So very true.
I miss you all. <3
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
The good old hockey game...
Theres been some dissention among the ranks regarding the history and name of Al the Octopus, so I decided to do a little research. Although many of us know him as Stanley, he's actually Al. This is pretty cool:
A1 the Octopus is the eight armed mascot of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. During some games (usually playoffs), octopuses are thrown onto the ice by fans for good luck, this usually occurs after the national anthem or after a goal is scored. In some cases, a delay of game penalty gets called, but this is very unusual, because of the long-standing tradition.
This Legend of the Octopus tradition, started on April 15th, 1952, when two brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who owned a fish market, decided to throw an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium, with the eight tentacles of the octopus symbolizing the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at the time. The Red Wings were a perfect 7-0 in the playoffs and were one win away from not only winning the Cup, but becoming the first perfect team in the NHL's post season history. Sure enough the Red Wings won that game, and the media made mention of the octopus "omen" in the papers the following day, thus establishing the octopus legend in the process. Fans have been throwing octopi onto the ice at Red Wings games ever since. The tradition died down somewhat in the 1970s and 1980s during the Red Wings dismal seasons, but when the Red Wings became contenders again in the '90s, the tradition resumed.
Eventually, a drawn purple octopus mascot was created, and in the 1995 playoffs a large Octopus prop was unveiled. The Octopus was eventually named "Al" (after Joe Louis Arena building operations manager Al Sobotka), and every playoff year since, Al the Octopus gets raised to the rafters, when the Red Wings skate out onto the ice. As the years went on some modifications were made to Al, such as making it so his pupils light up red (blinking on and off), the adding of a large Red Wing Jersey to his body, and the removal of a tooth in order to give Al that "hockey player" look. Al often appears on Red Wings apparel and promotional items. Coca Cola would later create stuffed Als, in their Fan in the Can or Al in the Can promotion. The promotion featured cases of Coke in which some cans were, in fact, containers holding the stuffed Al. Later, Michigan stores would carry the doll, and it would be sold via a mail-in.
There have been many other types of Al merchandise, such as stickers, inflatable dolls, and decals. During the 1996 playoff year, a CD called A Call to Arms was released featuring Al on the cover. Being an octopus, Al's jersey number is 8.
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Red_Wings
A1 the Octopus is the eight armed mascot of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. During some games (usually playoffs), octopuses are thrown onto the ice by fans for good luck, this usually occurs after the national anthem or after a goal is scored. In some cases, a delay of game penalty gets called, but this is very unusual, because of the long-standing tradition.
This Legend of the Octopus tradition, started on April 15th, 1952, when two brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who owned a fish market, decided to throw an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium, with the eight tentacles of the octopus symbolizing the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at the time. The Red Wings were a perfect 7-0 in the playoffs and were one win away from not only winning the Cup, but becoming the first perfect team in the NHL's post season history. Sure enough the Red Wings won that game, and the media made mention of the octopus "omen" in the papers the following day, thus establishing the octopus legend in the process. Fans have been throwing octopi onto the ice at Red Wings games ever since. The tradition died down somewhat in the 1970s and 1980s during the Red Wings dismal seasons, but when the Red Wings became contenders again in the '90s, the tradition resumed.
Eventually, a drawn purple octopus mascot was created, and in the 1995 playoffs a large Octopus prop was unveiled. The Octopus was eventually named "Al" (after Joe Louis Arena building operations manager Al Sobotka), and every playoff year since, Al the Octopus gets raised to the rafters, when the Red Wings skate out onto the ice. As the years went on some modifications were made to Al, such as making it so his pupils light up red (blinking on and off), the adding of a large Red Wing Jersey to his body, and the removal of a tooth in order to give Al that "hockey player" look. Al often appears on Red Wings apparel and promotional items. Coca Cola would later create stuffed Als, in their Fan in the Can or Al in the Can promotion. The promotion featured cases of Coke in which some cans were, in fact, containers holding the stuffed Al. Later, Michigan stores would carry the doll, and it would be sold via a mail-in.
