Best Laid Plans

Last Saturday, a friend and I were supposed to go out to celebrate my birthday--we always take the other out for dinner in honor of birthdays. At the last minute, she had to cancel because of illness--her own. We have rescheduled for tomorrow and I'm hoping all goes well. We are under a winter storm watch--heavy snow, sleet, ice--for tomorrow evening. Oh, yay. If it was just dinner, things would be fine, as she comes in to town for us to eat--she lives just outside of town. BUT, we are planning on going up the road to a little community to do some looking in the shops to see if there is anything worth buying. I don't get there often enough and I have never been there during the Christmas season, so I am really looking forward to it. I hope it works out.

K is going in to do an overtime shift at 3:00AM--just about four hours from now. He will get home a little after 4:00 tomorrow afternoon and then he will go back at 3:00 on Sunday morning to work 4 hours of overtime before starting his regular day shift. (CORRECTION: He went in to start work at midnight, NOT 4:00AM! He STILL will not be home till after 6:00PM on Sunday.) He will be one tired puppy when he gets home on Sunday! I probably won't even have to make dinner--he'll just pass out as soon as he gets home.

I've been trying to make up a Christmas list of things I want this year. Trouble is, all I can come up with are electronics--and K will not buy them for me. (He says I'm too picky--which I am--and that I would get mad if he got the wrong thing--which I would.) Other than a pair of solitaire diamond earrings, I don't have anything on the list that he might be willing to buy me! Right now I have: a new cell phone (one of two), The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass (for the Nintendo DS Lite), a pair of Red Wings coffee mugs (I told him I'd share!), a new Zen music player (don't NEED a new one, but the one I have IS a couple of years old...), the earrings, and a photo printer. He MIGHT get me the game, I KNOW he likes to buy jewelry, and he would get me the coffee mugs if he could find them--I found them on NHL.com--but beyond that, I am having a hard time coming up with ideas. I guess it doesn't help that I told him MANY years ago, that household items ARE NOT Christmas gifts. I don't want a vacuum as a gift, or a set of pots and pans, or... If I told him my problem, he would just say, "Well, isn't it nice to have EVERYTHING you've ever wanted?" I guess I COULD ask for a pair of tickets for a Red Wings game, but then I would have to plan the trip, make the reservations, etc, etc. THAT is something we have to decide TOGETHER.

Today was another banner day for deliveries. We got five packages today and I only have to get another four or so. It'll be nice when all of the things I have ordered finally arrive--then I can actually say "I am DONE!" I really must start wrapping the things I already have, but I'm sure it will be a last minute thing, as usual!

And, Evel Knievel died yesterday in Florida. He was 69.

Detroit 4, Tampa Bay 2

What do you get when the top point getter--Lecavalier--and the tied-for-second-place point getter--Zetterberg--play against each other? Well, tonight it was ZERO points for either one of them. It was nice to see Datsyuk and Hudler continue with their scoring and it was great that Kopecky was able to score the first game back after an injury. While the game was great, to me, Tampa Bay didn't play well enough for it to qualify as a very good game. Detroit dominated for most of the 60 minutes and Tampa Bay had just momentary flashes of how good they really can be.

The Wings now hold first place in the league with tonight's win and Ottawa's loss. I'm imagining a back-and-forth like this all year long. Detroit probably won't move out of the top three--hopefully--and it will be interesting to see who the third team will be for them to battle with. With injuries, the Wings might be having some difficult games coming up. Hopefully the rest of the team will step up and do what they can do best. There are several players that haven't hit their stride yet, so now would be the time. Ozzie is still remarkable, but Dom HAS to play soon--probably this weekend. HE has to get his head back into the game, and fast.




--DETROIT - NOVEMBER 29: Vincent Lecavalier #4 of the Tampa Bay Lightning battles for the puck with Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings during their NHL game at Joe Louis Arena November 29, 2007 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)--

Norwegian? Swedish?

Don't know how many of you have seen this commercial:

Now, I find it quite amusing, but at the same time I get so very frustrated with it! I can't, for the life of me, understand how people don't know their own heritage. I realize that a lot--maybe most--people aren't as in tune with their ancestors as I am, but still...

How do people lose their heritage? Is it from the 'melting pot' syndrome where different nationalities/ethnicities marry? Are we here in UP--where the biggest concentration of Finns are in the US--just that unique and immersed in our own ethnicity that we HAVE to know 'where we came from?' Or is it just the fact that I am 100% pure--as is my husband? I find it very fascinating when people don't know what nationality they are. I don't believe either of my sons-in-law are too sure. So, how about any of you, my readers--am I just an anomaly? I'll be interested to see your responses.

November 28

People born on this day:

Anna Nicole Smith
Jon Stewart
Judd Nelson
Ed Harris
Alexander Godunov
S. Epatha Merkerson
Paul Schaffer
Randy Newman
Manolo Blahnik

and

CMK!

Yes, Wednesday was my birthday. And, no, I didn't do anything special. K is still on night shift, so that kind of put the crimp into any kind of celebration.

I received cards from the best people in my life and I did get some gifts. A and her husband sent me a book with a collection of Mother Goose & Grimm cartoons in it. That and Far Side are my favorite comic strips. One of my bestest friends brought me a gift last night. I am SOOOO lucky to have her--her sister owns an antique store and puts on estate sales, so my friend gets the neatest gifts. This year, she brought me a Nativity set that is Mexican and looks to be handmade by a local artist. I am continuing my collecting of Nativities and she has added to it for several years. She always finds very unique and intriguing sets. Another bestest friend of mine and I will be going for a day of shopping and then to dinner on Saturday in honor of my birthday. YAY!! Shopping and eating--who could ask for anything more!

