5 More Years

Yes. Yes! YES!! YES!!! YES!!!! The Red Wings have signed Valtteri Filppula for 5 years/$15 million. My Baby Boy is staying at home. I am a truly happy woman today. Now let's start the damn season already!

--Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula, is shown in this June 4, 2008 photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn--

Police Log

Can you believe it? Two days in a row! :)


--Monday, 12:33 PM, car alarm going off since Saturday

Excuse me?!?!?!?!?! You wait TWO FREAKING DAYS to call about a car alarm that is blaring? WHERE is the logic?


--3:37 PM, squirrel in fireplace

Really now, is THIS a problem for the police?


--8:19 PM, disorderly juveniles swimming and climbing flag pole

Why would swimming be bad? I think this is just very badly worded.


--1:45 AM, destruction of property, people writing in new cement

I understand the destruction of property call, but HOW long does it take for cement to harden? This happened at 1:45 in the MORNING! I'm sure the cement was poured MANY hours before that!

Police Log

For some reason or other, the stupid police calls have stopped around here. All I have been seeing are about drunks and failure to pay for gas, etc. Very, very dull, boring stuff. But there is always hope and I was rewarded for my patience over the past couple of days. I now present the police logs:


--11:08 PM, woman with finger stuck in ironing board

Ouch? But, HOW do you do this? And why do you call the police?

--1:56 PM, lost cell phone and envelope containing bridge cards

Okay, I understand the cell phone, but lost bridge cards????

And now for the 'stupidest person in the world' award--AND an award for 'making lemonade when you are handed lemons':

--1:55 AM, caller reported orange light on lake, possible boater in distress, turned out to be the moon rising, but officer found minors partying on beach

Really, we AREN'T all this stupid around here!

OOOOOOO-EEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO!!

A couple of weeks before I had my LASIK done, we purchased a Tomtom GPS system. It was one of the best purchases we ever made. It got us to the clinic where I had the surgery done with NO trouble at all and has gotten us everywhere we wanted to go with only one exception. The Tomtom didn't have directions for us when we went to my family reunion, but that isn't a real surprise. It was held in an EXTREMELY rural area which recently had its roads re-named for fire safety purposes.

Today--for the second time since we got it--the Tomtom turned itself on and announced, "Turn left now!" (We don't keep it in the Jimmy for fear it will be stolen.) K was in the kitchen when it happened and really had a bit of a startled look on his face. The first time it happened, I was home alone and I don't think he completely believed me when I told him the story.

After a great deal of thought, I have come to one conclusion as to why it turns itself on like it does: Our house-ghost wants to cross over and doesn't know the directions--the Tomtom is just trying to help. :)

6 Things I'm Proud Of Meme

Janet tagged me for this one. I won't tag anyone specifically, but it would be interesting to read what ALL of my readers have to say--go for it!

Here are my six--in no particular order.

1. I am extremely proud of my Finnish heritage. The Finnish people are amazing and I am glad to be one of them. The amount of 'sisu' they have has been passed to me--I DO hang in there for the long haul! It takes a special kind of person to live in the harsh climates of Finland AND they DID beat the Russians during the Winter War. For whatever reason, the Finns were looked at as 'lacking' and 'dumb' by the Southern European peoples that also lived where I grew up. Don't know why, but that was the way it was. Many people that I grew up with turned their backs on their Finnish heritage and only 'remembered' another branch of their family, but I never did. And, considering I am 100% Finn, I guess I couldn't turn my back on my 'Finn-ness.' :) (And this in no way makes me any less proud to be an American. THAT is something so very different in my mind.)

2. I am proud to say that I have been married only once and that we have been married for 35 years this October. (Please, I am NOT dissing anyone who has been divorced.) I guess my 'sisu' is at work on this accomplishment. :) There have been several times when I thought we wouldn't make it, but we have. We love each other just as much--probably more--as when we got married, but it is a different kind of love. We now are comfortable with each other--and that isn't bad. We like to spend time together, but we also can spend time apart--there isn't that 'neediness' associated with our early years. That being said, I can't imagine life without K--and I hope I never have to know what it would be like.

3. I am proud of my daughters. While there were some VERY rough times with each one--times where there was NO communication at all--we did come through it stronger and closer. Both of my girls have amazing musical abilities that I envy beyond words and they each have personalities that I would die for. Whenever I see them in social situations, I take notes--they are who I want to be! I am proud to see a little of myself in each one--it shows that I DID teach them some things. I am constantly amazed whenever I see them doing something I used to do, something I was SURE they never GOT--I didn't do too badly as a mother, after all.

