Skins: Don't start believin'

Wait right here. I'll go back and get the others.

I'm sure 'Mudge will thank you for the Pisarcik reference, JA.

First?

Joel, there is always another way to lose. Put one extra man on the field.

Ask me how I know.

Oh, dear. Yes, the Joe Pisarcik reference has gotten me all verklempt. Perhaps the Eagles most glorious moment, and certainly Herm Edwards'. Pardon me, I need to go take a moment.

Dismal weather in Florida, yesterday.

There's also going for it on 4th and 2!!

I must admit I had mixed emotions when I heard that Alabama had defeated Florida. I knew that there would be much tearing of garments and gnashing of teeth in the Achenbach household. On the other hand, my baby sister is married to a 'bama graduate who proudly displays the Crimson Tide banner on their front porch year round. But outside of that he is a really fine fellow.

The 'skins game, though, really got to me. I mean, after having vowed to never watch them again, indeed, having committed myself to spending those precious hours of Sunday afternoon inhaling sawdust instead, I found myself seduced into watching the final quarter.

Have there ever been 90 more disheartening seconds of Redskins football? The combination of missed field goal, allowed touchdown, and interception worked like coordinated body blows on my solar plexus. As I mentioned yesterday, it reminded me of the ending of some cheesy horror film. You know, when the happy music begins to swell and you start to relax only to be shocked as The Fiend, left for dead, re-emerges to drag the sole survivor down to the Flaming Depths of Hell.

On the other hand, The College of William and Mary is in the Semifinals.

Hate to say it, Sneaks, but the ESPN crew had a really good take on the Pats yesterday:

They're rebuilding the defense, and without a coherent defense you don't have an elite team.

*SIGH*

Since I really leave the pros alone, I'm going to repost my highlights of the Central Florida news coverage of the Florida loss. Both local papers went with ginormous pictures of Tebow with all sorts of misty eyes. Here is what I said last night:

Both Tampa papers carried the Florida loss prominently. The St Pete Times, a notoriously pro-Nole paper was the harshest:

///In his final act, the legend became ordinary once again.

He struggled. He blundered. He grew impatient. He did all of those things we have seen so often in athletes of lesser standing. And when it became obvious the end was near, Tim Tebow began to weep on the University of Florida sideline.
(snip)
"What you saw was the passion of Tim Tebow," Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said.///
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/ordinary-end-to-a-great-era-for-florida-gators-quarterback-tim-tebow/1056820

The Tribune was more explicit in its metaphor:

///Florida lost so much Saturday.

Gone is the repeat. Gone is perfection. Gone is No. 1. Gone is Pasadena. There won't be three national championships in four seasons.

And incredibly, most incredibly, there will be no more truly important His-Will-Be-Done history from Tim Tebow. There's not even enough time left in Tebow's Florida career to make another promise. His tears said as much.///
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/dec/06/060033/cb-floridas-goals-dreams-went-out-with-the-tide/sports-colleges/

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

Now whether Tebow loses some luster or if his having to spend most of the game watching from the sidelines while Bama executed masterful clock control counts as an extenuating circumstance is yet to be determined.

Both papers downplayed the end-zone interception he threw and harped on the defensive lineman that had the temerity to get arrested for DUI in the week before the game.

Author Mitch Albom has an idea for how to remember 2009, from the Hartford Courant--he lists Octomom, Balloon Boy and the State-gate Crashers:

http://www.courant.com/features/sns-200912041950tmstuemitchctntm-a20091206dec06,0,4764518.story

First graf:
December is not even halfway over, but I already know the big story of the last 12 months: 2009 will be remembered as the year we sold our souls for fame.

I still prefer the ideas of those who became uncovered, rather than covered, so to speak: Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, and Tiger Woods of the Party Groupie Association (PGA).

As of this ayem, alleged: seven, eight. When ends the scorecard of Tigergate?

I was at the college game of lesser importance but much greater excitement Saturday.

The big photo op of the weekend was the ACC Championship Game Pep Rally at the Large Waterfront Harborplace Knock-Off in Tampa. All the ACC teams, whether they had a dog in the fight or not, sent down their mascot and a couple of cheerleaders. It was basically a free-fire zone for getting pictures taken of or with them.