I believe K is ecstatic whenever I get a new obsession, as it makes his gift buying so much easier. He, again, got me Red Wing pendants. He said he thought I needed a silver one, so he got that and a new gold one, too. I don't know when he expects me to wear all of the ones he has boughten, but I love them anyway! Here is a picture of my new ones (the silver one is on the right):




AND, here is a picture of the last two he got me--the one I thought I lost is on the left and the replacement he bought me for Christmas last year is the other one:

Just Stuff

I'm sitting here feeling VERY chilled and couldn't figure out why--then I checked the temp outside and it is only 11 degrees. That MIGHT have something to do with it feeling cool in the house!

**********

Other than a Christmas tree, my house is all decorated. I finished it on Monday and I'm happy. Now I can look forward to taking all of the decorations down in about a month--I MAY actually wait until a couple of days after Christmas, but probably no longer.

**********

Here is a question to ponder: Just HOW long must a person NOT bathe in order to smell bad enough for you to smell them two aisles over in a grocery store? I found two people last night that matched this description--and they managed to be EVERYWHERE I was in the store. Frankly, the odor was so bad that it lingered even after they moved on from a section. They were a man and woman in their thirties, I'd say, and didn't LOOK to be exceptionally dirty, but they stunk so bad I thought I might have to leave the store without finishing my shopping.

**********

My husband doesn't have to worry, and never needed to worry, that another man would ever 'woo' me away from him. The only men who hit on/flirt with me seem to be drunks or extremely old. Last night was no exception.

I was at the meat display, trying to decide what to buy for the next few days' meals. Of course, inspiration didn't hit, so I decided on 'ground beast'--again. I ALWAYS put the packages of meat into the plastic bags that the store supplies, so I went to get one. Obviously, the majority of people who shop at this store MUST be 5'5" or more, because I have to stand on tip-toes in order to reach the bags. My struggle was being observed very closely by The Man. The Man was somewhere between the ages of 40 and 160. If he was 40, then the years were not kind to him--if he was 160, then he was pretty well preserved, probably from the booze. He was tall and lanky. To say he was thin doesn't describe it--he leaned more towards the 'heroin chic' look. But, don't get me wrong, NOTHING was 'chic' about this guy. He was bearded--and it was not groomed. I'm not sure what his hair was like because he was wearing a fur-lined bomber hat--with the straps hanging down. I'm not too sure what kind of clothes he was wearing--NOT a tuxedo, I can assure you--but I'm pretty sure he had snowmobile boots on, or some other clunky kind of boot. I do seem to recall the boots were not tied. As I was putting the meat into my cart, The Man came ambling by, leaned towards me and said--in his sexiest voice, I'm sure--"Could they put them any higher?" Then he smiled at me--and I was creeped out. I wonder if this was his best 'go-to' pick-up line? EW. I think I mumbled something and left in a hurry. So, as I said, my husband doesn't have to worry about me, at all. :)

**********

The Wings played a decent game tonight against Calgary. Datsyuk made two amazing goals and had an assist--and he insisted that he didn't have much energy during the game! As Lidstrom said, "I'd like to see what he could do when he's feeling good then." Words cannot describe how he plays--it is pure joy to watch. Z got another assist tonight and is still in the top 5 for assists AND goals scored. The Wings are at the top of the league with the win, but Ottawa is right behind. Osgood is at the top in goals against and Lidstrom is number three on the plus/minus list and Datsyuk is number two for shootout goals, so they ARE doing something right. They just aren't doing well against the Central Division teams. My boy got his fourth goal of the season--YAY!! Unfortunately, Draper sprained his knee during the game and won't be back for a bit. Ellis is still healing from the hit he took a couple of games ago, but Kopecky will probably be back on Thursday. Hudler took a nasty hit from Phanuef, which took him a few seconds to get up from. He finished the game, so I'm hoping nothing shows up later. Phaneuf is about 6'2" and Hudler is only 5'9", so it was not fun to see--and Lilja took exception to such a big guy going after one of the Wings' finesse players, so he went after Phaneuf. Now, it wasn't much of a fight--not many of the Europeans fight and the Swedes fight VERY rarely--but Lilja DID manage to take Phaneuf down, which was a victory. As is the case with most fights these days--unless Downey is involved, of course--it was mostly pushing and wrestling and dancing around the ice. But, it was good to see Lilja stand up for a teammate--something more of the bigger guys on the team need to do.

Tuesday

Thank goodness I have an appointment to get my hair cut and colored. It has been so long since I've had it done that I'm actually getting an idea as to what my real color is! Sad.

Sunday

Not a lot going on around here. K is off today, but goes back on nights tomorrow--this is his 'three-one-three' stretch (three days, one day off, three nights). Then next week Thursday he goes on his week off again. After all these years, you would think it would get easier living the 'shift-work' life, but it doesn't. :)

We still don't have snow on the ground--which doesn't bother me. It is so much easier to get around without the snow--I much prefer driving on clear roads. DUH! Again, the forecast is for snow the middle of the week, so we'll see.

Just talked to C and she is doing as well as can be expected. She heard that her OB is booked solid through the month of December for surgeries, so she can't even ask him to take the baby a bit early. Right now, she is scheduled JUST after 40 weeks--possibly the longest she has ever held on to a pregnancy. If she didn't have to worry about the baby's health, she would want to have things start happening NOW--she isn't the happiest of people when she's pregnant. I wonder WHY she keeps getting pregnant, then?

The Wings lost again last night. While they didn't play well until the third, they DID come back and tie up the game with two goals only 5 seconds apart! THAT was exciting, to say the least. Ozzy did a wonderful job--until the shoot-out. Don't know why he fell apart like he did. The next game is on Tuesday and it hasn't been announced as to who will be in net--I KNOW Dom has to get his game back, but he has lost three in a row since coming back from his injury, so it is scary to see him start. They just haven't done well, at all, since they had the long break after the last west coast trip. I hope they didn't peak too early--October was a great month for them. Oh, well, there still is 3/4 of the season to go--anything can still happen. And probably will.

