Another Loss

I am: sad, angry, mystified, disillusioned, pissed off, etc. Take your pick as to WHAT I am feeling. The Wings lost again today and all I can say is this: If they continue to play like this, they better start planning now for early tee times, 'cause I can guarantee I WON'T be sweating my ass off while watching the Wings play their final games of the year like last year. Oh, well, they had a bad slump around this time last year, too.

6 And Another 8????

My oldest has given birth to 7 children and she isn't certain that she is done yet. Fine. I have no right to tell her how to run her life--I don't feed the kids or clothe them or pay the bills. But I must say I am quite baffled by the woman who gave birth to the octoplets the other day: She has 6 children already! Granted, she has every right to have as many children as she wants, but still! There seems to be some confusion as to whether she had fertility treatments or had embryos implanted. But, for a woman who had already given birth to six children, why would she need any help having more? And why would a doctor consent to it? It will be quite interesting to see how this plays out. Right now, the mother hasn't been identified as she has asked for privacy.

Oh Boy

Last night I crashed on the couch around 10:00 and didn't wake up till 8:00 this morning. I'm sure I was exhausted from not getting much sleep the past two nights--THANK YOU my furry little friend--but it also could have something to do with being seriously depressed over the way the Wings played. (Is this the way the Islander, Senator, and even Penguin fans feel? My heart bleeds for you! Well, NOT the Penguin fans...) Anyway, the loss last night makes four in a row and that is NOT good.

While watching the game, there almost seems to be a bit of a frustration on the part of the Wings. It might not be too bad of a feeling for them to have--they are always saying how 'relaxed and calm' the dressing room is and how 'they always KNOW they can win,' but they need to pull their heads out of their asses already and get serious. After all, half of the season is over with!

Don't know if the frustration is part of it, but there seemed to be a little more 'pissiness' to some of the Wings last night. Datsyuk looked ready to fight--he DID do a face-wash and some pushing and shoving. My Baby Boy was hitting--or at least what looked like hits from him--and even got into a pushing match, which is SO not like him. Maybe this might help the team lift their level of play. Hopefully.

On another note: Zetterberg DID sign his contract and will remain a Red Wing for his entire career. The contract is for 12 years at a little over $75 million. They managed to fix things so that the cap hit with his salary will only be around $6 million a year, so Holland can do his magic and sign one or two more high-priced guys. It will be interesting. I only wish Z would fix his wonky back and get back in the line-up--and soon.

It Is Finished...I Hope

As of 2:30 PM, the squirrel has been gone. It took a run around the house before finally going out the front door. Ever since then, I have been cleaning my little fingers to the nubs and still have a way to go before the room is livable. The only thing that has me concerned is that K is afraid the squirrel's spouse might be around, also. Just what I need: another few days of chasing critters! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Day Two

Here we are, another day, and the damn critter is STILL in my bedroom. We are completely at a loss as to what to do about it. We put a live trap in the room, we have opened up the bedroom door and the front door, hoping it would run outside, and nothing has happened. K is now in the room banging around, trying to force the thing to flee and, again, nothing. I want this to be OVER. NOW!!!

Questionable

I had to go and do a bit of shopping tonight and I encountered something very strange: a truly androgynous person. We all remember Ziggy Stardust and Pat from SNL, but this was different--THIS was real! I keep thinking back to the person and there is NO WAY to tell if it was a male or female. The hair was quite male--short and had a 'male' feel to it. The person was wearing at least one earring. While there were absolutely NO boobs whatsoever, this person looked to be about seven months pregnant! I didn't get close enough to see if there was any razor stubble on the face, so I can't use that as an indicator. I am truly baffled. And I wish I had taken a picture. ;)

UPDATE

The critter living in my bedroom has been seen and it is a red squirrel. And we don't know what to do to get rid of it. The damn thing has no intention of leaving. A live trap has been set, but no results yet.

Quite a bit of damage was done by the squirrel--we will have to replace the mini-blinds and check out whatever else is destroyed. I know I will have to wash all of the bedding--K found 'droppings.' EWWWWW!!!!!!!! As for tonight, I will be sleeping upstairs. Don't know where K will sleep. I'm not too happy. More news to come when it is available!