As usual, I took tons of pictures over the weekend. I put them all in one massive flickr set.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellojkt/sets/72157622828405607/

In decreasing quantity of subject matter it is roughly:
Guys (or gals, who can tell?) in big headed costumes
cheerleaders
marching band members
me acting goofy
celebrating football players

Snuke, I agree that the Pats are in a 'rebuilding' year (or two). We were very spoiled for a long time and now we have to bear with them while they bring in some young players and grow them. Fine with me, more time to do other things on Sundays.

RD,
Someday Division 1 will have a real playoff system so there can be a true national champion. I just don't expect it in my lifetime.

Speaking of the State-gate crashers, this news item has tickled me for some time, since it also falls under the category of failure of intelligence or security force (in 2008--still under Bush's watch).

The portion about Montana judge and Internet prowler Shannen Rossmiller was at the end of a Nov. 20 article by San Antonio Express News reporter Guillermo Contreras, his effort following by a day a report done about Rossmiller on CNN.:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/fort_hood_shootings/70682922.html

She also said she consulted on a study completed in April 2008 for an intelligence arm of the Defense Department regarding the radicalization of members of the military, including the cases of Anderson and Michael Curtis Reynolds, an ex-military drifter convicted of terrorism for plotting in 2005 to blow up a U.S. transcontinental oil pipeline.

The study's purpose, she said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, was to assist the military in how to spot and identify signs of a person who has become or is going through the radicalization process.

Rossmiller said the study resulted in a report, “The Radicalization of Members within DoD,” that provided good case background that the Defense Department could have used to prevent the Fort Hood tragedy.

Rossmiller said it appears the department didn't follow its own report because of issues with political correctness. She believes the department has buried the report, which was supposed to be shared with other intelligence agencies, to avoid embarrassment and potential congressional inquiry.

“I absolutely believe it was because of political correctness,” said Rossmiller, who maintains contact with intelligence sources she passes leads to. “I have run into political correctness with every agency at every level I've dealt with. I had to throw a tantrum for the Army to take Anderson seriously.”

As of last week, the report was classified, she said, when she checked with the report's author, the European Command, or EUCOM, an arm of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Joel, I confess it has been a while, but your kit got to me. That and the muse, bless her pea-picking little heart. So I sat me down, and strummed a few cords, and came up a theme song for this kit, keepin' the same title,

and it goes

a little sumpthin'

like this:

Just a small field goal
A chip shot from a decent hold
He shanked the winning kick
From the twenty-three
Just another loss
His career it will surely cost
He’ll take the midnight train
Goin' anywhere

Depression in the locker room
A smell of fear and gloom and doom
For a while they can share the pain
It goes on and on and on and on

Sports fans marching
Up and down the Fedex
Their protests searching
Itching for a fight
Street mobs, die-hards
Livin' just to lynch Cerrato
Hidin', somewhere in the night

Workin' hard to get my turn
Everybody wants to burn
Payin' anything to torch the dead
Just one more time
Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born to beat the spread
Oh, the agony never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Wilbon, Tony
Speechless, movin’ on to MTV
Their columns searching
For a lede
Street fights, po-leece
Escorting Saints to their team bus
Hidin', somewhere in the night

Don't start believin'
Hold on to the grievin’
Football, people,
Another rotten season
Hold on,
Snyder, dick head,
Don't start retrievin'
QBs without a damn good reason
Front line, might be fixed,
Joe Bugel the only coach
Who might be worth keepin’
Jim Zorn, bye bye,
Another guy,
Out of his depth
Just keepin’ the money
For another season.

Don't start believin'
Hold on to the grievin’
Football, people,
Another rotten season
Hold on,
Hold on, just one more time

SCC: strumming chords probably would have worked better. More tuneful, ya might say.

Very clever Mudge!

Strummed cords kinda works too. I was certainly fit to be tied.

I dunno, 'Mudge, some time in the woodshed might be advantageous... :-)

Dear Shaun made it as the Goat of the Week in Peter King's column over at Sports Illustrated.
"But these are the 2009 Redskins, and Suisham pushed it wide right."

Speaking of lousy kicking,
dr have you seen that 13th man picture that was making the rounds last week?
http://reallyplayingforpizza.blogspot.com/2009/12/ironic-13th-man.html

Mudge,
Bravo. I can picture the Glee kids singing that with cute little Kurt dressed up in his kicker costume and a feather boa.

