The Red Wings and The Home Team

Last night the Wings 'found a way to win'--as Mickey Redmond said--against St Louis. While they were playing better than they were earlier, I expect much more from them. Come on now, they have THE best team--on paper--that is assembled this year. And they can't do better than finding a way to win? They should definitely be winning by more than one goal--and they should NOT give up a three goal lead and have to worry about ending regulation play in a tie! The power play is coming together and the Hossa-Datsyuk-Holmstrom line is starting to find the chemistry that was hoped for, finally. Zetterberg came back after being out two games and got a goal, so he is doing good. The rest will get better, I'm sure. At least they won. Now they have to do it again on Friday against Atlanta and Saturday in Chicago!


--St. Louis Blues' Paul Kariya, left, skates up the ice as Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, in St. Louis. (AP Photo)--

**********

We went and watched our local team--the Rangers--play tonight and had a great time! Within the first five minutes, the opposing team had scored twice and the Rangers' changed goalies. When that happened, I didn't hold out much hope for the rest of the game--but I was very pleasantly surprised as the Rangers won 6-3.

So, what were the highlights? Well, here goes:

--one of the Rangers got a hat trick AND even got an assist for four points on the evening
--the second goalie was SUPERB in the net and made some spectacular saves
--we got to see a fight, but only one
--the Rangers forced the opposing team to change goalies
--the Rangers killed off several five-on-three power plays and kept the other team from scoring

Despite a slow start, the game was much fun and I am impressed with the team. We can't wait to go again--could be as soon as Friday night! Yes, you read it right, I might go to watch a game instead of stay at home and watch the Wings--but I WILL record the Wings game to watch later. :)

After the game, the players' jerseys were auctioned off. Sadly, we didn't get any. K wanted one player's and I wanted either the one who scored the hat trick or the second goalie's, but they went for too much money. We set a limit and even bumped THAT up a bit, but to no avail. Criminy, for what these jerseys were going for, I can order--and have AUTOGRAPHED--an authentic, personalized jersey of my Baby Boy! But if we would have gotten one tonight, it would have been worth it--the money went to the Cancer Center at our local hospital.

The best part of the auction was when some of the players tried to entice the crowd to bid higher and higher. The first player to try took off his jersey in a bit of a strip tease--and he got at least 100 more dollars bid. The player that went all out for the money, went ALL OUT--a la Slap Shot. (If you haven't seen Slap Shot, do so--then you can get my reference.) Anyway, he decided to do his teammate one better and took off his jersey, shoulder pads, elbow pads, UNDERSHIRT, and untied his pants--but he was stopped before he could drop them. Good grief, but he was cute as a bug's ear. AND he got an extra $200+ for his effort. Great fun was had by all. The jersey to get the most money--I believe it was $650--was purchased by the player's grandmother, who was bidding against the player's mother. Wow.

It had been a while since I actually saw a game in person, so I was apprehensive about whether I could follow the action or not. No problem, though. I was able to see everything as well as I can on TV and even saw some things I don't notice on the screen. I didn't see all of the penalties, but that isn't surprising as so many of them happen away from the main play. The other thing I forgot was how very cold it is in an ice arena. Yikes! I really could have used a long-sleeved jacket and boots--something I will remember the next time. K was like a K-sicle by the time we left the arena--he really should have had gloves as his hands were practically turning blue. Oh well, live and learn. It actually seemed warmer OUTSIDE than it was in the arena! Being cold DID give us incentive to go to the local pub for drinks--I had hot, buttered rum, so I was toasty warm in no time. :)


And here is a picture of the Rangers in their pink jerseys--aren't they just as cute as can be?

Giving Till It Hurts

It is breast cancer awareness month. (I had to mention that for anyone who has been living under a rock.) Many organizations are doing special events this month in order to raise awareness.

The NHL has designated October as Hockey Fights Cancer month--this is for ALL cancer, not just breast cancer. All teams will have special nights in which they will raise money for cancer-related reasons. One reason the NHL supports cancer awareness so fully is the fact that there are many players who have battled cancer and come back to their careers--Phil Kessel was only 19 years old when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and Saku Koivu had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Both are still playing in the NHL. Everyone is affected by this disease and we all need to do our share to eradicate it.

The Red Wings will hold their Hockey Fights Cancer night on Friday. There are not many days in my life that I wish I lived closer to Detroit, but for Friday night's game, I would like to be there. At Joe Louis Arena, the focus will be on breast cancer and the amount of 'special' things that will be sold make me WANT! Come on, I could buy a player-signed puck for only $20 and then there is the drawing for one lucky fan to actually get to meet a player. To top it all off, there is an auction after the game and one of the items is a game-worn, autographed jersey that VF wore on 2 January--my Baby Boy's jersey and I don't have the opportunity to bid on it! Oh the injustice. ;)

Now, I KNOW it isn't the same as seeing the Wings, but we WILL be attending our local NAHL team's game on Thursday night. The night is designated as "Paint The Rink Pink" for breast cancer awareness. As part of the special activities, the players will be wearing pink jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. Will I bag myself a pink jersy? Who knows, but it will be a fun evening, nonetheless. And it is a chance to see a possible NHL player before he even gets into the pros! What could be better--AND we will be supporting a cause that is a good one, too.

glitter-graphics.com

Thank Goodness

The Wings won their first game at home tonight in overtime, 5-4. They had two-goal leads twice during the game and then went down a goal in the third before Hudler tied it late in the period. (I STILL think Baby Boy redirected that puck, but...) The game started out beautifully and the Wings seemed to lose it a bit as play continued. Then, 23 seconds into overtime, Hossa managed to score. A great goal for him: he won the game, he scored his first as a Red Wing, and it was his 300th career goal. Now maybe he can settle down enough to show exactly why he is being paid $7+ million this year! That being said, he HAS been doing good things on the ice, just hasn't been scoring.

Z and Stuart were both out with injuries--hopefully Z can play on Wednesday, cause he IS missed. Filppula got two assists tonight, so he is putting up some points--wish he could get more goals, though. He had some good chances again tonight, but the puck just can't find the back of the net. Oh, well,too many Wings have the same problem.

Now the team has three days to get it together before they go St Louis to play on Wednesday. They have won every game on the road so far, so hopefully they can continue the streak.


--Detroit Red Wings' Marian Hossa, back right, of Slovakia, makes the game-winning overtime goal past New York Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist of Sweden and Michael Rozsival of Czech Republic in their NHL hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 in Detroit. The Red Wings won 5-4. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)--

Celebrate

Celebrations for the week:

19 October
Electricity Day
Evaluate Your Life Day

20 October
National Fruit Day
Miss American Rose Day

21 October
Reptile Awareness Day

22 October
Used Car Day

23 October
Canning Day
Mole Day
TV Talk Show Host Day

24 October
National Bologna Day (just for you, burg! ;))
Make a Difference Day

25 October
National Greasy Foods Day
Sourest Day
Mother-in-Law Day

Even Here In God's Country

It certainly was a shock to see the headline on the front page of our newspaper this morning: "Teacher arrested on CSC charges." A 49-year-old teacher in our town was arrested on two felony counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, with students. The man teaches computers in the middle school and his students are 11-13-years-old. DISGUSTING! While I KNOW things like this happen far too often, I was hoping we were different here.

Reading the article further, I suddenly realized I KNOW who this teacher is. He has been teaching locally for 20 years and taught band on both the middle school and high school level. He was my oldest's band teacher when she was in 9th grade. And the article implies that he is suspected of his 'extra curricular activities' for the entire time he has been teaching--which would INCLUDE the time he taught C. I NEVER liked the man from the first moment I saw him--I thought he was an arrogant SOB--and I could never figure out WHY I had the hate for him, because being an SOB isn't enough. But, I guess my radar was working very well again. I can't imagine the amount of stories that will be coming out in the next few weeks.

I always try to reconcile whatever is happening with the thought that 'everything happens for a reason.' I realize that I may NEVER know the reason for many things that have happened in my life, but this story helped me see the troubles we had with C in a different light. C hasn't lived here since she was in the 9th grade. I could never understand what we could have done to have our lives go in the direction they did and why we were 'punished' as we were. After talking to C about this teacher, I see a possible reason why she was 'taken' away: this teacher seemed to be 'grooming' C to be one of his 'special' students. As it was, she was his favorite the year he taught her--and I always thought it was because of her musical gifts. He was planning to put her into the jazz band the following year--the first time there ever was a flautist in the jazz band--and he had already named her drum major. (The drums majors were his favorite, special pets.) She managed to escape the possible horror that could have been had she stayed here throughout her high school years. I shudder to think.