This Is A Warning!

I found this post that lists the 15 worst Valentine's Day gifts--guaranteed to piss off your significant other. Have a look: 15 Worst Valentine's Day gifts. Now WHO would actually buy some of these things? (Although, the bone ring IS kinda neat!)

Another Day, Another Critter

I had a rude awakening today: SOMETHING was in my bedroom jumping around and skittering, and it WASN'T the cat. Yes, we have some sort of critter in the bedroom--I'm thinking a chipmunk or squirrel, but I'm not sure. All I know is that it is making an awful lot of noise in there and nothing will be done with it till K gets home after 6:00. Whenever I find out what is in there, I'll update this post. The joys of living in an old house with entry points--that we can't find. :(

Oh, Well

While I had high hopes, I guess I really didn't expect the Wings to win tonight. And they didn't. They lost in overtime to Columbus. Damn. But what can you expect when (arguably) the two best players in the league--who happen to play for Detroit--had to sit out their 'suspensions' and not play. Anyone who follows hockey knows what happened, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that the 'suspensions' of Nick Lidstrom (aka The Perfect Human) and Pavel Datsyuk (aka Pasha) by Gary Bettman (aka Gary Buttman, Little Hitler, Sidney's Uncle Gary, Assclown) was the biggest reason for the loss. Now, this loss shouldn't be a big deal to the Wings--they WILL be in the playoffs--unless they wind up a point or two out of first place in the West at the end of the season. This win for Columbus DEFINITELY could impact the rest of the standings in the West when all is said and done. We'll see then how many people support the Assclown and what he did. While I think this whole deal has been pure bullshit, I am most upset over how Sidney Crosby (aka Sindy Crosby, Sidney Crysbaby, Sid the Squid, Gary's Baby Boy) came out smelling like a rose out of all of this--as usual. But, it isn't surprising.

But, back to the game. The guys didn't look too bad out there and Ozzie played well--despite his letting in three goals. It definitely wasn't his fault as the 'D' left him out to dry on more than one occasion and the pucks were making funny bounces. I will not bash Ozzie. Not only were the Wings playing with a short bench, but Z wound up leaving the ice during the first with back spasms. Great. NO Stuart, NO Lidstrom, NO Datsyuk, and then NO Z--no wonder it was a loss. Stuart will probably be gone for a week or two and no one knows how long Z will be out--him and his damn wonky back! BUT, Lidstrom and Datsyuk will be back on Thursday--HURRAY!!!

Speaking of Zetterberg, there will be a news conference tomorrow and word has it that his new contract will be announced. One source is reporting it will be for $72 million over the course of 12 years. Wow. Looks like he WILL play his entire career in Detroit--and WILL be the next captain. Now if he can only get that damn back of his fixed, all will be right with the world.

Sleeveface

I probably got to the dance late, as usual, but I just found the most amazing website in the world! It is called Sleeveface and here is the description: "one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion." Here is a sample of what you will find there:







Cool, huh?

Dreams

Have you ever had a dream that you just can't get out of your head? I'm not talking about a nightmare, just a 'regular' dream. Well, I had TWO of them that I can't shake.

K and I got home early Saturday afternoon after an overnight road trip. For some reason, I was just horribly exhausted, so I fell asleep on the couch around 7:00 PM. (Of course, I woke up at 1:00 AM and couldn't sleep anymore. That is why I'm writing this at six in the morning. No more sleep for me till tonight!) And the couch is where I had my dreams.

The first dream was all about my Baby Boy. Now, I DON'T have dreams about 'celebrities'--EVER. (Fantasies are another story, but I digress. ;)) In this dream, VF was living here in our house. Like someone making $3 million a year would EVER want/need to live with us! His life was playing hockey and he WAS playing for the Wings, so we obviously lived closer to Detroit. It was very strange. The only reason I can think of me dreaming about him is the fact that comments in some of the forums are about his possibly being traded. The Wings have some big guns to sign to new contracts and with the salary cap, everyone is NOT going to be signed. VF has one of the higher salaries right now AND is NOT being as productive as he should be. Although, next year if he is on the first or second line, that should be fixed. (He centers the third line right now and isn't on the power play very often.) I'm really, really afraid he will be traded before I get to see him play in person--and, with our trip to Florida next month, I don't think we will be getting to Detroit THIS season. It was a dream I can't get out of my head.