Nice tune cootie Mudge,I knew the Skins had lost in overtime,but had no clue that the game was so gutwrenching.I know there are no moral victories in football.But they went toe to toe with the best team in football and needed a major meltdown to lose.

But tonight dant dant dant dannnn MNF and my boys travel to the frozen tundra to meet the cheeseheads.I tried to watch the last MNF game with the Ravens at work,and though the game sucked,i could barely watch.So I took a day off for this one.I think our key to sucess will be run,run and run some more.It is much easier to cradle a 20 lb rock and run with it,then to throw it in the air.But with that said,I am sure our O coordinator Cam Cameron will try and throw.What kind of name is Cam?and is his name Cameron Cameron?I think it should be a close hard fought game and I pray that we Run,Run and Run some more.Also I pray it doesn't come down to "wide left" as we have been down that road before.It is real hard to kick a 20 lb. rock.

Did i mention the fact that we should run the ball? Thought so......

Go RAVENS!!!!!

Purple with Envy

re 10:11 EUCOM is one of the 10 Unified Combatant Commands and most certainly not "an arm of the Defense Information Agency."

I was rooting hard for the Giants on the day of *the fumble*. The same way I was rooting for the Browns during *the drive*. The same way I root for the Cubs. For naught. This story reminded me of Igor toting that brain around, and ending up with the one from Abbie Normal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/health/research/03brain.html?ref=science

Today is football tie day in my office. I'm wearing my Georgia Tech tie in celebration and my Ravens season-tickets holding coworker is wearing his Ravens tie in anticipation.

yello-I was thinking the 'skins might benefit from watching the "Put a Ring on It" video-the Glee version, not the dancing baby.

I hate to say it, green (because we lost), but that was one helluva game to watch, right from the very start. I can't remember the last time I literally sat on the edge of my chair for over three hours, yelling and screaming. I'm normally a pretty laid-back watcher. Not that one.

fb,
In real life, that routine would be at least 50 yards of combined false start, delay of game, and excessive celebration penalties.

Frosty - Yeah, that was a pretty big blunder. Interestingly, if you look at that original article, you will find this line:

"A spokesman for DIA said the report was authored by EUCOM and referred questions there."

"Wide right"

signed,
A Bills Fan

Mudge... if you'd stop strumming your cords, they may last longer. But I thought you wore wheat jeans--not cords.

I love football, from 3rd-graders thru to the pros. Ditto baseball.

But unless I get hired by a school or pro team, it will always be entertainment. The emotions I let loose during the game are history five minutes after the game ends.

Maybe it's some sort of psychological malfunction, but I see no point staying wired up about an event whose outcome: (a) I can't influence; and (b) has no bearing on my well-being.

So... what do you have against 2nd-grade football, MsJS?

Actually, MsJS... this is for you...

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33426

I predicted a Washington victory yesterday, and I am mortified. As soon as Suisham missed the gimme figgie to make it a two-score game, with less than two minutes to go, I thought to myself, "Here it comes," and had a mental image of a squadron of fully-loaded Zeros, Bettys and Zekes heading towards me from over the horizon.

Sheesh.

bc

Just rub it in Mudge. The Gods of Cable offered us the Catfight (Lions-Bengals) and the Senior Manning Show at 13:00 and all three networks that showed football had the Most Hated Team in America vs Junior Manning at 16:00.
If you are wondering, the Lions lost.

MsJS - On a rational level you are absolutely and completely correct. Alas, we are not talking about something rational. We are talking about some kind of weirdly displaced innate emotional fight-or-flight response that is the result of millions of years of evolution. And football is the least of it. Heck, I get worked up by stupid stuff I can't control all the time. Alas, there is only so far you can go to rewire your own brain.

At least without a note from your doctor.

Raysmom, I'd have to agree that even Suisham's name won't ever be mentioned in the same breath as Norwood's.

Again, I mean.

bc

No bearing on well-being? A tiara can really turn a day around. Isn't that right, TBG?

sd -- the Lions lost?

Oh . . . .

Correct, LiT!

*turning head for optimum sparkle*

OW!

*puttin' on the welding goggles*

Careful, TBG!

re: TBG-Squint as you read, lest you be blinded by her brilliance.

The retina burn is just too intense.

TBG: Thanx for The Onion column, I think.
Base/soft/tee-ball is OK for anyone old enough to swing a bat. I draw the football line @ age 8 on account of the weight of the equipment.