And C said he NEVER tried anything with her, for which I thank the Lord above in a very loud voice.

One Of The Last Straws

I'll continue on with another medical post--this one is about one of the final acts that made me say 'screw you' to The Family.

About eight years or so ago--the youngest was still in high school--I needed to get away from home for a few days. A and I were going through some bad times and I couldn't take it anymore. Actually, K and I weren't getting along either because of the problems with A, but that is another story. Anyway, I needed to get away and went to spend some time with The Mother and Father. (We were getting along fine at the time.)

When I got to The Parent's, The Mother wasn't feeling well. She said it was a stomach bug or something bad she had eaten. I didn't think much about it, as she always seems to have SOMETHING wrong with her all of the time. I figured whatever was wrong would pass quickly. Over the course of the next day or two, I realized that she really WAS sick and wasn't getting any better. Finally, we convinced her to go to be checked out--I believe she went straight to the emergency room. Believe me when I say she was not doing well. Not only was she spending an awful lot of time in the bathroom, but she was weak and really looked sick. She was admitted into the hospital immediately--mainly because she was very dehydrated.

The next few days were really bad. The doctor could not figure out what was wrong despite doing many tests. The Mother wasn't getting any better and actually was going downhill fast. At one point, we were in the room and watched her blood pressure drop so far down that there was almost NO pressure--and no one on the hospital staff seemed to think there was anything to be concerned about. The doctor and I had an instant dislike for each other--I don't think she liked me because I questioned her too much and I didn't like her because she couldn't admit she had no clue what was going. Nothing was going well and then the doctor decided to do a colonoscopy to see what was what.

After the colonoscopy, the doctor diagnosed The Mother with diverticulitis. She also took samples and sent them out of town for analysis because the lab there couldn't perform the tests needed. So, with a diagnosis in hand, The Mother began treatments for diverticulitis. A couple of days later, the test results came back saying The Mother was suffering from a superbug, c. difficile. This superbug is a definite killer and the only way to take care of it was with a very expensive, potent, uncommon antibiotic. The local pharmacy didn't even carry the medication and had to special order it--that is how uncommon it was. After a few days, The Mother was sent home to recuperate. All this while, I was at the house taking care of things and then continued after she got home.

Now, I'm going to back up a little here. I was not at the hospital when the doctor gave the diagnosis of c. difficile. I have no way of knowing whether the diagnosis of diverticulitis was ever taken away. Needless to say--and this probably is very wrong of me--The Mother has held on to the diverticulitis diagnosis like a dog holds on to its favorite bone. She finally has something wrong with her that can 'flare' whenever it is to her advantage and no one can ever say she is faking. And it isn't as if this is something that can actually kill her, it just is something that she needs to 'manage' and have people feel sorry for her about. I KNOW this is awful of me to say, but it seems to be the truth--The Mother is a drama queen and needs something in her arsenal for whenever some drama is needed in her life. These are just the facts.

So, a week or two after I got home from nursing The Mother back to health, I had an appointment with my PCP. While I was there, I mentioned to him that The Mother had been sick and what the problem had been. My doctor's face went white and he said--in NO uncertain terms--how extremely lucky she was to still be alive. (This was just when c. difficile was beginning to be diagnosed as a superbug.) He had a patient who recently went through the same thing and barely escaped with HIS life. My doctor also mentioned the cause of the superbug: OVER PRESCRIBING AND TAKING OF ANTIBIOTICS. This was about the time he let me know that I would have to be close to death and have more than one test confirm a strep throat infection before he would prescribe antibiotics for me again. He was so adamant about the overuse of certain drugs, that I knew it was a big problem. When I got home that day, I let The Mother know what he said. I figured she needed to hear this because she ran to the doctor's/emergency room frequently for antibiotics because she was 'coming down with _______' (You can fill in the blank.) This is why what happened next is so unbelievable for me.

Several weeks later--it would have been about a month after she ended her course of the very expensive, potent, uncommon antibiotic--The Mother called and said she was sick. She said that she had bronchitis and was on an antibiotic to take care of things. EXCUSE ME!!!!! WHAT the shit was she talking about? She just almost died and now she is taking MORE of what contributed to her almost death?!?!?!? So, I asked for the story. She had gone to see her PCP because she 'knew' she was getting bronchitis. Her doctor disagreed and sent her home to take care of herself--I'm sure it was 'rest, drink plenty of fluids, ...' and to call back the next week if she wasn't feeling better. This, I believe was on a Friday. She didn't like what the doctor told her, because she knew better than he did. On Saturday, she decided to go where she KNEW she could get her drugs and that was to the emergency room. Sure enough, she left with a prescription and was, once again, on antibiotics. If the ER doctor had KNOWN she had just been hospitalized, I don't believe he would have prescribed for her, but I'm sure she neglected to give him that little piece of information--OR she told him she had been hospitalized for diverticulitis, not for the real reason. To say I was upset, is putting it mildly.

When I got off of the phone with The Mother, I immediately called her cousin--the only person sensible enough to discuss this matter with rationally. We both were beyond concerned with what was gojng on and discussed what could be done. At one point, the dark humor came out and we started talking about doing an 'intervention' to get The Mother off of antibiotics for good. Needless to say, we decided The Mother needed to be talked to and reasoned with. But, the opportunity never presented itself.

As I said, the youngest and I were having some problems at the time, so she took my conversation with The Cousin as her opportunity to do some big time damage to me. (She overheard PART of the conversation.) She called The Mother and told her that The Cousin and I were planning an intervention. That didn't go over very well. The Mother called The Cousin and told her to stay the hell out of her life and not be concerned about her ever again--that it was NONE of The Cousin's business HOW she lived her life. Of course, the next phone call I got was from The Cousin, hysterical over the way The Mother had screamed at her. Then, The Mother called all hot and bothered over The Cousin and 'how dare she' and how The Cousin had the nerve to yell at her when she was told to mind her own business and on and on and on... Funny thing is, The Mother didn't seem to be too very mad at me--which I still don't understand. She DID say that I shouldn't worry about the antibiotics, etc, but wasn't too mad at me. But that didn't take away from the fact that she was putting her life in jeopardy and she wouldn't even try to see it. I decided at that point that I couldn't be a part of her medical drama anymore and I took myself WAY out of the mix. While I didn't completely turn my back on The Family at that point, it was the first BIG step toward doing so. I could put myself through the emotional wringer any longer--it wasn't good for my own health, so I stepped away.

Even though I am estranged from my family, the decision to walk away has been one of the best ones of my life. I no longer have to worry every time the phone rings as to what crisis is brewing, who everyone is supposed to be mad at, and how upset everyone is. I live an extremely uneventful life--for the most part--and really enjoy my quiet existense.

Teehee

Decisions

As I have mentioned before, I have psoriasis. Psoriasis is a non-contagious, incurable, autoimmune disease that affects the skin. Simply put, a normal skin cell will mature and fall off of the body's surface every 28-30 days. With psoriasis, a skin cell will mature every 3-4 days and move to the skin surface. In the most common form of psoriasis--what I have--patches of skin, called lesions, become inflamed and are covered by silvery white scale. The scale is the dead skin and is what makes the flakes--the most recognizable symptom of psoriasis. Psoriasis can be mild to severe and can affect most every area of the body.

Some people have patches of psoriasis that will cover large areas of their body--such as the entire lower leg or back. There is always the possibility of cracking of the skin and infection setting in, but it isn't very common. In some cases, the lesions look like a very large area covered by a rash with dead, scaly skin covering it. Not a real pretty sight. While I have most areas of my body showing signs of psoriasis, mine isn't nearly as bad as it could be. My scalp, fingernails, stomach, knees, elbows, back, chest, and butt cheeks do--now or at one time--have psoriasis lesions. Even though I have quite a few compromised body areas, I am undergoing a bit of a remission at this time. Now, that DOESN'T mean I am uncovering parts of my body any time soon, it just means that things are going better than they have been for a while. A lot of my body lesions look like flat, white patches--and aren't very dry looking at all. The areas on my knee and elbows are dark pink to red and shiny, but, again, aren't scaly. As a matter of fact, it looks as if I have burns more than anything else--something on the order of what it looks like right after burning yourself on an iron--only larger.