4. I am proud of the things I can do--and the fact that so many of them I taught myself. I am a very good seamstress--and I taught myself to sew. On an old treadle sewing machine! I am very good at crocheting--something my oldest friend and I taught ourselves to do out of boredom. I embroider, make jewelry, bake, cook, scrapbook, etc--all things I taught myself. Most of what I know about computers I taught myself. The gardens I have planted have been a learning experience--and I taught myself. (I must admit I had one GORGEOUS mum garden before I killed it. Oops--nothing to be proud of, I guess.) I also do floral arranging, but I have taken classes for that. :)

5. I am proud that I have broken free of my family. Now, many will find that statement awful, but read on. All my life had been about family and being together. But, it was IMMEDIATE family only--The Parents, The Brother and his family, and my family. That is all--NO extended family whatsoever--unless it was someone from The Mother's family that she thought was worthy. And the 'wanting to be together' was out of guilt, not out of any desire to be there. The Mother is a pro when it comes to making people feel guilty. I broke away and am much happier today. Which leads me to the last point...

6. I am proud that I am no longer under The Mother's power. The world sees her as a wonderful, loving, caring, giving woman who would do anything for you that she could. And, yes, that describes her to a 'T'--except to those who see her 'behind the scenes.' She will give of herself, do volunteer work, have people over, but she bitches, pisses, and moans the entire time to those she is closest to. She is also the most manipulative person I have ever known. The 'dirty work' I have done for her because of her manipulation is amazing. I have made enemies because of her. I have made phone calls and told people to leave her alone because 'her nerves can't take it' and I have come off as the bitch of the world--the whole while she sits and has EVERYONE--including the person I bitched out--feel sorry for her. She is so good at manipulation, that most people don't even realize it is happening. I have seen her 'interrogate' people and they tell her things--GLADLY--that they possibly wouldn't even tell a therapist--and she gets away with it ALL OF THE TIME! BUT, I found the strength to break free of her--and am living a much healthier, happier life.

I know I could have written about any of the volunteer jobs I have had or any number of selfless things I have done--there HAVE been a couple :)--but I thought these would make a much more interesting read. AND it gave a bit more insight into me.

Links

It is Saturday, K is at work, I have nothing much to do, so here I am surfing the web. And, that means I have more links!

--How To Fold A Shirt
Okay, this is a very short, very fast video--AND it is in Japanese (?). I watched it over and over again until I was able to get the 'fold a shirt' thing to work, but work it does! AMAZING! Shirts actually come out looking good with this method.

--Cake Wrecks
This site hasn't been up too long--thank goodness! This makes it very easy to read ALL of the posts--and read them all you must. This blogger posts pictures of decorated cakes that people actually paid for--and there are some very bad cakes here. I had to keep myself from peeing my pants several times--very funny stuff.

--Bomomo
There is a better than even chance that you will only visit this site once, but it is fun the one time. You start with a blank canvas and by using your mouse and the buttons on the bottom of the screen, you can paint your own one-of-a-kind picture. Quite neat.

--The Credit Card Prank
Have you ever used your credit card/debit card and had to sign your name on the slip? Does your signature in any way resemble your normal one OR the one that is on the back of your card? Well, one guy decided to see just how badly he could sign and get away with it. Here is the story of his credit card prank--a bit long, but definitely worth reading. Make sure you read all the way through Part II--he meets the electronic credit card machines and CONTINUES to get away with his experiment.

--The Internet? Bah!
Way back in 1995, Newsweek ran this article by Clifford Stoll. It is so much fun to look back on people's 'predictions' about how computers and the internet are going to impact our lives in the future. This is just one person who was SO wrong!

--Fundrace 2008
So, just how nosy are you? Do you really dislike your neighbors--and would you like another reason to dislike them? This site will tell you who gave what amount of money to which candidate in this year's presidential race. OR you can find out if your favorite celebrity contributes. Either way, this is one fascinating site.

Celebrate

And here are this week's reasons to celebrate:

27 July
Take Your Houseplant For A Walk Day
Walk On Stilts Day

28 July
Hamburger Day
National Milk Chocolate Day
Singing Telegram Day

29 July
Rocket day

30 July
Cheesecake Day

31 July
Jump For Jellybeans Day

1 August
Girlfriend's Day
Spiderman Day
Work Like a Dog Day
World Wide web Day

2 August
National Mustard Day

{sigh}

When we went up north for my family reunion, it was the first time I had been there since I had LASIK done. After sitting at The Mother's kitchen table for about a half hour, K came in and asked her, "Did you notice that C isn't wearing glasses?" She looked at me and asked, "Did you have THAT surgery?" "Yes, I did." Well, I'll tell you what I told your brother after he had his done: You look MUCH better WITH glasses than without."