As for the tiara, I look hideous in all manner of headwear, but if it rocks your chair, go for it.

RD_P: My doctor is scared hit less of my brain on account of all the self-rewiring. It's amazing what one can do w/ a few simple tools. Let's see: pliers check, screwdrivier check...I'm seeing the poor fellow this afternoon, as it happens.

That tiara is going to become the next stupendous Hubble Telescope photo.

Congrats TBG

I once won a tiara playing pretty pretty princess!!!But that is about it...

The way my season picks are going,I should ask my mother to pickem next week...

I'm with you MsJS on kids' sports. Actually, my husband has studied research on head injuries in youth sports and now I'm pretty wary of any football... even adults. One thing the study points out is that helmets can increase injuries because of the false sense of security they provide.

I totally agree with you on the bat-swinging sports. In fact, I go even further and stop at high school baseball. I think players more talented than that are too boring to watch play baseball.

I love a good high school baseball game... they're usually good enough to keep the action going but "bad" enough to make it interesting.

BTW... have I said yet how much I enjoy your posts? I'm so glad you've found us and the "Submit" button.

Joel: You probably believed that Lucy was gonna let Charlie Brown kick the football eventually, didn't you? That kind of optimism is hard to find in this day & age. Refreshing, even if just a little sad.

Last night I shared my new outlook on Redskins football.

How can someone who can make Hollandaise sauce- from scratch- over a campfire, burn microwave popcorn every $%@ing time? I give up.

Ah, I remember all the cheers from tee-ball. There was "get up!" (who could possibly field from a cross legged seated position?) "turn around" (it does help to at least face the general direction of the infield) and the ever popular "don't throw dirt" (there's lots of crying in baseball when everyone has sand in their eyes). I've always felt that most t-ball players, and their parents, are just contributing to the development of those one or two kids who "get" it and will one day be stars.

TBG, the Tiara looks great on you.

Congratulations!

As I side note, I played a lot of football as a young man. Did a bit of boxing, too. Heck, for me, nealy all sports were contact sports and I can't tell you how many times my bell was rung but good.

Really, I can't.
Can't tell you what my SAT scores were, either.

Or what I just had for lunch.

bc

Baseball, huh, MsJS? So (she asks casually) what do you think of the designated hitter rule?

Of course, I may have expressed a teeny tiny opinion myself on the designated hitter rule. I may have occasionally argued that it has led to the erosion of the country's moral fiber and the collapse of the global economy. Maybe.

Raysmom, still giggling at your post.

TBG congrats - you look marvelous.

It is snowing here, nothing significant just the first flakes of the year. Note to the rest of the country storm expected in our area late Tues/Wed, snow and rain - you know the drill!

Oooo! Ooooo! *madly waving hand in the air to be called on!*

C'nye answer? C'nye answer? Pleezepleezepleeze?

Quick food question, I am going to attempt the Chai Sugar cookies for our party Friday, just purchased 5 spice mix at the store, as the store I went to did not have Chai mix, same thing? Smell similar to my chai tea but not sure, if not I can go to the other store that has a large Indian/Asian food selection. Thanks.

Spices were from the bulk section and it did not list the ingredients - that is why I do not know.

Of course 100% of boodlers with an opinion agree with Ivansmom about the designated hitter. I daresay it is less opinion and more proven fact.

Oh, rats. Never mind. IM gave away the only correct answer. Especially the part about fiber.

traditionally: cinnamon, star anise, fennel, pepper, cloves

beware-my prepackaged mix has garlic and salt as the first two ingredients, even though it smells sweet.

I was a big contributor to the development of those kids who "get" baseball. Two seasons in Little league without a single hit. Not saying I didn't get on base. About every other game I'd get hit by the ball, so I know I did my job of showing those pitchers where the strike zone WASN'T. I got my first spectacles sometime after that second season, but was so disillusioned that I never played baseball again.

Oh dmd, snow! Now that the decorating is done (and so am I), it would be festive. Of course my shopping isn't quite done and there's wrapping to do. Oh, and baking. Don't know the answer to your question about chai spices, this year is the first time I've heard of using this ingredient.

We're talking about baseball? I guess football talk is just too painful for most of us right now.

Thanks Frosti, quick check show my mix as Chinese (smells really good though), the recipe does call for a homemade mix if you wish including pepper.