A lot of people with psoriasis find it itchy--and some will scratch to the point of breaking the skin and causing bleeding. Thankfully, I don't have itching. My worst time with itching was the REST of my skin--and I pretty much eliminated that problem a few years ago when I quit using detergents, etc, with any fragrance. I either have a sensitivity or allergy to some fragrances--and I don't know how much, if anything, it has to do with my psoriasis.

Because of the scale, a lot of time people spend taking care of themselves has to do with removing it. Removal of the dry skin is important so that any topical medications can reach and be absorbed by the 'new' skin underneath. I am lucky in that I usually can remove any dry skin in the shower--I just have to stay under the water long enough. Once the dry skin softens, I can remove it with a loofah or other means of exfoliation. Because of my skin problems, I MUST shower every day--and because I shower every day, I am able to keep up with removing the dead skin. If, for whatever reason, I am not able to shower one day, it can take me up to two weeks to get my skin back to the way it was before the non-shower day. Psoriasis takes up a good part of my life.

At the very least, I must apply topical medications to every lesion on my body once a day. I try to get some of the areas--mainly my elbows--twice, at least. Some of my meds are creams and they go on quite easily. Other meds I have are ointments--NOT nearly as easy to apply. The ointments are the exact texture of Vaseline. Stop and think about it for a second: you have to apply--AND rub in until absorbed--Vaseline to LARGE areas of your body. (For me, this involves most of the stomach and the upper half of my back--as well as other areas.) The more you rub it in, the less mess you make on your sheets or clothing. BUT, the longer you rub it in, the more time you are spending NOT sleeping or doing something else you would rather be doing. I spend anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour each time I apply my meds. This is on top of the 20-30 minutes I spend in the shower. Psoriasis robs you of a lot of your time.

I have, and use, A LOT of medications for my disease. Mostly, I use topical meds and most of them are extremely potent steroids. And the newest meds are very expensive. For example, one of my meds costs more than $200 for a 60gm tube--about the size of a medium tube of toothpaste--and this might last me for a month. (I have insurance--the ONLY reason I am able to use what I do.) Right now, I have 8 different meds for my body and scalp that I use on a rotating basis. Why rotating? Well, meds have a funny way of becoming ineffective over time with psoriasis, so I try not to use any one thing for too long of a time before changing to something else. Also, I find that I have to use different meds on different parts of my body--not everything works the same everywhere. I can't use most of my meds on my face or in the folds of my body--like under the boob or armpit--because they are too harsh and the side effects can be bad. Side effects of the steroids include thinning of the skin--which can cause the skin to split open--stretch marks, rash, inflammation of the skin, and discoloration. Of course, I do often wonder how the absorption of all those steroids are affecting me physically. Hmm, I could probably blame quite a few of my problems on that. Right now, other than prescription meds, the other thing I do to help my skin is I go to the tanning salon twice a week--with my dermatologist's reluctant approval. (Tanning DOES help me, but it, too, loses its effect over time.) I also get cortisone injections periodically. Unfortunately, my dermatologist won't do them as often as I would like because of side effects. Besides, they, too, have limited benefits--some areas will get better, some won't. That's way that goes.

Speaking of meds, I have used most everything out there. Over the years, I have used many prescription meds, most of the over-the-counter ones that are made, and a number of mail/internet order things--even some that can't legally be sold in the US. I have tried the 'diet'--or a reasonable facsimile--and various other things that 'have worked' for other patients. (I find out about 'remedies' online or at the National Psoriasis Foundation website.) Unusual things I have used: cider vinegar, Dead Sea water, coal tar in various forms, every skin moisturizer known to modern--and maybe even ancient--man, sulfur soap, goat's milk soap, oatmeal soap, and various soaking products, including Dead Sea bathsalts. I can't remember everything I have bought, but it is like someone suffering from cancer: if it can't hurt--and sometimes even if it CAN--you will try anything to cure what you have.

Even with all I go through with my psoriasis, I am one of the lucky ones. Very rarely will I have any amount of pain associated with any of my lesions and I don't have bleeding episodes often. (My cousin has psoriasis on the palms of her hands and they crack and bleed.) I don't have many itching episodes and I am pretty much able to keep the scaling to a minimum. Other than my thinking I am on the verge of developing psoriatic arthritis, my biggest problem with my disease is of an aesthetic nature: I don't want anyone else to see what my skin looks like. This has made me into more of a recluse than I want to be, as I can't go to places if I don't have the proper wardrobe. This also makes me hate the summer--it is hard to go out in 90 degree weather when you have to wear long pants and long sleeves. My wardrobe consists of 3/4 to long sleeved shirts and jeans--and not much else. It has been over a year since I actually wore a short-sleeved top outside of the house. The closest I will come is elbow-length and that is because most of my elbow will be covered. There are days when I just want to sit down and cry over my situation--it can be VERY depressing.

This brings me to the decision I have to make. There are some fairly new drugs that are being used for psoriasis and they are called biologics. Biologics work on T-cells and have a remarkable success rate. Now, they don't CURE psoriasis, but most patients have great success using them. One bad part of these drugs are the fact they work on the immune system. There are side effects and one of them is the possibility of infections or not being able to ward off infections easily. Another bad thing is that you have to use these long term--possibly forever--for the results to continue. These drugs have to be administerd by needle--either self-injection or by IV at an infusion center. And the biggest negative is the cost: $4000 for three months. (My insurance would probably pick up most of the cost.) I have to weigh whether or not the negatives are mild enough for me to do something for my self-esteem, or is it just not worth it? I have to talk to my primary care physician before taking this step, as he can help guide me--he would know if any of my other medical problems might be a reason for me not to use a biologic. I LOVE the thoughts of possibly being able to wear anything I want again, but then I have to ask myself, "At what cost?" A big decison that I will make before the end of the year. I only hope I make the right one.

I DON'T Want To Talk About It!

The Wings lost 27 seconds into overtime, 4-3. Once again, they just didn't play the way they usually do--not a lot of get up and go. And it really didn't have much, if anything, to do with the fact that Z is out with a sore groin. (There I go again, talking about groins of men I don't personally know. ;)) They better get their shit together, and fast. Ozzie is still doing very well, but Hossa just can't get started. I know he will come around, but at this point in time it doesn't look as if the Wings will have to worry about how they can possibly keep him and all of the other UFAs next year. :/

Saturday they play the Rangers--hope they can do better.

At Least I Understood It ;)

You know when someone tells you that you DON'T need to express every single thought you have? Well, that is exactly what I should have remembered before I wrote my last post. I was very amused by my thought and it should have stayed there. And I am sure I might possibly be the only person in the world to find it humorous--and there are not a whole lot of people that would actually understand the remark, either. It just was a funny play on words and doesn't really mean anything.

If you have to explain a joke, then it can't possibly be funny. Here is the explanation: According to The Complete Hockey Dictionary, a 'deke' is defined as a "feint or fake; deceptive move designed to draw an opponent out of position or to skate by an opponent while maintaining control of the puck." Pavel Datsyuk is one of the best at the deke, hence the 'Datsyukian deke.' We all understand 'Freudian slip.' As I said, a funny play on words, nothing more.

And now I will stop with a promise to post something a bit more mainstream next time! :) (However, I will not promise it will be funnier. ;))

Question

Is a Datsyukian deke anything like a Freudian slip?

Another Win

The Wings seem to be getting a bit more comfortable with each other and won again, 3-1. However, there still is work to be done. Babcock shuffled the lines and the power play definitely needs to be worked on. Hossa has two assists, so that is good--I still can't wait to see him score those goals. He is at +2, so he IS pulling his own weight. Conklin was very, very good tonight. If not for him, the score would have been very different--he made some great saves. I hope this means there are no worries in the net for the season. As for the Hurricanes' goalie: once again I have to wonder what the hell gets into the goalies who play against the Red Wings?!?! Playing against the Wings definitely inspires goalies to bring their 'A' game--and Ward stole a few goals from Wing players tonight. Of course, we got to hear the 'thunk' of the puck hitting the goalpost, too. I guess when a team takes as many shots as Detroit does, it is to be expected. It still seems odd that they can't score more, though.