Only two weeks of classes and then a week of exams left and The Nephew will be gone. Again I will say, he is not hard to be around, but it will be nice to have my house back! The time is going too slowly. :)

Well, I've farted around long enough. I have to get going and do some more towards decorating this house. Again, oh, yay.

The Earliest Yet

I must say I surprised myself tonight--I had my first meltdown of the season! I think this is the earliest this has EVER happened. I always know it is going to come--usually more than once--but I definitely wasn't expecting to go off the day after Thanksgiving!

For anyone who has read this blog for a while, this isn't news to you. To the rest, here it is: I. HATE. CHRISTMAS! While I love the meaning behind it, I have rarely had a wonderful Christmas--and a lot of the reason is The Mother. She lost her mother as an infant and was abandoned by her father. Every year he promised her he would see her at Christmas and every year he didn't show up. This, of course, stayed with her as an adult and she would be very depressed during the season. Even though she tried to keep her feelings from me--at least when I was very young--she wasn't quite able to pull it off. The fact that we weren't very well off meant I couldn't have the things other kids did, so, combined with The Mother's depression and my not getting what I wanted, I developed a loathing for Christmas, as well.

When I got my own family, I tried desperately to make the 'perfect' Christmas. Every year I worked myself to the point of exhaustion and every year I failed in some way to have a 'Norman Rockwell' Christmas. I began my Christmas baking at least a month ahead of time--I always felt as if I didn't do enough if there were less than 20 dozen cookies in the freezer. I would make at least 6 loaves of nisu--a Finnish cardamom sweet bread--caramel corn, peanut brittle, fudge, Chex mix, and 6 loaves of cranberry bread. (I could have done more, I just have forgotten.) I also went through an extended period of making most of the gifts we gave to the families--I made so many crocheted snowflakes that I can't even come close to estimating the dozens I have done over the years. And I decorated our house to within an inch of its life--I always called the decor 'tacky Christmas boutique!' Every place a decoration could be placed, there was one. All of the windows and doorways had lights and garland--we had two decorated trees. I have a wall of bookshelves in the dining room and I would remove all of the items from those, just so I would have a place to display some of my Christmas collections. I literally went crazy at Christmas.

Maybe things would have been okay if The Mother wouldn't have been the way she is. When the girls were very young, we would 'go home' for Christmas. I would usually be there for a few days before Christmas and K would follow on his days off. We did this every year until a few years after our youngest was born. It just got to be too difficult to haul all of the gifts up there and then haul them back here every year, so we stopped doing it. Besides, I felt we needed to start our own traditions. This didn't go over too well with The Mother. She felt as if we had a tradition by going there for the holidays. (Funny thing is, WE always had to go to them--The Family has never made the effort to come here to our house!) Not only did I want our own family to be together, but I needed to break away from The Mother's possessiveness. Our time there wasn't pleasant for me at all.

When we would be 'back home' for Christmas, the time went like this: on Christmas Eve we would go to K's parent's house where we had a meal and then all of the kids opened their non-Santa gifts. Considering there were at least ten grandchildren, this took a bit of time. BUT, we were always trying to rush our way through things because MY family expected us to be at Christmas Eve church services with them and THEN open gifts at The Parent's house afterward. The Mother never was satisfied with the amount of time we spent with them--she always thought any amount of time we spent with my in-laws was too much. This always put me under tremendous amounts of stress. And she was always so jealous of the time I was away from her that I had to downplay any good I felt while with my in-laws. It just got to be so much easier to stay at home--and my stress level wasn't nearly as high.

So, there is the background of my Christmas depression. Add to this my tendency toward SAD and the fact that I have nothing to do with my family and you can see where my dislike for the holidays comes from. Still, despite all of what I went through in years past, I find myself getting very nostalgic, sentimental, and weepy at this time of year. (My doctor offered to give me a prescription--he thinks it is mostly SAD--but I know I will be much better on January 2nd, so I declined.) There definitely are times when I wish we were still part of a family and able to celebrate together, but that ship has sailed. I have had to--for my health--distance myself from The Family and I can't go back anymore. So, I will continue to cry at Folger's commercials and know that this, too, shall pass.

Not A Bad Day

Altogether, my Thanksgiving wasn't bad.

--I got to sleep late--thanks to K, for peeling the potatoes and rutabagas.

--I watched The Blues Brothers for the Nth time--one of my all-time favorite movies. I'm sad that John Belushi died so young.

--I ate till I was sick--isn't that what you're SUPPOSED to do on Thanksgiving?

--And I got to watch the Red Wings play--they lost, to NASHVILLE!, but I got to see a game, nonetheless.

I think the only thing that kept the day from being pretty near perfect was the Wings' loss!

Tomorrow is Black Friday and everyone knows where I will be: in my bed sleeping! I'm almost done with my shopping, so I don't need to do anything as foolish as going out on Black Friday. Instead, I will begin my Christmas decorating. Oh, yay.

So, how many of you are brave enough to face the crowds on Black Friday? I've done it twice in my life--once I went by myself and once I went with my youngest. I must admit, the day I went with A was one of my most favorite memories. She got into the spirit very well--the moment we hit the open doors of a store, she would SPRINT to whatever we were there to buy. It was a lot of fun seeing her in action--she would take a runner's stance and she'd be off, long, blond hair flying behind her as she raced down the aisles. I only wish I had had a video camera to capture the moments. It was fun.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are going to have a quiet day on Thanksgiving--just K and me. And I am perfectly okay with that. K took the day off, so we will just cook and eat. He will watch football and I will get to see the Wings play tomorrow night, so all is right with the world. (They play tonight, too, so I really am happy.) The turkey is in the oven--I decided to do it and the gravy today--and the rest of the meal will be cooked tomorrow. It will be nice to have the turkey carcass stripped and thrown out before we have the main meal. Tonight I will make my stock for turkey-vegetable soup, to be made at a later date. I may even cheat a little and partially abandon the South Beach diet tomorrow--I MUST have a little bit of mashed potatoes and stuffing!

