Pets

Yep......I have them. I have two cats. For awhile now.......they have been the be all and end all of the pet kingdom in my house. Who needs more than two pets? This has always been my philosophy.

Well.....deep down inside me..........way down......I have wanted a dog. I have always told my mother.......who is not a dog fan.......that I was going to get a St. Bernard. Now granted, I would tell her this in the midst of some heated discussion just to get her goat.....send her completely over the edge with images of this large drooling animal bounding down my hallway to affectionately knock her down and lick her face. Oh yeah........that would pretty much push her to the brink. My mother is only 5 feet tall so she could actually dance nose-to-nose with a St. Bernard if he were standing on his back legs.

In all seriousness...this year I have decided that this will be my "year of the dog". I have always been a fan of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Don't ask me where I first discovered my interest in this breed but I am totally captivated by them. Their body frames are similar to Labrador Retrievers but Chessies are a bit more sculptured in their appearance. These are water dogs. They love to swim and their coats are suited for being in the water. Not an avid or good swimmer myself..........maybe that is why I am so attracted to this breed.

After years of reading about the breed, TC and I are going to visit a breeder about an hours drive away this weekend. This breeder has over 17 years experience with breeding and showing these dogs so I am very excited about what I can learn from her. If all goes well and I like what I see, I could have a pup of my own in the Spring!

This whole dog adventure is going to leave my cats in a state of bewilderment. I can imagine them sneaking by the crate every night just to investigate this new little "being". Since my oldest cat is the "Alpha" over every four legged species that walks into my house..........I will have to take extra care in controlling him so I don't end up with a wimpy dog! Yes......this cat wields that much power.

So I am hopeful that my weekend will yield outstanding information about a breed I have read so much about in the last 5 years. I hate to say that my life is going to the dogs but it appears that it will be in 2007!

Nine players - Nine months

For the ninth time in a year, another Bengals player has been arrested for some unlawful activity. In the wee hours of the morning, rookie Johnathan Joseph was arrested and charged with the possession of marijuana.

Three weeks ago Marvin Lewis proclaimed that he was going to get tough on his players. The gloves were off........he was not going to allow things to continue as they have been in the last year. They even brought the Cincinnati Police in to talk to the players about the dangers of drinking and driving and other unlawful activities.

It didn't work.

So here we are for the ninth time. At what point do we say, "Marvin, the players are not listening to you and it clearly shows that they do not respect you". At what point does Bengals owner Mike Brown say..........."Marvin, you have lost control of this team". Granted, we could say that Mike Brown should step in and lower the boom on these players. However, by stepping in and correcting the situation, it will clearly show that he too does not have confidence in Marvin.

I believe the players like Marvin a lot. Maybe too much. Maybe this is the problem. Perhaps there needs to be a line drawn on professionalism and coaching and being the player's buddy. Can Marvin be their friend and then turn around and be a hard-ass?

Something isn't working. Marvin has been the head coach for four years and he has only one.....yes one........winning season so far. There were lots of distractions this season primarily because of all of the off-the-field antics.

Time to up-the-anty on the punishments handed down from the front office. I don't care to win if it means we only win by drafting thugs or juveniles disguised as adults. Johnathan Joseph needs to be cut from the team. How can a rookie actually have the guts to take this kind of chance after seeing what has happened to eight other teammates?

Someone has to stand up and say........this will not be tolerated....and mean it! The arrest today sent a clear message to the community. The players are not listening and there is a lack of leadership in the Bengals organization to enforce or inspire good behavior.

The Bengals can't play or win as a team until they become a team. Right now......they are fractured and looking for something or someone to rally behind.

Wow.........just think.........this all starts all over again in 8 months.

Bits-n-pieces

2007 is rumbling in like an elephant. No one can say that January has not been a bit bizarre and twisted!

