My Seven (Plus One)

Burg tagged me to list seven songs I am listening to. As I have the tendency to either 1) listen to entire albums until I want to puke, or 2) have music on for background noise, I decided to change this a little. I am going to list the seven songs I don't think I could EVER get sick of listening to--even if I listened to them every single day, multiple times. I will explain the 'plus one' at the end of the list. (Besides, I DO have this as the mix labeled 'BEST.') Here goes:

1) Layla by Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominoes)--original version
This simply has to be the best song ever written. While I DO like the 'Unplugged' version, the original is my favorite. From the guitar riffs to the plaintive lyrics, it doesn't come any better than this. Clapton is at his best with his singing and playing--I guess unrequited love IS a good motivator for writing songs! At the time he wrote this, he was in love with George Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd. After Boyd and Harrison divorced, Clapton married her. Clapton and Harrison remained best friends through the years--they called each other 'husbands-in-law.' Clapton eventually divorced Pattie. Most, if not all, of the songs on the Derek and the Dominoes album 'Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs' were supposedly written about Pattie.

2) (I'm Your) Hootchie Cootchie Man written by Willie Dixon
I love the blues and this is one of my favorite songs. I have it by several people--Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, etc--and I can't pick whose version I like the best. It is just down and dirty blues. A good, good song.

3) Sweet Home Chicago written by Robert Johnson
Anyone who has seen the movie 'The Blues Brothers' has heard this song. Possibly the best Chicago blues song ever written. I have it performed by Eric Clapton, but I really liked the way the 'Blues Brothers' did it in the movie, also. Good blues, but then Robert Johnson didn't write anything that WASN'T good!

4) Goodnight Moon by Shivaree
This song was played at the end of 'Kill Bill, Vol 2' while 'The Bride' was driving in a convertible. As soon as I heard it, I KNEW I had to find and download it. It is very quirky and once you hear it, you don't forget it--and it keeps playing over and over in your mind! It just hooked me and has never let me loose.

5) Hey Man, Nice Shot by Filter
This is the song that is in the video of the 'blood bath' game between Detroit and Colorado. The person that put the video and music together did a fantastic job--and I haven't been able to get the song out of my head. This is the newest 'best' song on my list.

6) Desire by Ryan Adams
I guess this is the closest I will ever get to country music. (Ryan Adams is listed as an alt-country artist in some places.) This I first heard on the Fox show 'House, MD.' It is quite a haunting song and the lyrics are great:

Two hearts fading, like a flower.
And all this waiting, for the power.
For some answer, to this fire.
Sinking slowly. The water’s higher.
Desire

With no secrets. No obsession.
This time I'm speeding with no direction.
Without a reason. What is this fire?
Burning slowly. My one and only.
Desire

You know me. You know my way in.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me,
That you run and never tire.
Desire

7) Hallelujah written by Leonard Cohen
Many, many people have covered this song, but the best--in my opinion--was by the late Jeff Buckley. This is another song I picked up from 'House, MD'--they have WONDERFUL music on that show. Buckley's voice seemed to be very well suited for this song. Another haunting song.

(Plus one) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Clapton makes another appearance via this song--albeit a supporting one. This song was written by George Harrison and it is on The Beatles 'White Album.' Clapton DID play on that recording. My copy of the song is the one that was on the album 'The Concert For Bangladesh.' Harrison held a benefit concert for the country of Bangladesh in 1971 with the proceeds from the concert, album, and movie to benefit the country. At this time, Clapton was well into his heroin addiction and Harrison invited him to participate in the concert as a way for him to get out into the world again. Despite Clapton barely getting to the concert on time and without rehearsing, Clapton gave one of the best performances of his life on this song. The guitar on this song is hauntingly beautiful. (Do we sense a trend here with the word 'haunting?') Anyway, this gets the 'plus one' spot because I don't have the version of the song that I want. When I can get the song off of the 'White Album' without having to pay $30 for the ENTIRE album, then I will have to decide if this song replaces one of the first seven. Then again, I just might expand my list to include all eight songs.

I hope you enjoyed the list--and that the songs weren't TOO obscure! As for who I want to tag, I will just say: EVERYONE! I enjoyed doing it and enjoy reading other people's lists even more.

Take THAT Nashville!

The Wings won against Nashville 2-1. The game was very good and Detroit was ready for it--and Nashville even played quite well. It was nice to see Nashville play without the little pissant Tootoo--tonight was the last night of his suspension. They have too many good players to have to put up with the crap Tootoo pulls. I hope Barry Trotz realizes that he is more of a liability than an asset. With this win, Detroit won six of the eight games they played with Nashville this year. As of tonight, Detroit and Nashville are tied for first place in the league.

I don't know who picks the stars of the game on Yahoo's site, but I wonder what THEY are smoking! Tonight they picked Datsyuk as number 1 (I agree), Bertuzzi as number 2 (again, I agree), and Nashville's Legwand as number 3--and I very much disagree with the number three pick! Osgood was amazing in the net for Detroit tonight--he DEFINITELY should have been one of the stars! Oh, well, I guess the one who scored Nashville's only goal deserved the third star. Yeah, right.

Thursday Afternoon (Boring Title)

Yesterday ALL of the Red Wings were skating at practice. HOORAY!! Of course, there still is no word on when Zetterberg OR Kopecky will actually play, but it definitely is a step in the right direction. There is some indication that they BOTH might play a game or two before the season ends. Good, good news. Lebda WON'T be playing in Nashville tonight because of the concussion he got on Saturday. It seems as if it is more a case of not having a helmet fit correctly than any other reason. But he probably will play on Friday. It will be so strange to have everyone off of the injured list. Things are looking up. GO WINGS!!

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Burg tagged me today. I have to list seven songs I am listening to these days. I think I will change that a little bit--I haven't been listening to anything specific recently. I will come up with seven songs that I could listen to ANYTIME, instead. Might be interesting. I will do the post later tonight.

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I got another sign today that spring is here. Our 'lawn guy' called this morning to see if we want him to continue taking care of our lawn. DUH! I didn't take that call because I have to talk to K first. We WILL have the lawn taken care of, but I have to find out if K wants to do the spring clean-up himself--I would say no, cause he is working so much overtime. Anyway, I have to give our 'guy' a call and tell him to 'go to it.'

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I guess the oldest granddaughter and her friend wore the medals they got at the science fair to school the following day. I guess they REALLY were proud of their accomplishment! :) (And rightly so.)

Tidbits

The oldest granddaughter called me last night, all excited. It seems that she and her partner won third prize in the science fair. While that might not seem like that great of a deal, it IS a lot more impressive when you know that there were somewhere between 300 and 400 kids that participated! She's a smart one.

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After the record high temp of the other day--and the fact that it is still quite mild--I think I MAY be able to get out and start working the garden pretty soon. I'm sure the ground MUST be thawing already. Of course, no planting can be done until May, but if I get the ground ready I may be able to buy the plants I REALLY want, instead of taking the leftovers at the end of the planting season. :)

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One of my favorite websites is Stuff On My Cat. I know--as well as the people who run the site--that everyone isn't quite as enamored of cats as I am, so they have now launched a new site: Stuff On My Mutt. Cute pictures of dogs with 'stuff' on them!

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Talking about cute, this has got to be one of the cutest videos EVER. I LOVE otters, just so damn darling, but this video is precious. Be sure to watch all of the way to the end so that you can get the biggest 'AWWWWWWWWWWW' moment of your life.

NON-Hockey Post

I realize I have been hockey-obsessed recently. And I realize not everyone cares one bit ABOUT hockey. And I realize I DO have some people making a point of checking in here daily, so it is time for me to do a non-hockey post. (You have to take what I can offer--I DO lead a boring life! :)) Here goes:

I just read one of the best quotes I have seen in a long time. While describing someone who whines and 'martyrs' him/herself, someone said, 'Get down off the cross, someone needs the wood!' I know way too many people I could say that to!

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There is a new alarm clock in town. It is called 'Clocky.' It looks like this:
'Clocky' will ring and if you press snooze after the first time it goes off, and you DON'T get up, it will 'jump' down to the floor and find a place to hide. It will ring again and you have to find it in order to turn it off. You can read more about 'Clocky' here. This would have been the perfect thing for my youngest to have while she was in school--NOTHING would get her out of bed! But then, nothing was as annoying as THIS would be.