Mixes for Chai online vary, many have cardamon - the one spice I am missing and having a hard time justify paying $10.00 fo a jar I will rarely use.

I am supposed to do shopping badsneaks? Have not started Christmas shopping but that never takes too long and I enjoy it.

Frosti, you put Hollandaise on your S'mores?

I would never dare contradict mudge on anything involving thrown balls. And particularly not on an issue as important as the DH. But I am a little ambivalent on the value of interleague play.

dmd--

Not the same thing.

There's a recipe for making your own chai blend at the bottom of the recipe if you don't have the "official" blend.

I don't remember the measurements, but the blend includes cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and a little white pepper.

Hope this helps!

News of import to book lovers and or LGBT members of the boodle community: Lambda Rising in Dupont Circle is closing because the owners are retiring.

http://www.lambdarising.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp;jsessionid=bacVI0T8FXyKn_FlgDQvs?s=localbestsellers

I know I will miss it. I used to like to just browse the music selection.

dmd, I put a little cardamom in applesauce, pumpkin pie, sometimes in chicken dishes - all kinds of things. If you have it you can find ways to use it. I would think Chinese 5-spice would be a decent substitute for "chai spice" - the latter seems like a major investment, when I can just use cinnamon, cardamom and cloves (or, of course, 5-spice) plus a little black pepper. I have used Chinese 5-spice in applesauce cake along with other spices and it tastes good.

Talking about baseball is about as on-Kit as I get for a football Kit. Of course I could mention yesterday's Cowboys game, but the Ivansclan tried to forget that quickly. Or so I'm told.

dant dant dant dannnnn......have a great day everyone

GOMER!

dmd... go to the Indian store and the cardamon will be MUCH LESS expensive.

Also check the other sections of your grocery store (the Latin section, for example, often has 99-cent versions of all the spices).

I use DNA Girl's recipe for chai tea... adding to my PG Tips: a couple of cardamon pods, some fennel, ginger, a few black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and a few ajowan seeds if you can find them at your Indian store.

Makes great tea... I can only imagine it would make great cookies, too.

Frosti, its not you, its your microwave.

13 is not the new 12, SD. I'm still cringing. I sent that phot to mrdr at work so he could cringe too. sigh.

It does Moose, also thought to look on my package of organic Chai Tea, that ingredient list includes ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and star anise.

So I will have to find a mix or purchase, cloves, cardmom and star anise and white pepper.

It white pepper less spicy than black pepper?

Interleague play probably doesn't do a heck of a lot for the game per se, but it sure makes some fans happy to have the chance to see superstars they'd only otherwise be able to see if their team happens to get into the Series.

It is.

I'm sure you could just use ginger and a little less black pepper (or no pepper).

OK, I was backboodling and read about the cookies--only I read it at first as Chia cookies.

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Here we were planning our playoff parties all last week. Us 49ers only had to beat the lowly Seahawks while the Vikings would knock off the Cardinals yesterday. And then we would whoop up on the Cardinals Monday night and be in the playoffs. After all we whooped up on the Cardinals earlier and surely they couldn't handle Farve.
'Course we got extra fancy and tried a punt return reverse and fumbled on the 13 yard line which the Seahawks promptly turned into seven points. And old man Farve let us down in the desert.

Chia cookies are what happen when you leave a snickerdoodle underneath the couch for a month.

Hmm. We went from football to tea and cookie recipes.

And yet, somehow, it all makes sense.

The much forecast El Nino storm failed to arrive. Instead the high pressure is causing a continued great freeze here in the banana belt. Sunny and clear here now going on seven days. 14 this morning, lots of burst pipes as we are not prepared for this kind of stuff. Just getting above freezing in the afternoon. We were having sparkling mornings with the freezing fog making all the trees looking like holiday cards. Now everything is freeze dried.
Rain forecast is now pushed back at least a week.
Night time is almost like early morning with the bright moon.

That's it dr! I'm just the unlucky user of three different popcorn burning microwaves. It might have something to do with getting distracted just as the pops start slowing down. Too many furry creatures running about, and this is the time of year for shiny things...

Mudge-haven't tried it, but my theory is that there is nothing Hollandaise can't improve.

Um, the rice and spice business is complicated.

