Police Log

I TOLD you that things would begin to heat up (ha, ha) now that summer is coming.  And here we go:

--12:17 PM, person lost/left Blackberry cell phone on her bumper two days ago, unknown location
This girl has quite a bit of problems remembering, doesn't she?  First, she's not sure whether she LOST or LEFT her phone on the bumper and then she's not sure where this occurred.  Maybe she THOUGHT she remembered HAVING a Blackberry, but isn't sure of THAT.

--2:40 PM, multiple cars at apartment complex have had flat tires due to nails and screws in their tires.  It is suspected that damage is not accidental.
DUH!!!!!!!!!

--3:25 PM, beaver causing traffic jam, beaver moved along
There is a joke in there, but I'M not making it.  ;)

--5:40 PM, report of man in a wheelchair in the road, possibly in distress
I guess I would say DUH!!! to this one, too.

--6:56 PM, report of a cleaning truck making a lot of noise from its high-powered vacuum
And????  It's not like this is happening at 3:00 AM!

--9:06 AM, found small chicken in lot, removed/adopted by local farmer
I have nothing...

This Weekend and My OCD

The Youngest is coming home for the weekend.  I'm so excited I can't even think clearly.  Her best friend from high school is graduating from college, so she HAS to be here.  Her husband couldn't get the time off to come with her and K will be working night shift, so it's just us two 'girls' together.  It has been so long since we have had one-on-one time--it should be a lot of fun.  And I know the time will go way too quickly.

When we bought our new computers, I sent the old laptop to The Youngest to replace her dying one.  It seems to be doing what she needs it to, so she is happy.  K wanted me to set up the old computer in our upstairs room for him to use.  I never did so, as there just isn't anyplace for me to put it up there, so we offered it to The Youngest and her husband.  Again, it will replace a dying computer for them.  It is, definitely, NOT a new computer, but it is serviceable--and if anything needs to be upgraded or replaced, it will cost much less than a new computer for them.  I'm happy the machine will be out of my way after this weekend.

Last night I reformatted the hard drive on the old computer.  I will let the son-in-law do the rest of the work on it.  After I was done, I went searching for a box/boxes in which to put the computer and all of the parts--anything to make it easier for it to be transported back to Minnesota.  It was then that I remembered that I probably had, at least, some of the original boxes it came in.  As it turned out, I had every original carton AND most of the protective coverings that came with the computer.  It is really great to be borderline obsessive/compulsive sometimes.  :D

Playoff Mode

Since the beginning of April I have been in playoff mode.  I mean I'm in a heart-racing, hair-pulling, nail-biting, stomach-churning, ready-to-puke, state of being.  For non-sport fans, I know this sounds ridiculous.  However, I invest so much into hockey, I guess this is inevitable for me.  And I'm just hoping that this continues until the middle of June.

The first weekend in April found us attending the first two games of the Rangers playoff run.  Unfortunately, they really didn't have a run, as they were swept in three games--which ended their season.  While there usually is a 'there's always next year' attitude when a team is eliminated, this is not the case for the Rangers.  Two weeks after the playoffs were over for the team, it was announced that it was sold.  Not only is the team under new ownership next year, but it is being moved from here to Flint--a 6-8 hour drive from us.  And so my love-affair with a team I can see in person has ended.  Unfortunately, there is no other team around that comes close to where the Rangers are in terms of hockey league/s hierarchy--we have no other junior teams around.  For us, we would have to step down a level or two, in terms of skill level, or go to the local college team.  Now, it wouldn't be too bad to move on to the college level, but we have a difficult time sitting in the arena.  When the arena was built, it was done so with the intention of seating the most amount of people in the smallest space possible--and this completely did away with any thoughts for the comfort of the fans.  The seats/rows are so close together that I--at 5'0"--have a hard time finding leg room.  That is sad.  And so, we no longer have a hockey home.

The news of the sale of the Rangers was NOT all that surprising--it has been a well-known 'secret' for the entire four years the team has been here.  Rumor has it that the owner bought the team so that his son would have a team to play on--which he did.  This year, the son aged out of juniors and that gave the father/owner no need to continue with the team.  Whether or no this is true, it is what most people believe.  I'm sure it was a big reason for the sale, as I'm sure there was not any money to be made in only four year's time.  It's too bad that the team wasn't given more of a chance to establish itself.  Oh well, at least I have three 'collectible' jerseys in my possession. 