The second dream was all about my cousin. Rick is about four years older than me, the son of The Father's oldest brother, and he and his brother (my age) were the favorite people in my life during my younger years. Then, The Father had his 'fight' with my uncle and refused to speak to him for 25+ years. (It actually could have been 30 or more years.) Sometime around fifth or sixth grade, four of the people that I loved with all my heart were ripped out of my life. (My uncle and aunt were favs of mine, as well.) I rarely saw them or spoke to them ever again. These days, the only time I get to see my cousins are if we wind up at the same family events together. I still mourn the loss and wonder how things could have been different. But, again, I digress.

In the dream, I don't believe we were in my house. I'm not even sure we were as old as we are now. I don't even think we were married. Anyway, I was in a room that either was dorm or a room in an apartment--like those two are anything alike :)--when Rick came in. He was upset about something and I remember trying to calm him down and comfort him. I know I put my arms around him and stroked his hair while telling him it would all be okay. And that is about all I remember of that dream. For some reason or other, this really has me upset. I guess part of it is because I don't even THINK about most members of my family usually, and to DREAM of someone so far off of my radar is strange. And, I always have the feeling that there MIGHT be something going on with someone I dream about that I should be helping them with. I'm still creeped out by this.

And so that is all about my world of dreams. I wish they were a bit more interesting and didn't bother me as much! :)

Watching TV

Just how much are we LOVING the show Leverage? This week's episode was absolutely hysterical! I loved watching the various characters trying to do their fake jobs. Come on now, can we ALL agree that Parker is just not suited to be a flight attendant? When she started her comments during the emergency landing talk, I though I was going to spit. (" In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a floatation device. But let’s face it, if this thing goes down in the water, more than likely, the impact will kill you.”) She is becoming quite a fav. Spencer as an air marshal, I understand, but I loved how he just talked his way past everyone just by flashing a badge. But I think I found Hardison as a 'corporate guy' the funniest. Him convincing everyone in that office that he had worked there for a while and that they all knew him, was priceless--and then they even threw him a birthday party. And to top it ALL off, Jeremy fricking Roenick was one of the guards at the office building. (Roenick plays for the San Jose Sharks--NOT a favorite player by any means, but a hockey player nonetheless.) A show that makes me laugh AND throws hockey some love is a winner in my book!

Now, on to Lost. I have watched the show from day one and I'm not sure I understand WHAT is going on. I still want to know what is happening to the characters, but things better start straightening out fast or I will have to break up with the show--and I really don't want to do that. I'm really loving the Hurley character more and more--he just is a big, cuddly teddy bear--about the only one with a real conscience. I will stick with the show for a few more weeks, but if I find myself looking at the TV, shaking my head, and saying to myself "HUH???" too many more times, I will have to stop. And that would be a shame.

Things You DON'T Need To Hear

I had to stop at my internist's office to have my blood pressure checked and overheard a phone conversation that I didn't need to hear. Actually, the woman had the exact same conversation with two different people. And here is what she said:

"Well, he took away one of her pills that might be causing her diarrhea. But, of course, she doesn't eat enough to form a normal bowel movement."

WHY, WHY, WHY would someone feel the need to let the entire waiting room in a doctor's office know these intimate details about another person? Sometimes I think we were done a very big disservice with the invention of cell phones.

Ridiculous

I just came back from my annual GYN exam and I have only one question: WHY do I insist on hiding my underwear after I undress? :D

Interesting

Seen on a T-shirt:

"Money can buy happiness...

...but it can't prevent sadness, or despair, or bad weather, or loneliness...*"



*The rest was too small to read, but you get the idea. Any thoughts?

The Fox Network

Fox has said that this, the fourth season, will be Prison Break's last. While I have enjoyed the show, I think this is the right decision. It is surprising that it has gone on for four seasons.