So, I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to one and all--I hope you have a day to be thankful for!

Hmmm!

I remember reading/hearing a long time ago, that if you stood with your arms straight out from the sides of your body and measured from the tip of your middle finger on the right hand to the tip of your middle finger on your left hand, the number would equal your height. My number falls short by several inches. Do you think this could, in ANY way, be part of the reason I can't reach things on the second shelf of my kitchen cupboards?

Just A Few Words

--K is working night shift for the next few days. It always is kind of nice to have the place to myself--I get to do what I have to in the time I want. It looks as if he will be working overtime the first week in December--always nice to have that little extra boost to the paycheck just before Christmas!

--Haven't mentioned C's pregnancy very much because she hasn't kept me too well informed. I'm not sure if she is trying to shield me or if she is just too busy, but we haven't talked all that much this month. I DO know she had contractions sometime in October and had to go to the hospital. She was there for a few hours and they got them to stop. She was sent home with the instructions to 'stay off her feet.' HAH!!! She has five children at home--three of which are 4 and under--so HOW is she supposed to do bed rest? That was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Her OB has given her different instructions and she seems to be doing okay. She has started to get one injection of progesterone per week with the hopes that she doesn't go into labor or have her water break. All she wants is to keep this baby in for four more weeks--if it comes any sooner, she has to be sent here for the NICU. Not a great time of year to be away from your family, for sure.

--Deer hunting season started on Thursday and I survived--by NOT going to the grocery store on Tuesday or Wednesday. There weren't all that many hunters in the store last weekend, but there were enough. You can always tell the guys shopping for deer camp. First, they have lost looks on their faces. Next, they have an abundance of beef, beer, and chips in their shopping carts. Every deer hunter has a list he is reading from--well, the ones that have done this for years, anyway--and he studies it intensely to make sure he doesn't forget anything. (I STILL think most of them probably forget the toilet paper.) It is strange, but when you find a hunter shopping by himself, there is more of a tendency for a shopping list--when you find a group of four or more, they usually DON'T have one. They probably think that what one doesn't remember, the others will. It is truly an experience watching them, though.

--We have had snow again this week, but not nearly as much as last week. Again, it has pretty much melted and we should be getting more next week. It definitely is feeling like winter, though--the temps are in the upper 20s and lower 30s at night.

--It has taken me this long since Tuesday night to actually realize I DID see the game the way it happened. The Wings were ahead 2-0 after the first period--then they let 4 unanswered goals go in during the second period. Hasek was pulled from the game and Ozzy finished the night. While baby boy scored a goal in the third, Z's point streak ended on Tuesday. The final score was 4-3 in favor of St Louis. It was the first time this season that they lost two games in a row--and they deserved to lose with the way they played the second and third periods. I certainly hope they do better tomorrow night, but I'm not going to hold my breath--they are playing Chicago. Again. Heaven help the Wings.

--To add insult to injury, the Wings couldn't even get home from St Louis on Tuesday. While making a turn on the runway, their plane--Red Bird One--ran off the tarmac and got stuck in mud. They weren't going anywhere. The team had to leave the plane and catch a charter the following day while the plane was looked after. This was a first for me--never heard of a plane--especially a big one like that--getting stuck in mud before.

--And finally, a few of the more interesting reports from the police log:

\Door making banging sounds. Why would you call the police for that? This one I don't understand.
\Drunken person sleeping in resident's bed. I think the thing that should be of concern is HOW did the drunken person get into the house in order TO sleep in the resident's bed? And to top it all off, this happened at 5:45 PM. HMMMMM.
\Health and safety complaint--person walking around in shorts. Now, nothing says that the person was ONLY wearing shorts, so isn't it up to the individual if he/she wants to freeze their noogies off and wear shorts in freezing weather? I guess my response to this one is: MIND YOUR OWN F*CKING BUSINESS!
\Unwanted disorderly person. As opposed to a WANTED disorderly person?
\Roommate locked out of house. Quite a fight there, hey?
\Coyote sighting. Okay, maybe I can understand this, but still... We live in a rural area--I have more wildlife in my yard in one year than the majority of Americans see in their entire lifetime, so WHY call the cops about seeing a coyote? Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand this.
\Larceny of a bow. I am REALLY hoping this pertains to archery and NOT gift package ribbons. :)

So, that concludes the most interesting items from the police log for the past few days. We really DO live in quite an unexciting area of the world--and we like it like that! :D

Pictures

Yesterday when I posted, I was too tired to look for the pictures to go along with the post, so here they are.

This is People's cover declaring Matt Damon as 'The Sexiest Man Alive.' (Believe me, they could have found a much better picture of him!)




Wentworth Miller has to be seen in action--as in Prison Break. While he does photograph well, his brooding persona in the show is what gives him the sexy factor.




Nothing more to say about Hugh Laurie--just going to post the pic. :)




As I said, Jensen Ackles is nummy! Granted, he's a little young, but oh so nice to look at. :)




And we can't forget Alex O'Loughlin. I think part of his appeal, too, is the broodiness of the character he plays on Moonlight. Very easy on the eyes.

Sexiest Man

So, Matt Damon was named People magazine's 'Sexist Man Alive' for 2007. Eh. While I think he is very cute and have enjoyed many of his movies, I don't see him as 'sexiest man' material. But then, I cannot for the life of me understand Ben Affleck, George Clooney, or Brad Pitt being given the title, either. (Oh, I REALLY want to know what kind of drugs the voters were on the year Justin Timberlake was picked 'sexiest'--I really want to avoid THOSE drugs at all costs!!!!)

