Don't Want To Jinx It, But...

I am smiling--Detroit won 3-0 tonight and it looks as if they will win the Central Division. There is even a real good chance that they will win the President's Trophy again. If they get the President's, they will be the first team in 30 years to win it three years in a row. Whether they win the trophy or not, I have to just smile over the fact that they have done so much better than anyone thought they would this year. Two games and then the playoffs!

Now, back to reality. The Wings sucked--BIG TIME--tonight. The ONLY reason they won was because Hasek played as well as he did. It was as if he was the only player for the Wings for the first 40 minutes! This is not a way to win a Stanley Cup, guys! The third goal was an empty-netter, so that isn't even something to factor in to the way they played.

Zetterberg probably won't play till the playoffs. I know, that is said almost every day, but it seems to be a done deal the closer it gets to the end of the season. The only bright spot is this: at least he HAS been practicing with the team lately. That should go a long way toward helping him get back into the game.

A Runaway, Strange Noises, and A Cell Phone Story

C called yesterday to tell me all about the trouble she has been having with the 2-year-old boy. It seems as if he is back to his old 'runaway' tricks. He had let himself out of the house no less than three times yesterday--at one point she found him less than a block from main street! There he was, shoeless, sockless, droopy pants, and a short-sleeved T-shirt, running down the street. The way he gets out of the house is: he drags a chair to the backdoor, uses something (a toy or other object) to force the hook-latch open, puts the chair back where it belongs, and then sneaks out of the house. She was at her wits end. Today they went out and bought different locks, etc, for the doors and so far they are working. She gives it about a week, two at the most, before he figures out how to open them--and then it is back to searching for a way to keep him in the house! Her biggest fear, of course, is him leaving in the early morning hours while she is sleeping--something he has been known to do. I DO feel sorry for her.

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The other day I was sitting here in the computer room, reading my mail, when I began to hear some strange noises. The noises weren't very loud, but kind of annoying and a little unsettling. I knew there weren't any TVs or radios on and I was the only one in the house. Of course, I went to make sure I hadn't turned on a TV and forgotten about it and I checked to make sure it wasn't unusually windy outside, but I got no explanation for the noises. So, I sat back down to continue reading my mail and heard the noises again. I sat very still and strained my ears to see if I could find the direction of the noises when I realized they were coming from very close to me. I looked down and there was the cat--and sure enough it was her making the sounds. She was doing something between a snore and stuffy nose sound--a first for her. I guess that's what happens when you get old, you start making old-people noises! I suppose the next thing she will learn to do is pass gas--just what I need.

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Doug posted a funny story about his cell phone going off during church services and that brought to mind my cell phone story. Because it ISN'T a funny story, I had to tell it here instead of in his comment section.

About six years ago, I turned my cell phone off during a church service. Later that day we had to leave town--our youngest had a medical appointment. We were only going to be gone that night and would be home late the following evening, so we didn't mention our trip to anyone other than some close friends. When we got home, our caller-id phones and answering machine were blinking faster than we ever had seen. Obviously, someone was trying to reach us. This was when I realized I hadn't turned my cell phone back on--which I promptly did and found the numerous messages left for us. It turned out that K's sister was trying to call us to say that his mother had passed away. The entire family was pissed at us: 'Why have a cell phone if no one can get hold of you?' Because of that, I never turn my cell phone off--AND I set the call-forwarding feature on our landline phone when we go out of town, just so I WON'T miss any more calls. DON'T need to go through THAT ever again!

Gmail Paper

Yesterday was April Fool's Day and the jokesters were up and running. And, of course, me being the gullible person I am, didn't catch on to one of Google's pranks--Gmail Paper. Not that I had any intention of USING the service, mind you, I just read the announcement and thought, 'Cool!' (But, I must admit there was a part of me that went, 'Huh?') Oh, well, it was fun and here is the link to the info page about Gmail Paper. I hope they keep the page up for awhile.

Detroit 4, Columbus 1

After a bit of a slow start, Detroit played a good game. The biggest bad spot was Columbus scoring with less than a minute left to the game! It would have been nice for Hasek to get another shutout. The Wings were playing without Lidstrom and Kronwall--Lidstrom was out with a strained back and Kronwall with a broken bone in his back. Lidstrom was probably just out to 'rest,' but Kronwall will be out at least 6-8 weeks. Don't think we'll be seeing Kronwall any more this year. He sure has had a lot of strange injuries in his career: he tore up his knee last year during an exhibition game, broke his leg getting caught in a rut on the ice--during warm-ups--in 2003-04, and had his nose almost get cut off by a skate earlier this year. He now has a fractured sacrum, which is the bone at the end of the backbone. Just injury-prone, I guess.

With this win, Detroit is now in first place in their division AND the league. The sports writers are making a huge deal out of this, writing about how they will win the President's Trophy again. It sure would be nice, but after last year, I would be happier to see them win during the playoffs. Only three more games till then.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Here is the original version--the one I will download as soon as it becomes available! I was very surprised that I found it.

Hallelujah

Jeff Buckley sang 'Hallelujah' live on French TV in 1995--that is where this video is from. In 1997 he drowned at the age of 30. Tragic.

Desire

The only videos I could find for this song were fan-tribute vids for the show House, MD--the show where I first heard this song. Sorry. At least the entire song is played in this video, unlike others.

Hey Man, Nice Shot

This is the original video--lousy video, great song.