It also was announced that Fringe will continue. YAY!!!

Jack Is Back!

I finished watching all four hours of the season premiere of 24 and all I can say is, "Thank goodness Jack is back making the world safe for us all!" The show seems to be following the same format: good guys turn out to be bad; bad guys turn out to be good; long lost characters come back; dead people are suddenly alive, etc. The pace of the four hours was, as usual, fast and there wasn't any time to get bored. At times some of the side stories have the 'WTF?' feeling to them, but fear not, they ALL come together in the end. It will be interesting to see how far away from the beginning storylines the show will be at the end of the season.

In the first or second hour, a character said something that made me laugh out loud. The line? "Jack, you are coming with me and you're doing this MY way." Yeah, right--you don't know Jack, do you? (Sorry about that. ;))

I'm really looking forward to this season--it's been too long.

Just One Of Those Quizzes

Went over to Hello Quizzie via Meleah's blog and found out I'm an Ingrid. A little frightening as to how accurate this description is.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

GRRRRRR!!!!!

Okay, someone needs to take out the Blackhawks. Tonight I accidentally heard an interview with a 'Hawk player after they beat Nashville 3-1--with the third goal being an empty-netter--and you would have thought the league just handed them the Cup for the next ten years! He actually had the nerve to put the team in the same realm as the Wings and was bragging on what an 'elite' team the 'Hawks are. It was quite disgusting. This, from a team that has ONLY won the Cup 3 times EVER--the last time in 1961. (Of course, Detroit has won a total of ELEVEN times.) Chicago hasn't been in the finals since 1992--and Detroit has won the Cup FOUR times since then. For crying out loud, the 'Hawks haven't even been in the playoffs since 2002--which they lost in the quarterfinals--and before that they didn't make the playoffs since 1997. The Wings have been in the playoffs for the past 17 years. Those upstart 'Hawks don't need to be doing any swelled-head bragging until they have ANY kind of impressive record. And don't forget, the Wings OWNED the 'Hawks on 30 December and 1 January!

At this point, I will want ANYONE to beat Chicago. I will even root for Analhei...--excuse me--ANAheim to win over them. Yep, even the Cluc...--excuse me--DUCKS will have my support. Let's all say it: You're going DOWN 'Hawks!!!

That is all--you can now go back to your lives. I am done. ;)

I REALLY Need To Teach

I think I could possibly be one of the world's best multi-taskers. In the last four hours I have:

--watched the Red Wings beat the Sabres 3-1*
--made the bed
--fixed and ate my dinner
--done several loads of laundry
--made a big batch of stew
--cleaned the house

And, yes, I did multiple things at the same time. I could teach a course! :)

*And Miller was absolutely awesome in net tonight. The Wings had 48 shots on goal and he only let in 3! If it wasn't for Miller, the score could have been in the double digits--Buffalo only had 22 shots on goal.

Before I Start Doing Something...

An extremely slow start to the day--here it is, almost 5:30 PM and I have done NOTHING! But, that isn't really that unusual as K is on night shift and I don't start anything till he goes to work. I do have a busy night planned.

The Wings play the Sabres at home tonight. Hopefully they will come out strong--Miller has been playing very well for them lately and EVERY goalie that plays against the Wings puts in an All-Star performance! Buffalo played last night, so the Wings may be able to use their tiredness to their advantage. GO WINGS!!!

The Weather Channel is saying that we will be going into an arctic freeze here next week. The temps are supposed to be below zero and the wind chills will be -20 to -30 or lower. This should prove VERY interesting--it will give us a good idea just how good the Envoy is. We DON'T have a garage, so our vehicles really take a lot of abuse with our weather. I'm waiting to see how many schools will be closed due to the cold.

With the cold weather, I'm starting to crave my 'go-to' cold weather food. Tonight I'm making a pot of beef stew and plan on doing pea soup and chili in the next few days. I like making big batches of all three and putting containers in the freezer for K to take to work. If I make enough, he can have meals way into the summer! Now that's a plan.