The end of the season for the Red Wings was a nail-biter for all of us fans.  While it finally was apparent that they WOULD make the playoffs--which was not certain at the Olympic break--it was not determined just where they would be in the standings until the last few games.  And at fifth spot, they wound up playing the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round.  Inconsistent play--along with those absolutely, not-able-to-win-at-all Sunday afternoon games--brought the Wings to game seven of a best-of-seven series last night.  And thankfully the playoff, STFU Red Wings that we all know and love decided to show up for the game.  They beat the Coyotes 6-1 in a game that was almost embarrassing for the 'Yotes.  It kind of showed them that they aren't quite able to play with the big boys just yet.  And it showed, despite what the statistics were during the year, that there is not a team in the NHL that can beat the Wings if they are healthy and focused.  As long as they can avoid injuries and continue to 'bring it' every game, I know they can make it to the finals for a third year in a row.  Will that happen?  I am a perpetual pessimist, so I say 'no,' but anything can happen in playoff hockey.  And I will continue working at making myself a bleeding ulcer--hopefully till the middle of June.  :D

If You Didn't Figure It Out...

I have been kind of AWOL these last few days.  For those who don't follow hockey, the playoffs just began last week, so I have been watching way too many games to do anything else.  Tonight is game seven of the Wings first round playoff series.  If they win this game, they go on to round two.  If they lose, the season is over.  Done.  Finished.  Until next year.  And I have no confidence either way as to the outcome of this game. 

So tomorrow, I may be giving an update on the end of hockey season for me, or I may be having a huge happy.  And I know all of you are waiting with bated breath for which it will be.  ;)

But, as always, I remain a very dedicated Red Wing fan.

Great Idea or FAIL?

I managed to get pregnant way before some of the newest technology became commonplace for prenatal care.  While ultrasounds are done routinely today, I only had one with my second pregnancy--and that was because they suspected a problem.  (Turned out that nothing was wrong.)  One of the big questions that expectant parents need to answer is "Do you want to know the sex of your baby?"  Personally, I thought it was rather exciting to find out after birth whether my new child was a boy or a girl--even though I "knew" they both were girls before they were born.  We didn't have the opportunity to find out the baby's gender before birth--hell, there still were people giving birth to twins and it was a surprise!

Of course, someone would figure out a way to exploit this new technology and make money.  Some expectant parents are starting to throw 'gender reveal' parties.  After the ultrasound that determines the baby's sex, the doctor will write the sex on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope.  The parents will then take the envelope to a bakery and order a cake.  The bakery will open the envelope and use either blue or pink filling in the cake.  So, when the cake is cut into at the party, the parents and all of the guests get to find out the sex of the unborn child at the same time.  And celebrating ensues.

I guess this is kind of a cool idea, but I'm on the fence about it.  So, the question:  Is this a great idea or a great big FAIL?

Police Log

I haven't done these in far too long, so here is a few month's worth of our police logs.  Enjoy!

--8:15 AM, neighbor honks car horn at different times of night for no reason
Fight, fight, fight!!!  Kind of passive/aggressive, isn't this? 

 --10:40 PM, report of male subject streaking in the area
The 60s called--you're WAY late with your fads.

--10:38 PM, report of a disorderly drunk male kicked out of business
--12:15 AM, drunk male subject from earlier returned and tried to get back into business, warned to leave and not drive
And WHY would the cops WARN the drunk not to drive?  Why not just drive him home?


--11:01 AM, vacant home, reported at police station
Is it illegal to have a house be empty?  I don't understand.

--3:00 AM, possible stolen car, vehicle was taken by husband, not stolen
I sense a failure to communicate.

--11:30 AM, suspicious odor, tracked to Department of Public Works compost site
Yeah, I'm sure that would smell.

--9:34 AM, suspicious situation, found cloths and other items in a closet
And just WHERE do YOU store your 'cloths and other items?'

And finally:

--4:52 AM, caller reports being put on the Internet without permission by unknown subject
Oooooooooookay.

So, It's Going To Be One Of THOSE Kind Of Years, Huh?

