Nation's Snowmen March Against Global Warming

Sounds of Spring

We had some warm weather a couple of weeks ago, and our weather has warmed up today. I take nearly all the kids I see outside to treat them (whether they want to or not!). As my dad would say, "Go outside and shake the stink off of you". You would think the breezes and bird chirping is what I would hear. It never fails, some lawn crew cranks up the loudest and most industrial leaf blowers imaginable! I can be at a school or in some person's backyard! I just hate them!

Well, gotta go--want to sneak a bike in tonight. They are replacing siding on the house, so it may be challenging getting our bikes out.

Hello Muddah

I got some mail from camp today, and it just got me thinking about it. I need to book my plane! They put up a blog page that has some good videos to give you a feel for camp beyond what my pictures can show. It is on my sidebar on the bottom left side.
BTW, Mom visited camp about 2 years ago. Extreme Judy roped up and went up into the treehouse.

Some words to think about

I read this quote today, and I liked it.

"So-called "global warming" is just a secret plot by the wacko tree-huggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start the 21rst century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don't let them get away with it!"

-Chip Giller

Bird update

I was telling my mom about the bird we saw last night. When I described the bird and told her the name of it, she proceeded to tell me that she has eaten one of them. My grandfather used to hunt them, but she did not like eating them. What are the chances of that?

ADW: Scolopax minor: Information

ADW: Scolopax minor: Information

Nightbirdies

Last night we were out watching basketball, and I spotted something walking around the garden by the driveway. Usually that means an opposum, skunk, or sometimes fox. Last night it was a stocky little bird with long legs and a long beak. He was active and funky looking! After combing the internet, I think this may be the bird. Mike tried to take a picture of it, and if you click on the picture, he is in the front towards the right side (he blends in). Unfortunately we could not get the beak in the shot and Mike was worried he stressed him out so he did not try again.


The American Woodcock is what he is called. I will put a link on the next page.

Fringe Benefits

Most jobs have some type of perk associated with it. Like free cookies when you work in a bakery. In the helping profession I chose, my perks tend to be in the form of feeling good about helping others rather than buckets of money or free things. We hardly ever got a free lunch from anyone. While I was still at the U, they would not let vendors bring in bagels for us for early morning inservices. I do not know about you, but it would take a hell of a lot more to buy me!!

I am part of a minority of women here in the NYC metro area who does not get manicures or pedicures. My feet are downright FUGLY, and trying to pretty up my feet would be like putting lipstick on a pig. A lot of girls out here wax too, but I am too cheap (and not in the mood to suffer for beauty). I treat little preschool girls who go the the nail salons with their moms and get little rainbows and other designs on their tiny nails. One of my preschoolers suddenly decided during our treatment session that I needed my nails done. I was able to let her chose colors and give me a manicure while actually working on balance (man I am brave). Here is the result. Of course I keep forgetting about it. I wonder how many days before I remember to take it off! It is hard to tell in the picture, but the color palate is blue alternating with pink (even though I asked for clear and sparkly!). I work with another child who wants to clean my house. If he is not careful I will have to take him up on that one!!

aqualung.net - news

aqualung.net - news

I am sitting here listening to Memory Man finally. I practiced some self-restraint and used my gift certificate at Amazon instead of rushing out and buying it last week. It is better than the first album which you do not usually say about anyone. Call me old fashioned, but I like opening the CD and looking at the pictures and lyrics. I could have got it online and burned it as well, but I wanted to look at the fancy disc I suppose. It has been fun getting some new music. I am sure all of these songs will get stuck in my head.

Glenn Tilbrook Up The Junction Squeeze Live

Hey, I just found out that Squeeze is planning to tour this year!! I only got to see them once. We were at the Royal Oak Music Theater, and nobody was dancing, EXCEPT FOR US!

Skywatching : Earth & Sky

Skywatching : Earth & Sky

I was wondering about the moon tonight. It was a really cool crescent with a planet nearby. I was also wondering which planet it was. Here is the answer.

