Trivia

Time for another trivial post--thanks to mental_floss.

--One of Richard Nixon's quirks was building a fire in the Lincoln sitting room in July--then turning up the air conditioning to make it bearable!

--Warren Harding played poker at least twice a week and one time gambled away an entire set of White House china.

--When hooked up to an electroencephalograph machine (a machine that records the electrical activity of the brain) Jell-O demonstrates movement virtually identical to a healthy adult man or woman.

--There is a family in Norway that has three children born on February 29--they are NOT triplets, but were born three Leap Year's in a row.

--"The Last Works of Henri Matisse" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art was in its 47th day before a woman noticed one painting was hung upside down. When she mentioned this fact to a museum worker, she wasn't taken seriously. The painting was hung correctly only after the woman brought the story to The New York Times and it was published.

--87 days after New Coke was launched, the Coca Cola Company re-issued the original Coke as "Coca Cola Classic" in order to appease angry fans. This news was considered so important to the American people that Peter Jennings of ABC news interrupted "General Hospital" to break the story on national TV.

--The word 'lucky' was rarely used in "I Love Lucy" scripts, because the show's sponsor, Phillip Morris, was in competition with Lucky Strike cigarettes at the time.

--If you start counting at one and spell out the numbers as you go, you won't use the letter 'A' until you reach 1,000.

--Great Roles Actors Regrettably Turned Down:

--Cary Grant turned down the role of James Bond in Dr. No.
--Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in the Matrix.
--Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
--Steve McQueen turned down Sundance in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection, and Captain Benjamin Willard in Apocolypse Now.

--The 2003 world Scrabble champion was from Thailand and didn't speak English fluently.

--The 1984 film Red Dawn was the first motion picture rated PG-13.

--Silver has been the most popular exterior color for US cars since 2000.

--Swiss steak, English muffins, and Russian dressing were all invented in the US.

--In 2006, Michigan became the eighth US state to have a population exceeding 10 million.

Thank Goodness

I won't be naive enough to say that the slump is finally over, but the Wings did play well tonight. There WAS an improvement on Friday night with 'the new guy,' Stuart, in the line-up and Hasek and Kronwall back from injuries--they improved even more tonight. It is so good to see the injured coming back. However, Hasek should probably begin his warm-ups even earlier than he already does--he gave up a rather soft goal early in the game AGAIN tonight! Looked a little rusty out there. NOT something you want in a play-off game--it can give a team momentum and give them enough to win.

Baby Boy got a goal and an assist tonight--looks like he will hit the 20-goal mark this year. Drake and Maltby scored, also--great for them, as they haven't had many this year. Several others got assists--this should go far to help boost the confidence of the players.

Right now, word has it that Rafalski will be back in the line-up on Wednesday. Such good news to see the players getting healthy again. Lidstrom should be back in about eight games and then the only one--hopefully--left to get healthy will be Chelios. It will be fantastic to have the captain back--I don't think many people appreciate him enough. Lidstrom is probably the best player on the team and, obviously, they are pretty lost without him.

A little sigh of relief tonight--maybe they can go on another winning streak.

Celebrate

Holidays for the week:

2 March
National Banana Cream Pie Day*
Namesake Day

3 March
Iditarod Begins
National Anthem Day
Fun Facts About Names Day
I Want You To Be Happy Day
What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day
(My Baby's Birthday!!!)

4 March
National Poundcake Day*
Courageous Follower Day
March Forth-Do Something Day
National Grammar Day
Unique Names Day

5 March
Stop The Clocks Day
Learn What Your Name Means Day

6 March
National Chocolate Cheesecake Day*
Nametag Day

7 March
Middle Name Pride Day

8 March
National Peanut Cluster Day*
Farmer's Day
Girl's Write Now Day

*Good food to celebrate this week! :)

And It Continues

I never have wanted to be a fair weather/bandwagon fan, but it is getting so hard to keep watching what is happening with the Wings. Not only is their timing still off, but the reffing is stabbing them in the back again. The game winning goal tonight was illegal and there was nothing to be done--it wasn't even reviewable in Toronto. Something like that goal probably doesn't happen even once a year, but with the luck (or lack of) the Wings have been experiencing lately, it had to happen during one of their games.