I should be much more gracious when the Wings win--just accept the win with a smile. And I will try to be better about that. Hopefully I will have the chance again on Thursday when they host the Canucks.


--Detroit Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom (96), of Sweden, puts the puck past Carolina Hurricanes' Cam Ward (30) while being defended by Hurricanes' Joni Pitkanen (25), of Finland, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. The Red Wings won 3-1. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)--

Gotta Love It

On Friday, a baby giraffe was born at the Memphis Zoo. Cute Overload posted a pic. Here it is:


Absolutely adorable!

It Was A Win, But...

The score was 3-2 over Ottawa tonight--thank goodness. I don't think I could have managed back-to-back losses. The Wings played MUCH better than they did on Thursday, but they still aren't at the level they need to be--and that they CAN be. All in all, it was a pretty good game. I just hate these games where they push at the end to come out with a win--I like games where I KNOW from the beginning it will go in the 'W' column.

Some good things came out of the game. Franzen got his first goal(s) of the season out of the way. He got the second goal and the game winner--and the winner didn't come till the last two minutes of play. His first goal was really nice, but the second one was a 'gimme' by Gerber--it was deflected off of a Senator and trickled in past the goalie. Oops! Baby Boy got HIS first of the year, too--thank goodness!! Last year it was somewhere around game 10 before he scored--glad he has THAT monkey off of his back, for sure. Anyway, it was quite a nice goal and completely got past Gerber. Hossa, Holmstrom, and Datsyuk seem to be getting a bit more comfortable with each other, however it will still take time for that line. At one point, Holmstrom looked up to see where Hossa was before he passed and I couldn't help but think that wouldn't have happened if Z was on the line--they just KNOW where each other will be. But, it will come with time. It just was nice to get that first win.

Next game, Monday against the Hurricanes. Then they will meet the President at the White House on Tuesday--how cool is that?


--Detroit Red Wings' Chris Osgood deflects a shot during first period NHL hockey action against the Ottawa Senators at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada on Saturday Oct. 11, 2008. The Wings won 3-2. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)--

Celebrate

Celebrations for this week:

12 October
International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
Free Thought Day
National Kick Butt Day

13 October
National Face Your Fears Day

14 October
Be Bald and Be Free Day
International Top Spinning Day

15 October
National Grouch Day

16 October
Dictionary Day

17 October
Bridge Day
Mulligan Day
World Toy Camera Day

18 October
World Menopause Day
Long Distance Day

When You Have 'One of Those Days'

When you have an
'I Hate My Job' day,
try this:

On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson.

Be very sure you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains, and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed by anyone.


Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins.

Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement:

'Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is
personally tested and then sanitized.'

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, 'I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson & Johnson.'

HAVE A NICE DAY! REMEMBER: THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE, WHO HAS A JOB THAT IS MORE OF A PAIN IN THE BEHIND THAN YOURS!

Toronto 3-Detroit 2

Ouch, ouch, OUCH!!! That was one bad game they played tonight. WAY too sloppy, too many turn overs--the guys didn't look comfortable playing their lines, but with the pre-season injuries, it wasn't unexpected. It will be very interesting to see if Hossa and Datsyuk can get work well with each other or if the EuroTwins will have to be put back together. One down, 81 more to play before the next playoff season.

Other than the new guy being on the ice, there were a few more things that were different. Lidstrom is wearing a visor and will continue to do so throughout the season--thank goodness. (I can't imagine what he looked like shortly after the injury, as the white of his eye was STILL blood red tonight.) VF was showing off a new, short haircut--he is just so damn cute. JLA now has 50 banners in the rafters with the addition of tonight's. And then, several things were just the same. Babcock was up to his shuffling of the lines later in the game--and that is good. Z is still maintaining his mountain man look--and if it keeps him playing like a scoring fool, good for him. Holmstrom--who got both goals tonight--is still camping out in front of the opposite net and doing very well in that position. Lilya and Samuelsson were being inconsistent, as usual. Some business as usual. Oh dear.

Saturday they play against Ottawa--I hope they are rested enough for the game, because Babcock will be working their asses off after tonight's fiasco.


--Detroit Red Wings team members pose with their 2007-2008 Stanley Cup championship banner before their season opening NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Detroit, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)--

I Suppose I Should Grow Up

Today, I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve--and all because of the start of hockey season. Good grief. It's only a GAME for crying out loud! But what a game. :)

Almost every analyst/expert says that the Wings have the best chance to repeat as champions since the last team to do so in 1998--which also happened to be the Wings. The amount of talent on this team is scary. The first two lines are so good that they are being called line 1a and 1b. The third line--which VF will be centering--is good enough to be the second line on almost every other team and quite possibly the number one line on more than a few. Three players just had to be sent down to Grand Rapids--because of salary cap and roster numbers--and Babcock has said he never has had such talented players be assigned to the minors before. The possibilities of different line combinations with this much talent has grown men wetting themselves. And I can't wait till the puck is dropped tomorrow night. It will be the first time to see the entire team out there and see how the chemistry is with the new guy.

Of course, all of the predictions and speculation are based on what looks good on paper. While every player is as talented as everyone thinks--or more so--there still are all of the unpredictable things that can happen to derail a good team. Unfortunate puck bounces, injuries, bad reffing, a player having a 'bad year,' or any number of other things can go wrong and the Wings will be down and out as fast as other Cup winners have been the following year. *cough* Anaheim *cough* But I can still hope.

So, tomorrow night at 7:00 PM I will be sitting in front of the TV, wearing one of my jerseys, waiting for the puck to drop so that I can cheer on the Detroit Red Wings to another great year. Hopefully I will have a lot to be happy about next June. :)

GO WINGS!!!!

MySpace Graphics & MySpace Layouts

An Embarrassment In Later Years

My 9-year-old granddaughter told her mother the other day that her 'nibbles' hurt. Of course, she was talking about her 'nipples.' :D I guess it is time for a training bra.

glitter-graphics.com

Celebrate

Celebrations for the week:

5 October
National Apple Betty Day
Long Walk Day

6 October
Mad Hatter Day
World Habitat Day
K and My 35th Wedding Anniversary

7 October
Bathtub Day

8 October
National Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day

9 October
World Post Day
Red Wing Season Opener and Stanley Cup Banner Raising

10 October
National Angel Food Cake Day
Tuxedo Day
National Cake Decorating Day

11 October
National Sausage Pizza Day
Universal Music Day

The Highlights Of Our Trip

Well, for US these are the highlights. We don't go out of town and suddenly get 'wild and crazy.' For us, an exciting evening is dinner and then back to our hotel room so K can go to sleep/watch TV and I can do a little Web surfing. Big excitement. ;)

We got to St Paul early on Saturday afternoon and settled into our room. I guess it was quite a standard room--we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. I must say that I don't know when I have been treated as nicely by the hotel staff--their people were just great. We went to visit with A and her husband and then went to dinner. That was the end of our first night.

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On Sunday we went to the zoo. I already posted about this, however I still have to chuckle over the section of the zoo called the 'Minnesota trail.' I can look out of my window here at home and see most of the wildlife there was on the Minnesota trail. That was quite a kick.

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Monday found us at the Mall of America. While the MOA is very impressive, I don't feel the need to visit there every time we go to the Twin Cities. We were there once before and the only reason we went back was so that I could go to LUSH. I told K that if he wanted to leave after LUSH, it was fine with me. However, we stayed to walk through the entire place.

One thing I was surprised at was the lack of ANYTHING that had to do with the Red Wings. I understand we were in the heart of Wild country, but still. I managed to find the 2009 Red Wing calendar (which, by the way, STILL doesn't have Baby Boy as one the players of the month!) and most stores had one or two styles of baseball cap with the logo, but that was it! I KNOW there is a great hate for the Wings, but really--they are, after all, the champs this year. For crying out loud, I even saw a Calgary Flames Stanley Cup hat--and THEY won the Cup in 1989! Oh well. We asked in one store if they had any Wing jerseys and the clerk looked at us as if we were crazy before answering "NO" in the same tone of voice one would say "DUH!" It is sad that we can't find anything with our favorite team logo on it unless we order online--and we even live in the same state as the team is.