Night skiing

When there is snow on the ground, and the year has been dismal for snow, Mike and I tend to ski in the night after work. Tonight's conditions were suprisingly good. Yesterday's ski was pretty sketchy due to ice that our edges could not overcome. Tonight was fast spring snow that was easy to control (which is a bonus with the oncoming traffic's headlights obscuring our view). This is a view when it was not really dark yet. It sure does beat going to the gym! The other good news is this counts as day number 5 of x-country skiing for the year.

BTW: Is anyone else getting slammed in their brackets? Where are all of the upsets (or at least the ones I picked!)

M and Chembo-chi

Mike and Chembo frolicking in the snow.

This one's for Kevin (pronounced "Kefin")

Ich Habe Kaiserschmarrn gern!

Superpup

We went to Anita's to play with their new puppy and watch the Spartans lose. Here are some pics from the outing. Of course there were other visitors when we were there.

It's not over.....

We got enough snow and sleet to ski on, so we hit the Rockies today. The snow was fast, but heavy. Manuevering quickly was tough due to the conditions. Now we have 3 days on the x-country skis. It was sleeting for hours yesterday like the storm we had about a month ago.

elderly acting young

Is 37 too old to be sitting here eating peanut butter and jelly with 2 ponytails? I have recently discovered that my hair stays back in 2 ponytails, but not one.

Pick a Season

It is the wonderful world of March. Two days ago, I had the crazy notion that I could put away my winter stuff, and there was no hope for any more nordic skiing. There was a Robin convention on our lawn. Every winter we have a goal to ski 10 days, and this year we only got in 2 (due to weather, employment, and injury). Yesterday started off at 55 degrees, and it has been in the 60s all week. Last week it was brutally cold as I mentioned before. Now we are getting the best of winter; 10-14 inches of snow! I hated the dry cold since the only point of cold is to produce snow in my opinion. My knee is better, so I think we must glide through the woods tommorrow! Here is a driveway shot from 8:30 AM.

Travelin'

Well, I just threw around my credit card too much, but I am booked for a whirlwind in 2 weeks. Lynn, Jim, and Brian are driving out here, and we all are going to Boston so Jim can take a look around at MIT. Then I am flying to LA to visit Sue and the Boys for a few days. It will be hectic, but fun. I can not look at a week off without developing some serious wanderlust.

I am happy to report that my knee is on the mend. It feels good finally! I really wanted to go biking today in the 65 degree weather, but I decided to cool it and make sure it is for real. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I guess I do not realize how difficult it is to rest my knobby knees when I am working. The stinkers do not tend to understand that sort of thing. I have been kineseotaping my knee, so when they do not get I am hobbled, I just roll up my pantleg and show them my "booboo". I think they imagine a giant scratch, but it seems effective nonetheless. I swear it had a target painted on it. I had all sorts of weird incidents when kids were suddenly hugging my leg (or punching it like one of my lovely clients likes to do when he is done kicking me!).

On an unrelated note, I spotted a heron on top of a tree tonight on a walk. I have never seen that before. It pays to look around, even in suburbia!

Human Voice Works Like a Jet Engine - Yahoo! News

Human Voice Works Like a Jet Engine - Yahoo! News

I think some clearly have voices that are similar!

MyFoxNY

MyFoxNY

I was flippin' channels tonight, and I watched the news briefly. Recently some dude mugged a 101 and 85 year old women. The 101 year-old's mugging was caught on tape, and it is being shown over and over here. Anyways, they had a viewer sound off about what they should do with the mugger. The responses were classically New York.

Save the Cheerleader

Yes, I do have a history of being a cheerleader. It is ironic though cheering for Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

aqualung - pressure suit

I wanted to go to his show tonight, but I just saw him 3 weeks ago in Park City. I am psyched for the new album since the new stuff he played was great at the concert.

The Pogues-The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn

Since I have St. Patrick's day on my mind, here is something to rock out to next weekend.

Don't worry about the government

You know, like the Talking Heads Song??? Mike has been working on taxes for about 6 hours now. He asked me to fill out one corporate form since it seemed simple. Of course, they changed the form to something that does not make sense compared to past years. This is a form for something I understand. So I was not any help to Mike.

I filled the time by cleaning, paying bills, and cooking a nice dinner (including vanilla cupcakes for dessert). So I did all the proverbial chick work. I suddenly become a neat freak when numbers come up, so thank God Mike has a clue about that stuff. I think a version of hell for me would be to make me an accountant.