Florida supermarkets carry spices from Badia (based in Miami), vastly cheaper than Tones and incredibly vastly cheaper than McCormick or Spice Islands. A Middle Eastern store will have cheap saffron. I'm sure it's a terribly inferior grade, but it does make rice turn yellow.

Ajowan seed (from a member of the carrot family) is kind of interesting. Cheap substitute for thyme. I must have a ten-year supply.

Basmati rice is best obtained at Indian grocery stores or warehouse places. Middle Eastern store for Egyptian rice (which seems to my inexpert eye a lot like super-expensive Italian for risotto).

NOW it feels like christmas. had my company xmas party on fri nite (my company throws a HUGE xmas party) and froze my tuckus off at the holiday sing-a-long at wolf trap. we do it every year... this year was much more festive with all the snow on the ground!

Ah, the Christmas Girl Reports in!!

The Tiger Woods Christmas Song Parody *LOL*:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojTSOANgqhc&feature=related

Me? I'm curious if Tiger will show up in San Diego for the golf tournament at Torrey Pines at the tail end of January. It formerly was called many things: used to have San Diego in the name, sponsored by Isuzu in the mid-80s, for the past six years Buick backed it. Tiger wasn't there last year when the weather was bad.

Now organizers are trying to woo a sponsor and Tiger is the big bait. Imagine the number of times the tourney sponsor's name will be mentioned if Tiger shows up at the Torrey Pine links? Torrey Pines isn't too far from Jamie "take your name off your phone" Grubbs' home of Escondidio. I've read that it costs more to tee off at Torrey than Tiger paid in reckless driving fees.

Full disclosure *w*: My sister was married-for her second ceremony--on the heights of California's Torrey Pines State Park, just across the golf course's northern border. Know that Genessee Ave. area well. *drumming fingers on Tiger watch*

Feel free to swing or sing along with the Tiger Christmas song parody. Goes with the tune, "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

Mo, I'm pretty sure I saw you on a PBS special about Christmas celebrations in the Washington area.

They panned the crowd at the Wolf Trap sing-along. I am almost certain it was you.

I think the footage was from 2007 or 2008.

:o)

Ah, the Christmas Girl Reports in!!

Our Holiday Party is next week. It is always an event. But when they haul out the Karaoke machine, well, that means it is time to go home.

moose - that probably WAS me!! i remember there being a film crew there one year...

i love christmas!

I can see how TW would have been able to step out without his spouse knowing. I mean, it's not like he works for a large financial house but skips out on a holiday because he has to "work."

Taking delight from others' difficulties is very unbecoming. And class and grace are not a coat and hat you put on when you walk out the door.

How do you instill class and grace? Please don't say audiotapes.

I think being respectful of others, cognizant of others humiliation, pain and suffering is a good stepping stone Wilbrod.

Ah, cognizant is always a challenge, but at least solid respect does help a lot with repairing the goofs caused by lack of awareness.

UVa has a new head football coach...

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/cavaliers-journal/2009/12/london_hire_official_will_make.html

wolf trap is such a great venue - i feel sorry for those outside of the dc area that can't/haven't experienced wolf trap's wonderfulness...

Nothing is more wonderful than having seen Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha on the lawn at Wolftrap, with two little girls who had seen the Wishbone Version on PBS and demanded to see it for real.

SCC-version not Version.

I imagine that Woods' Internet ratings go up every time someone mentions him in a blog; might as well put money in his pocket to keep talking about him.

And I'm done with it.

bc

frosti - that sounds great! i'm always sad that i missed raul julia in man of la mancha...

mo

Meant to add this last line for my 3:47: I'm not interested in adding to any pain or humiliation for TW, and especially his wife and kids by continuing to discuss. I believe they're going to have enough to deal with.

bc

When the news about Wood's acident first came out it was reported that he was seriouly injured. I was concerned for him that it might mean the end of his stellar golfing career. Later, it was reprted that he had only minor injuries and I felt reief for him.

That ended my interest in the story. I really did not want to know about all the other stuff that has come out.

Here you go:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/07/AR2009120701920.html?hpid=artslot
Let the daredevils do it!

Oh,dear! excuse the typos.

Very late to the party. Spent virtually all day in meetings of greater or lesser importance, and have to work late tonight. Bad day all around for football this weekend - Skins, ugh! Steelers - double ugh! Gators (my boss's school)- ugh! BCS - UGH!