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While Angelina Jolie has been in the news--again--for adopting--again--another foreign child, her brother gave an interview to a newspaper. Among the brilliantly wonderful things he had to say was this:

"One of the saddest things in my life happened when I was 16, which is when you can get your permit to drive in LA. I did not have a car in High School and neither did Angelina.

Try to imagine. You go to Beverly Hills High, one of the wealthiest High Schools in the nation. Even the cheapest car that anyone has is brand new. All my friends are well off. I have a movie-star father and no car.

It was debilitating. I did not to go to the prom [the social highlight of an American high school career] because I felt uncomfortable that Dad would have to drive me. It's an embarrassing thing."

Do we all want to get together and cry over his abusive upbringing? Poor baby! I guess this shows that SHE isn't the only one in the family that isn't all there. If you want, here is the link for the entire article. It just is very weird.

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When I was about three-years-old, I walked into the kitchen where my mother was. I stood in front of her, crying, with a mouthful of hair/fur. When she asked me what I was crying about, I said, "The dog bit me, so I bit him back!" (True story.)

75th Career Shutout

Dominik Hasek helped the Wings win against Anaheim by getting the 75th shutout in his career. Only one goal was scored, by Datsyuk. After losing four games in a row, this win seemed like a loooong time coming. Anaheim brought their physical game to Detroit, but the Wings pushed right back and didn't let them get the upper hand. A pretty good game.

With the Wings clinching a playoff spot again this year, this is the 16th consecutive year for them to make it to the playoffs. This is the longest playoff streak in North American professional sports. The New York Yankees are second with a 12-season playoff streak.

Chris Chelios was honored tonight for playing more NHL games (1542) than any other US born player.

Brett Lebda is still out because of the concussion he suffered on Saturday when St. Louis' Nieminen drilled him into the boards. Many say that Nieminen is a dirty player--and it might be so--but he actually went to the hospital to apologize to Lebda. Nieminen was tossed out of the game after the incident and got to the hospital to see Lebda before the game had even ended. Dirty player or not, it definitely was classy of him to show up--in person--to see how Lebda was. If Lemieux had been as classy ten years ago, there probably would never have been the great 'blood feud.'

Ten Years Ago

It has actually been ten years since (as so many people would say) the greatest hockey game ever was played. Yes, I'm talking about THE game between Detroit and Colorado--the game of retribution for what Lemieux did to Draper the previous year. To those who don't know hockey, this video can look like a bunch of thugs beating on each other--but it was much more than that. On May 29, 1996, Draper was hit with a sucker punch by Lemieux--this ended Draper's season and left him with broken bones to his nose, jaw, cheekbone and eye socket. Five teeth were bent backward toward his throat. He needed 40 stitches to close cuts around his eye and in his mouth. His jaw was wired shut for five weeks. Lemieux never apologized for what he did and actually came very close to belittling anyone who saw this for the terrible tragedy it was. This was the night that the six-year 'blood feud' was born between the Red Wings and the Avalanche. Almost a year later, on March 26, 1997, the tension, media sniping, and bad blood came together and produced the night no hockey fan will ever forget. Here is the 'highlight' video of the game. This is good, old-time hockey! The Wings won the game AND the Stanley Cup. And they won the Cup the following year, too.

Blues 3, Red Wings 2

Okay, what is going on with the Wings? Here we go:

--The season is way too long and they are plain tired. Several years ago, the playoffs would just be winding down about now--there still are 7 games for the Wings to play before the first round of the playoffs!

--Injuries. At one time they had seven players out with injuries.

--Zetterberg has been gone too long. Zetterberg is one of the best players in the NHL and he was relied on way too much! They just can't get it together without him.

--The officiating has been lousy. Yes, that is a whole song-and-dance that is always used as an excuse, but... The last few games have been terrible in the officiating department and then the shoot-out calls today! Well, case made. (Not that I believe in conspiracy theories, mind you! ;))

--They still are not over Yzerman retiring. I think that is a given. Lidstrom is a great player and leader, but he ISN'T Stevie.

--Babcock is no Scotty Bowman. DUH!!

--They have one of the worst--if not THE worse--travel schedule in the NHL. The majority of their away games are played 2-3 time zones away. Now, just think how you feel when changing to/from Daylight Savings Time. Now imagine being in a plane for hours. Now imagine having to do your job--a VERY physically taxing job--and doing it well. And now, imagine doing that several times a month! Yes, that would put you off for awhile.

--The normal hot and cold streaks of players. They all have times when they aren't playing to their potential, but when you have two or more on the same team having a bad spell, it is hard to compensate for that.

--The lines are constantly changing. With injuries and new players, the make up of the lines HAVE to change. But when a player is used to playing with the same person day after day and he suddenly isn't there... It just must be hard.

--New players. Both Calder and Bertuzzi have been assets, but it takes time to get used to having someone completely new on the team. And there is no training camp for everyone to be together and get used to each other in the middle of the season.

--They just can't catch a break! When the announcers say over and over and over again, '***** shoots! And it hit the post!', or, '***** shoots! And it hit the crossbar!', you have got to wonder what is going on! And this has been happening with almost every shot on goal lately. It's as if there is a magnet in the puck and it's getting pulled away from the netting and toward the goal posts. Just unbelievable.

I could go on, but why. Talking about what has been going on isn't going to change anything--the games have been played and that's that! If they don't get past the first round of the playoffs, oh well--at least it has been one exciting season. I am going to enjoy the rest of this year and (probably have to) hope for better things for next year. I really, really am going to try to look at things positively and not complain. I mean it! :)

Again?!?!?!

Detroit lost to Columbus 2-1. This, after being completely scoreless through the first two periods. And being tied after overtime. And having to go through SIX rounds of the shootout. Words fail.

On to a brighter note: Bertuzzi played tonight. Now, he didn't set the world on fire, but he DID play over 16 minutes and did fine. He played a solid enough game and I think will definitely be an asset as time goes on. As he said, he only got to practice 10 minutes with the line they put him on before the game, so...(I HOPE he was kidding!) Actually, he got right into the swing of things: he got a cut on his chin that required stitches during the first period and got a penalty in the second! Cleary also came back tonight. It is good to see the injured back and playing. From what the announcers said, Zetterberg HAS skated, so there is some hope he may return before the season is over.

For the seventh season in a row, Detroit has had a 100 point (or better) year. But, because Nashville tied tonight--ultimately losing in overtime--they got a point and now have 101 points, staying in first place. Right now the only thing for the Wings to play for is who they will play in the playoffs and home-ice advantage. And as to the who they will play, THAT probably won't be determined until the last game of the season is over! It is getting close.

ALERT! IMPORTANT INFO!

I hope everyone else wasn't as much of a slacker as I have been! K asked me earlier if I had checked our cat food to see if it was part of the recall--and I hadn't. Somewhere I got it in my head that it was dry dog food that was recalled--don't ask me where THAT came from--so I was going to ignore it all. Anyway, at least half of the food we have has been recalled! So, here is the link that will tell you if your dog OR cat food is on the recall list.

Hump Day

--K is on his last night shift--he will have a couple of days off before having to head back to work. That will be nice, as the weather is supposed to be okay--temps in the 40s. Before he left for work, he mentioned the possibility of doing burnt offerings one of these days. YAY! Grilled brats, hot dogs, and hamburgers! I always love the first time we grill for the year.

--Last night K called home and asked me to write a note for him. This usually translates as: 'I want you to do something for me, but don't want to ask you, so if I ask you to write a note you might be guilted into doing what I should have asked you to do in the first place.' Anyway, he wanted me to write a note reminding him to go to the store and pick up strawberry shortcake 'fixings.' Last summer he bought a couple of flats of strawberries and I froze them so that we could have them over the winter--I haven't fixed shortcakes at all since then. My bad. So he felt that we should use the berries before the new crop is ready for harvest. (See, just like I told you, trying to make me feel guilty.) Well, long story even longer, I took strawberries and Cool Whip out of the freezer and decided to make my own shortcake biscuits. Not the best idea I have ever had. I am very good at cooking and baking--I rarely screw things up badly, but these were very close to being a total disaster. First, they didn't seem to be finished baking at the designated time, so I left them in the oven a little longer. Bad move. The bottoms were thisclose to burning--but, if you scrape off the dark part, they shouldn't be too bad. The thing that might make you stop before eating one is the general appearance of the biscuits: they are smaller and lighter in color than a hockey puck, but they are about the same weight and hardness of a frozen puck. I don't know what went wrong, but they are still sitting there, waiting to be eaten. (Actually, I ate one and aside from the fact that it was a touch on the dry side, it didn't taste that bad.) So, my question is this: can Bisquick go bad?