Yesterday we went to a St. Paddy's parade in White Plains. It was pretty big, and people were partying in the streets. When we went out at night (9:30 ish) all the bars were still packed with really drunk paraders. There were a lot of cops and firemen, some playing their bagpipes in the street. So it is possible that I will celebrate St. Pats day twice (although I usually do not do anything for St. Pat's day and only had a Guiness to celebrate yesterday).

Of course, I wiped out on some ice this morning and quickly forced my ailing knee into full flexion (that felt good!). I do not think I made it worse, but it did not help matters any. It is truly depressing how little of a workout an arm ergonmeter can be! I am going to have a huge upper body when my knee is better.

Life and Taxes

Well, this weekend will be filled with many creative ways to avoid the inevitable that we will have to sit down and file my corporate taxes (translation: Mike will have to sit down and do them :) I am not very helpful in this regard, although I can usually manage most of my quarterlies (I always panic at 1 question though!). They are due March 15, so we will have to hop to it. Since I file every quarter, it should not be too bad, but something always creeps up. My version of being helpful is downloading forms and making sure we are filing everything. I do not think I would be a good accountant. I lack the patience for it.

My friends invited me to the White Plains St Paddy's parade. I suppose I should get out once in a while. I swam yesterday, but my knee was not happy about it. I need to find an indoor long course pool so I can turn less!!

Utah’s Epic Ride - New York Times

Utah’s Epic Ride - New York Times

We will have to try this someday when snowboarders are allowed.

Groovy Kids lookin' for Spring

I think that is the only Pink Outfit I have ever had!

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan

Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news

Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news

I think this man needs to hook up with the lady who swam in Antartica without a wetsuit. They could have some ice-babies.

Mega Loser

Just wanted you all to know that I did not win the Megamillions jackpot.

Other than that, I really have nothing to say. I have been laying low and letting my knee heal (although it is hard to keep it safe around all the kids I see. One of my kids was punching that leg last week). I am getting bigger, but it is getting better. I am just playin' it safe.

I have not been going to the gym, and when I am not going, Mike sticks around. Our pathetic version of exercise last night was going to Target since it was brutally cold and not a good night for a walk.

How does the earth feel about you?

My sister Ann visited Arizona a few years back. When she was describing the incredible heat there, she said it felt like "The earth hated me". I think the Earth really hated me today. It was soooo cold and incredibly windy. The wind really added insult to injury. I thought that weather was over, but it is March after all.

Faygo Boat Song TV commercial - 1970's

How about some Detroit Nostalgia anyone? My favorite flavors are Rock and Rye and the Cream Soda. I sometimes get in the airport on the way home.

Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein - New York Times

Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein - New York Times

Oh yeah, act all neutral Switzerland!

Young Folks

I have been whistling this song for days. How about you?

Pastoria Boys (and Friend)

Here is cute pic of the boys Sue sent me (they are with their friend, Mariel -do not know if I spelled that right!)

Alleged Bedford Hills house of ill repute to be purified by owners

Alleged Bedford Hills house of ill repute to be purified by owners

This a report from our local, Westchester news channel. For about a year they were over-reporting on some dominatrix that bribed a police officer. I think they loved saying Dominatrix over and over. Anyhow, they have a new dominatrix to worry about. Then they posted this question for a "sound off"

With the second dominatrix arrested here in Westchester, do you think sadomasochism and bondage have become more popular?
Yes
No

I really wish I was kidding!

Mike's Pupil

What a quick study!

Mike's spins

I wonder if they teach this in the terrain park lessons?

Utah, the final chapter

Here are some odds and ends from the week. Ed was so sad to be leaving, some chairlift views, and who knew Pat could have been a model? Must have been the altitude.
Brian, Mike and I took the gondola down from the Canyons at the end of the day on friday. We shared it with a mother and her 2 kids. The one kid was pouting 'cause he wanted to ski down since it was his last day. He also did not want to go home and wanted to continue skiing. We were ribbing him and trying to change his mood along with his mother. Then the mom tells us they live in Malibu! Poor baby having to go back there! The mom had no sympathy for the child either!