House decorated, most presents wrapped, grocery list in process for baking needs, leftovers for dinner, feeling better about my timetable for Christmas.

I do wish we'd looked into some sort of concert or show to celebrate the season. Oh well, next year.

I just read Feinstein's anti-BCS column: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/07/AR2009120702185.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

He's right about the problem, of course (I say with no expertise whatsoever), but why is it Obama's job to fix this, too?

sneaks, stop, you're making me feel all behind. One gift bought, a few others in mind. In-laws coming to visit at the end of the week, and the house is a disaster. But there are exams to grade first. (So of course I'm boodling.)

bia - Last year on Monday Night Football (I think) Obama tongue-in-cheekedly said that getting a proper college football playoff would be a priority for him as president.

So Feinstein is taking him up on the offer!

Wow, Sneaks! Excellent!

I usually make calendars for my friends from my Africa pictures (am I repeating myself?), and now the computer won't communicate with the photo printer (which it did early last week). I am simply beside myself (and twins do not run in the family . . .), as time's a wastin' here and I'm hoping fixing it won't cost anything. Or not much, anyway.

*crossing fingers, even though it's hard to type while doing so*

I am back in Florida with my tomato plants after a three week sojourn in cold, wet Oklahoma. (I was using all my gear to go jogging--two pairs of sweat pants, hat, gloves, etc.--one morning it was 18 degrees. I got to use my mantra: "There's no such thing as bad weather, only soft people." I didn't make that up, I read it on an internet site.)

When I was changing planes in St. Louis, I heard from my daughter via cellphone--she is driving across the country and wanted me to check the weather for her. I happened to be online so I went to Weather Underground or NOAA or some such place and entered her whereabouts. Big, giant red area marked "BLIZZARD WARNING ZONE" just where she was. She was heading out of that zone, into a "WINTER STORM WARNING ZONE." The word "havoc" was used in the weather report. Not good. The reason she was calling me was that she was considering a side trip. We concurred that the timing was wrong for that.

She called me later to say she was okay and was staying on the interstate, making progress. I think she can get out of the snow zone before it gets too bad. Ah, youth! Adventure! I remember those days.

Holiday shopping done. Home decorated save for tree which MrJS won't allow to be put up till this weekend at the earliest (he's a little bah-humbuggy about Christmas sometimes). Looking for new and novel money origami designs to add novelty value to the cash gifts.

Was out driving my neurologist bats this afternoon and missed the merriment here. But yes, I would add Climate-Gate and the Salahi's to the long list of ills that are causally connected to the dh rule.

ftb, my printer is churning out all matter of gloriously colored things. I you're still having trouble, park your stuff out on the web somewhere and I'll download and print it for you.

Oh, thanks, Bob. I might have a vague memory of that.

ftb - what are the printers symptoms? are the lights on but it just won't print? are you using windows xp? one thing to try is unplug all the cables, even the power from the printer and wait approx 5 min then plug everything back in - if you are running xp the printer should be plug and play...

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!

I crossed my fingers and hoped Huffman wouldn't start writing til 2010, thereby missing the opportunity to go snarky on Tiger, but the same little voice that called to Mr. A this weekend guffawed with a DON'T BE A SUCKER kind of laugh.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/12/an_anime_tiger_woods_and_an_an.html

sigh...

I didn't follow the pundit contest, so MsJS's link is the first time I've read Huffman and... it just seemed dull to me. Not sharply snarky, and not compelling in any other way either. I hope he develops, if he's going to be a regular.

YAYYYYYYYYYY!!

Just got of the fone with a very, very nice Canon tech support person. After a bit of this and a bit of that, she suggested taking the USB cable out of the hub and plugging it directly into the computer. I then rebooted the Mac, and dang if the printer works!

YAYYYYYYYYY!!

Whew! And it only cost me $9.99 (the printer is 6 years old, and thereby out of warranty) -- cheap, you know?

SCC: *off* the fone

Happy for you ftb, nothing like a simple fix to help the mood. I was going to try making calendars this year but just couldn't fit it into my todo list. bia, I'm this far ahead because I am unemployed, I don't know how I got anything done when I worked for a living ;-)

Yay! ftb's back in business.

badsneakers: calendars are a hoot. We make one most every year. Only six or seven copies, as the collective family sense of humor is often viewed as non-mainstream.