C is having a belated birthday party for the youngest today--she turned a year old last Saturday. And, believe it or not, C IS NOT PREGNANT. Well, not that I know of, anyway. ;)

After not going to the tanning booth since October? November? I started back this week. Not only do I need to do this for my skin so I can possibly wear short/shorter sleeved tops in Florida, but I need the color if I'm going to be in the sun there. I don't burn, but I definitely can turn pink when I am in Florida--something that I can't achieve anywhere else. K said today that he will have to go to the tanning salon to prepare, also. I wanted to laugh, but didn't dare. Not only is he the whitest Finn I have ever seen, he has freckles to boot. So, that makes him whiter than white. The man has NEVER tanned in his entire life--he usually burns, peels, burns, peels. I think he would just be better off KNOWING he will need to wear a shirt while we are on vacation.

I guess I will have to get going here and actually START doing something rather than just talking about it. Now, do I start the stew first, the laundry first, or the cleaning first? Hmmmm, maybe I'll just eat something first! ;) I'll be back later!

LOLCATS

Another great picture from icanhascheezburger.com.

Exciting News!

The tickets have been bought and plans are being made. We will be going to Florida on 20 February and come home on 3 March! How exciting is that?!?!?! As plans are made, I will be posting more--I am REALLY pumped!

glitter-graphics.com

Dog Fight

A little background, first. As I have mentioned many times, A and her husband have two 60+ pound dogs and five cats. They live in a small two bedroom duplex which barely has enough room for them and their furry babies. Into this mix, A's in-laws decided to bring their two dogs for A and hubby to babysit while they were in Nevada for 11 days. A couldn't REALLY say no, as the in-laws always watch A's dogs whenever they go out of town. The difference is, the in-laws live on a farm and have a lot of room for the dogs to run. Plus, their house is MUCH bigger and DOESN'T house a lot of animals. A wasn't looking forward to the babysitting duties, but had to put up with it.

First thing that happened when the dogs got to A's, the puppy--oh, yeah, one of the in-laws' dogs is a puppy--peed all over the house. She hasn't mentioned how often this has happened over the last 8 days, but I could imagine it is quite often--A and her husband both work and are out of the house 10-12 hours every day. A lot of time for a puppy to do a lot of damage. Both dogs have been terrorizing the cats to no end--one of the cats won't eat because her food dish is not where it is usually. (The dish has to be put 'somewhere else' cause the dogs will eat the food instead.) All in all, a stressful time in A's household. Then came Tuesday night.

Sometime around 9:00 PM, I got a text message from A. (I didn't know it at the time, but they were either AT or on their way to the clinic with their female dog.) It seems that the older of the in-laws' dogs and A's female got into a fight and the female was hurt. As it turned out, Shelby--A's dog--had to have one tooth pulled, one tooth capped and her chin stitched up. All I know is that A was out by herself with all four dogs when the fight broke out. A couldn't do much to stop it, as she had to restrain her male dog to keep him from being the 'third dog in.' Needless to say, A is not a happy camper.

Shelby will probably be fine--she is in a lot of pain and they have to watch her closely. There still is the possibility of infection and the capped tooth may need a root canal or will need to be pulled. A said she can't wait for Sunday--and the day can't come fast enough for her! Kids and animals: can bring joy, but can also bring a lot of problems!

Wings 6, Stars 1

Hot damn but the Wings ROLLED over the Stars tonight! They chased Turco out of the net for the third period--YIPPEE!!!--and kept the pressure on even though they were up 4-0 at the start of the third. They now are on a five-game winning streak. It looks as if they are on track--for now, at least. Ozzie is looking good in the net--he says he is now 100% for the first time all season. (Ozzie's lifetime record against Dallas is 28-10-3--best of ANY goalie.) With him and Conklin, things are definitely looking up. I'm liking the way the team is playing these days--hopefully they can keep it up.

MySpace Graphics & MySpace Layouts

Books and Movies

Since there really hasn't been much in the way of new TV shows to watch lately, I decided to try and catch up on some movies that I never saw. I am really beginning to regret my decision. I'm not finding anything worth watching and I'm not sure if it is because the movies being made are just bad or if there is something wrong with me. (Okay, it probably IS me, but...)