There is a T-shirt I plan on getting. It says: "If you met my family, you'd understand."

So Sad

Masks

I find goalie masks to be absolutely fascinating--and could even be considered quite beautiful in some cases. I guess my fascination began way back when Gerry Cheevers was the goalie for the Boston Bruins. His mask looked like this:


Cheevers was the first goalie to decorate his mask. After he took a shot to his face during practice, the trainer painted stitches on the mask where he would have gotten cut if he hadn't been wearing a mask. After that, stitches were added after every face shot. And that was the beginning.

I believe every goalie in the NHL--as well as college, etc--has a painted mask these days. That is, except for Chris Osgood from Detroit. He now stands out because of the lack of artwork--which he prefers. Not much to look at, but unique.


Most goalie masks have some meaning for the wearer. Some are deeply personal and most have a connection to the team he plays for. ALL are very interesting, colorful, and, no doubt, horrendously expensive!

Cam Ward--Carolina Hurricanes

Manny Fernandez--Boston Bruins

Rick DiPietro--New York Islanders


Nikolai Khabibulin--Chicago Blackhawks


Manny Legace--St. Louis Blues


Josh Harding--Minnesota Wild

You can find a photo-gallery of 39 masks here--these were from last season. Here is another gallery from SI--from a couple of years ago, I think. You will find some of the same masks and a few different ones. Some of the goalies pictured in these galleries are no longer in the NHL or with the teams listed. Always changing.

As I said, there are reasons for what is painted on a goalie's mask and here you can find the stories behind some. (Click on the picture to zoom in and read the captioning.) A very interesting read.

And for the person who wants even MORE to look at, here is a listing of past masks. Again, some are just amazing.

Sadly

It was announced that Estelle Getty--best known as 'Sophia' in 'The Golden Girls'--passed today. She had been in ill health for quite a while, so it isn't exactly surprising. She was 84. mental_floss has re-run an article about the show in honor of Estelle. Avery interesting read, as they all are at mental_floss.

Let's Get Ready To Ramble!!!!

I haven't really done any posts worth reading for a few days, so I will TRY to write something halfway decent. Here goes.

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We went for one of our road trips this weekend. Last month when we went during the weekend, things worked out decently--not that many people in the restaurants or shopping. At least not so many that I was TOO cranky. This weekend was a different story. No really good stories, just too many irritating people around--enough to make me REALLY happy that I don't carry a gun.

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Last night we went to an authentic Mexican record--authentic in the way that ALL of the employees were NOT American. GREAT food! Our waiter made a fresh salsa right in front of us--to DIE for. I had a chicken taco salad that I could eat every day for the rest of my life and not get tired of. Yum.

**********

Didn't do much in the way of special shopping except for getting a new pair of Birkenstocks. I didn't get any new ones last year and was due. I REALLY needed new ones after the great volcanic toilet incident. My one pair of Birks didn't make it through very well--seeing as I couldn't clean them, I had to throw them away. Considering how comfortable the new ones are, I guess I have to continue spending the big bucks for them--not much else fits well on my 'cabbage-patch doll' shaped feet.

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Last night in downtown Appleton there was a 'classic car cruise.' Anyone with a classic car drove up and down the main drag for all to see. There were people sitting on the sidewalks as if a parade was going on. Really cool. There were some very nice rides, for sure. I wish we would have known ahead of time and could have sat and watched, too. It would be nice if they did this here in our town.

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One of the best parts of last night was the looking at old pictures we did. When we were getting ready for C's 30th birthday party, we had to look through old pictures and came across several of our friends. We have decided to give any pics we come across to the people who they were of--we figured THEY would appreciate them more than we do. This will save a lot of trouble in the future--like after K and I are no longer on this earth. After my aunt died, it was discovered that she had about an inch of old pictures in the bottom of her trunk--and NO ONE knew who any of the people were. How sad is that--pictures that could be given to families and no way to know who would want them. Hopefully I will be able to keep my kids from having this dilemma in the future. Anyway, we had a GREAT time laughing at what we looked like way back when. And to think we actually thought we looked good. :) Old pictures--always good for a laugh.