--C called today and to say she was having a bad day was putting it mildly. She was mad at her kids, perturbed at her hubby, disgusted with studying, and generally in a foul mood. The reason she called me? She wanted ME to be in a bad mood, too, so she wouldn't feel alone and would have someone to bitch with her! You know, someone to commiserate with her. To accommodate her, I worked up an attitude of my own and put myself in a foul mood, too. What we mothers won't do for our kids, I tell you. (I mellowed out as soon as I got off of the phone with her--my mood WAS manufactured, after all.)

--A year ago we were getting ready to go to Niagara Falls for A's wedding. It is so hard to believe so much time has passed. Is it getting older that makes it seem as if time passes so fast, or is it the time we are living in? Just a rhetorical question--no one needs to answer that one if they don't want.

--Tomorrow I really need to go shopping to pick up a few things: anniversary card, birthday card and gift, milk. Maybe I will give the 'Do you happen to have a Wii?' phone calls a try again. One of these days I WILL manage to get my hands on one!

Calgary 2, Detroit 1

Where do you even begin to explain the last two games Detroit has played? They are within 1 point of their seventh-straight 100-point season and they missed it again tonight. Of course, with nine games left to play, they WILL get to 100 (let's hope I didn't just jinx it), but there is really no reason for it to not have happened during this road trip.

Even though I wouldn't mind watching the Wings play 12 months of the year, I am beginning to wonder if the season they do play isn't too long. Maybe part of the reason for the last-month slump is just plain tiredness. (They didn't play great the last month of last year, either.) If the season was shortened by 10 games, it might be much better all around--except for the owners, of course. They would be in the play-offs already and probably be done with it all before summer got rolling along. But, I don't really think the powers-that-be will shorten the season.

The Wings had a problem with penalties on Saturday, but Vancouver had quite a few, also. It all boiled down to who actually took advantage of the power play. Tonight, the officiating didn't seem to be fair, at all. (And yes, it is always an excuse: blame the officials.) The reason I say this: the Wings had 5 penalties against them in the first and second periods and Calgary had NO penalties until the third period--then they received only one. A little lopsided, and yes, there were a few that were quite blatant that were not called. A reason for Detroit's poor showing? Maybe. Maybe not.

West coast road trips seem to be especially hard on the Wings--and you really can't blame them for that. After all, they bounce three time zones to play on the west coast. Even still, this was a fairly short road trip--Saturday in Vancouver and tonight in Calgary. And they didn't have to play back-to-back games, either. So, is THIS an excuse for losing two in a row? Hmmm.

Again, all the talk is about when Bertuzzi will play his first game. Right now 'they' say he will either play on Thursday or Saturday. I certainly hope it is on Thursday: I will be able to watch that game--no one is broadcasting Saturday's game, so I will be sh*t-out-of-luck if it is then. 'They' continue to say that Zetterberg is feeling better every day, but he STILL hasn't skated. 'They' are hoping he will be able to come back for the last five games of the season--HA! I don't now what 'they' are smoking, but I just might like to have some of what 'they' are having.

Day of the Chipmunks

Sunday was--to put it mildly--very interesting around here. Actually, this story starts on Saturday, so here goes.

Early Saturday evening I went into the basement to start some laundry. When I got to the machines, I noticed that the dryer hose didn't look right. When I looked at it closer, I saw a hole in it--and it looked as if it was a CHEWED hole, not a break. I called K down to take a look-see-- and in preparation for a new hose, he turned the dryer on to dry out the old hose. Almost immediately a chipmunk came shooting out of the hole. As soon as we regained our composure--we both jumped about three feet in the air--we searched for the creature. At one point K got it trapped in the bathroom, but it escaped. We tried everything we could think of to catch the thing, but it wasn't happening. K then went to the store to get some of the 'sticky' traps. They were placed in the basement, we came back upstairs, closed the door, and tried to forget about it. I DIDN'T get the laundry done.

When K went in the basement on Sunday morning, he found two trapped and one loose. The loose one found its way upstairs and proceeded to the pantry. Thankfully K was able to catch it and get it out of the house before it got into any of the food. Later in the day, two more were trapped. We haven't seen any more, but we ran out of traps, sooooo....

We still are not sure how these things got into the basement. We thought we had that taken care of last summer, but I guess not. I think they, somehow, managed to get into the dryer vent and came in through the hose. Of course, once they were in, they had no way out except by chewing through the hose. I keep telling myself this is the explanation! We will have to put out some more traps just to see if we got all of them--I figure we will be safe if no more are caught in a 48 hour span. This just may be another long summer.

And I finally got the laundry done on Sunday.

Vancouver 4, Detroit 1

How many times and how many ways can you use the word 'inconsistent' before it becomes redundant? After they played two fantastic games with Nashville, the Wings come up with tonight's fiasco. I just don't know what to say. Granted, they were short-handed for around 15 minutes for the game--they had 32 penalty minutes assessed to them tonight--but that still should not be an excuse for their poor showing.

There is so much talk about Bertuzzi joining the team next week--probably--that you have to wonder if they are just sitting back and waiting. I sure hope he won't be a disappointment after all of the hype that has been building.

FINALLY they mentioned Zetterberg and said he is coming along. Now, what does THAT mean? They have admitted that he has an inflamed disk, but on one of the message boards someone said it is a herniated disk--and I believe that is what Bertuzzi had surgery on! I really wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make it back for the rest of the year. I hope I'm wrong and just being my old pessimistic self.

How Is Your Life?

The other night I came thisclose to getting myself a Wii. I had to go and do some grocery shopping--my refrigerator echoed when I yelled into it--so I decided to call around to the usual places and see if any of them had gotten any new shipments of Wiis. Wouldn't you know, Shopko was selling their LAST ONE as I was talking. Damn! I'm thinking that I just may have to become someone's newest, bestest friend in order to get one before I am old enough to retire!

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While I was in WalMart, I noticed something very strange: MOST of the shoppers were male. And there were A LOT of them. While this isn't an unusual occurrence just before Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, I can't explain why so many were there the other night. There were big ones, little ones, old ones, young ones, ugly ones, and some I wouldn't have minded looking at a lot longer! It was as if every male from the entire county--except K--was there. Strange.

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Most people will get spring fever at this time of year--I get new car fever. This usually comes about because of the new car show/sale that we have here in town. I can keep the fever in check if I don't actually get to the show, but this year K has decided we will go. I LOVE seeing the shiny paint jobs and the sleek new models. I love to slide behind the wheel of a Corvette or fully-loaded SUV. I love imagining myself driving down the highway in a brand-spanking new vehicle. I hate imagining the monthly payments...

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C is determined to get the three-year-old potty trained. It is not going so well. The other day, C found a pair of pee-soaked panties in the middle of the coffee table. The little 'brat' removed them herself because she doesn't like feeling wet. This happened just after C asked if she had to use the potty and was told 'No!'

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I finally decided to catch up on my email. I got around to answering one that I received in November. Does 'better late than never' apply here?

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It snowed off and on all day today.

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I remember my dreams so rarely that, recently, when I recall something, I have to stop and think whether it really happened or did I dream it. It is NOT a good feeling.

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I have to figure out what I'm going to do with myself once hockey season ends. That is so sad.

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Finnish-American

I am 100% Finn. All of my ancestors came from Finland and I still consider it to be my ancestral homeland. (I am, first and foremost, an American, however.) I am very proud to be of Finnish descent. Because the US doesn't have a large, or widely dispersed, population of Finns, many people don't know a lot about the country or its people. Here are some things to know about Finland and Finns:

--16% of the population of the UP of Michigan is of Finnish descent. The UP has the largest concentration of Finns outside of Europe.

