinced that my daughters would choose her over me if they had to, I won't tell them. They will learn what she is like on their own--just as I had to.

2. I collected Hummel figurines for about 20 years. I could not fit another one in my curio cabinet if someone paid me. I am sick and tired of having them and plan on selling them ASAP. All except the very special ones, of course. :)

3. Fourth grade was the year we decided if we wanted to play a musical instrument. I wanted to play the flute, but there weren't enough for everyone. So instead of waiting for a flute, I chose to play the clarinet. I have always regretted it.

4. In high school, I changed from playing the clarinet to the alto sax. I never got to be first chair--I was always second chair--and chose to change to tenor sax so that I could be the only one playing that instrument.

5. I believe it was 10th grade when I quit band. I never played an instrument again.

6. I could NEVER be a vegetarian. Just the thought of never eating meat ever again can bring on a panic attack.

7. When I was young, I wanted to be an artist. Never mind that I lack the ability to draw or paint. Maybe I could have been another Jackson Pollock? Or Picasso? :)

8. There have been times that I felt tall and willowy. Considering I'm 5'1" on a good day, that just shows what an active imagination I actually possess. And no, I WASN'T smoking anything funny at the time. :)

Okay, who to tag. I know burg has done one of these recently and dazd tagged cindi. How about it Ann(ie) and weatherchazer and Virginia Belle and kristi and jan--you want to do the meme? If so, consider yourselves tagged!

Rabbit Update

In my post Mindless Chatter from a few days ago, I mentioned the rabbit that had dug a hole in which to make a nest. I watched this nest and rabbit for a couple of days and was truly amazed at how feisty the rabbit was. He--I think it was male, as I NEVER saw him go back in the nest--stood guard ALL DAY LONG, protecting the nest from other creatures. I watched him chase chipmunks, birds, squirrels, and a young rabbit away from the nest area. I truly believe there would have been bloodshed if he would have caught what he was going after. Then on Saturday, I didn't see him anymore. Again on Sunday, he was missing. So I finally went to look at the nest and it is now empty--the 'plug' of fur and leaves has been removed from the mouth of the hole and there are no rabbits of any size to be found. Obviously, the nest has been moved.

When I spoke to C today, I mentioned this whole incident. She said they must have gone into the Witness Protection Program and had to move. K said they probably are now squirrels--after all, when you go into Witness Protection, they change your identity, too. They think they're so funny! :)

Recommended

I don't usually recommend TV shows because my tastes are rather eclectic. Actually, I seem to favor my 'masculine side' an awful lot--I watch many shows that are marketed to males 18-35 years old! Examples: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Firefly, Farscape, The Shield, etc. But, I have just found a new show that is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I have to recommend it: Burn Notice. This show is on the USA Network and only two episodes have been shown so far. It is called a 'comedy action' show and I'm loving it. It is all about a spy who has been 'fired,' or 'burned.' He winds up in his home town of Miami, with no resources and no idea why he has been burned. This is what USA Network says about it:

WHAT IS BURN NOTICE?

When spies get fired, they don't get a letter from human resources.

They get BURNED...

The action/spy genre gets a refreshing update with USA Network's newest original series, Burn Notice. Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, an international spy who suddenly finds himself blacklisted. Dumped in his hometown of Miami without money or resources, Michael struggles to put his life back together and find out why he's been burned. In the meantime, he uses his unique skills and training to help people in need ... mostly people who can't get help from the police.

Michael is joined by Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) an ex-IRA operative, who also happens to be an ex-girlfriend; and Sam (Bruce Campbell), a washed-out military intelligence contact who's being used by the feds to keep tabs on Michael.

He's also forced to confront the family he went halfway around the world to get away from - particularly his mother, Madeline (Sharon Gless) who couldn't be happier to have her son back in town.

Created and written by Matt Nix, Burn Notice combines the best of the action/thriller elements with surprising humor and an iconic new breed of spy.

If you want to watch something that is really fun--AND informative ('Michael' gives ALL kinds of useful info, like how to shoot a drug dealer who is behind his bullet-proof door ;))--check out the USA Network on Thursday nights at 10:00.

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Now that we have gotten the fun, summer TV program recommendation out of the way, I will give my 'summer beach reading' recommendation. If you have not read any of the books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, then RUN, DO NOT walk, to the nearest place to get your hands on these books. Right now, there are 13 books in the series--not counting the 'between the numbers' books--and each one is a laugh riot!

Stephanie Plum is a 'Jersey girl' who has become a bounty hunter. Of course, she has NO idea how to do her job, but that doesn't keep her out of trouble. Not only does she find herself in very funny--and dangerous--situations, she meets some of the most unforgettable and hysterical characters imaginable: Bob the dog, Lula the ex-hooker, Sally Sweet the transvestite rock musician, and, of course, her grandma. Stephanie has two love interests: the mysterious Ranger, a GOOD bounty hunter, and Joe, a cop. She has feelings for both, but can't commit.