Utah continued

Thursday we skied at Brighton which was a fun change of pace. I had never been there before, and it is a pretty mountain, but smaller. Brian flew in after we were done skiing. It was warm, but a really gusty day (winds up to 60 MPH). Those winds blew in SNOW!! It snowed all day when we skied Thurs, and we decided to go to Snowbird on Friday since we had tickets. We did not know until we were in the traffic jam to Snowbird that it snowed 26 inches there on Thursday. The traffic jam was well worth it since the snow was amazing! We even tried out the Peruvian Tunnel, because it was there. Needless to say, my knee is not happy since I skied 2 days in the deep powder! Here are some brighton pics, including a sweet jump!

http://www.snowbird.com/about/construction/peruvian.html

W's and Ed

Here is the W's, Mike and Ed heading down a run in Park City.

Utah continued

Mike and his family has been coming to Park City for years (about 20 I believe), and I have been coming out for nearly 10 years now. We needed a rest day, but we have done many of the things around Park City several times (Olympic Park, etc). We were losing hope until I spotted an island in the Great Salt Lake with a causeway leading to it. We decided to check it out based on a paragraph in a AAA guide.

It was a state park called Antelope Island. Suprisingly, there are Antelope there! There is a buffalo heard that was introduced in the 1800's. There are supposedly Badgers, owls, tons of birds, and Bighorn sheep there too. There were 6,500 foot peaks on the island. That was a suprise since our drive in was extremely flat. We saw Coyotes, Antelope, Bison, Partridges "Chuckas", and Hawks. It was pretty damn cool and a little surreal.

Latest addiction

When we were in Park City, we saw Aqualung and Pete Yorn. I do not know Pete Yorn, but I do like Aqualung. It was a little place where we were up close. We saw him in his tour bus too! I could have harassed him, but it is not my nature. Anyhoo, I saw that he was on The Morning Becomes Eclectic, and now I have been playing the podcast over and over. I am even considering seeing Aqualung again in March. He was pretty friggin' awesome! It is the Feb 16th broadcast.
http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb

Utah part 2

We skied Park City and The Canyons the first weekend with Ed and Pat. Tracey joined us on Sunday at the Canyons. Our friend Nora was skiing Park City with her kids, so we saw her after we skied. Her kids were taking terrain park lessons. It was actually in the low 50s on the slopes, but the snow stayed good (no slush). Mike and Ed developed a new Olympic sport, Synchronized Snowboarding. It was sunny without any clouds, just great western ski weather. My knee swelled, but it stayed under control. It was really fun to get Pat out in the Champagne powder after bugging him all of these years. I think he may come back. We need to get Lhes and Joshua up on the slopes next year! Taking Pat to the airport was a good excuse to rest my puffy knee. We discovered they sell potent beer in Mormon country, and we enjoyed its effects combined with the altitude. I think my head is still floating. I am still looking for Homer Simpson's favorite run, the Colostmizer. I found Ann and Kevin's run, Shamus (sorry about the spelling).

I had an embarrassing moment on a chairlift on Sunday. Mike, Ed, Pat and I kept lining up in a certain order, even though it really does not matter. We loaded on a chair in a new order, and we all joked about it on the way up. When we came off the lift, suddenly my leg was caught up on side and almost got stuck in equipment. I ended up taking the chair around the corner and hitting the safety bar. It stopped around the corner on the chair about 5 feet off of the ground. The lift operator had to take off my skis, and then he and Mike helped me down. It was so friggin'humiliating, and we should not have switched order! Ed almost got a picture of it. When I got down, his camera was finally ready and he asked me to get back up there. I assure you I know how to use a chairlift and I have no friggin' idea of what happened. I am glad that I did not rip my leg off!

Mike's parents arrived Monday, and we hit Park City again. Finally everyone was able to do some runs together at Park city after lunch. Mike broke his yellow glasses, so we had some fun with that. He still has them and plans to repair them. I did not know he loved those glasses so much.

These pics are at the Canyons on the Gondola, and in Park City. You can see why Mike is now "Helmut".

Mike and Ed

Mike and Ed Chan-Lizardo working their way down a run in Park City.