Too many times during the game, the desperation of the team could be seen. Desperate moves combined with the lack of timing/regular players combined for some very sloppy play. Only at infrequent times could the 'fantastic Wings' be seen. If something good doesn't happen to them soon, the lack of confidence they all have right now is going to be detrimental, big time. Then, we will be able to lament 'the year that could have been with the team that was.'

$#@%*&^(&^$@! Interwebs and Other Stuff

It seems as if the whole internet has been having a meltdown the past week or so. At times I haven't been able to load a site AT ALL and at other times it has been soooooooo sllloooowwwww that I would get things done faster if I had a dialup service! What's going on?

--Blogger has been bad for me off and on lately. Not only haven't I been able to load the main site, but some of my favorite blogs are on Blogger and they haven't loaded, either. I haven't had problems today, but...

--SiteMeter has been having problems lately. From not being able to load to loading so slowly that I just have given up, I have been frustrated beyond words. I know the site has been undergoing mayor changes over the last several months, so that may still be part of the problems.

--Lately Meleah's blogs haven't been working smoothly. Yesterday I had big trouble off and on--at one point I couldn't get to her sites at all--then a couple hours later all was fine. Then later I had trouble... Every time I go to her sites I cross my fingers--I NEED my dose of Meleah every day! After all, she is one of my favorite people on the interweb!

--Stuff On My Cat has been bogged down for the last few days. They are well aware of the problems, but it is overly frustrating as they post new pictures every hour. AAACCCKKK!!!

--The other day mental_floss had problems. Things seem to be going smoothly again, but I wonder if it is just a matter of time.

--I realize WHAT the problem was on Tuesday (trade deadline) but that didn't make it any better for me--I was SO upset at not being able to get to NHL sites for trade news. Granted, I was able to overdose on stories after the buzz died down, but still--I wanted to know what the news was NOW!

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At different times, I have left notes around the house for family members. Usually, I will leave notes to K asking him to put mail out in the mailbox--very rarely will I leave notes other than that. I understand that notes ARE a way for some people to communicate with their co-workers and roommates. Of course, there now is a site dedicated to these notes--and some of them are a little disturbing. Check out passiveaggressivenotes.com--and be happy you don't live/work with some of these people!

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Some people are just SO damn creative! I never would have thought of making bacon bowls in which to put salad or breadless BLTs! Really a cool idea--however, I don't know if I would spend the time doing it. Check out the instructions here.

Getting To Know Me--A Meme

Meleah tagged me for this--here goes.

1. What is your occupation?
Homemaker--and before that, homemaker and mommy. I have always been a stay-at-home.

2. What color are your socks right now?
I am not wearing socks--I rarely wear socks in the house. However, I don't walk through the house barefooted--I am terrified of stepping into a hacked-up hairball! I usually have a pair of Birkenstocks on my feet--I don't wear shoes in the house.

3. What are you listening to right now?
I have 'Law & Order' on the television.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
A banana--I haven't figured out what I want for dinner yet.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
I think my husband would say I'm lucky I actually can drive an automatic, so NO! I wish I could--then I would be able to FINALLY try and drive a real sportscar.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
I suppose my favorite color, blue.

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My oldest--and this time SHE called me! :)

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Of course, she's a sweetie!

9. Favorite drink?
Probably Coke.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
I am NOT going to say it! (I promised Mel I wasn't going to use the 'h' word. :)) My second favorite sport to watch used to be boxing. I haven't followed it for some time as there aren't any fighters that excite me right now.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
I never dyed my hair till I was well in my 20s--and then it was only highlights. Once I started dying it regularly, I usually go and have it done every four weeks. (Right now I'm blond--just the way I was born.)