I haven't done anything for Christmas, no baking, no shopping, no gifts. I'm mid wedding preparations, and from here on I work till the day we leave. I plan to stop at the store this week and pick up some frozen hors d'ouvres, and other finger foods, so that if I don't have the strength to cook when we get home, there will at least be food. This could be a new low (or high, depending on how one vies my cooking) for fancy eating around here.

I'm hoping my mommie cooks her usual large feast and that all and sundry admire the gift cards they will get if I can't find anything from Kiev for them.

kb, glad you made it back home and hope your daughter's adventures are not too, um, exciting. Spoken by someone who has driven across the northern part of the country (and Canada!) in the winter...and lived to tell about it. Yes, I know it's technically not winter yet, but still...

ftb, I was going to suggest power cycling/unplugging the printer. See, I could do that tech support job!

To quote TBG, when did I find time to work?

Seasea, I don't see myself flying on VG's SpaceShip Two.

Unless they let me drive.

bc

The outside lights are up! The white ones on the cherry tree complemented by the colored ones on the house. The stationary reindeer juxtaposed with the big polar bear that moves its head back and forth.

I do so enjoy them pretty, pretty lights.

There was that one holiday season when Son of G and his friends found it hilarious to roam the neighborhoods and put the lighted reindeer in, er... compromising positions.

I mean, there's always the one bending over. I can understand the temptation.

Well..um... it *is* the season to be jolly.

TBG, you reminded me of the year that #2's neighbors put her two reindeer in a very naughty position on the roof of her house. Another neighbor complained (she had children) because it took a few days for #2 to climb up on the roof to disentangle the two deers.

I will definitely plan the calendars for next year. It will give me time to gather just the right photos to use. I understand the sense of humor thing, MsJS, #2 and I share that.

SCC: two DEER - duh!

I suspect, MsJS, that virtually all (with exception, obvious or not) the Boodlers have that outside-the-mainstream sense of humor. Are you local enough to come to the BPH in a week?

The tree is trimmed, and all that stands between us and house guests is cleaning the house. The green room, the chocolate room, and the foyer/dining hall are staged. Four rooms to go downstairs, and a quick cleaning of the four rooms and the foyer upstairs, and we're good to go. Let it snow. Let it reindeer.

I feel most inadequate.

Don't feel inadequate, Yoki. Just be like me. No baking, no wrapping (that'll happen on Christmas Eve) and I'll put up the silver retro tree sometime in the next week or so.

I have my Grandmother's pink sparkly '65 table tree, TBG, Tacky, and beautiful.

Well, there you go, Yoki.

There is a new kit out there.

New Kit!

(Our tree is a small Noble Fir - it's on a table, so we old folks don't have to bend down to water or decorate it.)

The kids are watching the Grinch, the one with Jim Carey. The dog is pretty good and there are a few decent visual jokes.

We're having an unannounced snowfall. There is a couple of inches on the ground already and it's still falling. The "real" storm is scheduled for Wednesday, we'll see. The good thing: the traffic was pretty light when I went out for grocery shopping tonight. I was tempted to spin the minivan in the empty parking lot but the adult in me prevailed, barely.
It's really pretty outside and both dogs tried a puppy run, out of snow excitement. The VLP made a fool of himself, as usual. what a clusy dog. The 13 1/2 years old Giant Black Lab was the most excited, I think. At my last visit at the vet, with the VLP, I checked the GBL age against the 26" tall dog chart; he is roughly 105-110 years old in dog's year. He won't be with us much longer but he is such a wonderful dog.

Just got home after a routine doctor visit. Waited THREE hours in the waiting room (and I had an appointment). Got a swine flu shot.

A little over 400 years ago I saw Alonso Quixano in Man of La Mancha. Guy was wack. Long story, which I'd tell, but I haven't had dinner yet. (Aldonza Lorenzo, a.k.a. Dulcinea del Toboso, was eyeful, though, even though I told AQ she was nothing but trouble. Would he listen? Hah. Sancho and I looked at each other and just shook our heads.)

(Did you know one of the possible derivations of the word quixote is a Catalan word for "thighs"? Bet you didn't. Some scholars think the "thighs" reference pertains to a horse's rump. Meaning, I suppose, that Don Quixote was a horse's a$$. I prefer a more romantic, sympathetic interpretation.)