Pat in Park City

Pat chillin' on the slopes.

Utah Part 1, the journey

I flew out on friday the 16th which is a heavy travel day. It was pretty stressful. It took us 2 hours to get to Kennedy, park and take the airtrain to the terminal. By the time we got to the line to check our bags, it was 7:15. Unfortunately our flight was at 8. I have never been so happy over a flight delay in my life! We took off really late after the flight attendent threatened everyone to board and sit down by 9:30 or the flight was cancelled! That made the New Yorkers panic allright! Needless to say, we missed our connection (although only by 10 minutes!).
We ended up sleeping on the floor of the airport in Vegas. It was loud in there with slot machines and huge TV monitors going. We carefully explored all the dark and quiet corners, and there would be other people camped out. We felt like homeless people who did not want to get on somebody else's turf. Thankfully it was warm and a trash can fire was not necessary. Our flight was scheduled for 6:30 the next morning, so we got in line (see that Pat, IN line!) at 5:00. They had transferred airlines so we thought an early start would be helpful. Of course after standing in line and watching the lady type forever, there was a problem (I was not in the mood for that). We had to go back to our original airline and get the tickets reissued. We found a special empty line, they took care of us, and we returned. Our flight was being called up in the line, so we were pulled to the front. Some lady who was mad to see us pulled ahead started complaining about being on time, etc. Mike asserted himself with her. After all, we had been in line since 5, and now it was 5:45. Sleeping on the floor for about 2-3 hours does not put you in a tolerant mood. Of course we ended up in a special security screening! My stress free morning at the airport was changing. The TSA lady told me that "half the people in this line miss their flight" after I told her I was anxious about missing the plane (what a bitch). We ended up jogging to the gate after having to take a tram there! We did arrive in SLC without incident at the same time as Pat. We had breakfast at our hotel we paid for but did not sleep in, and headed to Park City!
Park City was warm, and we skied there the first day (they stay open later). We skied with Pat and Ed Chan-Lizardo (or they rode while I skied!). Park City is always the best warmup. PS, if you click on the pics, you can get a blown up picture and be able to see who everyone is with all their gear on.

Back to Reality

I am reeling since we just got home at 7:15 after travelling since 5:45 AM EST. Here are some Utah pics. Debriefing to come later!

Gettin' out of town!

We are leaving today for Utah! My knee is much better (finally), work seems under control, and I think I packed everything I need. It will be a long flight tonight, but it is a small price to pay in order to be in Park City!!!!

Mike got home late Wed night. He ended up taking Amtrack home since his flight was cancelled. When we woke up yesterday, we did not have any water!! He took off to the store to buy gallons to use to wash(you need a shower after a long train ride!) We discovered the garage door was open! When clearing the driveway, the snow/ice would make a block like an igloo, and it was under the door. The safety mechanism did not allow the door to shut, and we did not notice. Hopefully there are not any critters in there since it was really cold! Thankfully we did not burst a pipe! The water was running again by noon.

Gotta go! I am sure I am forgetting something!

Morning Becomes Eclectic — KCRW | 89.9FM

Morning Becomes Eclectic — KCRW | 89.9FM

I forgot about this radio show, but I have been going through the archives all week. If you are longing for new music, this is good show to listen to. He has live performances every day in studio which are really great.

The The - Uncertain Smile

The song with one of the longest out-tros ever! I still love it!

50 metre sprint underwater swim with fin

This used to be my calling! I found this accidentally while avoiding work just now!

Ice Ice Baby!

I was expecting anywhere from 3-12 inches of snow, but when I got up, there was only about 2 inches of snow. It started to sleet hours ago, and it is not letting up! I thought I would go see my homecare kiddos, but that does not look likely anymore. I am cool with driving in snow, but I hate ice storms! I went in the driveway to assess, and the snow was so weird! It felt like sugar due to the ice, but it was slippery! Usually you get a hard layer of ice. So it is a funky storm indeed.
I was also going to take the new car out, but I really do not want to ding it. We took it to the city after debating and worrying about it on Sunday. I told Mike he was paranoid and what was the chance it was get hit. When we were leaving, we got stuck in a traffic jam for the Lincoln Tunnel. Then bump!! Some jackass bumped us. Fortunately it was so low speed there was not even a scratch, but it was pretty ironic indeed.