--The UP of Michigan is very close in climate and geography to Finland. This is one of the reasons so many Finns settled here.

--Finland has about 5.2 million people.

--According to the World Audit study, Finland is the least corrupt and most democratic country in the world as of 2006.

--Finland is home to the world's leading mobile phone company: Nokia. (Guess what kind of cell phone I own! :))

--In the Finnish language, every letter of every word is pronounced. The first syllable of every word is accented. The rules of pronunciation are consistent. The Finnish language is quite easy to read--I was able to read it when I was in elementary school--but it is a difficult language to understand and speak.

--Finland is the only/first country to pay its war debt to the United States.

--Finland has a woman president.

--Most Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

--Reindeer are herded by the Sami (Lapp) people of northern Finland (Lapland.)

--Some famous Finns:

--Linus Torvald, creator of the Linux computer operating system.

--Paavo Nurmi, Olympic champion long distance runner.

--Jean Sibilius, composer.

--Alvar Aalto, architect.

--Eero Saarinen, architect.

--Renny Harlin, director and producer.

--While Finland has an ancient history, it has embraced the modern world in many ways. Much of the architecture and design is very modern. Marimekko Corporation is a leading textile and clothing design company. Bright colors and bold designs are 'very Marimekko.'

--Iittala is another company that produces very modern design items.

"Iittala creates objects that are thought through in form, function and quality. Objects with a clear thought, created to achieve long lasting everyday use and inspiration. Whether in metal, wood, porcelain or glass, Iittala design objects are tools for contemporary living."

My favorite Iittala design is Ultima Thule. Gorgeous!

--The Finnish sauna is a very big part of Finnish culture. The first thing built when a Finn had his piece of land was a sauna. Here is a very good article on the sauna--much of it I can relate to. And, no, entire families DIDN'T sauna together when I was growing up--nor do they today. :)

--There are 40 or more Finnish born NHL players.

--Both Sweden and Russia 'owned' Finland during its history.

--Finland declared its independence in 1917.

--Finnish and Swedish are both official languages of Finland.

Saint Urho

Today, March 16, is the day we celebrate the patron saint of Finland, Saint Urho. The legend says he chased the grasshoppers out of Finland and this saved the grape crop and the jobs of the vineyard workers. He did this by saying--in Finnish--(a loose translation) "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!" We honor Saint Urho on this day by wearing the colors green and purple.

Of course, Saint Urho is just a myth--the day is all in fun. You can go here and read more about the legend and how it came to be.

HAPPY
SAINT
URHO'S
DAY!

Spring--Gotta Love It!

Two days ago it was 74 degrees on my backyard thermometer (the official temp was 66) and the sun was shining. Today it is 24 degrees and it is snowing. Ya gotta love springtime in the UP!

They Took The Second

The Red Wings looked good tonight--not great, but damn good! They won over Nashville 4-2 and showed a glimpse of what they could do during a playoff game. I was so pleased to see more of the Wings getting physical--hell, even Datsyuk got in a couple of heavy checks! Their physical play from last night seemed to help tonight--that little pissant Tootoo wasn't NEARLY as much of a problem tonight. This is exactly what Detroit has needed to do: show the other teams that they can't push them around. It will be interesting to see if they can continue with this style of play--they really need to if they are to get the Cup.

With this win, Detroit is now at the top of the standings--by only one point, but still. I am not as concerned about the standings as I am about them beating Nashville--it is just a good feeling when that happens.

Hudler played another amazing game. He is another one that can go far in the NHL. Filppula got hit in the foot with a puck and didn't play the third period. They SAY it isn't anything serious, but another player had a similar thing happen earlier this year and his foot was broken--he JUST came back to the team after being out for more than a month. Hope they are right that it isn't bad.

Wii Just HAVE To Get One!

Okay, so the title of this post is a pun--sue me! Anyway, when Nintendo came out with the Wii just before Christmas, I decided to wait and get mine later. It now is later and I still don't have one. I call Shopko, Target, and WalMart and I can't get one. I surf the 'interweb' and try all of the usual places and I can't get one. I MIGHT be able to get one if I go to Ebay, but I WILL NOT pay the rip-off prices there. (For crying out loud, someone is selling the EMPTY box for $50!) No one can tell me when new shipments will come in--or how many systems they will get when they come in. I cannot do a 'pre-order' and I cannot have them hold one for me if I happen to call when they have one in stock. I DO have the game 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' and I DO have the players' guide--I just don't have the machine on which to play it! I am getting frustrated. At this rate, it will be summer before I get my Wii. I am NOT a happy camper!

Thank you for letting me rant. I'm feeling MUCH better now.

This Was BIG!

The Wings won against Nashville tonight 5-2--AT NASHVILLE! Hot damn. Tomorrow night they play again, but in Detroit. Hope they do as well. My boy got an assist and a goal tonight--he played very well. Calder got a goal again, as well as two assists--I really am liking the way he has been playing. Getting him has really proven to be a good thing. I sure hope the officiating is better tomorrow night--they let that little piss-ant Tootoo get away with far too much tonight. Don't like him at all. GO WINGS!

One Word Answers

I took this from burg...it is SOOOOOO hard to do...I kept wanting to go on and on with my answers...I just DON'T know when to shut up...as my life is rather boring, don't expect much from this...and here are the answers to the latest meme...

Answer with only one word…

1. Where is your cell phone?
Kitchen

2. Your Vehicle?
Jimmy

3. Your hair?
Dyed

5. Your father?
Absent

6. Your favorite thing?
Food

7. Your dream last night?
None

8. Your favorite drink?
Coke

9. The room you’re in?
Computer

10. Your ex?
Who?

11. You are?
Unsettled

12. What do you want to be in 10 years?
Me

13. Who did you hang out with today?
Cat

14. What you’re not?
Content

15. Muffins?
Cranberry

16. One of your wish list items?
Wii

17. Where is the ______ ?
Fun

18. The last thing you did?
Vacuum

19. What are you wearing?
Comfort

20. Your favorite TV show?
Many…

21. Your pet(s)?
Lazy

22. Your computer?
Adequate

23. Your life?
Routine

24. Your mood?
Hungry

25. Missing?
Variety

26. What are you thinking about right now?
Food

27. Your Shoes?
Comfortable

28. Your work?
Home

29. Your summer?
Yuck

30. Your favorite color?
Blue

Just Monday

--I really felt like crap last night--thought I was coming down with something. However, a good sleep helped a lot. I still have a headache, but that just may be from the smell of the Glade Plug-in I have here in the computer room. I have to be so careful because smells nauseate me so easily--and they don't particularly have to be what one would call BAD smells. Oh, well.

--K had an appointment with the internist this morning and all seems well. They still are working at getting the cholesterol lower, but he doesn't need to see him for three months. On Friday K got a letter from his nephrologist saying that he will be leaving the area! Thankfully there are two or three other ones in the same office, so he won't have to start from scratch.

--The weather has been so warm here that there is bare ground wherever K has moved the snow from. Now, of course, we are left with the lakes in our backyard and the water seeping into the basement. Spring is very fun around here.

--Talking about weather: it is very grey and gloomy today. I am really wondering if part of my not feeling right today has anything to do with my SAD. Maybe.

--The NHL decided to suspend Chris Simon for 25 games because of the hit he made on Hollweg. He will miss the final games of the season and all of the playoff games the Islanders play. Depending on how many playoff games they actually play will determine when he can start again next season. There are some forums/blogs/articles that are wondering if he will just throw in the towel and retire. He DEFINITELY doesn't want to be in this situation again: after all, this is the 6th time he has been suspended!

--After yesterday's atrocious game, we are hoping the Wings will be extra hungry when they meet Nashville tomorrow night. Go Wings!?!?

Too Depressing

Today's game was just too depressing for me to even comment on. The Wings lost to Boston: 6-3. That's all.