I remember when there was a lot of talk about the movie Babel. I wasn't interested enough to go to the theater to see it, but I recorded it and watched it the other night. Well, there are 2+ hours of my life that I will never get back! I don't understand the whole point of the movie. So, there are four sets of people thousands of miles away whose lives intertwine in ways they can't imagine--big deal. I don't get why it was praised.

Juno was another movie that got quite good reviews. Fine, it was kind of cute, but not good enough to recommend it to anyone else. Again, not my cup of tea. A young girl gets pregnant and gives up her baby--so what? Not worth my time.

I REALLY don't like Cormac McCarthy's books--I've read The Road and Child of God and have vowed to NEVER read anything the man writes ever again. So why, you may ask, did I watch No Country For Old Men? I have no answer!!!!! Not the least bit entertaining--and I can't even begin to talk about the ending, or lack thereof! It made no sense at all--but then, neither of the books of McCarthy's had endings, so I shouldn't have been surprised. I guess I just am missing something.

And talking about endings: why don't movies have real endings anymore? Juno ended in a very dumb way and I have already discussed McCarthy's endings, so... All I want is closure to whatever I watch--is that too much to ask?

The last movie I watched and liked a lot was Eragon. It was a fantasy/scifi movie based on the first book of the trilogy written by Christopher Paolini. I seem to gravitate toward scifi, so it wasn't a surprise that I would like this. I thought they did a terrific job and hope the other two books are made into movies, also.

I haven't had too much luck in the book department lately, either. Recently I read two older books that I felt I needed to read and they both disappointed. In Cold Blood, while well written, was too much like the movie for me to enjoy. I had seen the original movie years ago and felt as if I had read the book before. But, I plodded through it. Then I read American Psycho--OMG!!! I think the only reason I finished it was to get to the end, hoping the explanation for everything that preceeded was a sick fantasy of the main character. No such luck--AND it didn't have a 'proper' ending either. AAACCCKKK!!!

Right now I'm reading Catch-22 and wish I could stop. (Once I start reading a book, I HAVE to finish it--that's just the way I am.) I. just. don't. get. it. It isn't the least bit entertaining and I have yet to find a character in the book that I like. Damn.

Just before starting Catch-22, I read Wicked. I can't understand HOW they made a musical out of it, but it was mildly entertaining. I didn't think the author explained some things well enough in some places and in others he seemed to explain too much. There was way too much I didn't understand about some of the characters and their motivation, and that sucked. The author has written two more books--possibly more will be coming--and I plan on reading them JUST so I can find out if he answers some of my questions. One thing I have to say though, I will NEVER be able to watch The Wizard Of Oz the same way again!

So, I guess my life will continue to revolve around hockey and after the season is over, I will re-watch my favorite hockey movies: Slap Shot, Miracle, and Mystery, Alaska. They just don't make them like that anymore! ;)

Not MY Daughter!

It has happened, the thing that I never thought could: I have to disown my youngest*. Why you might ask? The Red Wings are playing the Wild on Saturday. This means they have been in the Minneapolis/St Paul area since Friday. My daughter lives in St Paul and she DID NOT go to the Mall of America on Friday to try and stalk any of the players that might have gone there. (Some of them usually go to MOA whenever they are there.) MY daughter didn't try stalking any of the Wings--I can't believe it! Now, who could possibly not want to see some of these faces in person?

Pavel Datsyuk


Nicklas Lidstrom


Henrik Zetterberg


Chris Osgood


Valtteri Filppula

*TOTALLY joking! ;)

The All-Star Game

Believe me when I say this: you DON'T want to sit next to me and say, "Talk to me a bit about hockey." I would then proceed to talk non-stop for more than an hour--without stopping to breathe. I am a hockey fan--bordering on being obsessed. So, this is probably a shock to all who read this--as much as it is a shock to me. I will NOT be watching the all-star game this year and I will NOT be voting for the starting lineup. Frankly, I hope NO Red Wing gets to play the game--it will be better for them to have a break and nurse whatever aches and pains they may be suffering. And now to explain.