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Since having my LASIK done, I have realized that I can't put my make-up on without a magnifying mirror. Not a big problem at home: I HAVE a mirror that works. However, I didn't have one for when we travel. Of course, I had to go out and buy a traveling mirror--NOT cheap. Trouble is, it really didn't matter whether I had a magnifier or not--I STILL don't look that great. :) I REALLY need to make an appointment with my make-up consultant--the circles under my eyes are terribly noticeable since getting rid of the glasses.

**********

I've decided to pick up two new shows to watch this summer. First is 'Mad Men' on AMC. It will be starting its second season next Sunday, so I have had to record the entire first season today to catch up. Fun. But, I watched the very first episode and got hooked, sooooooo.....

The second show I'm going to start watching just aired the third episode on Thursday. I remember thinking of watching it this past winter on the CBC, where it started, but I was too into the programs I started at the beginning of the fall AND it was hockey season, so I passed. Well, I saw part of the show on Thursday and now I HAVE to watch it. It is the PERFECT summer show--a REAL guilty pleasure. It is the sleaziest form of soap opera and looks to be so over the top to put it in the 'campy' category. The show is called 'MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives.' WHAT could be more perfect for me? Of course, it is just about as real as a puck-bunny's dreams of meeting and marrying her favorite player, but the guys they have as the players are very nice eye-candy, so it should be a fun watch. Thankfully SoapNet--where the show is being run--re-ran the first three episodes tonight, so I was able to record.

**********

There are two sayings that I have heard for my entire life that I don't understand, at all:

'He talks like a man with a paper ass.'

'Go piss up a rope.'

HUH?? Does anyone understand what these mean? Obviously, they both are insults, I just don't know what they reference. If anyone knows. please let me know.

**********

And so you have it, my Sunday ramblings. Hope the wait was worth it. ;)

Celebrate

A day late, but--the celebrations for this week:

20 July
National Ice Cream Day
National Lollipop Day

21 July
Cow Appreciation Day
National Get Out of the Doghouse Day

22 July
Health, Happiness With Hypnosis Day
Rat-Catchers Day

23 July
Ice Cream Cone Day
Gorgeous Grandma Day
Hot Enough For Ya Day

24 July
National Drive-thru Day
Tell An Old Joke Day

25 July
Merry-Go-Round Day
Day Out of Time

26 July
National Cowboy Day

More Hockey

Today the worst kept secret in the NHL was finally made official: The Red Wings and Blackhawks will play the next Winter Classic on 1 January 2009 at Wrigley Field. The announcement was anti-climactic to say the least.

The 2008-09 hockey schedule was supposed to be released today, but it won't be out till tomorrow. What I DO know is that the home opener for the Wings will be on 9 October against Toronto. They will raise the Stanley Cup champs banner that night. I would assume they will sell out the Joe. :)

Still no contract signing by my Baby Boy. There really isn't any word as to what the sticking points are, but it seems likely to be the length of the contract. Holland says he has offered both a long-term and short-term deal. We'll see what happens. I figure a short-term deal will be made--that would be to VF's advantage. If he does very well during the years of his contract, he could negotiate for a much larger raise. Although, the security of a long-term deal is very nice, also. I just hope he has a good agent and not one that is looking out for himself more than for his client.

It Was Time

After 16 years in the NHL, Dallas Drake announced his retirement today. He was drafted by the Red Wings in 1989--NOT 1898!--and played for Winnipeg, Phoenix, and St. Louis, as well as the Wings. He had thought about retiring last year, but decided to try for the Stanley Cup one more time and came back to play with the Wings. Good decision! :) Enjoy the rest, Dally, and thanks for the memories:

The Wings Old?

We are still getting all of the Stanley Cup stuff a fan needs in order to remember the winning season--as if I COULD forget! Last week I got a commemorative magazine and while reading it, I was amazed at all of the horrid typos. Obviously, it was put out JUST to get on the bandwagon of the Wings' win, so I understood--kind of. I STILL can't understand how they were able to publish a mag that had Henrik Zetterberg's name listed as 'Richard,' though--I mean, he is one of the best (if not THE best) player in the league right now. Despite what the Canadian media has to say.