UPDATE:
It is still sleeting!! The lights have flickered once, and I hope the power stays on since I am getting work done!!!! It has been sleeting almost non-stop since about 10 AM, and it is 2 now.

The final push

I have not been posting too much in the last couple of days. Sorry about that! I am very busy trying to get ready to leave for a week. So far no known exposures to nasty colds (the usual kids that always are sick are the same!). My knee is settling down, but still not 100%. I will try to be nice to it in Utah (maybe lay off the moguls!) Since I have not been hitting the gym, I am filling out too much, but I will address that when my body quits rebelling. This is the busiest work time for me since I am writing annual reviews, but I am making good progress.

Saturday we cruised around our area to scout out areas to live that would be a good commute for both of us. The housing has dropped in Westchester for the first time in 12 years, so our home shopping procrastination will help us out some. I have been half heartedly looking, but then I hit some places on a website that were cool looking, only 10 minutes north of here, priced well, and had some land. It made me want to make offers even though Mike has only been working for 1 week. I guess I am getting sick of being crammed in here, not being able to have friends over easily, and having to go to the laundromat. It gave me hope that when we have to enter the market here, we may be able to get a decent house for our huge amount of money.

On Sunday, we hit the city to meet our friends Tracey and Marcello for brunch (great place, can not remember the name). It took a long time, so we skipped the museum we planned on and walked an hour instead. It was cold, but a beautiful day. We then met with the inlaws for dinner. I am still full. I received many birthday messages on Sunday which I really enjoyed. I think the new family tradition since we are far apart is to sing Happy Birthday in answering machines. John even sang which was a treat! I have not taken off my gifts from my mom or Tracey yet. I guess the blow of officially being in my late 30's was softened a bit.

I worked all day and got my hair cut last night. Yes, I do get my haircut in NY now! In fact, I see my NY lady more than Peggy now. My NY lady is really good, and she does it at her house so I save some cash. She moved further away, but she is really worth my extra 10 minutes on the road. Sooo, that is my eventful last few days. I am really excited about Park City, and they are getting snow!!!

I may get a snow day tommorrow. There is finally a Noreaster heading our way. Mike is likely to get stuck in Richmond again!

The Lives of Others

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7238828

The link above is to a podcast interviewing the director of "The lives of others". It opened here last night, and we went to check it out. It is a film set in East Germany.
It is the story of a Stasi officer who is monitoring a writer during the eighties. We went to the 10:10 showing, and when it ended at 12:30, I was wide awake (I am never like that for late shows). If you feel that warrantless wiretapping of American citizens is OK to protect us against terror, you should see this movie. It will change your mind.

Fame becomes me

I recently opened one of my mass emails I get from triathlon sponsors to advertise events. I glanced at the picture on the side of the email, and here is what I saw. I thought, "That looks like me, but I do not want to be presumptuous". Mike inspected the picture, and before zooming, declared it was me. I did one of their races last year, and I start in the front of the swim, and the cap color was correct. See if you can find me.

I also was featured in my YMCA class sign up cover. I had no clue I was on it until one of the lifeguards showed me. I remember them taking pictures during open swim, but I did not know what they were for. I need to start getting some cash for my imagery.
http://www.ryeymca.org/classes.htm

Students Wear Masks to Try to Stop Flu - New York Times

Students Wear Masks to Try to Stop Flu - New York Times

I was planning on doing this next week to stay healthy for Utah!

Alpha Diogi Tibetan Mastiffs, 2004 Scheduled Breeding

Alpha Diogi Tibetan Mastiffs, 2004 Scheduled Breeding

Here is where Anita is getting her dog. It makes us want one too!

DMSR live 1983

sweet outfit! Who needs pants to play a concert?