Goodnight Moon

I found the video with the band Shivaree--might be the original one. I had never seen this before--just love the song, so I didn't care about the video. :)

Sweet Home Chicago

Clapton is up again playing this song. The other soloist is Doyle Bramhall II--he is amazing. Bramhall was part of Clapton's band when we saw them in concert--he is left-handed and plays a right-handed guitar upside down and backwards! It was awsome watching him play.

(I'm Your) Hootchie Cootchie Man

I was able to find this video of Muddy Waters singing Hootchie Cootchie Man at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960. Great rendition of the song. I really love the piano.

Layla

I did the My Seven (Plus One) post several days ago and realized how very eclectic my taste in music is--and obscure. So, I decided to try and find as many of the songs as I can and post them so that others can hear what I hear. The first one I have is 'Layla' by Eric Clapton. This particular video is from The Prince's Trust Concert from a few years back. While the song isn't played exactly like the original--I REALLY miss the sound of the slide guitar 'floating' above the rest of the instruments--it DEFINITELY shows what Clapton can do. If you watch the video closely, you can see Elton John playing piano and Mark Knopfler playing onstage next to Clapton. Enjoy.

Things NOT To Do With Your Husband

K went out and bought an HDTV-ready Sony the other night. It is absolutely gorgeous and I THINK the picture will be worth the money--when we get it set up properly. I don't know if we are total idiots, if the Sony company has no idea HOW to write instruction manuals, if we didn't do the right kind of or enough research, or if Charter cable has us over a barrel, but things just are not going the way I thought they should. It should be as easy as plug in a cable and you're done, right? In your dreams!

First, K is just like every other man: try first, read the directions later. All of this was going on while the Wings were playing, so I wasn't going to be part of the hook-up. While the TV got hooked-up and playing, it wasn't completely right. It didn't help that he insisted on having the display as wide-screen zoom, even though the feed wasn't made to be seen in wide-screen. The pixilation was horrid! He was happy just to be able to watch TV in wide-screen. After the game was over, he went to bed. Of course, before closing the bedroom door he told me, "You can tweak it to make it better if you want." (Translation: fix the TV so that it works right.)

The following day after he got home from work, the first thing he asked was, "Did you fix the TV?" "No, I had other things I needed to do, so it is just the way you left it." He left the kitchen in a bit of a funk. Later that evening, after he had gone to bed, I tried tweaking the thing. It is not doing what I think it should.

Today after he came home we BOTH tried different things to get the thing working properly. It is working fine, it just is not working as it should and I have a solution for fixing it: Call someone who works with these things and have them set it up the right way! We don't even have to go through the cable company proper--maybe--because we know someone who works FOR the company. All K has to do is call the guy and ask his opinion--he just might be willing to come in and take a look. I know we will HAVE to get an HDTV receiver in order to get the HDTV signal--that much is a given. K won't even agree to that, yet. At this point, we have to use TWO remotes in order to watch the TV--one for the digital box to change channels and one for the TV to work the volume and every other feature the TV has. I'm thinking there MUST be a way to only have to use one remote in order to watch TV--but, then, this IS Charter we are talking about. I'm also thinking we will be able to get the HDTV feed for broadcast stations WITHOUT having to buy the HDTV tier through Charter--as long as we have the receiver. K thinks we will have to buy the tier. I am not understanding why we can't find any digital channels when we try setting them up--we ARE paying for digital cable, after all. K thinks it is because the digital channels are coming directly through the receiver--and he might be right about that. There just are too many unanswered questions and I think we need help.

In the span of about an hour, while trying to get this thing hooked-up properly, I was ready to call a lawyer and start divorce proceedings. The two of us CANNOT work with any electronics, TALK about electronics, be in the same room as any electronic devises, turn on and use any electronic devises, and still expect to stay married. I am an example of 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing' and K is a man, so this is NOT going to work. If we can't come to some kind of understanding, then I will have to do something on my own--and then I will have to call a lawyer.

They Blew It Again

Every team has 'those games,' but the Wings seemed to have more than their share this year. From a 3-0 lead in the second, the Stars came back in the third to tie. No score during overtime and the Stars won in the shootout. And this isn't the first time the Wings have given up a 3-0 lead this season. I sure hope they don't do this during the playoffs!

The game wasn't broadcast on any channel I get, so I had to listen to it on web-radio. So, I really can't tell how well Detroit played, but it sounded like a decent game. Only four more games till the playoffs. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.

Word is that Kopecky won't be back for any of the regular season games. Don't really know if he will be back till next year. And in the first minute of tonight's game, Kronwall was hurt and brought to the hospital. They said it was his hip, but won't know everything till after they run all the tests. Time will tell with it all.

NHL and Fighting

During the pre-game show tonight, there was some discussion--again--about fights taking place during games. (And despite all the talk, there is much less fighting going on these days than there was in years past. Believe me, I remember.) They went over the position of the players and the position of some of the powers-that-be and the position of everyone else, etc, etc, etc. I could go on and on about fighting in the NHL and I could give the reasoning behind it and the reasoning behind banning fights, but I won't go over the same ground that others have gone over again and again ad nauseum. The thing I have to say is this:

Some people say they won't watch hockey because of the fighting. I can guarantee this: the people who do not watch hockey now would NOT watch it even if you turned all hockey games into a freaking ice-ballet! Just say you don't like hockey--you won't hurt anyone's feelings by saying it! I have no hesitation when I say how much I hate football--and there is NOTHING that can be changed about the game to make me like it. So, don't try to change a game that I love by criticizing it and (possibly) bringing about changes that will not make the game better--just say you hate the sport and be done with it.

That is all.

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.)