Okay, now that I have said who I DON'T think is sexiest, who would I pick? Don't have a clue. I do have a few pieces of eye-candy that I like watching, but as for which one is the best? No one comes to mind. But, nice nonetheless are:

--Wentworth Miller. He is one of the reasons I keep watching Prison Break--and this season, there are very few other reasons, believe me.

--Hugh Laurie. Okay, he isn't classically good-looking, but he is quite fine. Add to it his acting ability AND his sense of humor--LOVE him on talk shows--he's not hard to take.

--Jensen Ackles. This is one mighty fine looking guy! Quite nummy, actually. I certainly hope to see much more of him when Supernatural is done, but for now I will get my fill of him on Thursday nights.

--Alex O'Loughlin. I think he is the only reason I continue to watch Moonlight--well, Jason Dohring is okay, too. :) What is it about Australians, hmmm? Yes, another nummy.

These are just some who I think could be called sexier than Damon, but I still have yet to find THE sexiest. (And I only included ones who are in shows I currently watch. There are others, but they don't come to mind right now.)

I am thinking my whole problem right now is age--most of the eye candy is so young that I feel like a dirty old woman if I think "Yum. NICE." I do have the tendency to look at young guys and think more along the line of 'cute' instead of 'GORGEOUS.' It just feels like lusting after a daughter's boyfriend, or something. {shudder}

A lot of women find athletes do it for them. Unfortunately, I am not finding anyone on the Red Wings that get more than a passing 'cute' from me. (Of course, most of THEM are young enough to be my kid, so...) Also, too many hockey players have faces 'only a mother could love'--comes from too many sticks and pucks hitting them. (Come on now, just how many times can you get 20 stitches to the face and still be considered 'pretty?') Oh, well. And with all the padding hockey players wear, well you can't even tell if they have nice bods! (I'm always amazed at how SMALL many players look in regular street clothes!) I have to hand it to football--they sure know how to dress players in a way to keep women interested.

Now I will ask my readers: Just who would YOU pick for 'Sexiest Man Alive?' (And, NO, you cannot choose your significant other--this is just celebrities, thank you! :)

Back Again

We did our day run yesterday and I shopped until my little feet about fell off. As of today, I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. And for someone who hates the season as much as I do, that's saying a lot. At this rate, I will be done with everything before Thanksgiving--a first for me!

Other than the gift buying, we did our usual running around--pet store, William-Sonoma, Sam's Club, DSW, etc. I am going to have to cut myself off of DSW, however--I don't seem to be able to go into that place without buying something! Yesterday I was a woman on a mission, however--I decided that I needed to get a REAL pair of winter boots. Now, for someone who lives in the land of snow and cold, it is ridiculous for me not to have a good pair of winter boots. But, all of these years I just figured since I don't NEED to leave the house most days, my hiking boots were good enough for when I needed boots. Not the best thinking on my part. So anyway, I went on the hunt for a good pair of boots. My first thought was to get a pair of UGGS--I figured they were SO out of fashion after this many years, that I could get them. They are made well and are very warm, so... But, of course, the one pair that was in the store didn't quite float my boat, so I passed. After wandering and pondering, I decided on a pair of Rocket Dogs. Kind of cute, but the selling point was the warmth and the comfort level--so comfortable that I won't even need to break them in! (And with MY feet, that is a miracle!) So, what do you think--here is a pic:



Nothing big-time going on here. The Nephew will be leaving back early this week because hunting season starts on Thursday. His professor says he will excuse anyone that doesn't show up for class, even though the opening day of deer season is NOT an official holiday here. I don't know why they don't just close everything down for the day--the amount of absenteeism on the first day is astounding!

The Wings play in St. Louis tonight--hopefully they can make up for the embarrassment of Sunday night's loss to Chicago! I just don't understand WHAT the problem is, but Detroit almost looks like a deer caught in headlights this year against the Blackhawks--makes no sense whatsoever. And I would like to know who lit a fire under Lang. When he was with the Wings, he couldn't do anything--now that he is with Chicago, he can't be stopped when they play Detroit! Unbelievable. As I said, hopefully they will redeem themselves tonight.

Even though the Wings' winning streak was stopped--once again--at 9 games, Z continues on his streak: 17 games with at least one point in each game. He still is the leader in the league. I will hate to see this end, which it will, of course.

Almost Didn't

While I know how fast goals can be scored in a hockey game, five minutes before last night's game ended, I found myself 'knowing' that Z's consecutive point streak was about to be over. And wouldn't you know it, he waited until there were only one and a half minutes left to the game before he scored. He now has extended his franchise-record by getting a point in 16 consecutive games, starting at the first game of the season. He is in second place, league-wide, with goals at 13. He tops the league with 26 points. Hopefully, when his streak ends he won't go into a slump and will go on to being one of the top 5 at the end of the year. It would be nice if he actually got the 'atta-boys' he so richly deserves.

Z's goal wasn't needed for the win--the Wings beat Columbus 4-1. They now are at a franchise-tying 9 win streak. Tomorrow they play Chicago. Chicago beat them twice already this year, so the streak very possibly will come to an end. Maybe they will have figured out what they did wrong the last two times they played and fix it. Anyway, I will be watching and cursing and cheering, as usual.

Nothing Interesting

--Not much going on around here. The days are kind of dark, but it is warm enough that the snow is slowly melting. I'm thinking if this keeps up, we will have bare ground and have to start all over again.

--Went to have my annual hearing test/ENT visit yesterday. Everything is about the same as last year--a good thing to know it isn't getting any worse. They brought up the possibility of me getting hearing aids, again, and again told me it was my decision as to WHEN I do it. It's just like getting glasses for the first time. You don't know HOW much you need them until AFTER you get them. I'm still going to wait for a while before making the big decision to get them--I'm hearing well enough. And it IS a slight hearing loss, after all. My biggest problem is with people that have accents--I have to constantly have them repeat themselves. Oh, well.