Yesterday I was sweating like I was wearing a sauna suit.  (Remember them?)

Today, I actually just checked the thermostat to see if I should turn the furnace up.  Yesterday the temp was 70* or so and hella muggy.  It made it very uncomfortable in the house.  Today, we're looking at 40* and the possibility of snow showers tonight.  Very rarely do we have to wait more than 24 hours to see a change in weather here.  And I'm used to this--that's why I could never live in California.  How boring would it be to know EXACTLY what your weather was going to be like EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. OF. YOUR. LIFE?  ;)

Pardon Me If I've Posted This Before...

In Finland, speeding tickets are a bit unusual--the punishment fits the crime.  When you get a ticket there, the fine is based on how fast you were going AND your net income.  So, the $100 fine for someone like us becomes $1000 for the wealthier person--and so on.  This is to make sure everyone suffers equally.  According to mental_floss, here are 5 VERY expensive speeding tickets:

1)  The Crime: In 2002, Anssi Vanjoki, a big-wig at Nokia, was caught on his Harley in Helsinki doing 47mph in a 31mph zone.
The Fine: 116,000 euros, or $103,600

2)  The Crime: Jaako Rytsola, a 27-year-old Finnish Internet entrepreneur and newspaper columnist, was nabbed speeding in his BMW, going 43mph in a 25mph zone.
The Fine: $71,400

3)  The Crime: In 1999, Keijo Kopra, a managing director at a wood-products company, who had recently started to bank a lot more coin, was driving home for work, cruising about 14mph over the speed limit.
The Fine: An officer wrote him a ticket for $14,500. BUT, Kopra challenged the fine in court and the judge lowered it to $9,000. However, when the police mentioned that Mr. Kopra had received two previous speeding tickets in 1999, and that, based on the income he had claimed at the time, each fine was $750, the judge flipped out and imposed additional fines of $38,000 based on Kopra’s new income.

4)  The Crime: Good old Jaako Rytsola again, this time caught zigzagging in downtown Helsinki, in the same BMW, a couple months after his big $71,400 ticket.
The Fine: $44,100 (so that’s $115,500 in one year!)

5)  The Crime: In 2004, the heir to a family sausage empire, Jussi Salonoja, was busted in Helsinki for driving 50mph in a 25mph zone.
The Fine: 170,000 euros, or about $204,000! (And that, my friends, is the present record.)

I wonder how well this works?  Among the celebrities we have in the US--and the fact they ALL think their shit don't stink--I don't think these fines could be imposed.  Besides, there are FAR too many lawyers here in the States and they would tie up the courts for YEARS with each of these.  A good idea that I think is totally unworkable in the US--but it would be nice to see implemented.

Police Log

I was going to post this right after it was published, but I got distracted by something.  (What else is new.  :D)  Anyway, Kristi's comment on the previous post made me remember this.  And it IS a doozy:

28 March 2010
--10:03 AM, reports of a suspicious silver and shiny substance falling from sky. Caller reported that it looked like a snowstorm but knew it was not snowing, worried that it was a hazardous substance. Caller realized before officers arrived that it was, in fact, snow after it melted in her hand.


I have absolutely NOTHING to add...

It Makes Life Interesting

A lot of people cannot understand why anyone would live here in the UP.  We are very isolated, not very progressive as far as 'big city' dwellers would think, economically depressed, and quite 'backwards' compared to other parts of the country.  But, for those who care about different criteria, this is a great place to live.  People who like the outdoors will find something to do here all year long, it is beautiful here, we have a very low crime rate, and people are willing to help their neighbors.  (We also have the largest concentration of Finnish people outside of the country of Finland, but that's beside the point.  ;))  It is amusing AND amazing how quickly people who 'can't wait to get out of here' want to come back to live after they leave.  I guess we DO have a lot to offer.

All of this is just my long way of getting to my point:  It snowed overnight.  And it STILL is snowing.  It won't stop until sometime tonight.  Now, this isn't the big storm I predicted, but it is close enough.  I would say we got six inches, at least.  NOT the UP-closing storm it should have been, but it probably was the last for the season.  And here are the pictures:

This isn't the greatest picture--it's from the breakfast nook window looking at the backyard.