**********

We drove around on Tuesday and found some interesting shopping centers/malls. I really don't know what to call them, but they were laid out like mini-downtowns--quite neat. Every store you would find in a regular mall was there, but the centers were made for walking and weren't enclosed. We went into our first Trader Joe's, which was cool. The store wasn't much bigger than a convenience/party store, but I was impressed with what they actually DID have. If we had one around here, I could see going there to shop once in awhile, but I think Trader Joe's is geared more for the 'granola crowd' than for someone like me. :)

I also got to go into a Borders for the first time. I guess it isn't ALL that much different than Barnes & Noble, but for me ANY new bookstore is a great place to go. I did manage to find all of the season preview hockey magazines that I was looking for PLUS I found some that I never heard of before. I mean, really, a magazine devoted completely to GOALIES!?!? How crazy is that?

**********

The concert on Tuesday night was nothing short of absolutely fantastic. I was very happy with the mix of songs they did--even though the guy sitting behind A WASN'T. (He complained the entire time over the NEW material.) Of course, a lot of the music was from their newest CD, but it was much less than half of the playlist. Not only did they do some of Don Henley's and Joe Walsh's hits, but they did most--if not all--of their own. How can you be unhappy when you get to see the Eagles do Hotel California, Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling, and Desperado, amongst others. We WERE in the nosebleed section, but it didn't matter--we got to watch the Eagles for over three hours! I was one happy camper! All in all, a great night. I LOVE going to concerts--can't wait for the next one. I'm hoping that Led Zepplin and/or Cream decide to tour again. Now THOSE would be concerts to see--once in a lifetime deals, for sure.

**********

On Wednesday morning. K woke up at 5:30 AM after sleeping only a few hours. I don't know if he still was wired after the concert, but he definitely couldn't get back to sleep, so we got on the road early. Again, we had good travelling, so we were home early in the day. K was very pleased with the route we took and said we should be doing the trip a bit more often than we have. Hey, I'm ALWAYS up for a road trip--especially one where I get to spend time with my Baby Girl! :)

Where The Deer And The Antelope Play

Okay, so there weren't any antelope, but last night when I looked out of our bedroom window I DID see deer. First, a doe went across the street, then a yearling, and following the two of them, a smaller albino! The deer herds in and around the city have always had at least one albino, but I have never seen one near our house before. It was kind of cool.

glitter-graphics.com

Let's Get Ready To Ramble

I guess I don't have all that much to ramble about, but here goes.

First, we are not at home. We got to the Twin Cities Saturday afternoon and I think this is the first moment I have had to actually relax and surf the interweb. We have been going constantly and I am so exhausted already, I don't know how I will manage for the next few days. It seems as if every minute of our time here has been planned for. Oh, well, just another vacation I will have to recover from when we get home.

**********

Of course, we have been spending every moment possible with A and her husband. Going to their place is like nothing I have ever experienced. They live in a very small two-bedroom duplex--with two dogs and five cats. The dogs each weigh around 60 pounds and think they are puppies--and lap dogs. If the two of them aren't rough-housing, they are trying to climb in your lap. For someone like me--I only have an extremely anti-social cat, one who doesn't even seem to exist at times--the constant attention from these large creatures is quite overwhelming. Then, of course, you have the cats. One cat we really think is a pretend cat--he doesn't show his pure white body for ANYONE to see. A dragged him out last night just so we could see he actually DOES exist. The orange cat isn't too sure he likes me--I happened to decide that HIS chair is the most comfortable for me to sit in. He does, at times, just sit across the room and glare at me. He and I made friends--sort of--because I will gladly scratch his cheeks for as long as he wants. He STILL isn't happy that I sit in his chair, but... The 'middle' cat thinks she is a princess and expects to be treated as such. She will, whenever she wants, rub against your leg or hand, but resists being pet unless it is her idea. And she WILL hiss at any opportunity, just because she can. The two youngest cats are siblings and just like to smell you. It is a bit disconcerting when a cat will jump on your lap and proceed to sniff every inch of your face--and then stare into your eyes for a long length of time. I never know what they want and it makes me a bit jumpy. Walking into their house is like walking into an animal boarding kennel.

**********

We went to the zoo today and really had a good time. I have decided that I want to keep prairie dogs as pets in my backyard. I could have spent all day just watching them--they are very, very fun.

**********

Tomorrow K and I will be shopping all day. Now, I'm not too sure how much BUYING we actually will do, but I know I need to visit Lush, so there is one purchase I will make. Maybe I'll be a one-woman economic recovery solution. :)

**********

We are, of course, in town for the Eagles concert on Tuesday night. I am so excited I can't stand it. And wouldn't you know, that happens to be the first night a Wings pre-season game is being telecast! And yes, I have the recorder ready to record it. :)

**********

So, for the pre-season already, the Wings have won 2 and lost 2. Could be better, but definitely could be worse. It will be fun to see the entire team together when the season begins. Only 10 days and 20 hours!

**********

It was very sad to hear that Paul Newman had died this weekend. He was a very good actor and starred in some of my favorite movies of all time: The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Slap Shot.

**********

I have never put down the story of why I am estranged from my family--at least not the ENTIRE one. I am working on the story and will be posting it within the next few weeks. It will be long--and hopefully NOT boring--so I will post it in installments. Watch for it--I think it will give a better insight into why I am the way I am.

Update On Lidstrom

This is why I should never post right after a game: the news usually will change after a few hours.

Today it is being reported that Lidstrom broke his nose when he got hit by the puck last night. He also got 25 stitches under his right eyebrow. But his eye is fine and he should only be out for three games. How in the world do you NOT do damage to your eye with an injury like that? I wonder if this will teach him that he needs to start wearing a visor? Good grief.

:)

more animals

First One Is Over

And I am talking about the first pre-season game. I managed to find the game online--audio only--so I got to listen a bit. Unfortunately, I think my girls know whenever a game is on, cause they like to call me during them. Tonight I was on the phone for about half of the game. Oh, well.

The Wings lost the game in a shoot-out by the score of 3-2. The biggest news, though, is that Leino--the second Finn the Wings have ever signed--looked very, very good out there. It will be interesting to see when and if he becomes a regular. Kopecky seemed to get right back into the swing of things--I guess his knee is fine after the surgery. Anyway, he checked a Canadien and knocked him unconcious. It was a legal hit and was just unfortunate. The guy was out for a bit and they had to take him off of the ice by stretcher. He was brought to the hospital and seems to be doing fine. Of course, it is still early--wouldn't be surprised to find out he has a concussion and will be out for a couple of weeks. Then, in the third, Lidstrom had a puck bounce off of his face. He wound up with stitches over his right eye. They say it didn't do anything to his eye. Sometimes I wonder if the pre-season games are actually worth the risk. The next game is on Thursday against the Bruins.

Nothing Important

Yesterday was a bit busy for us, so I didn't get a chance to post. Actually, I DID sit down in front of the computer last night and managed to get a bit of a nap. SOOOOOOO not good. Uncomfortable, too. Anyway, I was too exhausted to do any writing.

We went to see the dietitian yesterday and it doesn't look too bad. Pretty much, her recommendations were to modify all things eaten and be OCD about portion control. Other than the obvious--ham, over-processed box foods, etc--there aren't all that many things K can't have. Again, it all boils down to portion control. THIS makes things a lot easier. I will have to do my part when it comes to cooking, but that, also, shouldn't be too difficult. It WILL take a bit of getting used to when it comes to eating salt-less (or nearly salt-less) food, but it can be done. I am feeling much, much better about things.

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BIG news, for those who live under big rocks: Clay Aiken has announced he is gay. *yawn*

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HUGE news in Michigan: Millen--GM of the Lions--has been fired. FINALLY. (Full disclosure--I DON'T do football, so I am not too sure what this means. I DO know the Lions have sucked big-time for many years, so it might make a difference to the team.) Anyway, it is causing quite a stir here. Among the few Lions fans, that is. After all, this IS part of Packerland, so not too many ARE Lions fans.