There have been many other types of Al merchandise, such as stickers, inflatable dolls, and decals. During the 1996 playoff year, a CD called A Call to Arms was released featuring Al on the cover. Being an octopus, Al's jersey number is 8.
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Red_Wings
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I miss blogging...
It's been so long since I've found the time to write. I am very comfortable, snuggly in my bed and my baby is sleeping right next to me. This is honestly the best feeling in the whole world. I can't wait until the day that this is how my day ends every day. I know I should wake him up and let him go home, but I'm feeling selfish and I want him next to me. I'll wake him up when I'm done.
I feel like I go through these phases where I feel so inspired, and usually these times come about when I'm feeling change, or feeling relaxed - going with the flow or surrounded by inspiring people.
I am definitely feeling so very inspired and excited about the people in my life right now.
First of all, and I know this might sound corny, but you know what...if you grew up in Michigan you'd understand - it's playoff time! I am so excited, seriously. I am so proud of where I am from and I seriously love my Red Wings. I think that Johan Franzen is my new favorite. Red Hot Johan, baby. Dan Cleary has been a total beast this series, too. I'm seriously impressed by him, but repulsed by his neck beard...ack! Hockey games are a huge part of my family tradition, so it feels great to spend alot of time at my parents and to see my brother so much. Lets face it, I just love to yell anyway, so it's a great excuse to get excited and jump up and down and scream. I really want to go to Joevision but I don't think it's starting until the next series. I have a feeling we'll be seeing the those damn Penguins again and I'm gonna go nuts when I have to see Crosby's ugly mug all the damn time.
Inspiration, inspiration...that's where I was going with this...VACATION! We just went on vacation to Frankenmuth and I had a really great time. There was a period of time where I was feeling really unhappy when I was there, and that was due to my own issues with myself and failure, and I realized during this trip that Dave has a way with me like no other. I spent a good 40 minutes alone with him in our room crying and I swear to you, he just knows what to do. It was awesome. Besides my minor freakout, I had a blast and got to see my friends for two whole days straight. I hardly get to see anyone anymore so it was a real blessing. I think that everyone had a pretty good time and I'm really glad we got the opportunity to go. I'm trying to figure out when our next trip to Kalahari should be! I want to go on vacation so bad. I'm pretty free from serious commitment this summer, so I want to rove. Hopefully I'll get that chance. I think I might even try just going somewhere by myself...I just need to get away from it all for awhile.
Also, I feel like art is everywhere right now. I've got such talented friends and the constant beauty I find in their artwork and even their everyday being is very inspiring to me. My cousin Emily has been working on a book, Sam is constantly producing masterpieces, people have been painting their homes and I really feel a wave of creativity ready to burst. I want to paint my bathroom, work on a couple of different manuscripts and do alot of painting/crafting this summer.
I think warm weather inspires me artistically too. Today I was jumping on the trampoline with Kiera, and feeling the warmth on my skin and hearing her little giggle just made me so happy. I spent alot of today doing things for myself (ugh, 3 Doctors in one day!) but it almost felt refreshing to get stuff done for ME. I started therapy again today, and I'm pretty excited about it. I need to do a little more work on me right now. Things have just been catching up to me and making me a little emotional, so I knew it was time to do a little more soul searching.
Other than all of this, I'm just livin'. No classes this spring, I'm thinking about maybe taking some in the summer but I'm not sure. I'm jobless, (well, not nannying...so I'm missing my BIG source of income) but I'm not too worried about it. Partylite and Gymboree should get me through the summer. I've got a couple of ideas for after that, but we'll have to see. It's almost kind of liberating in a way to not have a set path. That's maturity, for me.