Simon Hit On Hollweg

Appropriate Punishment

On Thursday night, New York Islander's player Chris Simon used a two-handed stick attack against New York Ranger Ryan Hollweg. He caught him on the chin, which caused a cut requiring several stitches. While the written word makes the attack seem not too terribly bad, the video suggests otherwise. Hollweg could have been very seriously injured in what was a retaliatory act by Simon. Hollweg had hit Simon just moments before and 'got away' without receiving a penalty for what he did. In some ways, you can say that Simon was just defending himself, but it is very hard to justify what he did, and in no way excuses him. Simon was suspended indefinitely and had a hearing earlier today to determine what punishment he will, ultimately, receive. No decision has been announced. Most opinions are that he will miss the rest of the season and at least some of the playoff games. His suspension may be even longer. I don't know what would be appropriate punishment and am happy I don't have to make the decision.

In past years, when a player would make a cheap hit on another player, as Hollweg did to Simon, the hittee would challenge the hitter--the sticks would fall to the ice, the gloves would come off, and there would be a shoving and boxing match. FIGHT, FIGHT! Today, in the 'new NHL,' fighting is discouraged very much. This, IMO, keeps players from 'blowing off some steam' and sets the stage for retaliation--such as what Simon did. Fighting has always been a part of hockey and it seems as if the 'powers that be' listen to non-fans or new fans when it comes to demands to ban fighting. Long-time, true hockey fans understand fights--and, for the most part, don't mind them. The majority of fights don't do any harm to the players--they just have too much padding and the majority of 'fighting' is a lot of pushing, pulling, and not particularly hard punches. The players get it out of their system, get some penalty minutes assessed, and play on. Case closed. Today when a player is disrespected--whether actual or imagined--he can let it get under his skin and it can boil up and become a very serious problem. If a player has a short fuse, he can cause some serious damage to another player, and that is NOT what the game of hockey needs. Too much messing with the game of hockey is hurting it--and if it is to survive, the 'powers that be' must leave well enough alone before it is irreparably damaged.

They Pulled It Off

Come on, now! LA is at the bottom of the Western Conference and yet Detroit couldn't do any better than a 3-2 win--IN OVERTIME! I know I sound like a broken record, but they have to start playing more than 20 minutes of good hockey if they expect to get anywhere in the playoffs! We'll have to see how they do tomorrow--12:30pm Eastern time, NBC's Game of the Week. They will be playing Boston, a team that doesn't have a snowball's chance of making the playoffs. Let's hope they can FINALLY get their sh*t together, or the players will be playing golf VERY early again this year.

It was good to see Hasek and Samuelsson playing again. Samuelsson came back with a vengeance: he got the winning goal. Hasek even managed to get an assist on Lebda's goal--something that is fun to see.

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Toilet Paper

I have quite a few quirks in my personality--as if THAT wasn't apparent!--and one of them has to do with having 'enough' stock of various items. For example, if I don't have 6 cans of green beans on the shelf in the pantry, then I feel as if I am running out and NEED to purchase more. Depending on the item, the amount I need in this house at any given time varies. I MUST have four large cans of tomato soup, but I only need one can of Comet--other than the one in use. I don't really know how I came up with how much of each thing I need, but the 'rules' serve me well. That is until Charmin started screwing around with their toilet paper. I no longer know just what size roll I need--I don't want to have to change the roll too often! There now are 4 different size rolls that you can get and depending on which size I purchase, the amount I need in the house changes. Because determining the equivalence between each size roll requires a form of higher math--which I very rarely do these days--I now keep at least two packages of TP in the house at all times, and just pray I don't run out. Now, as a public service, I am posting a guide for buying Charmin--I don't want anyone else to have to go through the hell I have!

Charmin Roll Size Guide

1 Regular Roll--176 sheets
This size roll is for the single man who has no visitors other than his mother once a year. Let's face it, anyone who has done a man's laundry has seen the 'skid marks' in the skivvies. A single man will NOT go through a lot of toilet paper.

1 Big Roll--352 sheets (equals 2 Regular Rolls)
A single woman who has gone through menopause will do nicely with this size roll. Seeing as she no longer has extra 'cleanliness' issues, having twice as much TP as a single man should work--and she will STILL have to change rolls 10 times more often.

1 Giant Roll--440 sheets (equals 2 1/2 Regular Rolls)
Single women before menopause, or married couples, can use this size. Just because a man is in the house makes no difference: see the first comment.

1 Mega Roll--704 sheets (equals 4 Regular Rolls--AND needs a special 'extender' for the holder)
Anyone who has kids cannot get anything smaller than this. The chances of the kids going through this in less than one day are slim--mothers KNOW how long a kid is supposed to be in the bathroom! No matter if the kid is doing some extra 'paperwork' or trying to see just how plugged up s/he can get the toilet, the mother will get there before the entire roll is gone.

I realize that according to my guide, I should not have to buy anything bigger than the 'Giant Roll,' but that is becoming a problem for me. See, I usually buy my TP at WalMart, but they have not carried this size for awhile. So, after all of the calculating I had to do, I'm left with having to buy the 'Mega Roll.' Trouble is, it is so big that I have to be careful that the paper doesn't yellow with age before I get a chance to use it all! NOTHING is easy.

...and then they WON!

Considering both Nashville and Detroit were playing without key players, the game was quite good. But, then, any game that they can win is good in my book. I just wish they would have won during regulation--or at the least, overtime--but it went to a shootout. They definitely haven't been very impressive during shootouts, so tonight was nice. The final score was 4-3. I am impressed with the play of the 'Grand Rapids' guys and Kyle Calder certainly is doing VERY well for the Wings--he got another assist tonight, so he has at least one point in every game since coming to Detroit.

Tonight's game brought a couple of milestones. Mike Babcock won his 100th game with a team--the second fastest to reach that point. Mathieu Schneider joined the '200 club'--he got the 200th goal of his career.

So, they play Los Angeles on Friday, Boston on Sunday (the NBC game of the week), and then they play back-to-back games against Nashville next week. It definitely is nerve-racking! We're coming into the home stretch now and EVERY point counts!

Afternoon Comments

Talked to C today and they have had a busy/good day. First, it is her husband's birthday, so they will be doing a little bit of celebrating. She is making lasagna for dinner and baking him a cake. I wish she would have invited me! Then, she got her acceptance letter into the nursing program at the school she is attending! She was so pumped! And, finally, the final hearing was today and her husband has completed the adoption of her girls! Now they will all have the same last name and be a complete family. I'm so happy for them.

**************************************************************************************

If I believed in conspiracy theories, I would say the Red Wings have one heck of a good one going on. Now Tomas Holmstrom has an injury! This now makes SEVEN of their players that are out with injuries. Is this their way of being able to make excuses when they are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs? Interesting!

I don't know if the injuries are going to be THAT much of a factor against Nashville tonight, however. They also have four or five players out tonight--one of which is Forsberg! I'm not too surprised, with his history of injuries. What surprises me is that he has played this long WITHOUT being injured. We'll just see how everything plays out tonight.

Ghost Tales

I believe in ghosts. I know they exist--I just am not too sure exactly what they are. I was once told that they are actually demons posing as loved ones! Nevertheless, WHATEVER they are, I believe. The reason for my believing? I've seen them. First, a little background and then my story.

My grandmother died less than 3 months after giving birth to my mother. After being passed around from family member to family member and being abandoned by her father, she finally wound up with her maternal grandparents, who raised her. They lived in a 'company house'--one which was built by the mining company which my great-grandfather worked for. I guess you could call this house a 'duplex,' as it was one building, divided into two mirror-image homes. There was a basement; a kitchen, dining, and living room on the first floor; and three bedrooms on the second floor. The living room was at the front of the house and the stairs going up to the second floor were accessible through a door. The dining room was in the middle of the two other rooms and the basement door was here. The kitchen was in the back of the house and the door outside was here. While my mother was being raised, the household consisted of her grandparents, a bachelor uncle, and herself. (There were various other people at different times, but none of them are relevant to this story.)

When I was about 7-years-old, my great-grandmother died. I was quite close to her and even stayed with her at times while my uncle was on night shift--she was becoming a bit forgetful and I was able to 'keep an eye on her.' At least as well as a 7-year-old could! To this day, I'm not too sure how the two of us managed: I only spoke English and she only spoke Finnish! But, managed, we did. Her ghost was the first one that I saw.