**********

And finally, VF has said his thumb is doing much better and he even has done some shooting. He's looking toward Friday to come back. YAY!! Now if I could get a broadcast to actually WATCH. I'm not even sure if XM will be carrying the game tonight--bummer.

Update

Filppula was on the ice again today--he only skated, though. X-rays show that he didn't break his thumb, but is not able to shoot. He won't be playing in Tuesday's camp game and is questionable for the pre-season games later in the week. However, things look pretty good for the start of the season. Hopefully this is the worst of his injuries for the year. Keeping my fingers crossed. :)

The Wings made their first round of cuts today and are now down to 53 players. It will be interesting to see which of the young guys might make it to Detroit. Still waiting on word as to who will be traded--someone has to go in order to get under the cap for the season.

I'm not sure if I will get to see the game on Wednesday--can't find a broadcast, yet. DAMN!!! This would be the first time I'd get to see Hossa in a Wings' uniform--can't wait to see him play. Time isn't going fast enough.

My Political Issue

For anyone who has been living under a big rock, I have an announcement: we are in the midst of a political campaign! I have, for the most part, been ignoring it. When I analyzed this fact, I came away with one reason for the ignoring: I don't want to alienate any of my readers who I consider dear friends. From reading other blogs, I am fairly certain that my political views are very different from some of my favorite people, so I just want to 'play nice.' And, for the most part, this is what I will do. However, there is one political issue that I am extremely passionate about, so I will do my every-four-year post stating my position. I trust that those readers of mine who feel differently will just agree to disagree.

I am 100% against abortion. There, I said it. I could call myself pro-life, but that doesn't really do me justice. I feel there are two kinds of people, those who are against abortion and those who are for it--I don't care for the terms 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice.' Really now, how many people are there exactly who are against life? Ridiculous. And I am 'pro-choice'--I believe when a woman finds out she is pregnant, she already made her choice: whether or not to keep her legs together. (DON'T hit me up on the rape and incest issue. Every place I looked for statistics on how many abortions are performed as a result of rape, incest, or the mother's health say that less than 1% of all abortions are for these reasons--COMBINED.)

Okay, give me a chance here. I could give you the Biblical reasons for my feeling as I do--Psalm 139:13 states "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." for example--but I won't. Anyone who has debated abortion has either used the Bible as a reason why abortions are wrong, or has heard the arguments. I, however, will give you my personal reasons--without 'facts' from any source other than my own heart.

While I have always been anti-abortion, it never was really personal for me. And I am deeply grateful. My heart aches for any woman who has gone through an abortion--I can't imagine. However, 12 years ago I had a very personal experience that brought my beliefs home for me.

I received a phone call in the afternoon of 5 July 1996, telling me that my oldest daughter had gone into premature labor and that despite everything the doctors did, she gave birth. The baby was 11 weeks early. She was being rushed 100 miles to the nearest NICU--which happened to be in the town where I live. I was going to be at the hospital to meet the ambulance and see my first grandchild for the first time.

NOTHING prepared me for seeing my granddaughter. She was only 2lb 7oz. To put this into perspective, go to your pantry/cupboard and find a bag of brown sugar. Now, imagine it weighing seven ounces more--that is what my granddaughter weighed. She not only was smaller in size than a Cabbage Patch doll, she weighed less, too. Her arms were so thin that an adult's wedding band slipped onto her arm easily. If you have never seen, in person, a baby this small, you cannot imagine the horror. The worst part, though, was watching her breathe. As she sucked in breath, her chest would collapse so that it touched her spine--and this happened each time she breathed. I have never been so upset, so horrified, and so saddened in my entire life. My first thought was, "This baby will die before morning." I couldn't imagine how I was to talk to my daughter when I got home--how do you tell a mother that her newborn was about to die? I didn't have one iota of optimism over the fate of this precious baby.

As I stood watching over the baby, my mind began to wander. At one point it occurred to me that, had it been my daughter's wish, eight hours earlier this baby could have been aborted. This living, breathing child could have been killed just because someone didn't want her. The thought was even more horrifying to me because I watched her struggle and fight for her life. It was very hard, but this little being kept breathing, kept wanting to live. She was still alive in the morning. We, as human beings, have a will to live--and she proved how strong that will is. Today, she is a delightful, beautiful, smart, athletic, joy to be around. And she could have been dumped in some garbage heap if my daughter wanted. My daughter was a senior in high school, basically homeless, wandering from place to place with her boyfriend, when she found out she was pregnant. It never crossed her mind to get rid of the 'fetus.' She also never thought about abortion any of the other six times she has been pregnant--even though she has problem pregnancies and has given birth to one stillborn and two more preemies.

Now, onto my other daughter. She cannot get pregnant. She has done the fertility clinic bit and it hasn't worked. They can't afford to try in vitro--it just costs too much. She wants a baby so badly that I swear she would slap anyone she found out had an abortion. Not only would it hurt her to see someone get rid of something she wants so badly for herself, but abortions hurt her on another front: adopting. Right now, it is hard to adopt a baby--there just aren't enough to go around. And if they could find one, the cost of adopting is prohibitive for them--it costs about as much to adopt a newborn as it does to go through in vitro. So, if they can't afford in vitro, they can't afford to adopt. Partly due to abortions being so readily available, there are not as many babies put up for adoption as there used to be. And people such as my daughter and her husband are hurt by this.

Although the majority of abortions are for birth control--I DON'T have statistics, but it seems as if this is the case--a large amount of abortions are done because the 'fetus' might not be 'perfect.' Before anyone has a stroke over that last statement, I would suggest watching an Oprah-type show, reading a celebrity gossip column, or surfing a message board. After doing those three things, you will know that I am right. There are A LOT of people who want everything in their lives to be perfect--and will tolerate nothing BUT perfection. Should one of these women have genetic testing while pregnant, I don't believe she would hesitate aborting. THIS frightens me. While none of us would want to see a child of ours suffer through a terrible illness, genetic testing really can't tell whether a child WILL have a particular problem or not--nor can it tell how severe the problem might be. There may be no indication whatsoever that the child has a problem--it just might be a genetic indication.

I am overweight and have psoriasis--and both of these conditions seem to be genetically caused. (The jury is still out, but every indication is that genes play a major role in both.) So, if someone who wants perfection had a 'fetus' that tested positive for either condition, is that a reason to abort? I might not be great to look at, but as far as having something to contribute, I think I have a right to life. I also have high blood pressure and the beginning of 'sludge' in my carotid artery--both indications of possible heart disease. And it wouldn't be a wonder if I should develop heart disease cause it runs in the family--and can be detected genetically. Does this mean I should have been aborted? I don't have heart disease, but I MIGHT develop it--but I might NOT. But genetically I am predisposed to heart disease. A dilemma.

I don't believe I could ever change someone's mind about abortion, just as my mind couldn't be changed. All I intended to do with this post is to explain my position. This is my passionate political issue, plain and simple. I hope I don't lose any readers because of it.

Heart Lodged Firmly In Throat

The headline read: "Filppula injures thumb on hit from Downey." The story goes on to say how Downey gave VF an accidental, illegal hit during a scrimmage today and VF had to leave practice. Two days into training camp and Baby Boy gets himself hurt. Of course, reports are that it 'wasn't bad,' but that is what is ALWAYS said. A player has to have a limb hanging by a thread before the team actually says how badly they're hurt. Anyway, VF said he probably will be back tomorrow, so there is hope.

Now, a jammed thumb doesn't sound all that bad, as far as injuries go. However, when you use a stick to puck-handle like VF does, a thumb is vitally important. And injuries happen--last year he injured himself during training camp, too, and was fine for the start of the season. It is a risky business these players are part of.