I'm going to wake Dave up in ten minutes. He's adorable. I'm so glad that he has tomorrow off, he really needs a break. Tomorrow for me is watching Harper, then teaching some classes at Gymbo, and then going to see Terminator with the guys at night. Should be interesting, especially since I don't think I've ever seen the first ones, hahaha! All I know is I'll be back. I think that's from those movies....I don't know....
Sleeping Beauty just woke up, said mmmmm, kissed my arm, and he's already back asleep. :) I've gotta go, getting him to stay awake is never an easy task...<3
I feel like I go through these phases where I feel so inspired, and usually these times come about when I'm feeling change, or feeling relaxed - going with the flow or surrounded by inspiring people.
I am definitely feeling so very inspired and excited about the people in my life right now.
First of all, and I know this might sound corny, but you know what...if you grew up in Michigan you'd understand - it's playoff time! I am so excited, seriously. I am so proud of where I am from and I seriously love my Red Wings. I think that Johan Franzen is my new favorite. Red Hot Johan, baby. Dan Cleary has been a total beast this series, too. I'm seriously impressed by him, but repulsed by his neck beard...ack! Hockey games are a huge part of my family tradition, so it feels great to spend alot of time at my parents and to see my brother so much. Lets face it, I just love to yell anyway, so it's a great excuse to get excited and jump up and down and scream. I really want to go to Joevision but I don't think it's starting until the next series. I have a feeling we'll be seeing the those damn Penguins again and I'm gonna go nuts when I have to see Crosby's ugly mug all the damn time.
Inspiration, inspiration...that's where I was going with this...VACATION! We just went on vacation to Frankenmuth and I had a really great time. There was a period of time where I was feeling really unhappy when I was there, and that was due to my own issues with myself and failure, and I realized during this trip that Dave has a way with me like no other. I spent a good 40 minutes alone with him in our room crying and I swear to you, he just knows what to do. It was awesome. Besides my minor freakout, I had a blast and got to see my friends for two whole days straight. I hardly get to see anyone anymore so it was a real blessing. I think that everyone had a pretty good time and I'm really glad we got the opportunity to go. I'm trying to figure out when our next trip to Kalahari should be! I want to go on vacation so bad. I'm pretty free from serious commitment this summer, so I want to rove. Hopefully I'll get that chance. I think I might even try just going somewhere by myself...I just need to get away from it all for awhile.
Also, I feel like art is everywhere right now. I've got such talented friends and the constant beauty I find in their artwork and even their everyday being is very inspiring to me. My cousin Emily has been working on a book, Sam is constantly producing masterpieces, people have been painting their homes and I really feel a wave of creativity ready to burst. I want to paint my bathroom, work on a couple of different manuscripts and do alot of painting/crafting this summer.
I think warm weather inspires me artistically too. Today I was jumping on the trampoline with Kiera, and feeling the warmth on my skin and hearing her little giggle just made me so happy. I spent alot of today doing things for myself (ugh, 3 Doctors in one day!) but it almost felt refreshing to get stuff done for ME. I started therapy again today, and I'm pretty excited about it. I need to do a little more work on me right now. Things have just been catching up to me and making me a little emotional, so I knew it was time to do a little more soul searching.
Other than all of this, I'm just livin'. No classes this spring, I'm thinking about maybe taking some in the summer but I'm not sure. I'm jobless, (well, not nannying...so I'm missing my BIG source of income) but I'm not too worried about it. Partylite and Gymboree should get me through the summer. I've got a couple of ideas for after that, but we'll have to see. It's almost kind of liberating in a way to not have a set path. That's maturity, for me.
I'm going to wake Dave up in ten minutes. He's adorable. I'm so glad that he has tomorrow off, he really needs a break. Tomorrow for me is watching Harper, then teaching some classes at Gymbo, and then going to see Terminator with the guys at night. Should be interesting, especially since I don't think I've ever seen the first ones, hahaha! All I know is I'll be back. I think that's from those movies....I don't know....