Anyway, I ordered the book the Red Wing organization put out saluting the win/team last week. Today we got it. K sat down and was leafing through it when he started to laugh hysterically. "I KNOW Dallas Drake has been playing hockey for a long time, but I didn't know it has been THIS long," he said. The book said the Wings drafted him in 1898! I guess I HAVE to admit that the Wings are old if this is the case. ;)

Two Things That Don't Go Together

C called yesterday to tell me about the almost three-year-old and almost five-year-old. They decided to play 'beauty salon.' And they had scissors. Yeah--scissors and pre-schoolers: don't belong together. The four-year-old will be able to have her hair cut enough to disguise/fix the haircut her sister gave her--the two-year-old isn't very good with scissors. However, the two-year-old will just have to wait a while for her hair to come back--like three years or so. The two-year-old has the fine-Finnish-fairy-fur mullet that most kids outgrow by the time they are one--except for Finnish kids, that is--and half of the back part of the mullet is missing. Pretty much all the way down to the scalp. You have to admire the four-year-old's scissor skills--she managed to give the haircut without harming her sister at all. I haven't seen pictures yet, but I'm sure they will bring back memories--after all, don't ALL kids cut hair at one point or another?

glitter-graphics.com

Links

You can tell it is a Saturday and I have nothing to do--read that as 'I don't want to do anything--because I have been surfing the interweb and have found some neat sites. Here are some links that are interesting and fun.

--Instructables
This site has instructions for just about everything. You can learn how to make sweet tea or how to make a 1000 watt wind turbine--and everything in between. This is a site where you can waste lots of time, but not feel guilty afterwards. Hey, you're learning something while 'wasting' time--gotta love it!

--Fakebuddy
Are you lonely and wish SOMEONE would email you? Then you need to get yourself a fake buddy! You read that right: when you sign up at this site, you will be assigned a fake buddy to send you emails throughout the week. This way, when you say you have to check if your friend emailed, you won't be lying! (If you upgrade your subscription for a fee, the emails will be more personalized.)

--Deep-Fried Twinkies
So this is JUST a recipe, but I needed to add it. I have NEVER eaten a deep-fried Twinkie, but as soon as I see one, I WILL have it. I KNOW it will be a very disappointing experience, but one I must have. Doesn't it sound like it would be the ultimate eating experience? I don't plan on making my own, but if I have to wait too long to find one, I may have to.

--The Something Store
Do you like surprises? Do you like gifts? This is the site for you. The idea is, you send them $10 and they send you a gift. You just don't know what you are buying. Period. However, they DO show a list of some of the things that were sent out over the past 25 shipping days and most are VERY impressive. I just may have to try this one.

Celebrate

Our holidays for this week:

13 July
International Puzzle Day
Embrace Your Geekness Day
Gruntled Workers Day

14 July
International Town Criers Day

15 July
Gummi Worm Day
Baby Food Day

16 July
National Personal Chef's Day

17 July
Get To Know Your Customers Day

18 July
National Ice Cream Day
Cow Day

19 July
Toss Away The "Could Haves" and "Should Haves" Day
Woodie Wagon Day

Hearing Set and 'I Told You So!'

The arbitration hearing has been set for Baby Boy on 1 August. Holland is still confident that a deal will be made before they actually get to it. He said they are offering either a long-term or short-term deal for VF to decide on. While several Wings have filed for arbitration over the years, only one has made it through to the actual hearing--which the Wings won. He was traded away shortly after.

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In the 'I told you so' category: Brett Favre wants to come back. He has asked the Packers to release him so he can go to another team. I laughed so hard when I heard this. I told K when his retirement was announced that it wouldn't stick--again. Why am I even mentioning this? We get so many of our TV stations from Wisconsin and this is HUGE news there. It will almost be interesting to see how this is played out. Almost.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

My dear, sweet, wonderful, online daughter, burg, has presented me with a new award--and I am THRILLED! She so very nicely says: "I enjoy everything she writes, I truly do.. I'm even learning a little more about hockey too.. ;)" How sweet. (By the way, burg, if you keep it up you WILL be discussing the necessity of subscribing to the NHL Center Ice package with your hubby--just so you can REALLY understand what I'm talking about! :))

While I cannot give this award back to burg, I do have five people I want to pass this along to. Here are the rules:


1. Pick five blogs you consider deserving of this award, whether for creativity, design, interesting material, or contributions to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Name each nominee and link to his/her blog.

3. Show the award and include the name (and link to his/her blog) of whoever presented you with this award.

4. Link to the Arte y Pico blog so everyone knows the origin of this award.

5. Post these rules.

And now my five picks:

1. First, as always, is meleah. Not only does she have a very fascinating life story, she is one gifted writer. From laughing out loud to crying real tears, I run the gamut of emotions with her posts. She is a good friend.

2. I have to give this award to janet. I'm sure she doesn't feel as if her deafness defines her--and I hope she doesn't mind that I bring it up--but every time I remember that she is, I am amazed by her all over again. Anyone living well with a 'condition' or 'disability' that would cause the rest of us to curl up in a fetal position and hide in the corner, are my heroes. And, besides, she is a mid-westerner, so she qualifies as 'family.' :)

3. I must, must, must give this award to Olga, the traveling bra. Olga travels the world and blogs about it--as simple as that. It is always a 'trip' to read about her adventures.