In the NHL--and maybe for other sports, too--the starting lineup for the all-star game is voted by the fans. For the most part, this has worked pretty well, as the fan favorites have usually been players who are also playing quite well. Then the interweb came into being. Last year someone online thought it would be funny if a less-than stellar player was voted into the starting lineup--I don't remember the player or what team he played for. It was kind of amusing, but only because he got no more than ten thousand or so points. This year, things turned into a total bad joke.

The Montreal Canadiens are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. This, of course, gives every Habs' fan the feeling that everything has to be about them this year. If the NHL would have canceled the season and awarded the Stanley Cup to the Habs without them having to earn it, the fans would have thought it was the right thing to do. So, because the season had to be played, the Montreal fans decided that the entire starting lineup for the Eastern team needed to be Canadiens. This came VERY close to happening because a ballot-stuffing program was written to help accomplish this. Word got out--like it WOULDN'T--and there was an uproar created by non-Montreal fans. The NHL stepped in and took away some of the votes that were cast for the Habs and all was supposed to be well. But it wasn't.

Some of the biggest complainers of the ballot-stuffing going on were the Penguin fans. They, in turn, decided that Crosby had to become the largest vote-getter in history, so they used ballot-stuffing programs to do this. The NHL is happy that Crosby has attained this level of success (?) and nothing has been done about the votes he has. So the voting continued.

Finally, other fans of other teams saw the success that was to be had, so they in turn used their own programs to vote players in. In the course of a week, the voting for the Western team went from a mix of Red Wings, Sharks, Blackhawks, and a Canuck, to only players from the Ducks and 'Hawks. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast for these players in that week--putting the Wings' players right out of the running for starting lineup status. (And, no, this ISN'T me--a Wings' fan--being pissy over 'my' team being overlooked.)

While the all-star game has always been a popularity contest, it now is just a joke. It is a battle between fans over whoever can come up with the best program to stuff the ballots the way they want. This in no way has anything to do with the best 'all-star' players playing against each other. This is just what fan-base can cheat the best. Because the Red Wings are so far down in votes, I guess this just proves that not only are the Red Wings a very classy organization, but they have quite classy fans as well. Or they don't know how to write ballot-stuffing programs! ;)

The Winter Classic

The Wings started the new year off right by beating the Blackhawks 6-4 today. As per usual--now I'm being sarcastic--the Wings allowed the opposing team to feel good about themselves and let them take the lead. After the first period, the score was Chicago 3, Detroit 1. The Wings decided to pick up their play and scored five unanswered goals. Chicago was allowed to score another goal with ten seconds left to the game. It was quite entertaining. I was pleasantly surprised that the Wings won as they haven't won ANY game that was nationally broadcast yet this season. Here's hoping that they have finally gotten out of their poor play and have turned the corner. They just proved--again--that they CAN beat any team and that (as some of the announcers said) the Stanley Cup is only won by going through the Red Wings first.

The day was just perfect in Chicago for an outdoor game. The temp was around 32, there was no snow, and it was overcast. Everything was planned and executed well, also. The team benches were heated and the players didn't suffer from the cold much more than they do indoors. It was a hoot seeing some of the players wearing eye black--something that is definitely NOT a regular part of a hockey player's ritual. While most players look at this game as a once-in-a-lifetime event, goalie Ty Conklin played in his THIRD outdoor game--all of the ones that have been held. The chances are no other player will be able to beat his record.

And now for some pictures--I couldn't pick just one, so...

I have to post this picture of Z cause he's just so damn cute--AND he is wearing a replica of one of the two Winter Classic hats I got for myself. :)


--CHICAGO - JANUARY 01: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates during pregame against the Chicago Blackhawks during the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)--

This was exciting to see--the team, led by Conklin, coming onto the field/ice.


--CHICAGO - JANUARY 01: Goalie Ty Conklin #29 of the Detroit Red Wings leads his team out to the ice against the Chicago Blackhawks during the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)--

And, finally, the team celebrating the win.


--CHICAGO - JANUARY 01: The Detroit Red Wings celebrate their 6-4 win against the Chicago Blackhawks during the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)--