Sleeping Beauty just woke up, said mmmmm, kissed my arm, and he's already back asleep. :) I've gotta go, getting him to stay awake is never an easy task...<3
Pictures of the......weekish
These are me and Dave's little love monkies from Zehnder's. They topped our ice cream with these little guys, and their tales made a heart. <3
Due to an unfortunate swimming incident, my phone took a dive this week. :( So, some of the pictures of the week are gone for ever. BUT! I do have some good ones from...
FRANKENMUTH!
This is the greatest picture of all time.
Me and my Baby love! <3
Bear hugggggs!
Uh...Shane. Pretty self explanatory, haha!
My pretty peacock. He was brilliant.
Due to an unfortunate swimming incident, my phone took a dive this week. :( So, some of the pictures of the week are gone for ever. BUT! I do have some good ones from...
FRANKENMUTH!
This is the greatest picture of all time.
Me and my Baby love! <3
Bear hugggggs!
Uh...Shane. Pretty self explanatory, haha!
My pretty peacock. He was brilliant.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The universe works in mysterious ways....
I read random articles online like it's my job. I've never been a huge Larry King fan or anything, but the style of this writing and they way this hit me really makes me want to read his book. I think I'm at a point right now where I could really use a "win." I'm feeling inspired.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/books/05/14/larry.king.track/index.html
Editor's note: Below is an excerpt from Larry King's autobiography, "My Remarkable Journey," published by Weinstein Books. Larry King anchors "Larry King Live at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.
I was thirty-seven years old. (In 1971). I had no job. I had a couple hundred thousand dollars in debts. And a four-year-old daughter. I'd take Chaia to our secret park on our visiting days. That's when the pain cut the deepest -- looking at my daughter and knowing I had no way to support her.
Things got bleaker and bleaker. I became a recluse. By late May, I was down to forty-two dollars. My rent was paid only until the end of the month. I locked myself in my apartment wondering how bad things could possibly get. Pretty soon I wouldn't even be able to afford cigarettes. I remembered a night when I was a young man in New York, alone, cold, and without cigarettes or the money to buy them -- I had smashed open a vending machine to get a pack.
A friend called up and told me to start living like a human being again. He invited me to the track. I had nothing better to do, and I figured it would be good therapy to get out and have lunch with a friend and watch the horses come down the stretch.
I'll never forget that day. I put on a Pierre Cardin jeans outfit that had no pockets and drove to Calder Race Course. I can still see the horses warming up before the third race. There was a horse called Lady Forli -- a filly running against males.
Normally, female horses don't beat males. We're talking cheap horses. I scanned the board and saw that she was 70-1. But my eyes really opened when I looked at the racing form. Racetrack people talk to each other. So I turned to the guy next to me and said, "You know, this horse, three races back, won in more or less the same company. Why is she 70-1?"
"Well," the guy said, "there's a couple of new horses here."
"Yeah, but she should be, like, 20-1. Not 70--1."
Screw it. I bet ten dollars on the horse to win. But I kept looking at the horse. The more I looked at this horse, the more I liked it. So I bet exactas. I bet Lady Forli on top of every other horse and below every other horse. Now I had what's called a wheel.
Larry King's life in pictures »
I kept looking at the horse. Wait a minute, I told myself, I've got four dollars left. I have a pack of cigarettes. I've gotta give the valet two bucks. That still leaves me with money to bet a trifecta.
My birthday is November 19. Lady Forli was number 11. So I bet 11 to win, 1 to place, and 9 to show.
Now I had bets in for 11 on top, 11 on bottom, and 11 to win. And I had a trifecta -- 11-1-9.
When the race began, I had two dollars left to my name -- and that was for the valet.
They broke out of the gate. The 1 broke on top, the 9 ran second, and the 11 came out third. The 11 passed the 9, passed the 1, and they ran in a straight line all around the track. There was no question about it. The 11 won by five lengths. The 1 was three lengths ahead of the 9. I had every winning ticket. I had it to win. I had the exacta. I had the trifecta. I collected nearly eight thousand dollars. Eight thousand dollars!