4. Kristi is being given this award because she makes some beautiful stained-glass creations. And if that wasn't enough, she, also, is a mid-westerner, so it goes without saying that she gets an award. :)

5. I'm sending this to Virgina Belle, also. She is a single, young female making her way in this world with a job, boyfriend, dog, and house--and she lets us into her life with her blog. As I never was any of these things--well, I WAS young once--I find myself living vicariously through her. Her blog is private, but if you ask her very politely, she just may let you read it, too.


Make sure and visit all of these blogs--they all are great places to visit.

Decisions

In less than a month it will be 5 August--and the 9th anniversary of the day I quit smoking. This brings me to the decision I have to make: What am I going to get myself as an anniversary gift? Every year I reward myself for being smoke-free and it is getting harder and harder to decide what I want. Now, it isn't because I have everything in the world I could possibly want, it's just that there aren't that many reasonably priced things that I just don't get the minute I think about them. And I really want something WANTED rather than something that would just be nice to have.

In the past I have gotten myself a 35mm camera, a camcorder, the flat-screen TV for the kitchen, and my Red Wing jersey with Baby Boy's number on it. This year I am kind of at a loss as to what I want. I guess I could get another jersey--one of the new-style ones with the number 51 on it, but I still haven't worn the one I got LAST year, so that isn't going to work. I COULD use a newer camcorder, but I don't use the one I have now enough to justify THAT. My digital camera is quite new and I just got a new phone. Palm isn't making any new PDAs, so that isn't a possibility, either.

As I said, it isn't as if I own everything there is to own--just most of the things I could possibly afford. (That sounds awful, doesn't it?) I don't spend any more than around $300 for my anniversary gift and there just aren't that many things I want or need in that price range. (When you get to be this old, you have most of what you want or need.) While I could come up with MILLIONS of things I would like to have--new house, new vehicle, Finland vacation--none of these are things I can actually afford. So I still have to think. I may just fall back on the easy decision: a Wii Fit.

Not Long To Wait

The Red Wings announced their pre-season schedule today. The first game will be on 24 September against Montreal. Only 76 days till I get to see the team play again--I'm doing The Dance of Joy!

Missing

My world has been a bit off of 'normal' the last few days. Things should be back to normal tomorrow, but then K goes on vacation again for two weeks, so it's back to being 'abby-normal' again.

Last Thursday I jumped in the Jimmy to come home from tanning and the vehicle was D.E.A.D!!! NOTHING! I drove it THERE, was in the salon for less than 30 minutes, and it was dead when I tried to go home. Great--and it was the start of a holiday weekend, so we couldn't get it fixed for a few days. K came to pick me up and then called to see if the shop would tow it, but the head of the service department said it sounded like the battery was dead. Well, sure enough, K jumped the thing and we got it home. Trouble was, he couldn't get the battery out himself so we weren't able to get it in the shop till today. While it was getting repaired, K figured they might as well do an oil change and change the serpentine belt at the same time. He also mentioned the 'chirping' sound that the Jimmy makes--especially on wet days--and asked them to check it out. Well, they called and said the 'chirping' was the alternator and would cost us $350 to fix! AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Thankfully K talks to the repair people because he remembered that the alternator was fixed one other time and that there is a lifetime guarantee on it, so they looked it up and, sure enough, we only have to pay for the labor. I'm sure they would have caught it themselves, but still... Anyway, because the alternator is an OEM part, they had to order it and I won't have my vehicle done until sometime tomorrow--I hope. While I don't go somewhere EVERY day, I like having a vehicle to use if I NEED to go. Right now I am bummed cause I can't go to the grocery store. THAT is one statement I NEVER thought I would make. :)

Monday I saw the ophthamologist for another follow-up on my LASIK. Everything is fine and he thinks things will continue to improve. There are a couple of dry areas still, but he is confident that those are temporary. He said all is as perfect as can be and has healed to the point that any doctor would probably have to be LOOKING to see I had the surgery done. Thank goodness. I see him again in November and if all is okay I probably won't see him again for six months--and then the post-op appointments will be done.

Today I went in for my follow-up mammogram and ultrasound. The doctor is confident that all they are seeing is a cyst/cysts and I have nothing to worry about. I am now back on my regular yearly schedule. That is definitely a load off my mind.