(I can't say how ecstatic I am that hockey season is starting! :))

Celebrate

Celebrations for the week:

21 September
Miniature Golf Day
Women's Friendship Day

22 September
Elephant Appreciation Day
Dear Diary Day
Hobbit Day
National White Chocolate Day

23 September
Innergize Day

24 September
National Cherries Jubilee Day
Punctuation Day

25 September
National Crabmeat Newburg Day
National One-Hit Wonder Day

26 September
National Pancake Day
Love Note Day

27 September
Ancestor Appreciation Day
National Hunting and Fishing Day

Funny

I had to chuckle when I saw this one:

Confusing

Last night I needed to pick up a few things. While I was out, I saw a girl--college age, I'd say--wearing pajama bottoms and pink, fuzzy, bunny slippers. Complete with long, floppy ears. Just HOW do you make the decision to go out shopping dressed that way? Or do you not think? Would she have left the house in a teddy if that's the way she slept? Or would she have given consideration to her clothing--or lack there of--if she slept naked? Now, I'm no fashion plate when I leave the house, but I DO wear the appropriate clothing for the situation--you know, nightshirt for sleep, fancy dress for a wedding, jeans to run errands. I would LOVE to run to the store feeling comfortable in my sleep shirt and flip-flops--trouble is, that would mean leaving the house braless. NOT a picture you want to see. ;)

glitter-graphics.com

Smiling :)

It's true, it's true!! The Wings left for training camp today! I even saw pictures. Life is worth living again--hockey season is about to begin.

glitter-graphics.com

FINALLY...almost

9:30 AM...25 September...Joe Louis Arena...the Red Wing veterans will leave for Traverse City and training camp. It really is happening--the season is about to start! There IS a ray of sunshine out there! :)

Party Update

Well, the invites aren't going to be as bad I thought. It looks like I will only have to make about 55 and the majority of them will be hand delivered by someone else. That means I won't have to put out too much in terms of postage! Yay! Seems as if A LOT of the people being invited will get a phone call instead of a written invitation. Also, the party IS going to be a joint one for BOTH of the twins--thank goodness. I only need to do 6 combined invites--the rest of The Aunt's invitees will be called on the phone. Frankly, I think sending invites is the proper and classy way to go, but I'm not complaining--it cuts down on how much I have to do and how much money I have to pay out. Works for me!!

The Mother called me and dictated the guest list to me tonight. yippee. I'm not sure WHY she did it--and I don't think C knows why, either. Oh, well, it was her choice. And somewhere along the line she had it in her mind that I was helping to plan this thing. EXCUSE ME!?!?!?!? I let her know in no uncertain terms that ALL I was doing is the invitations--AND that I just may not be able to make it to the party, either. Just from her tone of voice I could tell THAT tied her panties into knots. Sorry lady--DEAL. So, all in all, I'm feeling a bit better about things. What a difference a day makes. (make sure and SING that last sentence when you read it. :))

As An Apology...

Because of my last post, I will post these to make you smile.

CRAP!!!!!

I am going to apologize to my readers right away. I am so sorry that this post is going to be a rant, but I am in SUCH a crappy mood right now, I need to vent.

Sometime in the last one to two months, I got an email from the oldest. It was pointing out the fact that The Father's 75th birthday is coming up and they were planning a surprise party for him. And it asked for everyone to offer some help. Knowing I couldn't get out of it, I offered to do the invites and pay for the postage. This way, if I decided I 'couldn't' make it to the party, I would have done my part.

A few weeks ago, a thought hit me like a ton of bricks: The Father has a twin sister who WILL be at the party. How can you have a party and ignore the other person who's birthday it is? Especially when the other person is the twin of the...well, you get the drift. (The party was to be held on the actual BIRTH DAY.) So, I called C and relayed my revelation--asking her WHAT are we to do about The Aunt. Of course, this was something she never thought of. She had to call The Mother and get HER reaction and then I wound up waiting for days (weeks?) for any news. FINALLY, C and I got to talk about things last week and I pretty much convinced her that it would be best to just have a much smaller party at The Parent's home and forget about the rest of the bullshit. (According to The Mother, The Father's sister/s were being their usual bitches about things.) And I have been living a great life for about two days. Until this afternoon.

I answered the phone today and C let me know that everything was worked out and that the party is on again. And that she will try to get to The Mother's and get the guest list worked out so that she could get it to me ASAP. Unfortunately, this better be done VERY quickly because I have to use next week to get ready to leave town for five days at the end of the month, so I only have this week to work on these invites. Nothing like not giving me the time I want to get something done--everything is going to be a rush job, as usual. To top it all off, C said that the guest list will be horrendously huge--at least 50 names from their CHURCH alone! I'm developing a headache just thinking about it. I am so pissed off I can't think.

I was really looking forward to our trip and the Eagles concert--but this has put a damper on things. And yes, I know it is ME that is allowing it. But leave it to my Family--if they can screw up my life in any way, they will do it. I am trying to convince K to do an overtime shift on the day of the party--then we won't have to go. But, overtime isn't even offered until the week before, so I still have a month and a half to think about having to be at this shindig. I am beside myself and don't know what to do. I just have to try and stop myself from going on an eating and shopping binge. It will be hard.

Celebrate

Here are the celebrations for this week:

14 September
National Cream-Filled Doughnut Day (YUM!!!)

15 September
International Sing-Out Day
National Women Road Warrior Day

16 September
Collect Rocks Day
National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day

17 September
National Apple Dumpling Day

18 September
National Play-doh Day
National Farm Animals Safety Week

19 September
National Butterscotch Pudding Day
Talk Like A Pirate Day

20 September
Big Whopper Liar Day
International Eat An Apple Day
Wife Appreciation Day (make sure and forward THIS ONE to all husbands! :))

Less Than A Month

With hockey season beginning in less than a month, all of the magazines, blogs, hockey sites, etc, are publishing their predictions for this year. Pretty much across the board, they all are saying the Wings have the best chance to repeat as the Stanley Cup champs since the last team to repeat...which were the Red Wings in 1998. Yup, the Wings are the last team to repeat. And they could do it again...at least on paper.

Arguably, the team has gotten better since the Cup win. They have replaced a 43-year-old goalie--granted, he IS a HOF shoe-in--with a 32-year-old one and have upgraded from Drake to Hossa--BIG upgrade--but that doesn't guarantee a thing. Injuries happen. Just look at the bad spell last year when most of the 'D' was gone. Still, it is getting exciting and I can't wait to see the guys in action. The time is dragging.

"There Is A Time For Everything..." Ecc. 3:1

My great-grandfather was a man of strong faith and spirituality. He believed in the literalness of the Bible. When Ecclesiastes 3:2 says that there is "a time to be born and a time to die," he believed it with his whole heart. And he had a story to go along with it. (I was told it was true and that he knew the man in the story.)

One night a man had a dream, which he relayed to his wife upon waking the following morning. He dreamed that he was in the copper mine where he worked and while on his shift, was killed. This dream shook him to his very core and he told his wife that he would not go to work because to do so meant his death. So he stayed at home.

At some point during the day, the man became sleepy. He decided to take a nap next to the wood stove in the kitchen--someplace he could stay warm. So he curled up on the floor next to the stove and went to sleep. But he never woke up. While he was sleeping, the heavy flat iron that was on the stove, fell from its place and hit him in the head, killing him instantly.

This story, my grandfather said, proves that you can't cheat God when it comes to your day to die.

Political Post

After seeing the bumper stickers and yard signs; after watching the news and the commentaries; after reading the newspaper and the 'Man on the Street' interviews; after surfing the web and reading blog posts and comments, I REALLY worry about our country after the inauguration. A lot of people have drunk the Kool-Aid. Scary stuff.

I Have An Announcement...

http://www.inews3.com/topstory.php?id=436d6b7c4f75746f666d796d696e64

Celebrate

The celebrations for this week:

7 September
Neither Snow Nor Rain Day
Salami Day

8 September
National Boss/Employee Exchange Day

9 September
Teddy Bear Day
Wonderful Weirdoes Day

10 September
Hot Dog Day
Swap Ideas Day

11 September
National Hot Cross Buns Day
National Neighborhood Day

12 September
Video Games Day

13 September
International Chocolate Day
Bald Is Beautiful Day

Quite A Kid

School started for C's kids on Thursday. It was the first day of kindergarten for the 5-year-old. Everything went well. On Thursday night her older sister told her they needed to get to sleep early so they could get up for school on Friday. The 5-year-old replied, "You mean I have to go there AGAIN?"

glitter-graphics.com

Police Log

--9:31 PM, two 8-year-olds not getting along

Anyone with more than one child knows how aggravating two kids fighting can be, but just HOW bad were these kids? Is this a 'Scared Straight' situation? Just too many unanswered questions.