It had to be one of the happiest moments of my life -- certainly the most exciting. But I had no pockets.
So I stuffed all the money in my jacket. It was bundled up. I didn't know what to do with it. I ran out of the track. The valet attendant came over and said, "You leaving so early?"
"Yeah."
"Bad day, Mr. King?"
I tipped him fifty dollars. The guy nearly fainted.
I had to go somewhere, to stop and make sure it was real. I drove to a vacant lot, which is now called Dolphin Stadium. I parked among the weeds and opened up my jacket. All the money spilled out. I counted out about seventy-nine hundred dollars.
I paid my child support for the next year. I paid my rent for a year. I bought twenty cartons of cigarettes and stacked them up in my apartment, and I filled the refrigerator.
Up to that point, that may have been the happiest moment of my life. Now, today, if I go to the track and win $8,000, it's very nice, but it won't affect my life one iota. It's nice to win. But when you really need it ...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/books/05/14/larry.king.track/index.html
Editor's note: Below is an excerpt from Larry King's autobiography, "My Remarkable Journey," published by Weinstein Books. Larry King anchors "Larry King Live at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.
I was thirty-seven years old. (In 1971). I had no job. I had a couple hundred thousand dollars in debts. And a four-year-old daughter. I'd take Chaia to our secret park on our visiting days. That's when the pain cut the deepest -- looking at my daughter and knowing I had no way to support her.
Things got bleaker and bleaker. I became a recluse. By late May, I was down to forty-two dollars. My rent was paid only until the end of the month. I locked myself in my apartment wondering how bad things could possibly get. Pretty soon I wouldn't even be able to afford cigarettes. I remembered a night when I was a young man in New York, alone, cold, and without cigarettes or the money to buy them -- I had smashed open a vending machine to get a pack.
A friend called up and told me to start living like a human being again. He invited me to the track. I had nothing better to do, and I figured it would be good therapy to get out and have lunch with a friend and watch the horses come down the stretch.
I'll never forget that day. I put on a Pierre Cardin jeans outfit that had no pockets and drove to Calder Race Course. I can still see the horses warming up before the third race. There was a horse called Lady Forli -- a filly running against males.
Normally, female horses don't beat males. We're talking cheap horses. I scanned the board and saw that she was 70-1. But my eyes really opened when I looked at the racing form. Racetrack people talk to each other. So I turned to the guy next to me and said, "You know, this horse, three races back, won in more or less the same company. Why is she 70-1?"
"Well," the guy said, "there's a couple of new horses here."
"Yeah, but she should be, like, 20-1. Not 70--1."
Screw it. I bet ten dollars on the horse to win. But I kept looking at the horse. The more I looked at this horse, the more I liked it. So I bet exactas. I bet Lady Forli on top of every other horse and below every other horse. Now I had what's called a wheel.
Larry King's life in pictures »
I kept looking at the horse. Wait a minute, I told myself, I've got four dollars left. I have a pack of cigarettes. I've gotta give the valet two bucks. That still leaves me with money to bet a trifecta.
My birthday is November 19. Lady Forli was number 11. So I bet 11 to win, 1 to place, and 9 to show.
Now I had bets in for 11 on top, 11 on bottom, and 11 to win. And I had a trifecta -- 11-1-9.
When the race began, I had two dollars left to my name -- and that was for the valet.
They broke out of the gate. The 1 broke on top, the 9 ran second, and the 11 came out third. The 11 passed the 9, passed the 1, and they ran in a straight line all around the track. There was no question about it. The 11 won by five lengths. The 1 was three lengths ahead of the 9. I had every winning ticket. I had it to win. I had the exacta. I had the trifecta. I collected nearly eight thousand dollars. Eight thousand dollars!