Whenever I start to read one of these books, I find it difficult to put it down until I'm finished. Thank goodness these aren't very thick books! :) More than once during the reading of one of these books, I will find myself laughing so hard that tears stream down my face. I TRY to contain myself when K is sleeping, so as not to wake him up, but it is in vain. Fun, fun, fun--and totally to be put on the 'best books to read at the beach' list!

To Redeem Myself...

After my last post, I decided to 'make nice' and post something completely neutral: a recipe! This probably is something everyone already has, but I absolutely love it, so here goes.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

2 heads fresh broccoli
1 red onion
1/2 pound bacon
3/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1. Cook bacon until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
2. Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut onion into bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, almonds, and mix well.
3. To prepare dressing, mix mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into salad. Let salad chill and serve.


Now, I'm not a big veggie person, but I LOVE this salad--I can even be happy having this for a snack! I DON'T put raisins in my salad, cause I don't like them. Also, I don't put the almonds--I don't think they are needed. I hope you enjoy!

A Bit Of A Rant

While I have probably written about this once before, here I go again. What prompted my return to this subject? I suppose I have had to endure some remarks in the not too distant past and they kind of crawl up under my skin, so I have to rant.

I am a stay-at-home, and always have been. This, to me, is the traditional, normal way to live life—as I was raised like this—but not everyone feels the same. How do I know this? Just by the things people say to me.

I once was asked, “Do you work or do you stay at home?” Many times I have been asked, “Do you work?” I also have been asked, “What do you do?” (This last from people who KNOW I am a SAH, but don’t know the proper way to ask.)

So, what were my answers to the questions? The first one I COULDN’T answer—I just gave the person a withering look and walked away. The second one I used to answer, “Yes, at home.” Then I changed it to “Not outside the home.” These days, I usually just answer “I’m a stay at home.” when I’m asked the last question—because, as I said, the person asking already KNOWS the answer, s/he just doesn’t know how to ask about my ‘work’ status.

It has always amazed me at how other women treat me when they find out I’m a SAH. A good percentage of women treat me as if I have no mind whatsoever, just because I don’t ‘work.’ I have been ‘talked down to’(as if I was a child), I have had things ‘explained’ to me, and I have been totally ignored—as if I couldn’t POSSIBLY have any intelligent thing to say about the subject being discussed. I have had women make remarks about me having to ‘ask’ my husband for money and needing to be dependent on a man. There are many women who have NO idea what it is to SHARE in the resources of a marriage—they have ‘her’ money and they have ‘his’ money. I always thought marriage was supposed to be a partnership, but I guess it isn’t so to many.

My husband leaves the house to go to work and he gets a paycheck every two weeks. His worth is proven by that paycheck—or so many would believe. However, I am worth just as much as he is, even though I don’t get a paycheck. I have worked just as hard as he has all these years and I feel very deserving of taking my share of the money that comes into this household. So what, you may ask, have I done to earn my share? Here are a few things I did while the girls were at home:

--took care of ALL of the girls’ needs while K was at work (I told him, since the girls were half his, he could help take care of them when he wasn’t at work—at least HE didn’t have them at HIS job all day, like I did!)

--drove the girls where they needed to go; i.e., band practice, play dates, lessons of all kinds, medical appointments, etc.

--helped with homework—I was the only one who helped with math because I had four years of it in high school

--laundry—which included ironing when it was needed

--cleaned the house, DAILY, and did the major annual and semi-annual cleanings, also

--made meals—which included dinner EVERY NIGHT

--baked—including bread, as well as ‘good stuff’ (cookies, cakes, etc.)

--volunteered at the girls’ schools

--volunteered at our church

--shopped—grocery, clothes, school supplies, etc.

--various household maintenance projects—i.e., painting, carpet cleaning, minor household repairs, etc.

--took care of the pets—and, yes, I included the fish, as I had to take care of the aquarium

--got everything ready for out-of-town trips—and this included getting the girls ready, packing, loading the vehicle, readying the house, etc.

--prepared for any out-of-town guests that came over—whether or not they were spending the night or nights. Of course, this included: shopping, baking, preparing all of the food, cleaning, etc.

--sewed—which included making clothing as well as doing repairs

--did the majority of the Christmas gift buying/giving. I made a great many of the gifts we gave earlier in our marriage—all while raising our two girls. (I don’t make many gifts anymore—I’ve become smarter!)

--did all of the household office work—filing, phone calls, etc.

--did the majority of the disciplining of the girls

--did all I could to try and keep the household running well and keep everyone as happy as possible

Of course, that list isn’t ALL of what I did, it just is to give an idea of how hard I actually worked. Even though the work load has lessened with the girls gone, I STILL earn my keep these days. Some tasks are no longer being done, but others have taken their place.