Some time after my great-grandmother (g-g-m) died, my mother, her aunts, and some of her cousins were sitting around the kitchen table at the family home. (My g-g-m died in the dining room of the house.) I am not quite sure, but I believe this was just after the funeral. Anyway, the women were all visiting, laughing, drinking coffee, just having a good time, when the kitchen door slammed shut--HARD! Everyone got startled and my mother went to scold my brother for slamming doors--he was outside playing--when she saw him on the other side of the front yard. He definitely wasn't close enough to have closed the door and this got the ladies talking and asking each other how it happened. I then piped up and said, "The lady in the blue dress closed the door!" This got everyone's attention, as my g-g-m was buried in a blue dress. I still don't know why I didn't recognize her, but this was the first appearance of a ghost in this house. (NOW I realize it was my g-g-m, because I remember the dress she had on and it WAS the same as the 'lady' was wearing.)

My mother and brother were at the house by themselves one day several weeks later, when he asked my mother who the lady was that just went from the basement through the living room and to the upstairs. As he was only about three, my mother questioned him about this woman--and she got one answer that stood out: the woman was wearing a blue dress.

Within a year of my g-g-m's death, my great-grandfather died. He had been in a medical care facility for several years. My g-g-f had severe arthritis and walked with metal canes, which made a very distinctive sound when used. My mother continued to do the cleaning at the family home for my uncle, who lived there till his death. Awhile after g-g-f's death, my mother and brother were at the house when they heard my g-g-f clear his throat (something everyone who knew him was familiar with) and walk from one upstairs room to another. She took my brother and left very quickly.

The uncle (great-uncle, actually) that lived in the family home was an alcoholic. He would drink himself blind and then call my mother, complaining about all of the people in the house. He would complain because he couldn't get through the living room to go to bed. Usually, the people in the house were holding church services and singing hymns, and he would get freaked. (My great-grandparents were very religious people. G-g-f was a lay preacher and they were founding members of the church that K and I were married in.) I'm sure my uncle would be stricken with bouts of guilt when he drank--my g-g-p's were VERY opposed to drinking--and his sightings could have been explained away as a drunkard's delusions. That is, except for one thing: the people who lived on the other side of the duplex. The woman called my mother MANY times and told her of all of the noise, singing, and people she heard next door in the middle of the night. My uncle didn't get company--he was a loner and he drank in secret, never admitting to anyone he ever even took a drink. BINGO! Someone outside of the family knew of the strange goings-on in that house!

My grandmother's oldest sister lived and worked in Detroit till she retired. She decided that she had had enough of city life, so she came 'home' to live with her brother--my uncle--and 'do for him.' After my uncle died, she lived in the house till she could no longer care for herself. She was one of my all-time favorite relatives, ever since I was a young child, so I would visit her often--usually with my mother. One evening we were at the house and I was sitting in the living room by myself, watching TV. All of a sudden, a cold wind went past me. I whipped my head around to see if the upstairs door was open, and it wasn't. WoooooooOOOOOOoooooo! Several times while visiting there, the wind chimes that were hanging between the living room and dining room would suddenly start chiming--this happening WITHOUT doors or windows open and no one in either of the rooms. Again, WoooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo!

These were just some of the 'highlights' of the haunted family home. The strangest part of it all: as soon as my aunt moved out of the house, the sightings and noises stopped.

Now, my ghost tales don't stop at the family home. We have a ghost in this house. Here is the background. Several years before we bought this house, a woman shot her husband in the living room. I still am not sure if he died in this house, or not, and I'm not too sure I really want to know. Anyway, I think he is haunting this house. Following are several stories.

We have a very tiny hallway off of our dining room. Two bedrooms, the bathroom, and the stairs going to the second floor have doorways going into this hallway. The bathroom doorway is directly opposite the stairs going up--if you are short enough, you can JUST see the upstairs room from the bathroom. BOTH of my daughters would stare up the stairs whenever I was drying them off after taking them out of the bathtub. (This was when they were quite young.) It freaked me out, and both of them answered the same way when I asked what they were looking at upstairs: "The man."

When my youngest was an infant, she would wake up in the middle of the night. One night I was standing in the kitchen, in front of the TV, rocking her back to sleep. Suddenly, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned, thinking it was K, and no one was there.

MANY times I have 'seen'--from the corner of my eye--someone walk through my house. Of course, when I go to see who it is, no one is there. Both of the girls have had the same thing happen to them when they lived here. K has never said anything--but, then, this isn't something he would admit happened to him.

So, think what you will, but as far as I am concerned, there are such things as ghosts--and I am a true believer!

Colorado 4, Detroit 3 (OT)

I am disappointed that the Wings lost today--and to top it all off, it was COLORADO they lost to! DAMN! As bad as they played the first two periods, they tried to redeem themselves in the third. They actually did very well in the third, but, once again, they can't expect to win the Cup if they only play 20 minutes of hockey per game!

I am happy to see the young guys getting more ice time--the reason for this is the injuries, but still... Hudler is showing just exactly what he has--I can see him being a star some day. And what can I say about 'my boy?' He got another goal today--it just goes to show how being on a line with Datsyuk and Holmstrom can bring your game to a whole different level!

Calder is still impressing me--I think they got a good player in him. Again, his dismal record in Philly had more to do with the team than with his abilities, IMHO, and being a Wing will let him play up to his abilities.

Chris Chelios became the third oldest player to play in the NHL at 45 years, 38 days. If he plays again next year--which is probable--he will move into second place. As Gordie Howe was the OLDEST ever to play--at age 52--I don't really think it is likely that he will become number one!



--Detroit Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom, left, of Sweden, and teammate Pavel Datsyuk (13) of Russia, congratulate teammate Valtteri Filppula, of Finland, on his goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period of their NHL hockey game on Sunday, March, 4, 2007, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)--

And They Won

Despite all of the injured players they have, the Red Wings won tonight. It WAS a win against Chicago, but it was a win nevertheless. I'm still feeling optimistic about the 'young 'uns'--I think they did a very good job tonight, again. We'll have to see how I feel after they play Colorado on Sunday and Nashville on Tuesday.

One of the best things to happen in tonight's game was Robert Lang coming out of his slump--he made a goal and three assists! Glad to see him playing better. The young guys--Filppula and Hudler--played very well, getting a goal apiece. And we saw some good action from the 'Grand Rapids' guys, so there is hope! And--FINALLY--Lidstrom got his 200th career goal! He has waited too long for it to happen.

--Nikolai Khabibulin #39 of the Chicago Blackhawks stretches across the crease as Valtteri Filppula #51 of the Detroit Red Wings moves in for a scoring chance during their NHL game at Joe Louis Arena March 2, 2007 in Detroit, Michigan.(Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)--

What A Difference A Day Makes

Wow! We sure got hit with some snow overnight! The best estimates are over 12"--and I really think it was more. When K came home from work, he had to park on the street because he COULDN'T get into the driveway. He was out there blowing snow for about an hour and he STILL can't get the truck out for him to take it to work tomorrow. The really bad thing about this snow is the fact it is WET, HEAVY stuff--hard to move and hard to drive through. And now, here are the pictures I promised yesterday:

(I took these pictures from my back window, through the screen, so they aren't as clear as they should be. BUT, you should be able to tell how much snow we got.)

Around 5:00 pm on Thursday, this was the view from my window:


On Friday morning around 9:00 am, this is what our backyard looked like:


The biggest problem is, we still are supposed to get snow through the weekend, at least. I don't think we will get more than a couple of inches a day, but it DOES add up quite quickly.

Trade Deadline and More

On Monday evening, with the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Red Wings announced their acquisition of Kyle Calder from Philadelphia, as part of a three-way deal. Jason Williams went to Chicago as part of the deal. The whole deal seemed to be a lateral one--Calder is about the size of Williams and doesn't really have good stats this year. Actually, Calder's plus/minus was a very dismal -31! Damn. But, then he WAS playing for the Flyers--and they are the last team in the league this year. One can always hope.

Tuesday night, Calder was already suited-up and getting ready to play his first game as a Wing. Five seconds into his FIRST shift, he scored! I wouldn't have been more surprised if you would have slapped me in the face with a dead fish! Hot damn, but that was a nice surprise. And to make it even nicer, he got an assist later in the game. Welcome to Hockeytown, Kyle Calder--glad to have you. Now, I don't expect he will be doing that EVERY game, but it was nice to see how well he played that night. Actually, the entire team seemed to be a bit revitalized on Tuesday--maybe the fresh blood did it!