It had to be one of the happiest moments of my life -- certainly the most exciting. But I had no pockets.
So I stuffed all the money in my jacket. It was bundled up. I didn't know what to do with it. I ran out of the track. The valet attendant came over and said, "You leaving so early?"
"Yeah."
"Bad day, Mr. King?"
I tipped him fifty dollars. The guy nearly fainted.
I had to go somewhere, to stop and make sure it was real. I drove to a vacant lot, which is now called Dolphin Stadium. I parked among the weeds and opened up my jacket. All the money spilled out. I counted out about seventy-nine hundred dollars.
I paid my child support for the next year. I paid my rent for a year. I bought twenty cartons of cigarettes and stacked them up in my apartment, and I filled the refrigerator.
Up to that point, that may have been the happiest moment of my life. Now, today, if I go to the track and win $8,000, it's very nice, but it won't affect my life one iota. It's nice to win. But when you really need it ...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Pictures of the Week-ish
My new glasses!
The tickets that did NOT win me a trip to Las Vegas. :(
Sleeping Dave and Sexy Cam
Mustachoed
Hey Babaaaay!
Pretty Piggies
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
If I cannot fly, let me sing...
So, I've always loved birds. I don't know if it's that they sing, that they talk alot, or if that they need to be free, but I really have just always related to them.
I spent the entire day watching this first video, and laughing my ass off.
Then, I found this one.
This bird can JAM. Look at him march it out. I love when he kicks his frickin' legs up. I melt. I love this bird, hahaha!
I did a little research about this online, and I found alot of cool information how certain animals, such as birds, seals, elephants, and dolphins have a sense of rhythm that is comparable to ours as humans. I love it.
I spent the entire day watching this first video, and laughing my ass off.
Then, I found this one.
This bird can JAM. Look at him march it out. I love when he kicks his frickin' legs up. I melt. I love this bird, hahaha!
I did a little research about this online, and I found alot of cool information how certain animals, such as birds, seals, elephants, and dolphins have a sense of rhythm that is comparable to ours as humans. I love it.
Friday, May 1, 2009
DON'T MESS WITH MARCHING BAND GIRLS!!!
'Don't mess with the marching band girls'
'Moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls,' official says
The Associated Press
updated 11:14 a.m. ET, Thurs., April 30, 2009
QUARTZ HILL, Calif. - Don't mess with a marching band girl, especially one armed with a baton.
A 17-year-old high school marching band student beat up two assailants who tried to mug her as she walked to school in this high desert community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.
The girl punched one of the men in the nose, kicked the other in the groin and beat both with her large baton before she ran away on Friday morning, officials said.
"The moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls, or you just might get what you deserve," said Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Michael Rust.
He said two men approached the girl from behind, grabbed her coat and demanded money. Deputies searched near Quartz Hill High School for the muggers, looking for a man who was holding his bloodied nose and the other limping.
No arrests have been made, but Rust said it appears the girl made her point to her assailants.
"Final score: Marching band 2, thugs 0," Rust quipped.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30493653/
'Moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls,' official says
The Associated Press
updated 11:14 a.m. ET, Thurs., April 30, 2009
QUARTZ HILL, Calif. - Don't mess with a marching band girl, especially one armed with a baton.
A 17-year-old high school marching band student beat up two assailants who tried to mug her as she walked to school in this high desert community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.
The girl punched one of the men in the nose, kicked the other in the groin and beat both with her large baton before she ran away on Friday morning, officials said.
"The moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls, or you just might get what you deserve," said Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Michael Rust.
He said two men approached the girl from behind, grabbed her coat and demanded money. Deputies searched near Quartz Hill High School for the muggers, looking for a man who was holding his bloodied nose and the other limping.
No arrests have been made, but Rust said it appears the girl made her point to her assailants.
"Final score: Marching band 2, thugs 0," Rust quipped.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30493653/
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