No confirmation on the Winter Classic being between the Wings and Blackhawks. Holland just said they are 'interested' in playing the game. I figure he isn't saying more because it isn't his story to announce. I really think it is going to happen. Nothing more being said about signing Baby Boy, either. I don't know what the problem is--I sure hope he isn't holding things up by asking for too much. I wouldn't think that is the case, as he has said he wants to stay in Detroit, but...

The strawberry crop is finally ready, so K can go north to do some buying! No matter where strawberries come from, the only ones that actually have any taste--at least to me--are the ones that are grown 'back home.' It will be good to have them--we didn't get any from back home last year. My mouth is watering as I think about fresh strawberries. YUM--doesn't get much better than that.

Good For A Laugh

I was over at one of the numerous Red Wing forums that I frequent and someone used the term 'assclown' about some player. (Not a Wing. :)) Someone else commented that he LOVED whenever the term was used, so he could post this:


Send this to the 'assclown' of your choice. :)

Close To Home by John McPherson

Rumor To Become Fact?

Shortly after The Winter Classic was played on 1 January 2008--Pittsburgh vs Buffalo--the next game was being planned. By some people, anyway. The rumors ran rampant and a lot was being said of the Wings being one of the teams to play it. It has now been reported--NOT officially till later this week--that Detroit and Chicago will play the 2009 Winter Classic in Chicago at Wrigley Field. How fun is THAT going to be? Hopefully, it won't snow like it did last time--it makes for too dangerous ice. The only other big problem about this is that the Wings won't be able to play their traditional New Year's Eve game--bummer! Oh, well, this will give me something to do during ONE of the traditional party days! :)

Now I Know

--The Saami flag--

One thing that came out of going to my family reunion, is the knowledge that I am descended from the Saami people. The old, politically incorrect name was Lapps. The Saami live in the northernmost regions of Scandinavia and Russia. In Finland, 'Lapland' is where Santa Clause 'lives' and the Saami raise reindeer. Actually, reindeer herding, fishing, and hunting are traditional main occupations among the Saami--and the majority of the reindeer in Finland are owned by them. A good portion of the Saami--maybe the majority--live north of the Arctic Circle. There is no agreement as to where the Saami originated.

From the pictures I have seen, I guess I know why I don't look like the 'traditional' Scandinavian--blonde hair, blues eyes, fair skin. I am medium brunette (at least my natural color), green eyes, and my skin has a very definite olive undertone. I guess this also explains why I like living in the northern regions and really dislike the heat! :)

For anyone interested, here are a few links--it is a very fascinating read:

The Saami--Virtual Finland

World Culture Encyclopedia

Wikipedia

I'm Happy--For a Little While

Thursday will be a happy day for me--Burn Notice is beginning its second season. I LOVE this show and can't wait to see if I'm right about who the person is that put the burn notice out on Michael. I'm pretty sure I'm right--we'll see. If you have never seen this show, you can watch the first season online in preparation for Thursday. It IS a spy show, but with a sense of humor--a fun summer watch. Besides, I need SOMETHING to do while waiting for hockey to start again! (Less than three months till the start of the season--HOORAY!!)

Celebrate

I seemed to miss last week's celebrations due to our being out of town. Sorry! (Whoa! I just checked and it seems I missed the past TWO weeks.)

Here are the celebrations for this week:

6 July
Michigan's Cherry Festival
Take Your Webmaster To Lunch Day

7 July
Chocolate Day
Father-Daughter Take A Walk Together Day

8 July
SCUD Day (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama)

9 July
Sugar Cookie Day

10 July
Don't Step On A Bee Day
Clerihew Day

11 July
Swimming Pool Day

12 July
Hot Dog Day

Sigh Of Relief

The reports of an offer sheet were premature--looks like it was just suggested that Vancouver tender one. Whew! Today it was reported that VF filed for arbitration, meaning that no other team can go after him until AFTER the hearing is over. IF the Wings have offered him a contract already, it probably was smaller than what he wanted--just because they are so close to the cap with the Hossa signing. Arbitration would award him more money, but it still will probably be within the cap limits--and within what they can pay while signing everyone else they need--so he could still be signed. A lot of 'ifs' going on, but the chances of my Baby Boy going somewhere else are MUCH smaller now than what I thought. AND, all of this could be a moot point, as he could sign before the hearing--this just gives him and the team the time needed to hammer out a deal. Please, one more year--at least--and I can see him play in person! :)

Say It Isn't So!!!