--The other night we had at least one deer visit our yard--we had ALL kinds of hoof prints in the snow. It ate from the open feeder, chewed off some of the kernels from the corn cob, and nosed around everything that had fallen on the ground from the other feeder. I put out some more corn for it yesterday, but it didn't make a return last night. Wish I would have seen it--I'd like to know the size.

--K is on his long weekend and I think we will make at least a day run to one of the big cities. I now have the booklist from C and will be able to get the Christmas shopping done for the grandkids. It would be nice to get shopping done early for a change.

--Looks as if we are done with vehicle repairs for the very near future. I have had the Jimmy in three times in the last couple of weeks and K just had some major bucks put into the truck--DAMN but that was a bigger expense we didn't need right now! There are still a couple of things we need to fix on the Jimmy, but we have lived with them long enough that we can wait--they are both more annoyances than anything else. We'll have to see if there are any overtime shifts available any time soon...

--We only have 4 or 5 more weeks of The Nephew living here. While he has been no problem at all, it will be nice to be 'back to normal' once again. The thing I am noticing the most: the amount of food that is consumed when he is here! I just can't keep up! After the girls left, I made NO adjustments on the amounts of food I would make for a meal. This was fine, as K takes leftovers in for his lunch at work. Whenever I make a bigger meal, I usually would be able to pack 2 or more lunches for him. With The Nephew here, I'm lucky if K gets ONE lunch for work! I don't understand how anyone with teenage-to-early-20s young men can afford to feed them. Having girls was just SOOOOO much easier in so many ways. BUT, girls are problems of a different nature, so...guess it all works out in the end.

--Talking about food, I need to go to the grocery store--again. (I'm doing that WAY too often lately!) Anyway, I DREAD the thought as hunting season is less than two weeks away and I'm sure I will have to start fighting off the hunters getting ready for deer camp. The only good thing about hunters shopping is that I usually get very good stories to tell! :)

--Another Vegas story: Elton John performed at The Coliseum at Caesar's Palace. There were signs stating that NO food or drinks were to be brought in. Also, the signs stated that refreshments would be available inside. Great. So, we decided to get drinks before the show. K ordered a bottle of Bud Lite--he is just so classy that way--and I ordered a Wolfgang Puck Strawberry Daiquiri. Now, I realized it would be expensive but...the beer cost $7 and the daiquiri was $14! While the daiquiri WAS quite good, it definitely WAS NOT $14 good. I was a bit astonished.

--The Wings play Columbus tonight--I sure hope they are back in their groove. The Central Division is so much tougher than it has been--no way for them to be complacent. I have to gear myself up for the next game they lose--I will be absolutely devastated. I know it will come, I just have to be ready. :)

Almost Blew It

I knew last night's game was going to be a little off. After being idle for 5 days, it takes players awhile to get back up to speed and last night was no exception. The first period was fine, the second period was a little worse, and then the third period was awful. After scoring two goals in the first two periods, the Wings blew a 2 goal lead in the third--AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Detroit couldn't score in the overtime and then it came down to the shootout--the part of the game I. HATE. MORE. THAN. ANYTHING!!!!! Z and Datsyuk both made their shots and Ozzy blocked the two attempts by Nashville and the final score was Detroit 3-Nashville 2. They JUST managed to win.

Right now the team is on an 8-game winning streak. Last year around this time they had a 9-game streak before they lost. They play Central Division teams for a 9-game stretch, but it won't be as easy of a time this year as it was last--the teams are playing quite well. (Hell, Chicago beat Detroit twice already this year!) Hopefully they'll find themselves playing better on Wednesday when Columbus comes to town.

Z continued on his streak and had an assist--this broke the franchise record for consecutive games for a point to start the season. He still is at the top of the list among all players in points and is in second place for goals scored. If he can stay healthy this year, there is no telling WHAT he could do. AND my boy got an assist last night, so he is doing well. He is playing very well and I can only see better things for him as the year goes on.

Thirteen Things ( Plus One)

Last week, burg did a Thursday Thirteen post about '13 products I love or make my life easier.' Well, I thought I would put my own spin on the Thursday 13 and came up with this:

13 Things I Can't Live Without! (and yes, I realize it isn't Thursday--deal with it!)

1. computer--I try to imagine my life without the computer--or even what my life was like before getting a computer--and I can't. My computer--and the internet--have become such a big part of my life every day that I don't know what I would do without it. Both of my girls agree that life would be quite difficult without computers. Granted, computers can be great sources of frustration, but without them, how would we ever be able to find out about slugs, snot, and Anna Nicole Smith's last moments of life?

2. phone--Without my phone, I would never have contact with my girls--or the one person in my family who still talks to me. The girls and I have marathon talk-fests and it's almost like they were actually here. Sometimes it is hard to be so far away from them. Other times...:) The Mother's cousin is the only person from either side of my family who talks to me--and she lives in Arizona. So, without the phone, I wouldn't have any contact with my family.

3. VCR--I would love to add DVR to this, but we don't have one. (Frankly, I won't get a DVR until the size of the box is smaller--it would take up too much of my counter space in the kitchen.) I guess we could get TiVo, or somesuch, but why bother. Right now, the VCRs work just as well for me. I don't watch TV in real time, so the VCRs are a necessity for me. And it is inevitable, whenever K is awake and I'm watching something on TV, he will always come into the kitchen at the most critical time during a show and begin talking to me. If it wasn't for tapes and DVDs, I would never know what was going on in most of the programs I watch.