12. Pets?
We are owned by a 15 lb, domestic long-haired, tuxedo kitteh. She is going to be 15 years old in April.

13. Favorite food?
WAY too many to mention--I am a food addict/compulsive overeater. I also am a 'meat and potatoes' kind of gal, so I don't eat too many exciting foods.

14. Last movie you watched?
It's been too long, I can't remember. However, it must have been something on TV.

15. Favorite Day of the year?
I don't really have any favorite day.

16. What do you do to vent anger?
I yell and call the person I'm mad at names--this usually involves people who should never have been given driver's licenses.

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
The toy that I remember best was my Baby Thumbelina doll. She was lost when we moved from one town to the house The Parents live in still. It really broke my heart to lose her.

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring?
I love fall--especially after the first frost. NO BUGS!!

19. Hugs or kisses?
Hugs are better than kisses.

20. What kind of pie?
I love cherry pie--but it doesn't always agree with me. Maybe I inherited a sensitivity to cherries from The Mother--she is highly allergic to them.

21. Do you want your friends to email you back?
I think what I would like even more is to know my friends have received the emails I send. I do love hearing from my friends, of course.

22. Who is most likely to respond?
If this is in reference to this meme, I don't know as I am not tagging anyone.

23. Who is least likely to respond?
Same answer as the last one.

24. Living arrangements?
Hubby, me, and the kitteh.

25. When was the last time you cried?
I really don’t remember.

26. What is on the floor of your closet?
Dust, cat fur, and shoes. (I really need to clean my closet.)

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are tagging?
Not tagging anyone.

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are tagging?
Same answer as last one.

29. Favorite smell?
Hmmm. It’s hard to say. I will say that my favorite perfume at this time is Donna Karan’s Cashmere Mist. Nummy.

30. What inspires you?
Now THAT’S a hard question—I would have to think long and hard about it.

31. What are you afraid of?
Off the top of my head: water, spiders, stinging insects, needles, dentists, heights, closed spaces, snakes…you get the idea.

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
I think I like plain hamburgers best.

33. Favorite car?
Right now it would have to be my Jimmy. They no longer make them, so I will have to find another SUV to have as a favorite when we replace my baby.

34. Favorite cat breed?
I don’t think I have a favorite. I am NOT fond of Siamese cats and I am actually kind of frightened by those hairless cats! They are creepy.

35. Number of keys on your key ring?
3—plus TWO Red Wings key rings, the remote for the Jimmy locks, etc, and the remote starter for the Jimmy.

36. How many years at your current job?
Going on 35.

37. Favorite day of the week?
Considering I rarely even KNOW what day it is, I guess none are my favorite. With K working shifts like he does, it is very hard to remember what day of the week it is.

38. How many provinces have you lived in?
PROVINCES? I would guess this meme was written by someone in Canada. Now, as for how many STATES: I’ve lived in two, Michigan and South Carolina.

39. How many countries have you been to?
I have been to Canada a couple of times, so the answer is 2.

I am not tagging anyone for this, but I hope many of my readers decide to do it. I always enjoy reading everyone’s answers.

Bookshelves

I really love books and own a lot. This means I have a real problem when it comes to storage. Here is a post with pictures of unique bookshelves. While I LOVE most of them for their innovation and design, they are too modern for me to own. (Besides, I have the feeling they cost WAY more than I would want to spend.) Go and enjoy the pics. (I really, really love the first shelf--but then, I AM a math geek. :))

Now THIS I could actually see in my house--of course NOT for me but for the girls when they were little. Really a neat idea.

Some Interesting Links

Recently, I found a few sites/articles that I thought were interesting. Here they are:

--While I have never participated in a science fair, I have a general idea what one is like. Science teachers have a hard job. If you don't believe it, go here and see the pictures. Some of these are hysterical, some are frightening.

--A VERY interesting article on medical conditions that are best left alone to heal on their own. Who would have thought? Here is the article.