It is being reported that Vancouver has tendered an offer sheet to my Baby Boy! With the amount of money that has been thrown around during this free agency period, I'm afraid it might be more than the Wings can match. I understand that he will always be in the shadows of Z and Datsyuk if he stays in Detroit, but he STILL will be regarded as an excellent player by staying. Besides, I think Z and D help him elevate his game. I either hope this isn't true or that Holland can offer him enough to stay. Damn.

Jaromir Jagr has decided to say good bye to the NHL. The only reason this even registers on my radar is that now Pittsburgh won't be able to sign him. Their only hope now is if Sundin decides not to retire and goes there. They have lost an awful lot--hard to see them in the finals next year. Especially with that coach they have.

I Hate To Mention It...

We are in an election year--as if anyone didn't know that. Whether we like it or not, we need to be informed and smart about who will get our vote in November. One of the best places to go is FactCheck.org. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit place to get 'the facts' in an undistorted way. All of the political adds are analyzed and picked apart--every half-truth and falsehood is pointed out. No candidate gets a 'pass' on this site. It is a good place to frequent for the rest of this political year. Let us make the best decision we can in November.

How To Strain A Marriage

K and I went house shopping today. This is the first step to--hopefully--getting a new home built two years from now. I hope our marriage can survive. There will be TONS of compromising and my giving in to what he wants, but I think it will all be worth it if we can get the deal done.

The house we are in now is old--and not in the best condition. It was moved here from another location and there is definite structural damage--and it is next to impossible to fix. We love our location, so we will have this place torn down and put up a new house in its place. I am actually letting myself get a bit excited--we have talked about this for years and it looks like it might finally be able to happen. Yet, I will be a bit sad to see this house go--we raised our girls here and it holds lots of memories. BUT, there are very bitter, sad memories here along with the good, so it might not be such a bad idea to have a fresh start.

On first look, we REALLY liked the model home--with the upgrades that were done--so we have a starting point. LOTS to think about over the next year or two! Here is the house we saw today:


Of course, this is just a starting place. For one, The floor plan wouldn't work on our lot the way we would like unless it was flip-flopped in different ways. But this is all the kinds of things we will have to figure out. How much fun is this?

Didn't See This One Coming

HOLY SHIT!!! Fresh off of re-signing Stuart, the Wings signed Marian Hossa to a one year, $7.4 million dollar deal. On every list, Hossa was either the number one or number two pick of the free agency period and NO ONE ever thought that Detroit had a chance to get him--but he is in Hockeytown! This is the second player Detroit stole from the Penguins. With Pittsburgh hemmoraging players like they are, it will be interesting to see if they even make the playoffs next year. Hmmmm. Already Wing fans are screaming "REPEAT!!" While I am thrilled with the looks of the team for the upcoming season, I hesitate to count my chickens. But, things are looking good.

During Holland's press conference about the Hossa signing, he mentioned they are still in talks with Baby Boy--as well as other players--and should have a deal worked out soon. Damn, but I wish they would do it already. I'm planning on going to the Joe this next season and Baby Boy HAS to be playing!


--Marian Hossa had reason to celebrate after he signed a one-year free agency contract Wednesday with the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings.--

Busy Day...

...for the NHL, that is! Today is free agency day and after all the movement of players already, it is going to be VERY difficult to know who is playing where! A lot of activity and the day isn't even close to being over.

The Wings did sign Stuart to a new deal. He will continue to wear the winged wheel for another four years. I was VERY surprised that he actually signed--I was SURE his wife was going to nix the idea of moving to Detroit. (She is a California girl and has been instrumental in the past to where he played.) They also re-signed Lilya--fine. Ty Conklin--from Pittsburgh--has been signed for a year. Hmmm, I was a BIT surprised, but I guess they thought Howard isn't QUITE ready to backup Ozzy just yet. From the rumors, it almost sounds like Miller might be re-signing early with Buffalo--at least that is what BUFFALO wants--so the Wings won't have a chance to get him next year like it is reported they were hoping.

No word yet on what is going on with my Baby Boy--he is a restricted free agent. There hasn't been anything said about another team doing an offer, so the Wings should be able to pay whatever they weant for him. I would assume he WILL be getting a raise, however. Several other free or restricted free agents are still being considered, so Holland has more work to do.

The Wings are still interested in Sundin and Bertuzzi. Rumor has it that Sundin has been offered $20 million for two years--NOT something the Wings will give. I really don't think he will go to Detroit. Bertuzzi, on the other hand, just might be back. Not a move I will be happy with, but, oh well. I still think Holland knows what he is doing 99.9% of the time.

The nephew-in-law of my relative has been signed by Toronto for $14 million for four years. HOLY WAH!!! I would imagine there will be some celebrating done up north tonight!