THE JOURNAL NEWS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

At least I have never done this. I have nearly hit a deer while mountain biking though. Of course most of you know my history of my sports collisions with animals, the most famous being the groundhog. I used to my sister a really hard time due to her cat vs bike collision years back. I could not understand how that was possible. I have had numerous near misses with groundhogs and bunnies prior to my incident. On my groundhog day, I was mountain biking with Heather and Norm, and I managed to survive the trails without a scratch. We were crusing down a sort of a sidewalk when the groundhog appeared suddenly. Despite my best efforts, I hit it and screamed horribly while I went down. I got a nasty road rash that resulted in some permanent scarring, and I had to see the doctor 'cause my leg ended up swelling up. The groundhog seemed fine and just ran away. I was really embarrassed to tell the doctor how I was injured, that was for sure. Lately I have had a great track record with the natural world in this regard.

Designer Dog-Fights - Jon Mooallem - New York Times

Designer Dog-Fights - Jon Mooallem - New York Times

After reading this article, I would never get a pug. The breeding is barbaric!

MIAMI VISITORS SAY ...: We liked Detroit better!

MIAMI VISITORS SAY ...: We liked Detroit better!

Good for you Detroit.

Keane in Berkeley - Your Eyes Open

I never really paid attention to this song, but now I really like it since I heard this acoustic version. The other bonus is that the chords are easy enough for us to master.

Hooters fight gives city 2 restaurants - Yahoo! News

Hooters fight gives city 2 restaurants - Yahoo! News

Hey mom, now you can all the wings you could ever want!!

Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring - Yahoo! News

Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring - Yahoo! News

That little bastard! As you know, the ground hog community does not seem to like me (as well as the Canadian Geese community). I guess the ground hog is still upset about my bike versus groundhog collision of 2000.

Millions Of Americans Travel To Kentucky To Attend Barbaro's Funeral

Riding the water wave

Riding the water wave

It is only worth the price tapped out of the fountain of youth. Who the hell could waste money like this?

A reason to go to MIT

This one's for Jim. Here is the computer lab at MIT. Pretty damn cool eh? I however can not comment on the quality of the chicks there.

Xtc - Love On A Farm Boys Wages

I have not heard this for a long time. It reminds me of walking to class at MSU.

Sharevari ( The Scene ) detroit 1982

I loved the guy in the white shirt and tie. This is better quality than the other clip I found.

Gettin' old

I always have to think about how old I am. Time is flyin', that is for sure. Of course my body is falling apart already. My knees were a little swollen this week, but now my right knee has really ballooned up since my ski yesterday. I could barely swim today (felt fine kicking, just could not use the leg on turns which is annoying). The funny thing was that I skied harder on Saturday, and my knee was not too bad. At one point Sat, we were bombing down a run that was like a regular ski run on our touring skis (narrower than my foot), but the snow was powder so you could control yourself relatively well. We saw 2 guys cutting parallel turns on I think cross country skis (I did not get a good look, may have had a tele set up). At any rate, I am getting worried about Utah coming up. I iced a lot today and took some nsaids, so hopefully it will go down tonight. I swear if it is not a cold or some other illness, something else happens. I am healthy with energy for once!! My luck tommorrow will be all of my challenging kids will take off on me! Time to stop whining.

Hey Gucky, when should we pick you up in SLC?

Stowed away

We are back from Vermont. We managed to have good travel time which makes things nice. We skied the Von Trapps on Sat and Stowe x-country on Sunday. It was pretty cold, but the conditions were great--nice fast powder! Hopefully we do not have to keep driving too far to ski the rest of the winter. Stowe was a quaint little touristy town that looks like you would expect in Vermont (including covered bridges, churches with large steeples, etc)

Von Trapp World Tour

It finally snowed enough to be able to cross country ski within driving distance (although we will have to drive greater than 4 hours). It has been a really lean year for snow in the entire Northeast as you have heard me complain repeatedly. We were going to leave last night, but the high in most of Vermont today is merely -8 with a low of -25 (not including windchill). We will head up tonight since tommorrow will be a balmy 17! I am thinking that we will go to Stowe since it is the closest place with a lot of snow. I am also excited since we can go skiing at the Von Trapp family lodge! I missed their family house when I was in Austria (did not want to subject Mike and Kevin to my little fantasy), so I have some make up to do. I did twirl in circles on a moutainside in Austria and sang the "Sound of Music" when I was there so I was not completely deprived. I would like to visit Austria again sometime. We have some great fun and Kaiserschmarren! We even stayed at a guesthouse that had a Marmot living inside (We had to keep our feet off of the floor to avoid ankle bites!) Maybe I should make myself a dress out of drapes to ski in! By the way, I still want to go to the Sound of Music sing along in the city. Anyone in?