--We've all heard that buttered toast always lands buttered-side down. There is the saying "nailing jelly to the wall." Some people hear these things and decide to test them. (Think of this as a science fair for adults.) To read about these and other food experiments, go here.

--Everyone loves to get free stuff and the internet makes it easier than ever to get samples, etc. Free Stuff Times is a site that gathers info on things you can get for no cost--FUN!!

--I have been a huge promoter of PostSecret for years. The site is STILL as fascinating as ever. Now, there is a new site that is just starting up and it could become just as addicting as PostSecret. The site is all about found cameras and orphan pictures. If you lose a camera, what can you do to get it back? Not much, unless someone finds it. But, how can the person get in touch with you? That is the problem, but now there is a solution. If someone finds the camera, he/she can post pics at this site in the hope that you will see them and be reunited with your memories/pictures. Very interesting.

Family Secrets

As far as I know, my family doesn't have any earth-shattering secrets. But, then, isn't that what keeping secrets is all about--not passing them on? The secrets that I DO know, however, are of the 'huh?' variety--not worth a damn after a few years. Examples follow.

--The Mother's parents 'had' to get married. She didn't find out until I was an adult and married. Somehow, she was given her parents' marriage license and was able to count the months. I guess it WAS a very different time back then, but in this day and age the 'secret' definitely is of the 'meh' kind.

--Again with The Mother: Her mother died shortly after giving birth. The Mother was told it was due to heart problems and that my grandmother should never have gotten pregnant in the first place. (Quite a load of guilt to be saddled with your whole life, hey?) Years later--probably about the same time as the marriage reveal--The Mother saw g-mother's death certificate. The g-mother died of tuberculosis, NOT heart problems. What????? Again, considering the period of history, I guess I understand the secret, but still.

--The Father had an uncle who was gay. DON'T EVER mention his gayness to anyone in The Father's family!!! It is totally denied! His 'roommate' was only a friend--even though they lived together FOREVER, the uncle never married, and the uncle left his roommate most everything he had in his will. WHY keep this a secret? Doesn't EVERY family have a gay member?

Not great enough secrets to make my family interesting, are they? As I said, we have no earth-shattering secrets THAT I KNOW OF. The secrets I don't know the answers to ARE interesting, however. They follow.

--After The Mother's mother died, her father went a little bit crazy. He up and left--his newborn daughter, his family, everyone and everything. And he was gone for at least a year or two. The most anyone knows about his 'lost time' is that he was out west and was in Oregon for a period of time. We know nothing more about what he did. The Mother always has thought someone will knock on her door one day and introduce himself/herself as her sibling. (I guess this might be the desire of an only child, but still...)

--My great-grandfather came here to the US from Finland. When he left Finland, he REALLY left it--he wouldn't talk about his homeland at all. And he NEVER talked about the reason he left home. We have always thought he LEFT Finland rather than CAME to America--there just seems to be some big reason for his leaving. We think his leaving had something to do with the military. Maybe he left so that he wouldn't be 'drafted'--either into the Finnish army OR the Russian. (He was born and raised right on the Finnish/Russian border.) Or maybe he did something terrible. We'll never know. What we DO know is this: He changed his life at some time while here in the US--he became an EXTREMELY devout Christian and devoted his life to spiritual matters. Was this in response to a guilty conscience? Hmmm.

--While not as great of a mystery--at least I don't think so--as some others might be, I really know nothing about my paternal grandfather. He died before I was born--and might have even died before The Mother married into the family. I believe he was a drinker. That is ALL I know about the man. The Father never talked about him or referenced him in any way--but, then, The Father doesn't say more than a few words at a time anyhow, so... But The Mother has NEVER heard a secret that she didn't want to pass on, so if there was any dirt to be dished, she would have told me. I still think there may be some secrets regarding him, but I'll never hear them.