• Last week the Ohio Valley reached highs in the upper 50's. Surely part of the warmest winter in the midwest! Maybe winter will get around to us by...oh.....March!
• Rosie and Donnie have quieted their feud for now. You have to admit it was a bit comical. Not really sure what role Barbara Walters played, but like Donald......she knew where the money was and chose her battle accordingly.
• How about the kids in Missouri who were kidnapped and then rescued this week? Mighty mighty lucky! We find out now that the kid who was gone for four years actually had a profile out on Yahoo (with pictures) and may have actually even posted a message on his own missing person's website! How freaky is that?
• Ahhhh.....the football season. The AFC is falling into place exactly how I thought it would - the Colts and the Patsies for one showdown in Indianapolis. Maybe Peyton can get it right this time? How wild would it be if Viniteri kicks the winning field goal? Hmmm....methinks "Coach Hoodie" would not be pleased.
• "More troops to Iraq" declares King GW. Just how many more months of this do we have to endure?
• 12 Angry Men is the featured Coming Attraction for me for January! Hopefully I can resist shouting "Norm!" when George Wendt takes the stage. Thanks TC!
• It is Chesapeake Bay doggy visiting this month. Time to see exactly what I will be getting myself into!
• Will she or won't she? I think we will be hearing from Hillary very soon on her presidential campaign plans. New Hampshire has forced the hand of every able politician by holding a presidential debate in April 2007! Come out fighting or stay on the damn porch!

That's all I've got for now!

TA TA

Technology

For those of you who don't know me personally, I am a technology freak. If it buzzes, blinks or beeps, I gotta have it. So after I purchased a IPod Nano for TC for Christmas, I decided that I had to have one myself.

I can remember just 13 years ago when I bought my first PC. It was a 486 - "pre-Pentium anything". I think I had about 64 mgb of Ram in the thing - very skeletal compared to today's high velocity models. Even the internet was a shadow of itself. Files could be downloaded from stripped down indexed directories on primitive web pages. All via a 14K modem! The big internet provider at the time was Prodigy and then shortly after that AOL. My first experience in any kind of chat room was on Prodigy. As I think back, I was amazed that I could actually chat with women from all around the United States. Each of them with their own personalities, problems and drama. Lots of drama! I thought then.........technology has really come a long way.

Ha! Where are we today? Intel 4.0 Gigabit processors.....Blackberry's.....IPod's......DVD's (remember the old laser disks?)......Satellite dishes that don't take up your entire back yard....Sirius/XM....Cell phones that fit on your ear....text messaging......OnStar.........and TV in your car! And how about that wireless access in Starbucks?

It's just amazing to think about the leaps we have taken in this Technological Age and how quickly we are still advancing with it.

So what devices did you have in 1995? Did you own a computer? What was your first computer experience like?

I think out of all of the ages past..........this is the best time to be alive.

Ta Ta!

Woot websites

Here is an interesting website for those who are always looking for a real bargain. I thank my friend in Napa for clueing me in on this point of interest. The website offers a variety of items at reduced cost. Today's item is a DVD/VHS recorder. You never know what will show up at any given time but the bargains are fabulous and it is for REAL!

http://www.woot.com

For those of us who like wine.............Woot provides this website as well.

http://wine.woot.com/

Happy New Year!

Here we are again........another new year. We are given another chance for making new resolutions for our lives. I am not a fan of making New Year's resolutions so I just aspire to making the new year the best year possible.

A couple things to keep in mind with 2007:

• In Chinese Astrology, it is the Year of the Pig. Hmmm....might be a good idea to shed or gain a few pounds this year.
• According to Numerology, 2007 equates to the the number 9. The "definition" of the number 9 in Numerology is "Completion". This appears to be quite providential since Bush is wrapping up his term as President.
• The number 9 also is defined as humanitarianistic, compassionate, romantic, selfless, generous, philanthropic, loving, wise and idealistic. I don't know where your life is right now, but I am sure you can find something positive for 2007 with one of those key words.
• Finally, the number 9 represents the 9th sign of the zodiac - Saggitarius and it is also represented by the Tarot card - the Hermit. I don't encourage the Hermit lifestyle so try to turn your life around in 2007, ok?

Here are my words of advice for the new year. Be positive. Be adventurous. Be spontaneous. Expand your horizons and reach beyond what is already attainable. Most of all have fun and enjoy each day in 2007!