4. music--Music has always played such a big part of my life. While I might not have the WIDEST range in musical tastes, I do have a variety of interests. I own CDs from Brian Adams to Meatloaf. I own Mozart to Led Zepplin. Barry Manilow and BB King both are part of my collection. Whatever mood I am in, I can find music to compliment, sooth, or enhance my feelings.

5. books--Just the thought of giving up ANY of my books can cause a panic attack. I own way too many books--a lot of which I probably will never look at again--but I love the feeling of owning books. The first time I owned a hardcover book was in high school--I thought I was the richest person on earth to own such a treasure. And I still feel that way today. I love to read and I love owning books. It is my life-long dream to have a house big enough to designate one room as 'the library.' I don't think it will ever happen, however. :(

6. coffee--Several years ago, when I was asked how many cups of coffee I drink per day, I would laugh. I never drank CUPS of coffee, I drank POTS! Three pots a day was not unusual for me. In the last couple of years, however, I have cut my consumption down to one pot or less a day. But, I will never give up my coffee completely. I couldn't call myself a good Finn if I did!

7. coke--That is 'coke' as in Coca-Cola, not as in 'cocaine.' :) One of the reasons I don't drink as much coffee these days is because I have increased my consumption of Coke. I guess I have to get my caffeine fix some way.

8. Birkenstocks--I don't think I actually COULD give up 'ikey-dikey Birkies'* even if I wanted to. I have worn them for so many years that my feet just don't find 'regular' shoes comfortable anymore. And besides, they are so comfortable, I wouldn't WANT to stop wearing them.

9. sewing machine--While I don't sew as much as I used to, I would be lost without my sewing machine--if for no other reason than for repairing clothing. K brings his work clothes home for me to repair a few times a year and it definitely helps cut down on the cost of buying. Also, it is nice to be able to fix small problems--without a machine, most of the clothing would have to be thrown away. However, I wasn't real thrilled with the last batch of repairs I had to do: K brought home his works socks and had me fix them. I thought THAT was going overboard a little.

10. indoor plumbing--Now, don't laugh, but there still are places here in the UP that don't have indoor plumbing--something I just can't imagine. As a matter of fact, the roadside rest areas here in the UP are ALL outdoor/non-flush toilets! You don't find ME using them unless it is an absolute EMERGENCY!!!!! I always have said that it would have been amazing to have been at Woodstock, but I could NEVER have made it that many days without a shower or real toilet!

11. post-it notes--I would be absolutely lost without post-its. Especially at my computer desk, I have little pieces of paper stuck all over the place--just little reminders of things I have to do. Considering I suffer 'half-heimers,' it is surprising I don't have MORE post-its hanging around.

12. sticky lint rollers--Having a long-haired cat, lint rollers are essential to my life. I use these things so much that I buy them by the 8-pack at Sam's Club. Sadly, the last few times we were shopping at Sam's, there were no lint rollers to be found. I guess I will have to buy them one at a time till they make a return appearance at the Club.

13. a vehicle--While we DO have taxis and a bus service here in town, they are no where near as convenient as having my own vehicle. I don't often go out during the day, but it is nice to know that I can if I want/need to. I just couldn't imagine life without a vehicle of my own.

Bonus: hockey--You just KNEW I had to mention it, didn't you? :) Actually, hockey is such a nice pasttime here in the land of ice and snow, that I'm glad I found my love of it again. Through the dark days and even darker nights of winter, having a passion and something to look forward to is a real asset. Too many people here suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder)--I am one with the tendencies--so it is great to have something fun to do. Besides, I don't participate in all of the outdoor winter activities, so I must have SOMETHING to do during our long winter season.

*I don't mean to offend--this is just the way we have always referred to them.

First One Is Over *UPDATED

Looks like the first snow storm of the year is winding down. While we didn't get more than a few inches here in town, a few miles north of us got 12" dumped on them. Schools were closed all over the north central part of the UP--including here in the city. The worst part of the whole thing is the fact that the snow is that wet, heavy uck--the kind that makes the roads slippery even when you are driving carefully. Quite a few minor accidents occurred--which is the norm for the first snow of the year. Our biggest traffic problem is the students. We have kids coming here who are from places that get little, if any, snow, so it is an adjustment for them when the snow starts. I stay home for a few days until they get used to it.

While there were a few power outages around the area, we only experienced several 'hiccups.' Of course, the biggest one happened while I was in the shower. I was so afraid the lights would go out in the middle of shampooing--can't find anything in a bathroom that has no lights AND no window! Luckily, the winds are diminishing and the snow is down to flurries, so we might get to keep our power.

I guess winter is finally here--the forecast calls for snow every day for the next few. Yay.

*UPDATE: I guess I got ahead of myself here. We now have a snow, blowing snow, and wind advisory. The waves on the lake are supposed to be 15-20 feet. We're supposed to get 2-5 more inches of lake effect snow.

Again, as long as the power doesn't go out, I am fine. But, it looks as if we will have some snow every day for the rest of the week. I really don't think we will have too much of an accumulation, though.

Image Macros

Image macros are--according to mental_floss--'web based images with text superimposed on them.' Here is the link to mental_floss' Intro to LOL Cats.

I bring this to your attention so that I can introduce you to I Can Has Cheezburger. It is the newest site for me to waste time! Check it out--some of the pics and captions are hysterical! (And while most of the pictures are of cats, not all of them are. And so what if it's all cats? They are funny!)

Fun Times Ahead?

When I went to read my mail earlier today, the following greeted me:

WINTER STORM WATCH



...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...



A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING.



SNOW WILL DEVELOP MONDAY MORNING AND MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF TUESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE THAN 10 INCHES OF SNOW FROM THIS STORM...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGHER TERRAIN LOCATIONS FROM ALBERTA AND BIG BAY THROUGH NEGAUNEE AND SKANDIA.



IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH AT TIMES WILL LIKELY CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY.