Here is from my backdoor, looking toward the street--a little easier to see the amount of snow that fell.

The snow will stop some time tonight.  And by Monday it will be all gone.  It DOES make life interesting.

Happy Birthday, Kitteh!

Today is our cat's 17th birthday.  And she really hasn't slowed down much over the years.  Okay, so she never WAS a bundle of energy, but still.  Surprisingly, she has been pretty healthy for all of her years and we haven't had to spend great amounts of money to keep her.  All in all, she has been quite easy to have around and we haven't had much trouble from her.  I will miss her when she's gone.

Green Stamps

For those who have forgotten, or those who never knew, this is about something called green stamps.  Years ago, grocery stores would give 'green stamps' as a rebate/reward for shopping.  They were about the size of a postage stamp and had glue on the back.  You would wet the back and paste these stamps in books and when you had enough books, you could turn them in for merchandise.  Anyone that watched The Brady Bunch would remember the episode when the kids tried different contests to see who would win all of the family's stamps to use. 

One good thing to come out of The Mother's kitchen, was the stories.  We would sit around the table for hours at a time and listen as the various visitors tried topping each other with the most hilarious tales.  I have forgotten more stories than anyone can imagine--thankfully, The Youngest reminded me of this story a bit ago.

'Ann' had an appointment with her doctor--a yearly physical.  Of course, she needed to use the bathroom before seeing the doctor, but, as luck would have it, there was no toilet paper.  Not wanting to start yelling for some, Ann reached into her purse and produced some Kleenex, which she used.  She then went into the exam room, undressed, and waited for the doctor.

After the doctor and Ann spoke for a while, he had her 'assume the position' for her pelvic exam.  He sat at the end of the exam table and began what he was there for.  Suddenly, he appeared over the drape.  In his hand he was holding a strip of green stamps, which he had 'peeled' from Ann's nether region.  "Do you want these, or should I throw them away?" he asked Ann.  To put it mildly, she was more embarrassed than amused.  The amusement came later.  And any time she needed to use tissue from her purse, she made sure there were NO green stamps clinging.

Trolls

I MUST be moving up in the world because I got myself my very own spammer troll today.  A lot of 'comments' were left on some of my older posts--all in some Oriental characters.  (NOT sure if it is Chinese or something else.)  And here I thought someone else had found all of my writing inspiring enough to comment on, only to find out it was nothing but spam.  :D

Changing

I get caught up in not changing. It usually is because I'm comfortable with the way things are, so I stay the same. Thankfully, I get dragged kicking and screaming--but rarely do I go voluntarily--into new things. And that is the same with my blogs: I get stuck in a rut and 'leave well enough alone.' But, as you can see, I didn't leave well enough alone. Blogger has introduced a new feature called 'Blogger in Draft' and you can change things around quite easily--and so I have. This is what I came up with for the time being. I'll leave it like this for a while and then reevaluate how I feel. If you find these changes hard to navigate, or if this is hard to read, let me know. Any suggestions will be considered.

Just Crazy

Today, our thermometer registered 79*--on April 2. Absolutely one of the craziest things I have ever seen. And I STILL think we will have one more big snowstorm. You have to live here to understand.

I don't do warm weather--at all. Today, I felt like I was in Raiders of the Lost Ark:




Thankfully, I wasn't wearing any make-up, so I only FELT like the picture. We went to the first playoff game for the Rangers and it was unbearable getting ready to leave the house. As we were going to be sitting very close to a large sheet of ice, I knew the temp would be cool and that I would need to dress warmer than the outside temps suggested, so I got dressed in a sweaty state. It was very nice to be able to go without Cuddle Duds or a jacket for a change--jeans and my newest jersey worked out fine and kept me warm enough. I'm just happy that Saturday won't be as hot.

Words to Think About

If you can walk into a room and find everything the way you left it, then you live alone. :D

Conversations

Too many conversations like this in our house:

Husband: Why didn't you tell me (insert ANYTHING)?
Me: What do you mean? I TOLD you that!!!
Husband: No you didn't. I would have remembered if you did.
Me: ??? {walking away, shaking head, and fuming}

I believe I will buy myself a mini-recorder and record everything I say from now on. It will save us an awful lot of arguments in the future.