My husband has been lucky to have a job which pays well enough for me TO stay at home. HOWEVER. With me not working, we have had to sacrifice things. We DO NOT live in a brand new home—we are in the same house we moved into 29 years ago. We have not been able to do major renovations to this place because of money being tight. We DO NOT have a second home. Not only do we know of many double income couples with homes that are priced in the $250,000+ range, they also have second homes. We could NEVER afford that. We DIDN’T take family vacations. Whenever we went away from home, it was always to visit with our families who still lived in our hometowns. I believe the girls could probably count on one hand how many times we stayed in a hotel while they were young. While we have everything we need and most of what we want (this includes a lot of the high tech stuff I always want), we DO NOT have the same toys as other people we know. We don’t have snowmobiles, boats, motorcycles, RVs, riding mowers, expensive machinery of all kinds, or other high-priced niceties. These are sacrifices we have had to make for me to stay at home—and we really haven’t missed out. With the girls gone, we have been able to move forward with our finances and, hopefully, will be able to do something about our housing situation soon. But rest assured, we WILL NOT be spending $250,000+ on a new home—that just isn’t who we are.

This post wasn’t written with the hope that I get comments commending me about my ‘sacrifices’ or the hard work I have done over the years. I don’t need anyone to give me an ‘attagirl’ or praise me for what I have done—this just has been my job. I just want to let any ‘working’ people out there know that those of us who stay at home and raise kids work, also. We just don’t appreciate being treated like we don’t matter. And please, if you have never stayed at home and lived the life of a ‘housewife,’ don’t patronize me by saying you KNOW it is ‘the hardest job a woman will ever do.’ You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Mindless Chatter

I haven't done a random post in a while, so here goes.

Saturday, 07/07/07, is supposed to be 'the biggest wedding day of the century.' I guess more people are relying on luck rather than good old-fashioned work in order to keep their marriages together?!?! Hmmm.

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K has been cleaning up areas of our yard that have needed it for a long time. We have had some bushes growing for several years that he says are raspberry bushes. Unfortunately, they have grown wild for so long that the berries are minuscule, so he decided they have to go. (Thank goodness.) Anyway, while he was removing them, he noticed a rabbit had made its home amongst them. Today I saw the rabbit fixing up its new home: in the hill that slopes down to my wall garden. When I went to look, it had dug a hole into the hillside and filled it with dead grass and fur. I'm not sure if it is making a nest to give birth or if it moved young ones. And so, my wildlife saga continues...

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Word came down today that Detroit did indeed offer Hudler a contract, so he will stay for a couple of more years. Now if they only can make him grow a little more, then he will have staying power! ;) (He is only 5'9" and 178lbs.)

They still are saying that Grigorenko will be in the line up this season. Last word is that he is having visa troubles, though. It will be interesting to see him play. After all, before his accident a couple of years back, he was predicted to be the next up-and-coming superstar. Time will tell.

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I have been a horrible cat-mommy: it has been almost two years since our cat has been in for a check up. And that isn't good because she is 14 years old. Last year when she was due for a check up, we were committed to other things that couldn't be put off, so we were going to wait till later in the year. Unfortunately, it turned to winter before we got her in and I wasn't about to subject her to the snow and cold. (It is an ordeal to bring her in, as it is. She moans and groans--VERY vocally--the entire time we are transporting her, and she gets very nervous. She pants, sweats through her paws, and drops a lot of fur whenever she needs to go into the vehicle. Not her thing, at all.) Well, we finally got her in on Tuesday and she got a clean bill of health. It is recommended that she has her teeth cleaned, so we will have to schedule that within the next couple of weeks. Our biggest obstacle, though, will be finding food for her. She now is supposed to be on a 'senior' diet, and it is proving to be a bit of a problem. I can find dry food, no problem, but I will have to do a bit of a search for wet food--she eats a little of each every day. I guess this is just one more reason for us to do more road trips!

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Speaking of cats, if you have never seen this site (cats that look like hitler. com), go. It is quite funny. For those of you who don't particularly like cats, you can point at the pictures and say, "See! I told you cats are evil!" And for those who like cats, there are just cute pictures of cats who have unfortunate markings.

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CNBC is reporting that Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim has now taken over the title. Whatever. The thing that I find disturbing, though, is that Slim's fortune is equivalent to 8% of Mexico's gross domestic product. For Gates to have 8% of the US economy, he would have to have at least $13 trillion. About half the population of Mexico lives on less than $5 a day. Now THIS is more disturbing than the rich/poor divide in the States. Here is the story.

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And there is no better time in the year to update oneself on first aid, so here is a link to 10 Useless, or Even Dangerous, First Aid Myths. An interesting read.

Relearning The Lineup

I don't have a damn clue as to what the Red Wings are trying to do. A day after free-agency went into effect, the team is nothing like it was last season. Lang and Calder weren't offered contracts. Then Schneider went to Anaheim, followed by Bertuzzi. They haven't finalized the deal with Hasek and I don't have ANY idea where Danny Markov is in all of this and Hudler just may go to Russia to play next season. All of this happening and last season's team could have--with a few lucky breaks--won the whole damn thing. Why the wholesale house cleaning? I don't understand. One bright spot: they signed Rafalski for five years--a hometown boy, come home to play. With all of the top players being signed up already, I don't know where the guys will come from to fill out the roster. This is NOT making me feel very good about this coming season. Yikes.