--And then we have The Mother's uncle who was a hobo. Now, his life wasn't so much a secret as it was a mystery--after all he WAS a hobo! I guess he 'rode the rails' and went all over the country. I'm not even sure as to when or where he died. He might have been a very interesting person to talk to.

Finns as a people are very closed-mouthed--at least the ones I know. So I don't know if it is that fact or family 'pride' that keeps some things from being talked about, but I grew up with keeping 'secrets.' My being molested by an uncle was NEVER mentioned--even though The Parents knew all about it. The Mother was molested by the same uncle and I didn't find out about it until I was married and had my kids--it was the same time I found out one of The Mother's cousins was ALSO molested by the man. A great secret to keep, hey?

It always seemed as if secrets had to be kept if the story would put The Family in a bad light--an "Oh, no, NOT in OUR family" sort of thing. When we were in the midst of all of our problems with C, The Mother ORDERED me not to tell my best friend what was going on--mainly because she might tell someone who would tell someone and the story would go around the town where The Parents live. How HORRIBLE that The Parents might be known as having an incorrigible grandchild! It did become a moot point when they took C into their house to live, so...

I learned that keeping secrets aren't worth it. The Mother kept me from getting wonderful support and sympathy by making me be afraid to tell some of my 'secrets.' She also kept me tied to her far too long by having me keep those secrets. When I finally decided to be open and honest about things, she lost her hold over me. My life is pretty much an open book these days--and it is pretty liberating. Unfortunately, I think I may be TOO forthcoming about some things--I mean really, do people NEED to know about ALL of my health issues? :)--but I don't hesitate to give honest answers to honest questions. You want to know about Child Services coming to my house? Just ask, I'll tell the story. You want details about A leaving home when she was in 11th grade? I won't think twice about telling the story. Most of my life isn't worth keeping as a secret.

WHEN Will It End?

Tonight is about the closest I have come to actually crying at the end of a hockey game. Come on already--the Wings came back from a 2-0 score in the second, Baby Boy scored the WINNING goal a little more than two minutes before the end of the game, and then Lilja got called for delay of game with less than two minutes left in the game. (While I understand the reasoning behind the automatic penalties, this particular one sucked--AND he didn't do it intentionally.) Of course, Edmonton pulled their goalie and had six attackers against the four Wings--and Ozzie couldn't keep the puck out of the net. Edmonton tied the game with 28 seconds left to the game. The game went through the overtime period and on to the shootout. Which Edmonton won.

As a fan, I usually feel awful because MY team loses. "How DARE they do that to ME?" However, I don't feel bad for myself tonight--I feel so bad for the players. Things just are going so terribly for them--I can just about understand what they are feeling. It is so sad. Things can only get better.

It's Over

The trade deadline has come and gone and the Wings are fine. They only made one trade--for a defenseman (DUH!)--and didn't have to give up anything but a couple of draft picks. They could have given away the franchise, but Holland is very good at his job and did well. My only concern is the rest of the league's trades--some of the other teams added quite a bit of strength to their rosters. Hopefully, this won't be bad news for Detroit. Now that all of the foolishness is over, the season can continue and we can look forward to the playoffs. Time to bring the Cup home to Detroit where it belongs!

Feeling Relieved, But...

There are only 15 hours before the trade deadline and the Wings haven't made a move. I don't think they want to spend a lot of money for a rental player--besides, when everyone is healthy, NO ONE can beat them. I'm sure they will get SOMEONE, but probably not a real big name. I still have suspicions that they will get Federov back. Might be a good move--he shouldn't cost TOO much!

I was chewing my nails all day because ALL of the rumors surrounding ANY players that might go to Detroit had Filppula being part of the trade. I'm so worried that Baby Boy will not be a Wing for life. However, Babcock was quoted as saying he will not be going anywhere. This made me feel a bit better, but... You know damn well if Lecavalier, Crosby, Ovechkin, etc, etc became available, Baby Boy would be gone in a heart beat! Not that any of the real biggies will be moving this year, but I will be much happier--I hope--when 3:00 PM rolls around.