Yes, it certainly looks as if we will have the first snowstorm of the year. While I don't mind snowstorms, I really hate the wet, heavy snow with high winds--I'm always so afraid that the power lines will come down. And when that happens, we are screwed! Not only don't we have lights, but we have no heat--NOT fun when the wind chill is below freezing!

At least, there doesn't seem to be any indication that we will have weather like there was when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. It will be 32 years next Saturday when that tragic event happened.

Even though I went shopping last night, I will have to go to the store tomorrow to pick up a few extra things--just in case! :) Just one of those quirks I have.

Tonight

Went grocery and various needs shopping tonight. Several things came to mind for me to blog about, so here goes.

First of all, it was the perfect night outside--at least in my opinion. The temp was 42 degrees, there was no wind, and the sky was completely clear. The stars were so bright it seemed as if you could just reach out and touch them--just gorgeous. As I have said often, I really like the weather when it is on the cool side and tonight was just fine for me.

I shop at WalMart for a lot of my non-grocery essentials. I know this is a sore subject for a lot of people, but there really are very few choices here. We have Target and Shopko, but really, no other stores that carry the same things as Wally World does--so I shop there. And it is open 24 hours a day, so it is so very convenient for me. HOWEVER, I may just have to stop going there after tonight--they were playing Christmas carols over the sound system in the store!!!!!! Excuse me, but didn't we JUST have Halloween? Talk about rushing the season. I was upset enough seeing the Christmas displays in all of the stores, but THIS...ENOUGH!!!!!!

Again tonight, I almost got run over by a kid wearing those STUPIDASS Heelys! You know, the sneakers with the roller skates in them. I am really getting pissed off--almost every time I go to the store recently, there are kids skating around, not paying attention to anything but what they want--not enjoyable, at all. I don't understand why the parents don't watch them better.

Talking about kids, there was the most annoying kid in the world at the grocery store. Now, I get annoyed and upset when people have little ones in stores that are screaming their heads off because of tiredness, but this kid was something else. First off, he WASN'T crying--actually he seemed to be in an okay mood. So, what was the problem, you may ask? It is this: I have NEVER heard a kid so loud in my entire life! Believe me, he even had my oldest beat! I knew exactly where he and the parents were at every moment, because he never stop talking--or yelling, take your pick. And it wasn't enough that he was loud, but he knew basically one word, MOM. And he didn't stop saying it--just kept repeating "MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM" for what seemed like hours. I never was so happy to be able to hear the Musak play as I was when--I assume, because I stopped hearing 'MOM'--they left the store. Gave me a whopper of a headache.

Tonight I bought the new Eagles' CD and am listening to it now. Classic Eagles--and it is very good. I can't wait to find out where they will be performing during the tour next year--we WILL be going if they make a swing close enough to us. But, then, K said we might just make the trip to Vegas if we have to, to see them. FUN!!

And speaking of Vegas, I forgot to write about the strangest thing I saw while we were there. On Thursday, as we were getting back to our hotel in order to get ready for the show that night, we met a group of young men coming out as we were going in. Now, I wouldn't have paid much attention to them, except for one of the young men--and you COULDN'T ignore him if you wanted to. He was probably in the 6' range and slender. He was wearing a football helmet. Also, he had on a number-shirt cut off above his naval. And he had on an extremely short tutu. On his legs he had neon-pink fishnet stockings and on his feet he wore cowboy boots. I'm assuming--and hoping--that they were having a bachelor party and he was the bachelor. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right? Unless someone happens to blog about it, that is! :)

Detroit 4-Calgary 1

To say tonight's game was good is putting it mildly. Z scored twice, Ozzy won, again, and the Wings' winning streak is at 7. To top it all off, for the first time ever, the Wings swept a Western Canada road trip. They are doing very well, indeed.

Filppula didn't get a point this game, but he played quite well. Still is doing fine on the penalty kill--always a good thing. Z was named the star of the month for the month of October--DUH!!! With his two goals tonight, he remains at the top of point leaders list. For sure, he will wear the 'C' when Lidstrom retires--AND he will be in the Hall of Fame. Amazing.

Now I will go into a deep depression because the Wings will not be playing again until next Wednesday. It's good that they will have a rest, but I hope it doesn't backfire on them--too many times teams will get out of shape quickly when they have too many days off. On Wednesday they play Nashville. While Nashville hasn't been doing as well so far this year as they did last year, you can never count them out. First game against the little pissant Tootoo--might be interesting to see how Downey will take care of him! :)



--Detroit Red Wings' Jiri Hudler, right, of Czech Republic, celebrates his goal with teammate Valtteri Filppula, of Finland, during first period NHL hockey action against the Calgary Flames in Calgary,Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Jeff McIntosh, The Canadian Press)--

Trick-or-Treat

We had a big night here for trick-or-treaters--we got a grand total of 11!! For us, that is a good night. Because we live at the bottom of the hill on a dead end street, not many kids venture down our way. Besides, it is one of the darkest streets in town--don't know why they can't add another street light!

While we didn't have snow tonight, it looks as if we might be getting some tomorrow. However, we probably won't get any here in the city--the lake protects us so much by keeping us just that much warmer than the surrounding areas. Right now the temp is 40 degrees, but the wind chill is down around 32 with winds gusting to 30mph. I can really feel the change in the temp--it is a bit chilly here in the house because we haven't removed our air conditioners yet. Hopefully that will be done this weekend.

Now that Halloween is done, we have moved--officially--into The Season! And I am trying to put off my depression as long as possible. I felt it coming on about a week or so back--I told K that 'it's that time of year, again' and he just gave me one of those looks. So sorry, but this is the worst time of the year for me and the only way I could be happy during the season is if we would go somewhere far, far away for the Christmas holidays. Disney World might be nice, but I'm flexible. A resort might be nice, too. Just to go somewhere different that wouldn't remind me of everything--that would be heaven.