Police Log

THIS is something I NEVER thought I would read here in the great white north:

--3:09 PM, iguana at large

That just brings too many great mental images for me to comment any further.

glitter-graphics.com

Let's Get Ready To Ramble

This might turn out to be more whining than rambling, but what else is new. :)

I have never pretended that my sleep habits are anywhere near normal--I basically live a 'night shift' schedule--but after last night everything is REALLY bass-ackwards. A cold front came through yesterday, so that meant thunderstorms. I don't go near/in water during bad weather, so I wound up taking my shower between storms. This caused me to be 'done for the night' by midnight. I was feeling only a little bit sleepy, so I figured I would read till I was exhausted and around 2:00 AM I crawled into the couch. (I wanted to sleep to the sound of the TV, hence the couch-sleep.) All was fine until 3:00 AM when I woke up. After a trip to the bathroom, it was back to sleep. At 4:00 AM I was done sleeping for the night. Great. I tossed and turned until about 5:30 when I decided to just get up, get ready, and go and do the shopping I needed to do. Thank goodness I only needed to go to WalMart and the grocery store--WalMart is open 24 hours, the grocery store opens at 6:00 AM. I was home and had everything put away by 9:00 AM--a definite record for me. Then I was left with nothing I could do--K is on night shift, so he was sleeping and I couldn't do anything around the house. This kind of led to my collapse--I crashed sometime around 12 or 1 PM. I don't even remember what time I woke up--I just know I WON'T be able to sleep tonight. Yippee.

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Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were record-setting days in terms of temperatures here. It happened to be our first sustained-heat spell for the year--and it happened during the unofficial end of summer. Fitting, I suppose. Anyway, we had temps in the 90 degree or over range for those days--definitely not my cup of tea. And it put me in a horrid state of mind. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I ABHOR hot weather. Thankfully, today it was at least 30 degrees colder than it was the past few days--and I am loving it. I finally realized what I could say when anyone asks what my favorite day of the year is: The day we get our first heavy frost! The frost will get rid of the bugs and give the air that crisp feel that screams fall. And it doesn't matter how hot our 'Indian summer' days are afterwards--there is that fall feel. My favorite time of year--and I can't wait.

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So K is trying to sleep today and our neighbors are not being very cooperative. I can't really blame them, because stuff HAS to be done during daylight hours, but I feel for K trying to sleep through what he had to. First, our neighbors up the street decided to put up a garage and today the excavating started. That meant various pieces of heavy equipment driving back and forth all day long. And that wasn't bad enough. Our neighbors across the street are, for whatever reason, tearing up their driveway. This means, ALL DAY LONG, someone was using a jackhammer to break it up. And if you don't think that is beyond annoying, you have never been through it. And I think it will continue tomorrow. Just another reason to long for winter: no construction.

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For some reason or another, I attract lousy drivers when I am driving. Over the past several days it has become very apparent. What I have been dealing with are drivers that pull out right in front of me from a side street and then decide to drive 5 miles below the speed limit. And this is usually where the speed limit is 25 MPH. AND it usually is when I am trying to get home, so I'm in a hurry. Annoying beyond belief. I really wish I could just ram into them--but I don't do road rage. :D

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In our paper the other day was a report of a bear attack. Now this is very unusual, as the bear around here will back off if 'threatened' by a person--as in, make noise, wave your arms, make yourself as 'big' and threatening as possible. In the town up the road from us, a guy was out walking his property and saw a bear. He tried to shoo it off, but she came at him and bit him. She retreated, but came back for another bite. The guy's dogs then went after the bear and chased her off. The guy said he noticed, too late, that there was at least one cub in the area and he had inadvertently come between the babe and mama. Very scary, indeed. Oh, the wounds the guy sustained were NOT life-threatening, thank goodness.

The Man Of The House

This pretty much sounds like MY house. :)

A husband had just finished reading a new book entitled, 'You Can Be THE Man of Your House.'

He stormed to his wife in the kitchen and announced, 'From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house and my word is Law. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, you will serve me a sumptuous dessert. After dinner, you are going to go upstairs with me and we will have the kind of sex that I want. Afterwards, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands. Then tomorrow, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?'

The wife replied, 'The funeral director would be my first guess.'

glitter-graphics.com

Nurture? Nature? Talent? Money?

An article in The Hockey News this week tells how much it cost the family of Patrick Kane (19 year old phenom for the Chicago Blackhawks) to help him become an NHL player. It is estimated that the family spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000 from the time he started playing hockey till he signed his first NHL contract.

Hockey is a very expensive activity for kids to be involved in. The skates, helmets, protective pads, and sticks just to BEGIN playing are cost prohibitive for many people. And if a kid shows any talent at all, and wants to get to higher levels of play, the costs mount. Most pro players had to leave home at some point just to play in a more elite league--one where he can learn by playing with the best and where he can show his talent and be seen by those who could decide if the pros need to see him. When the kids leave home, the family needs to find a place to board their child--and this will cost. In some cases, the player will go to private school because of team travel and it is easier for private schools to work around the player's schedule. And at different levels the player has to pay for the privilege of being in a better league AND they have to pay all of their expenses when they travel. Of course, during the off-season, there are the hockey schools/camps which the player will attend to help hone his skills--and they all are expensive. Especially the ones where NHL players do the teaching. (Several summers, Kane attended 10 schools WHILE playing in the summer leagues.) This is NOT a sport for poor people to be involved in.

All of the money spent is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. When a member of the family is involved in hockey, the entire family is. Most NHL players will talk of their younger years and being on the road by 6:00 AM just so they could get to an ice rink on which to practice. Many players here in the States have to travel great distances in order to play the game while they live at home--and that usually means a member of the family will be doing the driving. Not all places in the US have the ice availability that we do--and many of our ice arenas are open almost 24 hours per day because ice time is in such demand. To raise an elite player, one who will make it into the pros, requires a great amount of dedication from the player as well as the family.

This all got me to wondering: Did I do enough for my girls in terms of helping them develop their talents? We allowed our girls to try most anything they wanted--and quit when they decided it wasn't something they wanted to do. We wanted them to have a well-rounded idea of what was out there so they could find what they were passionate about. But I still wonder if we pushed them enough when it came to their talents.

C went through her figure skating phase at an early age. She was in a club for two or three years and decided it wasn't for her--which I whole-heartedly agreed with. She also did her stint with the 'gifted and talented' group, but that ended when she went into middle school--NOT her decision, it just wasn't offered anymore. She really found her gift when she started playing the flute--the girl was phenomenal. We did the basics when it came to 'pushing' her, but took our cues from her. Basically, we got her private lessons and that was about it. We never looked into Interlochen or any other music school, but with her not living with us after ninth grade, it wasn't completely our fault. I do wonder if we would have done more for her if she would have been at home through high school. I think I always will have a small amount of disappointment because she never did anything with her musical gift.

With A, we did more--which was easier, cause she was, in essence, an only child for most of her school years. She did the swim lessons, until she didn't want them anymore. She played basketball, but didn't have a great talent for it, and didn't play after grade school. There were several things she thought she wanted, signed up for, and then never pursued. She also had a talent for music and played the flute. We gave her private lessons and an upgraded flute, as well as a piccolo. Her and I even talked about Interlochen, but she wasn't motivated enough to do much about it. And her lack of motivation is what kept her from realizing some things she could have accomplished. But, it wasn't all her fault because I didn't push her, either. I gave her the opportunites and she either took them or didn't. She DIDN'T push to be on the boys' wrestling team, which I would have supported. She DID become a basketball ref, but didn't take it as far as she could have. She gave up her opportunity to go to school in Denver, for whatever reason. And I am a bit disappointed that she hasn't completely lived up to her animal-handling talent--even though she does work for a vet, she could have done a lot more.

My whole point of this post is this: Whose 'fault' is it that my children haven't used their God-given gifts to their full potential? Did I drop the ball by not being a pushy mother and MAKE them do things they didn't want to at the time? Did I allow my children to make decisions that I should have made? When does encouragement turn into bullying when it comes to pushing your child to do something? I think my biggest regret with raising my girls is not knowing if I did right by them in terms of their talents. I will always wonder if I could have pushed a little more and helped them into very different lives than they have now. And would they have been better off with different lives? We can never look back and say 'if only,' and I have to banish the 'if only' thoughts from my mind--or I will go mad.