Learning To Communicate or "Come Again?"

The 'family home' was the house where my great-grandparents lived. As far as I know, they moved in shortly after they married and stayed there throughout their 60+ years of married life. It hasn't been all that long since the house finally was sold to someone outside of the family.

Next door to the family home lived a widow. As long as I knew, the woman's family had lived in the house. She was from Croatia and didn't speak a word of English. My g-grandmother didn't speak a word of English. Yet, these two women would meet in the back yard and have 'conversations' over the fence almost every day. As a matter of fact, the neighbor woman was the only friend my g-grandmother had that was close to her own age--that I was aware of. While the two women came from different parts of the world and spoke different languages, they had more in common than differences. To look at them together, you could imagine they were related. Both were quite short and quite plump. They each wore floor-length dresses with bibbed aprons. Both had their hair in buns and wore babushkas at all times. Both women came here to America from their homelands and made new lives for themselves. They raised their families through good times and bad. They lived into old age and had fairly comfortable lives in the end. The biggest difference was the fact that my g-grandmother had her husband around into old age and the neighbor woman didn't. (I'm not sure when her husband died or what age he was when he did.) Somehow, the fact that these two COULDN'T speak the same language still allowed them to be friends for so many years--but the 'language' they COULD share was probably the biggest factor in their friendship. Sometimes SPEAKING gets us into more trouble than it is worth. :)

They Coulda Been A Contenda!

Okay, so that is an exaggeration. NO ONE is predicting the end of the Red Wings, but...

It certainly has been painful to watch what has happened to the team. And it isn't their fault--that's what makes it so hard to accept! The hit on Lidstrom shouldn't have happened--at least the elbow to the jaw shouldn't have! Chelios was just doing his job and blocked a shot--so he is day-to-day with no idea when he will be back. And Cleary: Getting hit in the jaw with a puck isn't something you TRY to do. Rafalski has the old groin injury--an injury that just PLAGUES hockey players. And what can you say about Kronwall? I wonder if hockey is what he should be doing with his life? He hasn't played an entire season without getting a strange injury. Too bad, too, as he is quite good but he may never be able to play to his optimum potential. As for Hasek, I am really wondering if he should just retire at the end of this year--for GOOD this time. Come on Dom, you ARE 43! There can only be one Chelios. {sigh}

I guess the absolute hardest thing is to see how different the second half of the season has been compared to the first. The Wings were on the way to a record breaking season. Every record and every individual trophy (almost) could have gone to Detroit--the whole ball of wax, the whole enchilada, EVERYTHING! Now, they might not even win the Western Conference. ARRRGGGHHH!!!

However, they are far from out of the run for the Cup. In the past it has seemed as if the years they did very well during the regular season, they didn't do well in the play-offs. So, they are facing adversity and injuries. They are learning what it is to struggle AND are doing a decent job of working through it all. As the saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Here's to the Wings just getting stronger and stronger.

(Oh, yeah, they lost to the Canucks 4-1 tonight. Not too bad considering how many of the regulars were not playing--and how many called-up players WERE there. Again: {sigh})

Celebrate

We don't have a lot of holidays to choose from this week, but here goes:

24 February
Academy Award's

25 February
Six-Shooter Revolver First Patented

26 February
National Pistachio Day
For Pete's Sake Day

27 February
International Polar Bear Day
Inconvenience Yourself Day

28 February
Smokey Bear's Birthday
National Chili Day
Floral Design Day
National Tooth Fairy Day

29 February
Leap Year Day

1 March
Beer Day
Be Positive--Do Something Day
Pig Day
Plan A Solo Vacation Day

My Computer's Back Home!