REM - So.Central Rain unplugged

Nice little audiotreat. It inspired me to get the chords and pick up my guitar tonight.

Grammar Spaz

Although my grammar has definitely become worse over the years, I still notice word usages that offend my ears. The New Yorker expression "Waiting on line" is one of them. New Yorkers never wait in a line, just on a line. It is scary that I am starting to get used to hearing that now. I'll be damned if I ever say, "I was waiting on line in the CVS when.." Now I notice when people say "waiting in line". If you ever hear me say that, alert me immediately (although I am not worried about it). Anyways, I am getting sidetracked. There is a big sign outside our gym reminding people to wipe off their shoes and clean the machines (January New Years resolution crowd etiquette). At the top of the sign it states, "At this busy time". It bugs me that that is was too hard to write "During this busy time". Yo, Where's my busy time at?

Napoleon Dynamite

Sweet Jumps.

THE JOURNAL NEWS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

roo rnow, Rastro rikes to rarty!!!

update from Arizona

Mom wanted everyone to know their trip is going well, but she will not have internet access for a few days. She also is having issues charging her phone. She says if you need to get her for the next couple of days, call John's number that she emailed us.

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies in - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies in - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan

This is one my coaches and boss when I was a lifeguard. Ewwwww!!!

FOUND Magazine | Find of the Day

FOUND Magazine | Find of the Day

I am finding this as addictive as you tube.

Trapper Keepers for Life!

We are staying put here in the Hudson Valley.

Alien Factor

Everyone sing it..........
This one's for the fam.

The Cure - A Forest (acoustic)

Kick ass acoustic version. I never thought I would hear this one unplugged.

Gatorade AM

For that extreme morning thirst!

Late Breaking News From the West Coast

driftwood and waves...

Snope

Although I can not ski in it, I do not need boots, and it is barely worth a shovel, This coating of snow gives me hope. When I saw some of my home care kids last night, they were excited that we got to play outside while it was snowing. One of them yelled, "The snow got on the ball!" I guess it has been a lean year.

Curry or Maple Syrup

Mike was telling me a while back that in his cafeteria at work, he kept getting whiffs of maple syrup. There were no pancakes at lunch there, so this was curious to him. He realized over time that the garbage cans smelled like the syrup, or sometimes like curry. A lot of Indian workers used to throw out the remains of their lunches, so the maple syrup or curry smell mystery was solved. You never knew if it would smell like Curry or maple syrup.

I cooked some curry the other night, and all day yesterday I kept getting whiffs of curry. It is amazing how it lingers in your clothes. I realized I was wearing a shirt I was cooking in, not just daydreaming about my curry. I did not smell any maple syrup, so I must not be cooking too authentically.

Germaphile

I swear I am coming down with yet, another cold. I have had only a few fully healthy days since before Christmas. I am reconsidering my caseload including preschoolers now.

Napoleon Dynamite The Promise

You wanna play?

I want snow

I just want to play in it. I am willing to shovel it. I love the quiet nights when it is silent with all the snow stuck to the trees. I want a snow day. What is the point of winter otherwise?

Mike and I spontaneously decided to drive into the city, tour the Forbes Gallery (which was free, but essentially a rich guy's huge toy and trophy collection), get some coffee, and maybe catch up with a friend. We met up with some friends and went to dinner. It is kinda a bummer to get rid of our city car. We do not care what happens to it, it is smaller, it will fit in more parking spaces, and little new yorker kids think it is cool. The restaurant was really cool. No sign on it outside, but it was hopping. It was called barrio chino. We were trying to figure out if the food would be Chinese, but it ended up being really authentic Mexican. The space looked like the Chinese restaurant, so it was alittle strange feasting on guacamole and the like in there.

Family Guy

I have the same problem with candy. I have stashes which are not really stashes since a certain somebody knows where they all are. I guess it is a cry for help.

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times