Until the pre-game show on Tuesday, I thought Calder was it for Detroit in terms of trades. Then they announced that Todd Bertuzzi was coming to town. Now, if anyone thinks THIS news didn't cause one heck of a firestorm on the message boards, then they don't know hockey. In 2004, Bertuzzi hit an opposing player--a cheap shot, probably (I've never seen video of the hit, I'm just reporting what I have read)--and broke his neck, ending his career. Bertuzzi was fined, suspended, and vilified for what he did. He apologized and is still facing a civil suit because of his actions. As I said, I never saw video on the hit, so I have to try and stay neutral as far as that is concerned. We'll have to see how he plays, but everyone hopes he learned his lesson--as I'm sure he did. Other than the 'incident' looming over him is the fact that he hasn't played a game since his back surgery in November! It will be interesting to see if he comes back after this. Detroit didn't pay much for him, so if he doesn't work, at least there won't be much in terms of money or future talent wasted. Bertuzzi is expected to begin playing in about two weeks.

Going back to the game on Tuesday. I was surprised at how well the team played, considering all of the injured players that they have. Cleary is out with a knee problem for about two weeks. Samuelsson is still out with his foot--not sure when he'll be back. Kopecky probably won't be back for the season with his collarbone. AND, worst of all, Zetterberg is out for about two weeks with a back problem! It will be very interesting to see how the rest of the team steps up and works to make up for the loss of Hank. At least, hopefully, they all (with the exception of Kopecky) will be healthy for the play-offs--and Bertuzzi will be there, too.

Time Flies

Being a stay-at-home, it always amazes me that time moves just as quickly for me as it does for those out in the 'real world.' Once again, I am faced with the 'where has the time gone' dilemma! I noticed that the last time I posted was on Monday--I couldn't believe it! Anyway, here is what has been happening:

--I did make it to my doctor appointment on Tuesday. As it was just a quick check-up, I didn't expect any problems--which there weren't. My blood work came back fine--the anemia is gone, my thyroid is fine, etc. He also is very happy with my blood-pressure numbers. Hoo-ray! I don't have to see him again until October--I just have to stop in for a blood-pressure check in June. I can handle that.

--The 3-year-old granddaughter had her hernia surgery on Thursday. Everything went well until she woke up and then she absolutely freaked because of the IV. I guess the more they tried to calm her down, the more freaked she became! When the IV was finally removed, she was fine. Almost immediately she asked for something to eat, so she was happily scarfing down popsicles and juice and other various fun-type foods, and then she vomited. Nothing unusual after surgery, but it DID keep her in the hospital for an hour or so longer. They finally let her go home and she has been doing well since.

--I talked to C tonight--to continue on with the 3-year-old's recovery--and she said the girl was kicking the sh*t out of her little brother. Now, before anyone gets upset, the younger brother is only 10 months younger and he is many pounds and a few inches bigger than the girl, so she can't really do much damage. With five kids, C lets them fight their own battles as long as there is no bloodshed. Obviously, the surgery didn't knock the wind out of her for very long--if at all.

--K is on his long weekend--and he's working every day. I was hoping for a road trip, but that is not to be--this month anyway. He thinks he is going to NOT work as much after this stretch of days--we'll see about that. It keeps him busy, at least. :)

--It probably was a very good thing that we didn't plan a trip for this weekend: we are getting DUMPED on with snow right now. Since 6:00pm or so, we have gotten around 12 inches of snow--and that is on top of freezing rain. K said he will have to take the Jimmy to work, as his truck doesn't have four wheel drive. No problem on my part--I'M not going anywhere in this weather! I took pictures of our backyard before the snow started and will take pictures tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I will post them later.

--Talked with the youngest daughter and THEY are getting dumped on, big time, in St Paul. She didn't have to go to work this afternoon, and with all the cancellations she was hearing, the chances that she will have to go to work at all tomorrow are slim and none. For all intents and purposes, the Twin Cities and surrounding areas are closed till further notice! I think the UP of Michigan will be closed, too.

--I was born and raised here in the UP of Michigan. Other than extremely brief periods of time, I have lived here all of my life. I KNOW what snow is all about and don't really mind it. HOWEVER. I like the snow to start when it should--sometime around October or November--and continue falling in a nice, normal pattern until spring--sometime around April or May. This is the way it should be, this is the way I am used to it happening, this is the way I like it. We will get various blizzards and storms throughout the winter--this I can handle, and even welcome during the winter. I don't like the kind of winter we have had so far. Sure, it was nice and wonderful having almost no snow for the beginning of winter--till sometime in January, actually. We really didn't have any big-time snowstorms until last weekend. And now we are getting another one in less than a week--albeit, this one is MUCH more severe! It is hard to accept so much snow this late in the season--and we STILL have another couple of months where we can get more storms! Unbelievable.

Continuing The Chain

Burg stole this meme from Jenn who stole it from...so, anyway, I am continuing the chain!


How tall are you barefoot?
BARELY 5 foot 1 inch.

Have you ever flown first-class?
Yes, but only because I could only get a first-class connecting flight. I was on the way to visit K during the Easter holidays when he was in the Navy.

One of your favorite books when you were a child?
Don't remember what was a favorite when I was very young. When The Brother was young, I LOVED the Dr. Seuss books.

A good restaurant in your city?
Casa Calabria--great Italian food!

What is your favorite small appliance?
A tie between my Bunn coffee maker and my Senseo coffee maker. (Are you sensing a pattern here?) The Bunn for when I need a full pot, the Senseo for when one cup will do.

One person who never fails to make you laugh?
My oldest daughter--she just cracks me up.

What was the first music that you ever bought?
That is soooooo long ago--I'm talking vinyl albums, people! The Beach Boys? The Monkees? How embarrassing!

Do you do push-ups?
That involves physical activity, right?

What was one of your favorite games as a child?
Red Rover.

When you were twelve years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Probably a doctor or medical researcher.

Your favorite Soup of the Day?
Chili?

Have you ever met someone famous?
ONLY local 'celebrities'--and they certainly don't impress.

Date of Birth?
November 28.

From what news source do you receive the bulk of your news?
Has to be the internet.

Current worry?
Other than mild concerns about health issues, nothing.

Current hate?
My lack of motivation to lose weight.

Favorite place to be?
At home.

Least favorite place to be?
With The Family.

Do you consider yourself well organized?
Does anal-retentive mean anything? But I AM doing much better these days!

Do you believe in an afterlife?
Absolutely!

Where do you think you will be in 10 years?
Right where I am in a new house--I hope!

Do you burn or tan?
No. Oh, wait, I was supposed to choose! I DON'T burn and I don't tan very well--although I can get very dark when I work at it.

Are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
Kind of neutral--but it depends on WHAT future. If it is MY future, then I'm mildly optimistic--if it is the future of this country and the world, then mildly pessimistic.

What did you fear was going to get you at night as a kid?
The monsters under my bed.

What's in your pockets right now?
No pockets on what I am wearing.

Last thing that made you laugh?
Let's see. My daughter describing something Conan O'Brien said last night or Dazd's post about Survivor: Texas Style.

Worst injury you've ever had?
There was the cut on my wrist which I got when my hand went through a window--didn't get the stitches I needed. Then again, there was the cut I got last year from the glass in the garbage--I required 4 stitches for that. I don't do well with broken glass, obviously.

How many TVs do you own?
Five.

Best compliment received?
Really can't remember.

What leaves you speechless?
VERY little.

What is your favorite book?
Oh, my...can't pick just one. There is The Lord of the Rings trilogy, several books by John Grisham, several books by Michael Crichton, Watership Down...

Last meal you cooked for the opposite sex?
Turkey, stuffing, gravy, green beans/corn.

What were you doing at 12 midnight last night?
Sitting here at the computer--probably surfing the sport sites looking for hockey trade rumors.

Short Post-season?

After the games of the last two nights, I really am afraid that the Wings will not get past the first round of the playoffs. They still are not playing consistently enough and it is too late in the season to say they WILL get it together.

Last night's game against Edmonton brought back nightmares of last year's playoffs. I wonder if the Wings had flashbacks which caused them to not play as well as they could? They just CAN'T lose overtime games like that and expect to get the Cup.