My computer was ready for pick-up today. First, if ANY of the people I 'met' at the place I brought it had even the slightest of personalities, they might be mistaken for actual human beings. I don't think I have EVER seen such unfriendly people in a business setting as these people were. Obviously I needed to read minds, because I wasn't told a damn thing. I pointed out which computer I was picking up, I figured out I needed to write a check once the bill was placed in front of me, and I decided it was time to go when the check was taken out of my hand and then was stared at. I know who the receptionist was, as she was sitting behind the counter talking on the phone--and I HAD seen her when I brought the machine in. Once she put the bill in front of me, she went back to her phone call. Then a young guy materialized--I didn't see where he came from--and waited till I had finished writing the check. He took it from me. I hope he worked there. I still don't know who he was. The work done cost me $50--I didn't think that was a good sign, because what I WANTED done would have cost MUCH more than that.

The first indication that things weren't done right was when we looked at the back--and saw all of the dust still stuck to the fan. I figured, at the least, they would have vacuumed out the inside of the case! Nope.

After vacuuming, I set the system up and turned it on...and waited...for it to boot completely. Then I waited...and waited...and waited...and waited for my profile to completely load. ARRRGGGHHH!!! The firewall was turned off and the anti-virus was turned off. And I waited...till I could turn my security on.

The mouse isn't working the way it used to, it took FOREVER for Thunderbird to get my mail, and things JUST AREN'T RIGHT!! Settings are changed and things are turned off and I'm not happy. I HATE having to try and remember all of my personalized settings and have to go back and restore them.

On the other hand, K is DELIGHTED because his email is working better than it ever has. (He uses Outlook.) He isn't finding as many things changed. Bully for him.

I can tell that none of the other things I wanted done were accomplished, either. I left notes saying how I wanted the registry cleaned up and any phantom files deleted. I wanted the start-up looked at and wanted anything done to speed up the boot time. Not done. I would have paid much, much more if the work I wanted done had been done. Not happy. I expected the technician to call me, at least, and ask me to explain my notes. Didn't happen. I expected to explain what I wanted to have done. Didn't happen. NOT HAPPY!!

I do have to admit that the computer seems to be 'learning' how to act better. The speed is picking up a bit and things aren't quite as funky as they first were. I'll give it the weekend and see if all is better.

All in all, I won't be going back to this place. So, I have two options: I either have to plunge in and start doing registry hacks, or find another place for computer repairs. Oh, damn. Computers are fun.

Blogging The Game

Okay, so this isn't EXACTLY blogging the game, as I have only updated after every period. However, with my temperament, there is NO WAY I could do a minute-by-minute account. :)

The Wings are playing in Calgary--or, at least the Wings that aren't injured! The defense is so depleted that I don't know how they are managing. The senior D-man--Chris Chelios--is VERY experienced at 1600 games played. The next most experienced D-man has only played 300+ games. The youngest five defensemen have less games played, TOTAL, than Chelios has played. And to top it all off, it was just announced that Chelios is hurting with an injury to his leg and won't be back for the rest of the game. I didn't have much faith in what the outcome of the game would be tonight and now I feel as if it would be a MAJOR miracle if they don't get blown out of the water.

A young Swedish defenseman is making his NHL debut in this game. So far, he has done nicely. But, an about-to-be 24-year-old can only do so much against the veterans he's playing against. He is, I'm sure, the future of Detroit's defense at 6'5", 220 lbs. While I love to see the young players get their chances to play, I sure wish his debut was under better circumstances.

So, at the end of the first period, the score is 1-0 in favor of Calgary. They scored when the puck bounced off of two Red Wings and went past Osgood before he even saw it. I hope it doesn't go too badly for the rest of the game.


Here we are after 40 minutes of play and the score is the same. And the Wings are dropping like flies!

Calgary is pretty much as dirty of a team as Anaheim is and tonight they are doing their best to take out as many of the opposing players as possible. Drake got rattled, Downey limped off, Osgood is fighting the hurt, and Kopecky got his head slammed (illegally) into the boards. I'm really pissed off at the officiating again--I don't know WHY the slashing and dirty hits just aren't being called! Pretty soon the coaches will have to lace up the skates and play if there are any more injuries. This is just not the way to play the game.

The young guys are really staying in the game. They are doing their best--and are doing VERY well with keeping the score 1-0. This says a lot for Detroit's drafting and all around system. Twenty more to go and this one will be in the books.


So Detroit lost--at least it is a loss in the record book. As far as a PSYCHOLOGICAL win, this was HUGE! Calgary only scored that flukey goal in the first and Detroit only was kept off of the scoreboard by a combination of Kiprusoff and the goalposts. With so many of the veterans not playing, the young 'uns certainly showed what they are made of. This game showed what a great organization the Wings have in place.

It will be interesting to see who actually will be playing tomorrow night at Vancouver. There is a chance Chelios will play, but I have my doubts. So, that means ANOTHER Grand Rapids player will have his debut. Whoa. Howard starts in goal, so whatever Ozzie was feeling, he'll have a few days off in order to rest. Kronwall MIGHT come back in time for Tuesday's game, but that is SO far in the future that it isn't even something to think about! Definitely interesting times.

Finally!

At last I can get a good night's sleep--Jennifer Lopez gave birth to her twins early this morning. And I was SOOOOO concerned! I don't know WHICH story is getting more air time, this one or the Hep A/Ashton Kutcher one. Give me a break.

Computer Update

After two days without my desktop, I finally called to see what is going on. I guess it STILL is going through scans--the tech called me back and said he is tracking down one last virus to kill. It seems as if the computer had MULTIPLE viruses and malware! When I asked what I should be doing to keep them away, the answer was pretty much, "Can't be done." He suggested Norton, but I refuse to buy another security suite--I've had problems in the past with BOTH Norton and McAfee. Besides, they are so damn bloated and they slow down my machine SOOOOOO much! I refuse to buy anti-virus or anti-spyware--and he agreed that Norton is only SLIGHTLY better than AVG! So, the best I can do is keep doing what I have till now--besides, I wasn't even aware there was anything more than the one bit of spyware on the machine! I guess what was there hasn't been ALL that bad--at least that's what I hope.

Wednesday Evening

Just talked to A--NOTHING about the non-pregnancy, of course--and she seemed to be in good spirits. I try not to pry, but make myself available to listen whenever my girls need to talk. I think it is working well.

The worst thing about the insemination not working is that with each attempt, the likelihood of her ever getting pregnant without in vitro, grows. EACH attempt at getting pregnant via in vitro is $10,000-15,000--not a drop in the bucket. And every attempt ONLY happens during one cycle! What a money-making racket! And to top it all off, only an extremely few insurance companies cover in vitro--or most infertility treatments, for that matter. I wish I had answers--or at the very least, a mirror into the future so that I could let her know that all will work out well.

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C called for a short moment as she was on her way to a meeting and said they have been approved for some in-home therapy for their son. He has been going to the hospital--which he will continue--for some treatments for his autism, but this will help them in their attempts to do for him at home. As autism therapy seems to involve a lot of repetition, having things they can do at home will only help the entire process.

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K starts three days off tomorrow--hopefully--and said we should take a trip up north to FINALLY see the baby. Yes, the baby was born on 3 January and we STILL haven't seen her. I guess we're terrible grandparents. :|

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NOT good news out of Detroit. Today it was announced that Lidstrom will be gone for at least three weeks. How will they survive? He is the best player on the team--best D-man in the league, best European to ever play the game--and the captain. Their number 2 and 3 D-men are out--Rafalski has just been put on injured reserve, so there is no telling when HE will be back. Hasek has been put on IR, also. The team is falling apart at the seams! They called up two more from Grand Rapids--should be an interesting game on Friday.

Of course, with all of the injuries happening, things might get heated now during the trades going on. The next few days will be very nerve-wracking! I have to stop reading the rumors, however--the last one I read said that Baby Boy has been traded to Atlanta! Oh, please, don't let it be true!