Tonight was a fairly good game, but they lost again in overtime. While I don't think anyone could have stopped the tying goal late in the third period, the Wings shouldn't have let Nashville get to the point where they COULD tie the game. And how pissed off am I that Forsberg got his first point AND his first goal playing for Nashville against the Wings?!?!?! And to add insult to injury, he got the winning goal!

Some good things ARE happening, though. Holmstrom got his second hat trick tonight! Good thing they signed him for another three years or some other team would be trying to get him. Also, the Wings are beginning to play a bit more physically. When you have Zetterberg AND Datsyuk making some heavy hits during a game, then things are moving in the right direction. Now all they need is someone who can do a little bit of enforcing and things might not look so gloomy.

Number 13

And I DON'T mean Datsyuk--although, he DID get a goal tonight (his 100th career goal)! No, the Wings have now won 13 games straight at home--just one shy of the record set in 1964-65. Zetterberg got two goals in the 4-2 victory against Chicago. Once again, they just came alive in the third period--seems to be their MO this season. Khabibulin played VERY well tonight--a little too good for my tastes! :) He stopped 31 shots for the night.

With this win, Detroit is now in first place in the Western Conference--one point ahead of Nashville--and second in the league--one point behind Buffalo. A tight race, but the team doesn't seem to put much emphasis on being first in the standings--after all, it did them NO good last year when it came to play-off time! They could be EIGHTH for all I care--just as long as they do well in the play-offs!

Stupid Ass

Okay, how drunk and stupid do you have to be to do this:


8-year-old caught behind wheel

Man charged with drunk driving, endangerment

By KAYLA GAHAGAN, DMG Writer

HOUGHTON — A Hancock man was arrested and charged with child endangerment and drinking and driving after Houghton County Sheriff Deputies responded to a possible drunk driver and discovered an 8-year-old driving the man’s vehicle.


Anthony Alan Bickman, 42, was arrested Feb. 18 after a 6:24 p.m. report of a vehicle stuck in the ditch near Lake Avenue and Upper Pike River Road.


While deputies were traveling to the scene, they received a report that the vehicle was out of the ditch and northbound on Pike River Road, traveling at a slow speed and weaving all over the road, according to a sheriff’s department press release.


The deputies stopped the vehicle and discovered that an 8-year-old was driving the vehicle.


The Houghton County Prosecutor’s Office could not say whether the 8-year-old was Bickman’s son, but did report that they had different last names. The child’s name will not be released because he is a minor.


Bickman was arrested and transported to Houghton County Jail on charges of operating while intoxicated — third offense, which is a felony punishable by one to five years in prison.


The Houghton County prosecutor’s office reported that Bickman was also charged with a misdemeanor count of child endangerment — permitting an unlicensed minor to drive, which is punishable by 90 days in jail; and a misdemeanor count of driving on a revoked/suspended/refused license, which is punishable by 93 days in jail. For the latter charge, it was Bickman’s second offense, which is punishable by up to a year in jail.


The Sheriff’s Department reported that Bickman is also being held on a misdemeanor charge in Green Oak County, Wis., failure to pay child support.


Bickman was arraigned in Houghton County District Court Tuesday afternoon on the charges and was remanded back to the jail, unable to past bond.


Bickman will be back in District Court March 1 at 9 a.m. for a preliminary examination. The case has been forwarded to Houghton County Child Protective Services.


And, yes, this happened in the UP.

Afternoon Musings

--So, Britney left rehab after less than 24 hours--AGAIN! I don't know if this story is going to have a happy ending.

--The temp right now is in the upper 40s. BEAUTIFUL day! And tonight we have a snow and blowing snow advisory through tomorrow morning. There will be 40 mph winds, snow, and visibility of less than 1/4 mile. Our weather is NEVER boring.

--C called and said she passed her nursing-program entrance exam. For the LPN program, she needed a score of 70 and for the RN program she needed a score of 80--she scored a 90! I'm so happy for her.

--There have been several people getting to this blog by searching 'Zetterberg teeth.' I am assuming they are searching for something on the Red Wing player, but, still, that is a strange search term!

--Looks like Clinton and Obama are going to be fighting over the Hollywood crowd, in terms of who will be supporting their presidential campaigns. They just may cancel each other out and an entirely new person will wind up as the candidate. They both can just fade away, as far as I am concerned.

--FINALLY, I get to watch a hockey game tonight. Correct that: a RED WING hockey game. I really think I have been suffering withdrawal pangs--it has been an entire week since I got to see them play!

--One of the world's smallest premature babies got to go home today. She was born at less than 22 weeks--a 'normal' pregnancy is 40 weeks--and she was 9 1/2 inches and less than 10 ounces at birth. I STILL cannot understand how some will refuse to accept unborn children as people--instead of 'only' fetuses. I do not understand how anyone can support abortions--AT ALL.

--If you like off-beat TV shows, try 'Boston Legal.' I LOVE the show. Last night's episode had me laughing till I was sick--and then it tugged at the heartstrings to the point of getting misty. The main attraction, though, is William Shatner's over-the-top performance as Denny Crane--an absolute genius. The show might, however, be something that has to be watched for awhile before being able to really 'get'--the humor is not 'normal.' :)

--K's last night shift tonight--yay! In a week he starts his long weekend and I'm trying to see what he wants to do. I'm thinking road trip! St Paul, anyone? :)

Telemarketer Meltdown

I definitely am behind in a lot of things, so if this is really old, please bear with me. I found this to be one of the funniest things I have seen/heard in a long time. As far as I can tell, this is a recording a comedian by the name of Tom Mabe made while he was messing with a telemarketer who happened to call his home. I wish I was clever enough to pull off something this hilarious!

In My World

So, what has been going on in my world? Not a whole lot, that's for sure. K is on night shift, so that means alone time for me--which isn't always that bad of a thing! Other than that, here we go:

--Yesterday I went for my semi-regular blood-letting. Yup, that means I have a doctor appointment next week. Again, I believe I have gained a couple of pounds and I'm waiting--read that as scared--to see if he will say something to me about it. It really is hard to do something about your weight when food is your drug of choice--and I have had ample reason for self-medicating these last couple of months. I know that is an excuse, but...I'm still waiting for whatever clicked with me to quit smoking to finally click and I will be able to start losing the enormous amount of pounds I need to get rid of!

--For the past couple of days we have had temps in the mid-30s--at least in my backyard! The warm temps combined with the sunshine today has caused a big reduction in the depth of the snow--I actually can see some bits of bare ground out there. Whenever we get the mid-winter thaw, it is so nice while it lasts. However, it is that much harder to accept the next winter storm that we inevitably get.

--Is everyone as 'over' the Anna Nicole thing as much as I am? For crying out loud, do DNA testing on half of the male population of the Western Hemisphere and find out who that poor baby's father is already! And, PLEASE, bury that woman for pity's sake! Doesn't she deserve a little bit of decency?

--Glad to see that Britney is in rehab--hope she stays there this time and that all works out well for her. Those babies of hers deserve a healthy, sane mother.

--While I haven't actually seen anything more than a few birds at our feeders, there are a number of 'footy prints' all over the backyard. I can see some bird prints and rabbit prints, but there are some I'm not able to identify. The larger ones I think are from a dog, but I want to believe they are from another larger, wild, animal--though I don't think that is the case. I believe I am also seeing prints from the grey squirrel, which I am NOT convinced has left our attic. And there are tunnels in the snow, which are made by shrews or moles. I have actually seen them pop out from under the snow in years gone past, so I know that is what makes the tunnels.

--Since the beginning of this television season, I definitely have dropped a lot of 'must-see' shows. However, I still am liking a few. I picked up 'The Dresden Files,' a new series on the Sci-Fi channel, and am really enjoying it. It is like a cross between 'Harry Potter' and 'Supernatural'--a nice little piece of entertainment. I was all set to give up on 'Heroes' and decided to watch it last night. It turned out to be a decent episode and I guess I will keep that one in the rotation. 'Prison Break' had a few surprises, which were good, but I don't see how they can sustain this series after this year--if they ever planned on it, that is. And I'm still loving '24'--I could watch Jack Bauer getting all macho every day. LOVED the little surprise at the end of the episode, too!